Ностромо
Chapter 7
Soistheplainbetweenthetownandtheharbour;silent,butnotsodarkasthehouse,becausethepicketsofItalianworkmenguardingtherailwayhavelightedlittlefiresallalongtheline.Itwasnotsoquietaroundhereyesterday.Wehadanawfulriot—asuddenoutbreakofthepopulace,whichwasnotsuppressedtilllatetoday.Itsobject,nodoubt,wasloot,andthatwasdefeated,asyoumayhavelearnedalreadyfromthecablegramsentviaSanFranciscoandNewYorklastnight,whenthecableswerestillopen.YouhavereadalreadytherethattheenergeticactionoftheEuropeansoftherailwayhassavedthetownfromdestruction,andyoumaybelievethat.Iwroteoutthecablemyself.WehavenoReuter’sagencymanhere.Ihavealsofiredatthemobfromthewindowsoftheclub,incompanywithsomeotheryoungmenofposition.OurobjectwastokeeptheCalledelaConstitucionclearfortheexodusoftheladiesandchildren,whohavetakenrefugeonboardacoupleofcargoshipsnowintheharbourhere.Thatwasyesterday.YoushouldalsohavelearnedfromthecablethatthemissingPresident,Ribiera,whohaddisappearedafterthebattleofSta.Marta,hasturneduphereinSulacobyoneofthosestrangecoincidencesthatarealmostincredible,ridingonalamemuleintotheverymidstofthestreetfighting.Itappearsthathehadfled,incompanyofamuleteercalledBonifacio,acrossthemountainsfromthethreatsofMonterointothearmsofanenragedmob.
