登陆注册
5215600000087

第87章

In his unskilfulness Don Martin over-exerted himself. Now and then a sort of muscular faintness would run from the tips of his aching fingers through every fibre of his body, and pass off in a flush of heat. He had fought, talked, suffered mentally and physically, exerting his mind and body for the last fortyeight hours without intermission. He had had no rest, very little food, no pause in the stress of his thoughts and his feelings. Even his love for Antonia, whence he drew his strength and his inspiration, had reached the point of tragic tension during their hurried interview by Don Jose's bedside. And now, suddenly, he was thrown out of all this into a dark gulf, whose very gloom, silence, and breathless peace added a torment to the necessity for physical exertion. He imagined the lighter sinking to the bottom with an extraordinary shudder of delight.

`I am on the verge of delirium,' he thought. He mastered the trembling of all his limbs, of his breast, the inward trembling of all his body exhausted of its nervous force.

`Shall we rest, Capataz?' he proposed in a careless tone. `There are many hours of night yet before us.'

`True. It is but a mile or so, I suppose. Rest your arms, senor, if that is what you mean. You will find no other sort of rest, I can promise you, since you let yourself be bound to this treasure whose loss would make no poor man poorer. No, senor ; there is no rest till we find a north-bound steamer, or else some ship finds us drifting about stretched out dead upon the Englishman's silver. Or rather -- no; por Dios !

I shall cut down the gunwale with the axe right to the water's edge before thirst and hunger rob me of my strength. By all the saints and devils Ishall let the sea have the treasure rather than give it up to any stranger.

Since it was the good pleasure of the caballeros to send me off on such an errand, they shall learn I am just the man they take me for.'

Decoud lay on the silver boxes panting. All his active sensations and feelings from as far back as he could remember seemed to him the maddest of dreams. Even his passionate devotion to Antonia into which he had worked himself up out of the depths of his scepticism had lost all appearance of reality. For a moment he was the prey of an extremely languid but not unpleasant indifference.

`I am sure they didn't mean you to take such a desperate view of this affair,' he said.

`What was it, then? A joke?' snarled the man, who on the pay-sheets of the O.S.N. Company's establishment in Sulaco was described as `Foreman of the wharf' against the figure of his wages. `Was it for a joke they woke me up from my sleep after two days of street fighting to make me stake my life upon a bad card? Everybody knows, too, that I am not a lucky gambler.'

`Yes, everybody knows of your good luck with women, Capataz,' Decoud propitiated his companion in a weary drawl.

`Look here, senor ,' Nostromo went on. `I never even remonstrated about this affair. Directly I heard what was wanted I saw what a desperate affair it must be, and I made up my mind to see it out. Every minute was of importance. I had to wait for you first. Then, when we arrived at the Italia Una, old Giorgio shouted to me to go for the English doctor. Later on, that poor dying woman wanted to see me, as you know. Senor , I was reluctant to go. I felt already this cursed silver growing heavy upon my back, and I was afraid that, knowing herself to be dying, she would ask me to ride off again for a priest. Father Corbelan, who is fearless, would have come at a word; but Father Corbelan is far away, safe with the band of Hernandez, and the populace, that would have liked to tear him to pieces, are much incensed against the priests. Not a single fat padre would have consented to put his head out of his hiding-place tonight to save a Christian soul, except, perhaps, under my protection. That was in her mind. I pretended I did not believe she was going to die. Senor , I refused to fetch a priest for a dying woman. . . .'

Decoud was heard to stir.

`You did, Capataz!' he exclaimed. His tone changed. `Well, you know -- it was rather fine.'

同类推荐
  • 周易参同契分章通真义

    周易参同契分章通真义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 峚窖大道心驱策法

    峚窖大道心驱策法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Conditions of Existence

    The Conditions of Existence

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 嵩山野竹禅师录

    嵩山野竹禅师录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 费隐禅师语录

    费隐禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 沦陷拾遗

    沦陷拾遗

    为纪念反法西斯战争胜利四十五周年,领导派我写篇文章。内容主要是日本鬼子在我区犯下的暴行和区内民众抗日的英雄事迹。这是一个旧而又旧的主题了,领导提示说,去查一下县志呐!又提醒我,自然是民族精神,主旋律哟!我便真就去找到一本新修的县志,翻到有关沦陷与抗日的篇章,看那一段段简短的文字,豁然就记起儿时听到的一些故事来。我的故事的叙述者都是些老实巴交的农民,他们不会编造,说得支离破碎残缺不全,都是他们亲历的事,因而那县志上便都有。但是他们给我讲述的时候,与故事发生的时间相隔了二十多年。
  • 温泉欲(中国好小说)

    温泉欲(中国好小说)

    温泉镇“一把手”魏恭俭神秘死亡,县发改局副局长康泉芳走马上任。康泉芳内外交困,但在上任后,无意中将原镇长魏恭俭死亡案破了,凶手原来是副镇长姜荣萍。接下来,康泉芳意外地与同父异母的哥哥季四相遇,她在处理哥哥所涉问题时,陷入了亲情的漩涡,放了季四一马……
  • 系统的力量:基业长青的秘密

    系统的力量:基业长青的秘密

    经营企业就是经营系统。如何将它嵌入商业环境这部大机器,和相关企业环环相扣,带动大系统的运转?同时构建自己相对独立、良性运转的小系统?海水的威力绝对不等于无数水滴的合力,而是这些合力的几何倍数。企业系统所爆发出的威力同样比敏锐的商业嗅觉、合理的整体布局、有效的具体运营等综合实力强大数倍。如果你的企业已经发力到这种境界,那么恭喜你拥有了撬动巨头的能量。假使你还在为企业的商机选择、文化氛围营造、商业模式设计、资金来源、营销策略、组织架构等烦恼,同样恭喜你,选择这本书,聆听亚洲商业模式首席专家林伟贤的运筹帷幄之道,你的企业能量通过系统的整合将得以彰显。
  • 风不鸣条

    风不鸣条

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 天人图

    天人图

    北莽王府有两柄剑。一柄名曰,往生。一柄名曰,复来。六十九年前,北莽王佐天佑用复来剑刺了莫木鱼一剑,又用往生剑刺了自己一剑。然后,这一对难兄难弟,一人将往生,一人还复来。时隔六十九年后,再次重逢……
  • 我和圣女有个约定

    我和圣女有个约定

    十二年前,一个小男孩救了一个小女孩,十二年后小女孩成了武林第一门派的圣女,名动江湖。多少江湖青年俊才想要一睹圣女仙容,可都一一遭到拒绝,圣女只说了一句话,我哥哥不同意。新书,请多多支持。(粉丝群:825503492)
  • 抗日狙击手

    抗日狙击手

    1938年,武汉战役时,国军少校营长罗月松率部镇守大别山东麓,被日军猛烈炮火震晕,醒来全营弟兄阵亡,自己独自坚持敌后抗战,无意中缴获日军狙击手狙击步枪,在实战中成为出色的狙击手,偶遇国军执行特殊任务的别动队,协助别动队完成炸毁日军细菌武器库后,被日军狙击手击中,幸运地被新四军侦察连长胡彪营救,伤愈后参加新四军第五师二团的抗日斗争,并在二团组建特战队,担任特战队队长,充分发挥狙击手的长处,依靠各种特殊的作战,营救新四军机要人员,歼灭日军特种作战小队,打击日本侵略者,建立了显赫战功,顺利申请加入新四军,并成功加入中国共产党,最终成长为我军优秀的军官。
  • 快穿系统之愿望成真

    快穿系统之愿望成真

    (我是新手,不喜误入。)茯苓,一名古怪的女子。自从被系统选中后发生了许多的有趣事情。女主或许会渣也或许不会渣。
  • 你问我爱你有多深

    你问我爱你有多深

    算起来已经有三年了,作为网上通缉的逃犯,一直没有张英俊的消息。就在前一段时间,刑警队得到可靠消息,有人在新疆的石河子见到了一对男女,很像张英俊和田一梅。于是,纪大成就奉命去执行这一项秘密任务。他们来到预先了解到的那家东北菜馆,果然,见有俩东北人在经营,男的做菜,女的招待,看上去很默契、和睦的样子。有一个小男孩总是坐在门前玩,他大概两岁的样子,孩子大眼睛,高鼻梁,特别漂亮,长得非常像他的爸爸。
  • 帝王恋:月妃倾天下

    帝王恋:月妃倾天下

    她,不惜穿越时空,寻找前世纠葛;万蛇之王,等她千年,终于盼得她的魂魄归来,红尘滚滚,千年痴尽一生;他,轮回千年,只为一世得到她的爱,却不知伤她最深的人便是他自己;前世的救命之恩,回报的是给予她的真爱,不离亦是不弃;嗜血的帝王、温润如玉的帝王、万蛇敬仰的王;她,到底为谁而来?她,前世真相到底是什么?