United States or Cocos Islands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"A smuggler, is he?" "Why, in this country it is hardly fair to call it by so harsh a name, as the Government itself dips out of the same dish. Smuggling here, as in most other countries, should be looked upon rather as the offspring of necessity and maladministration than as a vice in itself. Cenobio is a contrabandisto, and upon a large scale." "And you are a political philosopher, Raoul!"
Presently the dust was wafted aside, a dozen dark forms became visible, and in the midst a bright object flashed under the sun like a sheet of gold. At the same instant an insulting shout broke from the guerilleros, and a voice was heard exclaiming: "Cenobio! Cenobio! Los canones!" Clayley turned towards me with an inquiring look. "It is true, Clayley; by heavens, we'll have it now!"
"True, at times; but there were other times when the Government became lynx-eyed, and then smuggling was no joke. We had some sharp skirmishing. Sacre! I have good cause to remember this very hill. I came near making a jump into purgatory from the other side of it." "Ha! how was that?" "Cenobio had got a large lot of cochineal from a crafty trader at Oaxaca.
"I dined yesterday with our old friend Cenobio; and you should have seen him when I told him the man he had in his company. I thought he would have split his sides. He's a perfect old trump this Cenobio, notwithstanding his smuggling propensities. "By the way, you have heard, I suppose, that our `other old friend', the padre, has been shot. He took part with Paredes against the Government.
Carambo! if I had known that!" "But how came you, Narcisso, to be with the guerilla?" "Oh! papa had many things to carry up the country; and he, with some other families, paid Colonel Cenobio for an escort the country is so full of robbers." "Ah! sure. Tell me, Narcisso, how came I by this?" I held out the dagger. "I know not, Captain.
Raoul was directly in front of me, and we could converse at times. "Where do you think they are taking us, Raoul?" I inquired, speaking in French. "To Cenobio's hacienda. I hope so, at least!" "Why do you hope so?" "Because we shall stand some chance for our lives. Cenobio is a noble fellow." "You know him, then?" "Yes, Captain; I have helped him a little in the contraband trade."
Twice or thrice we forded the stream, and sometimes left it, returning after having travelled a mile or so. This was to avoid the canons, where there is no path by the water. We then ascended a long hill, and after reaching its summit commenced going downwards. "I know this road well," said Raoul. "We are going down to the hacienda of Cenobio." "Pardieu!" he continued. "I ought to know this hill!"
His men were just the fellows who would obey that order, coming, as it did, from Cenobio. "The Government somehow or other got wind of the affair, and slipped a strong detachment out of Vera Cruz in time to intercept us. We met them on the other side of this very hill, where a road strikes off towards Medellin." "Well! and what followed?"
Word Of The Day