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

eing was besieged by anxious inquiries.‘There is nothing; there is nothing to see!’ he would repeatimpatiently.There was nothing. And when the picket in the bushesnear the Casa Viola had been ordered to fall back upon themain body, no stir of life appeared on the stretch of dustyand arid land between the town and the waters of the port.But late in the afternoon a horseman issuing from the gatewas made out riding up fearlessly. It was an emissary fromSenor Fuentes. Being all alone he was allowed to come on.Dismounting at the great door he greeted the silent bystanderswith cheery impudence, and begged to be takenup at once to the ‘muy valliente’ colonel.Senor Fuentes, on entering upon his functions of GefePolitico, had turned his diplomatic abilities to getting holdof the harbour as well as of the mine. The man he pitchedupon to negotiate with Sotillo was a Notary Public, whomthe revolution had found languishing in the common jail ona charge of forging documents. Liberated by the mob alongwith the other ‘victims of Blanco tyranny,’ he had hastenedto offer his services to the new Government.He set out determined to display much zeal and eloquencein trying to induce Sotillo to come into town alonefor a conference with Pedrito Montero. Nothing was furtherfrom the colonel’s intentions. The mere fleeting idea oftrusting himself into the famous Pedrito’s hands had madehim feel unwell several times. It was out of the question—itwas madness. And to put himself in open hostility was madness,too. It would render impossible a systematic search for