nothing disturbed the quiet. A little sheet-lightning was observable
on the horizon, but it came from a distant storm which did not reach
the entrance to the lake.
CHAPTER XVI
EGA
AT SIX o’clock in the morning of the 20th of July, Yaquita, Minha,
Lina, and the two young men prepared to leave the jangada.
Joam Garral, who had shown no intention of putting his foot on shore,
had decided this time, at the request of the ladies of his family, to
leave his absorbing daily work and accompany them on their excursion.
Torres had evinced no desire to visit Ega, to the great satisfaction
of Manoel, who had taken a great dislike to the man and only waited
for an opportunity to declare it.
As to Fragoso, he could not have the same reason for going to Ega as
had taken him to Tabatinga, which is a place of little importance
compared to this.
Ega is a chief town with fifteen hundred inhabitants, and in it
reside all those authorities which compose the administration of a
considerable city–considerable for the country; that is to say, the
military commandant, the chief of the police, the judges, the
schoolmaster, and troops under the command of officers of all ranks.
With so many functionaries living in a town, with their wives and
children, it is easy to see that hair-dressers would be in demand.
Such was the case, and Fragoso would not have paid his expenses.
Doubtless, however, the jolly fellow, who could do no business in
Ega, had thought to be of the party if Lina went with her mistress,
but, just as they were leaving the raft, he resolved to remain, at
the request of Lina herself.
“Mr. Fragoso!” she said to him, after taking him aside.
“Miss Lina?” answered Fragoso.
“I do not think that your friend Torres intends to go with us to
Ega.”
“Certainly not, he is going to stay on board, Miss Lina, but you wold
oblige me by not calling him my friend!”
“But you undertook to ask a passage for him before he had shown any
intention of doing so.”
“Yes, and on that occasion, if you would like to know what I think, I
made a fool of myself!”
“Quite so! and if you would like to know what I think, I do not like
the man at all, Mr. Fragoso.”
“Neither do I, Miss Lina, and I have all the time an idea that I have
seen him somewhere before. But the remembrance is too vague; the
impression, however, is far from being a pleasant one!”
“Where and when could you have met him? Cannot you call it to mind?
It might be useful to know who he is and what he has been.”
“No–I try all I can. How long was it ago? In what country? Under
what circumstances? And I cannot hit upon it.”
“Mr. Fragoso!”
“Miss Lina!”
“Stay on board and keep watch on Torres during our absence!”
“What? Not go with you to Ega, and remain a whole day without seeing
you?”
“I ask you to do so!”
“Is it an order?”
“It is an entreaty!”
“I will remain!”
“Mr. Fragoso!”
“Miss Lina!”
“I thank you!”
“Thank me, then, with a good shake of the hand,” replied Fragoso;
“that is worth something.”
Lina held out her hand, and Fragoso kept it for a few moments while
he looked into her face. And that is the reason why he did not take
his place in the pirogue, and became, without appearing to be, the
guard upon Torres.
Did the latter notice the feelings of aversion with which he was
regarded? Perhaps, but doubtless he had his reasons for taking no
account of them.
A distance of four leagues separated the mooring-place from the town
of Ega. Eight leagues, there and back, in a pirogue containing six
persons, besides two negroes as rowers, would take some hours, not to
mention the fatigue caused by the high temperature, though the sky
was veiled with clouds.
Fortunately a lovely breeze blew from the northwest, and if it held
would be favorable for crossing Lake Teffe. They could go to Ega and
return rapidly without having to tack.