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

ought never to have left the mountain. But it was Decoudwho—however, he is dead. There is no need to talk of him.’‘No,’ assented Nostromo, as the doctor paused, ‘there isno need to talk of dead men. But I am not dead yet.’‘You are all right. Only a man of your intrepidity couldhave saved himself.’In this Dr. Monygham was sincere. He esteemed highlythe intrepidity of that man, whom he valued but little, beingdisillusioned as to mankind in general, because of theparticular instance in which his own manhood had failed.Having had to encounter singlehanded during his period ofeclipse many physical dangers, he was well aware of the mostdangerous element common to them all: of the crushing,paralyzing sense of human littleness, which is what reallydefeats a man struggling with natural forces, alone, farfrom the eyes of his fellows. He was eminently fit to appreciatethe mental image he made for himself of the Capataz,after hours of tension and anxiety, precipitated suddenlyinto an abyss of waters and darkness, without earth or sky,and confronting it not only with an undismayed mind, butwith sensible success. Of course, the man was an incomparableswimmer, that was known, but the doctor judged thatthis instance testified to a still greater intrepidity of spirit.It was pleasing to him; he augured well from it for the successof the arduous mission with which he meant to entrustthe Capataz so marvellously restored to usefulness. And ina tone vaguely gratified, he observed—‘It must have been terribly dark!’‘It was the worst darkness of the Golfo,’ the Capataz as-