One
other encounter O'Reilly had reason to remember.
It so chanced that one day he and Jacket found themselves in the
miserable rabble which assembled at the railroad station to
implore alms from the incoming passengers of the Habana train. Few
people were traveling these days, and they were, for the most
part, Spanish officers to whom the sight of starving country
people was no novelty. Now and then, however, there did arrive
visitors from whom the spectacle of so much wretchedness wrung a
contribution, hence there was always an expectant throng at the
depot. On this occasion O'Reilly was surprised to hear the piteous
whines for charity in the name of God turn suddenly into a subdued
but vicious mutter of rage. Hisses were intermingled with
vituperations, then the crowd fell strangely silent, parting to
allow the passage of a great, thick-set man in the uniform of a
Colonel of Volunteers. The fellow was unusually swarthy and he
wore a black scowl upon his face, while a long puckering scar the
full length of one cheek lifted his mouth into a crooked sneer and
left exposed a glimpse of wolfish teeth.
O'Reilly was at a loss to fathom this sudden alteration of
attitude, the whistle of indrawn breaths and the whispered curses,
until he heard some one mutter the name, "Cobo." Then indeed he
started and stiffened in his tracks.
Pages:
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369