āSo,ā he said, turning again toward Balducci, āwhatās he done?ā And before the gendarme had opened his mouth, Daru asked, āDoes he speak French?ā āNo, not a word. Weāve been looking for him for a month, but they were hiding him. He killed his cousin.ā āIs he against us?ā āI donāt think so. But you never know.ā āWhy did he kill him?ā āFamily business, I think. One owed the other grain, it seems. Itās not clear. Anyway, he killed the cousin with a billhook. You know, the way youād kill a sheep, zip!ā¦ā Balducci made a gesture of drawing a blade across his throat, and the Arab, his attention attracted, watched him with a kind of anxiety. Daru felt a sudden anger against this man, against all men and their filthy spite, their inexhaustible hatreds, their bloodlust.