They loaded the rusty victoria and headed for Colima, riders trailing behind, with Chico yanking angrily. A cave-shaped cloud held a fragment of a rainbow in its arms; then, in the opposite direction, to the north, the volcano rose above a forest of palms, a peculiar light on its upper slopes, a vaporish yellow. For Raul, the light was startling. It was as if he were seeing the volcano from his garden, the evening the yellow scum had covered the lagoon. He thought of mentioning the coincidence to Lucienne, but decided not to speak of it. Later in the evening, in Colima, he would look at the peak again.
In Colima, they visited friends. Obviously, trouble was everywhere. People tried to be cheerful, particularly those who could not see the hacendados' plight. At Federicka's they had drinks behind the cool bamboo slats, and someone played an accordion. Together, they went to the cathedral. The ugly silence of death pervaded the place. Raul wanted peace but not an ominous peace. At Federicka's, late at night, when others had gone to sleep, he went up on the roof-top to study the volcano.
His pipe lit, he watched. Presently, he saw another red bowl of fire ... that dangerous aerial red, a wisp of smoke above it.
God, he thought, not another eruption! He longed to be able to strike back at the subterranean power; he wanted to dominate it, extinguish it. How dreadful to wait and wait.
An owl cried dismally.
19
The great quake struck Petaca just before dawn.
Don Fernando felt the shocks at once for he had been lying awake for several hours. He shouted for Chavela but she did not hear him. Angry, he spouted to himself:
"I've got to get out of here. Where are my glasses? Bed's going to break. Damn that Chavela, not coming, never coming when I need her. Who does she think she is? Bring me a cigarette! Where are my glasses? Got to light a candle."