Chapter 26 Chapter 6 Fatal Blow

While Joam D'Acosta was being interrogated, Jaquita learned that she and the children could visit the prisoner at 4 o'clock that night, under the running of Manoel. Since the night before, Yaquita had been in her room until she was allowed to visit her husband, with Mina and Lina by her side.Joam D'Acosta will find Yaquita Galar or Yaquita D'Acosta a devoted wife and courageous companion for life. That day, around eleven o'clock, Benito found Manoel and Fragoso chatting in the bow of the boat. "Manoel," he said, "I want to ask you a favor." "What's busy?"

"And you, Fragoso." "I am at my disposal, Don Benito," said the barber. "What is it?" asked Manoel, looking at his friend with some unshakable resolution. "You will always be convinced of my father's innocence, will you not?" asked Benito. "Ah!" cried Fragoso, "I would rather believe that it was I who committed the crime!" "Well, today, I will implement the plan I made last night." "Looking for Torres?" Manoel asked. "Yes, and to learn from him how he discovered my father's hermitage! There are many strange things here! Did he know my father before? I can't know, because my father never left in twenty years Iquitos, and the bastard is not thirty! But I'll find out within the day, and Torres is in trouble!"

Benito's decision cannot be disputed.Manoel and Fragoso, therefore, did not dissuade him from the project. "I invite you two," said Benito. "Come with me. We're going right away. We have to hurry before Torres leaves Manao. Now, he can't betray his secret. Maybe he will think of it. Let's go!" The three boarded the banks of the Rio Negro and walked towards the city. Manao wasn't old enough to spend hours looking for one.Search house to house, if necessary, in order to find Torres; but it is best to inquire first with the proprietor of the inn or tavern, where Torres is likely to be hiding.The former forest captain will obviously not reveal his real name, and perhaps he has his own reasons for not dealing with the judiciary.However, as long as he didn't leave Manao, he couldn't escape the search of the three young men.In any case, the police could not be turned to because it was likely that he had reported anonymously, which he did.

In less than an hour, Benito, Manoel, and Fragoso ran all over the main streets of the city, asking shopkeepers, hotel owners, and even passers-by. Although the three described Torres' appearance extremely accurately, But no one has seen this guy. Did Torres leave Manao?Is there no hope of ever seeing him again? Manoel tried in vain to calm the distraught Benito.He wants to find Torres at all costs! A chance to help them, Fragoso was the first to discover the true trace of Torres. In a tavern in Whitsunday Street, they were told, from his description of Torres' characteristics, that the man they were looking for had stayed in the tavern the night before.

"Did he spend the night at the hotel?" asked Fragoso. "Yes." The boss replied. "Is he still around?" "No, he's gone." "Has he paid his bills and is ready to go?" "No, he left the house an hour ago and may be back for dinner." "Do you know which way he went?" "He's heading out of town, in the direction of the Amazon, where he might be found." Fragoso didn't ask any more questions, and after a while he found two young men and told them: "I've spotted Torres." "He's still in town!" cried Benito.

"No, he just went out. He was seen going across the fields toward the Amazon." "Go!" said Benito. They had to go back to the river, and the shortest way was to follow the left bank of the Rio Negro to the mouth of the river. Benito and his companions soon left behind many houses on the outskirts of the town, and they hurried along the banks of the river, but had to make a detour so that they would not be seen by those on the great raft. At this time, there was no one on the plain.In the distance is a field. What used to be a forest has now become cultivated land. Benito said nothing: maybe he didn't feel like talking.Manoel and Fragoso didn't bother him either.The three walked and watched like this, they walked from the banks of the Rio Negro to the banks of the Amazon River.It had been three quarters of an hour since they left Manao, and they still had nothing.

Once or twice, they met some Indians working in the fields, Manoel asked them, and finally one of the Indians told him that he had seen a person, very like the one he was looking for, who had just passed by, Walked towards the triangle at the confluence of the two rivers. Benito stopped asking, and rushed forward in a hurry. The two companions had to speed up their pace, so as not to be left behind by him. Less than a quarter of a mile from the left bank of the Amazon.A cliff lay in front of them, blocking part of their vision, and the three of them could only see a few hundred steps away.

Benito picked up the pace and soon disappeared behind a dune. "Hurry up! Hurry up!" said Manoel to Fragoso, "he must not go alone!" Suddenly there was a scream, and the two ran towards the direction of the cry.Had Benito discovered Torres?Or did Torres see Benito?Have the two of them already met? Manoel and Fragoso rounded a bend in the river and ran another fifty paces when they saw two figures standing face to face. It was Torres and Benito. Manoel and Fragoso came quickly to them. Originally thought that after seeing Torres, Benito would be very excited. But he remained calm.

After seeing Torres and being sure that he would not run away, Benito's attitude changed immediately, and he gradually calmed down, becoming calm and composed. The two stared at each other for a while without saying a word. Torres was the first to break the silence, saying with his usual impudence: "Ah! Mr. Benito Gallard!" "No! It's Benito da Costa!" said Benito. "Indeed," continued Torres, "Signor Benito D'Acosta, and Signor Manoel Valdes and brother Fragoso." Hearing that Torres actually called him a brother, Fragoso felt insulted, so he rushed towards him, ready to kill the villain, but Benito, who had kept calm all the time, held him back.

"What's the matter with you, brother?" said Torres, stepping back. "Oh! I must watch out!" Having said this, he drew a sharp sword from his cloak. This weapon can be used both offensively and defensively - it depends on how to say it - and the Brazilian always carries it with him.Then, Torres' upper body leaned forward slightly, his feet stood firm, and he was ready to fight. "I have come to see you, Torres," said Benito, who did not budge from this provocation. "Find me?" said Torres. "I'm easy to find! Why are you looking for me?"

"In order to hear your own account of my father's past, you seem to know it very well!" "Indeed!" "Okay! I'm waiting for you to tell me how you recognized him? Why are you hanging around our estate in the forest of Iquitos? Why are you waiting for him in Tabatinga?" "Well, it's obvious!" Torres laughed. "I'm waiting for him to take the big raft, and the big raft is to give him a simple proposal...he shouldn't refuse!" After hearing these words, Manoel's patience reached its limit.Pale, with burning eyes, he walked towards Torres. Benito wanted to mediate as much as possible to resolve the matter, so he stood between the two of them. "Restrain yourself, Manoel," he said, "I can restrain myself!" Then he went on. "Honestly, Torres, I know why you're on the big raft. Someone must have told you a secret, and you're trying to blackmail my father! But that's not what I want to talk about now." "Then what would you like to talk about?" "I want to know how you recognize that the owner of the Iquitos manor is Joam D'Acosta!" "How did I recognize him!" Torres said, "This is my business, I don't need to explain it to you! The important thing is that my disclosure is correct, and he is the real culprit of the Tijuca robbery!" "You must speak! . . . " cried Benito, beginning to lose his temper. "I won't say anything!" retorted Torres. "Hmph! Joam D'Acosta refuses my proposal! He doesn't accept me as a member of the family! Well, now that his secret is known, Now that he's under arrest, it's my turn to deny access to his home, the home of a robber, murderer, and death row inmate." "Bastard!" cried Benito, drawing the dagger from his waist and stabbing Torres. Manoel and Fragoso drew their weapons just as quickly. "Three against one!" Torres said. "No! One on one!" said Benito. "Honestly! It really looks like a murder planned by the son of a murderer!" "Torres!" cried Benito, "be careful, or I'll kill you like a mad dog!" "Mad dog, let it be!" said Torres, "but this is a mad dog that bites, Benito da Costa, be careful not to be bitten!" Then, he withdrew his sharp sword and took a stance, ready to pounce on his opponent. Benito took a few steps back. "Torres," he said, regaining his once-lost composure, "you were my father's guest, but you threatened him, betrayed him, denounced him, you accused an innocent man, and God help me to kill him." kill you!" Torres smiled haughtily.At this point, if the wretch wanted to put an end to the fight between him and Benito, he could.He understood, therefore, that Joam D'Acosta had not mentioned to his family the physical evidence of his innocence. Therefore, as long as Torres tells Benito that the evidence is in his hands, he can ask Benito to lay down his arms immediately.But he wanted to wait until the last moment, so that he might get a better price, and besides, his obsession with Benito's insults and his bitter hatred of the whole family made him forget his own interests. Moreover, Torres is strong and flexible, and because he often uses swords, he is very good at swordsmanship. Therefore, it is more than enough to deal with an opponent who is only 20 years old and whose strength and agility are inferior to his. In view of these, Manoel insisted on fighting the battle for Benito. "No, Manoel," said the young man calmly, "I will fight alone to avenge my father, and everything will be done according to the rules, and you will be my witness!" "Benito! . . . " "As for you, Fragoso, if I ask you to be a witness for this fellow, you will not refuse?" "Well," said Fragoso, "although it is not at all honourable! If I were not so polite, I would have slaughtered him, like an animal!" The several men chose a flat river bank for the duel, which was about forty paces wide and about fifteen feet above the Amazon River.It is almost perpendicular to the river, so it is very steep.The big river flows slowly below, moistening the clumps of reeds on the bank. This place is not wide, and there is very little room for maneuver, so among the dueling parties, those who retreat are in danger of falling into the abyss. Manoel signaled to start, and Torres and Benito walked towards each other. Benito was very composed.Because what he was defending was a sacred thing, his calmness was far superior to that of Torres. Although the latter had always been ruthless, he couldn't help but feel flustered and dizzy at this moment. The two approached, and Benito drew his sword first.Torres turned away.They took a few steps back at the same time, and immediately rushed forward again, grabbing each other's shoulders with their left hands... Neither of them let go. Torres was stronger, he stabbed obliquely with the sword, but Benito couldn't dodge it completely, he was hit in the ribs, and the blood immediately stained the cloak.However, he stabbed back hard and lightly hit Torres' hand. The two fought for several rounds, but neither of them won a decisive victory.Benito has been staring at Torres coldly, that kind of eyes seems to have pierced the heart of the other party with a sharp knife.Apparently, the villain was starting to panic.He stepped back, Benito like a vengeful god.Pushing forward without leaving any room, he has put his own safety aside, and he is focused on killing the person who betrayed his father.Benito pressed forward steadily and continued to attack. Torres could only parry, but had no power to fight back. Soon, Torres retreated to the edge of a cliff that was almost perpendicular to the river.Realizing the danger, he wanted to launch an attack again and regain the lost territory... He became more and more flustered, his eyes turned black... Finally, Benito pushed him to the ground. "Go to Hades!" cried Benito. He stabbed Torres in the chest with his sword, but the point of the sword was blocked by something hard inside the cloak. Benito stepped up his offensive, and Torres fought back bravely, but the sword fell short.He had a premonition that he was going to die.Torres continued to back off.And then he wanted to shout... out loud that Joam D'Acosta's life was tied to his! ...but it was too late for him to say it. The second sword came in, this time, it pierced Torres' heart.He fell on his back and stumbled off the cliff.At the last moment, his hands clung convulsively to a clump of reeds, but they couldn't hold him up... Torres disappeared into the rushing water. Benito leaned on Manoel's shoulder; Fragoso took his hand, and before he had time to allow his companion to bandage his wound (he was only slightly wounded), he said: "Go back to the raft, go back to the raft!" Excited, Manoel and Fragoso followed him without saying a word. After a quarter of an hour, the three returned to the place where the big raft was moored.Benito and Manoel hurried to Yaquita and Mina's room and told them what had just happened. "Child! Brother!" they shouted simultaneously. "To prison! . . . " said Benito. "Yes! . . . Go! . . . Go! . . . " said Yaquita. Benito pulled his mother, followed by Manoel, and the three disembarked from the boat and walked towards Manao. Half an hour later, they arrived at the gate of the prison. Judge Jarrigates had given his order, so they were led at once into the prison, to the cell where Joam was kept. The door opened. Joam saw his wife, son, and Manoel enter. "Ah! Joam, my Joam!" cried Yaquita. "Yakita! My wife! Children!" cried Joam, spreading his arms and clasping them close to his chest. "My innocent Joam!" "Not only is he innocent, but his revenge has been avenged!..." Benito said loudly. "Revenge has been avenged! What do you mean?" "Dad, Torres is dead, and at my hands!" "Dead! . . . Torres! . . . dead! . . . " cried Joam D'Acosta, "Oh! son! . . . You've ruined me!"