the doctor, hesitatingly, »women are so very
unaccountable in every position, and at all times of life, that I thought
sometimes she was in a way, don't you see? in love with him - the Capataz. The
rascal has his own charm indubitably, or he would not have made the conquest of
all the populace of the town. No, no, I am not absurd. I may have given a wrong
name to some strong sentiment for him on her part, to an unreasonable and simple
attitude a woman is apt to take up emotionally towards a man. She used to abuse
him to me frequently, which, of course, is not inconsistent with my idea. Not at
all. It looked to me as if she were always thinking of him. He was something
important in her life. You know, I have seen a lot of those people. Whenever I
came down from the mine Mrs. Gould used to ask me to keep my eye on them. She
likes Italians; she has lived a long time in Italy, I believe, and she took a
special fancy to that old Garibaldino. A remarkable chap enough. A rugged and
dreamy character, living in the republicanism of his young days as if in a
cloud. He has encouraged much of the Capataz's confounded nonsense - the
high-strung, exalted old beggar!«
    »What sort of nonsense?« wondered the chief engineer. »I found the Capataz
always a very shrewd and sensible fellow, absolutely fearless, and remarkably
useful. A perfect handy man. Sir John was greatly impressed by his
resourcefulness and attention when he made that overland journey from Sta.
Marta. Later on, as you might have heard, he rendered us a service by disclosing
to the then chief of police the presence in the town of some professional
thieves, who came from a distance to wreck and rob our monthly pay train. He has
certainly organized the lighterage service of the harbour for the O.S.N. Company
with great ability. He knows how to make himself obeyed, foreigner though he is.
It is true that the Cargadores are strangers here, too, for the most part -
immigrants, Isleños.«
    »His prestige is his fortune,« muttered the doctor, sourly.
    »The man has proved his trustworthiness up to the hilt on innumerable
occasions and in all sorts of ways,« argued the engineer. »When this question of
the silver arose, Captain Mitchell naturally was very warmly of the opinion that
his Capataz was the only man fit for the trust. As