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

Spanish fathers was a serious object to the rest of Europe—as represented by the bold buccaneers. There is a curse offutility upon our character: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza,chivalry and materialism, high-sounding sentiments and asupine morality, violent efforts for an idea and a sullen acquiescencein every form of corruption. We convulsed acontinent for our independence only to become the passiveprey of a democratic parody, the helpless victims of scoundrelsand cut-throats, our institutions a mockery, our lawsa farce—a Guzman Bento our master! And we have sunk solow that when a man like you has awakened our conscience,a stupid barbarian of a Montero—Great Heavens! a Montero!—becomesa deadly danger, and an ignorant, boastfulIndio, like Barrios, is our defender.’But Don Jose, disregarding the general indictmentas though he had not heard a word of it, took up the defenceof Barrios. The man was competent enough for hisspecial task in the plan of campaign. It consisted in an offensivemovement, with Cayta as base, upon the flank of theRevolutionist forces advancing from the south against Sta.Marta, which was covered by another army with the President-Dictatorin its midst. Don Jose became quite animatedwith a great flow of speech, bending forward anxiously underthe steady eyes of his daughter. Decoud, as if silenced byso much ardour, did not make a sound. The bells of the citywere striking the hour of Oracion when the carriage rolledunder the old gateway facing the harbour like a shapelessmonument of leaves and stones. The rumble of wheels underthe sonorous arch was traversed by a strange, piercing