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

the breast of Senor Hirsch, who simply seized hold of it,without in the least knowing what it was, but curling hisarms and legs upon the part above the fluke with an invincible,unreasonable tenacity. The lighter yawed off wide, andthe steamer, moving on, carried him away, clinging hard,and shouting for help. It was some time, however, after thesteamer had stopped that his position was discovered. Hissustained yelping for help seemed to come from somebodyswimming in the water. At last a couple of men went overthe bows and hauled him on board. He was carried straightoff to Sotillo on the bridge. His examination confirmed theimpression that some craft had been run over and sunk, butit was impracticable on such a dark night to look for the positiveproof of floating wreckage. Sotillo was more anxiousthan ever now to enter the harbour without loss of time; theidea that he had destroyed the principal object of his expeditionwas too intolerable to be accepted. This feeling madethe story he had heard appear the more incredible. SenorHirsch, after being beaten a little for telling lies, was thrustinto the chartroom. But he was beaten only a little. His talehad taken the heart out of Sotillo’s Staff, though they all repeatedround their chief, ‘Impossible! impossible!’ with theexception of the old major, who triumphed gloomily.‘I told you; I told you,’ he mumbled. ‘I could smell sometreachery, some diableria a league off.’Meantime, the steamer had kept on her way towardsSulaco, where only the truth of that matter could be ascertained.Decoud and Nostromo heard the loud churning ofher propeller diminish and die out; and then, with no use-