Nostromo - A Tale of the Seaboard.pdf - Planet eBook

Tome mine should think earnestly of everlasting punishmentinstead of inquiring into the magnitude of the earth,with its countries and populations altogether beyond yourunderstanding.’With a ‘Good-night, Padre,’ ‘Good-night, Don Pepe,’ theGobernador would go off, holding up his sabre against hisside, his body bent forward, with a long, plodding stride inthe dark. The jocularity proper to an innocent card gamefor a few cigars or a bundle of yerba was replaced at once bythe stern duty mood of an officer setting out to visit the outpostsof an encamped army. One loud blast of the whistlethat hung from his neck provoked instantly a great shrillingof responding whistles, mingled with the barking of dogs,that would calm down slowly at last, away up at the headof the gorge; and in the stillness two serenos, on guard bythe bridge, would appear walking noiselessly towards him.On one side of the road a long frame building—the store—would be closed and barricaded from end to end; facing itanother white frame house, still longer, and with a verandah—thehospital—would have lights in the two windowsof Dr. Monygham’s quarters. Even the delicate foliage of aclump of pepper trees did not stir, so breathless would bethe darkness warmed by the radiation of the over-heatedrocks. Don Pepe would stand still for a moment with thetwo motionless serenos before him, and, abruptly, highup on the sheer face of the mountain, dotted with singletorches, like drops of fire fallen from the two great blazingclusters of lights above, the ore shoots would begin torattle. The great clattering, shuffling noise, gathering speed