Part 15 (1/2)

So terrible a threat forced Ibarra to obey. He exchanged the small silver trowel for a larger iron one, which made some of the people smile. He advanced quietly and descended the stairs. Elias looked at him with an indescribable expression. If you had seen him, you would have thought that all his life was concentrated in his eyes. The yellow man looked down into the abyss opening at his feet.

Ibarra, after glancing at the stone which hung over his head, and then at Elias and the yellow man, said to nor Juan in a trembling voice: ”Give me the bucket of mortar and find another trowel for me above.”

The young man stood alone. Elias was no longer looking at him; his eyes instead were riveted on the yellow man's hand, while the latter leaned over the ditch and followed with anxiety the movements of Ibarra.

The noise of the trowel removing a ma.s.s of sand and lime was heard, accompanied by the low murmur of the employees who were congratulating the Alcalde on his address.

Suddenly there was a frightful creaking. The pulley which was tied to the base of the crane jumped and then the windla.s.s struck the apparatus like a battering-ram. The timbers swayed, ropes flew into the air and, in a second, all came down with a terrible crash. A cloud of dust was raised, and a thousand cries filled the air. Nearly all fled; a few hurried to the ditch. Only Maria Clara and Father Salvi remained in their places without moving, both pale and silent.

When the cloud of dust had partially cleared away, Ibarra could be seen standing among a ma.s.s of beams, bamboos, and cables, between the windla.s.s and the ma.s.sive stone, which in its descent had shaken and crushed everything. The young man was still holding the trowel in his hand, his eyes staring with fright at the dead body of a man which was lying at his feet, half buried under the timbers.

”Are you hurt?--Are you still alive? For G.o.d's sake speak!” said some of the employees, full of terror.

”Miracle! a miracle!” cried some.

”Come and remove the body of this unfortunate man,” said Ibarra, as if awakening from a dream.

On hearing his voice, Maria Clara felt her strength giving way and she fell, half fainting, into the arms of her friends.

Great confusion reigned. Everybody was talking, gesticulating, and running from one side to the other, up and down the stairs, all stupefied and full of consternation.

”Who is the dead man? Is he still alive?” asked the alferez.

The body was identified as the yellow workman who had been standing beside the windla.s.s.

”Let proceedings be brought against the superintendent of the work,”

was the first thing that the Alcalde said.

They examined the body, felt of the heart, but it was no longer beating. The blow had fallen on the head and blood was oozing from the nose, ears and mouth. Some strange marks were seen on the man's neck. There were four deep dents on one side and a single but deeper one on the other. It looked as though an iron hand had grasped it like a pair of pinchers.

The priests warmly congratulated the young man and shook his hand.

”When I think that only a few moments ago I was standing there,”

said one of the employees. ”Say! If I had been the last! Jesus!”

”It makes my hair stand on end,” said another, who was bald.

Ibarra had departed, to ascertain the condition of Maria Clara.

”Let this not prevent the festival from continuing,” said the Alcalde. ”G.o.d be praised! The dead man is neither a priest nor a Spaniard! Your escape must be celebrated! Just think--if the stone had fallen on you!”

”There is such a thing as a presentiment!” said the Notary. ”I said so. Senor Ibarra was reluctant to descend. I saw it!”

”Let the festival go on! Give us some music! Weeping will not bring the dead man to life. Captain, serve warrants right here! Let the clerk of the tribunal come. Arrest the superintendent of the work!”

”Put him in the stocks!”

”Put him in the stocks! Eh? Some music, music! Put the maestrillo in the stocks.”