Page 299 - nostromo-a-tale-of-the-seaboard

the steamers of the Compania comes upon the boat with
the two dead men who have saved the treasure. That, se-
nor, is the only way to save it; for, don’t you see? for us to
come to the land anywhere in a hundred miles along this
coast with this silver in our possession is to run the naked
breast against the point of a knife. This thing has been giv-
en to me like a deadly disease. If men discover it I am dead,
and you, too, senor, since you would come with me. There
is enough silver to make a whole province rich, let alone a
seaboard pueblo inhabited by thieves and vagabonds. Senor,
they would think that heaven itself sent these riches into
their hands, and would cut our throats without hesitation.
I would trust no fair words from the best man around the
shores of this wild gulf. Reflect that, even by giving up the
treasure at the first demand, we would not be able to save
our lives. Do you understand this, or must I explain?’
‘No, you needn’t explain,’ said Decoud, a little listlessly.
‘I can see it well enough myself, that the possession of this
treasure is very much like a deadly disease for men situated
as we are. But it had to be removed from Sulaco, and you
were the man for the task.’
‘I was; but I cannot believe,’ said Nostromo, ‘that its loss
would have impoverished Don Carlos Gould very much.
There is more wealth in the mountain. I have heard it roll-
ing down the shoots on quiet nights when I used to ride to
Rincon to see a certain girl, after my work at the harbour
was done. For years the rich rocks have been pouring down
with a noise like thunder, and the miners say that there is
enough at the heart of the mountain to thunder on for years

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard