Page:Nostromo (1904).djvu/314

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard different bands of men invaded the place with shouts and imprecations looking for Father Corbelan, but towards the evening, still lying on his face in the bushes, he thought he would die from the fear of silence. He was not very clear as to what had induced him to leave the place, but evidently he had got out and slunk successfully out of town along the deserted back lanes. He wandered in the darkness near the railway, so maddened by apprehension that he dared not even approach the fires of the pickets of Italian workmen guarding the line. He had a vague idea evidently of finding refuge in the railway-yards, but the dogs rushed upon him barking, men began to shout, a shot was fired at random. He fled away from the gates. By merest accident, as it happened, he took the direction of the O.S.N. Company's offices. Twice he stumbled upon the bodies of men killed during the day. But everything living frightened him much more. He crouched, crept, crawled, made dashes guided by a sort of animal instinct, keeping away from every light and from every sound of voices. His idea was to throw himself at the feet of Captain Mitchell and beg for shelter in the company's offices. It was all dark there as he approached on his hands and knees, but suddenly some one on guard challenged loudly, "Quien vive?" There were more dead men lying about, and he flattened himself down at once by the side of a cold corpse. He heard a voice saying, "Here is one of those wound rascals crawling about. Shall I go and finish him?" And another voice objected that it was not safe to out without a lantern upon such an errand. Perhaps it was only some negro Liberal looking for a chance