Nostromo : A Tale of the Seaboard
miss the port altogether, since the town, as far as the Minerva's officers knew, was for the time being in the hands of the rabble. This would mean that there would be no steamer for a month, as far as the mail service went; but Decoud had to take his chance of that. The island was his only shelter from the proscription hanging over his head. The capataz was, of course, going back. The unloaded lighter leaked much less, and he thought that she would keep afloat as far as the harbor.
He passed to Decoud, standing knee-deep alongside, one of the two spades which belonged to the equipment of each lighter, for use when ballasting ships. By working with it carefully, as soon as there was daylight enough to see, Decoud could loosen a mass of earth and stones overhanging the cavity in which they had deposited the treasure, so that it would look as if it had fallen naturally. It would cover up not only the cavity, but even all traces of their work, the footsteps, the displaced stones, and even the broken bushes.
"Besides, who would think of looking either for you or the treasure here?" Nostromo continued, as if he could not tear himself away from the spot. "Nobody is ever likely to come here. What could any man want with this piece of earth as long as there is room for his feet on the mainland? The people in this country are not curious. There are even no fishermen here to intrude upon your worship. All the fishing
that is done in the gulf goes on near Zapiga, over there. Señor, if you are forced to leave this island before anything can be arranged for you, do not try to make for
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