The Social Cancer, by José Rizal - Home
The Social Cancer, by José Rizal - Home
The Social Cancer, by José Rizal - Home
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
CHAPTER LV 250<br />
"Miserere! <strong>The</strong> alferez is calling for confession," cried Aunt Isabel. "<strong>The</strong> alferez is wounded?" asked Linares<br />
hastily. "Ah!!!" Only then did he notice that he had not yet swallowed what he had in his mouth.<br />
"Padre, come here! <strong>The</strong>re's nothing more to fear!" the alferez continued to call out.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pallid Fray Salvi at last concluded to venture out from his hiding-place, and went down the stairs.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> outlaws have killed the alferez! Maria, Sinang, go into your room and fasten the door! Kyrie eleyson!"<br />
Ibarra also turned toward the stairway, in spite of Aunt Isabel's cries: "Don't go out, you haven't been shriven,<br />
don't go out!" <strong>The</strong> good old lady had been a particular friend of his mother's.<br />
But Ibarra left the house. Everything seemed to reel around him, the ground was unstable. His ears buzzed, his<br />
legs moved heavily and irregularly. Waves of blood, lights and shadows chased one another before his eyes,<br />
and in spite of the bright moonlight he stumbled over the stones and blocks of wood in the vacant and<br />
deserted street.<br />
Near the barracks he saw soldiers, with bayonets fixed, who were talking among themselves so excitedly that<br />
he passed them unnoticed. In the town hall were to be heard blows, cries, and curses, with the voice of the<br />
alferez dominating everything: "To the stocks! Handcuff them! Shoot any one who moves! Sergeant, mount<br />
the guard! Today no one shall walk about, not even God! Captain, this is no time to go to sleep!"<br />
Ibarra hastened his steps toward home, where his servants were anxiously awaiting him. "Saddle the best<br />
horse and go to bed!" he ordered them.<br />
Going into his study, he hastily packed a traveling-bag, opened an iron safe, took out what money he found<br />
there and put it into some sacks. <strong>The</strong>n he collected his jewels, took clown a portrait of Maria Clara, armed<br />
himself with a dagger and two revolvers, and turned toward a closet where he kept his instruments.<br />
At that moment three heavy knocks sounded on the door. "Who's there?" asked Ibarra in a gloomy tone.<br />
"Open, in the King's name, open at once, or we'll break the door down," answered an imperious voice in<br />
Spanish.<br />
Ibarra looked toward the window, his eyes gleamed, and he cocked his revolver. <strong>The</strong>n changing his mind, he<br />
put the weapons down and went to open the door just as the servant appeared. Three guards instantly seized<br />
him.<br />
"Consider yourself a prisoner in the King's name," said the sergeant.<br />
"For what?"<br />
"<strong>The</strong>y'll tell you over there. We're forbidden to say." <strong>The</strong> youth reflected a moment and then, perhaps not<br />
wishing that the soldiers should discover his preparations for flight, picked up his hat, saying, "I'm at your<br />
service. I suppose that it will only be for a few hours."<br />
"If you promise not to try to escape, we won't tie you the alferez grants this favor--but if you run--"<br />
Ibarra went with them, leaving his servants in consternation.<br />
Meanwhile, what had become of Elias? Leaving the house of Crisostomo, he had run like one crazed, without<br />
heeding where he was going. He crossed the fields in violent agitation, he reached the woods; he fled from the