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

certainly before noon Sotillo would know in what mannerthe silver had left Sulaco, and who it was that took it out.Nostromo’s intention had been to sail right into the harbour;but at this thought by a sudden touch of the tiller hethrew the lighter into the wind and checked her rapid way.His re-appearance with the very boat would raise suspicions,would cause surmises, would absolutely put Sotilloon the track. He himself would be arrested; and once in theCalabozo there was no saying what they would do to himto make him speak. He trusted himself, but he stood up tolook round. Near by, Hermosa showed low its white surfaceas flat as a table, with the slight run of the sea raised by thebreeze washing over its edges noisily. The lighter must besunk at once.He allowed her to drift with her sail aback. There wasalready a good deal of water in her. He allowed her to drifttowards the harbour entrance, and, letting the tiller swingabout, squatted down and busied himself in loosening theplug. With that out she would fill very quickly, and everylighter carried a little iron ballast—enough to make her godown when full of water. When he stood up again the noisywash about the Hermosa sounded far away, almost inaudible;and already he could make out the shape of land aboutthe harbour entrance. This was a desperate affair, and hewas a good swimmer. A mile was nothing to him, and heknew of an easy place for landing just below the earthworksof the old abandoned fort. It occurred to him with a peculiarfascination that this fort was a good place in which tosleep the day through after so many sleepless nights.