Page 178 - nostromo-a-tale-of-the-seaboard

‘It’s like a tile falling on my head. I—I—executive mem-
ber! It’s the first I hear of it! What do I know of military
rifles? C’est funambulesque!’ he had exclaimed to his favou-
rite sister; for the Decoud family—except the old father and
mother—used the French language amongst themselves.
‘And you should see the explanatory and confidential letter!
Eight pages of it—no less!’
This letter, in Antonia’s handwriting, was signed by Don
Jose, who appealed to the ‘young and gifted Costaguane-
ro’ on public grounds, and privately opened his heart to his
talented god-son, a man of wealth and leisure, with wide
relations, and by his parentage and bringing-up worthy of
all confidence.
‘Which means,’ Martin commented, cynically, to his sis-
ter, ‘that I am not likely to misappropriate the funds, or go
blabbing to our Charge d’Affaires here.’
The whole thing was being carried out behind the back of
the War Minister, Montero, a mistrusted member of the Ri-
biera Government, but difficult to get rid of at once. He was
not to know anything of it till the troops under Barrios’s
command had the new rifle in their hands. The President-
Dictator, whose position was very difficult, was alone in the
secret.
‘How funny!’ commented Martin’s sister and confidante;
to which the brother, with an air of best Parisian blague,
had retorted:
‘It’s immense! The idea of that Chief of the State engaged,
with the help of private citizens, in digging a mine under
his own indispensable War Minister. No! We are unap-

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