at the entrance of a tent that； according to what was said； had belonged to King Solomon。 They insisted so much that Jos？Arcadio Buendía paid the thirty reales and led them into the center of the tent； where there was a giant with a hairy torso and a shaved head； with a copper ring in his nose and a heavy iron chain on his ankle； watching over a pirate chest。 When it was opened by the giant； the chest gave off a glacial exhalation。 Inside there was only an enormous； transparent block with infinite internal needles in which the light of the sunset was broken up into colored stars。 Disconcerted； knowing that the children were waiting for an immediate explanation； Jos？Arcadio Buendía ventured a murmur：
“It’s the largest diamond in the world。？
“No；？the gypsy countered。 “It’s ice。？
Jos？Arcadio Buendía； without understanding； stretched out his hand toward the cake； but the giant moved it away。 “Five reales more to touch it；？he said。 Jos？Arcadio Buendía paid them and put his hand on the ice and held it there for several minutes as his heart filled with fear and jubilation at the contact with mystery。 Without knowing what to say； he paid ten reales more so that his sons could have that prodigious experience。 Little Jos？Arcadio refused to touch it。 Aureliano； on the other hand； took a step forward and put his hand on it； withdrawing it immediately。 “It’s boiling；？he exclaimed； startled。 But his father paid no attention to him。 Intoxicated by the evidence of the miracle； he forgot at that moment about the frustration of his delirious undertakings and Melquíades？body； abandoned to the appetite of the squids。 He paid another five reales and with his hand on the cake； as if giving testimony on the holy scriptures； he exclaimed：
“This is the great invention of our time。？
Chapter 2
WHEN THE PIRATE Sir Francis Drake attacked Riohacha in the sixteenth century； ？rsula Iguarán’s great…great…grandmother became so frightened with the ringing of alarm bells and the firing of cannons that she lost control of her nerves and sat down on a lighted stove。 The burns changed her into a useless wife for the rest of her days。 She could only sit on one side； cushioned by pillows； and something strange must have happened to her way of walking； for she never walked again in public。 She gave up all kinds of social activity； obsessed with the notion that her body gave off a singed odor。 Dawn would find her in the courtyard； for she did not dare fall asleep lest she dream of the English and their ferocious attack dogs as they came through the windows of her bedroom to submit her to shameful tortures with their red…hot irons。 Her husband； an Aragonese merchant by whom she had two children； spent half the value of his store on medicines and pastimes in an attempt to alleviate her terror。 Finally he sold the business and took the family to live far from the sea in a settlement of peaceful Indians located in the foothills； where he built his wife a bedroom without windows so that the pirates of her dream would have no way to get in。
In that hidden village there was a native…born tobacco planter who had lived there for some time； Don Jos？Arcadio Buendía； with whom ？rsula’s great…great…grandfather established a partnership that was so lucrative that within a few years they made a fortune。 Several centuries later the great…great…grandson of the native…born planter married the great…great…granddaughter of the Aragonese。 Therefore； every time that ？rsula became exercised over her husband’s mad ideas； she would leap back over three hundred years of fate and curse the day that Sir Francis Drake had attacked Riohacha。 It was simply a way。 of giving herself some relief； because actually they were joined till death by a bond that was more solid that love： a mon prick of conscience。 They were cousins。 They had grown up together in the old village that both of their ancestors； with their work and their good habits； had transformed into one of the finest towns in the province。 Although their marriage was predicted from the time they had e into the world； when they expressed their desire to be married their own relatives tried to stop it。 They were afraid that those two healthy products of two races that had interbred over the centuries would suffer the shame of breeding iguanas。 There had already been a horrible precedent。 An aunt of ？rsula’s； married to an uncle of Jos？Arcadio Buendía； had a son who went through life wearing loose； baggy trousers and who bled to death after having lived forty…two years in the purest state of virginity； for he had been born and had grown up with a cartilaginous tail in the shape of a corkscrew and with a small tuft of hair on the tip。 A pig’s tail that was never allowed to be seen by any woman and that cost him his life when a butcher friend did him the favor of chopping it off with his cleaver。 Jos？Arcadio Buendía； with the whimsy of his nineteen years； resolved the problem with a single phrase： “I don’t care if I have piglets as long as they can talk。？So they were married amidst a festival of fireworks and a brass band that went on for three days。 They would have been happy from then on if ？rsula’s mother had not terrified her with all manner of sinister predictions about their offspring； even to the extreme of advising her to refuse to consummate the marriage。 Fearing that her stout and willful husband would rape her while she slept； ？rsula； before going to bed； would put on a rudimentary kind of drawers that her mother had made out of sailcloth and had reinforced with a system of crisscrossed leather straps and that was closed in the front by a thick iron buckle。 That was how they lived for several months。 During the day he would take care of his fighting cocks and she would do frame embroidery with her mother。 At night they would wrestle for several hours in an anguished violence that seemed to be a substitute for the act of love； until popular intuition got a whiff of something irregular and the rumor spread that ？rsula was still a virgin a year after her marriage because her husband was impotent。 Jos？Arcadio Buendía was the last one to hear the rumor。
“Look at what people are going around saying； ？rsula；？he told his wife very calmly。
“Let them talk；？she said。 “We know that it’s not true。？
So the situation went on the same way for another six months until that tragic Sunday when Jos？Arcadio Buendía won a cockfight from Prudencio Aguilar。 Furious； aroused by the blood of his bird； the loser backed away from Jos？Arcadio Buendía so that everyone in the cockpit could hear what he was going to tell him。
“Congratulations！？he shouted。 “Maybe that rooster of yours can do your wife a favor。？
Jos？Arcadio Buendía serenely picked up his rooster。 “I’ll be right back；？he told everyone。 And then to Prudencio Aguilar：
“You go home and get a weapon； because I’m going to kill you。？
Ten minutes later he returned with the notched spear that had belonged to his grandfather。 At the door to the cockpit； where half the town had gathered； Prudencio Aguilar was waiting for him。 There was no time to defend himself。 Jos？Arcadio Buendía’s spear； thrown with the strength of a bull