ould put on some practical demonstrations of his invention for the military authorities and could train them himself in the plicated art of solar war。 For several years he waited for an answer。 Finally； tired of waiting； he bemoaned to Melquíades the failure of his project and the gypsy then gave him a convincing proof of his honesty： he gave him back the doubloons in exchange for the magnifying glass； and he left him in addition some Portuguese maps and several instruments of navigation。 In his own handwriting he set down a concise synthesis of the studies by Monk Hermann。 which he left Jos？Arcadio so that he would be able to make use of the astrolabe； the pass； and the sextant。 Jos？Arcadio Buendía spent the long months of the rainy season shut up in a small room that he had built in the rear of the house so that no one would disturb his experiments。 Having pletely abandoned his domestic obligations； he spent entire nights in the courtyard watching the course of the stars and he almost contracted sunstroke from trying to establish an exact method to ascertain noon。 When he became an expert in the use and manipulation of his instruments； he conceived a notion of space that allowed him to navigate across unknown seas； to visit uninhabited territories； and to establish relations with splendid beings without having to leave his study。 That was the period in which he acquired the habit of talking to himself； of walking through the house without paying attention to anyone； as ？rsula and the children broke their backs in the garden； growing banana and caladium； cassava and yams； ahuyama roots and eggplants。 Suddenly； without warning； his feverish activity was interrupted and was replaced by a kind of fascination。 He spent several days as if he were bewitched； softly repeating to himself a string of fearful conjectures without giving credit to his own understanding。 Finally； one Tuesday in December； at lunchtime； all at once he released the whole weight of his torment。 The children would remember for the rest of their lives the august solemnity with which their father； devastated by his prolonged vigil and by the wrath of his imagination； revealed his discovery to them：
“The earth is round； like an orange。？
？rsula lost her patience。 “If you have to go crazy； please go crazy all by yourself！？she shouted。 “But don’t try to put your gypsy ideas into the heads of the children。？Jos？Arcadio Buendía； impassive； did not let himself be frightened by the desperation of his wife； who； in a seizure of rage； mashed the astrolabe against the floor。 He built another one； he gathered the men of the village in his little room； and he demonstrated to them； with theories that none of them could understand； the possibility of returning to where one had set out by consistently sailing east。 The whole village was convinced that Jos？Arcadio Buendía had lost his reason； when Melquíades returned to set things straight。 He gave public praise to the intelligence of a man who from pure astronomical speculation had evolved a theory that had already been proved in practice； although unknown in Macondo until then； and as a proof of his admiration he made him a gift that was to have a profound influence on the future of the village： the laboratory of an alchemist。
By then Melquíades had aged with surprising rapidity。 On his first trips he seemed to be the same age as Jos？Arcadio Buendía。 But while the latter had preserved his extraordinary strength； which permitted him to pull down a horse by grabbing its ears； the gypsy seemed to have been worn dowse by some tenacious illness。 It was； in reality； the result of multiple and rare diseases contracted on his innumerable trips around the world。 According to what he himself said as he spoke to Jos？Arcadio Buendía while helping him set up the laboratory； death followed him everywhere； sniffing at the cuffs of his pants； but never deciding to give him the final clutch of its claws。 He was a fugitive from all the plagues and catastrophes that had ever lashed mankind。 He had survived pellagra in Persia； scurvy in the Malayan archipelago； leprosy in Alexandria； beriberi in Japan； bubonic plague in Madagascar； an earthquake in Sicily； and a disastrous shipwreck in the Strait of Magellan。 That prodigious creature； said to possess the keys of Nostradamus； was a gloomy man； enveloped in a sad aura； with an Asiatic look that seemed to know what there was on the other side of things。 He wore a large black hat that looked like a raven with widespread wings； and a velvet vest across which the patina of the centuries had skated。 But in spite of his immense wisdom and his mysterious breadth； he had a human burden； an earthly condition that kept him involved in the small problems of daily life。 He would plain of the ailments of old age； he suffered from the most insignificant economic difficulties； and he had stopped laughing a long time back because scurvy had made his teeth drop out。 On that suffocating noontime when the gypsy revealed his secrets； Jos？Arcadio Buendía had the certainty that it was the beginning of a great friendship。 The children were startled by his fantastic stories。 Aureliano； who could not have been more than five at the time； would remember him for the rest of his life as he saw him that afternoon； sitting against the metallic and quivering light from the window； lighting up with his deep organ voice the darkest reaches of the imagination； while down over his temples there flowed the grease that was being melted by the heat。 Jos？Arcadio； his older brother； would pass on that wonderful image as a hereditary memory to all of his descendants。 ？rsula on the other hand； held a bad memory of that visit； for she had entered the room just as Melquíades had carelessly broken a flask of bichloride of mercury。
“It’s the smell of the devil；？she said。
“Not at all；？Melquíades corrected her。 “It has been proven that the devil has sulphuric properties and this is just a little corrosive sublimate。？
Always didactic； he went into a learned exposition of the diabolical properties of cinnabar； but ？rsula paid no attention to him； although she took the children off to pray。 That biting odor would stay forever in her mind linked to the memory of Melquíades。
The rudimentary laboratory—in addition to a profusion of pots； funnels； retorts； filters； and sieves—was made up of a primitive water pipe； a glass beaker with a long； thin neck； a reproduction of the philosopher’s egg； and a still the gypsies themselves had built in accordance with modern descriptions of the three…armed alembic of Mary the Jew。 Along with those items； Melquíades left samples of the seven metals that corresponded to the seven planets； the formulas of Moses and Zosimus for doubling the quantity of gold； and a set of notes and sketches concerning the processes of the Great Teaching that would permit those who could interpret them to undertake the manufacture of the philosopher’s stone。 Seduced by the simplicity of the formulas to double the quantity of gold； Jos？Arcadio Buendía paid court to ？rsula for several weeks so that she would let him dig up her colonial coins and increase them by as many times as it was possible to subdivide mercury。 ？rsula gave in； as always； to her husband’s unyielding obstinacy。 Then Jos？Arcadio Buendía threw three doubloons into a pan and fused them with copper filings； orpiment； brimstone； and lead。 He put it all to boil in a pot of castor oil until he got a thick and pestilential syrup which was more like mon caramel than valuable gold。 In risky and desperate processes of distillation； melted with the seven planetary metals； mixed with hermetic mercury and vitriol of Cyprus； and put back to cook in hog fat for lack of any radish oil； ？rsula’s precious inheritance was reduced to a large piece of burnt hog cracklings that was firmly stuck to the bottom of the pot。
When the gypsies came back； ？rsula had turned the whole population of the village against them。 But curiosity was greater than fear； for that time the gypsies went about the town making a deafening noise with all manner of musical instruments while a hawker announced the exhibition of the most fabulous discovery of the Nacian