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

came so mixed up with German that the better half of hisstatements remained incomprehensible. He tried to propitiatethem by calling them hochwohlgeboren herren, whichin itself sounded suspicious. When admonished sternly notto trifle he repeated his entreaties and protestations of loyaltyand innocence again in German, obstinately, becausehe was not aware in what language he was speaking. Hisidentity, of course, was perfectly known as an inhabitant ofEsmeralda, but this made the matter no clearer. As he kepton forgetting Decoud’s name, mixing him up with severalother people he had seen in the Casa Gould, it looked as ifthey all had been in the lighter together; and for a momentSotillo thought that he had drowned every prominent Ribieristof Sulaco. The improbability of such a thing threw adoubt upon the whole statement. Hirsch was either mad orplaying a part—pretending fear and distraction on the spurof the moment to cover the truth. Sotillo’s rapacity, excitedto the highest pitch by the prospect of an immense booty,could believe in nothing adverse. This Jew might have beenvery much frightened by the accident, but he knew wherethe silver was concealed, and had invented this story, withhis Jewish cunning, to put him entirely off the track as towhat had been done.Sotillo had taken up his quarters on the upper floor ina vast apartment with heavy black beams. But there wasno ceiling, and the eye lost itself in the darkness under thehigh pitch of the roof. The thick shutters stood open. Ona long table could be seen a large inkstand, some stumpy,inky quill pens, and two square wooden boxes, each hold-