The green
divenne
more and more rare
and it began
to appear
one zone
initially
to collinare
and stepposa...
... and more and more mountainous and then barren.
One of the four was only collapsed arched and its reconstruction was in order to be completed. In its with the bridge he did not show a massive aspect but rather esile and I did not succeed to convince to me as he could support the weight of a train. With the aid of the interpreter churches: "the water is deep" -"Sì, a laborer answered me, much to swallow the train that is falled and perhaps other could some swallow also some". Taken care, than more made curious, churches still: "Died ce they have been some" It answered to me in a hurry going away: "Sure yes, but for knowing how many it would have to find again them"...
Replacing in order these news, it was come to know: that the bridge was collapsed; that the train was hasty in the below water; that they had been sure various died and that nobody was taken care to only recover them also for knowing who was. Or mother! I exclaimed, and if it succeeded to me who never would come to acquaintance of fine mine?
After some other day scattered the news that the bridge was ready. Before they made to only pass the train and we remained all on the river to observe with great trepidation. For before the time I could see that train in all its length and I became account that had one locomotive also in bottom. They made to be left over to snail step and also when I saw that first vagoni they were resolutions to journey without to provoke ulterior landslides, I did not succeed rallegrar me because I thought that those had been lightened of our weight and therefore us it had itself to be worried for last that were stracarichi of goods and therefore much the heaviest ones. For our fortune all resumed good went and the travel.
For an other week, same monotonia and same trantran but then, little little, the landscape began to change. The more and more rare green divenne and began to appear one zone initially to collinare and more and more mountainous and then barren stepposa and. The train s' slipped into wide canaloni between full of rocks walls and for hours and hours a plant or a blade of grass was not looked at. The only beautiful thing was their color rossastro that in the light of the sunset left bewitches to you transporting to us in a world of fiaba. Often, down in the lower part, some narrow lane was looked at that it was spread as a tape for kilometers and kilometers and along the distance often were looked at to journey caravans of carrozze covered of clear burlaps with the roof to time, pulled ahead from various horses and escorted from many persons anch' they to horse.
To a sure moment, after some covered kilometer to man step, the train was stopped just on a dirupo and not if of it it understood the reason. Strangely I did not read worry on the face of the travel companions and then one of these, gesturing more than with the words, explained to me that the climb was too much steep and that the train would be remained firm a po' in order to only concur consequently to increase to the fire in the boiler and the pressure of the vapor. It was true and I had understood well. In fact after po' a train resumed its way marching for hours and hours to man step. Then the speed returned to being normal. After some hour it began to accelerate breathtakingly as never it had not been looked at and it remained in that andazzo in order much time seeding between of we a little panic because we were in reduction between dirupi frightening and to someone the doubt came that was routes the brakes. The return to normality concurred to us of rasserenarci a po', before taking sleep and to advanced night, everyone raggomitolò in its corner, as better it could, in attended of an other day.
And the successive day arrived punctual, with its usual monotonia and the usual innovationes. As soon as wide awake and made the breakfast that, as the other meal came to us served in containers cocciati and blackened not to understand of that metal was, the train slowed down of new for a difficult climb but not it stopped. All at once I felt one that it screaied making of the gestures with the hand but not succeeding to understand what wanted to say, I watched the others and I saw that all indicated down low, in bottom to the escarpment. There were various vagoni and a locomotive scatters a po' to you ovunque, before throws down some time to you perhaps for a derailment. Then, from the various noise of the train, I became account that was being passed over a bridge in wood and when the railroad feed the course to curve, I saw much log of tree clearly bundles four to four, scatters to you to you between the vagoni falls to you along the ravine. To that point not there was need of the interpreter in order to understand that sopraelevato was be a matter of a viadotto, collapsed as the previous bridge on the river and I thought that here the dead men had perhaps had at least the fortune to have been recover to you.
The train s' slipped into wide canaloni between full of rocks walls...
Often, down in the lower part, some narrow lane was looked at that it spread like a tape for kilometers and kilometers...
Many later years, when travelled over again this railway line for my according to travel to Saint Francisco, knew that that sconfinato landscape from the fascinating color rossastro that we had crossed for a feature of approximately two thousand kilometers, are the famous Colorado that for centuries and centuries it has swallowed in its Grand Canyon, migliaia and migliaia of pioneers that they died of silks and hardships galoppando with their horse towards Far West in the hope, like me, to find a job in the far one and disowned California.
Finally the arrival in the "Promised Earth"
That earth, than had been described many times to me like a land paradise, by now had it to hand capacity and in fact, after to have crossed for a pair of days, newly verdeggianti zones, here that a greatest lago appeared to our eyes. Many pronounced esclamazioni of joy and someone explained to me that "bay" was not be a matter of a "lago" but of one: The Bay of S: Francisco. We were arrives to you! Without warning the train began to emit hisses to intermittenza, they were hisses of salute and of rejoicing and newly me they came the tears to the eyes.
The train showed oneself on the Bay reaching from the high part and the show that was introduced is indescrivibile: the sea s' caught a glimpse through a thin fog curtain and seemed an immense lago because laughing and the verdeggianti hills wrap it to horse iron until loss of eye. The city of Saint Francisco troneggiava being white here in bottom on the left, carefullied lay down in the better point. I found endured one strongly likeness with the verdeggiante landscape of my country and of my city and the instinctive joy that I tried it made me to forget about blow all the sacrifices of those along travel. Between little hours I could finally have embraced a person friend, the husband of one my sister to which my parents had addressed me because he found a job to me, and to he I could have manifested all my joy in order to have found a second Native land finally.
The a lot yearned for job
The address of my brother-in-law was easy to trace: one via from the first name unknown but in the vicinities of the port. I found in house and seemed that it waited for to me but the acceptance was not warm as I expected and therefore I did not succeed in dirgli null of my more intimate feelings. Me churches hardly news of its and endured spoke me about my job. Dilungò a lot in order to make sure itself that me of it it had found one to me good but that, for the fort delay, by now that one had been assigned to a its friend and for me ce n' an other was endured ready that many had discarded, the manovale for the construction of the railway line of Fe' Saint. In attended better I accepted it even if the satisfied one was poor and had calculated that in order to give back to the moneies of the travel me nearly two years would be intentional!
How many suffering in that job! I depended on the Jesuits but of priests of it I did not see never one. My advanced one was a Spanish corporal whom of Italian one knew single word, indeed two: "More svelto": Me any screaied continuously in the ear was my rhythm of job and then I noticed that it knew this expression in many languages and screaied it to all. With a large one it attends them I had to scatter the gravel for the plan of the railroad: To my country, I had already made it that job when, to the age of twelve years, I went to inghiaià the road to "Meo" in the feature of the Way de' Cats that go from Fagnano to S. Donato, but a hard work therefore I had not never tried it and in little days the hands were covered to me then before bubbles and of bleeding plagues. I could not receive neither comfort neither aid from nobody and I managed from me with of the bende improvised, while also in those conditions the corporal continued to scream: "More svelto... more svelto!" Also here, the only way in order to save was that one to adapt itself in eating and sleeping therefore: bread and latte to breakfast; bread and cheese to lunch and supper, with little varying. The lodging was arranged in shacks improvised along the tracing of the railroad.
For order of my father, than it had written it also in the letter, all the savings I gave them brother-in-law to my who had to send them in Italy in order to reimburse the debit of the travel.
The train showed oneself to the Bay reaching from the high part...... the sea seemed an immense lago...
The city of Saint being white Francisco troneggiava here I instill on the left, carefullied lay down in the better point.
The tradimento of the brother-in-law.
After approximately a year and means I received mail from my papà. I opened the envelope with the shaking hands and with the heart joy overflow but very soon a cold shower made me to raggelare. One was astonished and it was complained of me because, contrarily to the many promises that I had made it departure my, more it had not had my news and had not received not even one Lira for the reimbursement of the debit. I did not succeed to render account me of what could be happened and when course from my brother-in-law for portargli the satisfied one with the month, I knew that it if them were withholdings for its necessity and then added, without average terms that me would not have never given back them. It wanted, to force also the satisfied one with the last month that I still had with me, and when it lengthened the hands in order to tear it to me from back, it went to end in one scazzottata: As soon as rendered account that I was more strongly than he, me churches to stop and then said to me with rantolante voice: "Know that I in Italy I do not return to us more and your sister will not see to me never more. Already for a long time son' found here an other woman to me and of you not of I want more knowledge ". "Rascal, it you scream, and tasks that can end therefore? You give back at least my moneies to me ". It answered me of yes, but then scappò and from that moment I did not see more to it and than he they did not know nuller not even its moglie and its parents. According to the news that I succeeded to scrape together from that they knew it, had found a woman Canadian and therefore I thought that it was escaped with she in Canada.
Once again I burst to cry bitterly closed in that tugurio of house that but offered the advantage of gives a driven in sure shelter to me to a modest one. I did not know that to make, if to return to the hard job of the railroad or where to go to strike the head. While in the outskirtses of this tugurio the voice of scazzottata between two Italians and someone affected in feeling had been scattered the sad history of a young person tricked and betrayed to that way from its brother-in-law. I do not know as he happened, but the successive day I felt to knock to the door.
An Angel appeared: a true Friend.
Before opening I tucked the sleeves of the shirt thinking about having to resume the scazzottata one with my brother-in-law and instead a man of half age from the good-natured attitude introduced itself. "They are an Italian, he said to me, and a friend has told something to me of your brother-in-law. I knew and even if I did not estimate it a lot, never I would have thought that a lot arrived. If you want, I can help you ". I tried to interrupt it for dirgli that I could not be more trusted than nobody, but he continued: "They are here from many years and hour I wish to re-enter in Italy. My family lives on mounts of Carrara, is all cavatori of marble and if you want I teach a trade to you that is not dangerous as it seems. If you want t' I teach to make the mines and then I leave my job you that will concur you to recover in time the lost gain little. It thinks a po' to us and, if you you feel, you come with endured me from tomorrow "
Me it seemed sincere and those to say continuously "If you want... if six of accordo... if it appeals to to you" m' encouraged but not me conviceva a lot because, in exchange for this manna piovuta from the sky, had not asked me moneies. I made courage and I said to it: "But of this offer of job how much you want? Because perhaps, as you will know, I do not have in pocket the biccio of a money... " To that it confirmed me that did not want null because, as it explained to me with more precision, was be a matter of offered job does not give he but from the local Authorities that, having to make the road for Canada, put to the auction the discouragement of a sure number of enormous plants. the Sequoie, which could not be cut with saws it but the dynamite had to be used. The gain came outside in knowing using the dynamite and knowing to gain most possible from the sale of the lumber. Then it added with paternal voice: "Via, it trusts to you me and, if you say to me of yes, domattina I come to take to you". To that point as I could say not... but so I was confused that I did not succeed to aprir' mouth and I did not know to make other that to embrace it.
The mattino successive we left before the dawn for the forest of sequoie that are found to the North of S. Francisco, along the Sacramento river and m' imbattei in a bewitched landscape. After all the blows that I had subìto, I did not succeed more in gioire than null, but the friendly sollicitations of the Angel carrarino and the scene from fiaba in which unexpectedly I found myself dipped, brought back to me a little peace in the heart and, slowly slowly, I began to taste that one sinfonia of the made nature of surrealistic images, of evocative colors, of harmonious sounds form to you from the song of exotic birds never seen before then and of exalted tepore coolness from gorgoglio of streams that came down chatting calmly in order to go itself then to hush in the below Sacramento river.