Read Ebook: La Ruta del Aventurero by Baroja P O

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 2455 lines and 77940 words, and 50 pages

"We know all about that! You ain't a-goin' to hurt us, are you?" exclaimed Dave.

"We're the Harris kids," answered Dave quickly.

Miss Hathaway seemed suddenly amused.

Before she had finished speaking the soft-voiced twin caught her horse, which was grazing near. Dave, more clumsily built, followed him, while the girl took the small boy by the hand and started toward the school-house. At the door she turned in time to see the twins struggling at her horse's head. They were about ready to come to blows.

"I'll take care of that horse myself," said Dave gruffly, attempting to force the other boy's hand from the bridle.

"Anyway," he explained as he went inside, "Dave's the youngest, and so I let him have the horse."

"I never was so frightened in my life," thought the girl, as she arranged the small school for the day. "But the only way to manage these little devils is to bluff them."

A group composed principally of cowboys, squaw-men, and breeds squatted and lounged outside of Joe Harris' house. Numerous tousley-headed boys, with worn overalls and bare feet, played noisily on the outskirts, dogs and pigs scurried about everywhere, while in the doorway of the dingy, dirt-covered kitchen in the rear hovered a couple of Indian women and several small dark-skinned children. Somewhere out of sight, probably over the cook-stove, were two or three nearly grown girls. Such, at supper time, was the usual aspect of Joe Harris' cabins, varied occasionally by more or less Indians, whose tepees stood at one side, or more or less dogs, but always the same extraordinary amount of squealing pigs and children.

The huge figure of Joe Harris, squaw-man, cattle-man, and general progressive-man, was prominent in the center of the group. He was by all odds the greatest and most feared man in that portion of the country. His judgment as well as his friendship was sought after by all the small ranchers about, and also, it was rumored, by a certain class of cattle owners commonly called rustlers. To be Joe Harris' friend meant safety, if nothing more; to be his enemy meant, sooner or later, a search for a new country, or utter ruination. He brought with him, years before from the north, a weird record, no tangible tale of which got about, but the mysterious rumor, combined with the man's striking personality, his huge form, bearded face, piercing blue eyes, and great voice, all combined to make people afraid of him. He was considered a dangerous man. At this date he possessed one thousand head of good cattle, a squaw, and fifteen strong, husky children, and, being a drinking man, possessed also an erratic disposition. He was very deferential to his Indian wife, a good woman, but he ruled his offspring with a rod of iron. His children feared him. Some of them possessed his nature to such a marked degree that they hated him more than they feared him, which is saying considerable. Even as they played about the group of men they watched him closely, as they had learned by instinct at their mother's breast.

In the midst of loud talk from the assorted group, a tiny girl, the great man's favorite child, was sent out from the kitchen to tell them that supper was ready. The little thing pulled timidly at the large man's coat. He stooped and picked her up in his arms, leading the hungry throng into the house, where a rude supper was eaten in almost absolute silence. Occasionally a pig would venture into the room, to be immediately kicked out by the man who sat nearest the door. Then the children that played about the house would chase the offending animal with sticks and shrill cries.

In a room adjoining this one a girl sat alone in dejected attitude, her face buried between two very brown hands. As the men tramped into the house she rose from the trunk upon which she had been sitting and crossed to the farther side of the room. There, with difficulty, she forced up a small dingy window looking out upon the mountains at the back of the ranch--a clear view, unobstructed by scurrying dogs, pigs, or children. She leaned far out, drawing in deep, sweet breaths, and wondering if she would follow the impulse to climb out and run to the top of the nearest hill. She thought not, then fell again to woe botones dorados, pantalones azules, chaleco de grana y cachucha de oficial de Marina inglesa. Los dos primeros parec?an vestidos en una traper?a; al tercero se le hubiera tomado por un currutaco que iba a un baile o a una recepci?n aristocr?tica.

El hombre alto, al desembarcar, subi? las escaleras con un saco; el enfermo llevaba un fardel en la mano; el peque?o, rubio y elegante, hizo que un marinero le llevase al muelle una gran maleta.

El oficial enviado por el gobernador se acerc? a los tres individuos con el fin de interrogarles.

Los marineros del bote, al momento que dejaron a los hombres con sus equipajes en tierra, separ?ndose del muelle comenzaron a remar furiosamente y se alejaron dirigi?ndose a la polacra.

--?Se van!--exclamaron los del p?blico con sorpresa.

--No; es que van a traer otros--replicaron algunos de esos seres perspicaces que siempre est?n en el secreto de los acontecimientos.

Los desconocidos acabados de desembarcar se hallaban en el malec?n, rodeados de un c?rculo de marineros, mujeres y chiquillos.

--?Bueno, bueno, basta ya!--gritaba el hombre peque?o y rubio, dirigi?ndose a la multitud--. No se?is imb?ciles. Aqu? no hay nada que ver. ?Fuera!

En esto, apartando la gente, se acerc? a los tres individuos el oficial enviado por el coronel gobernador.

--?De d?nde vienen ustedes?--pregunt? con voz seca.

--Venimos de Grecia, despu?s de haber tocado en N?poles--contest? el hombre alto y rozagante.

--?Son ustedes espa?oles?

--No; somos ingleses.

--?Qu? hac?an ustedes en Grecia?

--Eramos comerciantes. Los turcos saquearon la ciudad donde viv?amos y tuvimos que escapar.

--?Y por qu? los han desembarcado?

--Es que nuestro compa?ero se encuentra enfermo y quer?a a toda costa dejar el barco.

Un sargento que acompa?aba al oficial se acerc? a ?l y le dijo en voz baja:

--No vayan a tener la peste.

El oficial di? unos pasos atr?s. La frase y el movimiento no pasaron inadvertidos para la gente, que al momento ensanch? el c?rculo que rodeaba a los tres hombres.

El oficial habl? con mucha reserva con el sargento y dijo despu?s dirigi?ndose a los sospechosos:

--No pueden ustedes entrar en el pueblo.

--?Por qu??--pregunt? el hombre alto.

--Porque tienen que ir al lazareto en observaci?n.

Los desconocidos se miraron unos a otros.

--?No habr? un mozo o una caballer?a para llevar nuestro equipaje?--pregunt? el elegante peque?o y rubio con voz seca--. Se le pagar? lo que sea.

Un campesino, despu?s de vacilar mucho, dijo que ?l ten?a una mula y que la traer?a.

Se esper? a que viniera, se sujetaron encima de la caballer?a el saco y la maleta, se fu? el oficial, y el sargento, due?o de la situaci?n, dijo severamente a los supuestos apestados:

--Vengan ustedes detr?s de m?; pero de lejos ?eh! No hay necesidad de acercarse.

Los tres hombres, llevando en medio al enfermo, siguieron al sargento y al campesino de la mula. Avanzaron por la playa. De trecho en trecho ten?an que pararse para que el enfermo descansara. Cruzaron un peque?o barrio formado por caba?as y algunas barcazas convertidas en viviendas y adornadas con tiestos y cajas llenas de tierra con flores.

All? por donde pasaban iban produciendo expectaci?n; la voz de que eran apestados hab?a corrido por el pueblo.

El sargento, dejando la parte habitada de la playa, se acerc? a un arenal desierto en donde se levantaba una casa cuadrada, medio ruinosa, montada sobre un basamento macizo de piedra, que imped?a que el agua del mar entrase dentro en los temporales. Para subir a la casa hab?a unos escalones.

Ve?anse alrededor de ella cajas de mercanc?as abiertas y algunas lanchas podridas.

--Este es lazareto de Ondara--dijo el sargento--. Aqu? van ustedes a pasar la cuarentena de observaci?n. Bajen ustedes los equipajes.

El enfermo se sent? tristemente en una de las escaleras de la casa abandonada, mientras los otros dos y el campesino descargaban la caballer?a.

Hecho esto, el sargento dijo como despedida:

--No se les permite a ustedes acercarse a la ciudad bajo pena de muerte. Por la ma?ana y por la noche se les traer? pan y rancho, que se les dejar? en la puerta. Ya lo saben. ?Adi?s!

El campesino tom? el ronzal de su macho, cogi? el dinero que le di? el hombre rubio, lo cont? y comenz? a alejarse despacio por la playa.

Se quedaron los tres hombres solos, y mientras el enfermo, envuelto en una manta, miraba el mar, los otros dos entraban en la casa solitaria.

Abrieron las carcomidas ventanas. El sitio era destartalado y sucio: una nave como una sala de hospital con una cocina peque?a en el fondo.

--Puesto que aqu? tenemos que estar algunos d?as, vamos a ver si limpiamos esto--dijo el hombre alto.

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet