Amaranta took charge of Aureliano Jos？ She adopted him as a son who would share her solitude and relieve her from the involutary laudanum that her mad beseeching had thrown into Remedios？coffee。 Pietro Crespi would tiptoe in at dusk； with a black ribbon on his hat； and he would pay a silent visit to Rebeca； who seemed to be bleeding to death inside the black dress with sleeves down to her wrists。 Just the idea of thinking about a new date for the wedding would have been so irreverent that the engagement turned into an eternal relationship； a fatigued love that no one worried about again； as if the lovers； who in other days had sabotaged the lamps in order to kiss； had been abandoned to the free will of death。 Having lost her bearings； pletely demoralized； Rebeca began eating earth again。
Suddenly—when the mourning had gone on so long that the needlepoint sessions began again—someone pushed open the street door at two in the afternoon in the mortal silence of the heat and the braces in the foundation shook with such force that Amaranta and her friends sewing on the porch； Rebeca sucking her finger in her bedroom； ？rsula in the kitchen； Aureliano in the workshop； and even Jos？Arcadio Buendía under the solitary chestnut tree had the impression that an earthquake was breaking up the house。 A huge man had arrived。 His square shoulders barely fitted through the doorways。 He was wearing a medal of Our Lady of Help around his bison neck； his arms and chest were pletely covered with cryptic tattooing； and on his right wrist was the tight copper bracelet of the ni？os…en…cruz amulet。 His skin was tanned by the salt of the open air； his hair was short and straight like the mane of a mule； his jaws were of iron； and he wore a sad smile。 He had a belt on that was twice as thick as the cinch of a horse； boots with leggings and spurs and iron on the heels； and his presence gave the quaking impression of a seismic tremor。 He went through the parlor and the living room； carrying some half…worn saddlebags in his hand； and he appeared like a thunderclap on the porch with the begonias where Amaranta and her friends were paralyzed； their needles in the air。 “Hello；？he said to them in a tired voice； threw the saddlebags on a worktable； and went by on his way to the back of the house。 “Hello；？he said to the startled Rebecca； who saw him pass by the door of her bedroom。 “Hello；？he said to Aureliano； who was at his silversmith’s bench with all five senses alert。 He did not linger with anyone。 He went directly to the kitchen and there he stopped for the first time at the end of a trip that had begun of the other side of the world。 “Hello；？he said。 ？rsula stood for a fraction of a second with her mouth open； looked into his eyes； gave a cry； and flung her arms around his neck； shouting and weeping with joy。 It was Jos？Arcadio。 He was returning as poor as when he had left； to such an extreme that ？rsula had to give him two pesos to pay for the rental of his horse。 He spoke a Spanish that was larded with sailor slang。 They asked where he had been and he answered： “Out there。？He hung his hammock in the room they assigned him and slept for three days。 When he woke up； after eating sixteen raw eggs； he went directly to Catarino’s store； where his monumental size provoked a panic of curiosity among the women。 He called for music and cane liquor for everyone； to be put on his bill。 He would Indian…wrestle with five men at the same time。 “It can’t be done；？they said； convinced that they would not be able to move his arm。 “He has ni？os…en…cruz。？Catarino； who did not believe in magical tricks of strength； bet him twelve pesos that he could not move the counter。 Jos？Arcadio pulled it out of its place； lifted it over his head； and put it in the street。 It took eleven men to put it back。 In the heat of the party he exhibited his unusual masculinity on the bar； pletely covered with tattoos of words in several languages intertwined in blue and red。 To the women who were besieging him and coveting him he put the question as to who would pay the most。 The one who had the most money offered him twenty pesos。 Then he proposed raffling himself off among them at ten pesos a chance。 It was a fantastic price because the most sought…after woman earned eight pesos a night； but they all accepted。 They wrote their names on fourteen pieces of paper which they put into a hat and each woman took one out。 When there were only two pieces left to draw； it was established to whom they belonged。
“Five pesos more from each one；？Jos？Arcadio proposed； “and I’ll share myself with both。
He made his living that way。 He had been around the world sixty…five times； enlisted in a crew of sailors without a country。 The women who went to bed with him that night in Catarino’s store brought him naked into the dance salon so that people could see that there was not a square inch of his body that was not tattooed； front and back； and from his neck to his toes。 He did not succeed in being incorporated into the family。 He slept all day and spent the night in the red…light district； making bets on his strength。 On the rare occasions when ？rsula got him to sit down at the table； he gave signs of radiant good humor； especially when he told about his adventures in remote countries。 He had been shipwrecked and spent two weeks adrift in the Sea of Japan； feeding on the body of a rade who had succumbed to sunstroke and whose extremely salty flesh as it cooked in the sun had a sweet and granular taste。 Under a bright noonday sun in the Gulf of Bengal his ship had killed a sea dragon； in the stomach of which they found the helmet； the buckles； and the weapons of a Crusader。 In the Caribbean he had seen the ghost of the pirate ship of Victor Hugues； with its sails torn by the winds of death； the masts chewed by sea worms； and still looking for the course to Guadeloupe。 ？rsula would weep at the table as if she were reading the letters that had never arrived and in which Jos？Arcadio told about his deeds and misadventures。 “And there was so much of a home here for you； my son；？she would sob； “and so much food thrown to the hogs！？But underneath it an she could not conceive that the boy the gypsies took away was the same lout who would eat half a suckling pig for lunch and whose flatulence withered the flowers。 Something similar took place with the rest of the family。 Amaranta could not conceal the repugnance that she felt at the table because of his bestial belching。 Arcadio； who never knew the secret of their relationship； scarcely answered the questions that he asked with the obvious idea of gaining his affection。 Aureliano tried to relive the times when they slept in the same room； tried to revive the plicity of childhood； but Jos？Arcadio had forgotten about it； because life at sea had saturated his memory with too many things to remember。 Only Rebeca succumbed to the first impact。 The day that she saw him pass by her bedroom she thought that Pietro Crespi was a sugary dandy next to that protomale whose volcanic breathing could be heard all over the house。 She tried to get near him under any pretext。 On a certain occasion Jos？Arcadio looked at her body with shameless attention and said to her “You’re a woman； little sister。？Rebeca lost control of herself。 She went back to eating earth and the whitewash on the walls with the avidity of previous days； and she sucked her finger with so much anxiety that she developed a callus on her thumb。 She vomited up a green liquid with dead leeches in it。 She spent nights awake shaking with fever； fighting against delirium； waiting until the house shook with the return of Jos？Arcadio at dawn。 One afternoon； when everyone was having a siesta； she could no longer resist and went to his bedroom。 She found him in his shorts； lying in the hammock that he had hung from the beams with a ship’s hawser。 She was so impressed by his enormous motley nakedness that she felt an impulse to retreat。 “Excuse me；？she said； “I didn’t know you were here。？But she lowered her voice so as not to wake anyone up。 “e here；？he said。 Rebeca obeyed。 She stopped beside the hammock in an icy sweat； feeling knots forming in her intestines； while Jos？Arcadio stroked her ankles with t