Ностромо
Chapter 1
Itliesfarouttosealikearoughheadofstonestretchedfromagreen-cladcoastattheendofaslenderneckofsandcoveredwiththicketsofthornyscrub.Utterlywaterless,fortherainfallrunsoffatonceonallsidesintothesea,ithasnotsoilenough—itissaid—togrowasinglebladeofgrass,asifitwereblightedbyacurse.Thepoor,associatingbyanobscureinstinctofconsolationtheideasofevilandwealth,willtellyouthatitisdeadlybecauseofitsforbiddentreasures.Thecommonfolkoftheneighbourhood,peonsoftheestancias,vaquerosoftheseaboardplains,tameIndianscomingmilestomarketwithabundleofsugar-caneorabasketofmaizeworthaboutthreepence,arewellawarethatheapsofshininggoldlieinthegloomofthedeepprecipicescleavingthestonylevelsofAzuera.Traditionhasitthatmanyadventurersofoldentimehadperishedinthesearch.Thestorygoesalsothatwithinmen’smemorytwowanderingsailors—Americanos,perhaps,butgringosofsomesortforcertain—talkedoveragambling,good-for-nothingmozo,andthethreestoleadonkeytocarryforthemabundleofdrysticks,awater-skin,andprovisionsenoughtolastafewdays.Thusaccompanied,andwithrevolversattheirbelts,theyhadstartedtochoptheirwaywithmachetesthroughthethornyscrubontheneckofthepeninsula.
