Quotation from: Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

Written by: Joseph Conrad

He no longer wished for a political career in Montero's administration.
He had always doubted the safety of that course. Since he had learned
from the chief engineer that at daylight most likely he would
be confronted by Pedro Montero his misgivings on that point had
considerably increased. The guerrillero brother of the general--the
Pedrito of popular speech--had a reputation of his own. He wasn't safe
to deal with. Sotillo had vaguely planned seizing not only the treasure
but the town itself, and then negotiating at leisure. But in the face of
facts learned from the chief engineer (who had frankly disclosed to him
the whole situation) his audacity, never of a very dashing kind, had
been replaced by a most cautious hesitation.