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

of the far interior where the great rivers have their sources.But it was mere aimless wandering; he had written nothing,collected nothing, brought nothing for science out of thetwilight of the forests, which seemed to cling to his batteredpersonality limping about Sulaco, where it had drifted incasually, only to get stranded on the shores of the sea.It was also known that he had lived in a state of destitutiontill the arrival of the Goulds from Europe. Don Carlosand Dona Emilia had taken up the mad English doctor,when it became apparent that for all his savage independencehe could be tamed by kindness. Perhaps it was onlyhunger that had tamed him. In years gone by he had certainlybeen acquainted with Charles Gould’s father in Sta.Marta; and now, no matter what were the dark passages ofhis history, as the medical officer of the San Tome mine hebecame a recognized personality. He was recognized, butnot unreservedly accepted. So much defiant eccentricityand such an outspoken scorn for mankind seemed to pointto mere recklessness of judgment, the bravado of guilt. Besides,since he had become again of some account, vaguewhispers had been heard that years ago, when fallen intodisgrace and thrown into prison by Guzman Bento at thetime of the so-called Great Conspiracy, he had betrayedsome of his best friends amongst the conspirators. Nobodypretended to believe that whisper; the whole story of theGreat Conspiracy was hopelessly involved and obscure;it is admitted in Costaguana that there never had been aconspiracy except in the diseased imagination of the Tyrant;and, therefore, nothing and no one to betray; though