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

creased. The guerrillero brother of the general—the Pedritoof popular speech—had a reputation of his own. He wasn’tsafe to deal with. Sotillo had vaguely planned seizing notonly the treasure but the town itself, and then negotiatingat leisure. But in the face of facts learned from the chiefengineer (who had frankly disclosed to him the whole situation)his audacity, never of a very dashing kind, had beenreplaced by a most cautious hesitation.‘An army—an army crossed the mountains under Pedritoalready,’ he had repeated, unable to hide his consternation.‘If it had not been that I am given the news by a man of yourposition I would never have believed it. Astonishing!’‘An armed force,’ corrected the engineer, suavely. Hisaim was attained. It was to keep Sulaco clear of any armedoccupation for a few hours longer, to let those whom fearimpelled leave the town. In the general dismay there werefamilies hopeful enough to fly upon the road towards LosHatos, which was left open by the withdrawal of the armedrabble under Senores Fuentes and Gamacho, to Rincon,with their enthusiastic welcome for Pedro Montero. It wasa hasty and risky exodus, and it was said that Hernandez,occupying with his band the woods about Los Hatos, wasreceiving the fugitives. That a good many people he knewwere contemplating such a flight had been well known tothe chief engineer.Father Corbelan’s efforts in the cause of that most piousrobber had not been altogether fruitless. The political chiefof Sulaco had yielded at the last moment to the urgent entreatiesof the priest, had signed a provisional nomination