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

him, and Barrios, with a rude and jeering guffaw, had said,‘Oh, let Sotillo go. He is a very good man to keep guard overthe cable, and the ladies of Esmeralda ought to have theirturn.’ Barrios, an indubitably brave man, had no great opinionof Sotillo.It was through the Esmeralda cable alone that the SanTome mine could be kept in constant touch with the greatfinancier, whose tacit approval made the strength of the Ribieristmovement. This movement had its adversaries eventhere. Sotillo governed Esmeralda with repressive severitytill the adverse course of events upon the distant theatre ofcivil war forced upon him the reflection that, after all, thegreat silver mine was fated to become the spoil of the victors.But caution was necessary. He began by assuming adark and mysterious attitude towards the faithful Ribieristmunicipality of Esmeralda. Later on, the informationthat the commandant was holding assemblies of officers inthe dead of night (which had leaked out somehow) causedthose gentlemen to neglect their civil duties altogether, andremain shut up in their houses. Suddenly one day all theletters from Sulaco by the overland courier were carried offby a file of soldiers from the post office to the Commandancia,without disguise, concealment, or apology. Sotillo hadheard through Cayta of the final defeat of Ribiera.This was the first open sign of the change in his convictions.Presently notorious democrats, who had been livingtill then in constant fear of arrest, leg irons, and even floggings,could be observed going in and out at the great doorof the Commandancia, where the horses of the orderlies