Page 371 - nostromo-a-tale-of-the-seaboard

armed Europe would not have protected Captain Mitchell
from insults and ill-usage, so well as the quick reflection of
Sotillo that this was an Englishman who would most likely
turn obstinate under bad treatment, and become quite un-
manageable. At all events, the colonel smoothed the scowl
on his brow.
‘What! The excellent Senor Mitchell!’ he cried, in affected
dismay. The pretended anger of his swift advance and of his
shout, ‘Release the caballero at once,’ was so effective that
the astounded soldiers positively sprang away from their
prisoner. Thus suddenly deprived of forcible support, Cap-
tain Mitchell reeled as though about to fall. Sotillo took him
familiarly under the arm, led him to a chair, waved his hand
at the room. ‘Go out, all of you,’ he commanded.
When they had been left alone he stood looking down,
irresolute and silent, watching till Captain Mitchell had re-
covered his power of speech.
Here in his very grasp was one of the men concerned in
the removal of the silver. Sotillo’s temperament was of that
sort that he experienced an ardent desire to beat him; just
as formerly when negotiating with difficulty a loan from
the cautious Anzani, his fingers always itched to take the
shopkeeper by the throat. As to Captain Mitchell, the sud-
denness, unexpectedness, and general inconceivableness of
this experience had confused his thoughts. Moreover, he
was physically out of breath.
‘I’ve been knocked down three times between this and
the wharf,’ he gasped out at last. ‘Somebody shall be made
to pay for this.’ He had certainly stumbled more than once,

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