I
stepped ashore and went into the shed, and some one rose in the dark
and grabbed me, and I dragged him out into the starlight. It was the
new keeper.
"Senor," he gasped. "Do not go up! They drove me with sticks
and stones that I fled to the water. They are mad! Hear them! They
mourn for Senor de Avila. They build a great fire and they
sing thus in no Christian language. Come away in your boat. They are
mad."
It seemed to me too they'd better be left to themselves. We drew out
again from under the bluffs, and caught the breeze, and stood away.
The shouting and the chant kept on, and the fire shone after us like
a red path on the water.
I don't know any more about the Tower of Ananias. But I know the
Mituas people were sore about losing the keeper, who went to Lima,
meaning to go to Spain, and never knew he'd been supernatural. Craney
told me afterwards he'd heard the keeper died on the voyage and was
dropped overboard to punctuate the end of his story,--only, no name
was given, and maybe it wasn't him but some other aristocracy.
Craney himself stayed on at Corazon in the cocoa trade, meaning to
take up contracts with the French and English agencies.
Pages:
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93