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

patrol duty, strolling, carbine in hand, and watchful eyes,in the shade of the trees lining the stream near the bridge,Don Pepe, descending the path from the upper plateau, appearedno bigger than a large beetle.With his air of aimless, insect-like going to and fro uponthe face of the rock, Don Pepe’s figure kept on descendingsteadily, and, when near the bottom, sank at last behind theroofs of store-houses, forges, and workshops. For a time thepair of serenos strolled back and forth before the bridge, onwhich they had stopped a horseman holding a large whiteenvelope in his hand. Then Don Pepe, emerging in the villagestreet from amongst the houses, not a stone’s throwfrom the frontier bridge, approached, striding in wide darktrousers tucked into boots, a white linen jacket, sabre at hisside, and revolver at his belt. In this disturbed time nothingcould find the Senor Gobernador with his boots off, as thesaying is.At a slight nod from one of the serenos, the man, a messengerfrom the town, dismounted, and crossed the bridge,leading his horse by the bridle.Don Pepe received the letter from his other hand,slapped his left side and his hips in succession, feeling forhis spectacle case. After settling the heavy silvermountedaffair astride his nose, and adjusting it carefully behind hisears, he opened the envelope, holding it up at about a footin front of his eyes. The paper he pulled out contained somethree lines of writing. He looked at them for a long time.His grey moustache moved slightly up and down, and thewrinkles, radiating at the corners of his eyes, ran together.