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diff --git a/42535-0.txt b/42535-0.txt index bdb5d2b..26022b7 100644 --- a/42535-0.txt +++ b/42535-0.txt @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42535 *** +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42535 *** THE TIGER-SLAYER. @@ -12143,5 +12143,4 @@ THE END. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42535 *** diff --git a/42535-8.txt b/42535-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ca5a3ad..0000000 --- a/42535-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12534 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Tiger-Slayer - A Tale of the Indian Desert - -Author: Gustave Aimard - -Translator: Lascelles Wraxall - -Release Date: April 14, 2013 [EBook #42535] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - - - - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - - - - -THE TIGER-SLAYER. - -A TALE OF THE INDIAN DESERT. - -BY - -GUSTAVE AIMARD, - -AUTHOR OF "THE PRAIRIE FLOWER," ETC. - -LONDON - -WARD AND LOCK - -MDCCCLX. - - - - - CONTENTS - - PREFACE. - - I. LA FERIA DE PLATA - II. DON SYLVA DE TORRÉS - III. THE TWO HUNTERS - IV. COUNT MAXIM GAËTAN DE LHORAILLES - V. THE DAUPH'YEERS - VI. BY THE WINDOW - VII. A DUEL - VIII. THE DEPARTURE - IX. A MEETING IN THE DESERT - X. BEFORE THE ATTACK - XI. THE MEXICAN MOON - XII. A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM - XIII. A NIGHT JOURNEY - XIV. AN INDIAN TRICK - XV. SET A CHIEF TO CATCH A CHIEF - XVI. THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA - XVII. CUCHARÉS - XVIII. IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK - XIX. IN THE PRAIRIE - XX. BOOT AND SADDLE - XXI. THE CONFESSION - XXII. THE MAN HUNT - XXIII. THE APACHES - XXIV. THE WOOD RANGERS - XXV. EL AHUEHUELT - - - - -PREFACE. - - -It is hardly necessary to say anything on behalf of the new aspirant for -public favour whom I am now introducing to the reader. He has achieved a -continental reputation, and the French regard him proudly as their -Fenimore Cooper. It will be found, I trust, on perusal, that the -position he has so rapidly assumed in the literature of his country is -justified by the reality of his descriptions, and the truthfulness which -appears in every page. Gustave Aimard has the rare advantage of having -lived for many years as an Indian among the Indians. He is acquainted -with their language, and has gone through all the extraordinary phases -of a nomadic life in the prairie. Had he chosen to write his life, it -would have been one of the most marvellous romances of the age: but he -has preferred to weave into his stories the extraordinary events of -which he has been witness during his chequered life. Believing that his -works only require to be known in order to secure him as favourable a -reception in this country as he has elsewhere, it has afforded me much -satisfaction to have it in my power to place them in this garb. Some -slight modifications have been effected here and there; but in other -respects I have presented a faithful rendering. - - - LASCELLES WRAXALL. - - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -LA FERIA DE PLATA. - - -From the earliest days of the discovery of America, its distant shores -became the refuge and rendezvous of adventurers of every description, -whose daring genius, stifled by the trammels of the old European -civilisation, sought fresh scope for action. - -Some asked from the New World liberty of conscience--the right of -praying to God in their own fashion; others, breaking their sword blades -to convert them into daggers, assassinated entire nations to rob their -gold, and enrich themselves with their spoils; others, lastly, men of -indomitable temperament, with lions' hearts contained in bodies of iron, -recognising no bridle, accepting no laws, and confounding liberty with -license, formed, almost unconsciously, that formidable association of -the "Brethren of the Coast," which for a season made Spain tremble for -her possessions, and with which Louis XIV., the Sun King, did not -disdain to treat. - -The descendants of these extraordinary men still exist in America; and -whenever any revolutionary crisis heaves up, after a short struggle, the -dregs of the population, they instinctively range themselves round the -grandsons of the great adventurers, in the hope of achieving mighty -things in their turn under the leadership of heroes. - -At the period when we were in America chance allowed us to witness one -of the boldest enterprises ever conceived and carried out by these -daring adventurers. This _coup de main_ created such excitement that for -some months it occupied the press, and aroused the curiosity and -sympathy of the whole world. - -Reasons, which our readers will doubtless appreciate, have induced us to -alter the names of the persons who played the principal parts in this -strange drama, though we adhere to the utmost exactness as regards the -facts. - -About ten years back the discovery of the rich Californian plains -awakened suddenly the adventurous instincts of thousands of young and -intelligent men, who, leaving country and family, rushed, full of -enthusiasm, towards the new Eldorado, where the majority only met with -misery and death, after sufferings and vexations innumerable. - -The road from Europe to California is a long one. Many persons stopped -half way; some at Valparaiso; others, again, at Mazatlan or San Blas, -though the majority reached San Francisco. - -It is not within the scope of our story to give the details, too well -known at present, of all the deceptions by which the luckless emigrants -were assailed with the first step they took on this land, where they -imagined they needed only to stoop and pick up handfuls of gold. - -We must ask our readers to accompany us to Guaymas six months after the -discovery of the placers. - -In a previous work we have spoken of Sonora; but as the history we -purpose to narrate passes entirely in that distant province of Mexico, -we must give a more detailed account of it here. - -Mexico is indubitably the fairest country in the world, and every -variety, of climate is found there. But while its territory is immense, -the population unfortunately, instead of being in a fair ratio with it, -only amounts to seven million, of whom nearly five million belong to the -Indian or mixed races. - -The Mexican Confederation comprises the federal district of Mexico, -twenty-one states, and three territories or provinces, possessing no -internal independent administration. - -We will say nothing of the government, from the simple reason that up to -the present the normal condition of that magnificent and unhappy country -has ever been anarchy. - -Still, Mexico appears to be a federative republic, at least nominally, -although the only recognised power is the sabre. - -The first of the seven states, situated on the Atlantic, is Sonora. It -extends from north to south, between the Rio Gila and the Rio Mayo. It -is separated on the east from the State of Chihuahua by the Sierra -Verde, and on the west is bathed by the Vermilion Sea, or Sea of Cortez, -as most Spanish maps still insist on calling it. - -The State of Sonora is one of the richest in Mexico, owing to the -numerous gold mines by which its soil is veined. Unfortunately, or -fortunately, according to the point of view from which we like to regard -it, Sonora is incessantly traversed by innumerable Indian tribes, -against which the inhabitants wage a constant war. Thus the continual -engagements with these savage hordes, the contempt of life, and the -habit of shedding human blood on the slightest pretext, have given the -Sonorians a haughty and decided bearing, and imprinted on them a stamp -of nobility and grandeur, which separates them entirely from the other -states, and causes them to be recognised at the first glance. - -In spite of its great extent of territory and lengthened seaboard, -Mexico possesses in reality only two ports on the Pacific--Guaymas and -Acapulco. The rest are only roadsteads, in which vessels are afraid to -seek shelter, especially when the impetuous _cordonazo_ blows from the -south-west and upheaves the Gulf of California. - -We shall only speak here of Guaymas. This town, founded but a few years -back on the mouth of the San José, seems destined to become, ere long, -one of the chief Pacific ports. Its military position is admirable. Like -all the Spanish American towns, the houses are low, whitewashed, and -flat-roofed. The fort, situated on the summit of a rock, in which some -cannon rust on carriages peeling away beneath the sun, is of a yellow -hue, harmonising with the ochre tinge of the beach. Behind the town rise -lofty, scarped mountains, their sides furrowed with ravines hollowed out -by the rainy season, and their brown peaks lost in the clouds. - -Unhappily, we are compelled to avow that this port, despite of its -ambitious title of town, is still a miserable village, without church or -hotel. We do not say there are no drinking-shops; on the contrary, as -may be imagined in a port so near San Francisco, they swarm. - -The aspect of Guaymas is sorrowful; you feel that, in spite of the -efforts of Europeans and adventurers to galvanise this population, the -Spanish tyranny which has weighed upon it for three centuries has -plunged it into a state of moral degradation and inferiority, from which -it will require years to raise it. - -The day on which our story commences, at about two in the afternoon, in -spite of the red-hot sun which poured its beams on the town, Guaymas, -generally so quiet at that hour, when the inhabitants, overcome by the -heat, are asleep indoors, presented an animated appearance, which would -have surprised the stranger whom accident had taken there at that -moment, and would have caused him to suppose, most assuredly, that he -was about to witness one of those thousand _pronunciamientos_ which -annually break out in this wretched province. Still, it was nothing of -the sort. The military authority, represented by General San Benito, -Governor of Guaymas, was, or seemed to be, satisfied with the -government. The smugglers, leperos, and hiaquis continued in a tolerably -satisfactory state, without complaining too much of the powers that -were. Whence, then, the extraordinary agitation that prevailed in the -town? What reason was strong enough to keep this indolent population -awake, and make it forget its siesta? - -For three days the town had been a prey to the gold fever. The governor, -yielding to the supplications of several considerable merchants, had -authorised for five days a _feria de plata_, or, literally, a silver -fair. - -Gambling tables, held by persons of distinction, were publicly open in -the principal houses; but the fact which gave this festival a -strangeness impossible to find elsewhere was, that monte tables were -displayed in every street in the open air, on which gold tinkled, and -where everybody possessed of a real had the right to risk it, without -distinction of caste or colour. - -In Mexico everything is done differently from other countries. The -inhabitants of this country, having no reminiscences of the past which -they wish to forget, no faith in the future in which they do not -believe, only live for the present, and exist with that feverish energy -peculiar to races which feel their end approaching. - -The Mexicans have two marked tastes which govern them entirely, play and -love. We say tastes, and not passions, for the Mexicans are not capable -of those great emotions which conquer the will, and overthrow the human -economy by developing an energetic power of action. - -The groups round the monte tables were numerous and animated. Still, -everything went on with an order and tranquility which nothing troubled, -although no agent of the government was walking about the streets to -maintain a good intelligence and watch the gamblers. - -About halfway up the Calle de la Merced, one of the widest in Guaymas, -and opposite a house of goodly appearance, there stood a table covered -with a green baize and piled up with gold ounces, behind which a man of -about thirty, with a crafty face, was stationed, who, with a pack of -cards in his hand, and a smile on his lips, invited by the most -insinuating remarks the numerous spectators who surrounded him to tempt -fortune. - -"Come, caballeros," he said in a honeyed tone, while turning a -provocative glance upon the wretched men, haughtily draped in their -rags, who regarded him with extreme indifference, "I cannot always win; -luck is going to turn, I am sure. Here are one hundred ounces: who will -cover them?" - -No one answered. - -The banker, not allowing himself to be defeated, let a tinkling cascade -of ounces glide through his fingers, whose tawny reflection was capable -of turning the most resolute head. - -"It is a nice sum, caballeros, one hundred ounces: with them the ugliest -man is certain of gaining the smiles of beauty. Come, who will cover -them?" - -"Bah," a lepero said, with a disdainful air, "what are one hundred -ounces? Had you not won my last _tlaco_, Tío Lucas, I would cover them, -that I would." - -"I am in despair, Señor Cucharés," the banker replied with a bow, "that -luck was so much against you, and I should feel delighted if you would -allow me to lend you an ounce." - -"You are jesting," the lepero said, drawing himself up haughtily. "Keep -your gold, Tío Lucas; I know the way to procure as much as I want, -whenever I think proper; but," he added, bowing with the most exquisite -politeness, "I am not the less grateful to you for your generous offer." - -And he offered the banker, across the table, his hand, which the latter -pressed with great cordiality. - -The lepero profited by the occasion to pick up with his free hand a pile -of twenty ounces that was in his reach. - -Tío Lucas had great difficulty in restraining himself, but he feigned -not to have seen anything. - -After this interchange of good offices there was a moment's silence. The -spectators had seen everything that occurred, and therefore awaited with -some curiosity the _dénouement_ of this scene. Señor Cucharés was the -first to renew the conversation. - -"Oh!" he suddenly shouted, striking his forehead, "I believe, by Nuestra -Señora de la Merced, that I am losing my head." - -"Why so, caballero?" Tío Lucas asked, visibly disturbed by this -exclamation. - -"Caray! It's very simple," the other went on. "Did I not tell you just -now that you had won all my money?" - -"You certainly said so, and these caballeros heard it with me: to your -last ochavo--those were your very words." - -"I remember it perfectly, and it is that which makes me so mad." - -"What!" the banker exclaimed with feigned astonishment, "You are mad -because I won from you?" - -"Oh, no, it's not that." - -"What is it, then?" - -"Caramba! It is because I made a mistake, and I have some ounces still -left." - -"Impossible!" - -"Just see, then." - -The lepero put his hand in his pocket, and, with unparalleled -effrontery, displayed to the banker the gold he had just stolen from -him. But the latter did not wince. - -"It is incredible," said he. - -"Eh?" the lepero interjected, fixing a flashing eye on the other. - -"Yes, it is incredible that you, Señor Cucharés, should have made such a -slip of memory." - -"Well, as I have remembered it, all can be set right now; we can -continue our game." - -"Very good: one hundred ounces is the stake." - -"Oh no! I haven't that amount." - -"Nonsense! Feel in your pockets again." - -"It is useless; I know I haven't got it." - -"That is really most annoying." - -"How so?" - -"Because I have vowed not to play for less." - -"Then you won't cover twenty ounces?" - -"I cannot; I would not cover one short of a hundred." - -"H'm!" the lepero went on, knitting his brows, "is that meant for an -insult, Tío Lucas?" - -The banker had no time to reply; for a man of about thirty, mounted on a -magnificent black horse, had stopped for a few seconds before the table, -and, while carelessly smoking his cigar, listened to the discussion -between the banker and the lepero. - -"Done for one hundred ounces," he said, as he cleared a way by means of -his horse's chest up to the table, on which he dropped a purse full of -gold. - -The two speakers suddenly raised their heads. - -"Here are the cards, caballero," the banker hastened to say, glad of an -incident which temporarily freed him from a dangerous opponent. Cucharés -shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, and looked at the newcomer. - -"Oh!" he muttered to himself, "the Tigrero! Has he come for Anita? I -must know that." - -And he gently drew nearer the stranger, and presently stood by his side. - -He was a tall man, with an olive complexion, a piercing glance, and an -open and resolute face. His dress, of the greatest richness, glistened -with gold and diamonds. He wore, slightly inclined over his left ear, a -broad brimmed sombrero, surrounded by a golilla of fine gold: his -spencer of blue cloth, embroidered with silver, allowed a dazzling white -shirt to be seen, under the collar of which passed a cravat of China -crape, fastened with a diamond ring; his calzoneras, drawn up round the -hips by a red silk scarf with gold fringed ends and two rows of diamond -buttons, were open at the side, and allowed his _calzón_ to float -beneath; he wore _botas vaqueras_ (or herdsmen) boots of figured -leather, richly embroidered, attached below the knee by a garter of -silver tissue; while his _manga_, glistening with gold, hung tastefully -from his right shoulder. - -His horse, with a small head and legs fine as spindles, was splendidly -accoutred: _las armas de agua_ and the _zarapé_ fastened to the croup, -and the magnificent _anquera_ adorned with steel chains, completed a -caparison of which we can form no idea in Europe. - -Like all Mexicans of a certain class when travelling, the stranger was -armed from head to foot; that is to say, in addition to the lasso -fastened to the saddle, and the rifle laid across the saddle-bow, he had -also by his side a long sword, and a pair of pistols in his girdle, -without reckoning the knife whose silver inlaid hilt could be seen -peeping out of one of his boots. - -Such as we have described him, this man was the perfect type of a -Mexican of Sonora--ever ready for peace or war, fearing the one no more -than he despised the other. After bowing politely to Tío Lucas he took -the cards the latter offered him, and shuffled them while looking around -him. - -"Ah!" he said, casting a friendly glance to the lepero, "you're here, -gossip Cucharés?" - -"At your service, Don Martial," the other replied, lifting his hand to -the ragged brim of his beaver. - -The stranger smiled. - -"Be good enough to cut for me while I light my pajillo." - -"With pleasure," the lepero exclaimed. - -El Tigrero, or Don Martial, whichever the reader may please to call him, -took a gold _mechero_ from his pocket, and carelessly struck a light -while the lepero cut the cards. - -"Señor," the latter said in a piteous voice. - -"Well?" - -"You have lost." - -"Good. Tío Lucas, take a hundred ounces from my purse." - -"I have them, your excellency," the banker replied. "Would you please to -play again?" - -"Certainly, but not for such trifles. I should like to feel interested -in the game." - -"I will cover any stake your excellency may like to name," the banker -said, whose practised eye had discovered in the stranger's purse, amid a -decent number of ounces, some forty diamonds of the purest water. - -"H'm! Are you really ready to cover any stake I name?" - -"Yes." - -The stranger looked at him sharply. - -"Even if I played for a thousand gold ounces?" - -"I would cover double that if your excellency dares to stake it," the -baker said imperturbably. - -A contemptuous smile played for the second time on the horseman's -haughty lips. - -"I do dare it," he said. - -"Two thousand ounces, then?" - -"Agreed." - -"Shall I cut?" Cucharés asked timidly. - -"Why not?" the other answered lightly. - -The lepero seized the cards with a hand trembling from emotion. There -was a hum of expectation from the gamblers who surrounded the table. At -this moment a window opened in the house before which Tío Lucas had -established his monte table, and a charming girl leant carelessly over -the balcony, looking down into the street. - -The stranger turned to the balcony, and rising in his stirrups,-- - -"I salute the lovely Anita," he said, as he doffed his hat and bowed -profoundly. - -The girl blushed, bent on him an expressive glance from beneath her long -velvety eyelashes, but made no reply. - -"You have lost, excellency," Tío Lucas said with a joyous accent, which -he could not completely conceal. - -"Very good," the stranger replied, without even looking at him, so -fascinated was he by the charming apparition on the balcony. - -"You play no more?" - -"On the contrary, I double." - -"What!" exclaimed the banker, falling back a step in spite of himself at -this proposition. - -"No, I am wrong; I have something else to propose." - -"What is it, excellency?" - -"How; much have you there?" he said, pointing to the table with a -disdainful gesture. - -"Why, at least seven thousand ounces." - -"Not more? That's very little." - -The spectators regarded with a stupor, mingled with terror, this -extraordinary man, who played for ounces and diamonds as others did for -ochavos. The girl became pale. She turned a supplicating glance to the -stranger. - -"Play no more," she murmured in a trembling voice. - -"Thanks," he exclaimed, "thanks, Señorita; your beautiful eyes will -bring me a fortune. I would give all the gold on the table for the -súchil flower you hold in your hand, and which your lips have touched." - -"Do not play, Don Martial," the girl repeated, as she retired and closed -the window. But, through accident or some other reason, her hand let -loose the flower. The horseman made his steed bound forward, caught it -in its flight, and buried it in his bosom, after having kissed it -several times. - -"Cucharés," he then said to the lepero, "turn up a card." - -The latter obeyed. "Seis de copas!" he said. - -"Voto a brios!" the stranger exclaimed, "the colour of the heart we -shall win. Tío Lucas, I will back this card against all the gold you -have on your table." - -The banker turned pale and hesitated; the spectators had their eyes -fixed upon him. - -"Bah!" he thought after a minute's reflection, "It is impossible for him -to win. I accept, excellency," he then added aloud. - -"Count the sum you have." - -"That is unnecessary, Señor; there are nine thousand four hundred and -fifty gold ounces."[1] - -At the statement of this formidable amount the spectators gave vent to a -mingled shout of admiration and covetousness. - -"I fancied you richer," the stranger said ironically. "Well, so be it -then." - -"Will you cut this time, excellency?" - -"No, I am thoroughly convinced you are going to lose, Tío Lucas, and I -wish you to be quite convinced that I have won fairly. In consequence, -do me the pleasure of cutting, yourself. You will then be the artisan of -your own ruin, and be unable to reproach anybody." - -The spectators quivered with pleasure on seeing the chivalrous way in -which the stranger behaved. At this moment the street was thronged with -people whom the rumour of this remarkable stake had collected from every -part of the town. A deadly silence prevailed through the crowd, so great -was the interest that each felt in the _dénouement_ of this grand and -hitherto unexampled match. The banker wiped the perspiration that beaded -on his livid brow, and seized the first card with a trembling hand. He -balanced it for a few seconds between finger and thumb with manifest -hesitation. - -"Make haste," Cucharés cried to him with a grin. - -Tío Lucas mechanically let the card fall as he turned his head away. - -"Seis de copas!" the lepero shouted in a hoarse voice. - -The banker uttered a yell of pain. - -"I have lost!" he muttered. - -"I was sure of it," the horseman said, still impassible. "Cucharés," he -added, "carry that table and the gold upon it to Doña Anita. I shall -expect you tonight you know where." - -The lepero bowed respectfully. Assisted by two sturdy fellows, he -executed the order he had just received, and entered the house, while -the stranger started off at a gallop; and Tío Lucas, slightly recovered -from the stunning blow he had received, philosophically twisted a cigar, -repeating to those who forced their consolations upon him,-- - -"I have lost, it is true, but against a very fair player, and for a good -stake. Bah! I shall have my revenge some day." - -Then, so soon as the cigarette was made, the poor cleaned-out banker -lighted it and walked off very calmly. The crowd, having no further -excuse for remaining, also disappeared in its turn. - - -[1] About £31,500 Fact. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -DON SYLVA DE TORRÉS. - - -Guaymas is quite a new town, built somewhat from day to day according to -the fancy of the emigrants, and hence no regular lines of streets have -been maintained. However, we had better mention here that, with the -exception of a few houses to which that name may be fairly given, all -the rest are frightful dens, built of mud, and deplorably dirty. - -In the Calle de la Merced, the principal, or to speak more truthfully, -the only street in the town (for the others are only alleys), stood a -one-storied house, ornamented with a balcony, and a peristyle supported -by four pillars. The front was covered by a coating of lime of dazzling -whiteness, and the roof was flat. - -The proprietor of this house was one of the richest _mineros_ in Sonora, -and possessor of a dozen mines, all in work; he also devoted himself to -cattle breeding, and owned several haciendas scattered over the -province, the smallest of which was equal in size to an English county. - -I am certain that, if Don Sylva de Torrés had wished to liquidate his -fortune, and discover what he was really worth, it would have realised -several millions. - -Don Sylva had come to live in Guaymas some months back, where he -ordinarily only paid flying visits, and those at lengthened intervals. -This time, contrary to his usual custom, he had brought his daughter -Anita with him. Hence the entire population of Guaymas was a prey to the -greatest curiosity, and all eyes were fixed on Don Sylva's house, so -extraordinary did the conduct of the _hacendero_ appear. - -Shut up in his house, the doors of which only opened to a few privileged -persons, Don Sylva did not seem to trouble himself the least in the -world about the gossips; for he was engaged in realising certain -projects, whose importance prevented him noticing what was said or -thought of him. - -Though the Mexicans are excessively rich, and like to do honour to their -wealth, they have no idea of comfort. The utmost carelessness prevails -among them. Their luxury, if I may be allowed to employ the term, is -brutal, without any discernment or real value. - -These men, principally accustomed to the rude life of the American -deserts, to struggle continually against the changes of a climate which -is frequently deadly, and the unceasing aggressions of the Indians, who -surround them on all sides, camp rather than live in the towns, fancying -they have done everything when they have squandered gold and diamonds. - -The Mexican houses are in evidence to prove the correctness of our -opinion. With the exception of the inevitable European piano, which -swaggers in the corner of every drawing room, you only see a few clumsy -_butacas,_ rickety tables, bad engravings hanging on the whitewashed -walls, and that is all. - -Don Sylva's house differed in no respect from the others; and the -master's horses on returning to the stable from the watering place, had -to cross the _salón_, all dripping as they were, and leaving manifest -traces of their passage. - -At the moment when we introduce the reader into Don Sylva's house, two -persons, male and female, were sitting in the saloon talking, or at -least exchanging a few words at long intervals. - -They were Don Sylva and his daughter Anita. The crossing of the Spanish -and Indian races has produced the most perfect plastic type to be found -anywhere. Don Sylva, although nearly fifty years of age, did not appear -to be forty. He was tall, upright, and his face, though stern, had great -gentleness imprinted upon it. He wore the Mexican dress in its most -rigorous exactness; but his clothes were so rich, that few of his -countrymen could have equalled it, much less surpassed it. - -Anita who reclined on a sofa, half buried in masses of silk and gauze, -like a hummingbird concealed in the moss, was a charming girl of -eighteen at the most, whose black eyes, modestly shaded by long velvety -lashes, were full of voluptuous promise, which was not gainsaid by the -undulating and serpentine outlines of her exquisitely modelled body. Her -slightest gestures had grace and majesty completed by the ravishing -smile of her coral lips. Her complexion, slightly gilded by the American -sun, imparted to her face an expression impossible to render; and lastly -her whole person exhaled a delicious perfume of innocence and candour -which attracted sympathy and inspired love. - -Like all Mexican women when at home, she merely wore a light robe of -embroidered muslin; her _rebozo_ was thrown negligently over her shoulders, -and a profusion of jasmine flowers was intertwined in her bluish-black -tresses. Anita seemed in deep thought. At one moment the arch of her -eyebrows was contracted by some thought that annoyed her, her bosom -heaved and her dainty foot, cased in a slipper lined with swan's down, -impatiently tapped on the ground. - -Don Sylva also appeared to be dissatisfied. After directing a severe -glance at his daughter, he rose, and drawing near her, said,-- - -"You are mad, Anita: your behaviour is extravagant. A young, well-born -girl ought not, in any case to act as you have just done." - -The young Mexican girl only answered by a significant pout, and an -almost imperceptible shrug of the shoulders. - -Her father continued,-- - -"Especially," he said, laying a stress on each word, "in your position -as regards the Count de Lhorailles." - -The girl started as if a serpent had stung her, and fixing an -interrogatory glance on the hacendero's immovable face, she replied,-- - -"I do not understand you, my father." - -"You do not understand me, Anita? I cannot believe it. Have I not -formally promised your hand to the count?" - -"What matter, if I do not love him? Do you wish to condemn me to -lifelong misery?" - -"On the contrary, I regarded your happiness in this union. I have only -you, Anita, to console me for the mournful loss of your beloved mother. -Poor child! You are still, thank Heaven, at that happy age when the -heart does not know itself, and when the words 'happiness, unhappiness,' -have no meaning. You do not love the count, you say. All the better-- -your heart is free. When, at a later date, you have had occasion to -appreciate the noble qualities of the man I give you as husband, you -will then thank me for having insisted on a marriage, which today causes -you so much vexation." - -"Stay, father," the girl said with an air of vexation. "My heart is not -free, and you are well aware of the fact." - -"I know, Doña Anita de Torrés," the hacendero answered severely, "that a -love unworthy yourself and me cannot enter your heart. Through my -ancestors I am a Christiano Viejo; and if a few drops of Indian blood be -mingled in my veins, what I owe to the memory of my ancestors is only -the more deeply engraved on my mind. The first of our family, Antonia de -Sylva, lieutenant to Hernando Cortez, married, it is true, a Mexican -princess of the family of Moctecuhzoma, but all the other branches are -Spanish." - -"Are we not Mexicans then, my father?" - -"Alas! My poor child, who can say who we are and what are we? Our -unhappy country, since it shook off the Spanish yoke, has been -struggling convulsively, and is exhausted by the incessant efforts of -those ambitious men, who in a few years will have robbed it even of that -nationality which we had so much difficulty in achieving. These -disgraceful contests render us the laughing stocks of other people, and -above all, cause the joy of our greedy neighbours, who with their eyes -invariably fixed upon us, are preparing to enrich themselves with our -spoils, of which they have pilfered some fragments already by robbing us -of several of our rich provinces." - -"But, father, I am a woman, and therefore unaffected by politics. I have -nothing to do with the _gringos_." - -"More than you can imagine, my child. I do not wish that at a given day -the immense property my ancestors and myself have acquired by our toil -should become the prey of these accursed heretics. In order to save it, -I have resolved on marrying you to the Count de Lhorailles. He is a -Frenchman, and belongs to one of the noblest families of that country. -Besides he is a handsome and brave gentleman, scarcely thirty years of -age, who combines the most precious moral qualifications with the -physical qualities. He is a member of a powerful and respected nation -which knows how to protect its subjects, in whatever corner of the world -they may be. By marrying him your fortune is sheltered from every -political reverse." - -"But I do not love him, father." - -"Nonsense, my dear babe. Do not talk longer of that. I am willing to -forget the folly of which you were guilty a few moments back, but on -condition that you forget that man, Martial." - -"Never!" she exclaimed resolutely. - -"Never! That is a long time, daughter. You will reflect, I am convinced. -Besides, who is this man? What is his family? Do you know? He is called -Martial el Tigrero. Voto a Dios, that is not a name! That man saved your -life by stopping your horse when it ran away. Well, is that a reason for -him to fall in love with you, and you with him? I offered him a -magnificent reward, which he refused with the most supreme disdain. -There is an end of it, then; let him leave me at peace. I have, and wish -for, nothing more to do with him." - -"I love him, father," the young girl repeated. - -"Listen, Anita. You would make me angry, if I did not put a restraint on -myself. Enough on that head. Prepare to receive the Count de Lhorailles -in a proper manner. I have sworn that you shall be his wife, and, -Cristo! It shall be so, if I have to drag you by force to the altar!" - -The hacendero pronounced these words with such resolution in his voice, -and with such a fierce accent, that the girl saw it would be better for -her to appear to yield, and put a stop to a discussion which would only -grow more embittered, and perhaps have grave consequences. She let her -head fall, and was silent, while her father walked up and down the room -with a very dissatisfied air. - -The door was partly opened, and a peon thrust his head discreetly -through the crevice. - -"What do you want?" Don Sylva asked as he stopped. - -"Excellency," the man replied, "a caballero, followed by four others -bearing a table covered with pieces of gold, requests an audience of the -señorita." - -The hacendero shot a glance at his daughter full of expressiveness. Doña -Anita let her head sink in confusion. Don Sylva reflected for a moment, -and then his countenance cleared. - -"Let him come in," he said. - -The peon withdrew; but he returned in a few seconds, preceding an old -acquaintance, Cucharés, still enwrapped in his ragged zarapé, and -directing the four leperos who carried the table. On entering the -saloon, Cucharés uncovered respectfully, courteously saluted the -hacendero and his daughter, and with a sign ordered the porters to -deposit the table in the centre of the apartment. - -"Señorita," he said in a honied voice, "the Señor Don Martial, faithful -to the pledge he had made you, humbly supplicates you to accept his -gains at monte, as a feeble testimony of his devotion and admiration." - -"You rascal!" Don Sylva angrily exclaimed as he took a step toward him -"Do you know in whose presence you are?" - -"In that of Doña Anita and her highly-respected parent," the scamp -replied imperturbably, as he wrapped himself majestically in his -tatters. "I have not, to my knowledge, failed in the respect I owe to -both." - -"Withdraw at once, and take with you this gold, which does not concern -my daughter." - -"Excuse me, excellency, I received orders to bring the gold here, and -with your permission I will leave it. Don Martial would not forgive me -if I acted otherwise." - -"I do not know Don Martial, as it pleases you to style the man who sent -you. I wish to have nothing in common with him." - -"That is possible, excellency; but it is no affair of mine. You can have -an explanation with him if you think proper. For my part, as my mission -is accomplished, I kiss your hands." - -And, after bowing once more to the two, the lepero went off -majestically, followed by his four acolytes, with measured steps. - -"See there," exclaimed Don Sylva violently, "see there, my daughter, to -what insults your folly exposes me!" - -"An insult, father?" she replied timidly. "On the contrary, I think that -Don Martial has acted like a true caballero, and that he gives me a -great proof of his love. That sum is enormous." - -"Ah!" Don Sylva said wrathfully, "that is the way you take it. Well, I -will act as a caballero also, _voto a brios_! As you shall see. Come -here, someone!" - -Several peons came in. - -"Open the windows!" - -The servants obeyed. The crowd was not yet dispersed, and a large number -of persons was still collected round the house. The hacendero leant out -and by a wave of his hand requested silence. The crowd was instinctively -silent, and drew nearer, guessing that something in which it was -interested was about to happen. - -"Señores caballeros y amigos," the hacendero said in a powerful voice, -"a man whom I do not know has dared to offer to my daughter the money he -has won at monte. Doña Anita spurns such presents, especially when they -come from a person with whom she does not wish to have any connection, -friendly or otherwise. She begs me to distribute this gold among you, as -she will not touch it in any way: she desires thus to prove, in the -presence of you all, the contempt she feels for a man who has dared to -offer her such an insult." - -The speech improvised by the hacendero was drowned by the frenzied -applause of the leperos and other assembled beggars, whose eyes sparkled -with greed. Anita felt the burning tears swelling her eyelids. In spite -of all her efforts to remain undisturbed, her heart was almost broken. - -Troubling himself not at all about his daughter, Don Sylva ordered his -servants to cast the ounces into the street. A shower of gold then -literally began falling on the wretches, who rushed with incredible -ardour on this new species of manna. The Calle de la Merced offered, at -that moment, the most singular sight imaginable. The gold poured and -poured on; it seemed to be inexhaustible. The beggars leaped like -coyotes on the precious metal, overthrowing and trampling underfoot the -weaker. - -At the height of the shower a horseman came galloping up. Astonished, -confounded by what he saw, he stopped for a moment to look around him; -then he drove his spurs into his horse, and by dealing blows of his -chicote liberally all around, he succeeded in clearing the dense crowd, -and reached the hacendero's house, which he entered. - -"Here is the count," Don Sylva said laconically to his daughter. - -In fact, within a minute that gentleman entered the saloon. - -"Halloh!" he said, stopping at the doorway, "What strange notion is this -of yours, Don Sylva? On my soul, you are amusing yourself by throwing -millions out of the window, to the still greater amusement of the -leperos and other rogues of the same genus!" - -"Ah, 'tis you, señor Conde," the hacendero replied calmly; "you are -welcome. I shall be with you in an instant. Only these few handfuls, and -it will be finished." - -"Don't hurry yourself," the count said with a laugh. "I confess that the -fancy is original;" and drawing near the young lady, whom he saluted -with exquisite politeness, he continued,-- - -"Would you deign, Señorita, to give me the word of this enigma, which, I -confess, interests me in the highest degree?" - -"Ask my father, Señor," she answered with a certain dryness, which -rendered conversation impossible. - -The count feigned not to notice this rebuff; he bowed with a smile, and -falling into a _butaca,_ said coolly,-- - -"I will wait; I am in no hurry." - -The hacendero, in telling his daughter that the gentleman he intended -for her husband was a handsome man, had in no respect flattered him. -Count Maxime Gaëtan de Lhorailles was a man of thirty at the most, well -built and active, and slightly above the middle height. His light hair -allowed him to be recognised as a son of the north; his features were -fine, his glance expressive, and his hands and feet denoted race. -Everything about him indicated the gentleman of an old stock; and if Don -Sylva was not more deceived about the moral qualities than he had been -about the physical, Count de Lhorailles was really a perfect gentleman. - -At length the hacendero exhausted all the gold Cucharés had brought: he -then hurled the table into the street, ordered the windows to be closed, -and came back to take a seat by the side of the count, rubbing his -hands. - -"There," he said with a joyous air, "that's finished. Now I am quite at -your service." - -"First one word." - -"Say it." - -"Excuse me. You are aware that I am a stranger, and such as thirsting -for instruction." - -"I am listening to you." - -"Since I have lived in Mexico I have seen many extraordinary customs. I -ought to be _blasé_ about novelties; still, I must confess that what I -have just seen surpasses anything I have hitherto witnessed. I should -like to be certain whether this is a custom of which I was hitherto -ignorant." - -"What are you talking about?" - -"Why, what you were doing when I arrived--that gold you were dropping -like a beneficent dew on the bandits of every description collected -before your house; ill weeds, between ourselves, to be thus bedewed." - -Don Sylva burst into a laugh. - -"No, that is not a custom of ours," he replied. - -"Very good. Then, you were indulging in the regal pastime of throwing a -million to the scum. Plague! Don Sylva, a man must be as rich as -yourself to allow such a gratification." - -"Things are not as you fancy." - -"Still I saw it raining ounces." - -"True, but they did not belong to me." - -"Better and better still. That renders the affair more complicated; you -heighten my curiosity immensely." - -"I will satisfy it." - -"I am all attention, for the affair is growing as interesting to me as a -story in the 'Arabian Nights.'" - -"H'm!" the hacendero said, tossing his head, "It interests you more than -you perhaps suspect." - -"How so?" - -"You shall judge." - -Doña Anita was in torture; she knew not what to do. Seeing that her -father was about to divulge all to the count, she did not feel in -herself the courage to be present at such a revelation, and rose -tottering. - -"Gentlemen," she said in a feeble voice, "I feel indisposed; be kind -enough to allow me to retire." - -"Really," the count said, as he hurried towards her, and offered her his -arm to support her, "you are pale, Doña Anita. Allow me to accompany you -to your apartment." - -"I thank you, caballero, but I am strong enough to proceed there alone, -and, while duly grateful for your offer, pray permit me to decline it." - -"As you please, señorita," the count replied, inwardly piqued by this -refusal. - -Don Sylva entertained for a moment the idea of ordering his daughter to -remain; but the poor girl turned towards him so despairing a glance that -he did not feel the courage to impose on her a longer torture. - -"Go my child," he said to her. - -Anita hastened to take advantage of the permission; she left the -_salón,_ and sought refuge in her bedroom, where she sank into a chair, -and burst into tears. - -"What is the matter with Doña Anita?" the count asked with sympathy, so -soon as she had gone. - -"Vapours--headache--what do I know?" the hacendero replied, shrugging -his shoulders. "All young girls are like that. In a few minutes she will -have forgotten it." - -"All the better. I confess to you that I was alarmed." - -"But now that we are alone, would you not like me to give you the -explanation of the enigma which appeared to interest you so much?" - -"On the contrary, speak without further delay: for, on my part, I have -several important matters to impart to you." - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE TWO HUNTERS. - - -About five miles from the town is the village of San José de Guaymas, -commonly known as the _Rancho_. - -This miserable _pueblo_ is merely composed of a square of moderate size, -intersected at right angles by tumbledown cabins, which are inhabited by -Hiaqui Indians (a large number of whom hire themselves out annually at -Guaymas to work as porters, carpenters, masons, &c), and all those -nameless adventurers who have thronged to the shores of the Pacific -since the discovery of the Californian plains. - -The road from Guaymas to San José runs through a parched and sandy -plain, on which only a few nopales and stunted cactuses grow, whose -withered branches are covered with dust, and produce the effect of white -phantoms at night. - -The evening of the day on which our story commences, a horseman, folded -to the eyes in a zarapé, was following this road, and proceeding in a -gallop to the Rancho. - -The sky, of a dark azure, was studded with glistening stars; the moon, -which had traversed one-third of her course, illumined the silent plain, -and indefinitely prolonged the tall shadows of the trees on the naked -earth. - -The horseman, doubtlessly anxious to reach the end of a journey which -was not without peril at this advanced hour, incessantly urged on with -spur and voice his horse, which did not, however, appear to need this -constantly-renewed encouragement. - -He had all but crossed the immense uncultivated plains, and was just -entering the woods which surround the Rancho, when his horse suddenly -leaped on one side, and pricked up its ears in alarm. A sharp sound -announced that the horseman had cocked his pistols; and, when this -precaution had been taken against all risk, he turned an inquiring -glance around. - -"Fear nothing, caballero," a frank and sympathetic voice exclaimed; "but -have the kindness to go a little farther to the right, if it makes no -difference to you." - -The stranger looked, and saw a man kneeling under his steed's feet, and -holding in his hands the head of a horse, which was lying nearly across -the road. - -"What on earth are you doing there?" he asked. - -"You can see," the other replied sorrowfully, "I am bidding good-by to -my poor companion. A man must have lived a long time in the desert to -appreciate the value of such a friend as he was." - -"That is true," the stranger remarked, and immediately dismounting, -added, "Is he dead then?" - -"No, not yet; but, unfortunately, he is as bad as if he were." - -With these words he sighed. - -The stranger bent over the animal, whose body was agitated by a nervous -quivering, opened its eyelids, and regarded it attentively. - -"Your horse has had a stroke," he said a moment later. "Let me act." - -"Oh!" the other exclaimed, "do you think you can save him?" - -"I hope so," the first speaker laconically observed. - -"_Caray!_ If you do that, we shall be friends for life. Poor Negro! My -old comrade!" - -The horseman bathed the animal's temples and nostrils with rum and -water. At the end of a few moments, the horse appeared slightly -recovered, his faded eyes began to sparkle again, and he tried to rise. - -"Hold him tight," the improvised surgeon said. - -"Be quiet, then, my good beast. Come, Negro, my boy, _quieto, quieto;_ -it is for your good," he said soothingly. - -The intelligent animal seemed to understand. It turned its head towards -its master, and answered him with a plaintive neigh. The horseman, -during this period, had been feeling in his girdle; and bending again -over the horse,-- - -"Mind and hold him tightly," he again recommended. - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Bleed him." - -"Yes, that is it. I knew it; but unfortunately I did not dare risk doing -it myself, through fear of killing the horse." - -"All right?" - -"Go on." - -The horse made a hasty move, caused by the coldness of the wound; but -its master held it down and checked its struggles. The two men suffered -a moment of anxiety: the blood did not issue. At last a black drop -appeared in the wound, then a second, speedily followed by a long jet of -black and foaming blood. - -"He is saved," the stranger said, as he wiped his lancet and returned it -to his fob. - -"I will repay you this, on the word of Belhumeur!" the owner of the -horse said with much emotion. "You have rendered me one of those -services which are never forgotten." - -And, by an irresistible impulse, he held out his hand to the man who had -so providentially crossed his path. The latter warmly returned the -vigorous pressure. Henceforth all was arranged between them. These two -men who a few moments previously were ignorant of each other's -existence, were friends, attached by one of those services which in -American countries possess an immense value. - -The blood gradually lost its black tinge; it became vermillion, and -flowed abundantly. The breathing of the panting steed had grown easy and -regular. The first stranger made a copious bleeding, and when he -considered the horse in a fair way of recovery he stopped the effusion. - -"And now," he said, "what do you propose doing?" - -"My faith, I don't know. Your help has been so useful to me that I -should like to follow your advice." - -"Where were you going when this accident occurred?" - -"To the Rancho." - -"I am going there too. We are only a few yards from it. You will get up -behind me. We will lead your horse, and start when you please." - -"I ask nothing better. You believe that my horse cannot carry me?" - -"Perhaps he could do so, for he is a noble animal; but it would be -imprudent, and you would run a risk of killing him. It would be better, -believe me, to act as I suggested." - -"Yes; but I am afraid--" - -"What of?" the other sharply interrupted him. "Are we not friends?" - -"That is true. I accept." - -The horse sprang up somewhat actively, and the two men who had met so -strangely started at once, mounted on one horse. Twenty minutes later -they reached the first buildings of the Rancho. At the entrance of the -village the owner of the horse stopped, and turning to his companion, -said,-- - -"Where will you get down?" - -"That is all the same to me; let us go first where you are going." - -"Ah!" the horseman said, scratching his head, "the fact is, I am going -nowhere in particular." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh! You will understand me in two words. I landed today at Guaymas; -the Rancho is only the first station of a journey I meditate in the -desert, and which will probably last a long time." - -By the moonlight, a ray of which now played on the stranger's face, his -companion attentively regarded his noble and pensive countenance, on -which grief had already cut deep furrows. - -"So that," he at length said, "any lodging will suit you?" - -"A night is soon spent. I only ask a shelter for horse and self." - -"Well, if you will permit me to act in my turn as guide, you shall have -that within ten minutes." - -"Agreed." - -"I do not promise you a palace, but I will take you to a _pulquería_, -where I am accustomed to put up when accident brings me to these parts. -You will find the society rather mixed, but what would you have? And, as -you said yourself, a night is soon spent." - -"In Heaven's name, then, proceed." - -Then, passing his arm through that of his comrade, the new guide seized -the horse's reins, and steered to a house standing about two-thirds of -the way down the street where they were, whose badly fitting windows -gleamed in the night like the stoke holes of a furnace, while cries, -laughter, songs, and the shrill sound of the _jarabes_, indicated that, -if the rest of the _pueblo_ were plunged in sleep, there, at least, -people were awake. - -The two strangers stopped before the door of this pothouse. - -"Have you quite made up your mind?" the first said. - -"Perfectly," the other answered. - -The guide then rapped furiously at the worm-eaten door. It was long ere -anyone answered. At length a hoarse voice shouted from inside, while the -greatest silence succeeded, as if by enchantment, the noise that had -hitherto prevailed. - -"_¿Quíen vive?"_ - -"_Gente de paz_," the stranger replied. - -"Hum!" the voice went on, "That is not a name. What sort of weather is -it?" - -"One for all--all for one. The _cormuel_ is strong enough to blow the -horns off the oxen on the top of the Cerro del Huérfano." - -The door was immediately opened, and the strangers entered. At first -they could distinguish nothing through the thick and smoky atmosphere of -the room, and walked hap-hazard. The companion of the first horseman was -well known in this den; for the master of the house and several other -persons eagerly collected round him. - -"Caballeros," he said, pointing to the person who followed him, "this -señor is my friend, and I must request your kindness for him." - -"He shall be treated like yourself, Belhumeur," the host replied. "Your -horses have been led to the corral, where a truss of alfalfa has been -put before them. As for yourselves, the house belongs to you, and you -can dispose of it as you please." - -During this exchange of compliments the strangers had contrived to find -their way through the crowd. They crossed the room, and sat down in a -corner before a table on which the host himself placed pulque, mezcal, -chinguirito, Catalonian refino, and sherry. - -"Caramba, Señor Huesped!" the man whom we had heard called frequently -Belhumeur, said with a laugh, "You are generous today." - -"Do you not see that I have an angelito?" the other answered gravely. - -"What, your son Pedrito--?" - -"Is dead. I am trying to give my friends a cordial welcome, in order the -better to feast the entrance into heaven of my poor boy, who, having -never sinned, is an angel by the side of God." - -"That's very proper," Belhumeur said, hobnobbing with the rather stoical -parent. - -The latter emptied his glass of refino at a draught, and -withdrew. The strangers, by this time accustomed to the atmosphere in -which they found themselves, began to look around them. The room of the -pulquería offered them a most singular sight. - -In the centre some ten individuals, with faces enough to hang them, -covered with rags, and armed to the teeth, were furiously playing at -monte. It was a strange fact, but one which did not appear to astonish -any of the honourable gamblers that a long dagger was stuck in the table -to the right of the banker, and two pistols lay on his left. A few steps -further on, men and women, more than half intoxicated, were dancing and -singing, with lubricious gestures and mad shouts, to the shrill sounds -of two or three _vihuelas_ and _jarabes_. In a corner of the room thirty -people were assembled round a table, on which a child, four years of age -at the most, was seated in a wicker chair. This child presided over the -meeting. He was dressed in his best clothes, had a crown of flowers on -his head, and a profusion of nosegays was piled up on the table all -round him. - -But alas! The child's brow was pale, his eyes glassy, his complexion -leaden and marked with violet spots. His body had the peculiar stiffness -of a corpse. He was dead. He was the angelito, whose entrance into -heaven the worthy pulquero was celebrating. - -Men, women and children were drinking and laughing, as they reminded the -poor mother, who made heroic efforts not to burst into tears, of the -precocious intelligence, goodness and prettiness of the little creature -she had just lost. - -"All this is hideous," the first traveller muttered, with signs of -disgust. - -"Is it not so?" the other assented. "Let us not notice it, but isolate -ourselves amid these scoundrels, who have already forgotten our -presence, and talk." - -"Willingly, but unhappily we have nothing to say to each other." - -"Perhaps we have. In the first place, we might let each other know who -we are." - -"That is true." - -"You agree with me? Then I will give you the example of confidence and -frankness." - -"Good. After that my turn will come." - -Belhumeur looked round at the company. The orgy had recommenced with -fresh fury; it was evident that no one troubled himself about them. He -rested his elbows on the table, leant over to his comrade, and began:-- - -"As you already know, my dear mate, my name is Belhumeur. I am a -Canadian; that is to say almost a Frenchman. Circumstances too long to -narrate at present, but which I tell you some day, brought me, when a -lad into this country. Twenty years of my life have passed in traversing -the desert in every direction: there is not a stream or a by-path which -I do not know. I could, if I would, live quietly and free from care with -a dear friend, an old companion, who has retired to a magnificent -hacienda which he possesses a few leagues from Hermosillo; but the -existence of a hunter has charms which only those who have lived it can -understand: it always compels them to renew it in spite of themselves. I -am still a young man, hardly five-and-forty years of age. An old friend -of mine, an Indian chief of the name of Eagle-head, proposed to me to -accompany him on an excursion he wished to make in Apacheria. I allowed -myself to be tempted; said good-by to those I love, and who tried in -vain to hold me back; and free from all ties, without regret for the -past, happy in the present, and careless of the future, I went gaily -ahead, bearing with me those inestimable treasures for the hunter, a -strong heart, a gay character, excellent arms, and a horse accustomed, -like his master, to good fortune and ill; and so here I am. And now, -mate, you know me as well as if we had been friends for the last ten -years." - -The other had listened attentively to this story, fixing a thoughtful -glance on the bold adventurer, who sat smiling before him. He gazed with -interest on this man, with the loyal face and sharply-cut features, -whose countenance exhaled the rude and noble frankness of a man who is -really good and great. - -When Belhumeur was silent he remained for some moments without replying, -doubtlessly plunged in profound and earnest reflections; then, offering -him across the table a white, elegant, and delicate hand, he replied -with great emotion, and in the best French ever spoken in these distant -regions,-- - -"I thank you, Belhumeur, for the confidence you have placed in me. My -history is not longer, but more mournful than yours. You shall have it -in a few words." - -"Eh?" the Canadian exclaimed, vigorously pressing the hand offered him. -"Do you happen to be a Frenchman?" - -"Yes, I have that honour." - -"By Jove! I ought to have suspected it," he burst out joyously. "Only to -think that for an hour we have been stupidly talking bad Spanish, -instead of employing our own tongue; for I come from Canada, and the -Canadians are the French of America, are they not?" - -"You are right." - -"Well, then, it is agreed, no more Spanish between us." - -"No, nothing but French." - -"Bravo! Here's your health, my worthy fellow countryman! And now," he -added, returning his glass to the table after emptying it, "let us have -your story. I am listening." - -"I told you that it is not long." - -"No matter; go ahead. I am certain 'twill interest me enormously." - -The Frenchman stifled a sigh. - -"I, too, have lived the life of a wood ranger," he said; "I, too, have -experienced the intoxicating charms of that feverish existence, full of -moving incidents, no two of which are alike. Far from the country where -we now are, I have traversed vast deserts, immense virgin forests, in -which no man prior to myself had left the imprint of his footstep. Like -you, a friend accompanied me in my adventurous travels, sustaining my -courage, maintaining my gaiety by his inexhaustible humour and his -unbounded courage. Alas! That was the happiest period of my life. - -"I fell in love with a woman and married her. So soon as my friend saw -me rich and surrounded by a family he left me. His departure was my -first grief--a grief from which I never recovered, which each day -rendered more poignant and which now tortures me like a remorse. Alas! -Where is now that strong heart, that devoted friend who ever interposed -between danger and myself, who loved me like a brother, and for whom I -felt a son's affection? He is probably dead!" - -In uttering the last words the Frenchman let his head sink in his hands, -and yielded to a flood of bitter thoughts, which rose from his heart -with every reminiscence he recalled. Belhumeur looked at him in a -melancholy manner, and pressing his hand, said in a low and sympathising -voice, "Courage, my friend." - -"Yes," the Frenchman continued, "that was what he always said to me -when, prostrated by grief, I felt hope failing me. 'Courage,' he would -say to me in his rough voice, laying his hand on my shoulders; and I -would feel galvanised by the touch, and draw myself up at the sound of -that cherished voice, ready to recommence the struggle, for I felt -myself stronger. Several years passed in the midst of a felicity which -nothing came to trouble. I had a wife I adored, charming children for -whom I formed dreams of the future; in short, I wanted for -nothing save my poor comrade, about whom I could discover nothing from -the moment he left me, in spite of my constant inquiries. Now, my -happiness has faded away never to return. My wife, my children are -dead--cruelly murdered in their sleep by Indians, who carried my -hacienda by storm. I alone remained alive amid the smoking ruins of that -abode where I had spent so many happy days. All I loved was eternally -buried beneath the ashes. My heart was broken, and I did not wish to -survive all that was dear to me; but a friend, the only one that -remained to me, saved me. He carried me off by main force to his tribe, -for he was an Indian. By his care and devotion he recalled me to life, -and restored to me, if not the hope of a happiness henceforth -impossible for me, at least the courage to struggle against that destiny -whose blows had been so rude. He died only a few months back. Before -closing his eyes for ever he made me swear to do all he asked of me. I -promised him. 'Brother,' he said, 'every man must proceed in life toward -a certain object. So soon as I am dead, go in search of that friend from -whom you have so long been separated. You will find him, I feel -convinced. He will trace your line of conduct.' Two hours later the -worthy chief died in my arms. So soon as his body was committed to the -earth I set out. This very day, as I told you, I reached Guaymas. My -intention is to bury myself immediately in the wilderness; for if my -poor friend be still alive, I can only find him there." - -There was a lengthened silence, at length broken by Belhumeur. - -"Hum! All that is very sad, mate, I must allow," he said, tossing his -head. "You are rushing upon a desperate enterprise, in which the chances -of success are almost null. A man is a grain of sand lost in the desert. -Who knows, even supposing he still lives, at what place he may be at -this moment; and if, while you are seeking him on one side, he may not -be on the other? Still, I have a proposition to make to you, which, I -believe, can only prove advantageous." - -"I know it, my friend, before you tell it me. I thank you, and accept -it," the Frenchman replied quickly. - -"It is agreed then. We start together. You will come with me into -Apacheria?" - -"Yes." - -"By Jove! I am in luck. I have hardly separated from Loyal Heart ere -Heaven brings me together with a friend as precious as he is." - -"Who is that Loyal Heart you mention?" - -"The friend with whom I lived so long, and whom you shall know some day. -But come, we will start at daybreak." - -"Whenever you please." - -"I have the meeting with Eagle-head two days' journey from here. I am -much mistaken, or he is waiting for me by this time." - -"What are you going to do in Apacheria?" - -"I do not know. Eagle-head asked me to accompany him, and I am going. It -is my rule never to ask my friends more of their secrets than they are -willing to tell me. In that way we are more free." - -"Excellent reasoning, my dear Belhumeur; but, as we shall be together -for a long time, I hope, at least--" - -"I, too." - -"It is right," the Frenchman continued, "that you should know my name, -which I have hitherto forgotten to tell you." - -"That need not trouble you; for I could easily give you one if you had -reasons for preserving your incognito." - -"None at all: my name is Count Louis de Prébois Crancé." - -Belhumeur rose as if moved by a spring, took off his fur cap, and bowing -before his new friend, said-- - -"Pardon me, sir count, for the free manner in which I have addressed -you. Had I known in whose company I had the honour of being, I should -certainly not have taken so great a liberty." - -"Belhumeur, Belhumeur," the count said with a mournful smile, and -seizing his hand quickly, "is our friendship to commence in that way? -There are here only two men ready to share the same life, run the same -dangers, and confront the same foes. Let us leave to the foolish -inhabitants of cities those vain distinctions which possess no -significance for us; let us be frankly and loyally brothers. I only wish -to be to you Louis, your good comrade, your devoted friend, in the same -way as you are to me only Belhumeur, the rough wood ranger." - -The Canadian's face shone with pleasure at these words. - -"Well spoken," he said gaily, "well spoken, on my soul! I am but a poor -ignorant hunter; and, by my faith, why should I conceal it? What you -have just said to me has gone straight to my heart. I am yours, Louis, -for life and death; and I hope to prove to you soon, comrade, that I -have a certain value." - -"I am convinced of it; but we understand each other now, do we not?" - -"By Jove--!" - -At this moment there was such a tremendous disturbance in the street, -that it drowned that in the room. As always happens under such -circumstances, the adventurers assembled in the pulquería were silent of -a common accord, in order to listen. Shouts, the clashing of sabres, the -stamping of horses, drowned at intervals by the discharge of fire arms, -could be clearly distinguished. - -"Caray!" Belhumeur exclaimed, "there's fighting going on in the street." - -"I am afraid so," the pulquero laconically answered, who was more than -half drunk, as he swallowed a glass of refino. - -Suddenly from sabre hilts and pistol butts resounded vigorously on the -badly-joined plank of the door, and a powerful voice shouted angrily,-- - -"Open, in the devil's name, or I'll smash in your miserable door!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -COUNT MAXIME GAËTAN DE LHORAILLES. - - -Before explaining to the reader the cause of the infernal noise which -suddenly rose to disturb the tranquility of the people assembled in the -pulquería, we are obliged to go back a little distance. - -About three years before the period in which our story opens, on a cold -and rainy December night, eight men, whose costumes and manners showed -them to belong to the highest Parisian society, were assembled in an -elegant private room of the Café Anglais. - -The night was far advanced; the wax candles, two-thirds consumed, only -spread a mournful light; the rain lashed the windows, and the wind -howled lugubriously. The guests, seated round the table and the relics -of a splendid supper, seemed, in spite of themselves, to have been -infected by the gloomy melancholy that brooded over nature, and, lying -back on their chairs, some slept, while others, lost in thought, paid no -attention to what was going on around them. - -The clock on the mantelpiece slowly struck three, and the last sound had -scarcely died away ere the repeated cracking of a postilion's whip could -be heard beneath the windows of the room. - -The door opened and a waiter came in. - -"The post-chaise the Count de Lhorailles ordered is waiting," he said. - -"Thanks," one of the guests said, dismissing the waiter by a -sign. - -The latter went out, and closed the door after him. The few words he had -uttered had broken the charm which enchained the guests; all sat up, as -if aroused from sleep suddenly; and turning to a young man of thirty, -they said,-- - -"It is really true that you are going?" - -"I am," he answered, with a nod of affirmation. - -"Where to, though? People do not usually part in this mysterious way," -one of the guests continued. - -The gentleman to whom the remark was addressed smiled sorrowfully. - -The Count de Lhorailles was a handsome man, with expressive features, -energetic glance, and disdainful lip; he belonged to the most ancient -nobility, and his reputation was perfectly established among the "lions" -of the day. He rose, and looking round the circle, said,-- - -"Gentlemen, I can perfectly well understand that my conduct appears to -you strange. You have a right to an explanation from me, and I am most -desirous to give it to you. It was, indeed, for that purpose that I -invited you to the last supper we shall enjoy together. The hour for my -departure has struck--the chaise is waiting. Tomorrow I shall be far -from Paris, and within a week I shall have left France never to return. -Listen to me." - -The guests made a marked movement as they gazed on the count. - -"Do not be impatient, gentlemen," he said; "the story I have to tell you -is not long, for it is my own. In two words, here it is:-- - -"I am completely ruined. I have only a small sum of money left, on which -I should starve in Paris, and end in a month by blowing out my brains--a -gloomy perspective which possesses no attractions for me, I assure you. -On the other hand, I have such a fatal skill with arms, that, without -any fault of my own, I enjoy a reputation as a duellist, which weighs on -me fearfully, especially since my deplorable affair with that poor -Viscount de Morsens, whom I was obliged to kill against my will, in -order to close his mouth and put a stop to his calumnies. In short, for -the reasons I have had the honour of imparting to you, and an infinity -of others it is needless for you to know, and which I am convinced would -interest you very slightly, France has become odious to me to such a -degree that I am most anxious to quit it. So now a parting glass of -champagne, and good-by to all." - -"A moment," remarked the guest who had already spoken. "You have not -told us, count, to what country you intend to proceed." - -"Can't you guess? To America. I am allowed to possess a certain amount -of courage and intelligence, and therefore am going to a country where, -if I may believe all I hear, those two qualities are sufficient to make -the fortune of their possessor. Have you any more questions to ask me, -baron?" he added, turning to his questioner. - -The latter, ere replying, remained for some moments plunged in serious -reflections; at length he raised his head, and fixed a cold and -searching glance on the count. - -"You really mean to go, my friend?" he said quite seriously. "You swear -it on your honour?" - -"Yes, on my honour." - -"And you are really resolved to make for yourself, in America, a -position at the least equal to that you held here?" - -"Yes," he said sharply, "by all means possible." - -"That is good. In your turn listen to me, count, and if you will profit -by what I am about to reveal to you, you may perhaps, by the help of -Heaven, succeed in accomplishing the wild projects you have formed." - -All the guests drew round curiously; the count himself felt interested -in spite of himself. - -The Baron de Spurtzheim was a man of about five-and-forty. His bronzed -complexion, his marked features, and the strange expression of his eye -gave him a peculiar aspect, which escaped the notice of the vulgar herd, -and caused him to be regarded as a really remarkable man by all -intelligent persons. - -The only thing known about the baron was his colossal fortune, which he -spent royally. As for his antecedents, everyone was ignorant of them, -although he was received in the first society. It was merely remarked -vaguely that he had been a great traveller, and had resided for several -years in America; but nothing was more uncertain than these rumours, and -they would not have been sufficient to open the _salons_ of the noble -suburb to him, had not the Austrian ambassador, without his knowledge, -served as his guarantee most warmly in several delicate circumstances. - -The baron was more intimately connected with the count than with his -other companions. He seemed to feel a certain degree of interest in him; -and several times, guessing his friend's embarrassed circumstances, he -had delicately offered him his assistance. The Count de Lhorailles, -though too proud to accept these offers, felt equally grateful to the -baron, and had allowed him to assume a certain influence over him, -without suspecting it. - -"Speak, but be brief, my dear baron," the count said. "You know that the -chaise is waiting for me." - -Without replying, the baron rang the bell. The waiter came in. - -"Dismiss the postilion, and tell him to return at five o'clock. You can -go." - -The waiter bowed and went out. - -The count, more and more amazed at his friend's strange conduct, did not -make the least observation. However, he poured out a glass of champagne, -which he emptied at a draught, crossed his arms, leant back in his -chair, and waited. - -"And now, gentlemen," the baron said in his sarcastic and incisive -voice, "as our friend De Lhorailles has told us his history, and we are -becoming confidential, why should I not tell you mine? The weather is -fearful--it is raining torrents. Here we are, comfortably tiled in: we -have champagne and regalias--two excellent things when not abused. What -have we better to do? 'Nothing,' I hear you say. Listen to me, then, for -I believe what I have to tell you will interest you the more, because -some among you will not be vexed to know the whole truth about me." - -The majority of the guests burst into a laugh at this remark. When their -hilarity was calmed the baron began:-- - -"As for the first part of my story, I shall imitate the count's brevity. -In the present age gentlemen find themselves so naturally beyond the -pale of the law through the prejudices of blood and education, that they -all are fated to pass through a rough apprenticeship to life, by -devouring in a few years, they know not how, the paternal fortune. This -happened to me, gentlemen, as to yourselves. My ancestors in the middle -ages were, to a certain extent, freebooters. True blood always shows -itself. When my last resources were nearly exhausted, my instincts were -aroused, and my eyes fixed on America. In less than ten years I amassed -there the colossal fortune which I now have the distinguished honour, -not of dissipating--the lesson was too rude, and I profited by it--but -of spending in your honourable company, while careful to keep my capital -intact." - -"But," the count exclaimed impatiently, "how did you amass this colossal -fortune, as you yourself term it?" - -"About a million and a half," the baron coolly remarked. - -A shudder of covetousness ran through the whole party. - -"A colossal fortune indeed," the count continued; "but, I repeat, how -did you acquire it?" - -"If I had not intended to reveal it to you, my dear fellow, you may be -sure I would not have abused your patience by making you listen to the -trivialities you have just heard." - -"We are listening," the guests shouted. - -The baron coolly looked at them all. - -"In the first place let us drink a glass of champagne to our friend's -success," he said in a sarcastic tone. - -The glasses were filled and emptied again in a twinkling, so great was -the curiosity of the auditors. After putting down his glass before him -the baron lighted a regalia, and, turning to the count, said to him,-- - -"I am now addressing myself more particularly to you, my friend. You are -young, enterprising, gifted with an iron constitution and an energetic -will. I am convinced, that if death does not thwart your plans, you will -succeed, whatever may be the enterprise you undertake, or the objects -you propose to yourself. In the life you are about to begin, the -principal cause of success, I may say almost the only one, is a thorough -knowledge of the ground on which you are about to manoeuvre, and the -society you propose entering. If, on my entrance upon that adventurous -life, I had possessed the good fortune of meeting a friend willing to -initiate me into the mysteries of my new existence, my fortune would -have been made five years earlier. What no one did for me I am willing -to do for you. Perhaps, at a later date you will be grateful for the -information I have given you, and which will serve as your guide in the -inextricable maze you are about to enter. In the first place, lay down -this principle: the people among whom you are about going to live are -your natural enemies. Hence you will have to support a daily, hourly -struggle. All means must appear to you good to emerge from the battle a -victor. Lay on one side your notions of honour and delicacy. In America -they are vain words, useless even to make dupes, from the very simple -reason that no one believes in them. The sole deity of America is gold. -To acquire gold the American is capable of everything; but not, as in -old Europe, under the cloak of honesty, and by roundabout process, but -frankly, openly, without shame, and without remorse. This laid down, -your line of conduct is ready traced. There is no project, however -extravagant it may appear, which in that country does not offer chances -of success; for the means of execution are immense, and almost -impossible of control. The American is the man who has best comprehended -the strength of association: hence it is the lever by means of which his -schemes are carried out. On arriving there alone, without friends or -acquaintances, however intelligent and determined you may be, you will -be lost, because you find yourself alone in the face of all." - -"That is true," the count muttered with conviction. - -"Patience!" the baron replied with a smile. "Do you think I intend to -send you into action without a cuirass? No, no, I will give you one, and -magnificently tempered, too, I assure you." - -All those present looked with amazement on this man, who had grown -enormously in their esteem in a few moments. The baron feigned not to -perceive the impression he produced, and in a minute or so he continued, -laying a stress on every word, as if wishful to engrave it more deeply -on the count's memory:-- - -"Remember what I am about to tell you; it is of the utmost importance -for you not to forget a word, my friend; from that positively depends -the success of your trip to the New World." - -"Speak--I am not losing a syllable!" the count interrupted him with a -species of febrile impatience. - -"When strangers began to flock to America, a company of bold fellows -was formed without faith or law, and without pity as without weakness, -who, denying all nationality, as they issued from every people, only -recognised one government, that which they themselves instituted on -Tortoise Island, a desolate rock, lost in the middle of the ocean--a -monstrous government; for violence was at its basis, and it only -admitted of right being might. These bold companions, attached to each -other by a Draconian charter, assumed the name of Brethren of the Coast, -and were divided into two classes--the Buccaneers and the Filibusters. - -"The buccaneers, wandering, through the primeval forests, hunted oxen, -while the filibusters scoured the seas, attacking every flag, plundering -every vessel under the pretext of making war on the Spaniards, but in -reality stripping the rich for the benefit of the poor--the only means -they discovered to restore the balance between the two classes. The -Brethren of the Coast, continually recruited from all the rogues of the -new world, became powerful--so powerful, indeed, that the Spaniards -trembled for their possessions, and a glorious King of France did not -disdain to treat with them, and send an ambassador to them. At last, -through the very force of circumstances, like all powers which are the -offspring of anarchy, and consequently possess no inherent vitality, -when the maritime nations recognised their own strength, the Brethren of -the Coast grew gradually weaker, and finally disappeared entirely. By -forcing them into obscurity, it was supposed that they were not merely -conquered, but annihilated; but it was not so, as you shall now see. I -ask your pardon for this long and tedious prologue, but it was -indispensable, so that you should better comprehend the rest I have to -explain to you." - -"It is nearly half past four," observed the count; "we have not more -than forty minutes left us." - -"That period, though so short, will be sufficient," the baron answered. -"I resume my narrative. The Brethren of the Coast were not destroyed, -but transformed. They yielded with extraordinary cleverness to the -exigencies of that progress which threatened to outstrip them: they had -changed their skin--from tigers they had become foxes. The Brethren of -the Coast were converted into _Dauph'yeers_. Instead of boldly boarding -the enemies' ships, sword and hatchet in hand, as they formerly did, -they became insignificant, and dug mines. At the present day the -Dauph'yeers are the masters and kings of the New World; they are nowhere -and everywhere, but they reign; their influence is felt in all ranks of -society; they are found on every rung of the ladder, but are never seen. -They detached the United States from England; Peru, Chili and Mexico, -from Spain. Their power is immense, the more so because it is secret, -ignored and almost denied, which displays their strength. For a secret -society to be denied existence is a real power. There is not a -revolution in America in which the influence of the Dauph'yeers does not -step forward valorously, either to insure its triumph or to crush it. -They can do everything--they are everything: without their golden circle -nothing is possible. Such have the Brethren of the Coast become, in less -than two centuries, by the force of progress! They are the axis round -which the New World revolves though it little suspects it. It is a -wretched lot for that magnificent country to have been condemned, ever -since its discovery, to undergo the tyranny of bandits of every rank, -who seem to have undertaken the mission of exhausting her in every way, -while never giving her the chance of liberating herself." - -There was a lengthened silence: each was reflecting on what he had just -heard. The baron himself had buried his face in his hands, and was lost -in that world of ideas which he had evoked, and which now assailed him -in a mass with sensations of mingled pain and bitterness. - -The distant sound of a rapidly approaching vehicle recalled the count to -the gravity of the situation. - -"Here is my chaise," he said. "I am about to set out, and I know -nothing." - -"Patience!" the baron replied. "Take leave of your friends, and we will -start." - -Yielding, in spite of himself, to the influence of this singular man, -the count obeyed, without dreaming of offering the slightest opposition. -He rose, embraced each of his old friends, exchanged with them hearty -hand-shakings, received their auguries of success, and left the room, -followed by the baron. - -The post-chaise was waiting in front of the house. The young men had -opened the windows, and were waving fresh adieux to their friend. The -count turned a long look on the Boulevard. The night was gloomy, though -the rain no longer fell; the sky was black; and the gas-jets glinted -feebly in the distance like stars lost in a fog. - -"Farewell," he said in a stifled voice, "farewell! Who knows whether I -shall ever return?" - -"Courage!" a stern voice whispered in his ear. - -The young man shuddered: the baron was at his side. - -"Come, my friend," he said, as he helped him to enter the carriage, "I -will accompany you to the barrier." - -The count got in and fell back on a cushion. - -"The Normandy road," the baron shouted to the postilion, as he shut the -door. - -The driver cracked his whip, and the chaise started at a gallop. - -"Good-by, good-by!" the young men loudly shouted as they leant out of -the windows of the Café Anglais. - -For a long time the two remained silent. At length the baron took the -word. - -"Gaëtan!" he said. - -"What would you?" the latter replied. - -"I have not yet finished my narrative." - -"It is true," he muttered distractedly. - -"Do you not wish me to end it?" - -"Speak, my friend." - -"In what a tone you say that, my good fellow! Your mind is wandering in -imaginary space; you are doubtlessly dreaming of those you are leaving. - -"Alas!" murmured the count with a sigh, "I am alone in the world. What -have I to regret? I possess neither friends nor relations." - -"Ungrateful man!" The baron said in a reproachful tone. - -"It is true: Pardon me, my dear fellow; I did not think of what I was -saying." - -"I pardon you, but on condition that you listen to me." - -"I promise it." - -"My friend, it you desire success, the friendship and protection of -those Dauph'yeers I mentioned are indispensable for you." - -"How can I obtain them--I, a wretched stranger? How I tremble on -thinking of the country in which I dreamed of creating such a glorious -future! The veil that covered my eyes is fallen. I see the extravagance -of my projects, and all hope abandons me." - -"Already?" exclaimed the baron sternly. "Child without energy, to -abandon a contest even before having engaged in it! Man without strength -and courage! I will give you the means, if you like, of obtaining the -friendship and protection so necessary for you." - -"You!" the count said, quivering with excitement. - -"Yes, I! Do you fancy I have been amusing myself with torturing your -mind for the last two hours, like the jaguar plays with the lamb, for -the mere pleasure of deriding you? No, Gaëtan. If you had that thought, -you were wrong, for I am fond of you. When I learned your scheme I -applauded, from the bottom of my heart, that resolution which restored -you to your proper place in my mind. When you this night frankly avowed -to us your position, and explained your plans, I found myself again in -you; my heart beat; for a moment I was happy: and then I vowed to open -to you that path so wide, so great, and so noble, that if you do not -succeed, it will be because you do not desire to do so." - -"Oh!" the count said energetically, "I may succumb in the contest which -begins this day between myself and humanity at large, but fear nothing, -my friend; I will fall nobly like a man of courage." - -"I am persuaded of it, my friend. I have only a few more words to say to -you. I, too, was a Dauph'yeer, and am so still. Thanks to my brethren, I -gained the fortune I now possess. Take this portfolio: put round your -neck this chain, from which a medallion hangs; then, when you are alone, -read these instructions contained in the portfolio, and act as they -prescribe. If you follow them point for point, I guarantee your success. -That is the present I reserved for you, and which I would not give you -till we were alone." - -"O heavens!" the count said with effusion. - -"Here we are at the barrier," the baron remarked, as he stopped the -carriage. "It is time for us to separate. Farewell, my friend! Courage -and good will! Embrace me. Above all, remember the portfolio and the -medallion." - -The two men remained for a long time in each other's arms. At length the -baron freed himself by a vigorous effort, opened the door, and leaped -out on the pavement. - -"Farewell!" he cried for the last time; "Farewell, Gaëtan, remember me." - -The post-chaise was bowling along the high road at full speed. Strange -to say, both men muttered the same word, shaking heads with -discouragement, when they found themselves alone--one walking at full -speed along the footpath, the other buried in the cushions. - -That word was "Perhaps!" - -The reason was that, despite all their efforts to deceive each other, -neither of them hoped. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE DAUPH'YEERS. - - -Now let us quit the old world, and, taking an immense stride, transport -ourselves to the new one at a single leap. - -There is in America a city which possibly cannot be compared to any -other in the whole world. That city is Valparaiso! - -Valparaiso! The word resounds in the enchanted ear like the gentle soft -notes of a love song. - -A coquettish, smiling, and mad city, softly reclining like a careless -Creole, round a delicious bay, at the foot of three majestic mountains, -lazily bathing her rosy and dainty feet in the azure waves of the -Pacific, and veiling her dreamy brow in the storm-laden clouds which -escape from Cape Horn, and roll with a sinister sound round the peaks of -the Cordilleras, to form a splendid glory for them. - -Although built on the Chilean coast, this strange city belongs, in fact, -to no country, and recognises no nationality: or to speak more -correctly, it admits all into its bosom. - -At Valparaiso the adventurer of every clime have given each other the -meeting. All tongues are spoken there, every branch of trade is carried -on. The population is the quaintest amalgam of the most eccentric -personalities, who have rushed from the most remote parts of the four -quarters of the old world, to attack fortune in this city, the advanced -sentinel of Transatlantic civilisation, and whose occult influence -governs the Hispano-American republic. - -Valparaiso, like nearly all the commercial centres of South America, is -a pile of shapeless dens and magnificent palaces jostling each other, -and hanging in abrupt clusters on the abrupt flanks of the three -mountains. - -At the period the event occurred which we are about to describe, the -streets were narrow, dirty, deprived of air and sun. The paving, being -perfectly ignored, rendered them perfect morasses, in which the wayfarer -sank to the knee when the winter's rains had loosened the soil. This -rendered the use of a horse indispensable, even for the shortest -passage. - -Deleterious exhalations incessantly escaped from these mud holes, -heightened by the filth of every description which the daily cleaning of -the inhabitants accumulated, while no one dreamed of draining these -permanent abodes of pernicious fevers. - -At the present day, we are told, this state of things has been altered, -and Valparaiso no longer resembles itself. We should like to believe it; -but the carelessness of the South American, so well known to us, compels -us to be very circumspect in such a matter. - -In one of the dirtiest and worst-famed streets of Valparaiso was a house -which we ask the reader's permission to describe in a few words. - -We are compelled at the outset, to confess that if the architect -intrusted with its construction had shown himself more than sober in the -distribution of the ornaments, he had built it perfectly to suit the -trade of the various tenants destined in future to occupy it one after -the other. - -It was a clay-built hovel. The _façade_ looked upon the Street de la -Merced; the opposite side had an outlook of the sea, above which it -projected for a certain distance upon posts. - -This house was inhabited by an innkeeper. Contrary to the European -buildings, which grow smaller the higher they rise from the ground, this -house grew larger; so that the upper part was lofty and well lighted, -while the shop and other ground floor rooms were confined and gloomy. - -The present occupier had skilfully profited by this architectural -arrangement to have a room made in the wall between the first and second -floors, which was reached by a turning staircase, concealed in the -masonry. - -This room was so built that the slightest noise in the street distinctly -reached the ears of persons in it, while stifling any they might make, -however loud it might be. - -The worthy landlord, occupier of this house, had naturally a rather -mixed custom of people of every description--smugglers, _rateros_, -rogues, and others, whose habits might bring them into unpleasant -difficulties with the Chilean police; consequently, a whaleboat -constantly fastened to a ring under a window opening on the sea, -offered a provisional but secure shelter to the customers of the -establishment whenever, by any accident, the agents of government -evinced a desire to pay a domiciliary visit to his den. - -This house was known--and probably is still known, unless an earthquake -or a fire has caused this rookery to disappear from the face of the -earth of Valparaiso--by the name of the _Locanda del Sol._ - -On an iron plate suspended from a beam, and creaking with every breath -of wind, there had been painted by a native artist a huge red face, -surrounded by orange beams, possibly intended as an explanation of the -sign to which I have alluded above. - -Señor Benito Sarzuela master of the Locanda del Sol, was a tall, dry -fellow with an angular face end crafty look; a mixture of the Araucano, -Negro and Spaniard, whose _morale_ responded perfectly to his -_physique;_ that is to say, he combined in himself the vices of the -three races to which he belonged--red, black, and white--without -possessing one single virtue of theirs, and that beneath the shadow of -an avowed and almost honest trade he carried on clandestinely some -twenty, the most innocent of which would have taken him to the -_presidios_ or galleys for life, had he been discovered. - -Some two months after the events we described in a previous chapter, -about eleven of the clock on a cold and misty night, Señor Benito -Sarzuela was seated in melancholy mood within his bar, contemplating -with mournful eye the deserted room of his establishment. - -The wind blowing violently, caused the sign of the _mesón_ to creak on -its hinges with gloomy complaints, and the heavy black clouds coming -from the south moved weightily athwart the sky, dropping at intervals -heavy masses of rain on the ground loosened by previous storms. - -"Come," the unhappy host muttered to himself with a piteous air, "there -is another day which finishes as badly as the others. _Sangre de Dios!_ -For the last week I have had no luck. If it continues only a fortnight -longer I shall be ruined a man." - -In fact, through a singular accident, for about a month the Locanda del -Sol had been completely shorn of its old brilliancy, and the landlord -did not know any reason for its eclipse. - -The sound of clanking glasses and cups was no longer heard in the room, -usually affected by thirsty souls. Strange change in human things! -Abundance had been too suddenly followed by the most perfect vacuum. It -might be said that the plague reigned in this deserted house. The -bottles remained methodically arranged on the shelves, and hardly two -passers-by had come in during the past day to drink a glass of _pisco_, -which they hastily paid for, so eager were they to quit this den, in -spite of the becks, and nods, and wreathed smiles of the host, who tried -in vain to keep them to talk of public affairs, and, above all, cheer -his solitude. - -After a few words we have heard him utter, the worthy Don Benito rose -carelessly, and prepared, with many an oath, to close his establishment, -so at any rate to save in candles, when suddenly an individual entered, -then two, then ten, and at last such a number that the locandero gave up -all attempts at counting them. - -These men were all wrapped up in cloaks; their heads were covered by -felt hats, whose broad brims, pulled down carefully over their eyes, -rendered them perfectly unrecognisable. - -The room was soon crowded with customers drinking and smoking, but not -uttering a word. - -The extraordinary thing was that, although all the tables were lined, -such a religious silence prevailed among these strange bibbers that the -noise of the rain pattering outside could be distinctly heard, as well -as the footfall of the horses ridden by the serenos, which resounded -hoarsely on the pebbles or in the muddy ponds that covered the ground. - -The host, agreeably surprised by this sudden turn of fortune, had -joyfully set to work serving his unexpected customers; but all at once a -singular thing happened, which Señor Sarzuela was far from anticipating. -Although the proverb say that you can never have enough of a good -thing--and proverbs are the wisdom of nations--it happened that the -affluence of people, who appeared to have made an appointment at his -house, became so considerable, and assumed such gigantic proportions, -that the landlord himself began to be terrified; for his hostelry, empty -a moment previously, was now so crammed that he soon did not know where -to put the new arrivals who continued to flock in. In fact the crowd, -after filling the common room, had, like a rising tide, flowed over -into the adjoining room, then it escaladed the stairs, and spread over -the upper floors. - -At the first stroke of eleven more than two hundred customers occupied -the Locanda del Sol. - -The locandero, with that craft which was one of the most salient points -of his character, then comprehended that something extraordinary was -about to happen, and that his house would be the scene. - -At the thought a convulsive tremor seized upon him, his hair began to -stand on end, and he sought in his brain for the means he must employ to -get rid of these sinister and silent guests. - -In his despair he rose with an air which he sought to render most -resolute, and walked to the door as if for the purpose of closing his -establishment. The customers, still silent as fish, did not make a sign -of moving; on the contrary, they pretended they noticed nothing. - -Don Benito felt his nervousness redoubled. - -Suddenly the voice of a sereno singing in the distance furnished him -with the pretext he vainly sought, by shouting as he passed the -locanda,-- - -"_Ave Maria purísima. Las onze han dado y llueve._"[1] - -Although accompanied by modulations capable of making a dog weep, the -sacramental cry of the sereno absolutely produced no impression on mine -host's customers. The force of terror at length restoring him a slight -degree of courage, Señor Sarzuela decided on directly addressing his -obstinate customers. For this purpose he deliberately posted himself in -the centre of the room, thrust his fist into his side, and raising his -head, said in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm, but whose -tremor he could not hide,-- - -"Señores caballeros, it is eleven o'clock. The police regulations forbid -me keeping open longer. Have the goodness, I beg you, to withdraw -without delay, so that I may close my establishment." - -This harangue, from which he promised himself the greatest success, -produced an effect exactly contrary to what he expected. The strangers -vigorously smote the table with their glasses, shouting unanimously,-- - -"Drink!" - -The landlord bounded back at this fearful disturbance. - -"Still, caballeros," he ventured to remark, after a moment's hesitation, -"the police regulations are severe. It is eleven, and--" - -He could say no more: the noise recommenced with even greater intensity, -and the customers shouted together, in a voice of thunder, "Drink!" - -A reaction, easy to comprehend, then took place in the mind of mine -host. Fancying that a personal attack was made on himself, persuaded -that his interests were at stake, the coward disappeared to make room -for the miser, threatened in what is dearest to him--his property. - -"Ah," he shouted in feverish exasperation, "that is the game! Well, we -will see if I am master in my own house. I will go and fetch the alcalde." - -This threat of justice from the mouth of the worthy Sarzuela appeared so -droll, that the customers broke out, with a unanimity that did them all -credit, into a burst of Homeric laughter right under the poor fellow's -nose. This was the _coup de grâce_. The host's anger was converted into -raving madness, and he rushed headforemost at the door, under the -laughter and inextinguishable shouts of his persecutors. But he had -hardly crossed the threshold of his house ere a new arrival seized him -unceremoniously by the arm and hurled him back roughly into the room, -saying in a bantering voice,-- - -"What fly has stung you, my dear landlord? Are you mad to go out -bareheaded in such weather, at the risk of catching a pleurisy?" - -And then, while the locandero, terrified and confounded by this rude -shock, tried to regain his balance and re-establish a little order in -his ideas, the unknown, as coolly as if he were at home, had, with the -help of some of the customers, to whom he made signs, shut the shutters -and bolted the door with as much care as Sarzuela himself usually -devoted to this delicate operation. - -"There, now that is done," the stranger said, turning to the amazed host -"suppose we have a chat, _compadre_? Ah, I suppose you do not recognise -me?" he added, as he removed his hat and displayed a fine intelligent -face, over which a mocking smile was at this moment playing. - -"Oh, el Señor Don Gaëtano!" said Sarzuela, whom this meeting was far -from pleasing, and who tried to conceal a horrible grimace. - -"Silence!" the other said. "Come hither." - -"With a gesture he drew the landlord into a corner of the room, and, -leaning down to his ear, said in a low voice,-- - -"Are there any strangers in your house?" - -"Look!" he said with a piteous glance, as he pointed to the still -drinking customers, "that legion of demons invaded my house an hour -back. They drink well, it is true; but there is something suspicious -about them not at all encouraging to an honest man." - -"The more reason that you should have nothing to fear. Besides, I am not -alluding to them. I ask you if you have any strange lodgers? As for -those men, you know them as well as I do, perhaps better." - -"From top to bottom of my house I have no other persons than these -caballeros, whom you say I know. It is very possible; but as ever since -they have been here, thanks to the way in which they are muffled, it has -been impossible for me to see the tip of a nose, I was utterly unable to -recognise them." - -"You are a donkey, my good friend. These men who bother you so greatly -are all Dauph'yeers." - -"Really!" the amazed host exclaimed: "then why do they hide their -faces?" - -"My faith, Master Sarzuela, I fancy it is probably because they do not -wish to have them seen." - -And laughing at the landlord, who was sadly out of countenance, the -stranger made a sign. Two men rose, rushed on the poor fellow, and -before he could even guess what they intended, he found himself so -magnificently garroted that he could not even cross himself. - -"Fear nothing, Master Sarzuela; no harm will befall you," the stranger -continued. "We only want to talk without witnesses, and as you are -naturally a chatterer, we take our precautions, that is all. So be calm; -in a few hours you will be free. Come, look sharp, you fellows," he -continued, addressing his men. "Gag him, lay him on his bed, and turn -the key in his door. Good-by, my worthy host, and pray keep calm." - -The stranger's orders were punctually executed; the luckless Sarzuela, -tied and gagged, was carried from the room on the shoulders of two of -his assailants, borne upstairs, thrown on his bed, and locked in in -a twinkling, ere he had even time to think of the slightest resistance. - -We will leave him to indulge in the gloomy reflections which probably -assailed him in a throng so soon as he was alone, face to face with his -despair, and return to the large room of the locanda, where persons far -more interesting to us than the poor landlord are awaiting us. - -The Dauph'yeers, so soon as they found themselves masters of the -hostelry, ranged the tables one on the other against the walls, so as to -clear the centre of the room, and drew up the benches in a line, on -which they seated themselves. - -The Locanda del Sol, owing to the changes it underwent, was in a few -moments completely metamorphosed into a club. - -The last arrival, the man who had given the order to gag the host, -enjoyed, according to all appearances, a certain influence over the -honourable company collected at this moment on the ground floor room of -the hostelry. So soon as the master of the house had disappeared he took -off his cloak, made a sign commanding silence, and speaking in excellent -French, said in a clear and sonorous voice,-- - -"Brethren, thanks for your punctuality." - -The Dauph'yeers politely returned his salute. - -"Gentlemen," he continued, "our projects are advancing. Soon, I hope, we -shall attain the object to which we have so long been tending, and quit -that obscurity in which we are languishing, to conquer our place in the -sunshine. America is a marvellous land, in which every ambition can be -satisfied. I have taken all the necessary measures, as I pledged myself -to you to do a fortnight ago, when I had the honour of convening you for -the first time. We have succeeded. You were kind enough to appoint me -director of the Mexican movement, and I thank you for it, gentleman. A -concession of three thousand acres of land has been made me at -Guetzalli, in Upper Sonora. The first step has been taken. My -lieutenant, De Laville, started yesterday for Mexico, to take possession -of the granted territory. I have today another request to make of you. -You who listen to me here are all European or North Americans, and you -will understand me. For a very long time the Dauph'yeers, the successors -of the Brethren of the Coast have been calmly watching, as apparently -disinterested spectators of the endless drama of the American republics, -the sudden changes and shameless revolutions of the old Spanish -colonies. The hour has arrived to throw ourselves into the contest. I -need one hundred and fifty devoted men. Guetzalli will serve them as a -temporary refuge. I shall soon tell them what I expect from their -courage; but you must strive to carry out what I attempt. The enterprise -I meditate, and in which I shall possibly perish, is entirely in the -interest of the association. If I succeed, every man who took part in it -will have a large reward and splendid position insured him. You know the -man who introduced me to you, and he had gained your entire confidence. -The medal he gave me, and which I now show you, proves to you that he -entirely responds for me. Will you, in your turn, trust in me as he has -done? Without you I can do nothing. I await your reply." - -He was silent. His auditors began a long discussion among themselves, -though in a low voice, which they carried on for some time. At length -silence was restored, and a man rose. - -"Count Gaëtan de Lhorailles," he said, "my brethren have requested me to -answer you in their name. You presented yourself to us, supported by the -recommendation of a man in whom we have the most entire confidence. Your -conduct has appeared to confirm this recommendation. The one hundred and -fifty men you ask for are ready to follow you, no matter whither you may -lead them, persuaded as they are that they can only gain by seconding -your plans. I, Diégo Léon, inscribe myself at the head of the list." - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -The Dauph'yeers shouted, outcrying each other. The count gave a signal, -and silence was re-established. - -"Brothers, I thank you," he said. "The nucleus of our association will -remain at Valparaiso, and if I need them I will draw from that city the -resolute men I may presently want. For the moment one hundred and fifty -men are sufficient for me. If my plans succeed, who knows what the -future may have in store for us? I have drawn up a charter-party, all -the stipulations of which will be rigorously kept by myself and by you, -I have no doubt. Read and sign. In two days I start for Talca: but in -six weeks I will meet here those among you who consent to follow me, and -then I will communicate to them my plans in their fullest details." - -"Captain de Lhorailles," Diégo Léon replied, "you say that you have only -need of one hundred and fifty men. Draw them by lots, then; for all wish -to accompany you." - -"Thank you once again, my brave comrades. Believe me, each shall have -his turn. The project I have formed is grand and worthy of you. -Selection would only arouse jealousy among men all equally worthy. Diégo -Léon, I intrust to you the duty of drawing lots for the names of those -who are to form part of the first expedition." - -"It shall be done," said Léon, a methodical and steady Bearnese and -ex-corporal of the Spahis. - -"And now, my friends, one last word. Remember that in three months I -shall expect you at Guetzalli; and, by the aid of Heaven, the star of -the Dauph'yeer shall not be dimmed. Drink, brothers, drink to the -success of our enterprise!" - -"Let us drink!" all the Brethren of the Coast shouted quite electrified. - -The wine and brandy then began flowing. The whole night was spent in an -orgie, whose proportions became, towards morning, gigantic. The Count de -Lhorailles--thanks to the talisman the baron gave him on parting--had -found himself, immediately on his arrival in America, at the head of -resolute and unscrupulous men, by whose help it was easy for an -intellect like his to accomplish great things. - -Two months after the meeting to which we have introduced the reader, the -count and his one hundred and fifty Dauph'yeers were assembled at the -colony of Guetzalli--that magnificent concession which M. de Lhorailles -had obtained through his occult influences. - -The count appeared to command good fortune, and everything he undertook -succeeded. The projects which appeared the wildest were carried out by -him. His colony prospered and assumed proportions which delighted the -Mexican government. The count, with the tact and knowledge of the world -he thoroughly possessed, had caused the jealous and the curious to be -silent. He had created a circle of devoted friends and useful -acquaintances, who on various occasions pleaded in his behalf and -supported him by their credit. - -Our readers can judge of the progress he had made in so short a -time--scarce three years--when we say that, at the moment we introduce -him on the stage, he had almost attained the object of his constant -efforts. He was about to gain an honourable rank in society by marrying -the daughter of Don Sylva de Torrés, one of the richest hacenderos in -Sonora: and through the influence of his future father-in-law he had -just received a commission as captain of a free corps, intended to -repulse the incursions of the Comanches and Apaches on the Mexican -territory, and the right of forming this company exclusively of -Europeans if he thought proper. - -We will now return to the house of Don Sylva de Torrés, which we left -almost at the moment the Count de Lhorailles entered it. - - -[1] I salute you, most pure Mary! Eleven has struck, and it rains. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BY THE WINDOW. - - -When the young lady left the sitting room to retire to her sleeping -apartment, the count followed her with a lingering look, apparently not -at all understanding the extraordinary conduct of his betrothed, -especially under the circumstances in which they stood to each other, as -they were so shortly to be married; but, after a few moments' -reflection, the count shook his head, as if to dispel the mournful -thoughts by which he was assailed, and, turning to Don Sylva, said:-- - -"Let us talk about business matters. Are you agreeable?" - -"Have you anything new, then, to tell me?" - -"Many things." - -"Interesting?" - -"You shall be the judge." - -"Go on, then. I am all impatience to hear them." - -"Let us proceed in rotation. You are aware, my friend, why I left -Guetzalli?" - -"Perfectly. Well, have you succeeded?" - -"As I expected. Thanks to certain letters of which I was the bearer, -and, above all, your kind recommendation, General Marcos received me in -the most charming manner. The reception he deigned to accord me was most -affectionate. In short, he gave me _carte blanche_, authorising me to -raise, not only one hundred and fifty men, but double the number if I -considered it necessary." - -"Oh, that is magnificent." - -"Is it not? He told me also that in a war like that I was about to -undertake--for my chase of the Apaches is a real war--he left me at -liberty to act as I pleased, ratifying beforehand all I might do, being -persuaded, as he added, that it would ever be for the interest and glory -of Mexico." - -"Come, I am delighted with the result. And now, what are your -intentions?" - -"I have resolved on quitting you to proceed, in the first place, to -Guetzalli, whence I have now been absent nearly three weeks. I want to -revisit my colony, in order to see if all goes on as I would wish, and if -my men are happy. On the other hand, I shall not be sorry, before -departing for possibly a long period with the greater part of my forces, -to protect my colonists from a _coup de main_, by throwing up round the -establishment earthworks strong enough to repulse an assault of the -savages. This is the more important, because Guetzalli must always -remain, to a certain extent, my headquarters." - -"All right; and you start?" - -"This very evening." - -"So soon?" - -"I must. You are aware how time presses at present." - -"It is true. Have you nothing more to say to me?" - -"Pardon me, I have one other point which I expressly reserved for the -last." - -"You attach a great interest to it, then?" - -"Immense." - -"Oh, oh! I am listening to you, then, my friend. Speak quickly." - -"On my arrival in this country, at a period when the enterprises I have -since successfully carried out were only in embryo, you were good -enough, Don Sylva, to place at my disposal not only your credit, which -is immense, but your riches, which are incalculable." - -"It is true," the Mexican said with a smile. - -"I availed myself largely of your offers, frequently assailing your -strong box, and employing your credit whenever the occasion presented -itself. Permit me now to settle with you the only part of the debt I can -discharge, for I am incapable of repaying the other. Here," he added, -taking a paper from his portfolio, "is a bill for 100,000 piastres, -payable at sight on Walter Blount and Co., bankers, of Mexico. I am -happy, believe me, Don Sylva, to be able to pay this debt so promptly, -not because--" - -"Pardon me," the hacendero quickly interrupted him, and declining with a -gesture the paper the Count offered him, "we no longer understand each -other, it seems to me." - -"How so?" - -"I will explain. On your arrival at Guaymas, you presented yourself to -me, bearing a pressing letter of recommendation from a man to whom I -owed very great obligations a few years back. The Baron de Spurtzheim -described you to me rather as a beloved son than as a friend in whom he -took interest. My house was at once opened to you--it was my duty to do -so. Then, when I knew you, and could appreciate all that was noble and -grand in your character, our relations, at first rather cold, became -closer and more intimate. I offered you my daughter's hand, which you -accepted." - -"And gladly so," the count explained. - -"Very good," the hacendero continued with a smile. "The money I could -receive from a stranger--money which he honestly owes me--belongs to my -son-in-law. Tear up that paper, then, my dear count, and pray do not -think of such a trifle." - -"Ah!" the count said, in a tone of vexation, "that was exactly what -troubled me. I am not your son-in-law yet, and may I confess it? I fear -I never shall be." - -"What can make you fancy that? Have you not my promise? The word of Don -Sylva de Torrés, Sir Count de Lhorailles, is a pledge which no one has -ever yet dared to doubt." - -"And for that reason I have no such idea. It is not you I am afraid of." - -"Who, then?" - -"Doña Anita." - -"Oh, oh! My friend, you must explain yourself, for I confess I do not -understand you at all," Don Sylva said sharply, as he rose and began -walking up and down the room in considerable agitation. - -"Good gracious, my friend, I am quite in despair at having produced this -discussion! I love Doña Anita. Love, as you know, easily takes umbrage. -Although my betrothed has ever been amiable, kind, and gracious to me, -still I confess that I fancy she does not love me." - -"You are mad, Don Gaëtano. Young girls know not what they like or -dislike. Do not trouble yourself about such a childish thing. I promised -that she shall be your wife, and it shall be so." - -"Still, if she loved another, I should not like--" - -"What! Really what you say has not common sense. Anita loves no one but -you, I am sure; and stay, would you like to be reassured? You say that -you start for Guetzalli this evening?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Prepare apartments for my daughter and myself. In a few days -we will join you at your hacienda." - -"Is it possible?" the count said joyfully. - -"Tomorrow at daybreak we will start; so make haste." - -"A thousand thanks." - -"Come, you are now easier?" - -"I am the happiest of mortals." - -"All the better." - -The two men exchanged a few words further, and separated with renewed -promises of meeting again soon. - -Don Sylva, accustomed to command despotically in his establishment, and -to allow no one to discuss his will, told his daughter, through her -waiting maid, that she must prepare for a rather long journey the next -morning, and felt certain of her obedience. - -The news was a thunderbolt for the young lady. She sank half fainting -into an easy chair, and melted into tears. It was evident to her that -this journey was only a pretext to separate her from the man she loved, -and place, her a defenceless victim, in the power of the man she -abhorred, and who was to be her husband. The poor child remained thus -for several hours, a prey to violent despair, and not dreaming of -seeking impossible repose; for, in the state in which she found herself, -she knew that sleep would not close her eyes, all swollen with tears, -and red with fever. - -Gradually the sounds of the town died away one after the other. All -slept, or seemed to sleep. Don Sylva's house was plunged into complete -darkness; a weak light alone glistened like a star through the young -girl's windows, proving that there at least someone was watching. - -At this moment two hesitating shadows were cast on the wall opposite the -hacendero's house. Two men, wrapped in long cloaks, stopped and examined -the dimly lighted window with that attention only found in thieves and -lovers. The two men to whom we allude incontestably belonged to the -latter category. - -"Hum!" the first said in a sharp but suppressed voice, "You are certain -of what you assert, Cucharés?" - -"As of my eternal salvation, Señor Don Martial," the scamp replied in -the same tone. "The accursed Englishman entered the house while I was -there. Don Sylva appeared on the best terms with the heretic. May his -soul be confounded!" - -We may here remark that a few years ago, and possibly even now, in the -eyes of the Mexicans all foreigners were English, no matter the nation -to which they belonged, and consequently heretics. Hence they naturally -ranked, though little suspecting it, with the men whom it is no crime to -kill, but whose assassination is rather looked upon as a meritorious -action. We are bound to add, to the credit of the Mexicans, that -whenever the occasion offered, they killed the English with an ardour -which was a sufficient proof of their piety. - -Don Martial continued:-- - -"On the faith of the Tigrero, this man has twice crossed my path, and I -have spared him; but let him be careful against the third meeting." - -"Oh!" Cucharés said, "the reverend Fra Becchico says that a man gains -splendid indulgences by 'cutting' an Englishman. I have not yet had the -luck to come across one, although I owe about eight dead men. I am much -inclined to indulge myself with this one; it would be so much gained." - -"On thy life, picaro, let him alone. That man belongs to me." - -"Well, we'll not mention it again," he replied, stifling a sigh; "I will -leave him to you. For all that it annoys me, although the niña seems to -detest him cordially." - -"Have you any proof of what you say?" - -"What better proof than the repugnance she displays so soon as he -appears, and the pallor which then covers her face without any apparent -reason?" - -"Ah, I would give a thousand ounces to know what to believe." - -"What prevents you? Everybody is asleep--no one will see you. The story -is not high--fifteen feet at the most. I am certain that Doña Anita -would be delighted to have a chat with you." - -"Oh, if I could but believe it!" he muttered with hesitation, casting a -side glance at the still lighted window. - -"Who knows? Perhaps she is expecting you." - -"Silence, you scoundrel!" - -"By'r Lady only listen! If what is said be true, the poor child must be -in a perplexity, if not worse: she has probably great need of -assistance." - -"What do they say? Come, speak, but be brief." - -"A very simple thing--that Doña Anita de Torrés marries within a week -the Englishman, Don Gaëtano." - -"You lie villain!" said the Tigrero with badly-restrained wrath. "I know -not what prevents me thrusting down your throat with my dagger the -odious words you have just uttered." - -"You would do wrong," the other said, without being in the -least discovered. "I am only an echo that repeats what it hears, nothing -more. You alone in all Guaymas are ignorant of this news. After all, -there is nothing astonishing in that, as you have only returned to town -this day, after an absence of more than a month." - -"That is true; but what is to be done?" - -"Caray! Follow the advice I give you." - -The Tigrero turned another long glance on the window, and let his head -sink with an irresolute air. - -"What will she say on seeing me?" he muttered. - -"Caramba!" the lepero said in a sarcastic tone, "She will cry, 'You are -welcome, _alma mia!_' It is clear, caray! Don Martial, have you become a -timid child, that a woman's glance can make you tremble? Opportunity has -only three hairs, in love as in war. You must seize her when she -presents herself: if you do not, you run a risk of not meeting her -again." - -The Mexican approached the lepero near enough to touch him, and, fixing -his glance on his tiger-cat eyes, said in a low and concentrated voice,-- - -"Cucharés, I trust in you. You know me. I have often come to your -assistance. Were you to deceive my confidence I would kill you like a -coyote." - -The Tigrero pronounced these words with such an accent of dull fury, -that the lepero, who knew the man before whom he was standing, turned -pale in spite of himself, and felt a shudder of terror pass through his -limbs. - -"I am devoted to you, Don Martial," he replied in a voice, which he -tried in vain to render firm. "Whatever may happen, count on me. What -must I do?" - -"Nothing; but wait, watch, at the least suspicious sound, the first -hostile shadow that appears in the darkness, warn me." - -"Count on me. Go to work. I am deaf and dumb, and during your absence I -will watch over you like a son over his father." - -"Good!" the Tigrero said. - -He drew a few steps nearer, undid the reata fastened round his loins, -and held it in his right hand. Then he raised his eyes, measured the -distance and turning the reata forcibly round his head, hurled it into -Doña Anita's balcony. The running knot caught in an iron hook, and -remained firmly attached. - -"Remember!" the Tigrero said, as he turned toward Cucharés. - -"Go on," the latter said, as he leaned against the wall and crossed his -legs; "I answer for everything." - -Don Martial was satisfied, or feigned to be satisfied, with this -assurance. He seized the reata, and taking a leap, like one of those -panthers he had so often tracked on the prairies, he raised himself by -the strength of his wrists, and speedily reached the balcony. He climbed -over and went up to the window. - -Doña Anita was asleep, half reclining in an easy chair. The poor girl, -pale and exhausted, her eyes swollen with tears, had been conquered by -sleep, which never gives up its claim on young and vigorous -constitutions. On her marbled cheeks the tears had traced a long furrow, -which was still humid. Martial surveyed with a tender glance the woman -he loved, though not daring to approach her. Surprised thus during her -sleep, Anita appeared to him even more beautiful; a halo of purity and -candour seemed to surround her, watch over her repose, and render her -holy and unassailable. - -After a long and voluptuous contemplation, the Tigrero at length decided -on advancing. The window, which was only leaned to (for the young girl -had not dreamed of falling to sleep, as she had done), opened at the -slightest push. Don Martial took one step, and found himself in the -room. At the sight of this virginal chamber a religious respect fell on -the Tigrero. He felt his heart beat rebelliously; and tottering, mad -with fear and love, he fell on his knees by the side of the being he -adored. - -Anita opened her eyes. - -"Oh!" she exclaimed, on seeing Don Martial, "Blessed be God, since He -sends you to my assistance!" - -The Tigrero surveyed her with moistened eye and panting chest. But -suddenly the girl drew herself up; her memory returned, and with it that -timid modesty innate in all women. - -"Begone," she said, recoiling to the extremity of the room, "begone, -caballero! How are you here? Who led you to my room? Answer I command -you." - -The Tigrero humbly bowed his head. - -"God," he said, in an inarticulate voice, "God alone has conducted me to -your side, señorita, as you yourself said. Oh, pardon me for having -dared to surprise you thus! I have committed a great fault, I am aware; -but a misfortune menaces you--I feel it, I guess it. You are alone, -without support, and I have come to say to you, 'Madam, I am very low, -very unworthy to serve you, but you have need of a firm and devoted -heart. Here I am! Take my blood, take my life. I would be so happy to -die for you!' In the name of Heaven, señora, in the name of what you -love most on earth, do not reject my prayer. My arm, my heart, are -yours: dispose of them." - -These words were uttered by the young man in a choking voice, as he -knelt in the middle of the room, his hands clasped, and fixing on Doña -Anita his eyes, into which he had thrown his entire soul. - -The hacendero's daughter turned her limpid glance on the young man, and, -without removing her eyes, approached him with short steps, hesitating -and trembling despite herself. When she arrived near him she remained -for a moment undecided. At length she laid her two small, dainty hands -on his shoulders, and placed her gentle face so near his, that the -Tigrero felt on his forehead the freshness of her embalmed breath, while -her long, black, and perfumed tresses gently caressed him. - -"It is true, then," she said in a harmonious voice, "you love me then, -Don Martial?" - -"Oh!" the young man murmured, almost mad with love at this delicious -contact. - -The Mexican girl bent over him still more, and grazing with her rosy -lips the Tigrero's moist brow,-- - -"Now," she said to him, starting back with the ravishing movement of a -startled fawn, while her brow turned purple with the effort she had made -to overcome her modesty, "now defend me, Don Martial; for in the -presence of God, who sees us and judges us, I am your wife!" - -The Tigrero leaped on his feet beneath the corrosive sting of this kiss. -With a radiant brow and sparkling eyes, he seized the girl's arm and -drawing her to the corner of the room, where was a statue of the -Virgin, before which perfumed oil was burning,-- - -"On your knees, señorita," he said in an inspired voice, and himself -bowed the knee. - -The girl obeyed him. - -"Holy Mother of Sorrow!" Don Martial went on, "_Nuestra Señora de la -Soledad_! Divine succour of the afflicted, who soundest all hearts! Thou -seest the purity of our souls, the holiness of our love. Before thee I -take for my wife Doña Anita de Torrés. I swear to defend and protect -her, before and against everybody, even if I lose my life in the contest -I commence this day for the happiness of her I love, and who from this -day forth is really my betrothed." - -After pronouncing this oath in a firm voice the Tigrero turned to the -maiden. - -"It is your turn now, señorita," he said to her. - -The girl fervently clasped her hands, and raising her tear-laden eyes to -the holy image,-- - -"Nuestra Señora de la Soledad," she said in a voice broken with emotion, -"thou, my only protector since the day of my birth, knowest how truly I -am devoted to thee! I swear that all this man has said is the truth. I -take him for my husband in thy sight, and will never have another." - -They rose, and Doña Anita led the Tigrero to the balcony. - -"Go!" she said to him. "Don Martial's wife must not be suspected. Go, my -husband, my brother! The man to whom they want to deliver me is called -the Count de Lhorailles. Tomorrow at daybreak we leave this place, -probably to join him." - -"And he?" - -"Started this night." - -"Where is he going?" - -"I know not." - -"I will kill him." - -"Farewell, Don Martial, farewell!" - -"Farewell, Doña Anita! Take courage: I am watching over you." - -And after imprinting a last and chaste kiss on the young girl's pure -brow, he clambered over the balcony, and hanging by the reata, glided -down into the street. The hacendero's daughter unfastened the running -knot, leant out and gazed on the Tigrero as long as she could see him; -then she closed the window. - -"Alas, alas!" murmured she, suppressing a sigh, "What have I done? Holy -Virgin, thou alone canst restore me the courage which is deserting me." - -She let the curtain fall which veiled the window, and turned to go and -kneel before the Virgin; but suddenly she recoiled, uttering a cry of -terror. Two paces from her Don Sylva was standing with frowning brow and -stern face. - -"Doña Anita, my daughter," said he, in a slow and stern voice, "I have -seen and heard everything; spare yourself, then, I beg you, all useless -denial." - -"My father!" the poor child stammered in a broken voice. - -"Silence!" he continued. "It is three o'clock; we set out at sunrise. -Prepare yourself to marry in a fortnight Don Gaëtano de Lhorailles." - -And, without deigning to add a word, he walked out slowly, carefully -closing the door after him. - -As soon as she was alone the young girl bent down as if listening, -tottered a few steps forward, raised her hands with a nervous gesture to -her contracted throat--then, pealing forth a piercing cry, fell back on -the floor. - -She had fainted. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE DUEL. - - -It was about eight in the evening when the Count de Lhorailles left the -residence of Don Sylva de Torrés. The _feria de plata_ was then in all -its splendour. The streets of Guaymas were thronged with a joyful and -motley crowd: the shouts of songs and laughter rose on every side. The -piles of gold heaped on the monte tables emitted their yellow and -intoxicating reflection in the dazzling gleams of the lights, that -shone in every door and window: here and there the sounds of the -_vihuelas_ and _jarabes_ escaped from the pulquerías, invaded by the -drinkers. The count, elbowed and elbowing, traversed as quickly as was -possible the dense groups which at every instant barred his passage; but -the conversation he had had with Don Sylva had put him in too happy a -temper for him to dream of being vexed at the numerous collisions he -endured at every moment. - -At length, after numberless difficulties, and wasting at least thrice -the time he would have employed under other circumstances, he reached at -about ten in the evening, the house where he lodged. He had spent about -two hours in covering less than six hundred yards. - -On arriving at the mesón, the count proceeded first to the corral to see -his horse, to which he gave, with his own hand, two trusses of alfalfa; -then, after ordering that he should be called at one o'clock, if by -accident (which was most improbable) he retired to his _cuarto_ to take -a few hours' rest. - -The count intended to start at such an early hour in order to avoid the -heat of the day, and travel more quickly. Besides, after his lengthened -conversation with Don Sylva, the noble adventurer was not sorry to find -himself alone, in order to go over in his mind all the happy things that -had happened during the past evening. - -From the moment he had landed in America the count had enjoyed--to -employ a familiar term--a shameful good luck: everything succeeded with -him. In a few months his fortune might be thus summed up:--A colony -founded under the most favourable auspices, and already on the road of -progress and improvement: while keeping his nationality intact--that is -to say, his liberty of action and an inviolable neutrality--he was in -the service of the Mexican Government, as captain of a free corps of one -hundred and fifty devoted men, with whom he could attempt, if not carry -out, the wildest enterprises. In the last place, he was on the point of -marrying the daughter of a man twenty times a millionaire, as far as he -had opportunity of judging; and what in no way spoiled the affair, his -betrothed was delightful. - -Unfortunately, or fortunately, according the standpoint our readers may -think in judging of our hero, this man, worn out by the enervating -eccentricities of Parisian life, no longer felt his heart beat from any -emotion of joy, sorrow or fear: all was dead within him. He was exactly -the man wanted to succeed in the country to which accident had sent him. -In the great del of life he had begun in America he had an immense -advantage over his adversaries--that of never allowing himself to be -directed by passion; and consequently, owing to his unalterable coolness, -he was enabled to evade the pitfalls incessantly laid for him, over -which he triumphed without appearing to notice them. - -After what we have said, we have hardly need to add that he did not love -the woman whose hand he sought. She was young and lovely--so much the -better. Had she been old and ugly he would have accepted her hand all -the same. What did he care? He only sought one thing in marriage--a -brilliant and envied position. In fine, the Count de Lhorailles was all -calculation. We have made a mistake, however, in affirming that he had -not a weak point. He was ambitious. This passion, one of the most -violent of those with which Heaven has afflicted the human race, was -possibly the only link by which the count was still attached to -humanity. Ambition in him had reached such a pitch, especially during -the last few months--it had taken such an immense development--that he -would have sacrificed all to it. - -Now let us see what was the object of this man's ambition. What future -did he dream of? It is probable that we may explain this to the reader -in fuller detail presently. - -The count went to bed; that is to say, after wrapping himself carefully -in his zarapé, he stretched himself on the leathern frame which -throughout Mexico is the substitute for beds, whose existence is -completely ignored. So soon as he lay down he fell asleep, with that -conscience peculiar to the adventurer whose every hour is claimed -beforehand, and who, having but a few moments to grant to rest, hastens -to profit by them, and sleeps as the Spaniards say, _a la pierna -suelta_, which we may translate nearly by sleeping with closed fists. - -At one in the morning the count, as he had promised, awoke, lighted the -_cebo_ which served him as a candle, arranged his toilette to a certain -extent, carefully examined his pistols and rifle, and assured himself -that his sabre left the scabbard easily; then, when all these various -preparations, indispensable for every traveller careful for his safety, -were ended, he opened the door of the cuarto and proceeded to the -corral. - -His horse was eating heartily, and gaily finishing its alfalfa. The -count himself gave it a measure of oats, which he saw it dispose of with -neighs of pleasure, and then put on the saddle. In Mexico, horsemen, -whatever the class of society to which they belong, never leave to -others the care of attending to their steeds: for in those semi-savage -countries the life of the rider depends nearly always upon the vigour -and speed of his animal. - -The door of the mesón was only leaned to, so that the travellers might -start whenever they pleased without disturbing anybody. The count lit -his cigar, leaped into the saddle, and started on a trot along the road -leading to the Rancho. Nothing is so agreeable as night travelling in -Mexico. The earth, refreshed by the night breeze, and bedewed by the -copious dew, exhaled acrid and perfumed scents, whose beneficent -emanations restore the body all its vigour, and the mind its lucidity. -The moon, just on the point of disappearing, profusely scattered its -oblique rays, which lengthened immoderately the shadow of the trees -growing at intervals along the road, and made them in the obscurity -resemble a legion of fleshless spectres. The sky, of a deep azure, was -studded with an infinite number of glistening stars, in the midst of -which flashed the dazzling southern cross, to which the Indians have -given the name of _Poron Chayké_. The wind breathed gently through the -branches, in which the blue jay uttered at intervals the melodious notes -of its melancholy song, with which were mingled at times, in the -profundities of the desert, the howling of the cougar, the sharp miauw -of the panther or the ounce, and the hoarse bark of the coyotes in -search of prey. - -The count, on leaving Guaymas, had hurried on his horse; but subjugated, -in spite of himself, by the irresistible attractions of this autumn -night he gradually checked the pace of his steed, and yielded to the -flood of thoughts which mounted incessantly to his brain, and plunged -him into a gentle reverie. The descendant of an ancient and haughty -Frank race, alone in this desert, he mentally surveyed the splendour of -his name so long eclipsed, and his heart expanded with joy and pride on -reflecting that the task was reserved for him perhaps to rehabilitate -those from whom he descended, and restore, this time eternally, the -fortunes of his family, of which he had hitherto proved such a bad -guardian. - -This land, which he trampled underfoot, would restore him what he had -lost and madly squandered a hundred fold. The moment had at length -arrived when, free from all hobbles, he was about to realise those plans -for the future so long engraved on his brain. He went on thus, -travelling in the country of chimeras, and so absorbed in his thoughts, -that he no longer troubled himself with what went on around him. - -The stars were beginning to turn pale in the heavens, and be -extinguished in turn. The dawn was tracing a white line, which gradually -assumed a reddish tint on the distant obscurity of the horizon. On the -approach of day the air became fresher; then the count, aroused--if we -may employ the term--by the icy impression produced on him by the -bountiful desert dew, pulled the folds of his zarapé over the shoulders -with a shudder, and started at a gallop, directing a glance to the sky, -and muttering,-- - -"I will succeed, no matter the odds." - -A haughty defiance, to which the heavens seemed prepared to respond -immediately. - -The day was on the brink of dawning, and, in consequence of that, the -night, owing to its struggle with the twilight, had become more gloomy, -as always happens during the few moments preceding the apparition of the -sun. The first houses of the Rancho were standing out from the fog, a -short distance before him, when the count heard, or fancied he heard, -the sound of several horses' hoofs re-echoing on the pebbles behind him. - -In America, by night, and on a solitary road, the presence of man -announces always or nearly always, a peril. - -The count stopped and listened. The sound was rapidly approaching. The -Frenchman was brave, and had proved it in many circumstances; still he -did not at all desire to be assassinated in the corner of the road, and -perish miserably through an ambuscade. He looked around, in order to -study the chances of safety offered him in the probable event that the -arrivals were enemies. - -The plain was bare and flat: not a tree, not a ditch, nor any elevation -behind which he could intrench himself. Two hundred yards in front, as -we have said, were the first houses of the Rancho. - -The count made up his mind on the instant. He dug his spurs into his -horse's flanks, and galloped at full speed in the direction of San José. -It seemed to him as if the strangers imitated him, and pressed on their -horses too. - -A few minutes passed thus, during which the sound grew more distinct. It -was, therefore, evident to the Frenchman that the strangers were after -him. He threw a glance behind him, and perceived two shadows, still -distant, rushing at full speed towards him. By this time the count had -reached the Rancho. Reassured by the vicinity of houses, and not caring -to fly from a perhaps imaginary danger, he turned back, drew his horse -across the road, took a pistol in each hand, and waited. The strangers -were still pressing on without checking the speed of their horses, and -were soon within twenty yards of the count. - -"Who goes there?" he shouted in a firm and loud voice. - -The unknown made no reply, and appeared to redouble their speed. - -"Who's there?" the count repeated. "Stop, or I fire!" - -He uttered these words with such a determined accent, his countenance -was so intrepid, that, after a few moments' hesitation, the strangers -stopped. - -There were two of them. The day, just feebly breaking, permitted the -count to distinguish them perfectly. They were dressed in Mexican -costume; but, strangely enough in this country, where, under similar -circumstances, the bandits care very little about showing their faces, -the strangers were masked. - -"Hold, my masters!" shouted the count. "What means this obstinate -pursuit?" - -"That we probably have an interest in catching you up," replied a -hoarse voice sarcastically. - -"Then you really are after me?" - -"Yes, if you are the stranger known as the Count de Lhorailles." - -"I am he," said he without any hesitation. - -"Very good; then we can come to an understanding." - -"I ask nothing better, though, from your suspicious conduct, you appear -to me to be bandits, if you want my purse, take it and be off, for I am -in a hurry." - -"Keep your purse, caballero; we want to take your life, and not your -money." - -"Ah, ha! 'tis, then, a trap, followed by an assassination." - -"You are mistaken. I offer you a fair fight." - -"Hum!" the count said, "a fair fight: two against one--that is rather -disproportionate." - -"You would be correct if matters were as you assume," the man haughtily -replied who had hitherto taken the word; "but my companion will content -himself with looking on and taking no part in the duel." - -The count reflected. - -"Pardieu!" he said at last, "It is an extraordinary affair! A duel in -Mexico and with a Mexican! Such a thing as that has never been heard of -before." - -"It is true, caballero; but all things must have a beginning." - -"Enough of jesting. I ask nothing better than to fight, and I hope to -prove to you that I am a resolute man; but before accepting your -proposition, I should not be sorry to know why you force me to fight -you." - -"For what end?" - -"Corbleu! Why, to know it. You must understand that I cannot waste my -time in fighting with every ruffler I meet on the road, and who has a -fancy to have his throat cut." - -"It will be enough for you to know that I hate you." - -"Caramba! I suspected as much; but as you seem determined not to show me -your face, I should like to be able to recognise you at another time." - -"Enough chattering," the unknown said haughtily. "Time is flying. We -have had sufficient discussion." - -"Well, my master, if that is the case, get ready. I warn you that I -intend to take you both. A Frenchman would never have any difficulty in -holding his own against two Mexican bandits." - -"As you please." - -"Forward!" - -"Forward!" - -The three horsemen spurred their horses and charged. When they met they -exchanged pistol shots, and then drew their sabres. The fight was brief, -but obstinate. One of the strangers, slightly wounded, was carried away -by his horse, and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The count, grazed by a -ball, felt his anger changed to fury, and redoubled his efforts to -master his foe; but he had before him a sturdy opponent, a man of -surprising skill and of strength at least equal to his own. - -This man whose eyes he saw gleaming like live coals through the holes in -his mask, whirled round him with extraordinary rapidity, making his -horse perform the boldest curvets, attacking him incessantly with the -point or edge of his sabre, while bounding out of reach of the -counterblows. - -The count exhausted himself in vain against this indefatigable enemy. -His movements began to lose their elasticity--his sight grew -troubled--the perspiration stood in beads on his forehead. His silent -adversary increased the rapidity of his attacks: the issue of the combat -was no longer doubtful, when the Frenchman suddenly felt a slipknot fall -on his shoulders. Before he could even dream of loosening it he was -roughly lifted from his saddle, and hurled to the ground so violently -that he almost fainted, and found it impossible to make an effort to -rise. The second stranger, after a mad course of a few moments, had at -length succeeded in mastering his horse; he returned in all haste to the -scene of action, the two men so furiously engaged not noticing it; then, -thinking it time to put an end to the duel, he raised his reata and -lassoed the count. - -So soon as he saw his enemy on the ground, the unknown leaped from his -horse and ran up to him. His first care was to free the Frenchman from -the slipknot that strangled him, and then tried to restore him to his -senses, which was not a lengthy task. - -"Ah!" the count said, with a bitter smile, as he rose and crossed his -arms on his chest, "that is what you call fair fighting." - -"You are alone to blame for what has happened," the other said quietly, -"as you would not agree to my propositions." - -The Frenchman disdained any discussion. He contented himself with -shrugging his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Your life belongs to me," his adversary continued. - -"Yes, through a piece of treachery; but no matter--assassinate me, and -finish the affair." - -"I do not wish to kill you." - -"What do you want, then?" - -"To give you a piece of advice." - -The count laughed sarcastically. - -"You must be mad, my good fellow." - -"Not so much as you fancy. Listen attentively to what I have to say to -you." - -"I will do so even for the hope of being promptly freed from your -presence." - -"Good, Señor Conde de Lhorailles. Your arrival in this country has -caused the unhappiness of two persons." - -"Nonsense! You are jesting with me." - -"I speak seriously. Don Sylva de Torrés has promised you his daughter's -hand." - -"How does it concern you?" - -"Answer!" - -"It is true. Why should I conceal it?" - -"Doña Anita does not love you." - -"How do you know that?" the count asked with a mocking smile. - -"I know it; I know, too, that she loves another." - -"Only think of that!" - -"And that the other loves her." - -"All the worse for him; for I swear that I will not surrender her." - -"You are mistaken, señor conde. You will surrender her or die." - -"Neither one or the other," the impetuous Frenchman shouted, now -perfectly recovered from his stunning fall. "I repeat that I will marry -Doña Anita. If she does not love me, well, that is unfortunate. I hope -that she will presently alter her opinion of me. The marriage suits me, -and no one will succeed in breaking it off." - -The unknown listened, a prey to violent emotion. His eyes flashed -lightning, and he stamped his feet furiously; still he made an effort to -master the feeling which agitated him, and replied in a slow and firm -voice,-- - -"Take care of what you do, caballero. I have sworn to warn you, and have -done so honestly. Heaven grant that my words find an echo in your heart, -and that you follow the counsel I give you! The first time accident -brings us together again one of us will die." - -"I will take my precautions, be assured; but you are wrong not to profit -by the present occasion to kill me, for it will not occur again." - -The two strangers had by this time remounted. - -"Count de Lhorailles," the unknown said again, as he bent over the -Frenchman, "for the last time, take care, for I have a great advantage -over you. I know you, and you do not know me. It will be an easy thing -for me to reach you whenever I please. We are the sons of Indians and -Spaniards. We feel a burning hatred: so take care." - -After bowing ironically to the count he burst into a mocking laugh, -spurred his horse, and started at headlong speed, followed by his silent -companion. The count watched them disappear with a pensive air. When -they were lost in the obscurity he tossed his head several times, as if -to shake off the gloomy thoughts that oppressed him in spite of himself, -then picked up his sabre and pistols, took his horse by the bridle, and -walked slowly toward the pulquería, near which the fight had taken -place. - -The light which filtered through the badly-joined planks of the door, -the songs and laughter that resounded from the interior, afforded a -reasonable prospect of obtaining a temporary shelter in this house. - -"Hum!" he muttered to himself as he walked along, "That bandit is right. -He knows me, and I have no way of recognising him. By Jupiter, I have a -good sound hatred on my shoulders! But nonsense!" he added, "I was too -happy. I wanted an enemy. On my soul, let him do as he will! Even if -Hades combine against me, I swear that nothing will induce me to resign -the hand of Doña Anita." - -At this moment he found himself in front of the pulquería, at the door -of which he rapped. Naturally impatient, angered, too, by the accident -which had happened to him, and the tremendous struggle he had been -engaged in, the count was about to carry out his threat of beating in -the door, when it was opened. - -"_Válga me Dios!_" he exclaimed wrathfully, "Is this the way you allow -people to be assassinated before your doors, without proceeding to their -assistance?" - -"Oh, oh!" the pulquero said sharply, "Is anyone dead?" - -"No, thanks to Heaven!" the count replied; "But I had a narrow escape of -being killed." - -"Oh!" the pulquero said with great nonchalance, "If we were to trouble -ourselves about all who shout for help at night, we should have enough -to do; and besides, it is very dangerous on account of the police." - -The count shrugged his shoulders and walked in, leading his horse after -him. The door was closed again immediately. - -The count was unaware that in Mexico the man who finds a corpse, or -brings the assassin to trial, is obliged to pay all the expenses of a -justice enormously expensive in itself, and which never affords any -satisfaction to the victim. In all the Mexican provinces people are so -thoroughly convinced of the truth of what we assert, that, so soon as a -murder is committed, everyone runs off, without dreaming of helping the -victim; for, in the case of death supervening, such an act of charity -would entail many annoyances on the individual who tried to imitate the -good Samaritan. - -In Sonora people do better still: as soon as a quarrel begins, and a man -falls, they shut all the doors. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE DEPARTURE. - - -As Don Sylva had announced to his daughter, by daybreak all was ready -for the start. In Mexico, and specially in Sonora, where roads are -mainly remarkable for their absence, the mode of travelling differs -utterly from that adopted in Europe. There are no public vehicles, no -relays of post horses; the only means of transport known and practised -is on horseback. - -A journey of only a few days entails interminable cares and vexations. -You must carry everything with you, because you are certain of finding -nothing on the road. Beds, tents, provisions and water before all, must -be carried on mule-back. Without these indispensable precautions you -would run a risk of dying from hunger or thirst, and sleeping in the -open air. - -You must also be provided with a considerable and well-armed escort, in -order to repulse the attacks of wild beasts, Indians and especially -robbers with whom all the roads of Mexico swarm, owing to the anarchy in -which this unhappy country is plunged. Hence it is easy to comprehend -the earnest desire Don Sylva felt to quit Guaymas at as early an hour as -possible. - -The court of the house resembled an hostelry. Fifteen mules laden with -bales were waiting while the palanquin in which Doña Anita was to travel -was being got ready. Some forty steeds, saddled, bridled, with -musquetoons attached at to the troussequins, and pistols in the -holsters, were fastened to rings in the wall while a peon held in hand a -splendid stallion, magnificently harnessed, which stamped and champed -its silver bit, which it covered with foam. - -In the street a crowd of people, among whom were Don Martial and -Cucharés, already returned from their expedition to the Rancho, were -curiously regarding this departure, which they could not at all -comprehend at such an advanced period of the year, so unpropitious for a -country residence, and making all sorts of comments on the reason of the -journey. - -Among all these people, collected by accident or through curiosity, was -a man, evidently an Indian, who, leaning carelessly against the wall, -never took his eyes off the door of Don Sylva's house, and followed with -evident interest all the movements of the hacendero's numerous servants. - -This man, still young, appeared to be an Hiaqui Indian, although an -observer, after a close inspection, would have asserted the contrary; -for there was in the man's wide brow, in his eyes, whose glitter he -tried in vain to moderate, in the haughty mouth, and above all, in the -native elegance of his vigorous limbs, which seemed carved on the model -of the Greek Hercules, something proud, resolute and independent, which -rather denoted the proud Comanche or ferocious Apache than the stupid -Hiaqui; but in this crowd no one dreamed of troubling himself about the -Indian, who, for his part, was careful to attract as little attention as -possible. - -The Hiaquis are accustomed to come to Guaymas, and let themselves out as -workmen or servants; hence the presence of an Indian there is not at all -extraordinary, and is not noticed. - -At last, at about eight o'clock, Don Sylva, giving his hand to his -daughter, who was dressed in a charming travelling costume, appeared -beneath the portico of the house. Doña Anita was pale as a ghost. Her -haggard features, her swollen eyes, testified to the sufferings of the -night, and the restraint she was forced to place on herself, even at -this moment, to prevent her bursting into tears in the presence of all. -At the sight of the young lady, Don Martial and Cucharés exchanged a -rapid glance, while a smile of indefinable expression played round the -lips of the Indian to whom we have alluded. - -On the hacendero's arrival silence was re-established as if by -enchantment; the _arrieros_ ran to the heads of their mules; the servants, -armed to the teeth, mounted; and Don Sylva, after assuring himself by a -glance that all was ready, and that his orders had been punctually -executed, placed his daughter in the palanquin, where she at once -nestled like a hummingbird among rose leaves. - -At a sign from the hacendero, the mules, fastened to each other by the -tails, began to leave the house behind the _nana_, whose bells they -followed, and escorted by peons. Before mounting his horse Don Sylva -turned to an old servant, who, straw hat in hand, respectfully stood -near him. - -"Adieu, Tío Pelucho!" he said to him. "I intrust the house to you. Keep -good watch, and take care of all in it. I leave you Pedrito and -Florentio to help you, and you will give them the necessary orders for -all to go on properly during my absence." - -"You may be at ease, mi amo," the old man answered, saluting his master. -"Thanks to Heaven, this is not the first time you have left me alone -here, and I believe I have ever done my duty properly." - -"You are a good servant, Tío Pelucho," Don Sylva said with a smile; "I -start in most perfect ease of mind." - -"May God bless you, mi amo, as well as the niña!" the old man continued, -crossing himself. - -"Good bye, Tío Pelucho," the young lady then said, leaning out of the -palanquin. "I know that you are careful of everything belonging to me." - -The old man bowed with visible delight. Don Sylva gave the order for -departure, and the whole caravan started in the direction of the Rancho -de San José. - -It was one of those magnificent mornings only known in these blessed -regions. The night storm had entirely swept the sky, which was of a pale -blue. The sun, already high in the horizon, shot forth its hot beams, -which were slightly tempered by the odoriferous vapours exhaling from -the ground. The atmosphere, impregnated by acrid and penetrating odours, -was of extraordinary transparency; a light breeze refreshed the air at -intervals; flocks of birds, glistening with a thousand colours, flew in -every direction, and the mules following the bell of the _nena -madrina_--the mother mule--were urged on by the songs of the arrieros. - -The caravan moved along gaily through the sandy plain, raising round it -clouds of dust, and forming a long twining serpent in the endless -turnings of the road. A vanguard of ten servants explored the -neighbourhood, examining the bushes, and shifting sand heaps. Don Sylva -smoked a cigar while conversing with his daughter; and a rearguard, -formed of twenty resolute men, closed the march, and insured the -security of the convoy. - -In this country, we repeat it, where the police are a nullity, and -consequently surveillance impossible, a journey of four leagues--and the -Rancho de San José is only that distance from Guaymas--is a very serious -affair, and demands as many precautions as a journey of a hundred -leagues with us, the enemies who may be met, and with whom you run a risk -of a contest at any moment--Indians, robbers, or wild beasts--being too -numerous, determined, and too greedy for plunder and murder to allow the -traveller to confide with gaiety of heart in the speed of his horse. - -They were already far from Guaymas, the white houses of which town had -long ago disappeared in the numerous turnings of the road, when the -capataz, leaving the head of the caravan, where he had hitherto remained -galloped back to the palanquin, where Don Sylva was still riding. - -"Well, Blas," the latter said, "what is there new? Have you noticed -anything alarming ahead of us?" - -"Nothing, excellency," the capataz replied: "all is going well, and in -an hour at the latest we shall be at the Rancho." - -"Whence, then, the haste you showed to join me again?" - -"Oh! Excellency, it is not much; but an idea occurred to me--something I -wished you to see." - -"Ah, ah!" Don Sylva said. "What is it, my lad?" - -"Look, excellency," the capataz continued, pointing in a south-western -direction. - -"Ah! What is that? A fire, if I am not mistaken." - -"It is indeed a fire, excellency. Look here;" and he pointed -east-south-east. - -"There's another. Who on earth has lighted the fires on those scarped -points? What can their object be?" - -"Oh! It is easy enough to understand that, excellency." - -"Do you think so, my boy? Well, then you will explain it to me." - -"I am willing to do so. Stay," he said, pointing to the first fire: -"that hill is the Cerro del Gigante." - -"It is." - -"And that," the capataz continued, pointing to the second fire, "is the -Cerro de San Xavier." - -"I think it is." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Well?" - -"As we know that a fire cannot kindle itself, and as people do not amuse -themselves with a fire when the thermometer is up at a hundred--" - -"You conclude from that--?" - -"That those fires have been lighted by robbers or Indians, who have had -scent of our departure." - -"Stay, stay! That is most logical, my friend. Continue your explanation, -for it interests me enormously." - -Don Sylva's capataz, or steward, was a tall, herculean fellow of about -forty, devoted body and soul to his master, who placed the greatest -confidence in him. The worthy man bowed with a smile of satisfaction on -hearing the hacendero's kind remarks. - -"Oh! Now," he went on, "I have not much more to say, except that the -ladrones who are watching us know, through that signal, that Don Sylva -de Torrés and his daughter have left Guaymas for the Rancho." - -"My faith! You are right. I had forgotten all those details. I did not -think of all the birds of prey that are watching our passage. Well, -after all, though, what do we care if the bandits are at our heels? We -do not hide ourselves. Our start took place in the presence of plenty of -persons. We are numerous enough not to fear any insult; but if any of -those picaros dare to attack us, cascaras! They will find their work cut -out for them, I am convinced. Push on, then, without any fear, Blas, my -boy! Nothing unpleasant can happen to us." - -The capataz saluted his master and galloped back to the head of the -column. An hour later they reached the Rancho without any accident. - -Don Sylva rode at the right-hand door of the palanquin, talking to his -daughter, who only answered in monosyllables, in spite of the continued -efforts she made to hide her sorrow from her father's clear eyes, when -the hacendero heard his name called repeatedly. He turned his head -sharply, and uttered an exclamation of surprise on recognising in the -man who addressed him the Count de Lhorailles. - -"What! Señor conde, you here? What singular hazard makes me meet you so -near the port, when you should have been so far ahead of us?" - -On perceiving the count the Doña felt herself blush, and fell back, -letting the curtains of the palanquin slip from her hand. - -"Oh?" replied the count, with a courteous bow, "Since last night certain -things have happened to me which I must impart to you, Don -Sylva--things which will surprise you, I am certain; but the present is -not the moment to commence such a story." - -"Whatever you think proper, my friend. But say, do you set out again, or -remain here?" - -"I go, I go! In stopping here my sole object was to await you. If you -consent we will travel together. Instead of preceding you at Guetzalli, -we shall arrive together--that is the only difference." - -"Capital! Let us go," he added, making a sign to the capataz. The -latter, on seeing his master conversing with the count, had ordered a -halt, but now the caravan started again. The Rancho was speedily -traversed, and then the journey commenced in reality. - -The desert lay expanded before the travellers in endless sandy plains. -On the yellow ground, a long, tortuous line, formed by the whitened -bones of mules and horses that had broken down, indicated the road which -must be followed so as not to go astray. - -About two hundred yards ahead of the caravan a man was trotting along, -carelessly seated on the back of a skeleton donkey, swaying from side to -side, half lulled to sleep by the burning sunbeams which fell vertically -on his bare head. - -"Eh?" Don Sylva said, on perceiving the man. "Blas," said Don Sylva on -perceiving this man, "call the Indian over yonder. These devils of -redskins know the desert thoroughly and he can serve as our guide. In -that way we shall run no risk of losing our road, for he will be sure to -put us right." - -"Quite true," the count observed; "in these confounded sand hills no man -can be sure of his direction." - -"Go to him," commanded Don Sylva. - -The capataz put his horse at a gallop. On arriving within a short -distance of the solitary traveller, he formed a sort of speaking trumpet -with his hands. - -"Halloh, José!" he shouted. - -In Mexico all the _Mansos_, or civilised Indians, are called José, and -reply to this name, which has grown generic. The Indian thus hailed -turned round. - -"What do you want?" he asked with a careless air. - -It was the man whom we saw at Guaymas, watching so attentively the -preparations for the hacendero's departure. Was it chance that brought -him to this spot? That was a question which none but himself could have -answered. - -Blas Vasquez was what is called in Mexico a _hombre de a caballo_, -versed for a long period in Indian tricks. He bent on the traveller an -enquiring glance, which the latter supported with perfect ease. With his -head timidly bowed, his hands laid on the donkey's neck, his naked legs -hanging down on either side, he offered a complete type of the Indian -manso, almost brutalised by the vicious contact with the whites. The -capataz shook his head with a dissatisfied air; his investigation was -far from satisfying him. Still, after a moment's hesitation, he resumed -his interrogatory. - -"What are you doing all alone on this road, José?" he asked him. - -"I have come from del Puerto, where I have been engaged as a carpenter. -I remained there a month, and as I saved the small sum I wanted, I -started yesterday to return to my village." - -All this was perfectly probable; the majority of the Hiaqui Indians act -in this way; and then what interest could the man have in deceiving him? -He was alone and unarmed; the caravan on the other hand, was numerous -and composed of devoted men. No danger was, therefore, to be -apprehended. - -"Well, did you earn much money?" the capataz continued, - -"Yes," the Indian said triumphantly; "five piastres and these three -besides." - -"Why, José, you are a rich man." - -The Hiaqui smiled doubtfully. - -"Yes," he said, "Tiburón has money." - -"Is your name Tiburón (shark)?" the capataz said distrustfully. "That is -an ugly name." - -"Why so? The palefaces gave that name to their red son, and he finds it -good, since it comes from them, and he keeps it." - -"Is your village far from here?" - -"If I had a good horse I should arrive in three days. The village of my -tribe is between the Gila and Guetzalli." - -"Do you know Guetzalli?" - -The Indian shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. - -"The redskins know all the hunting grounds on the Gila," he said. - -At this moment the caravan caught up the two speakers. - -"Well, Blas," Don Sylva asked, "Who is the man?" - -"A Hiaqui Indian. He is returning to his village, after earning a trifle -at the Puerto." - -"Can he be of service to us?" - -"I believe so. His tribe, he says, is encamped near the Gila." - -"Ah!" said the count, drawing nearer, "Does he belong to the White Horse -tribe?" - -"Yes," the Indian said. - -"In that case I answer for the man," the count said quickly. "Those -Indians are very gentle; they are miserable beggars, often starving; and -I employ them at the hacienda." - -"Listen!" Don Sylva said, tapping the redskin's shoulder amicably. "We -are going to Guetzalli." - -"Good." - -"We want a faithful and devoted guide." - -"Tiburón is poor; he has only a poor donkey, which cannot march so -quickly as his pale brothers drive their horses." - -"Do not trouble yourself about that," the hacendero added. "I will give -you such a horse as you never mounted, if you serve us honestly. On -arriving at the hacienda, I will add ten piastres to those you already -possess. Does that suit you?" - -The Indian's eye sparkled with greed at this proposal. - -"Where is the horse?" he asked. - -"Here," the capataz replied, pointing to a superb stallion led by a -peon. - -The redskin looked at it with the eye of a connoisseur. - -"Well, do you accept?" the hacendero said. - -"Yes." - -"Then get off your donkey, and let us start." - -"I cannot abandon my donkey; it is a famous brute, which has done me -good service." - -"That need not trouble you; it can follow with the baggage mules." - -The Indian gave a nod of assent, but made no further reply. In a few -minutes he was mounted, and the caravan continued its march. The capataz -alone did not appear to place any great confidence in the guide so -singularly met. - -"I will watch him," he said in a low voice. - -The march went on the whole day without any fresh incident, and the next -day they reached the Rio Gila. The banks of this river contrast by their -fertility with the desolate aridity of the plains that surround them. -Don Sylva's journey, though recommenced at the moment when the sun, -arrived at its zenith, pours down its burning beams perpendicularly, was -only an agreeable promenade of a few leagues, beneath the dense shade of -tufted woods which grow with an amount of sap unknown in our climates. - -It was nearly three o'clock when the travellers saw before them the -colony of Guetzalli, founded by the Count de Lhorailles, and which, -although it only had a few months' existence, had already attained a -considerable size. This colony was composed of a hacienda, round which -were grouped the labourers' huts. We will devote a few words to it. - -The hacienda was built on a peninsula nearly three leagues in -circumference, covered with wood and pasture, on which more than four -thousand head of cattle grazed peacefully, returning at night to the -parks adjoining the house, which was surrounded by the river, forming an -_enceinte_ of natural fortresses. The tongue of land, not more than -eight yards in width, attaching it to the mainland, was commanded by a -battery of six heavy guns, in its turn surrounded by a wide, wet ditch. - -The house, surrounded by tall embattled walls, bastioned at the angles, -was a species of fortress capable of sustaining a regular siege with the -eight guns mounted on the bastions which guarded the approaches. It was -composed of a huge main building, one story high, with a terraced roof, -having ten windows in the frontage, and flanked on the right and left by -two buildings, running out at right angles, one of which served as a -magazine for grain and maize, while the other was occupied by the -capataz and the numerous _employés_ of the hacienda. - -Wide steps, furnished with a double iron balustrade, curiously worked, -and surmounted by a veranda, formed the approach to the count's -apartments, which were furnished with that simple and picturesque taste -which distinguishes the Spanish farms of America. - -Between the house and the outer wall was a vast garden, exquisitely laid -out, and so covered with bushes that at four paces' distance it was -impossible to see anything. The space left free behind the farm was -reserved for the parks or corrals in which the animals were shut up at -night, and a species of large court, in which the _matanza del ganado_, -or slaughter of the cattle, was performed once annually. - -Nothing could be so picturesque as the appearance of this white house, -whose roof could be seen for a long distance, half concealed by the -branches which formed a curtain of foliage most refreshing to the eye. -From the windows of the first floor the eye surveyed the plain on one -side; on the other, the Rio Gila, which, like a wide silvery ribbon, -rolled along with the most capricious windings, and was lost an immense -distance off in the blue horizon. - -Since the time when the Apaches all but surprised the hacienda, a -_mirador_ had been built on the roof of the main building, where a -sentinel had been stationed day and night to watch the neighbourhood, -and announce, by means of a bullock's horn, the approach of any stranger -to the colony. Besides, a post of six men guarded the isthmus battery, -whose guns were ready to thunder at the slightest alarm. - -Thus the arrival of the caravan had been signalled when it was still a -long distance off; and the count's lieutenant, Martin Leroux, an old -African soldier, was standing behind the guns to interrogate the -arrivals so soon as they were within hail. Don Sylva was perfectly aware -of the regulations established in the hacienda, which were, indeed, -common to all the establishments held by white men; for at these -frontier posts, where people are exposed to the constant depredations of -the Indians, they are obliged to be incessantly on the watch. But the -thing the Mexican could not comprehend was that the count's lieutenant, -who must have recognised him, did not open the gates immediately, and he -made a remark to that effect. - -"He would have done wrong," the count replied. "The colony of Guetzalli -is a fortress, and the regulations must be the same for all: the general -welfare depends on their strict and entire observation. Martin -recognised me long ago, I am convinced; but he may suppose that I am a -prisoner of the Indians, and that, in leaving me apparently free they -intend to surprise the colony. Be assured that my excellent lieutenant -will not let us pass till he is quite certain that our European clothes -do not cover red skins." - -"Oh, yes!" Don Sylva muttered to himself; "That is true. The Europeans -foresee everything. They are our masters." - -The caravan was now not more than twenty yards from the hacienda. - -"I fancy," the count observed, "that if we do not wish to receive a -shower of bullets we had better halt." - -"What!" said Don Sylva in amazement; "They would fire?" - -"I am certain of it." - -The two men checked their horses and waited to be challenged. - -"Who goes there?" a powerful voice shouted in French from behind the -battery. - -"Well, what do you think of it now?" the count said to the hacendero. - -"It is perfectly wonderful," rejoined the latter. - -"Friends," the count answered. "Lhorailles and freedom!" - -"All right--open," the voice commanded. "They are friends. Would that we -often received such visitors!" - -The peons lowered the drawbridge (the only passage by which the hacienda -could be entered), the caravan passed over and the drawbridge was -immediately raised after them. - -"You will excuse me, captain," Martin Leroux said, respectfully -approaching the count, "but, although I recognised you, we live in a -country where, I think, too great prudence cannot be exercised." - -"You have done your duty, lieutenant, and I can only thank you for it. -Have you any news?" - -"Not much. A troop of horse I sent out into the plain discovered a -deserted fire. I fancy the Indians are prowling round us." - -"We will be on our guard." - -"Oh, I keep good watch, especially at present, for the month is drawing -nigh which the Comanches call so audaciously the Mexican moon. I should -not be sorry, if they dared to meddle with us, to give them a lesson -which would be profitable for the future." - -"I share your views entirely. Redouble your vigilance, and all will be -well." - -"Have you no other orders to give me?" - -"No." - -"Then I will withdraw. You know, captain, that you intrust the internal -details to me, and I must be everywhere in turn." - -"Go, lieutenant; let me not keep you." - -The old soldier saluted his chief, and retired with a friendly nod to -the capataz, who followed him with the peons and baggage mules. - -The count led his guests to the apartments kept for visitors, and -installed them in comfortably-furnished rooms. - -"Pray rest yourself, Don Sylva," he said; "you and Doña Anita must be -fatigued with your journey. Tomorrow, if you permit me, we will talk -about our business." - -"Whenever you like, my friend." - -The count bowed to his guests and withdrew. Since his meeting with his -betrothed he had not exchanged a word with her. In the courtyard he -found the Hiaqui Indian smoking and walking lazily around. He went up to -him. - -"Here," he said, "are the ten piastres promised you." - -"Thanks," said the Indian as he took them. - -"Now, what are you going to do?" - -"Rest myself till tomorrow; then join the men of my tribe." - -"Are you in a great hurry to see them?" - -"I? Not at all." - -"Stay here, then." - -"What to do?" - -"I will tell you; perhaps I may need you within a few days." - -"Shall I be paid?" - -"Amply. Does that suit you?" - -"Yes." - -"Then you will remain?" - -"I will." - -The count went away, not noticing the strange expression in the glance -the Indian turned on him. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A MEETING IN THE DESERT. - - -About three musket shots' distance from the hacienda, in a thicket of -nopals, mastic trees, and mesquites, intermingled with a few mahogany -cedars, wild cottonwood trees, and pines, just an hour before sunset, a -horseman dismounted; hobbled his horse, a magnificent mustang, with -flashing eyes and fine chest; then, after turning an inquiring glance -around, probably satisfied with the profound silence and tranquility -pervading at the spot, he made his arrangements for camping. - -The man had passed middle life: he was an Indian warrior of great height -dressed in the Comanche costume in its utmost purity. Although he -appeared to be sixty years of age, he seemed gifted with great vigour, -and no sign of decrepitude could be traced in his muscular limbs and -intelligent face: the eagle's feather fixed in the centre of his warlock -allowed him to be recognised as a chief. This man was Eagle-head, the -Comanche chief. - -After laying his rifle by his side he collected dry wood, and lit a -fire; then he threw several yards of tasajo on the ashes, with several -maize tortillas; and all these preparations for a comfortable supper -made, he filled his calumet, crouched near the fire, and began smoking -with that placid calmness which never deserts the Indians under any -circumstances. - -Two hours thus passed peacefully, and nothing disturbed the repose the -chief was enjoying. Night succeeded day; darkness had invaded the -desert, and with it the silence of solitude began to reign in the -mysterious depths of the prairie. - -The Indian still remained motionless, contenting himself with turning -now and then to his horse, which was gaily devouring the climbing peas -and the young buds of the trees. - -Suddenly Eagle-head looked up, bent forward, and, without otherwise -disturbing himself, stretched out his hand to his rifle, while the -mustang left off eating, laid back its ears, and neighed noisily. Still -the forest appeared as calm as ever. It needed all an Indian's sharp ear -to have heard a suspicious rustling through the silence. - -At the end of a moment the chiefs frowning brows returned to their -proper position, he re-assumed his easy posture, and lifting his two -forefingers to his mouth, imitated with rare perfection, for two or -three minutes, the harmonious, modulations of the centzontle, or Mexican -nightingale: the horse had also begun eating again. - -Only a few minutes passed ere the cry of the nighthawk was twice heard -in the direction of the river. Soon after the sound of horses became -audible, mingled with the cracking of branches and the rustling of -leaves, and two mounted men made their appearance. The chief did not -turn to see who they were; he had probably recognised them, and knew -that they alone, or at any rate one of them, were to come to him here. - -These two horsemen were Don Louis and Belhumeur. They hobbled their -horses by the side of the chiefs, lay down by the fire, and, on the -Indian's silent invitation, vigorously attacked the supper prepared for -them. They had left the Rancho the previous evening, and ridden without -the loss of a moment to join the chief. - -The Count de Lhorailles had invited them at the pulquería to join his -party, but Belhumeur had declined the offer. Not knowing for what -purpose the Indian chief had appointed to meet him, he did not care to -mix up a stranger in his friend's affairs. Still, the three men had -parted on excellent terms, and the count pressed Don Louis and the -Canadian to pay him a visit at Guetzalli, an offer to which they had -replied evasively. - -Singular is the effect of sympathy. The impression the count produced on -the two adventurers was so unfavourable for him, that the latter, while -replying with the utmost politeness, had not thought it wise to give -their names, and had employed the greatest reserve, carrying their -prudence to such an extent as to leave him ignorant of their -nationality, by continuing to converse in Spanish, though at the first -word he uttered they recognised him to be a Frenchman. - -When they had ended their meal Belhumeur filled his pipe, and put out -his hand to take up a coal. - -"Wait," the chief said sharply. - -This was the first word the Indian uttered; up to that moment the three -men had not interchanged a syllable. Belhumeur looked at him. - -"H'm!" he said, "What is the matter now?" - -"I do not know yet," the chief answered. "I have heard a suspicious -rustling in the bushes; and at a great distance off, to leeward of us, -several buffaloes peacefully grazing took to flight without any apparent -cause." - -"Hum!" the Canadian went on, "That is growing serious. What do you -think, Louis?" - -"In the desert," the latter replied slowly, "everything has a -cause--nothing happens by accident. I believe we had better be on our -guard. Stay!" he added, as he raised his head, and pointed out to his -friends several birds that passed rapidly away over them. "Have you -often seen at this hour a flight of condors soaring in the sky?" - -The chief shook his head. - -"There is something the matter," he muttered: "the dogs of Apaches are -hunting." - -"'Tis possible," Belhumeur said. - -"Before all," the Frenchman observed, "let us put out the fire; its -gleam, slight as it is, might betray us." - -His companions followed his advice, and the fire was extinguished in a -second. - -"My brother, the paleface, is prudent," the chief said courteously. "He -knows the desert. I am happy to see him by my side." - -Don Louis thanked the chief courteously. - -"And now," Belhumeur went on, "we are almost invisible--no visible -danger threatens us; so let us hold a council. The chief had the first -scent of peril: it is, therefore, his place to tell us what he -observed." - -The Indian wrapped him up in his fresada; the three men drew closer, so -as to be able to speak in a whisper, and the council commenced. - -"Since sunrise this morning," Eagle-head said, "I have been marching in -the desert. I was anxious to reach the place of meeting, and proceeded -in a straight line to arrive sooner. All along the road I found evident -signs of the passage of a numerous band; the tracks were wide and full, -like those made by a party of warriors so large they care not for -discovery. These trails continued for a long distance, then suddenly -disappeared: it was impossible for me to find them again." - -"Deuce, deuce!" the Canadian muttered, "That is awkward." - -"At first I did not pay much attention to trail, but presently I began -to feel restless, and that is the reason I have mentioned it to you." - -"What reason rendered you restless?" - -"I believe that the expedition whose passage I discovered is directed -against the great cabin of the palefaces at Guetzalli." - -"What makes you suppose so?" Louis asked. - -"This. At the hour the alligator leaves the mud of the bank to plunge -again into the Gila, the sound of horses a short distance off compelled -me, lest I should be discovered, to bury myself in a thicket of -mangroves and floripondios. When sheltered from a surprise I looked out. -A band of palefaces passed within bow-shot of me, in the direction of -Guetzalli." - -"I know who they were," Belhumeur remarked. "What next?" - -"I recognised, in spite of the care he had taken to render himself -unrecognisable, the man who served as guide to the party; then I guessed -the infernal scheme formed by the Apache dogs." - -"Who was it?" - -"A man my brother knows. It is Wah-sho-che-gorah, the Black Bear, the -principal chief of the White Crow tribe." - -"If you are not mistaken, chief, horrible things will be done ere long. -The Black Bear is the implacable enemy of the whites." - -"That was the reason I spoke to my brother. But, after all what does it -concern us? In the desert each man has enough to do in taking care of -himself, without troubling about others." - -The Canadian shook his head. - -"Yes, what you say is true," he replied. "We ought, perhaps, to abandon -the inhabitants of the hacienda to their fate, and not interfere in -matters which may cause us great misery." - -"Do you intend to act thus?" the Frenchman asked sharply. - -"I do not say so positively," the Canadian replied; "but the case is a -difficult one. We shall have to deal with numerous enemies." - -"Yes, but the men about to be surprised are your fellow countrymen." - -"It is true; and it is that which renders the affair so awkward. I do -not wish to see these unhappy beings scalped. On the other hand, we run -the risk, by hurrying rashly into danger, of ourselves being the victims -of our devotion." - -"Why reflect thus?" - -"By Jove! In order to weigh the for and against. There is nothing I -detest so much as rushing headlong into an enterprise of which I have -not calculated the consequences beforehand. When I have done so I care -for nothing." - -Don Louis could not refrain from smiling at this singular reasoning. - -"I have my plan," the Canadian went on a moment later. "The night will -not pass without our learning something new. Let us draw near the bank -of the river. I am greatly mistaken, or we shall soon obtain there the -there the information we require before we make up our minds. Our horses -run no risk here: we can leave them; besides, they would only prove an -embarrassment for us." - -The three men lay down on the ground, and began crawling silently in the -direction indicated by Belhumeur. - -The night was magnificent, the moon brilliant, and the atmosphere so -diaphanous, that objects might have been distinguished for a great -distance on an open plain. The three adventurers did not leave their -covert; but, on arriving at the skirt of the forest, they hid themselves -in an almost inextricable thicket, and waited with that patience so -characteristic of the wood rangers. - -The silence which brooded over the desert was so intense that the -slightest sounds were perceptible. A leaf falling on the water, a pebble -detaching itself from the bank, the slow and continuous murmur of the -water running over its gravel bed, the rustling of the owl's wing as it -fluttered from branch to branch, were the only distinguishable sounds. - -For several hours the three men remained motionless and watchful, eye -and ear strained, with the finger on the trigger of the rifle, through -fear of a surprise; but nothing had yet happened to corroborate the -suspicions of Eagle-head, or the previsions of Belhumeur. Suddenly Louis -felt the chief's arm resting gently on his shoulder, as he pointed to -the river. The Frenchman rose on his knees and looked. - -An almost imperceptible movement agitated the surface of the river, as -if an alligator were floating along. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur muttered; "I fancy that is what we are expecting." - -A black mass soon appeared, floating rather than swimming on the water, -and noiselessly advancing toward the spot where the hunters were in -ambush. At the end of a few moments, this body, whatever it might be, -stopped, and the cry of the prairie dog was heard several times -repeated. - -At once the howl of the coyote broke forth forcibly so near the three -men, that, spite of themselves, they shuddered, and a man hanging by -the hands dropped down from an oak tree, scarcely three yards from the -spot where they were. - -This man wore the Mexican costume. - -"Come, chief," he said in a low voice, though not venturing down to the -river, "come, we are alone." - -The man thus addressed emerged from the water, and clambered up the bank -to join the person awaiting him. - -"My brother speaks too loudly," he said. "In the desert a man is never -alone; the leaves have eyes, the trees ears." - -"Bah! What you say, has not common sense. Who on earth would play the -spy on us? With the exception of your warriors, who are probably -concealed in the neighbourhood, no one can see or hear us." - -The Indian shook his head. Now that he was standing only a few spaces -from the adventurers, Belhumeur perceived that Eagle-head was not -mistaken, and that the man was really the Black Bear. The two men stood -for a moment silently gazing at each other. The Mexican was the first to -speak. - -"You have manoeuvred well," he said in an insinuating voice. "I know not -how you managed it, but you have succeeded in entering the fort." - -"Yes," the Indian replied. - -"Now we have only our final arrangements to make. You are a great chief -in whom I place the utmost confidence. Here is what I promised you. I -ought not to pay you till afterwards, but I do not wish the slightest -cloud to rise between us." - -The Indian silently rejected the purse the other held out to him. - -"The Black Bear has reflected," he said coldly. - -"On what, may I ask?" - -"A warrior is not a woman to waste his words. What my brother offered -the Black Bear, the Apache chief refuses." - -"Which means?" - -"That all is broken off." - -The Mexican repressed with difficulty a sign of disappointment. - -"Then," he said, "You have not warned your warriors? When I give the -order you will not attack the hacienda?" - -"The Black Bear has warned his warriors. He will attack the palefaces." - -"What did you say this moment? I confess that I do not comprehend you, -chief." - -"Because the paleface will not comprehend. The Black Bear will attack -the hacienda, but on his own account." - -"That was agreed between us, I fancy." - -"Yes; but the Black Bear has seen the singing bird. His hut is empty: he -wishes to place in it the young pale virgin." - -"Scoundrel!" the Mexican shouted in his wrath; "You would betray me in -that way?" - -"How have I betrayed the paleface?" the Indian replied, still perfectly -calm. "He offered me a bargain; I refused it. I see nothing dishonest in -that." - -The Mexican bit his lip with rage; he was caught, and could make no -reply. - -"I will revenge myself," he said, stamping his foot. - -"The Black Bear is a powerful chief; he laughs at the croaking of the -ravens. The paleface can do nothing against him." - -With a movement swift as thought, the Mexican rushed on the Indian, -seized him by the throat, and, drawing his dagger, raised it to strike -him. But the Apache carefully watched the actions of his opponent: by a -movement no less swift he freed himself from his grasp, and with one -bound was out of reach. - -"The paleface has dared to touch a chief," he said in a hoarse voice; -"he shall die." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders and seized the pistol in his girdle. - -It is impossible to say how this scene would have ended, had not a new -incident happened to change its features completely. From the same tree -in which the Mexican had been hidden a few moments previously, another -individual suddenly fell, rushed on the chief, and hurled him to the -ground before he could make a gesture to defend himself, so thoroughly -was he off his guard. - -"By Jove!" Belhumeur muttered with a stifled laugh, "there must be a -legion of devils in that tree." - -The Mexican and the man who had come so luckily to his help had securely -tied the Indian with a reata. - -"Now you are in my power, chief," the Mexican said, "and you will be -obliged to consent to my terms." - -The Apache grinned, and uttered a shrill whistle. - -At this signal fifty Indian warriors appeared, as if they had sprung from -the ground, and that so suddenly, that the two white men were -surrounded in an instant by an impassable circle. - -"Deuce!" Belhumeur said in an aside, "that complicates matters. How will -they get out of that?" - -"And we?" Louis whispered in his ear. - -The Canadian replied by that shrug of the shoulders which signifies in -all languages, "We must trust in Heaven," and began looking again, -interested as he was in the highest degree by the unexpected changes of -scene. - -"Cucharés!" the Mexican said to his companion, "Hold that scoundrel -tight and at the least suspicious movement kill him like a dog." - -"Be calm, Don Martial," the lepero answered, pulling from his vaquera -boot a knife, whose sharp blade flashed with a bluish tinge in the -moon's rays. - -"What decision does the Black Bear come to?" the Tigrero went on, -addressing the chief lying at his feet. - -"The life of a chief belongs to thee, dog of the palefaces: take it if -thou darest!" the Apache replied with a smile of contempt. - -"I will not kill you: not because I am afraid, for I know not such a -feeling," the Mexican said, "but because I disdain to shed the blood of -an enemy who is defenceless, even if he be, like you, an unclean -coyote." - -"Kill me, I say, if thou canst, but insult me not. Hasten! For my -warriors may lose patience, sacrifice thee to their wrath, and thou -mightest die unavenged." - -"You are jesting; you know perfectly well that your warriors will not -move an inch so long as I hold you thus. I propose to offer you peace." - -"Peace!" the chief said, and his eyes flashed. "On what conditions?" - -"Two only. Cucharés, unfasten the reata, but watch him closely." - -The lepero obeyed. - -"Thanks," the chief said as he rose to his knees. "Speak; I am -listening--my ears are open. What are these conditions?" - -"First, my comrade and myself will be free to retire whither we please." - -"Good, and next?" - -"Next, you will pledge yourself to remain with your warriors, and not -return to the hacienda in the disguise you have assumed for the next -twenty-four hours." - -"Is that all?" - -"It is all." - -"Listen to me in your turn, then, paleface. I accept your conditions, -but I must tell you mine." - -"Speak." - -"I will not re-enter the hacienda save with the eagle feather in my -war-tuft, at the head of my warriors, and that before the sun has thrice -set behind the lofty peaks of the mountains of the day." - -"You are boasting, Apache; it is impossible for you to enter the -hacienda save by treachery." - -"We shall see;" and smiling with a sinister air, he added, "the singing -bird will go into the hut of an Apache chief to cook his game." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Try to take the hacienda and carry off the maiden," he said. - -"I will try. Your hand." - -"Here it is." - -The chief turned to his warriors, holding the Tigrero's hand clasped in -his own. - -"Brothers!" he said in a loud voice, and with an accent of supreme -majesty, "this paleface is the friend of the Black Bear--let no one -molest him." - -The warriors bowed respectfully, and fell back to the right and left, to -leave a passage for the two white men. - -"Farewell!" the Black Bear said, saluting his enemy. "In twenty-four -hours I shall be on your trail." - -"You are mistaken, dog of an Apache," Don Martial replied disdainfully; -"I shall be on yours." - -"Good! We are, then, certain of meeting," the Black Bear said. - -And he retired with a slow and firm step, followed by his warriors, -whose footfalls soon died away in the depths of the forest. - -"On my faith, Don Martial," the lepero said, "I believe that you were -wrong to let that Indian dog escape so easily." - -The Tigrero shrugged his shoulders. - -"Were we not obliged to get out of the wasp's nest into which we had -thrust our heads?" he said. "Bah! It is only put off for a time. Let us -go and find our horses." - -"One moment if you will grant it me," Belhumeur said, leaving his hiding -place, and advancing politely with his two comrades. - -"What's this?" Cucharés said, pulling out his knife again, while Don -Martial coolly cocked his pistols. - -"This? Caballero," Belhumeur said quietly, "I fancy you can see plainly; -enough." - -"I see three men." - -"Indeed, you are not at all mistaken. Three men who have been unseen -witnesses of the scene you ended so bravely--three men who held -themselves ready to come to your aid had it been necessary, and who now -offer to make common cause with you, to prevent the plunder of the -hacienda by the Apaches. Does that suit you?" - -"That depends," the Tigrero said. "I must know first what interest urges -you to act in this manner." - -"That of being agreeable to you in the first place," Belhumeur replied -politely, "and next, the desire to save the scalps of the poor wretches -menaced by those infernal redskins." - -"In that case I heartily accept your offer." - -"Be good enough, then, to follow us to our camping ground, that we may -discuss the plan of the campaign." - -So soon as Cucharés noticed that the men who presented themselves so -strangely were really friends, he returned his knife to his boot, and -went in search of the horses, which had been left a short distance off. -He arrived at this moment, leading the two horses, and the five men -proceeded together to the camping ground. - -"Take care," Belhumeur said to Don Martial; "you have made yourself an -implacable enemy this night. If you do not make haste to kill him, one -day or another the Black Bear will kill you. The Apaches never pardon an -insult." - -"I know it; so I shall take my precautions, you may be sure." - -"That is your concern. Perhaps it would have been better to get rid of -him, at the risk of what might have happened afterwards." - -"How could I imagine I had friends so near me? Oh, had I but known it!" - -"Well, it is of no use crying over spilt milk." - -"Do you believe that he will keep scrupulously the conditions he -accepted?" - -"You do not know the Black Bear; he is a man of noble sentiments and has -a way of his own for understanding points of honour. You saw that during -your entire discussion he disdained to play any trickery: his words were -always frank." - -"They were." - -"Be certain, therefore, that he will keep his promise." - -The conversation was interrupted. Don Martial had suddenly become -pensive. The Apache's menaces gave him a good deal to think about. The -camp was reached, and Eagle-head immediately set to work rekindling the -fire. - -"What are you about?" Belhumeur observed to him. "You will reveal our -presence." - -"No," the Indian said, shaking his head. "The Black Bear has retired -with his warriors: they are far away at present; so we need not take -useless precautions." - -The fire soon cracked again. The five men crouched round it joyfully, -lit their pipes and began smoking. - -"I don't care," the Canadian presently said. "Had it not been for the -extraordinary coolness you displayed I do not know how you would have -escaped." - -"Let us now see how best to foil the plans of those red devils," said -the Mexican. - -"It is very simple," Louis interposed. "One of us will proceed tomorrow -to the hacienda, to warn the owner of what has passed this night. He -will be on his guard and all will be right." - -"Yes, I believe those are the best means, and we will employ them." - -"Five men are as nothing against five hundred," observed Eagle-head; -"we must warn the palefaces." - -"That is assuredly the plan we must follow," the Tigrero remarked; "but -which of us will consent to go to the hacienda? Neither my comrade nor -myself can do so." - -"I fancy there is some love story hidden under all this," the Canadian -observed cunningly. "I can understand that you would find a difficulty -in--" - -"What need of further discussion?" Louis interrupted. "With tomorrow's -dawn I will go to the hacienda; I undertake to explain to the owner all -the dangers that menace him in their fullest details." - -"That is agreed on, then, and all is settled," Belhumeur said. - -"Then, so soon as our horses have rested, my comrade and myself will -return to Guaymas." - -"No, you will not, if you please," the Frenchman objected. "I fancy it -is proper that you should know the result of the mission I undertake, -for it concerns you even more than us. I suspect--" - -The Mexican repressed a lively movement of annoyance. - -"You are right," he replied; "I did not think of that. I will therefore -await your return." - -The hunters interchanged a few more remarks, then wrapped themselves in -their blankets, lay down on the ground, and speedily fell asleep. The -profoundest silence fell on the clearing, which was but dimly lighted by -the reddish rays of the expiring fire. The adventurers had been asleep -about two hours, when the branches of a shrub were gently parted and a -man made his appearance. - -He stopped for a moment, seemed to be listening, then crawled without -the slightest sound toward the spot where the Tigrero was reposing. It -would have been easy to recognise the Black Bear by the light of the -fire. The Apache chief plucked his scalping knife from his girdle, and -laid it gently on the Tigrero's chest; then casting a parting glance -around, to convince himself that the five men slept, he retired with the -same precautions, and soon disappeared in the shrub, which closed upon -him. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BEFORE THE ATTACK. - - -At the first cry of the maukawis--that is to say, at sunrise--the -adventurers awoke. - -The night had been calm. They had slept with nothing to disturb their -rest. Iced, however, by the abundant dew which had filtered through -their blankets during their sleep, they hurriedly rose to restore the -circulation of their blood and warm their stiffened limbs. - -At the first movement Don Martial made a knife fell down on the ground. -The Mexican picked it up, and uttered a cry of amazement and almost of -terror as he showed it to his companions. The arm so unexpectedly found -was a scalping knife, whose blade was still stained with large bloody -spots. - -"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, brandishing the knife angrily. - -Eagle-head seized it, and examined it carefully. - -"Wah!" he said in surprise, "the Black Bear has been with us during our -sleep." - -The hunters could not refrain from a movement of alarm. - -"It is impossible," Belhumeur observed. - -The Indian shook his head as he displayed the weapon. - -"This," he continued, "is the Apache chief's scalping knife; the _totem_ -of the tribe is engraved on the hilt." - -"'Tis true." - -"The Black Bear is a renowned chief. His heart is large enough to -contain a world. Obliged to fulfil the engagements he has made, he -wished to prove to his enemy that he was master of his life, and that he -would take it whenever he thought proper. That is the meaning of this -knife placed on the chest of the _Yori_ during his sleep." - -The adventurers were confounded by so much boldness. They shuddered at -the thought that they had been at the mercy of the chief, who disdained -to kill them, and contented himself with defying them. The Mexican -especially felt a shudder in spite of his courage. The Canadian was the -first to recover his coolness. - -"Canario!" he exclaimed, "This Apache dog did right to warn us. Now we -will be on our guard." - -"Hum!" Cucharés said, passing his hands through his thick and matted -hair, "I have not the least desire to be scalped." - -"Bah!" Belhumeur said, "People sometimes recover." - -"That is possible; but I don't care to make the attempt." - -"And now that day has quite broken," Louis observed, "I fancy the time -has arrived for me to go to the hacienda. What do you say, gentlemen?" - -"We have not a moment to lose, if we wish to foil the enemy's plans," -said Don Martial in support of his suggestion. - -"The more so as we have to take certain measures which it would be as -well to determine as soon as possible," Belhumeur remarked. - -The Indian and the lepero contented themselves with giving their assent -through a nod. - -"Now let us arrange a meeting place," Louis went on to say. "You can not -wait for me here, as the Indians know where to find you." - -"Yes," Belhumeur replied thoughtfully, "but I do not know the country -where we now are, and I should be quite troubled to find a fitting -spot." - -"I know one," Eagle-head said. "I will lead you to it: our pale brother -will join us again there." - -"Very good, but for that purpose I must know the spot." - -"My brother need not trouble himself about that. When he leaves the -great cabin I shall be near him." - -"Very good--all right. Good-by till we meet again." - -Louis saddled his horse and started off at a gallop in the direction of -the hacienda, which was about three musket shots from the camping place. - -The Count de Lhorailles was walking about anxiously in the hall of the -main body of the building. In spite of himself his meeting with the -Mexican occupied his mind. He wished to have a frank explanation with -Doña Anita in her father's presence, which should dissipate his doubts, -or at least give him the key of the mystery that surrounded the affair. - -Another circumstance also dulled his humour, and redoubled his alarms. -At daybreak Diégo Léon, his lieutenant, told him that the Indian guide -brought home with them the previous day had disappeared during the -night, and left no trace. The position was becoming serious. The Mexican -moon was approaching. That guide was evidently an Indian spy, ordered to -inquire into the strength of the hacienda, and the means of surprising -it. The Apaches and Comanches could not be far off; perhaps they were -already on the watch in the tall prairie grass, awaiting the favourable -moment to rush on their implacable foes. - -The count did not conceal from himself that if his position was -critical, he was the main cause of it. Invested by the government with -an important command, especially charged with the protection of the -frontier against Indian invasions, he had not yet made a move, and had -in no way tried to fulfil the commission he had not merely accepted but -solicited. The Mexican moon commenced in a month; before that period he -must strike a decisive blow, which would inspire the Indians with a -wholesome terror, prevent them combining and thus foil their plans. - -The count had been reflecting for a long time, forgetting in his anxiety -the guests he had brought to his house, after whom he had not yet asked, -when his old lieutenant appeared before him. - -"What do you want, Martin?" he asked. - -"Excuse me for disturbing you, captain. Diégo Léon, who is on guard at -the isthmus battery with eight men, has just sent me to tell you that a -man wishes to see you on a serious matter." - -"What sort of a man is he?" - -"A white man, well dressed, and mounted on an excellent horse." - -"Hem! Did he said nothing further?" - -"Pardon me, he added this: 'You will say to the man who commands you -that I am one of the men he met at the Rancho of San José.'" - -The count's face grew suddenly serene. - -"Let him come in," he said: "'tis a friend." - -The lieutenant withdrew. So soon as he was alone the count recommenced -his walk. - -"What can this man want of me?" he muttered. "When I asked his friend -and himself to accompany me here they both refused. What reason can have -caused such a sudden change in their plans? Bah! What is the use of -addling one's brains?" he added, on hearing a horse's footfall -re-echoing in the inner _patio_. "I shall soon know." - -Almost immediately Don Louis appeared, led by the lieutenant, who, on a -sign from the count, at once disappeared. - -"What happy accident," the count said graciously, "procures me the -honour of a visit I was so far from expecting?" - -Don Louis politely returned the salutation, and replied, - -"It is no happy accident that brings me. God grant that I may not be the -harbinger of misfortune!" - -These words made the count frown. - -"What do you mean, señor?" he asked in anxiety. "I do not understand -you." - -"You will soon do so. But speak French, if you have no objection; we -shall understand each other more easily," he said, giving up the Spanish -which he had hitherto employed. - -"What!" the count exclaimed in surprise, "You speak French?" - -"Yes," Louis said, "for I have the honour of being your fellow -countryman, although," he added with a suppressed sigh, "I have quitted -our country for more than ten years. It is always a great pleasure to me -to be able to speak my own language." - -The expression of the count's face completely changed on hearing these -words. - -"Oh!" he continued, "permit me to press your hand, sir. Two Frenchmen -who meet in this distant land are brothers; let us momentarily forget -the spot where we are, and talk about France--that dear country from -which we are so remote and which we love so much." - -"Alas, sir!" Louis replied, with suppressed emotion, "I should be happy -to forget for a few minutes what surrounds us, to summon up the -recollections of our common country. Unfortunately the moment is a grave -one; great dangers threaten you, and the time we would thus lose might -produce a fearful catastrophe." - -"You startle me, sir. What is happening? What have you so terrible to -announce to me?" - -"Did I not tell you that I was a messenger of evil tidings?" - -"No matter. When told by you they will be welcome. In the situation in -which I am placed in this desert, must I not ever expect misfortune?" - -"I hope to be able to help you in warding off the danger that now hangs -over you." - -"Thanks for your fraternal conduct. Now speak, I am listening to you. -Whatever you may tell me, I shall have the courage to hear it." - -Don Louis, without revealing to the count his meeting with the Tigrero, -as had been agreed on, told him how he had overheard a conversation -between his guide and several Apache warriors ambushed in the vicinity -of the hacienda, and the plan they had formed to surprise the colony. - -"And now, sir," he added, "it is for you to judge of the gravity of this -news, and the arrangements you will have to make, in order to foil the -plans of the Indians." - -"I thank you, sir. When my lieutenant told me, a few moments prior to -your arrival, of the disappearance of the guide, I immediately saw that -I had to do with a spy. What you now report to me converts my suspicions -into certainty. As you say, there is not a moment to lose, and I will at -once think over the necessary arrangements." - -He walked to a table and struck a bell sharply. A peon entered. - -"The first lieutenant," he said. In a few minutes the latter arrived. - -"Lieutenant," the count said to him, "take twenty men with you, and -scour the country for three leagues round. I have just learned that -Indians are concealed near here." - -The old soldier bowed in reply, and prepared to obey. - -"An instant," Louis exclaimed, signing him to stop, "one word more." - -"Eh?" Martin Leroux said, turning round in amazement, "You are talking -French now." - -"As you hear," Louis answered with a smile. - -"You wished to make a remark," the count asked. - -"I have lived in America a very long time. My home has been the desert, -and I know the Indians, whom I have learned to rival in craft. If you -allow me. I will give you some advice, which, I fancy, may be useful to -you under present circumstances." - -"By Jove!" the count exclaimed; "pray speak, my dear countryman. Your -advice will be very advantageous to us, I feel assured." - -At this moment Don Sylva entered the room. - -"Ah!" the count continued, "come hither, my friend. We have great need -of you. Your knowledge of Indian habits will prove most useful to us." - -"What has happened?" the hacendero asked as he bowed courteously to all -present. - -"We are threatened with an attack from the Apaches." - -"Oh, oh! That is serious, my friend. What do you propose doing?" - -"I do not know yet. I had given Don Martin orders to scour the -neighbourhood; but this gentleman appears to be of a different opinion." - -"The caballero is right," the Mexican answered, bowing to Don Louis; -"but, in the first place, are you certain about this attack?" - -"This gentleman came expressly to warn me." - -"Then there can be no further doubt. We must make the necessary -arrangements as quickly as possible. What is the caballero's opinion?" - -"He was about to give it at the moment you came in." - -"Then pray do not let me disturb your conference. Speak, sir." - -Don Louis bowed and took the word. - -"Caballero!" he began, turning to Don Sylva, "What I am about to say is -addressed principally to the French señores, who, accustomed to European -warfare and in the white mode of fighting, are, I am convinced, ignorant -of Indian tactics." - -"'Tis true," the count observed. - -"Bah!" Leroux said, twirling his long moustaches with great -self-sufficiency, "We will learn them." - -"Take care you do not do so at your own expense," Don Louis continued. -"Indian war is entirely one of stratagems and ambushes. The enemy who -attacks you never forms in line; he remains constantly concealed, -employing all means to conquer, but principally treachery. Five hundred -Apache warriors, commanded by an intrepid chief, would defeat in the -prairie your best soldiers, whom they would decimate, while not giving a -chance for retaliation." - -"Oh, oh!" the count muttered, "Is that their only way of fighting?" - -"The only one," the hacendero said in confirmation. - -"Hum!" Leroux remarked, "I fancy it is very like the war in Africa." - -"Not so much as you suppose. The Arabs let themselves be seen, while the -Apaches, I repeat to you, only show themselves in the utmost extremity." - -"Then my plan of pushing forward a reconnoissance--" - -"Is impracticable for two reasons: either your horsemen, though -surrounded by enemies, will not discover one of them, or they will be -attracted into an ambush, where, in spite of prodigies of valour, they -will perish to the last man." - -"All that this gentleman says is most perfectly true: it is easy to see -that he has a great experience of Indian warfare, and has often measured -himself with _Indios bravos._" - -"That experience cost my happiness. All those I loved were massacred by -these ferocious enemies," Don Louis replied sorrowfully. "Fear the same -fate if you do not display the greatest prudence. I know how repugnant -it is to the chivalrous character of our nation to follow such a course; -but in my opinion it is the only one that offers any chances of -salvation." - -"We have here several women, children, and your daughter before all, Don -Sylva. We must absolutely shelter her from all danger; if possible, -spare her the slightest alarm. I, therefore, accept this gentleman's -views, and am determined to act with the greatest circumspection." - -"I thank you for my daughter and myself." - -"And now, sir, as we are already indebted to you for such good advice, -complete your task. In my place, what would you do?" - -"My advice is as follows," Louis answered seriously. "The Apaches will -attack you for certain reasons I know, and which it is unnecessary to -tell you. They make a point of honour of the success of that attack. -Hence intrench yourselves here as well as you can. You have a -considerable garrison composed of tried men; consequently, nearly all -the chances are in your favour." - -"I have one hundred and seventy resolute Frenchmen, who have all been -soldiers." - -"Behind good walls, and well armed, they are more than you want." - -"Without counting forty peons, accustomed to pursuing the Indians, and -whom I brought with me," Don Sylva remarked. - -"Are those men here at this moment?" Louis asked sharply. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Oh! That simplifies the question materially. If you will believe me, -the Indians have now everything to fear instead of you." - -"Explain." - -"It is evident that you will be attacked from the river. Perhaps, in -order to divide your forces, the Indians will make a feigned attack from -the side of the isthmus; but that point is too strongly defended for them -to attempt to carry it. I repeat, then, all the enemy's efforts will be -directed on the side of the river." - -"I would call your attention to the fact, sir," the lieutenant said, -"that at this moment the river is rendered unnavigable by thousands of -trees torn from the mountains by the storms, and which it bears along -with it." - -"I know not whether the river is navigable or not," Don Louis replied -firmly, "but of one thing I am certain, that the Apaches will attack you -on that side." - -"In any case, and not to be taken by surprise, two of the guns will be -moved from the isthmus battery, leaving four there, which are more -than sufficient, and laid so as to enfilade the river, care be taken to -mask them. You will also, Leroux, mount a culverin on the platform of -the mirador, whence we shall command the course of the Gila. Go and have -these orders executed at once." - -The old soldier went out without any reply, in order to carry out the -commands of his chief. - -"You see, gentlemen," the count then said, "that I hasten to profit by -the counsels you are good enough to give me. I recognise my utter -inexperience of this Indian warfare, and I repeat that I am happy at -being so well supported." - -"This gentleman has foreseen everything," the hacendero said; "like him, -I believe that the house is most exposed to the river front." - -"A last word," Don Louis continued. - -"Speak, speak, sir." - -"Did you not say, caballero, that you brought with you forty peons, -accustomed to Indian warfare, and that they were still here?" - -"Yes, I said so, and it is perfectly true." - -"Very good. I believe--and be good enough to take it as a simple -observation, caballero--I say I believe that it would be a masterstroke, -which would insure you the victory, to place your enemies between two -fires." - -"Indeed it would," the count exclaimed; "but how to do it? You yourself -said, only a moment ago, that it would be the height of imprudence to -send out a scouting party." - -"I said, and I repeat it, the grass and woods are at this moment filled -with eyes fixed on the hacienda, who will let no one pass out -unnoticed." - -"Well?" - -"Did I not tell you that this war was one of stratagems and ambushes?" - -"You did; but I do not understand, I confess, what you are driving at." - -"It is however, excessively simple; you will understand me in a few -words." - -"I much desire it." - -"Señor caballero," Don Louis went on, turning to Don Sylva, "do you -intend to remain here?" - -"Yes; for certain private reasons I must remain some time here." - -"I have no intention, be assured, señor, to interfere in your private -affairs. So you remain here?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Have you among your peons a devoted man on whom you can -count as on yourself?" - -"Cascaras! I should think so. I have Blas Vasquez." - -"Would you be good enough to tell me who this Blas is, as I have not the -honour of his acquaintance?" - -"He is my capataz, and I can trust to him as to myself in matters of -danger." - -"Excellent! All is going on famously, then." - -"I really cannot make you out," the count said. - -"You shall see," said Louis. - -"I have been trying to do so for the last half hour." - -"Your capataz, to whom you will give your instructions, will put himself -at the head of his peons within an hour, and ostensibly take the road to -Guaymas; but, as soon as he has gone two or three leagues to a point we -shall settle on, he will halt. The rest will be the business of myself -and friends." - -"Oh! I understand your plan now. The peons hidden by you will attack the -Indians in the rear so soon as the action has commenced between and them -us." - -"That is it." - -"But the Apaches? Do you believe they will allow a troop of white men to -retire without harassing them?" - -"The Indians are too shrewd to oppose them. What good would it do to -attack a body of men who have no baggage? The fight would not profit -them, but cause their position to be discovered. No, no, be easy, -caballero, they will not stir: they have too great an interest in -remaining invisible." - -"And what do you intend to do?" - -"The Indians certainly saw me come in this direction; they know I am -here. If I went out with them it would betray all. I shall go away alone -as I came, and that immediately." - -"The plan is so simple and well arranged that it must succeed. Receive -our thanks, sir, and be kind enough to tell us your name, that we may -know the man to whom we are indebted for so great a service." - -"To what end, sir?" - -"I join my entreaties, caballero, to those of my friend, Don Gaëtano, in -order to induce you to reveal the name of a man whose memory will be -eternally engraved on our hearts." - -Don Louis hesitated, though unable to account to himself for the reason -that made him do so. He felt a repugnance to give up his incognito as -respected the count. The two men, however, pressed him so politely, that -having no serious reason to offer for the maintenance of his incognito, -he allowed himself to be vanquished by their entreaties, and consented -to give his name. - -"Caballeros," he at length said, "I am the Count Louis Edward Maxime de -Prébois Crancé." - -"We are friends, I trust," De Lhorailles said, holding out his hand to -him. - -"What I have done is a proof of it, I think, sir," the other replied -with a bow, but not taking the offered hand. - -"I thank you," the count went on, without appearing to notice Louis' -repugnance. "Do you intend to leave us soon?" - -"I must leave you to the urgent business you have on hand. If you will -allow me, I will take my leave at once." - -"Not breakfasting, at least?" - -"You will excuse me, but time presses. I have friends I have now left -for some hours, and who must be alarmed by my lengthened absence." - -"As they know you are at my house, that is impossible, sir," the count -said, somewhat piqued. - -"They do not know that I arrived here without accident." - -"That is different; then I will not delay you. Once again I thank you, -sir." - -"I have acted in accordance with my conscience; you owe me no thanks." - -The three men quitted the hall, and proceeded towards the isthmus -battery, talking of indifferent matters. About half way they met Don -Blas, the capataz. Don Sylva made him a sign to join them, and when he -was near them explained to him in two words the events that were -preparing, and the part he would have to play. - -"Voto a Brios!" the capataz exclaimed joyously. "I thank you, Don Sylva, -for this good news. We shall have a row at last, then, with those Apache -dogs! Caray! They'll see some fun, I swear." - -"I trust entirely to you, Blas." - -"But at what place must I await this caballero?" - -"That is true: we have not fixed the place of meeting." - -"About three leagues from here, on the Guaymas road, at a place where -the road makes a bend, there is an isolated hill called, I think, _El -Pan de Azucar_: you can ambush there without any fear of discovery. I -will join you at this spot with my friends." - -"That is agreed. At about what hour?" - -"I cannot say for certain: that must depend on circumstances." - -A few minutes later Don Louis was riding back to the prairie, while the -Count de Lhorailles and the two Mexicans, made preparations for an -active defence of the colony. - -"It is strange," Don Louis muttered to himself as he galloped on, "that -this man who is my countryman, and for whom I shall risk my life ere -long, inspires me with no sympathy." - -Suddenly his horse shied. Roughly startled from his reverie, the -Frenchman looked up. - -Eagle-head stood before him. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE MEXICAN MOON. - - -After his visit to the hunters the Black Bear set out, at the head of -his warriors, to proceed to a neighbouring island, known by the name of -Choke-Heckel, which was one of the advanced Apache posts on the Mexican -frontier. He reached the isle at daybreak. At this spot the Gila attains -its greatest width: each of the arms formed by the island is nearly two -miles wide. The island which rises in the middle of the water, like a -basket of flowers, is about two miles long by half a mile wide, and is -one immense bouquet, exhaling the sweetest perfumes, and the melodious -songs of the birds which congregate in incalculable numbers on all the -branches of the trees by which it is covered. - -Illumined on this day by the splendid beams of a flashing sun, the place -had a strange and unusual appearance which had a powerful effect on the -imagination. As far as the eye could reach over the island and the two -banks of the Gila could be seen tents of buffalo hide, or huts of -branches leaned against each other, and whose strange colours wearied -the sight. Numerous canoes made of horse-skins sewed together, and -mostly round, or else hollowed out of trunks of trees, traversed the -river in every direction. The warriors dismounted and set their horses -free, which immediately proceeded to join a number of others. - -The chief went towards the huts before which feather flags and the -scalps of renowned warriors fluttered in the breeze, passing through the -women who were preparing the morning meal. But the Black Bear had been -recognised immediately on his arrival, and all got out of his way with -respectful bows. A thing no European could credit is the respect all -Indians, without exception, pay to their chiefs. Among those who have -kept up the manners of their forefathers, and, disdaining European -civilisation, have continued to wander about the prairies as free men, -this respect is changed into fanaticism, almost into adoration. - -The gold fillet adorned with two buffalo horns, placed on the Black -Bear's brow, caused him to be recognised by all, and the liveliest joy -was evinced on his passage. He at length reached the river's bank. On -arriving there he made a sign to a man fishing a short distance off in a -canoe; the latter hastened up, and the chief passed over to the island. -A hut of branches had been prepared for him. It is probable that -invisible sentinels were watching for his arrival, for the moment he set -foot on land, a chief called the Little Panther presented himself before -him. - -"The great chief is welcome among his brothers," he said, bowing -courteously before the Black Bear. "Has my father had a good journey?" - -"I have had a good journey, I thank my brother." - -"If my father consents I will lead him to _jacal_ built to receive -him." - -"Let us go," the chief said. - -The Little Panther bowed a second time, and guided the chief along a -path formed through the shrubs. They soon arrived at a jacal, which, in -the mind of the Indians, offered the ideal of what was comfortable, -through its size, the brilliancy of the colours with which it was -painted, and its cleanliness. - -"My father is at home," the Little Panther said, respectfully raising -the _fresada_ (blanket) which closed the jacal, and falling back to let -the Black Bear pass. The latter entered. - -"My brother will follow me," he said. - -The Little Panther walked in behind him, and let the curtain fall. This -abode did not in any way differ from that of the other Indians. A fire -burned in the centre. The Black Bear made a sign to the other chief to -sit down on a buffalo skull. He then chose one for himself, and sat down -near the fire. After a moment's silence, employed by the two chiefs in -smoking gravely, the Black Bear addressed the Little Panther:-- - -"Are the chiefs of all the tribes of our nation collected on the island -as I ordered?" - -"They are." - -"When will they come to my jacal?" - -"That depends on my father. They await his good pleasure." - -The Black Bear began smoking again silently. A long period was thus -spent. - -"Nothing new has happened during my absence?" the Black Bear asked, -shaking the ash out of his calumet on his thumb. - -"Three chiefs of the prairie Comanches have arrived, sent by their -nation to treat with the Apaches." - -"Wah!" the chief said. "Are they renowned warriors?" - -"They have many wolves' tails on their moccasins. They must be valiant." - -The Black Bear nodded his head in affirmation. - -"One of them, it is said, is the Jester," the Little Panther continued. - -"Is my brother certain of what he says?" the chief asked sharply. - -"The Comanche warriors refused to give their names when they learned the -absence of my father. They answered it was well, and that they would -await his return." - -"Good! They are chiefs. Where are they?" - -"They have lighted a fire, round which they are camping." - -"Time is precious. My brother will warn the Apache chiefs that I await -them at the council fire." - -The Little Panther rose without replying, and quitted the jacal. - -For about an hour the Indian chief remained alone buried in thought: at -the end of that time the sound of several approaching men could be heard -outside. The curtain was raised by the Little Panther, who walked in. - -"Well?" the Black Bear asked. - -"The chiefs are waiting." - -"Let them come in." - -The chiefs made their appearance. They were ten in number; each had put -on his best ornaments, and all wore their war paint. They entered -silently, and ranged themselves silently round the fire, after silently -saluting the great chief, and kissing the hem of his robe. - -As soon as all the chiefs had assembled in the interior of the _toldo_, -a troop of Apache warriors drew up outside, to keep off the curious, and -insure the secrecy of the deliberations. The Black Bear, in spite of his -self-mastery, could not refrain from a movement of joy at the sight of -all these men, who were entirely devoted to him, and by whose help he -felt certain of accomplishing his projects. - -"My brothers are welcome," he said, inviting them by a sign to take -seats on the buffalo skulls ranged round the fire, "I was awaiting them -impatiently." - -The chiefs bowed and sat down. Then the pipe bearer entered and -presented the calumet to each warrior, who drew two or three puffs of -tobacco. When this ceremony was over, and the pipe bearer had departed, -the deliberations began. - -"Before all," said the Black Bear, "I must give you an account of my -mission. The Black Bear has completely fulfilled it; he has entered the -hut of the white men; he has thoroughly examined it; he knows the number -of palefaces that defend it; and when the hour arrives for him to lead -his warriors there, the Black Bear will know how to find the road -again." - -The chiefs bowed with satisfaction. - -"This great cabin of the whites," the Black Bear continued, "is the only -serious obstacle we shall find on our road in the new expedition we are -undertaking." - -"The Yoris are dogs without courage. The Apaches will give them -petticoats, and make them prepare their game," the Little Panther said -with a grin. - -The Black Bear shook his head. - -"The palefaces of the great cabin of Guetzalli are not Yoris," he said. -"A chief has seen them---they are men. Nearly all of them have blue eyes -and hair the colour of ripe maize; they seem very brave--my brothers -must be prudent." - -"Does not my father know who these men are?" a chief inquired. - -"The Black Bear does not know. He was told down there near the great -Salt Lake, that they inhabited a country very far from here, toward the -rising sun: that is all." - -"These men have no trees, nor fruit, nor buffaloes in their own country, -that they come to steal ours." - -"The palefaces are insatiable," the Black Bear replied. "They forget -that the Great Spirit has only given them, like other men, one mouth and -two hands. All they see they covet. The Wacondah, who loves his red -sons, let them be born in a rich country, and has covered them with his -gifts. The palefaces are jealous, and seek continually to rob and -dispossess them; but the Apaches are brave warriors: they can defend -their hunting grounds, and prevent them being trampled by these -vagabonds, who have come from the other side of the Great Salt Lake on -the floating cabins of the _Great Medicine._" - -The chiefs warmly applauded this harangue, which expressed so well the -sentiments that affected them, and the animosity with which they were -animated against the white race--that conquering and invading race, -which constantly drives them further into the desert, not even leaving -them the requisite space to breathe and live quietly after their -fashion. - -"The great nation of the Comanches of the Lakes, that which is called -the Queen of the Prairies, has deputed to our nation three renowned -warriors. I know not the object of this embassy, which, however, must be -peaceful. Does it please you, chiefs of my nation, to receive them, and -admit them to smoke the calumet of peace round our council fire." - -"My father is a very wise warrior," the Little Panther replied: "he can, -when he likes, divine the most hidden thoughts in the heart of his -enemies. What he does will be well done. The chiefs of his nation will -be always happy to regulate their conduct by the counsels he may deign -to give them." - -The Black Bear threw a glance round the assembly, as if to assure -himself that the Little Panther had truly expressed the general will. -The members of the council silently bowed their heads in acquiescence. -The chief smiled proudly on seeing himself so appreciated by his -companions, and addressing the Little Panther, said,-- - -"Let my brothers, the Comanche chiefs, be introduced." - -These words were pronounced with a majesty equal to that of a European -king sitting in parliament. - -The Little Panther went out to execute the order he had received. During -his absence, which was rather long, not a word was exchanged between the -chiefs seated on buffalo skulls, with their elbows on their knees, and -their chins on the palm of their hand; they remained motionless and -silent, apparently plunged into deep thought. - -The Little Panther at length returned, preceding the Comanche warriors. -On their entry the Apache chiefs rose and saluted them ceremoniously. -The Comanches returned the salutation with no less courtesy, but without -any other response, and waited till they were addressed. - -The Comanche warriors were young and finely built; they had a martial -bearing, a free glance, and thoughtful brow. Dressed in their national -costume, with heads proudly raised, and hands stemmed in their sides, -they had something noble and loyal about them which aroused sympathy. -One of them specially, the youngest of the three--he was hardly -five-and-twenty--must be a superior man, to judge by appearances: the -stern lines of his countenance, the brilliancy of his glance, the -elegance and majesty of his bearing, caused him to be recognised at the -first glance as a chosen man. - -His name was the Jester; and, as might be guessed from the tuft of -condor feathers passed through his warlock, he was one of the principal -chiefs of the nation. - -The Apache chiefs bent on the new arrivals, while not appearing to -notice them, that profoundly inquisitive glance possessed to so eminent -a degree by the Indians. The Comanches, though they might guess the -power of the glances fixed on them, did not make a sign, nor allow a -movement to escape them, indicating that they knew themselves to be the -object of attention to all present. - -Machiavel, author of the "Prince" though he was, compared with the red -men, was only a child in matters of policy. These poor savages, as -they are called by those who do not know them, are the cleverest and -most cunning diplomatists in existence. - -After an instant's delay the Black Bear took a step toward the Comanche -chiefs, bowed to them, and holding out his right hand palm upwards, -said,-- - -"I am happy to receive beneath my cabin, in the midst of my people, my -brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes. They will take their place at the -council fire, and smoke with their brothers the calumet of peace." - -"Be it so," the Jester replied in a stern voice. "Are we not all children -of Wacondah?" - -And, without adding another word, he took his seat with the other chiefs -at the council fire, side by side with the Apaches. The conversation was -broken off again, for everyone was smoking. At length, when the calumet -bowls contained only ashes, the Black Bear turned with a courteous smile -to the Jester. - -"My brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes, are doubtlessly hunting the -buffalo not far from here, and then the thought occurred to them to -visit their Apache brothers. I thank them for it." - -The Jester bowed. - -"The Comanches of the Lakes are far away chasing the antelopes on the -Del Nato. The Jester, and a few devoted warriors of his tribe who -accompany him, are alone encamped on the hunting grounds." - -"The Jester is a chief renowned on the prairie," the Apache graciously -remarked. "The Black Bear is happy to have seen him. So great a warrior -as my brother does not act thus without some plausible motive." - -"The Black Bear has guessed it. The Jester has come to renew with his -Apache brothers the narrow bonds of a loyal friendship. Why, instead of -disputing a territory to which we have equal claims, should we not -divide it between us? Should the red men destroy each other? Would it -not be better to bury the war hatchet by the council fire at such a -depth that, when an Apache met a Comanche, he would only see in him a -well-beloved brother? The palefaces, who each moon encroach on our -possessions more and more, carry on a furious war with us; then why -should we help them by our intestine dissensions?" - -The Black Bear rose, and, stretching forth his arm with authority, -said,-- - -"My brother, the Jester, is right. Only one sentiment should henceforth -guide us--patriotism! Let us lay aside all our paltry enmities, to think -but of one thing--liberty! The palefaces are perfectly ignorant of -our plans. During the few days I passed at Guaymas I was able to -convince myself of that: thus our sudden invasion will be to them a -thunderbolt, which will ice them with terror. They will be more than -half conquered by our approach." - -There was a solemn silence. The Jester then turned a calm and proud -glance round the meeting, and exclaimed,-- - -"The Mexican moon will begin in twenty-four hours. Redskin warriors! -Shall we allow it to pass away without attempting one of those daring -strokes which we usually perform at this period of the year? There is -one establishment above all, over which we should rush like a whirlwind: -that establishment founded by palefaces, other than the Yoris, is for us -a permanent menace. I will not deal craftily with you. Apache chiefs! I -come to offer you frankly, if you will attack Guetzalli, the support of -four hundred Comanche warriors, at whose head I will place myself." - -At this proposition a quiver of pleasure ran through the meeting. - -"I joyfully accept my brother's proposal," the Black Bear said. "I have, -nearly the same number of warriors: our two bands will be strong enough, -I hope, to utterly destroy the palefaces. Tomorrow, at the rising of the -moon, we will set out." - -The chiefs retired, and the Black Bear and the Jester were left alone. -These two chiefs enjoyed an equal reputation, and both were adored by -their countrymen, hence they examined each other curiously, for up to -that moment they had always been enemies, and never had the chance of -meeting save with weapons in their hands. - -"I thank my brother for his cordial offer," the Black Bear was the first -to say. "Under the present circumstances his help will be very -advantageous for us; but once the victory is decided, the spoil will be -equally shared between the two nations." - -The Jester bowed. - -"What plan has my brother formed?" he asked. - -"A very simple one. The Comanches are terrible horsemen: with my brother -at their head, they must be invincible. So soon as the moon shines in -the heavens the Jester will set out with his warriors, and proceed -toward Guetzalli, being careful to fire the prairie in front of his -detachment, in order to raise a curtain of smoke which will conceal his -movements and prevent his warriors being counted. If, as is not -probable, the palefaces have placed vedettes before their great lodge to -announce the arrival of the expedition, my brother will seize and kill -them at once, to prevent them giving any alarm. In this expedition, as -in all those that have preceded it, everything belonging to the -palefaces--lodges, jacals, houses--will be burnt; the beasts carried off -and sent to the rear. On arriving in front of Guetzalli my brother will -hide himself as well as he can, and await the signal I will give him to -attack the palefaces." - -"Good! My brother is a prudent chief. He will succeed. I will do exactly -as he has told me; and he, what will he do while I am executing this -portion of the general plan?" - -A strange smile played on the Black Bear's lips. - -"He will see," he said laying his hand on the Comanche's shoulder. "Let -him act as a chief, and I promise him a glorious victory." - -"Good!" the Comanche made answer. "My brother is the first of his -nation; he knows how he should behave; the Apaches are not women. I go -to rejoin my warriors." - -"'Tis well; my brother has understood. Tomorrow at the rising of the -moon." - -The Jester bowed, and the two chiefs separated, apparently the best -friends in the world. A few moments later the greatest animation -prevailed in the Apache camp; the women struck the tents and loaded the -mules, the children lassoed and saddled the horses, and all preparations -were made for their departure. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM. - - -The next day at the rising of the moon, as had been agreed, the Jester -ordered his detachment to set out. Presently a party of horsemen who had -hurried onwards threw lighted torches amid the shrubs, and in a few -minutes an immense curtain of flames rose to the sky, and completely -veiled the horizon. The Comanches carried out the orders of the Apache -chief with such rapidity and intelligence, that in less than an hour all -was consumed. - -The Black Bear, concealed in the island with his war party, had not made -a move. The traces left by the Comanches were, alas! very visible, for -the country only that morning so lovely, rich, and luxuriant, was at -present gloomy and desolate. There was no verdure, no flowers, no birds -hidden beneath the frondage, and twittering as if to outrival each other. - -The Indians' plan would have met with perfect success through the -arrangement of the campaigners, and the Guetzalli colonists would have -been surprised, had other men than Belhumeur and his friends been on the -route of the Indian army. - -The Canadian was watching. At the first smoke that arose in the distance -he understood the intention of the redskins, and without losing a moment -he sent off Eagle-head to the colony to inform the count of what was -taking place. Still, behind the fire, the Comanches were arriving at -full speed destroying and trampling beneath their horse's hoofs what the -flames might have spared. - -Night had completely set in when the Jester had arrived in sight of -the colony. Supposing that, through the rapidity of his march, the white -men would not have had time to place themselves on the defensive, he -ambushed a portion of his men, placed himself at the head of the rest, -and crawled with all the precautions employed in such cases toward the -isthmus battery. - -No one appeared: the glacis and entrenchments seemed abandoned. The -Jester uttered his war cry, rose suddenly, and bounding forward like a -jaguar, crossed the entrenchment, followed by his warriors. But, at the -moment when the Comanches prepared to leap into the interior, a fearful -discharge at point blank range levelled more than one half of the Indian -detachment, while the survivors took to flight. - -The Comanches had one great disadvantage--they possessed no firearms. -The musketry decimated them, and they could only reply by firing their -arrows, or by hurling their javelins. Noticing, therefore, though too -late for himself, that the French were on their guard, the Jester, -desperate at the check he had experienced, and his serious losses, was -unwilling to further weaken the confidence of his warriors by useless -tentatives. He concealed his detachment under the cover of the virgin -forest, and resolved to wait for the Black Bear's signal ere he made a -move. - -Don Louis had followed Eagle-head. The Indian, after several turnings, -led him almost opposite the isthmus battery to the entrance of a dense -thicket of cactus, aloes, and floripondios. - -"My brother can dismount," he said to the Frenchman; "we have arrived." - -"Arrived where?" Louis asked, looking around him in vain. - -Without replying the chief took the horse, and led it away. Louis, -during the interval looked all around him: but his researches had no -result. - -"Well," Eagle-head asked on his return, "has my brother found it?" - -"On my faith, no, chief. I give it up." - -The Indian smiled. - -"The palefaces have the eyes of moles," he said. - -"It is possible; at any rate, I should feel obliged by your lending me -yours." - -"Good! My brother shall see." - -Eagle-head glided along the ground, and Louis imitated him: in this way -they entered the thicket. After about a quarter of an hour of this -exercise, which was more than fatiguing, the Indian stopped. - -"Let my brother look," he said. - -They were in a small clearing, formed in the midst of an inextricable -medley of branches and shrubs, completed by a profusion of leaves so -artistically interlaced, that without deep observation it would be -impossible to suspect the existence of this hiding place. Belhumeur and -the two Mexicans were philosophically smoking while awaiting the return -of the envoy. - -"You are welcome," the Canadian said, so soon as he caught sight of him. -"How do you like our camp? Charming, is it not? Eagle-head discovered -it. Those devils of Indians have a peculiar talent for forming an -ambuscade. We are as safe here as in Québec Cathedral." - -During this flood of words, to which he only responded by a hearty -pressure of the hand, Louis had comfortably seated himself by the side -of his companions, and began to do honour, with excellent appetite, to -the provisions they had put aside for him. - -"But where are the horses?" he asked. - -"Here, two paces from us; not to be found by anyone save ourselves." - -"Very good. Shall we be able to get them so soon as we want them?" - -"Pardieu!" - -"The fact is we shall probably need them soon." - -"Ah, ah! But," he added, checking himself, "I am chattering, and not -noticing that you must be probably savagely hungry. Finish your meal, -and we will talk afterwards." - -"Oh! I can answer very well while eating." - -"Wo! No, everything has its proper time. Finish your breakfast: we will -listen to you afterwards." - -When Louis had finished eating he described fully the way in which he -had carried out his mission. - -"All that is very good," Belhumeur said when he had ended his report. "I -believe that we can henceforth feel assured about the safety of our -countrymen, especially with the help of the forty peons, who will take -the enemy between two fires." - -"Yes, but where shall they be concealed?" - -"Leave that to Eagle-head. The chief knows the country thoroughly, he -has hunted in it for a long time. I am certain he will find a suitable -place for the Mexicans. What do you say, chief?" - -"It is easy to hide one's self in the prairie," the chief answered -laconically. - -"Yes," Don Martial remarked, "but there is one thing you forget." - -"What?" - -"I live on the frontier, and have long been accustomed to Indian -tactics. The Apaches will arrive, preceded by a curtain of smoke; the -plain will be only one vast sheet of flame, in the midst of which we -shall struggle in vain, and which will end by swallowing us up, if we do -not take the proper precautions." - -"That is true: it is a serious matter. Unfortunately, I only see one way -of escaping from the danger, and that we cannot employ." - -"What is it?" - -"By Jove! Making off." - -"I know another," Eagle-head observed. - -"You, chief? Then you will tell us of it." - -"Let the palefaces listen. The Rio Gila, like all other large rivers, -brings down with it dead trees, at times in such quantities that at -certain spots they completely block up the passage, in time these trees -press against each other, and their branches become entwined; then grass -grows, to cement them more firmly together; the sand and earth are piled -up gradually on these immense rafts, which at a distance resemble -islands, until a storm comes as a flood, which breaks up the raft, and -bears it away." - -"I know that. I have seen frequent instances of it, chief," Belhumeur -said. "These rafts at last grow to look so like islands that the man -most accustomed to desert life and the grand spectacles of nature is -frequently deceived by them. I understand all the advantages your idea -possesses for us; but, unhappily, I do not see how it will be possible -for us to carry it out." - -"In the simplest way. The Indian's eye is good; he sees everything -within two bow-shots of him. Above the great lodge of the palefaces, did -not my brother notice an islet about fifty yards almost from the bank?" - -"What you say is quite correct," Belhumeur exclaimed; "I can call the -island to mind now." - -"From the position it occupies there will be nothing to apprehend from -fire," Louis remarked. "If it is large enough to hold us all it will be -extremely useful as an advanced post." - -"We have not a moment to lose: we must take possession of it at once, -and when we are certain that it offers all we want we will lead the -peons to it." - -"Let us start, then, without further delay," the Tigrero said as he -rose. - -The others imitated him, and the five men left the clearing. After -fetching their horses they proceeded toward the island under the -guidance of Eagle-head. - -The Indian chief had not deceived them. With that infallible glance his -countrymen possess, he had at once formed a correct opinion of the spot -he so cleverly selected. There was another consideration highly -advantageous for the adventurers--a thick line of mangroves bordered the -river's edge, and advanced sufficiently far into the stream to diminish -the distance separating the isle from the mainland, while forming a -natural defence for men concealed in the tall grass; for it was -perfectly impossible that the Indians could hide themselves in the -mangroves to harass their enemies, who, on the other hand, could do them -considerable mischief. - -This islet (we will retain the name, though it was really only a raft) -was covered with a close, strong herbage, about two yards in height, in -the midst of which, men and horses completely disappeared. When the -reconnoissance was ended, Belhumeur and the two Mexicans installed -themselves in the centre, while Louis and Eagle-head returned to the -bank to go and meet the capataz and his people. - -Don Martial did not care to accompany them. So near the colony he was -afraid of being recognised by Don Sylva, and preferred to maintain, as -long as he could, an incognito necessary for the ulterior success of his -plans. Louis, after making him the offer to accompany them, pressed him -no further, and appeared to accept his refusal without any discussion. -The truth was, that the count felt, without being able to explain it, a -species of repulsion for this man, whose cautious manner and continual -hesitation had ill disposed him in his favour. - -Eagle-head and Louis, certain that the Black Bear had really retired -with his detachment, and left no spies on the prairie, thought it -unnecessary to let the Mexicans take a long and wearisome ride before -leading them to the hiding place; consequently, they hid themselves in -the shrubs at the end of the isthmus to watch their exit, and lead them -straight to the spot. - -In the meanwhile the news Don Louis had carried to the colony had turned -everything topsy-turvy. Although, since the first foundation of the -hacienda, the Indians had constantly tried to harass the French, the -various attempts they made had been unimportant, and this was really the -first time they would have a serious contest with their ferocious -enemies. - -The Count de Lhorailles had with him about two hundred Dauph'yeers, who -had come from Valparaiso, Guyaquil, Callao, and the other Pacific ports, -which are always crowded with adventurers of every description. These -worthy people were a singular mixture of all the nationalities peopling -the two hemispheres, although the French supplied the largest factor. -Half bandits, half soldiers, these men put the utmost faith in the chief -they had freely chosen. - -The news of the attack premeditated by the Apaches was received by the -garrison with shouts of joy and enthusiasm. It was an amusement for -these adventurers to exchange shots, or rub the rust off a little, as -they naïvely said in their picturesque language. They desired before all -to prove to the Apaches the difference existing between the Creole -colonists, whom they had been in the habit of killing and plundering -from time immemorial, and Europeans whom they did not yet know. - -The count, therefore, had no need to recommend firmness to them; he was -on the contrary, obliged to repress their ardour, and beg them to be -prudent, by promising that they should soon have an opportunity of -meeting the redskins in the open field. - -As soon as the defensive preparations were made the count left the -details to his two lieutenants, two old soldiers, on whom he believed -he could count; then he thought of Blas Vasquez and his peons. In the -probable event that the Indians had left spies round the colony, they -must be persuaded that this band had really retired. For that purpose -several mules were laden with provisions, as if for a long journey; then -the capataz, well instructed, put himself at the head of the squadron, -and left the colony, rifle on thigh. - -The count, Don Sylva, and the other inhabitants followed the party with -an interest easy to comprehend, ready to help them if attacked. But -nothing stirred in the prairie; the calm and silence continued to -prevail, and the Mexicans soon disappeared in the tall grass. - -"I cannot at all understand the Indian tactics," Don Sylva muttered -thoughtfully. "As they have allowed that party to pass so quietly, they -must be planning some trick which offers a good prospect of success." - -"We shall soon know what we are to expect," the count replied; "besides, -we are ready to receive them. I am only sorry that Doña Anita should be -here; not that she runs the slightest risk, but the sound of the contest -may terrify her." - -"No, señor conde," the lady said, who came from the house at the moment; -"fear nothing of that nature for me. I am a true Mexican, and not one of -your European dames, whom the slightest thing causes to faint. Often, in -circumstances graver than these, I have heard the Apache war yell echo -in my ears, without, however, feeling that intense alarm you seem to -apprehend from me today." - -After uttering these words with that haughty and profoundly contemptuous -accent women know so well to employ to a man they do not love, Doña -Anita passed before the count without deigning him a glance, and took -her father's arm. - -The Frenchman made no reply: he bit his lips till they bled, and bowed -as if he did not understand the epigram launched at him. He intended to -have an explanation with his betrothed at a later date; for though he -did not love her, as often happens in such cases, he did not pardon her -being loved by another, and especially for regarding him with -indifference; but the events which had hurried on with such rapidity -during the last two days had hitherto prevented him asking this -important interview of the doña. - -The hacendero's daughter was an Andalusian from head to foot, all fire -and passion, only obeying the precipitate movements of her heart. Loving -with all the strength of her soul, safeguarded by her love for Don -Martial, she had judged the Count de Lhorailles coolly, and guessed the -speculator under the garb of the gentleman; hence she made up her mind -at once to render it an impossibility ever to become his wife. To -commence an overt struggle with her father--she knew, too well to risk -it, the old Spanish blood that boiled in his veins. A woman's strength -is her apparent weakness; her means of defence, stratagem. As much -Indian as she was Spaniard, Anita chose stratagem, that terrible woman's -weapon, which often renders her so dangerous. - -Blas Vazquez, the capataz, had seen the birth of Doña Anita: his wife -had been her nurse--that is, he was devoted to the young girl, and on a -sign from her he would have pledged his soul to the demon. - -When Don Louis visited the hacienda the young lady was considerably -curious as to the motive of his arrival. After the Frenchman's departure -she asked coolly for information from the capataz, who saw no harm in -giving it to her, the more so because everyone in the colony would soon -know the news the count brought. The only thing no one could know, and -which Doña Anita guessed with that heart instinct which never deceives, -was the presence of the Tigrero among the hunters ambushed in the -vicinity of the hacienda. - -On leaving her at Guaymas, Don Martial had said that he would constantly -watch over her, and save her from the fate with which she was menaced. -After that, it was plain that he must have followed her. Had he done so -(which she did not for a moment doubt), he must certainly be among the -brave men who at that moment were devoting themselves to save her, while -seeking to protect the colony. - -The logic of the heart is the only species that is positive and never -deceives. We have seen that Doña Anita, enlightened by passion, reasoned -justly. When the girl had drawn from the capataz all the information she -desired,-- - -"Don Blas," she said to him, "it is probable that if the colony is -attacked, after the services you will be able to render, and when my -father and Don Gaëtano no longer want you and your men, that you will -receive orders to return to Guaymas." - -"'Tis probable, certainly, señora," the worthy man answered. - -"In that case you will have no objection to do me a service?" she went -on, looking at him with her most fascinating smile. - -"You know, señorita, that I would throw myself into the fire for you." - -"I do not wish you to put your friendship to such a rude trial, my good -Blas; still I thank you for your kindly feeling." - -"What can I do to oblige you?" - -"Oh! A very easy matter. You know," she said lightly, "that for a long -time I have wished to have two jaguar skins as a carpet for my bedroom?" - -"No," he replied simply; "I was not aware of it." - -"Ah! Well, I tell it you now, so you know it." - -"I shall not forget it, señorita, you may be sure." - -"Thanks; but that is not exactly what I want." - -"What?" - -"That you could get the skins for me." - -"Oh! So soon as I am my own master again you can depend on me." - -"I do not wish you to expose your life to satisfy a whim." - -"Oh, señorita!" he said reproachfully. - -"No; I have a way to procure them more easily." - -"Ah! Very good. Let us see." - -"A renowned Tigrero arrived at Guaymas a few days back." - -"Don Martial Asuzena?" he quickly interrupted her. - -"Do you know him?" - -"Who does not know the Tigrero?" - -"Well, I heard that he has brought from his last hunt on the western -prairies some magnificent jaguar skins, which, I have no doubt, he would -be willing to sell at a fair price." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Here," she said, drawing a small, carefully-sealed note from her bosom, -"is a letter you will give that man. I describe in it the way in which I -should like to have the skins prepared, and the price I am willing to -give. Here is the money," she added, as she handed him a purse; "you -will arrange the matter for me." - -"There was no occasion to write," the capataz remarked. - -"Pardon me, my friend, you have so many things to think of, that a -trifle like this might easily slip your memory." - -"Well, that is possible; so perhaps you have acted wisely." - -"Well, then, it is agreed--you will perform my commission?" - -"Can you doubt it?" - -"No, my friend. But stay, one word more. Do not say anything to my -father. You know how kind he is; he would want to make me a present of -them, and I wish to pay for the skins out of my own purse." - -The capataz began laughing at the joke. The worthy man was delighted at -sharing a secret, however slight it might be, with his darling child, as -he called his young mistress. - -"It is settled," he said; "I will be dumb." - -The girl gave him a friendly nod and withdrew. What was the meaning of -the note? Why did she write it? We shall soon learn. - -The day passed at the hacienda without further incidents. The count made -several attempts to have a conversation with the doña, which she -constantly sought to avoid. - -Blas Vasquez, on quitting the colony, struck the Guaymas road, and made -his troop go at a sharp trot, through fear of a surprise. He had scarce -lost sight of the colony, and entered the tall grass, when two men, -leaping into the middle of the path, checked their horses about twenty -paces ahead of him. One of them was an Indian; the other the capataz -recognised at a glance as the man who had come to the hacienda that -morning. Vasquez commanded his men to halt, and advancing alone to meet -the stranger, said,-- - -"By what accident do I meet you here, señor Francés? You are still far -from the meeting place you indicated yourself." - -"We are so," was the reply; "but as we found no Apache trail in the -prairie we thought it useless to give you a long journey. I have been -sent to conduct you to the ambush we have chosen." - -"You did right. Have we far to go?" - -"No, hardly a quarter of an hour's ride. We are going to that islet, -which you can see by standing in your stirrups," he added, stretching -out his arm in the direction of the river. - -"Eh?" the capataz said. "The spot is well chosen: we can command the -river from there." - -"That is the reason why he selected it." - -"Be good enough, then, to serve as our guide, señor Francés: we will -follow you." - -The detachment set out again. As Don Louis had stated, within a quarter -of an hour the capataz and the peons were encamped on the islet with the -five adventurers, so well masked by grassland mangroves, that it was -impossible to see them from either bank of the river. - -So soon as the capataz had performed his duties as head of the -detachment, he sat down at the bivouac fire by the side of his new -friends, to whom Don Louis presented him. The first person Blas -perceived was Don Martial, the Tigrero. At the sight of him he could -hardly refrain from a movement of surprise. - -"_Caspita!_" he exclaimed, with a loud laugh; "the meeting is curious." - -"Why so?" the Mexican asked, rather annoyed by this recognition, which -he had not expected, for he did not think the capataz knew him. - -"Are you not Don Martial Asuzena?" - -"Yes," he replied, more and more restless. - -"My faith! I should have found it difficult to meet you at Guaymas; but -I did not expect to find you here." - -"Explain yourself, I beg. I cannot understand you at all." - -"My young mistress gave me a message for you." - -"What do you say?" the Tigrero exclaimed, his heart beginning to -palpitate. - -"What I say, nothing else. Doña Anita wishes to buy two jaguar skins of -you, it appears." - -"Of me?" - -"Yes." - -Don Martial regarded him with such an air of amazement that the capataz -began again laughing heartily. This laughter aroused the young man; made -him conjecture there was some mystery in the affair; and that if he -continued to look so astonished, he would arouse suspicions in the -worthy man, who probably did not know the word of the riddle. - -"'Tis true," he said, as if trying to remember something, "I fancy I can -call to mind some time back--" - -"Then," the capataz interrupted him, "it's all right; besides, I was -asked to hand you a letter so soon as I met you." - -"A letter from whom?" - -"Why, from my mistress, I suppose." - -"From Doña Anita?" - -"Who else?" - -"Give it me quickly," the Tigrero exclaimed in great agitation. - -The capataz handed it to him. Don Martial tore it from his hands, broke -the seal with trembling fingers, and devoured it with his eyes. When he -had finished reading it he concealed it in his bosom. - -"Well," the capataz asked him, "what does my mistress say?" - -"Only what you told me yourself," the Tigrero replied, in anything but a -firm voice. - -Blas Vasquez shook his head. - -"Hem! That man is certainly hiding something from me," he muttered. "Can -Doña Anita have deceived me?" - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero walked about in agitation, apparently -revolving some important project. At length he approached Belhumeur, who -was smoking silently, and, leaning over his ear, uttered a few words in -a low voice, to which the Canadian answered with a nod of assent. A -flash of joy illumined the Tigrero's gloomy face as he made a sign to -Cucharés to follow him, and quitted the bivouac a few minutes later. Don -Martial and the lepero, both mounted, swam across the space separating -them from the main land. The capataz perceived them at the moment they -landed, and uttered a cry of astonishment. - -"Why," he exclaimed, "the Tigrero is leaving us. Where can he be going?" - -Belhumeur regarded the Mexican with his bittersweet look, and replied, -with a jesting accent,-- - -"Who knows? Perhaps he is going to carry the answer to the letter you -gave him." - -"That is not impossible," the capataz remarked thoughtfully, little -suspecting that he spoke the exact truth. - -At this moment the sun set in floods of purple and gold far away in the -horizon behind the snow-clad peaks of the lofty mountains of the Sierra -Madre, and night soon stretched her black cerecloth over the earth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A NIGHT JOURNEY. - - -Events have so multiplied during the course of this night, that to keep -headway with the incidents, we are compelled to pass incessantly from -one person to another. - -Don Martial was rich--very rich--eager for excitement, and endowed with -warlike instincts. He had only embraced the profession of _Tigrero_ in -order to have a plausible excuse for his constant travels in the desert, -which he had passed his whole life in travelling in every direction. - -The Tigreros are generally wood rangers or old hunters, who, for a -certain salary and a premium on each hide, engage with a hacendero to -kill the wild beasts that decimate his herds. What others did for money, -he performed simply for pleasure; hence he was greatly liked on the -frontiers, and especially welcomed by all the hacenderos, who found in -him not only the clever and daring hunter, but also the boon companion -and the caballero. - -Don Martial saw Doña Anita for the first time when the chances of his -adventurous life had led him to a hacienda belonging to Don Sylva, -where, within the space of a month, he killed some dozen wild beasts. As -the Tigrero constantly watched the young girl, whom he could not see -without falling madly in love with, it happened that one day, when -Anita's horse ran away, he was near enough to save her at the peril of -his own life. It was through this event that the girl first noticed and -spoke to him. We know the rest. - -Cucharés was not at all pleased with the sudden departure from the -island. He inwardly cursed the folly which made him attach himself to a -man like him he now followed, who might expose him at any moment to the -chances of getting an arrow through his body, without any profit or -available excuse. Still Cucharés was not the man to feel long angry with -the Tigrero. He knew that grave reasons alone could have induced him to -leave a shelter at that hour of the night, resign the aid of the -hunters, and go wandering about the desert without any apparent object. -He burned to know the reasons; but he knew that Don Martial was no great -talker, and had a great objection to having his secrets spied out; and -as, in spite of all his bounce, he entertained a great respect for the -Tigrero, mingled with a decent amount of fear, he deferred to a more -favourable moment the numerous questions he longed to ask him. - -The two men, then, marched on side by side silently, allowing the reins -to hang on their horses' heads, and each indulging in his own -reflections. Still Cucharés remarked that Don Martial, instead of -seeking the cover of the forest, obstinately followed the river bank, -and kept his horse as close to it as possible. - -The darkness grew rapidly denser around them; distant objects began to -be lost in the masses of shadow on the horizon, and they soon found -themselves in complete obscurity. For some time the lepero tried, by -coughing or uttering exclamations, to attract his comrade's attention, -though unsuccessfully; but when he saw that the night had completely set -in, while the Tigrero marched on without appearing to notice the fact, -he at length mustered up courage to address him. - -"Don Martial," he said. - -"Well," the latter replied carelessly. - -"Do you not think it is time for us to stop a little?" - -"What for?" - -"What for?" the lepero replied, with a bound of surprise. - -"Yes; we have not arrived yet." - -"Then we are going somewhere?" - -"Why else should we have left our friends?" - -"That's true. Where are we going, though? That is what I should like to -know." - -"You will soon do so." - -"I confess that I should be glad of it." - -There was again silence, during which they continued to advance. They -had left the hill of Guetzalli about two musket shots behind them, and -reached a sort of creek, which through the windings of the river, was -almost parallel with the back of the hacienda, whose gloomy and imposing -mass rose before them. Don Martial stopped. - -"We have arrived," he said. - -"At last!" the lepero muttered with a sigh of satisfaction. - -"I mean to say," the Tigrero went on, "that the easiest part of our -expedition is ended." - -"We are making an expedition then?" - -"By Jove! Do you fancy, then, my good fellow, that I am marching along -the banks of the Gila merely for amusement?" - -"That surprised me, too." - -"Now our expedition will speedily commence in reality." - -"Good!" - -"I must warn you, however, that it is rather dangerous; however, I -counted on you." - -"Thanks," Cucharés answered, making a grimace which had some pretensions -to resemble a smile. The truth is, the lepero would have preferred that -his friend had not given him this proof of confidence. Don Martial -continued,-- - -"We are going there;" and he extended his arm in the direction of the -river. - -"Where then? To the hacienda?" - -"Yes." - -"You wish us to be cut in pieces." - -"How so?" - -"Do you believe we shall reach the hacienda without being discovered?" - -"We will try it at any rate." - -"Yes; and as we shall not succeed, those demons of Frenchmen, who are on -the watch, will take us for savages, and be safe to shoot at us." - -"It is a risk to run." - -"Thanks! I prefer remaining here, for I confess I am not yet mad enough -to put myself in the wolf's jaws for mere sport. Go where you please, -but I stay here." - -The Tigrero could not suppress a smile. - -"The danger is not so great as you suppose," he said. "We are expected -at the hacienda by someone who will doubtlessly have moved the sentinels -from the spot where we shall land." - -"That is possible, but I do not care to try the experiment, for a bullet -never pardons; besides, those Frenchmen are tremendous marksmen." - -The Tigrero made no reply; he did not seem even to have heard his -companion's remark. His mind was elsewhere. With his body bent forward, -he was listening. During the last few minutes the desert had assumed a -singular appearance. It woke up. All sorts of noises were heard from the -depths of the thickets and clearings. Animals of every description -rushed from the covert, and madly passed the two men without noticing -them. The birds startled from their first sleep, rose uttering shrill -cries, and circled in the air. In the river might be seen the outlines -of wild beasts swimming vigorously to reach the other bank. In a word, -something extraordinary was taking place. - -At intervals dry crackling sounds and hoarse murmurs, like those of -rising water, broke the silence, and became with each moment more -intense. On the extreme verge of the horizon a large band of bright red, -growing wider from minute to minute, spread over the scene a purple and -gold glare, which gave it a fantastic appearance. Already, on two -different occasions, enormous clouds of smoke spangled with sparks had -whirled over the heads of the two men. - -"Halloh! What is happening now?" the lepero suddenly exclaimed. "Look at -our horses, Don Martial." - -In fact, the noble beasts, with neck outstretched and ears laid back, -were breathing heavily, stamping on the ground, and trying to escape -their riders. - -"_Caspita!_" the Tigrero said calmly, "They smell the fire, that is -all." - -"What fire? Do you think the prairie is on fire?" - -"Of course. You can see it as well as I if you like." - -"Hem! What Is the meaning of that?" - -"Not much. It is one of the ordinary Indian tricks. We are in the -Comanche moon: are you not aware of that?" - -"I beg your pardon, I am not a wood ranger. I confess to you that all -this alarms me greatly, and that I would willingly give a trifle to be -out of it." - -"You are a child," Don Martial answered him laughingly. "It is evident that -the Indians have fired the prairie to conceal their numbers: they are -coming up behind the fire. You will soon hear their war cry sounding -amid the clouds of smoke and fire which are approaching, and will soon -surround us. By remaining here you run three risks--of being roasted, -scalped, or killed: three most unpleasant things, I grant, and which I -do not think will suit you. You had better come with me. If you are -killed, well, what then? It is a risk to run. Come, dismount; the fire -is gaining on us: soon we shall not have the chance. What will you do?" - -"I will follow you," the lepero replied in a mournful voice. "I must. I -was mad--deuce take me!--to leave Guaymas, where I was so happy--where I -lived without working--to come and thrust my head into such wasps' -nests. I assure you that if I escape he will be a sharp fellow who -catches me here a second time. - -"Bah, bah! People always say that. Make haste; we have no time to lose." - -In fact, the desert for a distance of several leagues burned like the -crater of an immense volcano; the flames undulated and shot along like -the waves of the sea, twisting and felling the largest trees like wisps -of straw. From the thick curtain of copper-coloured smoke which preceded -the flames there escaped, at each moment, bands of coyotes, buffaloes, -and jaguars, which, maddened with terror, rushed into the river, -uttering yells and deafening cries. - -Don Martial and the lepero entered the water; and their noble animals, -impelled by their instinct, hurried in the direction of the other bank. - -This part of the desert formed a strange contrast to that which the men -were leaving. The latter appeared an immense furnace, from which issued -vague rumours, cries of distress, agony and terror; a sea of fire, with -its billows and majestic waves, whose devouring activity swallowed up -everything on their passage, crossing valleys, escalading mountains, and -reducing to impalpable ashes the products of the vegetable and animal -kingdoms. - -The Gila, at this period of the year swollen by the rains which had -fallen in the sierra, had a width double of what it was in summer. At -that period its current becomes strong, and frequently dangerous through -its rapidity; but, at the moment our adventurers crossed it, the -numerous animals which sought to cross it simultaneously in a dense body -had so broken its force, that they reached the other bank in a -comparatively short period. - -"Eh!" Cucharés observed at the moment the horses struck land and began -ascending the bank, "Did you not tell me, Don Martial, that we were -going to the hacienda? We are not taking the road, I fancy." - -"You fancy wrong, comrade. Remember this--in the desert a man must -always appear to turn his back on the object he wishes to reach, or he -will never arrive." - -"Which means?" - -"That we are going to hobble our horses under this tuft of mesquites and -cedar-wood trees, where they will be in perfect safety, and then go -straight to the hacienda." - -The Tigrero immediately dismounted, led his horse under the shelter of -the great trees, took off its bridle in order that it might graze, -hobbled it carefully, and returned to the bank. - -Cucharés, with that resolution of despair which, under certain -circumstances, bears a striking resemblance to courage, imitated his -companion's movements point for point. The worthy lepero had at length -formed an heroic resolve. Persuaded that he was lost, he yielded himself -to the guidance of his lucky or unlucky star with that half timid -fanaticism which can only be compared with that found among the -Easterns. - -As we have said, this side of the river was plunged in shade and -silence, and the adventurers were temporarily protected from any danger. - -"Stay," the lepero again remarked; "it is a good distance from this -place to the hacienda; I can never swim it." - -"Patience. We shall find, I am certain, if we take the trouble to look, -means to shorten it. Ah, look?" he said, a moment later. "What did I say -to you?" - -The Tigrero pointed out to the lepero a small canoe fastened to a stake -in a small creek. - -"The colonists often come here to fish," he continued: "they have -several canoes concealed like this at various spots. We will take this -one, and in a few moments we shall reach our destination. Do you know -how to manage a paddle?" - -"Yes, when I am not afraid." - -Don Martial looked at him for a few seconds, then laying his hand -roughly on his shoulder, said in a sharp voice:-- - -"Listen, Cucharés, my friend. I have no time to discuss the matter -with you; I have extremely serious reasons for acting as I am now doing. -I want on your part hearty co-operation, so take warning in time. You -know me: at the first suspicious movement I will blow out your brains as -I would a coyote's. Now help me to launch the canoe and start." - -The lepero understood--resigned himself. In a few minutes the canoe was -ready and the two men in it. The passage they had to make to reach the -back of the hacienda was not long, but bristled with dangers. In the -first place, through the strength of the current which bore with it a -large quantity of dead trees, most of them still having their branches, -and which, floating half submerged in the water, threatened at each -pull to pierce the frail boat. Next, the animals which continued to shun -the fire, crossed the river in compact bands; and if the canoe were -entangled in one of these _manadas_ mad with terror, it must be crushed -with its passengers. The lightest danger the adventurers ran was the -receipt of a bullet from the sentinels hidden in the bushes which -defended the approach to the colony on the river side. But this danger -was as nothing compared with the others to which we have alluded. There -was every reason for assuming that the French, aroused by the flames, -would direct all their attention to the land side. Besides, Don Martial -believed he had nothing to fear from the sentries, who would probably -have been withdrawn. - -At a signal from Don Martial, Cucharés took up the paddles, and they -started. The fire was rapidly retiring in a western direction while -continuing its ravages. The canoe advanced slowly and cautiously through -the innumerable objects which each moment checked its progress. - -Cucharés, pale as a corpse, with hair standing on end, and eyes enlarged -by terror, rowed on frenziedly, while recommending his soul fervently to -all the numberless saints of the Spanish calendar, for he was more than -ever convinced that he would never emerge in safety from the enterprise -on which he had so foolishly entered. - -In fact, the position was a grave one, and it required all the -resolution with which the Tigrero was endowed, as well as the -excitement caused by the object he hoped to attain, to keep him from -sharing the terror which had seized on his comrade. The further they -advanced the greater the obstacles grew. Obliged to make continued -turns, in consequence of the trees that barred their passage, they only -turned on their own axis, as it were, forced to pass the same spot a -dozen times, and watch on all sides at once, not to be sunk by the -objects, either visible or invisible, which incessantly rose before -them. - -For about two hours they continued this wearying navigation; but they -insensibly approached the hacienda, whose sombre mass stood out from the -starlit sky. Suddenly a terrible cry, raised by a considerable number of -voices, filled the air, and a discharge of artillery and musketry roared -like thunder. - -"Holy Virgin!" Cucharés exclaimed, letting go the paddles and clasping -his hands, "We are lost!" - -"On the contrary," the Tigrero said, "we are saved. The Indians are -attacking the colony; all the French are at the entrenchments, and no -one will dream of watching us. Bold, my good boy! One more good pull, -and all will be over." - -"May God hear you!" the lepero muttered, beginning to paddle again with -a trembling hand. - -"Ah! The attack is serious, it appears. All the better. The harder they -fight over there, the less attention will be paid us. Let us go on." - -The two adventurers, hidden in the shade, paddled on silently, and -gradually approached the hacienda. Don Martial looked searchingly -around: all was silent in this part of the river, which was half a -pistol shot distant from the building. There was no reason for supposing -that they had been seen. The Tigrero bent over his companion. - -"That will do," he whispered; "we have arrived." - -"What! Arrived?" the lepero repeated with a frightened air. "We are -still a long way off." - -"No; at the spot where we now are, whatever may happen, you have nothing -to fear. Remain in the canoe, fasten it to one of the stumps that -surround you, and wait for me." - -"What! Are you going away?" - -"Yes; I shall leave you for an hour or two. Keep a good watch. If you -notice anything new you will imitate the cry of the waterhen twice: you -understand?" - -"Perfectly; but if a serious danger threatened us what ought I to do?" - -The Tigrero reflected for an instant. - -"What danger can threaten you here?" he said. - -"I do not know; but the Indians are fiends incarnate: with them you must -be prepared for anything." - -"You are right. Well, in case of any serious danger threatening us--but -only in that case, you understand--after giving your signal, you will -put across to that point. Mangroves grow there, under the shelter of -which you will be perfectly safe, and I will join you immediately." - -"Very good: but how shall I know where to find you?" - -"I will imitate twice the bark of the prairie dog. Now, be prudent." - -"You may be sure of that." - -The Tigrero took off all the articles of clothing that might embarrass -him, such as his zarapé and botas vaqueras, only keeping on his trousers -and vest, put his knife in his belt, made up his pistols, rifle, and -cartouche box in a packet, and imitated the song of the _maukawis_. -Presently a similar sound rose from the bank. The Tigrero then held his -weapons over his head, and glided gently into the water. The lepero soon -perceived him swimming silently and vigorously in the direction of the -hacienda; but the Tigrero was gradually lost in the distance. - -So soon as he was alone Cucharés began to inspect his weapons carefully, -changing the caps so as to be ready for anything, and run no risk of -being taken unawares; then, reassured by the calmness that prevailed -around, he lay down in the bottom of the canoe in spite of the Tigrero's -recommendations, and got ready for a nap. - -The noise of the combat had gradually died away--neither shouts nor -shots could be heard. The Indians, repulsed by the colonists, had given -up their attack. The flames of the fire became less and less bright. The -desert appeared to have fallen back into its ordinary silence and -solitude. - -The lepero, lying on his back at the bottom of the canoe, gazed at the -brilliant stars, glittering in the azure sky. Gently cradled by the -rippling, his eyes closed. At length he reached that point which is -neither sleeping nor waking, and would probably soon have fallen asleep. -At the moment, however, when he was going to yield to his feelings, he -cast a parting sleepy glance over the river. He shuddered, repressed -with difficulty a cry of terror, and started up so violently that he -almost upset the canoe. - -Cucharés had had a fearful vision: he rubbed his eyes vigorously to -assure himself that he was really awake, and looked again. What he had -taken for a vision was only too real; he had seen correctly. - -We have said that the river carried with it a large number of stumps and -dead trees still laden with their branches. During the last hour an -enormous quantity of these trees had collected round the canoe, the -lepero being quite unable to account for the fact, the more so because -these trees, which by the natural laws should have followed the current -and descended with it, cut it in every direction, and, instead of -keeping to the centre of the river, drew constantly nearer to the bank -on which stood the hacienda. - -More extraordinary still, the progress of this floating wood was so -carefully regulated that all converged on one point--the extremity of -the isthmus at the back of the hacienda. Another alarming fact was, that -Cucharés saw eyes flashing and frightful faces peering out from amidst -this raft of interlaced branches, stumps and trees. - -There was no room for doubt: each tree carried at least one Apache. The -Indians, having failed in their attempt on one side, hoped to surprise -the colony from the river, and were swimming up concealed by the trees, -in the midst of which they had collected. The lepero's position was -perplexing. Up to this moment the Indians, busied with their plans, had -paid no attention to the canoe; or, if they had noticed it, thought that -it belonged to one of their party; but the error might be detected at -any moment, and the lepero knew that, in such a case, he would be -hopelessly lost. - -Already, more than once, hands had been laid for a few seconds on the -sides of a frail boat; but, by some providential chance, the owners of -those hands had not thought of looking into the interior of the canoe. - -All these reflections, and many others, Cucharés indulged in while lying -apparently most comfortably at the bottom of the canoe, gently balanced -by the ripple, and watching the brilliant stars defile above his head. -With his features distorted by terror, his face blanched, and holding a -pistol butt convulsively clutched in either hand, while mentally -recommending himself to his patron saint, he awaited the catastrophe -which every passing minute rendered more imminent. - -He had not long to wait. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE INDIAN TRICK. - - -Among the indomitable nations that wander about the deserts contained in -the delta formed by the Rio Gila, the Rio del Norte, and the Colorado, -two claim sovereignty over the rest. They are the Apaches and Comanches. -Irreconcilable enemies, incessantly at war with each other, these two -nations were now allied by a common hatred of the white men, and all -that belongs to that abhorred race. - -Excellent hunters, intrepid horsemen, cruel and pitiless warriors, the -Apaches and Comanches are terrible neighbours for the inhabitants of New -Mexico. Every year, at the same period, these ferocious warriors rush by -thousands from their deserts, cross the rivers by fording or swimming, -and invade the Mexican frontiers at several points, burning and -plundering all they come across, carrying off women and children into -slavery, and spreading desolation and terror for more than twenty -leagues into a civilised territory. - -At the period of the Spanish rule it was not so. Numerous missions, -_presidios_, posts established at regular distances, and bodies of -troops scattered along the entire frontier, repulsed the attacks of the -Indians, drove them back and kept them within the limits of their -hunting grounds; but since the proclamation of their independence the -Mexicans have had so much to do in cutting each other's throats, and -trampling morality underfoot by their incessant revolutions, that the -posts have been called in, the missions plundered, the presidios -abandoned, and the frontiers left to guard themselves. The result has -been that the Indians gradually drew nearer, and finding no serious -resistance before them--for the very simple reason that the Mexican -Government forbids, under heavy penalties, any firearms being given to -the civilised Indians, who alone could fight successfully against the -invaders--the savages have nearly reconquered in a few years what Spain, -in her omnipotence, took ages in wresting from them. The result of this -is that the most fertile country in the world remains unfilled; not a -step can be taken in this hapless country without stumbling on still -smoking ruins; and the boldness of the savages has so increased, that -they now do not even take the trouble to hide their expeditions, which -they make annually at the same period, in the same month nearly on the -same day, and that the month is called by them in derision the "Mexican -Moon;" that is to say, the moon during which the Mexicans are plundered. - -All the facts we narrate here would be the height of buffoonery were -they not also the height of atrocity. - -The Black Bear had founded the great confederation to which he had -previously alluded, for the purpose of restoring himself in the credit -of his fellow countrymen, whom several unsuccessful expeditions had -turned against him. Like all Indian chiefs of any standing, he was -ambitious. He had already succeeded in destroying several smaller -tribes, and incorporating them with his nation: he now aspired to -nothing less than humbling the Comanches, and compelling them to -recognise his authority. It was a difficult, if not impossible -enterprise; for the Comanche nation is justly recognised as the most -warlike and dangerous in the desert. This nation, which proudly calls -itself the Queen of the Prairies, can hardly endure the presence of the -Apaches on the ground they consider belonging to themselves, and forming -their hunting territory. The Comanches have an immense advantage over -the other prairie Indians--an advantage which causes their strength, and -makes them so terrible to the nations they combat. Owing to the -precaution they have taken of never drinking spirits, they have escaped -the general degradation and most of the diseases which decimate the -other Indians, and have remained vigorous and intelligent. - -The Jester, like the Black Bear, had no great faith in the duration of -the alliance formed between the two nations: the hatred he bore the -Apaches was, indeed, too profound for him to desire it; but the -foundation of the Guetzalli colony by the French, by permanently -establishing the white men, on a territory they regarded as belonging to -themselves, was a too serious menace for the Comanches and other Indios -Bravos, and they attempted every possible scheme to get rid of these -troublesome neighbours. Hence they had temporarily hung up their old -rancour and private enmities on behalf of the general welfare, but for -that only. It was tacitly agreed between them that, so soon as the -strangers were expelled, each nation would be free to act as it pleased. - -We have seen in what way the Jester began hostilities. The Black Bear -had a scheme which he had been ripening for a long time, though not -possessing the means to put it in execution; but knowing where to obtain -the information he needed, he went to Guaymas. The Tigrero, by proposing -to him to enter the colony as a guide, had unsuspectingly supplied him -with the pretext he sought. Thus, during the few hours he spent at the -hacienda, he had not lost his time, and with that cunning peculiar to -the Indians, discovered all the weak points of the place. - -There was another reason to inflame his desire to seize the hacienda. -Like all the redskins, his dream was to have a white woman in his lodge. -Fatality, by bringing him across Doña Anita, had suddenly re-enkindled the -secret hope he entertained, and made him suppose he would at length -possess the woman he sought so long without being able to find her. -It must not be thought that the Black Bear loved the Spanish maiden: no, -he wanted a white squaw, that was all. He was humiliated by the -knowledge that the other chiefs of his nation had slaves of that colour, -while he alone had none. Had Doña Anita been ugly, he would have tried -to carry her off all the same. She was lovely--all the better; and we -may add here that the Apache chief did not consider her beautiful. -According to his Indian notions she was passable, that was all; the only -thing he valued in her was her colour. - -The Black Bear, standing with his principal warriors on the point of the -island, remained silent, with his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes -fixed on vacancy, till the moment when the first gleams of the fire -kindled by the Jester tinged the horizon with a blood-red hue. - -"My brother, the Jester, is an experienced chief," he said, "and a -faithful ally. He has well fulfilled the mission intrusted to him. He is -now smoking the paleface dogs. What the Comanches have begun the Apaches -will finish." - -"The Black Bear is the first warrior of his nation," the Little Panther -replied. "Who would dare to contend with him?" - -The Indian Sachem smiled at this flattery. - -"If the Comanches are antelopes, the Apaches are otters; they can, if -they please, swim in the water, or march on land. The palefaces have -lived. The Great Spirit is in me; it is He who dictates to me the words -my tongue utters." - -The warriors bowed. The Black Bear continued, after a moment's -silence:-- - -"What do the Apache warriors care for the fire tubes of the palefaces? -Have they not long, barbed arrows and intrepid hearts? My brothers will -follow me; we will take the scalps of these pale dogs, and fasten them -to our horses' manes, and their wives shall be our slaves." - -Shouts of joy and enthusiasm greeted these words. - -"The river is covered with numerous trunks of trees: my sons are not -squaws to fatigue themselves uselessly. They will place themselves on -these dead trees, and drift with the current down to the great lodge of -the palefaces. Let my brothers prepare. The Black Bear will set out at -the sixth hour, when the blue jay has sung twice, and the walkon has -uttered its shrill cry. I have spoken. Two hundred warriors will follow -the Black Bear." - -The chiefs bowed respectfully before the sachem, and left him alone. He -wrapped himself up in his buffalo robe, sat down by the fire, lit his -calumet by means of a medicine staff adorned with bells and feathers, -and remained silent, with his eyes fixed on the gradually extending -prairie fire. - -The island in which the Apache chief had formed his camp was at no great -distance from the French colony. The project of floating down had no -very great danger for these men, accustomed to every sort of bodily -exercise, and who swam like fish: it possessed the great advantage of -completely concealing the approach of the warriors hidden by the water -and the branches, and who, at the proper moment, would rush on the -colony like a swarm of famished vultures. - -The Black Bear was so convinced of the success of this stratagem, which -only an Indian brain could have conceived, that he only took with him -two hundred chosen men, thinking it unnecessary to lead more against -enemies taken by surprise, and who, compelled to defend themselves -against the Comanches led by the Jester, would be attacked in the rear -and massacred before they had time to look around them. - -Night sets in rapidly and suddenly in countries where the twilight does -not last longer than a lightning flash. Soon all became darkness, save -that, in the distance, a wide strip of coppery red announced the -progress of the flames, behind which the Comanches galloped like a pack -of hideous wolves over the still glowing earth, trampling under their -horses' hoofs the charred wood which was still smouldering. - -When the Black Bear considered the moment had arrived he put out his -calumet, scattered the fire, and gave a signal perfectly well understood -by the Little Panther, who was watching to execute the orders the chief -might be pleased to give. Almost immediately the two hundred warriors -selected for the expedition made their appearance. They were all picked -men, armed with clubs and lances, while their shields hung on their -backs. After a moment's silence, employed by the sachem in a species of -inspection, he said in a deep voice,-- - -"We are about to set out; the palefaces we are destined to fight are not -Yoris: they are said to be very brave, but the Apaches are the bravest -warriors in the world; no one can contend against them. My sons may be -killed, but they will conquer." - -"The warriors will suffer themselves to be killed," the Indians replied -with one voice. - -"Wah!" the Black Bear continued, "my sons have spoken well; the Black -Bear has confidence in them. The Wacondah will not abandon them; he loves -the red men. And now, my sons, we will collect the dead trees floating -on the river, and float down the current with them. The cry of the -condor will be their signal to rush on the palefaces." - -The Indians immediately began executing their chiefs orders. All strove -to reach the trunks of trees or stumps. In a few moments a considerable -quantity was collected near the point of the island. The Black Bear -turned a palling glance around, gave the signal for departure, and was -the first to enter the water and clamber on a tree. All the rest -followed him immediately without the slightest hesitation. - -The Apaches behaved so cleverly in bringing the tree trunks to the -island, and had chosen their position so well, that when they set the -trees in motion again they almost immediately struck the current, and -began to follow the river gently, drifting imperceptibly in the -direction of the colony where they wished to land. - -Still this navigation, so essentially eccentric, offered grave -inconveniences and even serious dangers to those who undertook it. The -Indians, left without paddles on the trees, were obliged to follow the -stream, only succeeding in holding on by extraordinary efforts. Like all -wood floating at the mercy of the waves, the trees continually revolved, -compelling those holding on to them to employ all their strength and -skill, lest they might be submerged at every moment. There was another -difficulty, too: it was absolutely necessary to keep in the water, so as -to give the trees the proper direction and make them reach the colony, -instead of following the current in the middle of the stream. A further -inconvenience, not the least grave of all, was that the trees on which -the Apaches were mounted met others as they floated along, against which -they struck, or their branches became so interlaced that it was -impossible to part them, and they had to be taken on as well; so that, -at the end of half an hour, an immense raft was formed, which appeared -to occupy the entire width of the river. - -The Indians are obstinate: when they have undertaken an expedition they -never give it up till it is irrevocably proved to them that success is -impossible. This happened on the present occasion; several men were -drowned, others wounded so severely that they were compelled to regain -the bank against their will. The others, however, held on; and, -encouraged by their chief, who did not cease addressing them, they -continued to descend the river. - -Long before the island from which they set out had disappeared behind -them in the windings formed by the irregular course of the river; the -point on which the buildings of the colony stood appeared but a short -way ahead, when the Black Bear, who was at the head of the party, and -whose piercing eye incessantly surveyed the scene around, noticed a -canoe a few yards ahead attached to a dead stump, gracefully dancing on -the water. - -This canoe at once appeared suspicious to the cautious Indian. It did -not seem natural to him that, at such an advanced hour of the night, any -boat should be thus tied up in the river: but the Black Bear was a man -of prompt decision, whom nothing embarrassed, and who rapidly formed his -plans. After carefully examining this, mysterious canoe, still -stationary before him, he stooped over to the Little Panther, who hung -on to the same tree in readiness to execute his orders, and, placing his -knife between his teeth, the chief unloosed his hold and dived. - -He rose again near the canoe, seized it boldly, pulled it over, and -leaped in right on Cucharés' chest and seized him by the throat. This -movement was executed so rapidly that the lepero could not employ his -weapons, and found himself completely at the mercy of his enemy before -he understood what had occurred. - -"Wah!" the Indian exclaimed with surprise on recognising him. "What is -my brother doing here?" - -The lepero had also recognised the chief, and, without knowing why, this -restored him a slight degree of courage. - -"You see," he answered, "I am sleeping." - -"Wah! My brother was afraid of the fire, and for that reason took to the -river." - -"Quite right, chief; you have hit it the first time. I _was_ afraid of -the fire." - -"Good!" the Apache continued, with a mocking smile peculiar to himself. -"My brother is not alone. Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"Eh? I do not know the Great Buffalo, chief. I don't even know whom you -are talking about." - -"All the palefaces have a forked tongue. Why does not my brother speak -the truth?" - -"I am quite willing to do so, but I do not understand you." - -"The Black Bear is a great Apache warrior; he can speak the language of -his nation, but he knows badly that of the Yoris." - -"I did not mean that. You express yourself excellently in Castilian, but -you are speaking of a person I do not know." - -"Wah! Is that possible?" the Indian said, with feigned amazement. "Does -not my brother know the warrior with whom he was two days ago?" - -"O! Now I understand; you are talking of Don Martial. Yes, certainly I -know him." - -"Good!" the chief replied; "I knew that I was not mistaken. Why is my -brother not with him at this moment?" - -"Probably because I am here," the lepero said with a grin. - -"That is true; but as I am in a hurry, and my brother does not wish to -answer me, I am going to kill him." - -Saying this in a tone which admitted of no tergiversation, the Black -Bear raised his knife. The lepero saw well enough that, if he did not -obey the Indian, he was lost, and his hesitation ceased as if by -enchantment. - -"What do you want of me?" he said. - -"The truth." - -"Question me." - -"My brother will answer?" - -"Yes." - -"Good! Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"There," he said, pointing in the direction of the hacienda. - -"How long?" - -"For more than an hour." - -"For what reason has he gone there?" - -"You can guess." - -"Yes. Are they together?" - -"They ought to be so, as she called him to her." - -"Wah! And when will he return?" - -"I do not know." - -"He did not tell my brother? - -"No." - -"Will he come back alone?" - -"I do not know." - -The Indian fixed a glance on him, as if trying to read his very heart. -The lepero was calm: he had honestly told all he knew. - -"Good!" the chief continued the next moment. "Did not the Great Buffalo -agree on a signal with his friend, in order to rejoin when he pleased?" - -"He did." - -"What is, that signal?" - -At this question a singular idea crossed Cucharés' brain. The leperos -belong to a strange race, which only bears a likeness to the Neapolitan -lazzaroni. At once prodigal and avaricious, greedy and disinterested, -extremely rash, and frightful cowards, they are the strangest medley of -all that is good and all that is bad. In them everything is blunted and -imperfect. They only act on the impulse of the moment, without -reflection, or passion. Eternal mockers, they believe in nothing and yet -believe in everything. To sum them up in a word, their life is a -constant antithesis; and for a jest which may cost their life they would -sacrifice their most devoted friend, just as they will save him. - -Cucharés was a perfect personification of this eccentric race. Though -the Apache chief's knife was scarce two inches from his breast, and he -knew that his ferocious enemy would show him no mercy, he suddenly -resolved to play him a trick, no matter the cost. We will not add that -his friendship for Don Martial unconsciously pleaded on his behalf, for -we repeat that the lepero feels no friendship for any one, not even -himself, and that his heart only exists in the shape of bowels. - -"The chief wishes to know the signal?" he said. - -"Yes," the Apache replied, - -Cucharés, with the utmost coolness, imitated the cry of the waterhen. - -"Silence!" the Black Bear exclaimed; "it is not that." - -"Pardon," the lepero replied with a grin; "perhaps I gave it badly," and -he repeated it. - -The Indian, roused by his enemy's impudence, rushed upon him, resolved -to finish him with his knife; but, blinded by his fury, he calculated -badly, and gave too violent an oscillation to the canoe. The light bark, -whose equilibrium was disturbed, turned over, and the two men rolled -into the river. Once in the water, the lepero, who swam like an otter, -set off in the direction of the hacienda as fast as he could speed. But -if he swam well, the Black Bear swam at least equally well. The first -movement of surprise overcome, the chief almost immediately discovered -his enemy's trail. - -Then began the two men a contest of skill and strength. Perhaps it would -have ended to the advantage of the white man, who had a considerable -start, had not several warriors, witnesses of what had occurred, swum -off too, and cut off the fugitive's retreat. Cucharés saw that flight -was impossible; hence, not attempting to continue a hopeless struggle, -he proceeded towards a tree, to which he clung, and awaited with -magnificent coolness whatever might happen. - -The Black Bear soon came up with him. The chief displayed no ill temper -at the trick the lepero had played him. - -"Wah!" he merely said, "my brother is a warrior: he has the craft of the -opossum." - -"Of what use is it to me," Cucharés answered carelessly, "if I cannot -succeed in saving my scalp?" - -"Perhaps," the Indian said. "Let my brother tell me where the Great -Buffalo is." - -"I have already told you, chief." - -"Yes, my brother told me that his friend was in the great lodge of the -palefaces, but he did not say at what place." - -"Hum! And if I tell you shall I be free?" - -"Yes, if my brother has not a forked tongue: if he speaks the truth, so -soon as we land on the bank, he will be free to go where he pleases." - -"A poor favour!" the lepero muttered, shaking his head. - -"Well," the chief continued, "what will my brother do?" - -"My faith!" Cucharés said, suddenly making up his mind, "I have done for -Don Martial all it was humanly possible to do. Now that he is warned, -each for himself. I must save my skin. Stay, chief; follow the direction -of my finger. You see those mangroves on the projecting point?" - -"I see them." - -"Well, behind those mangroves you will find the man you call the Great -Buffalo." - -"Good! The Black Bear is a chief; he has only one word; the paleface -shall be free." - -"Thanks." - -The conversation was hurriedly broken off, more especially as the -Apaches were rapidly approaching the banks. They had let go of the most -of the trees to which they had hitherto been clinging, and were -collected in small groups of ten or twelve on the larger trees. - -The hacienda was silent; not a light burned there; all was calm; it -looked like a deserted habitation. This profound tranquility excited the -suspicions of the Black Bear; it seemed to forebode an impending storm. -Before risking a landing he wished to assure himself positively of what -he had to expect. He uttered the cry of the iguana, and swam towards the -bank. The Apaches comprehended their chiefs intention, and stopped. At -the end of a few moments they saw him crawling along the sand. The Black -Bear walked a few paces along; he saw nothing, heard nothing; then, -completely reassured, he returned to the water's edge, and gave the -signal for landing. - -The Apaches quitted the trees and began swimming. Cucharés profited by -the moment of disorder to disappear, which was an easy matter, as no one -was thinking of him. Still the Apaches formed in a single line, and swam -vigorously; in a few minutes they reached the bank, and landed; then -they rushed at full speed towards the hacienda. - -"Fire!" a stentorian voice suddenly commanded. A loud and frightful -discharge instantaneously followed. The Apaches responded by howlings of -rage, and themselves surprised by the men they had hoped to surprise, -rushed upon them, brandishing their weapons. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF. - - -We will now return to the hunters, whom we have too long neglected, for -during the events we have been narrating they had not remained entirely -inactive. - -After the departure of the two Mexicans, Belhumeur and his friends -remained silent for an instant. The Canadian played with the charcoal -that had fallen from the brazier on to the ground; in fact, he was lost -in thought. Don Louis, with his chin resting on the palm of his hand, -was watching with distraught air the sparkles which crackled, glistened, -and went out. Eagle-head, alone of the party, wrapped up in his buffalo -robe, smoked his calumet with that stoicism and calm appearance which -belong exclusively to his race. - -"However it may be," the Canadian suddenly said, replying to the ideas -which bothered him, and thinking aloud rather than intending to renew -the conversation, "the conduct of those two men seems to me -extraordinary, not to say something else." - -"Would you suspect any treachery?" Don Louis asked, looking up. - -"In the desert you must always suspect treachery," Belhumeur said -peremptorily, "especially from chance companions." - -"Still this Tigrero, this Don Martial--that is his name I think--has a -very honest eye, my friend, to be a traitor." - -"That is true; still you will agree that ever since we first met him his -conduct has been remarkably queer." - -"I grant it; but you know as well as I how much passion blinds a man. I -believe him to be in love." - -"So do I. Still notice, pray, that in all this affair which regards him -specially, and in which we have only mixed ourselves to do him a -service, while neglecting our own occupations, he has always kept in the -background, as if afraid to show himself." - -At this moment Blas Vasquez, after stationing the peons a short distance -off, so as to remain unseen, came up and took his seat by the fire. - -"There!" he said, "All is ready: the Apaches can come and attack us -whenever they think proper." - -"One word, capataz," Belhumeur said. - -"Two if you like." - -"Do you know the man to whom you delivered a letter just now?" - -"Why do you ask?" - -"To gain some information about him." - -"Personally I know very little of him. All I can tell you is that he -enjoys an excellent reputation through the whole province, and is -generally regarded as a caballero and gallant man." - -"That is something," the Canadian muttered, shaking his head; "but, for -all that, I do not know why, but his sudden departure makes me very -restless." - -"Wah!" Eagle-head suddenly said, withdrawing from his lips the tube of -his calumet, and bending forward, while bidding his comrades to silence. -All remained motionless, with their eyes fixed on the Indian. - -"What is it?" Belhumeur at length asked. - -"Fire," the other replied slowly. "The Apaches are coming: they are -burning the prairie before them." - -"What?" Belhumeur exclaimed, rising and looking all around. "I see no -trace of fire." - -"No, not yet; but the fire is coming--I can smell it." - -"Hum! If the chief says so, it must be true; he is too experienced a -warrior to be deceived. What is to be done?" - -"We have nothing to fear from fire here," the capataz observed. - -"We have not," Don Louis quickly exclaimed; "but the inhabitants of the -hacienda?" - -"Not more than we," Belhumeur replied. "See all the trees have been cut -down, and rooted up to too great a distance from the colony for the fire -to reach it; it is only a stratagem employed by the Indians to arrive -without being counted." - -"Still I am of this caballero's opinion," the capataz said; "we should -do well to warn the hacienda." - -"There is something even more urgent to do," Don Louis said, "and that -is to send off a clever scout to learn positively with whom we have to -deal, who our enemies are, if they are numerous." - -"One does not prevent the other," Belhumeur remarked. "In a case like -the present, two precautions are worth more than one. This is my advice. -Eagle-head will reconnoitre the foe, while we proceed to the hacienda." - -"All of us?" the capataz observed. - -"No; your position here is secure, and you will be able, in the event of -an attack, to render important service. Don Louis and I will proceed -alone to the colony. Remember that you must not show yourselves under -any pretext. Whatever may happen, await the order for acting. Is that -agreed to?" - -"Go, caballeros; I will not betray your confidence." - -"Good! Now to work, I have no advice to offer you, chief: you will find -us at the hacienda if you learn anything of importance." - -Upon this these men, so long accustomed to act without losing precious -time in useless words, separated; Don Louis and Belhumeur returning to -the mainland on the side of the hacienda, while the chief rode off in -the opposite direction. Blas Vasquez remained alone with his peons; but -as he had been for many years accustomed to Indian warfare, and -understood the responsibility he took on himself from this moment, he -felt that he must redouble his vigilance. Hence he posted sentinels at -every point, recommended them the utmost attention, came back to the -brazier, wrapped himself in his fresada, and went quietly to sleep, -certain that his men would carefully watch all that took place on the -mainland. - -We will, for a moment, leave Don Louis and his friend, to follow -Eagle-head. - -The mission the chief had undertaken was anything rather than easy; but -Eagle-head was a man of experience thoroughly versed in Indian tricks, -and endowed with that unalterable phlegm which is a great ingredient of -success in certain circumstances of life. After leaving his companions -he walked quietly down to the water's edge, and when he reached the spot -where he intended to cross the river his plan was all arranged in his -head. - -The chief, instead of passing to that side of the river by which the -enemy would come, preceded by the conflagration, crossed to the other. -So soon as he reached the bank he allowed his horse a few moments for -breathing; then leaping at a bound onto the panther skin that served as -his saddle, he galloped at full speed in the direction of the enemy's -camp. This furious race lasted two hours. Night had long succeeded the -day; the pale gleams of the conflagration served as a beacon to the -chief and showed him in the darkness the road he should follow. At the -end of these two hours the chief found himself just opposite the most -advanced point of the island, where the Apaches were at this moment -engaged in collecting the driftwood they meant to use in the surprise of -the colony. Eagle-head stopped. On his right, far behind him, the -conflagration raged in the horizon; around him all was silence and -obscurity. For a long time the Indian attentively watched the island: a -secret presentiment warned him that there was the danger for him. - -Still, after careful reflection, the chief resolved to advance a few -paces further, and recross the river at the point opposite this island, -which seemed to him more suspicious because it was so tranquil. However, -before carrying out this plan, a sudden inspiration flashed across his -mind. He dismounted, hid his horse in a thicket, laid aside his rifle -and buffalo robe; then, after attempting to pierce the surrounding -gloom, he stretched himself on the ground, and crawled to the river's -bank. He gently entered the water, and swimming and diving in turn, -proceeded to the island, which he presently reached. - -But at the instant he landed, and was about to rise, an almost -imperceptible sound smote his ear; he fancied he could notice an -extraordinary commotion in the water all around him. Eagle-head plunged -again, and retired from the bank on which he had been on the point of -landing. Suddenly, at the moment he rose to the surface to take in a -fresh supply of air, he saw two burning eyes flashing before him; he -received a violent blow on the chest, and felt a powerful hand clutch -his throat as in a vice. Eagle-head saw that, unless he made a desperate -effort, he would be lost, and he attempted it. Seizing in his turn his -unknown foe who held him by the throat, he clung round him with the -vigour of despair. - -Then a horrible and silent struggle commenced in the river--a sinister -struggle, in which he sought to kill his adversary, without thinking to -repel his attacks. The water, troubled by the efforts of the two -combatants, bubbled as if alligators were engaged. At length a bloody -and disfigured body rose inertly to the surface, and floated. A few -seconds later, and a head appeared above the water, casting startled -glances around. - -At the sight of his enemy's corpse the victor indulged in a diabolical -smile; he seized him by his warlock, and swimming with one hand, dragged -the body, not to the island, but to the mainland. - -Eagle-head had conquered the Apache who attacked him in so unforeseen a -manner. The chief reached the bank, but did not leave the corpse, which -he dragged along till it was completely out of the water; then he lifted -the scalp, placed the hideous trophy in his belt, and remounted his -horse. - -The Indian had divined the Apaches' tactics; the attack of which he had -been so nearly the victim revealed to him the stratagem they designed. -It was unnecessary for him to push his investigations on the island -further. Still, had he abandoned to the current his enemy's corpse, it -would have infallibly floated down among his brothers, and revealed the -presence of a spy; so he had been careful to convey it to the bank, -where no one, save by some extraordinary accident, could discover it -before sunrise. - -The few minutes' rest he had granted his horse would have been -sufficient to restore all its vigour. The chief might have returned to -his friends, for what he had discovered was of immense importance to -them; but Belhumeur had specially recommended him to discover the -strength and nature of the war detachment which was marching on the -colony. Eagle-head was anxious to accomplish his mission; and besides, -the struggle he has undergone, and from which he had emerged as victor -by a miracle, had produced a certain amount of excitement, urging him to -carry out the adventure to the end. - -He plucked a few leaves to stop the blood from a slight wound he had -received in his left arm, fastened them on with a piece of bark, and -rode his horse once more into the river. But, as he had nothing to -examine, and did not wish to be discovered, he took care to pass at a -considerable distance from the island. On the other bank, owing to the -care taken by the Indians to burn everything, the trail was wide and -perfectly visible. In spite of the darkness the chief found no -difficulty in following it. - -The fire kindled by the Indians had not caused such ravages as might be -supposed. All that part of the prairie, with the exception of a few -scattered clumps of poplars at great distances apart, was covered with -long grass, already half burned up by the torrid beams of a summer sun. -This grass had burned rapidly, producing what the incendiaries -desired--a large quantity of smoke, but scarcely heating the ground, -which had allowed the redskins to march rapidly on the colony. - -Owing to his headlong speed, and the few hours those who preceded him -had been compelled to lose, the chief arrived almost simultaneously with -them before the hacienda; that is to say, he came up with them at the -moment when, after making a futile assault on the isthmus battery they -fled pursued by a shower of grape, which decimated their ranks; for, -having burnt everything, they had no trees to shelter them. Still the -majority managed to escape, owing to the speed of their horses. - -Eagle-head found himself unexpectedly in the very midst of the -fugitives. At first each man was too anxious about his own safety to -have time to notice him, and the chief profited by it to turn aside and -step behind a rock. But then a strange thing happened. The chief had -scarce escaped from the fugitives, and examined them for a moment, ere a -strange smile played on his lips; he spurred his horse, and bounded into -the very midst of the Indians, uttering twice a shrill, peculiar cry. At -this cry the Indians stopped in their flight, and rushing from all sides -toward the man who uttered it, they ranged themselves tumultuously -round--the chief with an expression of superstitious fear, and passive -and respectful obedience. - -The Eagle-head looked haughtily on the crowd that surrounded him, for he -was taller by a head than any man present. - -"Wah!" he at length said in a guttural voice, with an accent of bitter -reproach. "Have the Comanches become timid antelopes that they fly like -Apache dogs before the bullets of the palefaces?" - -"Eagle-head! Eagle-head!" the warriors shouted with joy mingled with -shame, looking down before the chiefs flashing glance. - -"Why have my sons left the hunting grounds of the Del Norte without the -order of a sachem? Are they now the _rastreros_ (bloodhounds) of the -Apaches?" - -A suppressed murmur ran through the ranks at this cruel reproach. - -"A sachem has spoken," Eagle-head continued sharply. "Is there no one to -answer him? Have the Comanches of the Lakes no chiefs left to command -them?" - -A warrior then broke through the ranks of the Comanches, approached -Eagle-head, and bowed his head respectfully down to his horse's neck. - -"The Jester is a chief," he said in a gentle and harmonious voice. - -Eagle-head's face was unwrinkled--his features instantaneously lost -their expression of fury. He turned on the warrior who had addressed him -a glance full of tenderness, and, offering him his right hand, palm -upwards,-- - -"Och! My heart is joyous at seeing my son, the Jester. The warriors will -camp here while the two sachems hold a council." - -And making an imperious sign to the chief, he withdrew with him, -followed by the eyes of the redskins, who hastened to obey the order he -had so peremptorily given. Eagle-head and the Jester had gone so far -that their conversation could not be overheard. - -"Let us hold a council," the chief said, as he sat down on a stone, and -signed to the Jester to take a place by his side. The latter obeyed -without reply. There was a long silence, during which the two Indians -examined each other attentively, in spite of the indifference they -affected. At length Eagle-head spoke in a slow and accentuated voice. - -"Eagle-head is a warrior renowned in his nation," he said; "he is the -first sachem of the Comanches of the Lakes; his totem shelters beneath -its mighty and protecting shadow the innumerable sons of the great -sacred tortoise, _Chemiin-Antou_, whose glistening shell has supported the -world since the Wacondah hurled into space the first man and the first -woman after their fault. The words which come from the breast of -Eagle-head are those of a sagamore; his tongue is not forked--a -falsehood never sullied his lips. Eagle-head acted as a father to the -Jester; he taught him how to tame a horse, pierce with his arrows the -rapid antelope, or to stifle in his arms the mighty boar. Eagle-head -loves the Jester, who is the son of his third wife's sister. Eagle-head -gave a place at the council fire to the Jester; he made a chief of him; -and when he went away from the villages of his nation he said to him, -'My son will command my warriors: he will lead them to hunt, to fish and -to war.' Are these words true? Does Eagle-head speak falsely?" - -"My father's words are true," the chief answered with a bow: "wisdom -speaks through his lips." - -"Why, then, has my son allied himself with the enemies of his nation to -fight the friends of his father, the sachem?" - -The chief let his head fall in confusion. - -"Why, without consulting the man who has ever aided and supported him by -his counsel, has he undertaken an unjust war?" - -"An unjust war?" the chief remarked with a certain degree of animation. - -"Yes, as it is carried on in concert with the enemies of our nation." - -"The Apaches are redskins." - -"The Apaches are cowardly and thievish dogs, whose deceitful tongues I -will pluck out." - -"But the palefaces are the enemies of the Indians." - -"Those whom my son attacked last night are not Yoris; they are -the friends of Eagle-head." - -"My father will pardon the warrior: he did not know it." - -"If the Jester really was ignorant of it, is he ready to repair the -fault he has committed?" - -"The Jester has three hundred warriors beneath his totem. Eagle-head has -come: they are his." - -"Good! I see that the Jester is still my well-beloved son. With what -chief has he made alliance? It cannot be with the Black Bear, the -implacable enemy of the Comanches, the man who but four moons past -burned two villages of my nation?" - -"A cloud had passed over the mind of the Jester: his hatred for the -white men blinded him; wisdom deserted him; he has allied himself with -the Black Bear." - -"Wah! Eagle-head did right to return toward the villages of his fathers. -Will my son obey the sachem?" - -"Whatever he orders I will do." - -"Good! Let my son follow me." - -The two chiefs rose. Eagle-head proceeded towards the isthmus, waving -his buffalo robe in his right hand as a sign of peace. The Jester -followed a few paces behind. The Comanches beheld with amazement their -sachems asking an interview with the Yoris; but accustomed to obey their -leaders without discussing the orders they were pleased to give, they -evinced no anger at this step, whose object, however, they did not -understand. The sentries posted behind the isthmus battery easily -distinguished in the moon's rays the pacific movements of the Indians, -and allowed them to come as far as the trench. - -"A sachem wishes an interview with the chief of the palefaces," -Eagle-head then said. - -"Good!" a voice replied in Spanish from the inside. "Wait a -moment--I will send for him." - -The two Comanche warriors bowed, crossed their hands on their breast, -and waited. - -Don Louis and Belhumeur had had a long conversation with Don Sylva and -the count, in which they revealed to them in what way they had learnt -that the Indians meant to attack them; the name of the man who had -informed them so correctly; and his singular conduct, in that, after -having in a measure compelled them to mix themselves up in a dangerous -affair which did not at all concern them, he had suddenly abandoned them -without any valid reason, under the futile pretext of returning to -Guaymas, where he said that important business claimed his presence with -the least possible delay. - -This news had a lively effect on the two hearers: Don Sylva especially, -could not repress a movement of anger on hearing that the man was no -other than Don Martial. He guessed at once the Tigrero's object--that he -hoped to carry off Doña Anita during the confusion. Still Don Sylva -would not impart his suspicions to his future son-in-law, intending to -tell him, were it absolutely necessary, at the last moment, but resolved -to watch his daughter closely, for this sudden departure of Don Martial -seemed to him to conceal a snare. - -Belhumeur then explained to the count the position in which he had -placed the capataz and his peons, and the mission Eagle-head had -undertaken, the result of which he would probably soon come to the -hacienda to tell. The count warmly thanked the two men who, without -knowing him, rendered him such eminent services; he offered them all the -refreshments they might need and then went to give his lieutenant orders -to warn him so soon as an Indian presented himself for a parley. - -On his side, Don Sylva retired with the ostensible object of reassuring -his daughter, but in reality to inspect the sentries stationed at the -rear of the hacienda. When the Comanches attacked the isthmus, the -French, put on their guard, received them so warmly that in the very -first attack the Indians recognised the futility of their attempt, and -retired in disorder. - -Monsieur de Lhorailles was talking with the two visitors about the -incidents of the fight, and was astonished at the prolonged absence of -Don Sylva, who had disappeared during the last hour without leaving a -trace, when Lieutenant Leroux entered the room where the three men were -conversing. - -"What do you want?" the count asked him. - -"Captain," he answered, "two Indians are waiting at the trench for -permission to enter." - -"Two?" Belhumeur asked. - -"Yes, two." - -"That is strange," the Canadian continued. - -"What shall we do?" the count said. - -"Go and have a look at them." - -They proceeded to the battery. - -"Well?" the count said. - -"Well, sir, one of these men is certainly Eagle-head; but I do not know -the other." - -"And your advice is--" - -"To let them come in. As this Indian, who is apparently a chief, comes -in the company of Eagle-head, he can only be a friend." - -"Be it so, then." - -The count gave a signal; the drawbridge was lowered, and the two chiefs -entered. The Indian sachems saluted all present with that native dignity -that distinguishes them, and then Eagle-head, on Belhumeur's invitation, -gave an account of his mission. The Frenchmen listened to him with an -attention mingled with admiration, not only for the skill he had -displayed, but also the courage of which he had given proof. - -"And now," the chief continued on ending his report, "the Jester has -understood the error into which a hatred threw him; he breaks the -alliance he formed with the Apaches, and is resolved to obey in all -respects his father Eagle-head, in order to repent his fault. Eagle-head -is a sachem--his word is granite. He places three hundred Comanche -warriors at the disposition of his brothers the palefaces." - -The count looked hesitatingly at the Canadian: knowing the trickery of -the Indians, he felt a repugnance to trust them. Belhumeur shrugged his -shoulders imperceptibly. - -"The great pale chief thanks my brother Eagle-head: he accepts his offer -with joy. His hand will ever be open, and his heart pure, for the -Comanches. The war detachment of my brother will be divided into two -parts: one, under the command of the Jester, will be concealed on the -other side of the river, to cut off the retreat of the Apaches; the -other will enter the hacienda with Eagle-head, in order to support the -palefaces. The Yori warriors are hidden in the isle, two bow-shots from -the great lodge; they will accompany the Jester." - -"Good!" Eagle-head replied; "all shall be done as my brother desires." - -The two chiefs took leave and withdrew. Belhumeur then explained to the -count the arrangements he had made with the Comanche sachem. - -"Hang it!" De Lhorailles said, "I confess that I have not the slightest -confidence in the Indians. You know that treachery is their favourite -weapon." - -"You do not know the Comanches; and, above all, you do not know -Eagle-head. I take on myself all the responsibility." - -"Act, then, as you please. I am too much indebted to you to thwart your -projects, especially when you are acting for my good." - -Belhumeur went himself to advise the capataz of the change effected in -the defensive measures. The Jester and one hundred and fifty warriors, -accompanied by the forty peons, at once crossed the river, and ambushed -themselves on the opposite bank in a clump of mangroves, ready to appear -at the first signal. The Frenchmen, with Eagle-head and a second troop -of Indians, were left to defend the isthmus, a point where they were -almost certain of not being attacked. All the other colonists concealed -themselves in the dense thickets that masked the rear of the hacienda, -with strict orders to remain invisible till the word was given to fire. -Then, when all the arrangements were made, the count and his comrades -awaited with a beating heart the Indians' attack. They had not long to -wait; and we have seen in what fashion the Black Bear was received. - -The Apache chief was brave as a lion; his warriors were picked men. The -collision was terrible; the redskins did not give way an inch. -Incessantly repulsed, incessantly they returned to the charge, fighting -hand to hand with the French, who, in spite of their bravery, their -discipline, and superiority of weapons, could not rout them. The combat -had degenerated into a horrible carnage, in which the fighters clutched -each other, stabbing and mangling, without loosing hold. Belhumeur saw -that he must attempt a decisive blow to finish with these demons, who -seemed invincible and invulnerable. He stooped down to Louis, who was -fighting by his side, and whispered a few words in his ear. The -Frenchman disembarrassed himself of the foe with whom he was fighting, -and ran off. - -A few minutes later the war cry of the Comanches was heard, strident and -terrible; and the redskin warriors bounded like jaguars on the Apaches, -swinging their clubs and long lances. At first the Black Bear fancied -assistance had arrived for him, and that the colony was in the power of -the allies but this hope did not endure a second. Then demoralisation -seized on the Apaches; they hesitated, and suddenly turned their backs, -rushing into the river, and leaving on the battlefield more than -two-thirds of their comrades. - -The colonists contented themselves with firing a few rounds of canister -at the fugitives, feeling certain they woould not escape the ambuscade -prepared for them. In fact, the musket shots of the peons could soon be -heard mingled with the war-cry of the Comanches. In this unfortunate -expedition the Black Bear lost in an hour the most renowed warriors of -his nation. The chief, covered with wounds, and only accompanied by a -dozen men, escaped with great difficulty from the carnage. The victory -of the French was complete. For a lont time the colony, through his -glorious achievement, was protected from the attacks of the redskins. - -When the combat was ended, people sought in vain in every direction for -Don Sylva and his daughter: both had disappeared, and no one knew how. -This mysterious and inexplicable event struck the inhabitants of the -colony with consternation, and changed the joy of the triumph into -mourning, for the same idea suddenly occurred to all:-- - -"Don Sylva and his daughter have been carried off by the Black Bear!" - -When the count, after repeated researches, was compelled to allow that -the hacendero and his daughter had really disappeared without leaving -the slightest trace, he gave way to all the violence of his character, -vowed a terrible hatred against the Apaches, and swore to pursue them, -without truce or mercy, until he found her whom he considered his wife, -and whose loss destroyed at one blow the brilliant future he had dreamed -of. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA. - - -At the remote period when the Aztecs, guided by the finger of God, -marched forth, without knowing it, to conquer the plateau of Ahanuac, of -which they eventually made the powerful kingdom of Mexico, although -their eyes were constantly turned toward this unknown land, the -permanent object of their greed, they frequently stopped their during -migration, as if fatigue had suddenly overpowered them, and the hope of -ever arriving had failed them. - -In such cases, instead of simply camping on the spot where this -hesitation had affected them, they installed themselves as if they never -intended to go further, and built towns. After so many centuries have -passed away, when their founders have eternally disappeared from the -surface of the globe, the imposing ruins of these cities, scattered over -a space of more than a thousand leagues, still excite the admiration, of -travellers bold enough to confront countless dangers in order to -contemplate them. - -The most singular of these ruins is indubitably that known by the name -of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, which rises about two miles from the -muddy banks of the Rio Gila, in an uncultivated and uninhabited plain, -on the skirt of the terrible sand desert known as the Del Norte. The -site on which this house is built is flat on all sides. The ruins which -once formed a city extend for more than three miles in a southern -direction: and also in the other directions all the ground is covered -with potsherds of every description. Many of these fragments are painted -of various colours--white or blue, red or yellow--which, by the by, is -an evident sign not only that this was an important city, but also that -it was inhabited by Indians differing from those now prowling about this -country, as the latter are completely ignorant of the art of making this -pottery. - -The house is a perfect square, turned to the four cardinal points. All -around are walls, indicating an enceinte inclosing not only a house, but -other buildings, traces of which are perfectly distinct; for a little to -the rear is a building having a floor above, and divided into several -parts. The edifice is built of earth, and, as far as can be seen, with -mud walls; it had the stories above the ground, but the internal -carpentry has long ago disappeared. The rooms, five in number on each -floor, were only lighted, so far as we can judge from the remains, by -the doors, and round holes made in the walls facing to the north and -south. Through these openings the man Amer (_el hombre Amargo_, as the -Indians call the Aztec sovereign) looked at the sun, on its rising and -setting, to salute it. - -A canal, now nearly dry, ran from the river and served to supply the -city with water. - -At the present day these ruins are gloomy and desolate: they are slowly -crumbling away beneath the incessant efforts of the sun, whose burning -rays calcine them, and they serve as a refuge to the hideous vultures -and the urubus which have selected it as their domicile. The Indians -carefully avoid these sinister stations, from which a superstitious -terror, for which they cannot account, keeps them aloof. - -Thus the Comanche, Sioux, Apache, or Pawnee warrior, whom the accidents -of the chase, or any other fortuitous cause, had brought to the vicinity -of this dangerous ruin on the night of the fourth or fifth day of the -cherry moon--_champasciasoni_--that is to say, about a month after the -events we described in the last chapter--would have fled at the top -speed of his horse, a prey to the wildest terror, at the strange -spectacle which would have presented itself to his awe-stricken gaze. - -The old palace of the Aztec kings threw out its gigantic outline on the -azure sky, studded with a brilliant belt of stars. From all the -openings--round or square--formed by human agency or by time in its -dilapidated walls poured floods of reddish light; while songs, shouts, -and laughter incessantly rose from the ruined apartments, and troubled -in their dens the wild beasts, surprised by these sounds, which -disturbed in so unusual a manner the silence of the desert. In the -ruins, beneath the pallid rays of the moon, might be distinguished the -shadows of men and horses grouped round enormous braseros, while a dozen -horsemen, well armed, and leaning on spears, stood motionless as bronze -equestrian statues at the entrance of the house. - -If within the ruins all was noise and light, outside all was shadow and -silence. - -The night slipped away: the moon had already traversed two thirds of her -course; the badly tended braseros went out one after another; the old -mansion alone continued to gleam through the darkness like an ill-omened -lighthouse. - -At this moment the sharp and regular sound of a horse trotting on the -sand re-echoed in the distance. The sentinels stationed at the entrance -of the house with difficulty raised their heads, oppressed by sleep and -the vivid cold of the first morning hours, and looked in the direction -whence the noise of footsteps was audible. - -A horseman appeared at the corner of the road leading to the ruins. The -stranger, paying but little heed to what he saw, continued to advance -boldly toward the house. He passed the ruined wall, and on arriving -within ten paces of the sentries, dismounted, threw the bridle on his -horse's neck, and walked with a firm step toward the sentries, who -awaited him silent and motionless. But when he was about two swords' -lengths from the party all the lances were suddenly levelled at his -breast, a hoarse voice shouted, "Halt!" - -The stranger stopped without a remark. - -"Who are you? What do you want?" asked a horseman. - -"I am a _costeño_. I have taken a long journey to see your captain, with -whom I wish to speak," the stranger said. - -By the pale and flickering rays of the moon the sentry tried in vain to -distinguish the stranger's features; but that was impossible, so -carefully was he wrapped up in his cloak. - -"What is your name?" he asked, in an ill-tempered tone, when he saw that -all his efforts were useless. - -"What need of that? Your chief does not know me, and my name will tell -him nothing." - -"Possibly so, but that concerns yourself. Keep your incognito if you -think proper; still, you must not be angry with me if I do not let you -disturb the captain. He is at this moment supping with his officers, and -certainly would not put himself out in the middle of the night to speak -with a stranger." - -The man could not conceal a sharp movement of annoyance. - -"Possibly so, I will say in my turn," he remarked an instant later. -"Listen. You are an old soldier, I think?" - -"I am one still," the trooper said, drawing himself up proudly. - -"Although you speak Spanish magnificently, I believe I can recognise the -Frenchman in you." - -"I have that honour." - -The stranger chuckled inwardly. He had caught his man: he had found out -his weak point. - -"I am alone," he went on. "You have I know not how many comrades. Allow -me to speak with your captain. What do you fear?" - -"Nothing; but my orders are strict--I dare not break through them." - -"We are in the heart of the desert, more than a hundred leagues -from every civilised abode," the stranger said, pressingly. "You can -understand that very powerful reasons were requisite to make me brave -the numberless dangers of the long journey I have made to speak for a -few moments with the Count de Lhorailles. Would you shipwreck me in -sight of port, when it only requires a little kindness on your part for -me to obtain what I want?" - -The trooper hesitated; the reasons urged by the stranger had half -convinced him. Still, after a few minutes' reflection, he said with a -toss of his head,-- - -"No, it is impossible; the captain is stern, and I do not care to lose -my corporal's stripes. All I can do for you is to allow you to bivouac -here with our men in the open air. Tomorrow it will be day; the captain -will come out; you will speak to him, and arrange matters as you please, -for it will not affect me." - -"Hem!" the stranger said thoughtfully, "it is a long time to wait." - -"Bah!" said the soldier gaily, "a night is soon passed. Besides, it is -your own fault; you are so confoundedly mysterious. A man needn't be -ashamed of his name." - -"But I repeat that your captain never heard mine." - -"What matter if he hasn't? A name is always a name." - -"Ah!" the stranger suddenly said, "I believe I have found a way to -settle everything." - -"Let's hear it: if it is good I will avail myself of it." - -"'Tis excellent." - -"All the better. I am listening." - -"Go and tell the captain that the man who fired a pistol at him a month -back at the Rancho of Guaymas is here, and wishes to speak to him." - -"Eh?" - -"Do you not understand me?" - -"Oh, perfectly." - -"Well, in that case--" - -"Between ourselves, the recommendation seems to me rather scurvy." - -"You think so?" - -"Parbleu! He was all but assassinated by you. What, was it you?" - -"Yes, I and another." - -"I compliment you on it." - -"Thanks. Well, are you not going?" - -"I confess to a certain amount of hesitation." - -"You are wrong. The Count de Lhorailles is a brave man; no one doubts -his courage. He must have retained our chance meeting in pleasant -memory." - -"After all, that's possible; and, besides you are a stranger. I cannot -bear the thought of refusing you so slight a service. I will go. Wait -here, and do not be impatient, for I do not promise you success." - -"I am certain of it." - -The old soldier dismounted with a shrug of his shoulders, and entered -the house. The stranger did not appear to doubt the success of the -corporal's embassy; for, as soon as he had disappeared, he walked up to -the door. In a few moments the corporal returned. - -"Well," the stranger asked, "what answer did the captain give you?" - -"He began laughing and ordered me to bring you in." - -"You see I was right." - -"That's true; but, for all that, an attempted assassination is a droll -recommendation." - -"A meeting," the stranger remarked. - -"I don't know if you call it by that name here; but in France we call it -waylaying. Come on." - -The stranger made no reply; he merely shrugged his shoulders, and -followed the worthy trooper. - -In an immense hall, whose dilapidated walls threatened to collapse, and -to which the star-spangled sky served as roof, four men of stern -features and flashing eyes were seated round a table, served with the -most delicate luxury and the most sensual idea of comfort. They were the -count and the officers forming his staff, namely, Lieutenants Diégo Léon -and Martin Leroux, and Don Sylva's old capataz, Blas Vasquez. - -The count had been encamped with his free company for the last five days -in the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. After the attack on the colony by -the Apaches, the count, in the hope of finding again his betrothed, who -had disappeared in so mysterious a way during the action, and most -probably had been carried off by the Indians, immediately formed the -resolution of executing the orders government had given him long -previously, and which he had hitherto delayed obeying, with pretexts -more or less plausible; but in reality because he did not care, brave as -he was, to have a fight with the redskins, who were so resolute and -difficult to overcome, especially when attacked on their own territory. -The count drew one hundred and twenty Frenchmen from the colony, to whom -the capataz, who burned to recover and deliver his master and young -mistress, added thirty resolute peons, so that the strength of the -little troop amounted to one hundred and fifty well-armed and -experienced horsemen. - -The count had asked the hunters, whose help had also been so precious to -him, to accompany him. He would have been happy to have not only -companions so intrepid, but also guides so sure as they to lead him on the -trail of the Indians, whom he was determined to follow up and -exterminate. But Count Louis and his two friends, without giving any -further excuse than the necessity of continuing their journey at once, -took leave of Lhorailles, peremptorily refusing the brilliant offers he -made them. - -The count was compelled to put up with the capataz and his peons. -Unfortunately these men were _costeños_ or inhabitants of the seaboard, -perfectly well acquainted with the coast, but entirely ignorant of all -relating to the _tierra adentro_ or interior countries. It was, -therefore, under this inexperienced guidance that the count left Guetzalli -and marched into Apacheria. - -The expedition began under favourable auspices: twice were the redskins -surprised by the French at an interval of a few days, and mercilessly -massacred. The count wished to make no prisoners, in the hope of -imprinting terror on the hearts of these barbarous savages. All the -Indians who fell alive into the hands of the French were shot, and then -hung on the trees, head downwards. - -Still, after these two encounters, so disastrous for them, the Indians -appeared to have taken the hint; and, in spite of all the count's -efforts, he found it impossible to catch them again. The summary justice -exercised by the count appeared not only to have attained, but even -outstripped the object he designed; for the Indians suddenly became -invisible. For about three weeks the count sought their trail, but was -unable to discover it. At length, on the eve of the day on which we take -up our story again, some seven or eight hundred horses, apparently free -(for according to the Indian custom, their riders lying on their flanks, -were nearly invisible), entered the ruins about midday, and rushed on -the Casa Grande at a frightful pace. - -A discharge of musketry from behind the hastily erected barricades -hurled disorder in their ranks, though it did not check the impetus of -their attack, and they fell like lightning on the French. The Apaches -had plucked up a spirit. Half naked, with their heads laden with plumes, -their long buffalo robes fluttering in the wind, steering their horses -with their knees, the Indian warriors had a warlike aspect capable of -inspiring the most resolute men with terror. The French received them -boldly, however, although deafened by the horrible yells their enemies -uttered, and blinded by the long barbed arrows which rained around them -like hail. - -But the Apaches, as much as the French, wished for no mere skirmish. By -a common accord they rushed on each other in a hand-to-hand fight. In -the midst of the Indian warriors, the Black Bear could be easily -recognised by his long plume and the eagle feathers planted in his -war-tuft. The chief urged his men on to avenge their preceding defeats by -seizing the Casa Grande. Then one of those fearful frontier actions -began, in which no prisoners are made, and which render any description -impossible through the ferocity both parties display, and the cruelties -of which they are guilty. The _bolas perdidas_, bayonet, and lance were -the only weapons employed. This fight, during which the Indians were -incessantly reinforced, lasted more than two hours, and the defenders of -the barricades allowed themselves to be killed sooner than yield an inch -of ground. - -Beginning to hope that the Indians must be wearied by so long a struggle -and such an obstinate defence, the French redoubled their efforts, when -suddenly the cry of "Treason! Treason!" was heard in their rear. The -count and the capataz, who fought in the first ranks of the volunteers -and peons, turned round. The position was critical. The French were -really caught between two fires. The Little Panther, at the head of the -fifty warriors, had turned the position, and taken the barricades in -reverse. The Indians, mad with joy at such perfect success, cut down all -they came across, uttering the wild yells of triumph. - -The count took a long glance at the battlefield, and his determination -was at once formed. He said a couple of words to the capataz, who -returned to the head of his combatants, warned them what to do, and -watched for the favourable moment to carry out his chiefs instructions. -For his part the count had lost no time. Seizing a barrel of powder, he -put into it a piece of lighted candle, and hurled it into the densest -ranks of the Indians, where it burst almost immediately, causing -irreparable injury. The terrified Apaches fell into disorder, and fled -in every direction to avoid being struck by the fragments of this novel -shell. Profiting cleverly by the respite produced by the barrel among -the assailants, the adventurers led by the capataz turned and rushed on -the Little Panther's band, which was only a few paces off by this time. -The spot was not favourable for the Indians, who, collected in a narrow -entry, could not manoeuvre their horses. The Little Panther and the -Apaches rushed forward with yells. The French, as brave and as skillful -as their adversaries, boldly awaited with levelled bayonets the shock of -the tremendous avalanche, which fell upon them with blinding speed. The -redskins were driven back. The rout commenced, and the Apaches began -flying in every direction. The count sent several peons after them, who -returned toward nightfall, stating that the Apaches, after reforming, had -entered the desert. - -The count, although satisfied with the victory he had gained (for the -enemy's loss was tremendous), did not consider it decisive, as the Black -Bear had escaped, and he had been unable to recover the person he had -sworn to save. He gave orders to his _cuadrilla_ to prepare for a -forward march in the desert, and on the next day the French would -definitely leave the Casa Grande. - -The count fêted with his officers the victory gained on the previous -day, and urged them to drink to the success of the expedition they were -going to attempt on the morrow. Flushed by the numerous potations he had -made, by the repeated toasts he had drunk, as well as by the hope of -complete success ere long, the count was in the best possible temper to -hear the singular message the old corporal delivered so much against the -grain. - -"And what sort of fellow is he?" he asked, when the other had performed -his task. - -"On my word, captain," the corporal answered, "so far as I could see, he -is stout, well-built young fellow, and gifted with a sufficient stock of -assurance, not to speak more strongly." - -The count reflected for a moment. - -"Shall I have him shot?" the soldier asked, taking this silence for a -condemnation. - -"Plague take it, what a hurry you are in, Boiland!" the count said -laughing and looking up. "No, no; this scamp's arrival is a piece of -good luck for us. On the contrary, bring him here with the utmost -politeness." - -The soldier bowed and retired. - -"Gentlemen," the count continued, "you remember the trap to which I -almost fell a victim: a certain amount of mystery, which I have never -been able to fathom, has since surrounded this affair. The man who asks -speech of me has come, I feel a presentiment, in order to give me the -key to many things which have hitherto been incomprehensible." - -"Señor conde," the capataz observed, "pray take care. You do not yet -know the character of our people; this man may come to draw you into a -snare." - -"For what purpose?" - -"_¿Quién sabe_?" Blas Vasquez answered, employing that phrase which in -Spanish is so meaning, and which it is difficult to translate into our -tongue. - -"Bah, bah!" the count said. "Trust in me, Don Blas, to unmask this -scamp, if he be a spy, as I do not suppose." - -The capataz contented himself with an almost imperceptible shrug of his -shoulders. The count was one of those men whose lofty and arrogant mind -rendered any discussion impossible. The Europeans, and, before all, the -French in America, display towards the natives--white, half-breed, or -redskins--a contempt which breaks out in their language and actions, -persuaded they stand intellectually far above the inhabitants of the -country in which they happen to be, they display towards them an -insulting pity, and amuse themselves with continually turning them into -ridicule, by mocking either their habits or their belief, and in their -hearts grant them an amount of instinct not greatly superior to that of -the brute. - -This opinion is not only unjust, but it is also entirely false. The -American Hispanos, it is true, are very far behindhand as regards -civilisation, trade, mechanical arts, &c.: progress with them is slow, -because perpetually impeded by the superstitions that form the basis of -their faith; but we ought not to make these people responsible for a -state of things from which they are eager to emerge, and for which the -Spaniards are alone culpable, owing to the system of brutalising -oppression and crushing abjectness in which they kept them. The grinding -tyranny which for several centuries weighed Indians down, by rendering -them the utter slaves of haughty and implacable masters, has given them -the characteristics of slaves--cunning and cowardice. - -With a few honourable exceptions, the mass of the Indian population -especially--for the whites have advanced with giant steps in the path of -progress during the past few years--is scampish, cunning, cowardly, and -depraved. Thus it ever happens that when a European and a half-breed -come into collision, the white man, instead of the intelligence he -boasts, is duped by the Indian. It is so well recognised as an article -of faith in Spanish America, that the half-breeds and Indians are poor -irrational creatures, gifted at the most with enough intelligence to -live from hand to mouth that the whites proudly call themselves _gente -de razón._ - -We are bound to add that, after a few years' residence in America, the -opinions of the Europeans with regard to the half-breeds are greatly -modified, because a little acquaintance with the country enables them to -take a more healthy view of the people with whom they are mixed up. But -the Count de Lhorailles had not reached that stage: he only saw in the -Indian or half-breed a being all but lacking reason, and dealt with -him on that erroneous principle. This belief was destined, at a later -date, to bear most terrible consequences. - -The count had noticed the shrug of the shoulders the capataz gave, and -was about to reply to him, when the corporal reappeared, followed by the -stranger, on whom all eyes were at once fixed. The stranger bore without -flinching the cross fire of glances, and, while remaining completely -wrapped up in the folds of his large cloak, saluted the company with -unparalleled ease. The appearance of this man in the banqueting hall -infected the guests with a feeling of uneasiness they would have been -unable to explain, but which suddenly rendered them dumb. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -CUCHARES. - - -The silence began to grow embarrassing to all, and the count speedily -noticed this. As a thorough gentleman, accustomed to command immediately -the most exceptional and difficult positions, he rose, walked toward the -stranger with outstretched hand, and turning to his officers,-- - -"Gentlemen," he said, with a peculiar inflection of voice, and bowing -courteously, "allow me to present to you this _caballero_, whose name I -am not yet acquainted with, but who, from what he has himself said, is -one of my most intimate enemies." - -"Oh, señor conde!" the unknown said, in a stifled voice. - -"I am delighted at it," the count said quickly. "Pray do not contradict -me, my dear enemy, but be good enough to take a seat by my side." - -"I never was your enemy; the proof is that I have ridden two hundred -leagues to ask a service of you." - -"It is granted ere mentioned; so put off serious matters till tomorrow. -Take a glass of champagne." - -The unknown bowed, seized the glass, and said, bowing to the company,-- - -"Gentlemen, I drink to the fortunate issue of your expedition." - -And lifting the glass to his lips, he emptied it at a draught. - -"You are a famous companion, sir. I thank you for your toast; it is of -good omen to us." - -"Commandant, pray be kind enough," Lieutenant Martin said, "to tell us -as speedily as possible your amusing relations with this caballero." - -"I would do so with pleasure, señores; but I should first like to ask -this caballero, who states he has ridden so far to see me, to break an -incognito which has lasted too long already, and to inform us of his -name, so that we may know whom we have the honour of greeting." - -The stranger began laughing, and, allowing the fold of his cloak, which -had hitherto concealed his face, to fall, replied:-- - -"With the greatest pleasure, caballeros; but I fancy that my name, like -my face, will teach you nothing. We only met once, señor conde, and -during that interview the night was too dark, and the conversation -between yourself and my comrade too animated, for my features to have -deeply imprinted on your memory, even had you seen them." - -"It is true, señor," the count replied, after attentively examining his -features. "I am free to confess that I do not remember ever having seen -you before." - -"I was sure of it." - -"Then," the count exclaimed hotly, "why do you so obstinately hide your -face?" - -"Come, sir count, I probably had my reasons for doing so. Who knows if -you may not some day have cause to regret making me break an incognito -which I probably had reasons for maintaining?" - -These words were pronounced in a sarcastic voice, mingled with a menace, -which each could read in spite of the stranger's apparent coolness. - -"It is of little consequence, señor," the count said haughtily. "I am -one of those men whose sword supports his words; so now have the -goodness to give me your name without further excuses or vacillation." - -"Which will you have, caballero--my _nom de guerre_, or any other of my -aliases?" - -"Any one you please," the count said furiously, "so long as you give us -one." - -The stranger rose, and, turning a haughty glance on all present, said in -a firm voice,-- - -"I told you on entering this room, caballero, that I had ridden two -hundred leagues to ask a service of you. I deceived you. I expect -nothing of you, neither service nor favour; on the contrary, I wish to -be useful to you. I have come for that purpose, and no other. What need -of your knowing who I am, or what my name is, as I shall not be your -obligé, but you mine?" - -"The greater reason, caballero, for you to unmask. I will respect the -quality of guest you claim here, and not make you do by force what I ask -of you; but remember this, I am resolved, whatever may happen, to listen -to nothing, and beg you to withdraw immediately, if you refuse any -longer to satisfy my wishes." - -"You will repent of it, señor conde," the stranger replied, with a -sardonic smile. "One word more, and a last one. I consent to make myself -known to you privately, the more so as what I have to tell you must only -be heard by yourself." - -"By Bacchus!" Lieutenant Martin exclaimed, "this surpasses all belief, -and such persistency is extraordinary." - -"I know not if I am mistaken," the capataz exclaimed meaningly; "but I -am certain I hold a great place in the mystery with which this caballero -surrounds himself, and that if he fears anybody here it is I." - -"You are quite correct, señor Don Blas," the stranger said with a bow. -"You see that I know you. You know me too, if not by face, fortunately -for me at this moment, by name and repute. Well, rightly or wrongly, I -am convinced that were I to pronounce that name before you, you would -induce your friend not to listen to me." - -"And what would happen then?" the capataz interrupted him. - -"A great misfortune probably," the stranger said in a firm voice. "You -see that I act frankly with you, whatever your opinion may be. I only -ask of the count ten minutes' conversation; after that he can do -whatever he pleases with the secret I intrust to him, and the news I -bring him." - -There was a moment's silence. The count examined the stranger's calm -face while reflecting profoundly. At length the unknown rose, and, -bowing to the count, said,-- - -"Which am I to do, señor--stay or go?" - -The count turned a piercing glance upon him, which the other endured -without betraying the slightest emotion. - -"Stay!" he said. - -"Good!" the unknown remarked, and seated himself again on the _butaca_. - -"Gentlemen," continued the count, addressing his guests, "you have -heard, be kind enough to excuse me for a few moments." - -The officers rose and withdrew without any reply. The capataz was the -last to go, after bending on the unknown one of those glances which -ransack the depths of a man's heart. But this glance, like the count's, -produced no effect on the stranger's cold, impassive face. - -"Now, señor," said the count to the stranger, as soon as they were -alone, "I am awaiting the fulfilment of your promise." - -"I am ready to satisfy you." - -"What is your name? Who are you?" - -"Pardon me, sir," the stranger replied with easy raillery, "if we go on -thus it will take a long time, and you will learn nothing, or very -little." - -The count repressed with difficulty a gesture of impatience. - -"Proceed as you think proper," he said. - -"Good! In that way we shall soon understand each other." - -"I am listening." - -"You are strange, señor, in this country. Having arrived a few months -back only, you do not yet know the habits and customs of the -inhabitants. Relying on the knowledge you attained in your own country, -you fancied, on arriving among us, that you could do exactly as you -pleased, because your intelligence was so superior to ours, and you have -acted accordingly." - -"To your story, señor!" interrupted the count passionately. - -"I am coming to it, señor. Owing to powerful protectors, you found -yourself at once placed in an exceptional position. You have founded a -magnificent colony in the richest province of Mexico, on the desert -frontier. You then asked and obtained from government the rank of -captain, with the right to raise a free corps composed exclusively of -your own countrymen, specially intended to hunt the Apaches, Comanches, -&c. That is easy to understand for we Mexicans are such cowards." - -"Señor, señor! I would remind you that all you are now saying is at -least useless," the count angrily exclaimed. - -"Not so much as you suppose," the other said, still perfectly calm; "but -set your mind at ease. I have finished, and now reach the point which -specially interests you. I only wished to let you see that if you did -not know _me_, I, on the other hand, know more of you than you -imagined." - -The count struck the table with his fist and stamped his foot as an -outlet for his passion. - -"I will go on," the unknown continued. "Certainly, on landing in Mexico, -however great your ambition might be, you did not expect to gain such a -brilliant position in so short a time. Facile fortune is a bad adviser. -The too much of yesterday becomes the not enough of today. When you saw -that you succeeded in everything, you wished to crown your work by a -masterstroke, and shelter yourself for ever from the freaks of that -fortune which is today your slave, but might suddenly turn its back on -you tomorrow. I do not blame you. You acted like a clever gambler; and, -being afflicted with that vice myself, I can appreciate in others a -quality I do not myself possess. - -"Oh," the count said. - -"Patience! I am there now. You looked around you, and your eyes were -naturally fixed on Don Sylva de Torrés. That caballero combined all the -qualities you sought in a father-in-law, for what you wished was to -contract a rich marriage. Ah! You no longer interrupt me. It seems that -the account I am giving of your own history is becoming interesting. Don -Sylva is kind-hearted and credulous; moreover, he has a colossal -fortune, even for this country, where fortunes are so large; and Doña -Anita is a charming girl. In short, you introduced yourself to Don -Sylva. You asked his daughter's hand, which he promised you, and the -marriage should have come off a month ago. And now, caballero, be good -enough to redouble your attention, for I am entering on the most -interesting part of my narrative." - -"Continue, señor; you see that I am listening with all necessary -patience." - -"You shall be rewarded for your complaisance, caballero, be at rest," -the unknown said with a tinge of mockery. - -"I am anxious to hear the end of your story, señor." - -"Here you have it. Unfortunately for your schemes, Doña Anita was not -consulted by her father in the choice of a husband: for a long time she -had secretly loved a young man who had done her important service." - -"And you know the man's name?" - -"Yes, señor." - -"Tell it me." - -"Not yet. This man returned her love. The two young people met without -Don Sylva's knowledge, and swore an eternal love. When Doña Anita was -constrained by her father to regard you as her husband she feigned -submission, for she did not dare openly to resist her father; but she -warned the man she loved, and the couple, after renewing their love -vows, thought on a way to break off this fatal marriage." - -The count had risen several moments back, and was now pacing the room. -At the last words he stopped before the stranger. - -"Then," he said in a gloomy voice, "the attempted assassination at the -Rancho--" - -"Was a means employed by the lover to get rid of you? Yes, señor," the -stranger calmly said. - -"This man, then, is only a dastardly assassin!" he said contemptuously. - -"You are wrong, caballero; he only wished to compel you to retire. The -proof is that your life was in his hands and he did not take it." - -"To the point, then!" the count exclaimed. "Assassin or not, you will -tell me his name, for you have finished now, I suppose?" - -"Not yet. After the meeting at the Rancho you proceeded to your -hacienda, accompanied by your future father-in-law and wife. Even then, -without leaving you a moment's rest, the hatred of Doña Anita's lover -pursued you: the Apaches attacked you. - -"Well?" - -"Well, need I give you further explanation? Cannot you understand that -this man was in league with the redskins?" - -"And Doña Anita knew it?" - -"I will not affirm that positively, but it is probable." - -"Oh!" - -"Was not the game well played?" - -The count bit his lips till the blood began to flow. - -"And you know who carried Doña Anita off?" - -"I do." - -"It was not the redskins?" - -"No." - -"That man, then?" - -"Yes." - -"But her father was carried off to?" - -"I know it; but it was not at all with his will, I assure you." - -"Where is Don Sylva now?" - -"Quietly at home at Guaymas." - -"Is his daughter with him?" - -"No." - -"She is with that man, I suppose?" - -"You are a perfect sorcerer." - -"And you know where they are?" - -"I do." - -Quick as lightning the count bounded on the stranger, seized him by the -collar with his left hand, and, placing a pistol against his breast, -shouted in a hoarse voice,-- - -"Now, villain, you will tell me where they are!" - -"Is that the game we are playing?" the stranger said. "Well, as you -please, caballero." - -Then throwing back his cloak quickly, he aimed at the count two pistols -which he held in either hand. The stranger's movement had been so rapid -that the count was unable to prevent it. Besides, a sudden idea occurred -to him at the moment. Lowering his pistol, and thrusting it back in his -girdle, he muttered,-- - -"I was mad: pardon that angry movement." - -"Most heartily," the unknown replied, laying his pistols on the table -within reach. - -"Pardon me again. Now that I reflect on what you have just told me, I -see that your object was to be of service to me." - -The stranger made a gesture of affirmation. - -"But there is one thing I cannot explain." - -"What is that?" - -"The manner in which you have told me all these details." - -"Oh! That is simple enough." - -"I shall feel obliged by your explanation." - -"With pleasure, caballero. Two men attacked you at the Rancho." - -"Yes." - -"I am he who pulled you off your horse." - -"Oh!" the count said, with a singular intonation in his voice. - -"In a word, my name is Cucharés! I am a lepero; that is to say, I like -the sun better than the shade, rest than work, and would sooner stab a -man, when properly paid for it, than do a good action which brings in -nothing. You comprehend me?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Then we can come to an understanding?" - -"I think so." - -"Well, so do I, and that is the reason I have come to you." - -"One question more." - -"Ask it." - -"At this moment you are betraying your friends?" - -"I? Who?" - -"The persons you have hitherto served." - -"A man like myself, caballero, has no friends, only customers." - -"Friends or customers, you are betraying them." - -"Pooh! We have settled our accounts. They owe me nothing, nor I them. We -are quits. Look ye, caballero: in every business there are two sides, -which a skilful man can work equally well. I have drawn all I could from -the first, so I am going to try the other now." - -The count heard the lepero develope this strange theory with an amazement -mingled with terror. A cynicism so ripe and shameless terrified him and -yet the count was not excessively thin-skinned. - -"We will agree, then, that you have come to do me a service." - -The lepero smiled. - -"Let us understand one another," continued he. "I say so not to startle -the consciences of the gentlemen who were present on my entrance; but -between ourselves, I will be more frank." - -"Which means?" - -"That I have come to sell it to you." - -"Be it so!" - -"I shall want a long price." - -"Good!" - -"A very long price." - -"No matter, if it is worth it." - -"Come," the lepero exclaimed joyfully, "you are just the man I expected -to find you. Well, you can trust in me." - -"I must do so, I suppose." - -"What would you? It is the way of the world. Today my turn, tomorrow -yours. Bah! You will have no cause to regret a few thousand piastres." - -"First, then, my rival's name." - -"It will cost you fifty ounces, and you cannot think it dear." - -"Here they are," the count said, arranging them on the table. - -The lepero made them disappear in a second in his large pockets. - -"The name of your rival, caballero, is Don Martial. He is a Tigrero, and -very rich." - -"I fancy I have heard Don Sylva mention that name." - -"It is probable. Don Sylva cannot endure Don Martial, especially since -he saved Doña Anita's life." - -"I remember that circumstance too; Don Sylva frequently mentioned it to -me. And now, how did Don Martial carry the girl off?" - -"Very easily, the more so as she wished nothing better than to follow -him. During your fight with the Apaches he placed Doña Anita in a canoe, -into which I had already thrown her father, gagged and tied; then we -went off, all four of us. All through the night we kept to the river, so -as to leave no traces of our flight, and by daybreak had covered fifteen -leagues. No longer fearing discovery, we landed. Indios Mansos sold us -some horses. Don Martial ordered me to take the young girl's father to -Guaymas, and I fulfilled this difficult commission with all honour. Don -Sylva was unwilling to follow me; but at last I managed to get him into -his own house, where I left him, and went back to Don Martial, who had -requested me to bring him certain things, and was awaiting me at a spot -agreed on between us." - -"Ah!" the count said, "and how did you come to leave him?" - -"Good gracious, caballero! We separated, as so often happens to the best -of friends, in consequence of a misunderstanding." - -"Very good! He turned you off?" - -"Nearly so, I am obliged to confess." - -"Have you left him long?" - -The lepero winked his right eye. - -"No," he answered. - -"Can you lead me to the spot where he now is?" - -"Yes, whenever you please." - -"Very good! Is it far?" - -"No, but pardon me, caballero, let us settle matters at once. Are you -agreeable?" - -"Let us see." - -"How much will you give me to learn at what spot Don Martial and Doña -Anita are concealed?" - -"Two hundred ounces." - -"Hand them over." - -"Here they are." - -The count took some handfuls of money from an iron box in a corner of -the room, and gave them to the lepero. - -"There is a pleasure in dealing with you," said Cucharés, as he sent -these ounces to join the others with admirable celerity. "Thus you see I -was quite right when I told you that I was going to do you a service." - -"It is true, and I thank you. Where are Don Martial and the Doña?" - -"At the mission of Don Francisco. But now I must ask permission to leave -you." - -"Not yet." - -"Why not?" - -"For two reasons; the first, because, in spite of all the confidence I -have in you, nothing has yet proved to me that you have told the truth." - -"Oh!" said the lepero with a gesture of denial. - -"I know very well I am mistaken; but what would you have? I am naturally -suspicious." - -"Good! I will remain. But now for your second reason." - -"This is it. I have in my turn a service to ask of you." - -"To be paid for?" - -"Of course." - -"I am listening." - -"I will give you a hundred ounces to lead me to my rival." - -"Canarios!" the lepero exclaimed. - -"One hundred ounces," the count said again. - -"I understand you. One hundred ounces--a fine sum. But look ye, count: -I am a costeño, and a lepero in the bargain. This desert life does not -suit my temperament and injures my health. I have taken an oath to have -no more of it. The road from here to the mission is difficult. We shall -have to cross the desert. No, taking all things into consideration, it -is impossible." - -"That is unlucky," coldly replied the count. - -"It is." - -"Because," he continued, "I would have given you not one, but two -hundred ounces." - -"Eh?" asked the other, cocking his ears. - -"But as you refuse--you do so, I think?--I shall be obliged, to my great -regret to have you shot." - -"What do you say?" the lepero exclaimed, with a movement of terror. - -"By'r Lady!" the count said simply, "my dear fellow, you are so clever in -business matters that, having found two sides of a question, I am -terribly frightened lest you should find a third." - -And before Cucharés could prevent him he seized the pistols that lay on -the table. The lepero turned livid. - -"Pardon me, pardon me," he said in an ill-assured voice. "As you desire -it so eagerly, I must please you to the best of my power. I accept the -two hundred ounces." - -"Very good!" the count exclaimed. "I thought, too, that we should come -to an understanding." - -He went to fetch the money from the iron chest; but, as he turned his -back on the lepero, he could not see the singular smile that curved his -lips. Had he done so, he would not have chanted his victory so loudly. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK. - - -The lepero's story, true in its foundation, was utterly false and -erroneous in its details. Perhaps, however, he had an interest in -deceiving the Count de Lhorailles, which the reader will be able to -judge of better after reading the following chapter. - -After escaping so miraculously from the hands of the Apaches, into -whose power he had fallen, Cucharés dived and sought the centre of the -river. On mounting to the surface again to take breath, he looked around -him: he was alone. The lepero stifled a cry of joy, and, after a -moment's reflection, swam vigorously in the direction of the mangroves, -where Don Martial, warned by the signal he had been compelled to give, -had doubtlessly been awaiting him some time. With a few strokes he -reached the trees, beneath whose shade he disappeared. But another piece -of good luck awaited him there: the canoe, abandoned to itself, had -floated up against the trunk of a tree, and remained stationary. - -Cucharés, leaving the water, soon succeeded in emptying the canoe and -making it float again. These boats are so light that they can be easily -emptied, for in these regions they are made of birch bark, which the -Indians strip from the tree by means of boiling water. - -He had scarce landed ere a shadow bent over him and muttered in his -ear:-- - -"You have been a long time." - -The lepero gave a start of terror; but he recognised Don Martial. In a -very few words he explained to him all that happened. - -"It is all the better, as you have come here," the Tigrero said. "Hide -yourself in the mangroves, and do not stir under any pretext until I -return." - -And he rapidly retired. Cucharés obeyed with more zeal because he heard -at no great distance from him the sound of the obstinate contest going -on at that moment between the French and Apaches. Don Martial, dagger in -hand, in readiness for any event, had glided like a phantom up to a -clump of floripondins, where Doña Anita awaited him all trembling. Just -as he was going to pull back the branches that separated him from the -young girl, he stopped with panting breast and frowning brow. She was -not alone. Her voice, quivering with emotion or anger, was harsh and -imperious, whom could she be speaking to? Who was the man that had -succeeded in discovering her in this retired spot, where she fancied -herself so well concealed, and who, it seemed, was trying to force her -to follow him? The Tigrero listened. Soon he made a gesture of anger and -menace. He had recognised the voice of the man with whom Doña Anita was -talking: it was her father. - -All was lost! - -The hacendero was trying to lead his daughter in the direction of the -buildings; while employing the most convincing reasons. He did not -appear to suspect the motive which had brought his daughter to that -spot. Doña Anita refused to go away, alleging the danger of being met by -an Indian marauder, and thus falling into the danger she so earnestly -wished to avoid. - -Don Martial struck his brow; a singular smile played on his lips; his -eyes flashed fire, and he noiselessly slipped back to the river bank. -Still the combat was going on: at times it appeared to draw -nearer--oaths and yells could be distinguished; at others, flashes lit -up the scene, and a shower of bullets whizzed through the air with that -sharp, hissing sound which terrifies novices in warfare. - -"In the name of Heaven, my beloved daughter," Don Sylva urged, "come! We -have not a moment to lose; in a few seconds our retreat may be perhaps -cut off. Come, I implore you!" - -"No, my father!" she said, shaking her head. "I am resigned: whatever -may happen, I repeat to you, I will not leave this spot." - -"It is madness," the hacendero exclaimed in great grief. "You wish to -die, then?" - -"What matter to me?" she said sorrowfully. "Am I not condemned in every -way? Heaven is my witness, father, that I would gladly die to escape the -marriage prepared for me." - -"My daughter, in the Virgin's name----" - -"What do you care, father, whether I fall into the hands of Pagan -savages today, when tomorrow you would surrender me with your own hands -to a man I detest?" - -"Speak not to me thus, daughter. Besides, the moment is very badly -chosen, it seems to me, for a discussion like this. Come, the shouts are -growing more furious; it will soon be too late." - -"Go, if you think proper," she said resolutely. "I shall remain here, -whatever may happen." - -"As it is so, as you obstinately resist me, I will employ force to -compel your obedience." - -The girl threw her left arm round the trunk of a cedar tree, and looking -with intense resolution at her father, exclaimed,-- - -"Do so if you dare, O my father! But I warn you that, at the first step -you take toward me, that will happen which you want to avoid. I will -utter such piercing shrieks that they must reach the ears of the Pagans, -who will run up." - -Don Sylva stopped in hesitation: he knew his daughter's firm and -determined character, and that she would at once put this threat in -execution. A few minutes elapsed, during which father and daughter stood -face to face, not uttering a word, or making even a gesture. - -Suddenly the branches were noisily parted, yielding a passage to two -men, or rather two demons, who, rushing with panther bounds on the -hacendero, hurled him to the ground. Before Don Sylva was able to -recognise the enemies who attacked him so unexpectedly by the pale beams -of the stars, he was gagged and bound, while a handkerchief twisted -round his head hid from him all external objects, and prevented him -seeing what his daughter's fate might be. The latter, at this sudden -attack, uttered a cry of terror, at once prudently checked, for she had -recognised Don Martial. - -"Silence!" the Tigrero hurriedly said in a low voice. "I could manage in -no other way. Come, come, your father, you know, is a sacred object to -me." - -The girl made no reply. At a sign from Don Martial, Cucharés seized Don -Sylva, threw him on his shoulders, and went toward the mangroves. - -"Where are we going?" Doña Anita asked in a trembling voice. - -"To a place where we can be happy together," the Tigrero answered -gently, as he lifted her with a passionate movement, and ran off with her -to the canoe. Doña Anita made no resistance: she smiled and threw her -arms round her lover's neck to keep her balance during this -steeplechase, in which Don Martial leaped from branch to branch, holding -on by the creepers and encouraging his lovely burden by signs and looks. -Cucharés had placed Don Sylva in the bottom of the canoe, and, paddles -in hand, was impatiently awaiting the Tigrero's arrival: for the combat -seemed doubled in intensity, although, from the number of musket shots, -it was easy to see that victory would rest with the French. - -"What shall we do?" Cucharés inquired. - -"Get into the middle of the river, and slip down with the current." - -"But our horses?" - -"Let us save ourselves first; we will think of the horses afterwards. It -is evident that the white men are the victors. As soon as the fight is -over, Count de Lhorailles will send everywhere in search of his guests. -It is important not to leave any trail, for the French are demons, and -would find us again." - -"Still, I fancy--" Cucharés timidly observed. - -"Be off!" said the Tigrero in a peremptory tone, kicking the canoe -vigorously from the bank. - -The first moments of the voyage passed in silence: each reflected on the -peculiar position in which he was placed. - -Don Martial had assumed a tremendous responsibility by staking, as it -were, on one throw the happiness of the girl he loved and his own. -Besides, the hacendero lying at the bottom of the canoe gave him great -subject for thought. The position was grave, the solution difficult. - -Doña Anita, with drooping head and absent glance, was dreamily letting -her dainty hand glide through the water over the side of the canoe. - -Cucharés, while paddling furiously, was thinking that the life he led -was anything rather than agreeable, and that he was far happier at -Guaymas, as he lay with his head in the shade, and his feet in the sun, -in the church porch, enjoying his siesta, refreshed by the sea breeze, -and lulled to sleep by the mysterious murmur of the surf on the shingle. - -As for Don Sylva de Torrés, he was not reflecting. A prey to one of -those dumb passions which, if they lasted any length of time, must end -in insanity, he frantically bit the gag that shut his mouth, and writhed -in his bonds, while unable to break them. - -The various sounds of the contest gradually died out. For some time -longer the travellers remained silent, absorbed not only in their -thoughts, but affected by that gentle melancholy produced on all nervous -natures by that solemn calmness and striking harmony of the wilderness, -whose sublime and majestic grandeur no human pen is capable of -describing. - -The stars were beginning to pale in the sky: an opal line was vaguely -drawn in the horizon: the clumsy alligators were quitting the mud and -going in search of their morning meal; the owls, perched on the trees, -were saluting the approaching sunrise; the coyotes glided in startled -bands along the shore, uttering their hoarse barks; the wild beasts were -retreating to their hidden dens, heavy with sleep and fatigue; day was -on the point of breaking. Doña Anita leaned coquettishly on Don -Martial's shoulder. - -"Where are we going?" she asked him in a gentle resigned voice. - -"We are flying," he laconically answered. - -"We have been descending the river in this way for more than six hours, -borne by the current and helped by your four vigorously-pulled paddles. -Are we not out of reach of danger?" - -"Yes, long ago. It is not any fear of the French which troubles me -now--" - -"What then?" - -The Tigrero pointed to Don Sylva, who, having exhausted his strength and -passion, had at length tacitly recognised his powerlessness, and was -sleeping quite exhausted. - -"Alas!" she said, "You are right. Things can not go on thus, my friend; -the position is intolerable." - -"If you will allow me to act as I think proper, before a quarter of an -hour your father will thank me." - -"Do you not know that I am entirely yours?" - -"Thanks!" he said. Turning to Cucharés, he muttered a few words in his -ear. - -"Ah, ah! That is an idea," the lepero said with a grin. Two minutes -later the canoe ran ashore. Don Sylva, delicately borne by two powerful -hands, was carried ashore without waking. - -"Now it is your turn," Don Martial said to the girl: "for the success of -the scheme I have formed you must allow yourself to be fastened to this -tree." - -"Do so, my friend." - -The Tigrero took her into his vigorous arms, bore her ashore and in a -twinkling had fastened her tightly by the waist to the stem of a tree. - -"Now," he said hurriedly, "remember this. Your father and yourself were -carried off from the hacienda by the Apaches; accident brought us in -your way, and--" - -"You save us, I suppose?" she said with a smile. - -"Quite correct; but utter shrill cries, as if you felt in great alarm. -You understand, do you not?" - -"Perfectly." - -The play was performed in the way arranged. The girl uttered piercing -shrieks, to which the two adventurers replied by discharging their -rifles and pistols; they then rushed toward the hacendero, whom they -hastened to liberate from his bonds, and to whom they restored not only -the use of his limbs, but also of his eyes and tongue. Don Sylva half -rose, and looked around him: he saw his daughter fastened to a tree, -from which two men were freeing her. The hacendero raised his eyes to -heaven, and uttered a fervent prayer. - -So soon as Doña Anita was free she ran to her father, and cast herself -in his arms. As she embraced him she hid her face, which blushed, -perhaps, for shame at this unworthy deception, on the old man's breast. - -"My poor darling child," he murmured, with tears in his eyes, "It was -for you, for you alone, I trembled during the whole of this fearful -night." - -The girl made no reply, for she felt stung to the heart by this -reproach. Don Martial and Cucharés, judging the moment favourable, then -approached, holding their smoking rifles in their hands. On recognising -them a cloud passed over the hacendero's face--a vague suspicion gnawed -at his heart; he bent a searching glance on the two men and on his -daughter, and rose with frowning brow and quivering lips, though not -uttering a word. Don Martial was embarrassed by this silence, which he -had been far from anticipating. After the service he was supposed to -have done Don Sylva, the duty of speaking first fell upon him. - -"I am happy," he said in an embarrassed voice, "to have arrived here so -fortunately, Don Sylva, as I was enabled to save you from the redskins." - -"I thank you, señor Don Martial," the hacendero answered dryly. "I could -expect nothing less from your gallantry. It was written, so it seems, -that after saving the daughter, you must also save the father. You are -destined, I see it, to be the liberator of my entire family: receive my -sincere thanks." - -These words were uttered with an accent of raillery that pierced the -Tigrero like an arrow: he could not find a word in reply, and bowed -awkwardly in order to hide his embarrassment. - -"My father," Doña Anita said in a caressing tone, "Don Martial has -risked his life for us." - -"Have I not thanked him for it?" he continued. "The affair was a sharp -one, as it seems, but the heathens escaped very quickly. Was there no -one killed?" - -And saying this the hacendero affected to look carefully around him. Don -Martial drew himself up. - -"Señor Don Sylva de Torrés," he said in a firm voice, "as chance has -brought us once again face to face permit me to tell you that few men -are so devoted to you as myself." - -"You have just proved, caballero." - -"Leave that out of sight," he went on hurriedly. "Now that you are free, -and can act as you please, command me. What would you of me? I am ready -to do anything you please, in order to prove to you how happy I should -be in doing you a service." - -"That is language I can understand, caballero, and to which I will -frankly respond. Important reasons compel me to return to the French -colony of Guetzalli, whence the heathens carried me off so -treacherously." - -"When do you wish to start?" - -"At once, if that be possible." - -"Everything is possible, caballero. Still, I would call your attention -to the fact that we are nearly thirty leagues from that hacienda; that -the country in which we now are is a desert; that we should have great -difficulty in finding horses: and, with the best will in the world, we -cannot, make the journey on foot." - -"Especially my daughter, I presume," the other remarked with a sardonic -smile. - -"Yes," the Tigrero said, "especially the señorita." - -"What else is to be done? for I must return there--with my daughter," he -added, purposely laying stress on the last three words, "and that so -soon as possible." - -The Tigrero did not utter the exact truth in telling Don Sylva they were -thirty leagues from the colony. It was not more than eighteen; but in a -country like this, where roads do not exist, fifteen leagues are an -almost insurmountable obstacle to a man not thoroughly acquainted with -desert life. Don Sylva, though he had never travelled under other than -favourable circumstances--that is to say, with all the comfort it is -possible to obtain in these remote regions--was aware, theoretically, if -not practically, of all the difficulties which would rise before him -with each step, and what obstacles would check his movements. His -resolution was made almost immediately. - -Don Sylva, like a good many of his countrymen, was gifted with rare -obstinacy. When he had formed a plan, the greater the obstacles which -prevented its accomplishment, the greater his determination to carry it -out. - -"Listen," he said to Don Martial; "I wish to be frank with you. I fancy -I tell you nothing new in announcing my daughter's marriage with the -Count de Lhorailles. That marriage must be performed: I have sworn it, -and it shall be, whatever may be said or done to impede it. And now I am -about to make trial of the devotion you boast of offering me." - -"Speak, señor." - -"You will send your companion to the Count de Lhorailles; he will carry -him a message to calm his uneasiness and announce my speedy arrival." - -"Good!" - -"Will you do it?" - -"At once." - -"Thanks! Now, as regards yourself personally, I leave you at liberty to -follow or leave us at your pleasure; but in the first place, we want -horses, arms, and, above all, an escort. I do not wish to fall once more -into the hands of the heathen. Perhaps I shall not have the good fortune -to escape from them so easily as on this occasion." - -"Remain here: in two hours I will return with horses. As for an escort, -I will try and procure you one, although I do not promise it. As you -allow me to do so, I will accompany you till you have rejoined the -_conde_. I hope, during the period I may have the felicity of passing -near you, to succeed in proving to you that you have judged me -wrongfully." - -These words were pronounced with such an accent of truth that the -hacendero felt moved. - -"Whatever may happen," he said, "I thank you: you will none the less -have done me an immense service, for which I shall be ever grateful to -you." - -Don Sylva tore a leaf from his pocketbook, on which he wrote a few lines -in pencil, folded it, and handed it to the Tigrero. - -"Are you sure of that man?" he asked him. - -"As of myself," Don Martial replied evasively. "Be assured that he will -see the conde." - -The hacendero made a sign of satisfaction as the Tigrero went up to -Cucharés. - -"Listen," he said aloud as he gave him the paper. "Within two days you -must have delivered this to the chief of Guetzalli. You understand me?" - -"Yes," the lepero replied. - -"Go, and may Heaven protect you from all evil encounters! In a quarter -of an hour behind that mound," he hurriedly added in a whisper. - -"Agreed," the other said with a bow. - -"Take the canoe," the Tigrero continued. - -Had the hacendero conceived any doubts, they were dissipated when he saw -Cucharés leap into the canoe, seize the paddles, and depart without -exchanging a signal with the Tigrero, or even turning his head. - -"The first part of your instructions is fulfilled," said the Tigrero, -returning to Don Sylva's side. "Now for the second part. Take my pistols -and musket. In case of any alarm you can defend yourself. I leave you -here. Pray do not move, and within two hours at the latest I will rejoin -you." - -"Do you know where to find horses?" - -"Do you not remember that the desert is my domain?" he returned with a -melancholy smile. "I am at home here, as I shall prove to you. Farewell -for the present." - -And he went off in a direction opposed to that taken by the canoe. When -he had disappeared from Don Sylva's sight behind a clump of trees and -shrubs, the Tigrero turned sharply to the right and ran back. Cucharés, -carelessly seated on the ground, was smoking a cigarette while awaiting -him. - -"No words, but deeds," the Tigrero said. "We have no time to waste." - -"I am listening," - -"Look at this diamond;" and he pointed to a ring through which his neck -handkerchief was drawn. - -"It is worth 6000 piastres," Cucharés said, examining it like a judge. - -Don Martial handed it to him. - -"I give it you," he said. - -"What am I to do for it?" - -"First hand me the letter." - -"Here it is." - -Don Martial took it and tore it into impalpable fragments. - -"Next?" Cucharés continued. - -"Next, I have another diamond like that one at your service. You know -me?" - -"Yes; I accept." - -"On one condition." - -"I know it," said the other with a significant sign. - -"And you accept?" - -"Of course I do." - -"It is a bargain." - -"He shall never trouble you again." - -"Good! But you understand that I shall need proofs." - -"You shall have them." - -"Good-by, then." - -The two accomplices parted, well satisfied with each other. A nod was as -good as a wink in such a case. We have seen how Cucharés acquitted -himself of the mission intrusted to him by Don Sylva. Don Martial, after -his short conversation with Cucharés, went to look for horses. Two hours -later he had returned. He not only brought excellent horses, but had -hired four peons, or men who called themselves so, to act as escort. The -hacendero comprehended all the delicacy of Don Martial's conduct: and -though the air and garb of his defenders were not completely orthodox, -he warmly thanked the Tigrero for the trouble he had taken to supply his -wants. Reassured as to his journey, he breakfasted with good appetite on -a lump of venison, washed down with _pulque_, which Don Martial had -procured. Then, so soon as the meal was over, the little band, well -armed, set out resolutely in the direction of Guetzalli, where Don -Sylva expected to arrive in three days, if nothing thwarted his -calculations. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -IN THE PRAIRIE. - - -The Mexican frontier, up to the old Jesuit missions, now abandoned and -falling in ruins, forms the skirt of the great prairie of the Rio Gila -or of Apacheria, which extends as far as the mournful desert of the -Norte. In this portion of the prairie nature expands all that richness -of growth and vegetation which may be in vain sought elsewhere. - -Guetzalli was built by Count de Lhorailles on the ruins of a once -flourishing mission of the reverend Jesuits, which the decree commanding -their expulsion had compelled them to abandon. Without entering into -discussion for or against the Jesuits, we will say, _en passant_, that -these clergy rendered immense services in America; that all the missions -thus founded in the desert prospered; that the Indians flocked in by -thousands to range themselves beneath their paternal laws: and that -certain missions, whose names we could quote were it necessary, counted -as many as sixty thousand neophytes; that, as a proof of the excellence -of their system, when the order was given them to give up their mission -to other monks, and withdraw, their proselytes implored them to resist -this unjust ostracism, and offered to defend them against everybody. - -The Jesuits have the greater claim to this tardy justice we now seek to -do them in the fact that, in spite of the many years that have elapsed -since their departure, and although all the men they brought into the -bosom of the church by incessant labour have returned to a savage life, -the remembrance of the good deeds of these pious missionaries still -lives in the hearts of the Indians, and forms at night round the -campfires the staple of conversation, so deeply engraved on the minds of -these primitive beings is the small amount of kindness shown them. - -Don Sylva de Torrés wished to reach the colony of Guetzalli again so -soon as possible, and by the most direct route. Unfortunately he was -obliged to cross, as the crow flies, a large extent of country through -which no road ran. Moreover, owing to his topographical ignorance of the -prairie, he was compelled to trust in Don Martial, an excellent guide in -every respect, whose sagacity and thorough knowledge of the desert he -did not for a moment doubt, but in whom he placed but slight confidence, -while unable to explain his motive even to himself. - -Still the Tigrero (apparently at least) gave proofs of his entire -devotion to the hacendero, leading him by the most beaten tracks, making -him avoid difficult passages, and watching with unequalled care and -solicitude over the safety of his little band. Each evening at sunset -the party encamped on the top of an open hill, whence a large quantity -of ground could be surveyed, in order to guard against any surprise. On -the evening of the fourth day, after a fatiguing march over an irregular -tract, Don Martial reached a hill where he proposed to camp. - -The hacendero greeted the offer with greater pleasure, for, being but -little accustomed to this mode of travelling, he felt extremely -fatigued. After a frugal meal, composed of maize tortillas, and frijoles -powdered with the hottest spices, and washed down with pulque, Don -Sylva, without even thinking of smoking a cigarette (his custom always -after a meal), wrapped himself in his zarapé, laid down with his feet -toward the fire, and fell off almost immediately into a profound sleep. - -Don Martial and the young girl remained for some time silently opposite -each other, their eyes fixed on the hacendero, and uneasily watching the -phases of his sleep. At length, when the Tigrero was persuaded that Don -Sylva was really asleep, he bent over her, and muttered in her ear in a -gentle voice:-- - -"Pardon, Doña Anita, pardon!" - -"For what?" she asked in surprise. - -"Because you are suffering through me." - -"Egotist!" she said with an enchanting smile, "it is not through myself -too, as I love you?" - -"Oh, thank you!" he exclaimed. "You restore to my heart that courage -which I felt dying out. Alas! How will all this end?" - -"Well, I am convinced," she said quickly. "We must be patient. My father -believe me, will soon change his opinion about you." - -The Tigrero smiled sorrowfully. - -"Still," he said, "I cannot carry you about the prairie indefinitely." - -"That is true," she remarked despondently. "What is to be done?" - -"I do not know. For the last two days we have only been moving round the -colony, from which we are scarce three leagues distant, and yet I cannot -resolve to enter it." - -"Alas!" the girl murmured. - -"Ah!" he continued, with a degree of animation in his glance, "Why is -this man your father, Doña Anita?" - -"Speak not so, my friend," she said hurriedly, laying her little hand on -his mouth as if to prevent him saying more. "Why despair? God is good; -He will not fail us. We know not what He has in reserve for us: let us -place our trust in Him!" - -"Still," he replied, shaking his head, "our position is not tenable. It -is impossible to go on at haphazard. Your father, in spite of his -ignorance of the country, will at length perceive I am deceiving him, -and I shall be hopelessly ruined in his opinion. On the other hand, by -proceeding to the colony, I place you in the hands once more of the man -you are forced to marry. I cannot resolve on doing this odious deed. Oh! -I would joyfully give ten years of my life to know how I ought to act." - -At this moment, as if Heaven had heard his words, and hastened to reply -immediately, the Tigrero, whose eyes were mechanically fixed on the -prairie, which at this moment was buried in obscurity, saw a short -distance off, in the midst of the tall grass, a luminous point arise in -the air twice, tracing in its passage quaint parabolas. At the same -moment Don Martial's practised ear heard, or fancied it heard, the -suppressed snorting of a horse. - -"It is extraordinary," he muttered, as if speaking to himself. "What can -it mean? Is it a signal? Still we are alone here. Through the whole of -the past day I have not caught sight of a single trail; but that -light--" - -"What is the matter, my friend?" Doña Anita asked anxiously. "You seem -restless. Can any danger menace us? Speak! You know I am brave; and by -your side, what can I fear? Hide nothing from me. Something -extraordinary is taking place, is it not?" - -"Well, yes," he replied, resolutely making up his mind, "something -extraordinary is really happening; but calm yourself, I do not believe -there is anything for you to fear." - -"But what is it? I saw nothing." - -"Stay: look there!" he said quickly, and stretched out his arm. - -The girl looked attentively, and saw what the Tigrero had noticed a few -moments previously--a reddish dot sparkling in the gloom, and describing -interlaced lines. - -"'Tis evidently a signal," the Tigrero went on. "Somebody is concealed -there." - -"Do you expect anyone?" she asked him. - -"No; and yet, I know not why, but I fancy that signal can only be -intended for me." - -"Still recollect that we are in the prairie, and probably, without -suspecting it, surrounded by bands of Indian hunters. They may be -corresponding with each other by means of that light which we have seen -twice gleaming before our eyes." - -"No, Doña Anita, you are mistaken. We are not, at any rate for the -present, surrounded by any Indians: we are quite alone." - -"How can you know that, my friend, since you have not left us for a -moment to go and look for trails?" - -"Doña Anita, my well beloved!" he said in a stern voice, "the prairie is -a book on which Heaven's secrets are written in ineffaceable letters, -which the man accustomed to desert life can read currently. The wind -passing through the branches, the bird flying through the air, the deer -or buffalo grazing on the tufted grass, the alligator slothfully -wallowing in the mud, are to me certain signs in which I cannot be -mistaken. For the last two days we have seen no Indian sign; the -buffaloes and other animals we have passed growled calmly and without -distrust; the flight of the birds was regular; the alligators almost -disappeared in the mud which covered them. All these animals scent the -approach of man, and especially of the Indian, for a considerable -distance, and so soon as they have done so, disappear at headlong speed, -so great is the terror with which the Lord of creation inspires them. I -repeat to you, we are alone here, quite alone here, and therefore that -signal is intended for me. See, there it is again!" - -"It is true; I can see it!" - -"I must know what the meaning of it is," he said, seizing his rifle. - -"Oh, Don Martial, I implore you, take care! Be prudent. Think of me!" -she added in agony. - -"Reassure yourself, Doña Anita. I am too old a wood ranger to let myself -be deceived by a clumsy trick. I shall return shortly." - -And without listening further to the young girl, who tried to retain him -by her entreaties and tears, he proceeded to the slope of the hill, -which he descended rapidly, though with the utmost prudence. On arriving -in the prairie the Tigrero stopped to look around him. The party were -encamped about two arrow-shots from the Gila, nearly opposite a large -island, which is in reality only a rock, bearing some resemblance to the -human form, and which the Apaches call _the master of the life of man_. -In their excursions upon Indian territory the redskins never fail to -stop at this island and deposit their offerings, the ceremony consisting -in throwing into the water, with dancing, tobacco, hair, and birds -feathers. This rock, which offers a most striking appearance from the -distance, has two excavations in it more than 1200 feet in length, and -forty wide, the roof being of an arched form. - -The fact which had aroused the Tigrero's curiosity, and caused him to -undertake the enterprise of discovery in the meaning of the signal, was -that it came from the island; and this he could not at all account for, -being aware that the Indians felt for the rock a veneration mingled with -a superstitious terror so great, that no Indian warrior however brave he -might be, would have dared to spend the night there. It was the -knowledge of this peculiarity which urged him to examine into the -mystery. - -Tall and tufted grass grew profusely down to the river's edge. Concealed -by the thickly-growing mangroves and shrubs, intertwined in inextricable -confusion, the Tigrero glided cautiously down to the bank. So soon as he -reached it he let himself hang from a branch, and entered the water so -quietly that his immersion produced no sound. - -Holding his rifle over his head to keep it out of the wet, the Tigrero -then swam with one hand in the direction of the island. The distance was -short: the Tigrero was a vigorous swimmer, and he soon reached the spot -where he wished to land. So soon as he was on the island he crawled -through the shrubs, listening to the slightest sounds, and trying to -pierce the darkness. He saw nothing, heard nothing; then he rose, and -walked toward one of the grottos, at the entrance of which he could see -a fire blazing from the spot where he stood: near it was seated a man, -smoking as quietly as if he had been seated before a pulquería at -Guaymas. - -Don Martial, after attentively regarding this man, had difficulty in -repressing a shout of joy, and walked toward him without further attempt -at concealment. He had recognised his confidant, Cucharés, the lepero. -At the sound of his footfall Cucharés turned his head. - -"You have come at last!" he exclaimed. "For more than an hour I have -been racking my brain in inventing fresh signs, to which you would not -deign a reply." - -"Ah, my dear fellow," the Tigrero joyfully replied, "could I have -suspected it was you I should have been with you long ago; but I so -little expected you--" - -"You are quite right, and in such a country as this it is better to be -prudent than not sufficiently so." - -"Ah, ah! There is something new?" the Tigrero said, as he sat down to -the fire to dry his clothes. - -"Caspita! If there was not, should I be here?" - -"True: you are a good comrade, and I thank you for coming. You know that -I have a faithful memory." - -"I know it." - -"But come, what have you to tell me? I am anxious to hear all the news. -But, before beginning, one question." - -"Well?" - -"Is the news good?" - -"Excellent; you shall judge." - -"Caray! As it is so, take this ring, which I was not to have given till -our little affair was settled. But do not be frightened: when we balance -our account I shall find something to please you." - -The lepero's eye glistened with joy and avarice; he seized the ring, and -sent it to join company with the one he received a few days previously. - -"Thanks!" he said. "Heaven keep me! There is a pleasure in dealing with -you. You do not huckster, at any rate." - -"Now for the news." - -"Here it is, short and good. El señor conde, rendered desperate by the -disappearance of his betrothed, whom he supposes to have been carried -off by the Apaches, has quitted the hacienda at the head of his company, -and is now crossing the desert in every direction in pursuit of the -Black Bear." - -"By all the saints! That is the best news you could bring me. And what -do you intend doing?" - -"What! Did we not agree that _el conde_--" - -"Of course," the Tigrero quickly interrupted him, "but to do that you -must find him, and that, I fancy, is not so easy now." - -"On the contrary." - -"How so?" - -"Why, señor Don Martial, do you wish to insult me by taking me for a -_pavo_ (goose)?" - -"By no means, gossip: still--" - -"Still you believe it. Well, you are mistaken, caballero, and I am not -sorry to tell you so. During the very few hours which I spent at the -hacienda I made inquiries, and, as I announced myself the bearer of a -most important mission for _el señor conde_, no one made any bones -about answering me. It seems that the Apaches, instead of pushing on, -were so thoroughly beaten by the French (for whom, by the way, they feel -an enormous respect), that they are returning on the desert del Norte, -in order to regain their villages. The conde is pursuing them, is he -not?" - -"You told me so." - -"Well, in all probability he will not dare to enter the desert." - -"Naturally," the Tigrero said with a shudder, in spite of his tried -courage. - -"Well, then, he can only stop at one spot." - -"At the Casa Grande!" Don Martial exclaimed quickly. - -"Quite right! I am certain of finding him there." - -"Body of me! Go there, then." - -"I shall set out immediately after your departure." - -The Tigrero looked at him in surprise. - -"You're a fine fellow, Cucharés, on my soul!" he said presently. "I am -delighted to find that I made no mistake about you." - -"What would you?" the scamp answered modestly while winking his little -grey eye. "The relations into which I entered with you are so agreeable -to me, that I can refuse you nothing." - -The two men began laughing at this sally, which might have been in -better taste. - -"Now that all is settled between us," Don Martial went on, "let us -part." - -"How did you come here?" - -"Can't you see? By swimming: and you?" - -"On my horse. I would offer to land you again, but we are going in -opposite directions." - -"For the present, yes." - -"Do you intend to cross over there soon, then?" - -"Probably," he said with an equivocal smile. - -"In that case we shall soon meet again." - -"I hope so." - -"Stay, Don Martial. Now that your clothes are dry, I should not like you -to wet them again. Let us go and see if there be not a canoe about: you -know the Indians leave them everywhere." - -The Tigrero entered the grotto, and found there a canoe, with its -paddles carefully balanced against the sides: he unscrupulously carried -it out on his shoulders. - -"By the way," he said, "why the deuce did you give me the meeting here?" - -"Not to be disturbed. Would you have liked anyone to overhear our -conversation?" - -"I allow that. Good-by, then." - -"Good-by." - -The men separated--Cucharés to commence a long journey, and Don Martial -to return to his camping ground. But they were mistaken in supposing -that no one had overheard their conversation. They had scarce quitted -the island in different directions ere, from a thicket of dahlias and -floripondins growing at the entrance of the grotto, a hideous head was -thrust out cautiously, and looked around; then, at the end of a moment, -the bushes were further parted, and an Apache Indian, painted and armed -for war appeared. It was the Black Bear. - -"Wah!" he muttered with a menacing gesture, "the palefaces are dogs. The -Apache warriors will follow their trail." - -Then, after keeping his eyes fixed for a few instants on the -star-spangled sky, he entered the grotto. - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero had regained the encampment. Doña Anita, -rendered restless by so long an absence, was awaiting him with the most -lively anxiety. - -"Well?" she asked, running up as soon as she saw him. - -"Good news?" he answered. - -"Oh, I was so frightened!" - -"I thank you. It was as I expected. The signal was intended for me." - -"Then?" - -"I found a friend, who gave me the means to quit the false position in -which we are." - -"In what way?" - -"Do not trouble yourself about anything, I repeat, but leave me to act." - -The girl bowed submissively, and, in spite of the curiosity that -devoured her, retired without any further questioning into the _jacal_ -of branches prepared for her. Don Martial, instead of sleeping, sat down -on the ground, folded arms on his chest, leaned against a tree, and -remained thus motionless till daybreak, plunged in deep and melancholy -thought. At sunrise the Tigrero shook off the effects of his night watch -and aroused his comrades. Ten minutes after the little party was _en -route_. - -"Oh, oh!" the hacendero said, "You are very early this morning." - -"Did you not notice that we did not even breakfast before starting, as -we usually do?" - -"Of course I did." - -"Do you know the reason? Because we shall breakfast at Guetzalli, where -we shall arrive in two hours at the latest." - -"Ah, caramba!" the hacendero exclaimed, "you delight me with that news." - -"I thought I should." - -Doña Anita, on hearing him speak thus, had looked sorrowfully at Don -Martial; but seeing his face so calm, his smile so frank, she felt -suddenly reassured, and suspected that his silence of the previous night -intended some pleasant surprise for her. - -As Don Martial had stated, two hours later they reached the colony. So -soon as they were perceived by the sentinels the isthmus drawbridge was -lowered, and they entered the hacienda, where they were received with -all possible politeness. Doña Anita, with her eyes constantly fixed on -the Tigrero, blushed and turned pale, understanding nothing of his -perfect calmness. They dismounted in the second courtyard before the -gate of honour. - -"Where is the Count de Lhorailles?" asked the hacendero, surprised that -his future son-in-law had not merely neglected to come to meet him, but -was not there to receive him. - -"My master will feel highly annoyed, when he hears of your arrival, at -not having been present to welcome you," replied the steward, breaking -out into profuse apologies. - -"Is he absent?" - -"Yes, señor." - -"But he will soon return?" - -"I hardly think so. The captain started in pursuit of the savages at the -head of his entire company." - -This news was a thunderbolt for Don Sylva; but the Tigrero and Doña -Anita exchanged a glance of delight. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -BOOT AND SADDLE! - - -The great desert del Norte is the American Sahara--more extensive, more -to be feared, than the African Sahara; for it contains no laughing -oases, sheltered by fine trees, and refreshed by sparkling fountains. -Beneath a coppery sky extend immense plains, covered with a -dirty-greyish sand; in every direction horizons succeed horizons; -sand, ever sand, fine impalpable sand, bearing a closer resemblance with -human dust, which the wind carries aloft in long whirlwinds, whose -desolating aspect varies incessantly at the will of the tempest, which -hollows out valleys and throws up hills each time the fearful -_cordonazo_ howls across this desolate soil. - -Greyish rocks, covered with patches of parched lichen, at times lift up -their stunted crests in the midst of this chaos, which has not changed -its appearance since the creation. The buffalo, the ashata, the -swift-footed antelope, shun this desert, where their feet would only -rest on a shifting soil; flocks of blear-eyed and ill-omened vultures -alone soar over these regions in search of extremely rare prey for the -desert is so horrible that the Indians themselves enter on it with a -tremour, and cross it with express speed when they return to their -villages after a foray on the Mexican territory. And yet, however rapid -their journey may be, their passage is marked in an indelible manner by -the skeletons of mules and horses which they are compelled to abandon, -and whose bones blanch in the desert, until the hurricane, again -unchained, covers all with a cerecloth of sand. - -Still, as the hand of Deity is everywhere visible, in the desert more -profoundly than elsewhere, there spring up at long intervals, and half -buried in the sand, in the midst of piled up rocks, vigorous trees, with -enormous trunks and immense foliage, which seem to offer the traveller -rest beneath their shade. But these trees grow few and far between on -the plain, and two are rarely found together at the same spot. These -trees, revered by the Indians and wood rangers, are the imprint of -Providence on the desert, the proof of His solicitude and inexhaustible -goodness. But we repeat it, with the exception of these few landmarks, -lost like imperceptible dots in the immensity, there are neither animals -nor vegetables on the Del Norte: sand, and naught but sand. - -The Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, where the Count de Lhorailles' free -company was encamped, rose, and probably still rises, at the extreme -limit of the prairie, at not more than two leagues from the skirt of the -desert. The line of demarcation was clearly and coarsely traced between -the two regions: on the one side a luxuriant vegetation, glowing with -vigour and health; verdant plains covered with a close, tall grass, in -which animals of every description browsed: the song of birds, the hiss -of reptiles, the lowing of the buffaloes, in a word, grand, vigorous, -and ever-joyous life, exhaling in every pore of this blessed landscape. - -On the other side, the silence of death: a grey horizon; a sea of sand, -whose agitated waves pressed forward on every side, as if to encroach on -the prairie; not even the most scanty pasture--nothing--no roots, no -moss, naught but sand! - -After his conversation with Cucharés the count recalled his lieutenants, -and began drinking and laughing again in their society. They rose from -the table at an advanced hour to retire to sleep. Cucharés, however, did -not sleep: he was too busily engaged in thinking. We know now, or nearly -so, with what purpose he joined the count at the Casa Grande. - -At sunrise the bugles sounded the _réveillé_. The soldiers rose from the -ground on which they had been sleeping, shook off the night's cold, and -were busily engaged in dressing their horses and preparations for the -morning's meal. The camp soon put on that hurry and reckless animation -so characteristic of Frenchmen when out on an expedition. - -In the great hall of the Casa Grande the count and his lieutenants, -seated on the dried skulls of buffaloes, were holding a council. The -discussion was animated. - -"In an hour," the count said, "we shall set out. We have twenty mules -laden with provisions, ten to carry water, and eight for ammunition. We -have, therefore, nothing to fear." - -"That is true to a certain point, señor conde," the capataz observed. - -"Why so?" - -"We have no guides." - -"What use are guides?" the count said passionately. "I fancy we need -only follow the Apache trail." - -Blas Vazquez shook his head. - -"You do not know the Del Norte, excellency," he said candidly. - -"This is the first time accident has brought me this way." - -"I pray God it be not the last." - -"What do you mean?" the count said with a secret shudder. - -"Señor conde, the Del Norte is not a desert, but a gulf of shifting -sands; at the slightest breath of air in these desolate regions the sand -rises, whirls, and swallows up men and horses, leaving not a trace; all -disappears for ever, buried beneath a cerecloth of sand." - -"Oh, oh!" the count said thoughtfully. - -"Believe me, señor conde," the capataz continued. "Do not venture with -your brave soldiers into this implacable desert: not one of you will -leave it again." - -"Still the Apaches are men too: they are not braver or better mounted -than we, I may say." - -"They are not." - -"Well, they cross the Del Norte from north to south, from east to west, -and that, not once a year or ten times, but continually, whenever the -fancy takes them." - -"But do you know at what price, señor conde? Have you counted the -corpses they leave along the road to mark their passage? And then you -cannot compare yourselves with the Pagans: the desert possesses no -secrets for them. They know its furthest mysteries." - -"Then," the count exclaimed impatiently, "your impression is--" - -"That in bringing you here, and attacking you two days ago, the Apaches -laid a trap for you. They wish to entice you after them into the desert; -certain not merely that you will not catch them, but that you and all -your men will leave your bones there." - -"Still you agree with me, my dear Don Blas, that it is very -extraordinary there is not among all your peons one capable of guiding -us in this desert. Hang it, they are Mexicans!" - -"Yes excellency, but I have more than once had the honour of observing -to you that all these men are costeños, or inhabitants of the seaboard. -They never before came so far into the interior." - -"What shall we do, then?" the count asked with some hesitation. - -"Return to the colony," the capataz replied. "I see no other means." - -"Shall we abandon Don Sylva and his daughter?" - -Blas Vasquez frowned. He replied in a solemn voice, and with much -emotion,-- - -"Excellency, I was born on the estate of the Torrés family. No one is -more devoted, body and soul, than I am to the persons whose names you -have pronounced; but no one is bound to attempt impossibilities. It -would be tempting God to enter the desert in our present state. We have -no right to calculate on a miracle, and that alone could bring us back -here safe and sound." - -There was a moment's silence. These words produced on the count's mind -an impression which he tried in vain to master. The lepero guessed his -hesitation, and approached. - -"Why," he said in a crafty voice, "did you not tell me that you needed a -guide, señor conde?" - -"What good would that do?" - -"In fact, that is true; it was not worth the trouble, as I promised to -conduct you to Don Sylva. You have doubtlessly forgotten that?" - -"You know the road, then?" - -"Yes, as well as a man can who has only gone along it twice." - -"By heavens!" the count exclaimed, "We can push on now; nothing need -keep us longer. Diégo Léon, order 'the boot and saddle' to be sounded, and -if you are a good guide you shall have proofs of my satisfaction." - -"Oh, you can trust to me, excellency!" the lepero answered with a -dubious smile. "I certify you will reach the spot whither I have to -guide you." - -"I ask no more." - -Blas Vasquez, with that instinctive suspicion innate in all honest minds -when they come across wicked persons, felt an irresistible repugnance -for the lepero. This repugnance had displayed itself from the first -moment of Cucharés' appearance in the hall the previous evening. While -he was talking to the count he therefore examined him closely. When he -had ended, Blas made a sign to the count, who came up with him. The -capataz led him to a distant corner of the room, and whispered in his -ear,-- - -"Take care; that man is deceiving you." - -"You know it?" - -"I am certain of it." - -"Why so?" - -"Something tells me so." - -"Have you any proofs?" - -"None." - -"You must be mad, Don Blas, fear troubles your senses." - -"God grant that I am deceived!" - -"Listen! Nothing forces you to follow us. Remain here till we return: in -that way, whatever may happen, you will escape the dangers which in your -idea menace us." - -The capataz drew himself up to his full height. - -"Enough, Don Gaëtano," he said coldly. "In warning you I acted as my -conscience commanded. You will not attend to my advice--you need not do -so; I have done my duty as I was bound to do. You wish to march forward. -I will follow you, and hope soon to prove to you that if I am prudent, I -can be as brave as any man when it is necessary." - -"Thanks!" the count answered, affectionately pressing his hand: "I felt -sure that you would not abandon me." - -At this moment a great disturbance was heard outside, and Lieutenant -Diégo Léon entered precipitately. - -"What is the matter, lieutenant?" the count asked sternly. "What means -this startled face? Why do you enter in this way?" - -"Captain," the lieutenant answered in a panting voice, "the company has -revolted." - -"Eh? What do you say, sir? My troopers have revolted?" - -"Yes, captain." - -"Ah!" he said, biting his moustaches, "And why have they revolted, if -you please?" - -"Because they do not wish to enter the desert." - -"They do not wish!" the count continued, weighing every word. "Are you -sure of what you say, lieutenant?" - -"I swear it, captain; but listen." - -In fact, shouts and oaths, an ever-increasing noise, which was beginning -to assume formidable proportions, were heard outside. - -"Oh, oh! This is becoming serious, I fancy," the count continued. - -"Much more than you suppose, captain. The company, I repeat, is in -complete mutiny. The rebels have loaded their arms: they surround the -house, uttering threats against you. They say they want to speak to you, -and that they are sure of obtaining what they want, by good will or -ill." - -"I am curious to see that," the count said, still perfectly calm, as he -walked toward the door. - -"Stay, captain," the officers exclaimed, as they rushed before him; "our -men are exasperated; some accident may happen to you." - -"Nonsense, gentlemen," he replied angrily, repulsing them; "you are mad: -they do not know me well enough yet. I intend to show these bandits that -I am worthy to command them." - -And, without listening to any entreaty, he slowly walked out of the room -with a firm and calm step. - -What had happened may be told in a few words. - -Blas Vasquez' peons, during the few days the company had bivouacked in -the ruined city, told the troops, with sufficient exaggeration, mournful -and gloomy stories about the desert, giving details about those accursed -regions which would have made the hair stand on the head of the bravest. -Unfortunately, as we have said, the company was encamped hardly two -leagues from the entrance of the Del Norte: the gloomy horizon of the -desert added its frightful reality to the terrible tales told by the -peons. - -All the count's soldiers were French Dauph'yeers, principally men who -had escaped the gallows, brave, but, like all Frenchmen, easy to lead -backwards and forwards, and equally resolute for good or bad. Since they -had been under the command of the Count de Lhorailles, although he had -behaved with considerable bravery in action, they only obeyed him with a -certain degree of repugnance. The count had grave faults in their eyes; -in the first place, that of being a count; next, they considered him too -polite, his voice was too soft, his manner too delicate and effeminate. -They could not imagine that this gentleman, so well clothed and well -gloved, was capable of leading them to great things. They would have -liked as a chief a man of rude voice and rough manner, with whom they -could have lived, so to speak, on a footing of equality. - -In the morning rumour had spread that the camp was about to be raised, -in order to enter the desert and pursue the Apaches. At once groups were -formed--commentaries commenced--the men gradually grew excited. -Resistance was soon organised, and when the lieutenant came to give -orders to raise the camp he was greeted with laughter, jests, and -hisses; in short, he was compelled to give ground before the mutineers, -and return to his captain to make his report. - -An officer, under such circumstances, acts very wrongly in losing his -coolness, and yielding a step in the presence of revolt, he ought sooner -to let himself be killed. In a mutiny one concession compels another; -then this inevitably happens--the rebels count their strength, and at -the same time their leaders': they recognise the immense superiority -brute strength gives them, and immediately abuse the position which the -weakness or sloth of their officers has given them, not to ask a simple -modification, but even to claim a radical change. - -This happened under the present circumstances. So soon as the lieutenant -had retired, his departure was at once regarded in the light of a -triumph. The soldiers began haranguing, influenced by those among them -whose tongues were most loosely hung. It was no longer a question about -not entering the desert, but of appointing other officers, and returning -at once to the colony. The entire staff must be changed, and the leaders -chosen from those who inspired their comrades with most confidence--that -is to say, the most dangerous fellows. - -The effervescence had reached the boiling point: the soldiers brandished -their weapons furiously, while directing the most furious threats at the -captain and his lieutenants. Suddenly the door opened, and the count -appeared. He was pale, but calm. He took a quiet look at the mutinous -band that howled around him. - -"The captain! Here is the captain!" the troopers shouted. - -"Kill him!" others went on. - -"Down with him, down with him!" they howled in chorus. - -All rushed upon him, brandishing weapons and offering insults. But the -count did not give way; on the contrary, he advanced a step. He held in -his mouth a fine husk cigarette, from which he puffed the smoke with the -utmost serenity. - -Nothing imposes on masses like cold and unaffected courage. There was a -pause in the revolt. The captain and his men examined each other, like -two tigers measuring their strength ere bounding forward. The count -profited by the moment of silence he had obtained to take the word. - -"What do you want?" he asked calmly, while withdrawing his cigarette -from his mouth, and following the light cloud of bluish smoke as it rose -in spirals in the sky. - -At this question of their captain's the charm was broken; the shouts and -yells recommenced with even greater intensity; the rebels were angry -with themselves for having allowed their chief's firmness momentarily to -overawe them. All spoke at once. They surrounded the count on all sides, -pulling him in every direction, to force him to listen to them. The -count, pressed and hustled by all these rogues, who had thrown -discipline overboard, and were sure of impunity in a country where -justice only nominally exists, did not lose his countenance--his -coolness remained the same. He allowed these men to yell at their ease -for some moments, their eyes bloodshot, and foam on their lips; and when -he considered this had lasted long enough, he said, in a voice as calm -and tranquil as on the first occasion:-- - -"My friends, it is impossible for us to go on talking in this way: I -understand nothing of what you say. Choose one of your comrades to make -your complaints in your name. If they are just, I will do you justice; -but be calm." - -After uttering these words the count leaned his shoulder against the -door, crossed his arms on his chest, and began smoking again, apparently -indifferent to what was going on around him. The calmness and firmness -displayed by the count from the beginning of this scene had already -borne their fruit: he had regained numerous partisans among his -soldiers. These men, though they dared not yet openly avow the sympathy -they felt with their chief, warmly supported the proposition he had made -them. - -"The captain is right," they said. "It is impossible, if we continue to -badger him in this way, that he can understand our arguments." - -"We must be just too," others took up the ball. "How can you expect the -captain to do justice unless we clearly explain to him what we want?" - -The revolt had made an immense backward step. It no longer spoke of -deposing its chiefs; it limited itself to asking justice of the captain. -Hence it still tacitly recognised him. - -At length, after numberless discussions among the mutineers, one of -their number was selected to take the word in the name of the rest. He -was a short, square-shouldered fellow, with a cunning face, and little -eyes sparkling with wickedness and spite; a regular scoundrel in a word. -The type of the low-class adventurer, with whom everything is comprised -in robbery and assassination. This man, whose _nom de guerre_ was -Curtius, was a Parisian, and hailed from the Faubourg Saint Marceau. An -ex-soldier, an ex-sailor, he had been at every trade, except, perhaps, -that of an honest man. Since his arrival in the colony he had been -remarkable for his spirit of insubordination, brutality, and, above all, -his bounce. He boasted of "owing eight dead;" that is to say, in the -language of the country, having committed eight murders. He inspired his -comrades with an instinctive terror. When he was selected to take word -he rammed his hat down on the side of his head, and addressing his -comrades, said,-- - -"You shall see how I'll walk into him." - -And he advanced, insolently swaying from side to side, toward the -captain, who watched his approach with a smile of peculiar meaning. -Suddenly a great silence fell on the crowd; hearts beat powerfully, -faces grew anxious; each guessed instinctively that something decisive -and extraordinary was about to happen. - -When Curtius was only two paces from his captain he stopped, and, -surveying him insolently, said,-- - -"Come, captain, the business is this: my com--" - -But the count gave him no time to finish. Quickly drawing a pistol from -his girdle, he pressed it against his temples and blew out his brains. -The bandit rolled in the dust with a fractured skull. The captain -returned the pistol to his sash, and coolly raising his head, said in a -firm voice:-- - -"Has anyone further observations to make?" - -No one stirred: the bandits had suddenly become lambs. They stood silent -and penitent before their chief, for they understood him. The count -smiled contemptuously. - -"Pick up this carrion," he said, spurning the corpse with his foot. "We -are Dauph'yeers, and woe to the man who does not carry out the clauses -of our agreement: I will kill him like a dog. Let this scoundrel be -hanged by the feet, that his unclean carcass may become the prey of the -vultures. In ten minutes the boot and saddle will sound: all the worse -for the man who is not ready." - -After this thundering speech the count re-entered the house with as firm -a step as he had left. The revolt was subdued--the wild beasts had -recognised the iron grip beneath the velvet glove; they were tamed -forever, and henceforth would let themselves be killed without uttering -a murmur. - -"'Tis no matter," the soldiers said to each other, "he is a rude fellow -for all that: he hasn't any cold in his eyes." - -And then each eagerly made his preparations for departure. Ten minutes -later, as the captain had announced, he reappeared; the troop was on -horseback, ranged in order of battle, and ready to set out. The count -smiled, and gave the word to set out. - -"Humph!" Cucharés muttered to himself, "What a pity that Don Martial has -such fine diamonds! After what I have seen I could have broken my word -with pleasure." - -Before long the free company, with the captain at its head, disappeared -in the Del Norte. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE CONFESSION. - - -The hacendero and his daughter left the colony of Guetzalli under the -escort of Don Martial and the four peons he had taken into his service. -The little band advanced to the west, in the direction of which the free -company had marched in pursuit of the Apaches. Don Sylva was the more -anxious to rejoin the French because he knew that their expedition had -no other purpose than to deliver him and his daughter from the hands of -the redskins. - -The journey was gloomy and silent. As the travellers approached the -desert the scenery assumed a sombre grandeur peculiar to primitive -countries, which exercised an unconscious influence over the mind, and -plunged them into a melancholy which they were powerless to overcome. - -No more cabins, no more _jacals_, no more travellers found by the side -of the road, offering an affectionate wish for your safe arrival as you -pass, but an accidented soil, impenetrable forests peopled with wild -beasts, whose eyes sparkled like live coals amid the wildly-interlaced -creepers, shrubs and tall grass. At times the trail of the Frenchmen -might be seen on the soil, trodden by a large number of horses; but -suddenly the country changed its character, and every trace disappeared. - -Each evening, after the Tigrero had beaten the vicinity to drive back the -wild beasts, the camp was formed by the bank of a stream, the fires -lighted, and a hut of branches hastily constructed to protect Doña Anita -from the night cold; then, after a scanty meal, they wrapped themselves -up in their fresadas and zarapés and slept till daybreak. The only -incidents which at times disturbed the monotony of their life were the -discovery of an elk or deer, in pursuit of which Don Martial and his -peons galloped at full speed, and it often took hours ere the poor brute -was headed and killed. - -But there were none of those pleasant chats and confidences which make -time appear less tedious, and render the fatigues of an interminable -road endurable. The travellers maintained a reserve toward each other, -which not only kept all intimacy aloof, but also any confidence. They -only spoke when circumstances rendered it compulsory, and then only -exchanged words that were indispensable. The reason of this was that two -of the travellers had a secret unknown to the third, which weighed upon -them, and at which they blushed inwardly. - -Man, with his necessarily incomplete nature, is neither entirely good -nor entirely bad. Most frequently, after committing actions under the -iron pressure of passion or personal interest, when his coolness has -returned, and he measures the depth of the abyss in which he has -precipitated himself, he regrets them, especially if his life, though -not exemplary, has at least hitherto been exempt from deeds which are -offensive to morality. Such was at this moment the situation of Don -Martial and Doña Anita. Both had been led by their mutual love to commit -a fault they bitterly repented; for we will state here, to prevent our -readers forming an erroneous estimate of their character, that their -hearts were honest, and when, in a moment of madness, they arranged and -carried out their flight, they were far from foreseeing the fatal -consequences which this hopeless step would entail. - -Don Martial, especially after the orders he had given Cucharés, and the -hacendero's unshaken determination of rejoining the Count de Lhorailles, -clearly comprehended that his position was growing with each moment more -difficult, and that he was proceeding along a path that had no outlet. -Thus the two lovers, fatally attached by the secret of their flight, -still kept hidden from each other the remorse that devoured them; they -felt at each step that the ground on which they walked was undermined, -and that it might suddenly give way beneath their feet. - -In such a situation life became intolerable, as there was no longer a -community of thought or feeling between these three persons. A collision -between them was imminent, though it happened, perhaps, sooner than they -anticipated, through the pressure of the circumstances in which they -were entangled. After a journey of about a fortnight, during which no -noteworthy incident occurred, Don Martial and his companions, guided -partly by the information they had picked up at the hacienda, and partly -by the trail left by the persons they were following, at length reached -the ruins of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. It was about six in the -evening when the little party entered the ruins: the sun, already below -the horizon, only illumined the earth with those changing beams which -glisten for a long while after the planet king has disappeared. Marching -a short distance from each other, Don Sylva and Don Martial looked -searchingly around, advancing cautiously, and with finger on the rifle -trigger, through this inextricable maze, so favourable for an Indian -ambuscade. They at length reached the Casa Grande, and nothing -extraordinary had met their sight. Night had almost set in, and objects -began to grow confused in the shadows. Don Martial, who was preparing to -dismount, suddenly stopped, uttering a cry of astonishment, almost of -terror. - -"What is it?" Don Sylva asked quickly as he walked up to the Tigrero. - -"Look!" the latter said, stretching out his arm in the direction of a -clump of stunted trees which stood a short distance from the entrance. -The human voice exerts a strange faculty over animals--that of inspiring -them with insurmountable fear and respect. To the few words exchanged by -the two men hoarse and confused cries responded, and seven or eight -savage vultures rose from the centre of the clump, and began flying -heavily over the travellers' heads, forming wide circles in the air, and -continuing their infernal music. - -"I can see nothing," Don Sylva went on; "it is as black as in an oven." - -"That is true: still, if you look more carefully at the object I point -out you will easily recognise it." - -Without any reply the hacendero pushed on his horse. - -"A man hung by the feet!" he uttered, stopping his horse with a gesture -of horror and disgust. "What can have happened here?" - -"Who can say? It is not a savage--his colour and dress do not allow the -least doubt on that point; still he has his scalp, so the Apaches did -not kill him. What is the meaning it?" - -"A mutiny perhaps," the hacendero hazarded. - -Don Martial became pensive; his eyebrows contracted. "It is not -possible," he said to himself; but a moment after added, "Let us enter -the house; we must not leave Doña Anita any longer alone. Our absence -must surprise her and might alarm her if prolonged. When the encampment -is arranged I will go and look, and I shall be very unlucky if I do not -discover the clue to this ill-omened mystery." - -The two men retired and rejoined Doña Anita, who was awaiting them a few -paces off, under the guard of the peons. When the travellers had -dismounted and crossed the threshold of the casa, Don Martial lighted -several torches of _ocote_ wood to find their way in the darkness, and -guided his companions to the large hall to which we have already -introduced our readers. It was not the first time Don Martial had -visited the ruins: frequently, during his long hunting expeditions in -the western prairies, they had offered him a refuge. Thus he knew their -most hidden nooks. - -It was he, too, who had urged his companions to proceed to the Casa -Grande, for he was convinced that the count could only find there a safe -and sure bivouac for his troop. The hall, in which a table stood, -presented unmistakable signs of the recent passage of several persons, -and a tolerably prolonged stay they had made at the spot. - -"You see," he said to the hacendero, "that I was not mistaken; the -persons we seek stopped here." - -"It is true. Do you think they have long left it?" - -"I cannot tell you yet; but while supper is being prepared, and you are -making yourselves comfortable, I will take a look round outside. On my -return I trust to be more fortunate, and be able to satisfy your -curiosity." - -And placing the torch he held in his hand in an iron bracket fastened to -the wall, the Tigrero quitted the house. Doña Anita fell pensively back -on a species of clumsy sofa, accidentally left by the side of the table. -Aided by the peons, the hacendero began making preparations for the -night. The horses were unsaddled, driven into a species of enclosure, -and had an ample stock of alfalfa placed before them. The trunks were -unloaded, the bales carried into the hall, where they were piled up, -after one had been opened to take out the requisite provisions; and then -an enormous brazier was kindled, over which a quarter of deer-meat was -hung. - -When these various preparations were ended the hacendero sat down on a -buffalo's skull, lighted a husk cigarette, and began smoking, while -every now and then turning a sad glance on his daughter, who was still -plunged in melancholy thought. Don Martial's absence was rather long, -for it lasted two hours. At the end of that time his horse's hoofs could -be heard echoing on the stone flooring of the ruins, and he reappeared. - -"Well?" Don Sylva asked him. - -"Let us sup first," the Tigrero answered, pointing to the girl in a way -her father comprehended. - -The meal was short, as might be expected from persons preoccupied and -wearied with a long day's march. Indeed, with the exception of the roast -venison, it only consisted of _cainc_, maize tortillas, and _frijoles -con aji_. Doña Anita ate a few spoonfuls of tamarind preserve; then, -after bowing to her friends, she rose and walked into a small room -adjoining the hall, where a bed had been made up for her with her -father's wraps, and the entrance to which was closed by hanging up, in -place of the absent door, a horse blanket attached to nails driven in -the wall. - -"You fellows," the Tigrero said, addressing the peons, "had better keep -good watch, if you wish to save your scalps. I warn you that we are in an -enemy's country, and if you go to sleep you will probably pay dearly for -it." - -The peons assured the Tigrero that they would redouble their vigilance, -and went out to execute the orders they had received. The two men -remained seated opposite each other. - -"Well," Don Sylva began, again asking his companion the question he had -already begun, "have you learned anything?" - -"All that was possible to learn, Don Sylva," the Tigrero sharply -replied. "Were it otherwise I should be a scurvy hunter, and the jaguars -and tigers would have had the best of me long ago." - -"Is the information you have obtained favourable." - -"That depends on your future plans. The French have been here, and -bivouacked for several days. During their stay in the ruins they were -vigorously attacked by the Apaches, whom, however, they succeeded in -repulsing. Now it is probable, though I cannot assert it, that the -troopers revolted for some cause of which I am ignorant, and that the -poor wretch we saw hanging to the tree like rotten fruit paid for the -rest, as generally happens." - -"I thank you for your information, which proves to me that we are not -mistaken, but followed the right trail. Now, can you complete your -information by telling me if the French have long left the ruins, and in -what direction they have marched?" - -"Those questions are very easy to answer. The free company left their -bivouac yesterday, a few moments after sunrise, and entered the desert." - -"The desert!" the hacendero exclaimed, letting his arms sink in -despondency. - -There was a silence of some moments, during which both men reflected. At -length Don Sylva took the word. - -"It is impossible," he said. - -"Still, it is so." - -"But it is an extraordinary act of imprudence, almost of madness." - -"I do not deny it." - -"Oh, the unhappy men!" - -"They are lost!" - -"The fact is, that if they escape, Heaven will perform a miracle in -their favour." - -"I think with you; but it is now an accomplished fact, which no -recriminations of ours can alter; so, Don Sylva, I believe that the -wisest thing is to trouble ourselves no more about them, but let them -get out of it as they best can." - -"Is that your notion?" - -"It is," the Tigrero replied carelessly. "I propose to remain here two -or three days, and see if anything turns up. After that time, if we have -seen or heard nothing, we will remount, and return to Guetzalli by the -road we came, without stopping to look back, that we may arrive more -speedily, and the sooner quit these horrible regions." - -The hacendero shook his head like a man who has just formed an -irrevocable determination. - -"Then you will go alone, Don Martial," he said dryly. - -"What!" the latter exclaimed, looking him firmly in the face. "What is -your meaning?" - -"I mean that I shall not turn back on the path I have hitherto followed; -in a word, that I will not fly." - -Don Martial was confounded by this answer. - -"What do you intend doing, then?" - -"Can you guess that? Why did we come to this place? For what purpose -have we been travelling so long?" - -"Excuse me, Don Sylva, but the question is now changed. You will do me -the justice to allow that I have followed you without any -observations--that I have been a faithful guide to you during this -journey." - -"I do so indeed. Now explain to me your notion." - -"It is this, Don Sylva. So long as we only wandered about the prairies, -at the risk of being devoured by wild beasts, I bowed my head, without -attempting to oppose your designs, for I tacitly recognised that you -were acting as you were bound to do. Even now, were you and I alone, I -would bow without a murmur before the firm determination that animates -you. But reflect that you have your daughter with you--that you condemn -her to undergo nameless tortures in this fearful desert, where you force -her to follow you, and which will probably swallow up both." - -Don Sylva made no reply, so the Tigrero continued,-- - -"Our party is weak. We have provisions for only a few days; and you -know, once in the Del Norte, we find no more water or game. If, during -our excursion, we are assailed by a _temporal_, we are lost--lost, -without resources, without hope!" - -"All that you tell me is correct, I am well aware; still, I cannot -follow your advice. Listen to me in your turn, Don Martial. The Count de -Lhorailles is my friend; he will soon be my son-in-law. I do not say -this to vex you, but only that you may thoroughly understand my position -with regard to him. It was for my sake, to save me from those whom he -supposed to have carried me off, that, without calculation, and solely -urged by his noble heart, he entered the desert. Can I allow him to -perish without trying to bring him succour? Is he not a stranger to -Mexico--our guest, in a word? It is my duty to save him, and I will -attempt it, whatever may happen." - -"Since matters are so, Don Sylva, I will no longer try to combat a -resolution so firmly made. I will not tell you that the man to whom you -give your daughter is an adventurer, driven from his country through his -ill-conduct, and who, in the marriage he seeks to contract, sees only -one thing--the immense fortune you possess. All these things, and many -others, I could supply you with proofs of; but you would not believe me, -for you would only read rivalry in my conduct; so let us say no more on -that head. You wish to enter the desert: I will follow you. Whatever may -happen, you will find me at your side ready to defend and aid you. But -as the hour for frank explanations has arrived, I do not wish any cloud -to remain between us--that you should thoroughly know the man with whom -you are going to attempt the desperate stroke you meditate, so that you -may have a full and entire confidence in him." - -The hacendero gazed at him with surprise. At this moment the curtain of -Doña Anita's room was raised; the young girl came out, walked slowly -down the hall, knelt before her father, and turning to the Tigrero,-- - -"Now speak, Don Martial," she said. "Perhaps my father will pardon me on -seeing me thus implore his forgiveness." - -"Pardon you!" the hacendero said, his eyes wandering from his daughter -to the man who was standing before him with blushing brow and downcast -eyes. "What is the meaning of this? What fault have you committed?" - -"A fault for which I am alone culpable, Don Sylva, and for which I alone -must suffer the punishment. I deceived you disgracefully: it was I who -carried off your daughter." - -"What!" the hacendero shouted with an outburst of fury. "I was your -plaything, your dupe, then?" - -"Passion does not reason. I will only say one word in my defence: I love -your daughter! Alas! Don Sylva, I now perceive how culpable I have been. -Reflection, though tardy, has at length arrived, and, like Doña Anita, -who is weeping at your feet, I humble myself before you, and say, -'Pardon me!'" - -"Pardon, father!" the poor girl said in a weak voice. - -The hacendero made a gesture. - -"Oh!" the Tigrero said quickly, "Be generous, Don Sylva. Do not spurn -us. Our repentance is true and sincere. I am eager to repair the evil I -have done. I was mad then: passion blinded me. Do not overwhelm me." - -"Father," Doña Anita continued in a tearful voice, "I love him. Still, -when we left the colony, we might have fled, and abandoned you; but we -did not do it. The idea never once occurred to us. We were ashamed of -our fault. You see us both here ready to obey you, and perform without a -murmur the orders it may please you to give us. Be not inflexible, O my -father, but pardon us!" - -The hacendero drew himself up. - -"You see," he said severely, "I can no longer hesitate. I must save the -Count de Lhorailles at all hazards, else I should be your accomplice." - -The Tigrero walked in great agitation up and down the hall: his eyebrows -were contracted--his face deadly pale. - -"Yes," he said in a broken voice, "yes, he must be saved. No matter what -becomes of me after. No cowardly weakness! I have committed a fault, and -will undergo all the consequences." - -"Aid me frankly and loyally in my search, and I will pardon you," Don -Sylva said gravely. "My honour is compromised by your fault. I place it -in your hands." - -"Thanks, Don Sylva; you will have no cause to repent," the Tigrero nobly -replied. - -The hacendero gently raised his daughter, drew her to his breast, and -embraced her several times. - -"My poor child!" he said to her, "I forgive you. Alas! Who knows whether -in a few days I shall not have, in my turn, to ask your forgiveness for -all the sufferings I have inflicted on you? Go and rest; the night is -drawing on--you must have need of repose." - -"Oh, how kind you are and how I love you, father!" she cried from her -heart, "Fear nothing. Whatever sufferings the future may have in store -for me, I will endure them without a murmur. Now I am happy, for you -have pardoned me." - -Don Martial's eye followed the maiden. - -"When do you intend starting?" he said, stifling a sigh. - -"Tomorrow, if possible." - -"Be it so. Let us trust in Heaven." - -After conversing for some short time longer, and making their final -arrangements, Don Sylva wrapped himself up in his coverings, and soon -fell asleep. As for the Tigrero, he left the house to see that the peons -were carefully watching over their common safety. - -"Provided that Cucharés has not fulfilled my orders!" he muttered. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE MANHUNT. - - -On the next morning at daybreak the little band quitted the Casa Grande -and two hours later entered the Del Norte. At the sight of the desert -the maiden felt her heart contract; a secret presentiment seemed to warn -her that the future would be fatal. She turned back, cast a melancholy -glance on the gloomy forests which chequered the horizon behind her, and -could not repress a sigh. - -The temperature was sultry, the sky blue, not a breath of wind was -stirring: on the sand might still be seen the deep footsteps of the -count's free company. - -"We are on the right road," the hacendero said; "their trail is -visible." - -"Yes," the Tigrero muttered, "and it will remain so till the temporal is -unchained." - -"Then," Doña Anita remarked, "may Heaven come to our aid!" - -"Amen!" all the travellers exclaimed, crossing themselves, instinctively -responding to the secret voice which each of us has in the depths of our -heart, and which foreboded to their misfortune. - -Several hours passed away: the weather remained fine. At times the -travellers saw, at a great distance above their heads, innumerable -swarms of birds proceeding toward the hot regions, or _las tierras -calientes_, as they are called in that country, and hastening to cross -the desert. But everywhere nothing was visible save a grey and -melancholy sand, or gloomy rocks wildly piled on each other like the -ruins of an unknown and antediluvian world, found at times in remote -solitudes. - -The caravan, when night set in, camped under the shelter of a block of -granite, lighting a poor fire, hardly sufficient to protect them from -the icy cold which, in these regions, weighs upon nature at night. Don -Martial rode incessantly on the sides of the small band, watching over -their safety with filial solicitude, never remaining a moment at rest, -in spite of the urging of Don Sylva and the entreaties of the maiden. - -"No!" he constantly answered; "On my vigilance your safety depends. Let -me act as I think proper. I should never pardon myself if I allowed you -to be surprised." - -Gradually the traces left by the troops became less visible, and at -length disappeared entirely. One evening, at the moment the travellers -were forming their camp at the foot of an immense rock, which formed a -species of roof over their heads, the hacendero pointed out to Don -Martial a thin white vapour, which stood out prominently against the -blue sky. - -"The sky is losing its brightness," he said; "we shall probably soon -have a change of weather. God grant that a hurricane does not menace -us!" - -The Tigrero shook his head. - -"No," he said, "you are mistaken. Your eyes are not so accustomed as -mine to consult the sky. That is not a cloud." - -"What is it, then?" - -"The smoke of a _bois de vâche_ fire kindled by travellers. We have -neighbours." - -"Oh!" the hacendero said. "Can we be on the trail of those friends we -have lost so long?" - -Don Martial remained silent. He minutely examined the smoke, which was -soon mingled with the atmosphere. At length he said:-- - -"That smoke bodes us no good. Our friends, as you call them, are -Frenchmen; that is to say, profoundly ignorant of desert life. Were they -near us, it would be as easy to see them as that rock down there. They -would have lighted not one fire, but twenty braseros, whose flames, and, -above all, dense smoke, would have immediately revealed their presence -to us. They do not select their wood: whether it be dry or damp they -care little. They are unaware of the importance in the desert of -discovering one's enemy, while not allowing one's presence to be -suspected." - -"You conclude from this?" - -"That the fire you discovered has been lit by savages, or at least by -wood rangers accustomed to the habits of Indian life. All leads to this -supposition. Judge for yourself--you who, without any great experience, -though having a slight acquaintance with the desert, took it for a -cloud. Any superficial observer would have committed the same mistake as -yourself, so fine and undulating as it is, and its colour harmonises so -well with all those vapours the sun incessantly draws out of the earth. -The men, whoever they may be, who lit that fire, have left nothing to -chance; they have calculated and foreseen everything, and I am greatly -mistaken if they are not enemies." - -"At what distance do you suppose them from us?" - -"Four leagues at the most. What is that distance in the desert, when it -can be crossed so easily in a straight line?" - -"Then your advice is?" the hacendero asked. - -"Weigh well my words, Don Sylva; above all, do not give them an -interpretation differing from mine. By a prodigy almost unexampled in -the Del Norte, we have now been crossing the desert for nearly three -weeks, and nothing has happened to trouble our security: for a week we -have been, moreover, seeking a trail which it is impossible to come on -again." - -"Quite true." - -"I have, therefore, worked out this conclusion, which I believe to be -correct, and which you will approve, I am convinced. The French only -accidentally formed the resolution of entering the desert: they only did -it to pursue the Apaches. Is not that your view?" - -"It is." - -"Very good. Consequently, they crossed it in a straight line. The -weather which has favoured us favoured them too: their interest, the -object they wished to attain, everything, in a word, demanded that they -should display the utmost speed in their march. A pursuit, you know as -well as I, is a chase in which each tries to arrive first." - -"Then you suppose--?" Don Sylva interrupted him. - -"I am certain that the French left the desert long ago, and are now -coursing over the plains of Apacheria: that fire we noticed is a -convincing proof to me." - -"How so?" - -"You will soon understand. The Apaches have the greatest interest in -driving the French from their hunting grounds. Desperate at seeing them -out of the desert, they have probably lit this fire to deceive them, and -compel their return." - -The hacendero was thoughtful. The reasons Don Martial offered him seemed -correct: he knew not what determination to form. - -"Well," he said presently, "and what conclusion do you arrive at from -all this?" - -"That we should do wrong," Don Martial said resolutely, "in losing more -time here in search of people who are no longer in the desert, and -running the risk of being caught by a tempest, which every passing hour -renders more imminent in a country like this, which is continually -exposed to hurricanes." - -"Then you would return!" - -"By no means. I would push on, and enter Apacheria as quickly as -possible, for I am convinced I should then be speedily on the trail of -our friends." - -"Yes, that appears to me correct enough; but we are long way yet from -the prairies." - -"Not so far as you suppose; but let us break off our conversation at -this point. I wish to go out and examine that fire more closely, for it -troubles me greatly." - -"Be prudent." - -"Is not your safety concerned?" the Tigrero said, as he bent a gentle -and mournful glance on Doña Anita. He rose, saddled his horse in a -second, and started at a gallop. - -"Brave heart!" Doña Anita murmured, on seeing him disappear in the mist. -The hacendero sighed, but made no further reply, and his head fell -pensively on his chest. - -Don Martial pressed on rapidly by the flickering light of the moon, -which spread its sickly and fantastic rays over the desolate scene. At -times he perceived heavy rocks, dumb and gloomy sentinels, whose -gigantic shadows striped the grey sand for a long distance; or else -enormous ahuehuelts, whose branches were laden with that thick moss -called Spaniard's beard, which fell in long festoons, and was agitated -by the slightest breath of wind. - -After nearly an hour and a half's march, the Tigrero stopped his horse, -dismounted, and looked attentively around him. He soon found what he -sought. A short distance from him the wind and rain had hollowed a -rather deep ravine; he drew his horse into it, fastened it to an -enormous stone, bound up its nostrils to prevent its neighing, and went -off, after throwing his rifle on his shoulder. - -From the spot where he was this moment standing the fire was visible, -and the red flash it traced in the air stood out clearly in the -darkness. Round the fire several shadows were reclining which the -Tigrero recognised at the first glance as Indians. The Mexican had not -deceived himself, his experience had not failed him. They were certainly -redskins encamped there in the desert at a short distance from his -party. But who were they? Friends or enemies? He must assure himself -about that fact. - -This was not an easy matter on this flat and barren soil, where it was -almost impossible to advance without being noticed; for the Indians are -like wild beasts, possessing the privilege of seeing in the night. In -the gloom their pupils expand like those of tigers, and they distinguish -their enemies as easily in the deepest shadow as in the most dazzling -sunshine. - -Still Don Martial did not recoil from his task. Not far from the -redskins' bivouac was an enourmous block of granite, at the foot of -which three or four ahuehuelts had sprung up, and in the course of time -so entangled their branches in one another that they formed, at a -certain distance up the rock, a thorough thicket. The Tigrero lay down -on the ground, and gently, inch by inch, employing his knees and elbows, -he glided in the direction of the rock, skilfully taking advantage of -the shadow thrown by the rock itself. It took the Tigrero nearly half an -hour to cross the forty yards that still separated him from the rock. At -length he reached it; he then stopped to draw breath, and uttered a sigh -of satisfaction. - -The rest was nothing: he no longer feared being seen, owing to the -curtain of branches that hid him from the sight of the Indians, but only -being heard. After resting a few seconds he began climbing again, -raising himself gradually on the abrupt side of the rock. At length he -found himself level with the branches, into which he glided and -disappeared. From the hiding place he had so fortunately reached he -could not only survey the Indian camp, but perfectly hear their -conversation. We need scarcely say that Don Martial understood and spoke -perfectly all the dialects of the Indian tribes that traverse the vast -solitudes of Mexico. - -These Indians Don Martial at once recognised to be Apaches. His -forebodings then were realised. Round a _bois de vâche_ fire, which -produced a large flame, while only allowing a slight thread of smoke to -escape, several chiefs were gravely crouching on their heels, and -smoking their calumets while warming themselves, for the cold was sharp. -Don Martial distinguished in their midst the Black Bear. The sachem's -face was gloomy; he seemed in a terrible passion; he frequently raised -his head anxiously, and fixing his piercing eye on the space, -interrogated the darkness. A noise of horse hoofs was heard, and a -mounted Indian entered the lighted part of the camp. After dismounting, -the Indian approached the fire, crouched near his comrades, lighted his -calumet, and began smoking with a perfectly calm face, although the dust -that covered him, and his panting chest, showed that he must have made a -long and painful journey. - -On his arrival the Black Bear gazed fixedly at him, and they went on -smoking without saying a word; for Indian etiquette prescribes that the -sachem should not interrogate another chief before the latter has shaken -into the fire the ashes of his calumet. The Black Bear's impatience was -evidently shared by the other Indians; still all remained grave and -silent. At length the newcomer drew a final puff of smoke, which he sent -forth through his mouth and nostrils, and returned his calumet to his -girdle. The Black Bear turned to him. - -"The Little Panther has been long," he said. - -As this was not a question the Indian limited himself to replying with a -bow. - -"The vultures are soaring in large flocks over the desert," the chief -presently continued; "the coyotes are sharpening their bent claws; the -Apaches scent a smell of blood which makes their hearts bound with joy -in their breasts. Has my son seen nothing?" - -"The Little Panther is a renowned warrior of his tribe. At the first -leaves he will be a chief. He has fulfilled the mission his father -entrusted to him." - -"Wah! What are the Long-knives doing?" - -"The Long-knives are dogs that howl without knowing how to bite: an -Apache warrior terrifies them." - -The chiefs smiled with pride at this boast, which they simply regarded -as seriously meant. - -"The Little Panther has seen their camp," the Indian continued; "he has -counted them. They cry like women, and lament like weak children. Two of -them will not take their accustomed place this night at the council fire -of their brothers." - -And with a gesture marked with a certain degree of nobility, the Indian -raised the cotton shirt which fell from his neck about half way down his -thighs, and displayed two bleeding scalps fastened to his waist belt. - -"Wah!" the chiefs exclaimed joyfully, "the Little Panther has fought -bravely!" - -The Black Bear made the warrior a sign to hand him the scalps. He -unfastened them and gave them. The sachem examined them attentively. The -Apaches fixed their eyes eagerly upon him. - -"_Asch'eth_ (it is good)," he said presently; "my brother has killed a -Long Knife and a Yori." - -And he returned the scalps to the warrior. - -"Have the palefaces discovered the trail of the Apaches?" - -"The palefaces are moles; they are only good in their great stone -villages." - -"What has my son done?" - -"The Panther executed the orders of the sachem point by point. When the -warrior perceived that the palefaces would not see him, he went towards -them mocking them, and led them for three hours after him into the heart -of the desert." - -"Good! My son has done well. What next?" - -"When the palefaces had gone far enough the Panther left them, after -killing two in memory of his visit, and then proceeded to the camp of -the warriors of his nation." - -"My son is weary: the hour of rest has arrived for him." - -"Not yet," the Indian replied seriously. - -"Wah! Let my son explain." - -At this remark Don Martial, who was listening attentively to all that -was said, felt his heart contract, he knew not why. The Indian -continued,-- - -"There are others beside the Long-knives in the desert; the Little -Panther has discovered another trail." - -"Another trail?" - -"Yes. It is not very visible: there are seven horses and three mules in -all. I recognised one of the horses." - -"Wah! I await what my brother is about to tell me." - -"Six Yori warriors, having a woman with them, have entered the desert." - -The chiefs eyes flashed fire. - -"A palefaced woman?" he asked. - -The Indian bowed in affirmation. The sachem reflected for a moment, and -then his face re-assumed that stoical mask which was habitual to it. - -"The Black Bear is not mistaken," he said; "he smelt the scent of blood: -his Apache sons will have a splendid chase. Tomorrow at the _endi-tah_ -(sunrise) the warriors will mount. The sachem's lodge is empty. Let us -now leave the Big-knives to their fate," he added, raising his eyes to -heaven; "Nyang, the genius of evil, will take on himself to bury them -beneath the sand. The Master of Life summons the tempest: our task is -fulfilled. Let us follow the track of the Yoris, and return to our -hunting grounds at full speed. The hurricane will soon howl across the -desert. My sons can go to sleep: a chief will watch over them. I have -spoken." - -The warriors bowed silently, rose one after the other, and went to lie -down on the sand a short distance off. Within five minutes they were all -in a deep sleep. The Black Bear alone watched. With his head in his -hands, and his elbows on his knees, he looked fixedly at the sky. At -times his face lost that severe expression, and a transient smile played -around his lips. What thoughts thus absorbed the sachem? On what was he -meditating? - -Don Martial read his thoughts, and felt a shudder of terror. He remained -another half-hour motionless in his hiding place lest he might run the -risk of discovery. Then he went down again as he had come, employing -even greater precautions; for at this moment, when a leaden silence -brooded over the desert, the slightest sound would have betrayed his -presence to the Indian chief's subtile ear. He feared the discovery now -more than ever, after the revelations he had succeeded in overhearing. -At length he reached again, all safe and sound, the spot where he had -left his horse. - -For some time the Tigrero let the bridle hang loosely on his noble -animal's neck, went slowly onwards, revolving in his mind all he had -heard, and searching for the means he should employ to shield his -companions from the frightful danger that menaced them. His perplexity -was extreme: he knew not what to decide on. He knew Don Sylva too well -to suppose that a personal interest, however powerful it might be, would -induce him to abandon his friends in their present peril. But must Doña -Anita be sacrificed to this delicacy--to this false notion of honour; -above all, for a man in every respect unworthy of the interest the -hacendero felt for him? - -It was possible to avoid and escape the Apaches by skill and courage; -but how to escape the tempest which in a few hours perhaps, would burst -on the desert, destroy every trace, and render flight impossible? - -The girl must be saved at any risk. This thought incessantly returned to -the Tigrero's perplexed mind, and gnawed at his heart like a searing -iron: he felt himself affected by a cold rage on considering the -material impossibilities that rose so implacably before him. How to save -the girl? He constantly asked himself this question, for which he found -no answer. For a long time he went on thus with drooping head, seeking -in vain a method which would enable him to act on his own inspiration, -and escape from the critical position in which he found himself. At -length light dawned on his mind; he raised his head haughtily, cast a -glance of defiance toward the enemies who appeared so sure of seizing -his companions, and digging the spurs into his horse, started at full -speed. - -When he reached the camp he found every one asleep save the peon who was -mounting guard. The night was well on--it was about one o'clock in the -morning; the moon spread around a dazzling light, almost as clear as -day. The Apaches would not set out before daybreak, and he had, -therefore, about four hours left him for action. He resolved to profit -by them. Four hours well employed are enormous in a flight. - -The Tigrero began by carefully rubbing down his horse to restore the -elasticity to its limbs, for he would need all its speed; then, aided by -the peons, he loaded the mules and saddled the horses. This last -accomplished, he reflected for a moment, and they wrapped round the -horse hoofs pieces of sheep-skin filled with sand. This stratagem, he -fancied, would foil the Indians, who, no longer recognising the traces -they expected, would fancy themselves on a false trail. For greater -security he ordered two or three skins of mezcal to be left on the rock. -He knew the Apaches' liking for strong liquors, and calculated on their -drunken propensities. This done, ho aroused Don Sylva and his daughter. - -"To horse! To horse!" he said in a voice that admitted of no reply. - -"What's the matter?" the hacendero asked, still half asleep. - -"That if we do not start at once we are lost!" - -"How--what do you mean?" - -"To horse! To horse! Every moment we waste here brings us nearer to -death. Presently I will explain all." - -"In Heaven's name tell me what the matter is!" - -"You shall know. Come, come." - -Without listening to anything, he compelled the hacendero to mount: Doña -Anita had done so already. The Tigrero looked around for the last time, -and gave the signal for departure. The party started at their horses' -topmost speed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE APACHES. - - -Nothing is so mournful as a night march through the desert, especially -under such circumstances as hurried our party on. Night is the mother of -phantoms; in the darkness, the gayest landscapes become -sinister--everything assumes a form to startle the traveller. The moon, -however brilliant the light it diffuses may be, imparts to objects a -fantastic appearance and mournful hues which cause the bravest to -tremble. - -This sepulchral calmness of the desert--this solitude that surrounds -you, torments you from every side, and peoples the scenery with -spectres--this obscurity which enfolds you like a leaden shroud--all -combine to trouble the brain, and arouse a species of febrile terror, -which the vivifying sunbeams are alone powerful enough to dissipate. - -In spite of themselves our friends suffered from this feeling. They -galloped through the night, not able to explain to themselves their -motive for doing so, not knowing whither they were going. With heavy -heads and weighed down eyelids, they had only one thought--of sleep. -Borne along by their horses at headlong speed; the trees and rocks -danced around them. They therefore secured themselves in their saddles, -closed their eyes, and yielded to the sleep which overwhelmed them, and -which they no longer felt the strength to resist. - -Sleep is perhaps the most tyrannical and imperious necessity of man: it -makes him despise and forget all else. The man overpowered by sleep will -give way to it, no matter where he is, or what danger menaces him. -Hunger and thirst may be subdued for a while by strength of will and -courage, but sleep cannot. It is impossible to contend against it. It -strangles you in its iron claws, and in a few moments hurls you down -panting and conquered. - -With the exception of Don Martial, whose eye was sharp and mind clear, -the other members of the party resembled somnambulists. Hanging to their -horses as well as they could, with eyes shut and thoughts wandering, -they hurried on unconsciously, a prey to that horrible nightmare which -is neither sleeping nor waking, but only the torpor of the senses and -the oblivion of the mind. - -This lasted the whole night. They had travelled ten leagues, and were -utterly exhausted. Still at sunrise, beneath the influence of the warm -rays, they gradually shook off their heaviness, opened their eyes, -looked curiously around them, and an infinity of questions rose from the -heart to the lips, as generally happens in such a case. - -The party had reached the banks of the Rio Gila, whose muddy waters -form, on this side, the desert frontier. Don Martial, after carefully -examining the spot where he was, stopped on the bank. The bags of sand -were removed from the horses' feet, and they were supplied with food. As -for the men, they must temporarily put up with a mouthful of _refino_ to -restore their strength. - -The appearance of the country had changed. On the other bank of the -river a thick, strong grass covered the ground, and immense virgin -forests grew on the horizon. - -"Ouf!" Don Sylva said, rolling on the ground with an expression of great -satisfaction, "What a journey! I am worn out. If that were to last but -one day, _voto a brios!_ I could not stand it any longer. I am neither -hungry nor thirsty. I will go to sleep." - -While saying this the hacendero had arranged himself in the posture most -agreeable for a nap. - -"Not yet, Don Sylva," the Tigrero said sharply, and shaking him by the -arm. "Do you want to leave your bones here?" - -"Go to the deuce! I want to sleep, I tell you." - -"Very good," Don Martial made answer coldly; "but if you and Doña Anita -fall into the hands of the Apaches you will not make me responsible for -it?" - -"Eh?" the hacendero said, jumping up, and looking him in the face, "What -are you saying about Apaches?" - -"I tell you again that the Apaches are in pursuit of us. We are only a -few hours ahead of them, and if we do not make haste we are lost." - -"_Canarios!_ We must fly," Don Sylva exclaimed, now thoroughly awake. -"My daughter must not fall into the hands of those demons." - -As for Doña Anita, little troubled her at this moment. She was fast -asleep. - -"Let the horses eat, and then we will start. We have a long way to go, -and they must be able to bear us. These few moments of rest will allow -Doña Anita to regain her strength." - -"Poor child!" the hacendero muttered, "I am the cause of what has -happened. My unlucky obstinacy brought us here." - -"What use is recrimination, Don Sylva? We are all to blame. Let us -forget the past, only to think of the present." - -"Yes, you are right. What need discussing things that are done? Now that -I am perfectly awake, tell me what you did during the night, and why you -forced us to start so suddenly." - -"My story will be short, Don Sylva; but you, I believe, will find it -very interesting. But you shall judge for yourself. After leaving you -last night, as you remember, to find out--" - -"Yes, you wished to examine a fire that seemed to you suspicious." - -"That was it. Well, I was not mistaken: that fire, as I supposed, was a -snare laid by the Apaches. I managed to crawl up to them unnoticed, and -hear their conversation. Do you know what they said?" - -"By my faith, I have little notion what such idiots as those talk -about." - -"Not such idiots as you fancy somewhat lightly, Don Sylva. One of their -runners was telling the sachem the result of a mission entrusted to him. -Among other things he mentioned that he had discovered a paleface trail, -and that among the palefaces was a woman." - -"_Caspita!_" the hacendero exclaimed in terror, "Are you quite sure of -that, Don Martial?" - -"The more so because I heard the chief make this reply. Be attentive, -Don Sylva--" - -"I am listening, my friend: go on." - -"'At sunrise we will set out in pursuit of the palefaces. The chief's -lodge is empty: he wants a white woman to occupy it.'" - -"Caramba!" - -"Yes. Then finding I had learnt sufficient of the expedition the -redskins were undertaking, I slipped away and regained our camp as soon -as possible. You know the--" - -"Yes, I know the rest, Don Martial," the hacendero said almost -affectionately; "and I thank you most sincerely, not only for the -intelligence you have displayed on this occasion, but also for the -devotion with which you compelled us to follow you, instead of being -disgusted by our mad sloth." - -"I have done nothing but what I should do, Don Sylva. Have I not sworn -to devote my life to you?" - -"Yes, my friend, and you keep your vow nobly." - -Since the hacendero had known Don Martial this was the first time he -spoke openly with him, and gave him the title of friend. The Tigrero was -touched by this expression; and if he had hitherto felt some slight -prejudice against Don Sylva, it was suddenly dissipated, and only left -in his heart a feeling of profound gratitude. - -Doña Anita awoke during this conversation, and it was with an -indescribable joy that she heard them talking thus amicably together. -When her father told her the cause of the hasty journey she had been -compelled to undertake in the middle of the night, she warmly thanked -Don Martial, and rewarded him for all his sufferings by one of those -glances, the secret of which only women in love possess, and into which -they throw their whole soul. The Tigrero, delighted at seeing his -devotion appreciated as it deserved served to be, forgot all his -fatigues, and had only one desire--that of terminating happily what he -had so well begun. So soon as the horses were saddled they mounted -again. - -"I leave myself in your hands, Don Martial," the hacendero said: "you -alone; can save us." - -"With the help of Heaven I shall succeed," the Tigrero replied -passionately. - -They entered the river, which was rather wide at this spot. Instead of -crossing it at right angles, Don Martial, in order to throw the savages -off the scent, followed the course of the river for some distance, and -made repeated curves. At length, on reaching a point where the river was -inclosed by two calcareous banks, where it was impossible for the -horses' hoofs to leave any marks, he landed. The party had left the -desert. Before them stretched those immense prairies, whose undulating -soil gradually, rises to the slopes of the _Sierra Madre_ and the -_Sierra de los Comanches_. They are no longer sterile and desolate -plains, denuded of wood and water, but a luxuriant nature, with an -extraordinary productive force--trees, flowers, grass; countless birds -singing joyously beneath the foliage; animals of every description -running, browsing and sporting in the midst of these natural prairies. - -The travellers yielded instinctively to the feeling of comfort produced -by the sight of this splendid prairie, when compared with the desolate -desert they had just quitted, and in which they had wandered about so -long haphazard. This contrast was full of charm for them: they felt, -their courage rekindled, and hope returning to their hearts. About -eleven o'clock the horses were so fatigued that the travellers were -compelled to encamp, in order to give them a few hours' rest, and thus -pass the great heats of the day. Don Martial chose the top of a wooded -hill, whence the prairie could be surveyed, while they remained -completely concealed among the trees. - -The Tigrero would not permit them, however, to light a fire to cook food -as the smoke would have caused their retreat to be discovered; and in -their present position they could not exercise too great prudence, as it -was evident that the Apaches would have started in pursuit at sunrise. -Those crafty bloodhounds must be thrown off the scent. In spite of all -the precautions he had taken, the Tigrero could not flatter himself with -the hope of having foiled them; for the redskins are so clever in -discovering a trail. After eating a few hasty mouthfuls he allowed his -companions to enjoy a rest they needed so greatly, and rose to go on the -watch. - -This man appeared made of iron--fatigue took no hold on him; his will -was so firm that he resisted everything, and the desire to save the -woman he loved endowed him with a supernatural strength. He slowly -descended the hill, examining each shrub, only advancing with extreme -prudence, and with his ear open to every sound, however slight. So soon -as he reached the plain, certain that his presence would be concealed by -the tall grass, in which he entirely disappeared, he hastened at full -speed towards a sombre and primeval forest, whose trees approached -almost close to the hill. This forest was really what it appeared to -be--a virgin forest. The trees and leaves intertwined formed an -inextricable curtain, through which a hatchet would have been required -to cut a passage. Had he been alone, the Tigrero would not have been -greatly embarrassed by this apparently insurmountable obstacle. Skilful -and powerful as he was, he would have travelled 'twixt earth and sky, by -passing from branch to branch, as he had often done before. But what a -man so desolate as himself could do was not to be expected from a frail -and weak woman. - -For an instant the Tigrero felt his heart fail him, and his courage give -way. But this despair was only momentary. Don Martial drew himself up -proudly and suddenly regained all his energy. He continued to advance -toward the forest, looking around like a wild beast on the watch for -prey. All of a sudden he uttered a stifled cry of joy. He had found what -he had been seeking without any hope of finding it. - -Before him, beneath a thick dome of verdure, ran one of those narrow -paths formed by wild beasts in going to water, which it required the -Tigrero's practised eye to detect. He resolutely turned aside into this -path. Like all such it took innumerable turnings, incessantly coming -back on itself. After following it for a length of time, the Tigrero -went back and re-ascended the hill. - -His companions, anxious at his prolonged absence, were impatiently -expecting him. Each welcomed his return with delight. He told them what -he had been doing, and the track he had discovered. While Don Martial -had been on the search, one of his peons, however, had made, on the side -of this very hill, a discovery most valuable at such a moment to our -travellers. This man, while wandering about the neighbourhood to kill -time, had found the entrance to a cave which he had not dared to -explore, not knowing whether he might not unexpectedly find himself face -to face with a wild beast. - -Don Martial quivered with joy at this news. He seized an _ocote_ torch -and ordered the peon to lead him to the cavern. It was only a few paces -distant, and on that side of the hill which faced the river. The -entrance was so obstructed by shrubs and parasitic plants, that it was -evident no living being had ever penetrated it for many a long year. The -Tigrero moved the shrubs with the greatest care, in order not to injure -them, and glided into the cavern. The entrance was tolerably lofty, -though rather narrow. Before going in Don Martial struck a light and -kindled the torch. - -This cavern was one of those natural grottos, so many of which are to be -found in these regions. The walls were lofty and dry, the ground covered -with fine sand. It evidently received air from imperceptible fissures, -as no mephitic exhalation escaped from it, and breathing was quite easy; -in a word, although it was rather gloomy, it was habitable. It grew -gradually lower to a species of hall, in the centre of which was a gulf, -the bottom of which Don Martial could not see, though he held down his -torch. He looked around him, saw a lump of rock, probably detached from -the roof and threw it into the abyss. - -For a long time he heard the stone dashing against the sides, and then -the noise of a body falling into water. Don Martial knew all he -wanted to know. He stepped past the gulf, and advanced along a narrow -shelving passage. After walking for about ten minutes along it, he saw -light a considerable distance ahead. The grotto had two outlets. Don -Martial returned at full speed. - -"We are saved!" he said to his companions. "Follow me: we have not an -instant to lose in reaching the refuge Providence so generously offers -us." - -They followed him. - -"What shall we do, though," Don Sylva asked, "with the horses?" - -"Do not trouble yourselves about them; I will conceal them. Place in the -grotto our provisions, for it is probable we shall be forced to remain -here some time; also keep by you the saddles and bridles, which I do not -know what to do with. As for the horses, they are my business." - -Each set to work with that feverish ardour produced by the hope of -escaping a danger; and at the end of an hour at most, the baggage, -provisions, and men had all disappeared in the cavern. Don Martial drew -the bushes over the entrance, to hide the traces of his companions' -passage, and breathed with that delight caused by the success of a -daring project; then he returned to the crest of the hill. - -He fastened the horses and mules together with his reata, and descending -to the plain, he proceeded toward the forest, and entered the path he -had previously discovered. It was very narrow, and the horses could only -proceed in single file, and with extreme difficulty. At length he -reached a species of clearing, where be abandoned the poor animals, -leaving them all the forage, which he had taken care to pack on the -mules. Don Martial was well aware that the horses would stray but a -short distance from the spot where he left them, and that when they were -wanted it would be easy to find them. - -These various occupations had consumed a good deal of time, and the day -was considerably advanced when the Tigrero finally quitted the forest. -The sun, very low on the horizon, appeared like a ball of fire, nearly -on a level with the ground. The shadow of the trees was -disproportionately elongated. The evening breeze was beginning to rise. -A few hoarse cries, issuing at intervals from the depths of the forest, -announced the speedy re-awakening of the wild beasts, those denizens of -the desert which, during the night, are its absolute king. - -On reaching the crest of the hill, and before entering the grotto, Don -Martial surveyed the horizon by the last rays of the expiring sun. -Suddenly he turned pale; a nervous shudder passed through his frame; his -eyes, dilated by terror, were obstinately fixed on the river; and he -muttered in a low voice, stamping with fury,-- - -"Already? The demons!" - -What the Tigrero had seen was really startling. A band of Indian -horsemen was traversing the river at the precise spot where he and his -companions had crossed it a few hours previously. Don Martial followed -their movements with growing alarm. On arriving at the river bank, -without any hesitation or delay, they took up his trail. Doubt was no -longer possible; the Apaches had not been deceived by the hunter's -schemes, but had come in a straight line behind the party, exercising -great diligence. In less than an hour they could reach the hill; and -then, with that diabolical science they possessed to discover the best -hidden trail, who knew what would happen? - -The Tigrero felt his heart breaking, and half mad with grief, rushed -into the grotto. On seeing him enter thus with livid features, the -hacendero and his daughter hurried to meet him. - -"What is the matter?" They asked. - -"We are lost!" he exclaimed with despair. "Here are the Apaches!" - -"The Apaches!" they muttered with terror. - -"O heavens save me!" Doña Anita said, falling on her knees and fervently -clasping her hands. - -The Tigrero bent over the fair girl, took her in his arms with a -strength rendered tenfold by grief, and turning to the hacendero,-- - -"Come," he shouted, "follow me. Perhaps one chance of salvation is still -left us." - -And he hurried toward the extremity of the grotto, all eagerly following -him. They hurried on for some time in this way. Doña Anita, almost -fainting, leaned her lovely head on the Tigrero's shoulders. He still -ran on. - -"Come, come," he said, "we shall soon be saved." - -His companions uttered a shout of joy: they had perceived a gleam of -daylight before them. Suddenly, at the moment Don Martial reached the -entrance, and was about to rush forth, a man appeared. It was the Black -Bear. - -The Tigrero leaped back with the howl of a wild beast. - -"Wah!" the Apache said, with a mocking voice, "my brother knows that I -love this woman, and to please me hastens to bring her to me." - -"You have not got her yet, demon!" Don Martial shouted, boldly placing -himself before Doña Anita, with a pistol in each hand. "Come and take -her." - -Rapidly approaching footsteps were heard in the depths of the cavern. -The Mexicans were caught between two fires. The Black Bear, with his eye -fixed on the Tigrero, watched his every movement. Suddenly he bounded -forward like a tiger cat, uttering his war yell. The Tigrero fired both -pistols at him and seized him round the waist. The two men rolled on the -ground, intertwined like two serpents, while Don Sylva and the peons -fought desperately with the other Indians. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE WOOD RANGERS. - - -We will now return to certain persons of this story, whom we have too -long forgotten. - -Although the French had remained masters of the field, and succeeded in -driving back their savage enemies when they attacked the hacienda upon -the Rio Gila, they did not hide from themselves the fact that they did -not owe this unhoped for victory solely to their own courage. The final -charge made by the Comanches, under the orders of Eagle-head, had alone -decided the victory. Hence, when the enemy disappeared, the Count de -Lhorailles, with uncommon generosity and frankness, especially in a man -of his character, warmly thanked the Comanches, and made the hunters the -most magnificent offers. The latter modestly received the count's -flattering compliments, and plainly declined all the offers he made -them. - -As Belhumeur told him, they had no other motive for their conduct than -that of helping fellow countrymen. Now that all was finished, and the -French would be long free from any attacks on the part of the savages, -they had only one thing more to do--take leave of the count so soon as -possible, and continue their journey. The count, however, induced them -to spend two more days at the colony. - -Doña Anita and her father had disappeared in so mysterious a manner, -that the French, but little accustomed to Indian tricks, and completely -ignorant of the manner of discovering or following a trail in the -desert, were incapable of going in search of the two persons who had -been carried off. The count, in his mind, had built on the experience of -Eagle-head and the sagacity of his warriors to find traces of the -hacendero and his daughter. He explained to the hunters, in the fullest -details, the service he hoped to obtain from them, and they thought they -had no right to refuse it. - -The next morning, at daybreak, Eagle-head divided his detachment into -four troops, each commanded by a renowned warrior, and after giving the -men their instructions, he sent them off in four different directions. -The Comanches beat up the country with that cleverness and skill the -redskins possess to so eminent a degree, but all was useless. The four -troops returned one after the other to the hacienda without making any -discovery. Though they had gone over the ground for a radius of about -twenty leagues round the colony--though not a tuft of grass or a shrub -had escaped their minute investigations--the trail could not be found. -We know the reason--water alone keeps no trace. Don Sylva and his -daughter had been carried down with the current of the Rio Gila. - -"You see," Belhumeur said to the count, "we have done what was humanly -possible to recover the persons carried off during the fight; it is -evident that the ravishers embarked them on the river, and carried them -a long distance ere they landed. Who can say where they are now? The -redskins go fast, especially when flying; they have an immense advance -on us, as the ill success of our efforts proves: it would be madness to -hope to catch them. Allow us, then, to take our leave: perhaps, during -our passage across the prairie, we may obtain information which may -presently prove useful to you." - -"I will no longer encroach on your kindness," the count replied -courteously. "Go whenever you think proper, caballeros; but accept the -expression of my gratitude, and believe that I should be happy to prove -it to you otherwise than by sterile words. Besides, I am also going to -leave the colony, and we may perhaps meet in the desert." - -The next morning the hunters and the Comanches quitted the hacienda, and -buried themselves in the prairie. In the evening Eagle-head had the camp -formed, and the fires lighted. After supper, when all were about to -retire for the night, the sachem sent the _hachesto_, or public crier, -to summon the chiefs to the council fire. - -"My pale brothers will take a place near the chiefs," Eagle-head said, -addressing the Canadian and the Frenchman. - -The latter accepted with a nod, and sat down by the brasero among the -Comanche chiefs, who were already waiting, silent and reserved, for the -communication from their great sachem. When Eagle-head had taken his -seat he made a sign to the pipe bearer. The latter entered the circle, -respectfully carrying in his hand the calumet of medicine, whose stem -was adorned with feathers and a multitude of bells, while the bowl was -hollowed out of a white stone only found in the Rocky Mountains. - -The calumet was filled and lighted. - -The pipe bearer, so soon as he entered the circle, turned the bowl of -the pipe to the four cardinal points, murmuring in a low voice -mysterious words, intended to invoke the goodwill of the Wacondah, the -Master of Life, and remove from the minds of the chiefs the malignant -influence of the first man. Then, still holding the bowl in his hand, he -presented the mouthpiece to Eagle-head, saying in a loud and impressive -voice,-- - -"My father is the first sachem of the valorous nation of the Comanches. -Wisdom resides in him. Although the snows of age have not yet frozen the -thoughts in his brain, like all men, he is subject to error. Let my -father reflect ere he speak; for the words which pass his lips must be -such as the Comanches can hear." - -"My son has spoken well," the sachem replied. - -He took the tube, and smoked silently for a few moments; then he removed -the stem from his lips, and handed it to his nearest neighbour. The pipe -thus passed round the circle, and not a chief uttered a word. When each -had smoked, and all the tobacco in the bowl was consumed, the pipe -bearer shook out the ash into his left hand, and threw it into the -brazier, exclaiming,-- - -"The chiefs are assembled here in council. Their words are sacred. -Wacondah has heard our prayer, it is granted. Woe to the man who forgets -that conscience must be his only guide!" - -After uttering these words with great dignity the pipe bearer left the -circle, murmuring in a low, though perfectly distinct voice,-- - -"Just as the ash I have thrown into the fire has disappeared for ever, -so the words of the chiefs must be sacred, and never be repeated outside -the sachems' circle. My fathers can speak; the council is opened." - -The pipe bearer departed after this warning. Then Eagle-head rose, and, -after surveying all the warriors present, took the word. - -"Comanche chiefs and warriors," he said, "many moons have passed away -since I left the villages of my nation; many moons will again pass ere -the all-powerful Wacondah will permit me to sit at the council fire of -the great Comanche sachems. The blood has ever flowed red in my veins, -and my heart has never worn a skin for my brothers. The words which pass -my lips are spoken by the will of the Great Spirit. He knows how I have -kept up my love for you. The Comanche nation is powerful; it is the -Queen of the Prairies. Its hunting grounds cover the whole world. What -need has it to ally itself with other nations to avenge insults? Does -the unclean coyote retire into the den of the haughty jaguar? Does the -owl lay its eggs in the eagle's nest? Why should the Comanche walk on -the warpath with the Apache dogs? The Apaches are cowardly and -treacherous women. I thank my brothers for not only having broken with -them, but also for having helped me to defeat them. Now my heart is sad, -a mist covers my mind, because I must separate myself from my brothers. -Let them accept my farewell. Let the Jester pity me, because I shall -walk in the shadow far from him. The sunbeams, however burning they may -be, will not warm me. I have spoken. Have I spoken well, powerful men?" - -Eagle-head sat down amid a murmur of grief, and concealed his face -behind the skirt of his buffalo robe. There was great silence in the -assembly; the Jester seemed to interrogate the other chiefs with a -glance. At length he rose, and took the word in his turn to reply to the -sachem. - -"The Jester is young," he said; "his head is good, though he does not -possess, the great wisdom of his father. Eagle-head is a sachem beloved -by the Wacondah. Why has the Master of Life brought the chief back among -the warriors of his nation? Is it that he should leave them again almost -immediately? No; the Master of Life loves his Comanche sons. He could -not have desired that. The warriors need a wise and experienced chief to -lead them on the warpath, and instruct them round the council fire. My -father's head is grey; he will teach and guide the warriors. The Jester -cannot do so; he is still too young, and wants experience. Where my -father goes his sons will go; what my father wishes his sons will wish. -But never let him speak again about leaving them. Let him disperse the -cloud that obscures his mind. His sons implore it by the mouth of the -Jester--that child he brought up, whom he loved so much formerly, and of -whom he made a man. I have spoken; here is my wampum. Have I spoken -well, powerful men?" - -After uttering the last words the chief threw a collar of wampum at -Eagle-head's feet, and sat down again. - -"The great sachem must remain with his sons," all the warriors shouted, -as, in their turn, they threw down their wampum collars. - -Eagle-head rose with an air of great nobility; he allowed the skirt of -his buffalo robe to fall, and addressing the anxious and attentive -assembly,-- - -"I have heard the strain of the walkon, the beloved bird of the -Wacondah, echo in my ears," he said: "its harmonious voice penetrated -to my heart and made it thrill with joy. My sons are good, and I love -them. The Jester and ten warriors to be chosen by himself, will -accompany me, and the others will ride to the great villages of my -nation to announce to the sachems the return of Eagle-head among his -brothers. I have spoken." - -The Jester then asked for the great calumet, which was immediately -brought him by the pipe bearer, and the chiefs smoked in turn, without -uttering a word. When the last puff of smoke had dissolved, the -hachesto, to whom the Jester had said a few words in a low voice, -proclaimed the names of the ten warriors selected to accompany the -sachem. The chiefs rose, bowed to Eagle-head, and silently mounting -their horses, started at a gallop. - -For a considerable period the Jester and Eagle-head conversed in a low -voice; at the end of the palaver, the Jester and his warriors went off -in their turn, Eagle-head, Belhumeur and Don Louis remaining alone. The -Canadian watched the Indians depart, and when they had disappeared he -turned to the chief. - -"Hum!" he said, "Will not the hour soon arrive to speak frankly and -terminate our business? Since our departure from home we have troubled -ourselves a great deal about others, and forgotten our own affairs; is -it not time to think of them?" - -"Eagle-head does not forget: he is preparing to satisfy his pale -brothers." - -Belhumeur burst out laughing. - -"Excuse me, chief; for my part, my business is very simple. You asked me -to accompany you and here I am. May I be a dog of an Apache if I know -anything more! Louis, it is different, is looking for a well-beloved -friend: remember that we have promised to help him to find him." - -"Eagle-head," the chief replied, "has shared his heart between his two -white brothers: each has half. The road we have to go is long, and must -last several moons. We shall cross the great desert. The Jester and his -warriors have gone to kill buffaloes for the journey. I will lead my -white brothers to a spot which I discovered a few moons ago, and which -is only known to myself. The Wacondah, when he created the red man, gave -him strength, courage, and immense hunting grounds, saying to him: 'Be -free and happy.' He gave the palefaces wisdom and science, by teaching -them to know the value of sparkling stones and yellow pebbles. The -redskins and the palefaces each follow the path the Great Spirit has -traced for them. I am leading my brothers to a placer." - -"To a placer!" the two men exclaimed in amazement. - -"Yes. What would an Indian sachem do with these enormous treasures, -which he knows not how to use? Gold is everything with the palefaces. -Let my brothers be happy; Eagle-head will give them more than they can -ever take." - -"An instant, chief. What the deuce would you have me do with your gold? -I am a hunter, whom his horse and rifle suffice. At the period that I -crossed the prairie in the company of Loyal-heart, we frequently found -rich nuggets beneath our feet, and ever turned from them with -contempt." - -"What need have we of gold?" Don Louis supported his friend. "Let us -forget this placer, however rich it may be. Let us not reveal its -existence to anyone, for crimes enough are committed daily for gold. -Give up this scheme, chief. We thank you for your generous offer, but it -is impossible for us to accept it." - -"Well spoken," Belhumeur exclaimed joyously. "Deuce take the gold, which -we can make no use of, and let us live like the free hunters we are! By -heavens, chief, I assure you, had you told me at the time the object for -which you wished me to follow you, I should have let you start alone." - -Eagle-head smiled. - -"I expected the answer my brothers have given me," he said. "I am happy -to see that I have not been mistaken. Yes, gold is useless, to -them--they are right; but that is not a motive for despising it. Like -all things placed on the earth by the Great Spirit, gold is useful. My -brothers will accompany me to the placer, not, as they suppose, to -collect nuggets, but merely to know where they are, and go to fetch them -when wanted. Misfortune ever arrives unexpectedly: the most favoured by -the Great Spirit today are often those whom tomorrow he will smite most -severely. Well, if the gold of this placer is as nothing for the -happiness of my brothers, who insures them that it may not serve some -day to save one of their friends from despair?" - -"That is true," said Don Louis, touched by the justice of this -reasoning. "What you say is wise, and deserves consideration. We can -refuse to enrich ourselves; but we have no right to despise riches, -which may possibly, at some future day, serve others." - -"If that is really your opinion I adopt it; besides, as we are on the -road, it is as well to go to the end. Still, the man who had told me -that I should one day turn _gambusino_ would have astonished me. In the -meanwhile I will go and try to kill a deer." - -On this Belhumeur rose, took his gun, and went off whistling. The Jester -was two days absent. About the middle of the third day he reappeared. -Six horses lassoed in the prairie were loaded with provisions; six -others carried skins filled with water. Eagle-head was satisfied with -the way in which the chief had performed his mission: but as the journey -they had to make was a long one (for they had to cross the Del Norte -desert at its longest part,) he ordered that each horseman should carry -on his saddle, with his alforjas, two little water skins. - -All these measures having been carefully taken, the horses and their -riders rested. Fresh and of good cheer, the next morning, at daybreak, -the little troop started in the direction of the desert. We will say -nothing of the journey, save that it was successful and accomplished -under the most favourable auspices: no incident occurred to mar its -monotonous tranquillity. The Comanches and their friends crossed the -desert like a tornado, with that headlong speed of which they alone -possess the secret, and which renders them so dangerous when they invade -the Mexican frontiers. - -On arriving in the prairies of the Sierra de los Comanches, Eagle-head -ordered the Jester and his warriors to await him in a camp which he -formed on the skirt of a virgin forest, in an immense clearing on the -banks of an unknown stream, which, after a course of several leagues, -falls into the Rio del Norte, and then departed with his comrades. The -sachem foresaw everything. Although he placed entire confidence in the -Jester, he did not wish, through prudential motives, to let him know the -site of the placer. At a later date he had cause to congratulate himself -on this step. - -The hunters pushed on straight for the mountains, which rose before them -like apparently insurmountable granitic walls; but the nearer they -approached the more the mountains sloped down. They soon entered a -narrow gorge, at the entrance of which they were forced to leave their -horses. It was probably owing to this apparently futile circumstance -that this placer had not yet been discovered by the Indians, for the -redskins never, under any circumstances, dismount. It may justly be said -of them, as of the Guachos of the Pampas, in the Banda Oriental and -Patagonia, that they live on horseback. - -By a singular accident during one of his hunts, a deer which Eagle-head -had wounded entered this gorge to die. The chief, who had been following -the animal for several hours, did not hesitate to go in quest of it. -After traversing the whole length of the gorge he reached a valley, a -kind of funnel formed between two abrupt mountains, which, except on -this side, rendered access not only difficult, but impossible. There he -found the deer expiring on a sand sprinkled with gold dust, and sown -with nuggets winch sparkled like diamonds in the sunshine. - -On entering the valley the hunters could not repress a cry of admiration -and a shudder of delight. However strong a man may be morally, gold -possesses an irresistible attraction, and exerts a powerful fascination -over him. Belhumeur was the first to regain his calmness. - -"Oh, oh!" he said, wiping the perspiration which poured down his face, -"there are fortunes enough hidden in this nook of earth. God grant that -they may remain so a long time, for the happiness of mankind!" - -"What shall we do?" asked Louis, his chest heaving and his eyes -sparkling. - -Eagle-head alone regarded these incalculable riches with an indifferent -eye. - -"Hum!" the Canadian continued, "This is evidently our property, as the -chief surrenders it to us." - -The sachem made a sign of affirmation. - -"Hear what I propose," he continued. "We do not need this gold, which at -this moment would be more injurious to us than useful. Still, as no one -can foresee the future, we must assure ourselves of the ownership. Let -us cover this sand with leaves and branches, so that if accident lead a -hunter to the top of one of those mountains, he may not see the gold -glistening; then we will pile up stones, and close the mouth of the -valley; for what has happened to Eagle-head must not happen to another. -What is your opinion?" - -"To work!" Don Louis exclaimed. "I am anxious not to have my eyes -dazzled longer by this diabolical metal, which makes me giddy." - -"To work, then!" Belhumeur replied. - -The three men cut down branches from the trees, and formed with them a -thick carpet, under which the auriferous sand and nuggets entirely -disappeared. - -"Will you not take a specimen of the nuggets?" Belhumeur said to the -count. "Perhaps it may be useful to take a few." - -"My faith, no!" the latter replied, shrugging his shoulders; "I do not -care for it. Take some if you will: for my part, I will not soil my -fingers with them." - -The Canadian began laughing, picked up two or three nuggets as huge as -walnuts, and placed them in his bullet pouch. - -"Sapristi!" he said, "if I kill sundry Apaches with these they will have -no right to complain, I hope." - -They quitted the valley, the entrance to which they stopped up with -masses of rock. They then regained their horses, and returned to the -camp, after cutting notches in the trees, so as to be able to recognise -the spot, if, at a later date, circumstances led them to the placer, -which, we are bound to say in their favour, not one of them desired. - -The Jester was awaiting his friends with the intensest impatience. The -prairie was not quiet. In the morning the runners had perceived a small -band of palefaces crossing the Del Norte, and proceeding toward a hill, -on the top of which they had encamped. At this moment a large Apache -war-party had crossed the river at the same spot, apparently following a -trail. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, "It is plain that those dogs are pursuing -white people." - -"Shall we let them be massacred beneath our eyes?" Louis exclaimed -indignantly. - -"My faith, no! If it depend on us," the hunter said, "perhaps this good -action will obtain our pardon for the feeling of covetousness to which -we for a moment yielded. Speak, Eagle-head! What will you do?" - -"Save the palefaces," the chief replied. - -The orders were immediately given by the sachem, and executed with that -intelligence and promptitude characteristic of picked warriors on the -war trail. The horses were left under the guard of a Comanche, and the -detachment, divided into two parties, advanced cautiously into the -prairie. With the exception of Eagle-head, the Jester, Louis, and -Belhumeur, who had rifles, all the others were armed with lances and -bows. - -"Diamond cut diamond," the Canadian said in a low voice. "We are going -to surprise those who are preparing to surprise others." - -At this moment two shots were heard, followed by others, and then the -war cry of the Apaches echoed far and wide. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, rushing forward, "They do not fancy we are so -near." - -All the others followed him at full speed. In the meanwhile the combat -had assumed horrible proportions in the cavern. Don Sylva and the peons -resisted courageously; but what could they do against the swarm of -enemies that assailed them on every side? - -The Tigrero and the Black Bear, interlaced like two serpents, were -seeking to stab each other. Don Martial, when he perceived the Indian, -leaped back so precipitately that he cleared the passage and reached the -hall, in the centre of which was the abyss to which we before alluded. -It was on the verge of this gulf that the two men, with flashing eyes, -heaving chests, and lips closed by fury, redoubled their efforts. - -Suddenly several shots were heard, and the war cry of the Comanches -burst forth like thunder. The Black Bear loosed his hold of Don Martial, -leaped on his feet, and rushed on Doña Anita; but the girl, though -suffering from an indescribable terror, repulsed the savage by a -supernatural effort. The latter, already wounded by the Tigrero's -pistols, tottered backwards to the edge of the abyss, where he lost his -balance. He felt that all was over. By an instinctive effort he -stretched out his arms, seized Don Martial (who, half stunned by the -contest he had been engaged in, was trying to rise), made him totter in -his turn, and the two fell to the bottom of the abyss, uttering a -horrible cry. - -Doña Anita rushed forward: she was lost--when suddenly she felt herself -seized by a vigorous hand, and rapidly dragged backwards. She had -fainted. - -The Comanches had arrived too late. Of the seven persons composing the -little band, five had been killed; a peon seriously wounded, and Doña -Anita alone survived. The young girl had been saved by Belhumeur. When -she opened her eyes again she smiled gently, and in a childlike voice, -melodious as a bird's carol, began singing a Mexican seguedilla. The -hunters recoiled with a cry of horror. Doña Anita was mad! - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -EL AHUEHUELT. - - -The count de Lhorailles entered the great Del Norte desert under the -guidance of Cucharés. During the first day all went on famously; the -weather was magnificent--the provisions more than plentiful. With their -innate carelessness the Frenchmen forgot their past fears, and laughed -at the alarm which the Mexican peons did not cease manifesting; for, -better informed, they did not conceal the terror which the prolonged -stay of the company in this terrible region caused them. - -The days were spent in the desert in wandering purposelessly in search -of the Apaches, who had at length become invisible. At times they -perceived an Indian horseman in the distance, apparently mocking them, -who presently came up close to their lines. Boot and saddle was sounded; -everybody mounted, and pursued this phantom horseman, who, after -allowing them to follow him for a long time, suddenly disappeared like a -vision. - -This mode of life, however, through its very monotony, began to grow -insipid and insupportable. To see nothing but grey sand, ever sand--not -a bird or a wild beast--tawny, weather-worn rocks--a few lofty -ahuehuelts--a species of cedar, with long bare branches, covered with a -greyish moss, hanging in heavy festoons--had nothing very amusing about -it. The troop began to grow dispirited. The reflection of the sun on the -sand caused ophthalmia; the water, decomposed by the heat, was no longer -drinkable; the provisions were spoiling; and scurvy had commenced its -ravages among the soldiers. This state of things was growing -intolerable: measures must be taken to get out of it as rapidly as -possible. - -The count formed his officers into a council; and it was composed of -Lieutenants Martin Leroux and Diégo Léon, Sergeant Boileau, Blas -Vasquez, and Cucharés. These five persons, presided over by the count, -took their seats on bales, while a short distance off, the soldiers, -reclining on the ground, tried to shelter themselves beneath the shadow -of their picketed horses. - -It was urgent to assemble the council, for the company was rapidly -demoralising; there was revolt in the air, and complaints had already -been openly uttered. The execution at the Casa Grande was completely -forgotten; and, if a remedy were not soon found, no one knew what -terrible consequences this general dissatisfaction might not entail. - -"Gentlemen," the Count de Lhorailles said, "I have assembled you in -order to consult with you on the means to put a stop to the despondency -which has fallen on our company during the last few days. The -circumstances are so serious that I shall feel obliged by your giving me -your frank opinion. The general welfare is at stake, and in such a state -of things each has a right to express his opinion without fear of -wounding the self-love of anyone. Speak; I am listening to you. You -first, Sergeant Boileau: as the lowest in rank, you must take the word -first." - -The sergeant was an old African soldier, knowing his duties perfectly--a -thorough trooper in the fullest sense of the word; but we must confess -that he was nothing of an orator. At this direct challenge from his -chief he smiled, blushed like a girl, let his head droop, opened an -enormous mouth, and stopped short. The count, perceiving his -embarrassment, kindly urged him to speak. At length, after many an -effort, the sergeant managed to begin in a hoarse and perfectly -indistinct voice. - -"Hang it, captain!" he said, "I can understand that the situation is not -at all pleasant; but what is to be done? A man is a trooper, or he is -not. Hence my opinion is that you ought to act as you think proper; and -we are here to obey you in every respect, as is our peremptory duty, -without any subsequent or offensive after-thought." - -The officers could not refrain from laughing at the worthy sergeant's -profession of faith, as he stopped all ashamed. - -"It is your turn, capataz," the captain said. "Give us your opinion." - -Blas Vasquez fixed his burning eyes on the count. - -"Do you really ask it frankly?" he said. - -"Certainly I do." - -"Then listen," he said in a firm voice, and with an accent bearing -conviction. "My opinion is that we are betrayed; that it is impossible -for us to leave this desert, where we shall all perish in pursuing -invisible enemies, who have caused us to fall into a trap which will -hold us all." - -These words produced a great impression on the hearers, who understood -their perfect truth. The captain shook his head thoughtfully. - -"Don Blas," he said, "you bring, then, a heavy accusation against -someone. Have you conscientiously weighed the purport of your words?" - -"Yes," he replied; "but--" - -"Remember that we can admit no vague suppositions. Things have reached -such a pitch that, if you wish us to give you the credence you -doubtlessly deserve, you must bring your charges precisely, and not -shrink from pronouncing any name if it be necessary." - -"I shall shrink from nothing, señor conde. I know all the responsibility -I take on myself. No consideration, however powerful it may be, will -make me conceal what I regard as a sacred duty." - -"Speak, then, in Heaven's name; and God grant that your words may not -compel me to inflict an exemplary chastisement on one of our comrades." - -The capataz collected himself for a moment. All anxiously awaited his -explanation: Cucharés especially was suffering from an emotion which he -found great difficulty in concealing. Blas Vasquez at length spoke -again, while keeping his eye so fixed on the count that the latter began -to understand that he and his men were the victims of some odious -treachery. - -"Señor conde," Blas said, "we Mexicans have a law from which we never -depart--a law which, indeed, is inscribed in the hearts of all honest -men. It is this: in the same way that the pilot is responsible for the -ship intrusted to him to take into port, the pioneer responds with his -person for the safety of the people he undertakes to guide in the -desert. In this case no discussion is possible: either the guide is -ignorant, or he is not. If he is ignorant, why, against the opinion of -everybody, has he forced us to enter the desert, while taking on himself -the entire responsibility of our journey? Why, if he be not ignorant, -did he not guide us straight across the desert as he agreed to do, -instead of leading us at venture in pursuit of an enemy who, he knows as -well as I do, is never stationary in the desert, but traverses it at his -horse's utmost speed when forced to enter it? Hence on the guide alone -must weigh the blame of all that has happened, as he was master of -events, and arranged them as he thought proper." - -Cucharés, more and more perturbed, knew not what countenance to keep; -his emotion was visible to all. - -"What reply have you to make?" the captain asked him. - -Under circumstances like the present, the man attacked has only two -means of defence--to feign indignation or contempt. Cucharés chose the -latter. Summoning up all his boldness and impudence, he raised his -voice, shrugged his shoulders disdainfully, and answered in an ironical -tone,-- - -"I will not do Don Blas the honour of discussing his remarks: there are -certain accusations which an honest man scorns to repel. It was my duty -to act in conformity with the orders of the captain, who alone commands -here. Since we have been in the desert we have lost twenty men, killed -by the Indians or by disease. Can I be logically rendered responsible -for this misfortune? Do I not run the same risks as all of you of -perishing in the desert? Is it in my power to escape the fate that -threatens you? If the captain had merely ordered me to cross the desert, -we should have done so long ago: he told me that he wished to catch the -Apaches up, and I was compelled to obey him." - -These reasons, specious as they were, were still accepted as good by the -officers. Cucharés breathed again, but he had not yet finished with the -capataz. - -"Good!" the latter said. "Strictly speaking, you might be right in your -remarks, and I would put faith in your statements, had I not other and -graver charges to bring against you." - -The lepero shrugged his shoulders once more. - -"I know, and can supply proof, that, by your remarks and insinuations, -you sow discord and rebellion among the peons and troopers. This -morning, before the _réveillé_, believing that no one saw you, you rose, -and with your dagger pierced ten of the fifteen water skins still left -us. The noise I made in running toward you alone prevented the entire -consummation of your crime. At the moment when the captain gave us -orders to assemble, I was about to warn him of what yon had done. What -have you to answer to this? Defend yourself, if it be possible." - -All eyes were fixed on the lepero. He was livid. His eyes, suffused with -blood, were haggard. Before it was possible to guess his intention, he -drew a pistol and fired at the capataz, who fell without uttering a cry; -then with a tiger-bound he leaped on his horse, and started at full -speed. There was an indescribable tumult. All rushed in pursuit of the -lepero. - -"Down with the murderer!" the captain shouted, urging his men by voice -and gestures to seize the villain. - -The Frenchmen, rendered furious by this pursuit, began firing on -Cucharés as on a wild beast. For a long time he was seen galloping his -horse in every direction, and seeking in vain to quit the circle in -which the troopers had inclosed him. At length he tottered in his -saddle, tried to hold on by his horse's mane, and rolled in the sand, -uttering a parting yell of fury. He was dead! - -This event caused extreme excitement among the soldiers: from this -moment they felt that they were betrayed, and began to see their -position as it really was--that is to say, desperate. In vain did the -captain try to restore them a little courage; they would listen to -nothing, but yielded to that despair which disorganises and paralyses -everything. The count gave the order for departure, and they set out. - -But whither should they go? In what direction turn? No trace was -visible. Still they marched on, rather to change their place than in the -hope of emerging from the sepulchre of sand in which they believed -themselves eternally buried. Eight days passed away--eight -centuries---during which the adventurers endured the most frightful -tortures of thirst and hunger. The troop no longer existed; there were -neither chiefs nor soldiers; it was a legion of hideous phantoms, a -flock of wild beasts ready to devour each other on the first -opportunity. - -They had been reduced to splitting the ears of the horses and mules in -order to drink the blood. - -Wandering now on this side, now on that, deceived by the mirage, dazzled -by the burning sunbeams, they were a prey to a hideous despair. Some -laughed with a silly air; and these were the happiest, for they no -longer felt their sufferings: they were mad. Others brandished their -weapons furiously, raising their fists, with menaces and curses to -heaven, which, like an immense plate of red-hot iron, seemed the -implacable dome of their sandy tomb. Some, rendered raging by suffering, -blew out their brains, while mocking their comrades who were too -weak-minded to follow their example. - -The French are, perhaps, the bravest nation in existence; but, on the -other hand, the easiest to demoralise. If their impulse is irresistible -in the onward march; it is the same when they give way. Nothing will -stop them--neither reasoning nor coercive measures. Extreme in -everything, the Frenchman is more than a man, or less than a child. - -The Count de Lhorailles, gloomy and heart-broken, surveyed the ruin of -all his hopes. Ever the first to march the last to rest, not eating a -mouthful till he was certain that all his comrades had their share, he -watched with unexampled tenderness and care over these poor soldiers, -who, strangely enough, in the misery in which they were plunged, never -dreamed of addressing a reproach to him. - -Of Blas Vasquez' peons the majority were dead. The rest had sought -safety in flight; that is, they had gone a little further on to seek a -hidden tomb. All those who remained faithful to the captain were -Europeans, principally Frenchmen, brave Dauph'yeers, utterly ignorant of -the way to combat and conquer the implacable enemy against whom they -struggled--the desert! Of the two hundred and forty-five men of which -the squadron was composed on its entering the Del Norte, one hundred and -thirty-three still survived, if we allow that these haggard, fleshless -spectres were men. - -The most atrocious pain which a man can suffer in the desert is the -frightful malady called _calentura_ by the Mexicans. The calentura! That -temporary madness, which makes you see, during its intermittent attacks, -the most dainty and delicious dishes, the most limpid water, the most -exquisite wines; which satiates and enervates you; and, when it leaves -you, renders you more desponding, more broken, than before, for you -retain the remembrance of all you possessed during your dream. - -One day, at length, the wretched men, crushed by misery and torture of -every description, refused to go further, and resolved to die where -accident had led them. They lay down in the torrid sand, beneath the -shadow of a few ahuehuelts, with the firm will of remaining motionless -until death, which they had summoned so loudly, came at length to -deliver them from their woes. The sun set in a mist of purple and gold, -to the sound of the curses and imprecations of these wretched men who, -expecting nothing more, hoping nothing more, had only retained the cruel -instincts of the wild beast. - -Still the night succeeded to day--gradually calmness took the place of -disorder. Sleep, that great consoler, weighed down the heavy eyelids of -the men, who, if they did not sleep, fell into state of somnolency, -which brought a truce to their fearful tortures, if only for a few -moments. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a formidable sound -aroused them--a fiery whirlwind passed over them--the thunder burst -forth in terrific peals. The sky was black as ink--not a star, not a -moonbeam--nothing but dense gloom, which hid the nearest objects from -sight. - -The poor fellows rose in great terror; they dragged themselves on as -well as they could one after the other, crouching together like a flock -of sheep surprised by a storm, wishing, with that inborn egotism of man, -to die together. - -"A temporal, a temporal!" all shouted with an expression of voice -impossible to render. - -It was in reality the temporal, that fearful scourge, which was -unloosing all its fury, and passing over the desert to subvert its -surface. The wind howled with extraordinary force, raising clouds of -dust, which whirled round with extreme velocity, and formed enormous -spouts, that, ran along and suddenly burst with a frightful crash. Men -and animals caught in the tornado were whisked away into a space like -straws. - -"Down on the ground!" the count shouted in a tremendous voice; "Down on -the ground. 'Tis the African simoom! Down, all of you who care for -life!" - -Strange to say, all these men, weighed down with atrocious sufferings, -obeyed their chiefs orders like children, so great is the terror death -inspires in the darkness. They buried their faces in the sand, in order -to avoid the burning blast of air that passed over them. The animals -crouched on the ground, with outstretched necks, instinctively followed -their example. At intervals, when the wind granted a moment's respite to -these unhappy men, whom it took a delight in torturing, cries and groans -of agony could be heard, mingled with blasphemies and ardent prayers, -that rose from the crowd stretched trembling on the earth. The hurricane -raged through the entire night with ever increasing fury; toward morning -it gradually grew calmer; by sunrise it had exhausted all its strength, -and rushed toward other regions. - -The aspect of the desert was completely changed. Where valleys had been -on the previous night were now mountains; the sparse trees, twisted, -uprooted, or burned by the hurricane, displayed their blackened and -denuded skeletons; no trace of a footpath, no sign of man; all was flat, -smooth, and even as a mirror. The French had been reduced to sixty men; -the others had been carried off or swallowed up, and there was no hope -of discovering the slightest sign of them: the sand was stretched over -them like an immense greyish shroud. - -The first feeling the survivors experienced was terror; the second, -despair; and then the groans and complaints broke out again with renewed -strength. The count, gloomy and sad, regarded these poor people with an -expression of the tenderest pity. Suddenly he burst out into a feverish -laugh, and going up to his horse, which had hitherto, by a species or -miracle, escaped disaster, he saddled it, while gently patting it and -humming a wild tune between his teeth. - -His companions watched him with a feeling of vague terror, for which -they could not account. Although they were so miserable, their captain -still represented superior intellect and a firm will, those two forces -which have so much power over coarse natures, even when circumstances -have forced them to deny them. In their wretched condition they -collected round their chief, like children seek shelter on their -mother's breast. He had ever consoled them, giving them an example of -courage and abnegation: thus, when they saw him acting as he was doing, -they had a foreboding of evil. - -When his horse was saddled the count leaped lightly on its back, and for -a few minutes he made the animal curvet, though it had the greatest -difficulty in keeping on its feet. - -"Hold, my fine fellows!" he suddenly shouted. "Come up here! You had -better listen to some good advice--a parting hint I wish to give you -before I go." - -The soldiers dragged themselves up as well as they could, and surrounded -him. - -The count turned a glance of satisfaction around. - -"Existence is a miserable farce, is it not?" he said, bursting into a -laugh; "and it is often a heavy chain to drag about. How many times, -since we have been wandering about this desert, have I had the thought -which I now utter openly! Well, I confess to you, as long as I had a -hope of saving you, I struggled courageously: that hope I no longer -possess. As we must die of want within a few days--a few hours, -perhaps--I prefer to finish it at once. Believe me, you had better -follow my example. It is soon done, as you shall see." - -While uttering the last words he drew a pistol from his waist belt. At -this moment cries were heard. - -"What is it? What is the matter?" - -"Look, captain! People are coming at last to our help: we are saved!" -Sergeant Boileau exclaimed, rising like a spectre by his side, and -seizing his arm. - -The count freed himself with a smile. - -"You are mad, my poor comrade," he said, looking in the direction -indicated, where a cloud of dust really rose, and was rapidly -approaching; "no one can come to our aid. We have not even," he added -with bitter irony, "the resource of the shipwrecked crew of the _Méduse_! -We are condemned to die in this infernal desert. Farewell, -all--farewell!" - -He raised the pistol. - -"Captain," the sergeant cried reproachfully, "take care! You have no -right to kill yourself. You are our chief, and must be the last to die: -if not, you are a coward!" - -The count bounded as though a serpent had stung him, and made a gesture -as if to rush on the sergeant. The expression of his face was so savage, -his movement so terrible, that the sergeant was terrified, and recoiled. -The captain profited by this second respite, put the muzzle of the -pistol to his temple, and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, -with his skull fractured. - -The adventurers had not yet recovered from the stupor this frightful -event had thrown them into, when the cloud of dust they had noticed -burst violently asunder, and they perceived a troop of mounted Indians, -in the midst of whom were a woman and two or three white men, galloping -toward them at full speed. Convinced that the Apaches had come up to -deal them the final blow, like vultures collecting round a fallen -buffalo, they did not even attempt an impossible resistance. - -"Oh!" one of the hunters shouted, as he leaped from his horse and rushed -toward them, "the poor fellows!" - -The newcomers were Belhumeur, Louis and their friends the Comanches. In -a few words they were apprised of all that had happened, and the -tortures the French had endured. - -"Good heavens!" Belhumeur shouted, "if provisions failed, you had water -in abundance; then why do you complain of thirst?" - -Without saying a word, Eagle-head and the Jester dug up the ground with -their knives at the foot of an ahuehuelt. Within ten minutes an abundant -stream of limpid water poured along the sand. The Frenchmen rushed in -disorder toward it. - -"Poor fellows!" Don Louis murmured, "Shall we not take them from this -spot?" - -"Do you think I would let them perish, now I have restored them to hope? -Poor girl!" casting a melancholy glance at Doña Anita, who was laughing -and cracking her fingers like castanets, "why is it not equally easy to -restore her to reason?" - -Don Louis sighed, but made no reply. - -The French then learned a thing, which would have saved them all -probably, had they known it sooner--that the ahuehuelt, which, in the -Comanche Indian dialect, signifies the _Lord of the Waters_, is a tree -which grows in arid spots, and its presence ever indicates either a -spring flush with the soil or a hidden source; that for this reason the -redskins hold it in veneration; and, as it is principally found in the -deserts, they designate it also by the name of the _Great Medicine of -Travellers_. - - * * * * * - -Two days later the adventurers, guided by the hunters and Comanches, -quitted the desert. They speedily reached the Casa Grande of -Moctecuhzoma, where their saviours, after giving them the provisions -they stood in such pressing need of, finally left them, hardly knowing -how to escape from their hearty thanks and blessings. - -(Those of our readers who have felt an interest in Don Louis will find -his history continued in another volume, called "THE GOLD-SEEKERS.") - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - -***** This file should be named 42535-8.txt or 42535-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/5/3/42535/ - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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diff --git a/42535.txt b/42535.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e87523d..0000000 --- a/42535.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12534 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Tiger-Slayer - A Tale of the Indian Desert - -Author: Gustave Aimard - -Translator: Lascelles Wraxall - -Release Date: April 14, 2013 [EBook #42535] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - - - - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - - - - -THE TIGER-SLAYER. - -A TALE OF THE INDIAN DESERT. - -BY - -GUSTAVE AIMARD, - -AUTHOR OF "THE PRAIRIE FLOWER," ETC. - -LONDON - -WARD AND LOCK - -MDCCCLX. - - - - - CONTENTS - - PREFACE. - - I. LA FERIA DE PLATA - II. DON SYLVA DE TORRES - III. THE TWO HUNTERS - IV. COUNT MAXIM GAETAN DE LHORAILLES - V. THE DAUPH'YEERS - VI. BY THE WINDOW - VII. A DUEL - VIII. THE DEPARTURE - IX. A MEETING IN THE DESERT - X. BEFORE THE ATTACK - XI. THE MEXICAN MOON - XII. A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM - XIII. A NIGHT JOURNEY - XIV. AN INDIAN TRICK - XV. SET A CHIEF TO CATCH A CHIEF - XVI. THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA - XVII. CUCHARES - XVIII. IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK - XIX. IN THE PRAIRIE - XX. BOOT AND SADDLE - XXI. THE CONFESSION - XXII. THE MAN HUNT - XXIII. THE APACHES - XXIV. THE WOOD RANGERS - XXV. EL AHUEHUELT - - - - -PREFACE. - - -It is hardly necessary to say anything on behalf of the new aspirant for -public favour whom I am now introducing to the reader. He has achieved a -continental reputation, and the French regard him proudly as their -Fenimore Cooper. It will be found, I trust, on perusal, that the -position he has so rapidly assumed in the literature of his country is -justified by the reality of his descriptions, and the truthfulness which -appears in every page. Gustave Aimard has the rare advantage of having -lived for many years as an Indian among the Indians. He is acquainted -with their language, and has gone through all the extraordinary phases -of a nomadic life in the prairie. Had he chosen to write his life, it -would have been one of the most marvellous romances of the age: but he -has preferred to weave into his stories the extraordinary events of -which he has been witness during his chequered life. Believing that his -works only require to be known in order to secure him as favourable a -reception in this country as he has elsewhere, it has afforded me much -satisfaction to have it in my power to place them in this garb. Some -slight modifications have been effected here and there; but in other -respects I have presented a faithful rendering. - - - LASCELLES WRAXALL. - - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -LA FERIA DE PLATA. - - -From the earliest days of the discovery of America, its distant shores -became the refuge and rendezvous of adventurers of every description, -whose daring genius, stifled by the trammels of the old European -civilisation, sought fresh scope for action. - -Some asked from the New World liberty of conscience--the right of -praying to God in their own fashion; others, breaking their sword blades -to convert them into daggers, assassinated entire nations to rob their -gold, and enrich themselves with their spoils; others, lastly, men of -indomitable temperament, with lions' hearts contained in bodies of iron, -recognising no bridle, accepting no laws, and confounding liberty with -license, formed, almost unconsciously, that formidable association of -the "Brethren of the Coast," which for a season made Spain tremble for -her possessions, and with which Louis XIV., the Sun King, did not -disdain to treat. - -The descendants of these extraordinary men still exist in America; and -whenever any revolutionary crisis heaves up, after a short struggle, the -dregs of the population, they instinctively range themselves round the -grandsons of the great adventurers, in the hope of achieving mighty -things in their turn under the leadership of heroes. - -At the period when we were in America chance allowed us to witness one -of the boldest enterprises ever conceived and carried out by these -daring adventurers. This _coup de main_ created such excitement that for -some months it occupied the press, and aroused the curiosity and -sympathy of the whole world. - -Reasons, which our readers will doubtless appreciate, have induced us to -alter the names of the persons who played the principal parts in this -strange drama, though we adhere to the utmost exactness as regards the -facts. - -About ten years back the discovery of the rich Californian plains -awakened suddenly the adventurous instincts of thousands of young and -intelligent men, who, leaving country and family, rushed, full of -enthusiasm, towards the new Eldorado, where the majority only met with -misery and death, after sufferings and vexations innumerable. - -The road from Europe to California is a long one. Many persons stopped -half way; some at Valparaiso; others, again, at Mazatlan or San Blas, -though the majority reached San Francisco. - -It is not within the scope of our story to give the details, too well -known at present, of all the deceptions by which the luckless emigrants -were assailed with the first step they took on this land, where they -imagined they needed only to stoop and pick up handfuls of gold. - -We must ask our readers to accompany us to Guaymas six months after the -discovery of the placers. - -In a previous work we have spoken of Sonora; but as the history we -purpose to narrate passes entirely in that distant province of Mexico, -we must give a more detailed account of it here. - -Mexico is indubitably the fairest country in the world, and every -variety, of climate is found there. But while its territory is immense, -the population unfortunately, instead of being in a fair ratio with it, -only amounts to seven million, of whom nearly five million belong to the -Indian or mixed races. - -The Mexican Confederation comprises the federal district of Mexico, -twenty-one states, and three territories or provinces, possessing no -internal independent administration. - -We will say nothing of the government, from the simple reason that up to -the present the normal condition of that magnificent and unhappy country -has ever been anarchy. - -Still, Mexico appears to be a federative republic, at least nominally, -although the only recognised power is the sabre. - -The first of the seven states, situated on the Atlantic, is Sonora. It -extends from north to south, between the Rio Gila and the Rio Mayo. It -is separated on the east from the State of Chihuahua by the Sierra -Verde, and on the west is bathed by the Vermilion Sea, or Sea of Cortez, -as most Spanish maps still insist on calling it. - -The State of Sonora is one of the richest in Mexico, owing to the -numerous gold mines by which its soil is veined. Unfortunately, or -fortunately, according to the point of view from which we like to regard -it, Sonora is incessantly traversed by innumerable Indian tribes, -against which the inhabitants wage a constant war. Thus the continual -engagements with these savage hordes, the contempt of life, and the -habit of shedding human blood on the slightest pretext, have given the -Sonorians a haughty and decided bearing, and imprinted on them a stamp -of nobility and grandeur, which separates them entirely from the other -states, and causes them to be recognised at the first glance. - -In spite of its great extent of territory and lengthened seaboard, -Mexico possesses in reality only two ports on the Pacific--Guaymas and -Acapulco. The rest are only roadsteads, in which vessels are afraid to -seek shelter, especially when the impetuous _cordonazo_ blows from the -south-west and upheaves the Gulf of California. - -We shall only speak here of Guaymas. This town, founded but a few years -back on the mouth of the San Jose, seems destined to become, ere long, -one of the chief Pacific ports. Its military position is admirable. Like -all the Spanish American towns, the houses are low, whitewashed, and -flat-roofed. The fort, situated on the summit of a rock, in which some -cannon rust on carriages peeling away beneath the sun, is of a yellow -hue, harmonising with the ochre tinge of the beach. Behind the town rise -lofty, scarped mountains, their sides furrowed with ravines hollowed out -by the rainy season, and their brown peaks lost in the clouds. - -Unhappily, we are compelled to avow that this port, despite of its -ambitious title of town, is still a miserable village, without church or -hotel. We do not say there are no drinking-shops; on the contrary, as -may be imagined in a port so near San Francisco, they swarm. - -The aspect of Guaymas is sorrowful; you feel that, in spite of the -efforts of Europeans and adventurers to galvanise this population, the -Spanish tyranny which has weighed upon it for three centuries has -plunged it into a state of moral degradation and inferiority, from which -it will require years to raise it. - -The day on which our story commences, at about two in the afternoon, in -spite of the red-hot sun which poured its beams on the town, Guaymas, -generally so quiet at that hour, when the inhabitants, overcome by the -heat, are asleep indoors, presented an animated appearance, which would -have surprised the stranger whom accident had taken there at that -moment, and would have caused him to suppose, most assuredly, that he -was about to witness one of those thousand _pronunciamientos_ which -annually break out in this wretched province. Still, it was nothing of -the sort. The military authority, represented by General San Benito, -Governor of Guaymas, was, or seemed to be, satisfied with the -government. The smugglers, leperos, and hiaquis continued in a tolerably -satisfactory state, without complaining too much of the powers that -were. Whence, then, the extraordinary agitation that prevailed in the -town? What reason was strong enough to keep this indolent population -awake, and make it forget its siesta? - -For three days the town had been a prey to the gold fever. The governor, -yielding to the supplications of several considerable merchants, had -authorised for five days a _feria de plata_, or, literally, a silver -fair. - -Gambling tables, held by persons of distinction, were publicly open in -the principal houses; but the fact which gave this festival a -strangeness impossible to find elsewhere was, that monte tables were -displayed in every street in the open air, on which gold tinkled, and -where everybody possessed of a real had the right to risk it, without -distinction of caste or colour. - -In Mexico everything is done differently from other countries. The -inhabitants of this country, having no reminiscences of the past which -they wish to forget, no faith in the future in which they do not -believe, only live for the present, and exist with that feverish energy -peculiar to races which feel their end approaching. - -The Mexicans have two marked tastes which govern them entirely, play and -love. We say tastes, and not passions, for the Mexicans are not capable -of those great emotions which conquer the will, and overthrow the human -economy by developing an energetic power of action. - -The groups round the monte tables were numerous and animated. Still, -everything went on with an order and tranquility which nothing troubled, -although no agent of the government was walking about the streets to -maintain a good intelligence and watch the gamblers. - -About halfway up the Calle de la Merced, one of the widest in Guaymas, -and opposite a house of goodly appearance, there stood a table covered -with a green baize and piled up with gold ounces, behind which a man of -about thirty, with a crafty face, was stationed, who, with a pack of -cards in his hand, and a smile on his lips, invited by the most -insinuating remarks the numerous spectators who surrounded him to tempt -fortune. - -"Come, caballeros," he said in a honeyed tone, while turning a -provocative glance upon the wretched men, haughtily draped in their -rags, who regarded him with extreme indifference, "I cannot always win; -luck is going to turn, I am sure. Here are one hundred ounces: who will -cover them?" - -No one answered. - -The banker, not allowing himself to be defeated, let a tinkling cascade -of ounces glide through his fingers, whose tawny reflection was capable -of turning the most resolute head. - -"It is a nice sum, caballeros, one hundred ounces: with them the ugliest -man is certain of gaining the smiles of beauty. Come, who will cover -them?" - -"Bah," a lepero said, with a disdainful air, "what are one hundred -ounces? Had you not won my last _tlaco_, Tio Lucas, I would cover them, -that I would." - -"I am in despair, Senor Cuchares," the banker replied with a bow, "that -luck was so much against you, and I should feel delighted if you would -allow me to lend you an ounce." - -"You are jesting," the lepero said, drawing himself up haughtily. "Keep -your gold, Tio Lucas; I know the way to procure as much as I want, -whenever I think proper; but," he added, bowing with the most exquisite -politeness, "I am not the less grateful to you for your generous offer." - -And he offered the banker, across the table, his hand, which the latter -pressed with great cordiality. - -The lepero profited by the occasion to pick up with his free hand a pile -of twenty ounces that was in his reach. - -Tio Lucas had great difficulty in restraining himself, but he feigned -not to have seen anything. - -After this interchange of good offices there was a moment's silence. The -spectators had seen everything that occurred, and therefore awaited with -some curiosity the _denouement_ of this scene. Senor Cuchares was the -first to renew the conversation. - -"Oh!" he suddenly shouted, striking his forehead, "I believe, by Nuestra -Senora de la Merced, that I am losing my head." - -"Why so, caballero?" Tio Lucas asked, visibly disturbed by this -exclamation. - -"Caray! It's very simple," the other went on. "Did I not tell you just -now that you had won all my money?" - -"You certainly said so, and these caballeros heard it with me: to your -last ochavo--those were your very words." - -"I remember it perfectly, and it is that which makes me so mad." - -"What!" the banker exclaimed with feigned astonishment, "You are mad -because I won from you?" - -"Oh, no, it's not that." - -"What is it, then?" - -"Caramba! It is because I made a mistake, and I have some ounces still -left." - -"Impossible!" - -"Just see, then." - -The lepero put his hand in his pocket, and, with unparalleled -effrontery, displayed to the banker the gold he had just stolen from -him. But the latter did not wince. - -"It is incredible," said he. - -"Eh?" the lepero interjected, fixing a flashing eye on the other. - -"Yes, it is incredible that you, Senor Cuchares, should have made such a -slip of memory." - -"Well, as I have remembered it, all can be set right now; we can -continue our game." - -"Very good: one hundred ounces is the stake." - -"Oh no! I haven't that amount." - -"Nonsense! Feel in your pockets again." - -"It is useless; I know I haven't got it." - -"That is really most annoying." - -"How so?" - -"Because I have vowed not to play for less." - -"Then you won't cover twenty ounces?" - -"I cannot; I would not cover one short of a hundred." - -"H'm!" the lepero went on, knitting his brows, "is that meant for an -insult, Tio Lucas?" - -The banker had no time to reply; for a man of about thirty, mounted on a -magnificent black horse, had stopped for a few seconds before the table, -and, while carelessly smoking his cigar, listened to the discussion -between the banker and the lepero. - -"Done for one hundred ounces," he said, as he cleared a way by means of -his horse's chest up to the table, on which he dropped a purse full of -gold. - -The two speakers suddenly raised their heads. - -"Here are the cards, caballero," the banker hastened to say, glad of an -incident which temporarily freed him from a dangerous opponent. Cuchares -shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, and looked at the newcomer. - -"Oh!" he muttered to himself, "the Tigrero! Has he come for Anita? I -must know that." - -And he gently drew nearer the stranger, and presently stood by his side. - -He was a tall man, with an olive complexion, a piercing glance, and an -open and resolute face. His dress, of the greatest richness, glistened -with gold and diamonds. He wore, slightly inclined over his left ear, a -broad brimmed sombrero, surrounded by a golilla of fine gold: his -spencer of blue cloth, embroidered with silver, allowed a dazzling white -shirt to be seen, under the collar of which passed a cravat of China -crape, fastened with a diamond ring; his calzoneras, drawn up round the -hips by a red silk scarf with gold fringed ends and two rows of diamond -buttons, were open at the side, and allowed his _calzon_ to float -beneath; he wore _botas vaqueras_ (or herdsmen) boots of figured -leather, richly embroidered, attached below the knee by a garter of -silver tissue; while his _manga_, glistening with gold, hung tastefully -from his right shoulder. - -His horse, with a small head and legs fine as spindles, was splendidly -accoutred: _las armas de agua_ and the _zarape_ fastened to the croup, -and the magnificent _anquera_ adorned with steel chains, completed a -caparison of which we can form no idea in Europe. - -Like all Mexicans of a certain class when travelling, the stranger was -armed from head to foot; that is to say, in addition to the lasso -fastened to the saddle, and the rifle laid across the saddle-bow, he had -also by his side a long sword, and a pair of pistols in his girdle, -without reckoning the knife whose silver inlaid hilt could be seen -peeping out of one of his boots. - -Such as we have described him, this man was the perfect type of a -Mexican of Sonora--ever ready for peace or war, fearing the one no more -than he despised the other. After bowing politely to Tio Lucas he took -the cards the latter offered him, and shuffled them while looking around -him. - -"Ah!" he said, casting a friendly glance to the lepero, "you're here, -gossip Cuchares?" - -"At your service, Don Martial," the other replied, lifting his hand to -the ragged brim of his beaver. - -The stranger smiled. - -"Be good enough to cut for me while I light my pajillo." - -"With pleasure," the lepero exclaimed. - -El Tigrero, or Don Martial, whichever the reader may please to call him, -took a gold _mechero_ from his pocket, and carelessly struck a light -while the lepero cut the cards. - -"Senor," the latter said in a piteous voice. - -"Well?" - -"You have lost." - -"Good. Tio Lucas, take a hundred ounces from my purse." - -"I have them, your excellency," the banker replied. "Would you please to -play again?" - -"Certainly, but not for such trifles. I should like to feel interested -in the game." - -"I will cover any stake your excellency may like to name," the banker -said, whose practised eye had discovered in the stranger's purse, amid a -decent number of ounces, some forty diamonds of the purest water. - -"H'm! Are you really ready to cover any stake I name?" - -"Yes." - -The stranger looked at him sharply. - -"Even if I played for a thousand gold ounces?" - -"I would cover double that if your excellency dares to stake it," the -baker said imperturbably. - -A contemptuous smile played for the second time on the horseman's -haughty lips. - -"I do dare it," he said. - -"Two thousand ounces, then?" - -"Agreed." - -"Shall I cut?" Cuchares asked timidly. - -"Why not?" the other answered lightly. - -The lepero seized the cards with a hand trembling from emotion. There -was a hum of expectation from the gamblers who surrounded the table. At -this moment a window opened in the house before which Tio Lucas had -established his monte table, and a charming girl leant carelessly over -the balcony, looking down into the street. - -The stranger turned to the balcony, and rising in his stirrups,-- - -"I salute the lovely Anita," he said, as he doffed his hat and bowed -profoundly. - -The girl blushed, bent on him an expressive glance from beneath her long -velvety eyelashes, but made no reply. - -"You have lost, excellency," Tio Lucas said with a joyous accent, which -he could not completely conceal. - -"Very good," the stranger replied, without even looking at him, so -fascinated was he by the charming apparition on the balcony. - -"You play no more?" - -"On the contrary, I double." - -"What!" exclaimed the banker, falling back a step in spite of himself at -this proposition. - -"No, I am wrong; I have something else to propose." - -"What is it, excellency?" - -"How; much have you there?" he said, pointing to the table with a -disdainful gesture. - -"Why, at least seven thousand ounces." - -"Not more? That's very little." - -The spectators regarded with a stupor, mingled with terror, this -extraordinary man, who played for ounces and diamonds as others did for -ochavos. The girl became pale. She turned a supplicating glance to the -stranger. - -"Play no more," she murmured in a trembling voice. - -"Thanks," he exclaimed, "thanks, Senorita; your beautiful eyes will -bring me a fortune. I would give all the gold on the table for the -suchil flower you hold in your hand, and which your lips have touched." - -"Do not play, Don Martial," the girl repeated, as she retired and closed -the window. But, through accident or some other reason, her hand let -loose the flower. The horseman made his steed bound forward, caught it -in its flight, and buried it in his bosom, after having kissed it -several times. - -"Cuchares," he then said to the lepero, "turn up a card." - -The latter obeyed. "Seis de copas!" he said. - -"Voto a brios!" the stranger exclaimed, "the colour of the heart we -shall win. Tio Lucas, I will back this card against all the gold you -have on your table." - -The banker turned pale and hesitated; the spectators had their eyes -fixed upon him. - -"Bah!" he thought after a minute's reflection, "It is impossible for him -to win. I accept, excellency," he then added aloud. - -"Count the sum you have." - -"That is unnecessary, Senor; there are nine thousand four hundred and -fifty gold ounces."[1] - -At the statement of this formidable amount the spectators gave vent to a -mingled shout of admiration and covetousness. - -"I fancied you richer," the stranger said ironically. "Well, so be it -then." - -"Will you cut this time, excellency?" - -"No, I am thoroughly convinced you are going to lose, Tio Lucas, and I -wish you to be quite convinced that I have won fairly. In consequence, -do me the pleasure of cutting, yourself. You will then be the artisan of -your own ruin, and be unable to reproach anybody." - -The spectators quivered with pleasure on seeing the chivalrous way in -which the stranger behaved. At this moment the street was thronged with -people whom the rumour of this remarkable stake had collected from every -part of the town. A deadly silence prevailed through the crowd, so great -was the interest that each felt in the _denouement_ of this grand and -hitherto unexampled match. The banker wiped the perspiration that beaded -on his livid brow, and seized the first card with a trembling hand. He -balanced it for a few seconds between finger and thumb with manifest -hesitation. - -"Make haste," Cuchares cried to him with a grin. - -Tio Lucas mechanically let the card fall as he turned his head away. - -"Seis de copas!" the lepero shouted in a hoarse voice. - -The banker uttered a yell of pain. - -"I have lost!" he muttered. - -"I was sure of it," the horseman said, still impassible. "Cuchares," he -added, "carry that table and the gold upon it to Dona Anita. I shall -expect you tonight you know where." - -The lepero bowed respectfully. Assisted by two sturdy fellows, he -executed the order he had just received, and entered the house, while -the stranger started off at a gallop; and Tio Lucas, slightly recovered -from the stunning blow he had received, philosophically twisted a cigar, -repeating to those who forced their consolations upon him,-- - -"I have lost, it is true, but against a very fair player, and for a good -stake. Bah! I shall have my revenge some day." - -Then, so soon as the cigarette was made, the poor cleaned-out banker -lighted it and walked off very calmly. The crowd, having no further -excuse for remaining, also disappeared in its turn. - - -[1] About L31,500 Fact. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -DON SYLVA DE TORRES. - - -Guaymas is quite a new town, built somewhat from day to day according to -the fancy of the emigrants, and hence no regular lines of streets have -been maintained. However, we had better mention here that, with the -exception of a few houses to which that name may be fairly given, all -the rest are frightful dens, built of mud, and deplorably dirty. - -In the Calle de la Merced, the principal, or to speak more truthfully, -the only street in the town (for the others are only alleys), stood a -one-storied house, ornamented with a balcony, and a peristyle supported -by four pillars. The front was covered by a coating of lime of dazzling -whiteness, and the roof was flat. - -The proprietor of this house was one of the richest _mineros_ in Sonora, -and possessor of a dozen mines, all in work; he also devoted himself to -cattle breeding, and owned several haciendas scattered over the -province, the smallest of which was equal in size to an English county. - -I am certain that, if Don Sylva de Torres had wished to liquidate his -fortune, and discover what he was really worth, it would have realised -several millions. - -Don Sylva had come to live in Guaymas some months back, where he -ordinarily only paid flying visits, and those at lengthened intervals. -This time, contrary to his usual custom, he had brought his daughter -Anita with him. Hence the entire population of Guaymas was a prey to the -greatest curiosity, and all eyes were fixed on Don Sylva's house, so -extraordinary did the conduct of the _hacendero_ appear. - -Shut up in his house, the doors of which only opened to a few privileged -persons, Don Sylva did not seem to trouble himself the least in the -world about the gossips; for he was engaged in realising certain -projects, whose importance prevented him noticing what was said or -thought of him. - -Though the Mexicans are excessively rich, and like to do honour to their -wealth, they have no idea of comfort. The utmost carelessness prevails -among them. Their luxury, if I may be allowed to employ the term, is -brutal, without any discernment or real value. - -These men, principally accustomed to the rude life of the American -deserts, to struggle continually against the changes of a climate which -is frequently deadly, and the unceasing aggressions of the Indians, who -surround them on all sides, camp rather than live in the towns, fancying -they have done everything when they have squandered gold and diamonds. - -The Mexican houses are in evidence to prove the correctness of our -opinion. With the exception of the inevitable European piano, which -swaggers in the corner of every drawing room, you only see a few clumsy -_butacas,_ rickety tables, bad engravings hanging on the whitewashed -walls, and that is all. - -Don Sylva's house differed in no respect from the others; and the -master's horses on returning to the stable from the watering place, had -to cross the _salon_, all dripping as they were, and leaving manifest -traces of their passage. - -At the moment when we introduce the reader into Don Sylva's house, two -persons, male and female, were sitting in the saloon talking, or at -least exchanging a few words at long intervals. - -They were Don Sylva and his daughter Anita. The crossing of the Spanish -and Indian races has produced the most perfect plastic type to be found -anywhere. Don Sylva, although nearly fifty years of age, did not appear -to be forty. He was tall, upright, and his face, though stern, had great -gentleness imprinted upon it. He wore the Mexican dress in its most -rigorous exactness; but his clothes were so rich, that few of his -countrymen could have equalled it, much less surpassed it. - -Anita who reclined on a sofa, half buried in masses of silk and gauze, -like a hummingbird concealed in the moss, was a charming girl of -eighteen at the most, whose black eyes, modestly shaded by long velvety -lashes, were full of voluptuous promise, which was not gainsaid by the -undulating and serpentine outlines of her exquisitely modelled body. Her -slightest gestures had grace and majesty completed by the ravishing -smile of her coral lips. Her complexion, slightly gilded by the American -sun, imparted to her face an expression impossible to render; and lastly -her whole person exhaled a delicious perfume of innocence and candour -which attracted sympathy and inspired love. - -Like all Mexican women when at home, she merely wore a light robe of -embroidered muslin; her _rebozo_ was thrown negligently over her shoulders, -and a profusion of jasmine flowers was intertwined in her bluish-black -tresses. Anita seemed in deep thought. At one moment the arch of her -eyebrows was contracted by some thought that annoyed her, her bosom -heaved and her dainty foot, cased in a slipper lined with swan's down, -impatiently tapped on the ground. - -Don Sylva also appeared to be dissatisfied. After directing a severe -glance at his daughter, he rose, and drawing near her, said,-- - -"You are mad, Anita: your behaviour is extravagant. A young, well-born -girl ought not, in any case to act as you have just done." - -The young Mexican girl only answered by a significant pout, and an -almost imperceptible shrug of the shoulders. - -Her father continued,-- - -"Especially," he said, laying a stress on each word, "in your position -as regards the Count de Lhorailles." - -The girl started as if a serpent had stung her, and fixing an -interrogatory glance on the hacendero's immovable face, she replied,-- - -"I do not understand you, my father." - -"You do not understand me, Anita? I cannot believe it. Have I not -formally promised your hand to the count?" - -"What matter, if I do not love him? Do you wish to condemn me to -lifelong misery?" - -"On the contrary, I regarded your happiness in this union. I have only -you, Anita, to console me for the mournful loss of your beloved mother. -Poor child! You are still, thank Heaven, at that happy age when the -heart does not know itself, and when the words 'happiness, unhappiness,' -have no meaning. You do not love the count, you say. All the better-- -your heart is free. When, at a later date, you have had occasion to -appreciate the noble qualities of the man I give you as husband, you -will then thank me for having insisted on a marriage, which today causes -you so much vexation." - -"Stay, father," the girl said with an air of vexation. "My heart is not -free, and you are well aware of the fact." - -"I know, Dona Anita de Torres," the hacendero answered severely, "that a -love unworthy yourself and me cannot enter your heart. Through my -ancestors I am a Christiano Viejo; and if a few drops of Indian blood be -mingled in my veins, what I owe to the memory of my ancestors is only -the more deeply engraved on my mind. The first of our family, Antonia de -Sylva, lieutenant to Hernando Cortez, married, it is true, a Mexican -princess of the family of Moctecuhzoma, but all the other branches are -Spanish." - -"Are we not Mexicans then, my father?" - -"Alas! My poor child, who can say who we are and what are we? Our -unhappy country, since it shook off the Spanish yoke, has been -struggling convulsively, and is exhausted by the incessant efforts of -those ambitious men, who in a few years will have robbed it even of that -nationality which we had so much difficulty in achieving. These -disgraceful contests render us the laughing stocks of other people, and -above all, cause the joy of our greedy neighbours, who with their eyes -invariably fixed upon us, are preparing to enrich themselves with our -spoils, of which they have pilfered some fragments already by robbing us -of several of our rich provinces." - -"But, father, I am a woman, and therefore unaffected by politics. I have -nothing to do with the _gringos_." - -"More than you can imagine, my child. I do not wish that at a given day -the immense property my ancestors and myself have acquired by our toil -should become the prey of these accursed heretics. In order to save it, -I have resolved on marrying you to the Count de Lhorailles. He is a -Frenchman, and belongs to one of the noblest families of that country. -Besides he is a handsome and brave gentleman, scarcely thirty years of -age, who combines the most precious moral qualifications with the -physical qualities. He is a member of a powerful and respected nation -which knows how to protect its subjects, in whatever corner of the world -they may be. By marrying him your fortune is sheltered from every -political reverse." - -"But I do not love him, father." - -"Nonsense, my dear babe. Do not talk longer of that. I am willing to -forget the folly of which you were guilty a few moments back, but on -condition that you forget that man, Martial." - -"Never!" she exclaimed resolutely. - -"Never! That is a long time, daughter. You will reflect, I am convinced. -Besides, who is this man? What is his family? Do you know? He is called -Martial el Tigrero. Voto a Dios, that is not a name! That man saved your -life by stopping your horse when it ran away. Well, is that a reason for -him to fall in love with you, and you with him? I offered him a -magnificent reward, which he refused with the most supreme disdain. -There is an end of it, then; let him leave me at peace. I have, and wish -for, nothing more to do with him." - -"I love him, father," the young girl repeated. - -"Listen, Anita. You would make me angry, if I did not put a restraint on -myself. Enough on that head. Prepare to receive the Count de Lhorailles -in a proper manner. I have sworn that you shall be his wife, and, -Cristo! It shall be so, if I have to drag you by force to the altar!" - -The hacendero pronounced these words with such resolution in his voice, -and with such a fierce accent, that the girl saw it would be better for -her to appear to yield, and put a stop to a discussion which would only -grow more embittered, and perhaps have grave consequences. She let her -head fall, and was silent, while her father walked up and down the room -with a very dissatisfied air. - -The door was partly opened, and a peon thrust his head discreetly -through the crevice. - -"What do you want?" Don Sylva asked as he stopped. - -"Excellency," the man replied, "a caballero, followed by four others -bearing a table covered with pieces of gold, requests an audience of the -senorita." - -The hacendero shot a glance at his daughter full of expressiveness. Dona -Anita let her head sink in confusion. Don Sylva reflected for a moment, -and then his countenance cleared. - -"Let him come in," he said. - -The peon withdrew; but he returned in a few seconds, preceding an old -acquaintance, Cuchares, still enwrapped in his ragged zarape, and -directing the four leperos who carried the table. On entering the -saloon, Cuchares uncovered respectfully, courteously saluted the -hacendero and his daughter, and with a sign ordered the porters to -deposit the table in the centre of the apartment. - -"Senorita," he said in a honied voice, "the Senor Don Martial, faithful -to the pledge he had made you, humbly supplicates you to accept his -gains at monte, as a feeble testimony of his devotion and admiration." - -"You rascal!" Don Sylva angrily exclaimed as he took a step toward him -"Do you know in whose presence you are?" - -"In that of Dona Anita and her highly-respected parent," the scamp -replied imperturbably, as he wrapped himself majestically in his -tatters. "I have not, to my knowledge, failed in the respect I owe to -both." - -"Withdraw at once, and take with you this gold, which does not concern -my daughter." - -"Excuse me, excellency, I received orders to bring the gold here, and -with your permission I will leave it. Don Martial would not forgive me -if I acted otherwise." - -"I do not know Don Martial, as it pleases you to style the man who sent -you. I wish to have nothing in common with him." - -"That is possible, excellency; but it is no affair of mine. You can have -an explanation with him if you think proper. For my part, as my mission -is accomplished, I kiss your hands." - -And, after bowing once more to the two, the lepero went off -majestically, followed by his four acolytes, with measured steps. - -"See there," exclaimed Don Sylva violently, "see there, my daughter, to -what insults your folly exposes me!" - -"An insult, father?" she replied timidly. "On the contrary, I think that -Don Martial has acted like a true caballero, and that he gives me a -great proof of his love. That sum is enormous." - -"Ah!" Don Sylva said wrathfully, "that is the way you take it. Well, I -will act as a caballero also, _voto a brios_! As you shall see. Come -here, someone!" - -Several peons came in. - -"Open the windows!" - -The servants obeyed. The crowd was not yet dispersed, and a large number -of persons was still collected round the house. The hacendero leant out -and by a wave of his hand requested silence. The crowd was instinctively -silent, and drew nearer, guessing that something in which it was -interested was about to happen. - -"Senores caballeros y amigos," the hacendero said in a powerful voice, -"a man whom I do not know has dared to offer to my daughter the money he -has won at monte. Dona Anita spurns such presents, especially when they -come from a person with whom she does not wish to have any connection, -friendly or otherwise. She begs me to distribute this gold among you, as -she will not touch it in any way: she desires thus to prove, in the -presence of you all, the contempt she feels for a man who has dared to -offer her such an insult." - -The speech improvised by the hacendero was drowned by the frenzied -applause of the leperos and other assembled beggars, whose eyes sparkled -with greed. Anita felt the burning tears swelling her eyelids. In spite -of all her efforts to remain undisturbed, her heart was almost broken. - -Troubling himself not at all about his daughter, Don Sylva ordered his -servants to cast the ounces into the street. A shower of gold then -literally began falling on the wretches, who rushed with incredible -ardour on this new species of manna. The Calle de la Merced offered, at -that moment, the most singular sight imaginable. The gold poured and -poured on; it seemed to be inexhaustible. The beggars leaped like -coyotes on the precious metal, overthrowing and trampling underfoot the -weaker. - -At the height of the shower a horseman came galloping up. Astonished, -confounded by what he saw, he stopped for a moment to look around him; -then he drove his spurs into his horse, and by dealing blows of his -chicote liberally all around, he succeeded in clearing the dense crowd, -and reached the hacendero's house, which he entered. - -"Here is the count," Don Sylva said laconically to his daughter. - -In fact, within a minute that gentleman entered the saloon. - -"Halloh!" he said, stopping at the doorway, "What strange notion is this -of yours, Don Sylva? On my soul, you are amusing yourself by throwing -millions out of the window, to the still greater amusement of the -leperos and other rogues of the same genus!" - -"Ah, 'tis you, senor Conde," the hacendero replied calmly; "you are -welcome. I shall be with you in an instant. Only these few handfuls, and -it will be finished." - -"Don't hurry yourself," the count said with a laugh. "I confess that the -fancy is original;" and drawing near the young lady, whom he saluted -with exquisite politeness, he continued,-- - -"Would you deign, Senorita, to give me the word of this enigma, which, I -confess, interests me in the highest degree?" - -"Ask my father, Senor," she answered with a certain dryness, which -rendered conversation impossible. - -The count feigned not to notice this rebuff; he bowed with a smile, and -falling into a _butaca,_ said coolly,-- - -"I will wait; I am in no hurry." - -The hacendero, in telling his daughter that the gentleman he intended -for her husband was a handsome man, had in no respect flattered him. -Count Maxime Gaetan de Lhorailles was a man of thirty at the most, well -built and active, and slightly above the middle height. His light hair -allowed him to be recognised as a son of the north; his features were -fine, his glance expressive, and his hands and feet denoted race. -Everything about him indicated the gentleman of an old stock; and if Don -Sylva was not more deceived about the moral qualities than he had been -about the physical, Count de Lhorailles was really a perfect gentleman. - -At length the hacendero exhausted all the gold Cuchares had brought: he -then hurled the table into the street, ordered the windows to be closed, -and came back to take a seat by the side of the count, rubbing his -hands. - -"There," he said with a joyous air, "that's finished. Now I am quite at -your service." - -"First one word." - -"Say it." - -"Excuse me. You are aware that I am a stranger, and such as thirsting -for instruction." - -"I am listening to you." - -"Since I have lived in Mexico I have seen many extraordinary customs. I -ought to be _blase_ about novelties; still, I must confess that what I -have just seen surpasses anything I have hitherto witnessed. I should -like to be certain whether this is a custom of which I was hitherto -ignorant." - -"What are you talking about?" - -"Why, what you were doing when I arrived--that gold you were dropping -like a beneficent dew on the bandits of every description collected -before your house; ill weeds, between ourselves, to be thus bedewed." - -Don Sylva burst into a laugh. - -"No, that is not a custom of ours," he replied. - -"Very good. Then, you were indulging in the regal pastime of throwing a -million to the scum. Plague! Don Sylva, a man must be as rich as -yourself to allow such a gratification." - -"Things are not as you fancy." - -"Still I saw it raining ounces." - -"True, but they did not belong to me." - -"Better and better still. That renders the affair more complicated; you -heighten my curiosity immensely." - -"I will satisfy it." - -"I am all attention, for the affair is growing as interesting to me as a -story in the 'Arabian Nights.'" - -"H'm!" the hacendero said, tossing his head, "It interests you more than -you perhaps suspect." - -"How so?" - -"You shall judge." - -Dona Anita was in torture; she knew not what to do. Seeing that her -father was about to divulge all to the count, she did not feel in -herself the courage to be present at such a revelation, and rose -tottering. - -"Gentlemen," she said in a feeble voice, "I feel indisposed; be kind -enough to allow me to retire." - -"Really," the count said, as he hurried towards her, and offered her his -arm to support her, "you are pale, Dona Anita. Allow me to accompany you -to your apartment." - -"I thank you, caballero, but I am strong enough to proceed there alone, -and, while duly grateful for your offer, pray permit me to decline it." - -"As you please, senorita," the count replied, inwardly piqued by this -refusal. - -Don Sylva entertained for a moment the idea of ordering his daughter to -remain; but the poor girl turned towards him so despairing a glance that -he did not feel the courage to impose on her a longer torture. - -"Go my child," he said to her. - -Anita hastened to take advantage of the permission; she left the -_salon,_ and sought refuge in her bedroom, where she sank into a chair, -and burst into tears. - -"What is the matter with Dona Anita?" the count asked with sympathy, so -soon as she had gone. - -"Vapours--headache--what do I know?" the hacendero replied, shrugging -his shoulders. "All young girls are like that. In a few minutes she will -have forgotten it." - -"All the better. I confess to you that I was alarmed." - -"But now that we are alone, would you not like me to give you the -explanation of the enigma which appeared to interest you so much?" - -"On the contrary, speak without further delay: for, on my part, I have -several important matters to impart to you." - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE TWO HUNTERS. - - -About five miles from the town is the village of San Jose de Guaymas, -commonly known as the _Rancho_. - -This miserable _pueblo_ is merely composed of a square of moderate size, -intersected at right angles by tumbledown cabins, which are inhabited by -Hiaqui Indians (a large number of whom hire themselves out annually at -Guaymas to work as porters, carpenters, masons, &c), and all those -nameless adventurers who have thronged to the shores of the Pacific -since the discovery of the Californian plains. - -The road from Guaymas to San Jose runs through a parched and sandy -plain, on which only a few nopales and stunted cactuses grow, whose -withered branches are covered with dust, and produce the effect of white -phantoms at night. - -The evening of the day on which our story commences, a horseman, folded -to the eyes in a zarape, was following this road, and proceeding in a -gallop to the Rancho. - -The sky, of a dark azure, was studded with glistening stars; the moon, -which had traversed one-third of her course, illumined the silent plain, -and indefinitely prolonged the tall shadows of the trees on the naked -earth. - -The horseman, doubtlessly anxious to reach the end of a journey which -was not without peril at this advanced hour, incessantly urged on with -spur and voice his horse, which did not, however, appear to need this -constantly-renewed encouragement. - -He had all but crossed the immense uncultivated plains, and was just -entering the woods which surround the Rancho, when his horse suddenly -leaped on one side, and pricked up its ears in alarm. A sharp sound -announced that the horseman had cocked his pistols; and, when this -precaution had been taken against all risk, he turned an inquiring -glance around. - -"Fear nothing, caballero," a frank and sympathetic voice exclaimed; "but -have the kindness to go a little farther to the right, if it makes no -difference to you." - -The stranger looked, and saw a man kneeling under his steed's feet, and -holding in his hands the head of a horse, which was lying nearly across -the road. - -"What on earth are you doing there?" he asked. - -"You can see," the other replied sorrowfully, "I am bidding good-by to -my poor companion. A man must have lived a long time in the desert to -appreciate the value of such a friend as he was." - -"That is true," the stranger remarked, and immediately dismounting, -added, "Is he dead then?" - -"No, not yet; but, unfortunately, he is as bad as if he were." - -With these words he sighed. - -The stranger bent over the animal, whose body was agitated by a nervous -quivering, opened its eyelids, and regarded it attentively. - -"Your horse has had a stroke," he said a moment later. "Let me act." - -"Oh!" the other exclaimed, "do you think you can save him?" - -"I hope so," the first speaker laconically observed. - -"_Caray!_ If you do that, we shall be friends for life. Poor Negro! My -old comrade!" - -The horseman bathed the animal's temples and nostrils with rum and -water. At the end of a few moments, the horse appeared slightly -recovered, his faded eyes began to sparkle again, and he tried to rise. - -"Hold him tight," the improvised surgeon said. - -"Be quiet, then, my good beast. Come, Negro, my boy, _quieto, quieto;_ -it is for your good," he said soothingly. - -The intelligent animal seemed to understand. It turned its head towards -its master, and answered him with a plaintive neigh. The horseman, -during this period, had been feeling in his girdle; and bending again -over the horse,-- - -"Mind and hold him tightly," he again recommended. - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Bleed him." - -"Yes, that is it. I knew it; but unfortunately I did not dare risk doing -it myself, through fear of killing the horse." - -"All right?" - -"Go on." - -The horse made a hasty move, caused by the coldness of the wound; but -its master held it down and checked its struggles. The two men suffered -a moment of anxiety: the blood did not issue. At last a black drop -appeared in the wound, then a second, speedily followed by a long jet of -black and foaming blood. - -"He is saved," the stranger said, as he wiped his lancet and returned it -to his fob. - -"I will repay you this, on the word of Belhumeur!" the owner of the -horse said with much emotion. "You have rendered me one of those -services which are never forgotten." - -And, by an irresistible impulse, he held out his hand to the man who had -so providentially crossed his path. The latter warmly returned the -vigorous pressure. Henceforth all was arranged between them. These two -men who a few moments previously were ignorant of each other's -existence, were friends, attached by one of those services which in -American countries possess an immense value. - -The blood gradually lost its black tinge; it became vermillion, and -flowed abundantly. The breathing of the panting steed had grown easy and -regular. The first stranger made a copious bleeding, and when he -considered the horse in a fair way of recovery he stopped the effusion. - -"And now," he said, "what do you propose doing?" - -"My faith, I don't know. Your help has been so useful to me that I -should like to follow your advice." - -"Where were you going when this accident occurred?" - -"To the Rancho." - -"I am going there too. We are only a few yards from it. You will get up -behind me. We will lead your horse, and start when you please." - -"I ask nothing better. You believe that my horse cannot carry me?" - -"Perhaps he could do so, for he is a noble animal; but it would be -imprudent, and you would run a risk of killing him. It would be better, -believe me, to act as I suggested." - -"Yes; but I am afraid--" - -"What of?" the other sharply interrupted him. "Are we not friends?" - -"That is true. I accept." - -The horse sprang up somewhat actively, and the two men who had met so -strangely started at once, mounted on one horse. Twenty minutes later -they reached the first buildings of the Rancho. At the entrance of the -village the owner of the horse stopped, and turning to his companion, -said,-- - -"Where will you get down?" - -"That is all the same to me; let us go first where you are going." - -"Ah!" the horseman said, scratching his head, "the fact is, I am going -nowhere in particular." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh! You will understand me in two words. I landed today at Guaymas; -the Rancho is only the first station of a journey I meditate in the -desert, and which will probably last a long time." - -By the moonlight, a ray of which now played on the stranger's face, his -companion attentively regarded his noble and pensive countenance, on -which grief had already cut deep furrows. - -"So that," he at length said, "any lodging will suit you?" - -"A night is soon spent. I only ask a shelter for horse and self." - -"Well, if you will permit me to act in my turn as guide, you shall have -that within ten minutes." - -"Agreed." - -"I do not promise you a palace, but I will take you to a _pulqueria_, -where I am accustomed to put up when accident brings me to these parts. -You will find the society rather mixed, but what would you have? And, as -you said yourself, a night is soon spent." - -"In Heaven's name, then, proceed." - -Then, passing his arm through that of his comrade, the new guide seized -the horse's reins, and steered to a house standing about two-thirds of -the way down the street where they were, whose badly fitting windows -gleamed in the night like the stoke holes of a furnace, while cries, -laughter, songs, and the shrill sound of the _jarabes_, indicated that, -if the rest of the _pueblo_ were plunged in sleep, there, at least, -people were awake. - -The two strangers stopped before the door of this pothouse. - -"Have you quite made up your mind?" the first said. - -"Perfectly," the other answered. - -The guide then rapped furiously at the worm-eaten door. It was long ere -anyone answered. At length a hoarse voice shouted from inside, while the -greatest silence succeeded, as if by enchantment, the noise that had -hitherto prevailed. - -"_?Quien vive?"_ - -"_Gente de paz_," the stranger replied. - -"Hum!" the voice went on, "That is not a name. What sort of weather is -it?" - -"One for all--all for one. The _cormuel_ is strong enough to blow the -horns off the oxen on the top of the Cerro del Huerfano." - -The door was immediately opened, and the strangers entered. At first -they could distinguish nothing through the thick and smoky atmosphere of -the room, and walked hap-hazard. The companion of the first horseman was -well known in this den; for the master of the house and several other -persons eagerly collected round him. - -"Caballeros," he said, pointing to the person who followed him, "this -senor is my friend, and I must request your kindness for him." - -"He shall be treated like yourself, Belhumeur," the host replied. "Your -horses have been led to the corral, where a truss of alfalfa has been -put before them. As for yourselves, the house belongs to you, and you -can dispose of it as you please." - -During this exchange of compliments the strangers had contrived to find -their way through the crowd. They crossed the room, and sat down in a -corner before a table on which the host himself placed pulque, mezcal, -chinguirito, Catalonian refino, and sherry. - -"Caramba, Senor Huesped!" the man whom we had heard called frequently -Belhumeur, said with a laugh, "You are generous today." - -"Do you not see that I have an angelito?" the other answered gravely. - -"What, your son Pedrito--?" - -"Is dead. I am trying to give my friends a cordial welcome, in order the -better to feast the entrance into heaven of my poor boy, who, having -never sinned, is an angel by the side of God." - -"That's very proper," Belhumeur said, hobnobbing with the rather stoical -parent. - -The latter emptied his glass of refino at a draught, and -withdrew. The strangers, by this time accustomed to the atmosphere in -which they found themselves, began to look around them. The room of the -pulqueria offered them a most singular sight. - -In the centre some ten individuals, with faces enough to hang them, -covered with rags, and armed to the teeth, were furiously playing at -monte. It was a strange fact, but one which did not appear to astonish -any of the honourable gamblers that a long dagger was stuck in the table -to the right of the banker, and two pistols lay on his left. A few steps -further on, men and women, more than half intoxicated, were dancing and -singing, with lubricious gestures and mad shouts, to the shrill sounds -of two or three _vihuelas_ and _jarabes_. In a corner of the room thirty -people were assembled round a table, on which a child, four years of age -at the most, was seated in a wicker chair. This child presided over the -meeting. He was dressed in his best clothes, had a crown of flowers on -his head, and a profusion of nosegays was piled up on the table all -round him. - -But alas! The child's brow was pale, his eyes glassy, his complexion -leaden and marked with violet spots. His body had the peculiar stiffness -of a corpse. He was dead. He was the angelito, whose entrance into -heaven the worthy pulquero was celebrating. - -Men, women and children were drinking and laughing, as they reminded the -poor mother, who made heroic efforts not to burst into tears, of the -precocious intelligence, goodness and prettiness of the little creature -she had just lost. - -"All this is hideous," the first traveller muttered, with signs of -disgust. - -"Is it not so?" the other assented. "Let us not notice it, but isolate -ourselves amid these scoundrels, who have already forgotten our -presence, and talk." - -"Willingly, but unhappily we have nothing to say to each other." - -"Perhaps we have. In the first place, we might let each other know who -we are." - -"That is true." - -"You agree with me? Then I will give you the example of confidence and -frankness." - -"Good. After that my turn will come." - -Belhumeur looked round at the company. The orgy had recommenced with -fresh fury; it was evident that no one troubled himself about them. He -rested his elbows on the table, leant over to his comrade, and began:-- - -"As you already know, my dear mate, my name is Belhumeur. I am a -Canadian; that is to say almost a Frenchman. Circumstances too long to -narrate at present, but which I tell you some day, brought me, when a -lad into this country. Twenty years of my life have passed in traversing -the desert in every direction: there is not a stream or a by-path which -I do not know. I could, if I would, live quietly and free from care with -a dear friend, an old companion, who has retired to a magnificent -hacienda which he possesses a few leagues from Hermosillo; but the -existence of a hunter has charms which only those who have lived it can -understand: it always compels them to renew it in spite of themselves. I -am still a young man, hardly five-and-forty years of age. An old friend -of mine, an Indian chief of the name of Eagle-head, proposed to me to -accompany him on an excursion he wished to make in Apacheria. I allowed -myself to be tempted; said good-by to those I love, and who tried in -vain to hold me back; and free from all ties, without regret for the -past, happy in the present, and careless of the future, I went gaily -ahead, bearing with me those inestimable treasures for the hunter, a -strong heart, a gay character, excellent arms, and a horse accustomed, -like his master, to good fortune and ill; and so here I am. And now, -mate, you know me as well as if we had been friends for the last ten -years." - -The other had listened attentively to this story, fixing a thoughtful -glance on the bold adventurer, who sat smiling before him. He gazed with -interest on this man, with the loyal face and sharply-cut features, -whose countenance exhaled the rude and noble frankness of a man who is -really good and great. - -When Belhumeur was silent he remained for some moments without replying, -doubtlessly plunged in profound and earnest reflections; then, offering -him across the table a white, elegant, and delicate hand, he replied -with great emotion, and in the best French ever spoken in these distant -regions,-- - -"I thank you, Belhumeur, for the confidence you have placed in me. My -history is not longer, but more mournful than yours. You shall have it -in a few words." - -"Eh?" the Canadian exclaimed, vigorously pressing the hand offered him. -"Do you happen to be a Frenchman?" - -"Yes, I have that honour." - -"By Jove! I ought to have suspected it," he burst out joyously. "Only to -think that for an hour we have been stupidly talking bad Spanish, -instead of employing our own tongue; for I come from Canada, and the -Canadians are the French of America, are they not?" - -"You are right." - -"Well, then, it is agreed, no more Spanish between us." - -"No, nothing but French." - -"Bravo! Here's your health, my worthy fellow countryman! And now," he -added, returning his glass to the table after emptying it, "let us have -your story. I am listening." - -"I told you that it is not long." - -"No matter; go ahead. I am certain 'twill interest me enormously." - -The Frenchman stifled a sigh. - -"I, too, have lived the life of a wood ranger," he said; "I, too, have -experienced the intoxicating charms of that feverish existence, full of -moving incidents, no two of which are alike. Far from the country where -we now are, I have traversed vast deserts, immense virgin forests, in -which no man prior to myself had left the imprint of his footstep. Like -you, a friend accompanied me in my adventurous travels, sustaining my -courage, maintaining my gaiety by his inexhaustible humour and his -unbounded courage. Alas! That was the happiest period of my life. - -"I fell in love with a woman and married her. So soon as my friend saw -me rich and surrounded by a family he left me. His departure was my -first grief--a grief from which I never recovered, which each day -rendered more poignant and which now tortures me like a remorse. Alas! -Where is now that strong heart, that devoted friend who ever interposed -between danger and myself, who loved me like a brother, and for whom I -felt a son's affection? He is probably dead!" - -In uttering the last words the Frenchman let his head sink in his hands, -and yielded to a flood of bitter thoughts, which rose from his heart -with every reminiscence he recalled. Belhumeur looked at him in a -melancholy manner, and pressing his hand, said in a low and sympathising -voice, "Courage, my friend." - -"Yes," the Frenchman continued, "that was what he always said to me -when, prostrated by grief, I felt hope failing me. 'Courage,' he would -say to me in his rough voice, laying his hand on my shoulders; and I -would feel galvanised by the touch, and draw myself up at the sound of -that cherished voice, ready to recommence the struggle, for I felt -myself stronger. Several years passed in the midst of a felicity which -nothing came to trouble. I had a wife I adored, charming children for -whom I formed dreams of the future; in short, I wanted for -nothing save my poor comrade, about whom I could discover nothing from -the moment he left me, in spite of my constant inquiries. Now, my -happiness has faded away never to return. My wife, my children are -dead--cruelly murdered in their sleep by Indians, who carried my -hacienda by storm. I alone remained alive amid the smoking ruins of that -abode where I had spent so many happy days. All I loved was eternally -buried beneath the ashes. My heart was broken, and I did not wish to -survive all that was dear to me; but a friend, the only one that -remained to me, saved me. He carried me off by main force to his tribe, -for he was an Indian. By his care and devotion he recalled me to life, -and restored to me, if not the hope of a happiness henceforth -impossible for me, at least the courage to struggle against that destiny -whose blows had been so rude. He died only a few months back. Before -closing his eyes for ever he made me swear to do all he asked of me. I -promised him. 'Brother,' he said, 'every man must proceed in life toward -a certain object. So soon as I am dead, go in search of that friend from -whom you have so long been separated. You will find him, I feel -convinced. He will trace your line of conduct.' Two hours later the -worthy chief died in my arms. So soon as his body was committed to the -earth I set out. This very day, as I told you, I reached Guaymas. My -intention is to bury myself immediately in the wilderness; for if my -poor friend be still alive, I can only find him there." - -There was a lengthened silence, at length broken by Belhumeur. - -"Hum! All that is very sad, mate, I must allow," he said, tossing his -head. "You are rushing upon a desperate enterprise, in which the chances -of success are almost null. A man is a grain of sand lost in the desert. -Who knows, even supposing he still lives, at what place he may be at -this moment; and if, while you are seeking him on one side, he may not -be on the other? Still, I have a proposition to make to you, which, I -believe, can only prove advantageous." - -"I know it, my friend, before you tell it me. I thank you, and accept -it," the Frenchman replied quickly. - -"It is agreed then. We start together. You will come with me into -Apacheria?" - -"Yes." - -"By Jove! I am in luck. I have hardly separated from Loyal Heart ere -Heaven brings me together with a friend as precious as he is." - -"Who is that Loyal Heart you mention?" - -"The friend with whom I lived so long, and whom you shall know some day. -But come, we will start at daybreak." - -"Whenever you please." - -"I have the meeting with Eagle-head two days' journey from here. I am -much mistaken, or he is waiting for me by this time." - -"What are you going to do in Apacheria?" - -"I do not know. Eagle-head asked me to accompany him, and I am going. It -is my rule never to ask my friends more of their secrets than they are -willing to tell me. In that way we are more free." - -"Excellent reasoning, my dear Belhumeur; but, as we shall be together -for a long time, I hope, at least--" - -"I, too." - -"It is right," the Frenchman continued, "that you should know my name, -which I have hitherto forgotten to tell you." - -"That need not trouble you; for I could easily give you one if you had -reasons for preserving your incognito." - -"None at all: my name is Count Louis de Prebois Crance." - -Belhumeur rose as if moved by a spring, took off his fur cap, and bowing -before his new friend, said-- - -"Pardon me, sir count, for the free manner in which I have addressed -you. Had I known in whose company I had the honour of being, I should -certainly not have taken so great a liberty." - -"Belhumeur, Belhumeur," the count said with a mournful smile, and -seizing his hand quickly, "is our friendship to commence in that way? -There are here only two men ready to share the same life, run the same -dangers, and confront the same foes. Let us leave to the foolish -inhabitants of cities those vain distinctions which possess no -significance for us; let us be frankly and loyally brothers. I only wish -to be to you Louis, your good comrade, your devoted friend, in the same -way as you are to me only Belhumeur, the rough wood ranger." - -The Canadian's face shone with pleasure at these words. - -"Well spoken," he said gaily, "well spoken, on my soul! I am but a poor -ignorant hunter; and, by my faith, why should I conceal it? What you -have just said to me has gone straight to my heart. I am yours, Louis, -for life and death; and I hope to prove to you soon, comrade, that I -have a certain value." - -"I am convinced of it; but we understand each other now, do we not?" - -"By Jove--!" - -At this moment there was such a tremendous disturbance in the street, -that it drowned that in the room. As always happens under such -circumstances, the adventurers assembled in the pulqueria were silent of -a common accord, in order to listen. Shouts, the clashing of sabres, the -stamping of horses, drowned at intervals by the discharge of fire arms, -could be clearly distinguished. - -"Caray!" Belhumeur exclaimed, "there's fighting going on in the street." - -"I am afraid so," the pulquero laconically answered, who was more than -half drunk, as he swallowed a glass of refino. - -Suddenly from sabre hilts and pistol butts resounded vigorously on the -badly-joined plank of the door, and a powerful voice shouted angrily,-- - -"Open, in the devil's name, or I'll smash in your miserable door!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -COUNT MAXIME GAETAN DE LHORAILLES. - - -Before explaining to the reader the cause of the infernal noise which -suddenly rose to disturb the tranquility of the people assembled in the -pulqueria, we are obliged to go back a little distance. - -About three years before the period in which our story opens, on a cold -and rainy December night, eight men, whose costumes and manners showed -them to belong to the highest Parisian society, were assembled in an -elegant private room of the Cafe Anglais. - -The night was far advanced; the wax candles, two-thirds consumed, only -spread a mournful light; the rain lashed the windows, and the wind -howled lugubriously. The guests, seated round the table and the relics -of a splendid supper, seemed, in spite of themselves, to have been -infected by the gloomy melancholy that brooded over nature, and, lying -back on their chairs, some slept, while others, lost in thought, paid no -attention to what was going on around them. - -The clock on the mantelpiece slowly struck three, and the last sound had -scarcely died away ere the repeated cracking of a postilion's whip could -be heard beneath the windows of the room. - -The door opened and a waiter came in. - -"The post-chaise the Count de Lhorailles ordered is waiting," he said. - -"Thanks," one of the guests said, dismissing the waiter by a -sign. - -The latter went out, and closed the door after him. The few words he had -uttered had broken the charm which enchained the guests; all sat up, as -if aroused from sleep suddenly; and turning to a young man of thirty, -they said,-- - -"It is really true that you are going?" - -"I am," he answered, with a nod of affirmation. - -"Where to, though? People do not usually part in this mysterious way," -one of the guests continued. - -The gentleman to whom the remark was addressed smiled sorrowfully. - -The Count de Lhorailles was a handsome man, with expressive features, -energetic glance, and disdainful lip; he belonged to the most ancient -nobility, and his reputation was perfectly established among the "lions" -of the day. He rose, and looking round the circle, said,-- - -"Gentlemen, I can perfectly well understand that my conduct appears to -you strange. You have a right to an explanation from me, and I am most -desirous to give it to you. It was, indeed, for that purpose that I -invited you to the last supper we shall enjoy together. The hour for my -departure has struck--the chaise is waiting. Tomorrow I shall be far -from Paris, and within a week I shall have left France never to return. -Listen to me." - -The guests made a marked movement as they gazed on the count. - -"Do not be impatient, gentlemen," he said; "the story I have to tell you -is not long, for it is my own. In two words, here it is:-- - -"I am completely ruined. I have only a small sum of money left, on which -I should starve in Paris, and end in a month by blowing out my brains--a -gloomy perspective which possesses no attractions for me, I assure you. -On the other hand, I have such a fatal skill with arms, that, without -any fault of my own, I enjoy a reputation as a duellist, which weighs on -me fearfully, especially since my deplorable affair with that poor -Viscount de Morsens, whom I was obliged to kill against my will, in -order to close his mouth and put a stop to his calumnies. In short, for -the reasons I have had the honour of imparting to you, and an infinity -of others it is needless for you to know, and which I am convinced would -interest you very slightly, France has become odious to me to such a -degree that I am most anxious to quit it. So now a parting glass of -champagne, and good-by to all." - -"A moment," remarked the guest who had already spoken. "You have not -told us, count, to what country you intend to proceed." - -"Can't you guess? To America. I am allowed to possess a certain amount -of courage and intelligence, and therefore am going to a country where, -if I may believe all I hear, those two qualities are sufficient to make -the fortune of their possessor. Have you any more questions to ask me, -baron?" he added, turning to his questioner. - -The latter, ere replying, remained for some moments plunged in serious -reflections; at length he raised his head, and fixed a cold and -searching glance on the count. - -"You really mean to go, my friend?" he said quite seriously. "You swear -it on your honour?" - -"Yes, on my honour." - -"And you are really resolved to make for yourself, in America, a -position at the least equal to that you held here?" - -"Yes," he said sharply, "by all means possible." - -"That is good. In your turn listen to me, count, and if you will profit -by what I am about to reveal to you, you may perhaps, by the help of -Heaven, succeed in accomplishing the wild projects you have formed." - -All the guests drew round curiously; the count himself felt interested -in spite of himself. - -The Baron de Spurtzheim was a man of about five-and-forty. His bronzed -complexion, his marked features, and the strange expression of his eye -gave him a peculiar aspect, which escaped the notice of the vulgar herd, -and caused him to be regarded as a really remarkable man by all -intelligent persons. - -The only thing known about the baron was his colossal fortune, which he -spent royally. As for his antecedents, everyone was ignorant of them, -although he was received in the first society. It was merely remarked -vaguely that he had been a great traveller, and had resided for several -years in America; but nothing was more uncertain than these rumours, and -they would not have been sufficient to open the _salons_ of the noble -suburb to him, had not the Austrian ambassador, without his knowledge, -served as his guarantee most warmly in several delicate circumstances. - -The baron was more intimately connected with the count than with his -other companions. He seemed to feel a certain degree of interest in him; -and several times, guessing his friend's embarrassed circumstances, he -had delicately offered him his assistance. The Count de Lhorailles, -though too proud to accept these offers, felt equally grateful to the -baron, and had allowed him to assume a certain influence over him, -without suspecting it. - -"Speak, but be brief, my dear baron," the count said. "You know that the -chaise is waiting for me." - -Without replying, the baron rang the bell. The waiter came in. - -"Dismiss the postilion, and tell him to return at five o'clock. You can -go." - -The waiter bowed and went out. - -The count, more and more amazed at his friend's strange conduct, did not -make the least observation. However, he poured out a glass of champagne, -which he emptied at a draught, crossed his arms, leant back in his -chair, and waited. - -"And now, gentlemen," the baron said in his sarcastic and incisive -voice, "as our friend De Lhorailles has told us his history, and we are -becoming confidential, why should I not tell you mine? The weather is -fearful--it is raining torrents. Here we are, comfortably tiled in: we -have champagne and regalias--two excellent things when not abused. What -have we better to do? 'Nothing,' I hear you say. Listen to me, then, for -I believe what I have to tell you will interest you the more, because -some among you will not be vexed to know the whole truth about me." - -The majority of the guests burst into a laugh at this remark. When their -hilarity was calmed the baron began:-- - -"As for the first part of my story, I shall imitate the count's brevity. -In the present age gentlemen find themselves so naturally beyond the -pale of the law through the prejudices of blood and education, that they -all are fated to pass through a rough apprenticeship to life, by -devouring in a few years, they know not how, the paternal fortune. This -happened to me, gentlemen, as to yourselves. My ancestors in the middle -ages were, to a certain extent, freebooters. True blood always shows -itself. When my last resources were nearly exhausted, my instincts were -aroused, and my eyes fixed on America. In less than ten years I amassed -there the colossal fortune which I now have the distinguished honour, -not of dissipating--the lesson was too rude, and I profited by it--but -of spending in your honourable company, while careful to keep my capital -intact." - -"But," the count exclaimed impatiently, "how did you amass this colossal -fortune, as you yourself term it?" - -"About a million and a half," the baron coolly remarked. - -A shudder of covetousness ran through the whole party. - -"A colossal fortune indeed," the count continued; "but, I repeat, how -did you acquire it?" - -"If I had not intended to reveal it to you, my dear fellow, you may be -sure I would not have abused your patience by making you listen to the -trivialities you have just heard." - -"We are listening," the guests shouted. - -The baron coolly looked at them all. - -"In the first place let us drink a glass of champagne to our friend's -success," he said in a sarcastic tone. - -The glasses were filled and emptied again in a twinkling, so great was -the curiosity of the auditors. After putting down his glass before him -the baron lighted a regalia, and, turning to the count, said to him,-- - -"I am now addressing myself more particularly to you, my friend. You are -young, enterprising, gifted with an iron constitution and an energetic -will. I am convinced, that if death does not thwart your plans, you will -succeed, whatever may be the enterprise you undertake, or the objects -you propose to yourself. In the life you are about to begin, the -principal cause of success, I may say almost the only one, is a thorough -knowledge of the ground on which you are about to manoeuvre, and the -society you propose entering. If, on my entrance upon that adventurous -life, I had possessed the good fortune of meeting a friend willing to -initiate me into the mysteries of my new existence, my fortune would -have been made five years earlier. What no one did for me I am willing -to do for you. Perhaps, at a later date you will be grateful for the -information I have given you, and which will serve as your guide in the -inextricable maze you are about to enter. In the first place, lay down -this principle: the people among whom you are about going to live are -your natural enemies. Hence you will have to support a daily, hourly -struggle. All means must appear to you good to emerge from the battle a -victor. Lay on one side your notions of honour and delicacy. In America -they are vain words, useless even to make dupes, from the very simple -reason that no one believes in them. The sole deity of America is gold. -To acquire gold the American is capable of everything; but not, as in -old Europe, under the cloak of honesty, and by roundabout process, but -frankly, openly, without shame, and without remorse. This laid down, -your line of conduct is ready traced. There is no project, however -extravagant it may appear, which in that country does not offer chances -of success; for the means of execution are immense, and almost -impossible of control. The American is the man who has best comprehended -the strength of association: hence it is the lever by means of which his -schemes are carried out. On arriving there alone, without friends or -acquaintances, however intelligent and determined you may be, you will -be lost, because you find yourself alone in the face of all." - -"That is true," the count muttered with conviction. - -"Patience!" the baron replied with a smile. "Do you think I intend to -send you into action without a cuirass? No, no, I will give you one, and -magnificently tempered, too, I assure you." - -All those present looked with amazement on this man, who had grown -enormously in their esteem in a few moments. The baron feigned not to -perceive the impression he produced, and in a minute or so he continued, -laying a stress on every word, as if wishful to engrave it more deeply -on the count's memory:-- - -"Remember what I am about to tell you; it is of the utmost importance -for you not to forget a word, my friend; from that positively depends -the success of your trip to the New World." - -"Speak--I am not losing a syllable!" the count interrupted him with a -species of febrile impatience. - -"When strangers began to flock to America, a company of bold fellows -was formed without faith or law, and without pity as without weakness, -who, denying all nationality, as they issued from every people, only -recognised one government, that which they themselves instituted on -Tortoise Island, a desolate rock, lost in the middle of the ocean--a -monstrous government; for violence was at its basis, and it only -admitted of right being might. These bold companions, attached to each -other by a Draconian charter, assumed the name of Brethren of the Coast, -and were divided into two classes--the Buccaneers and the Filibusters. - -"The buccaneers, wandering, through the primeval forests, hunted oxen, -while the filibusters scoured the seas, attacking every flag, plundering -every vessel under the pretext of making war on the Spaniards, but in -reality stripping the rich for the benefit of the poor--the only means -they discovered to restore the balance between the two classes. The -Brethren of the Coast, continually recruited from all the rogues of the -new world, became powerful--so powerful, indeed, that the Spaniards -trembled for their possessions, and a glorious King of France did not -disdain to treat with them, and send an ambassador to them. At last, -through the very force of circumstances, like all powers which are the -offspring of anarchy, and consequently possess no inherent vitality, -when the maritime nations recognised their own strength, the Brethren of -the Coast grew gradually weaker, and finally disappeared entirely. By -forcing them into obscurity, it was supposed that they were not merely -conquered, but annihilated; but it was not so, as you shall now see. I -ask your pardon for this long and tedious prologue, but it was -indispensable, so that you should better comprehend the rest I have to -explain to you." - -"It is nearly half past four," observed the count; "we have not more -than forty minutes left us." - -"That period, though so short, will be sufficient," the baron answered. -"I resume my narrative. The Brethren of the Coast were not destroyed, -but transformed. They yielded with extraordinary cleverness to the -exigencies of that progress which threatened to outstrip them: they had -changed their skin--from tigers they had become foxes. The Brethren of -the Coast were converted into _Dauph'yeers_. Instead of boldly boarding -the enemies' ships, sword and hatchet in hand, as they formerly did, -they became insignificant, and dug mines. At the present day the -Dauph'yeers are the masters and kings of the New World; they are nowhere -and everywhere, but they reign; their influence is felt in all ranks of -society; they are found on every rung of the ladder, but are never seen. -They detached the United States from England; Peru, Chili and Mexico, -from Spain. Their power is immense, the more so because it is secret, -ignored and almost denied, which displays their strength. For a secret -society to be denied existence is a real power. There is not a -revolution in America in which the influence of the Dauph'yeers does not -step forward valorously, either to insure its triumph or to crush it. -They can do everything--they are everything: without their golden circle -nothing is possible. Such have the Brethren of the Coast become, in less -than two centuries, by the force of progress! They are the axis round -which the New World revolves though it little suspects it. It is a -wretched lot for that magnificent country to have been condemned, ever -since its discovery, to undergo the tyranny of bandits of every rank, -who seem to have undertaken the mission of exhausting her in every way, -while never giving her the chance of liberating herself." - -There was a lengthened silence: each was reflecting on what he had just -heard. The baron himself had buried his face in his hands, and was lost -in that world of ideas which he had evoked, and which now assailed him -in a mass with sensations of mingled pain and bitterness. - -The distant sound of a rapidly approaching vehicle recalled the count to -the gravity of the situation. - -"Here is my chaise," he said. "I am about to set out, and I know -nothing." - -"Patience!" the baron replied. "Take leave of your friends, and we will -start." - -Yielding, in spite of himself, to the influence of this singular man, -the count obeyed, without dreaming of offering the slightest opposition. -He rose, embraced each of his old friends, exchanged with them hearty -hand-shakings, received their auguries of success, and left the room, -followed by the baron. - -The post-chaise was waiting in front of the house. The young men had -opened the windows, and were waving fresh adieux to their friend. The -count turned a long look on the Boulevard. The night was gloomy, though -the rain no longer fell; the sky was black; and the gas-jets glinted -feebly in the distance like stars lost in a fog. - -"Farewell," he said in a stifled voice, "farewell! Who knows whether I -shall ever return?" - -"Courage!" a stern voice whispered in his ear. - -The young man shuddered: the baron was at his side. - -"Come, my friend," he said, as he helped him to enter the carriage, "I -will accompany you to the barrier." - -The count got in and fell back on a cushion. - -"The Normandy road," the baron shouted to the postilion, as he shut the -door. - -The driver cracked his whip, and the chaise started at a gallop. - -"Good-by, good-by!" the young men loudly shouted as they leant out of -the windows of the Cafe Anglais. - -For a long time the two remained silent. At length the baron took the -word. - -"Gaetan!" he said. - -"What would you?" the latter replied. - -"I have not yet finished my narrative." - -"It is true," he muttered distractedly. - -"Do you not wish me to end it?" - -"Speak, my friend." - -"In what a tone you say that, my good fellow! Your mind is wandering in -imaginary space; you are doubtlessly dreaming of those you are leaving. - -"Alas!" murmured the count with a sigh, "I am alone in the world. What -have I to regret? I possess neither friends nor relations." - -"Ungrateful man!" The baron said in a reproachful tone. - -"It is true: Pardon me, my dear fellow; I did not think of what I was -saying." - -"I pardon you, but on condition that you listen to me." - -"I promise it." - -"My friend, it you desire success, the friendship and protection of -those Dauph'yeers I mentioned are indispensable for you." - -"How can I obtain them--I, a wretched stranger? How I tremble on -thinking of the country in which I dreamed of creating such a glorious -future! The veil that covered my eyes is fallen. I see the extravagance -of my projects, and all hope abandons me." - -"Already?" exclaimed the baron sternly. "Child without energy, to -abandon a contest even before having engaged in it! Man without strength -and courage! I will give you the means, if you like, of obtaining the -friendship and protection so necessary for you." - -"You!" the count said, quivering with excitement. - -"Yes, I! Do you fancy I have been amusing myself with torturing your -mind for the last two hours, like the jaguar plays with the lamb, for -the mere pleasure of deriding you? No, Gaetan. If you had that thought, -you were wrong, for I am fond of you. When I learned your scheme I -applauded, from the bottom of my heart, that resolution which restored -you to your proper place in my mind. When you this night frankly avowed -to us your position, and explained your plans, I found myself again in -you; my heart beat; for a moment I was happy: and then I vowed to open -to you that path so wide, so great, and so noble, that if you do not -succeed, it will be because you do not desire to do so." - -"Oh!" the count said energetically, "I may succumb in the contest which -begins this day between myself and humanity at large, but fear nothing, -my friend; I will fall nobly like a man of courage." - -"I am persuaded of it, my friend. I have only a few more words to say to -you. I, too, was a Dauph'yeer, and am so still. Thanks to my brethren, I -gained the fortune I now possess. Take this portfolio: put round your -neck this chain, from which a medallion hangs; then, when you are alone, -read these instructions contained in the portfolio, and act as they -prescribe. If you follow them point for point, I guarantee your success. -That is the present I reserved for you, and which I would not give you -till we were alone." - -"O heavens!" the count said with effusion. - -"Here we are at the barrier," the baron remarked, as he stopped the -carriage. "It is time for us to separate. Farewell, my friend! Courage -and good will! Embrace me. Above all, remember the portfolio and the -medallion." - -The two men remained for a long time in each other's arms. At length the -baron freed himself by a vigorous effort, opened the door, and leaped -out on the pavement. - -"Farewell!" he cried for the last time; "Farewell, Gaetan, remember me." - -The post-chaise was bowling along the high road at full speed. Strange -to say, both men muttered the same word, shaking heads with -discouragement, when they found themselves alone--one walking at full -speed along the footpath, the other buried in the cushions. - -That word was "Perhaps!" - -The reason was that, despite all their efforts to deceive each other, -neither of them hoped. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE DAUPH'YEERS. - - -Now let us quit the old world, and, taking an immense stride, transport -ourselves to the new one at a single leap. - -There is in America a city which possibly cannot be compared to any -other in the whole world. That city is Valparaiso! - -Valparaiso! The word resounds in the enchanted ear like the gentle soft -notes of a love song. - -A coquettish, smiling, and mad city, softly reclining like a careless -Creole, round a delicious bay, at the foot of three majestic mountains, -lazily bathing her rosy and dainty feet in the azure waves of the -Pacific, and veiling her dreamy brow in the storm-laden clouds which -escape from Cape Horn, and roll with a sinister sound round the peaks of -the Cordilleras, to form a splendid glory for them. - -Although built on the Chilean coast, this strange city belongs, in fact, -to no country, and recognises no nationality: or to speak more -correctly, it admits all into its bosom. - -At Valparaiso the adventurer of every clime have given each other the -meeting. All tongues are spoken there, every branch of trade is carried -on. The population is the quaintest amalgam of the most eccentric -personalities, who have rushed from the most remote parts of the four -quarters of the old world, to attack fortune in this city, the advanced -sentinel of Transatlantic civilisation, and whose occult influence -governs the Hispano-American republic. - -Valparaiso, like nearly all the commercial centres of South America, is -a pile of shapeless dens and magnificent palaces jostling each other, -and hanging in abrupt clusters on the abrupt flanks of the three -mountains. - -At the period the event occurred which we are about to describe, the -streets were narrow, dirty, deprived of air and sun. The paving, being -perfectly ignored, rendered them perfect morasses, in which the wayfarer -sank to the knee when the winter's rains had loosened the soil. This -rendered the use of a horse indispensable, even for the shortest -passage. - -Deleterious exhalations incessantly escaped from these mud holes, -heightened by the filth of every description which the daily cleaning of -the inhabitants accumulated, while no one dreamed of draining these -permanent abodes of pernicious fevers. - -At the present day, we are told, this state of things has been altered, -and Valparaiso no longer resembles itself. We should like to believe it; -but the carelessness of the South American, so well known to us, compels -us to be very circumspect in such a matter. - -In one of the dirtiest and worst-famed streets of Valparaiso was a house -which we ask the reader's permission to describe in a few words. - -We are compelled at the outset, to confess that if the architect -intrusted with its construction had shown himself more than sober in the -distribution of the ornaments, he had built it perfectly to suit the -trade of the various tenants destined in future to occupy it one after -the other. - -It was a clay-built hovel. The _facade_ looked upon the Street de la -Merced; the opposite side had an outlook of the sea, above which it -projected for a certain distance upon posts. - -This house was inhabited by an innkeeper. Contrary to the European -buildings, which grow smaller the higher they rise from the ground, this -house grew larger; so that the upper part was lofty and well lighted, -while the shop and other ground floor rooms were confined and gloomy. - -The present occupier had skilfully profited by this architectural -arrangement to have a room made in the wall between the first and second -floors, which was reached by a turning staircase, concealed in the -masonry. - -This room was so built that the slightest noise in the street distinctly -reached the ears of persons in it, while stifling any they might make, -however loud it might be. - -The worthy landlord, occupier of this house, had naturally a rather -mixed custom of people of every description--smugglers, _rateros_, -rogues, and others, whose habits might bring them into unpleasant -difficulties with the Chilean police; consequently, a whaleboat -constantly fastened to a ring under a window opening on the sea, -offered a provisional but secure shelter to the customers of the -establishment whenever, by any accident, the agents of government -evinced a desire to pay a domiciliary visit to his den. - -This house was known--and probably is still known, unless an earthquake -or a fire has caused this rookery to disappear from the face of the -earth of Valparaiso--by the name of the _Locanda del Sol._ - -On an iron plate suspended from a beam, and creaking with every breath -of wind, there had been painted by a native artist a huge red face, -surrounded by orange beams, possibly intended as an explanation of the -sign to which I have alluded above. - -Senor Benito Sarzuela master of the Locanda del Sol, was a tall, dry -fellow with an angular face end crafty look; a mixture of the Araucano, -Negro and Spaniard, whose _morale_ responded perfectly to his -_physique;_ that is to say, he combined in himself the vices of the -three races to which he belonged--red, black, and white--without -possessing one single virtue of theirs, and that beneath the shadow of -an avowed and almost honest trade he carried on clandestinely some -twenty, the most innocent of which would have taken him to the -_presidios_ or galleys for life, had he been discovered. - -Some two months after the events we described in a previous chapter, -about eleven of the clock on a cold and misty night, Senor Benito -Sarzuela was seated in melancholy mood within his bar, contemplating -with mournful eye the deserted room of his establishment. - -The wind blowing violently, caused the sign of the _meson_ to creak on -its hinges with gloomy complaints, and the heavy black clouds coming -from the south moved weightily athwart the sky, dropping at intervals -heavy masses of rain on the ground loosened by previous storms. - -"Come," the unhappy host muttered to himself with a piteous air, "there -is another day which finishes as badly as the others. _Sangre de Dios!_ -For the last week I have had no luck. If it continues only a fortnight -longer I shall be ruined a man." - -In fact, through a singular accident, for about a month the Locanda del -Sol had been completely shorn of its old brilliancy, and the landlord -did not know any reason for its eclipse. - -The sound of clanking glasses and cups was no longer heard in the room, -usually affected by thirsty souls. Strange change in human things! -Abundance had been too suddenly followed by the most perfect vacuum. It -might be said that the plague reigned in this deserted house. The -bottles remained methodically arranged on the shelves, and hardly two -passers-by had come in during the past day to drink a glass of _pisco_, -which they hastily paid for, so eager were they to quit this den, in -spite of the becks, and nods, and wreathed smiles of the host, who tried -in vain to keep them to talk of public affairs, and, above all, cheer -his solitude. - -After a few words we have heard him utter, the worthy Don Benito rose -carelessly, and prepared, with many an oath, to close his establishment, -so at any rate to save in candles, when suddenly an individual entered, -then two, then ten, and at last such a number that the locandero gave up -all attempts at counting them. - -These men were all wrapped up in cloaks; their heads were covered by -felt hats, whose broad brims, pulled down carefully over their eyes, -rendered them perfectly unrecognisable. - -The room was soon crowded with customers drinking and smoking, but not -uttering a word. - -The extraordinary thing was that, although all the tables were lined, -such a religious silence prevailed among these strange bibbers that the -noise of the rain pattering outside could be distinctly heard, as well -as the footfall of the horses ridden by the serenos, which resounded -hoarsely on the pebbles or in the muddy ponds that covered the ground. - -The host, agreeably surprised by this sudden turn of fortune, had -joyfully set to work serving his unexpected customers; but all at once a -singular thing happened, which Senor Sarzuela was far from anticipating. -Although the proverb say that you can never have enough of a good -thing--and proverbs are the wisdom of nations--it happened that the -affluence of people, who appeared to have made an appointment at his -house, became so considerable, and assumed such gigantic proportions, -that the landlord himself began to be terrified; for his hostelry, empty -a moment previously, was now so crammed that he soon did not know where -to put the new arrivals who continued to flock in. In fact the crowd, -after filling the common room, had, like a rising tide, flowed over -into the adjoining room, then it escaladed the stairs, and spread over -the upper floors. - -At the first stroke of eleven more than two hundred customers occupied -the Locanda del Sol. - -The locandero, with that craft which was one of the most salient points -of his character, then comprehended that something extraordinary was -about to happen, and that his house would be the scene. - -At the thought a convulsive tremor seized upon him, his hair began to -stand on end, and he sought in his brain for the means he must employ to -get rid of these sinister and silent guests. - -In his despair he rose with an air which he sought to render most -resolute, and walked to the door as if for the purpose of closing his -establishment. The customers, still silent as fish, did not make a sign -of moving; on the contrary, they pretended they noticed nothing. - -Don Benito felt his nervousness redoubled. - -Suddenly the voice of a sereno singing in the distance furnished him -with the pretext he vainly sought, by shouting as he passed the -locanda,-- - -"_Ave Maria purisima. Las onze han dado y llueve._"[1] - -Although accompanied by modulations capable of making a dog weep, the -sacramental cry of the sereno absolutely produced no impression on mine -host's customers. The force of terror at length restoring him a slight -degree of courage, Senor Sarzuela decided on directly addressing his -obstinate customers. For this purpose he deliberately posted himself in -the centre of the room, thrust his fist into his side, and raising his -head, said in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm, but whose -tremor he could not hide,-- - -"Senores caballeros, it is eleven o'clock. The police regulations forbid -me keeping open longer. Have the goodness, I beg you, to withdraw -without delay, so that I may close my establishment." - -This harangue, from which he promised himself the greatest success, -produced an effect exactly contrary to what he expected. The strangers -vigorously smote the table with their glasses, shouting unanimously,-- - -"Drink!" - -The landlord bounded back at this fearful disturbance. - -"Still, caballeros," he ventured to remark, after a moment's hesitation, -"the police regulations are severe. It is eleven, and--" - -He could say no more: the noise recommenced with even greater intensity, -and the customers shouted together, in a voice of thunder, "Drink!" - -A reaction, easy to comprehend, then took place in the mind of mine -host. Fancying that a personal attack was made on himself, persuaded -that his interests were at stake, the coward disappeared to make room -for the miser, threatened in what is dearest to him--his property. - -"Ah," he shouted in feverish exasperation, "that is the game! Well, we -will see if I am master in my own house. I will go and fetch the alcalde." - -This threat of justice from the mouth of the worthy Sarzuela appeared so -droll, that the customers broke out, with a unanimity that did them all -credit, into a burst of Homeric laughter right under the poor fellow's -nose. This was the _coup de grace_. The host's anger was converted into -raving madness, and he rushed headforemost at the door, under the -laughter and inextinguishable shouts of his persecutors. But he had -hardly crossed the threshold of his house ere a new arrival seized him -unceremoniously by the arm and hurled him back roughly into the room, -saying in a bantering voice,-- - -"What fly has stung you, my dear landlord? Are you mad to go out -bareheaded in such weather, at the risk of catching a pleurisy?" - -And then, while the locandero, terrified and confounded by this rude -shock, tried to regain his balance and re-establish a little order in -his ideas, the unknown, as coolly as if he were at home, had, with the -help of some of the customers, to whom he made signs, shut the shutters -and bolted the door with as much care as Sarzuela himself usually -devoted to this delicate operation. - -"There, now that is done," the stranger said, turning to the amazed host -"suppose we have a chat, _compadre_? Ah, I suppose you do not recognise -me?" he added, as he removed his hat and displayed a fine intelligent -face, over which a mocking smile was at this moment playing. - -"Oh, el Senor Don Gaetano!" said Sarzuela, whom this meeting was far -from pleasing, and who tried to conceal a horrible grimace. - -"Silence!" the other said. "Come hither." - -"With a gesture he drew the landlord into a corner of the room, and, -leaning down to his ear, said in a low voice,-- - -"Are there any strangers in your house?" - -"Look!" he said with a piteous glance, as he pointed to the still -drinking customers, "that legion of demons invaded my house an hour -back. They drink well, it is true; but there is something suspicious -about them not at all encouraging to an honest man." - -"The more reason that you should have nothing to fear. Besides, I am not -alluding to them. I ask you if you have any strange lodgers? As for -those men, you know them as well as I do, perhaps better." - -"From top to bottom of my house I have no other persons than these -caballeros, whom you say I know. It is very possible; but as ever since -they have been here, thanks to the way in which they are muffled, it has -been impossible for me to see the tip of a nose, I was utterly unable to -recognise them." - -"You are a donkey, my good friend. These men who bother you so greatly -are all Dauph'yeers." - -"Really!" the amazed host exclaimed: "then why do they hide their -faces?" - -"My faith, Master Sarzuela, I fancy it is probably because they do not -wish to have them seen." - -And laughing at the landlord, who was sadly out of countenance, the -stranger made a sign. Two men rose, rushed on the poor fellow, and -before he could even guess what they intended, he found himself so -magnificently garroted that he could not even cross himself. - -"Fear nothing, Master Sarzuela; no harm will befall you," the stranger -continued. "We only want to talk without witnesses, and as you are -naturally a chatterer, we take our precautions, that is all. So be calm; -in a few hours you will be free. Come, look sharp, you fellows," he -continued, addressing his men. "Gag him, lay him on his bed, and turn -the key in his door. Good-by, my worthy host, and pray keep calm." - -The stranger's orders were punctually executed; the luckless Sarzuela, -tied and gagged, was carried from the room on the shoulders of two of -his assailants, borne upstairs, thrown on his bed, and locked in in -a twinkling, ere he had even time to think of the slightest resistance. - -We will leave him to indulge in the gloomy reflections which probably -assailed him in a throng so soon as he was alone, face to face with his -despair, and return to the large room of the locanda, where persons far -more interesting to us than the poor landlord are awaiting us. - -The Dauph'yeers, so soon as they found themselves masters of the -hostelry, ranged the tables one on the other against the walls, so as to -clear the centre of the room, and drew up the benches in a line, on -which they seated themselves. - -The Locanda del Sol, owing to the changes it underwent, was in a few -moments completely metamorphosed into a club. - -The last arrival, the man who had given the order to gag the host, -enjoyed, according to all appearances, a certain influence over the -honourable company collected at this moment on the ground floor room of -the hostelry. So soon as the master of the house had disappeared he took -off his cloak, made a sign commanding silence, and speaking in excellent -French, said in a clear and sonorous voice,-- - -"Brethren, thanks for your punctuality." - -The Dauph'yeers politely returned his salute. - -"Gentlemen," he continued, "our projects are advancing. Soon, I hope, we -shall attain the object to which we have so long been tending, and quit -that obscurity in which we are languishing, to conquer our place in the -sunshine. America is a marvellous land, in which every ambition can be -satisfied. I have taken all the necessary measures, as I pledged myself -to you to do a fortnight ago, when I had the honour of convening you for -the first time. We have succeeded. You were kind enough to appoint me -director of the Mexican movement, and I thank you for it, gentleman. A -concession of three thousand acres of land has been made me at -Guetzalli, in Upper Sonora. The first step has been taken. My -lieutenant, De Laville, started yesterday for Mexico, to take possession -of the granted territory. I have today another request to make of you. -You who listen to me here are all European or North Americans, and you -will understand me. For a very long time the Dauph'yeers, the successors -of the Brethren of the Coast have been calmly watching, as apparently -disinterested spectators of the endless drama of the American republics, -the sudden changes and shameless revolutions of the old Spanish -colonies. The hour has arrived to throw ourselves into the contest. I -need one hundred and fifty devoted men. Guetzalli will serve them as a -temporary refuge. I shall soon tell them what I expect from their -courage; but you must strive to carry out what I attempt. The enterprise -I meditate, and in which I shall possibly perish, is entirely in the -interest of the association. If I succeed, every man who took part in it -will have a large reward and splendid position insured him. You know the -man who introduced me to you, and he had gained your entire confidence. -The medal he gave me, and which I now show you, proves to you that he -entirely responds for me. Will you, in your turn, trust in me as he has -done? Without you I can do nothing. I await your reply." - -He was silent. His auditors began a long discussion among themselves, -though in a low voice, which they carried on for some time. At length -silence was restored, and a man rose. - -"Count Gaetan de Lhorailles," he said, "my brethren have requested me to -answer you in their name. You presented yourself to us, supported by the -recommendation of a man in whom we have the most entire confidence. Your -conduct has appeared to confirm this recommendation. The one hundred and -fifty men you ask for are ready to follow you, no matter whither you may -lead them, persuaded as they are that they can only gain by seconding -your plans. I, Diego Leon, inscribe myself at the head of the list." - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -The Dauph'yeers shouted, outcrying each other. The count gave a signal, -and silence was re-established. - -"Brothers, I thank you," he said. "The nucleus of our association will -remain at Valparaiso, and if I need them I will draw from that city the -resolute men I may presently want. For the moment one hundred and fifty -men are sufficient for me. If my plans succeed, who knows what the -future may have in store for us? I have drawn up a charter-party, all -the stipulations of which will be rigorously kept by myself and by you, -I have no doubt. Read and sign. In two days I start for Talca: but in -six weeks I will meet here those among you who consent to follow me, and -then I will communicate to them my plans in their fullest details." - -"Captain de Lhorailles," Diego Leon replied, "you say that you have only -need of one hundred and fifty men. Draw them by lots, then; for all wish -to accompany you." - -"Thank you once again, my brave comrades. Believe me, each shall have -his turn. The project I have formed is grand and worthy of you. -Selection would only arouse jealousy among men all equally worthy. Diego -Leon, I intrust to you the duty of drawing lots for the names of those -who are to form part of the first expedition." - -"It shall be done," said Leon, a methodical and steady Bearnese and -ex-corporal of the Spahis. - -"And now, my friends, one last word. Remember that in three months I -shall expect you at Guetzalli; and, by the aid of Heaven, the star of -the Dauph'yeer shall not be dimmed. Drink, brothers, drink to the -success of our enterprise!" - -"Let us drink!" all the Brethren of the Coast shouted quite electrified. - -The wine and brandy then began flowing. The whole night was spent in an -orgie, whose proportions became, towards morning, gigantic. The Count de -Lhorailles--thanks to the talisman the baron gave him on parting--had -found himself, immediately on his arrival in America, at the head of -resolute and unscrupulous men, by whose help it was easy for an -intellect like his to accomplish great things. - -Two months after the meeting to which we have introduced the reader, the -count and his one hundred and fifty Dauph'yeers were assembled at the -colony of Guetzalli--that magnificent concession which M. de Lhorailles -had obtained through his occult influences. - -The count appeared to command good fortune, and everything he undertook -succeeded. The projects which appeared the wildest were carried out by -him. His colony prospered and assumed proportions which delighted the -Mexican government. The count, with the tact and knowledge of the world -he thoroughly possessed, had caused the jealous and the curious to be -silent. He had created a circle of devoted friends and useful -acquaintances, who on various occasions pleaded in his behalf and -supported him by their credit. - -Our readers can judge of the progress he had made in so short a -time--scarce three years--when we say that, at the moment we introduce -him on the stage, he had almost attained the object of his constant -efforts. He was about to gain an honourable rank in society by marrying -the daughter of Don Sylva de Torres, one of the richest hacenderos in -Sonora: and through the influence of his future father-in-law he had -just received a commission as captain of a free corps, intended to -repulse the incursions of the Comanches and Apaches on the Mexican -territory, and the right of forming this company exclusively of -Europeans if he thought proper. - -We will now return to the house of Don Sylva de Torres, which we left -almost at the moment the Count de Lhorailles entered it. - - -[1] I salute you, most pure Mary! Eleven has struck, and it rains. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BY THE WINDOW. - - -When the young lady left the sitting room to retire to her sleeping -apartment, the count followed her with a lingering look, apparently not -at all understanding the extraordinary conduct of his betrothed, -especially under the circumstances in which they stood to each other, as -they were so shortly to be married; but, after a few moments' -reflection, the count shook his head, as if to dispel the mournful -thoughts by which he was assailed, and, turning to Don Sylva, said:-- - -"Let us talk about business matters. Are you agreeable?" - -"Have you anything new, then, to tell me?" - -"Many things." - -"Interesting?" - -"You shall be the judge." - -"Go on, then. I am all impatience to hear them." - -"Let us proceed in rotation. You are aware, my friend, why I left -Guetzalli?" - -"Perfectly. Well, have you succeeded?" - -"As I expected. Thanks to certain letters of which I was the bearer, -and, above all, your kind recommendation, General Marcos received me in -the most charming manner. The reception he deigned to accord me was most -affectionate. In short, he gave me _carte blanche_, authorising me to -raise, not only one hundred and fifty men, but double the number if I -considered it necessary." - -"Oh, that is magnificent." - -"Is it not? He told me also that in a war like that I was about to -undertake--for my chase of the Apaches is a real war--he left me at -liberty to act as I pleased, ratifying beforehand all I might do, being -persuaded, as he added, that it would ever be for the interest and glory -of Mexico." - -"Come, I am delighted with the result. And now, what are your -intentions?" - -"I have resolved on quitting you to proceed, in the first place, to -Guetzalli, whence I have now been absent nearly three weeks. I want to -revisit my colony, in order to see if all goes on as I would wish, and if -my men are happy. On the other hand, I shall not be sorry, before -departing for possibly a long period with the greater part of my forces, -to protect my colonists from a _coup de main_, by throwing up round the -establishment earthworks strong enough to repulse an assault of the -savages. This is the more important, because Guetzalli must always -remain, to a certain extent, my headquarters." - -"All right; and you start?" - -"This very evening." - -"So soon?" - -"I must. You are aware how time presses at present." - -"It is true. Have you nothing more to say to me?" - -"Pardon me, I have one other point which I expressly reserved for the -last." - -"You attach a great interest to it, then?" - -"Immense." - -"Oh, oh! I am listening to you, then, my friend. Speak quickly." - -"On my arrival in this country, at a period when the enterprises I have -since successfully carried out were only in embryo, you were good -enough, Don Sylva, to place at my disposal not only your credit, which -is immense, but your riches, which are incalculable." - -"It is true," the Mexican said with a smile. - -"I availed myself largely of your offers, frequently assailing your -strong box, and employing your credit whenever the occasion presented -itself. Permit me now to settle with you the only part of the debt I can -discharge, for I am incapable of repaying the other. Here," he added, -taking a paper from his portfolio, "is a bill for 100,000 piastres, -payable at sight on Walter Blount and Co., bankers, of Mexico. I am -happy, believe me, Don Sylva, to be able to pay this debt so promptly, -not because--" - -"Pardon me," the hacendero quickly interrupted him, and declining with a -gesture the paper the Count offered him, "we no longer understand each -other, it seems to me." - -"How so?" - -"I will explain. On your arrival at Guaymas, you presented yourself to -me, bearing a pressing letter of recommendation from a man to whom I -owed very great obligations a few years back. The Baron de Spurtzheim -described you to me rather as a beloved son than as a friend in whom he -took interest. My house was at once opened to you--it was my duty to do -so. Then, when I knew you, and could appreciate all that was noble and -grand in your character, our relations, at first rather cold, became -closer and more intimate. I offered you my daughter's hand, which you -accepted." - -"And gladly so," the count explained. - -"Very good," the hacendero continued with a smile. "The money I could -receive from a stranger--money which he honestly owes me--belongs to my -son-in-law. Tear up that paper, then, my dear count, and pray do not -think of such a trifle." - -"Ah!" the count said, in a tone of vexation, "that was exactly what -troubled me. I am not your son-in-law yet, and may I confess it? I fear -I never shall be." - -"What can make you fancy that? Have you not my promise? The word of Don -Sylva de Torres, Sir Count de Lhorailles, is a pledge which no one has -ever yet dared to doubt." - -"And for that reason I have no such idea. It is not you I am afraid of." - -"Who, then?" - -"Dona Anita." - -"Oh, oh! My friend, you must explain yourself, for I confess I do not -understand you at all," Don Sylva said sharply, as he rose and began -walking up and down the room in considerable agitation. - -"Good gracious, my friend, I am quite in despair at having produced this -discussion! I love Dona Anita. Love, as you know, easily takes umbrage. -Although my betrothed has ever been amiable, kind, and gracious to me, -still I confess that I fancy she does not love me." - -"You are mad, Don Gaetano. Young girls know not what they like or -dislike. Do not trouble yourself about such a childish thing. I promised -that she shall be your wife, and it shall be so." - -"Still, if she loved another, I should not like--" - -"What! Really what you say has not common sense. Anita loves no one but -you, I am sure; and stay, would you like to be reassured? You say that -you start for Guetzalli this evening?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Prepare apartments for my daughter and myself. In a few days -we will join you at your hacienda." - -"Is it possible?" the count said joyfully. - -"Tomorrow at daybreak we will start; so make haste." - -"A thousand thanks." - -"Come, you are now easier?" - -"I am the happiest of mortals." - -"All the better." - -The two men exchanged a few words further, and separated with renewed -promises of meeting again soon. - -Don Sylva, accustomed to command despotically in his establishment, and -to allow no one to discuss his will, told his daughter, through her -waiting maid, that she must prepare for a rather long journey the next -morning, and felt certain of her obedience. - -The news was a thunderbolt for the young lady. She sank half fainting -into an easy chair, and melted into tears. It was evident to her that -this journey was only a pretext to separate her from the man she loved, -and place, her a defenceless victim, in the power of the man she -abhorred, and who was to be her husband. The poor child remained thus -for several hours, a prey to violent despair, and not dreaming of -seeking impossible repose; for, in the state in which she found herself, -she knew that sleep would not close her eyes, all swollen with tears, -and red with fever. - -Gradually the sounds of the town died away one after the other. All -slept, or seemed to sleep. Don Sylva's house was plunged into complete -darkness; a weak light alone glistened like a star through the young -girl's windows, proving that there at least someone was watching. - -At this moment two hesitating shadows were cast on the wall opposite the -hacendero's house. Two men, wrapped in long cloaks, stopped and examined -the dimly lighted window with that attention only found in thieves and -lovers. The two men to whom we allude incontestably belonged to the -latter category. - -"Hum!" the first said in a sharp but suppressed voice, "You are certain -of what you assert, Cuchares?" - -"As of my eternal salvation, Senor Don Martial," the scamp replied in -the same tone. "The accursed Englishman entered the house while I was -there. Don Sylva appeared on the best terms with the heretic. May his -soul be confounded!" - -We may here remark that a few years ago, and possibly even now, in the -eyes of the Mexicans all foreigners were English, no matter the nation -to which they belonged, and consequently heretics. Hence they naturally -ranked, though little suspecting it, with the men whom it is no crime to -kill, but whose assassination is rather looked upon as a meritorious -action. We are bound to add, to the credit of the Mexicans, that -whenever the occasion offered, they killed the English with an ardour -which was a sufficient proof of their piety. - -Don Martial continued:-- - -"On the faith of the Tigrero, this man has twice crossed my path, and I -have spared him; but let him be careful against the third meeting." - -"Oh!" Cuchares said, "the reverend Fra Becchico says that a man gains -splendid indulgences by 'cutting' an Englishman. I have not yet had the -luck to come across one, although I owe about eight dead men. I am much -inclined to indulge myself with this one; it would be so much gained." - -"On thy life, picaro, let him alone. That man belongs to me." - -"Well, we'll not mention it again," he replied, stifling a sigh; "I will -leave him to you. For all that it annoys me, although the nina seems to -detest him cordially." - -"Have you any proof of what you say?" - -"What better proof than the repugnance she displays so soon as he -appears, and the pallor which then covers her face without any apparent -reason?" - -"Ah, I would give a thousand ounces to know what to believe." - -"What prevents you? Everybody is asleep--no one will see you. The story -is not high--fifteen feet at the most. I am certain that Dona Anita -would be delighted to have a chat with you." - -"Oh, if I could but believe it!" he muttered with hesitation, casting a -side glance at the still lighted window. - -"Who knows? Perhaps she is expecting you." - -"Silence, you scoundrel!" - -"By'r Lady only listen! If what is said be true, the poor child must be -in a perplexity, if not worse: she has probably great need of -assistance." - -"What do they say? Come, speak, but be brief." - -"A very simple thing--that Dona Anita de Torres marries within a week -the Englishman, Don Gaetano." - -"You lie villain!" said the Tigrero with badly-restrained wrath. "I know -not what prevents me thrusting down your throat with my dagger the -odious words you have just uttered." - -"You would do wrong," the other said, without being in the -least discovered. "I am only an echo that repeats what it hears, nothing -more. You alone in all Guaymas are ignorant of this news. After all, -there is nothing astonishing in that, as you have only returned to town -this day, after an absence of more than a month." - -"That is true; but what is to be done?" - -"Caray! Follow the advice I give you." - -The Tigrero turned another long glance on the window, and let his head -sink with an irresolute air. - -"What will she say on seeing me?" he muttered. - -"Caramba!" the lepero said in a sarcastic tone, "She will cry, 'You are -welcome, _alma mia!_' It is clear, caray! Don Martial, have you become a -timid child, that a woman's glance can make you tremble? Opportunity has -only three hairs, in love as in war. You must seize her when she -presents herself: if you do not, you run a risk of not meeting her -again." - -The Mexican approached the lepero near enough to touch him, and, fixing -his glance on his tiger-cat eyes, said in a low and concentrated voice,-- - -"Cuchares, I trust in you. You know me. I have often come to your -assistance. Were you to deceive my confidence I would kill you like a -coyote." - -The Tigrero pronounced these words with such an accent of dull fury, -that the lepero, who knew the man before whom he was standing, turned -pale in spite of himself, and felt a shudder of terror pass through his -limbs. - -"I am devoted to you, Don Martial," he replied in a voice, which he -tried in vain to render firm. "Whatever may happen, count on me. What -must I do?" - -"Nothing; but wait, watch, at the least suspicious sound, the first -hostile shadow that appears in the darkness, warn me." - -"Count on me. Go to work. I am deaf and dumb, and during your absence I -will watch over you like a son over his father." - -"Good!" the Tigrero said. - -He drew a few steps nearer, undid the reata fastened round his loins, -and held it in his right hand. Then he raised his eyes, measured the -distance and turning the reata forcibly round his head, hurled it into -Dona Anita's balcony. The running knot caught in an iron hook, and -remained firmly attached. - -"Remember!" the Tigrero said, as he turned toward Cuchares. - -"Go on," the latter said, as he leaned against the wall and crossed his -legs; "I answer for everything." - -Don Martial was satisfied, or feigned to be satisfied, with this -assurance. He seized the reata, and taking a leap, like one of those -panthers he had so often tracked on the prairies, he raised himself by -the strength of his wrists, and speedily reached the balcony. He climbed -over and went up to the window. - -Dona Anita was asleep, half reclining in an easy chair. The poor girl, -pale and exhausted, her eyes swollen with tears, had been conquered by -sleep, which never gives up its claim on young and vigorous -constitutions. On her marbled cheeks the tears had traced a long furrow, -which was still humid. Martial surveyed with a tender glance the woman -he loved, though not daring to approach her. Surprised thus during her -sleep, Anita appeared to him even more beautiful; a halo of purity and -candour seemed to surround her, watch over her repose, and render her -holy and unassailable. - -After a long and voluptuous contemplation, the Tigrero at length decided -on advancing. The window, which was only leaned to (for the young girl -had not dreamed of falling to sleep, as she had done), opened at the -slightest push. Don Martial took one step, and found himself in the -room. At the sight of this virginal chamber a religious respect fell on -the Tigrero. He felt his heart beat rebelliously; and tottering, mad -with fear and love, he fell on his knees by the side of the being he -adored. - -Anita opened her eyes. - -"Oh!" she exclaimed, on seeing Don Martial, "Blessed be God, since He -sends you to my assistance!" - -The Tigrero surveyed her with moistened eye and panting chest. But -suddenly the girl drew herself up; her memory returned, and with it that -timid modesty innate in all women. - -"Begone," she said, recoiling to the extremity of the room, "begone, -caballero! How are you here? Who led you to my room? Answer I command -you." - -The Tigrero humbly bowed his head. - -"God," he said, in an inarticulate voice, "God alone has conducted me to -your side, senorita, as you yourself said. Oh, pardon me for having -dared to surprise you thus! I have committed a great fault, I am aware; -but a misfortune menaces you--I feel it, I guess it. You are alone, -without support, and I have come to say to you, 'Madam, I am very low, -very unworthy to serve you, but you have need of a firm and devoted -heart. Here I am! Take my blood, take my life. I would be so happy to -die for you!' In the name of Heaven, senora, in the name of what you -love most on earth, do not reject my prayer. My arm, my heart, are -yours: dispose of them." - -These words were uttered by the young man in a choking voice, as he -knelt in the middle of the room, his hands clasped, and fixing on Dona -Anita his eyes, into which he had thrown his entire soul. - -The hacendero's daughter turned her limpid glance on the young man, and, -without removing her eyes, approached him with short steps, hesitating -and trembling despite herself. When she arrived near him she remained -for a moment undecided. At length she laid her two small, dainty hands -on his shoulders, and placed her gentle face so near his, that the -Tigrero felt on his forehead the freshness of her embalmed breath, while -her long, black, and perfumed tresses gently caressed him. - -"It is true, then," she said in a harmonious voice, "you love me then, -Don Martial?" - -"Oh!" the young man murmured, almost mad with love at this delicious -contact. - -The Mexican girl bent over him still more, and grazing with her rosy -lips the Tigrero's moist brow,-- - -"Now," she said to him, starting back with the ravishing movement of a -startled fawn, while her brow turned purple with the effort she had made -to overcome her modesty, "now defend me, Don Martial; for in the -presence of God, who sees us and judges us, I am your wife!" - -The Tigrero leaped on his feet beneath the corrosive sting of this kiss. -With a radiant brow and sparkling eyes, he seized the girl's arm and -drawing her to the corner of the room, where was a statue of the -Virgin, before which perfumed oil was burning,-- - -"On your knees, senorita," he said in an inspired voice, and himself -bowed the knee. - -The girl obeyed him. - -"Holy Mother of Sorrow!" Don Martial went on, "_Nuestra Senora de la -Soledad_! Divine succour of the afflicted, who soundest all hearts! Thou -seest the purity of our souls, the holiness of our love. Before thee I -take for my wife Dona Anita de Torres. I swear to defend and protect -her, before and against everybody, even if I lose my life in the contest -I commence this day for the happiness of her I love, and who from this -day forth is really my betrothed." - -After pronouncing this oath in a firm voice the Tigrero turned to the -maiden. - -"It is your turn now, senorita," he said to her. - -The girl fervently clasped her hands, and raising her tear-laden eyes to -the holy image,-- - -"Nuestra Senora de la Soledad," she said in a voice broken with emotion, -"thou, my only protector since the day of my birth, knowest how truly I -am devoted to thee! I swear that all this man has said is the truth. I -take him for my husband in thy sight, and will never have another." - -They rose, and Dona Anita led the Tigrero to the balcony. - -"Go!" she said to him. "Don Martial's wife must not be suspected. Go, my -husband, my brother! The man to whom they want to deliver me is called -the Count de Lhorailles. Tomorrow at daybreak we leave this place, -probably to join him." - -"And he?" - -"Started this night." - -"Where is he going?" - -"I know not." - -"I will kill him." - -"Farewell, Don Martial, farewell!" - -"Farewell, Dona Anita! Take courage: I am watching over you." - -And after imprinting a last and chaste kiss on the young girl's pure -brow, he clambered over the balcony, and hanging by the reata, glided -down into the street. The hacendero's daughter unfastened the running -knot, leant out and gazed on the Tigrero as long as she could see him; -then she closed the window. - -"Alas, alas!" murmured she, suppressing a sigh, "What have I done? Holy -Virgin, thou alone canst restore me the courage which is deserting me." - -She let the curtain fall which veiled the window, and turned to go and -kneel before the Virgin; but suddenly she recoiled, uttering a cry of -terror. Two paces from her Don Sylva was standing with frowning brow and -stern face. - -"Dona Anita, my daughter," said he, in a slow and stern voice, "I have -seen and heard everything; spare yourself, then, I beg you, all useless -denial." - -"My father!" the poor child stammered in a broken voice. - -"Silence!" he continued. "It is three o'clock; we set out at sunrise. -Prepare yourself to marry in a fortnight Don Gaetano de Lhorailles." - -And, without deigning to add a word, he walked out slowly, carefully -closing the door after him. - -As soon as she was alone the young girl bent down as if listening, -tottered a few steps forward, raised her hands with a nervous gesture to -her contracted throat--then, pealing forth a piercing cry, fell back on -the floor. - -She had fainted. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE DUEL. - - -It was about eight in the evening when the Count de Lhorailles left the -residence of Don Sylva de Torres. The _feria de plata_ was then in all -its splendour. The streets of Guaymas were thronged with a joyful and -motley crowd: the shouts of songs and laughter rose on every side. The -piles of gold heaped on the monte tables emitted their yellow and -intoxicating reflection in the dazzling gleams of the lights, that -shone in every door and window: here and there the sounds of the -_vihuelas_ and _jarabes_ escaped from the pulquerias, invaded by the -drinkers. The count, elbowed and elbowing, traversed as quickly as was -possible the dense groups which at every instant barred his passage; but -the conversation he had had with Don Sylva had put him in too happy a -temper for him to dream of being vexed at the numerous collisions he -endured at every moment. - -At length, after numberless difficulties, and wasting at least thrice -the time he would have employed under other circumstances, he reached at -about ten in the evening, the house where he lodged. He had spent about -two hours in covering less than six hundred yards. - -On arriving at the meson, the count proceeded first to the corral to see -his horse, to which he gave, with his own hand, two trusses of alfalfa; -then, after ordering that he should be called at one o'clock, if by -accident (which was most improbable) he retired to his _cuarto_ to take -a few hours' rest. - -The count intended to start at such an early hour in order to avoid the -heat of the day, and travel more quickly. Besides, after his lengthened -conversation with Don Sylva, the noble adventurer was not sorry to find -himself alone, in order to go over in his mind all the happy things that -had happened during the past evening. - -From the moment he had landed in America the count had enjoyed--to -employ a familiar term--a shameful good luck: everything succeeded with -him. In a few months his fortune might be thus summed up:--A colony -founded under the most favourable auspices, and already on the road of -progress and improvement: while keeping his nationality intact--that is -to say, his liberty of action and an inviolable neutrality--he was in -the service of the Mexican Government, as captain of a free corps of one -hundred and fifty devoted men, with whom he could attempt, if not carry -out, the wildest enterprises. In the last place, he was on the point of -marrying the daughter of a man twenty times a millionaire, as far as he -had opportunity of judging; and what in no way spoiled the affair, his -betrothed was delightful. - -Unfortunately, or fortunately, according the standpoint our readers may -think in judging of our hero, this man, worn out by the enervating -eccentricities of Parisian life, no longer felt his heart beat from any -emotion of joy, sorrow or fear: all was dead within him. He was exactly -the man wanted to succeed in the country to which accident had sent him. -In the great del of life he had begun in America he had an immense -advantage over his adversaries--that of never allowing himself to be -directed by passion; and consequently, owing to his unalterable coolness, -he was enabled to evade the pitfalls incessantly laid for him, over -which he triumphed without appearing to notice them. - -After what we have said, we have hardly need to add that he did not love -the woman whose hand he sought. She was young and lovely--so much the -better. Had she been old and ugly he would have accepted her hand all -the same. What did he care? He only sought one thing in marriage--a -brilliant and envied position. In fine, the Count de Lhorailles was all -calculation. We have made a mistake, however, in affirming that he had -not a weak point. He was ambitious. This passion, one of the most -violent of those with which Heaven has afflicted the human race, was -possibly the only link by which the count was still attached to -humanity. Ambition in him had reached such a pitch, especially during -the last few months--it had taken such an immense development--that he -would have sacrificed all to it. - -Now let us see what was the object of this man's ambition. What future -did he dream of? It is probable that we may explain this to the reader -in fuller detail presently. - -The count went to bed; that is to say, after wrapping himself carefully -in his zarape, he stretched himself on the leathern frame which -throughout Mexico is the substitute for beds, whose existence is -completely ignored. So soon as he lay down he fell asleep, with that -conscience peculiar to the adventurer whose every hour is claimed -beforehand, and who, having but a few moments to grant to rest, hastens -to profit by them, and sleeps as the Spaniards say, _a la pierna -suelta_, which we may translate nearly by sleeping with closed fists. - -At one in the morning the count, as he had promised, awoke, lighted the -_cebo_ which served him as a candle, arranged his toilette to a certain -extent, carefully examined his pistols and rifle, and assured himself -that his sabre left the scabbard easily; then, when all these various -preparations, indispensable for every traveller careful for his safety, -were ended, he opened the door of the cuarto and proceeded to the -corral. - -His horse was eating heartily, and gaily finishing its alfalfa. The -count himself gave it a measure of oats, which he saw it dispose of with -neighs of pleasure, and then put on the saddle. In Mexico, horsemen, -whatever the class of society to which they belong, never leave to -others the care of attending to their steeds: for in those semi-savage -countries the life of the rider depends nearly always upon the vigour -and speed of his animal. - -The door of the meson was only leaned to, so that the travellers might -start whenever they pleased without disturbing anybody. The count lit -his cigar, leaped into the saddle, and started on a trot along the road -leading to the Rancho. Nothing is so agreeable as night travelling in -Mexico. The earth, refreshed by the night breeze, and bedewed by the -copious dew, exhaled acrid and perfumed scents, whose beneficent -emanations restore the body all its vigour, and the mind its lucidity. -The moon, just on the point of disappearing, profusely scattered its -oblique rays, which lengthened immoderately the shadow of the trees -growing at intervals along the road, and made them in the obscurity -resemble a legion of fleshless spectres. The sky, of a deep azure, was -studded with an infinite number of glistening stars, in the midst of -which flashed the dazzling southern cross, to which the Indians have -given the name of _Poron Chayke_. The wind breathed gently through the -branches, in which the blue jay uttered at intervals the melodious notes -of its melancholy song, with which were mingled at times, in the -profundities of the desert, the howling of the cougar, the sharp miauw -of the panther or the ounce, and the hoarse bark of the coyotes in -search of prey. - -The count, on leaving Guaymas, had hurried on his horse; but subjugated, -in spite of himself, by the irresistible attractions of this autumn -night he gradually checked the pace of his steed, and yielded to the -flood of thoughts which mounted incessantly to his brain, and plunged -him into a gentle reverie. The descendant of an ancient and haughty -Frank race, alone in this desert, he mentally surveyed the splendour of -his name so long eclipsed, and his heart expanded with joy and pride on -reflecting that the task was reserved for him perhaps to rehabilitate -those from whom he descended, and restore, this time eternally, the -fortunes of his family, of which he had hitherto proved such a bad -guardian. - -This land, which he trampled underfoot, would restore him what he had -lost and madly squandered a hundred fold. The moment had at length -arrived when, free from all hobbles, he was about to realise those plans -for the future so long engraved on his brain. He went on thus, -travelling in the country of chimeras, and so absorbed in his thoughts, -that he no longer troubled himself with what went on around him. - -The stars were beginning to turn pale in the heavens, and be -extinguished in turn. The dawn was tracing a white line, which gradually -assumed a reddish tint on the distant obscurity of the horizon. On the -approach of day the air became fresher; then the count, aroused--if we -may employ the term--by the icy impression produced on him by the -bountiful desert dew, pulled the folds of his zarape over the shoulders -with a shudder, and started at a gallop, directing a glance to the sky, -and muttering,-- - -"I will succeed, no matter the odds." - -A haughty defiance, to which the heavens seemed prepared to respond -immediately. - -The day was on the brink of dawning, and, in consequence of that, the -night, owing to its struggle with the twilight, had become more gloomy, -as always happens during the few moments preceding the apparition of the -sun. The first houses of the Rancho were standing out from the fog, a -short distance before him, when the count heard, or fancied he heard, -the sound of several horses' hoofs re-echoing on the pebbles behind him. - -In America, by night, and on a solitary road, the presence of man -announces always or nearly always, a peril. - -The count stopped and listened. The sound was rapidly approaching. The -Frenchman was brave, and had proved it in many circumstances; still he -did not at all desire to be assassinated in the corner of the road, and -perish miserably through an ambuscade. He looked around, in order to -study the chances of safety offered him in the probable event that the -arrivals were enemies. - -The plain was bare and flat: not a tree, not a ditch, nor any elevation -behind which he could intrench himself. Two hundred yards in front, as -we have said, were the first houses of the Rancho. - -The count made up his mind on the instant. He dug his spurs into his -horse's flanks, and galloped at full speed in the direction of San Jose. -It seemed to him as if the strangers imitated him, and pressed on their -horses too. - -A few minutes passed thus, during which the sound grew more distinct. It -was, therefore, evident to the Frenchman that the strangers were after -him. He threw a glance behind him, and perceived two shadows, still -distant, rushing at full speed towards him. By this time the count had -reached the Rancho. Reassured by the vicinity of houses, and not caring -to fly from a perhaps imaginary danger, he turned back, drew his horse -across the road, took a pistol in each hand, and waited. The strangers -were still pressing on without checking the speed of their horses, and -were soon within twenty yards of the count. - -"Who goes there?" he shouted in a firm and loud voice. - -The unknown made no reply, and appeared to redouble their speed. - -"Who's there?" the count repeated. "Stop, or I fire!" - -He uttered these words with such a determined accent, his countenance -was so intrepid, that, after a few moments' hesitation, the strangers -stopped. - -There were two of them. The day, just feebly breaking, permitted the -count to distinguish them perfectly. They were dressed in Mexican -costume; but, strangely enough in this country, where, under similar -circumstances, the bandits care very little about showing their faces, -the strangers were masked. - -"Hold, my masters!" shouted the count. "What means this obstinate -pursuit?" - -"That we probably have an interest in catching you up," replied a -hoarse voice sarcastically. - -"Then you really are after me?" - -"Yes, if you are the stranger known as the Count de Lhorailles." - -"I am he," said he without any hesitation. - -"Very good; then we can come to an understanding." - -"I ask nothing better, though, from your suspicious conduct, you appear -to me to be bandits, if you want my purse, take it and be off, for I am -in a hurry." - -"Keep your purse, caballero; we want to take your life, and not your -money." - -"Ah, ha! 'tis, then, a trap, followed by an assassination." - -"You are mistaken. I offer you a fair fight." - -"Hum!" the count said, "a fair fight: two against one--that is rather -disproportionate." - -"You would be correct if matters were as you assume," the man haughtily -replied who had hitherto taken the word; "but my companion will content -himself with looking on and taking no part in the duel." - -The count reflected. - -"Pardieu!" he said at last, "It is an extraordinary affair! A duel in -Mexico and with a Mexican! Such a thing as that has never been heard of -before." - -"It is true, caballero; but all things must have a beginning." - -"Enough of jesting. I ask nothing better than to fight, and I hope to -prove to you that I am a resolute man; but before accepting your -proposition, I should not be sorry to know why you force me to fight -you." - -"For what end?" - -"Corbleu! Why, to know it. You must understand that I cannot waste my -time in fighting with every ruffler I meet on the road, and who has a -fancy to have his throat cut." - -"It will be enough for you to know that I hate you." - -"Caramba! I suspected as much; but as you seem determined not to show me -your face, I should like to be able to recognise you at another time." - -"Enough chattering," the unknown said haughtily. "Time is flying. We -have had sufficient discussion." - -"Well, my master, if that is the case, get ready. I warn you that I -intend to take you both. A Frenchman would never have any difficulty in -holding his own against two Mexican bandits." - -"As you please." - -"Forward!" - -"Forward!" - -The three horsemen spurred their horses and charged. When they met they -exchanged pistol shots, and then drew their sabres. The fight was brief, -but obstinate. One of the strangers, slightly wounded, was carried away -by his horse, and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The count, grazed by a -ball, felt his anger changed to fury, and redoubled his efforts to -master his foe; but he had before him a sturdy opponent, a man of -surprising skill and of strength at least equal to his own. - -This man whose eyes he saw gleaming like live coals through the holes in -his mask, whirled round him with extraordinary rapidity, making his -horse perform the boldest curvets, attacking him incessantly with the -point or edge of his sabre, while bounding out of reach of the -counterblows. - -The count exhausted himself in vain against this indefatigable enemy. -His movements began to lose their elasticity--his sight grew -troubled--the perspiration stood in beads on his forehead. His silent -adversary increased the rapidity of his attacks: the issue of the combat -was no longer doubtful, when the Frenchman suddenly felt a slipknot fall -on his shoulders. Before he could even dream of loosening it he was -roughly lifted from his saddle, and hurled to the ground so violently -that he almost fainted, and found it impossible to make an effort to -rise. The second stranger, after a mad course of a few moments, had at -length succeeded in mastering his horse; he returned in all haste to the -scene of action, the two men so furiously engaged not noticing it; then, -thinking it time to put an end to the duel, he raised his reata and -lassoed the count. - -So soon as he saw his enemy on the ground, the unknown leaped from his -horse and ran up to him. His first care was to free the Frenchman from -the slipknot that strangled him, and then tried to restore him to his -senses, which was not a lengthy task. - -"Ah!" the count said, with a bitter smile, as he rose and crossed his -arms on his chest, "that is what you call fair fighting." - -"You are alone to blame for what has happened," the other said quietly, -"as you would not agree to my propositions." - -The Frenchman disdained any discussion. He contented himself with -shrugging his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Your life belongs to me," his adversary continued. - -"Yes, through a piece of treachery; but no matter--assassinate me, and -finish the affair." - -"I do not wish to kill you." - -"What do you want, then?" - -"To give you a piece of advice." - -The count laughed sarcastically. - -"You must be mad, my good fellow." - -"Not so much as you fancy. Listen attentively to what I have to say to -you." - -"I will do so even for the hope of being promptly freed from your -presence." - -"Good, Senor Conde de Lhorailles. Your arrival in this country has -caused the unhappiness of two persons." - -"Nonsense! You are jesting with me." - -"I speak seriously. Don Sylva de Torres has promised you his daughter's -hand." - -"How does it concern you?" - -"Answer!" - -"It is true. Why should I conceal it?" - -"Dona Anita does not love you." - -"How do you know that?" the count asked with a mocking smile. - -"I know it; I know, too, that she loves another." - -"Only think of that!" - -"And that the other loves her." - -"All the worse for him; for I swear that I will not surrender her." - -"You are mistaken, senor conde. You will surrender her or die." - -"Neither one or the other," the impetuous Frenchman shouted, now -perfectly recovered from his stunning fall. "I repeat that I will marry -Dona Anita. If she does not love me, well, that is unfortunate. I hope -that she will presently alter her opinion of me. The marriage suits me, -and no one will succeed in breaking it off." - -The unknown listened, a prey to violent emotion. His eyes flashed -lightning, and he stamped his feet furiously; still he made an effort to -master the feeling which agitated him, and replied in a slow and firm -voice,-- - -"Take care of what you do, caballero. I have sworn to warn you, and have -done so honestly. Heaven grant that my words find an echo in your heart, -and that you follow the counsel I give you! The first time accident -brings us together again one of us will die." - -"I will take my precautions, be assured; but you are wrong not to profit -by the present occasion to kill me, for it will not occur again." - -The two strangers had by this time remounted. - -"Count de Lhorailles," the unknown said again, as he bent over the -Frenchman, "for the last time, take care, for I have a great advantage -over you. I know you, and you do not know me. It will be an easy thing -for me to reach you whenever I please. We are the sons of Indians and -Spaniards. We feel a burning hatred: so take care." - -After bowing ironically to the count he burst into a mocking laugh, -spurred his horse, and started at headlong speed, followed by his silent -companion. The count watched them disappear with a pensive air. When -they were lost in the obscurity he tossed his head several times, as if -to shake off the gloomy thoughts that oppressed him in spite of himself, -then picked up his sabre and pistols, took his horse by the bridle, and -walked slowly toward the pulqueria, near which the fight had taken -place. - -The light which filtered through the badly-joined planks of the door, -the songs and laughter that resounded from the interior, afforded a -reasonable prospect of obtaining a temporary shelter in this house. - -"Hum!" he muttered to himself as he walked along, "That bandit is right. -He knows me, and I have no way of recognising him. By Jupiter, I have a -good sound hatred on my shoulders! But nonsense!" he added, "I was too -happy. I wanted an enemy. On my soul, let him do as he will! Even if -Hades combine against me, I swear that nothing will induce me to resign -the hand of Dona Anita." - -At this moment he found himself in front of the pulqueria, at the door -of which he rapped. Naturally impatient, angered, too, by the accident -which had happened to him, and the tremendous struggle he had been -engaged in, the count was about to carry out his threat of beating in -the door, when it was opened. - -"_Valga me Dios!_" he exclaimed wrathfully, "Is this the way you allow -people to be assassinated before your doors, without proceeding to their -assistance?" - -"Oh, oh!" the pulquero said sharply, "Is anyone dead?" - -"No, thanks to Heaven!" the count replied; "But I had a narrow escape of -being killed." - -"Oh!" the pulquero said with great nonchalance, "If we were to trouble -ourselves about all who shout for help at night, we should have enough -to do; and besides, it is very dangerous on account of the police." - -The count shrugged his shoulders and walked in, leading his horse after -him. The door was closed again immediately. - -The count was unaware that in Mexico the man who finds a corpse, or -brings the assassin to trial, is obliged to pay all the expenses of a -justice enormously expensive in itself, and which never affords any -satisfaction to the victim. In all the Mexican provinces people are so -thoroughly convinced of the truth of what we assert, that, so soon as a -murder is committed, everyone runs off, without dreaming of helping the -victim; for, in the case of death supervening, such an act of charity -would entail many annoyances on the individual who tried to imitate the -good Samaritan. - -In Sonora people do better still: as soon as a quarrel begins, and a man -falls, they shut all the doors. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE DEPARTURE. - - -As Don Sylva had announced to his daughter, by daybreak all was ready -for the start. In Mexico, and specially in Sonora, where roads are -mainly remarkable for their absence, the mode of travelling differs -utterly from that adopted in Europe. There are no public vehicles, no -relays of post horses; the only means of transport known and practised -is on horseback. - -A journey of only a few days entails interminable cares and vexations. -You must carry everything with you, because you are certain of finding -nothing on the road. Beds, tents, provisions and water before all, must -be carried on mule-back. Without these indispensable precautions you -would run a risk of dying from hunger or thirst, and sleeping in the -open air. - -You must also be provided with a considerable and well-armed escort, in -order to repulse the attacks of wild beasts, Indians and especially -robbers with whom all the roads of Mexico swarm, owing to the anarchy in -which this unhappy country is plunged. Hence it is easy to comprehend -the earnest desire Don Sylva felt to quit Guaymas at as early an hour as -possible. - -The court of the house resembled an hostelry. Fifteen mules laden with -bales were waiting while the palanquin in which Dona Anita was to travel -was being got ready. Some forty steeds, saddled, bridled, with -musquetoons attached at to the troussequins, and pistols in the -holsters, were fastened to rings in the wall while a peon held in hand a -splendid stallion, magnificently harnessed, which stamped and champed -its silver bit, which it covered with foam. - -In the street a crowd of people, among whom were Don Martial and -Cuchares, already returned from their expedition to the Rancho, were -curiously regarding this departure, which they could not at all -comprehend at such an advanced period of the year, so unpropitious for a -country residence, and making all sorts of comments on the reason of the -journey. - -Among all these people, collected by accident or through curiosity, was -a man, evidently an Indian, who, leaning carelessly against the wall, -never took his eyes off the door of Don Sylva's house, and followed with -evident interest all the movements of the hacendero's numerous servants. - -This man, still young, appeared to be an Hiaqui Indian, although an -observer, after a close inspection, would have asserted the contrary; -for there was in the man's wide brow, in his eyes, whose glitter he -tried in vain to moderate, in the haughty mouth, and above all, in the -native elegance of his vigorous limbs, which seemed carved on the model -of the Greek Hercules, something proud, resolute and independent, which -rather denoted the proud Comanche or ferocious Apache than the stupid -Hiaqui; but in this crowd no one dreamed of troubling himself about the -Indian, who, for his part, was careful to attract as little attention as -possible. - -The Hiaquis are accustomed to come to Guaymas, and let themselves out as -workmen or servants; hence the presence of an Indian there is not at all -extraordinary, and is not noticed. - -At last, at about eight o'clock, Don Sylva, giving his hand to his -daughter, who was dressed in a charming travelling costume, appeared -beneath the portico of the house. Dona Anita was pale as a ghost. Her -haggard features, her swollen eyes, testified to the sufferings of the -night, and the restraint she was forced to place on herself, even at -this moment, to prevent her bursting into tears in the presence of all. -At the sight of the young lady, Don Martial and Cuchares exchanged a -rapid glance, while a smile of indefinable expression played round the -lips of the Indian to whom we have alluded. - -On the hacendero's arrival silence was re-established as if by -enchantment; the _arrieros_ ran to the heads of their mules; the servants, -armed to the teeth, mounted; and Don Sylva, after assuring himself by a -glance that all was ready, and that his orders had been punctually -executed, placed his daughter in the palanquin, where she at once -nestled like a hummingbird among rose leaves. - -At a sign from the hacendero, the mules, fastened to each other by the -tails, began to leave the house behind the _nana_, whose bells they -followed, and escorted by peons. Before mounting his horse Don Sylva -turned to an old servant, who, straw hat in hand, respectfully stood -near him. - -"Adieu, Tio Pelucho!" he said to him. "I intrust the house to you. Keep -good watch, and take care of all in it. I leave you Pedrito and -Florentio to help you, and you will give them the necessary orders for -all to go on properly during my absence." - -"You may be at ease, mi amo," the old man answered, saluting his master. -"Thanks to Heaven, this is not the first time you have left me alone -here, and I believe I have ever done my duty properly." - -"You are a good servant, Tio Pelucho," Don Sylva said with a smile; "I -start in most perfect ease of mind." - -"May God bless you, mi amo, as well as the nina!" the old man continued, -crossing himself. - -"Good bye, Tio Pelucho," the young lady then said, leaning out of the -palanquin. "I know that you are careful of everything belonging to me." - -The old man bowed with visible delight. Don Sylva gave the order for -departure, and the whole caravan started in the direction of the Rancho -de San Jose. - -It was one of those magnificent mornings only known in these blessed -regions. The night storm had entirely swept the sky, which was of a pale -blue. The sun, already high in the horizon, shot forth its hot beams, -which were slightly tempered by the odoriferous vapours exhaling from -the ground. The atmosphere, impregnated by acrid and penetrating odours, -was of extraordinary transparency; a light breeze refreshed the air at -intervals; flocks of birds, glistening with a thousand colours, flew in -every direction, and the mules following the bell of the _nena -madrina_--the mother mule--were urged on by the songs of the arrieros. - -The caravan moved along gaily through the sandy plain, raising round it -clouds of dust, and forming a long twining serpent in the endless -turnings of the road. A vanguard of ten servants explored the -neighbourhood, examining the bushes, and shifting sand heaps. Don Sylva -smoked a cigar while conversing with his daughter; and a rearguard, -formed of twenty resolute men, closed the march, and insured the -security of the convoy. - -In this country, we repeat it, where the police are a nullity, and -consequently surveillance impossible, a journey of four leagues--and the -Rancho de San Jose is only that distance from Guaymas--is a very serious -affair, and demands as many precautions as a journey of a hundred -leagues with us, the enemies who may be met, and with whom you run a risk -of a contest at any moment--Indians, robbers, or wild beasts--being too -numerous, determined, and too greedy for plunder and murder to allow the -traveller to confide with gaiety of heart in the speed of his horse. - -They were already far from Guaymas, the white houses of which town had -long ago disappeared in the numerous turnings of the road, when the -capataz, leaving the head of the caravan, where he had hitherto remained -galloped back to the palanquin, where Don Sylva was still riding. - -"Well, Blas," the latter said, "what is there new? Have you noticed -anything alarming ahead of us?" - -"Nothing, excellency," the capataz replied: "all is going well, and in -an hour at the latest we shall be at the Rancho." - -"Whence, then, the haste you showed to join me again?" - -"Oh! Excellency, it is not much; but an idea occurred to me--something I -wished you to see." - -"Ah, ah!" Don Sylva said. "What is it, my lad?" - -"Look, excellency," the capataz continued, pointing in a south-western -direction. - -"Ah! What is that? A fire, if I am not mistaken." - -"It is indeed a fire, excellency. Look here;" and he pointed -east-south-east. - -"There's another. Who on earth has lighted the fires on those scarped -points? What can their object be?" - -"Oh! It is easy enough to understand that, excellency." - -"Do you think so, my boy? Well, then you will explain it to me." - -"I am willing to do so. Stay," he said, pointing to the first fire: -"that hill is the Cerro del Gigante." - -"It is." - -"And that," the capataz continued, pointing to the second fire, "is the -Cerro de San Xavier." - -"I think it is." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Well?" - -"As we know that a fire cannot kindle itself, and as people do not amuse -themselves with a fire when the thermometer is up at a hundred--" - -"You conclude from that--?" - -"That those fires have been lighted by robbers or Indians, who have had -scent of our departure." - -"Stay, stay! That is most logical, my friend. Continue your explanation, -for it interests me enormously." - -Don Sylva's capataz, or steward, was a tall, herculean fellow of about -forty, devoted body and soul to his master, who placed the greatest -confidence in him. The worthy man bowed with a smile of satisfaction on -hearing the hacendero's kind remarks. - -"Oh! Now," he went on, "I have not much more to say, except that the -ladrones who are watching us know, through that signal, that Don Sylva -de Torres and his daughter have left Guaymas for the Rancho." - -"My faith! You are right. I had forgotten all those details. I did not -think of all the birds of prey that are watching our passage. Well, -after all, though, what do we care if the bandits are at our heels? We -do not hide ourselves. Our start took place in the presence of plenty of -persons. We are numerous enough not to fear any insult; but if any of -those picaros dare to attack us, cascaras! They will find their work cut -out for them, I am convinced. Push on, then, without any fear, Blas, my -boy! Nothing unpleasant can happen to us." - -The capataz saluted his master and galloped back to the head of the -column. An hour later they reached the Rancho without any accident. - -Don Sylva rode at the right-hand door of the palanquin, talking to his -daughter, who only answered in monosyllables, in spite of the continued -efforts she made to hide her sorrow from her father's clear eyes, when -the hacendero heard his name called repeatedly. He turned his head -sharply, and uttered an exclamation of surprise on recognising in the -man who addressed him the Count de Lhorailles. - -"What! Senor conde, you here? What singular hazard makes me meet you so -near the port, when you should have been so far ahead of us?" - -On perceiving the count the Dona felt herself blush, and fell back, -letting the curtains of the palanquin slip from her hand. - -"Oh?" replied the count, with a courteous bow, "Since last night certain -things have happened to me which I must impart to you, Don -Sylva--things which will surprise you, I am certain; but the present is -not the moment to commence such a story." - -"Whatever you think proper, my friend. But say, do you set out again, or -remain here?" - -"I go, I go! In stopping here my sole object was to await you. If you -consent we will travel together. Instead of preceding you at Guetzalli, -we shall arrive together--that is the only difference." - -"Capital! Let us go," he added, making a sign to the capataz. The -latter, on seeing his master conversing with the count, had ordered a -halt, but now the caravan started again. The Rancho was speedily -traversed, and then the journey commenced in reality. - -The desert lay expanded before the travellers in endless sandy plains. -On the yellow ground, a long, tortuous line, formed by the whitened -bones of mules and horses that had broken down, indicated the road which -must be followed so as not to go astray. - -About two hundred yards ahead of the caravan a man was trotting along, -carelessly seated on the back of a skeleton donkey, swaying from side to -side, half lulled to sleep by the burning sunbeams which fell vertically -on his bare head. - -"Eh?" Don Sylva said, on perceiving the man. "Blas," said Don Sylva on -perceiving this man, "call the Indian over yonder. These devils of -redskins know the desert thoroughly and he can serve as our guide. In -that way we shall run no risk of losing our road, for he will be sure to -put us right." - -"Quite true," the count observed; "in these confounded sand hills no man -can be sure of his direction." - -"Go to him," commanded Don Sylva. - -The capataz put his horse at a gallop. On arriving within a short -distance of the solitary traveller, he formed a sort of speaking trumpet -with his hands. - -"Halloh, Jose!" he shouted. - -In Mexico all the _Mansos_, or civilised Indians, are called Jose, and -reply to this name, which has grown generic. The Indian thus hailed -turned round. - -"What do you want?" he asked with a careless air. - -It was the man whom we saw at Guaymas, watching so attentively the -preparations for the hacendero's departure. Was it chance that brought -him to this spot? That was a question which none but himself could have -answered. - -Blas Vasquez was what is called in Mexico a _hombre de a caballo_, -versed for a long period in Indian tricks. He bent on the traveller an -enquiring glance, which the latter supported with perfect ease. With his -head timidly bowed, his hands laid on the donkey's neck, his naked legs -hanging down on either side, he offered a complete type of the Indian -manso, almost brutalised by the vicious contact with the whites. The -capataz shook his head with a dissatisfied air; his investigation was -far from satisfying him. Still, after a moment's hesitation, he resumed -his interrogatory. - -"What are you doing all alone on this road, Jose?" he asked him. - -"I have come from del Puerto, where I have been engaged as a carpenter. -I remained there a month, and as I saved the small sum I wanted, I -started yesterday to return to my village." - -All this was perfectly probable; the majority of the Hiaqui Indians act -in this way; and then what interest could the man have in deceiving him? -He was alone and unarmed; the caravan on the other hand, was numerous -and composed of devoted men. No danger was, therefore, to be -apprehended. - -"Well, did you earn much money?" the capataz continued, - -"Yes," the Indian said triumphantly; "five piastres and these three -besides." - -"Why, Jose, you are a rich man." - -The Hiaqui smiled doubtfully. - -"Yes," he said, "Tiburon has money." - -"Is your name Tiburon (shark)?" the capataz said distrustfully. "That is -an ugly name." - -"Why so? The palefaces gave that name to their red son, and he finds it -good, since it comes from them, and he keeps it." - -"Is your village far from here?" - -"If I had a good horse I should arrive in three days. The village of my -tribe is between the Gila and Guetzalli." - -"Do you know Guetzalli?" - -The Indian shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. - -"The redskins know all the hunting grounds on the Gila," he said. - -At this moment the caravan caught up the two speakers. - -"Well, Blas," Don Sylva asked, "Who is the man?" - -"A Hiaqui Indian. He is returning to his village, after earning a trifle -at the Puerto." - -"Can he be of service to us?" - -"I believe so. His tribe, he says, is encamped near the Gila." - -"Ah!" said the count, drawing nearer, "Does he belong to the White Horse -tribe?" - -"Yes," the Indian said. - -"In that case I answer for the man," the count said quickly. "Those -Indians are very gentle; they are miserable beggars, often starving; and -I employ them at the hacienda." - -"Listen!" Don Sylva said, tapping the redskin's shoulder amicably. "We -are going to Guetzalli." - -"Good." - -"We want a faithful and devoted guide." - -"Tiburon is poor; he has only a poor donkey, which cannot march so -quickly as his pale brothers drive their horses." - -"Do not trouble yourself about that," the hacendero added. "I will give -you such a horse as you never mounted, if you serve us honestly. On -arriving at the hacienda, I will add ten piastres to those you already -possess. Does that suit you?" - -The Indian's eye sparkled with greed at this proposal. - -"Where is the horse?" he asked. - -"Here," the capataz replied, pointing to a superb stallion led by a -peon. - -The redskin looked at it with the eye of a connoisseur. - -"Well, do you accept?" the hacendero said. - -"Yes." - -"Then get off your donkey, and let us start." - -"I cannot abandon my donkey; it is a famous brute, which has done me -good service." - -"That need not trouble you; it can follow with the baggage mules." - -The Indian gave a nod of assent, but made no further reply. In a few -minutes he was mounted, and the caravan continued its march. The capataz -alone did not appear to place any great confidence in the guide so -singularly met. - -"I will watch him," he said in a low voice. - -The march went on the whole day without any fresh incident, and the next -day they reached the Rio Gila. The banks of this river contrast by their -fertility with the desolate aridity of the plains that surround them. -Don Sylva's journey, though recommenced at the moment when the sun, -arrived at its zenith, pours down its burning beams perpendicularly, was -only an agreeable promenade of a few leagues, beneath the dense shade of -tufted woods which grow with an amount of sap unknown in our climates. - -It was nearly three o'clock when the travellers saw before them the -colony of Guetzalli, founded by the Count de Lhorailles, and which, -although it only had a few months' existence, had already attained a -considerable size. This colony was composed of a hacienda, round which -were grouped the labourers' huts. We will devote a few words to it. - -The hacienda was built on a peninsula nearly three leagues in -circumference, covered with wood and pasture, on which more than four -thousand head of cattle grazed peacefully, returning at night to the -parks adjoining the house, which was surrounded by the river, forming an -_enceinte_ of natural fortresses. The tongue of land, not more than -eight yards in width, attaching it to the mainland, was commanded by a -battery of six heavy guns, in its turn surrounded by a wide, wet ditch. - -The house, surrounded by tall embattled walls, bastioned at the angles, -was a species of fortress capable of sustaining a regular siege with the -eight guns mounted on the bastions which guarded the approaches. It was -composed of a huge main building, one story high, with a terraced roof, -having ten windows in the frontage, and flanked on the right and left by -two buildings, running out at right angles, one of which served as a -magazine for grain and maize, while the other was occupied by the -capataz and the numerous _employes_ of the hacienda. - -Wide steps, furnished with a double iron balustrade, curiously worked, -and surmounted by a veranda, formed the approach to the count's -apartments, which were furnished with that simple and picturesque taste -which distinguishes the Spanish farms of America. - -Between the house and the outer wall was a vast garden, exquisitely laid -out, and so covered with bushes that at four paces' distance it was -impossible to see anything. The space left free behind the farm was -reserved for the parks or corrals in which the animals were shut up at -night, and a species of large court, in which the _matanza del ganado_, -or slaughter of the cattle, was performed once annually. - -Nothing could be so picturesque as the appearance of this white house, -whose roof could be seen for a long distance, half concealed by the -branches which formed a curtain of foliage most refreshing to the eye. -From the windows of the first floor the eye surveyed the plain on one -side; on the other, the Rio Gila, which, like a wide silvery ribbon, -rolled along with the most capricious windings, and was lost an immense -distance off in the blue horizon. - -Since the time when the Apaches all but surprised the hacienda, a -_mirador_ had been built on the roof of the main building, where a -sentinel had been stationed day and night to watch the neighbourhood, -and announce, by means of a bullock's horn, the approach of any stranger -to the colony. Besides, a post of six men guarded the isthmus battery, -whose guns were ready to thunder at the slightest alarm. - -Thus the arrival of the caravan had been signalled when it was still a -long distance off; and the count's lieutenant, Martin Leroux, an old -African soldier, was standing behind the guns to interrogate the -arrivals so soon as they were within hail. Don Sylva was perfectly aware -of the regulations established in the hacienda, which were, indeed, -common to all the establishments held by white men; for at these -frontier posts, where people are exposed to the constant depredations of -the Indians, they are obliged to be incessantly on the watch. But the -thing the Mexican could not comprehend was that the count's lieutenant, -who must have recognised him, did not open the gates immediately, and he -made a remark to that effect. - -"He would have done wrong," the count replied. "The colony of Guetzalli -is a fortress, and the regulations must be the same for all: the general -welfare depends on their strict and entire observation. Martin -recognised me long ago, I am convinced; but he may suppose that I am a -prisoner of the Indians, and that, in leaving me apparently free they -intend to surprise the colony. Be assured that my excellent lieutenant -will not let us pass till he is quite certain that our European clothes -do not cover red skins." - -"Oh, yes!" Don Sylva muttered to himself; "That is true. The Europeans -foresee everything. They are our masters." - -The caravan was now not more than twenty yards from the hacienda. - -"I fancy," the count observed, "that if we do not wish to receive a -shower of bullets we had better halt." - -"What!" said Don Sylva in amazement; "They would fire?" - -"I am certain of it." - -The two men checked their horses and waited to be challenged. - -"Who goes there?" a powerful voice shouted in French from behind the -battery. - -"Well, what do you think of it now?" the count said to the hacendero. - -"It is perfectly wonderful," rejoined the latter. - -"Friends," the count answered. "Lhorailles and freedom!" - -"All right--open," the voice commanded. "They are friends. Would that we -often received such visitors!" - -The peons lowered the drawbridge (the only passage by which the hacienda -could be entered), the caravan passed over and the drawbridge was -immediately raised after them. - -"You will excuse me, captain," Martin Leroux said, respectfully -approaching the count, "but, although I recognised you, we live in a -country where, I think, too great prudence cannot be exercised." - -"You have done your duty, lieutenant, and I can only thank you for it. -Have you any news?" - -"Not much. A troop of horse I sent out into the plain discovered a -deserted fire. I fancy the Indians are prowling round us." - -"We will be on our guard." - -"Oh, I keep good watch, especially at present, for the month is drawing -nigh which the Comanches call so audaciously the Mexican moon. I should -not be sorry, if they dared to meddle with us, to give them a lesson -which would be profitable for the future." - -"I share your views entirely. Redouble your vigilance, and all will be -well." - -"Have you no other orders to give me?" - -"No." - -"Then I will withdraw. You know, captain, that you intrust the internal -details to me, and I must be everywhere in turn." - -"Go, lieutenant; let me not keep you." - -The old soldier saluted his chief, and retired with a friendly nod to -the capataz, who followed him with the peons and baggage mules. - -The count led his guests to the apartments kept for visitors, and -installed them in comfortably-furnished rooms. - -"Pray rest yourself, Don Sylva," he said; "you and Dona Anita must be -fatigued with your journey. Tomorrow, if you permit me, we will talk -about our business." - -"Whenever you like, my friend." - -The count bowed to his guests and withdrew. Since his meeting with his -betrothed he had not exchanged a word with her. In the courtyard he -found the Hiaqui Indian smoking and walking lazily around. He went up to -him. - -"Here," he said, "are the ten piastres promised you." - -"Thanks," said the Indian as he took them. - -"Now, what are you going to do?" - -"Rest myself till tomorrow; then join the men of my tribe." - -"Are you in a great hurry to see them?" - -"I? Not at all." - -"Stay here, then." - -"What to do?" - -"I will tell you; perhaps I may need you within a few days." - -"Shall I be paid?" - -"Amply. Does that suit you?" - -"Yes." - -"Then you will remain?" - -"I will." - -The count went away, not noticing the strange expression in the glance -the Indian turned on him. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A MEETING IN THE DESERT. - - -About three musket shots' distance from the hacienda, in a thicket of -nopals, mastic trees, and mesquites, intermingled with a few mahogany -cedars, wild cottonwood trees, and pines, just an hour before sunset, a -horseman dismounted; hobbled his horse, a magnificent mustang, with -flashing eyes and fine chest; then, after turning an inquiring glance -around, probably satisfied with the profound silence and tranquility -pervading at the spot, he made his arrangements for camping. - -The man had passed middle life: he was an Indian warrior of great height -dressed in the Comanche costume in its utmost purity. Although he -appeared to be sixty years of age, he seemed gifted with great vigour, -and no sign of decrepitude could be traced in his muscular limbs and -intelligent face: the eagle's feather fixed in the centre of his warlock -allowed him to be recognised as a chief. This man was Eagle-head, the -Comanche chief. - -After laying his rifle by his side he collected dry wood, and lit a -fire; then he threw several yards of tasajo on the ashes, with several -maize tortillas; and all these preparations for a comfortable supper -made, he filled his calumet, crouched near the fire, and began smoking -with that placid calmness which never deserts the Indians under any -circumstances. - -Two hours thus passed peacefully, and nothing disturbed the repose the -chief was enjoying. Night succeeded day; darkness had invaded the -desert, and with it the silence of solitude began to reign in the -mysterious depths of the prairie. - -The Indian still remained motionless, contenting himself with turning -now and then to his horse, which was gaily devouring the climbing peas -and the young buds of the trees. - -Suddenly Eagle-head looked up, bent forward, and, without otherwise -disturbing himself, stretched out his hand to his rifle, while the -mustang left off eating, laid back its ears, and neighed noisily. Still -the forest appeared as calm as ever. It needed all an Indian's sharp ear -to have heard a suspicious rustling through the silence. - -At the end of a moment the chiefs frowning brows returned to their -proper position, he re-assumed his easy posture, and lifting his two -forefingers to his mouth, imitated with rare perfection, for two or -three minutes, the harmonious, modulations of the centzontle, or Mexican -nightingale: the horse had also begun eating again. - -Only a few minutes passed ere the cry of the nighthawk was twice heard -in the direction of the river. Soon after the sound of horses became -audible, mingled with the cracking of branches and the rustling of -leaves, and two mounted men made their appearance. The chief did not -turn to see who they were; he had probably recognised them, and knew -that they alone, or at any rate one of them, were to come to him here. - -These two horsemen were Don Louis and Belhumeur. They hobbled their -horses by the side of the chiefs, lay down by the fire, and, on the -Indian's silent invitation, vigorously attacked the supper prepared for -them. They had left the Rancho the previous evening, and ridden without -the loss of a moment to join the chief. - -The Count de Lhorailles had invited them at the pulqueria to join his -party, but Belhumeur had declined the offer. Not knowing for what -purpose the Indian chief had appointed to meet him, he did not care to -mix up a stranger in his friend's affairs. Still, the three men had -parted on excellent terms, and the count pressed Don Louis and the -Canadian to pay him a visit at Guetzalli, an offer to which they had -replied evasively. - -Singular is the effect of sympathy. The impression the count produced on -the two adventurers was so unfavourable for him, that the latter, while -replying with the utmost politeness, had not thought it wise to give -their names, and had employed the greatest reserve, carrying their -prudence to such an extent as to leave him ignorant of their -nationality, by continuing to converse in Spanish, though at the first -word he uttered they recognised him to be a Frenchman. - -When they had ended their meal Belhumeur filled his pipe, and put out -his hand to take up a coal. - -"Wait," the chief said sharply. - -This was the first word the Indian uttered; up to that moment the three -men had not interchanged a syllable. Belhumeur looked at him. - -"H'm!" he said, "What is the matter now?" - -"I do not know yet," the chief answered. "I have heard a suspicious -rustling in the bushes; and at a great distance off, to leeward of us, -several buffaloes peacefully grazing took to flight without any apparent -cause." - -"Hum!" the Canadian went on, "That is growing serious. What do you -think, Louis?" - -"In the desert," the latter replied slowly, "everything has a -cause--nothing happens by accident. I believe we had better be on our -guard. Stay!" he added, as he raised his head, and pointed out to his -friends several birds that passed rapidly away over them. "Have you -often seen at this hour a flight of condors soaring in the sky?" - -The chief shook his head. - -"There is something the matter," he muttered: "the dogs of Apaches are -hunting." - -"'Tis possible," Belhumeur said. - -"Before all," the Frenchman observed, "let us put out the fire; its -gleam, slight as it is, might betray us." - -His companions followed his advice, and the fire was extinguished in a -second. - -"My brother, the paleface, is prudent," the chief said courteously. "He -knows the desert. I am happy to see him by my side." - -Don Louis thanked the chief courteously. - -"And now," Belhumeur went on, "we are almost invisible--no visible -danger threatens us; so let us hold a council. The chief had the first -scent of peril: it is, therefore, his place to tell us what he -observed." - -The Indian wrapped him up in his fresada; the three men drew closer, so -as to be able to speak in a whisper, and the council commenced. - -"Since sunrise this morning," Eagle-head said, "I have been marching in -the desert. I was anxious to reach the place of meeting, and proceeded -in a straight line to arrive sooner. All along the road I found evident -signs of the passage of a numerous band; the tracks were wide and full, -like those made by a party of warriors so large they care not for -discovery. These trails continued for a long distance, then suddenly -disappeared: it was impossible for me to find them again." - -"Deuce, deuce!" the Canadian muttered, "That is awkward." - -"At first I did not pay much attention to trail, but presently I began -to feel restless, and that is the reason I have mentioned it to you." - -"What reason rendered you restless?" - -"I believe that the expedition whose passage I discovered is directed -against the great cabin of the palefaces at Guetzalli." - -"What makes you suppose so?" Louis asked. - -"This. At the hour the alligator leaves the mud of the bank to plunge -again into the Gila, the sound of horses a short distance off compelled -me, lest I should be discovered, to bury myself in a thicket of -mangroves and floripondios. When sheltered from a surprise I looked out. -A band of palefaces passed within bow-shot of me, in the direction of -Guetzalli." - -"I know who they were," Belhumeur remarked. "What next?" - -"I recognised, in spite of the care he had taken to render himself -unrecognisable, the man who served as guide to the party; then I guessed -the infernal scheme formed by the Apache dogs." - -"Who was it?" - -"A man my brother knows. It is Wah-sho-che-gorah, the Black Bear, the -principal chief of the White Crow tribe." - -"If you are not mistaken, chief, horrible things will be done ere long. -The Black Bear is the implacable enemy of the whites." - -"That was the reason I spoke to my brother. But, after all what does it -concern us? In the desert each man has enough to do in taking care of -himself, without troubling about others." - -The Canadian shook his head. - -"Yes, what you say is true," he replied. "We ought, perhaps, to abandon -the inhabitants of the hacienda to their fate, and not interfere in -matters which may cause us great misery." - -"Do you intend to act thus?" the Frenchman asked sharply. - -"I do not say so positively," the Canadian replied; "but the case is a -difficult one. We shall have to deal with numerous enemies." - -"Yes, but the men about to be surprised are your fellow countrymen." - -"It is true; and it is that which renders the affair so awkward. I do -not wish to see these unhappy beings scalped. On the other hand, we run -the risk, by hurrying rashly into danger, of ourselves being the victims -of our devotion." - -"Why reflect thus?" - -"By Jove! In order to weigh the for and against. There is nothing I -detest so much as rushing headlong into an enterprise of which I have -not calculated the consequences beforehand. When I have done so I care -for nothing." - -Don Louis could not refrain from smiling at this singular reasoning. - -"I have my plan," the Canadian went on a moment later. "The night will -not pass without our learning something new. Let us draw near the bank -of the river. I am greatly mistaken, or we shall soon obtain there the -there the information we require before we make up our minds. Our horses -run no risk here: we can leave them; besides, they would only prove an -embarrassment for us." - -The three men lay down on the ground, and began crawling silently in the -direction indicated by Belhumeur. - -The night was magnificent, the moon brilliant, and the atmosphere so -diaphanous, that objects might have been distinguished for a great -distance on an open plain. The three adventurers did not leave their -covert; but, on arriving at the skirt of the forest, they hid themselves -in an almost inextricable thicket, and waited with that patience so -characteristic of the wood rangers. - -The silence which brooded over the desert was so intense that the -slightest sounds were perceptible. A leaf falling on the water, a pebble -detaching itself from the bank, the slow and continuous murmur of the -water running over its gravel bed, the rustling of the owl's wing as it -fluttered from branch to branch, were the only distinguishable sounds. - -For several hours the three men remained motionless and watchful, eye -and ear strained, with the finger on the trigger of the rifle, through -fear of a surprise; but nothing had yet happened to corroborate the -suspicions of Eagle-head, or the previsions of Belhumeur. Suddenly Louis -felt the chief's arm resting gently on his shoulder, as he pointed to -the river. The Frenchman rose on his knees and looked. - -An almost imperceptible movement agitated the surface of the river, as -if an alligator were floating along. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur muttered; "I fancy that is what we are expecting." - -A black mass soon appeared, floating rather than swimming on the water, -and noiselessly advancing toward the spot where the hunters were in -ambush. At the end of a few moments, this body, whatever it might be, -stopped, and the cry of the prairie dog was heard several times -repeated. - -At once the howl of the coyote broke forth forcibly so near the three -men, that, spite of themselves, they shuddered, and a man hanging by -the hands dropped down from an oak tree, scarcely three yards from the -spot where they were. - -This man wore the Mexican costume. - -"Come, chief," he said in a low voice, though not venturing down to the -river, "come, we are alone." - -The man thus addressed emerged from the water, and clambered up the bank -to join the person awaiting him. - -"My brother speaks too loudly," he said. "In the desert a man is never -alone; the leaves have eyes, the trees ears." - -"Bah! What you say, has not common sense. Who on earth would play the -spy on us? With the exception of your warriors, who are probably -concealed in the neighbourhood, no one can see or hear us." - -The Indian shook his head. Now that he was standing only a few spaces -from the adventurers, Belhumeur perceived that Eagle-head was not -mistaken, and that the man was really the Black Bear. The two men stood -for a moment silently gazing at each other. The Mexican was the first to -speak. - -"You have manoeuvred well," he said in an insinuating voice. "I know not -how you managed it, but you have succeeded in entering the fort." - -"Yes," the Indian replied. - -"Now we have only our final arrangements to make. You are a great chief -in whom I place the utmost confidence. Here is what I promised you. I -ought not to pay you till afterwards, but I do not wish the slightest -cloud to rise between us." - -The Indian silently rejected the purse the other held out to him. - -"The Black Bear has reflected," he said coldly. - -"On what, may I ask?" - -"A warrior is not a woman to waste his words. What my brother offered -the Black Bear, the Apache chief refuses." - -"Which means?" - -"That all is broken off." - -The Mexican repressed with difficulty a sign of disappointment. - -"Then," he said, "You have not warned your warriors? When I give the -order you will not attack the hacienda?" - -"The Black Bear has warned his warriors. He will attack the palefaces." - -"What did you say this moment? I confess that I do not comprehend you, -chief." - -"Because the paleface will not comprehend. The Black Bear will attack -the hacienda, but on his own account." - -"That was agreed between us, I fancy." - -"Yes; but the Black Bear has seen the singing bird. His hut is empty: he -wishes to place in it the young pale virgin." - -"Scoundrel!" the Mexican shouted in his wrath; "You would betray me in -that way?" - -"How have I betrayed the paleface?" the Indian replied, still perfectly -calm. "He offered me a bargain; I refused it. I see nothing dishonest in -that." - -The Mexican bit his lip with rage; he was caught, and could make no -reply. - -"I will revenge myself," he said, stamping his foot. - -"The Black Bear is a powerful chief; he laughs at the croaking of the -ravens. The paleface can do nothing against him." - -With a movement swift as thought, the Mexican rushed on the Indian, -seized him by the throat, and, drawing his dagger, raised it to strike -him. But the Apache carefully watched the actions of his opponent: by a -movement no less swift he freed himself from his grasp, and with one -bound was out of reach. - -"The paleface has dared to touch a chief," he said in a hoarse voice; -"he shall die." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders and seized the pistol in his girdle. - -It is impossible to say how this scene would have ended, had not a new -incident happened to change its features completely. From the same tree -in which the Mexican had been hidden a few moments previously, another -individual suddenly fell, rushed on the chief, and hurled him to the -ground before he could make a gesture to defend himself, so thoroughly -was he off his guard. - -"By Jove!" Belhumeur muttered with a stifled laugh, "there must be a -legion of devils in that tree." - -The Mexican and the man who had come so luckily to his help had securely -tied the Indian with a reata. - -"Now you are in my power, chief," the Mexican said, "and you will be -obliged to consent to my terms." - -The Apache grinned, and uttered a shrill whistle. - -At this signal fifty Indian warriors appeared, as if they had sprung from -the ground, and that so suddenly, that the two white men were -surrounded in an instant by an impassable circle. - -"Deuce!" Belhumeur said in an aside, "that complicates matters. How will -they get out of that?" - -"And we?" Louis whispered in his ear. - -The Canadian replied by that shrug of the shoulders which signifies in -all languages, "We must trust in Heaven," and began looking again, -interested as he was in the highest degree by the unexpected changes of -scene. - -"Cuchares!" the Mexican said to his companion, "Hold that scoundrel -tight and at the least suspicious movement kill him like a dog." - -"Be calm, Don Martial," the lepero answered, pulling from his vaquera -boot a knife, whose sharp blade flashed with a bluish tinge in the -moon's rays. - -"What decision does the Black Bear come to?" the Tigrero went on, -addressing the chief lying at his feet. - -"The life of a chief belongs to thee, dog of the palefaces: take it if -thou darest!" the Apache replied with a smile of contempt. - -"I will not kill you: not because I am afraid, for I know not such a -feeling," the Mexican said, "but because I disdain to shed the blood of -an enemy who is defenceless, even if he be, like you, an unclean -coyote." - -"Kill me, I say, if thou canst, but insult me not. Hasten! For my -warriors may lose patience, sacrifice thee to their wrath, and thou -mightest die unavenged." - -"You are jesting; you know perfectly well that your warriors will not -move an inch so long as I hold you thus. I propose to offer you peace." - -"Peace!" the chief said, and his eyes flashed. "On what conditions?" - -"Two only. Cuchares, unfasten the reata, but watch him closely." - -The lepero obeyed. - -"Thanks," the chief said as he rose to his knees. "Speak; I am -listening--my ears are open. What are these conditions?" - -"First, my comrade and myself will be free to retire whither we please." - -"Good, and next?" - -"Next, you will pledge yourself to remain with your warriors, and not -return to the hacienda in the disguise you have assumed for the next -twenty-four hours." - -"Is that all?" - -"It is all." - -"Listen to me in your turn, then, paleface. I accept your conditions, -but I must tell you mine." - -"Speak." - -"I will not re-enter the hacienda save with the eagle feather in my -war-tuft, at the head of my warriors, and that before the sun has thrice -set behind the lofty peaks of the mountains of the day." - -"You are boasting, Apache; it is impossible for you to enter the -hacienda save by treachery." - -"We shall see;" and smiling with a sinister air, he added, "the singing -bird will go into the hut of an Apache chief to cook his game." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Try to take the hacienda and carry off the maiden," he said. - -"I will try. Your hand." - -"Here it is." - -The chief turned to his warriors, holding the Tigrero's hand clasped in -his own. - -"Brothers!" he said in a loud voice, and with an accent of supreme -majesty, "this paleface is the friend of the Black Bear--let no one -molest him." - -The warriors bowed respectfully, and fell back to the right and left, to -leave a passage for the two white men. - -"Farewell!" the Black Bear said, saluting his enemy. "In twenty-four -hours I shall be on your trail." - -"You are mistaken, dog of an Apache," Don Martial replied disdainfully; -"I shall be on yours." - -"Good! We are, then, certain of meeting," the Black Bear said. - -And he retired with a slow and firm step, followed by his warriors, -whose footfalls soon died away in the depths of the forest. - -"On my faith, Don Martial," the lepero said, "I believe that you were -wrong to let that Indian dog escape so easily." - -The Tigrero shrugged his shoulders. - -"Were we not obliged to get out of the wasp's nest into which we had -thrust our heads?" he said. "Bah! It is only put off for a time. Let us -go and find our horses." - -"One moment if you will grant it me," Belhumeur said, leaving his hiding -place, and advancing politely with his two comrades. - -"What's this?" Cuchares said, pulling out his knife again, while Don -Martial coolly cocked his pistols. - -"This? Caballero," Belhumeur said quietly, "I fancy you can see plainly; -enough." - -"I see three men." - -"Indeed, you are not at all mistaken. Three men who have been unseen -witnesses of the scene you ended so bravely--three men who held -themselves ready to come to your aid had it been necessary, and who now -offer to make common cause with you, to prevent the plunder of the -hacienda by the Apaches. Does that suit you?" - -"That depends," the Tigrero said. "I must know first what interest urges -you to act in this manner." - -"That of being agreeable to you in the first place," Belhumeur replied -politely, "and next, the desire to save the scalps of the poor wretches -menaced by those infernal redskins." - -"In that case I heartily accept your offer." - -"Be good enough, then, to follow us to our camping ground, that we may -discuss the plan of the campaign." - -So soon as Cuchares noticed that the men who presented themselves so -strangely were really friends, he returned his knife to his boot, and -went in search of the horses, which had been left a short distance off. -He arrived at this moment, leading the two horses, and the five men -proceeded together to the camping ground. - -"Take care," Belhumeur said to Don Martial; "you have made yourself an -implacable enemy this night. If you do not make haste to kill him, one -day or another the Black Bear will kill you. The Apaches never pardon an -insult." - -"I know it; so I shall take my precautions, you may be sure." - -"That is your concern. Perhaps it would have been better to get rid of -him, at the risk of what might have happened afterwards." - -"How could I imagine I had friends so near me? Oh, had I but known it!" - -"Well, it is of no use crying over spilt milk." - -"Do you believe that he will keep scrupulously the conditions he -accepted?" - -"You do not know the Black Bear; he is a man of noble sentiments and has -a way of his own for understanding points of honour. You saw that during -your entire discussion he disdained to play any trickery: his words were -always frank." - -"They were." - -"Be certain, therefore, that he will keep his promise." - -The conversation was interrupted. Don Martial had suddenly become -pensive. The Apache's menaces gave him a good deal to think about. The -camp was reached, and Eagle-head immediately set to work rekindling the -fire. - -"What are you about?" Belhumeur observed to him. "You will reveal our -presence." - -"No," the Indian said, shaking his head. "The Black Bear has retired -with his warriors: they are far away at present; so we need not take -useless precautions." - -The fire soon cracked again. The five men crouched round it joyfully, -lit their pipes and began smoking. - -"I don't care," the Canadian presently said. "Had it not been for the -extraordinary coolness you displayed I do not know how you would have -escaped." - -"Let us now see how best to foil the plans of those red devils," said -the Mexican. - -"It is very simple," Louis interposed. "One of us will proceed tomorrow -to the hacienda, to warn the owner of what has passed this night. He -will be on his guard and all will be right." - -"Yes, I believe those are the best means, and we will employ them." - -"Five men are as nothing against five hundred," observed Eagle-head; -"we must warn the palefaces." - -"That is assuredly the plan we must follow," the Tigrero remarked; "but -which of us will consent to go to the hacienda? Neither my comrade nor -myself can do so." - -"I fancy there is some love story hidden under all this," the Canadian -observed cunningly. "I can understand that you would find a difficulty -in--" - -"What need of further discussion?" Louis interrupted. "With tomorrow's -dawn I will go to the hacienda; I undertake to explain to the owner all -the dangers that menace him in their fullest details." - -"That is agreed on, then, and all is settled," Belhumeur said. - -"Then, so soon as our horses have rested, my comrade and myself will -return to Guaymas." - -"No, you will not, if you please," the Frenchman objected. "I fancy it -is proper that you should know the result of the mission I undertake, -for it concerns you even more than us. I suspect--" - -The Mexican repressed a lively movement of annoyance. - -"You are right," he replied; "I did not think of that. I will therefore -await your return." - -The hunters interchanged a few more remarks, then wrapped themselves in -their blankets, lay down on the ground, and speedily fell asleep. The -profoundest silence fell on the clearing, which was but dimly lighted by -the reddish rays of the expiring fire. The adventurers had been asleep -about two hours, when the branches of a shrub were gently parted and a -man made his appearance. - -He stopped for a moment, seemed to be listening, then crawled without -the slightest sound toward the spot where the Tigrero was reposing. It -would have been easy to recognise the Black Bear by the light of the -fire. The Apache chief plucked his scalping knife from his girdle, and -laid it gently on the Tigrero's chest; then casting a parting glance -around, to convince himself that the five men slept, he retired with the -same precautions, and soon disappeared in the shrub, which closed upon -him. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BEFORE THE ATTACK. - - -At the first cry of the maukawis--that is to say, at sunrise--the -adventurers awoke. - -The night had been calm. They had slept with nothing to disturb their -rest. Iced, however, by the abundant dew which had filtered through -their blankets during their sleep, they hurriedly rose to restore the -circulation of their blood and warm their stiffened limbs. - -At the first movement Don Martial made a knife fell down on the ground. -The Mexican picked it up, and uttered a cry of amazement and almost of -terror as he showed it to his companions. The arm so unexpectedly found -was a scalping knife, whose blade was still stained with large bloody -spots. - -"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, brandishing the knife angrily. - -Eagle-head seized it, and examined it carefully. - -"Wah!" he said in surprise, "the Black Bear has been with us during our -sleep." - -The hunters could not refrain from a movement of alarm. - -"It is impossible," Belhumeur observed. - -The Indian shook his head as he displayed the weapon. - -"This," he continued, "is the Apache chief's scalping knife; the _totem_ -of the tribe is engraved on the hilt." - -"'Tis true." - -"The Black Bear is a renowned chief. His heart is large enough to -contain a world. Obliged to fulfil the engagements he has made, he -wished to prove to his enemy that he was master of his life, and that he -would take it whenever he thought proper. That is the meaning of this -knife placed on the chest of the _Yori_ during his sleep." - -The adventurers were confounded by so much boldness. They shuddered at -the thought that they had been at the mercy of the chief, who disdained -to kill them, and contented himself with defying them. The Mexican -especially felt a shudder in spite of his courage. The Canadian was the -first to recover his coolness. - -"Canario!" he exclaimed, "This Apache dog did right to warn us. Now we -will be on our guard." - -"Hum!" Cuchares said, passing his hands through his thick and matted -hair, "I have not the least desire to be scalped." - -"Bah!" Belhumeur said, "People sometimes recover." - -"That is possible; but I don't care to make the attempt." - -"And now that day has quite broken," Louis observed, "I fancy the time -has arrived for me to go to the hacienda. What do you say, gentlemen?" - -"We have not a moment to lose, if we wish to foil the enemy's plans," -said Don Martial in support of his suggestion. - -"The more so as we have to take certain measures which it would be as -well to determine as soon as possible," Belhumeur remarked. - -The Indian and the lepero contented themselves with giving their assent -through a nod. - -"Now let us arrange a meeting place," Louis went on to say. "You can not -wait for me here, as the Indians know where to find you." - -"Yes," Belhumeur replied thoughtfully, "but I do not know the country -where we now are, and I should be quite troubled to find a fitting -spot." - -"I know one," Eagle-head said. "I will lead you to it: our pale brother -will join us again there." - -"Very good, but for that purpose I must know the spot." - -"My brother need not trouble himself about that. When he leaves the -great cabin I shall be near him." - -"Very good--all right. Good-by till we meet again." - -Louis saddled his horse and started off at a gallop in the direction of -the hacienda, which was about three musket shots from the camping place. - -The Count de Lhorailles was walking about anxiously in the hall of the -main body of the building. In spite of himself his meeting with the -Mexican occupied his mind. He wished to have a frank explanation with -Dona Anita in her father's presence, which should dissipate his doubts, -or at least give him the key of the mystery that surrounded the affair. - -Another circumstance also dulled his humour, and redoubled his alarms. -At daybreak Diego Leon, his lieutenant, told him that the Indian guide -brought home with them the previous day had disappeared during the -night, and left no trace. The position was becoming serious. The Mexican -moon was approaching. That guide was evidently an Indian spy, ordered to -inquire into the strength of the hacienda, and the means of surprising -it. The Apaches and Comanches could not be far off; perhaps they were -already on the watch in the tall prairie grass, awaiting the favourable -moment to rush on their implacable foes. - -The count did not conceal from himself that if his position was -critical, he was the main cause of it. Invested by the government with -an important command, especially charged with the protection of the -frontier against Indian invasions, he had not yet made a move, and had -in no way tried to fulfil the commission he had not merely accepted but -solicited. The Mexican moon commenced in a month; before that period he -must strike a decisive blow, which would inspire the Indians with a -wholesome terror, prevent them combining and thus foil their plans. - -The count had been reflecting for a long time, forgetting in his anxiety -the guests he had brought to his house, after whom he had not yet asked, -when his old lieutenant appeared before him. - -"What do you want, Martin?" he asked. - -"Excuse me for disturbing you, captain. Diego Leon, who is on guard at -the isthmus battery with eight men, has just sent me to tell you that a -man wishes to see you on a serious matter." - -"What sort of a man is he?" - -"A white man, well dressed, and mounted on an excellent horse." - -"Hem! Did he said nothing further?" - -"Pardon me, he added this: 'You will say to the man who commands you -that I am one of the men he met at the Rancho of San Jose.'" - -The count's face grew suddenly serene. - -"Let him come in," he said: "'tis a friend." - -The lieutenant withdrew. So soon as he was alone the count recommenced -his walk. - -"What can this man want of me?" he muttered. "When I asked his friend -and himself to accompany me here they both refused. What reason can have -caused such a sudden change in their plans? Bah! What is the use of -addling one's brains?" he added, on hearing a horse's footfall -re-echoing in the inner _patio_. "I shall soon know." - -Almost immediately Don Louis appeared, led by the lieutenant, who, on a -sign from the count, at once disappeared. - -"What happy accident," the count said graciously, "procures me the -honour of a visit I was so far from expecting?" - -Don Louis politely returned the salutation, and replied, - -"It is no happy accident that brings me. God grant that I may not be the -harbinger of misfortune!" - -These words made the count frown. - -"What do you mean, senor?" he asked in anxiety. "I do not understand -you." - -"You will soon do so. But speak French, if you have no objection; we -shall understand each other more easily," he said, giving up the Spanish -which he had hitherto employed. - -"What!" the count exclaimed in surprise, "You speak French?" - -"Yes," Louis said, "for I have the honour of being your fellow -countryman, although," he added with a suppressed sigh, "I have quitted -our country for more than ten years. It is always a great pleasure to me -to be able to speak my own language." - -The expression of the count's face completely changed on hearing these -words. - -"Oh!" he continued, "permit me to press your hand, sir. Two Frenchmen -who meet in this distant land are brothers; let us momentarily forget -the spot where we are, and talk about France--that dear country from -which we are so remote and which we love so much." - -"Alas, sir!" Louis replied, with suppressed emotion, "I should be happy -to forget for a few minutes what surrounds us, to summon up the -recollections of our common country. Unfortunately the moment is a grave -one; great dangers threaten you, and the time we would thus lose might -produce a fearful catastrophe." - -"You startle me, sir. What is happening? What have you so terrible to -announce to me?" - -"Did I not tell you that I was a messenger of evil tidings?" - -"No matter. When told by you they will be welcome. In the situation in -which I am placed in this desert, must I not ever expect misfortune?" - -"I hope to be able to help you in warding off the danger that now hangs -over you." - -"Thanks for your fraternal conduct. Now speak, I am listening to you. -Whatever you may tell me, I shall have the courage to hear it." - -Don Louis, without revealing to the count his meeting with the Tigrero, -as had been agreed on, told him how he had overheard a conversation -between his guide and several Apache warriors ambushed in the vicinity -of the hacienda, and the plan they had formed to surprise the colony. - -"And now, sir," he added, "it is for you to judge of the gravity of this -news, and the arrangements you will have to make, in order to foil the -plans of the Indians." - -"I thank you, sir. When my lieutenant told me, a few moments prior to -your arrival, of the disappearance of the guide, I immediately saw that -I had to do with a spy. What you now report to me converts my suspicions -into certainty. As you say, there is not a moment to lose, and I will at -once think over the necessary arrangements." - -He walked to a table and struck a bell sharply. A peon entered. - -"The first lieutenant," he said. In a few minutes the latter arrived. - -"Lieutenant," the count said to him, "take twenty men with you, and -scour the country for three leagues round. I have just learned that -Indians are concealed near here." - -The old soldier bowed in reply, and prepared to obey. - -"An instant," Louis exclaimed, signing him to stop, "one word more." - -"Eh?" Martin Leroux said, turning round in amazement, "You are talking -French now." - -"As you hear," Louis answered with a smile. - -"You wished to make a remark," the count asked. - -"I have lived in America a very long time. My home has been the desert, -and I know the Indians, whom I have learned to rival in craft. If you -allow me. I will give you some advice, which, I fancy, may be useful to -you under present circumstances." - -"By Jove!" the count exclaimed; "pray speak, my dear countryman. Your -advice will be very advantageous to us, I feel assured." - -At this moment Don Sylva entered the room. - -"Ah!" the count continued, "come hither, my friend. We have great need -of you. Your knowledge of Indian habits will prove most useful to us." - -"What has happened?" the hacendero asked as he bowed courteously to all -present. - -"We are threatened with an attack from the Apaches." - -"Oh, oh! That is serious, my friend. What do you propose doing?" - -"I do not know yet. I had given Don Martin orders to scour the -neighbourhood; but this gentleman appears to be of a different opinion." - -"The caballero is right," the Mexican answered, bowing to Don Louis; -"but, in the first place, are you certain about this attack?" - -"This gentleman came expressly to warn me." - -"Then there can be no further doubt. We must make the necessary -arrangements as quickly as possible. What is the caballero's opinion?" - -"He was about to give it at the moment you came in." - -"Then pray do not let me disturb your conference. Speak, sir." - -Don Louis bowed and took the word. - -"Caballero!" he began, turning to Don Sylva, "What I am about to say is -addressed principally to the French senores, who, accustomed to European -warfare and in the white mode of fighting, are, I am convinced, ignorant -of Indian tactics." - -"'Tis true," the count observed. - -"Bah!" Leroux said, twirling his long moustaches with great -self-sufficiency, "We will learn them." - -"Take care you do not do so at your own expense," Don Louis continued. -"Indian war is entirely one of stratagems and ambushes. The enemy who -attacks you never forms in line; he remains constantly concealed, -employing all means to conquer, but principally treachery. Five hundred -Apache warriors, commanded by an intrepid chief, would defeat in the -prairie your best soldiers, whom they would decimate, while not giving a -chance for retaliation." - -"Oh, oh!" the count muttered, "Is that their only way of fighting?" - -"The only one," the hacendero said in confirmation. - -"Hum!" Leroux remarked, "I fancy it is very like the war in Africa." - -"Not so much as you suppose. The Arabs let themselves be seen, while the -Apaches, I repeat to you, only show themselves in the utmost extremity." - -"Then my plan of pushing forward a reconnoissance--" - -"Is impracticable for two reasons: either your horsemen, though -surrounded by enemies, will not discover one of them, or they will be -attracted into an ambush, where, in spite of prodigies of valour, they -will perish to the last man." - -"All that this gentleman says is most perfectly true: it is easy to see -that he has a great experience of Indian warfare, and has often measured -himself with _Indios bravos._" - -"That experience cost my happiness. All those I loved were massacred by -these ferocious enemies," Don Louis replied sorrowfully. "Fear the same -fate if you do not display the greatest prudence. I know how repugnant -it is to the chivalrous character of our nation to follow such a course; -but in my opinion it is the only one that offers any chances of -salvation." - -"We have here several women, children, and your daughter before all, Don -Sylva. We must absolutely shelter her from all danger; if possible, -spare her the slightest alarm. I, therefore, accept this gentleman's -views, and am determined to act with the greatest circumspection." - -"I thank you for my daughter and myself." - -"And now, sir, as we are already indebted to you for such good advice, -complete your task. In my place, what would you do?" - -"My advice is as follows," Louis answered seriously. "The Apaches will -attack you for certain reasons I know, and which it is unnecessary to -tell you. They make a point of honour of the success of that attack. -Hence intrench yourselves here as well as you can. You have a -considerable garrison composed of tried men; consequently, nearly all -the chances are in your favour." - -"I have one hundred and seventy resolute Frenchmen, who have all been -soldiers." - -"Behind good walls, and well armed, they are more than you want." - -"Without counting forty peons, accustomed to pursuing the Indians, and -whom I brought with me," Don Sylva remarked. - -"Are those men here at this moment?" Louis asked sharply. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Oh! That simplifies the question materially. If you will believe me, -the Indians have now everything to fear instead of you." - -"Explain." - -"It is evident that you will be attacked from the river. Perhaps, in -order to divide your forces, the Indians will make a feigned attack from -the side of the isthmus; but that point is too strongly defended for them -to attempt to carry it. I repeat, then, all the enemy's efforts will be -directed on the side of the river." - -"I would call your attention to the fact, sir," the lieutenant said, -"that at this moment the river is rendered unnavigable by thousands of -trees torn from the mountains by the storms, and which it bears along -with it." - -"I know not whether the river is navigable or not," Don Louis replied -firmly, "but of one thing I am certain, that the Apaches will attack you -on that side." - -"In any case, and not to be taken by surprise, two of the guns will be -moved from the isthmus battery, leaving four there, which are more -than sufficient, and laid so as to enfilade the river, care be taken to -mask them. You will also, Leroux, mount a culverin on the platform of -the mirador, whence we shall command the course of the Gila. Go and have -these orders executed at once." - -The old soldier went out without any reply, in order to carry out the -commands of his chief. - -"You see, gentlemen," the count then said, "that I hasten to profit by -the counsels you are good enough to give me. I recognise my utter -inexperience of this Indian warfare, and I repeat that I am happy at -being so well supported." - -"This gentleman has foreseen everything," the hacendero said; "like him, -I believe that the house is most exposed to the river front." - -"A last word," Don Louis continued. - -"Speak, speak, sir." - -"Did you not say, caballero, that you brought with you forty peons, -accustomed to Indian warfare, and that they were still here?" - -"Yes, I said so, and it is perfectly true." - -"Very good. I believe--and be good enough to take it as a simple -observation, caballero--I say I believe that it would be a masterstroke, -which would insure you the victory, to place your enemies between two -fires." - -"Indeed it would," the count exclaimed; "but how to do it? You yourself -said, only a moment ago, that it would be the height of imprudence to -send out a scouting party." - -"I said, and I repeat it, the grass and woods are at this moment filled -with eyes fixed on the hacienda, who will let no one pass out -unnoticed." - -"Well?" - -"Did I not tell you that this war was one of stratagems and ambushes?" - -"You did; but I do not understand, I confess, what you are driving at." - -"It is however, excessively simple; you will understand me in a few -words." - -"I much desire it." - -"Senor caballero," Don Louis went on, turning to Don Sylva, "do you -intend to remain here?" - -"Yes; for certain private reasons I must remain some time here." - -"I have no intention, be assured, senor, to interfere in your private -affairs. So you remain here?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Have you among your peons a devoted man on whom you can -count as on yourself?" - -"Cascaras! I should think so. I have Blas Vasquez." - -"Would you be good enough to tell me who this Blas is, as I have not the -honour of his acquaintance?" - -"He is my capataz, and I can trust to him as to myself in matters of -danger." - -"Excellent! All is going on famously, then." - -"I really cannot make you out," the count said. - -"You shall see," said Louis. - -"I have been trying to do so for the last half hour." - -"Your capataz, to whom you will give your instructions, will put himself -at the head of his peons within an hour, and ostensibly take the road to -Guaymas; but, as soon as he has gone two or three leagues to a point we -shall settle on, he will halt. The rest will be the business of myself -and friends." - -"Oh! I understand your plan now. The peons hidden by you will attack the -Indians in the rear so soon as the action has commenced between and them -us." - -"That is it." - -"But the Apaches? Do you believe they will allow a troop of white men to -retire without harassing them?" - -"The Indians are too shrewd to oppose them. What good would it do to -attack a body of men who have no baggage? The fight would not profit -them, but cause their position to be discovered. No, no, be easy, -caballero, they will not stir: they have too great an interest in -remaining invisible." - -"And what do you intend to do?" - -"The Indians certainly saw me come in this direction; they know I am -here. If I went out with them it would betray all. I shall go away alone -as I came, and that immediately." - -"The plan is so simple and well arranged that it must succeed. Receive -our thanks, sir, and be kind enough to tell us your name, that we may -know the man to whom we are indebted for so great a service." - -"To what end, sir?" - -"I join my entreaties, caballero, to those of my friend, Don Gaetano, in -order to induce you to reveal the name of a man whose memory will be -eternally engraved on our hearts." - -Don Louis hesitated, though unable to account to himself for the reason -that made him do so. He felt a repugnance to give up his incognito as -respected the count. The two men, however, pressed him so politely, that -having no serious reason to offer for the maintenance of his incognito, -he allowed himself to be vanquished by their entreaties, and consented -to give his name. - -"Caballeros," he at length said, "I am the Count Louis Edward Maxime de -Prebois Crance." - -"We are friends, I trust," De Lhorailles said, holding out his hand to -him. - -"What I have done is a proof of it, I think, sir," the other replied -with a bow, but not taking the offered hand. - -"I thank you," the count went on, without appearing to notice Louis' -repugnance. "Do you intend to leave us soon?" - -"I must leave you to the urgent business you have on hand. If you will -allow me, I will take my leave at once." - -"Not breakfasting, at least?" - -"You will excuse me, but time presses. I have friends I have now left -for some hours, and who must be alarmed by my lengthened absence." - -"As they know you are at my house, that is impossible, sir," the count -said, somewhat piqued. - -"They do not know that I arrived here without accident." - -"That is different; then I will not delay you. Once again I thank you, -sir." - -"I have acted in accordance with my conscience; you owe me no thanks." - -The three men quitted the hall, and proceeded towards the isthmus -battery, talking of indifferent matters. About half way they met Don -Blas, the capataz. Don Sylva made him a sign to join them, and when he -was near them explained to him in two words the events that were -preparing, and the part he would have to play. - -"Voto a Brios!" the capataz exclaimed joyously. "I thank you, Don Sylva, -for this good news. We shall have a row at last, then, with those Apache -dogs! Caray! They'll see some fun, I swear." - -"I trust entirely to you, Blas." - -"But at what place must I await this caballero?" - -"That is true: we have not fixed the place of meeting." - -"About three leagues from here, on the Guaymas road, at a place where -the road makes a bend, there is an isolated hill called, I think, _El -Pan de Azucar_: you can ambush there without any fear of discovery. I -will join you at this spot with my friends." - -"That is agreed. At about what hour?" - -"I cannot say for certain: that must depend on circumstances." - -A few minutes later Don Louis was riding back to the prairie, while the -Count de Lhorailles and the two Mexicans, made preparations for an -active defence of the colony. - -"It is strange," Don Louis muttered to himself as he galloped on, "that -this man who is my countryman, and for whom I shall risk my life ere -long, inspires me with no sympathy." - -Suddenly his horse shied. Roughly startled from his reverie, the -Frenchman looked up. - -Eagle-head stood before him. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE MEXICAN MOON. - - -After his visit to the hunters the Black Bear set out, at the head of -his warriors, to proceed to a neighbouring island, known by the name of -Choke-Heckel, which was one of the advanced Apache posts on the Mexican -frontier. He reached the isle at daybreak. At this spot the Gila attains -its greatest width: each of the arms formed by the island is nearly two -miles wide. The island which rises in the middle of the water, like a -basket of flowers, is about two miles long by half a mile wide, and is -one immense bouquet, exhaling the sweetest perfumes, and the melodious -songs of the birds which congregate in incalculable numbers on all the -branches of the trees by which it is covered. - -Illumined on this day by the splendid beams of a flashing sun, the place -had a strange and unusual appearance which had a powerful effect on the -imagination. As far as the eye could reach over the island and the two -banks of the Gila could be seen tents of buffalo hide, or huts of -branches leaned against each other, and whose strange colours wearied -the sight. Numerous canoes made of horse-skins sewed together, and -mostly round, or else hollowed out of trunks of trees, traversed the -river in every direction. The warriors dismounted and set their horses -free, which immediately proceeded to join a number of others. - -The chief went towards the huts before which feather flags and the -scalps of renowned warriors fluttered in the breeze, passing through the -women who were preparing the morning meal. But the Black Bear had been -recognised immediately on his arrival, and all got out of his way with -respectful bows. A thing no European could credit is the respect all -Indians, without exception, pay to their chiefs. Among those who have -kept up the manners of their forefathers, and, disdaining European -civilisation, have continued to wander about the prairies as free men, -this respect is changed into fanaticism, almost into adoration. - -The gold fillet adorned with two buffalo horns, placed on the Black -Bear's brow, caused him to be recognised by all, and the liveliest joy -was evinced on his passage. He at length reached the river's bank. On -arriving there he made a sign to a man fishing a short distance off in a -canoe; the latter hastened up, and the chief passed over to the island. -A hut of branches had been prepared for him. It is probable that -invisible sentinels were watching for his arrival, for the moment he set -foot on land, a chief called the Little Panther presented himself before -him. - -"The great chief is welcome among his brothers," he said, bowing -courteously before the Black Bear. "Has my father had a good journey?" - -"I have had a good journey, I thank my brother." - -"If my father consents I will lead him to _jacal_ built to receive -him." - -"Let us go," the chief said. - -The Little Panther bowed a second time, and guided the chief along a -path formed through the shrubs. They soon arrived at a jacal, which, in -the mind of the Indians, offered the ideal of what was comfortable, -through its size, the brilliancy of the colours with which it was -painted, and its cleanliness. - -"My father is at home," the Little Panther said, respectfully raising -the _fresada_ (blanket) which closed the jacal, and falling back to let -the Black Bear pass. The latter entered. - -"My brother will follow me," he said. - -The Little Panther walked in behind him, and let the curtain fall. This -abode did not in any way differ from that of the other Indians. A fire -burned in the centre. The Black Bear made a sign to the other chief to -sit down on a buffalo skull. He then chose one for himself, and sat down -near the fire. After a moment's silence, employed by the two chiefs in -smoking gravely, the Black Bear addressed the Little Panther:-- - -"Are the chiefs of all the tribes of our nation collected on the island -as I ordered?" - -"They are." - -"When will they come to my jacal?" - -"That depends on my father. They await his good pleasure." - -The Black Bear began smoking again silently. A long period was thus -spent. - -"Nothing new has happened during my absence?" the Black Bear asked, -shaking the ash out of his calumet on his thumb. - -"Three chiefs of the prairie Comanches have arrived, sent by their -nation to treat with the Apaches." - -"Wah!" the chief said. "Are they renowned warriors?" - -"They have many wolves' tails on their moccasins. They must be valiant." - -The Black Bear nodded his head in affirmation. - -"One of them, it is said, is the Jester," the Little Panther continued. - -"Is my brother certain of what he says?" the chief asked sharply. - -"The Comanche warriors refused to give their names when they learned the -absence of my father. They answered it was well, and that they would -await his return." - -"Good! They are chiefs. Where are they?" - -"They have lighted a fire, round which they are camping." - -"Time is precious. My brother will warn the Apache chiefs that I await -them at the council fire." - -The Little Panther rose without replying, and quitted the jacal. - -For about an hour the Indian chief remained alone buried in thought: at -the end of that time the sound of several approaching men could be heard -outside. The curtain was raised by the Little Panther, who walked in. - -"Well?" the Black Bear asked. - -"The chiefs are waiting." - -"Let them come in." - -The chiefs made their appearance. They were ten in number; each had put -on his best ornaments, and all wore their war paint. They entered -silently, and ranged themselves silently round the fire, after silently -saluting the great chief, and kissing the hem of his robe. - -As soon as all the chiefs had assembled in the interior of the _toldo_, -a troop of Apache warriors drew up outside, to keep off the curious, and -insure the secrecy of the deliberations. The Black Bear, in spite of his -self-mastery, could not refrain from a movement of joy at the sight of -all these men, who were entirely devoted to him, and by whose help he -felt certain of accomplishing his projects. - -"My brothers are welcome," he said, inviting them by a sign to take -seats on the buffalo skulls ranged round the fire, "I was awaiting them -impatiently." - -The chiefs bowed and sat down. Then the pipe bearer entered and -presented the calumet to each warrior, who drew two or three puffs of -tobacco. When this ceremony was over, and the pipe bearer had departed, -the deliberations began. - -"Before all," said the Black Bear, "I must give you an account of my -mission. The Black Bear has completely fulfilled it; he has entered the -hut of the white men; he has thoroughly examined it; he knows the number -of palefaces that defend it; and when the hour arrives for him to lead -his warriors there, the Black Bear will know how to find the road -again." - -The chiefs bowed with satisfaction. - -"This great cabin of the whites," the Black Bear continued, "is the only -serious obstacle we shall find on our road in the new expedition we are -undertaking." - -"The Yoris are dogs without courage. The Apaches will give them -petticoats, and make them prepare their game," the Little Panther said -with a grin. - -The Black Bear shook his head. - -"The palefaces of the great cabin of Guetzalli are not Yoris," he said. -"A chief has seen them---they are men. Nearly all of them have blue eyes -and hair the colour of ripe maize; they seem very brave--my brothers -must be prudent." - -"Does not my father know who these men are?" a chief inquired. - -"The Black Bear does not know. He was told down there near the great -Salt Lake, that they inhabited a country very far from here, toward the -rising sun: that is all." - -"These men have no trees, nor fruit, nor buffaloes in their own country, -that they come to steal ours." - -"The palefaces are insatiable," the Black Bear replied. "They forget -that the Great Spirit has only given them, like other men, one mouth and -two hands. All they see they covet. The Wacondah, who loves his red -sons, let them be born in a rich country, and has covered them with his -gifts. The palefaces are jealous, and seek continually to rob and -dispossess them; but the Apaches are brave warriors: they can defend -their hunting grounds, and prevent them being trampled by these -vagabonds, who have come from the other side of the Great Salt Lake on -the floating cabins of the _Great Medicine._" - -The chiefs warmly applauded this harangue, which expressed so well the -sentiments that affected them, and the animosity with which they were -animated against the white race--that conquering and invading race, -which constantly drives them further into the desert, not even leaving -them the requisite space to breathe and live quietly after their -fashion. - -"The great nation of the Comanches of the Lakes, that which is called -the Queen of the Prairies, has deputed to our nation three renowned -warriors. I know not the object of this embassy, which, however, must be -peaceful. Does it please you, chiefs of my nation, to receive them, and -admit them to smoke the calumet of peace round our council fire." - -"My father is a very wise warrior," the Little Panther replied: "he can, -when he likes, divine the most hidden thoughts in the heart of his -enemies. What he does will be well done. The chiefs of his nation will -be always happy to regulate their conduct by the counsels he may deign -to give them." - -The Black Bear threw a glance round the assembly, as if to assure -himself that the Little Panther had truly expressed the general will. -The members of the council silently bowed their heads in acquiescence. -The chief smiled proudly on seeing himself so appreciated by his -companions, and addressing the Little Panther, said,-- - -"Let my brothers, the Comanche chiefs, be introduced." - -These words were pronounced with a majesty equal to that of a European -king sitting in parliament. - -The Little Panther went out to execute the order he had received. During -his absence, which was rather long, not a word was exchanged between the -chiefs seated on buffalo skulls, with their elbows on their knees, and -their chins on the palm of their hand; they remained motionless and -silent, apparently plunged into deep thought. - -The Little Panther at length returned, preceding the Comanche warriors. -On their entry the Apache chiefs rose and saluted them ceremoniously. -The Comanches returned the salutation with no less courtesy, but without -any other response, and waited till they were addressed. - -The Comanche warriors were young and finely built; they had a martial -bearing, a free glance, and thoughtful brow. Dressed in their national -costume, with heads proudly raised, and hands stemmed in their sides, -they had something noble and loyal about them which aroused sympathy. -One of them specially, the youngest of the three--he was hardly -five-and-twenty--must be a superior man, to judge by appearances: the -stern lines of his countenance, the brilliancy of his glance, the -elegance and majesty of his bearing, caused him to be recognised at the -first glance as a chosen man. - -His name was the Jester; and, as might be guessed from the tuft of -condor feathers passed through his warlock, he was one of the principal -chiefs of the nation. - -The Apache chiefs bent on the new arrivals, while not appearing to -notice them, that profoundly inquisitive glance possessed to so eminent -a degree by the Indians. The Comanches, though they might guess the -power of the glances fixed on them, did not make a sign, nor allow a -movement to escape them, indicating that they knew themselves to be the -object of attention to all present. - -Machiavel, author of the "Prince" though he was, compared with the red -men, was only a child in matters of policy. These poor savages, as -they are called by those who do not know them, are the cleverest and -most cunning diplomatists in existence. - -After an instant's delay the Black Bear took a step toward the Comanche -chiefs, bowed to them, and holding out his right hand palm upwards, -said,-- - -"I am happy to receive beneath my cabin, in the midst of my people, my -brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes. They will take their place at the -council fire, and smoke with their brothers the calumet of peace." - -"Be it so," the Jester replied in a stern voice. "Are we not all children -of Wacondah?" - -And, without adding another word, he took his seat with the other chiefs -at the council fire, side by side with the Apaches. The conversation was -broken off again, for everyone was smoking. At length, when the calumet -bowls contained only ashes, the Black Bear turned with a courteous smile -to the Jester. - -"My brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes, are doubtlessly hunting the -buffalo not far from here, and then the thought occurred to them to -visit their Apache brothers. I thank them for it." - -The Jester bowed. - -"The Comanches of the Lakes are far away chasing the antelopes on the -Del Nato. The Jester, and a few devoted warriors of his tribe who -accompany him, are alone encamped on the hunting grounds." - -"The Jester is a chief renowned on the prairie," the Apache graciously -remarked. "The Black Bear is happy to have seen him. So great a warrior -as my brother does not act thus without some plausible motive." - -"The Black Bear has guessed it. The Jester has come to renew with his -Apache brothers the narrow bonds of a loyal friendship. Why, instead of -disputing a territory to which we have equal claims, should we not -divide it between us? Should the red men destroy each other? Would it -not be better to bury the war hatchet by the council fire at such a -depth that, when an Apache met a Comanche, he would only see in him a -well-beloved brother? The palefaces, who each moon encroach on our -possessions more and more, carry on a furious war with us; then why -should we help them by our intestine dissensions?" - -The Black Bear rose, and, stretching forth his arm with authority, -said,-- - -"My brother, the Jester, is right. Only one sentiment should henceforth -guide us--patriotism! Let us lay aside all our paltry enmities, to think -but of one thing--liberty! The palefaces are perfectly ignorant of -our plans. During the few days I passed at Guaymas I was able to -convince myself of that: thus our sudden invasion will be to them a -thunderbolt, which will ice them with terror. They will be more than -half conquered by our approach." - -There was a solemn silence. The Jester then turned a calm and proud -glance round the meeting, and exclaimed,-- - -"The Mexican moon will begin in twenty-four hours. Redskin warriors! -Shall we allow it to pass away without attempting one of those daring -strokes which we usually perform at this period of the year? There is -one establishment above all, over which we should rush like a whirlwind: -that establishment founded by palefaces, other than the Yoris, is for us -a permanent menace. I will not deal craftily with you. Apache chiefs! I -come to offer you frankly, if you will attack Guetzalli, the support of -four hundred Comanche warriors, at whose head I will place myself." - -At this proposition a quiver of pleasure ran through the meeting. - -"I joyfully accept my brother's proposal," the Black Bear said. "I have, -nearly the same number of warriors: our two bands will be strong enough, -I hope, to utterly destroy the palefaces. Tomorrow, at the rising of the -moon, we will set out." - -The chiefs retired, and the Black Bear and the Jester were left alone. -These two chiefs enjoyed an equal reputation, and both were adored by -their countrymen, hence they examined each other curiously, for up to -that moment they had always been enemies, and never had the chance of -meeting save with weapons in their hands. - -"I thank my brother for his cordial offer," the Black Bear was the first -to say. "Under the present circumstances his help will be very -advantageous for us; but once the victory is decided, the spoil will be -equally shared between the two nations." - -The Jester bowed. - -"What plan has my brother formed?" he asked. - -"A very simple one. The Comanches are terrible horsemen: with my brother -at their head, they must be invincible. So soon as the moon shines in -the heavens the Jester will set out with his warriors, and proceed -toward Guetzalli, being careful to fire the prairie in front of his -detachment, in order to raise a curtain of smoke which will conceal his -movements and prevent his warriors being counted. If, as is not -probable, the palefaces have placed vedettes before their great lodge to -announce the arrival of the expedition, my brother will seize and kill -them at once, to prevent them giving any alarm. In this expedition, as -in all those that have preceded it, everything belonging to the -palefaces--lodges, jacals, houses--will be burnt; the beasts carried off -and sent to the rear. On arriving in front of Guetzalli my brother will -hide himself as well as he can, and await the signal I will give him to -attack the palefaces." - -"Good! My brother is a prudent chief. He will succeed. I will do exactly -as he has told me; and he, what will he do while I am executing this -portion of the general plan?" - -A strange smile played on the Black Bear's lips. - -"He will see," he said laying his hand on the Comanche's shoulder. "Let -him act as a chief, and I promise him a glorious victory." - -"Good!" the Comanche made answer. "My brother is the first of his -nation; he knows how he should behave; the Apaches are not women. I go -to rejoin my warriors." - -"'Tis well; my brother has understood. Tomorrow at the rising of the -moon." - -The Jester bowed, and the two chiefs separated, apparently the best -friends in the world. A few moments later the greatest animation -prevailed in the Apache camp; the women struck the tents and loaded the -mules, the children lassoed and saddled the horses, and all preparations -were made for their departure. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM. - - -The next day at the rising of the moon, as had been agreed, the Jester -ordered his detachment to set out. Presently a party of horsemen who had -hurried onwards threw lighted torches amid the shrubs, and in a few -minutes an immense curtain of flames rose to the sky, and completely -veiled the horizon. The Comanches carried out the orders of the Apache -chief with such rapidity and intelligence, that in less than an hour all -was consumed. - -The Black Bear, concealed in the island with his war party, had not made -a move. The traces left by the Comanches were, alas! very visible, for -the country only that morning so lovely, rich, and luxuriant, was at -present gloomy and desolate. There was no verdure, no flowers, no birds -hidden beneath the frondage, and twittering as if to outrival each other. - -The Indians' plan would have met with perfect success through the -arrangement of the campaigners, and the Guetzalli colonists would have -been surprised, had other men than Belhumeur and his friends been on the -route of the Indian army. - -The Canadian was watching. At the first smoke that arose in the distance -he understood the intention of the redskins, and without losing a moment -he sent off Eagle-head to the colony to inform the count of what was -taking place. Still, behind the fire, the Comanches were arriving at -full speed destroying and trampling beneath their horse's hoofs what the -flames might have spared. - -Night had completely set in when the Jester had arrived in sight of -the colony. Supposing that, through the rapidity of his march, the white -men would not have had time to place themselves on the defensive, he -ambushed a portion of his men, placed himself at the head of the rest, -and crawled with all the precautions employed in such cases toward the -isthmus battery. - -No one appeared: the glacis and entrenchments seemed abandoned. The -Jester uttered his war cry, rose suddenly, and bounding forward like a -jaguar, crossed the entrenchment, followed by his warriors. But, at the -moment when the Comanches prepared to leap into the interior, a fearful -discharge at point blank range levelled more than one half of the Indian -detachment, while the survivors took to flight. - -The Comanches had one great disadvantage--they possessed no firearms. -The musketry decimated them, and they could only reply by firing their -arrows, or by hurling their javelins. Noticing, therefore, though too -late for himself, that the French were on their guard, the Jester, -desperate at the check he had experienced, and his serious losses, was -unwilling to further weaken the confidence of his warriors by useless -tentatives. He concealed his detachment under the cover of the virgin -forest, and resolved to wait for the Black Bear's signal ere he made a -move. - -Don Louis had followed Eagle-head. The Indian, after several turnings, -led him almost opposite the isthmus battery to the entrance of a dense -thicket of cactus, aloes, and floripondios. - -"My brother can dismount," he said to the Frenchman; "we have arrived." - -"Arrived where?" Louis asked, looking around him in vain. - -Without replying the chief took the horse, and led it away. Louis, -during the interval looked all around him: but his researches had no -result. - -"Well," Eagle-head asked on his return, "has my brother found it?" - -"On my faith, no, chief. I give it up." - -The Indian smiled. - -"The palefaces have the eyes of moles," he said. - -"It is possible; at any rate, I should feel obliged by your lending me -yours." - -"Good! My brother shall see." - -Eagle-head glided along the ground, and Louis imitated him: in this way -they entered the thicket. After about a quarter of an hour of this -exercise, which was more than fatiguing, the Indian stopped. - -"Let my brother look," he said. - -They were in a small clearing, formed in the midst of an inextricable -medley of branches and shrubs, completed by a profusion of leaves so -artistically interlaced, that without deep observation it would be -impossible to suspect the existence of this hiding place. Belhumeur and -the two Mexicans were philosophically smoking while awaiting the return -of the envoy. - -"You are welcome," the Canadian said, so soon as he caught sight of him. -"How do you like our camp? Charming, is it not? Eagle-head discovered -it. Those devils of Indians have a peculiar talent for forming an -ambuscade. We are as safe here as in Quebec Cathedral." - -During this flood of words, to which he only responded by a hearty -pressure of the hand, Louis had comfortably seated himself by the side -of his companions, and began to do honour, with excellent appetite, to -the provisions they had put aside for him. - -"But where are the horses?" he asked. - -"Here, two paces from us; not to be found by anyone save ourselves." - -"Very good. Shall we be able to get them so soon as we want them?" - -"Pardieu!" - -"The fact is we shall probably need them soon." - -"Ah, ah! But," he added, checking himself, "I am chattering, and not -noticing that you must be probably savagely hungry. Finish your meal, -and we will talk afterwards." - -"Oh! I can answer very well while eating." - -"Wo! No, everything has its proper time. Finish your breakfast: we will -listen to you afterwards." - -When Louis had finished eating he described fully the way in which he -had carried out his mission. - -"All that is very good," Belhumeur said when he had ended his report. "I -believe that we can henceforth feel assured about the safety of our -countrymen, especially with the help of the forty peons, who will take -the enemy between two fires." - -"Yes, but where shall they be concealed?" - -"Leave that to Eagle-head. The chief knows the country thoroughly, he -has hunted in it for a long time. I am certain he will find a suitable -place for the Mexicans. What do you say, chief?" - -"It is easy to hide one's self in the prairie," the chief answered -laconically. - -"Yes," Don Martial remarked, "but there is one thing you forget." - -"What?" - -"I live on the frontier, and have long been accustomed to Indian -tactics. The Apaches will arrive, preceded by a curtain of smoke; the -plain will be only one vast sheet of flame, in the midst of which we -shall struggle in vain, and which will end by swallowing us up, if we do -not take the proper precautions." - -"That is true: it is a serious matter. Unfortunately, I only see one way -of escaping from the danger, and that we cannot employ." - -"What is it?" - -"By Jove! Making off." - -"I know another," Eagle-head observed. - -"You, chief? Then you will tell us of it." - -"Let the palefaces listen. The Rio Gila, like all other large rivers, -brings down with it dead trees, at times in such quantities that at -certain spots they completely block up the passage, in time these trees -press against each other, and their branches become entwined; then grass -grows, to cement them more firmly together; the sand and earth are piled -up gradually on these immense rafts, which at a distance resemble -islands, until a storm comes as a flood, which breaks up the raft, and -bears it away." - -"I know that. I have seen frequent instances of it, chief," Belhumeur -said. "These rafts at last grow to look so like islands that the man -most accustomed to desert life and the grand spectacles of nature is -frequently deceived by them. I understand all the advantages your idea -possesses for us; but, unhappily, I do not see how it will be possible -for us to carry it out." - -"In the simplest way. The Indian's eye is good; he sees everything -within two bow-shots of him. Above the great lodge of the palefaces, did -not my brother notice an islet about fifty yards almost from the bank?" - -"What you say is quite correct," Belhumeur exclaimed; "I can call the -island to mind now." - -"From the position it occupies there will be nothing to apprehend from -fire," Louis remarked. "If it is large enough to hold us all it will be -extremely useful as an advanced post." - -"We have not a moment to lose: we must take possession of it at once, -and when we are certain that it offers all we want we will lead the -peons to it." - -"Let us start, then, without further delay," the Tigrero said as he -rose. - -The others imitated him, and the five men left the clearing. After -fetching their horses they proceeded toward the island under the -guidance of Eagle-head. - -The Indian chief had not deceived them. With that infallible glance his -countrymen possess, he had at once formed a correct opinion of the spot -he so cleverly selected. There was another consideration highly -advantageous for the adventurers--a thick line of mangroves bordered the -river's edge, and advanced sufficiently far into the stream to diminish -the distance separating the isle from the mainland, while forming a -natural defence for men concealed in the tall grass; for it was -perfectly impossible that the Indians could hide themselves in the -mangroves to harass their enemies, who, on the other hand, could do them -considerable mischief. - -This islet (we will retain the name, though it was really only a raft) -was covered with a close, strong herbage, about two yards in height, in -the midst of which, men and horses completely disappeared. When the -reconnoissance was ended, Belhumeur and the two Mexicans installed -themselves in the centre, while Louis and Eagle-head returned to the -bank to go and meet the capataz and his people. - -Don Martial did not care to accompany them. So near the colony he was -afraid of being recognised by Don Sylva, and preferred to maintain, as -long as he could, an incognito necessary for the ulterior success of his -plans. Louis, after making him the offer to accompany them, pressed him -no further, and appeared to accept his refusal without any discussion. -The truth was, that the count felt, without being able to explain it, a -species of repulsion for this man, whose cautious manner and continual -hesitation had ill disposed him in his favour. - -Eagle-head and Louis, certain that the Black Bear had really retired -with his detachment, and left no spies on the prairie, thought it -unnecessary to let the Mexicans take a long and wearisome ride before -leading them to the hiding place; consequently, they hid themselves in -the shrubs at the end of the isthmus to watch their exit, and lead them -straight to the spot. - -In the meanwhile the news Don Louis had carried to the colony had turned -everything topsy-turvy. Although, since the first foundation of the -hacienda, the Indians had constantly tried to harass the French, the -various attempts they made had been unimportant, and this was really the -first time they would have a serious contest with their ferocious -enemies. - -The Count de Lhorailles had with him about two hundred Dauph'yeers, who -had come from Valparaiso, Guyaquil, Callao, and the other Pacific ports, -which are always crowded with adventurers of every description. These -worthy people were a singular mixture of all the nationalities peopling -the two hemispheres, although the French supplied the largest factor. -Half bandits, half soldiers, these men put the utmost faith in the chief -they had freely chosen. - -The news of the attack premeditated by the Apaches was received by the -garrison with shouts of joy and enthusiasm. It was an amusement for -these adventurers to exchange shots, or rub the rust off a little, as -they naively said in their picturesque language. They desired before all -to prove to the Apaches the difference existing between the Creole -colonists, whom they had been in the habit of killing and plundering -from time immemorial, and Europeans whom they did not yet know. - -The count, therefore, had no need to recommend firmness to them; he was -on the contrary, obliged to repress their ardour, and beg them to be -prudent, by promising that they should soon have an opportunity of -meeting the redskins in the open field. - -As soon as the defensive preparations were made the count left the -details to his two lieutenants, two old soldiers, on whom he believed -he could count; then he thought of Blas Vasquez and his peons. In the -probable event that the Indians had left spies round the colony, they -must be persuaded that this band had really retired. For that purpose -several mules were laden with provisions, as if for a long journey; then -the capataz, well instructed, put himself at the head of the squadron, -and left the colony, rifle on thigh. - -The count, Don Sylva, and the other inhabitants followed the party with -an interest easy to comprehend, ready to help them if attacked. But -nothing stirred in the prairie; the calm and silence continued to -prevail, and the Mexicans soon disappeared in the tall grass. - -"I cannot at all understand the Indian tactics," Don Sylva muttered -thoughtfully. "As they have allowed that party to pass so quietly, they -must be planning some trick which offers a good prospect of success." - -"We shall soon know what we are to expect," the count replied; "besides, -we are ready to receive them. I am only sorry that Dona Anita should be -here; not that she runs the slightest risk, but the sound of the contest -may terrify her." - -"No, senor conde," the lady said, who came from the house at the moment; -"fear nothing of that nature for me. I am a true Mexican, and not one of -your European dames, whom the slightest thing causes to faint. Often, in -circumstances graver than these, I have heard the Apache war yell echo -in my ears, without, however, feeling that intense alarm you seem to -apprehend from me today." - -After uttering these words with that haughty and profoundly contemptuous -accent women know so well to employ to a man they do not love, Dona -Anita passed before the count without deigning him a glance, and took -her father's arm. - -The Frenchman made no reply: he bit his lips till they bled, and bowed -as if he did not understand the epigram launched at him. He intended to -have an explanation with his betrothed at a later date; for though he -did not love her, as often happens in such cases, he did not pardon her -being loved by another, and especially for regarding him with -indifference; but the events which had hurried on with such rapidity -during the last two days had hitherto prevented him asking this -important interview of the dona. - -The hacendero's daughter was an Andalusian from head to foot, all fire -and passion, only obeying the precipitate movements of her heart. Loving -with all the strength of her soul, safeguarded by her love for Don -Martial, she had judged the Count de Lhorailles coolly, and guessed the -speculator under the garb of the gentleman; hence she made up her mind -at once to render it an impossibility ever to become his wife. To -commence an overt struggle with her father--she knew, too well to risk -it, the old Spanish blood that boiled in his veins. A woman's strength -is her apparent weakness; her means of defence, stratagem. As much -Indian as she was Spaniard, Anita chose stratagem, that terrible woman's -weapon, which often renders her so dangerous. - -Blas Vazquez, the capataz, had seen the birth of Dona Anita: his wife -had been her nurse--that is, he was devoted to the young girl, and on a -sign from her he would have pledged his soul to the demon. - -When Don Louis visited the hacienda the young lady was considerably -curious as to the motive of his arrival. After the Frenchman's departure -she asked coolly for information from the capataz, who saw no harm in -giving it to her, the more so because everyone in the colony would soon -know the news the count brought. The only thing no one could know, and -which Dona Anita guessed with that heart instinct which never deceives, -was the presence of the Tigrero among the hunters ambushed in the -vicinity of the hacienda. - -On leaving her at Guaymas, Don Martial had said that he would constantly -watch over her, and save her from the fate with which she was menaced. -After that, it was plain that he must have followed her. Had he done so -(which she did not for a moment doubt), he must certainly be among the -brave men who at that moment were devoting themselves to save her, while -seeking to protect the colony. - -The logic of the heart is the only species that is positive and never -deceives. We have seen that Dona Anita, enlightened by passion, reasoned -justly. When the girl had drawn from the capataz all the information she -desired,-- - -"Don Blas," she said to him, "it is probable that if the colony is -attacked, after the services you will be able to render, and when my -father and Don Gaetano no longer want you and your men, that you will -receive orders to return to Guaymas." - -"'Tis probable, certainly, senora," the worthy man answered. - -"In that case you will have no objection to do me a service?" she went -on, looking at him with her most fascinating smile. - -"You know, senorita, that I would throw myself into the fire for you." - -"I do not wish you to put your friendship to such a rude trial, my good -Blas; still I thank you for your kindly feeling." - -"What can I do to oblige you?" - -"Oh! A very easy matter. You know," she said lightly, "that for a long -time I have wished to have two jaguar skins as a carpet for my bedroom?" - -"No," he replied simply; "I was not aware of it." - -"Ah! Well, I tell it you now, so you know it." - -"I shall not forget it, senorita, you may be sure." - -"Thanks; but that is not exactly what I want." - -"What?" - -"That you could get the skins for me." - -"Oh! So soon as I am my own master again you can depend on me." - -"I do not wish you to expose your life to satisfy a whim." - -"Oh, senorita!" he said reproachfully. - -"No; I have a way to procure them more easily." - -"Ah! Very good. Let us see." - -"A renowned Tigrero arrived at Guaymas a few days back." - -"Don Martial Asuzena?" he quickly interrupted her. - -"Do you know him?" - -"Who does not know the Tigrero?" - -"Well, I heard that he has brought from his last hunt on the western -prairies some magnificent jaguar skins, which, I have no doubt, he would -be willing to sell at a fair price." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Here," she said, drawing a small, carefully-sealed note from her bosom, -"is a letter you will give that man. I describe in it the way in which I -should like to have the skins prepared, and the price I am willing to -give. Here is the money," she added, as she handed him a purse; "you -will arrange the matter for me." - -"There was no occasion to write," the capataz remarked. - -"Pardon me, my friend, you have so many things to think of, that a -trifle like this might easily slip your memory." - -"Well, that is possible; so perhaps you have acted wisely." - -"Well, then, it is agreed--you will perform my commission?" - -"Can you doubt it?" - -"No, my friend. But stay, one word more. Do not say anything to my -father. You know how kind he is; he would want to make me a present of -them, and I wish to pay for the skins out of my own purse." - -The capataz began laughing at the joke. The worthy man was delighted at -sharing a secret, however slight it might be, with his darling child, as -he called his young mistress. - -"It is settled," he said; "I will be dumb." - -The girl gave him a friendly nod and withdrew. What was the meaning of -the note? Why did she write it? We shall soon learn. - -The day passed at the hacienda without further incidents. The count made -several attempts to have a conversation with the dona, which she -constantly sought to avoid. - -Blas Vasquez, on quitting the colony, struck the Guaymas road, and made -his troop go at a sharp trot, through fear of a surprise. He had scarce -lost sight of the colony, and entered the tall grass, when two men, -leaping into the middle of the path, checked their horses about twenty -paces ahead of him. One of them was an Indian; the other the capataz -recognised at a glance as the man who had come to the hacienda that -morning. Vasquez commanded his men to halt, and advancing alone to meet -the stranger, said,-- - -"By what accident do I meet you here, senor Frances? You are still far -from the meeting place you indicated yourself." - -"We are so," was the reply; "but as we found no Apache trail in the -prairie we thought it useless to give you a long journey. I have been -sent to conduct you to the ambush we have chosen." - -"You did right. Have we far to go?" - -"No, hardly a quarter of an hour's ride. We are going to that islet, -which you can see by standing in your stirrups," he added, stretching -out his arm in the direction of the river. - -"Eh?" the capataz said. "The spot is well chosen: we can command the -river from there." - -"That is the reason why he selected it." - -"Be good enough, then, to serve as our guide, senor Frances: we will -follow you." - -The detachment set out again. As Don Louis had stated, within a quarter -of an hour the capataz and the peons were encamped on the islet with the -five adventurers, so well masked by grassland mangroves, that it was -impossible to see them from either bank of the river. - -So soon as the capataz had performed his duties as head of the -detachment, he sat down at the bivouac fire by the side of his new -friends, to whom Don Louis presented him. The first person Blas -perceived was Don Martial, the Tigrero. At the sight of him he could -hardly refrain from a movement of surprise. - -"_Caspita!_" he exclaimed, with a loud laugh; "the meeting is curious." - -"Why so?" the Mexican asked, rather annoyed by this recognition, which -he had not expected, for he did not think the capataz knew him. - -"Are you not Don Martial Asuzena?" - -"Yes," he replied, more and more restless. - -"My faith! I should have found it difficult to meet you at Guaymas; but -I did not expect to find you here." - -"Explain yourself, I beg. I cannot understand you at all." - -"My young mistress gave me a message for you." - -"What do you say?" the Tigrero exclaimed, his heart beginning to -palpitate. - -"What I say, nothing else. Dona Anita wishes to buy two jaguar skins of -you, it appears." - -"Of me?" - -"Yes." - -Don Martial regarded him with such an air of amazement that the capataz -began again laughing heartily. This laughter aroused the young man; made -him conjecture there was some mystery in the affair; and that if he -continued to look so astonished, he would arouse suspicions in the -worthy man, who probably did not know the word of the riddle. - -"'Tis true," he said, as if trying to remember something, "I fancy I can -call to mind some time back--" - -"Then," the capataz interrupted him, "it's all right; besides, I was -asked to hand you a letter so soon as I met you." - -"A letter from whom?" - -"Why, from my mistress, I suppose." - -"From Dona Anita?" - -"Who else?" - -"Give it me quickly," the Tigrero exclaimed in great agitation. - -The capataz handed it to him. Don Martial tore it from his hands, broke -the seal with trembling fingers, and devoured it with his eyes. When he -had finished reading it he concealed it in his bosom. - -"Well," the capataz asked him, "what does my mistress say?" - -"Only what you told me yourself," the Tigrero replied, in anything but a -firm voice. - -Blas Vasquez shook his head. - -"Hem! That man is certainly hiding something from me," he muttered. "Can -Dona Anita have deceived me?" - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero walked about in agitation, apparently -revolving some important project. At length he approached Belhumeur, who -was smoking silently, and, leaning over his ear, uttered a few words in -a low voice, to which the Canadian answered with a nod of assent. A -flash of joy illumined the Tigrero's gloomy face as he made a sign to -Cuchares to follow him, and quitted the bivouac a few minutes later. Don -Martial and the lepero, both mounted, swam across the space separating -them from the main land. The capataz perceived them at the moment they -landed, and uttered a cry of astonishment. - -"Why," he exclaimed, "the Tigrero is leaving us. Where can he be going?" - -Belhumeur regarded the Mexican with his bittersweet look, and replied, -with a jesting accent,-- - -"Who knows? Perhaps he is going to carry the answer to the letter you -gave him." - -"That is not impossible," the capataz remarked thoughtfully, little -suspecting that he spoke the exact truth. - -At this moment the sun set in floods of purple and gold far away in the -horizon behind the snow-clad peaks of the lofty mountains of the Sierra -Madre, and night soon stretched her black cerecloth over the earth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A NIGHT JOURNEY. - - -Events have so multiplied during the course of this night, that to keep -headway with the incidents, we are compelled to pass incessantly from -one person to another. - -Don Martial was rich--very rich--eager for excitement, and endowed with -warlike instincts. He had only embraced the profession of _Tigrero_ in -order to have a plausible excuse for his constant travels in the desert, -which he had passed his whole life in travelling in every direction. - -The Tigreros are generally wood rangers or old hunters, who, for a -certain salary and a premium on each hide, engage with a hacendero to -kill the wild beasts that decimate his herds. What others did for money, -he performed simply for pleasure; hence he was greatly liked on the -frontiers, and especially welcomed by all the hacenderos, who found in -him not only the clever and daring hunter, but also the boon companion -and the caballero. - -Don Martial saw Dona Anita for the first time when the chances of his -adventurous life had led him to a hacienda belonging to Don Sylva, -where, within the space of a month, he killed some dozen wild beasts. As -the Tigrero constantly watched the young girl, whom he could not see -without falling madly in love with, it happened that one day, when -Anita's horse ran away, he was near enough to save her at the peril of -his own life. It was through this event that the girl first noticed and -spoke to him. We know the rest. - -Cuchares was not at all pleased with the sudden departure from the -island. He inwardly cursed the folly which made him attach himself to a -man like him he now followed, who might expose him at any moment to the -chances of getting an arrow through his body, without any profit or -available excuse. Still Cuchares was not the man to feel long angry with -the Tigrero. He knew that grave reasons alone could have induced him to -leave a shelter at that hour of the night, resign the aid of the -hunters, and go wandering about the desert without any apparent object. -He burned to know the reasons; but he knew that Don Martial was no great -talker, and had a great objection to having his secrets spied out; and -as, in spite of all his bounce, he entertained a great respect for the -Tigrero, mingled with a decent amount of fear, he deferred to a more -favourable moment the numerous questions he longed to ask him. - -The two men, then, marched on side by side silently, allowing the reins -to hang on their horses' heads, and each indulging in his own -reflections. Still Cuchares remarked that Don Martial, instead of -seeking the cover of the forest, obstinately followed the river bank, -and kept his horse as close to it as possible. - -The darkness grew rapidly denser around them; distant objects began to -be lost in the masses of shadow on the horizon, and they soon found -themselves in complete obscurity. For some time the lepero tried, by -coughing or uttering exclamations, to attract his comrade's attention, -though unsuccessfully; but when he saw that the night had completely set -in, while the Tigrero marched on without appearing to notice the fact, -he at length mustered up courage to address him. - -"Don Martial," he said. - -"Well," the latter replied carelessly. - -"Do you not think it is time for us to stop a little?" - -"What for?" - -"What for?" the lepero replied, with a bound of surprise. - -"Yes; we have not arrived yet." - -"Then we are going somewhere?" - -"Why else should we have left our friends?" - -"That's true. Where are we going, though? That is what I should like to -know." - -"You will soon do so." - -"I confess that I should be glad of it." - -There was again silence, during which they continued to advance. They -had left the hill of Guetzalli about two musket shots behind them, and -reached a sort of creek, which through the windings of the river, was -almost parallel with the back of the hacienda, whose gloomy and imposing -mass rose before them. Don Martial stopped. - -"We have arrived," he said. - -"At last!" the lepero muttered with a sigh of satisfaction. - -"I mean to say," the Tigrero went on, "that the easiest part of our -expedition is ended." - -"We are making an expedition then?" - -"By Jove! Do you fancy, then, my good fellow, that I am marching along -the banks of the Gila merely for amusement?" - -"That surprised me, too." - -"Now our expedition will speedily commence in reality." - -"Good!" - -"I must warn you, however, that it is rather dangerous; however, I -counted on you." - -"Thanks," Cuchares answered, making a grimace which had some pretensions -to resemble a smile. The truth is, the lepero would have preferred that -his friend had not given him this proof of confidence. Don Martial -continued,-- - -"We are going there;" and he extended his arm in the direction of the -river. - -"Where then? To the hacienda?" - -"Yes." - -"You wish us to be cut in pieces." - -"How so?" - -"Do you believe we shall reach the hacienda without being discovered?" - -"We will try it at any rate." - -"Yes; and as we shall not succeed, those demons of Frenchmen, who are on -the watch, will take us for savages, and be safe to shoot at us." - -"It is a risk to run." - -"Thanks! I prefer remaining here, for I confess I am not yet mad enough -to put myself in the wolf's jaws for mere sport. Go where you please, -but I stay here." - -The Tigrero could not suppress a smile. - -"The danger is not so great as you suppose," he said. "We are expected -at the hacienda by someone who will doubtlessly have moved the sentinels -from the spot where we shall land." - -"That is possible, but I do not care to try the experiment, for a bullet -never pardons; besides, those Frenchmen are tremendous marksmen." - -The Tigrero made no reply; he did not seem even to have heard his -companion's remark. His mind was elsewhere. With his body bent forward, -he was listening. During the last few minutes the desert had assumed a -singular appearance. It woke up. All sorts of noises were heard from the -depths of the thickets and clearings. Animals of every description -rushed from the covert, and madly passed the two men without noticing -them. The birds startled from their first sleep, rose uttering shrill -cries, and circled in the air. In the river might be seen the outlines -of wild beasts swimming vigorously to reach the other bank. In a word, -something extraordinary was taking place. - -At intervals dry crackling sounds and hoarse murmurs, like those of -rising water, broke the silence, and became with each moment more -intense. On the extreme verge of the horizon a large band of bright red, -growing wider from minute to minute, spread over the scene a purple and -gold glare, which gave it a fantastic appearance. Already, on two -different occasions, enormous clouds of smoke spangled with sparks had -whirled over the heads of the two men. - -"Halloh! What is happening now?" the lepero suddenly exclaimed. "Look at -our horses, Don Martial." - -In fact, the noble beasts, with neck outstretched and ears laid back, -were breathing heavily, stamping on the ground, and trying to escape -their riders. - -"_Caspita!_" the Tigrero said calmly, "They smell the fire, that is -all." - -"What fire? Do you think the prairie is on fire?" - -"Of course. You can see it as well as I if you like." - -"Hem! What Is the meaning of that?" - -"Not much. It is one of the ordinary Indian tricks. We are in the -Comanche moon: are you not aware of that?" - -"I beg your pardon, I am not a wood ranger. I confess to you that all -this alarms me greatly, and that I would willingly give a trifle to be -out of it." - -"You are a child," Don Martial answered him laughingly. "It is evident that -the Indians have fired the prairie to conceal their numbers: they are -coming up behind the fire. You will soon hear their war cry sounding -amid the clouds of smoke and fire which are approaching, and will soon -surround us. By remaining here you run three risks--of being roasted, -scalped, or killed: three most unpleasant things, I grant, and which I -do not think will suit you. You had better come with me. If you are -killed, well, what then? It is a risk to run. Come, dismount; the fire -is gaining on us: soon we shall not have the chance. What will you do?" - -"I will follow you," the lepero replied in a mournful voice. "I must. I -was mad--deuce take me!--to leave Guaymas, where I was so happy--where I -lived without working--to come and thrust my head into such wasps' -nests. I assure you that if I escape he will be a sharp fellow who -catches me here a second time. - -"Bah, bah! People always say that. Make haste; we have no time to lose." - -In fact, the desert for a distance of several leagues burned like the -crater of an immense volcano; the flames undulated and shot along like -the waves of the sea, twisting and felling the largest trees like wisps -of straw. From the thick curtain of copper-coloured smoke which preceded -the flames there escaped, at each moment, bands of coyotes, buffaloes, -and jaguars, which, maddened with terror, rushed into the river, -uttering yells and deafening cries. - -Don Martial and the lepero entered the water; and their noble animals, -impelled by their instinct, hurried in the direction of the other bank. - -This part of the desert formed a strange contrast to that which the men -were leaving. The latter appeared an immense furnace, from which issued -vague rumours, cries of distress, agony and terror; a sea of fire, with -its billows and majestic waves, whose devouring activity swallowed up -everything on their passage, crossing valleys, escalading mountains, and -reducing to impalpable ashes the products of the vegetable and animal -kingdoms. - -The Gila, at this period of the year swollen by the rains which had -fallen in the sierra, had a width double of what it was in summer. At -that period its current becomes strong, and frequently dangerous through -its rapidity; but, at the moment our adventurers crossed it, the -numerous animals which sought to cross it simultaneously in a dense body -had so broken its force, that they reached the other bank in a -comparatively short period. - -"Eh!" Cuchares observed at the moment the horses struck land and began -ascending the bank, "Did you not tell me, Don Martial, that we were -going to the hacienda? We are not taking the road, I fancy." - -"You fancy wrong, comrade. Remember this--in the desert a man must -always appear to turn his back on the object he wishes to reach, or he -will never arrive." - -"Which means?" - -"That we are going to hobble our horses under this tuft of mesquites and -cedar-wood trees, where they will be in perfect safety, and then go -straight to the hacienda." - -The Tigrero immediately dismounted, led his horse under the shelter of -the great trees, took off its bridle in order that it might graze, -hobbled it carefully, and returned to the bank. - -Cuchares, with that resolution of despair which, under certain -circumstances, bears a striking resemblance to courage, imitated his -companion's movements point for point. The worthy lepero had at length -formed an heroic resolve. Persuaded that he was lost, he yielded himself -to the guidance of his lucky or unlucky star with that half timid -fanaticism which can only be compared with that found among the -Easterns. - -As we have said, this side of the river was plunged in shade and -silence, and the adventurers were temporarily protected from any danger. - -"Stay," the lepero again remarked; "it is a good distance from this -place to the hacienda; I can never swim it." - -"Patience. We shall find, I am certain, if we take the trouble to look, -means to shorten it. Ah, look?" he said, a moment later. "What did I say -to you?" - -The Tigrero pointed out to the lepero a small canoe fastened to a stake -in a small creek. - -"The colonists often come here to fish," he continued: "they have -several canoes concealed like this at various spots. We will take this -one, and in a few moments we shall reach our destination. Do you know -how to manage a paddle?" - -"Yes, when I am not afraid." - -Don Martial looked at him for a few seconds, then laying his hand -roughly on his shoulder, said in a sharp voice:-- - -"Listen, Cuchares, my friend. I have no time to discuss the matter -with you; I have extremely serious reasons for acting as I am now doing. -I want on your part hearty co-operation, so take warning in time. You -know me: at the first suspicious movement I will blow out your brains as -I would a coyote's. Now help me to launch the canoe and start." - -The lepero understood--resigned himself. In a few minutes the canoe was -ready and the two men in it. The passage they had to make to reach the -back of the hacienda was not long, but bristled with dangers. In the -first place, through the strength of the current which bore with it a -large quantity of dead trees, most of them still having their branches, -and which, floating half submerged in the water, threatened at each -pull to pierce the frail boat. Next, the animals which continued to shun -the fire, crossed the river in compact bands; and if the canoe were -entangled in one of these _manadas_ mad with terror, it must be crushed -with its passengers. The lightest danger the adventurers ran was the -receipt of a bullet from the sentinels hidden in the bushes which -defended the approach to the colony on the river side. But this danger -was as nothing compared with the others to which we have alluded. There -was every reason for assuming that the French, aroused by the flames, -would direct all their attention to the land side. Besides, Don Martial -believed he had nothing to fear from the sentries, who would probably -have been withdrawn. - -At a signal from Don Martial, Cuchares took up the paddles, and they -started. The fire was rapidly retiring in a western direction while -continuing its ravages. The canoe advanced slowly and cautiously through -the innumerable objects which each moment checked its progress. - -Cuchares, pale as a corpse, with hair standing on end, and eyes enlarged -by terror, rowed on frenziedly, while recommending his soul fervently to -all the numberless saints of the Spanish calendar, for he was more than -ever convinced that he would never emerge in safety from the enterprise -on which he had so foolishly entered. - -In fact, the position was a grave one, and it required all the -resolution with which the Tigrero was endowed, as well as the -excitement caused by the object he hoped to attain, to keep him from -sharing the terror which had seized on his comrade. The further they -advanced the greater the obstacles grew. Obliged to make continued -turns, in consequence of the trees that barred their passage, they only -turned on their own axis, as it were, forced to pass the same spot a -dozen times, and watch on all sides at once, not to be sunk by the -objects, either visible or invisible, which incessantly rose before -them. - -For about two hours they continued this wearying navigation; but they -insensibly approached the hacienda, whose sombre mass stood out from the -starlit sky. Suddenly a terrible cry, raised by a considerable number of -voices, filled the air, and a discharge of artillery and musketry roared -like thunder. - -"Holy Virgin!" Cuchares exclaimed, letting go the paddles and clasping -his hands, "We are lost!" - -"On the contrary," the Tigrero said, "we are saved. The Indians are -attacking the colony; all the French are at the entrenchments, and no -one will dream of watching us. Bold, my good boy! One more good pull, -and all will be over." - -"May God hear you!" the lepero muttered, beginning to paddle again with -a trembling hand. - -"Ah! The attack is serious, it appears. All the better. The harder they -fight over there, the less attention will be paid us. Let us go on." - -The two adventurers, hidden in the shade, paddled on silently, and -gradually approached the hacienda. Don Martial looked searchingly -around: all was silent in this part of the river, which was half a -pistol shot distant from the building. There was no reason for supposing -that they had been seen. The Tigrero bent over his companion. - -"That will do," he whispered; "we have arrived." - -"What! Arrived?" the lepero repeated with a frightened air. "We are -still a long way off." - -"No; at the spot where we now are, whatever may happen, you have nothing -to fear. Remain in the canoe, fasten it to one of the stumps that -surround you, and wait for me." - -"What! Are you going away?" - -"Yes; I shall leave you for an hour or two. Keep a good watch. If you -notice anything new you will imitate the cry of the waterhen twice: you -understand?" - -"Perfectly; but if a serious danger threatened us what ought I to do?" - -The Tigrero reflected for an instant. - -"What danger can threaten you here?" he said. - -"I do not know; but the Indians are fiends incarnate: with them you must -be prepared for anything." - -"You are right. Well, in case of any serious danger threatening us--but -only in that case, you understand--after giving your signal, you will -put across to that point. Mangroves grow there, under the shelter of -which you will be perfectly safe, and I will join you immediately." - -"Very good: but how shall I know where to find you?" - -"I will imitate twice the bark of the prairie dog. Now, be prudent." - -"You may be sure of that." - -The Tigrero took off all the articles of clothing that might embarrass -him, such as his zarape and botas vaqueras, only keeping on his trousers -and vest, put his knife in his belt, made up his pistols, rifle, and -cartouche box in a packet, and imitated the song of the _maukawis_. -Presently a similar sound rose from the bank. The Tigrero then held his -weapons over his head, and glided gently into the water. The lepero soon -perceived him swimming silently and vigorously in the direction of the -hacienda; but the Tigrero was gradually lost in the distance. - -So soon as he was alone Cuchares began to inspect his weapons carefully, -changing the caps so as to be ready for anything, and run no risk of -being taken unawares; then, reassured by the calmness that prevailed -around, he lay down in the bottom of the canoe in spite of the Tigrero's -recommendations, and got ready for a nap. - -The noise of the combat had gradually died away--neither shouts nor -shots could be heard. The Indians, repulsed by the colonists, had given -up their attack. The flames of the fire became less and less bright. The -desert appeared to have fallen back into its ordinary silence and -solitude. - -The lepero, lying on his back at the bottom of the canoe, gazed at the -brilliant stars, glittering in the azure sky. Gently cradled by the -rippling, his eyes closed. At length he reached that point which is -neither sleeping nor waking, and would probably soon have fallen asleep. -At the moment, however, when he was going to yield to his feelings, he -cast a parting sleepy glance over the river. He shuddered, repressed -with difficulty a cry of terror, and started up so violently that he -almost upset the canoe. - -Cuchares had had a fearful vision: he rubbed his eyes vigorously to -assure himself that he was really awake, and looked again. What he had -taken for a vision was only too real; he had seen correctly. - -We have said that the river carried with it a large number of stumps and -dead trees still laden with their branches. During the last hour an -enormous quantity of these trees had collected round the canoe, the -lepero being quite unable to account for the fact, the more so because -these trees, which by the natural laws should have followed the current -and descended with it, cut it in every direction, and, instead of -keeping to the centre of the river, drew constantly nearer to the bank -on which stood the hacienda. - -More extraordinary still, the progress of this floating wood was so -carefully regulated that all converged on one point--the extremity of -the isthmus at the back of the hacienda. Another alarming fact was, that -Cuchares saw eyes flashing and frightful faces peering out from amidst -this raft of interlaced branches, stumps and trees. - -There was no room for doubt: each tree carried at least one Apache. The -Indians, having failed in their attempt on one side, hoped to surprise -the colony from the river, and were swimming up concealed by the trees, -in the midst of which they had collected. The lepero's position was -perplexing. Up to this moment the Indians, busied with their plans, had -paid no attention to the canoe; or, if they had noticed it, thought that -it belonged to one of their party; but the error might be detected at -any moment, and the lepero knew that, in such a case, he would be -hopelessly lost. - -Already, more than once, hands had been laid for a few seconds on the -sides of a frail boat; but, by some providential chance, the owners of -those hands had not thought of looking into the interior of the canoe. - -All these reflections, and many others, Cuchares indulged in while lying -apparently most comfortably at the bottom of the canoe, gently balanced -by the ripple, and watching the brilliant stars defile above his head. -With his features distorted by terror, his face blanched, and holding a -pistol butt convulsively clutched in either hand, while mentally -recommending himself to his patron saint, he awaited the catastrophe -which every passing minute rendered more imminent. - -He had not long to wait. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE INDIAN TRICK. - - -Among the indomitable nations that wander about the deserts contained in -the delta formed by the Rio Gila, the Rio del Norte, and the Colorado, -two claim sovereignty over the rest. They are the Apaches and Comanches. -Irreconcilable enemies, incessantly at war with each other, these two -nations were now allied by a common hatred of the white men, and all -that belongs to that abhorred race. - -Excellent hunters, intrepid horsemen, cruel and pitiless warriors, the -Apaches and Comanches are terrible neighbours for the inhabitants of New -Mexico. Every year, at the same period, these ferocious warriors rush by -thousands from their deserts, cross the rivers by fording or swimming, -and invade the Mexican frontiers at several points, burning and -plundering all they come across, carrying off women and children into -slavery, and spreading desolation and terror for more than twenty -leagues into a civilised territory. - -At the period of the Spanish rule it was not so. Numerous missions, -_presidios_, posts established at regular distances, and bodies of -troops scattered along the entire frontier, repulsed the attacks of the -Indians, drove them back and kept them within the limits of their -hunting grounds; but since the proclamation of their independence the -Mexicans have had so much to do in cutting each other's throats, and -trampling morality underfoot by their incessant revolutions, that the -posts have been called in, the missions plundered, the presidios -abandoned, and the frontiers left to guard themselves. The result has -been that the Indians gradually drew nearer, and finding no serious -resistance before them--for the very simple reason that the Mexican -Government forbids, under heavy penalties, any firearms being given to -the civilised Indians, who alone could fight successfully against the -invaders--the savages have nearly reconquered in a few years what Spain, -in her omnipotence, took ages in wresting from them. The result of this -is that the most fertile country in the world remains unfilled; not a -step can be taken in this hapless country without stumbling on still -smoking ruins; and the boldness of the savages has so increased, that -they now do not even take the trouble to hide their expeditions, which -they make annually at the same period, in the same month nearly on the -same day, and that the month is called by them in derision the "Mexican -Moon;" that is to say, the moon during which the Mexicans are plundered. - -All the facts we narrate here would be the height of buffoonery were -they not also the height of atrocity. - -The Black Bear had founded the great confederation to which he had -previously alluded, for the purpose of restoring himself in the credit -of his fellow countrymen, whom several unsuccessful expeditions had -turned against him. Like all Indian chiefs of any standing, he was -ambitious. He had already succeeded in destroying several smaller -tribes, and incorporating them with his nation: he now aspired to -nothing less than humbling the Comanches, and compelling them to -recognise his authority. It was a difficult, if not impossible -enterprise; for the Comanche nation is justly recognised as the most -warlike and dangerous in the desert. This nation, which proudly calls -itself the Queen of the Prairies, can hardly endure the presence of the -Apaches on the ground they consider belonging to themselves, and forming -their hunting territory. The Comanches have an immense advantage over -the other prairie Indians--an advantage which causes their strength, and -makes them so terrible to the nations they combat. Owing to the -precaution they have taken of never drinking spirits, they have escaped -the general degradation and most of the diseases which decimate the -other Indians, and have remained vigorous and intelligent. - -The Jester, like the Black Bear, had no great faith in the duration of -the alliance formed between the two nations: the hatred he bore the -Apaches was, indeed, too profound for him to desire it; but the -foundation of the Guetzalli colony by the French, by permanently -establishing the white men, on a territory they regarded as belonging to -themselves, was a too serious menace for the Comanches and other Indios -Bravos, and they attempted every possible scheme to get rid of these -troublesome neighbours. Hence they had temporarily hung up their old -rancour and private enmities on behalf of the general welfare, but for -that only. It was tacitly agreed between them that, so soon as the -strangers were expelled, each nation would be free to act as it pleased. - -We have seen in what way the Jester began hostilities. The Black Bear -had a scheme which he had been ripening for a long time, though not -possessing the means to put it in execution; but knowing where to obtain -the information he needed, he went to Guaymas. The Tigrero, by proposing -to him to enter the colony as a guide, had unsuspectingly supplied him -with the pretext he sought. Thus, during the few hours he spent at the -hacienda, he had not lost his time, and with that cunning peculiar to -the Indians, discovered all the weak points of the place. - -There was another reason to inflame his desire to seize the hacienda. -Like all the redskins, his dream was to have a white woman in his lodge. -Fatality, by bringing him across Dona Anita, had suddenly re-enkindled the -secret hope he entertained, and made him suppose he would at length -possess the woman he sought so long without being able to find her. -It must not be thought that the Black Bear loved the Spanish maiden: no, -he wanted a white squaw, that was all. He was humiliated by the -knowledge that the other chiefs of his nation had slaves of that colour, -while he alone had none. Had Dona Anita been ugly, he would have tried -to carry her off all the same. She was lovely--all the better; and we -may add here that the Apache chief did not consider her beautiful. -According to his Indian notions she was passable, that was all; the only -thing he valued in her was her colour. - -The Black Bear, standing with his principal warriors on the point of the -island, remained silent, with his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes -fixed on vacancy, till the moment when the first gleams of the fire -kindled by the Jester tinged the horizon with a blood-red hue. - -"My brother, the Jester, is an experienced chief," he said, "and a -faithful ally. He has well fulfilled the mission intrusted to him. He is -now smoking the paleface dogs. What the Comanches have begun the Apaches -will finish." - -"The Black Bear is the first warrior of his nation," the Little Panther -replied. "Who would dare to contend with him?" - -The Indian Sachem smiled at this flattery. - -"If the Comanches are antelopes, the Apaches are otters; they can, if -they please, swim in the water, or march on land. The palefaces have -lived. The Great Spirit is in me; it is He who dictates to me the words -my tongue utters." - -The warriors bowed. The Black Bear continued, after a moment's -silence:-- - -"What do the Apache warriors care for the fire tubes of the palefaces? -Have they not long, barbed arrows and intrepid hearts? My brothers will -follow me; we will take the scalps of these pale dogs, and fasten them -to our horses' manes, and their wives shall be our slaves." - -Shouts of joy and enthusiasm greeted these words. - -"The river is covered with numerous trunks of trees: my sons are not -squaws to fatigue themselves uselessly. They will place themselves on -these dead trees, and drift with the current down to the great lodge of -the palefaces. Let my brothers prepare. The Black Bear will set out at -the sixth hour, when the blue jay has sung twice, and the walkon has -uttered its shrill cry. I have spoken. Two hundred warriors will follow -the Black Bear." - -The chiefs bowed respectfully before the sachem, and left him alone. He -wrapped himself up in his buffalo robe, sat down by the fire, lit his -calumet by means of a medicine staff adorned with bells and feathers, -and remained silent, with his eyes fixed on the gradually extending -prairie fire. - -The island in which the Apache chief had formed his camp was at no great -distance from the French colony. The project of floating down had no -very great danger for these men, accustomed to every sort of bodily -exercise, and who swam like fish: it possessed the great advantage of -completely concealing the approach of the warriors hidden by the water -and the branches, and who, at the proper moment, would rush on the -colony like a swarm of famished vultures. - -The Black Bear was so convinced of the success of this stratagem, which -only an Indian brain could have conceived, that he only took with him -two hundred chosen men, thinking it unnecessary to lead more against -enemies taken by surprise, and who, compelled to defend themselves -against the Comanches led by the Jester, would be attacked in the rear -and massacred before they had time to look around them. - -Night sets in rapidly and suddenly in countries where the twilight does -not last longer than a lightning flash. Soon all became darkness, save -that, in the distance, a wide strip of coppery red announced the -progress of the flames, behind which the Comanches galloped like a pack -of hideous wolves over the still glowing earth, trampling under their -horses' hoofs the charred wood which was still smouldering. - -When the Black Bear considered the moment had arrived he put out his -calumet, scattered the fire, and gave a signal perfectly well understood -by the Little Panther, who was watching to execute the orders the chief -might be pleased to give. Almost immediately the two hundred warriors -selected for the expedition made their appearance. They were all picked -men, armed with clubs and lances, while their shields hung on their -backs. After a moment's silence, employed by the sachem in a species of -inspection, he said in a deep voice,-- - -"We are about to set out; the palefaces we are destined to fight are not -Yoris: they are said to be very brave, but the Apaches are the bravest -warriors in the world; no one can contend against them. My sons may be -killed, but they will conquer." - -"The warriors will suffer themselves to be killed," the Indians replied -with one voice. - -"Wah!" the Black Bear continued, "my sons have spoken well; the Black -Bear has confidence in them. The Wacondah will not abandon them; he loves -the red men. And now, my sons, we will collect the dead trees floating -on the river, and float down the current with them. The cry of the -condor will be their signal to rush on the palefaces." - -The Indians immediately began executing their chiefs orders. All strove -to reach the trunks of trees or stumps. In a few moments a considerable -quantity was collected near the point of the island. The Black Bear -turned a palling glance around, gave the signal for departure, and was -the first to enter the water and clamber on a tree. All the rest -followed him immediately without the slightest hesitation. - -The Apaches behaved so cleverly in bringing the tree trunks to the -island, and had chosen their position so well, that when they set the -trees in motion again they almost immediately struck the current, and -began to follow the river gently, drifting imperceptibly in the -direction of the colony where they wished to land. - -Still this navigation, so essentially eccentric, offered grave -inconveniences and even serious dangers to those who undertook it. The -Indians, left without paddles on the trees, were obliged to follow the -stream, only succeeding in holding on by extraordinary efforts. Like all -wood floating at the mercy of the waves, the trees continually revolved, -compelling those holding on to them to employ all their strength and -skill, lest they might be submerged at every moment. There was another -difficulty, too: it was absolutely necessary to keep in the water, so as -to give the trees the proper direction and make them reach the colony, -instead of following the current in the middle of the stream. A further -inconvenience, not the least grave of all, was that the trees on which -the Apaches were mounted met others as they floated along, against which -they struck, or their branches became so interlaced that it was -impossible to part them, and they had to be taken on as well; so that, -at the end of half an hour, an immense raft was formed, which appeared -to occupy the entire width of the river. - -The Indians are obstinate: when they have undertaken an expedition they -never give it up till it is irrevocably proved to them that success is -impossible. This happened on the present occasion; several men were -drowned, others wounded so severely that they were compelled to regain -the bank against their will. The others, however, held on; and, -encouraged by their chief, who did not cease addressing them, they -continued to descend the river. - -Long before the island from which they set out had disappeared behind -them in the windings formed by the irregular course of the river; the -point on which the buildings of the colony stood appeared but a short -way ahead, when the Black Bear, who was at the head of the party, and -whose piercing eye incessantly surveyed the scene around, noticed a -canoe a few yards ahead attached to a dead stump, gracefully dancing on -the water. - -This canoe at once appeared suspicious to the cautious Indian. It did -not seem natural to him that, at such an advanced hour of the night, any -boat should be thus tied up in the river: but the Black Bear was a man -of prompt decision, whom nothing embarrassed, and who rapidly formed his -plans. After carefully examining this, mysterious canoe, still -stationary before him, he stooped over to the Little Panther, who hung -on to the same tree in readiness to execute his orders, and, placing his -knife between his teeth, the chief unloosed his hold and dived. - -He rose again near the canoe, seized it boldly, pulled it over, and -leaped in right on Cuchares' chest and seized him by the throat. This -movement was executed so rapidly that the lepero could not employ his -weapons, and found himself completely at the mercy of his enemy before -he understood what had occurred. - -"Wah!" the Indian exclaimed with surprise on recognising him. "What is -my brother doing here?" - -The lepero had also recognised the chief, and, without knowing why, this -restored him a slight degree of courage. - -"You see," he answered, "I am sleeping." - -"Wah! My brother was afraid of the fire, and for that reason took to the -river." - -"Quite right, chief; you have hit it the first time. I _was_ afraid of -the fire." - -"Good!" the Apache continued, with a mocking smile peculiar to himself. -"My brother is not alone. Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"Eh? I do not know the Great Buffalo, chief. I don't even know whom you -are talking about." - -"All the palefaces have a forked tongue. Why does not my brother speak -the truth?" - -"I am quite willing to do so, but I do not understand you." - -"The Black Bear is a great Apache warrior; he can speak the language of -his nation, but he knows badly that of the Yoris." - -"I did not mean that. You express yourself excellently in Castilian, but -you are speaking of a person I do not know." - -"Wah! Is that possible?" the Indian said, with feigned amazement. "Does -not my brother know the warrior with whom he was two days ago?" - -"O! Now I understand; you are talking of Don Martial. Yes, certainly I -know him." - -"Good!" the chief replied; "I knew that I was not mistaken. Why is my -brother not with him at this moment?" - -"Probably because I am here," the lepero said with a grin. - -"That is true; but as I am in a hurry, and my brother does not wish to -answer me, I am going to kill him." - -Saying this in a tone which admitted of no tergiversation, the Black -Bear raised his knife. The lepero saw well enough that, if he did not -obey the Indian, he was lost, and his hesitation ceased as if by -enchantment. - -"What do you want of me?" he said. - -"The truth." - -"Question me." - -"My brother will answer?" - -"Yes." - -"Good! Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"There," he said, pointing in the direction of the hacienda. - -"How long?" - -"For more than an hour." - -"For what reason has he gone there?" - -"You can guess." - -"Yes. Are they together?" - -"They ought to be so, as she called him to her." - -"Wah! And when will he return?" - -"I do not know." - -"He did not tell my brother? - -"No." - -"Will he come back alone?" - -"I do not know." - -The Indian fixed a glance on him, as if trying to read his very heart. -The lepero was calm: he had honestly told all he knew. - -"Good!" the chief continued the next moment. "Did not the Great Buffalo -agree on a signal with his friend, in order to rejoin when he pleased?" - -"He did." - -"What is, that signal?" - -At this question a singular idea crossed Cuchares' brain. The leperos -belong to a strange race, which only bears a likeness to the Neapolitan -lazzaroni. At once prodigal and avaricious, greedy and disinterested, -extremely rash, and frightful cowards, they are the strangest medley of -all that is good and all that is bad. In them everything is blunted and -imperfect. They only act on the impulse of the moment, without -reflection, or passion. Eternal mockers, they believe in nothing and yet -believe in everything. To sum them up in a word, their life is a -constant antithesis; and for a jest which may cost their life they would -sacrifice their most devoted friend, just as they will save him. - -Cuchares was a perfect personification of this eccentric race. Though -the Apache chief's knife was scarce two inches from his breast, and he -knew that his ferocious enemy would show him no mercy, he suddenly -resolved to play him a trick, no matter the cost. We will not add that -his friendship for Don Martial unconsciously pleaded on his behalf, for -we repeat that the lepero feels no friendship for any one, not even -himself, and that his heart only exists in the shape of bowels. - -"The chief wishes to know the signal?" he said. - -"Yes," the Apache replied, - -Cuchares, with the utmost coolness, imitated the cry of the waterhen. - -"Silence!" the Black Bear exclaimed; "it is not that." - -"Pardon," the lepero replied with a grin; "perhaps I gave it badly," and -he repeated it. - -The Indian, roused by his enemy's impudence, rushed upon him, resolved -to finish him with his knife; but, blinded by his fury, he calculated -badly, and gave too violent an oscillation to the canoe. The light bark, -whose equilibrium was disturbed, turned over, and the two men rolled -into the river. Once in the water, the lepero, who swam like an otter, -set off in the direction of the hacienda as fast as he could speed. But -if he swam well, the Black Bear swam at least equally well. The first -movement of surprise overcome, the chief almost immediately discovered -his enemy's trail. - -Then began the two men a contest of skill and strength. Perhaps it would -have ended to the advantage of the white man, who had a considerable -start, had not several warriors, witnesses of what had occurred, swum -off too, and cut off the fugitive's retreat. Cuchares saw that flight -was impossible; hence, not attempting to continue a hopeless struggle, -he proceeded towards a tree, to which he clung, and awaited with -magnificent coolness whatever might happen. - -The Black Bear soon came up with him. The chief displayed no ill temper -at the trick the lepero had played him. - -"Wah!" he merely said, "my brother is a warrior: he has the craft of the -opossum." - -"Of what use is it to me," Cuchares answered carelessly, "if I cannot -succeed in saving my scalp?" - -"Perhaps," the Indian said. "Let my brother tell me where the Great -Buffalo is." - -"I have already told you, chief." - -"Yes, my brother told me that his friend was in the great lodge of the -palefaces, but he did not say at what place." - -"Hum! And if I tell you shall I be free?" - -"Yes, if my brother has not a forked tongue: if he speaks the truth, so -soon as we land on the bank, he will be free to go where he pleases." - -"A poor favour!" the lepero muttered, shaking his head. - -"Well," the chief continued, "what will my brother do?" - -"My faith!" Cuchares said, suddenly making up his mind, "I have done for -Don Martial all it was humanly possible to do. Now that he is warned, -each for himself. I must save my skin. Stay, chief; follow the direction -of my finger. You see those mangroves on the projecting point?" - -"I see them." - -"Well, behind those mangroves you will find the man you call the Great -Buffalo." - -"Good! The Black Bear is a chief; he has only one word; the paleface -shall be free." - -"Thanks." - -The conversation was hurriedly broken off, more especially as the -Apaches were rapidly approaching the banks. They had let go of the most -of the trees to which they had hitherto been clinging, and were -collected in small groups of ten or twelve on the larger trees. - -The hacienda was silent; not a light burned there; all was calm; it -looked like a deserted habitation. This profound tranquility excited the -suspicions of the Black Bear; it seemed to forebode an impending storm. -Before risking a landing he wished to assure himself positively of what -he had to expect. He uttered the cry of the iguana, and swam towards the -bank. The Apaches comprehended their chiefs intention, and stopped. At -the end of a few moments they saw him crawling along the sand. The Black -Bear walked a few paces along; he saw nothing, heard nothing; then, -completely reassured, he returned to the water's edge, and gave the -signal for landing. - -The Apaches quitted the trees and began swimming. Cuchares profited by -the moment of disorder to disappear, which was an easy matter, as no one -was thinking of him. Still the Apaches formed in a single line, and swam -vigorously; in a few minutes they reached the bank, and landed; then -they rushed at full speed towards the hacienda. - -"Fire!" a stentorian voice suddenly commanded. A loud and frightful -discharge instantaneously followed. The Apaches responded by howlings of -rage, and themselves surprised by the men they had hoped to surprise, -rushed upon them, brandishing their weapons. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF. - - -We will now return to the hunters, whom we have too long neglected, for -during the events we have been narrating they had not remained entirely -inactive. - -After the departure of the two Mexicans, Belhumeur and his friends -remained silent for an instant. The Canadian played with the charcoal -that had fallen from the brazier on to the ground; in fact, he was lost -in thought. Don Louis, with his chin resting on the palm of his hand, -was watching with distraught air the sparkles which crackled, glistened, -and went out. Eagle-head, alone of the party, wrapped up in his buffalo -robe, smoked his calumet with that stoicism and calm appearance which -belong exclusively to his race. - -"However it may be," the Canadian suddenly said, replying to the ideas -which bothered him, and thinking aloud rather than intending to renew -the conversation, "the conduct of those two men seems to me -extraordinary, not to say something else." - -"Would you suspect any treachery?" Don Louis asked, looking up. - -"In the desert you must always suspect treachery," Belhumeur said -peremptorily, "especially from chance companions." - -"Still this Tigrero, this Don Martial--that is his name I think--has a -very honest eye, my friend, to be a traitor." - -"That is true; still you will agree that ever since we first met him his -conduct has been remarkably queer." - -"I grant it; but you know as well as I how much passion blinds a man. I -believe him to be in love." - -"So do I. Still notice, pray, that in all this affair which regards him -specially, and in which we have only mixed ourselves to do him a -service, while neglecting our own occupations, he has always kept in the -background, as if afraid to show himself." - -At this moment Blas Vasquez, after stationing the peons a short distance -off, so as to remain unseen, came up and took his seat by the fire. - -"There!" he said, "All is ready: the Apaches can come and attack us -whenever they think proper." - -"One word, capataz," Belhumeur said. - -"Two if you like." - -"Do you know the man to whom you delivered a letter just now?" - -"Why do you ask?" - -"To gain some information about him." - -"Personally I know very little of him. All I can tell you is that he -enjoys an excellent reputation through the whole province, and is -generally regarded as a caballero and gallant man." - -"That is something," the Canadian muttered, shaking his head; "but, for -all that, I do not know why, but his sudden departure makes me very -restless." - -"Wah!" Eagle-head suddenly said, withdrawing from his lips the tube of -his calumet, and bending forward, while bidding his comrades to silence. -All remained motionless, with their eyes fixed on the Indian. - -"What is it?" Belhumeur at length asked. - -"Fire," the other replied slowly. "The Apaches are coming: they are -burning the prairie before them." - -"What?" Belhumeur exclaimed, rising and looking all around. "I see no -trace of fire." - -"No, not yet; but the fire is coming--I can smell it." - -"Hum! If the chief says so, it must be true; he is too experienced a -warrior to be deceived. What is to be done?" - -"We have nothing to fear from fire here," the capataz observed. - -"We have not," Don Louis quickly exclaimed; "but the inhabitants of the -hacienda?" - -"Not more than we," Belhumeur replied. "See all the trees have been cut -down, and rooted up to too great a distance from the colony for the fire -to reach it; it is only a stratagem employed by the Indians to arrive -without being counted." - -"Still I am of this caballero's opinion," the capataz said; "we should -do well to warn the hacienda." - -"There is something even more urgent to do," Don Louis said, "and that -is to send off a clever scout to learn positively with whom we have to -deal, who our enemies are, if they are numerous." - -"One does not prevent the other," Belhumeur remarked. "In a case like -the present, two precautions are worth more than one. This is my advice. -Eagle-head will reconnoitre the foe, while we proceed to the hacienda." - -"All of us?" the capataz observed. - -"No; your position here is secure, and you will be able, in the event of -an attack, to render important service. Don Louis and I will proceed -alone to the colony. Remember that you must not show yourselves under -any pretext. Whatever may happen, await the order for acting. Is that -agreed to?" - -"Go, caballeros; I will not betray your confidence." - -"Good! Now to work, I have no advice to offer you, chief: you will find -us at the hacienda if you learn anything of importance." - -Upon this these men, so long accustomed to act without losing precious -time in useless words, separated; Don Louis and Belhumeur returning to -the mainland on the side of the hacienda, while the chief rode off in -the opposite direction. Blas Vasquez remained alone with his peons; but -as he had been for many years accustomed to Indian warfare, and -understood the responsibility he took on himself from this moment, he -felt that he must redouble his vigilance. Hence he posted sentinels at -every point, recommended them the utmost attention, came back to the -brazier, wrapped himself in his fresada, and went quietly to sleep, -certain that his men would carefully watch all that took place on the -mainland. - -We will, for a moment, leave Don Louis and his friend, to follow -Eagle-head. - -The mission the chief had undertaken was anything rather than easy; but -Eagle-head was a man of experience thoroughly versed in Indian tricks, -and endowed with that unalterable phlegm which is a great ingredient of -success in certain circumstances of life. After leaving his companions -he walked quietly down to the water's edge, and when he reached the spot -where he intended to cross the river his plan was all arranged in his -head. - -The chief, instead of passing to that side of the river by which the -enemy would come, preceded by the conflagration, crossed to the other. -So soon as he reached the bank he allowed his horse a few moments for -breathing; then leaping at a bound onto the panther skin that served as -his saddle, he galloped at full speed in the direction of the enemy's -camp. This furious race lasted two hours. Night had long succeeded the -day; the pale gleams of the conflagration served as a beacon to the -chief and showed him in the darkness the road he should follow. At the -end of these two hours the chief found himself just opposite the most -advanced point of the island, where the Apaches were at this moment -engaged in collecting the driftwood they meant to use in the surprise of -the colony. Eagle-head stopped. On his right, far behind him, the -conflagration raged in the horizon; around him all was silence and -obscurity. For a long time the Indian attentively watched the island: a -secret presentiment warned him that there was the danger for him. - -Still, after careful reflection, the chief resolved to advance a few -paces further, and recross the river at the point opposite this island, -which seemed to him more suspicious because it was so tranquil. However, -before carrying out this plan, a sudden inspiration flashed across his -mind. He dismounted, hid his horse in a thicket, laid aside his rifle -and buffalo robe; then, after attempting to pierce the surrounding -gloom, he stretched himself on the ground, and crawled to the river's -bank. He gently entered the water, and swimming and diving in turn, -proceeded to the island, which he presently reached. - -But at the instant he landed, and was about to rise, an almost -imperceptible sound smote his ear; he fancied he could notice an -extraordinary commotion in the water all around him. Eagle-head plunged -again, and retired from the bank on which he had been on the point of -landing. Suddenly, at the moment he rose to the surface to take in a -fresh supply of air, he saw two burning eyes flashing before him; he -received a violent blow on the chest, and felt a powerful hand clutch -his throat as in a vice. Eagle-head saw that, unless he made a desperate -effort, he would be lost, and he attempted it. Seizing in his turn his -unknown foe who held him by the throat, he clung round him with the -vigour of despair. - -Then a horrible and silent struggle commenced in the river--a sinister -struggle, in which he sought to kill his adversary, without thinking to -repel his attacks. The water, troubled by the efforts of the two -combatants, bubbled as if alligators were engaged. At length a bloody -and disfigured body rose inertly to the surface, and floated. A few -seconds later, and a head appeared above the water, casting startled -glances around. - -At the sight of his enemy's corpse the victor indulged in a diabolical -smile; he seized him by his warlock, and swimming with one hand, dragged -the body, not to the island, but to the mainland. - -Eagle-head had conquered the Apache who attacked him in so unforeseen a -manner. The chief reached the bank, but did not leave the corpse, which -he dragged along till it was completely out of the water; then he lifted -the scalp, placed the hideous trophy in his belt, and remounted his -horse. - -The Indian had divined the Apaches' tactics; the attack of which he had -been so nearly the victim revealed to him the stratagem they designed. -It was unnecessary for him to push his investigations on the island -further. Still, had he abandoned to the current his enemy's corpse, it -would have infallibly floated down among his brothers, and revealed the -presence of a spy; so he had been careful to convey it to the bank, -where no one, save by some extraordinary accident, could discover it -before sunrise. - -The few minutes' rest he had granted his horse would have been -sufficient to restore all its vigour. The chief might have returned to -his friends, for what he had discovered was of immense importance to -them; but Belhumeur had specially recommended him to discover the -strength and nature of the war detachment which was marching on the -colony. Eagle-head was anxious to accomplish his mission; and besides, -the struggle he has undergone, and from which he had emerged as victor -by a miracle, had produced a certain amount of excitement, urging him to -carry out the adventure to the end. - -He plucked a few leaves to stop the blood from a slight wound he had -received in his left arm, fastened them on with a piece of bark, and -rode his horse once more into the river. But, as he had nothing to -examine, and did not wish to be discovered, he took care to pass at a -considerable distance from the island. On the other bank, owing to the -care taken by the Indians to burn everything, the trail was wide and -perfectly visible. In spite of the darkness the chief found no -difficulty in following it. - -The fire kindled by the Indians had not caused such ravages as might be -supposed. All that part of the prairie, with the exception of a few -scattered clumps of poplars at great distances apart, was covered with -long grass, already half burned up by the torrid beams of a summer sun. -This grass had burned rapidly, producing what the incendiaries -desired--a large quantity of smoke, but scarcely heating the ground, -which had allowed the redskins to march rapidly on the colony. - -Owing to his headlong speed, and the few hours those who preceded him -had been compelled to lose, the chief arrived almost simultaneously with -them before the hacienda; that is to say, he came up with them at the -moment when, after making a futile assault on the isthmus battery they -fled pursued by a shower of grape, which decimated their ranks; for, -having burnt everything, they had no trees to shelter them. Still the -majority managed to escape, owing to the speed of their horses. - -Eagle-head found himself unexpectedly in the very midst of the -fugitives. At first each man was too anxious about his own safety to -have time to notice him, and the chief profited by it to turn aside and -step behind a rock. But then a strange thing happened. The chief had -scarce escaped from the fugitives, and examined them for a moment, ere a -strange smile played on his lips; he spurred his horse, and bounded into -the very midst of the Indians, uttering twice a shrill, peculiar cry. At -this cry the Indians stopped in their flight, and rushing from all sides -toward the man who uttered it, they ranged themselves tumultuously -round--the chief with an expression of superstitious fear, and passive -and respectful obedience. - -The Eagle-head looked haughtily on the crowd that surrounded him, for he -was taller by a head than any man present. - -"Wah!" he at length said in a guttural voice, with an accent of bitter -reproach. "Have the Comanches become timid antelopes that they fly like -Apache dogs before the bullets of the palefaces?" - -"Eagle-head! Eagle-head!" the warriors shouted with joy mingled with -shame, looking down before the chiefs flashing glance. - -"Why have my sons left the hunting grounds of the Del Norte without the -order of a sachem? Are they now the _rastreros_ (bloodhounds) of the -Apaches?" - -A suppressed murmur ran through the ranks at this cruel reproach. - -"A sachem has spoken," Eagle-head continued sharply. "Is there no one to -answer him? Have the Comanches of the Lakes no chiefs left to command -them?" - -A warrior then broke through the ranks of the Comanches, approached -Eagle-head, and bowed his head respectfully down to his horse's neck. - -"The Jester is a chief," he said in a gentle and harmonious voice. - -Eagle-head's face was unwrinkled--his features instantaneously lost -their expression of fury. He turned on the warrior who had addressed him -a glance full of tenderness, and, offering him his right hand, palm -upwards,-- - -"Och! My heart is joyous at seeing my son, the Jester. The warriors will -camp here while the two sachems hold a council." - -And making an imperious sign to the chief, he withdrew with him, -followed by the eyes of the redskins, who hastened to obey the order he -had so peremptorily given. Eagle-head and the Jester had gone so far -that their conversation could not be overheard. - -"Let us hold a council," the chief said, as he sat down on a stone, and -signed to the Jester to take a place by his side. The latter obeyed -without reply. There was a long silence, during which the two Indians -examined each other attentively, in spite of the indifference they -affected. At length Eagle-head spoke in a slow and accentuated voice. - -"Eagle-head is a warrior renowned in his nation," he said; "he is the -first sachem of the Comanches of the Lakes; his totem shelters beneath -its mighty and protecting shadow the innumerable sons of the great -sacred tortoise, _Chemiin-Antou_, whose glistening shell has supported the -world since the Wacondah hurled into space the first man and the first -woman after their fault. The words which come from the breast of -Eagle-head are those of a sagamore; his tongue is not forked--a -falsehood never sullied his lips. Eagle-head acted as a father to the -Jester; he taught him how to tame a horse, pierce with his arrows the -rapid antelope, or to stifle in his arms the mighty boar. Eagle-head -loves the Jester, who is the son of his third wife's sister. Eagle-head -gave a place at the council fire to the Jester; he made a chief of him; -and when he went away from the villages of his nation he said to him, -'My son will command my warriors: he will lead them to hunt, to fish and -to war.' Are these words true? Does Eagle-head speak falsely?" - -"My father's words are true," the chief answered with a bow: "wisdom -speaks through his lips." - -"Why, then, has my son allied himself with the enemies of his nation to -fight the friends of his father, the sachem?" - -The chief let his head fall in confusion. - -"Why, without consulting the man who has ever aided and supported him by -his counsel, has he undertaken an unjust war?" - -"An unjust war?" the chief remarked with a certain degree of animation. - -"Yes, as it is carried on in concert with the enemies of our nation." - -"The Apaches are redskins." - -"The Apaches are cowardly and thievish dogs, whose deceitful tongues I -will pluck out." - -"But the palefaces are the enemies of the Indians." - -"Those whom my son attacked last night are not Yoris; they are -the friends of Eagle-head." - -"My father will pardon the warrior: he did not know it." - -"If the Jester really was ignorant of it, is he ready to repair the -fault he has committed?" - -"The Jester has three hundred warriors beneath his totem. Eagle-head has -come: they are his." - -"Good! I see that the Jester is still my well-beloved son. With what -chief has he made alliance? It cannot be with the Black Bear, the -implacable enemy of the Comanches, the man who but four moons past -burned two villages of my nation?" - -"A cloud had passed over the mind of the Jester: his hatred for the -white men blinded him; wisdom deserted him; he has allied himself with -the Black Bear." - -"Wah! Eagle-head did right to return toward the villages of his fathers. -Will my son obey the sachem?" - -"Whatever he orders I will do." - -"Good! Let my son follow me." - -The two chiefs rose. Eagle-head proceeded towards the isthmus, waving -his buffalo robe in his right hand as a sign of peace. The Jester -followed a few paces behind. The Comanches beheld with amazement their -sachems asking an interview with the Yoris; but accustomed to obey their -leaders without discussing the orders they were pleased to give, they -evinced no anger at this step, whose object, however, they did not -understand. The sentries posted behind the isthmus battery easily -distinguished in the moon's rays the pacific movements of the Indians, -and allowed them to come as far as the trench. - -"A sachem wishes an interview with the chief of the palefaces," -Eagle-head then said. - -"Good!" a voice replied in Spanish from the inside. "Wait a -moment--I will send for him." - -The two Comanche warriors bowed, crossed their hands on their breast, -and waited. - -Don Louis and Belhumeur had had a long conversation with Don Sylva and -the count, in which they revealed to them in what way they had learnt -that the Indians meant to attack them; the name of the man who had -informed them so correctly; and his singular conduct, in that, after -having in a measure compelled them to mix themselves up in a dangerous -affair which did not at all concern them, he had suddenly abandoned them -without any valid reason, under the futile pretext of returning to -Guaymas, where he said that important business claimed his presence with -the least possible delay. - -This news had a lively effect on the two hearers: Don Sylva especially, -could not repress a movement of anger on hearing that the man was no -other than Don Martial. He guessed at once the Tigrero's object--that he -hoped to carry off Dona Anita during the confusion. Still Don Sylva -would not impart his suspicions to his future son-in-law, intending to -tell him, were it absolutely necessary, at the last moment, but resolved -to watch his daughter closely, for this sudden departure of Don Martial -seemed to him to conceal a snare. - -Belhumeur then explained to the count the position in which he had -placed the capataz and his peons, and the mission Eagle-head had -undertaken, the result of which he would probably soon come to the -hacienda to tell. The count warmly thanked the two men who, without -knowing him, rendered him such eminent services; he offered them all the -refreshments they might need and then went to give his lieutenant orders -to warn him so soon as an Indian presented himself for a parley. - -On his side, Don Sylva retired with the ostensible object of reassuring -his daughter, but in reality to inspect the sentries stationed at the -rear of the hacienda. When the Comanches attacked the isthmus, the -French, put on their guard, received them so warmly that in the very -first attack the Indians recognised the futility of their attempt, and -retired in disorder. - -Monsieur de Lhorailles was talking with the two visitors about the -incidents of the fight, and was astonished at the prolonged absence of -Don Sylva, who had disappeared during the last hour without leaving a -trace, when Lieutenant Leroux entered the room where the three men were -conversing. - -"What do you want?" the count asked him. - -"Captain," he answered, "two Indians are waiting at the trench for -permission to enter." - -"Two?" Belhumeur asked. - -"Yes, two." - -"That is strange," the Canadian continued. - -"What shall we do?" the count said. - -"Go and have a look at them." - -They proceeded to the battery. - -"Well?" the count said. - -"Well, sir, one of these men is certainly Eagle-head; but I do not know -the other." - -"And your advice is--" - -"To let them come in. As this Indian, who is apparently a chief, comes -in the company of Eagle-head, he can only be a friend." - -"Be it so, then." - -The count gave a signal; the drawbridge was lowered, and the two chiefs -entered. The Indian sachems saluted all present with that native dignity -that distinguishes them, and then Eagle-head, on Belhumeur's invitation, -gave an account of his mission. The Frenchmen listened to him with an -attention mingled with admiration, not only for the skill he had -displayed, but also the courage of which he had given proof. - -"And now," the chief continued on ending his report, "the Jester has -understood the error into which a hatred threw him; he breaks the -alliance he formed with the Apaches, and is resolved to obey in all -respects his father Eagle-head, in order to repent his fault. Eagle-head -is a sachem--his word is granite. He places three hundred Comanche -warriors at the disposition of his brothers the palefaces." - -The count looked hesitatingly at the Canadian: knowing the trickery of -the Indians, he felt a repugnance to trust them. Belhumeur shrugged his -shoulders imperceptibly. - -"The great pale chief thanks my brother Eagle-head: he accepts his offer -with joy. His hand will ever be open, and his heart pure, for the -Comanches. The war detachment of my brother will be divided into two -parts: one, under the command of the Jester, will be concealed on the -other side of the river, to cut off the retreat of the Apaches; the -other will enter the hacienda with Eagle-head, in order to support the -palefaces. The Yori warriors are hidden in the isle, two bow-shots from -the great lodge; they will accompany the Jester." - -"Good!" Eagle-head replied; "all shall be done as my brother desires." - -The two chiefs took leave and withdrew. Belhumeur then explained to the -count the arrangements he had made with the Comanche sachem. - -"Hang it!" De Lhorailles said, "I confess that I have not the slightest -confidence in the Indians. You know that treachery is their favourite -weapon." - -"You do not know the Comanches; and, above all, you do not know -Eagle-head. I take on myself all the responsibility." - -"Act, then, as you please. I am too much indebted to you to thwart your -projects, especially when you are acting for my good." - -Belhumeur went himself to advise the capataz of the change effected in -the defensive measures. The Jester and one hundred and fifty warriors, -accompanied by the forty peons, at once crossed the river, and ambushed -themselves on the opposite bank in a clump of mangroves, ready to appear -at the first signal. The Frenchmen, with Eagle-head and a second troop -of Indians, were left to defend the isthmus, a point where they were -almost certain of not being attacked. All the other colonists concealed -themselves in the dense thickets that masked the rear of the hacienda, -with strict orders to remain invisible till the word was given to fire. -Then, when all the arrangements were made, the count and his comrades -awaited with a beating heart the Indians' attack. They had not long to -wait; and we have seen in what fashion the Black Bear was received. - -The Apache chief was brave as a lion; his warriors were picked men. The -collision was terrible; the redskins did not give way an inch. -Incessantly repulsed, incessantly they returned to the charge, fighting -hand to hand with the French, who, in spite of their bravery, their -discipline, and superiority of weapons, could not rout them. The combat -had degenerated into a horrible carnage, in which the fighters clutched -each other, stabbing and mangling, without loosing hold. Belhumeur saw -that he must attempt a decisive blow to finish with these demons, who -seemed invincible and invulnerable. He stooped down to Louis, who was -fighting by his side, and whispered a few words in his ear. The -Frenchman disembarrassed himself of the foe with whom he was fighting, -and ran off. - -A few minutes later the war cry of the Comanches was heard, strident and -terrible; and the redskin warriors bounded like jaguars on the Apaches, -swinging their clubs and long lances. At first the Black Bear fancied -assistance had arrived for him, and that the colony was in the power of -the allies but this hope did not endure a second. Then demoralisation -seized on the Apaches; they hesitated, and suddenly turned their backs, -rushing into the river, and leaving on the battlefield more than -two-thirds of their comrades. - -The colonists contented themselves with firing a few rounds of canister -at the fugitives, feeling certain they woould not escape the ambuscade -prepared for them. In fact, the musket shots of the peons could soon be -heard mingled with the war-cry of the Comanches. In this unfortunate -expedition the Black Bear lost in an hour the most renowed warriors of -his nation. The chief, covered with wounds, and only accompanied by a -dozen men, escaped with great difficulty from the carnage. The victory -of the French was complete. For a lont time the colony, through his -glorious achievement, was protected from the attacks of the redskins. - -When the combat was ended, people sought in vain in every direction for -Don Sylva and his daughter: both had disappeared, and no one knew how. -This mysterious and inexplicable event struck the inhabitants of the -colony with consternation, and changed the joy of the triumph into -mourning, for the same idea suddenly occurred to all:-- - -"Don Sylva and his daughter have been carried off by the Black Bear!" - -When the count, after repeated researches, was compelled to allow that -the hacendero and his daughter had really disappeared without leaving -the slightest trace, he gave way to all the violence of his character, -vowed a terrible hatred against the Apaches, and swore to pursue them, -without truce or mercy, until he found her whom he considered his wife, -and whose loss destroyed at one blow the brilliant future he had dreamed -of. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA. - - -At the remote period when the Aztecs, guided by the finger of God, -marched forth, without knowing it, to conquer the plateau of Ahanuac, of -which they eventually made the powerful kingdom of Mexico, although -their eyes were constantly turned toward this unknown land, the -permanent object of their greed, they frequently stopped their during -migration, as if fatigue had suddenly overpowered them, and the hope of -ever arriving had failed them. - -In such cases, instead of simply camping on the spot where this -hesitation had affected them, they installed themselves as if they never -intended to go further, and built towns. After so many centuries have -passed away, when their founders have eternally disappeared from the -surface of the globe, the imposing ruins of these cities, scattered over -a space of more than a thousand leagues, still excite the admiration, of -travellers bold enough to confront countless dangers in order to -contemplate them. - -The most singular of these ruins is indubitably that known by the name -of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, which rises about two miles from the -muddy banks of the Rio Gila, in an uncultivated and uninhabited plain, -on the skirt of the terrible sand desert known as the Del Norte. The -site on which this house is built is flat on all sides. The ruins which -once formed a city extend for more than three miles in a southern -direction: and also in the other directions all the ground is covered -with potsherds of every description. Many of these fragments are painted -of various colours--white or blue, red or yellow--which, by the by, is -an evident sign not only that this was an important city, but also that -it was inhabited by Indians differing from those now prowling about this -country, as the latter are completely ignorant of the art of making this -pottery. - -The house is a perfect square, turned to the four cardinal points. All -around are walls, indicating an enceinte inclosing not only a house, but -other buildings, traces of which are perfectly distinct; for a little to -the rear is a building having a floor above, and divided into several -parts. The edifice is built of earth, and, as far as can be seen, with -mud walls; it had the stories above the ground, but the internal -carpentry has long ago disappeared. The rooms, five in number on each -floor, were only lighted, so far as we can judge from the remains, by -the doors, and round holes made in the walls facing to the north and -south. Through these openings the man Amer (_el hombre Amargo_, as the -Indians call the Aztec sovereign) looked at the sun, on its rising and -setting, to salute it. - -A canal, now nearly dry, ran from the river and served to supply the -city with water. - -At the present day these ruins are gloomy and desolate: they are slowly -crumbling away beneath the incessant efforts of the sun, whose burning -rays calcine them, and they serve as a refuge to the hideous vultures -and the urubus which have selected it as their domicile. The Indians -carefully avoid these sinister stations, from which a superstitious -terror, for which they cannot account, keeps them aloof. - -Thus the Comanche, Sioux, Apache, or Pawnee warrior, whom the accidents -of the chase, or any other fortuitous cause, had brought to the vicinity -of this dangerous ruin on the night of the fourth or fifth day of the -cherry moon--_champasciasoni_--that is to say, about a month after the -events we described in the last chapter--would have fled at the top -speed of his horse, a prey to the wildest terror, at the strange -spectacle which would have presented itself to his awe-stricken gaze. - -The old palace of the Aztec kings threw out its gigantic outline on the -azure sky, studded with a brilliant belt of stars. From all the -openings--round or square--formed by human agency or by time in its -dilapidated walls poured floods of reddish light; while songs, shouts, -and laughter incessantly rose from the ruined apartments, and troubled -in their dens the wild beasts, surprised by these sounds, which -disturbed in so unusual a manner the silence of the desert. In the -ruins, beneath the pallid rays of the moon, might be distinguished the -shadows of men and horses grouped round enormous braseros, while a dozen -horsemen, well armed, and leaning on spears, stood motionless as bronze -equestrian statues at the entrance of the house. - -If within the ruins all was noise and light, outside all was shadow and -silence. - -The night slipped away: the moon had already traversed two thirds of her -course; the badly tended braseros went out one after another; the old -mansion alone continued to gleam through the darkness like an ill-omened -lighthouse. - -At this moment the sharp and regular sound of a horse trotting on the -sand re-echoed in the distance. The sentinels stationed at the entrance -of the house with difficulty raised their heads, oppressed by sleep and -the vivid cold of the first morning hours, and looked in the direction -whence the noise of footsteps was audible. - -A horseman appeared at the corner of the road leading to the ruins. The -stranger, paying but little heed to what he saw, continued to advance -boldly toward the house. He passed the ruined wall, and on arriving -within ten paces of the sentries, dismounted, threw the bridle on his -horse's neck, and walked with a firm step toward the sentries, who -awaited him silent and motionless. But when he was about two swords' -lengths from the party all the lances were suddenly levelled at his -breast, a hoarse voice shouted, "Halt!" - -The stranger stopped without a remark. - -"Who are you? What do you want?" asked a horseman. - -"I am a _costeno_. I have taken a long journey to see your captain, with -whom I wish to speak," the stranger said. - -By the pale and flickering rays of the moon the sentry tried in vain to -distinguish the stranger's features; but that was impossible, so -carefully was he wrapped up in his cloak. - -"What is your name?" he asked, in an ill-tempered tone, when he saw that -all his efforts were useless. - -"What need of that? Your chief does not know me, and my name will tell -him nothing." - -"Possibly so, but that concerns yourself. Keep your incognito if you -think proper; still, you must not be angry with me if I do not let you -disturb the captain. He is at this moment supping with his officers, and -certainly would not put himself out in the middle of the night to speak -with a stranger." - -The man could not conceal a sharp movement of annoyance. - -"Possibly so, I will say in my turn," he remarked an instant later. -"Listen. You are an old soldier, I think?" - -"I am one still," the trooper said, drawing himself up proudly. - -"Although you speak Spanish magnificently, I believe I can recognise the -Frenchman in you." - -"I have that honour." - -The stranger chuckled inwardly. He had caught his man: he had found out -his weak point. - -"I am alone," he went on. "You have I know not how many comrades. Allow -me to speak with your captain. What do you fear?" - -"Nothing; but my orders are strict--I dare not break through them." - -"We are in the heart of the desert, more than a hundred leagues -from every civilised abode," the stranger said, pressingly. "You can -understand that very powerful reasons were requisite to make me brave -the numberless dangers of the long journey I have made to speak for a -few moments with the Count de Lhorailles. Would you shipwreck me in -sight of port, when it only requires a little kindness on your part for -me to obtain what I want?" - -The trooper hesitated; the reasons urged by the stranger had half -convinced him. Still, after a few minutes' reflection, he said with a -toss of his head,-- - -"No, it is impossible; the captain is stern, and I do not care to lose -my corporal's stripes. All I can do for you is to allow you to bivouac -here with our men in the open air. Tomorrow it will be day; the captain -will come out; you will speak to him, and arrange matters as you please, -for it will not affect me." - -"Hem!" the stranger said thoughtfully, "it is a long time to wait." - -"Bah!" said the soldier gaily, "a night is soon passed. Besides, it is -your own fault; you are so confoundedly mysterious. A man needn't be -ashamed of his name." - -"But I repeat that your captain never heard mine." - -"What matter if he hasn't? A name is always a name." - -"Ah!" the stranger suddenly said, "I believe I have found a way to -settle everything." - -"Let's hear it: if it is good I will avail myself of it." - -"'Tis excellent." - -"All the better. I am listening." - -"Go and tell the captain that the man who fired a pistol at him a month -back at the Rancho of Guaymas is here, and wishes to speak to him." - -"Eh?" - -"Do you not understand me?" - -"Oh, perfectly." - -"Well, in that case--" - -"Between ourselves, the recommendation seems to me rather scurvy." - -"You think so?" - -"Parbleu! He was all but assassinated by you. What, was it you?" - -"Yes, I and another." - -"I compliment you on it." - -"Thanks. Well, are you not going?" - -"I confess to a certain amount of hesitation." - -"You are wrong. The Count de Lhorailles is a brave man; no one doubts -his courage. He must have retained our chance meeting in pleasant -memory." - -"After all, that's possible; and, besides you are a stranger. I cannot -bear the thought of refusing you so slight a service. I will go. Wait -here, and do not be impatient, for I do not promise you success." - -"I am certain of it." - -The old soldier dismounted with a shrug of his shoulders, and entered -the house. The stranger did not appear to doubt the success of the -corporal's embassy; for, as soon as he had disappeared, he walked up to -the door. In a few moments the corporal returned. - -"Well," the stranger asked, "what answer did the captain give you?" - -"He began laughing and ordered me to bring you in." - -"You see I was right." - -"That's true; but, for all that, an attempted assassination is a droll -recommendation." - -"A meeting," the stranger remarked. - -"I don't know if you call it by that name here; but in France we call it -waylaying. Come on." - -The stranger made no reply; he merely shrugged his shoulders, and -followed the worthy trooper. - -In an immense hall, whose dilapidated walls threatened to collapse, and -to which the star-spangled sky served as roof, four men of stern -features and flashing eyes were seated round a table, served with the -most delicate luxury and the most sensual idea of comfort. They were the -count and the officers forming his staff, namely, Lieutenants Diego Leon -and Martin Leroux, and Don Sylva's old capataz, Blas Vasquez. - -The count had been encamped with his free company for the last five days -in the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. After the attack on the colony by -the Apaches, the count, in the hope of finding again his betrothed, who -had disappeared in so mysterious a way during the action, and most -probably had been carried off by the Indians, immediately formed the -resolution of executing the orders government had given him long -previously, and which he had hitherto delayed obeying, with pretexts -more or less plausible; but in reality because he did not care, brave as -he was, to have a fight with the redskins, who were so resolute and -difficult to overcome, especially when attacked on their own territory. -The count drew one hundred and twenty Frenchmen from the colony, to whom -the capataz, who burned to recover and deliver his master and young -mistress, added thirty resolute peons, so that the strength of the -little troop amounted to one hundred and fifty well-armed and -experienced horsemen. - -The count had asked the hunters, whose help had also been so precious to -him, to accompany him. He would have been happy to have not only -companions so intrepid, but also guides so sure as they to lead him on the -trail of the Indians, whom he was determined to follow up and -exterminate. But Count Louis and his two friends, without giving any -further excuse than the necessity of continuing their journey at once, -took leave of Lhorailles, peremptorily refusing the brilliant offers he -made them. - -The count was compelled to put up with the capataz and his peons. -Unfortunately these men were _costenos_ or inhabitants of the seaboard, -perfectly well acquainted with the coast, but entirely ignorant of all -relating to the _tierra adentro_ or interior countries. It was, -therefore, under this inexperienced guidance that the count left Guetzalli -and marched into Apacheria. - -The expedition began under favourable auspices: twice were the redskins -surprised by the French at an interval of a few days, and mercilessly -massacred. The count wished to make no prisoners, in the hope of -imprinting terror on the hearts of these barbarous savages. All the -Indians who fell alive into the hands of the French were shot, and then -hung on the trees, head downwards. - -Still, after these two encounters, so disastrous for them, the Indians -appeared to have taken the hint; and, in spite of all the count's -efforts, he found it impossible to catch them again. The summary justice -exercised by the count appeared not only to have attained, but even -outstripped the object he designed; for the Indians suddenly became -invisible. For about three weeks the count sought their trail, but was -unable to discover it. At length, on the eve of the day on which we take -up our story again, some seven or eight hundred horses, apparently free -(for according to the Indian custom, their riders lying on their flanks, -were nearly invisible), entered the ruins about midday, and rushed on -the Casa Grande at a frightful pace. - -A discharge of musketry from behind the hastily erected barricades -hurled disorder in their ranks, though it did not check the impetus of -their attack, and they fell like lightning on the French. The Apaches -had plucked up a spirit. Half naked, with their heads laden with plumes, -their long buffalo robes fluttering in the wind, steering their horses -with their knees, the Indian warriors had a warlike aspect capable of -inspiring the most resolute men with terror. The French received them -boldly, however, although deafened by the horrible yells their enemies -uttered, and blinded by the long barbed arrows which rained around them -like hail. - -But the Apaches, as much as the French, wished for no mere skirmish. By -a common accord they rushed on each other in a hand-to-hand fight. In -the midst of the Indian warriors, the Black Bear could be easily -recognised by his long plume and the eagle feathers planted in his -war-tuft. The chief urged his men on to avenge their preceding defeats by -seizing the Casa Grande. Then one of those fearful frontier actions -began, in which no prisoners are made, and which render any description -impossible through the ferocity both parties display, and the cruelties -of which they are guilty. The _bolas perdidas_, bayonet, and lance were -the only weapons employed. This fight, during which the Indians were -incessantly reinforced, lasted more than two hours, and the defenders of -the barricades allowed themselves to be killed sooner than yield an inch -of ground. - -Beginning to hope that the Indians must be wearied by so long a struggle -and such an obstinate defence, the French redoubled their efforts, when -suddenly the cry of "Treason! Treason!" was heard in their rear. The -count and the capataz, who fought in the first ranks of the volunteers -and peons, turned round. The position was critical. The French were -really caught between two fires. The Little Panther, at the head of the -fifty warriors, had turned the position, and taken the barricades in -reverse. The Indians, mad with joy at such perfect success, cut down all -they came across, uttering the wild yells of triumph. - -The count took a long glance at the battlefield, and his determination -was at once formed. He said a couple of words to the capataz, who -returned to the head of his combatants, warned them what to do, and -watched for the favourable moment to carry out his chiefs instructions. -For his part the count had lost no time. Seizing a barrel of powder, he -put into it a piece of lighted candle, and hurled it into the densest -ranks of the Indians, where it burst almost immediately, causing -irreparable injury. The terrified Apaches fell into disorder, and fled -in every direction to avoid being struck by the fragments of this novel -shell. Profiting cleverly by the respite produced by the barrel among -the assailants, the adventurers led by the capataz turned and rushed on -the Little Panther's band, which was only a few paces off by this time. -The spot was not favourable for the Indians, who, collected in a narrow -entry, could not manoeuvre their horses. The Little Panther and the -Apaches rushed forward with yells. The French, as brave and as skillful -as their adversaries, boldly awaited with levelled bayonets the shock of -the tremendous avalanche, which fell upon them with blinding speed. The -redskins were driven back. The rout commenced, and the Apaches began -flying in every direction. The count sent several peons after them, who -returned toward nightfall, stating that the Apaches, after reforming, had -entered the desert. - -The count, although satisfied with the victory he had gained (for the -enemy's loss was tremendous), did not consider it decisive, as the Black -Bear had escaped, and he had been unable to recover the person he had -sworn to save. He gave orders to his _cuadrilla_ to prepare for a -forward march in the desert, and on the next day the French would -definitely leave the Casa Grande. - -The count feted with his officers the victory gained on the previous -day, and urged them to drink to the success of the expedition they were -going to attempt on the morrow. Flushed by the numerous potations he had -made, by the repeated toasts he had drunk, as well as by the hope of -complete success ere long, the count was in the best possible temper to -hear the singular message the old corporal delivered so much against the -grain. - -"And what sort of fellow is he?" he asked, when the other had performed -his task. - -"On my word, captain," the corporal answered, "so far as I could see, he -is stout, well-built young fellow, and gifted with a sufficient stock of -assurance, not to speak more strongly." - -The count reflected for a moment. - -"Shall I have him shot?" the soldier asked, taking this silence for a -condemnation. - -"Plague take it, what a hurry you are in, Boiland!" the count said -laughing and looking up. "No, no; this scamp's arrival is a piece of -good luck for us. On the contrary, bring him here with the utmost -politeness." - -The soldier bowed and retired. - -"Gentlemen," the count continued, "you remember the trap to which I -almost fell a victim: a certain amount of mystery, which I have never -been able to fathom, has since surrounded this affair. The man who asks -speech of me has come, I feel a presentiment, in order to give me the -key to many things which have hitherto been incomprehensible." - -"Senor conde," the capataz observed, "pray take care. You do not yet -know the character of our people; this man may come to draw you into a -snare." - -"For what purpose?" - -"_?Quien sabe_?" Blas Vasquez answered, employing that phrase which in -Spanish is so meaning, and which it is difficult to translate into our -tongue. - -"Bah, bah!" the count said. "Trust in me, Don Blas, to unmask this -scamp, if he be a spy, as I do not suppose." - -The capataz contented himself with an almost imperceptible shrug of his -shoulders. The count was one of those men whose lofty and arrogant mind -rendered any discussion impossible. The Europeans, and, before all, the -French in America, display towards the natives--white, half-breed, or -redskins--a contempt which breaks out in their language and actions, -persuaded they stand intellectually far above the inhabitants of the -country in which they happen to be, they display towards them an -insulting pity, and amuse themselves with continually turning them into -ridicule, by mocking either their habits or their belief, and in their -hearts grant them an amount of instinct not greatly superior to that of -the brute. - -This opinion is not only unjust, but it is also entirely false. The -American Hispanos, it is true, are very far behindhand as regards -civilisation, trade, mechanical arts, &c.: progress with them is slow, -because perpetually impeded by the superstitions that form the basis of -their faith; but we ought not to make these people responsible for a -state of things from which they are eager to emerge, and for which the -Spaniards are alone culpable, owing to the system of brutalising -oppression and crushing abjectness in which they kept them. The grinding -tyranny which for several centuries weighed Indians down, by rendering -them the utter slaves of haughty and implacable masters, has given them -the characteristics of slaves--cunning and cowardice. - -With a few honourable exceptions, the mass of the Indian population -especially--for the whites have advanced with giant steps in the path of -progress during the past few years--is scampish, cunning, cowardly, and -depraved. Thus it ever happens that when a European and a half-breed -come into collision, the white man, instead of the intelligence he -boasts, is duped by the Indian. It is so well recognised as an article -of faith in Spanish America, that the half-breeds and Indians are poor -irrational creatures, gifted at the most with enough intelligence to -live from hand to mouth that the whites proudly call themselves _gente -de razon._ - -We are bound to add that, after a few years' residence in America, the -opinions of the Europeans with regard to the half-breeds are greatly -modified, because a little acquaintance with the country enables them to -take a more healthy view of the people with whom they are mixed up. But -the Count de Lhorailles had not reached that stage: he only saw in the -Indian or half-breed a being all but lacking reason, and dealt with -him on that erroneous principle. This belief was destined, at a later -date, to bear most terrible consequences. - -The count had noticed the shrug of the shoulders the capataz gave, and -was about to reply to him, when the corporal reappeared, followed by the -stranger, on whom all eyes were at once fixed. The stranger bore without -flinching the cross fire of glances, and, while remaining completely -wrapped up in the folds of his large cloak, saluted the company with -unparalleled ease. The appearance of this man in the banqueting hall -infected the guests with a feeling of uneasiness they would have been -unable to explain, but which suddenly rendered them dumb. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -CUCHARES. - - -The silence began to grow embarrassing to all, and the count speedily -noticed this. As a thorough gentleman, accustomed to command immediately -the most exceptional and difficult positions, he rose, walked toward the -stranger with outstretched hand, and turning to his officers,-- - -"Gentlemen," he said, with a peculiar inflection of voice, and bowing -courteously, "allow me to present to you this _caballero_, whose name I -am not yet acquainted with, but who, from what he has himself said, is -one of my most intimate enemies." - -"Oh, senor conde!" the unknown said, in a stifled voice. - -"I am delighted at it," the count said quickly. "Pray do not contradict -me, my dear enemy, but be good enough to take a seat by my side." - -"I never was your enemy; the proof is that I have ridden two hundred -leagues to ask a service of you." - -"It is granted ere mentioned; so put off serious matters till tomorrow. -Take a glass of champagne." - -The unknown bowed, seized the glass, and said, bowing to the company,-- - -"Gentlemen, I drink to the fortunate issue of your expedition." - -And lifting the glass to his lips, he emptied it at a draught. - -"You are a famous companion, sir. I thank you for your toast; it is of -good omen to us." - -"Commandant, pray be kind enough," Lieutenant Martin said, "to tell us -as speedily as possible your amusing relations with this caballero." - -"I would do so with pleasure, senores; but I should first like to ask -this caballero, who states he has ridden so far to see me, to break an -incognito which has lasted too long already, and to inform us of his -name, so that we may know whom we have the honour of greeting." - -The stranger began laughing, and, allowing the fold of his cloak, which -had hitherto concealed his face, to fall, replied:-- - -"With the greatest pleasure, caballeros; but I fancy that my name, like -my face, will teach you nothing. We only met once, senor conde, and -during that interview the night was too dark, and the conversation -between yourself and my comrade too animated, for my features to have -deeply imprinted on your memory, even had you seen them." - -"It is true, senor," the count replied, after attentively examining his -features. "I am free to confess that I do not remember ever having seen -you before." - -"I was sure of it." - -"Then," the count exclaimed hotly, "why do you so obstinately hide your -face?" - -"Come, sir count, I probably had my reasons for doing so. Who knows if -you may not some day have cause to regret making me break an incognito -which I probably had reasons for maintaining?" - -These words were pronounced in a sarcastic voice, mingled with a menace, -which each could read in spite of the stranger's apparent coolness. - -"It is of little consequence, senor," the count said haughtily. "I am -one of those men whose sword supports his words; so now have the -goodness to give me your name without further excuses or vacillation." - -"Which will you have, caballero--my _nom de guerre_, or any other of my -aliases?" - -"Any one you please," the count said furiously, "so long as you give us -one." - -The stranger rose, and, turning a haughty glance on all present, said in -a firm voice,-- - -"I told you on entering this room, caballero, that I had ridden two -hundred leagues to ask a service of you. I deceived you. I expect -nothing of you, neither service nor favour; on the contrary, I wish to -be useful to you. I have come for that purpose, and no other. What need -of your knowing who I am, or what my name is, as I shall not be your -oblige, but you mine?" - -"The greater reason, caballero, for you to unmask. I will respect the -quality of guest you claim here, and not make you do by force what I ask -of you; but remember this, I am resolved, whatever may happen, to listen -to nothing, and beg you to withdraw immediately, if you refuse any -longer to satisfy my wishes." - -"You will repent of it, senor conde," the stranger replied, with a -sardonic smile. "One word more, and a last one. I consent to make myself -known to you privately, the more so as what I have to tell you must only -be heard by yourself." - -"By Bacchus!" Lieutenant Martin exclaimed, "this surpasses all belief, -and such persistency is extraordinary." - -"I know not if I am mistaken," the capataz exclaimed meaningly; "but I -am certain I hold a great place in the mystery with which this caballero -surrounds himself, and that if he fears anybody here it is I." - -"You are quite correct, senor Don Blas," the stranger said with a bow. -"You see that I know you. You know me too, if not by face, fortunately -for me at this moment, by name and repute. Well, rightly or wrongly, I -am convinced that were I to pronounce that name before you, you would -induce your friend not to listen to me." - -"And what would happen then?" the capataz interrupted him. - -"A great misfortune probably," the stranger said in a firm voice. "You -see that I act frankly with you, whatever your opinion may be. I only -ask of the count ten minutes' conversation; after that he can do -whatever he pleases with the secret I intrust to him, and the news I -bring him." - -There was a moment's silence. The count examined the stranger's calm -face while reflecting profoundly. At length the unknown rose, and, -bowing to the count, said,-- - -"Which am I to do, senor--stay or go?" - -The count turned a piercing glance upon him, which the other endured -without betraying the slightest emotion. - -"Stay!" he said. - -"Good!" the unknown remarked, and seated himself again on the _butaca_. - -"Gentlemen," continued the count, addressing his guests, "you have -heard, be kind enough to excuse me for a few moments." - -The officers rose and withdrew without any reply. The capataz was the -last to go, after bending on the unknown one of those glances which -ransack the depths of a man's heart. But this glance, like the count's, -produced no effect on the stranger's cold, impassive face. - -"Now, senor," said the count to the stranger, as soon as they were -alone, "I am awaiting the fulfilment of your promise." - -"I am ready to satisfy you." - -"What is your name? Who are you?" - -"Pardon me, sir," the stranger replied with easy raillery, "if we go on -thus it will take a long time, and you will learn nothing, or very -little." - -The count repressed with difficulty a gesture of impatience. - -"Proceed as you think proper," he said. - -"Good! In that way we shall soon understand each other." - -"I am listening." - -"You are strange, senor, in this country. Having arrived a few months -back only, you do not yet know the habits and customs of the -inhabitants. Relying on the knowledge you attained in your own country, -you fancied, on arriving among us, that you could do exactly as you -pleased, because your intelligence was so superior to ours, and you have -acted accordingly." - -"To your story, senor!" interrupted the count passionately. - -"I am coming to it, senor. Owing to powerful protectors, you found -yourself at once placed in an exceptional position. You have founded a -magnificent colony in the richest province of Mexico, on the desert -frontier. You then asked and obtained from government the rank of -captain, with the right to raise a free corps composed exclusively of -your own countrymen, specially intended to hunt the Apaches, Comanches, -&c. That is easy to understand for we Mexicans are such cowards." - -"Senor, senor! I would remind you that all you are now saying is at -least useless," the count angrily exclaimed. - -"Not so much as you suppose," the other said, still perfectly calm; "but -set your mind at ease. I have finished, and now reach the point which -specially interests you. I only wished to let you see that if you did -not know _me_, I, on the other hand, know more of you than you -imagined." - -The count struck the table with his fist and stamped his foot as an -outlet for his passion. - -"I will go on," the unknown continued. "Certainly, on landing in Mexico, -however great your ambition might be, you did not expect to gain such a -brilliant position in so short a time. Facile fortune is a bad adviser. -The too much of yesterday becomes the not enough of today. When you saw -that you succeeded in everything, you wished to crown your work by a -masterstroke, and shelter yourself for ever from the freaks of that -fortune which is today your slave, but might suddenly turn its back on -you tomorrow. I do not blame you. You acted like a clever gambler; and, -being afflicted with that vice myself, I can appreciate in others a -quality I do not myself possess. - -"Oh," the count said. - -"Patience! I am there now. You looked around you, and your eyes were -naturally fixed on Don Sylva de Torres. That caballero combined all the -qualities you sought in a father-in-law, for what you wished was to -contract a rich marriage. Ah! You no longer interrupt me. It seems that -the account I am giving of your own history is becoming interesting. Don -Sylva is kind-hearted and credulous; moreover, he has a colossal -fortune, even for this country, where fortunes are so large; and Dona -Anita is a charming girl. In short, you introduced yourself to Don -Sylva. You asked his daughter's hand, which he promised you, and the -marriage should have come off a month ago. And now, caballero, be good -enough to redouble your attention, for I am entering on the most -interesting part of my narrative." - -"Continue, senor; you see that I am listening with all necessary -patience." - -"You shall be rewarded for your complaisance, caballero, be at rest," -the unknown said with a tinge of mockery. - -"I am anxious to hear the end of your story, senor." - -"Here you have it. Unfortunately for your schemes, Dona Anita was not -consulted by her father in the choice of a husband: for a long time she -had secretly loved a young man who had done her important service." - -"And you know the man's name?" - -"Yes, senor." - -"Tell it me." - -"Not yet. This man returned her love. The two young people met without -Don Sylva's knowledge, and swore an eternal love. When Dona Anita was -constrained by her father to regard you as her husband she feigned -submission, for she did not dare openly to resist her father; but she -warned the man she loved, and the couple, after renewing their love -vows, thought on a way to break off this fatal marriage." - -The count had risen several moments back, and was now pacing the room. -At the last words he stopped before the stranger. - -"Then," he said in a gloomy voice, "the attempted assassination at the -Rancho--" - -"Was a means employed by the lover to get rid of you? Yes, senor," the -stranger calmly said. - -"This man, then, is only a dastardly assassin!" he said contemptuously. - -"You are wrong, caballero; he only wished to compel you to retire. The -proof is that your life was in his hands and he did not take it." - -"To the point, then!" the count exclaimed. "Assassin or not, you will -tell me his name, for you have finished now, I suppose?" - -"Not yet. After the meeting at the Rancho you proceeded to your -hacienda, accompanied by your future father-in-law and wife. Even then, -without leaving you a moment's rest, the hatred of Dona Anita's lover -pursued you: the Apaches attacked you. - -"Well?" - -"Well, need I give you further explanation? Cannot you understand that -this man was in league with the redskins?" - -"And Dona Anita knew it?" - -"I will not affirm that positively, but it is probable." - -"Oh!" - -"Was not the game well played?" - -The count bit his lips till the blood began to flow. - -"And you know who carried Dona Anita off?" - -"I do." - -"It was not the redskins?" - -"No." - -"That man, then?" - -"Yes." - -"But her father was carried off to?" - -"I know it; but it was not at all with his will, I assure you." - -"Where is Don Sylva now?" - -"Quietly at home at Guaymas." - -"Is his daughter with him?" - -"No." - -"She is with that man, I suppose?" - -"You are a perfect sorcerer." - -"And you know where they are?" - -"I do." - -Quick as lightning the count bounded on the stranger, seized him by the -collar with his left hand, and, placing a pistol against his breast, -shouted in a hoarse voice,-- - -"Now, villain, you will tell me where they are!" - -"Is that the game we are playing?" the stranger said. "Well, as you -please, caballero." - -Then throwing back his cloak quickly, he aimed at the count two pistols -which he held in either hand. The stranger's movement had been so rapid -that the count was unable to prevent it. Besides, a sudden idea occurred -to him at the moment. Lowering his pistol, and thrusting it back in his -girdle, he muttered,-- - -"I was mad: pardon that angry movement." - -"Most heartily," the unknown replied, laying his pistols on the table -within reach. - -"Pardon me again. Now that I reflect on what you have just told me, I -see that your object was to be of service to me." - -The stranger made a gesture of affirmation. - -"But there is one thing I cannot explain." - -"What is that?" - -"The manner in which you have told me all these details." - -"Oh! That is simple enough." - -"I shall feel obliged by your explanation." - -"With pleasure, caballero. Two men attacked you at the Rancho." - -"Yes." - -"I am he who pulled you off your horse." - -"Oh!" the count said, with a singular intonation in his voice. - -"In a word, my name is Cuchares! I am a lepero; that is to say, I like -the sun better than the shade, rest than work, and would sooner stab a -man, when properly paid for it, than do a good action which brings in -nothing. You comprehend me?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Then we can come to an understanding?" - -"I think so." - -"Well, so do I, and that is the reason I have come to you." - -"One question more." - -"Ask it." - -"At this moment you are betraying your friends?" - -"I? Who?" - -"The persons you have hitherto served." - -"A man like myself, caballero, has no friends, only customers." - -"Friends or customers, you are betraying them." - -"Pooh! We have settled our accounts. They owe me nothing, nor I them. We -are quits. Look ye, caballero: in every business there are two sides, -which a skilful man can work equally well. I have drawn all I could from -the first, so I am going to try the other now." - -The count heard the lepero develope this strange theory with an amazement -mingled with terror. A cynicism so ripe and shameless terrified him and -yet the count was not excessively thin-skinned. - -"We will agree, then, that you have come to do me a service." - -The lepero smiled. - -"Let us understand one another," continued he. "I say so not to startle -the consciences of the gentlemen who were present on my entrance; but -between ourselves, I will be more frank." - -"Which means?" - -"That I have come to sell it to you." - -"Be it so!" - -"I shall want a long price." - -"Good!" - -"A very long price." - -"No matter, if it is worth it." - -"Come," the lepero exclaimed joyfully, "you are just the man I expected -to find you. Well, you can trust in me." - -"I must do so, I suppose." - -"What would you? It is the way of the world. Today my turn, tomorrow -yours. Bah! You will have no cause to regret a few thousand piastres." - -"First, then, my rival's name." - -"It will cost you fifty ounces, and you cannot think it dear." - -"Here they are," the count said, arranging them on the table. - -The lepero made them disappear in a second in his large pockets. - -"The name of your rival, caballero, is Don Martial. He is a Tigrero, and -very rich." - -"I fancy I have heard Don Sylva mention that name." - -"It is probable. Don Sylva cannot endure Don Martial, especially since -he saved Dona Anita's life." - -"I remember that circumstance too; Don Sylva frequently mentioned it to -me. And now, how did Don Martial carry the girl off?" - -"Very easily, the more so as she wished nothing better than to follow -him. During your fight with the Apaches he placed Dona Anita in a canoe, -into which I had already thrown her father, gagged and tied; then we -went off, all four of us. All through the night we kept to the river, so -as to leave no traces of our flight, and by daybreak had covered fifteen -leagues. No longer fearing discovery, we landed. Indios Mansos sold us -some horses. Don Martial ordered me to take the young girl's father to -Guaymas, and I fulfilled this difficult commission with all honour. Don -Sylva was unwilling to follow me; but at last I managed to get him into -his own house, where I left him, and went back to Don Martial, who had -requested me to bring him certain things, and was awaiting me at a spot -agreed on between us." - -"Ah!" the count said, "and how did you come to leave him?" - -"Good gracious, caballero! We separated, as so often happens to the best -of friends, in consequence of a misunderstanding." - -"Very good! He turned you off?" - -"Nearly so, I am obliged to confess." - -"Have you left him long?" - -The lepero winked his right eye. - -"No," he answered. - -"Can you lead me to the spot where he now is?" - -"Yes, whenever you please." - -"Very good! Is it far?" - -"No, but pardon me, caballero, let us settle matters at once. Are you -agreeable?" - -"Let us see." - -"How much will you give me to learn at what spot Don Martial and Dona -Anita are concealed?" - -"Two hundred ounces." - -"Hand them over." - -"Here they are." - -The count took some handfuls of money from an iron box in a corner of -the room, and gave them to the lepero. - -"There is a pleasure in dealing with you," said Cuchares, as he sent -these ounces to join the others with admirable celerity. "Thus you see I -was quite right when I told you that I was going to do you a service." - -"It is true, and I thank you. Where are Don Martial and the Dona?" - -"At the mission of Don Francisco. But now I must ask permission to leave -you." - -"Not yet." - -"Why not?" - -"For two reasons; the first, because, in spite of all the confidence I -have in you, nothing has yet proved to me that you have told the truth." - -"Oh!" said the lepero with a gesture of denial. - -"I know very well I am mistaken; but what would you have? I am naturally -suspicious." - -"Good! I will remain. But now for your second reason." - -"This is it. I have in my turn a service to ask of you." - -"To be paid for?" - -"Of course." - -"I am listening." - -"I will give you a hundred ounces to lead me to my rival." - -"Canarios!" the lepero exclaimed. - -"One hundred ounces," the count said again. - -"I understand you. One hundred ounces--a fine sum. But look ye, count: -I am a costeno, and a lepero in the bargain. This desert life does not -suit my temperament and injures my health. I have taken an oath to have -no more of it. The road from here to the mission is difficult. We shall -have to cross the desert. No, taking all things into consideration, it -is impossible." - -"That is unlucky," coldly replied the count. - -"It is." - -"Because," he continued, "I would have given you not one, but two -hundred ounces." - -"Eh?" asked the other, cocking his ears. - -"But as you refuse--you do so, I think?--I shall be obliged, to my great -regret to have you shot." - -"What do you say?" the lepero exclaimed, with a movement of terror. - -"By'r Lady!" the count said simply, "my dear fellow, you are so clever in -business matters that, having found two sides of a question, I am -terribly frightened lest you should find a third." - -And before Cuchares could prevent him he seized the pistols that lay on -the table. The lepero turned livid. - -"Pardon me, pardon me," he said in an ill-assured voice. "As you desire -it so eagerly, I must please you to the best of my power. I accept the -two hundred ounces." - -"Very good!" the count exclaimed. "I thought, too, that we should come -to an understanding." - -He went to fetch the money from the iron chest; but, as he turned his -back on the lepero, he could not see the singular smile that curved his -lips. Had he done so, he would not have chanted his victory so loudly. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK. - - -The lepero's story, true in its foundation, was utterly false and -erroneous in its details. Perhaps, however, he had an interest in -deceiving the Count de Lhorailles, which the reader will be able to -judge of better after reading the following chapter. - -After escaping so miraculously from the hands of the Apaches, into -whose power he had fallen, Cuchares dived and sought the centre of the -river. On mounting to the surface again to take breath, he looked around -him: he was alone. The lepero stifled a cry of joy, and, after a -moment's reflection, swam vigorously in the direction of the mangroves, -where Don Martial, warned by the signal he had been compelled to give, -had doubtlessly been awaiting him some time. With a few strokes he -reached the trees, beneath whose shade he disappeared. But another piece -of good luck awaited him there: the canoe, abandoned to itself, had -floated up against the trunk of a tree, and remained stationary. - -Cuchares, leaving the water, soon succeeded in emptying the canoe and -making it float again. These boats are so light that they can be easily -emptied, for in these regions they are made of birch bark, which the -Indians strip from the tree by means of boiling water. - -He had scarce landed ere a shadow bent over him and muttered in his -ear:-- - -"You have been a long time." - -The lepero gave a start of terror; but he recognised Don Martial. In a -very few words he explained to him all that happened. - -"It is all the better, as you have come here," the Tigrero said. "Hide -yourself in the mangroves, and do not stir under any pretext until I -return." - -And he rapidly retired. Cuchares obeyed with more zeal because he heard -at no great distance from him the sound of the obstinate contest going -on at that moment between the French and Apaches. Don Martial, dagger in -hand, in readiness for any event, had glided like a phantom up to a -clump of floripondins, where Dona Anita awaited him all trembling. Just -as he was going to pull back the branches that separated him from the -young girl, he stopped with panting breast and frowning brow. She was -not alone. Her voice, quivering with emotion or anger, was harsh and -imperious, whom could she be speaking to? Who was the man that had -succeeded in discovering her in this retired spot, where she fancied -herself so well concealed, and who, it seemed, was trying to force her -to follow him? The Tigrero listened. Soon he made a gesture of anger and -menace. He had recognised the voice of the man with whom Dona Anita was -talking: it was her father. - -All was lost! - -The hacendero was trying to lead his daughter in the direction of the -buildings; while employing the most convincing reasons. He did not -appear to suspect the motive which had brought his daughter to that -spot. Dona Anita refused to go away, alleging the danger of being met by -an Indian marauder, and thus falling into the danger she so earnestly -wished to avoid. - -Don Martial struck his brow; a singular smile played on his lips; his -eyes flashed fire, and he noiselessly slipped back to the river bank. -Still the combat was going on: at times it appeared to draw -nearer--oaths and yells could be distinguished; at others, flashes lit -up the scene, and a shower of bullets whizzed through the air with that -sharp, hissing sound which terrifies novices in warfare. - -"In the name of Heaven, my beloved daughter," Don Sylva urged, "come! We -have not a moment to lose; in a few seconds our retreat may be perhaps -cut off. Come, I implore you!" - -"No, my father!" she said, shaking her head. "I am resigned: whatever -may happen, I repeat to you, I will not leave this spot." - -"It is madness," the hacendero exclaimed in great grief. "You wish to -die, then?" - -"What matter to me?" she said sorrowfully. "Am I not condemned in every -way? Heaven is my witness, father, that I would gladly die to escape the -marriage prepared for me." - -"My daughter, in the Virgin's name----" - -"What do you care, father, whether I fall into the hands of Pagan -savages today, when tomorrow you would surrender me with your own hands -to a man I detest?" - -"Speak not to me thus, daughter. Besides, the moment is very badly -chosen, it seems to me, for a discussion like this. Come, the shouts are -growing more furious; it will soon be too late." - -"Go, if you think proper," she said resolutely. "I shall remain here, -whatever may happen." - -"As it is so, as you obstinately resist me, I will employ force to -compel your obedience." - -The girl threw her left arm round the trunk of a cedar tree, and looking -with intense resolution at her father, exclaimed,-- - -"Do so if you dare, O my father! But I warn you that, at the first step -you take toward me, that will happen which you want to avoid. I will -utter such piercing shrieks that they must reach the ears of the Pagans, -who will run up." - -Don Sylva stopped in hesitation: he knew his daughter's firm and -determined character, and that she would at once put this threat in -execution. A few minutes elapsed, during which father and daughter stood -face to face, not uttering a word, or making even a gesture. - -Suddenly the branches were noisily parted, yielding a passage to two -men, or rather two demons, who, rushing with panther bounds on the -hacendero, hurled him to the ground. Before Don Sylva was able to -recognise the enemies who attacked him so unexpectedly by the pale beams -of the stars, he was gagged and bound, while a handkerchief twisted -round his head hid from him all external objects, and prevented him -seeing what his daughter's fate might be. The latter, at this sudden -attack, uttered a cry of terror, at once prudently checked, for she had -recognised Don Martial. - -"Silence!" the Tigrero hurriedly said in a low voice. "I could manage in -no other way. Come, come, your father, you know, is a sacred object to -me." - -The girl made no reply. At a sign from Don Martial, Cuchares seized Don -Sylva, threw him on his shoulders, and went toward the mangroves. - -"Where are we going?" Dona Anita asked in a trembling voice. - -"To a place where we can be happy together," the Tigrero answered -gently, as he lifted her with a passionate movement, and ran off with her -to the canoe. Dona Anita made no resistance: she smiled and threw her -arms round her lover's neck to keep her balance during this -steeplechase, in which Don Martial leaped from branch to branch, holding -on by the creepers and encouraging his lovely burden by signs and looks. -Cuchares had placed Don Sylva in the bottom of the canoe, and, paddles -in hand, was impatiently awaiting the Tigrero's arrival: for the combat -seemed doubled in intensity, although, from the number of musket shots, -it was easy to see that victory would rest with the French. - -"What shall we do?" Cuchares inquired. - -"Get into the middle of the river, and slip down with the current." - -"But our horses?" - -"Let us save ourselves first; we will think of the horses afterwards. It -is evident that the white men are the victors. As soon as the fight is -over, Count de Lhorailles will send everywhere in search of his guests. -It is important not to leave any trail, for the French are demons, and -would find us again." - -"Still, I fancy--" Cuchares timidly observed. - -"Be off!" said the Tigrero in a peremptory tone, kicking the canoe -vigorously from the bank. - -The first moments of the voyage passed in silence: each reflected on the -peculiar position in which he was placed. - -Don Martial had assumed a tremendous responsibility by staking, as it -were, on one throw the happiness of the girl he loved and his own. -Besides, the hacendero lying at the bottom of the canoe gave him great -subject for thought. The position was grave, the solution difficult. - -Dona Anita, with drooping head and absent glance, was dreamily letting -her dainty hand glide through the water over the side of the canoe. - -Cuchares, while paddling furiously, was thinking that the life he led -was anything rather than agreeable, and that he was far happier at -Guaymas, as he lay with his head in the shade, and his feet in the sun, -in the church porch, enjoying his siesta, refreshed by the sea breeze, -and lulled to sleep by the mysterious murmur of the surf on the shingle. - -As for Don Sylva de Torres, he was not reflecting. A prey to one of -those dumb passions which, if they lasted any length of time, must end -in insanity, he frantically bit the gag that shut his mouth, and writhed -in his bonds, while unable to break them. - -The various sounds of the contest gradually died out. For some time -longer the travellers remained silent, absorbed not only in their -thoughts, but affected by that gentle melancholy produced on all nervous -natures by that solemn calmness and striking harmony of the wilderness, -whose sublime and majestic grandeur no human pen is capable of -describing. - -The stars were beginning to pale in the sky: an opal line was vaguely -drawn in the horizon: the clumsy alligators were quitting the mud and -going in search of their morning meal; the owls, perched on the trees, -were saluting the approaching sunrise; the coyotes glided in startled -bands along the shore, uttering their hoarse barks; the wild beasts were -retreating to their hidden dens, heavy with sleep and fatigue; day was -on the point of breaking. Dona Anita leaned coquettishly on Don -Martial's shoulder. - -"Where are we going?" she asked him in a gentle resigned voice. - -"We are flying," he laconically answered. - -"We have been descending the river in this way for more than six hours, -borne by the current and helped by your four vigorously-pulled paddles. -Are we not out of reach of danger?" - -"Yes, long ago. It is not any fear of the French which troubles me -now--" - -"What then?" - -The Tigrero pointed to Don Sylva, who, having exhausted his strength and -passion, had at length tacitly recognised his powerlessness, and was -sleeping quite exhausted. - -"Alas!" she said, "You are right. Things can not go on thus, my friend; -the position is intolerable." - -"If you will allow me to act as I think proper, before a quarter of an -hour your father will thank me." - -"Do you not know that I am entirely yours?" - -"Thanks!" he said. Turning to Cuchares, he muttered a few words in his -ear. - -"Ah, ah! That is an idea," the lepero said with a grin. Two minutes -later the canoe ran ashore. Don Sylva, delicately borne by two powerful -hands, was carried ashore without waking. - -"Now it is your turn," Don Martial said to the girl: "for the success of -the scheme I have formed you must allow yourself to be fastened to this -tree." - -"Do so, my friend." - -The Tigrero took her into his vigorous arms, bore her ashore and in a -twinkling had fastened her tightly by the waist to the stem of a tree. - -"Now," he said hurriedly, "remember this. Your father and yourself were -carried off from the hacienda by the Apaches; accident brought us in -your way, and--" - -"You save us, I suppose?" she said with a smile. - -"Quite correct; but utter shrill cries, as if you felt in great alarm. -You understand, do you not?" - -"Perfectly." - -The play was performed in the way arranged. The girl uttered piercing -shrieks, to which the two adventurers replied by discharging their -rifles and pistols; they then rushed toward the hacendero, whom they -hastened to liberate from his bonds, and to whom they restored not only -the use of his limbs, but also of his eyes and tongue. Don Sylva half -rose, and looked around him: he saw his daughter fastened to a tree, -from which two men were freeing her. The hacendero raised his eyes to -heaven, and uttered a fervent prayer. - -So soon as Dona Anita was free she ran to her father, and cast herself -in his arms. As she embraced him she hid her face, which blushed, -perhaps, for shame at this unworthy deception, on the old man's breast. - -"My poor darling child," he murmured, with tears in his eyes, "It was -for you, for you alone, I trembled during the whole of this fearful -night." - -The girl made no reply, for she felt stung to the heart by this -reproach. Don Martial and Cuchares, judging the moment favourable, then -approached, holding their smoking rifles in their hands. On recognising -them a cloud passed over the hacendero's face--a vague suspicion gnawed -at his heart; he bent a searching glance on the two men and on his -daughter, and rose with frowning brow and quivering lips, though not -uttering a word. Don Martial was embarrassed by this silence, which he -had been far from anticipating. After the service he was supposed to -have done Don Sylva, the duty of speaking first fell upon him. - -"I am happy," he said in an embarrassed voice, "to have arrived here so -fortunately, Don Sylva, as I was enabled to save you from the redskins." - -"I thank you, senor Don Martial," the hacendero answered dryly. "I could -expect nothing less from your gallantry. It was written, so it seems, -that after saving the daughter, you must also save the father. You are -destined, I see it, to be the liberator of my entire family: receive my -sincere thanks." - -These words were uttered with an accent of raillery that pierced the -Tigrero like an arrow: he could not find a word in reply, and bowed -awkwardly in order to hide his embarrassment. - -"My father," Dona Anita said in a caressing tone, "Don Martial has -risked his life for us." - -"Have I not thanked him for it?" he continued. "The affair was a sharp -one, as it seems, but the heathens escaped very quickly. Was there no -one killed?" - -And saying this the hacendero affected to look carefully around him. Don -Martial drew himself up. - -"Senor Don Sylva de Torres," he said in a firm voice, "as chance has -brought us once again face to face permit me to tell you that few men -are so devoted to you as myself." - -"You have just proved, caballero." - -"Leave that out of sight," he went on hurriedly. "Now that you are free, -and can act as you please, command me. What would you of me? I am ready -to do anything you please, in order to prove to you how happy I should -be in doing you a service." - -"That is language I can understand, caballero, and to which I will -frankly respond. Important reasons compel me to return to the French -colony of Guetzalli, whence the heathens carried me off so -treacherously." - -"When do you wish to start?" - -"At once, if that be possible." - -"Everything is possible, caballero. Still, I would call your attention -to the fact that we are nearly thirty leagues from that hacienda; that -the country in which we now are is a desert; that we should have great -difficulty in finding horses: and, with the best will in the world, we -cannot, make the journey on foot." - -"Especially my daughter, I presume," the other remarked with a sardonic -smile. - -"Yes," the Tigrero said, "especially the senorita." - -"What else is to be done? for I must return there--with my daughter," he -added, purposely laying stress on the last three words, "and that so -soon as possible." - -The Tigrero did not utter the exact truth in telling Don Sylva they were -thirty leagues from the colony. It was not more than eighteen; but in a -country like this, where roads do not exist, fifteen leagues are an -almost insurmountable obstacle to a man not thoroughly acquainted with -desert life. Don Sylva, though he had never travelled under other than -favourable circumstances--that is to say, with all the comfort it is -possible to obtain in these remote regions--was aware, theoretically, if -not practically, of all the difficulties which would rise before him -with each step, and what obstacles would check his movements. His -resolution was made almost immediately. - -Don Sylva, like a good many of his countrymen, was gifted with rare -obstinacy. When he had formed a plan, the greater the obstacles which -prevented its accomplishment, the greater his determination to carry it -out. - -"Listen," he said to Don Martial; "I wish to be frank with you. I fancy -I tell you nothing new in announcing my daughter's marriage with the -Count de Lhorailles. That marriage must be performed: I have sworn it, -and it shall be, whatever may be said or done to impede it. And now I am -about to make trial of the devotion you boast of offering me." - -"Speak, senor." - -"You will send your companion to the Count de Lhorailles; he will carry -him a message to calm his uneasiness and announce my speedy arrival." - -"Good!" - -"Will you do it?" - -"At once." - -"Thanks! Now, as regards yourself personally, I leave you at liberty to -follow or leave us at your pleasure; but in the first place, we want -horses, arms, and, above all, an escort. I do not wish to fall once more -into the hands of the heathen. Perhaps I shall not have the good fortune -to escape from them so easily as on this occasion." - -"Remain here: in two hours I will return with horses. As for an escort, -I will try and procure you one, although I do not promise it. As you -allow me to do so, I will accompany you till you have rejoined the -_conde_. I hope, during the period I may have the felicity of passing -near you, to succeed in proving to you that you have judged me -wrongfully." - -These words were pronounced with such an accent of truth that the -hacendero felt moved. - -"Whatever may happen," he said, "I thank you: you will none the less -have done me an immense service, for which I shall be ever grateful to -you." - -Don Sylva tore a leaf from his pocketbook, on which he wrote a few lines -in pencil, folded it, and handed it to the Tigrero. - -"Are you sure of that man?" he asked him. - -"As of myself," Don Martial replied evasively. "Be assured that he will -see the conde." - -The hacendero made a sign of satisfaction as the Tigrero went up to -Cuchares. - -"Listen," he said aloud as he gave him the paper. "Within two days you -must have delivered this to the chief of Guetzalli. You understand me?" - -"Yes," the lepero replied. - -"Go, and may Heaven protect you from all evil encounters! In a quarter -of an hour behind that mound," he hurriedly added in a whisper. - -"Agreed," the other said with a bow. - -"Take the canoe," the Tigrero continued. - -Had the hacendero conceived any doubts, they were dissipated when he saw -Cuchares leap into the canoe, seize the paddles, and depart without -exchanging a signal with the Tigrero, or even turning his head. - -"The first part of your instructions is fulfilled," said the Tigrero, -returning to Don Sylva's side. "Now for the second part. Take my pistols -and musket. In case of any alarm you can defend yourself. I leave you -here. Pray do not move, and within two hours at the latest I will rejoin -you." - -"Do you know where to find horses?" - -"Do you not remember that the desert is my domain?" he returned with a -melancholy smile. "I am at home here, as I shall prove to you. Farewell -for the present." - -And he went off in a direction opposed to that taken by the canoe. When -he had disappeared from Don Sylva's sight behind a clump of trees and -shrubs, the Tigrero turned sharply to the right and ran back. Cuchares, -carelessly seated on the ground, was smoking a cigarette while awaiting -him. - -"No words, but deeds," the Tigrero said. "We have no time to waste." - -"I am listening," - -"Look at this diamond;" and he pointed to a ring through which his neck -handkerchief was drawn. - -"It is worth 6000 piastres," Cuchares said, examining it like a judge. - -Don Martial handed it to him. - -"I give it you," he said. - -"What am I to do for it?" - -"First hand me the letter." - -"Here it is." - -Don Martial took it and tore it into impalpable fragments. - -"Next?" Cuchares continued. - -"Next, I have another diamond like that one at your service. You know -me?" - -"Yes; I accept." - -"On one condition." - -"I know it," said the other with a significant sign. - -"And you accept?" - -"Of course I do." - -"It is a bargain." - -"He shall never trouble you again." - -"Good! But you understand that I shall need proofs." - -"You shall have them." - -"Good-by, then." - -The two accomplices parted, well satisfied with each other. A nod was as -good as a wink in such a case. We have seen how Cuchares acquitted -himself of the mission intrusted to him by Don Sylva. Don Martial, after -his short conversation with Cuchares, went to look for horses. Two hours -later he had returned. He not only brought excellent horses, but had -hired four peons, or men who called themselves so, to act as escort. The -hacendero comprehended all the delicacy of Don Martial's conduct: and -though the air and garb of his defenders were not completely orthodox, -he warmly thanked the Tigrero for the trouble he had taken to supply his -wants. Reassured as to his journey, he breakfasted with good appetite on -a lump of venison, washed down with _pulque_, which Don Martial had -procured. Then, so soon as the meal was over, the little band, well -armed, set out resolutely in the direction of Guetzalli, where Don -Sylva expected to arrive in three days, if nothing thwarted his -calculations. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -IN THE PRAIRIE. - - -The Mexican frontier, up to the old Jesuit missions, now abandoned and -falling in ruins, forms the skirt of the great prairie of the Rio Gila -or of Apacheria, which extends as far as the mournful desert of the -Norte. In this portion of the prairie nature expands all that richness -of growth and vegetation which may be in vain sought elsewhere. - -Guetzalli was built by Count de Lhorailles on the ruins of a once -flourishing mission of the reverend Jesuits, which the decree commanding -their expulsion had compelled them to abandon. Without entering into -discussion for or against the Jesuits, we will say, _en passant_, that -these clergy rendered immense services in America; that all the missions -thus founded in the desert prospered; that the Indians flocked in by -thousands to range themselves beneath their paternal laws: and that -certain missions, whose names we could quote were it necessary, counted -as many as sixty thousand neophytes; that, as a proof of the excellence -of their system, when the order was given them to give up their mission -to other monks, and withdraw, their proselytes implored them to resist -this unjust ostracism, and offered to defend them against everybody. - -The Jesuits have the greater claim to this tardy justice we now seek to -do them in the fact that, in spite of the many years that have elapsed -since their departure, and although all the men they brought into the -bosom of the church by incessant labour have returned to a savage life, -the remembrance of the good deeds of these pious missionaries still -lives in the hearts of the Indians, and forms at night round the -campfires the staple of conversation, so deeply engraved on the minds of -these primitive beings is the small amount of kindness shown them. - -Don Sylva de Torres wished to reach the colony of Guetzalli again so -soon as possible, and by the most direct route. Unfortunately he was -obliged to cross, as the crow flies, a large extent of country through -which no road ran. Moreover, owing to his topographical ignorance of the -prairie, he was compelled to trust in Don Martial, an excellent guide in -every respect, whose sagacity and thorough knowledge of the desert he -did not for a moment doubt, but in whom he placed but slight confidence, -while unable to explain his motive even to himself. - -Still the Tigrero (apparently at least) gave proofs of his entire -devotion to the hacendero, leading him by the most beaten tracks, making -him avoid difficult passages, and watching with unequalled care and -solicitude over the safety of his little band. Each evening at sunset -the party encamped on the top of an open hill, whence a large quantity -of ground could be surveyed, in order to guard against any surprise. On -the evening of the fourth day, after a fatiguing march over an irregular -tract, Don Martial reached a hill where he proposed to camp. - -The hacendero greeted the offer with greater pleasure, for, being but -little accustomed to this mode of travelling, he felt extremely -fatigued. After a frugal meal, composed of maize tortillas, and frijoles -powdered with the hottest spices, and washed down with pulque, Don -Sylva, without even thinking of smoking a cigarette (his custom always -after a meal), wrapped himself in his zarape, laid down with his feet -toward the fire, and fell off almost immediately into a profound sleep. - -Don Martial and the young girl remained for some time silently opposite -each other, their eyes fixed on the hacendero, and uneasily watching the -phases of his sleep. At length, when the Tigrero was persuaded that Don -Sylva was really asleep, he bent over her, and muttered in her ear in a -gentle voice:-- - -"Pardon, Dona Anita, pardon!" - -"For what?" she asked in surprise. - -"Because you are suffering through me." - -"Egotist!" she said with an enchanting smile, "it is not through myself -too, as I love you?" - -"Oh, thank you!" he exclaimed. "You restore to my heart that courage -which I felt dying out. Alas! How will all this end?" - -"Well, I am convinced," she said quickly. "We must be patient. My father -believe me, will soon change his opinion about you." - -The Tigrero smiled sorrowfully. - -"Still," he said, "I cannot carry you about the prairie indefinitely." - -"That is true," she remarked despondently. "What is to be done?" - -"I do not know. For the last two days we have only been moving round the -colony, from which we are scarce three leagues distant, and yet I cannot -resolve to enter it." - -"Alas!" the girl murmured. - -"Ah!" he continued, with a degree of animation in his glance, "Why is -this man your father, Dona Anita?" - -"Speak not so, my friend," she said hurriedly, laying her little hand on -his mouth as if to prevent him saying more. "Why despair? God is good; -He will not fail us. We know not what He has in reserve for us: let us -place our trust in Him!" - -"Still," he replied, shaking his head, "our position is not tenable. It -is impossible to go on at haphazard. Your father, in spite of his -ignorance of the country, will at length perceive I am deceiving him, -and I shall be hopelessly ruined in his opinion. On the other hand, by -proceeding to the colony, I place you in the hands once more of the man -you are forced to marry. I cannot resolve on doing this odious deed. Oh! -I would joyfully give ten years of my life to know how I ought to act." - -At this moment, as if Heaven had heard his words, and hastened to reply -immediately, the Tigrero, whose eyes were mechanically fixed on the -prairie, which at this moment was buried in obscurity, saw a short -distance off, in the midst of the tall grass, a luminous point arise in -the air twice, tracing in its passage quaint parabolas. At the same -moment Don Martial's practised ear heard, or fancied it heard, the -suppressed snorting of a horse. - -"It is extraordinary," he muttered, as if speaking to himself. "What can -it mean? Is it a signal? Still we are alone here. Through the whole of -the past day I have not caught sight of a single trail; but that -light--" - -"What is the matter, my friend?" Dona Anita asked anxiously. "You seem -restless. Can any danger menace us? Speak! You know I am brave; and by -your side, what can I fear? Hide nothing from me. Something -extraordinary is taking place, is it not?" - -"Well, yes," he replied, resolutely making up his mind, "something -extraordinary is really happening; but calm yourself, I do not believe -there is anything for you to fear." - -"But what is it? I saw nothing." - -"Stay: look there!" he said quickly, and stretched out his arm. - -The girl looked attentively, and saw what the Tigrero had noticed a few -moments previously--a reddish dot sparkling in the gloom, and describing -interlaced lines. - -"'Tis evidently a signal," the Tigrero went on. "Somebody is concealed -there." - -"Do you expect anyone?" she asked him. - -"No; and yet, I know not why, but I fancy that signal can only be -intended for me." - -"Still recollect that we are in the prairie, and probably, without -suspecting it, surrounded by bands of Indian hunters. They may be -corresponding with each other by means of that light which we have seen -twice gleaming before our eyes." - -"No, Dona Anita, you are mistaken. We are not, at any rate for the -present, surrounded by any Indians: we are quite alone." - -"How can you know that, my friend, since you have not left us for a -moment to go and look for trails?" - -"Dona Anita, my well beloved!" he said in a stern voice, "the prairie is -a book on which Heaven's secrets are written in ineffaceable letters, -which the man accustomed to desert life can read currently. The wind -passing through the branches, the bird flying through the air, the deer -or buffalo grazing on the tufted grass, the alligator slothfully -wallowing in the mud, are to me certain signs in which I cannot be -mistaken. For the last two days we have seen no Indian sign; the -buffaloes and other animals we have passed growled calmly and without -distrust; the flight of the birds was regular; the alligators almost -disappeared in the mud which covered them. All these animals scent the -approach of man, and especially of the Indian, for a considerable -distance, and so soon as they have done so, disappear at headlong speed, -so great is the terror with which the Lord of creation inspires them. I -repeat to you, we are alone here, quite alone here, and therefore that -signal is intended for me. See, there it is again!" - -"It is true; I can see it!" - -"I must know what the meaning of it is," he said, seizing his rifle. - -"Oh, Don Martial, I implore you, take care! Be prudent. Think of me!" -she added in agony. - -"Reassure yourself, Dona Anita. I am too old a wood ranger to let myself -be deceived by a clumsy trick. I shall return shortly." - -And without listening further to the young girl, who tried to retain him -by her entreaties and tears, he proceeded to the slope of the hill, -which he descended rapidly, though with the utmost prudence. On arriving -in the prairie the Tigrero stopped to look around him. The party were -encamped about two arrow-shots from the Gila, nearly opposite a large -island, which is in reality only a rock, bearing some resemblance to the -human form, and which the Apaches call _the master of the life of man_. -In their excursions upon Indian territory the redskins never fail to -stop at this island and deposit their offerings, the ceremony consisting -in throwing into the water, with dancing, tobacco, hair, and birds -feathers. This rock, which offers a most striking appearance from the -distance, has two excavations in it more than 1200 feet in length, and -forty wide, the roof being of an arched form. - -The fact which had aroused the Tigrero's curiosity, and caused him to -undertake the enterprise of discovery in the meaning of the signal, was -that it came from the island; and this he could not at all account for, -being aware that the Indians felt for the rock a veneration mingled with -a superstitious terror so great, that no Indian warrior however brave he -might be, would have dared to spend the night there. It was the -knowledge of this peculiarity which urged him to examine into the -mystery. - -Tall and tufted grass grew profusely down to the river's edge. Concealed -by the thickly-growing mangroves and shrubs, intertwined in inextricable -confusion, the Tigrero glided cautiously down to the bank. So soon as he -reached it he let himself hang from a branch, and entered the water so -quietly that his immersion produced no sound. - -Holding his rifle over his head to keep it out of the wet, the Tigrero -then swam with one hand in the direction of the island. The distance was -short: the Tigrero was a vigorous swimmer, and he soon reached the spot -where he wished to land. So soon as he was on the island he crawled -through the shrubs, listening to the slightest sounds, and trying to -pierce the darkness. He saw nothing, heard nothing; then he rose, and -walked toward one of the grottos, at the entrance of which he could see -a fire blazing from the spot where he stood: near it was seated a man, -smoking as quietly as if he had been seated before a pulqueria at -Guaymas. - -Don Martial, after attentively regarding this man, had difficulty in -repressing a shout of joy, and walked toward him without further attempt -at concealment. He had recognised his confidant, Cuchares, the lepero. -At the sound of his footfall Cuchares turned his head. - -"You have come at last!" he exclaimed. "For more than an hour I have -been racking my brain in inventing fresh signs, to which you would not -deign a reply." - -"Ah, my dear fellow," the Tigrero joyfully replied, "could I have -suspected it was you I should have been with you long ago; but I so -little expected you--" - -"You are quite right, and in such a country as this it is better to be -prudent than not sufficiently so." - -"Ah, ah! There is something new?" the Tigrero said, as he sat down to -the fire to dry his clothes. - -"Caspita! If there was not, should I be here?" - -"True: you are a good comrade, and I thank you for coming. You know that -I have a faithful memory." - -"I know it." - -"But come, what have you to tell me? I am anxious to hear all the news. -But, before beginning, one question." - -"Well?" - -"Is the news good?" - -"Excellent; you shall judge." - -"Caray! As it is so, take this ring, which I was not to have given till -our little affair was settled. But do not be frightened: when we balance -our account I shall find something to please you." - -The lepero's eye glistened with joy and avarice; he seized the ring, and -sent it to join company with the one he received a few days previously. - -"Thanks!" he said. "Heaven keep me! There is a pleasure in dealing with -you. You do not huckster, at any rate." - -"Now for the news." - -"Here it is, short and good. El senor conde, rendered desperate by the -disappearance of his betrothed, whom he supposes to have been carried -off by the Apaches, has quitted the hacienda at the head of his company, -and is now crossing the desert in every direction in pursuit of the -Black Bear." - -"By all the saints! That is the best news you could bring me. And what -do you intend doing?" - -"What! Did we not agree that _el conde_--" - -"Of course," the Tigrero quickly interrupted him, "but to do that you -must find him, and that, I fancy, is not so easy now." - -"On the contrary." - -"How so?" - -"Why, senor Don Martial, do you wish to insult me by taking me for a -_pavo_ (goose)?" - -"By no means, gossip: still--" - -"Still you believe it. Well, you are mistaken, caballero, and I am not -sorry to tell you so. During the very few hours which I spent at the -hacienda I made inquiries, and, as I announced myself the bearer of a -most important mission for _el senor conde_, no one made any bones -about answering me. It seems that the Apaches, instead of pushing on, -were so thoroughly beaten by the French (for whom, by the way, they feel -an enormous respect), that they are returning on the desert del Norte, -in order to regain their villages. The conde is pursuing them, is he -not?" - -"You told me so." - -"Well, in all probability he will not dare to enter the desert." - -"Naturally," the Tigrero said with a shudder, in spite of his tried -courage. - -"Well, then, he can only stop at one spot." - -"At the Casa Grande!" Don Martial exclaimed quickly. - -"Quite right! I am certain of finding him there." - -"Body of me! Go there, then." - -"I shall set out immediately after your departure." - -The Tigrero looked at him in surprise. - -"You're a fine fellow, Cuchares, on my soul!" he said presently. "I am -delighted to find that I made no mistake about you." - -"What would you?" the scamp answered modestly while winking his little -grey eye. "The relations into which I entered with you are so agreeable -to me, that I can refuse you nothing." - -The two men began laughing at this sally, which might have been in -better taste. - -"Now that all is settled between us," Don Martial went on, "let us -part." - -"How did you come here?" - -"Can't you see? By swimming: and you?" - -"On my horse. I would offer to land you again, but we are going in -opposite directions." - -"For the present, yes." - -"Do you intend to cross over there soon, then?" - -"Probably," he said with an equivocal smile. - -"In that case we shall soon meet again." - -"I hope so." - -"Stay, Don Martial. Now that your clothes are dry, I should not like you -to wet them again. Let us go and see if there be not a canoe about: you -know the Indians leave them everywhere." - -The Tigrero entered the grotto, and found there a canoe, with its -paddles carefully balanced against the sides: he unscrupulously carried -it out on his shoulders. - -"By the way," he said, "why the deuce did you give me the meeting here?" - -"Not to be disturbed. Would you have liked anyone to overhear our -conversation?" - -"I allow that. Good-by, then." - -"Good-by." - -The men separated--Cuchares to commence a long journey, and Don Martial -to return to his camping ground. But they were mistaken in supposing -that no one had overheard their conversation. They had scarce quitted -the island in different directions ere, from a thicket of dahlias and -floripondins growing at the entrance of the grotto, a hideous head was -thrust out cautiously, and looked around; then, at the end of a moment, -the bushes were further parted, and an Apache Indian, painted and armed -for war appeared. It was the Black Bear. - -"Wah!" he muttered with a menacing gesture, "the palefaces are dogs. The -Apache warriors will follow their trail." - -Then, after keeping his eyes fixed for a few instants on the -star-spangled sky, he entered the grotto. - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero had regained the encampment. Dona Anita, -rendered restless by so long an absence, was awaiting him with the most -lively anxiety. - -"Well?" she asked, running up as soon as she saw him. - -"Good news?" he answered. - -"Oh, I was so frightened!" - -"I thank you. It was as I expected. The signal was intended for me." - -"Then?" - -"I found a friend, who gave me the means to quit the false position in -which we are." - -"In what way?" - -"Do not trouble yourself about anything, I repeat, but leave me to act." - -The girl bowed submissively, and, in spite of the curiosity that -devoured her, retired without any further questioning into the _jacal_ -of branches prepared for her. Don Martial, instead of sleeping, sat down -on the ground, folded arms on his chest, leaned against a tree, and -remained thus motionless till daybreak, plunged in deep and melancholy -thought. At sunrise the Tigrero shook off the effects of his night watch -and aroused his comrades. Ten minutes after the little party was _en -route_. - -"Oh, oh!" the hacendero said, "You are very early this morning." - -"Did you not notice that we did not even breakfast before starting, as -we usually do?" - -"Of course I did." - -"Do you know the reason? Because we shall breakfast at Guetzalli, where -we shall arrive in two hours at the latest." - -"Ah, caramba!" the hacendero exclaimed, "you delight me with that news." - -"I thought I should." - -Dona Anita, on hearing him speak thus, had looked sorrowfully at Don -Martial; but seeing his face so calm, his smile so frank, she felt -suddenly reassured, and suspected that his silence of the previous night -intended some pleasant surprise for her. - -As Don Martial had stated, two hours later they reached the colony. So -soon as they were perceived by the sentinels the isthmus drawbridge was -lowered, and they entered the hacienda, where they were received with -all possible politeness. Dona Anita, with her eyes constantly fixed on -the Tigrero, blushed and turned pale, understanding nothing of his -perfect calmness. They dismounted in the second courtyard before the -gate of honour. - -"Where is the Count de Lhorailles?" asked the hacendero, surprised that -his future son-in-law had not merely neglected to come to meet him, but -was not there to receive him. - -"My master will feel highly annoyed, when he hears of your arrival, at -not having been present to welcome you," replied the steward, breaking -out into profuse apologies. - -"Is he absent?" - -"Yes, senor." - -"But he will soon return?" - -"I hardly think so. The captain started in pursuit of the savages at the -head of his entire company." - -This news was a thunderbolt for Don Sylva; but the Tigrero and Dona -Anita exchanged a glance of delight. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -BOOT AND SADDLE! - - -The great desert del Norte is the American Sahara--more extensive, more -to be feared, than the African Sahara; for it contains no laughing -oases, sheltered by fine trees, and refreshed by sparkling fountains. -Beneath a coppery sky extend immense plains, covered with a -dirty-greyish sand; in every direction horizons succeed horizons; -sand, ever sand, fine impalpable sand, bearing a closer resemblance with -human dust, which the wind carries aloft in long whirlwinds, whose -desolating aspect varies incessantly at the will of the tempest, which -hollows out valleys and throws up hills each time the fearful -_cordonazo_ howls across this desolate soil. - -Greyish rocks, covered with patches of parched lichen, at times lift up -their stunted crests in the midst of this chaos, which has not changed -its appearance since the creation. The buffalo, the ashata, the -swift-footed antelope, shun this desert, where their feet would only -rest on a shifting soil; flocks of blear-eyed and ill-omened vultures -alone soar over these regions in search of extremely rare prey for the -desert is so horrible that the Indians themselves enter on it with a -tremour, and cross it with express speed when they return to their -villages after a foray on the Mexican territory. And yet, however rapid -their journey may be, their passage is marked in an indelible manner by -the skeletons of mules and horses which they are compelled to abandon, -and whose bones blanch in the desert, until the hurricane, again -unchained, covers all with a cerecloth of sand. - -Still, as the hand of Deity is everywhere visible, in the desert more -profoundly than elsewhere, there spring up at long intervals, and half -buried in the sand, in the midst of piled up rocks, vigorous trees, with -enormous trunks and immense foliage, which seem to offer the traveller -rest beneath their shade. But these trees grow few and far between on -the plain, and two are rarely found together at the same spot. These -trees, revered by the Indians and wood rangers, are the imprint of -Providence on the desert, the proof of His solicitude and inexhaustible -goodness. But we repeat it, with the exception of these few landmarks, -lost like imperceptible dots in the immensity, there are neither animals -nor vegetables on the Del Norte: sand, and naught but sand. - -The Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, where the Count de Lhorailles' free -company was encamped, rose, and probably still rises, at the extreme -limit of the prairie, at not more than two leagues from the skirt of the -desert. The line of demarcation was clearly and coarsely traced between -the two regions: on the one side a luxuriant vegetation, glowing with -vigour and health; verdant plains covered with a close, tall grass, in -which animals of every description browsed: the song of birds, the hiss -of reptiles, the lowing of the buffaloes, in a word, grand, vigorous, -and ever-joyous life, exhaling in every pore of this blessed landscape. - -On the other side, the silence of death: a grey horizon; a sea of sand, -whose agitated waves pressed forward on every side, as if to encroach on -the prairie; not even the most scanty pasture--nothing--no roots, no -moss, naught but sand! - -After his conversation with Cuchares the count recalled his lieutenants, -and began drinking and laughing again in their society. They rose from -the table at an advanced hour to retire to sleep. Cuchares, however, did -not sleep: he was too busily engaged in thinking. We know now, or nearly -so, with what purpose he joined the count at the Casa Grande. - -At sunrise the bugles sounded the _reveille_. The soldiers rose from the -ground on which they had been sleeping, shook off the night's cold, and -were busily engaged in dressing their horses and preparations for the -morning's meal. The camp soon put on that hurry and reckless animation -so characteristic of Frenchmen when out on an expedition. - -In the great hall of the Casa Grande the count and his lieutenants, -seated on the dried skulls of buffaloes, were holding a council. The -discussion was animated. - -"In an hour," the count said, "we shall set out. We have twenty mules -laden with provisions, ten to carry water, and eight for ammunition. We -have, therefore, nothing to fear." - -"That is true to a certain point, senor conde," the capataz observed. - -"Why so?" - -"We have no guides." - -"What use are guides?" the count said passionately. "I fancy we need -only follow the Apache trail." - -Blas Vazquez shook his head. - -"You do not know the Del Norte, excellency," he said candidly. - -"This is the first time accident has brought me this way." - -"I pray God it be not the last." - -"What do you mean?" the count said with a secret shudder. - -"Senor conde, the Del Norte is not a desert, but a gulf of shifting -sands; at the slightest breath of air in these desolate regions the sand -rises, whirls, and swallows up men and horses, leaving not a trace; all -disappears for ever, buried beneath a cerecloth of sand." - -"Oh, oh!" the count said thoughtfully. - -"Believe me, senor conde," the capataz continued. "Do not venture with -your brave soldiers into this implacable desert: not one of you will -leave it again." - -"Still the Apaches are men too: they are not braver or better mounted -than we, I may say." - -"They are not." - -"Well, they cross the Del Norte from north to south, from east to west, -and that, not once a year or ten times, but continually, whenever the -fancy takes them." - -"But do you know at what price, senor conde? Have you counted the -corpses they leave along the road to mark their passage? And then you -cannot compare yourselves with the Pagans: the desert possesses no -secrets for them. They know its furthest mysteries." - -"Then," the count exclaimed impatiently, "your impression is--" - -"That in bringing you here, and attacking you two days ago, the Apaches -laid a trap for you. They wish to entice you after them into the desert; -certain not merely that you will not catch them, but that you and all -your men will leave your bones there." - -"Still you agree with me, my dear Don Blas, that it is very -extraordinary there is not among all your peons one capable of guiding -us in this desert. Hang it, they are Mexicans!" - -"Yes excellency, but I have more than once had the honour of observing -to you that all these men are costenos, or inhabitants of the seaboard. -They never before came so far into the interior." - -"What shall we do, then?" the count asked with some hesitation. - -"Return to the colony," the capataz replied. "I see no other means." - -"Shall we abandon Don Sylva and his daughter?" - -Blas Vasquez frowned. He replied in a solemn voice, and with much -emotion,-- - -"Excellency, I was born on the estate of the Torres family. No one is -more devoted, body and soul, than I am to the persons whose names you -have pronounced; but no one is bound to attempt impossibilities. It -would be tempting God to enter the desert in our present state. We have -no right to calculate on a miracle, and that alone could bring us back -here safe and sound." - -There was a moment's silence. These words produced on the count's mind -an impression which he tried in vain to master. The lepero guessed his -hesitation, and approached. - -"Why," he said in a crafty voice, "did you not tell me that you needed a -guide, senor conde?" - -"What good would that do?" - -"In fact, that is true; it was not worth the trouble, as I promised to -conduct you to Don Sylva. You have doubtlessly forgotten that?" - -"You know the road, then?" - -"Yes, as well as a man can who has only gone along it twice." - -"By heavens!" the count exclaimed, "We can push on now; nothing need -keep us longer. Diego Leon, order 'the boot and saddle' to be sounded, and -if you are a good guide you shall have proofs of my satisfaction." - -"Oh, you can trust to me, excellency!" the lepero answered with a -dubious smile. "I certify you will reach the spot whither I have to -guide you." - -"I ask no more." - -Blas Vasquez, with that instinctive suspicion innate in all honest minds -when they come across wicked persons, felt an irresistible repugnance -for the lepero. This repugnance had displayed itself from the first -moment of Cuchares' appearance in the hall the previous evening. While -he was talking to the count he therefore examined him closely. When he -had ended, Blas made a sign to the count, who came up with him. The -capataz led him to a distant corner of the room, and whispered in his -ear,-- - -"Take care; that man is deceiving you." - -"You know it?" - -"I am certain of it." - -"Why so?" - -"Something tells me so." - -"Have you any proofs?" - -"None." - -"You must be mad, Don Blas, fear troubles your senses." - -"God grant that I am deceived!" - -"Listen! Nothing forces you to follow us. Remain here till we return: in -that way, whatever may happen, you will escape the dangers which in your -idea menace us." - -The capataz drew himself up to his full height. - -"Enough, Don Gaetano," he said coldly. "In warning you I acted as my -conscience commanded. You will not attend to my advice--you need not do -so; I have done my duty as I was bound to do. You wish to march forward. -I will follow you, and hope soon to prove to you that if I am prudent, I -can be as brave as any man when it is necessary." - -"Thanks!" the count answered, affectionately pressing his hand: "I felt -sure that you would not abandon me." - -At this moment a great disturbance was heard outside, and Lieutenant -Diego Leon entered precipitately. - -"What is the matter, lieutenant?" the count asked sternly. "What means -this startled face? Why do you enter in this way?" - -"Captain," the lieutenant answered in a panting voice, "the company has -revolted." - -"Eh? What do you say, sir? My troopers have revolted?" - -"Yes, captain." - -"Ah!" he said, biting his moustaches, "And why have they revolted, if -you please?" - -"Because they do not wish to enter the desert." - -"They do not wish!" the count continued, weighing every word. "Are you -sure of what you say, lieutenant?" - -"I swear it, captain; but listen." - -In fact, shouts and oaths, an ever-increasing noise, which was beginning -to assume formidable proportions, were heard outside. - -"Oh, oh! This is becoming serious, I fancy," the count continued. - -"Much more than you suppose, captain. The company, I repeat, is in -complete mutiny. The rebels have loaded their arms: they surround the -house, uttering threats against you. They say they want to speak to you, -and that they are sure of obtaining what they want, by good will or -ill." - -"I am curious to see that," the count said, still perfectly calm, as he -walked toward the door. - -"Stay, captain," the officers exclaimed, as they rushed before him; "our -men are exasperated; some accident may happen to you." - -"Nonsense, gentlemen," he replied angrily, repulsing them; "you are mad: -they do not know me well enough yet. I intend to show these bandits that -I am worthy to command them." - -And, without listening to any entreaty, he slowly walked out of the room -with a firm and calm step. - -What had happened may be told in a few words. - -Blas Vasquez' peons, during the few days the company had bivouacked in -the ruined city, told the troops, with sufficient exaggeration, mournful -and gloomy stories about the desert, giving details about those accursed -regions which would have made the hair stand on the head of the bravest. -Unfortunately, as we have said, the company was encamped hardly two -leagues from the entrance of the Del Norte: the gloomy horizon of the -desert added its frightful reality to the terrible tales told by the -peons. - -All the count's soldiers were French Dauph'yeers, principally men who -had escaped the gallows, brave, but, like all Frenchmen, easy to lead -backwards and forwards, and equally resolute for good or bad. Since they -had been under the command of the Count de Lhorailles, although he had -behaved with considerable bravery in action, they only obeyed him with a -certain degree of repugnance. The count had grave faults in their eyes; -in the first place, that of being a count; next, they considered him too -polite, his voice was too soft, his manner too delicate and effeminate. -They could not imagine that this gentleman, so well clothed and well -gloved, was capable of leading them to great things. They would have -liked as a chief a man of rude voice and rough manner, with whom they -could have lived, so to speak, on a footing of equality. - -In the morning rumour had spread that the camp was about to be raised, -in order to enter the desert and pursue the Apaches. At once groups were -formed--commentaries commenced--the men gradually grew excited. -Resistance was soon organised, and when the lieutenant came to give -orders to raise the camp he was greeted with laughter, jests, and -hisses; in short, he was compelled to give ground before the mutineers, -and return to his captain to make his report. - -An officer, under such circumstances, acts very wrongly in losing his -coolness, and yielding a step in the presence of revolt, he ought sooner -to let himself be killed. In a mutiny one concession compels another; -then this inevitably happens--the rebels count their strength, and at -the same time their leaders': they recognise the immense superiority -brute strength gives them, and immediately abuse the position which the -weakness or sloth of their officers has given them, not to ask a simple -modification, but even to claim a radical change. - -This happened under the present circumstances. So soon as the lieutenant -had retired, his departure was at once regarded in the light of a -triumph. The soldiers began haranguing, influenced by those among them -whose tongues were most loosely hung. It was no longer a question about -not entering the desert, but of appointing other officers, and returning -at once to the colony. The entire staff must be changed, and the leaders -chosen from those who inspired their comrades with most confidence--that -is to say, the most dangerous fellows. - -The effervescence had reached the boiling point: the soldiers brandished -their weapons furiously, while directing the most furious threats at the -captain and his lieutenants. Suddenly the door opened, and the count -appeared. He was pale, but calm. He took a quiet look at the mutinous -band that howled around him. - -"The captain! Here is the captain!" the troopers shouted. - -"Kill him!" others went on. - -"Down with him, down with him!" they howled in chorus. - -All rushed upon him, brandishing weapons and offering insults. But the -count did not give way; on the contrary, he advanced a step. He held in -his mouth a fine husk cigarette, from which he puffed the smoke with the -utmost serenity. - -Nothing imposes on masses like cold and unaffected courage. There was a -pause in the revolt. The captain and his men examined each other, like -two tigers measuring their strength ere bounding forward. The count -profited by the moment of silence he had obtained to take the word. - -"What do you want?" he asked calmly, while withdrawing his cigarette -from his mouth, and following the light cloud of bluish smoke as it rose -in spirals in the sky. - -At this question of their captain's the charm was broken; the shouts and -yells recommenced with even greater intensity; the rebels were angry -with themselves for having allowed their chief's firmness momentarily to -overawe them. All spoke at once. They surrounded the count on all sides, -pulling him in every direction, to force him to listen to them. The -count, pressed and hustled by all these rogues, who had thrown -discipline overboard, and were sure of impunity in a country where -justice only nominally exists, did not lose his countenance--his -coolness remained the same. He allowed these men to yell at their ease -for some moments, their eyes bloodshot, and foam on their lips; and when -he considered this had lasted long enough, he said, in a voice as calm -and tranquil as on the first occasion:-- - -"My friends, it is impossible for us to go on talking in this way: I -understand nothing of what you say. Choose one of your comrades to make -your complaints in your name. If they are just, I will do you justice; -but be calm." - -After uttering these words the count leaned his shoulder against the -door, crossed his arms on his chest, and began smoking again, apparently -indifferent to what was going on around him. The calmness and firmness -displayed by the count from the beginning of this scene had already -borne their fruit: he had regained numerous partisans among his -soldiers. These men, though they dared not yet openly avow the sympathy -they felt with their chief, warmly supported the proposition he had made -them. - -"The captain is right," they said. "It is impossible, if we continue to -badger him in this way, that he can understand our arguments." - -"We must be just too," others took up the ball. "How can you expect the -captain to do justice unless we clearly explain to him what we want?" - -The revolt had made an immense backward step. It no longer spoke of -deposing its chiefs; it limited itself to asking justice of the captain. -Hence it still tacitly recognised him. - -At length, after numberless discussions among the mutineers, one of -their number was selected to take the word in the name of the rest. He -was a short, square-shouldered fellow, with a cunning face, and little -eyes sparkling with wickedness and spite; a regular scoundrel in a word. -The type of the low-class adventurer, with whom everything is comprised -in robbery and assassination. This man, whose _nom de guerre_ was -Curtius, was a Parisian, and hailed from the Faubourg Saint Marceau. An -ex-soldier, an ex-sailor, he had been at every trade, except, perhaps, -that of an honest man. Since his arrival in the colony he had been -remarkable for his spirit of insubordination, brutality, and, above all, -his bounce. He boasted of "owing eight dead;" that is to say, in the -language of the country, having committed eight murders. He inspired his -comrades with an instinctive terror. When he was selected to take word -he rammed his hat down on the side of his head, and addressing his -comrades, said,-- - -"You shall see how I'll walk into him." - -And he advanced, insolently swaying from side to side, toward the -captain, who watched his approach with a smile of peculiar meaning. -Suddenly a great silence fell on the crowd; hearts beat powerfully, -faces grew anxious; each guessed instinctively that something decisive -and extraordinary was about to happen. - -When Curtius was only two paces from his captain he stopped, and, -surveying him insolently, said,-- - -"Come, captain, the business is this: my com--" - -But the count gave him no time to finish. Quickly drawing a pistol from -his girdle, he pressed it against his temples and blew out his brains. -The bandit rolled in the dust with a fractured skull. The captain -returned the pistol to his sash, and coolly raising his head, said in a -firm voice:-- - -"Has anyone further observations to make?" - -No one stirred: the bandits had suddenly become lambs. They stood silent -and penitent before their chief, for they understood him. The count -smiled contemptuously. - -"Pick up this carrion," he said, spurning the corpse with his foot. "We -are Dauph'yeers, and woe to the man who does not carry out the clauses -of our agreement: I will kill him like a dog. Let this scoundrel be -hanged by the feet, that his unclean carcass may become the prey of the -vultures. In ten minutes the boot and saddle will sound: all the worse -for the man who is not ready." - -After this thundering speech the count re-entered the house with as firm -a step as he had left. The revolt was subdued--the wild beasts had -recognised the iron grip beneath the velvet glove; they were tamed -forever, and henceforth would let themselves be killed without uttering -a murmur. - -"'Tis no matter," the soldiers said to each other, "he is a rude fellow -for all that: he hasn't any cold in his eyes." - -And then each eagerly made his preparations for departure. Ten minutes -later, as the captain had announced, he reappeared; the troop was on -horseback, ranged in order of battle, and ready to set out. The count -smiled, and gave the word to set out. - -"Humph!" Cuchares muttered to himself, "What a pity that Don Martial has -such fine diamonds! After what I have seen I could have broken my word -with pleasure." - -Before long the free company, with the captain at its head, disappeared -in the Del Norte. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE CONFESSION. - - -The hacendero and his daughter left the colony of Guetzalli under the -escort of Don Martial and the four peons he had taken into his service. -The little band advanced to the west, in the direction of which the free -company had marched in pursuit of the Apaches. Don Sylva was the more -anxious to rejoin the French because he knew that their expedition had -no other purpose than to deliver him and his daughter from the hands of -the redskins. - -The journey was gloomy and silent. As the travellers approached the -desert the scenery assumed a sombre grandeur peculiar to primitive -countries, which exercised an unconscious influence over the mind, and -plunged them into a melancholy which they were powerless to overcome. - -No more cabins, no more _jacals_, no more travellers found by the side -of the road, offering an affectionate wish for your safe arrival as you -pass, but an accidented soil, impenetrable forests peopled with wild -beasts, whose eyes sparkled like live coals amid the wildly-interlaced -creepers, shrubs and tall grass. At times the trail of the Frenchmen -might be seen on the soil, trodden by a large number of horses; but -suddenly the country changed its character, and every trace disappeared. - -Each evening, after the Tigrero had beaten the vicinity to drive back the -wild beasts, the camp was formed by the bank of a stream, the fires -lighted, and a hut of branches hastily constructed to protect Dona Anita -from the night cold; then, after a scanty meal, they wrapped themselves -up in their fresadas and zarapes and slept till daybreak. The only -incidents which at times disturbed the monotony of their life were the -discovery of an elk or deer, in pursuit of which Don Martial and his -peons galloped at full speed, and it often took hours ere the poor brute -was headed and killed. - -But there were none of those pleasant chats and confidences which make -time appear less tedious, and render the fatigues of an interminable -road endurable. The travellers maintained a reserve toward each other, -which not only kept all intimacy aloof, but also any confidence. They -only spoke when circumstances rendered it compulsory, and then only -exchanged words that were indispensable. The reason of this was that two -of the travellers had a secret unknown to the third, which weighed upon -them, and at which they blushed inwardly. - -Man, with his necessarily incomplete nature, is neither entirely good -nor entirely bad. Most frequently, after committing actions under the -iron pressure of passion or personal interest, when his coolness has -returned, and he measures the depth of the abyss in which he has -precipitated himself, he regrets them, especially if his life, though -not exemplary, has at least hitherto been exempt from deeds which are -offensive to morality. Such was at this moment the situation of Don -Martial and Dona Anita. Both had been led by their mutual love to commit -a fault they bitterly repented; for we will state here, to prevent our -readers forming an erroneous estimate of their character, that their -hearts were honest, and when, in a moment of madness, they arranged and -carried out their flight, they were far from foreseeing the fatal -consequences which this hopeless step would entail. - -Don Martial, especially after the orders he had given Cuchares, and the -hacendero's unshaken determination of rejoining the Count de Lhorailles, -clearly comprehended that his position was growing with each moment more -difficult, and that he was proceeding along a path that had no outlet. -Thus the two lovers, fatally attached by the secret of their flight, -still kept hidden from each other the remorse that devoured them; they -felt at each step that the ground on which they walked was undermined, -and that it might suddenly give way beneath their feet. - -In such a situation life became intolerable, as there was no longer a -community of thought or feeling between these three persons. A collision -between them was imminent, though it happened, perhaps, sooner than they -anticipated, through the pressure of the circumstances in which they -were entangled. After a journey of about a fortnight, during which no -noteworthy incident occurred, Don Martial and his companions, guided -partly by the information they had picked up at the hacienda, and partly -by the trail left by the persons they were following, at length reached -the ruins of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. It was about six in the -evening when the little party entered the ruins: the sun, already below -the horizon, only illumined the earth with those changing beams which -glisten for a long while after the planet king has disappeared. Marching -a short distance from each other, Don Sylva and Don Martial looked -searchingly around, advancing cautiously, and with finger on the rifle -trigger, through this inextricable maze, so favourable for an Indian -ambuscade. They at length reached the Casa Grande, and nothing -extraordinary had met their sight. Night had almost set in, and objects -began to grow confused in the shadows. Don Martial, who was preparing to -dismount, suddenly stopped, uttering a cry of astonishment, almost of -terror. - -"What is it?" Don Sylva asked quickly as he walked up to the Tigrero. - -"Look!" the latter said, stretching out his arm in the direction of a -clump of stunted trees which stood a short distance from the entrance. -The human voice exerts a strange faculty over animals--that of inspiring -them with insurmountable fear and respect. To the few words exchanged by -the two men hoarse and confused cries responded, and seven or eight -savage vultures rose from the centre of the clump, and began flying -heavily over the travellers' heads, forming wide circles in the air, and -continuing their infernal music. - -"I can see nothing," Don Sylva went on; "it is as black as in an oven." - -"That is true: still, if you look more carefully at the object I point -out you will easily recognise it." - -Without any reply the hacendero pushed on his horse. - -"A man hung by the feet!" he uttered, stopping his horse with a gesture -of horror and disgust. "What can have happened here?" - -"Who can say? It is not a savage--his colour and dress do not allow the -least doubt on that point; still he has his scalp, so the Apaches did -not kill him. What is the meaning it?" - -"A mutiny perhaps," the hacendero hazarded. - -Don Martial became pensive; his eyebrows contracted. "It is not -possible," he said to himself; but a moment after added, "Let us enter -the house; we must not leave Dona Anita any longer alone. Our absence -must surprise her and might alarm her if prolonged. When the encampment -is arranged I will go and look, and I shall be very unlucky if I do not -discover the clue to this ill-omened mystery." - -The two men retired and rejoined Dona Anita, who was awaiting them a few -paces off, under the guard of the peons. When the travellers had -dismounted and crossed the threshold of the casa, Don Martial lighted -several torches of _ocote_ wood to find their way in the darkness, and -guided his companions to the large hall to which we have already -introduced our readers. It was not the first time Don Martial had -visited the ruins: frequently, during his long hunting expeditions in -the western prairies, they had offered him a refuge. Thus he knew their -most hidden nooks. - -It was he, too, who had urged his companions to proceed to the Casa -Grande, for he was convinced that the count could only find there a safe -and sure bivouac for his troop. The hall, in which a table stood, -presented unmistakable signs of the recent passage of several persons, -and a tolerably prolonged stay they had made at the spot. - -"You see," he said to the hacendero, "that I was not mistaken; the -persons we seek stopped here." - -"It is true. Do you think they have long left it?" - -"I cannot tell you yet; but while supper is being prepared, and you are -making yourselves comfortable, I will take a look round outside. On my -return I trust to be more fortunate, and be able to satisfy your -curiosity." - -And placing the torch he held in his hand in an iron bracket fastened to -the wall, the Tigrero quitted the house. Dona Anita fell pensively back -on a species of clumsy sofa, accidentally left by the side of the table. -Aided by the peons, the hacendero began making preparations for the -night. The horses were unsaddled, driven into a species of enclosure, -and had an ample stock of alfalfa placed before them. The trunks were -unloaded, the bales carried into the hall, where they were piled up, -after one had been opened to take out the requisite provisions; and then -an enormous brazier was kindled, over which a quarter of deer-meat was -hung. - -When these various preparations were ended the hacendero sat down on a -buffalo's skull, lighted a husk cigarette, and began smoking, while -every now and then turning a sad glance on his daughter, who was still -plunged in melancholy thought. Don Martial's absence was rather long, -for it lasted two hours. At the end of that time his horse's hoofs could -be heard echoing on the stone flooring of the ruins, and he reappeared. - -"Well?" Don Sylva asked him. - -"Let us sup first," the Tigrero answered, pointing to the girl in a way -her father comprehended. - -The meal was short, as might be expected from persons preoccupied and -wearied with a long day's march. Indeed, with the exception of the roast -venison, it only consisted of _cainc_, maize tortillas, and _frijoles -con aji_. Dona Anita ate a few spoonfuls of tamarind preserve; then, -after bowing to her friends, she rose and walked into a small room -adjoining the hall, where a bed had been made up for her with her -father's wraps, and the entrance to which was closed by hanging up, in -place of the absent door, a horse blanket attached to nails driven in -the wall. - -"You fellows," the Tigrero said, addressing the peons, "had better keep -good watch, if you wish to save your scalps. I warn you that we are in an -enemy's country, and if you go to sleep you will probably pay dearly for -it." - -The peons assured the Tigrero that they would redouble their vigilance, -and went out to execute the orders they had received. The two men -remained seated opposite each other. - -"Well," Don Sylva began, again asking his companion the question he had -already begun, "have you learned anything?" - -"All that was possible to learn, Don Sylva," the Tigrero sharply -replied. "Were it otherwise I should be a scurvy hunter, and the jaguars -and tigers would have had the best of me long ago." - -"Is the information you have obtained favourable." - -"That depends on your future plans. The French have been here, and -bivouacked for several days. During their stay in the ruins they were -vigorously attacked by the Apaches, whom, however, they succeeded in -repulsing. Now it is probable, though I cannot assert it, that the -troopers revolted for some cause of which I am ignorant, and that the -poor wretch we saw hanging to the tree like rotten fruit paid for the -rest, as generally happens." - -"I thank you for your information, which proves to me that we are not -mistaken, but followed the right trail. Now, can you complete your -information by telling me if the French have long left the ruins, and in -what direction they have marched?" - -"Those questions are very easy to answer. The free company left their -bivouac yesterday, a few moments after sunrise, and entered the desert." - -"The desert!" the hacendero exclaimed, letting his arms sink in -despondency. - -There was a silence of some moments, during which both men reflected. At -length Don Sylva took the word. - -"It is impossible," he said. - -"Still, it is so." - -"But it is an extraordinary act of imprudence, almost of madness." - -"I do not deny it." - -"Oh, the unhappy men!" - -"They are lost!" - -"The fact is, that if they escape, Heaven will perform a miracle in -their favour." - -"I think with you; but it is now an accomplished fact, which no -recriminations of ours can alter; so, Don Sylva, I believe that the -wisest thing is to trouble ourselves no more about them, but let them -get out of it as they best can." - -"Is that your notion?" - -"It is," the Tigrero replied carelessly. "I propose to remain here two -or three days, and see if anything turns up. After that time, if we have -seen or heard nothing, we will remount, and return to Guetzalli by the -road we came, without stopping to look back, that we may arrive more -speedily, and the sooner quit these horrible regions." - -The hacendero shook his head like a man who has just formed an -irrevocable determination. - -"Then you will go alone, Don Martial," he said dryly. - -"What!" the latter exclaimed, looking him firmly in the face. "What is -your meaning?" - -"I mean that I shall not turn back on the path I have hitherto followed; -in a word, that I will not fly." - -Don Martial was confounded by this answer. - -"What do you intend doing, then?" - -"Can you guess that? Why did we come to this place? For what purpose -have we been travelling so long?" - -"Excuse me, Don Sylva, but the question is now changed. You will do me -the justice to allow that I have followed you without any -observations--that I have been a faithful guide to you during this -journey." - -"I do so indeed. Now explain to me your notion." - -"It is this, Don Sylva. So long as we only wandered about the prairies, -at the risk of being devoured by wild beasts, I bowed my head, without -attempting to oppose your designs, for I tacitly recognised that you -were acting as you were bound to do. Even now, were you and I alone, I -would bow without a murmur before the firm determination that animates -you. But reflect that you have your daughter with you--that you condemn -her to undergo nameless tortures in this fearful desert, where you force -her to follow you, and which will probably swallow up both." - -Don Sylva made no reply, so the Tigrero continued,-- - -"Our party is weak. We have provisions for only a few days; and you -know, once in the Del Norte, we find no more water or game. If, during -our excursion, we are assailed by a _temporal_, we are lost--lost, -without resources, without hope!" - -"All that you tell me is correct, I am well aware; still, I cannot -follow your advice. Listen to me in your turn, Don Martial. The Count de -Lhorailles is my friend; he will soon be my son-in-law. I do not say -this to vex you, but only that you may thoroughly understand my position -with regard to him. It was for my sake, to save me from those whom he -supposed to have carried me off, that, without calculation, and solely -urged by his noble heart, he entered the desert. Can I allow him to -perish without trying to bring him succour? Is he not a stranger to -Mexico--our guest, in a word? It is my duty to save him, and I will -attempt it, whatever may happen." - -"Since matters are so, Don Sylva, I will no longer try to combat a -resolution so firmly made. I will not tell you that the man to whom you -give your daughter is an adventurer, driven from his country through his -ill-conduct, and who, in the marriage he seeks to contract, sees only -one thing--the immense fortune you possess. All these things, and many -others, I could supply you with proofs of; but you would not believe me, -for you would only read rivalry in my conduct; so let us say no more on -that head. You wish to enter the desert: I will follow you. Whatever may -happen, you will find me at your side ready to defend and aid you. But -as the hour for frank explanations has arrived, I do not wish any cloud -to remain between us--that you should thoroughly know the man with whom -you are going to attempt the desperate stroke you meditate, so that you -may have a full and entire confidence in him." - -The hacendero gazed at him with surprise. At this moment the curtain of -Dona Anita's room was raised; the young girl came out, walked slowly -down the hall, knelt before her father, and turning to the Tigrero,-- - -"Now speak, Don Martial," she said. "Perhaps my father will pardon me on -seeing me thus implore his forgiveness." - -"Pardon you!" the hacendero said, his eyes wandering from his daughter -to the man who was standing before him with blushing brow and downcast -eyes. "What is the meaning of this? What fault have you committed?" - -"A fault for which I am alone culpable, Don Sylva, and for which I alone -must suffer the punishment. I deceived you disgracefully: it was I who -carried off your daughter." - -"What!" the hacendero shouted with an outburst of fury. "I was your -plaything, your dupe, then?" - -"Passion does not reason. I will only say one word in my defence: I love -your daughter! Alas! Don Sylva, I now perceive how culpable I have been. -Reflection, though tardy, has at length arrived, and, like Dona Anita, -who is weeping at your feet, I humble myself before you, and say, -'Pardon me!'" - -"Pardon, father!" the poor girl said in a weak voice. - -The hacendero made a gesture. - -"Oh!" the Tigrero said quickly, "Be generous, Don Sylva. Do not spurn -us. Our repentance is true and sincere. I am eager to repair the evil I -have done. I was mad then: passion blinded me. Do not overwhelm me." - -"Father," Dona Anita continued in a tearful voice, "I love him. Still, -when we left the colony, we might have fled, and abandoned you; but we -did not do it. The idea never once occurred to us. We were ashamed of -our fault. You see us both here ready to obey you, and perform without a -murmur the orders it may please you to give us. Be not inflexible, O my -father, but pardon us!" - -The hacendero drew himself up. - -"You see," he said severely, "I can no longer hesitate. I must save the -Count de Lhorailles at all hazards, else I should be your accomplice." - -The Tigrero walked in great agitation up and down the hall: his eyebrows -were contracted--his face deadly pale. - -"Yes," he said in a broken voice, "yes, he must be saved. No matter what -becomes of me after. No cowardly weakness! I have committed a fault, and -will undergo all the consequences." - -"Aid me frankly and loyally in my search, and I will pardon you," Don -Sylva said gravely. "My honour is compromised by your fault. I place it -in your hands." - -"Thanks, Don Sylva; you will have no cause to repent," the Tigrero nobly -replied. - -The hacendero gently raised his daughter, drew her to his breast, and -embraced her several times. - -"My poor child!" he said to her, "I forgive you. Alas! Who knows whether -in a few days I shall not have, in my turn, to ask your forgiveness for -all the sufferings I have inflicted on you? Go and rest; the night is -drawing on--you must have need of repose." - -"Oh, how kind you are and how I love you, father!" she cried from her -heart, "Fear nothing. Whatever sufferings the future may have in store -for me, I will endure them without a murmur. Now I am happy, for you -have pardoned me." - -Don Martial's eye followed the maiden. - -"When do you intend starting?" he said, stifling a sigh. - -"Tomorrow, if possible." - -"Be it so. Let us trust in Heaven." - -After conversing for some short time longer, and making their final -arrangements, Don Sylva wrapped himself up in his coverings, and soon -fell asleep. As for the Tigrero, he left the house to see that the peons -were carefully watching over their common safety. - -"Provided that Cuchares has not fulfilled my orders!" he muttered. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE MANHUNT. - - -On the next morning at daybreak the little band quitted the Casa Grande -and two hours later entered the Del Norte. At the sight of the desert -the maiden felt her heart contract; a secret presentiment seemed to warn -her that the future would be fatal. She turned back, cast a melancholy -glance on the gloomy forests which chequered the horizon behind her, and -could not repress a sigh. - -The temperature was sultry, the sky blue, not a breath of wind was -stirring: on the sand might still be seen the deep footsteps of the -count's free company. - -"We are on the right road," the hacendero said; "their trail is -visible." - -"Yes," the Tigrero muttered, "and it will remain so till the temporal is -unchained." - -"Then," Dona Anita remarked, "may Heaven come to our aid!" - -"Amen!" all the travellers exclaimed, crossing themselves, instinctively -responding to the secret voice which each of us has in the depths of our -heart, and which foreboded to their misfortune. - -Several hours passed away: the weather remained fine. At times the -travellers saw, at a great distance above their heads, innumerable -swarms of birds proceeding toward the hot regions, or _las tierras -calientes_, as they are called in that country, and hastening to cross -the desert. But everywhere nothing was visible save a grey and -melancholy sand, or gloomy rocks wildly piled on each other like the -ruins of an unknown and antediluvian world, found at times in remote -solitudes. - -The caravan, when night set in, camped under the shelter of a block of -granite, lighting a poor fire, hardly sufficient to protect them from -the icy cold which, in these regions, weighs upon nature at night. Don -Martial rode incessantly on the sides of the small band, watching over -their safety with filial solicitude, never remaining a moment at rest, -in spite of the urging of Don Sylva and the entreaties of the maiden. - -"No!" he constantly answered; "On my vigilance your safety depends. Let -me act as I think proper. I should never pardon myself if I allowed you -to be surprised." - -Gradually the traces left by the troops became less visible, and at -length disappeared entirely. One evening, at the moment the travellers -were forming their camp at the foot of an immense rock, which formed a -species of roof over their heads, the hacendero pointed out to Don -Martial a thin white vapour, which stood out prominently against the -blue sky. - -"The sky is losing its brightness," he said; "we shall probably soon -have a change of weather. God grant that a hurricane does not menace -us!" - -The Tigrero shook his head. - -"No," he said, "you are mistaken. Your eyes are not so accustomed as -mine to consult the sky. That is not a cloud." - -"What is it, then?" - -"The smoke of a _bois de vache_ fire kindled by travellers. We have -neighbours." - -"Oh!" the hacendero said. "Can we be on the trail of those friends we -have lost so long?" - -Don Martial remained silent. He minutely examined the smoke, which was -soon mingled with the atmosphere. At length he said:-- - -"That smoke bodes us no good. Our friends, as you call them, are -Frenchmen; that is to say, profoundly ignorant of desert life. Were they -near us, it would be as easy to see them as that rock down there. They -would have lighted not one fire, but twenty braseros, whose flames, and, -above all, dense smoke, would have immediately revealed their presence -to us. They do not select their wood: whether it be dry or damp they -care little. They are unaware of the importance in the desert of -discovering one's enemy, while not allowing one's presence to be -suspected." - -"You conclude from this?" - -"That the fire you discovered has been lit by savages, or at least by -wood rangers accustomed to the habits of Indian life. All leads to this -supposition. Judge for yourself--you who, without any great experience, -though having a slight acquaintance with the desert, took it for a -cloud. Any superficial observer would have committed the same mistake as -yourself, so fine and undulating as it is, and its colour harmonises so -well with all those vapours the sun incessantly draws out of the earth. -The men, whoever they may be, who lit that fire, have left nothing to -chance; they have calculated and foreseen everything, and I am greatly -mistaken if they are not enemies." - -"At what distance do you suppose them from us?" - -"Four leagues at the most. What is that distance in the desert, when it -can be crossed so easily in a straight line?" - -"Then your advice is?" the hacendero asked. - -"Weigh well my words, Don Sylva; above all, do not give them an -interpretation differing from mine. By a prodigy almost unexampled in -the Del Norte, we have now been crossing the desert for nearly three -weeks, and nothing has happened to trouble our security: for a week we -have been, moreover, seeking a trail which it is impossible to come on -again." - -"Quite true." - -"I have, therefore, worked out this conclusion, which I believe to be -correct, and which you will approve, I am convinced. The French only -accidentally formed the resolution of entering the desert: they only did -it to pursue the Apaches. Is not that your view?" - -"It is." - -"Very good. Consequently, they crossed it in a straight line. The -weather which has favoured us favoured them too: their interest, the -object they wished to attain, everything, in a word, demanded that they -should display the utmost speed in their march. A pursuit, you know as -well as I, is a chase in which each tries to arrive first." - -"Then you suppose--?" Don Sylva interrupted him. - -"I am certain that the French left the desert long ago, and are now -coursing over the plains of Apacheria: that fire we noticed is a -convincing proof to me." - -"How so?" - -"You will soon understand. The Apaches have the greatest interest in -driving the French from their hunting grounds. Desperate at seeing them -out of the desert, they have probably lit this fire to deceive them, and -compel their return." - -The hacendero was thoughtful. The reasons Don Martial offered him seemed -correct: he knew not what determination to form. - -"Well," he said presently, "and what conclusion do you arrive at from -all this?" - -"That we should do wrong," Don Martial said resolutely, "in losing more -time here in search of people who are no longer in the desert, and -running the risk of being caught by a tempest, which every passing hour -renders more imminent in a country like this, which is continually -exposed to hurricanes." - -"Then you would return!" - -"By no means. I would push on, and enter Apacheria as quickly as -possible, for I am convinced I should then be speedily on the trail of -our friends." - -"Yes, that appears to me correct enough; but we are long way yet from -the prairies." - -"Not so far as you suppose; but let us break off our conversation at -this point. I wish to go out and examine that fire more closely, for it -troubles me greatly." - -"Be prudent." - -"Is not your safety concerned?" the Tigrero said, as he bent a gentle -and mournful glance on Dona Anita. He rose, saddled his horse in a -second, and started at a gallop. - -"Brave heart!" Dona Anita murmured, on seeing him disappear in the mist. -The hacendero sighed, but made no further reply, and his head fell -pensively on his chest. - -Don Martial pressed on rapidly by the flickering light of the moon, -which spread its sickly and fantastic rays over the desolate scene. At -times he perceived heavy rocks, dumb and gloomy sentinels, whose -gigantic shadows striped the grey sand for a long distance; or else -enormous ahuehuelts, whose branches were laden with that thick moss -called Spaniard's beard, which fell in long festoons, and was agitated -by the slightest breath of wind. - -After nearly an hour and a half's march, the Tigrero stopped his horse, -dismounted, and looked attentively around him. He soon found what he -sought. A short distance from him the wind and rain had hollowed a -rather deep ravine; he drew his horse into it, fastened it to an -enormous stone, bound up its nostrils to prevent its neighing, and went -off, after throwing his rifle on his shoulder. - -From the spot where he was this moment standing the fire was visible, -and the red flash it traced in the air stood out clearly in the -darkness. Round the fire several shadows were reclining which the -Tigrero recognised at the first glance as Indians. The Mexican had not -deceived himself, his experience had not failed him. They were certainly -redskins encamped there in the desert at a short distance from his -party. But who were they? Friends or enemies? He must assure himself -about that fact. - -This was not an easy matter on this flat and barren soil, where it was -almost impossible to advance without being noticed; for the Indians are -like wild beasts, possessing the privilege of seeing in the night. In -the gloom their pupils expand like those of tigers, and they distinguish -their enemies as easily in the deepest shadow as in the most dazzling -sunshine. - -Still Don Martial did not recoil from his task. Not far from the -redskins' bivouac was an enourmous block of granite, at the foot of -which three or four ahuehuelts had sprung up, and in the course of time -so entangled their branches in one another that they formed, at a -certain distance up the rock, a thorough thicket. The Tigrero lay down -on the ground, and gently, inch by inch, employing his knees and elbows, -he glided in the direction of the rock, skilfully taking advantage of -the shadow thrown by the rock itself. It took the Tigrero nearly half an -hour to cross the forty yards that still separated him from the rock. At -length he reached it; he then stopped to draw breath, and uttered a sigh -of satisfaction. - -The rest was nothing: he no longer feared being seen, owing to the -curtain of branches that hid him from the sight of the Indians, but only -being heard. After resting a few seconds he began climbing again, -raising himself gradually on the abrupt side of the rock. At length he -found himself level with the branches, into which he glided and -disappeared. From the hiding place he had so fortunately reached he -could not only survey the Indian camp, but perfectly hear their -conversation. We need scarcely say that Don Martial understood and spoke -perfectly all the dialects of the Indian tribes that traverse the vast -solitudes of Mexico. - -These Indians Don Martial at once recognised to be Apaches. His -forebodings then were realised. Round a _bois de vache_ fire, which -produced a large flame, while only allowing a slight thread of smoke to -escape, several chiefs were gravely crouching on their heels, and -smoking their calumets while warming themselves, for the cold was sharp. -Don Martial distinguished in their midst the Black Bear. The sachem's -face was gloomy; he seemed in a terrible passion; he frequently raised -his head anxiously, and fixing his piercing eye on the space, -interrogated the darkness. A noise of horse hoofs was heard, and a -mounted Indian entered the lighted part of the camp. After dismounting, -the Indian approached the fire, crouched near his comrades, lighted his -calumet, and began smoking with a perfectly calm face, although the dust -that covered him, and his panting chest, showed that he must have made a -long and painful journey. - -On his arrival the Black Bear gazed fixedly at him, and they went on -smoking without saying a word; for Indian etiquette prescribes that the -sachem should not interrogate another chief before the latter has shaken -into the fire the ashes of his calumet. The Black Bear's impatience was -evidently shared by the other Indians; still all remained grave and -silent. At length the newcomer drew a final puff of smoke, which he sent -forth through his mouth and nostrils, and returned his calumet to his -girdle. The Black Bear turned to him. - -"The Little Panther has been long," he said. - -As this was not a question the Indian limited himself to replying with a -bow. - -"The vultures are soaring in large flocks over the desert," the chief -presently continued; "the coyotes are sharpening their bent claws; the -Apaches scent a smell of blood which makes their hearts bound with joy -in their breasts. Has my son seen nothing?" - -"The Little Panther is a renowned warrior of his tribe. At the first -leaves he will be a chief. He has fulfilled the mission his father -entrusted to him." - -"Wah! What are the Long-knives doing?" - -"The Long-knives are dogs that howl without knowing how to bite: an -Apache warrior terrifies them." - -The chiefs smiled with pride at this boast, which they simply regarded -as seriously meant. - -"The Little Panther has seen their camp," the Indian continued; "he has -counted them. They cry like women, and lament like weak children. Two of -them will not take their accustomed place this night at the council fire -of their brothers." - -And with a gesture marked with a certain degree of nobility, the Indian -raised the cotton shirt which fell from his neck about half way down his -thighs, and displayed two bleeding scalps fastened to his waist belt. - -"Wah!" the chiefs exclaimed joyfully, "the Little Panther has fought -bravely!" - -The Black Bear made the warrior a sign to hand him the scalps. He -unfastened them and gave them. The sachem examined them attentively. The -Apaches fixed their eyes eagerly upon him. - -"_Asch'eth_ (it is good)," he said presently; "my brother has killed a -Long Knife and a Yori." - -And he returned the scalps to the warrior. - -"Have the palefaces discovered the trail of the Apaches?" - -"The palefaces are moles; they are only good in their great stone -villages." - -"What has my son done?" - -"The Panther executed the orders of the sachem point by point. When the -warrior perceived that the palefaces would not see him, he went towards -them mocking them, and led them for three hours after him into the heart -of the desert." - -"Good! My son has done well. What next?" - -"When the palefaces had gone far enough the Panther left them, after -killing two in memory of his visit, and then proceeded to the camp of -the warriors of his nation." - -"My son is weary: the hour of rest has arrived for him." - -"Not yet," the Indian replied seriously. - -"Wah! Let my son explain." - -At this remark Don Martial, who was listening attentively to all that -was said, felt his heart contract, he knew not why. The Indian -continued,-- - -"There are others beside the Long-knives in the desert; the Little -Panther has discovered another trail." - -"Another trail?" - -"Yes. It is not very visible: there are seven horses and three mules in -all. I recognised one of the horses." - -"Wah! I await what my brother is about to tell me." - -"Six Yori warriors, having a woman with them, have entered the desert." - -The chiefs eyes flashed fire. - -"A palefaced woman?" he asked. - -The Indian bowed in affirmation. The sachem reflected for a moment, and -then his face re-assumed that stoical mask which was habitual to it. - -"The Black Bear is not mistaken," he said; "he smelt the scent of blood: -his Apache sons will have a splendid chase. Tomorrow at the _endi-tah_ -(sunrise) the warriors will mount. The sachem's lodge is empty. Let us -now leave the Big-knives to their fate," he added, raising his eyes to -heaven; "Nyang, the genius of evil, will take on himself to bury them -beneath the sand. The Master of Life summons the tempest: our task is -fulfilled. Let us follow the track of the Yoris, and return to our -hunting grounds at full speed. The hurricane will soon howl across the -desert. My sons can go to sleep: a chief will watch over them. I have -spoken." - -The warriors bowed silently, rose one after the other, and went to lie -down on the sand a short distance off. Within five minutes they were all -in a deep sleep. The Black Bear alone watched. With his head in his -hands, and his elbows on his knees, he looked fixedly at the sky. At -times his face lost that severe expression, and a transient smile played -around his lips. What thoughts thus absorbed the sachem? On what was he -meditating? - -Don Martial read his thoughts, and felt a shudder of terror. He remained -another half-hour motionless in his hiding place lest he might run the -risk of discovery. Then he went down again as he had come, employing -even greater precautions; for at this moment, when a leaden silence -brooded over the desert, the slightest sound would have betrayed his -presence to the Indian chief's subtile ear. He feared the discovery now -more than ever, after the revelations he had succeeded in overhearing. -At length he reached again, all safe and sound, the spot where he had -left his horse. - -For some time the Tigrero let the bridle hang loosely on his noble -animal's neck, went slowly onwards, revolving in his mind all he had -heard, and searching for the means he should employ to shield his -companions from the frightful danger that menaced them. His perplexity -was extreme: he knew not what to decide on. He knew Don Sylva too well -to suppose that a personal interest, however powerful it might be, would -induce him to abandon his friends in their present peril. But must Dona -Anita be sacrificed to this delicacy--to this false notion of honour; -above all, for a man in every respect unworthy of the interest the -hacendero felt for him? - -It was possible to avoid and escape the Apaches by skill and courage; -but how to escape the tempest which in a few hours perhaps, would burst -on the desert, destroy every trace, and render flight impossible? - -The girl must be saved at any risk. This thought incessantly returned to -the Tigrero's perplexed mind, and gnawed at his heart like a searing -iron: he felt himself affected by a cold rage on considering the -material impossibilities that rose so implacably before him. How to save -the girl? He constantly asked himself this question, for which he found -no answer. For a long time he went on thus with drooping head, seeking -in vain a method which would enable him to act on his own inspiration, -and escape from the critical position in which he found himself. At -length light dawned on his mind; he raised his head haughtily, cast a -glance of defiance toward the enemies who appeared so sure of seizing -his companions, and digging the spurs into his horse, started at full -speed. - -When he reached the camp he found every one asleep save the peon who was -mounting guard. The night was well on--it was about one o'clock in the -morning; the moon spread around a dazzling light, almost as clear as -day. The Apaches would not set out before daybreak, and he had, -therefore, about four hours left him for action. He resolved to profit -by them. Four hours well employed are enormous in a flight. - -The Tigrero began by carefully rubbing down his horse to restore the -elasticity to its limbs, for he would need all its speed; then, aided by -the peons, he loaded the mules and saddled the horses. This last -accomplished, he reflected for a moment, and they wrapped round the -horse hoofs pieces of sheep-skin filled with sand. This stratagem, he -fancied, would foil the Indians, who, no longer recognising the traces -they expected, would fancy themselves on a false trail. For greater -security he ordered two or three skins of mezcal to be left on the rock. -He knew the Apaches' liking for strong liquors, and calculated on their -drunken propensities. This done, ho aroused Don Sylva and his daughter. - -"To horse! To horse!" he said in a voice that admitted of no reply. - -"What's the matter?" the hacendero asked, still half asleep. - -"That if we do not start at once we are lost!" - -"How--what do you mean?" - -"To horse! To horse! Every moment we waste here brings us nearer to -death. Presently I will explain all." - -"In Heaven's name tell me what the matter is!" - -"You shall know. Come, come." - -Without listening to anything, he compelled the hacendero to mount: Dona -Anita had done so already. The Tigrero looked around for the last time, -and gave the signal for departure. The party started at their horses' -topmost speed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE APACHES. - - -Nothing is so mournful as a night march through the desert, especially -under such circumstances as hurried our party on. Night is the mother of -phantoms; in the darkness, the gayest landscapes become -sinister--everything assumes a form to startle the traveller. The moon, -however brilliant the light it diffuses may be, imparts to objects a -fantastic appearance and mournful hues which cause the bravest to -tremble. - -This sepulchral calmness of the desert--this solitude that surrounds -you, torments you from every side, and peoples the scenery with -spectres--this obscurity which enfolds you like a leaden shroud--all -combine to trouble the brain, and arouse a species of febrile terror, -which the vivifying sunbeams are alone powerful enough to dissipate. - -In spite of themselves our friends suffered from this feeling. They -galloped through the night, not able to explain to themselves their -motive for doing so, not knowing whither they were going. With heavy -heads and weighed down eyelids, they had only one thought--of sleep. -Borne along by their horses at headlong speed; the trees and rocks -danced around them. They therefore secured themselves in their saddles, -closed their eyes, and yielded to the sleep which overwhelmed them, and -which they no longer felt the strength to resist. - -Sleep is perhaps the most tyrannical and imperious necessity of man: it -makes him despise and forget all else. The man overpowered by sleep will -give way to it, no matter where he is, or what danger menaces him. -Hunger and thirst may be subdued for a while by strength of will and -courage, but sleep cannot. It is impossible to contend against it. It -strangles you in its iron claws, and in a few moments hurls you down -panting and conquered. - -With the exception of Don Martial, whose eye was sharp and mind clear, -the other members of the party resembled somnambulists. Hanging to their -horses as well as they could, with eyes shut and thoughts wandering, -they hurried on unconsciously, a prey to that horrible nightmare which -is neither sleeping nor waking, but only the torpor of the senses and -the oblivion of the mind. - -This lasted the whole night. They had travelled ten leagues, and were -utterly exhausted. Still at sunrise, beneath the influence of the warm -rays, they gradually shook off their heaviness, opened their eyes, -looked curiously around them, and an infinity of questions rose from the -heart to the lips, as generally happens in such a case. - -The party had reached the banks of the Rio Gila, whose muddy waters -form, on this side, the desert frontier. Don Martial, after carefully -examining the spot where he was, stopped on the bank. The bags of sand -were removed from the horses' feet, and they were supplied with food. As -for the men, they must temporarily put up with a mouthful of _refino_ to -restore their strength. - -The appearance of the country had changed. On the other bank of the -river a thick, strong grass covered the ground, and immense virgin -forests grew on the horizon. - -"Ouf!" Don Sylva said, rolling on the ground with an expression of great -satisfaction, "What a journey! I am worn out. If that were to last but -one day, _voto a brios!_ I could not stand it any longer. I am neither -hungry nor thirsty. I will go to sleep." - -While saying this the hacendero had arranged himself in the posture most -agreeable for a nap. - -"Not yet, Don Sylva," the Tigrero said sharply, and shaking him by the -arm. "Do you want to leave your bones here?" - -"Go to the deuce! I want to sleep, I tell you." - -"Very good," Don Martial made answer coldly; "but if you and Dona Anita -fall into the hands of the Apaches you will not make me responsible for -it?" - -"Eh?" the hacendero said, jumping up, and looking him in the face, "What -are you saying about Apaches?" - -"I tell you again that the Apaches are in pursuit of us. We are only a -few hours ahead of them, and if we do not make haste we are lost." - -"_Canarios!_ We must fly," Don Sylva exclaimed, now thoroughly awake. -"My daughter must not fall into the hands of those demons." - -As for Dona Anita, little troubled her at this moment. She was fast -asleep. - -"Let the horses eat, and then we will start. We have a long way to go, -and they must be able to bear us. These few moments of rest will allow -Dona Anita to regain her strength." - -"Poor child!" the hacendero muttered, "I am the cause of what has -happened. My unlucky obstinacy brought us here." - -"What use is recrimination, Don Sylva? We are all to blame. Let us -forget the past, only to think of the present." - -"Yes, you are right. What need discussing things that are done? Now that -I am perfectly awake, tell me what you did during the night, and why you -forced us to start so suddenly." - -"My story will be short, Don Sylva; but you, I believe, will find it -very interesting. But you shall judge for yourself. After leaving you -last night, as you remember, to find out--" - -"Yes, you wished to examine a fire that seemed to you suspicious." - -"That was it. Well, I was not mistaken: that fire, as I supposed, was a -snare laid by the Apaches. I managed to crawl up to them unnoticed, and -hear their conversation. Do you know what they said?" - -"By my faith, I have little notion what such idiots as those talk -about." - -"Not such idiots as you fancy somewhat lightly, Don Sylva. One of their -runners was telling the sachem the result of a mission entrusted to him. -Among other things he mentioned that he had discovered a paleface trail, -and that among the palefaces was a woman." - -"_Caspita!_" the hacendero exclaimed in terror, "Are you quite sure of -that, Don Martial?" - -"The more so because I heard the chief make this reply. Be attentive, -Don Sylva--" - -"I am listening, my friend: go on." - -"'At sunrise we will set out in pursuit of the palefaces. The chief's -lodge is empty: he wants a white woman to occupy it.'" - -"Caramba!" - -"Yes. Then finding I had learnt sufficient of the expedition the -redskins were undertaking, I slipped away and regained our camp as soon -as possible. You know the--" - -"Yes, I know the rest, Don Martial," the hacendero said almost -affectionately; "and I thank you most sincerely, not only for the -intelligence you have displayed on this occasion, but also for the -devotion with which you compelled us to follow you, instead of being -disgusted by our mad sloth." - -"I have done nothing but what I should do, Don Sylva. Have I not sworn -to devote my life to you?" - -"Yes, my friend, and you keep your vow nobly." - -Since the hacendero had known Don Martial this was the first time he -spoke openly with him, and gave him the title of friend. The Tigrero was -touched by this expression; and if he had hitherto felt some slight -prejudice against Don Sylva, it was suddenly dissipated, and only left -in his heart a feeling of profound gratitude. - -Dona Anita awoke during this conversation, and it was with an -indescribable joy that she heard them talking thus amicably together. -When her father told her the cause of the hasty journey she had been -compelled to undertake in the middle of the night, she warmly thanked -Don Martial, and rewarded him for all his sufferings by one of those -glances, the secret of which only women in love possess, and into which -they throw their whole soul. The Tigrero, delighted at seeing his -devotion appreciated as it deserved served to be, forgot all his -fatigues, and had only one desire--that of terminating happily what he -had so well begun. So soon as the horses were saddled they mounted -again. - -"I leave myself in your hands, Don Martial," the hacendero said: "you -alone; can save us." - -"With the help of Heaven I shall succeed," the Tigrero replied -passionately. - -They entered the river, which was rather wide at this spot. Instead of -crossing it at right angles, Don Martial, in order to throw the savages -off the scent, followed the course of the river for some distance, and -made repeated curves. At length, on reaching a point where the river was -inclosed by two calcareous banks, where it was impossible for the -horses' hoofs to leave any marks, he landed. The party had left the -desert. Before them stretched those immense prairies, whose undulating -soil gradually, rises to the slopes of the _Sierra Madre_ and the -_Sierra de los Comanches_. They are no longer sterile and desolate -plains, denuded of wood and water, but a luxuriant nature, with an -extraordinary productive force--trees, flowers, grass; countless birds -singing joyously beneath the foliage; animals of every description -running, browsing and sporting in the midst of these natural prairies. - -The travellers yielded instinctively to the feeling of comfort produced -by the sight of this splendid prairie, when compared with the desolate -desert they had just quitted, and in which they had wandered about so -long haphazard. This contrast was full of charm for them: they felt, -their courage rekindled, and hope returning to their hearts. About -eleven o'clock the horses were so fatigued that the travellers were -compelled to encamp, in order to give them a few hours' rest, and thus -pass the great heats of the day. Don Martial chose the top of a wooded -hill, whence the prairie could be surveyed, while they remained -completely concealed among the trees. - -The Tigrero would not permit them, however, to light a fire to cook food -as the smoke would have caused their retreat to be discovered; and in -their present position they could not exercise too great prudence, as it -was evident that the Apaches would have started in pursuit at sunrise. -Those crafty bloodhounds must be thrown off the scent. In spite of all -the precautions he had taken, the Tigrero could not flatter himself with -the hope of having foiled them; for the redskins are so clever in -discovering a trail. After eating a few hasty mouthfuls he allowed his -companions to enjoy a rest they needed so greatly, and rose to go on the -watch. - -This man appeared made of iron--fatigue took no hold on him; his will -was so firm that he resisted everything, and the desire to save the -woman he loved endowed him with a supernatural strength. He slowly -descended the hill, examining each shrub, only advancing with extreme -prudence, and with his ear open to every sound, however slight. So soon -as he reached the plain, certain that his presence would be concealed by -the tall grass, in which he entirely disappeared, he hastened at full -speed towards a sombre and primeval forest, whose trees approached -almost close to the hill. This forest was really what it appeared to -be--a virgin forest. The trees and leaves intertwined formed an -inextricable curtain, through which a hatchet would have been required -to cut a passage. Had he been alone, the Tigrero would not have been -greatly embarrassed by this apparently insurmountable obstacle. Skilful -and powerful as he was, he would have travelled 'twixt earth and sky, by -passing from branch to branch, as he had often done before. But what a -man so desolate as himself could do was not to be expected from a frail -and weak woman. - -For an instant the Tigrero felt his heart fail him, and his courage give -way. But this despair was only momentary. Don Martial drew himself up -proudly and suddenly regained all his energy. He continued to advance -toward the forest, looking around like a wild beast on the watch for -prey. All of a sudden he uttered a stifled cry of joy. He had found what -he had been seeking without any hope of finding it. - -Before him, beneath a thick dome of verdure, ran one of those narrow -paths formed by wild beasts in going to water, which it required the -Tigrero's practised eye to detect. He resolutely turned aside into this -path. Like all such it took innumerable turnings, incessantly coming -back on itself. After following it for a length of time, the Tigrero -went back and re-ascended the hill. - -His companions, anxious at his prolonged absence, were impatiently -expecting him. Each welcomed his return with delight. He told them what -he had been doing, and the track he had discovered. While Don Martial -had been on the search, one of his peons, however, had made, on the side -of this very hill, a discovery most valuable at such a moment to our -travellers. This man, while wandering about the neighbourhood to kill -time, had found the entrance to a cave which he had not dared to -explore, not knowing whether he might not unexpectedly find himself face -to face with a wild beast. - -Don Martial quivered with joy at this news. He seized an _ocote_ torch -and ordered the peon to lead him to the cavern. It was only a few paces -distant, and on that side of the hill which faced the river. The -entrance was so obstructed by shrubs and parasitic plants, that it was -evident no living being had ever penetrated it for many a long year. The -Tigrero moved the shrubs with the greatest care, in order not to injure -them, and glided into the cavern. The entrance was tolerably lofty, -though rather narrow. Before going in Don Martial struck a light and -kindled the torch. - -This cavern was one of those natural grottos, so many of which are to be -found in these regions. The walls were lofty and dry, the ground covered -with fine sand. It evidently received air from imperceptible fissures, -as no mephitic exhalation escaped from it, and breathing was quite easy; -in a word, although it was rather gloomy, it was habitable. It grew -gradually lower to a species of hall, in the centre of which was a gulf, -the bottom of which Don Martial could not see, though he held down his -torch. He looked around him, saw a lump of rock, probably detached from -the roof and threw it into the abyss. - -For a long time he heard the stone dashing against the sides, and then -the noise of a body falling into water. Don Martial knew all he -wanted to know. He stepped past the gulf, and advanced along a narrow -shelving passage. After walking for about ten minutes along it, he saw -light a considerable distance ahead. The grotto had two outlets. Don -Martial returned at full speed. - -"We are saved!" he said to his companions. "Follow me: we have not an -instant to lose in reaching the refuge Providence so generously offers -us." - -They followed him. - -"What shall we do, though," Don Sylva asked, "with the horses?" - -"Do not trouble yourselves about them; I will conceal them. Place in the -grotto our provisions, for it is probable we shall be forced to remain -here some time; also keep by you the saddles and bridles, which I do not -know what to do with. As for the horses, they are my business." - -Each set to work with that feverish ardour produced by the hope of -escaping a danger; and at the end of an hour at most, the baggage, -provisions, and men had all disappeared in the cavern. Don Martial drew -the bushes over the entrance, to hide the traces of his companions' -passage, and breathed with that delight caused by the success of a -daring project; then he returned to the crest of the hill. - -He fastened the horses and mules together with his reata, and descending -to the plain, he proceeded toward the forest, and entered the path he -had previously discovered. It was very narrow, and the horses could only -proceed in single file, and with extreme difficulty. At length he -reached a species of clearing, where be abandoned the poor animals, -leaving them all the forage, which he had taken care to pack on the -mules. Don Martial was well aware that the horses would stray but a -short distance from the spot where he left them, and that when they were -wanted it would be easy to find them. - -These various occupations had consumed a good deal of time, and the day -was considerably advanced when the Tigrero finally quitted the forest. -The sun, very low on the horizon, appeared like a ball of fire, nearly -on a level with the ground. The shadow of the trees was -disproportionately elongated. The evening breeze was beginning to rise. -A few hoarse cries, issuing at intervals from the depths of the forest, -announced the speedy re-awakening of the wild beasts, those denizens of -the desert which, during the night, are its absolute king. - -On reaching the crest of the hill, and before entering the grotto, Don -Martial surveyed the horizon by the last rays of the expiring sun. -Suddenly he turned pale; a nervous shudder passed through his frame; his -eyes, dilated by terror, were obstinately fixed on the river; and he -muttered in a low voice, stamping with fury,-- - -"Already? The demons!" - -What the Tigrero had seen was really startling. A band of Indian -horsemen was traversing the river at the precise spot where he and his -companions had crossed it a few hours previously. Don Martial followed -their movements with growing alarm. On arriving at the river bank, -without any hesitation or delay, they took up his trail. Doubt was no -longer possible; the Apaches had not been deceived by the hunter's -schemes, but had come in a straight line behind the party, exercising -great diligence. In less than an hour they could reach the hill; and -then, with that diabolical science they possessed to discover the best -hidden trail, who knew what would happen? - -The Tigrero felt his heart breaking, and half mad with grief, rushed -into the grotto. On seeing him enter thus with livid features, the -hacendero and his daughter hurried to meet him. - -"What is the matter?" They asked. - -"We are lost!" he exclaimed with despair. "Here are the Apaches!" - -"The Apaches!" they muttered with terror. - -"O heavens save me!" Dona Anita said, falling on her knees and fervently -clasping her hands. - -The Tigrero bent over the fair girl, took her in his arms with a -strength rendered tenfold by grief, and turning to the hacendero,-- - -"Come," he shouted, "follow me. Perhaps one chance of salvation is still -left us." - -And he hurried toward the extremity of the grotto, all eagerly following -him. They hurried on for some time in this way. Dona Anita, almost -fainting, leaned her lovely head on the Tigrero's shoulders. He still -ran on. - -"Come, come," he said, "we shall soon be saved." - -His companions uttered a shout of joy: they had perceived a gleam of -daylight before them. Suddenly, at the moment Don Martial reached the -entrance, and was about to rush forth, a man appeared. It was the Black -Bear. - -The Tigrero leaped back with the howl of a wild beast. - -"Wah!" the Apache said, with a mocking voice, "my brother knows that I -love this woman, and to please me hastens to bring her to me." - -"You have not got her yet, demon!" Don Martial shouted, boldly placing -himself before Dona Anita, with a pistol in each hand. "Come and take -her." - -Rapidly approaching footsteps were heard in the depths of the cavern. -The Mexicans were caught between two fires. The Black Bear, with his eye -fixed on the Tigrero, watched his every movement. Suddenly he bounded -forward like a tiger cat, uttering his war yell. The Tigrero fired both -pistols at him and seized him round the waist. The two men rolled on the -ground, intertwined like two serpents, while Don Sylva and the peons -fought desperately with the other Indians. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE WOOD RANGERS. - - -We will now return to certain persons of this story, whom we have too -long forgotten. - -Although the French had remained masters of the field, and succeeded in -driving back their savage enemies when they attacked the hacienda upon -the Rio Gila, they did not hide from themselves the fact that they did -not owe this unhoped for victory solely to their own courage. The final -charge made by the Comanches, under the orders of Eagle-head, had alone -decided the victory. Hence, when the enemy disappeared, the Count de -Lhorailles, with uncommon generosity and frankness, especially in a man -of his character, warmly thanked the Comanches, and made the hunters the -most magnificent offers. The latter modestly received the count's -flattering compliments, and plainly declined all the offers he made -them. - -As Belhumeur told him, they had no other motive for their conduct than -that of helping fellow countrymen. Now that all was finished, and the -French would be long free from any attacks on the part of the savages, -they had only one thing more to do--take leave of the count so soon as -possible, and continue their journey. The count, however, induced them -to spend two more days at the colony. - -Dona Anita and her father had disappeared in so mysterious a manner, -that the French, but little accustomed to Indian tricks, and completely -ignorant of the manner of discovering or following a trail in the -desert, were incapable of going in search of the two persons who had -been carried off. The count, in his mind, had built on the experience of -Eagle-head and the sagacity of his warriors to find traces of the -hacendero and his daughter. He explained to the hunters, in the fullest -details, the service he hoped to obtain from them, and they thought they -had no right to refuse it. - -The next morning, at daybreak, Eagle-head divided his detachment into -four troops, each commanded by a renowned warrior, and after giving the -men their instructions, he sent them off in four different directions. -The Comanches beat up the country with that cleverness and skill the -redskins possess to so eminent a degree, but all was useless. The four -troops returned one after the other to the hacienda without making any -discovery. Though they had gone over the ground for a radius of about -twenty leagues round the colony--though not a tuft of grass or a shrub -had escaped their minute investigations--the trail could not be found. -We know the reason--water alone keeps no trace. Don Sylva and his -daughter had been carried down with the current of the Rio Gila. - -"You see," Belhumeur said to the count, "we have done what was humanly -possible to recover the persons carried off during the fight; it is -evident that the ravishers embarked them on the river, and carried them -a long distance ere they landed. Who can say where they are now? The -redskins go fast, especially when flying; they have an immense advance -on us, as the ill success of our efforts proves: it would be madness to -hope to catch them. Allow us, then, to take our leave: perhaps, during -our passage across the prairie, we may obtain information which may -presently prove useful to you." - -"I will no longer encroach on your kindness," the count replied -courteously. "Go whenever you think proper, caballeros; but accept the -expression of my gratitude, and believe that I should be happy to prove -it to you otherwise than by sterile words. Besides, I am also going to -leave the colony, and we may perhaps meet in the desert." - -The next morning the hunters and the Comanches quitted the hacienda, and -buried themselves in the prairie. In the evening Eagle-head had the camp -formed, and the fires lighted. After supper, when all were about to -retire for the night, the sachem sent the _hachesto_, or public crier, -to summon the chiefs to the council fire. - -"My pale brothers will take a place near the chiefs," Eagle-head said, -addressing the Canadian and the Frenchman. - -The latter accepted with a nod, and sat down by the brasero among the -Comanche chiefs, who were already waiting, silent and reserved, for the -communication from their great sachem. When Eagle-head had taken his -seat he made a sign to the pipe bearer. The latter entered the circle, -respectfully carrying in his hand the calumet of medicine, whose stem -was adorned with feathers and a multitude of bells, while the bowl was -hollowed out of a white stone only found in the Rocky Mountains. - -The calumet was filled and lighted. - -The pipe bearer, so soon as he entered the circle, turned the bowl of -the pipe to the four cardinal points, murmuring in a low voice -mysterious words, intended to invoke the goodwill of the Wacondah, the -Master of Life, and remove from the minds of the chiefs the malignant -influence of the first man. Then, still holding the bowl in his hand, he -presented the mouthpiece to Eagle-head, saying in a loud and impressive -voice,-- - -"My father is the first sachem of the valorous nation of the Comanches. -Wisdom resides in him. Although the snows of age have not yet frozen the -thoughts in his brain, like all men, he is subject to error. Let my -father reflect ere he speak; for the words which pass his lips must be -such as the Comanches can hear." - -"My son has spoken well," the sachem replied. - -He took the tube, and smoked silently for a few moments; then he removed -the stem from his lips, and handed it to his nearest neighbour. The pipe -thus passed round the circle, and not a chief uttered a word. When each -had smoked, and all the tobacco in the bowl was consumed, the pipe -bearer shook out the ash into his left hand, and threw it into the -brazier, exclaiming,-- - -"The chiefs are assembled here in council. Their words are sacred. -Wacondah has heard our prayer, it is granted. Woe to the man who forgets -that conscience must be his only guide!" - -After uttering these words with great dignity the pipe bearer left the -circle, murmuring in a low, though perfectly distinct voice,-- - -"Just as the ash I have thrown into the fire has disappeared for ever, -so the words of the chiefs must be sacred, and never be repeated outside -the sachems' circle. My fathers can speak; the council is opened." - -The pipe bearer departed after this warning. Then Eagle-head rose, and, -after surveying all the warriors present, took the word. - -"Comanche chiefs and warriors," he said, "many moons have passed away -since I left the villages of my nation; many moons will again pass ere -the all-powerful Wacondah will permit me to sit at the council fire of -the great Comanche sachems. The blood has ever flowed red in my veins, -and my heart has never worn a skin for my brothers. The words which pass -my lips are spoken by the will of the Great Spirit. He knows how I have -kept up my love for you. The Comanche nation is powerful; it is the -Queen of the Prairies. Its hunting grounds cover the whole world. What -need has it to ally itself with other nations to avenge insults? Does -the unclean coyote retire into the den of the haughty jaguar? Does the -owl lay its eggs in the eagle's nest? Why should the Comanche walk on -the warpath with the Apache dogs? The Apaches are cowardly and -treacherous women. I thank my brothers for not only having broken with -them, but also for having helped me to defeat them. Now my heart is sad, -a mist covers my mind, because I must separate myself from my brothers. -Let them accept my farewell. Let the Jester pity me, because I shall -walk in the shadow far from him. The sunbeams, however burning they may -be, will not warm me. I have spoken. Have I spoken well, powerful men?" - -Eagle-head sat down amid a murmur of grief, and concealed his face -behind the skirt of his buffalo robe. There was great silence in the -assembly; the Jester seemed to interrogate the other chiefs with a -glance. At length he rose, and took the word in his turn to reply to the -sachem. - -"The Jester is young," he said; "his head is good, though he does not -possess, the great wisdom of his father. Eagle-head is a sachem beloved -by the Wacondah. Why has the Master of Life brought the chief back among -the warriors of his nation? Is it that he should leave them again almost -immediately? No; the Master of Life loves his Comanche sons. He could -not have desired that. The warriors need a wise and experienced chief to -lead them on the warpath, and instruct them round the council fire. My -father's head is grey; he will teach and guide the warriors. The Jester -cannot do so; he is still too young, and wants experience. Where my -father goes his sons will go; what my father wishes his sons will wish. -But never let him speak again about leaving them. Let him disperse the -cloud that obscures his mind. His sons implore it by the mouth of the -Jester--that child he brought up, whom he loved so much formerly, and of -whom he made a man. I have spoken; here is my wampum. Have I spoken -well, powerful men?" - -After uttering the last words the chief threw a collar of wampum at -Eagle-head's feet, and sat down again. - -"The great sachem must remain with his sons," all the warriors shouted, -as, in their turn, they threw down their wampum collars. - -Eagle-head rose with an air of great nobility; he allowed the skirt of -his buffalo robe to fall, and addressing the anxious and attentive -assembly,-- - -"I have heard the strain of the walkon, the beloved bird of the -Wacondah, echo in my ears," he said: "its harmonious voice penetrated -to my heart and made it thrill with joy. My sons are good, and I love -them. The Jester and ten warriors to be chosen by himself, will -accompany me, and the others will ride to the great villages of my -nation to announce to the sachems the return of Eagle-head among his -brothers. I have spoken." - -The Jester then asked for the great calumet, which was immediately -brought him by the pipe bearer, and the chiefs smoked in turn, without -uttering a word. When the last puff of smoke had dissolved, the -hachesto, to whom the Jester had said a few words in a low voice, -proclaimed the names of the ten warriors selected to accompany the -sachem. The chiefs rose, bowed to Eagle-head, and silently mounting -their horses, started at a gallop. - -For a considerable period the Jester and Eagle-head conversed in a low -voice; at the end of the palaver, the Jester and his warriors went off -in their turn, Eagle-head, Belhumeur and Don Louis remaining alone. The -Canadian watched the Indians depart, and when they had disappeared he -turned to the chief. - -"Hum!" he said, "Will not the hour soon arrive to speak frankly and -terminate our business? Since our departure from home we have troubled -ourselves a great deal about others, and forgotten our own affairs; is -it not time to think of them?" - -"Eagle-head does not forget: he is preparing to satisfy his pale -brothers." - -Belhumeur burst out laughing. - -"Excuse me, chief; for my part, my business is very simple. You asked me -to accompany you and here I am. May I be a dog of an Apache if I know -anything more! Louis, it is different, is looking for a well-beloved -friend: remember that we have promised to help him to find him." - -"Eagle-head," the chief replied, "has shared his heart between his two -white brothers: each has half. The road we have to go is long, and must -last several moons. We shall cross the great desert. The Jester and his -warriors have gone to kill buffaloes for the journey. I will lead my -white brothers to a spot which I discovered a few moons ago, and which -is only known to myself. The Wacondah, when he created the red man, gave -him strength, courage, and immense hunting grounds, saying to him: 'Be -free and happy.' He gave the palefaces wisdom and science, by teaching -them to know the value of sparkling stones and yellow pebbles. The -redskins and the palefaces each follow the path the Great Spirit has -traced for them. I am leading my brothers to a placer." - -"To a placer!" the two men exclaimed in amazement. - -"Yes. What would an Indian sachem do with these enormous treasures, -which he knows not how to use? Gold is everything with the palefaces. -Let my brothers be happy; Eagle-head will give them more than they can -ever take." - -"An instant, chief. What the deuce would you have me do with your gold? -I am a hunter, whom his horse and rifle suffice. At the period that I -crossed the prairie in the company of Loyal-heart, we frequently found -rich nuggets beneath our feet, and ever turned from them with -contempt." - -"What need have we of gold?" Don Louis supported his friend. "Let us -forget this placer, however rich it may be. Let us not reveal its -existence to anyone, for crimes enough are committed daily for gold. -Give up this scheme, chief. We thank you for your generous offer, but it -is impossible for us to accept it." - -"Well spoken," Belhumeur exclaimed joyously. "Deuce take the gold, which -we can make no use of, and let us live like the free hunters we are! By -heavens, chief, I assure you, had you told me at the time the object for -which you wished me to follow you, I should have let you start alone." - -Eagle-head smiled. - -"I expected the answer my brothers have given me," he said. "I am happy -to see that I have not been mistaken. Yes, gold is useless, to -them--they are right; but that is not a motive for despising it. Like -all things placed on the earth by the Great Spirit, gold is useful. My -brothers will accompany me to the placer, not, as they suppose, to -collect nuggets, but merely to know where they are, and go to fetch them -when wanted. Misfortune ever arrives unexpectedly: the most favoured by -the Great Spirit today are often those whom tomorrow he will smite most -severely. Well, if the gold of this placer is as nothing for the -happiness of my brothers, who insures them that it may not serve some -day to save one of their friends from despair?" - -"That is true," said Don Louis, touched by the justice of this -reasoning. "What you say is wise, and deserves consideration. We can -refuse to enrich ourselves; but we have no right to despise riches, -which may possibly, at some future day, serve others." - -"If that is really your opinion I adopt it; besides, as we are on the -road, it is as well to go to the end. Still, the man who had told me -that I should one day turn _gambusino_ would have astonished me. In the -meanwhile I will go and try to kill a deer." - -On this Belhumeur rose, took his gun, and went off whistling. The Jester -was two days absent. About the middle of the third day he reappeared. -Six horses lassoed in the prairie were loaded with provisions; six -others carried skins filled with water. Eagle-head was satisfied with -the way in which the chief had performed his mission: but as the journey -they had to make was a long one (for they had to cross the Del Norte -desert at its longest part,) he ordered that each horseman should carry -on his saddle, with his alforjas, two little water skins. - -All these measures having been carefully taken, the horses and their -riders rested. Fresh and of good cheer, the next morning, at daybreak, -the little troop started in the direction of the desert. We will say -nothing of the journey, save that it was successful and accomplished -under the most favourable auspices: no incident occurred to mar its -monotonous tranquillity. The Comanches and their friends crossed the -desert like a tornado, with that headlong speed of which they alone -possess the secret, and which renders them so dangerous when they invade -the Mexican frontiers. - -On arriving in the prairies of the Sierra de los Comanches, Eagle-head -ordered the Jester and his warriors to await him in a camp which he -formed on the skirt of a virgin forest, in an immense clearing on the -banks of an unknown stream, which, after a course of several leagues, -falls into the Rio del Norte, and then departed with his comrades. The -sachem foresaw everything. Although he placed entire confidence in the -Jester, he did not wish, through prudential motives, to let him know the -site of the placer. At a later date he had cause to congratulate himself -on this step. - -The hunters pushed on straight for the mountains, which rose before them -like apparently insurmountable granitic walls; but the nearer they -approached the more the mountains sloped down. They soon entered a -narrow gorge, at the entrance of which they were forced to leave their -horses. It was probably owing to this apparently futile circumstance -that this placer had not yet been discovered by the Indians, for the -redskins never, under any circumstances, dismount. It may justly be said -of them, as of the Guachos of the Pampas, in the Banda Oriental and -Patagonia, that they live on horseback. - -By a singular accident during one of his hunts, a deer which Eagle-head -had wounded entered this gorge to die. The chief, who had been following -the animal for several hours, did not hesitate to go in quest of it. -After traversing the whole length of the gorge he reached a valley, a -kind of funnel formed between two abrupt mountains, which, except on -this side, rendered access not only difficult, but impossible. There he -found the deer expiring on a sand sprinkled with gold dust, and sown -with nuggets winch sparkled like diamonds in the sunshine. - -On entering the valley the hunters could not repress a cry of admiration -and a shudder of delight. However strong a man may be morally, gold -possesses an irresistible attraction, and exerts a powerful fascination -over him. Belhumeur was the first to regain his calmness. - -"Oh, oh!" he said, wiping the perspiration which poured down his face, -"there are fortunes enough hidden in this nook of earth. God grant that -they may remain so a long time, for the happiness of mankind!" - -"What shall we do?" asked Louis, his chest heaving and his eyes -sparkling. - -Eagle-head alone regarded these incalculable riches with an indifferent -eye. - -"Hum!" the Canadian continued, "This is evidently our property, as the -chief surrenders it to us." - -The sachem made a sign of affirmation. - -"Hear what I propose," he continued. "We do not need this gold, which at -this moment would be more injurious to us than useful. Still, as no one -can foresee the future, we must assure ourselves of the ownership. Let -us cover this sand with leaves and branches, so that if accident lead a -hunter to the top of one of those mountains, he may not see the gold -glistening; then we will pile up stones, and close the mouth of the -valley; for what has happened to Eagle-head must not happen to another. -What is your opinion?" - -"To work!" Don Louis exclaimed. "I am anxious not to have my eyes -dazzled longer by this diabolical metal, which makes me giddy." - -"To work, then!" Belhumeur replied. - -The three men cut down branches from the trees, and formed with them a -thick carpet, under which the auriferous sand and nuggets entirely -disappeared. - -"Will you not take a specimen of the nuggets?" Belhumeur said to the -count. "Perhaps it may be useful to take a few." - -"My faith, no!" the latter replied, shrugging his shoulders; "I do not -care for it. Take some if you will: for my part, I will not soil my -fingers with them." - -The Canadian began laughing, picked up two or three nuggets as huge as -walnuts, and placed them in his bullet pouch. - -"Sapristi!" he said, "if I kill sundry Apaches with these they will have -no right to complain, I hope." - -They quitted the valley, the entrance to which they stopped up with -masses of rock. They then regained their horses, and returned to the -camp, after cutting notches in the trees, so as to be able to recognise -the spot, if, at a later date, circumstances led them to the placer, -which, we are bound to say in their favour, not one of them desired. - -The Jester was awaiting his friends with the intensest impatience. The -prairie was not quiet. In the morning the runners had perceived a small -band of palefaces crossing the Del Norte, and proceeding toward a hill, -on the top of which they had encamped. At this moment a large Apache -war-party had crossed the river at the same spot, apparently following a -trail. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, "It is plain that those dogs are pursuing -white people." - -"Shall we let them be massacred beneath our eyes?" Louis exclaimed -indignantly. - -"My faith, no! If it depend on us," the hunter said, "perhaps this good -action will obtain our pardon for the feeling of covetousness to which -we for a moment yielded. Speak, Eagle-head! What will you do?" - -"Save the palefaces," the chief replied. - -The orders were immediately given by the sachem, and executed with that -intelligence and promptitude characteristic of picked warriors on the -war trail. The horses were left under the guard of a Comanche, and the -detachment, divided into two parties, advanced cautiously into the -prairie. With the exception of Eagle-head, the Jester, Louis, and -Belhumeur, who had rifles, all the others were armed with lances and -bows. - -"Diamond cut diamond," the Canadian said in a low voice. "We are going -to surprise those who are preparing to surprise others." - -At this moment two shots were heard, followed by others, and then the -war cry of the Apaches echoed far and wide. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, rushing forward, "They do not fancy we are so -near." - -All the others followed him at full speed. In the meanwhile the combat -had assumed horrible proportions in the cavern. Don Sylva and the peons -resisted courageously; but what could they do against the swarm of -enemies that assailed them on every side? - -The Tigrero and the Black Bear, interlaced like two serpents, were -seeking to stab each other. Don Martial, when he perceived the Indian, -leaped back so precipitately that he cleared the passage and reached the -hall, in the centre of which was the abyss to which we before alluded. -It was on the verge of this gulf that the two men, with flashing eyes, -heaving chests, and lips closed by fury, redoubled their efforts. - -Suddenly several shots were heard, and the war cry of the Comanches -burst forth like thunder. The Black Bear loosed his hold of Don Martial, -leaped on his feet, and rushed on Dona Anita; but the girl, though -suffering from an indescribable terror, repulsed the savage by a -supernatural effort. The latter, already wounded by the Tigrero's -pistols, tottered backwards to the edge of the abyss, where he lost his -balance. He felt that all was over. By an instinctive effort he -stretched out his arms, seized Don Martial (who, half stunned by the -contest he had been engaged in, was trying to rise), made him totter in -his turn, and the two fell to the bottom of the abyss, uttering a -horrible cry. - -Dona Anita rushed forward: she was lost--when suddenly she felt herself -seized by a vigorous hand, and rapidly dragged backwards. She had -fainted. - -The Comanches had arrived too late. Of the seven persons composing the -little band, five had been killed; a peon seriously wounded, and Dona -Anita alone survived. The young girl had been saved by Belhumeur. When -she opened her eyes again she smiled gently, and in a childlike voice, -melodious as a bird's carol, began singing a Mexican seguedilla. The -hunters recoiled with a cry of horror. Dona Anita was mad! - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -EL AHUEHUELT. - - -The count de Lhorailles entered the great Del Norte desert under the -guidance of Cuchares. During the first day all went on famously; the -weather was magnificent--the provisions more than plentiful. With their -innate carelessness the Frenchmen forgot their past fears, and laughed -at the alarm which the Mexican peons did not cease manifesting; for, -better informed, they did not conceal the terror which the prolonged -stay of the company in this terrible region caused them. - -The days were spent in the desert in wandering purposelessly in search -of the Apaches, who had at length become invisible. At times they -perceived an Indian horseman in the distance, apparently mocking them, -who presently came up close to their lines. Boot and saddle was sounded; -everybody mounted, and pursued this phantom horseman, who, after -allowing them to follow him for a long time, suddenly disappeared like a -vision. - -This mode of life, however, through its very monotony, began to grow -insipid and insupportable. To see nothing but grey sand, ever sand--not -a bird or a wild beast--tawny, weather-worn rocks--a few lofty -ahuehuelts--a species of cedar, with long bare branches, covered with a -greyish moss, hanging in heavy festoons--had nothing very amusing about -it. The troop began to grow dispirited. The reflection of the sun on the -sand caused ophthalmia; the water, decomposed by the heat, was no longer -drinkable; the provisions were spoiling; and scurvy had commenced its -ravages among the soldiers. This state of things was growing -intolerable: measures must be taken to get out of it as rapidly as -possible. - -The count formed his officers into a council; and it was composed of -Lieutenants Martin Leroux and Diego Leon, Sergeant Boileau, Blas -Vasquez, and Cuchares. These five persons, presided over by the count, -took their seats on bales, while a short distance off, the soldiers, -reclining on the ground, tried to shelter themselves beneath the shadow -of their picketed horses. - -It was urgent to assemble the council, for the company was rapidly -demoralising; there was revolt in the air, and complaints had already -been openly uttered. The execution at the Casa Grande was completely -forgotten; and, if a remedy were not soon found, no one knew what -terrible consequences this general dissatisfaction might not entail. - -"Gentlemen," the Count de Lhorailles said, "I have assembled you in -order to consult with you on the means to put a stop to the despondency -which has fallen on our company during the last few days. The -circumstances are so serious that I shall feel obliged by your giving me -your frank opinion. The general welfare is at stake, and in such a state -of things each has a right to express his opinion without fear of -wounding the self-love of anyone. Speak; I am listening to you. You -first, Sergeant Boileau: as the lowest in rank, you must take the word -first." - -The sergeant was an old African soldier, knowing his duties perfectly--a -thorough trooper in the fullest sense of the word; but we must confess -that he was nothing of an orator. At this direct challenge from his -chief he smiled, blushed like a girl, let his head droop, opened an -enormous mouth, and stopped short. The count, perceiving his -embarrassment, kindly urged him to speak. At length, after many an -effort, the sergeant managed to begin in a hoarse and perfectly -indistinct voice. - -"Hang it, captain!" he said, "I can understand that the situation is not -at all pleasant; but what is to be done? A man is a trooper, or he is -not. Hence my opinion is that you ought to act as you think proper; and -we are here to obey you in every respect, as is our peremptory duty, -without any subsequent or offensive after-thought." - -The officers could not refrain from laughing at the worthy sergeant's -profession of faith, as he stopped all ashamed. - -"It is your turn, capataz," the captain said. "Give us your opinion." - -Blas Vasquez fixed his burning eyes on the count. - -"Do you really ask it frankly?" he said. - -"Certainly I do." - -"Then listen," he said in a firm voice, and with an accent bearing -conviction. "My opinion is that we are betrayed; that it is impossible -for us to leave this desert, where we shall all perish in pursuing -invisible enemies, who have caused us to fall into a trap which will -hold us all." - -These words produced a great impression on the hearers, who understood -their perfect truth. The captain shook his head thoughtfully. - -"Don Blas," he said, "you bring, then, a heavy accusation against -someone. Have you conscientiously weighed the purport of your words?" - -"Yes," he replied; "but--" - -"Remember that we can admit no vague suppositions. Things have reached -such a pitch that, if you wish us to give you the credence you -doubtlessly deserve, you must bring your charges precisely, and not -shrink from pronouncing any name if it be necessary." - -"I shall shrink from nothing, senor conde. I know all the responsibility -I take on myself. No consideration, however powerful it may be, will -make me conceal what I regard as a sacred duty." - -"Speak, then, in Heaven's name; and God grant that your words may not -compel me to inflict an exemplary chastisement on one of our comrades." - -The capataz collected himself for a moment. All anxiously awaited his -explanation: Cuchares especially was suffering from an emotion which he -found great difficulty in concealing. Blas Vasquez at length spoke -again, while keeping his eye so fixed on the count that the latter began -to understand that he and his men were the victims of some odious -treachery. - -"Senor conde," Blas said, "we Mexicans have a law from which we never -depart--a law which, indeed, is inscribed in the hearts of all honest -men. It is this: in the same way that the pilot is responsible for the -ship intrusted to him to take into port, the pioneer responds with his -person for the safety of the people he undertakes to guide in the -desert. In this case no discussion is possible: either the guide is -ignorant, or he is not. If he is ignorant, why, against the opinion of -everybody, has he forced us to enter the desert, while taking on himself -the entire responsibility of our journey? Why, if he be not ignorant, -did he not guide us straight across the desert as he agreed to do, -instead of leading us at venture in pursuit of an enemy who, he knows as -well as I do, is never stationary in the desert, but traverses it at his -horse's utmost speed when forced to enter it? Hence on the guide alone -must weigh the blame of all that has happened, as he was master of -events, and arranged them as he thought proper." - -Cuchares, more and more perturbed, knew not what countenance to keep; -his emotion was visible to all. - -"What reply have you to make?" the captain asked him. - -Under circumstances like the present, the man attacked has only two -means of defence--to feign indignation or contempt. Cuchares chose the -latter. Summoning up all his boldness and impudence, he raised his -voice, shrugged his shoulders disdainfully, and answered in an ironical -tone,-- - -"I will not do Don Blas the honour of discussing his remarks: there are -certain accusations which an honest man scorns to repel. It was my duty -to act in conformity with the orders of the captain, who alone commands -here. Since we have been in the desert we have lost twenty men, killed -by the Indians or by disease. Can I be logically rendered responsible -for this misfortune? Do I not run the same risks as all of you of -perishing in the desert? Is it in my power to escape the fate that -threatens you? If the captain had merely ordered me to cross the desert, -we should have done so long ago: he told me that he wished to catch the -Apaches up, and I was compelled to obey him." - -These reasons, specious as they were, were still accepted as good by the -officers. Cuchares breathed again, but he had not yet finished with the -capataz. - -"Good!" the latter said. "Strictly speaking, you might be right in your -remarks, and I would put faith in your statements, had I not other and -graver charges to bring against you." - -The lepero shrugged his shoulders once more. - -"I know, and can supply proof, that, by your remarks and insinuations, -you sow discord and rebellion among the peons and troopers. This -morning, before the _reveille_, believing that no one saw you, you rose, -and with your dagger pierced ten of the fifteen water skins still left -us. The noise I made in running toward you alone prevented the entire -consummation of your crime. At the moment when the captain gave us -orders to assemble, I was about to warn him of what yon had done. What -have you to answer to this? Defend yourself, if it be possible." - -All eyes were fixed on the lepero. He was livid. His eyes, suffused with -blood, were haggard. Before it was possible to guess his intention, he -drew a pistol and fired at the capataz, who fell without uttering a cry; -then with a tiger-bound he leaped on his horse, and started at full -speed. There was an indescribable tumult. All rushed in pursuit of the -lepero. - -"Down with the murderer!" the captain shouted, urging his men by voice -and gestures to seize the villain. - -The Frenchmen, rendered furious by this pursuit, began firing on -Cuchares as on a wild beast. For a long time he was seen galloping his -horse in every direction, and seeking in vain to quit the circle in -which the troopers had inclosed him. At length he tottered in his -saddle, tried to hold on by his horse's mane, and rolled in the sand, -uttering a parting yell of fury. He was dead! - -This event caused extreme excitement among the soldiers: from this -moment they felt that they were betrayed, and began to see their -position as it really was--that is to say, desperate. In vain did the -captain try to restore them a little courage; they would listen to -nothing, but yielded to that despair which disorganises and paralyses -everything. The count gave the order for departure, and they set out. - -But whither should they go? In what direction turn? No trace was -visible. Still they marched on, rather to change their place than in the -hope of emerging from the sepulchre of sand in which they believed -themselves eternally buried. Eight days passed away--eight -centuries---during which the adventurers endured the most frightful -tortures of thirst and hunger. The troop no longer existed; there were -neither chiefs nor soldiers; it was a legion of hideous phantoms, a -flock of wild beasts ready to devour each other on the first -opportunity. - -They had been reduced to splitting the ears of the horses and mules in -order to drink the blood. - -Wandering now on this side, now on that, deceived by the mirage, dazzled -by the burning sunbeams, they were a prey to a hideous despair. Some -laughed with a silly air; and these were the happiest, for they no -longer felt their sufferings: they were mad. Others brandished their -weapons furiously, raising their fists, with menaces and curses to -heaven, which, like an immense plate of red-hot iron, seemed the -implacable dome of their sandy tomb. Some, rendered raging by suffering, -blew out their brains, while mocking their comrades who were too -weak-minded to follow their example. - -The French are, perhaps, the bravest nation in existence; but, on the -other hand, the easiest to demoralise. If their impulse is irresistible -in the onward march; it is the same when they give way. Nothing will -stop them--neither reasoning nor coercive measures. Extreme in -everything, the Frenchman is more than a man, or less than a child. - -The Count de Lhorailles, gloomy and heart-broken, surveyed the ruin of -all his hopes. Ever the first to march the last to rest, not eating a -mouthful till he was certain that all his comrades had their share, he -watched with unexampled tenderness and care over these poor soldiers, -who, strangely enough, in the misery in which they were plunged, never -dreamed of addressing a reproach to him. - -Of Blas Vasquez' peons the majority were dead. The rest had sought -safety in flight; that is, they had gone a little further on to seek a -hidden tomb. All those who remained faithful to the captain were -Europeans, principally Frenchmen, brave Dauph'yeers, utterly ignorant of -the way to combat and conquer the implacable enemy against whom they -struggled--the desert! Of the two hundred and forty-five men of which -the squadron was composed on its entering the Del Norte, one hundred and -thirty-three still survived, if we allow that these haggard, fleshless -spectres were men. - -The most atrocious pain which a man can suffer in the desert is the -frightful malady called _calentura_ by the Mexicans. The calentura! That -temporary madness, which makes you see, during its intermittent attacks, -the most dainty and delicious dishes, the most limpid water, the most -exquisite wines; which satiates and enervates you; and, when it leaves -you, renders you more desponding, more broken, than before, for you -retain the remembrance of all you possessed during your dream. - -One day, at length, the wretched men, crushed by misery and torture of -every description, refused to go further, and resolved to die where -accident had led them. They lay down in the torrid sand, beneath the -shadow of a few ahuehuelts, with the firm will of remaining motionless -until death, which they had summoned so loudly, came at length to -deliver them from their woes. The sun set in a mist of purple and gold, -to the sound of the curses and imprecations of these wretched men who, -expecting nothing more, hoping nothing more, had only retained the cruel -instincts of the wild beast. - -Still the night succeeded to day--gradually calmness took the place of -disorder. Sleep, that great consoler, weighed down the heavy eyelids of -the men, who, if they did not sleep, fell into state of somnolency, -which brought a truce to their fearful tortures, if only for a few -moments. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a formidable sound -aroused them--a fiery whirlwind passed over them--the thunder burst -forth in terrific peals. The sky was black as ink--not a star, not a -moonbeam--nothing but dense gloom, which hid the nearest objects from -sight. - -The poor fellows rose in great terror; they dragged themselves on as -well as they could one after the other, crouching together like a flock -of sheep surprised by a storm, wishing, with that inborn egotism of man, -to die together. - -"A temporal, a temporal!" all shouted with an expression of voice -impossible to render. - -It was in reality the temporal, that fearful scourge, which was -unloosing all its fury, and passing over the desert to subvert its -surface. The wind howled with extraordinary force, raising clouds of -dust, which whirled round with extreme velocity, and formed enormous -spouts, that, ran along and suddenly burst with a frightful crash. Men -and animals caught in the tornado were whisked away into a space like -straws. - -"Down on the ground!" the count shouted in a tremendous voice; "Down on -the ground. 'Tis the African simoom! Down, all of you who care for -life!" - -Strange to say, all these men, weighed down with atrocious sufferings, -obeyed their chiefs orders like children, so great is the terror death -inspires in the darkness. They buried their faces in the sand, in order -to avoid the burning blast of air that passed over them. The animals -crouched on the ground, with outstretched necks, instinctively followed -their example. At intervals, when the wind granted a moment's respite to -these unhappy men, whom it took a delight in torturing, cries and groans -of agony could be heard, mingled with blasphemies and ardent prayers, -that rose from the crowd stretched trembling on the earth. The hurricane -raged through the entire night with ever increasing fury; toward morning -it gradually grew calmer; by sunrise it had exhausted all its strength, -and rushed toward other regions. - -The aspect of the desert was completely changed. Where valleys had been -on the previous night were now mountains; the sparse trees, twisted, -uprooted, or burned by the hurricane, displayed their blackened and -denuded skeletons; no trace of a footpath, no sign of man; all was flat, -smooth, and even as a mirror. The French had been reduced to sixty men; -the others had been carried off or swallowed up, and there was no hope -of discovering the slightest sign of them: the sand was stretched over -them like an immense greyish shroud. - -The first feeling the survivors experienced was terror; the second, -despair; and then the groans and complaints broke out again with renewed -strength. The count, gloomy and sad, regarded these poor people with an -expression of the tenderest pity. Suddenly he burst out into a feverish -laugh, and going up to his horse, which had hitherto, by a species or -miracle, escaped disaster, he saddled it, while gently patting it and -humming a wild tune between his teeth. - -His companions watched him with a feeling of vague terror, for which -they could not account. Although they were so miserable, their captain -still represented superior intellect and a firm will, those two forces -which have so much power over coarse natures, even when circumstances -have forced them to deny them. In their wretched condition they -collected round their chief, like children seek shelter on their -mother's breast. He had ever consoled them, giving them an example of -courage and abnegation: thus, when they saw him acting as he was doing, -they had a foreboding of evil. - -When his horse was saddled the count leaped lightly on its back, and for -a few minutes he made the animal curvet, though it had the greatest -difficulty in keeping on its feet. - -"Hold, my fine fellows!" he suddenly shouted. "Come up here! You had -better listen to some good advice--a parting hint I wish to give you -before I go." - -The soldiers dragged themselves up as well as they could, and surrounded -him. - -The count turned a glance of satisfaction around. - -"Existence is a miserable farce, is it not?" he said, bursting into a -laugh; "and it is often a heavy chain to drag about. How many times, -since we have been wandering about this desert, have I had the thought -which I now utter openly! Well, I confess to you, as long as I had a -hope of saving you, I struggled courageously: that hope I no longer -possess. As we must die of want within a few days--a few hours, -perhaps--I prefer to finish it at once. Believe me, you had better -follow my example. It is soon done, as you shall see." - -While uttering the last words he drew a pistol from his waist belt. At -this moment cries were heard. - -"What is it? What is the matter?" - -"Look, captain! People are coming at last to our help: we are saved!" -Sergeant Boileau exclaimed, rising like a spectre by his side, and -seizing his arm. - -The count freed himself with a smile. - -"You are mad, my poor comrade," he said, looking in the direction -indicated, where a cloud of dust really rose, and was rapidly -approaching; "no one can come to our aid. We have not even," he added -with bitter irony, "the resource of the shipwrecked crew of the _Meduse_! -We are condemned to die in this infernal desert. Farewell, -all--farewell!" - -He raised the pistol. - -"Captain," the sergeant cried reproachfully, "take care! You have no -right to kill yourself. You are our chief, and must be the last to die: -if not, you are a coward!" - -The count bounded as though a serpent had stung him, and made a gesture -as if to rush on the sergeant. The expression of his face was so savage, -his movement so terrible, that the sergeant was terrified, and recoiled. -The captain profited by this second respite, put the muzzle of the -pistol to his temple, and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, -with his skull fractured. - -The adventurers had not yet recovered from the stupor this frightful -event had thrown them into, when the cloud of dust they had noticed -burst violently asunder, and they perceived a troop of mounted Indians, -in the midst of whom were a woman and two or three white men, galloping -toward them at full speed. Convinced that the Apaches had come up to -deal them the final blow, like vultures collecting round a fallen -buffalo, they did not even attempt an impossible resistance. - -"Oh!" one of the hunters shouted, as he leaped from his horse and rushed -toward them, "the poor fellows!" - -The newcomers were Belhumeur, Louis and their friends the Comanches. In -a few words they were apprised of all that had happened, and the -tortures the French had endured. - -"Good heavens!" Belhumeur shouted, "if provisions failed, you had water -in abundance; then why do you complain of thirst?" - -Without saying a word, Eagle-head and the Jester dug up the ground with -their knives at the foot of an ahuehuelt. Within ten minutes an abundant -stream of limpid water poured along the sand. The Frenchmen rushed in -disorder toward it. - -"Poor fellows!" Don Louis murmured, "Shall we not take them from this -spot?" - -"Do you think I would let them perish, now I have restored them to hope? -Poor girl!" casting a melancholy glance at Dona Anita, who was laughing -and cracking her fingers like castanets, "why is it not equally easy to -restore her to reason?" - -Don Louis sighed, but made no reply. - -The French then learned a thing, which would have saved them all -probably, had they known it sooner--that the ahuehuelt, which, in the -Comanche Indian dialect, signifies the _Lord of the Waters_, is a tree -which grows in arid spots, and its presence ever indicates either a -spring flush with the soil or a hidden source; that for this reason the -redskins hold it in veneration; and, as it is principally found in the -deserts, they designate it also by the name of the _Great Medicine of -Travellers_. - - * * * * * - -Two days later the adventurers, guided by the hunters and Comanches, -quitted the desert. They speedily reached the Casa Grande of -Moctecuhzoma, where their saviours, after giving them the provisions -they stood in such pressing need of, finally left them, hardly knowing -how to escape from their hearty thanks and blessings. - -(Those of our readers who have felt an interest in Don Louis will find -his history continued in another volume, called "THE GOLD-SEEKERS.") - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - -***** This file should be named 42535.txt or 42535.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/5/3/42535/ - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Tiger-Slayer - A Tale of the Indian Desert - -Author: Gustave Aimard - -Translator: Lascelles Wraxall - -Release Date: April 14, 2013 [EBook #42535] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - - - - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - - - - -THE TIGER-SLAYER. - -A TALE OF THE INDIAN DESERT. - -BY - -GUSTAVE AIMARD, - -AUTHOR OF "THE PRAIRIE FLOWER," ETC. - -LONDON - -WARD AND LOCK - -MDCCCLX. - - - - - CONTENTS - - PREFACE. - - I. LA FERIA DE PLATA - II. DON SYLVA DE TORRÉS - III. THE TWO HUNTERS - IV. COUNT MAXIM GAËTAN DE LHORAILLES - V. THE DAUPH'YEERS - VI. BY THE WINDOW - VII. A DUEL - VIII. THE DEPARTURE - IX. A MEETING IN THE DESERT - X. BEFORE THE ATTACK - XI. THE MEXICAN MOON - XII. A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM - XIII. A NIGHT JOURNEY - XIV. AN INDIAN TRICK - XV. SET A CHIEF TO CATCH A CHIEF - XVI. THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA - XVII. CUCHARÉS - XVIII. IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK - XIX. IN THE PRAIRIE - XX. BOOT AND SADDLE - XXI. THE CONFESSION - XXII. THE MAN HUNT - XXIII. THE APACHES - XXIV. THE WOOD RANGERS - XXV. EL AHUEHUELT - - - - -PREFACE. - - -It is hardly necessary to say anything on behalf of the new aspirant for -public favour whom I am now introducing to the reader. He has achieved a -continental reputation, and the French regard him proudly as their -Fenimore Cooper. It will be found, I trust, on perusal, that the -position he has so rapidly assumed in the literature of his country is -justified by the reality of his descriptions, and the truthfulness which -appears in every page. Gustave Aimard has the rare advantage of having -lived for many years as an Indian among the Indians. He is acquainted -with their language, and has gone through all the extraordinary phases -of a nomadic life in the prairie. Had he chosen to write his life, it -would have been one of the most marvellous romances of the age: but he -has preferred to weave into his stories the extraordinary events of -which he has been witness during his chequered life. Believing that his -works only require to be known in order to secure him as favourable a -reception in this country as he has elsewhere, it has afforded me much -satisfaction to have it in my power to place them in this garb. Some -slight modifications have been effected here and there; but in other -respects I have presented a faithful rendering. - - - LASCELLES WRAXALL. - - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -LA FERIA DE PLATA. - - -From the earliest days of the discovery of America, its distant shores -became the refuge and rendezvous of adventurers of every description, -whose daring genius, stifled by the trammels of the old European -civilisation, sought fresh scope for action. - -Some asked from the New World liberty of conscience--the right of -praying to God in their own fashion; others, breaking their sword blades -to convert them into daggers, assassinated entire nations to rob their -gold, and enrich themselves with their spoils; others, lastly, men of -indomitable temperament, with lions' hearts contained in bodies of iron, -recognising no bridle, accepting no laws, and confounding liberty with -license, formed, almost unconsciously, that formidable association of -the "Brethren of the Coast," which for a season made Spain tremble for -her possessions, and with which Louis XIV., the Sun King, did not -disdain to treat. - -The descendants of these extraordinary men still exist in America; and -whenever any revolutionary crisis heaves up, after a short struggle, the -dregs of the population, they instinctively range themselves round the -grandsons of the great adventurers, in the hope of achieving mighty -things in their turn under the leadership of heroes. - -At the period when we were in America chance allowed us to witness one -of the boldest enterprises ever conceived and carried out by these -daring adventurers. This _coup de main_ created such excitement that for -some months it occupied the press, and aroused the curiosity and -sympathy of the whole world. - -Reasons, which our readers will doubtless appreciate, have induced us to -alter the names of the persons who played the principal parts in this -strange drama, though we adhere to the utmost exactness as regards the -facts. - -About ten years back the discovery of the rich Californian plains -awakened suddenly the adventurous instincts of thousands of young and -intelligent men, who, leaving country and family, rushed, full of -enthusiasm, towards the new Eldorado, where the majority only met with -misery and death, after sufferings and vexations innumerable. - -The road from Europe to California is a long one. Many persons stopped -half way; some at Valparaiso; others, again, at Mazatlan or San Blas, -though the majority reached San Francisco. - -It is not within the scope of our story to give the details, too well -known at present, of all the deceptions by which the luckless emigrants -were assailed with the first step they took on this land, where they -imagined they needed only to stoop and pick up handfuls of gold. - -We must ask our readers to accompany us to Guaymas six months after the -discovery of the placers. - -In a previous work we have spoken of Sonora; but as the history we -purpose to narrate passes entirely in that distant province of Mexico, -we must give a more detailed account of it here. - -Mexico is indubitably the fairest country in the world, and every -variety, of climate is found there. But while its territory is immense, -the population unfortunately, instead of being in a fair ratio with it, -only amounts to seven million, of whom nearly five million belong to the -Indian or mixed races. - -The Mexican Confederation comprises the federal district of Mexico, -twenty-one states, and three territories or provinces, possessing no -internal independent administration. - -We will say nothing of the government, from the simple reason that up to -the present the normal condition of that magnificent and unhappy country -has ever been anarchy. - -Still, Mexico appears to be a federative republic, at least nominally, -although the only recognised power is the sabre. - -The first of the seven states, situated on the Atlantic, is Sonora. It -extends from north to south, between the Rio Gila and the Rio Mayo. It -is separated on the east from the State of Chihuahua by the Sierra -Verde, and on the west is bathed by the Vermilion Sea, or Sea of Cortez, -as most Spanish maps still insist on calling it. - -The State of Sonora is one of the richest in Mexico, owing to the -numerous gold mines by which its soil is veined. Unfortunately, or -fortunately, according to the point of view from which we like to regard -it, Sonora is incessantly traversed by innumerable Indian tribes, -against which the inhabitants wage a constant war. Thus the continual -engagements with these savage hordes, the contempt of life, and the -habit of shedding human blood on the slightest pretext, have given the -Sonorians a haughty and decided bearing, and imprinted on them a stamp -of nobility and grandeur, which separates them entirely from the other -states, and causes them to be recognised at the first glance. - -In spite of its great extent of territory and lengthened seaboard, -Mexico possesses in reality only two ports on the Pacific--Guaymas and -Acapulco. The rest are only roadsteads, in which vessels are afraid to -seek shelter, especially when the impetuous _cordonazo_ blows from the -south-west and upheaves the Gulf of California. - -We shall only speak here of Guaymas. This town, founded but a few years -back on the mouth of the San José, seems destined to become, ere long, -one of the chief Pacific ports. Its military position is admirable. Like -all the Spanish American towns, the houses are low, whitewashed, and -flat-roofed. The fort, situated on the summit of a rock, in which some -cannon rust on carriages peeling away beneath the sun, is of a yellow -hue, harmonising with the ochre tinge of the beach. Behind the town rise -lofty, scarped mountains, their sides furrowed with ravines hollowed out -by the rainy season, and their brown peaks lost in the clouds. - -Unhappily, we are compelled to avow that this port, despite of its -ambitious title of town, is still a miserable village, without church or -hotel. We do not say there are no drinking-shops; on the contrary, as -may be imagined in a port so near San Francisco, they swarm. - -The aspect of Guaymas is sorrowful; you feel that, in spite of the -efforts of Europeans and adventurers to galvanise this population, the -Spanish tyranny which has weighed upon it for three centuries has -plunged it into a state of moral degradation and inferiority, from which -it will require years to raise it. - -The day on which our story commences, at about two in the afternoon, in -spite of the red-hot sun which poured its beams on the town, Guaymas, -generally so quiet at that hour, when the inhabitants, overcome by the -heat, are asleep indoors, presented an animated appearance, which would -have surprised the stranger whom accident had taken there at that -moment, and would have caused him to suppose, most assuredly, that he -was about to witness one of those thousand _pronunciamientos_ which -annually break out in this wretched province. Still, it was nothing of -the sort. The military authority, represented by General San Benito, -Governor of Guaymas, was, or seemed to be, satisfied with the -government. The smugglers, leperos, and hiaquis continued in a tolerably -satisfactory state, without complaining too much of the powers that -were. Whence, then, the extraordinary agitation that prevailed in the -town? What reason was strong enough to keep this indolent population -awake, and make it forget its siesta? - -For three days the town had been a prey to the gold fever. The governor, -yielding to the supplications of several considerable merchants, had -authorised for five days a _feria de plata_, or, literally, a silver -fair. - -Gambling tables, held by persons of distinction, were publicly open in -the principal houses; but the fact which gave this festival a -strangeness impossible to find elsewhere was, that monte tables were -displayed in every street in the open air, on which gold tinkled, and -where everybody possessed of a real had the right to risk it, without -distinction of caste or colour. - -In Mexico everything is done differently from other countries. The -inhabitants of this country, having no reminiscences of the past which -they wish to forget, no faith in the future in which they do not -believe, only live for the present, and exist with that feverish energy -peculiar to races which feel their end approaching. - -The Mexicans have two marked tastes which govern them entirely, play and -love. We say tastes, and not passions, for the Mexicans are not capable -of those great emotions which conquer the will, and overthrow the human -economy by developing an energetic power of action. - -The groups round the monte tables were numerous and animated. Still, -everything went on with an order and tranquility which nothing troubled, -although no agent of the government was walking about the streets to -maintain a good intelligence and watch the gamblers. - -About halfway up the Calle de la Merced, one of the widest in Guaymas, -and opposite a house of goodly appearance, there stood a table covered -with a green baize and piled up with gold ounces, behind which a man of -about thirty, with a crafty face, was stationed, who, with a pack of -cards in his hand, and a smile on his lips, invited by the most -insinuating remarks the numerous spectators who surrounded him to tempt -fortune. - -"Come, caballeros," he said in a honeyed tone, while turning a -provocative glance upon the wretched men, haughtily draped in their -rags, who regarded him with extreme indifference, "I cannot always win; -luck is going to turn, I am sure. Here are one hundred ounces: who will -cover them?" - -No one answered. - -The banker, not allowing himself to be defeated, let a tinkling cascade -of ounces glide through his fingers, whose tawny reflection was capable -of turning the most resolute head. - -"It is a nice sum, caballeros, one hundred ounces: with them the ugliest -man is certain of gaining the smiles of beauty. Come, who will cover -them?" - -"Bah," a lepero said, with a disdainful air, "what are one hundred -ounces? Had you not won my last _tlaco_, Tío Lucas, I would cover them, -that I would." - -"I am in despair, Señor Cucharés," the banker replied with a bow, "that -luck was so much against you, and I should feel delighted if you would -allow me to lend you an ounce." - -"You are jesting," the lepero said, drawing himself up haughtily. "Keep -your gold, Tío Lucas; I know the way to procure as much as I want, -whenever I think proper; but," he added, bowing with the most exquisite -politeness, "I am not the less grateful to you for your generous offer." - -And he offered the banker, across the table, his hand, which the latter -pressed with great cordiality. - -The lepero profited by the occasion to pick up with his free hand a pile -of twenty ounces that was in his reach. - -Tío Lucas had great difficulty in restraining himself, but he feigned -not to have seen anything. - -After this interchange of good offices there was a moment's silence. The -spectators had seen everything that occurred, and therefore awaited with -some curiosity the _dénouement_ of this scene. Señor Cucharés was the -first to renew the conversation. - -"Oh!" he suddenly shouted, striking his forehead, "I believe, by Nuestra -Señora de la Merced, that I am losing my head." - -"Why so, caballero?" Tío Lucas asked, visibly disturbed by this -exclamation. - -"Caray! It's very simple," the other went on. "Did I not tell you just -now that you had won all my money?" - -"You certainly said so, and these caballeros heard it with me: to your -last ochavo--those were your very words." - -"I remember it perfectly, and it is that which makes me so mad." - -"What!" the banker exclaimed with feigned astonishment, "You are mad -because I won from you?" - -"Oh, no, it's not that." - -"What is it, then?" - -"Caramba! It is because I made a mistake, and I have some ounces still -left." - -"Impossible!" - -"Just see, then." - -The lepero put his hand in his pocket, and, with unparalleled -effrontery, displayed to the banker the gold he had just stolen from -him. But the latter did not wince. - -"It is incredible," said he. - -"Eh?" the lepero interjected, fixing a flashing eye on the other. - -"Yes, it is incredible that you, Señor Cucharés, should have made such a -slip of memory." - -"Well, as I have remembered it, all can be set right now; we can -continue our game." - -"Very good: one hundred ounces is the stake." - -"Oh no! I haven't that amount." - -"Nonsense! Feel in your pockets again." - -"It is useless; I know I haven't got it." - -"That is really most annoying." - -"How so?" - -"Because I have vowed not to play for less." - -"Then you won't cover twenty ounces?" - -"I cannot; I would not cover one short of a hundred." - -"H'm!" the lepero went on, knitting his brows, "is that meant for an -insult, Tío Lucas?" - -The banker had no time to reply; for a man of about thirty, mounted on a -magnificent black horse, had stopped for a few seconds before the table, -and, while carelessly smoking his cigar, listened to the discussion -between the banker and the lepero. - -"Done for one hundred ounces," he said, as he cleared a way by means of -his horse's chest up to the table, on which he dropped a purse full of -gold. - -The two speakers suddenly raised their heads. - -"Here are the cards, caballero," the banker hastened to say, glad of an -incident which temporarily freed him from a dangerous opponent. Cucharés -shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, and looked at the newcomer. - -"Oh!" he muttered to himself, "the Tigrero! Has he come for Anita? I -must know that." - -And he gently drew nearer the stranger, and presently stood by his side. - -He was a tall man, with an olive complexion, a piercing glance, and an -open and resolute face. His dress, of the greatest richness, glistened -with gold and diamonds. He wore, slightly inclined over his left ear, a -broad brimmed sombrero, surrounded by a golilla of fine gold: his -spencer of blue cloth, embroidered with silver, allowed a dazzling white -shirt to be seen, under the collar of which passed a cravat of China -crape, fastened with a diamond ring; his calzoneras, drawn up round the -hips by a red silk scarf with gold fringed ends and two rows of diamond -buttons, were open at the side, and allowed his _calzón_ to float -beneath; he wore _botas vaqueras_ (or herdsmen) boots of figured -leather, richly embroidered, attached below the knee by a garter of -silver tissue; while his _manga_, glistening with gold, hung tastefully -from his right shoulder. - -His horse, with a small head and legs fine as spindles, was splendidly -accoutred: _las armas de agua_ and the _zarapé_ fastened to the croup, -and the magnificent _anquera_ adorned with steel chains, completed a -caparison of which we can form no idea in Europe. - -Like all Mexicans of a certain class when travelling, the stranger was -armed from head to foot; that is to say, in addition to the lasso -fastened to the saddle, and the rifle laid across the saddle-bow, he had -also by his side a long sword, and a pair of pistols in his girdle, -without reckoning the knife whose silver inlaid hilt could be seen -peeping out of one of his boots. - -Such as we have described him, this man was the perfect type of a -Mexican of Sonora--ever ready for peace or war, fearing the one no more -than he despised the other. After bowing politely to Tío Lucas he took -the cards the latter offered him, and shuffled them while looking around -him. - -"Ah!" he said, casting a friendly glance to the lepero, "you're here, -gossip Cucharés?" - -"At your service, Don Martial," the other replied, lifting his hand to -the ragged brim of his beaver. - -The stranger smiled. - -"Be good enough to cut for me while I light my pajillo." - -"With pleasure," the lepero exclaimed. - -El Tigrero, or Don Martial, whichever the reader may please to call him, -took a gold _mechero_ from his pocket, and carelessly struck a light -while the lepero cut the cards. - -"Señor," the latter said in a piteous voice. - -"Well?" - -"You have lost." - -"Good. Tío Lucas, take a hundred ounces from my purse." - -"I have them, your excellency," the banker replied. "Would you please to -play again?" - -"Certainly, but not for such trifles. I should like to feel interested -in the game." - -"I will cover any stake your excellency may like to name," the banker -said, whose practised eye had discovered in the stranger's purse, amid a -decent number of ounces, some forty diamonds of the purest water. - -"H'm! Are you really ready to cover any stake I name?" - -"Yes." - -The stranger looked at him sharply. - -"Even if I played for a thousand gold ounces?" - -"I would cover double that if your excellency dares to stake it," the -baker said imperturbably. - -A contemptuous smile played for the second time on the horseman's -haughty lips. - -"I do dare it," he said. - -"Two thousand ounces, then?" - -"Agreed." - -"Shall I cut?" Cucharés asked timidly. - -"Why not?" the other answered lightly. - -The lepero seized the cards with a hand trembling from emotion. There -was a hum of expectation from the gamblers who surrounded the table. At -this moment a window opened in the house before which Tío Lucas had -established his monte table, and a charming girl leant carelessly over -the balcony, looking down into the street. - -The stranger turned to the balcony, and rising in his stirrups,-- - -"I salute the lovely Anita," he said, as he doffed his hat and bowed -profoundly. - -The girl blushed, bent on him an expressive glance from beneath her long -velvety eyelashes, but made no reply. - -"You have lost, excellency," Tío Lucas said with a joyous accent, which -he could not completely conceal. - -"Very good," the stranger replied, without even looking at him, so -fascinated was he by the charming apparition on the balcony. - -"You play no more?" - -"On the contrary, I double." - -"What!" exclaimed the banker, falling back a step in spite of himself at -this proposition. - -"No, I am wrong; I have something else to propose." - -"What is it, excellency?" - -"How; much have you there?" he said, pointing to the table with a -disdainful gesture. - -"Why, at least seven thousand ounces." - -"Not more? That's very little." - -The spectators regarded with a stupor, mingled with terror, this -extraordinary man, who played for ounces and diamonds as others did for -ochavos. The girl became pale. She turned a supplicating glance to the -stranger. - -"Play no more," she murmured in a trembling voice. - -"Thanks," he exclaimed, "thanks, Señorita; your beautiful eyes will -bring me a fortune. I would give all the gold on the table for the -súchil flower you hold in your hand, and which your lips have touched." - -"Do not play, Don Martial," the girl repeated, as she retired and closed -the window. But, through accident or some other reason, her hand let -loose the flower. The horseman made his steed bound forward, caught it -in its flight, and buried it in his bosom, after having kissed it -several times. - -"Cucharés," he then said to the lepero, "turn up a card." - -The latter obeyed. "Seis de copas!" he said. - -"Voto a brios!" the stranger exclaimed, "the colour of the heart we -shall win. Tío Lucas, I will back this card against all the gold you -have on your table." - -The banker turned pale and hesitated; the spectators had their eyes -fixed upon him. - -"Bah!" he thought after a minute's reflection, "It is impossible for him -to win. I accept, excellency," he then added aloud. - -"Count the sum you have." - -"That is unnecessary, Señor; there are nine thousand four hundred and -fifty gold ounces."[1] - -At the statement of this formidable amount the spectators gave vent to a -mingled shout of admiration and covetousness. - -"I fancied you richer," the stranger said ironically. "Well, so be it -then." - -"Will you cut this time, excellency?" - -"No, I am thoroughly convinced you are going to lose, Tío Lucas, and I -wish you to be quite convinced that I have won fairly. In consequence, -do me the pleasure of cutting, yourself. You will then be the artisan of -your own ruin, and be unable to reproach anybody." - -The spectators quivered with pleasure on seeing the chivalrous way in -which the stranger behaved. At this moment the street was thronged with -people whom the rumour of this remarkable stake had collected from every -part of the town. A deadly silence prevailed through the crowd, so great -was the interest that each felt in the _dénouement_ of this grand and -hitherto unexampled match. The banker wiped the perspiration that beaded -on his livid brow, and seized the first card with a trembling hand. He -balanced it for a few seconds between finger and thumb with manifest -hesitation. - -"Make haste," Cucharés cried to him with a grin. - -Tío Lucas mechanically let the card fall as he turned his head away. - -"Seis de copas!" the lepero shouted in a hoarse voice. - -The banker uttered a yell of pain. - -"I have lost!" he muttered. - -"I was sure of it," the horseman said, still impassible. "Cucharés," he -added, "carry that table and the gold upon it to Doña Anita. I shall -expect you tonight you know where." - -The lepero bowed respectfully. Assisted by two sturdy fellows, he -executed the order he had just received, and entered the house, while -the stranger started off at a gallop; and Tío Lucas, slightly recovered -from the stunning blow he had received, philosophically twisted a cigar, -repeating to those who forced their consolations upon him,-- - -"I have lost, it is true, but against a very fair player, and for a good -stake. Bah! I shall have my revenge some day." - -Then, so soon as the cigarette was made, the poor cleaned-out banker -lighted it and walked off very calmly. The crowd, having no further -excuse for remaining, also disappeared in its turn. - - -[1] About £31,500 Fact. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -DON SYLVA DE TORRÉS. - - -Guaymas is quite a new town, built somewhat from day to day according to -the fancy of the emigrants, and hence no regular lines of streets have -been maintained. However, we had better mention here that, with the -exception of a few houses to which that name may be fairly given, all -the rest are frightful dens, built of mud, and deplorably dirty. - -In the Calle de la Merced, the principal, or to speak more truthfully, -the only street in the town (for the others are only alleys), stood a -one-storied house, ornamented with a balcony, and a peristyle supported -by four pillars. The front was covered by a coating of lime of dazzling -whiteness, and the roof was flat. - -The proprietor of this house was one of the richest _mineros_ in Sonora, -and possessor of a dozen mines, all in work; he also devoted himself to -cattle breeding, and owned several haciendas scattered over the -province, the smallest of which was equal in size to an English county. - -I am certain that, if Don Sylva de Torrés had wished to liquidate his -fortune, and discover what he was really worth, it would have realised -several millions. - -Don Sylva had come to live in Guaymas some months back, where he -ordinarily only paid flying visits, and those at lengthened intervals. -This time, contrary to his usual custom, he had brought his daughter -Anita with him. Hence the entire population of Guaymas was a prey to the -greatest curiosity, and all eyes were fixed on Don Sylva's house, so -extraordinary did the conduct of the _hacendero_ appear. - -Shut up in his house, the doors of which only opened to a few privileged -persons, Don Sylva did not seem to trouble himself the least in the -world about the gossips; for he was engaged in realising certain -projects, whose importance prevented him noticing what was said or -thought of him. - -Though the Mexicans are excessively rich, and like to do honour to their -wealth, they have no idea of comfort. The utmost carelessness prevails -among them. Their luxury, if I may be allowed to employ the term, is -brutal, without any discernment or real value. - -These men, principally accustomed to the rude life of the American -deserts, to struggle continually against the changes of a climate which -is frequently deadly, and the unceasing aggressions of the Indians, who -surround them on all sides, camp rather than live in the towns, fancying -they have done everything when they have squandered gold and diamonds. - -The Mexican houses are in evidence to prove the correctness of our -opinion. With the exception of the inevitable European piano, which -swaggers in the corner of every drawing room, you only see a few clumsy -_butacas,_ rickety tables, bad engravings hanging on the whitewashed -walls, and that is all. - -Don Sylva's house differed in no respect from the others; and the -master's horses on returning to the stable from the watering place, had -to cross the _salón_, all dripping as they were, and leaving manifest -traces of their passage. - -At the moment when we introduce the reader into Don Sylva's house, two -persons, male and female, were sitting in the saloon talking, or at -least exchanging a few words at long intervals. - -They were Don Sylva and his daughter Anita. The crossing of the Spanish -and Indian races has produced the most perfect plastic type to be found -anywhere. Don Sylva, although nearly fifty years of age, did not appear -to be forty. He was tall, upright, and his face, though stern, had great -gentleness imprinted upon it. He wore the Mexican dress in its most -rigorous exactness; but his clothes were so rich, that few of his -countrymen could have equalled it, much less surpassed it. - -Anita who reclined on a sofa, half buried in masses of silk and gauze, -like a hummingbird concealed in the moss, was a charming girl of -eighteen at the most, whose black eyes, modestly shaded by long velvety -lashes, were full of voluptuous promise, which was not gainsaid by the -undulating and serpentine outlines of her exquisitely modelled body. Her -slightest gestures had grace and majesty completed by the ravishing -smile of her coral lips. Her complexion, slightly gilded by the American -sun, imparted to her face an expression impossible to render; and lastly -her whole person exhaled a delicious perfume of innocence and candour -which attracted sympathy and inspired love. - -Like all Mexican women when at home, she merely wore a light robe of -embroidered muslin; her _rebozo_ was thrown negligently over her shoulders, -and a profusion of jasmine flowers was intertwined in her bluish-black -tresses. Anita seemed in deep thought. At one moment the arch of her -eyebrows was contracted by some thought that annoyed her, her bosom -heaved and her dainty foot, cased in a slipper lined with swan's down, -impatiently tapped on the ground. - -Don Sylva also appeared to be dissatisfied. After directing a severe -glance at his daughter, he rose, and drawing near her, said,-- - -"You are mad, Anita: your behaviour is extravagant. A young, well-born -girl ought not, in any case to act as you have just done." - -The young Mexican girl only answered by a significant pout, and an -almost imperceptible shrug of the shoulders. - -Her father continued,-- - -"Especially," he said, laying a stress on each word, "in your position -as regards the Count de Lhorailles." - -The girl started as if a serpent had stung her, and fixing an -interrogatory glance on the hacendero's immovable face, she replied,-- - -"I do not understand you, my father." - -"You do not understand me, Anita? I cannot believe it. Have I not -formally promised your hand to the count?" - -"What matter, if I do not love him? Do you wish to condemn me to -lifelong misery?" - -"On the contrary, I regarded your happiness in this union. I have only -you, Anita, to console me for the mournful loss of your beloved mother. -Poor child! You are still, thank Heaven, at that happy age when the -heart does not know itself, and when the words 'happiness, unhappiness,' -have no meaning. You do not love the count, you say. All the better-- -your heart is free. When, at a later date, you have had occasion to -appreciate the noble qualities of the man I give you as husband, you -will then thank me for having insisted on a marriage, which today causes -you so much vexation." - -"Stay, father," the girl said with an air of vexation. "My heart is not -free, and you are well aware of the fact." - -"I know, Doña Anita de Torrés," the hacendero answered severely, "that a -love unworthy yourself and me cannot enter your heart. Through my -ancestors I am a Christiano Viejo; and if a few drops of Indian blood be -mingled in my veins, what I owe to the memory of my ancestors is only -the more deeply engraved on my mind. The first of our family, Antonia de -Sylva, lieutenant to Hernando Cortez, married, it is true, a Mexican -princess of the family of Moctecuhzoma, but all the other branches are -Spanish." - -"Are we not Mexicans then, my father?" - -"Alas! My poor child, who can say who we are and what are we? Our -unhappy country, since it shook off the Spanish yoke, has been -struggling convulsively, and is exhausted by the incessant efforts of -those ambitious men, who in a few years will have robbed it even of that -nationality which we had so much difficulty in achieving. These -disgraceful contests render us the laughing stocks of other people, and -above all, cause the joy of our greedy neighbours, who with their eyes -invariably fixed upon us, are preparing to enrich themselves with our -spoils, of which they have pilfered some fragments already by robbing us -of several of our rich provinces." - -"But, father, I am a woman, and therefore unaffected by politics. I have -nothing to do with the _gringos_." - -"More than you can imagine, my child. I do not wish that at a given day -the immense property my ancestors and myself have acquired by our toil -should become the prey of these accursed heretics. In order to save it, -I have resolved on marrying you to the Count de Lhorailles. He is a -Frenchman, and belongs to one of the noblest families of that country. -Besides he is a handsome and brave gentleman, scarcely thirty years of -age, who combines the most precious moral qualifications with the -physical qualities. He is a member of a powerful and respected nation -which knows how to protect its subjects, in whatever corner of the world -they may be. By marrying him your fortune is sheltered from every -political reverse." - -"But I do not love him, father." - -"Nonsense, my dear babe. Do not talk longer of that. I am willing to -forget the folly of which you were guilty a few moments back, but on -condition that you forget that man, Martial." - -"Never!" she exclaimed resolutely. - -"Never! That is a long time, daughter. You will reflect, I am convinced. -Besides, who is this man? What is his family? Do you know? He is called -Martial el Tigrero. Voto a Dios, that is not a name! That man saved your -life by stopping your horse when it ran away. Well, is that a reason for -him to fall in love with you, and you with him? I offered him a -magnificent reward, which he refused with the most supreme disdain. -There is an end of it, then; let him leave me at peace. I have, and wish -for, nothing more to do with him." - -"I love him, father," the young girl repeated. - -"Listen, Anita. You would make me angry, if I did not put a restraint on -myself. Enough on that head. Prepare to receive the Count de Lhorailles -in a proper manner. I have sworn that you shall be his wife, and, -Cristo! It shall be so, if I have to drag you by force to the altar!" - -The hacendero pronounced these words with such resolution in his voice, -and with such a fierce accent, that the girl saw it would be better for -her to appear to yield, and put a stop to a discussion which would only -grow more embittered, and perhaps have grave consequences. She let her -head fall, and was silent, while her father walked up and down the room -with a very dissatisfied air. - -The door was partly opened, and a peon thrust his head discreetly -through the crevice. - -"What do you want?" Don Sylva asked as he stopped. - -"Excellency," the man replied, "a caballero, followed by four others -bearing a table covered with pieces of gold, requests an audience of the -señorita." - -The hacendero shot a glance at his daughter full of expressiveness. Doña -Anita let her head sink in confusion. Don Sylva reflected for a moment, -and then his countenance cleared. - -"Let him come in," he said. - -The peon withdrew; but he returned in a few seconds, preceding an old -acquaintance, Cucharés, still enwrapped in his ragged zarapé, and -directing the four leperos who carried the table. On entering the -saloon, Cucharés uncovered respectfully, courteously saluted the -hacendero and his daughter, and with a sign ordered the porters to -deposit the table in the centre of the apartment. - -"Señorita," he said in a honied voice, "the Señor Don Martial, faithful -to the pledge he had made you, humbly supplicates you to accept his -gains at monte, as a feeble testimony of his devotion and admiration." - -"You rascal!" Don Sylva angrily exclaimed as he took a step toward him -"Do you know in whose presence you are?" - -"In that of Doña Anita and her highly-respected parent," the scamp -replied imperturbably, as he wrapped himself majestically in his -tatters. "I have not, to my knowledge, failed in the respect I owe to -both." - -"Withdraw at once, and take with you this gold, which does not concern -my daughter." - -"Excuse me, excellency, I received orders to bring the gold here, and -with your permission I will leave it. Don Martial would not forgive me -if I acted otherwise." - -"I do not know Don Martial, as it pleases you to style the man who sent -you. I wish to have nothing in common with him." - -"That is possible, excellency; but it is no affair of mine. You can have -an explanation with him if you think proper. For my part, as my mission -is accomplished, I kiss your hands." - -And, after bowing once more to the two, the lepero went off -majestically, followed by his four acolytes, with measured steps. - -"See there," exclaimed Don Sylva violently, "see there, my daughter, to -what insults your folly exposes me!" - -"An insult, father?" she replied timidly. "On the contrary, I think that -Don Martial has acted like a true caballero, and that he gives me a -great proof of his love. That sum is enormous." - -"Ah!" Don Sylva said wrathfully, "that is the way you take it. Well, I -will act as a caballero also, _voto a brios_! As you shall see. Come -here, someone!" - -Several peons came in. - -"Open the windows!" - -The servants obeyed. The crowd was not yet dispersed, and a large number -of persons was still collected round the house. The hacendero leant out -and by a wave of his hand requested silence. The crowd was instinctively -silent, and drew nearer, guessing that something in which it was -interested was about to happen. - -"Señores caballeros y amigos," the hacendero said in a powerful voice, -"a man whom I do not know has dared to offer to my daughter the money he -has won at monte. Doña Anita spurns such presents, especially when they -come from a person with whom she does not wish to have any connection, -friendly or otherwise. She begs me to distribute this gold among you, as -she will not touch it in any way: she desires thus to prove, in the -presence of you all, the contempt she feels for a man who has dared to -offer her such an insult." - -The speech improvised by the hacendero was drowned by the frenzied -applause of the leperos and other assembled beggars, whose eyes sparkled -with greed. Anita felt the burning tears swelling her eyelids. In spite -of all her efforts to remain undisturbed, her heart was almost broken. - -Troubling himself not at all about his daughter, Don Sylva ordered his -servants to cast the ounces into the street. A shower of gold then -literally began falling on the wretches, who rushed with incredible -ardour on this new species of manna. The Calle de la Merced offered, at -that moment, the most singular sight imaginable. The gold poured and -poured on; it seemed to be inexhaustible. The beggars leaped like -coyotes on the precious metal, overthrowing and trampling underfoot the -weaker. - -At the height of the shower a horseman came galloping up. Astonished, -confounded by what he saw, he stopped for a moment to look around him; -then he drove his spurs into his horse, and by dealing blows of his -chicote liberally all around, he succeeded in clearing the dense crowd, -and reached the hacendero's house, which he entered. - -"Here is the count," Don Sylva said laconically to his daughter. - -In fact, within a minute that gentleman entered the saloon. - -"Halloh!" he said, stopping at the doorway, "What strange notion is this -of yours, Don Sylva? On my soul, you are amusing yourself by throwing -millions out of the window, to the still greater amusement of the -leperos and other rogues of the same genus!" - -"Ah, 'tis you, señor Conde," the hacendero replied calmly; "you are -welcome. I shall be with you in an instant. Only these few handfuls, and -it will be finished." - -"Don't hurry yourself," the count said with a laugh. "I confess that the -fancy is original;" and drawing near the young lady, whom he saluted -with exquisite politeness, he continued,-- - -"Would you deign, Señorita, to give me the word of this enigma, which, I -confess, interests me in the highest degree?" - -"Ask my father, Señor," she answered with a certain dryness, which -rendered conversation impossible. - -The count feigned not to notice this rebuff; he bowed with a smile, and -falling into a _butaca,_ said coolly,-- - -"I will wait; I am in no hurry." - -The hacendero, in telling his daughter that the gentleman he intended -for her husband was a handsome man, had in no respect flattered him. -Count Maxime Gaëtan de Lhorailles was a man of thirty at the most, well -built and active, and slightly above the middle height. His light hair -allowed him to be recognised as a son of the north; his features were -fine, his glance expressive, and his hands and feet denoted race. -Everything about him indicated the gentleman of an old stock; and if Don -Sylva was not more deceived about the moral qualities than he had been -about the physical, Count de Lhorailles was really a perfect gentleman. - -At length the hacendero exhausted all the gold Cucharés had brought: he -then hurled the table into the street, ordered the windows to be closed, -and came back to take a seat by the side of the count, rubbing his -hands. - -"There," he said with a joyous air, "that's finished. Now I am quite at -your service." - -"First one word." - -"Say it." - -"Excuse me. You are aware that I am a stranger, and such as thirsting -for instruction." - -"I am listening to you." - -"Since I have lived in Mexico I have seen many extraordinary customs. I -ought to be _blasé_ about novelties; still, I must confess that what I -have just seen surpasses anything I have hitherto witnessed. I should -like to be certain whether this is a custom of which I was hitherto -ignorant." - -"What are you talking about?" - -"Why, what you were doing when I arrived--that gold you were dropping -like a beneficent dew on the bandits of every description collected -before your house; ill weeds, between ourselves, to be thus bedewed." - -Don Sylva burst into a laugh. - -"No, that is not a custom of ours," he replied. - -"Very good. Then, you were indulging in the regal pastime of throwing a -million to the scum. Plague! Don Sylva, a man must be as rich as -yourself to allow such a gratification." - -"Things are not as you fancy." - -"Still I saw it raining ounces." - -"True, but they did not belong to me." - -"Better and better still. That renders the affair more complicated; you -heighten my curiosity immensely." - -"I will satisfy it." - -"I am all attention, for the affair is growing as interesting to me as a -story in the 'Arabian Nights.'" - -"H'm!" the hacendero said, tossing his head, "It interests you more than -you perhaps suspect." - -"How so?" - -"You shall judge." - -Doña Anita was in torture; she knew not what to do. Seeing that her -father was about to divulge all to the count, she did not feel in -herself the courage to be present at such a revelation, and rose -tottering. - -"Gentlemen," she said in a feeble voice, "I feel indisposed; be kind -enough to allow me to retire." - -"Really," the count said, as he hurried towards her, and offered her his -arm to support her, "you are pale, Doña Anita. Allow me to accompany you -to your apartment." - -"I thank you, caballero, but I am strong enough to proceed there alone, -and, while duly grateful for your offer, pray permit me to decline it." - -"As you please, señorita," the count replied, inwardly piqued by this -refusal. - -Don Sylva entertained for a moment the idea of ordering his daughter to -remain; but the poor girl turned towards him so despairing a glance that -he did not feel the courage to impose on her a longer torture. - -"Go my child," he said to her. - -Anita hastened to take advantage of the permission; she left the -_salón,_ and sought refuge in her bedroom, where she sank into a chair, -and burst into tears. - -"What is the matter with Doña Anita?" the count asked with sympathy, so -soon as she had gone. - -"Vapours--headache--what do I know?" the hacendero replied, shrugging -his shoulders. "All young girls are like that. In a few minutes she will -have forgotten it." - -"All the better. I confess to you that I was alarmed." - -"But now that we are alone, would you not like me to give you the -explanation of the enigma which appeared to interest you so much?" - -"On the contrary, speak without further delay: for, on my part, I have -several important matters to impart to you." - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE TWO HUNTERS. - - -About five miles from the town is the village of San José de Guaymas, -commonly known as the _Rancho_. - -This miserable _pueblo_ is merely composed of a square of moderate size, -intersected at right angles by tumbledown cabins, which are inhabited by -Hiaqui Indians (a large number of whom hire themselves out annually at -Guaymas to work as porters, carpenters, masons, &c), and all those -nameless adventurers who have thronged to the shores of the Pacific -since the discovery of the Californian plains. - -The road from Guaymas to San José runs through a parched and sandy -plain, on which only a few nopales and stunted cactuses grow, whose -withered branches are covered with dust, and produce the effect of white -phantoms at night. - -The evening of the day on which our story commences, a horseman, folded -to the eyes in a zarapé, was following this road, and proceeding in a -gallop to the Rancho. - -The sky, of a dark azure, was studded with glistening stars; the moon, -which had traversed one-third of her course, illumined the silent plain, -and indefinitely prolonged the tall shadows of the trees on the naked -earth. - -The horseman, doubtlessly anxious to reach the end of a journey which -was not without peril at this advanced hour, incessantly urged on with -spur and voice his horse, which did not, however, appear to need this -constantly-renewed encouragement. - -He had all but crossed the immense uncultivated plains, and was just -entering the woods which surround the Rancho, when his horse suddenly -leaped on one side, and pricked up its ears in alarm. A sharp sound -announced that the horseman had cocked his pistols; and, when this -precaution had been taken against all risk, he turned an inquiring -glance around. - -"Fear nothing, caballero," a frank and sympathetic voice exclaimed; "but -have the kindness to go a little farther to the right, if it makes no -difference to you." - -The stranger looked, and saw a man kneeling under his steed's feet, and -holding in his hands the head of a horse, which was lying nearly across -the road. - -"What on earth are you doing there?" he asked. - -"You can see," the other replied sorrowfully, "I am bidding good-by to -my poor companion. A man must have lived a long time in the desert to -appreciate the value of such a friend as he was." - -"That is true," the stranger remarked, and immediately dismounting, -added, "Is he dead then?" - -"No, not yet; but, unfortunately, he is as bad as if he were." - -With these words he sighed. - -The stranger bent over the animal, whose body was agitated by a nervous -quivering, opened its eyelids, and regarded it attentively. - -"Your horse has had a stroke," he said a moment later. "Let me act." - -"Oh!" the other exclaimed, "do you think you can save him?" - -"I hope so," the first speaker laconically observed. - -"_Caray!_ If you do that, we shall be friends for life. Poor Negro! My -old comrade!" - -The horseman bathed the animal's temples and nostrils with rum and -water. At the end of a few moments, the horse appeared slightly -recovered, his faded eyes began to sparkle again, and he tried to rise. - -"Hold him tight," the improvised surgeon said. - -"Be quiet, then, my good beast. Come, Negro, my boy, _quieto, quieto;_ -it is for your good," he said soothingly. - -The intelligent animal seemed to understand. It turned its head towards -its master, and answered him with a plaintive neigh. The horseman, -during this period, had been feeling in his girdle; and bending again -over the horse,-- - -"Mind and hold him tightly," he again recommended. - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Bleed him." - -"Yes, that is it. I knew it; but unfortunately I did not dare risk doing -it myself, through fear of killing the horse." - -"All right?" - -"Go on." - -The horse made a hasty move, caused by the coldness of the wound; but -its master held it down and checked its struggles. The two men suffered -a moment of anxiety: the blood did not issue. At last a black drop -appeared in the wound, then a second, speedily followed by a long jet of -black and foaming blood. - -"He is saved," the stranger said, as he wiped his lancet and returned it -to his fob. - -"I will repay you this, on the word of Belhumeur!" the owner of the -horse said with much emotion. "You have rendered me one of those -services which are never forgotten." - -And, by an irresistible impulse, he held out his hand to the man who had -so providentially crossed his path. The latter warmly returned the -vigorous pressure. Henceforth all was arranged between them. These two -men who a few moments previously were ignorant of each other's -existence, were friends, attached by one of those services which in -American countries possess an immense value. - -The blood gradually lost its black tinge; it became vermillion, and -flowed abundantly. The breathing of the panting steed had grown easy and -regular. The first stranger made a copious bleeding, and when he -considered the horse in a fair way of recovery he stopped the effusion. - -"And now," he said, "what do you propose doing?" - -"My faith, I don't know. Your help has been so useful to me that I -should like to follow your advice." - -"Where were you going when this accident occurred?" - -"To the Rancho." - -"I am going there too. We are only a few yards from it. You will get up -behind me. We will lead your horse, and start when you please." - -"I ask nothing better. You believe that my horse cannot carry me?" - -"Perhaps he could do so, for he is a noble animal; but it would be -imprudent, and you would run a risk of killing him. It would be better, -believe me, to act as I suggested." - -"Yes; but I am afraid--" - -"What of?" the other sharply interrupted him. "Are we not friends?" - -"That is true. I accept." - -The horse sprang up somewhat actively, and the two men who had met so -strangely started at once, mounted on one horse. Twenty minutes later -they reached the first buildings of the Rancho. At the entrance of the -village the owner of the horse stopped, and turning to his companion, -said,-- - -"Where will you get down?" - -"That is all the same to me; let us go first where you are going." - -"Ah!" the horseman said, scratching his head, "the fact is, I am going -nowhere in particular." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh! You will understand me in two words. I landed today at Guaymas; -the Rancho is only the first station of a journey I meditate in the -desert, and which will probably last a long time." - -By the moonlight, a ray of which now played on the stranger's face, his -companion attentively regarded his noble and pensive countenance, on -which grief had already cut deep furrows. - -"So that," he at length said, "any lodging will suit you?" - -"A night is soon spent. I only ask a shelter for horse and self." - -"Well, if you will permit me to act in my turn as guide, you shall have -that within ten minutes." - -"Agreed." - -"I do not promise you a palace, but I will take you to a _pulquería_, -where I am accustomed to put up when accident brings me to these parts. -You will find the society rather mixed, but what would you have? And, as -you said yourself, a night is soon spent." - -"In Heaven's name, then, proceed." - -Then, passing his arm through that of his comrade, the new guide seized -the horse's reins, and steered to a house standing about two-thirds of -the way down the street where they were, whose badly fitting windows -gleamed in the night like the stoke holes of a furnace, while cries, -laughter, songs, and the shrill sound of the _jarabes_, indicated that, -if the rest of the _pueblo_ were plunged in sleep, there, at least, -people were awake. - -The two strangers stopped before the door of this pothouse. - -"Have you quite made up your mind?" the first said. - -"Perfectly," the other answered. - -The guide then rapped furiously at the worm-eaten door. It was long ere -anyone answered. At length a hoarse voice shouted from inside, while the -greatest silence succeeded, as if by enchantment, the noise that had -hitherto prevailed. - -"_¿Quíen vive?"_ - -"_Gente de paz_," the stranger replied. - -"Hum!" the voice went on, "That is not a name. What sort of weather is -it?" - -"One for all--all for one. The _cormuel_ is strong enough to blow the -horns off the oxen on the top of the Cerro del Huérfano." - -The door was immediately opened, and the strangers entered. At first -they could distinguish nothing through the thick and smoky atmosphere of -the room, and walked hap-hazard. The companion of the first horseman was -well known in this den; for the master of the house and several other -persons eagerly collected round him. - -"Caballeros," he said, pointing to the person who followed him, "this -señor is my friend, and I must request your kindness for him." - -"He shall be treated like yourself, Belhumeur," the host replied. "Your -horses have been led to the corral, where a truss of alfalfa has been -put before them. As for yourselves, the house belongs to you, and you -can dispose of it as you please." - -During this exchange of compliments the strangers had contrived to find -their way through the crowd. They crossed the room, and sat down in a -corner before a table on which the host himself placed pulque, mezcal, -chinguirito, Catalonian refino, and sherry. - -"Caramba, Señor Huesped!" the man whom we had heard called frequently -Belhumeur, said with a laugh, "You are generous today." - -"Do you not see that I have an angelito?" the other answered gravely. - -"What, your son Pedrito--?" - -"Is dead. I am trying to give my friends a cordial welcome, in order the -better to feast the entrance into heaven of my poor boy, who, having -never sinned, is an angel by the side of God." - -"That's very proper," Belhumeur said, hobnobbing with the rather stoical -parent. - -The latter emptied his glass of refino at a draught, and -withdrew. The strangers, by this time accustomed to the atmosphere in -which they found themselves, began to look around them. The room of the -pulquería offered them a most singular sight. - -In the centre some ten individuals, with faces enough to hang them, -covered with rags, and armed to the teeth, were furiously playing at -monte. It was a strange fact, but one which did not appear to astonish -any of the honourable gamblers that a long dagger was stuck in the table -to the right of the banker, and two pistols lay on his left. A few steps -further on, men and women, more than half intoxicated, were dancing and -singing, with lubricious gestures and mad shouts, to the shrill sounds -of two or three _vihuelas_ and _jarabes_. In a corner of the room thirty -people were assembled round a table, on which a child, four years of age -at the most, was seated in a wicker chair. This child presided over the -meeting. He was dressed in his best clothes, had a crown of flowers on -his head, and a profusion of nosegays was piled up on the table all -round him. - -But alas! The child's brow was pale, his eyes glassy, his complexion -leaden and marked with violet spots. His body had the peculiar stiffness -of a corpse. He was dead. He was the angelito, whose entrance into -heaven the worthy pulquero was celebrating. - -Men, women and children were drinking and laughing, as they reminded the -poor mother, who made heroic efforts not to burst into tears, of the -precocious intelligence, goodness and prettiness of the little creature -she had just lost. - -"All this is hideous," the first traveller muttered, with signs of -disgust. - -"Is it not so?" the other assented. "Let us not notice it, but isolate -ourselves amid these scoundrels, who have already forgotten our -presence, and talk." - -"Willingly, but unhappily we have nothing to say to each other." - -"Perhaps we have. In the first place, we might let each other know who -we are." - -"That is true." - -"You agree with me? Then I will give you the example of confidence and -frankness." - -"Good. After that my turn will come." - -Belhumeur looked round at the company. The orgy had recommenced with -fresh fury; it was evident that no one troubled himself about them. He -rested his elbows on the table, leant over to his comrade, and began:-- - -"As you already know, my dear mate, my name is Belhumeur. I am a -Canadian; that is to say almost a Frenchman. Circumstances too long to -narrate at present, but which I tell you some day, brought me, when a -lad into this country. Twenty years of my life have passed in traversing -the desert in every direction: there is not a stream or a by-path which -I do not know. I could, if I would, live quietly and free from care with -a dear friend, an old companion, who has retired to a magnificent -hacienda which he possesses a few leagues from Hermosillo; but the -existence of a hunter has charms which only those who have lived it can -understand: it always compels them to renew it in spite of themselves. I -am still a young man, hardly five-and-forty years of age. An old friend -of mine, an Indian chief of the name of Eagle-head, proposed to me to -accompany him on an excursion he wished to make in Apacheria. I allowed -myself to be tempted; said good-by to those I love, and who tried in -vain to hold me back; and free from all ties, without regret for the -past, happy in the present, and careless of the future, I went gaily -ahead, bearing with me those inestimable treasures for the hunter, a -strong heart, a gay character, excellent arms, and a horse accustomed, -like his master, to good fortune and ill; and so here I am. And now, -mate, you know me as well as if we had been friends for the last ten -years." - -The other had listened attentively to this story, fixing a thoughtful -glance on the bold adventurer, who sat smiling before him. He gazed with -interest on this man, with the loyal face and sharply-cut features, -whose countenance exhaled the rude and noble frankness of a man who is -really good and great. - -When Belhumeur was silent he remained for some moments without replying, -doubtlessly plunged in profound and earnest reflections; then, offering -him across the table a white, elegant, and delicate hand, he replied -with great emotion, and in the best French ever spoken in these distant -regions,-- - -"I thank you, Belhumeur, for the confidence you have placed in me. My -history is not longer, but more mournful than yours. You shall have it -in a few words." - -"Eh?" the Canadian exclaimed, vigorously pressing the hand offered him. -"Do you happen to be a Frenchman?" - -"Yes, I have that honour." - -"By Jove! I ought to have suspected it," he burst out joyously. "Only to -think that for an hour we have been stupidly talking bad Spanish, -instead of employing our own tongue; for I come from Canada, and the -Canadians are the French of America, are they not?" - -"You are right." - -"Well, then, it is agreed, no more Spanish between us." - -"No, nothing but French." - -"Bravo! Here's your health, my worthy fellow countryman! And now," he -added, returning his glass to the table after emptying it, "let us have -your story. I am listening." - -"I told you that it is not long." - -"No matter; go ahead. I am certain 'twill interest me enormously." - -The Frenchman stifled a sigh. - -"I, too, have lived the life of a wood ranger," he said; "I, too, have -experienced the intoxicating charms of that feverish existence, full of -moving incidents, no two of which are alike. Far from the country where -we now are, I have traversed vast deserts, immense virgin forests, in -which no man prior to myself had left the imprint of his footstep. Like -you, a friend accompanied me in my adventurous travels, sustaining my -courage, maintaining my gaiety by his inexhaustible humour and his -unbounded courage. Alas! That was the happiest period of my life. - -"I fell in love with a woman and married her. So soon as my friend saw -me rich and surrounded by a family he left me. His departure was my -first grief--a grief from which I never recovered, which each day -rendered more poignant and which now tortures me like a remorse. Alas! -Where is now that strong heart, that devoted friend who ever interposed -between danger and myself, who loved me like a brother, and for whom I -felt a son's affection? He is probably dead!" - -In uttering the last words the Frenchman let his head sink in his hands, -and yielded to a flood of bitter thoughts, which rose from his heart -with every reminiscence he recalled. Belhumeur looked at him in a -melancholy manner, and pressing his hand, said in a low and sympathising -voice, "Courage, my friend." - -"Yes," the Frenchman continued, "that was what he always said to me -when, prostrated by grief, I felt hope failing me. 'Courage,' he would -say to me in his rough voice, laying his hand on my shoulders; and I -would feel galvanised by the touch, and draw myself up at the sound of -that cherished voice, ready to recommence the struggle, for I felt -myself stronger. Several years passed in the midst of a felicity which -nothing came to trouble. I had a wife I adored, charming children for -whom I formed dreams of the future; in short, I wanted for -nothing save my poor comrade, about whom I could discover nothing from -the moment he left me, in spite of my constant inquiries. Now, my -happiness has faded away never to return. My wife, my children are -dead--cruelly murdered in their sleep by Indians, who carried my -hacienda by storm. I alone remained alive amid the smoking ruins of that -abode where I had spent so many happy days. All I loved was eternally -buried beneath the ashes. My heart was broken, and I did not wish to -survive all that was dear to me; but a friend, the only one that -remained to me, saved me. He carried me off by main force to his tribe, -for he was an Indian. By his care and devotion he recalled me to life, -and restored to me, if not the hope of a happiness henceforth -impossible for me, at least the courage to struggle against that destiny -whose blows had been so rude. He died only a few months back. Before -closing his eyes for ever he made me swear to do all he asked of me. I -promised him. 'Brother,' he said, 'every man must proceed in life toward -a certain object. So soon as I am dead, go in search of that friend from -whom you have so long been separated. You will find him, I feel -convinced. He will trace your line of conduct.' Two hours later the -worthy chief died in my arms. So soon as his body was committed to the -earth I set out. This very day, as I told you, I reached Guaymas. My -intention is to bury myself immediately in the wilderness; for if my -poor friend be still alive, I can only find him there." - -There was a lengthened silence, at length broken by Belhumeur. - -"Hum! All that is very sad, mate, I must allow," he said, tossing his -head. "You are rushing upon a desperate enterprise, in which the chances -of success are almost null. A man is a grain of sand lost in the desert. -Who knows, even supposing he still lives, at what place he may be at -this moment; and if, while you are seeking him on one side, he may not -be on the other? Still, I have a proposition to make to you, which, I -believe, can only prove advantageous." - -"I know it, my friend, before you tell it me. I thank you, and accept -it," the Frenchman replied quickly. - -"It is agreed then. We start together. You will come with me into -Apacheria?" - -"Yes." - -"By Jove! I am in luck. I have hardly separated from Loyal Heart ere -Heaven brings me together with a friend as precious as he is." - -"Who is that Loyal Heart you mention?" - -"The friend with whom I lived so long, and whom you shall know some day. -But come, we will start at daybreak." - -"Whenever you please." - -"I have the meeting with Eagle-head two days' journey from here. I am -much mistaken, or he is waiting for me by this time." - -"What are you going to do in Apacheria?" - -"I do not know. Eagle-head asked me to accompany him, and I am going. It -is my rule never to ask my friends more of their secrets than they are -willing to tell me. In that way we are more free." - -"Excellent reasoning, my dear Belhumeur; but, as we shall be together -for a long time, I hope, at least--" - -"I, too." - -"It is right," the Frenchman continued, "that you should know my name, -which I have hitherto forgotten to tell you." - -"That need not trouble you; for I could easily give you one if you had -reasons for preserving your incognito." - -"None at all: my name is Count Louis de Prébois Crancé." - -Belhumeur rose as if moved by a spring, took off his fur cap, and bowing -before his new friend, said-- - -"Pardon me, sir count, for the free manner in which I have addressed -you. Had I known in whose company I had the honour of being, I should -certainly not have taken so great a liberty." - -"Belhumeur, Belhumeur," the count said with a mournful smile, and -seizing his hand quickly, "is our friendship to commence in that way? -There are here only two men ready to share the same life, run the same -dangers, and confront the same foes. Let us leave to the foolish -inhabitants of cities those vain distinctions which possess no -significance for us; let us be frankly and loyally brothers. I only wish -to be to you Louis, your good comrade, your devoted friend, in the same -way as you are to me only Belhumeur, the rough wood ranger." - -The Canadian's face shone with pleasure at these words. - -"Well spoken," he said gaily, "well spoken, on my soul! I am but a poor -ignorant hunter; and, by my faith, why should I conceal it? What you -have just said to me has gone straight to my heart. I am yours, Louis, -for life and death; and I hope to prove to you soon, comrade, that I -have a certain value." - -"I am convinced of it; but we understand each other now, do we not?" - -"By Jove--!" - -At this moment there was such a tremendous disturbance in the street, -that it drowned that in the room. As always happens under such -circumstances, the adventurers assembled in the pulquería were silent of -a common accord, in order to listen. Shouts, the clashing of sabres, the -stamping of horses, drowned at intervals by the discharge of fire arms, -could be clearly distinguished. - -"Caray!" Belhumeur exclaimed, "there's fighting going on in the street." - -"I am afraid so," the pulquero laconically answered, who was more than -half drunk, as he swallowed a glass of refino. - -Suddenly from sabre hilts and pistol butts resounded vigorously on the -badly-joined plank of the door, and a powerful voice shouted angrily,-- - -"Open, in the devil's name, or I'll smash in your miserable door!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -COUNT MAXIME GAËTAN DE LHORAILLES. - - -Before explaining to the reader the cause of the infernal noise which -suddenly rose to disturb the tranquility of the people assembled in the -pulquería, we are obliged to go back a little distance. - -About three years before the period in which our story opens, on a cold -and rainy December night, eight men, whose costumes and manners showed -them to belong to the highest Parisian society, were assembled in an -elegant private room of the Café Anglais. - -The night was far advanced; the wax candles, two-thirds consumed, only -spread a mournful light; the rain lashed the windows, and the wind -howled lugubriously. The guests, seated round the table and the relics -of a splendid supper, seemed, in spite of themselves, to have been -infected by the gloomy melancholy that brooded over nature, and, lying -back on their chairs, some slept, while others, lost in thought, paid no -attention to what was going on around them. - -The clock on the mantelpiece slowly struck three, and the last sound had -scarcely died away ere the repeated cracking of a postilion's whip could -be heard beneath the windows of the room. - -The door opened and a waiter came in. - -"The post-chaise the Count de Lhorailles ordered is waiting," he said. - -"Thanks," one of the guests said, dismissing the waiter by a -sign. - -The latter went out, and closed the door after him. The few words he had -uttered had broken the charm which enchained the guests; all sat up, as -if aroused from sleep suddenly; and turning to a young man of thirty, -they said,-- - -"It is really true that you are going?" - -"I am," he answered, with a nod of affirmation. - -"Where to, though? People do not usually part in this mysterious way," -one of the guests continued. - -The gentleman to whom the remark was addressed smiled sorrowfully. - -The Count de Lhorailles was a handsome man, with expressive features, -energetic glance, and disdainful lip; he belonged to the most ancient -nobility, and his reputation was perfectly established among the "lions" -of the day. He rose, and looking round the circle, said,-- - -"Gentlemen, I can perfectly well understand that my conduct appears to -you strange. You have a right to an explanation from me, and I am most -desirous to give it to you. It was, indeed, for that purpose that I -invited you to the last supper we shall enjoy together. The hour for my -departure has struck--the chaise is waiting. Tomorrow I shall be far -from Paris, and within a week I shall have left France never to return. -Listen to me." - -The guests made a marked movement as they gazed on the count. - -"Do not be impatient, gentlemen," he said; "the story I have to tell you -is not long, for it is my own. In two words, here it is:-- - -"I am completely ruined. I have only a small sum of money left, on which -I should starve in Paris, and end in a month by blowing out my brains--a -gloomy perspective which possesses no attractions for me, I assure you. -On the other hand, I have such a fatal skill with arms, that, without -any fault of my own, I enjoy a reputation as a duellist, which weighs on -me fearfully, especially since my deplorable affair with that poor -Viscount de Morsens, whom I was obliged to kill against my will, in -order to close his mouth and put a stop to his calumnies. In short, for -the reasons I have had the honour of imparting to you, and an infinity -of others it is needless for you to know, and which I am convinced would -interest you very slightly, France has become odious to me to such a -degree that I am most anxious to quit it. So now a parting glass of -champagne, and good-by to all." - -"A moment," remarked the guest who had already spoken. "You have not -told us, count, to what country you intend to proceed." - -"Can't you guess? To America. I am allowed to possess a certain amount -of courage and intelligence, and therefore am going to a country where, -if I may believe all I hear, those two qualities are sufficient to make -the fortune of their possessor. Have you any more questions to ask me, -baron?" he added, turning to his questioner. - -The latter, ere replying, remained for some moments plunged in serious -reflections; at length he raised his head, and fixed a cold and -searching glance on the count. - -"You really mean to go, my friend?" he said quite seriously. "You swear -it on your honour?" - -"Yes, on my honour." - -"And you are really resolved to make for yourself, in America, a -position at the least equal to that you held here?" - -"Yes," he said sharply, "by all means possible." - -"That is good. In your turn listen to me, count, and if you will profit -by what I am about to reveal to you, you may perhaps, by the help of -Heaven, succeed in accomplishing the wild projects you have formed." - -All the guests drew round curiously; the count himself felt interested -in spite of himself. - -The Baron de Spurtzheim was a man of about five-and-forty. His bronzed -complexion, his marked features, and the strange expression of his eye -gave him a peculiar aspect, which escaped the notice of the vulgar herd, -and caused him to be regarded as a really remarkable man by all -intelligent persons. - -The only thing known about the baron was his colossal fortune, which he -spent royally. As for his antecedents, everyone was ignorant of them, -although he was received in the first society. It was merely remarked -vaguely that he had been a great traveller, and had resided for several -years in America; but nothing was more uncertain than these rumours, and -they would not have been sufficient to open the _salons_ of the noble -suburb to him, had not the Austrian ambassador, without his knowledge, -served as his guarantee most warmly in several delicate circumstances. - -The baron was more intimately connected with the count than with his -other companions. He seemed to feel a certain degree of interest in him; -and several times, guessing his friend's embarrassed circumstances, he -had delicately offered him his assistance. The Count de Lhorailles, -though too proud to accept these offers, felt equally grateful to the -baron, and had allowed him to assume a certain influence over him, -without suspecting it. - -"Speak, but be brief, my dear baron," the count said. "You know that the -chaise is waiting for me." - -Without replying, the baron rang the bell. The waiter came in. - -"Dismiss the postilion, and tell him to return at five o'clock. You can -go." - -The waiter bowed and went out. - -The count, more and more amazed at his friend's strange conduct, did not -make the least observation. However, he poured out a glass of champagne, -which he emptied at a draught, crossed his arms, leant back in his -chair, and waited. - -"And now, gentlemen," the baron said in his sarcastic and incisive -voice, "as our friend De Lhorailles has told us his history, and we are -becoming confidential, why should I not tell you mine? The weather is -fearful--it is raining torrents. Here we are, comfortably tiled in: we -have champagne and regalias--two excellent things when not abused. What -have we better to do? 'Nothing,' I hear you say. Listen to me, then, for -I believe what I have to tell you will interest you the more, because -some among you will not be vexed to know the whole truth about me." - -The majority of the guests burst into a laugh at this remark. When their -hilarity was calmed the baron began:-- - -"As for the first part of my story, I shall imitate the count's brevity. -In the present age gentlemen find themselves so naturally beyond the -pale of the law through the prejudices of blood and education, that they -all are fated to pass through a rough apprenticeship to life, by -devouring in a few years, they know not how, the paternal fortune. This -happened to me, gentlemen, as to yourselves. My ancestors in the middle -ages were, to a certain extent, freebooters. True blood always shows -itself. When my last resources were nearly exhausted, my instincts were -aroused, and my eyes fixed on America. In less than ten years I amassed -there the colossal fortune which I now have the distinguished honour, -not of dissipating--the lesson was too rude, and I profited by it--but -of spending in your honourable company, while careful to keep my capital -intact." - -"But," the count exclaimed impatiently, "how did you amass this colossal -fortune, as you yourself term it?" - -"About a million and a half," the baron coolly remarked. - -A shudder of covetousness ran through the whole party. - -"A colossal fortune indeed," the count continued; "but, I repeat, how -did you acquire it?" - -"If I had not intended to reveal it to you, my dear fellow, you may be -sure I would not have abused your patience by making you listen to the -trivialities you have just heard." - -"We are listening," the guests shouted. - -The baron coolly looked at them all. - -"In the first place let us drink a glass of champagne to our friend's -success," he said in a sarcastic tone. - -The glasses were filled and emptied again in a twinkling, so great was -the curiosity of the auditors. After putting down his glass before him -the baron lighted a regalia, and, turning to the count, said to him,-- - -"I am now addressing myself more particularly to you, my friend. You are -young, enterprising, gifted with an iron constitution and an energetic -will. I am convinced, that if death does not thwart your plans, you will -succeed, whatever may be the enterprise you undertake, or the objects -you propose to yourself. In the life you are about to begin, the -principal cause of success, I may say almost the only one, is a thorough -knowledge of the ground on which you are about to manoeuvre, and the -society you propose entering. If, on my entrance upon that adventurous -life, I had possessed the good fortune of meeting a friend willing to -initiate me into the mysteries of my new existence, my fortune would -have been made five years earlier. What no one did for me I am willing -to do for you. Perhaps, at a later date you will be grateful for the -information I have given you, and which will serve as your guide in the -inextricable maze you are about to enter. In the first place, lay down -this principle: the people among whom you are about going to live are -your natural enemies. Hence you will have to support a daily, hourly -struggle. All means must appear to you good to emerge from the battle a -victor. Lay on one side your notions of honour and delicacy. In America -they are vain words, useless even to make dupes, from the very simple -reason that no one believes in them. The sole deity of America is gold. -To acquire gold the American is capable of everything; but not, as in -old Europe, under the cloak of honesty, and by roundabout process, but -frankly, openly, without shame, and without remorse. This laid down, -your line of conduct is ready traced. There is no project, however -extravagant it may appear, which in that country does not offer chances -of success; for the means of execution are immense, and almost -impossible of control. The American is the man who has best comprehended -the strength of association: hence it is the lever by means of which his -schemes are carried out. On arriving there alone, without friends or -acquaintances, however intelligent and determined you may be, you will -be lost, because you find yourself alone in the face of all." - -"That is true," the count muttered with conviction. - -"Patience!" the baron replied with a smile. "Do you think I intend to -send you into action without a cuirass? No, no, I will give you one, and -magnificently tempered, too, I assure you." - -All those present looked with amazement on this man, who had grown -enormously in their esteem in a few moments. The baron feigned not to -perceive the impression he produced, and in a minute or so he continued, -laying a stress on every word, as if wishful to engrave it more deeply -on the count's memory:-- - -"Remember what I am about to tell you; it is of the utmost importance -for you not to forget a word, my friend; from that positively depends -the success of your trip to the New World." - -"Speak--I am not losing a syllable!" the count interrupted him with a -species of febrile impatience. - -"When strangers began to flock to America, a company of bold fellows -was formed without faith or law, and without pity as without weakness, -who, denying all nationality, as they issued from every people, only -recognised one government, that which they themselves instituted on -Tortoise Island, a desolate rock, lost in the middle of the ocean--a -monstrous government; for violence was at its basis, and it only -admitted of right being might. These bold companions, attached to each -other by a Draconian charter, assumed the name of Brethren of the Coast, -and were divided into two classes--the Buccaneers and the Filibusters. - -"The buccaneers, wandering, through the primeval forests, hunted oxen, -while the filibusters scoured the seas, attacking every flag, plundering -every vessel under the pretext of making war on the Spaniards, but in -reality stripping the rich for the benefit of the poor--the only means -they discovered to restore the balance between the two classes. The -Brethren of the Coast, continually recruited from all the rogues of the -new world, became powerful--so powerful, indeed, that the Spaniards -trembled for their possessions, and a glorious King of France did not -disdain to treat with them, and send an ambassador to them. At last, -through the very force of circumstances, like all powers which are the -offspring of anarchy, and consequently possess no inherent vitality, -when the maritime nations recognised their own strength, the Brethren of -the Coast grew gradually weaker, and finally disappeared entirely. By -forcing them into obscurity, it was supposed that they were not merely -conquered, but annihilated; but it was not so, as you shall now see. I -ask your pardon for this long and tedious prologue, but it was -indispensable, so that you should better comprehend the rest I have to -explain to you." - -"It is nearly half past four," observed the count; "we have not more -than forty minutes left us." - -"That period, though so short, will be sufficient," the baron answered. -"I resume my narrative. The Brethren of the Coast were not destroyed, -but transformed. They yielded with extraordinary cleverness to the -exigencies of that progress which threatened to outstrip them: they had -changed their skin--from tigers they had become foxes. The Brethren of -the Coast were converted into _Dauph'yeers_. Instead of boldly boarding -the enemies' ships, sword and hatchet in hand, as they formerly did, -they became insignificant, and dug mines. At the present day the -Dauph'yeers are the masters and kings of the New World; they are nowhere -and everywhere, but they reign; their influence is felt in all ranks of -society; they are found on every rung of the ladder, but are never seen. -They detached the United States from England; Peru, Chili and Mexico, -from Spain. Their power is immense, the more so because it is secret, -ignored and almost denied, which displays their strength. For a secret -society to be denied existence is a real power. There is not a -revolution in America in which the influence of the Dauph'yeers does not -step forward valorously, either to insure its triumph or to crush it. -They can do everything--they are everything: without their golden circle -nothing is possible. Such have the Brethren of the Coast become, in less -than two centuries, by the force of progress! They are the axis round -which the New World revolves though it little suspects it. It is a -wretched lot for that magnificent country to have been condemned, ever -since its discovery, to undergo the tyranny of bandits of every rank, -who seem to have undertaken the mission of exhausting her in every way, -while never giving her the chance of liberating herself." - -There was a lengthened silence: each was reflecting on what he had just -heard. The baron himself had buried his face in his hands, and was lost -in that world of ideas which he had evoked, and which now assailed him -in a mass with sensations of mingled pain and bitterness. - -The distant sound of a rapidly approaching vehicle recalled the count to -the gravity of the situation. - -"Here is my chaise," he said. "I am about to set out, and I know -nothing." - -"Patience!" the baron replied. "Take leave of your friends, and we will -start." - -Yielding, in spite of himself, to the influence of this singular man, -the count obeyed, without dreaming of offering the slightest opposition. -He rose, embraced each of his old friends, exchanged with them hearty -hand-shakings, received their auguries of success, and left the room, -followed by the baron. - -The post-chaise was waiting in front of the house. The young men had -opened the windows, and were waving fresh adieux to their friend. The -count turned a long look on the Boulevard. The night was gloomy, though -the rain no longer fell; the sky was black; and the gas-jets glinted -feebly in the distance like stars lost in a fog. - -"Farewell," he said in a stifled voice, "farewell! Who knows whether I -shall ever return?" - -"Courage!" a stern voice whispered in his ear. - -The young man shuddered: the baron was at his side. - -"Come, my friend," he said, as he helped him to enter the carriage, "I -will accompany you to the barrier." - -The count got in and fell back on a cushion. - -"The Normandy road," the baron shouted to the postilion, as he shut the -door. - -The driver cracked his whip, and the chaise started at a gallop. - -"Good-by, good-by!" the young men loudly shouted as they leant out of -the windows of the Café Anglais. - -For a long time the two remained silent. At length the baron took the -word. - -"Gaëtan!" he said. - -"What would you?" the latter replied. - -"I have not yet finished my narrative." - -"It is true," he muttered distractedly. - -"Do you not wish me to end it?" - -"Speak, my friend." - -"In what a tone you say that, my good fellow! Your mind is wandering in -imaginary space; you are doubtlessly dreaming of those you are leaving. - -"Alas!" murmured the count with a sigh, "I am alone in the world. What -have I to regret? I possess neither friends nor relations." - -"Ungrateful man!" The baron said in a reproachful tone. - -"It is true: Pardon me, my dear fellow; I did not think of what I was -saying." - -"I pardon you, but on condition that you listen to me." - -"I promise it." - -"My friend, it you desire success, the friendship and protection of -those Dauph'yeers I mentioned are indispensable for you." - -"How can I obtain them--I, a wretched stranger? How I tremble on -thinking of the country in which I dreamed of creating such a glorious -future! The veil that covered my eyes is fallen. I see the extravagance -of my projects, and all hope abandons me." - -"Already?" exclaimed the baron sternly. "Child without energy, to -abandon a contest even before having engaged in it! Man without strength -and courage! I will give you the means, if you like, of obtaining the -friendship and protection so necessary for you." - -"You!" the count said, quivering with excitement. - -"Yes, I! Do you fancy I have been amusing myself with torturing your -mind for the last two hours, like the jaguar plays with the lamb, for -the mere pleasure of deriding you? No, Gaëtan. If you had that thought, -you were wrong, for I am fond of you. When I learned your scheme I -applauded, from the bottom of my heart, that resolution which restored -you to your proper place in my mind. When you this night frankly avowed -to us your position, and explained your plans, I found myself again in -you; my heart beat; for a moment I was happy: and then I vowed to open -to you that path so wide, so great, and so noble, that if you do not -succeed, it will be because you do not desire to do so." - -"Oh!" the count said energetically, "I may succumb in the contest which -begins this day between myself and humanity at large, but fear nothing, -my friend; I will fall nobly like a man of courage." - -"I am persuaded of it, my friend. I have only a few more words to say to -you. I, too, was a Dauph'yeer, and am so still. Thanks to my brethren, I -gained the fortune I now possess. Take this portfolio: put round your -neck this chain, from which a medallion hangs; then, when you are alone, -read these instructions contained in the portfolio, and act as they -prescribe. If you follow them point for point, I guarantee your success. -That is the present I reserved for you, and which I would not give you -till we were alone." - -"O heavens!" the count said with effusion. - -"Here we are at the barrier," the baron remarked, as he stopped the -carriage. "It is time for us to separate. Farewell, my friend! Courage -and good will! Embrace me. Above all, remember the portfolio and the -medallion." - -The two men remained for a long time in each other's arms. At length the -baron freed himself by a vigorous effort, opened the door, and leaped -out on the pavement. - -"Farewell!" he cried for the last time; "Farewell, Gaëtan, remember me." - -The post-chaise was bowling along the high road at full speed. Strange -to say, both men muttered the same word, shaking heads with -discouragement, when they found themselves alone--one walking at full -speed along the footpath, the other buried in the cushions. - -That word was "Perhaps!" - -The reason was that, despite all their efforts to deceive each other, -neither of them hoped. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE DAUPH'YEERS. - - -Now let us quit the old world, and, taking an immense stride, transport -ourselves to the new one at a single leap. - -There is in America a city which possibly cannot be compared to any -other in the whole world. That city is Valparaiso! - -Valparaiso! The word resounds in the enchanted ear like the gentle soft -notes of a love song. - -A coquettish, smiling, and mad city, softly reclining like a careless -Creole, round a delicious bay, at the foot of three majestic mountains, -lazily bathing her rosy and dainty feet in the azure waves of the -Pacific, and veiling her dreamy brow in the storm-laden clouds which -escape from Cape Horn, and roll with a sinister sound round the peaks of -the Cordilleras, to form a splendid glory for them. - -Although built on the Chilean coast, this strange city belongs, in fact, -to no country, and recognises no nationality: or to speak more -correctly, it admits all into its bosom. - -At Valparaiso the adventurer of every clime have given each other the -meeting. All tongues are spoken there, every branch of trade is carried -on. The population is the quaintest amalgam of the most eccentric -personalities, who have rushed from the most remote parts of the four -quarters of the old world, to attack fortune in this city, the advanced -sentinel of Transatlantic civilisation, and whose occult influence -governs the Hispano-American republic. - -Valparaiso, like nearly all the commercial centres of South America, is -a pile of shapeless dens and magnificent palaces jostling each other, -and hanging in abrupt clusters on the abrupt flanks of the three -mountains. - -At the period the event occurred which we are about to describe, the -streets were narrow, dirty, deprived of air and sun. The paving, being -perfectly ignored, rendered them perfect morasses, in which the wayfarer -sank to the knee when the winter's rains had loosened the soil. This -rendered the use of a horse indispensable, even for the shortest -passage. - -Deleterious exhalations incessantly escaped from these mud holes, -heightened by the filth of every description which the daily cleaning of -the inhabitants accumulated, while no one dreamed of draining these -permanent abodes of pernicious fevers. - -At the present day, we are told, this state of things has been altered, -and Valparaiso no longer resembles itself. We should like to believe it; -but the carelessness of the South American, so well known to us, compels -us to be very circumspect in such a matter. - -In one of the dirtiest and worst-famed streets of Valparaiso was a house -which we ask the reader's permission to describe in a few words. - -We are compelled at the outset, to confess that if the architect -intrusted with its construction had shown himself more than sober in the -distribution of the ornaments, he had built it perfectly to suit the -trade of the various tenants destined in future to occupy it one after -the other. - -It was a clay-built hovel. The _façade_ looked upon the Street de la -Merced; the opposite side had an outlook of the sea, above which it -projected for a certain distance upon posts. - -This house was inhabited by an innkeeper. Contrary to the European -buildings, which grow smaller the higher they rise from the ground, this -house grew larger; so that the upper part was lofty and well lighted, -while the shop and other ground floor rooms were confined and gloomy. - -The present occupier had skilfully profited by this architectural -arrangement to have a room made in the wall between the first and second -floors, which was reached by a turning staircase, concealed in the -masonry. - -This room was so built that the slightest noise in the street distinctly -reached the ears of persons in it, while stifling any they might make, -however loud it might be. - -The worthy landlord, occupier of this house, had naturally a rather -mixed custom of people of every description--smugglers, _rateros_, -rogues, and others, whose habits might bring them into unpleasant -difficulties with the Chilean police; consequently, a whaleboat -constantly fastened to a ring under a window opening on the sea, -offered a provisional but secure shelter to the customers of the -establishment whenever, by any accident, the agents of government -evinced a desire to pay a domiciliary visit to his den. - -This house was known--and probably is still known, unless an earthquake -or a fire has caused this rookery to disappear from the face of the -earth of Valparaiso--by the name of the _Locanda del Sol._ - -On an iron plate suspended from a beam, and creaking with every breath -of wind, there had been painted by a native artist a huge red face, -surrounded by orange beams, possibly intended as an explanation of the -sign to which I have alluded above. - -Señor Benito Sarzuela master of the Locanda del Sol, was a tall, dry -fellow with an angular face end crafty look; a mixture of the Araucano, -Negro and Spaniard, whose _morale_ responded perfectly to his -_physique;_ that is to say, he combined in himself the vices of the -three races to which he belonged--red, black, and white--without -possessing one single virtue of theirs, and that beneath the shadow of -an avowed and almost honest trade he carried on clandestinely some -twenty, the most innocent of which would have taken him to the -_presidios_ or galleys for life, had he been discovered. - -Some two months after the events we described in a previous chapter, -about eleven of the clock on a cold and misty night, Señor Benito -Sarzuela was seated in melancholy mood within his bar, contemplating -with mournful eye the deserted room of his establishment. - -The wind blowing violently, caused the sign of the _mesón_ to creak on -its hinges with gloomy complaints, and the heavy black clouds coming -from the south moved weightily athwart the sky, dropping at intervals -heavy masses of rain on the ground loosened by previous storms. - -"Come," the unhappy host muttered to himself with a piteous air, "there -is another day which finishes as badly as the others. _Sangre de Dios!_ -For the last week I have had no luck. If it continues only a fortnight -longer I shall be ruined a man." - -In fact, through a singular accident, for about a month the Locanda del -Sol had been completely shorn of its old brilliancy, and the landlord -did not know any reason for its eclipse. - -The sound of clanking glasses and cups was no longer heard in the room, -usually affected by thirsty souls. Strange change in human things! -Abundance had been too suddenly followed by the most perfect vacuum. It -might be said that the plague reigned in this deserted house. The -bottles remained methodically arranged on the shelves, and hardly two -passers-by had come in during the past day to drink a glass of _pisco_, -which they hastily paid for, so eager were they to quit this den, in -spite of the becks, and nods, and wreathed smiles of the host, who tried -in vain to keep them to talk of public affairs, and, above all, cheer -his solitude. - -After a few words we have heard him utter, the worthy Don Benito rose -carelessly, and prepared, with many an oath, to close his establishment, -so at any rate to save in candles, when suddenly an individual entered, -then two, then ten, and at last such a number that the locandero gave up -all attempts at counting them. - -These men were all wrapped up in cloaks; their heads were covered by -felt hats, whose broad brims, pulled down carefully over their eyes, -rendered them perfectly unrecognisable. - -The room was soon crowded with customers drinking and smoking, but not -uttering a word. - -The extraordinary thing was that, although all the tables were lined, -such a religious silence prevailed among these strange bibbers that the -noise of the rain pattering outside could be distinctly heard, as well -as the footfall of the horses ridden by the serenos, which resounded -hoarsely on the pebbles or in the muddy ponds that covered the ground. - -The host, agreeably surprised by this sudden turn of fortune, had -joyfully set to work serving his unexpected customers; but all at once a -singular thing happened, which Señor Sarzuela was far from anticipating. -Although the proverb say that you can never have enough of a good -thing--and proverbs are the wisdom of nations--it happened that the -affluence of people, who appeared to have made an appointment at his -house, became so considerable, and assumed such gigantic proportions, -that the landlord himself began to be terrified; for his hostelry, empty -a moment previously, was now so crammed that he soon did not know where -to put the new arrivals who continued to flock in. In fact the crowd, -after filling the common room, had, like a rising tide, flowed over -into the adjoining room, then it escaladed the stairs, and spread over -the upper floors. - -At the first stroke of eleven more than two hundred customers occupied -the Locanda del Sol. - -The locandero, with that craft which was one of the most salient points -of his character, then comprehended that something extraordinary was -about to happen, and that his house would be the scene. - -At the thought a convulsive tremor seized upon him, his hair began to -stand on end, and he sought in his brain for the means he must employ to -get rid of these sinister and silent guests. - -In his despair he rose with an air which he sought to render most -resolute, and walked to the door as if for the purpose of closing his -establishment. The customers, still silent as fish, did not make a sign -of moving; on the contrary, they pretended they noticed nothing. - -Don Benito felt his nervousness redoubled. - -Suddenly the voice of a sereno singing in the distance furnished him -with the pretext he vainly sought, by shouting as he passed the -locanda,-- - -"_Ave Maria purísima. Las onze han dado y llueve._"[1] - -Although accompanied by modulations capable of making a dog weep, the -sacramental cry of the sereno absolutely produced no impression on mine -host's customers. The force of terror at length restoring him a slight -degree of courage, Señor Sarzuela decided on directly addressing his -obstinate customers. For this purpose he deliberately posted himself in -the centre of the room, thrust his fist into his side, and raising his -head, said in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm, but whose -tremor he could not hide,-- - -"Señores caballeros, it is eleven o'clock. The police regulations forbid -me keeping open longer. Have the goodness, I beg you, to withdraw -without delay, so that I may close my establishment." - -This harangue, from which he promised himself the greatest success, -produced an effect exactly contrary to what he expected. The strangers -vigorously smote the table with their glasses, shouting unanimously,-- - -"Drink!" - -The landlord bounded back at this fearful disturbance. - -"Still, caballeros," he ventured to remark, after a moment's hesitation, -"the police regulations are severe. It is eleven, and--" - -He could say no more: the noise recommenced with even greater intensity, -and the customers shouted together, in a voice of thunder, "Drink!" - -A reaction, easy to comprehend, then took place in the mind of mine -host. Fancying that a personal attack was made on himself, persuaded -that his interests were at stake, the coward disappeared to make room -for the miser, threatened in what is dearest to him--his property. - -"Ah," he shouted in feverish exasperation, "that is the game! Well, we -will see if I am master in my own house. I will go and fetch the alcalde." - -This threat of justice from the mouth of the worthy Sarzuela appeared so -droll, that the customers broke out, with a unanimity that did them all -credit, into a burst of Homeric laughter right under the poor fellow's -nose. This was the _coup de grâce_. The host's anger was converted into -raving madness, and he rushed headforemost at the door, under the -laughter and inextinguishable shouts of his persecutors. But he had -hardly crossed the threshold of his house ere a new arrival seized him -unceremoniously by the arm and hurled him back roughly into the room, -saying in a bantering voice,-- - -"What fly has stung you, my dear landlord? Are you mad to go out -bareheaded in such weather, at the risk of catching a pleurisy?" - -And then, while the locandero, terrified and confounded by this rude -shock, tried to regain his balance and re-establish a little order in -his ideas, the unknown, as coolly as if he were at home, had, with the -help of some of the customers, to whom he made signs, shut the shutters -and bolted the door with as much care as Sarzuela himself usually -devoted to this delicate operation. - -"There, now that is done," the stranger said, turning to the amazed host -"suppose we have a chat, _compadre_? Ah, I suppose you do not recognise -me?" he added, as he removed his hat and displayed a fine intelligent -face, over which a mocking smile was at this moment playing. - -"Oh, el Señor Don Gaëtano!" said Sarzuela, whom this meeting was far -from pleasing, and who tried to conceal a horrible grimace. - -"Silence!" the other said. "Come hither." - -"With a gesture he drew the landlord into a corner of the room, and, -leaning down to his ear, said in a low voice,-- - -"Are there any strangers in your house?" - -"Look!" he said with a piteous glance, as he pointed to the still -drinking customers, "that legion of demons invaded my house an hour -back. They drink well, it is true; but there is something suspicious -about them not at all encouraging to an honest man." - -"The more reason that you should have nothing to fear. Besides, I am not -alluding to them. I ask you if you have any strange lodgers? As for -those men, you know them as well as I do, perhaps better." - -"From top to bottom of my house I have no other persons than these -caballeros, whom you say I know. It is very possible; but as ever since -they have been here, thanks to the way in which they are muffled, it has -been impossible for me to see the tip of a nose, I was utterly unable to -recognise them." - -"You are a donkey, my good friend. These men who bother you so greatly -are all Dauph'yeers." - -"Really!" the amazed host exclaimed: "then why do they hide their -faces?" - -"My faith, Master Sarzuela, I fancy it is probably because they do not -wish to have them seen." - -And laughing at the landlord, who was sadly out of countenance, the -stranger made a sign. Two men rose, rushed on the poor fellow, and -before he could even guess what they intended, he found himself so -magnificently garroted that he could not even cross himself. - -"Fear nothing, Master Sarzuela; no harm will befall you," the stranger -continued. "We only want to talk without witnesses, and as you are -naturally a chatterer, we take our precautions, that is all. So be calm; -in a few hours you will be free. Come, look sharp, you fellows," he -continued, addressing his men. "Gag him, lay him on his bed, and turn -the key in his door. Good-by, my worthy host, and pray keep calm." - -The stranger's orders were punctually executed; the luckless Sarzuela, -tied and gagged, was carried from the room on the shoulders of two of -his assailants, borne upstairs, thrown on his bed, and locked in in -a twinkling, ere he had even time to think of the slightest resistance. - -We will leave him to indulge in the gloomy reflections which probably -assailed him in a throng so soon as he was alone, face to face with his -despair, and return to the large room of the locanda, where persons far -more interesting to us than the poor landlord are awaiting us. - -The Dauph'yeers, so soon as they found themselves masters of the -hostelry, ranged the tables one on the other against the walls, so as to -clear the centre of the room, and drew up the benches in a line, on -which they seated themselves. - -The Locanda del Sol, owing to the changes it underwent, was in a few -moments completely metamorphosed into a club. - -The last arrival, the man who had given the order to gag the host, -enjoyed, according to all appearances, a certain influence over the -honourable company collected at this moment on the ground floor room of -the hostelry. So soon as the master of the house had disappeared he took -off his cloak, made a sign commanding silence, and speaking in excellent -French, said in a clear and sonorous voice,-- - -"Brethren, thanks for your punctuality." - -The Dauph'yeers politely returned his salute. - -"Gentlemen," he continued, "our projects are advancing. Soon, I hope, we -shall attain the object to which we have so long been tending, and quit -that obscurity in which we are languishing, to conquer our place in the -sunshine. America is a marvellous land, in which every ambition can be -satisfied. I have taken all the necessary measures, as I pledged myself -to you to do a fortnight ago, when I had the honour of convening you for -the first time. We have succeeded. You were kind enough to appoint me -director of the Mexican movement, and I thank you for it, gentleman. A -concession of three thousand acres of land has been made me at -Guetzalli, in Upper Sonora. The first step has been taken. My -lieutenant, De Laville, started yesterday for Mexico, to take possession -of the granted territory. I have today another request to make of you. -You who listen to me here are all European or North Americans, and you -will understand me. For a very long time the Dauph'yeers, the successors -of the Brethren of the Coast have been calmly watching, as apparently -disinterested spectators of the endless drama of the American republics, -the sudden changes and shameless revolutions of the old Spanish -colonies. The hour has arrived to throw ourselves into the contest. I -need one hundred and fifty devoted men. Guetzalli will serve them as a -temporary refuge. I shall soon tell them what I expect from their -courage; but you must strive to carry out what I attempt. The enterprise -I meditate, and in which I shall possibly perish, is entirely in the -interest of the association. If I succeed, every man who took part in it -will have a large reward and splendid position insured him. You know the -man who introduced me to you, and he had gained your entire confidence. -The medal he gave me, and which I now show you, proves to you that he -entirely responds for me. Will you, in your turn, trust in me as he has -done? Without you I can do nothing. I await your reply." - -He was silent. His auditors began a long discussion among themselves, -though in a low voice, which they carried on for some time. At length -silence was restored, and a man rose. - -"Count Gaëtan de Lhorailles," he said, "my brethren have requested me to -answer you in their name. You presented yourself to us, supported by the -recommendation of a man in whom we have the most entire confidence. Your -conduct has appeared to confirm this recommendation. The one hundred and -fifty men you ask for are ready to follow you, no matter whither you may -lead them, persuaded as they are that they can only gain by seconding -your plans. I, Diégo Léon, inscribe myself at the head of the list." - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -The Dauph'yeers shouted, outcrying each other. The count gave a signal, -and silence was re-established. - -"Brothers, I thank you," he said. "The nucleus of our association will -remain at Valparaiso, and if I need them I will draw from that city the -resolute men I may presently want. For the moment one hundred and fifty -men are sufficient for me. If my plans succeed, who knows what the -future may have in store for us? I have drawn up a charter-party, all -the stipulations of which will be rigorously kept by myself and by you, -I have no doubt. Read and sign. In two days I start for Talca: but in -six weeks I will meet here those among you who consent to follow me, and -then I will communicate to them my plans in their fullest details." - -"Captain de Lhorailles," Diégo Léon replied, "you say that you have only -need of one hundred and fifty men. Draw them by lots, then; for all wish -to accompany you." - -"Thank you once again, my brave comrades. Believe me, each shall have -his turn. The project I have formed is grand and worthy of you. -Selection would only arouse jealousy among men all equally worthy. Diégo -Léon, I intrust to you the duty of drawing lots for the names of those -who are to form part of the first expedition." - -"It shall be done," said Léon, a methodical and steady Bearnese and -ex-corporal of the Spahis. - -"And now, my friends, one last word. Remember that in three months I -shall expect you at Guetzalli; and, by the aid of Heaven, the star of -the Dauph'yeer shall not be dimmed. Drink, brothers, drink to the -success of our enterprise!" - -"Let us drink!" all the Brethren of the Coast shouted quite electrified. - -The wine and brandy then began flowing. The whole night was spent in an -orgie, whose proportions became, towards morning, gigantic. The Count de -Lhorailles--thanks to the talisman the baron gave him on parting--had -found himself, immediately on his arrival in America, at the head of -resolute and unscrupulous men, by whose help it was easy for an -intellect like his to accomplish great things. - -Two months after the meeting to which we have introduced the reader, the -count and his one hundred and fifty Dauph'yeers were assembled at the -colony of Guetzalli--that magnificent concession which M. de Lhorailles -had obtained through his occult influences. - -The count appeared to command good fortune, and everything he undertook -succeeded. The projects which appeared the wildest were carried out by -him. His colony prospered and assumed proportions which delighted the -Mexican government. The count, with the tact and knowledge of the world -he thoroughly possessed, had caused the jealous and the curious to be -silent. He had created a circle of devoted friends and useful -acquaintances, who on various occasions pleaded in his behalf and -supported him by their credit. - -Our readers can judge of the progress he had made in so short a -time--scarce three years--when we say that, at the moment we introduce -him on the stage, he had almost attained the object of his constant -efforts. He was about to gain an honourable rank in society by marrying -the daughter of Don Sylva de Torrés, one of the richest hacenderos in -Sonora: and through the influence of his future father-in-law he had -just received a commission as captain of a free corps, intended to -repulse the incursions of the Comanches and Apaches on the Mexican -territory, and the right of forming this company exclusively of -Europeans if he thought proper. - -We will now return to the house of Don Sylva de Torrés, which we left -almost at the moment the Count de Lhorailles entered it. - - -[1] I salute you, most pure Mary! Eleven has struck, and it rains. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BY THE WINDOW. - - -When the young lady left the sitting room to retire to her sleeping -apartment, the count followed her with a lingering look, apparently not -at all understanding the extraordinary conduct of his betrothed, -especially under the circumstances in which they stood to each other, as -they were so shortly to be married; but, after a few moments' -reflection, the count shook his head, as if to dispel the mournful -thoughts by which he was assailed, and, turning to Don Sylva, said:-- - -"Let us talk about business matters. Are you agreeable?" - -"Have you anything new, then, to tell me?" - -"Many things." - -"Interesting?" - -"You shall be the judge." - -"Go on, then. I am all impatience to hear them." - -"Let us proceed in rotation. You are aware, my friend, why I left -Guetzalli?" - -"Perfectly. Well, have you succeeded?" - -"As I expected. Thanks to certain letters of which I was the bearer, -and, above all, your kind recommendation, General Marcos received me in -the most charming manner. The reception he deigned to accord me was most -affectionate. In short, he gave me _carte blanche_, authorising me to -raise, not only one hundred and fifty men, but double the number if I -considered it necessary." - -"Oh, that is magnificent." - -"Is it not? He told me also that in a war like that I was about to -undertake--for my chase of the Apaches is a real war--he left me at -liberty to act as I pleased, ratifying beforehand all I might do, being -persuaded, as he added, that it would ever be for the interest and glory -of Mexico." - -"Come, I am delighted with the result. And now, what are your -intentions?" - -"I have resolved on quitting you to proceed, in the first place, to -Guetzalli, whence I have now been absent nearly three weeks. I want to -revisit my colony, in order to see if all goes on as I would wish, and if -my men are happy. On the other hand, I shall not be sorry, before -departing for possibly a long period with the greater part of my forces, -to protect my colonists from a _coup de main_, by throwing up round the -establishment earthworks strong enough to repulse an assault of the -savages. This is the more important, because Guetzalli must always -remain, to a certain extent, my headquarters." - -"All right; and you start?" - -"This very evening." - -"So soon?" - -"I must. You are aware how time presses at present." - -"It is true. Have you nothing more to say to me?" - -"Pardon me, I have one other point which I expressly reserved for the -last." - -"You attach a great interest to it, then?" - -"Immense." - -"Oh, oh! I am listening to you, then, my friend. Speak quickly." - -"On my arrival in this country, at a period when the enterprises I have -since successfully carried out were only in embryo, you were good -enough, Don Sylva, to place at my disposal not only your credit, which -is immense, but your riches, which are incalculable." - -"It is true," the Mexican said with a smile. - -"I availed myself largely of your offers, frequently assailing your -strong box, and employing your credit whenever the occasion presented -itself. Permit me now to settle with you the only part of the debt I can -discharge, for I am incapable of repaying the other. Here," he added, -taking a paper from his portfolio, "is a bill for 100,000 piastres, -payable at sight on Walter Blount and Co., bankers, of Mexico. I am -happy, believe me, Don Sylva, to be able to pay this debt so promptly, -not because--" - -"Pardon me," the hacendero quickly interrupted him, and declining with a -gesture the paper the Count offered him, "we no longer understand each -other, it seems to me." - -"How so?" - -"I will explain. On your arrival at Guaymas, you presented yourself to -me, bearing a pressing letter of recommendation from a man to whom I -owed very great obligations a few years back. The Baron de Spurtzheim -described you to me rather as a beloved son than as a friend in whom he -took interest. My house was at once opened to you--it was my duty to do -so. Then, when I knew you, and could appreciate all that was noble and -grand in your character, our relations, at first rather cold, became -closer and more intimate. I offered you my daughter's hand, which you -accepted." - -"And gladly so," the count explained. - -"Very good," the hacendero continued with a smile. "The money I could -receive from a stranger--money which he honestly owes me--belongs to my -son-in-law. Tear up that paper, then, my dear count, and pray do not -think of such a trifle." - -"Ah!" the count said, in a tone of vexation, "that was exactly what -troubled me. I am not your son-in-law yet, and may I confess it? I fear -I never shall be." - -"What can make you fancy that? Have you not my promise? The word of Don -Sylva de Torrés, Sir Count de Lhorailles, is a pledge which no one has -ever yet dared to doubt." - -"And for that reason I have no such idea. It is not you I am afraid of." - -"Who, then?" - -"Doña Anita." - -"Oh, oh! My friend, you must explain yourself, for I confess I do not -understand you at all," Don Sylva said sharply, as he rose and began -walking up and down the room in considerable agitation. - -"Good gracious, my friend, I am quite in despair at having produced this -discussion! I love Doña Anita. Love, as you know, easily takes umbrage. -Although my betrothed has ever been amiable, kind, and gracious to me, -still I confess that I fancy she does not love me." - -"You are mad, Don Gaëtano. Young girls know not what they like or -dislike. Do not trouble yourself about such a childish thing. I promised -that she shall be your wife, and it shall be so." - -"Still, if she loved another, I should not like--" - -"What! Really what you say has not common sense. Anita loves no one but -you, I am sure; and stay, would you like to be reassured? You say that -you start for Guetzalli this evening?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Prepare apartments for my daughter and myself. In a few days -we will join you at your hacienda." - -"Is it possible?" the count said joyfully. - -"Tomorrow at daybreak we will start; so make haste." - -"A thousand thanks." - -"Come, you are now easier?" - -"I am the happiest of mortals." - -"All the better." - -The two men exchanged a few words further, and separated with renewed -promises of meeting again soon. - -Don Sylva, accustomed to command despotically in his establishment, and -to allow no one to discuss his will, told his daughter, through her -waiting maid, that she must prepare for a rather long journey the next -morning, and felt certain of her obedience. - -The news was a thunderbolt for the young lady. She sank half fainting -into an easy chair, and melted into tears. It was evident to her that -this journey was only a pretext to separate her from the man she loved, -and place, her a defenceless victim, in the power of the man she -abhorred, and who was to be her husband. The poor child remained thus -for several hours, a prey to violent despair, and not dreaming of -seeking impossible repose; for, in the state in which she found herself, -she knew that sleep would not close her eyes, all swollen with tears, -and red with fever. - -Gradually the sounds of the town died away one after the other. All -slept, or seemed to sleep. Don Sylva's house was plunged into complete -darkness; a weak light alone glistened like a star through the young -girl's windows, proving that there at least someone was watching. - -At this moment two hesitating shadows were cast on the wall opposite the -hacendero's house. Two men, wrapped in long cloaks, stopped and examined -the dimly lighted window with that attention only found in thieves and -lovers. The two men to whom we allude incontestably belonged to the -latter category. - -"Hum!" the first said in a sharp but suppressed voice, "You are certain -of what you assert, Cucharés?" - -"As of my eternal salvation, Señor Don Martial," the scamp replied in -the same tone. "The accursed Englishman entered the house while I was -there. Don Sylva appeared on the best terms with the heretic. May his -soul be confounded!" - -We may here remark that a few years ago, and possibly even now, in the -eyes of the Mexicans all foreigners were English, no matter the nation -to which they belonged, and consequently heretics. Hence they naturally -ranked, though little suspecting it, with the men whom it is no crime to -kill, but whose assassination is rather looked upon as a meritorious -action. We are bound to add, to the credit of the Mexicans, that -whenever the occasion offered, they killed the English with an ardour -which was a sufficient proof of their piety. - -Don Martial continued:-- - -"On the faith of the Tigrero, this man has twice crossed my path, and I -have spared him; but let him be careful against the third meeting." - -"Oh!" Cucharés said, "the reverend Fra Becchico says that a man gains -splendid indulgences by 'cutting' an Englishman. I have not yet had the -luck to come across one, although I owe about eight dead men. I am much -inclined to indulge myself with this one; it would be so much gained." - -"On thy life, picaro, let him alone. That man belongs to me." - -"Well, we'll not mention it again," he replied, stifling a sigh; "I will -leave him to you. For all that it annoys me, although the niña seems to -detest him cordially." - -"Have you any proof of what you say?" - -"What better proof than the repugnance she displays so soon as he -appears, and the pallor which then covers her face without any apparent -reason?" - -"Ah, I would give a thousand ounces to know what to believe." - -"What prevents you? Everybody is asleep--no one will see you. The story -is not high--fifteen feet at the most. I am certain that Doña Anita -would be delighted to have a chat with you." - -"Oh, if I could but believe it!" he muttered with hesitation, casting a -side glance at the still lighted window. - -"Who knows? Perhaps she is expecting you." - -"Silence, you scoundrel!" - -"By'r Lady only listen! If what is said be true, the poor child must be -in a perplexity, if not worse: she has probably great need of -assistance." - -"What do they say? Come, speak, but be brief." - -"A very simple thing--that Doña Anita de Torrés marries within a week -the Englishman, Don Gaëtano." - -"You lie villain!" said the Tigrero with badly-restrained wrath. "I know -not what prevents me thrusting down your throat with my dagger the -odious words you have just uttered." - -"You would do wrong," the other said, without being in the -least discovered. "I am only an echo that repeats what it hears, nothing -more. You alone in all Guaymas are ignorant of this news. After all, -there is nothing astonishing in that, as you have only returned to town -this day, after an absence of more than a month." - -"That is true; but what is to be done?" - -"Caray! Follow the advice I give you." - -The Tigrero turned another long glance on the window, and let his head -sink with an irresolute air. - -"What will she say on seeing me?" he muttered. - -"Caramba!" the lepero said in a sarcastic tone, "She will cry, 'You are -welcome, _alma mia!_' It is clear, caray! Don Martial, have you become a -timid child, that a woman's glance can make you tremble? Opportunity has -only three hairs, in love as in war. You must seize her when she -presents herself: if you do not, you run a risk of not meeting her -again." - -The Mexican approached the lepero near enough to touch him, and, fixing -his glance on his tiger-cat eyes, said in a low and concentrated voice,-- - -"Cucharés, I trust in you. You know me. I have often come to your -assistance. Were you to deceive my confidence I would kill you like a -coyote." - -The Tigrero pronounced these words with such an accent of dull fury, -that the lepero, who knew the man before whom he was standing, turned -pale in spite of himself, and felt a shudder of terror pass through his -limbs. - -"I am devoted to you, Don Martial," he replied in a voice, which he -tried in vain to render firm. "Whatever may happen, count on me. What -must I do?" - -"Nothing; but wait, watch, at the least suspicious sound, the first -hostile shadow that appears in the darkness, warn me." - -"Count on me. Go to work. I am deaf and dumb, and during your absence I -will watch over you like a son over his father." - -"Good!" the Tigrero said. - -He drew a few steps nearer, undid the reata fastened round his loins, -and held it in his right hand. Then he raised his eyes, measured the -distance and turning the reata forcibly round his head, hurled it into -Doña Anita's balcony. The running knot caught in an iron hook, and -remained firmly attached. - -"Remember!" the Tigrero said, as he turned toward Cucharés. - -"Go on," the latter said, as he leaned against the wall and crossed his -legs; "I answer for everything." - -Don Martial was satisfied, or feigned to be satisfied, with this -assurance. He seized the reata, and taking a leap, like one of those -panthers he had so often tracked on the prairies, he raised himself by -the strength of his wrists, and speedily reached the balcony. He climbed -over and went up to the window. - -Doña Anita was asleep, half reclining in an easy chair. The poor girl, -pale and exhausted, her eyes swollen with tears, had been conquered by -sleep, which never gives up its claim on young and vigorous -constitutions. On her marbled cheeks the tears had traced a long furrow, -which was still humid. Martial surveyed with a tender glance the woman -he loved, though not daring to approach her. Surprised thus during her -sleep, Anita appeared to him even more beautiful; a halo of purity and -candour seemed to surround her, watch over her repose, and render her -holy and unassailable. - -After a long and voluptuous contemplation, the Tigrero at length decided -on advancing. The window, which was only leaned to (for the young girl -had not dreamed of falling to sleep, as she had done), opened at the -slightest push. Don Martial took one step, and found himself in the -room. At the sight of this virginal chamber a religious respect fell on -the Tigrero. He felt his heart beat rebelliously; and tottering, mad -with fear and love, he fell on his knees by the side of the being he -adored. - -Anita opened her eyes. - -"Oh!" she exclaimed, on seeing Don Martial, "Blessed be God, since He -sends you to my assistance!" - -The Tigrero surveyed her with moistened eye and panting chest. But -suddenly the girl drew herself up; her memory returned, and with it that -timid modesty innate in all women. - -"Begone," she said, recoiling to the extremity of the room, "begone, -caballero! How are you here? Who led you to my room? Answer I command -you." - -The Tigrero humbly bowed his head. - -"God," he said, in an inarticulate voice, "God alone has conducted me to -your side, señorita, as you yourself said. Oh, pardon me for having -dared to surprise you thus! I have committed a great fault, I am aware; -but a misfortune menaces you--I feel it, I guess it. You are alone, -without support, and I have come to say to you, 'Madam, I am very low, -very unworthy to serve you, but you have need of a firm and devoted -heart. Here I am! Take my blood, take my life. I would be so happy to -die for you!' In the name of Heaven, señora, in the name of what you -love most on earth, do not reject my prayer. My arm, my heart, are -yours: dispose of them." - -These words were uttered by the young man in a choking voice, as he -knelt in the middle of the room, his hands clasped, and fixing on Doña -Anita his eyes, into which he had thrown his entire soul. - -The hacendero's daughter turned her limpid glance on the young man, and, -without removing her eyes, approached him with short steps, hesitating -and trembling despite herself. When she arrived near him she remained -for a moment undecided. At length she laid her two small, dainty hands -on his shoulders, and placed her gentle face so near his, that the -Tigrero felt on his forehead the freshness of her embalmed breath, while -her long, black, and perfumed tresses gently caressed him. - -"It is true, then," she said in a harmonious voice, "you love me then, -Don Martial?" - -"Oh!" the young man murmured, almost mad with love at this delicious -contact. - -The Mexican girl bent over him still more, and grazing with her rosy -lips the Tigrero's moist brow,-- - -"Now," she said to him, starting back with the ravishing movement of a -startled fawn, while her brow turned purple with the effort she had made -to overcome her modesty, "now defend me, Don Martial; for in the -presence of God, who sees us and judges us, I am your wife!" - -The Tigrero leaped on his feet beneath the corrosive sting of this kiss. -With a radiant brow and sparkling eyes, he seized the girl's arm and -drawing her to the corner of the room, where was a statue of the -Virgin, before which perfumed oil was burning,-- - -"On your knees, señorita," he said in an inspired voice, and himself -bowed the knee. - -The girl obeyed him. - -"Holy Mother of Sorrow!" Don Martial went on, "_Nuestra Señora de la -Soledad_! Divine succour of the afflicted, who soundest all hearts! Thou -seest the purity of our souls, the holiness of our love. Before thee I -take for my wife Doña Anita de Torrés. I swear to defend and protect -her, before and against everybody, even if I lose my life in the contest -I commence this day for the happiness of her I love, and who from this -day forth is really my betrothed." - -After pronouncing this oath in a firm voice the Tigrero turned to the -maiden. - -"It is your turn now, señorita," he said to her. - -The girl fervently clasped her hands, and raising her tear-laden eyes to -the holy image,-- - -"Nuestra Señora de la Soledad," she said in a voice broken with emotion, -"thou, my only protector since the day of my birth, knowest how truly I -am devoted to thee! I swear that all this man has said is the truth. I -take him for my husband in thy sight, and will never have another." - -They rose, and Doña Anita led the Tigrero to the balcony. - -"Go!" she said to him. "Don Martial's wife must not be suspected. Go, my -husband, my brother! The man to whom they want to deliver me is called -the Count de Lhorailles. Tomorrow at daybreak we leave this place, -probably to join him." - -"And he?" - -"Started this night." - -"Where is he going?" - -"I know not." - -"I will kill him." - -"Farewell, Don Martial, farewell!" - -"Farewell, Doña Anita! Take courage: I am watching over you." - -And after imprinting a last and chaste kiss on the young girl's pure -brow, he clambered over the balcony, and hanging by the reata, glided -down into the street. The hacendero's daughter unfastened the running -knot, leant out and gazed on the Tigrero as long as she could see him; -then she closed the window. - -"Alas, alas!" murmured she, suppressing a sigh, "What have I done? Holy -Virgin, thou alone canst restore me the courage which is deserting me." - -She let the curtain fall which veiled the window, and turned to go and -kneel before the Virgin; but suddenly she recoiled, uttering a cry of -terror. Two paces from her Don Sylva was standing with frowning brow and -stern face. - -"Doña Anita, my daughter," said he, in a slow and stern voice, "I have -seen and heard everything; spare yourself, then, I beg you, all useless -denial." - -"My father!" the poor child stammered in a broken voice. - -"Silence!" he continued. "It is three o'clock; we set out at sunrise. -Prepare yourself to marry in a fortnight Don Gaëtano de Lhorailles." - -And, without deigning to add a word, he walked out slowly, carefully -closing the door after him. - -As soon as she was alone the young girl bent down as if listening, -tottered a few steps forward, raised her hands with a nervous gesture to -her contracted throat--then, pealing forth a piercing cry, fell back on -the floor. - -She had fainted. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE DUEL. - - -It was about eight in the evening when the Count de Lhorailles left the -residence of Don Sylva de Torrés. The _feria de plata_ was then in all -its splendour. The streets of Guaymas were thronged with a joyful and -motley crowd: the shouts of songs and laughter rose on every side. The -piles of gold heaped on the monte tables emitted their yellow and -intoxicating reflection in the dazzling gleams of the lights, that -shone in every door and window: here and there the sounds of the -_vihuelas_ and _jarabes_ escaped from the pulquerías, invaded by the -drinkers. The count, elbowed and elbowing, traversed as quickly as was -possible the dense groups which at every instant barred his passage; but -the conversation he had had with Don Sylva had put him in too happy a -temper for him to dream of being vexed at the numerous collisions he -endured at every moment. - -At length, after numberless difficulties, and wasting at least thrice -the time he would have employed under other circumstances, he reached at -about ten in the evening, the house where he lodged. He had spent about -two hours in covering less than six hundred yards. - -On arriving at the mesón, the count proceeded first to the corral to see -his horse, to which he gave, with his own hand, two trusses of alfalfa; -then, after ordering that he should be called at one o'clock, if by -accident (which was most improbable) he retired to his _cuarto_ to take -a few hours' rest. - -The count intended to start at such an early hour in order to avoid the -heat of the day, and travel more quickly. Besides, after his lengthened -conversation with Don Sylva, the noble adventurer was not sorry to find -himself alone, in order to go over in his mind all the happy things that -had happened during the past evening. - -From the moment he had landed in America the count had enjoyed--to -employ a familiar term--a shameful good luck: everything succeeded with -him. In a few months his fortune might be thus summed up:--A colony -founded under the most favourable auspices, and already on the road of -progress and improvement: while keeping his nationality intact--that is -to say, his liberty of action and an inviolable neutrality--he was in -the service of the Mexican Government, as captain of a free corps of one -hundred and fifty devoted men, with whom he could attempt, if not carry -out, the wildest enterprises. In the last place, he was on the point of -marrying the daughter of a man twenty times a millionaire, as far as he -had opportunity of judging; and what in no way spoiled the affair, his -betrothed was delightful. - -Unfortunately, or fortunately, according the standpoint our readers may -think in judging of our hero, this man, worn out by the enervating -eccentricities of Parisian life, no longer felt his heart beat from any -emotion of joy, sorrow or fear: all was dead within him. He was exactly -the man wanted to succeed in the country to which accident had sent him. -In the great del of life he had begun in America he had an immense -advantage over his adversaries--that of never allowing himself to be -directed by passion; and consequently, owing to his unalterable coolness, -he was enabled to evade the pitfalls incessantly laid for him, over -which he triumphed without appearing to notice them. - -After what we have said, we have hardly need to add that he did not love -the woman whose hand he sought. She was young and lovely--so much the -better. Had she been old and ugly he would have accepted her hand all -the same. What did he care? He only sought one thing in marriage--a -brilliant and envied position. In fine, the Count de Lhorailles was all -calculation. We have made a mistake, however, in affirming that he had -not a weak point. He was ambitious. This passion, one of the most -violent of those with which Heaven has afflicted the human race, was -possibly the only link by which the count was still attached to -humanity. Ambition in him had reached such a pitch, especially during -the last few months--it had taken such an immense development--that he -would have sacrificed all to it. - -Now let us see what was the object of this man's ambition. What future -did he dream of? It is probable that we may explain this to the reader -in fuller detail presently. - -The count went to bed; that is to say, after wrapping himself carefully -in his zarapé, he stretched himself on the leathern frame which -throughout Mexico is the substitute for beds, whose existence is -completely ignored. So soon as he lay down he fell asleep, with that -conscience peculiar to the adventurer whose every hour is claimed -beforehand, and who, having but a few moments to grant to rest, hastens -to profit by them, and sleeps as the Spaniards say, _a la pierna -suelta_, which we may translate nearly by sleeping with closed fists. - -At one in the morning the count, as he had promised, awoke, lighted the -_cebo_ which served him as a candle, arranged his toilette to a certain -extent, carefully examined his pistols and rifle, and assured himself -that his sabre left the scabbard easily; then, when all these various -preparations, indispensable for every traveller careful for his safety, -were ended, he opened the door of the cuarto and proceeded to the -corral. - -His horse was eating heartily, and gaily finishing its alfalfa. The -count himself gave it a measure of oats, which he saw it dispose of with -neighs of pleasure, and then put on the saddle. In Mexico, horsemen, -whatever the class of society to which they belong, never leave to -others the care of attending to their steeds: for in those semi-savage -countries the life of the rider depends nearly always upon the vigour -and speed of his animal. - -The door of the mesón was only leaned to, so that the travellers might -start whenever they pleased without disturbing anybody. The count lit -his cigar, leaped into the saddle, and started on a trot along the road -leading to the Rancho. Nothing is so agreeable as night travelling in -Mexico. The earth, refreshed by the night breeze, and bedewed by the -copious dew, exhaled acrid and perfumed scents, whose beneficent -emanations restore the body all its vigour, and the mind its lucidity. -The moon, just on the point of disappearing, profusely scattered its -oblique rays, which lengthened immoderately the shadow of the trees -growing at intervals along the road, and made them in the obscurity -resemble a legion of fleshless spectres. The sky, of a deep azure, was -studded with an infinite number of glistening stars, in the midst of -which flashed the dazzling southern cross, to which the Indians have -given the name of _Poron Chayké_. The wind breathed gently through the -branches, in which the blue jay uttered at intervals the melodious notes -of its melancholy song, with which were mingled at times, in the -profundities of the desert, the howling of the cougar, the sharp miauw -of the panther or the ounce, and the hoarse bark of the coyotes in -search of prey. - -The count, on leaving Guaymas, had hurried on his horse; but subjugated, -in spite of himself, by the irresistible attractions of this autumn -night he gradually checked the pace of his steed, and yielded to the -flood of thoughts which mounted incessantly to his brain, and plunged -him into a gentle reverie. The descendant of an ancient and haughty -Frank race, alone in this desert, he mentally surveyed the splendour of -his name so long eclipsed, and his heart expanded with joy and pride on -reflecting that the task was reserved for him perhaps to rehabilitate -those from whom he descended, and restore, this time eternally, the -fortunes of his family, of which he had hitherto proved such a bad -guardian. - -This land, which he trampled underfoot, would restore him what he had -lost and madly squandered a hundred fold. The moment had at length -arrived when, free from all hobbles, he was about to realise those plans -for the future so long engraved on his brain. He went on thus, -travelling in the country of chimeras, and so absorbed in his thoughts, -that he no longer troubled himself with what went on around him. - -The stars were beginning to turn pale in the heavens, and be -extinguished in turn. The dawn was tracing a white line, which gradually -assumed a reddish tint on the distant obscurity of the horizon. On the -approach of day the air became fresher; then the count, aroused--if we -may employ the term--by the icy impression produced on him by the -bountiful desert dew, pulled the folds of his zarapé over the shoulders -with a shudder, and started at a gallop, directing a glance to the sky, -and muttering,-- - -"I will succeed, no matter the odds." - -A haughty defiance, to which the heavens seemed prepared to respond -immediately. - -The day was on the brink of dawning, and, in consequence of that, the -night, owing to its struggle with the twilight, had become more gloomy, -as always happens during the few moments preceding the apparition of the -sun. The first houses of the Rancho were standing out from the fog, a -short distance before him, when the count heard, or fancied he heard, -the sound of several horses' hoofs re-echoing on the pebbles behind him. - -In America, by night, and on a solitary road, the presence of man -announces always or nearly always, a peril. - -The count stopped and listened. The sound was rapidly approaching. The -Frenchman was brave, and had proved it in many circumstances; still he -did not at all desire to be assassinated in the corner of the road, and -perish miserably through an ambuscade. He looked around, in order to -study the chances of safety offered him in the probable event that the -arrivals were enemies. - -The plain was bare and flat: not a tree, not a ditch, nor any elevation -behind which he could intrench himself. Two hundred yards in front, as -we have said, were the first houses of the Rancho. - -The count made up his mind on the instant. He dug his spurs into his -horse's flanks, and galloped at full speed in the direction of San José. -It seemed to him as if the strangers imitated him, and pressed on their -horses too. - -A few minutes passed thus, during which the sound grew more distinct. It -was, therefore, evident to the Frenchman that the strangers were after -him. He threw a glance behind him, and perceived two shadows, still -distant, rushing at full speed towards him. By this time the count had -reached the Rancho. Reassured by the vicinity of houses, and not caring -to fly from a perhaps imaginary danger, he turned back, drew his horse -across the road, took a pistol in each hand, and waited. The strangers -were still pressing on without checking the speed of their horses, and -were soon within twenty yards of the count. - -"Who goes there?" he shouted in a firm and loud voice. - -The unknown made no reply, and appeared to redouble their speed. - -"Who's there?" the count repeated. "Stop, or I fire!" - -He uttered these words with such a determined accent, his countenance -was so intrepid, that, after a few moments' hesitation, the strangers -stopped. - -There were two of them. The day, just feebly breaking, permitted the -count to distinguish them perfectly. They were dressed in Mexican -costume; but, strangely enough in this country, where, under similar -circumstances, the bandits care very little about showing their faces, -the strangers were masked. - -"Hold, my masters!" shouted the count. "What means this obstinate -pursuit?" - -"That we probably have an interest in catching you up," replied a -hoarse voice sarcastically. - -"Then you really are after me?" - -"Yes, if you are the stranger known as the Count de Lhorailles." - -"I am he," said he without any hesitation. - -"Very good; then we can come to an understanding." - -"I ask nothing better, though, from your suspicious conduct, you appear -to me to be bandits, if you want my purse, take it and be off, for I am -in a hurry." - -"Keep your purse, caballero; we want to take your life, and not your -money." - -"Ah, ha! 'tis, then, a trap, followed by an assassination." - -"You are mistaken. I offer you a fair fight." - -"Hum!" the count said, "a fair fight: two against one--that is rather -disproportionate." - -"You would be correct if matters were as you assume," the man haughtily -replied who had hitherto taken the word; "but my companion will content -himself with looking on and taking no part in the duel." - -The count reflected. - -"Pardieu!" he said at last, "It is an extraordinary affair! A duel in -Mexico and with a Mexican! Such a thing as that has never been heard of -before." - -"It is true, caballero; but all things must have a beginning." - -"Enough of jesting. I ask nothing better than to fight, and I hope to -prove to you that I am a resolute man; but before accepting your -proposition, I should not be sorry to know why you force me to fight -you." - -"For what end?" - -"Corbleu! Why, to know it. You must understand that I cannot waste my -time in fighting with every ruffler I meet on the road, and who has a -fancy to have his throat cut." - -"It will be enough for you to know that I hate you." - -"Caramba! I suspected as much; but as you seem determined not to show me -your face, I should like to be able to recognise you at another time." - -"Enough chattering," the unknown said haughtily. "Time is flying. We -have had sufficient discussion." - -"Well, my master, if that is the case, get ready. I warn you that I -intend to take you both. A Frenchman would never have any difficulty in -holding his own against two Mexican bandits." - -"As you please." - -"Forward!" - -"Forward!" - -The three horsemen spurred their horses and charged. When they met they -exchanged pistol shots, and then drew their sabres. The fight was brief, -but obstinate. One of the strangers, slightly wounded, was carried away -by his horse, and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The count, grazed by a -ball, felt his anger changed to fury, and redoubled his efforts to -master his foe; but he had before him a sturdy opponent, a man of -surprising skill and of strength at least equal to his own. - -This man whose eyes he saw gleaming like live coals through the holes in -his mask, whirled round him with extraordinary rapidity, making his -horse perform the boldest curvets, attacking him incessantly with the -point or edge of his sabre, while bounding out of reach of the -counterblows. - -The count exhausted himself in vain against this indefatigable enemy. -His movements began to lose their elasticity--his sight grew -troubled--the perspiration stood in beads on his forehead. His silent -adversary increased the rapidity of his attacks: the issue of the combat -was no longer doubtful, when the Frenchman suddenly felt a slipknot fall -on his shoulders. Before he could even dream of loosening it he was -roughly lifted from his saddle, and hurled to the ground so violently -that he almost fainted, and found it impossible to make an effort to -rise. The second stranger, after a mad course of a few moments, had at -length succeeded in mastering his horse; he returned in all haste to the -scene of action, the two men so furiously engaged not noticing it; then, -thinking it time to put an end to the duel, he raised his reata and -lassoed the count. - -So soon as he saw his enemy on the ground, the unknown leaped from his -horse and ran up to him. His first care was to free the Frenchman from -the slipknot that strangled him, and then tried to restore him to his -senses, which was not a lengthy task. - -"Ah!" the count said, with a bitter smile, as he rose and crossed his -arms on his chest, "that is what you call fair fighting." - -"You are alone to blame for what has happened," the other said quietly, -"as you would not agree to my propositions." - -The Frenchman disdained any discussion. He contented himself with -shrugging his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Your life belongs to me," his adversary continued. - -"Yes, through a piece of treachery; but no matter--assassinate me, and -finish the affair." - -"I do not wish to kill you." - -"What do you want, then?" - -"To give you a piece of advice." - -The count laughed sarcastically. - -"You must be mad, my good fellow." - -"Not so much as you fancy. Listen attentively to what I have to say to -you." - -"I will do so even for the hope of being promptly freed from your -presence." - -"Good, Señor Conde de Lhorailles. Your arrival in this country has -caused the unhappiness of two persons." - -"Nonsense! You are jesting with me." - -"I speak seriously. Don Sylva de Torrés has promised you his daughter's -hand." - -"How does it concern you?" - -"Answer!" - -"It is true. Why should I conceal it?" - -"Doña Anita does not love you." - -"How do you know that?" the count asked with a mocking smile. - -"I know it; I know, too, that she loves another." - -"Only think of that!" - -"And that the other loves her." - -"All the worse for him; for I swear that I will not surrender her." - -"You are mistaken, señor conde. You will surrender her or die." - -"Neither one or the other," the impetuous Frenchman shouted, now -perfectly recovered from his stunning fall. "I repeat that I will marry -Doña Anita. If she does not love me, well, that is unfortunate. I hope -that she will presently alter her opinion of me. The marriage suits me, -and no one will succeed in breaking it off." - -The unknown listened, a prey to violent emotion. His eyes flashed -lightning, and he stamped his feet furiously; still he made an effort to -master the feeling which agitated him, and replied in a slow and firm -voice,-- - -"Take care of what you do, caballero. I have sworn to warn you, and have -done so honestly. Heaven grant that my words find an echo in your heart, -and that you follow the counsel I give you! The first time accident -brings us together again one of us will die." - -"I will take my precautions, be assured; but you are wrong not to profit -by the present occasion to kill me, for it will not occur again." - -The two strangers had by this time remounted. - -"Count de Lhorailles," the unknown said again, as he bent over the -Frenchman, "for the last time, take care, for I have a great advantage -over you. I know you, and you do not know me. It will be an easy thing -for me to reach you whenever I please. We are the sons of Indians and -Spaniards. We feel a burning hatred: so take care." - -After bowing ironically to the count he burst into a mocking laugh, -spurred his horse, and started at headlong speed, followed by his silent -companion. The count watched them disappear with a pensive air. When -they were lost in the obscurity he tossed his head several times, as if -to shake off the gloomy thoughts that oppressed him in spite of himself, -then picked up his sabre and pistols, took his horse by the bridle, and -walked slowly toward the pulquería, near which the fight had taken -place. - -The light which filtered through the badly-joined planks of the door, -the songs and laughter that resounded from the interior, afforded a -reasonable prospect of obtaining a temporary shelter in this house. - -"Hum!" he muttered to himself as he walked along, "That bandit is right. -He knows me, and I have no way of recognising him. By Jupiter, I have a -good sound hatred on my shoulders! But nonsense!" he added, "I was too -happy. I wanted an enemy. On my soul, let him do as he will! Even if -Hades combine against me, I swear that nothing will induce me to resign -the hand of Doña Anita." - -At this moment he found himself in front of the pulquería, at the door -of which he rapped. Naturally impatient, angered, too, by the accident -which had happened to him, and the tremendous struggle he had been -engaged in, the count was about to carry out his threat of beating in -the door, when it was opened. - -"_Válga me Dios!_" he exclaimed wrathfully, "Is this the way you allow -people to be assassinated before your doors, without proceeding to their -assistance?" - -"Oh, oh!" the pulquero said sharply, "Is anyone dead?" - -"No, thanks to Heaven!" the count replied; "But I had a narrow escape of -being killed." - -"Oh!" the pulquero said with great nonchalance, "If we were to trouble -ourselves about all who shout for help at night, we should have enough -to do; and besides, it is very dangerous on account of the police." - -The count shrugged his shoulders and walked in, leading his horse after -him. The door was closed again immediately. - -The count was unaware that in Mexico the man who finds a corpse, or -brings the assassin to trial, is obliged to pay all the expenses of a -justice enormously expensive in itself, and which never affords any -satisfaction to the victim. In all the Mexican provinces people are so -thoroughly convinced of the truth of what we assert, that, so soon as a -murder is committed, everyone runs off, without dreaming of helping the -victim; for, in the case of death supervening, such an act of charity -would entail many annoyances on the individual who tried to imitate the -good Samaritan. - -In Sonora people do better still: as soon as a quarrel begins, and a man -falls, they shut all the doors. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE DEPARTURE. - - -As Don Sylva had announced to his daughter, by daybreak all was ready -for the start. In Mexico, and specially in Sonora, where roads are -mainly remarkable for their absence, the mode of travelling differs -utterly from that adopted in Europe. There are no public vehicles, no -relays of post horses; the only means of transport known and practised -is on horseback. - -A journey of only a few days entails interminable cares and vexations. -You must carry everything with you, because you are certain of finding -nothing on the road. Beds, tents, provisions and water before all, must -be carried on mule-back. Without these indispensable precautions you -would run a risk of dying from hunger or thirst, and sleeping in the -open air. - -You must also be provided with a considerable and well-armed escort, in -order to repulse the attacks of wild beasts, Indians and especially -robbers with whom all the roads of Mexico swarm, owing to the anarchy in -which this unhappy country is plunged. Hence it is easy to comprehend -the earnest desire Don Sylva felt to quit Guaymas at as early an hour as -possible. - -The court of the house resembled an hostelry. Fifteen mules laden with -bales were waiting while the palanquin in which Doña Anita was to travel -was being got ready. Some forty steeds, saddled, bridled, with -musquetoons attached at to the troussequins, and pistols in the -holsters, were fastened to rings in the wall while a peon held in hand a -splendid stallion, magnificently harnessed, which stamped and champed -its silver bit, which it covered with foam. - -In the street a crowd of people, among whom were Don Martial and -Cucharés, already returned from their expedition to the Rancho, were -curiously regarding this departure, which they could not at all -comprehend at such an advanced period of the year, so unpropitious for a -country residence, and making all sorts of comments on the reason of the -journey. - -Among all these people, collected by accident or through curiosity, was -a man, evidently an Indian, who, leaning carelessly against the wall, -never took his eyes off the door of Don Sylva's house, and followed with -evident interest all the movements of the hacendero's numerous servants. - -This man, still young, appeared to be an Hiaqui Indian, although an -observer, after a close inspection, would have asserted the contrary; -for there was in the man's wide brow, in his eyes, whose glitter he -tried in vain to moderate, in the haughty mouth, and above all, in the -native elegance of his vigorous limbs, which seemed carved on the model -of the Greek Hercules, something proud, resolute and independent, which -rather denoted the proud Comanche or ferocious Apache than the stupid -Hiaqui; but in this crowd no one dreamed of troubling himself about the -Indian, who, for his part, was careful to attract as little attention as -possible. - -The Hiaquis are accustomed to come to Guaymas, and let themselves out as -workmen or servants; hence the presence of an Indian there is not at all -extraordinary, and is not noticed. - -At last, at about eight o'clock, Don Sylva, giving his hand to his -daughter, who was dressed in a charming travelling costume, appeared -beneath the portico of the house. Doña Anita was pale as a ghost. Her -haggard features, her swollen eyes, testified to the sufferings of the -night, and the restraint she was forced to place on herself, even at -this moment, to prevent her bursting into tears in the presence of all. -At the sight of the young lady, Don Martial and Cucharés exchanged a -rapid glance, while a smile of indefinable expression played round the -lips of the Indian to whom we have alluded. - -On the hacendero's arrival silence was re-established as if by -enchantment; the _arrieros_ ran to the heads of their mules; the servants, -armed to the teeth, mounted; and Don Sylva, after assuring himself by a -glance that all was ready, and that his orders had been punctually -executed, placed his daughter in the palanquin, where she at once -nestled like a hummingbird among rose leaves. - -At a sign from the hacendero, the mules, fastened to each other by the -tails, began to leave the house behind the _nana_, whose bells they -followed, and escorted by peons. Before mounting his horse Don Sylva -turned to an old servant, who, straw hat in hand, respectfully stood -near him. - -"Adieu, Tío Pelucho!" he said to him. "I intrust the house to you. Keep -good watch, and take care of all in it. I leave you Pedrito and -Florentio to help you, and you will give them the necessary orders for -all to go on properly during my absence." - -"You may be at ease, mi amo," the old man answered, saluting his master. -"Thanks to Heaven, this is not the first time you have left me alone -here, and I believe I have ever done my duty properly." - -"You are a good servant, Tío Pelucho," Don Sylva said with a smile; "I -start in most perfect ease of mind." - -"May God bless you, mi amo, as well as the niña!" the old man continued, -crossing himself. - -"Good bye, Tío Pelucho," the young lady then said, leaning out of the -palanquin. "I know that you are careful of everything belonging to me." - -The old man bowed with visible delight. Don Sylva gave the order for -departure, and the whole caravan started in the direction of the Rancho -de San José. - -It was one of those magnificent mornings only known in these blessed -regions. The night storm had entirely swept the sky, which was of a pale -blue. The sun, already high in the horizon, shot forth its hot beams, -which were slightly tempered by the odoriferous vapours exhaling from -the ground. The atmosphere, impregnated by acrid and penetrating odours, -was of extraordinary transparency; a light breeze refreshed the air at -intervals; flocks of birds, glistening with a thousand colours, flew in -every direction, and the mules following the bell of the _nena -madrina_--the mother mule--were urged on by the songs of the arrieros. - -The caravan moved along gaily through the sandy plain, raising round it -clouds of dust, and forming a long twining serpent in the endless -turnings of the road. A vanguard of ten servants explored the -neighbourhood, examining the bushes, and shifting sand heaps. Don Sylva -smoked a cigar while conversing with his daughter; and a rearguard, -formed of twenty resolute men, closed the march, and insured the -security of the convoy. - -In this country, we repeat it, where the police are a nullity, and -consequently surveillance impossible, a journey of four leagues--and the -Rancho de San José is only that distance from Guaymas--is a very serious -affair, and demands as many precautions as a journey of a hundred -leagues with us, the enemies who may be met, and with whom you run a risk -of a contest at any moment--Indians, robbers, or wild beasts--being too -numerous, determined, and too greedy for plunder and murder to allow the -traveller to confide with gaiety of heart in the speed of his horse. - -They were already far from Guaymas, the white houses of which town had -long ago disappeared in the numerous turnings of the road, when the -capataz, leaving the head of the caravan, where he had hitherto remained -galloped back to the palanquin, where Don Sylva was still riding. - -"Well, Blas," the latter said, "what is there new? Have you noticed -anything alarming ahead of us?" - -"Nothing, excellency," the capataz replied: "all is going well, and in -an hour at the latest we shall be at the Rancho." - -"Whence, then, the haste you showed to join me again?" - -"Oh! Excellency, it is not much; but an idea occurred to me--something I -wished you to see." - -"Ah, ah!" Don Sylva said. "What is it, my lad?" - -"Look, excellency," the capataz continued, pointing in a south-western -direction. - -"Ah! What is that? A fire, if I am not mistaken." - -"It is indeed a fire, excellency. Look here;" and he pointed -east-south-east. - -"There's another. Who on earth has lighted the fires on those scarped -points? What can their object be?" - -"Oh! It is easy enough to understand that, excellency." - -"Do you think so, my boy? Well, then you will explain it to me." - -"I am willing to do so. Stay," he said, pointing to the first fire: -"that hill is the Cerro del Gigante." - -"It is." - -"And that," the capataz continued, pointing to the second fire, "is the -Cerro de San Xavier." - -"I think it is." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Well?" - -"As we know that a fire cannot kindle itself, and as people do not amuse -themselves with a fire when the thermometer is up at a hundred--" - -"You conclude from that--?" - -"That those fires have been lighted by robbers or Indians, who have had -scent of our departure." - -"Stay, stay! That is most logical, my friend. Continue your explanation, -for it interests me enormously." - -Don Sylva's capataz, or steward, was a tall, herculean fellow of about -forty, devoted body and soul to his master, who placed the greatest -confidence in him. The worthy man bowed with a smile of satisfaction on -hearing the hacendero's kind remarks. - -"Oh! Now," he went on, "I have not much more to say, except that the -ladrones who are watching us know, through that signal, that Don Sylva -de Torrés and his daughter have left Guaymas for the Rancho." - -"My faith! You are right. I had forgotten all those details. I did not -think of all the birds of prey that are watching our passage. Well, -after all, though, what do we care if the bandits are at our heels? We -do not hide ourselves. Our start took place in the presence of plenty of -persons. We are numerous enough not to fear any insult; but if any of -those picaros dare to attack us, cascaras! They will find their work cut -out for them, I am convinced. Push on, then, without any fear, Blas, my -boy! Nothing unpleasant can happen to us." - -The capataz saluted his master and galloped back to the head of the -column. An hour later they reached the Rancho without any accident. - -Don Sylva rode at the right-hand door of the palanquin, talking to his -daughter, who only answered in monosyllables, in spite of the continued -efforts she made to hide her sorrow from her father's clear eyes, when -the hacendero heard his name called repeatedly. He turned his head -sharply, and uttered an exclamation of surprise on recognising in the -man who addressed him the Count de Lhorailles. - -"What! Señor conde, you here? What singular hazard makes me meet you so -near the port, when you should have been so far ahead of us?" - -On perceiving the count the Doña felt herself blush, and fell back, -letting the curtains of the palanquin slip from her hand. - -"Oh?" replied the count, with a courteous bow, "Since last night certain -things have happened to me which I must impart to you, Don -Sylva--things which will surprise you, I am certain; but the present is -not the moment to commence such a story." - -"Whatever you think proper, my friend. But say, do you set out again, or -remain here?" - -"I go, I go! In stopping here my sole object was to await you. If you -consent we will travel together. Instead of preceding you at Guetzalli, -we shall arrive together--that is the only difference." - -"Capital! Let us go," he added, making a sign to the capataz. The -latter, on seeing his master conversing with the count, had ordered a -halt, but now the caravan started again. The Rancho was speedily -traversed, and then the journey commenced in reality. - -The desert lay expanded before the travellers in endless sandy plains. -On the yellow ground, a long, tortuous line, formed by the whitened -bones of mules and horses that had broken down, indicated the road which -must be followed so as not to go astray. - -About two hundred yards ahead of the caravan a man was trotting along, -carelessly seated on the back of a skeleton donkey, swaying from side to -side, half lulled to sleep by the burning sunbeams which fell vertically -on his bare head. - -"Eh?" Don Sylva said, on perceiving the man. "Blas," said Don Sylva on -perceiving this man, "call the Indian over yonder. These devils of -redskins know the desert thoroughly and he can serve as our guide. In -that way we shall run no risk of losing our road, for he will be sure to -put us right." - -"Quite true," the count observed; "in these confounded sand hills no man -can be sure of his direction." - -"Go to him," commanded Don Sylva. - -The capataz put his horse at a gallop. On arriving within a short -distance of the solitary traveller, he formed a sort of speaking trumpet -with his hands. - -"Halloh, José!" he shouted. - -In Mexico all the _Mansos_, or civilised Indians, are called José, and -reply to this name, which has grown generic. The Indian thus hailed -turned round. - -"What do you want?" he asked with a careless air. - -It was the man whom we saw at Guaymas, watching so attentively the -preparations for the hacendero's departure. Was it chance that brought -him to this spot? That was a question which none but himself could have -answered. - -Blas Vasquez was what is called in Mexico a _hombre de a caballo_, -versed for a long period in Indian tricks. He bent on the traveller an -enquiring glance, which the latter supported with perfect ease. With his -head timidly bowed, his hands laid on the donkey's neck, his naked legs -hanging down on either side, he offered a complete type of the Indian -manso, almost brutalised by the vicious contact with the whites. The -capataz shook his head with a dissatisfied air; his investigation was -far from satisfying him. Still, after a moment's hesitation, he resumed -his interrogatory. - -"What are you doing all alone on this road, José?" he asked him. - -"I have come from del Puerto, where I have been engaged as a carpenter. -I remained there a month, and as I saved the small sum I wanted, I -started yesterday to return to my village." - -All this was perfectly probable; the majority of the Hiaqui Indians act -in this way; and then what interest could the man have in deceiving him? -He was alone and unarmed; the caravan on the other hand, was numerous -and composed of devoted men. No danger was, therefore, to be -apprehended. - -"Well, did you earn much money?" the capataz continued, - -"Yes," the Indian said triumphantly; "five piastres and these three -besides." - -"Why, José, you are a rich man." - -The Hiaqui smiled doubtfully. - -"Yes," he said, "Tiburón has money." - -"Is your name Tiburón (shark)?" the capataz said distrustfully. "That is -an ugly name." - -"Why so? The palefaces gave that name to their red son, and he finds it -good, since it comes from them, and he keeps it." - -"Is your village far from here?" - -"If I had a good horse I should arrive in three days. The village of my -tribe is between the Gila and Guetzalli." - -"Do you know Guetzalli?" - -The Indian shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. - -"The redskins know all the hunting grounds on the Gila," he said. - -At this moment the caravan caught up the two speakers. - -"Well, Blas," Don Sylva asked, "Who is the man?" - -"A Hiaqui Indian. He is returning to his village, after earning a trifle -at the Puerto." - -"Can he be of service to us?" - -"I believe so. His tribe, he says, is encamped near the Gila." - -"Ah!" said the count, drawing nearer, "Does he belong to the White Horse -tribe?" - -"Yes," the Indian said. - -"In that case I answer for the man," the count said quickly. "Those -Indians are very gentle; they are miserable beggars, often starving; and -I employ them at the hacienda." - -"Listen!" Don Sylva said, tapping the redskin's shoulder amicably. "We -are going to Guetzalli." - -"Good." - -"We want a faithful and devoted guide." - -"Tiburón is poor; he has only a poor donkey, which cannot march so -quickly as his pale brothers drive their horses." - -"Do not trouble yourself about that," the hacendero added. "I will give -you such a horse as you never mounted, if you serve us honestly. On -arriving at the hacienda, I will add ten piastres to those you already -possess. Does that suit you?" - -The Indian's eye sparkled with greed at this proposal. - -"Where is the horse?" he asked. - -"Here," the capataz replied, pointing to a superb stallion led by a -peon. - -The redskin looked at it with the eye of a connoisseur. - -"Well, do you accept?" the hacendero said. - -"Yes." - -"Then get off your donkey, and let us start." - -"I cannot abandon my donkey; it is a famous brute, which has done me -good service." - -"That need not trouble you; it can follow with the baggage mules." - -The Indian gave a nod of assent, but made no further reply. In a few -minutes he was mounted, and the caravan continued its march. The capataz -alone did not appear to place any great confidence in the guide so -singularly met. - -"I will watch him," he said in a low voice. - -The march went on the whole day without any fresh incident, and the next -day they reached the Rio Gila. The banks of this river contrast by their -fertility with the desolate aridity of the plains that surround them. -Don Sylva's journey, though recommenced at the moment when the sun, -arrived at its zenith, pours down its burning beams perpendicularly, was -only an agreeable promenade of a few leagues, beneath the dense shade of -tufted woods which grow with an amount of sap unknown in our climates. - -It was nearly three o'clock when the travellers saw before them the -colony of Guetzalli, founded by the Count de Lhorailles, and which, -although it only had a few months' existence, had already attained a -considerable size. This colony was composed of a hacienda, round which -were grouped the labourers' huts. We will devote a few words to it. - -The hacienda was built on a peninsula nearly three leagues in -circumference, covered with wood and pasture, on which more than four -thousand head of cattle grazed peacefully, returning at night to the -parks adjoining the house, which was surrounded by the river, forming an -_enceinte_ of natural fortresses. The tongue of land, not more than -eight yards in width, attaching it to the mainland, was commanded by a -battery of six heavy guns, in its turn surrounded by a wide, wet ditch. - -The house, surrounded by tall embattled walls, bastioned at the angles, -was a species of fortress capable of sustaining a regular siege with the -eight guns mounted on the bastions which guarded the approaches. It was -composed of a huge main building, one story high, with a terraced roof, -having ten windows in the frontage, and flanked on the right and left by -two buildings, running out at right angles, one of which served as a -magazine for grain and maize, while the other was occupied by the -capataz and the numerous _employés_ of the hacienda. - -Wide steps, furnished with a double iron balustrade, curiously worked, -and surmounted by a veranda, formed the approach to the count's -apartments, which were furnished with that simple and picturesque taste -which distinguishes the Spanish farms of America. - -Between the house and the outer wall was a vast garden, exquisitely laid -out, and so covered with bushes that at four paces' distance it was -impossible to see anything. The space left free behind the farm was -reserved for the parks or corrals in which the animals were shut up at -night, and a species of large court, in which the _matanza del ganado_, -or slaughter of the cattle, was performed once annually. - -Nothing could be so picturesque as the appearance of this white house, -whose roof could be seen for a long distance, half concealed by the -branches which formed a curtain of foliage most refreshing to the eye. -From the windows of the first floor the eye surveyed the plain on one -side; on the other, the Rio Gila, which, like a wide silvery ribbon, -rolled along with the most capricious windings, and was lost an immense -distance off in the blue horizon. - -Since the time when the Apaches all but surprised the hacienda, a -_mirador_ had been built on the roof of the main building, where a -sentinel had been stationed day and night to watch the neighbourhood, -and announce, by means of a bullock's horn, the approach of any stranger -to the colony. Besides, a post of six men guarded the isthmus battery, -whose guns were ready to thunder at the slightest alarm. - -Thus the arrival of the caravan had been signalled when it was still a -long distance off; and the count's lieutenant, Martin Leroux, an old -African soldier, was standing behind the guns to interrogate the -arrivals so soon as they were within hail. Don Sylva was perfectly aware -of the regulations established in the hacienda, which were, indeed, -common to all the establishments held by white men; for at these -frontier posts, where people are exposed to the constant depredations of -the Indians, they are obliged to be incessantly on the watch. But the -thing the Mexican could not comprehend was that the count's lieutenant, -who must have recognised him, did not open the gates immediately, and he -made a remark to that effect. - -"He would have done wrong," the count replied. "The colony of Guetzalli -is a fortress, and the regulations must be the same for all: the general -welfare depends on their strict and entire observation. Martin -recognised me long ago, I am convinced; but he may suppose that I am a -prisoner of the Indians, and that, in leaving me apparently free they -intend to surprise the colony. Be assured that my excellent lieutenant -will not let us pass till he is quite certain that our European clothes -do not cover red skins." - -"Oh, yes!" Don Sylva muttered to himself; "That is true. The Europeans -foresee everything. They are our masters." - -The caravan was now not more than twenty yards from the hacienda. - -"I fancy," the count observed, "that if we do not wish to receive a -shower of bullets we had better halt." - -"What!" said Don Sylva in amazement; "They would fire?" - -"I am certain of it." - -The two men checked their horses and waited to be challenged. - -"Who goes there?" a powerful voice shouted in French from behind the -battery. - -"Well, what do you think of it now?" the count said to the hacendero. - -"It is perfectly wonderful," rejoined the latter. - -"Friends," the count answered. "Lhorailles and freedom!" - -"All right--open," the voice commanded. "They are friends. Would that we -often received such visitors!" - -The peons lowered the drawbridge (the only passage by which the hacienda -could be entered), the caravan passed over and the drawbridge was -immediately raised after them. - -"You will excuse me, captain," Martin Leroux said, respectfully -approaching the count, "but, although I recognised you, we live in a -country where, I think, too great prudence cannot be exercised." - -"You have done your duty, lieutenant, and I can only thank you for it. -Have you any news?" - -"Not much. A troop of horse I sent out into the plain discovered a -deserted fire. I fancy the Indians are prowling round us." - -"We will be on our guard." - -"Oh, I keep good watch, especially at present, for the month is drawing -nigh which the Comanches call so audaciously the Mexican moon. I should -not be sorry, if they dared to meddle with us, to give them a lesson -which would be profitable for the future." - -"I share your views entirely. Redouble your vigilance, and all will be -well." - -"Have you no other orders to give me?" - -"No." - -"Then I will withdraw. You know, captain, that you intrust the internal -details to me, and I must be everywhere in turn." - -"Go, lieutenant; let me not keep you." - -The old soldier saluted his chief, and retired with a friendly nod to -the capataz, who followed him with the peons and baggage mules. - -The count led his guests to the apartments kept for visitors, and -installed them in comfortably-furnished rooms. - -"Pray rest yourself, Don Sylva," he said; "you and Doña Anita must be -fatigued with your journey. Tomorrow, if you permit me, we will talk -about our business." - -"Whenever you like, my friend." - -The count bowed to his guests and withdrew. Since his meeting with his -betrothed he had not exchanged a word with her. In the courtyard he -found the Hiaqui Indian smoking and walking lazily around. He went up to -him. - -"Here," he said, "are the ten piastres promised you." - -"Thanks," said the Indian as he took them. - -"Now, what are you going to do?" - -"Rest myself till tomorrow; then join the men of my tribe." - -"Are you in a great hurry to see them?" - -"I? Not at all." - -"Stay here, then." - -"What to do?" - -"I will tell you; perhaps I may need you within a few days." - -"Shall I be paid?" - -"Amply. Does that suit you?" - -"Yes." - -"Then you will remain?" - -"I will." - -The count went away, not noticing the strange expression in the glance -the Indian turned on him. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A MEETING IN THE DESERT. - - -About three musket shots' distance from the hacienda, in a thicket of -nopals, mastic trees, and mesquites, intermingled with a few mahogany -cedars, wild cottonwood trees, and pines, just an hour before sunset, a -horseman dismounted; hobbled his horse, a magnificent mustang, with -flashing eyes and fine chest; then, after turning an inquiring glance -around, probably satisfied with the profound silence and tranquility -pervading at the spot, he made his arrangements for camping. - -The man had passed middle life: he was an Indian warrior of great height -dressed in the Comanche costume in its utmost purity. Although he -appeared to be sixty years of age, he seemed gifted with great vigour, -and no sign of decrepitude could be traced in his muscular limbs and -intelligent face: the eagle's feather fixed in the centre of his warlock -allowed him to be recognised as a chief. This man was Eagle-head, the -Comanche chief. - -After laying his rifle by his side he collected dry wood, and lit a -fire; then he threw several yards of tasajo on the ashes, with several -maize tortillas; and all these preparations for a comfortable supper -made, he filled his calumet, crouched near the fire, and began smoking -with that placid calmness which never deserts the Indians under any -circumstances. - -Two hours thus passed peacefully, and nothing disturbed the repose the -chief was enjoying. Night succeeded day; darkness had invaded the -desert, and with it the silence of solitude began to reign in the -mysterious depths of the prairie. - -The Indian still remained motionless, contenting himself with turning -now and then to his horse, which was gaily devouring the climbing peas -and the young buds of the trees. - -Suddenly Eagle-head looked up, bent forward, and, without otherwise -disturbing himself, stretched out his hand to his rifle, while the -mustang left off eating, laid back its ears, and neighed noisily. Still -the forest appeared as calm as ever. It needed all an Indian's sharp ear -to have heard a suspicious rustling through the silence. - -At the end of a moment the chiefs frowning brows returned to their -proper position, he re-assumed his easy posture, and lifting his two -forefingers to his mouth, imitated with rare perfection, for two or -three minutes, the harmonious, modulations of the centzontle, or Mexican -nightingale: the horse had also begun eating again. - -Only a few minutes passed ere the cry of the nighthawk was twice heard -in the direction of the river. Soon after the sound of horses became -audible, mingled with the cracking of branches and the rustling of -leaves, and two mounted men made their appearance. The chief did not -turn to see who they were; he had probably recognised them, and knew -that they alone, or at any rate one of them, were to come to him here. - -These two horsemen were Don Louis and Belhumeur. They hobbled their -horses by the side of the chiefs, lay down by the fire, and, on the -Indian's silent invitation, vigorously attacked the supper prepared for -them. They had left the Rancho the previous evening, and ridden without -the loss of a moment to join the chief. - -The Count de Lhorailles had invited them at the pulquería to join his -party, but Belhumeur had declined the offer. Not knowing for what -purpose the Indian chief had appointed to meet him, he did not care to -mix up a stranger in his friend's affairs. Still, the three men had -parted on excellent terms, and the count pressed Don Louis and the -Canadian to pay him a visit at Guetzalli, an offer to which they had -replied evasively. - -Singular is the effect of sympathy. The impression the count produced on -the two adventurers was so unfavourable for him, that the latter, while -replying with the utmost politeness, had not thought it wise to give -their names, and had employed the greatest reserve, carrying their -prudence to such an extent as to leave him ignorant of their -nationality, by continuing to converse in Spanish, though at the first -word he uttered they recognised him to be a Frenchman. - -When they had ended their meal Belhumeur filled his pipe, and put out -his hand to take up a coal. - -"Wait," the chief said sharply. - -This was the first word the Indian uttered; up to that moment the three -men had not interchanged a syllable. Belhumeur looked at him. - -"H'm!" he said, "What is the matter now?" - -"I do not know yet," the chief answered. "I have heard a suspicious -rustling in the bushes; and at a great distance off, to leeward of us, -several buffaloes peacefully grazing took to flight without any apparent -cause." - -"Hum!" the Canadian went on, "That is growing serious. What do you -think, Louis?" - -"In the desert," the latter replied slowly, "everything has a -cause--nothing happens by accident. I believe we had better be on our -guard. Stay!" he added, as he raised his head, and pointed out to his -friends several birds that passed rapidly away over them. "Have you -often seen at this hour a flight of condors soaring in the sky?" - -The chief shook his head. - -"There is something the matter," he muttered: "the dogs of Apaches are -hunting." - -"'Tis possible," Belhumeur said. - -"Before all," the Frenchman observed, "let us put out the fire; its -gleam, slight as it is, might betray us." - -His companions followed his advice, and the fire was extinguished in a -second. - -"My brother, the paleface, is prudent," the chief said courteously. "He -knows the desert. I am happy to see him by my side." - -Don Louis thanked the chief courteously. - -"And now," Belhumeur went on, "we are almost invisible--no visible -danger threatens us; so let us hold a council. The chief had the first -scent of peril: it is, therefore, his place to tell us what he -observed." - -The Indian wrapped him up in his fresada; the three men drew closer, so -as to be able to speak in a whisper, and the council commenced. - -"Since sunrise this morning," Eagle-head said, "I have been marching in -the desert. I was anxious to reach the place of meeting, and proceeded -in a straight line to arrive sooner. All along the road I found evident -signs of the passage of a numerous band; the tracks were wide and full, -like those made by a party of warriors so large they care not for -discovery. These trails continued for a long distance, then suddenly -disappeared: it was impossible for me to find them again." - -"Deuce, deuce!" the Canadian muttered, "That is awkward." - -"At first I did not pay much attention to trail, but presently I began -to feel restless, and that is the reason I have mentioned it to you." - -"What reason rendered you restless?" - -"I believe that the expedition whose passage I discovered is directed -against the great cabin of the palefaces at Guetzalli." - -"What makes you suppose so?" Louis asked. - -"This. At the hour the alligator leaves the mud of the bank to plunge -again into the Gila, the sound of horses a short distance off compelled -me, lest I should be discovered, to bury myself in a thicket of -mangroves and floripondios. When sheltered from a surprise I looked out. -A band of palefaces passed within bow-shot of me, in the direction of -Guetzalli." - -"I know who they were," Belhumeur remarked. "What next?" - -"I recognised, in spite of the care he had taken to render himself -unrecognisable, the man who served as guide to the party; then I guessed -the infernal scheme formed by the Apache dogs." - -"Who was it?" - -"A man my brother knows. It is Wah-sho-che-gorah, the Black Bear, the -principal chief of the White Crow tribe." - -"If you are not mistaken, chief, horrible things will be done ere long. -The Black Bear is the implacable enemy of the whites." - -"That was the reason I spoke to my brother. But, after all what does it -concern us? In the desert each man has enough to do in taking care of -himself, without troubling about others." - -The Canadian shook his head. - -"Yes, what you say is true," he replied. "We ought, perhaps, to abandon -the inhabitants of the hacienda to their fate, and not interfere in -matters which may cause us great misery." - -"Do you intend to act thus?" the Frenchman asked sharply. - -"I do not say so positively," the Canadian replied; "but the case is a -difficult one. We shall have to deal with numerous enemies." - -"Yes, but the men about to be surprised are your fellow countrymen." - -"It is true; and it is that which renders the affair so awkward. I do -not wish to see these unhappy beings scalped. On the other hand, we run -the risk, by hurrying rashly into danger, of ourselves being the victims -of our devotion." - -"Why reflect thus?" - -"By Jove! In order to weigh the for and against. There is nothing I -detest so much as rushing headlong into an enterprise of which I have -not calculated the consequences beforehand. When I have done so I care -for nothing." - -Don Louis could not refrain from smiling at this singular reasoning. - -"I have my plan," the Canadian went on a moment later. "The night will -not pass without our learning something new. Let us draw near the bank -of the river. I am greatly mistaken, or we shall soon obtain there the -there the information we require before we make up our minds. Our horses -run no risk here: we can leave them; besides, they would only prove an -embarrassment for us." - -The three men lay down on the ground, and began crawling silently in the -direction indicated by Belhumeur. - -The night was magnificent, the moon brilliant, and the atmosphere so -diaphanous, that objects might have been distinguished for a great -distance on an open plain. The three adventurers did not leave their -covert; but, on arriving at the skirt of the forest, they hid themselves -in an almost inextricable thicket, and waited with that patience so -characteristic of the wood rangers. - -The silence which brooded over the desert was so intense that the -slightest sounds were perceptible. A leaf falling on the water, a pebble -detaching itself from the bank, the slow and continuous murmur of the -water running over its gravel bed, the rustling of the owl's wing as it -fluttered from branch to branch, were the only distinguishable sounds. - -For several hours the three men remained motionless and watchful, eye -and ear strained, with the finger on the trigger of the rifle, through -fear of a surprise; but nothing had yet happened to corroborate the -suspicions of Eagle-head, or the previsions of Belhumeur. Suddenly Louis -felt the chief's arm resting gently on his shoulder, as he pointed to -the river. The Frenchman rose on his knees and looked. - -An almost imperceptible movement agitated the surface of the river, as -if an alligator were floating along. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur muttered; "I fancy that is what we are expecting." - -A black mass soon appeared, floating rather than swimming on the water, -and noiselessly advancing toward the spot where the hunters were in -ambush. At the end of a few moments, this body, whatever it might be, -stopped, and the cry of the prairie dog was heard several times -repeated. - -At once the howl of the coyote broke forth forcibly so near the three -men, that, spite of themselves, they shuddered, and a man hanging by -the hands dropped down from an oak tree, scarcely three yards from the -spot where they were. - -This man wore the Mexican costume. - -"Come, chief," he said in a low voice, though not venturing down to the -river, "come, we are alone." - -The man thus addressed emerged from the water, and clambered up the bank -to join the person awaiting him. - -"My brother speaks too loudly," he said. "In the desert a man is never -alone; the leaves have eyes, the trees ears." - -"Bah! What you say, has not common sense. Who on earth would play the -spy on us? With the exception of your warriors, who are probably -concealed in the neighbourhood, no one can see or hear us." - -The Indian shook his head. Now that he was standing only a few spaces -from the adventurers, Belhumeur perceived that Eagle-head was not -mistaken, and that the man was really the Black Bear. The two men stood -for a moment silently gazing at each other. The Mexican was the first to -speak. - -"You have manoeuvred well," he said in an insinuating voice. "I know not -how you managed it, but you have succeeded in entering the fort." - -"Yes," the Indian replied. - -"Now we have only our final arrangements to make. You are a great chief -in whom I place the utmost confidence. Here is what I promised you. I -ought not to pay you till afterwards, but I do not wish the slightest -cloud to rise between us." - -The Indian silently rejected the purse the other held out to him. - -"The Black Bear has reflected," he said coldly. - -"On what, may I ask?" - -"A warrior is not a woman to waste his words. What my brother offered -the Black Bear, the Apache chief refuses." - -"Which means?" - -"That all is broken off." - -The Mexican repressed with difficulty a sign of disappointment. - -"Then," he said, "You have not warned your warriors? When I give the -order you will not attack the hacienda?" - -"The Black Bear has warned his warriors. He will attack the palefaces." - -"What did you say this moment? I confess that I do not comprehend you, -chief." - -"Because the paleface will not comprehend. The Black Bear will attack -the hacienda, but on his own account." - -"That was agreed between us, I fancy." - -"Yes; but the Black Bear has seen the singing bird. His hut is empty: he -wishes to place in it the young pale virgin." - -"Scoundrel!" the Mexican shouted in his wrath; "You would betray me in -that way?" - -"How have I betrayed the paleface?" the Indian replied, still perfectly -calm. "He offered me a bargain; I refused it. I see nothing dishonest in -that." - -The Mexican bit his lip with rage; he was caught, and could make no -reply. - -"I will revenge myself," he said, stamping his foot. - -"The Black Bear is a powerful chief; he laughs at the croaking of the -ravens. The paleface can do nothing against him." - -With a movement swift as thought, the Mexican rushed on the Indian, -seized him by the throat, and, drawing his dagger, raised it to strike -him. But the Apache carefully watched the actions of his opponent: by a -movement no less swift he freed himself from his grasp, and with one -bound was out of reach. - -"The paleface has dared to touch a chief," he said in a hoarse voice; -"he shall die." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders and seized the pistol in his girdle. - -It is impossible to say how this scene would have ended, had not a new -incident happened to change its features completely. From the same tree -in which the Mexican had been hidden a few moments previously, another -individual suddenly fell, rushed on the chief, and hurled him to the -ground before he could make a gesture to defend himself, so thoroughly -was he off his guard. - -"By Jove!" Belhumeur muttered with a stifled laugh, "there must be a -legion of devils in that tree." - -The Mexican and the man who had come so luckily to his help had securely -tied the Indian with a reata. - -"Now you are in my power, chief," the Mexican said, "and you will be -obliged to consent to my terms." - -The Apache grinned, and uttered a shrill whistle. - -At this signal fifty Indian warriors appeared, as if they had sprung from -the ground, and that so suddenly, that the two white men were -surrounded in an instant by an impassable circle. - -"Deuce!" Belhumeur said in an aside, "that complicates matters. How will -they get out of that?" - -"And we?" Louis whispered in his ear. - -The Canadian replied by that shrug of the shoulders which signifies in -all languages, "We must trust in Heaven," and began looking again, -interested as he was in the highest degree by the unexpected changes of -scene. - -"Cucharés!" the Mexican said to his companion, "Hold that scoundrel -tight and at the least suspicious movement kill him like a dog." - -"Be calm, Don Martial," the lepero answered, pulling from his vaquera -boot a knife, whose sharp blade flashed with a bluish tinge in the -moon's rays. - -"What decision does the Black Bear come to?" the Tigrero went on, -addressing the chief lying at his feet. - -"The life of a chief belongs to thee, dog of the palefaces: take it if -thou darest!" the Apache replied with a smile of contempt. - -"I will not kill you: not because I am afraid, for I know not such a -feeling," the Mexican said, "but because I disdain to shed the blood of -an enemy who is defenceless, even if he be, like you, an unclean -coyote." - -"Kill me, I say, if thou canst, but insult me not. Hasten! For my -warriors may lose patience, sacrifice thee to their wrath, and thou -mightest die unavenged." - -"You are jesting; you know perfectly well that your warriors will not -move an inch so long as I hold you thus. I propose to offer you peace." - -"Peace!" the chief said, and his eyes flashed. "On what conditions?" - -"Two only. Cucharés, unfasten the reata, but watch him closely." - -The lepero obeyed. - -"Thanks," the chief said as he rose to his knees. "Speak; I am -listening--my ears are open. What are these conditions?" - -"First, my comrade and myself will be free to retire whither we please." - -"Good, and next?" - -"Next, you will pledge yourself to remain with your warriors, and not -return to the hacienda in the disguise you have assumed for the next -twenty-four hours." - -"Is that all?" - -"It is all." - -"Listen to me in your turn, then, paleface. I accept your conditions, -but I must tell you mine." - -"Speak." - -"I will not re-enter the hacienda save with the eagle feather in my -war-tuft, at the head of my warriors, and that before the sun has thrice -set behind the lofty peaks of the mountains of the day." - -"You are boasting, Apache; it is impossible for you to enter the -hacienda save by treachery." - -"We shall see;" and smiling with a sinister air, he added, "the singing -bird will go into the hut of an Apache chief to cook his game." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Try to take the hacienda and carry off the maiden," he said. - -"I will try. Your hand." - -"Here it is." - -The chief turned to his warriors, holding the Tigrero's hand clasped in -his own. - -"Brothers!" he said in a loud voice, and with an accent of supreme -majesty, "this paleface is the friend of the Black Bear--let no one -molest him." - -The warriors bowed respectfully, and fell back to the right and left, to -leave a passage for the two white men. - -"Farewell!" the Black Bear said, saluting his enemy. "In twenty-four -hours I shall be on your trail." - -"You are mistaken, dog of an Apache," Don Martial replied disdainfully; -"I shall be on yours." - -"Good! We are, then, certain of meeting," the Black Bear said. - -And he retired with a slow and firm step, followed by his warriors, -whose footfalls soon died away in the depths of the forest. - -"On my faith, Don Martial," the lepero said, "I believe that you were -wrong to let that Indian dog escape so easily." - -The Tigrero shrugged his shoulders. - -"Were we not obliged to get out of the wasp's nest into which we had -thrust our heads?" he said. "Bah! It is only put off for a time. Let us -go and find our horses." - -"One moment if you will grant it me," Belhumeur said, leaving his hiding -place, and advancing politely with his two comrades. - -"What's this?" Cucharés said, pulling out his knife again, while Don -Martial coolly cocked his pistols. - -"This? Caballero," Belhumeur said quietly, "I fancy you can see plainly; -enough." - -"I see three men." - -"Indeed, you are not at all mistaken. Three men who have been unseen -witnesses of the scene you ended so bravely--three men who held -themselves ready to come to your aid had it been necessary, and who now -offer to make common cause with you, to prevent the plunder of the -hacienda by the Apaches. Does that suit you?" - -"That depends," the Tigrero said. "I must know first what interest urges -you to act in this manner." - -"That of being agreeable to you in the first place," Belhumeur replied -politely, "and next, the desire to save the scalps of the poor wretches -menaced by those infernal redskins." - -"In that case I heartily accept your offer." - -"Be good enough, then, to follow us to our camping ground, that we may -discuss the plan of the campaign." - -So soon as Cucharés noticed that the men who presented themselves so -strangely were really friends, he returned his knife to his boot, and -went in search of the horses, which had been left a short distance off. -He arrived at this moment, leading the two horses, and the five men -proceeded together to the camping ground. - -"Take care," Belhumeur said to Don Martial; "you have made yourself an -implacable enemy this night. If you do not make haste to kill him, one -day or another the Black Bear will kill you. The Apaches never pardon an -insult." - -"I know it; so I shall take my precautions, you may be sure." - -"That is your concern. Perhaps it would have been better to get rid of -him, at the risk of what might have happened afterwards." - -"How could I imagine I had friends so near me? Oh, had I but known it!" - -"Well, it is of no use crying over spilt milk." - -"Do you believe that he will keep scrupulously the conditions he -accepted?" - -"You do not know the Black Bear; he is a man of noble sentiments and has -a way of his own for understanding points of honour. You saw that during -your entire discussion he disdained to play any trickery: his words were -always frank." - -"They were." - -"Be certain, therefore, that he will keep his promise." - -The conversation was interrupted. Don Martial had suddenly become -pensive. The Apache's menaces gave him a good deal to think about. The -camp was reached, and Eagle-head immediately set to work rekindling the -fire. - -"What are you about?" Belhumeur observed to him. "You will reveal our -presence." - -"No," the Indian said, shaking his head. "The Black Bear has retired -with his warriors: they are far away at present; so we need not take -useless precautions." - -The fire soon cracked again. The five men crouched round it joyfully, -lit their pipes and began smoking. - -"I don't care," the Canadian presently said. "Had it not been for the -extraordinary coolness you displayed I do not know how you would have -escaped." - -"Let us now see how best to foil the plans of those red devils," said -the Mexican. - -"It is very simple," Louis interposed. "One of us will proceed tomorrow -to the hacienda, to warn the owner of what has passed this night. He -will be on his guard and all will be right." - -"Yes, I believe those are the best means, and we will employ them." - -"Five men are as nothing against five hundred," observed Eagle-head; -"we must warn the palefaces." - -"That is assuredly the plan we must follow," the Tigrero remarked; "but -which of us will consent to go to the hacienda? Neither my comrade nor -myself can do so." - -"I fancy there is some love story hidden under all this," the Canadian -observed cunningly. "I can understand that you would find a difficulty -in--" - -"What need of further discussion?" Louis interrupted. "With tomorrow's -dawn I will go to the hacienda; I undertake to explain to the owner all -the dangers that menace him in their fullest details." - -"That is agreed on, then, and all is settled," Belhumeur said. - -"Then, so soon as our horses have rested, my comrade and myself will -return to Guaymas." - -"No, you will not, if you please," the Frenchman objected. "I fancy it -is proper that you should know the result of the mission I undertake, -for it concerns you even more than us. I suspect--" - -The Mexican repressed a lively movement of annoyance. - -"You are right," he replied; "I did not think of that. I will therefore -await your return." - -The hunters interchanged a few more remarks, then wrapped themselves in -their blankets, lay down on the ground, and speedily fell asleep. The -profoundest silence fell on the clearing, which was but dimly lighted by -the reddish rays of the expiring fire. The adventurers had been asleep -about two hours, when the branches of a shrub were gently parted and a -man made his appearance. - -He stopped for a moment, seemed to be listening, then crawled without -the slightest sound toward the spot where the Tigrero was reposing. It -would have been easy to recognise the Black Bear by the light of the -fire. The Apache chief plucked his scalping knife from his girdle, and -laid it gently on the Tigrero's chest; then casting a parting glance -around, to convince himself that the five men slept, he retired with the -same precautions, and soon disappeared in the shrub, which closed upon -him. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BEFORE THE ATTACK. - - -At the first cry of the maukawis--that is to say, at sunrise--the -adventurers awoke. - -The night had been calm. They had slept with nothing to disturb their -rest. Iced, however, by the abundant dew which had filtered through -their blankets during their sleep, they hurriedly rose to restore the -circulation of their blood and warm their stiffened limbs. - -At the first movement Don Martial made a knife fell down on the ground. -The Mexican picked it up, and uttered a cry of amazement and almost of -terror as he showed it to his companions. The arm so unexpectedly found -was a scalping knife, whose blade was still stained with large bloody -spots. - -"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, brandishing the knife angrily. - -Eagle-head seized it, and examined it carefully. - -"Wah!" he said in surprise, "the Black Bear has been with us during our -sleep." - -The hunters could not refrain from a movement of alarm. - -"It is impossible," Belhumeur observed. - -The Indian shook his head as he displayed the weapon. - -"This," he continued, "is the Apache chief's scalping knife; the _totem_ -of the tribe is engraved on the hilt." - -"'Tis true." - -"The Black Bear is a renowned chief. His heart is large enough to -contain a world. Obliged to fulfil the engagements he has made, he -wished to prove to his enemy that he was master of his life, and that he -would take it whenever he thought proper. That is the meaning of this -knife placed on the chest of the _Yori_ during his sleep." - -The adventurers were confounded by so much boldness. They shuddered at -the thought that they had been at the mercy of the chief, who disdained -to kill them, and contented himself with defying them. The Mexican -especially felt a shudder in spite of his courage. The Canadian was the -first to recover his coolness. - -"Canario!" he exclaimed, "This Apache dog did right to warn us. Now we -will be on our guard." - -"Hum!" Cucharés said, passing his hands through his thick and matted -hair, "I have not the least desire to be scalped." - -"Bah!" Belhumeur said, "People sometimes recover." - -"That is possible; but I don't care to make the attempt." - -"And now that day has quite broken," Louis observed, "I fancy the time -has arrived for me to go to the hacienda. What do you say, gentlemen?" - -"We have not a moment to lose, if we wish to foil the enemy's plans," -said Don Martial in support of his suggestion. - -"The more so as we have to take certain measures which it would be as -well to determine as soon as possible," Belhumeur remarked. - -The Indian and the lepero contented themselves with giving their assent -through a nod. - -"Now let us arrange a meeting place," Louis went on to say. "You can not -wait for me here, as the Indians know where to find you." - -"Yes," Belhumeur replied thoughtfully, "but I do not know the country -where we now are, and I should be quite troubled to find a fitting -spot." - -"I know one," Eagle-head said. "I will lead you to it: our pale brother -will join us again there." - -"Very good, but for that purpose I must know the spot." - -"My brother need not trouble himself about that. When he leaves the -great cabin I shall be near him." - -"Very good--all right. Good-by till we meet again." - -Louis saddled his horse and started off at a gallop in the direction of -the hacienda, which was about three musket shots from the camping place. - -The Count de Lhorailles was walking about anxiously in the hall of the -main body of the building. In spite of himself his meeting with the -Mexican occupied his mind. He wished to have a frank explanation with -Doña Anita in her father's presence, which should dissipate his doubts, -or at least give him the key of the mystery that surrounded the affair. - -Another circumstance also dulled his humour, and redoubled his alarms. -At daybreak Diégo Léon, his lieutenant, told him that the Indian guide -brought home with them the previous day had disappeared during the -night, and left no trace. The position was becoming serious. The Mexican -moon was approaching. That guide was evidently an Indian spy, ordered to -inquire into the strength of the hacienda, and the means of surprising -it. The Apaches and Comanches could not be far off; perhaps they were -already on the watch in the tall prairie grass, awaiting the favourable -moment to rush on their implacable foes. - -The count did not conceal from himself that if his position was -critical, he was the main cause of it. Invested by the government with -an important command, especially charged with the protection of the -frontier against Indian invasions, he had not yet made a move, and had -in no way tried to fulfil the commission he had not merely accepted but -solicited. The Mexican moon commenced in a month; before that period he -must strike a decisive blow, which would inspire the Indians with a -wholesome terror, prevent them combining and thus foil their plans. - -The count had been reflecting for a long time, forgetting in his anxiety -the guests he had brought to his house, after whom he had not yet asked, -when his old lieutenant appeared before him. - -"What do you want, Martin?" he asked. - -"Excuse me for disturbing you, captain. Diégo Léon, who is on guard at -the isthmus battery with eight men, has just sent me to tell you that a -man wishes to see you on a serious matter." - -"What sort of a man is he?" - -"A white man, well dressed, and mounted on an excellent horse." - -"Hem! Did he said nothing further?" - -"Pardon me, he added this: 'You will say to the man who commands you -that I am one of the men he met at the Rancho of San José.'" - -The count's face grew suddenly serene. - -"Let him come in," he said: "'tis a friend." - -The lieutenant withdrew. So soon as he was alone the count recommenced -his walk. - -"What can this man want of me?" he muttered. "When I asked his friend -and himself to accompany me here they both refused. What reason can have -caused such a sudden change in their plans? Bah! What is the use of -addling one's brains?" he added, on hearing a horse's footfall -re-echoing in the inner _patio_. "I shall soon know." - -Almost immediately Don Louis appeared, led by the lieutenant, who, on a -sign from the count, at once disappeared. - -"What happy accident," the count said graciously, "procures me the -honour of a visit I was so far from expecting?" - -Don Louis politely returned the salutation, and replied, - -"It is no happy accident that brings me. God grant that I may not be the -harbinger of misfortune!" - -These words made the count frown. - -"What do you mean, señor?" he asked in anxiety. "I do not understand -you." - -"You will soon do so. But speak French, if you have no objection; we -shall understand each other more easily," he said, giving up the Spanish -which he had hitherto employed. - -"What!" the count exclaimed in surprise, "You speak French?" - -"Yes," Louis said, "for I have the honour of being your fellow -countryman, although," he added with a suppressed sigh, "I have quitted -our country for more than ten years. It is always a great pleasure to me -to be able to speak my own language." - -The expression of the count's face completely changed on hearing these -words. - -"Oh!" he continued, "permit me to press your hand, sir. Two Frenchmen -who meet in this distant land are brothers; let us momentarily forget -the spot where we are, and talk about France--that dear country from -which we are so remote and which we love so much." - -"Alas, sir!" Louis replied, with suppressed emotion, "I should be happy -to forget for a few minutes what surrounds us, to summon up the -recollections of our common country. Unfortunately the moment is a grave -one; great dangers threaten you, and the time we would thus lose might -produce a fearful catastrophe." - -"You startle me, sir. What is happening? What have you so terrible to -announce to me?" - -"Did I not tell you that I was a messenger of evil tidings?" - -"No matter. When told by you they will be welcome. In the situation in -which I am placed in this desert, must I not ever expect misfortune?" - -"I hope to be able to help you in warding off the danger that now hangs -over you." - -"Thanks for your fraternal conduct. Now speak, I am listening to you. -Whatever you may tell me, I shall have the courage to hear it." - -Don Louis, without revealing to the count his meeting with the Tigrero, -as had been agreed on, told him how he had overheard a conversation -between his guide and several Apache warriors ambushed in the vicinity -of the hacienda, and the plan they had formed to surprise the colony. - -"And now, sir," he added, "it is for you to judge of the gravity of this -news, and the arrangements you will have to make, in order to foil the -plans of the Indians." - -"I thank you, sir. When my lieutenant told me, a few moments prior to -your arrival, of the disappearance of the guide, I immediately saw that -I had to do with a spy. What you now report to me converts my suspicions -into certainty. As you say, there is not a moment to lose, and I will at -once think over the necessary arrangements." - -He walked to a table and struck a bell sharply. A peon entered. - -"The first lieutenant," he said. In a few minutes the latter arrived. - -"Lieutenant," the count said to him, "take twenty men with you, and -scour the country for three leagues round. I have just learned that -Indians are concealed near here." - -The old soldier bowed in reply, and prepared to obey. - -"An instant," Louis exclaimed, signing him to stop, "one word more." - -"Eh?" Martin Leroux said, turning round in amazement, "You are talking -French now." - -"As you hear," Louis answered with a smile. - -"You wished to make a remark," the count asked. - -"I have lived in America a very long time. My home has been the desert, -and I know the Indians, whom I have learned to rival in craft. If you -allow me. I will give you some advice, which, I fancy, may be useful to -you under present circumstances." - -"By Jove!" the count exclaimed; "pray speak, my dear countryman. Your -advice will be very advantageous to us, I feel assured." - -At this moment Don Sylva entered the room. - -"Ah!" the count continued, "come hither, my friend. We have great need -of you. Your knowledge of Indian habits will prove most useful to us." - -"What has happened?" the hacendero asked as he bowed courteously to all -present. - -"We are threatened with an attack from the Apaches." - -"Oh, oh! That is serious, my friend. What do you propose doing?" - -"I do not know yet. I had given Don Martin orders to scour the -neighbourhood; but this gentleman appears to be of a different opinion." - -"The caballero is right," the Mexican answered, bowing to Don Louis; -"but, in the first place, are you certain about this attack?" - -"This gentleman came expressly to warn me." - -"Then there can be no further doubt. We must make the necessary -arrangements as quickly as possible. What is the caballero's opinion?" - -"He was about to give it at the moment you came in." - -"Then pray do not let me disturb your conference. Speak, sir." - -Don Louis bowed and took the word. - -"Caballero!" he began, turning to Don Sylva, "What I am about to say is -addressed principally to the French señores, who, accustomed to European -warfare and in the white mode of fighting, are, I am convinced, ignorant -of Indian tactics." - -"'Tis true," the count observed. - -"Bah!" Leroux said, twirling his long moustaches with great -self-sufficiency, "We will learn them." - -"Take care you do not do so at your own expense," Don Louis continued. -"Indian war is entirely one of stratagems and ambushes. The enemy who -attacks you never forms in line; he remains constantly concealed, -employing all means to conquer, but principally treachery. Five hundred -Apache warriors, commanded by an intrepid chief, would defeat in the -prairie your best soldiers, whom they would decimate, while not giving a -chance for retaliation." - -"Oh, oh!" the count muttered, "Is that their only way of fighting?" - -"The only one," the hacendero said in confirmation. - -"Hum!" Leroux remarked, "I fancy it is very like the war in Africa." - -"Not so much as you suppose. The Arabs let themselves be seen, while the -Apaches, I repeat to you, only show themselves in the utmost extremity." - -"Then my plan of pushing forward a reconnoissance--" - -"Is impracticable for two reasons: either your horsemen, though -surrounded by enemies, will not discover one of them, or they will be -attracted into an ambush, where, in spite of prodigies of valour, they -will perish to the last man." - -"All that this gentleman says is most perfectly true: it is easy to see -that he has a great experience of Indian warfare, and has often measured -himself with _Indios bravos._" - -"That experience cost my happiness. All those I loved were massacred by -these ferocious enemies," Don Louis replied sorrowfully. "Fear the same -fate if you do not display the greatest prudence. I know how repugnant -it is to the chivalrous character of our nation to follow such a course; -but in my opinion it is the only one that offers any chances of -salvation." - -"We have here several women, children, and your daughter before all, Don -Sylva. We must absolutely shelter her from all danger; if possible, -spare her the slightest alarm. I, therefore, accept this gentleman's -views, and am determined to act with the greatest circumspection." - -"I thank you for my daughter and myself." - -"And now, sir, as we are already indebted to you for such good advice, -complete your task. In my place, what would you do?" - -"My advice is as follows," Louis answered seriously. "The Apaches will -attack you for certain reasons I know, and which it is unnecessary to -tell you. They make a point of honour of the success of that attack. -Hence intrench yourselves here as well as you can. You have a -considerable garrison composed of tried men; consequently, nearly all -the chances are in your favour." - -"I have one hundred and seventy resolute Frenchmen, who have all been -soldiers." - -"Behind good walls, and well armed, they are more than you want." - -"Without counting forty peons, accustomed to pursuing the Indians, and -whom I brought with me," Don Sylva remarked. - -"Are those men here at this moment?" Louis asked sharply. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Oh! That simplifies the question materially. If you will believe me, -the Indians have now everything to fear instead of you." - -"Explain." - -"It is evident that you will be attacked from the river. Perhaps, in -order to divide your forces, the Indians will make a feigned attack from -the side of the isthmus; but that point is too strongly defended for them -to attempt to carry it. I repeat, then, all the enemy's efforts will be -directed on the side of the river." - -"I would call your attention to the fact, sir," the lieutenant said, -"that at this moment the river is rendered unnavigable by thousands of -trees torn from the mountains by the storms, and which it bears along -with it." - -"I know not whether the river is navigable or not," Don Louis replied -firmly, "but of one thing I am certain, that the Apaches will attack you -on that side." - -"In any case, and not to be taken by surprise, two of the guns will be -moved from the isthmus battery, leaving four there, which are more -than sufficient, and laid so as to enfilade the river, care be taken to -mask them. You will also, Leroux, mount a culverin on the platform of -the mirador, whence we shall command the course of the Gila. Go and have -these orders executed at once." - -The old soldier went out without any reply, in order to carry out the -commands of his chief. - -"You see, gentlemen," the count then said, "that I hasten to profit by -the counsels you are good enough to give me. I recognise my utter -inexperience of this Indian warfare, and I repeat that I am happy at -being so well supported." - -"This gentleman has foreseen everything," the hacendero said; "like him, -I believe that the house is most exposed to the river front." - -"A last word," Don Louis continued. - -"Speak, speak, sir." - -"Did you not say, caballero, that you brought with you forty peons, -accustomed to Indian warfare, and that they were still here?" - -"Yes, I said so, and it is perfectly true." - -"Very good. I believe--and be good enough to take it as a simple -observation, caballero--I say I believe that it would be a masterstroke, -which would insure you the victory, to place your enemies between two -fires." - -"Indeed it would," the count exclaimed; "but how to do it? You yourself -said, only a moment ago, that it would be the height of imprudence to -send out a scouting party." - -"I said, and I repeat it, the grass and woods are at this moment filled -with eyes fixed on the hacienda, who will let no one pass out -unnoticed." - -"Well?" - -"Did I not tell you that this war was one of stratagems and ambushes?" - -"You did; but I do not understand, I confess, what you are driving at." - -"It is however, excessively simple; you will understand me in a few -words." - -"I much desire it." - -"Señor caballero," Don Louis went on, turning to Don Sylva, "do you -intend to remain here?" - -"Yes; for certain private reasons I must remain some time here." - -"I have no intention, be assured, señor, to interfere in your private -affairs. So you remain here?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Have you among your peons a devoted man on whom you can -count as on yourself?" - -"Cascaras! I should think so. I have Blas Vasquez." - -"Would you be good enough to tell me who this Blas is, as I have not the -honour of his acquaintance?" - -"He is my capataz, and I can trust to him as to myself in matters of -danger." - -"Excellent! All is going on famously, then." - -"I really cannot make you out," the count said. - -"You shall see," said Louis. - -"I have been trying to do so for the last half hour." - -"Your capataz, to whom you will give your instructions, will put himself -at the head of his peons within an hour, and ostensibly take the road to -Guaymas; but, as soon as he has gone two or three leagues to a point we -shall settle on, he will halt. The rest will be the business of myself -and friends." - -"Oh! I understand your plan now. The peons hidden by you will attack the -Indians in the rear so soon as the action has commenced between and them -us." - -"That is it." - -"But the Apaches? Do you believe they will allow a troop of white men to -retire without harassing them?" - -"The Indians are too shrewd to oppose them. What good would it do to -attack a body of men who have no baggage? The fight would not profit -them, but cause their position to be discovered. No, no, be easy, -caballero, they will not stir: they have too great an interest in -remaining invisible." - -"And what do you intend to do?" - -"The Indians certainly saw me come in this direction; they know I am -here. If I went out with them it would betray all. I shall go away alone -as I came, and that immediately." - -"The plan is so simple and well arranged that it must succeed. Receive -our thanks, sir, and be kind enough to tell us your name, that we may -know the man to whom we are indebted for so great a service." - -"To what end, sir?" - -"I join my entreaties, caballero, to those of my friend, Don Gaëtano, in -order to induce you to reveal the name of a man whose memory will be -eternally engraved on our hearts." - -Don Louis hesitated, though unable to account to himself for the reason -that made him do so. He felt a repugnance to give up his incognito as -respected the count. The two men, however, pressed him so politely, that -having no serious reason to offer for the maintenance of his incognito, -he allowed himself to be vanquished by their entreaties, and consented -to give his name. - -"Caballeros," he at length said, "I am the Count Louis Edward Maxime de -Prébois Crancé." - -"We are friends, I trust," De Lhorailles said, holding out his hand to -him. - -"What I have done is a proof of it, I think, sir," the other replied -with a bow, but not taking the offered hand. - -"I thank you," the count went on, without appearing to notice Louis' -repugnance. "Do you intend to leave us soon?" - -"I must leave you to the urgent business you have on hand. If you will -allow me, I will take my leave at once." - -"Not breakfasting, at least?" - -"You will excuse me, but time presses. I have friends I have now left -for some hours, and who must be alarmed by my lengthened absence." - -"As they know you are at my house, that is impossible, sir," the count -said, somewhat piqued. - -"They do not know that I arrived here without accident." - -"That is different; then I will not delay you. Once again I thank you, -sir." - -"I have acted in accordance with my conscience; you owe me no thanks." - -The three men quitted the hall, and proceeded towards the isthmus -battery, talking of indifferent matters. About half way they met Don -Blas, the capataz. Don Sylva made him a sign to join them, and when he -was near them explained to him in two words the events that were -preparing, and the part he would have to play. - -"Voto a Brios!" the capataz exclaimed joyously. "I thank you, Don Sylva, -for this good news. We shall have a row at last, then, with those Apache -dogs! Caray! They'll see some fun, I swear." - -"I trust entirely to you, Blas." - -"But at what place must I await this caballero?" - -"That is true: we have not fixed the place of meeting." - -"About three leagues from here, on the Guaymas road, at a place where -the road makes a bend, there is an isolated hill called, I think, _El -Pan de Azucar_: you can ambush there without any fear of discovery. I -will join you at this spot with my friends." - -"That is agreed. At about what hour?" - -"I cannot say for certain: that must depend on circumstances." - -A few minutes later Don Louis was riding back to the prairie, while the -Count de Lhorailles and the two Mexicans, made preparations for an -active defence of the colony. - -"It is strange," Don Louis muttered to himself as he galloped on, "that -this man who is my countryman, and for whom I shall risk my life ere -long, inspires me with no sympathy." - -Suddenly his horse shied. Roughly startled from his reverie, the -Frenchman looked up. - -Eagle-head stood before him. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE MEXICAN MOON. - - -After his visit to the hunters the Black Bear set out, at the head of -his warriors, to proceed to a neighbouring island, known by the name of -Choke-Heckel, which was one of the advanced Apache posts on the Mexican -frontier. He reached the isle at daybreak. At this spot the Gila attains -its greatest width: each of the arms formed by the island is nearly two -miles wide. The island which rises in the middle of the water, like a -basket of flowers, is about two miles long by half a mile wide, and is -one immense bouquet, exhaling the sweetest perfumes, and the melodious -songs of the birds which congregate in incalculable numbers on all the -branches of the trees by which it is covered. - -Illumined on this day by the splendid beams of a flashing sun, the place -had a strange and unusual appearance which had a powerful effect on the -imagination. As far as the eye could reach over the island and the two -banks of the Gila could be seen tents of buffalo hide, or huts of -branches leaned against each other, and whose strange colours wearied -the sight. Numerous canoes made of horse-skins sewed together, and -mostly round, or else hollowed out of trunks of trees, traversed the -river in every direction. The warriors dismounted and set their horses -free, which immediately proceeded to join a number of others. - -The chief went towards the huts before which feather flags and the -scalps of renowned warriors fluttered in the breeze, passing through the -women who were preparing the morning meal. But the Black Bear had been -recognised immediately on his arrival, and all got out of his way with -respectful bows. A thing no European could credit is the respect all -Indians, without exception, pay to their chiefs. Among those who have -kept up the manners of their forefathers, and, disdaining European -civilisation, have continued to wander about the prairies as free men, -this respect is changed into fanaticism, almost into adoration. - -The gold fillet adorned with two buffalo horns, placed on the Black -Bear's brow, caused him to be recognised by all, and the liveliest joy -was evinced on his passage. He at length reached the river's bank. On -arriving there he made a sign to a man fishing a short distance off in a -canoe; the latter hastened up, and the chief passed over to the island. -A hut of branches had been prepared for him. It is probable that -invisible sentinels were watching for his arrival, for the moment he set -foot on land, a chief called the Little Panther presented himself before -him. - -"The great chief is welcome among his brothers," he said, bowing -courteously before the Black Bear. "Has my father had a good journey?" - -"I have had a good journey, I thank my brother." - -"If my father consents I will lead him to _jacal_ built to receive -him." - -"Let us go," the chief said. - -The Little Panther bowed a second time, and guided the chief along a -path formed through the shrubs. They soon arrived at a jacal, which, in -the mind of the Indians, offered the ideal of what was comfortable, -through its size, the brilliancy of the colours with which it was -painted, and its cleanliness. - -"My father is at home," the Little Panther said, respectfully raising -the _fresada_ (blanket) which closed the jacal, and falling back to let -the Black Bear pass. The latter entered. - -"My brother will follow me," he said. - -The Little Panther walked in behind him, and let the curtain fall. This -abode did not in any way differ from that of the other Indians. A fire -burned in the centre. The Black Bear made a sign to the other chief to -sit down on a buffalo skull. He then chose one for himself, and sat down -near the fire. After a moment's silence, employed by the two chiefs in -smoking gravely, the Black Bear addressed the Little Panther:-- - -"Are the chiefs of all the tribes of our nation collected on the island -as I ordered?" - -"They are." - -"When will they come to my jacal?" - -"That depends on my father. They await his good pleasure." - -The Black Bear began smoking again silently. A long period was thus -spent. - -"Nothing new has happened during my absence?" the Black Bear asked, -shaking the ash out of his calumet on his thumb. - -"Three chiefs of the prairie Comanches have arrived, sent by their -nation to treat with the Apaches." - -"Wah!" the chief said. "Are they renowned warriors?" - -"They have many wolves' tails on their moccasins. They must be valiant." - -The Black Bear nodded his head in affirmation. - -"One of them, it is said, is the Jester," the Little Panther continued. - -"Is my brother certain of what he says?" the chief asked sharply. - -"The Comanche warriors refused to give their names when they learned the -absence of my father. They answered it was well, and that they would -await his return." - -"Good! They are chiefs. Where are they?" - -"They have lighted a fire, round which they are camping." - -"Time is precious. My brother will warn the Apache chiefs that I await -them at the council fire." - -The Little Panther rose without replying, and quitted the jacal. - -For about an hour the Indian chief remained alone buried in thought: at -the end of that time the sound of several approaching men could be heard -outside. The curtain was raised by the Little Panther, who walked in. - -"Well?" the Black Bear asked. - -"The chiefs are waiting." - -"Let them come in." - -The chiefs made their appearance. They were ten in number; each had put -on his best ornaments, and all wore their war paint. They entered -silently, and ranged themselves silently round the fire, after silently -saluting the great chief, and kissing the hem of his robe. - -As soon as all the chiefs had assembled in the interior of the _toldo_, -a troop of Apache warriors drew up outside, to keep off the curious, and -insure the secrecy of the deliberations. The Black Bear, in spite of his -self-mastery, could not refrain from a movement of joy at the sight of -all these men, who were entirely devoted to him, and by whose help he -felt certain of accomplishing his projects. - -"My brothers are welcome," he said, inviting them by a sign to take -seats on the buffalo skulls ranged round the fire, "I was awaiting them -impatiently." - -The chiefs bowed and sat down. Then the pipe bearer entered and -presented the calumet to each warrior, who drew two or three puffs of -tobacco. When this ceremony was over, and the pipe bearer had departed, -the deliberations began. - -"Before all," said the Black Bear, "I must give you an account of my -mission. The Black Bear has completely fulfilled it; he has entered the -hut of the white men; he has thoroughly examined it; he knows the number -of palefaces that defend it; and when the hour arrives for him to lead -his warriors there, the Black Bear will know how to find the road -again." - -The chiefs bowed with satisfaction. - -"This great cabin of the whites," the Black Bear continued, "is the only -serious obstacle we shall find on our road in the new expedition we are -undertaking." - -"The Yoris are dogs without courage. The Apaches will give them -petticoats, and make them prepare their game," the Little Panther said -with a grin. - -The Black Bear shook his head. - -"The palefaces of the great cabin of Guetzalli are not Yoris," he said. -"A chief has seen them---they are men. Nearly all of them have blue eyes -and hair the colour of ripe maize; they seem very brave--my brothers -must be prudent." - -"Does not my father know who these men are?" a chief inquired. - -"The Black Bear does not know. He was told down there near the great -Salt Lake, that they inhabited a country very far from here, toward the -rising sun: that is all." - -"These men have no trees, nor fruit, nor buffaloes in their own country, -that they come to steal ours." - -"The palefaces are insatiable," the Black Bear replied. "They forget -that the Great Spirit has only given them, like other men, one mouth and -two hands. All they see they covet. The Wacondah, who loves his red -sons, let them be born in a rich country, and has covered them with his -gifts. The palefaces are jealous, and seek continually to rob and -dispossess them; but the Apaches are brave warriors: they can defend -their hunting grounds, and prevent them being trampled by these -vagabonds, who have come from the other side of the Great Salt Lake on -the floating cabins of the _Great Medicine._" - -The chiefs warmly applauded this harangue, which expressed so well the -sentiments that affected them, and the animosity with which they were -animated against the white race--that conquering and invading race, -which constantly drives them further into the desert, not even leaving -them the requisite space to breathe and live quietly after their -fashion. - -"The great nation of the Comanches of the Lakes, that which is called -the Queen of the Prairies, has deputed to our nation three renowned -warriors. I know not the object of this embassy, which, however, must be -peaceful. Does it please you, chiefs of my nation, to receive them, and -admit them to smoke the calumet of peace round our council fire." - -"My father is a very wise warrior," the Little Panther replied: "he can, -when he likes, divine the most hidden thoughts in the heart of his -enemies. What he does will be well done. The chiefs of his nation will -be always happy to regulate their conduct by the counsels he may deign -to give them." - -The Black Bear threw a glance round the assembly, as if to assure -himself that the Little Panther had truly expressed the general will. -The members of the council silently bowed their heads in acquiescence. -The chief smiled proudly on seeing himself so appreciated by his -companions, and addressing the Little Panther, said,-- - -"Let my brothers, the Comanche chiefs, be introduced." - -These words were pronounced with a majesty equal to that of a European -king sitting in parliament. - -The Little Panther went out to execute the order he had received. During -his absence, which was rather long, not a word was exchanged between the -chiefs seated on buffalo skulls, with their elbows on their knees, and -their chins on the palm of their hand; they remained motionless and -silent, apparently plunged into deep thought. - -The Little Panther at length returned, preceding the Comanche warriors. -On their entry the Apache chiefs rose and saluted them ceremoniously. -The Comanches returned the salutation with no less courtesy, but without -any other response, and waited till they were addressed. - -The Comanche warriors were young and finely built; they had a martial -bearing, a free glance, and thoughtful brow. Dressed in their national -costume, with heads proudly raised, and hands stemmed in their sides, -they had something noble and loyal about them which aroused sympathy. -One of them specially, the youngest of the three--he was hardly -five-and-twenty--must be a superior man, to judge by appearances: the -stern lines of his countenance, the brilliancy of his glance, the -elegance and majesty of his bearing, caused him to be recognised at the -first glance as a chosen man. - -His name was the Jester; and, as might be guessed from the tuft of -condor feathers passed through his warlock, he was one of the principal -chiefs of the nation. - -The Apache chiefs bent on the new arrivals, while not appearing to -notice them, that profoundly inquisitive glance possessed to so eminent -a degree by the Indians. The Comanches, though they might guess the -power of the glances fixed on them, did not make a sign, nor allow a -movement to escape them, indicating that they knew themselves to be the -object of attention to all present. - -Machiavel, author of the "Prince" though he was, compared with the red -men, was only a child in matters of policy. These poor savages, as -they are called by those who do not know them, are the cleverest and -most cunning diplomatists in existence. - -After an instant's delay the Black Bear took a step toward the Comanche -chiefs, bowed to them, and holding out his right hand palm upwards, -said,-- - -"I am happy to receive beneath my cabin, in the midst of my people, my -brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes. They will take their place at the -council fire, and smoke with their brothers the calumet of peace." - -"Be it so," the Jester replied in a stern voice. "Are we not all children -of Wacondah?" - -And, without adding another word, he took his seat with the other chiefs -at the council fire, side by side with the Apaches. The conversation was -broken off again, for everyone was smoking. At length, when the calumet -bowls contained only ashes, the Black Bear turned with a courteous smile -to the Jester. - -"My brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes, are doubtlessly hunting the -buffalo not far from here, and then the thought occurred to them to -visit their Apache brothers. I thank them for it." - -The Jester bowed. - -"The Comanches of the Lakes are far away chasing the antelopes on the -Del Nato. The Jester, and a few devoted warriors of his tribe who -accompany him, are alone encamped on the hunting grounds." - -"The Jester is a chief renowned on the prairie," the Apache graciously -remarked. "The Black Bear is happy to have seen him. So great a warrior -as my brother does not act thus without some plausible motive." - -"The Black Bear has guessed it. The Jester has come to renew with his -Apache brothers the narrow bonds of a loyal friendship. Why, instead of -disputing a territory to which we have equal claims, should we not -divide it between us? Should the red men destroy each other? Would it -not be better to bury the war hatchet by the council fire at such a -depth that, when an Apache met a Comanche, he would only see in him a -well-beloved brother? The palefaces, who each moon encroach on our -possessions more and more, carry on a furious war with us; then why -should we help them by our intestine dissensions?" - -The Black Bear rose, and, stretching forth his arm with authority, -said,-- - -"My brother, the Jester, is right. Only one sentiment should henceforth -guide us--patriotism! Let us lay aside all our paltry enmities, to think -but of one thing--liberty! The palefaces are perfectly ignorant of -our plans. During the few days I passed at Guaymas I was able to -convince myself of that: thus our sudden invasion will be to them a -thunderbolt, which will ice them with terror. They will be more than -half conquered by our approach." - -There was a solemn silence. The Jester then turned a calm and proud -glance round the meeting, and exclaimed,-- - -"The Mexican moon will begin in twenty-four hours. Redskin warriors! -Shall we allow it to pass away without attempting one of those daring -strokes which we usually perform at this period of the year? There is -one establishment above all, over which we should rush like a whirlwind: -that establishment founded by palefaces, other than the Yoris, is for us -a permanent menace. I will not deal craftily with you. Apache chiefs! I -come to offer you frankly, if you will attack Guetzalli, the support of -four hundred Comanche warriors, at whose head I will place myself." - -At this proposition a quiver of pleasure ran through the meeting. - -"I joyfully accept my brother's proposal," the Black Bear said. "I have, -nearly the same number of warriors: our two bands will be strong enough, -I hope, to utterly destroy the palefaces. Tomorrow, at the rising of the -moon, we will set out." - -The chiefs retired, and the Black Bear and the Jester were left alone. -These two chiefs enjoyed an equal reputation, and both were adored by -their countrymen, hence they examined each other curiously, for up to -that moment they had always been enemies, and never had the chance of -meeting save with weapons in their hands. - -"I thank my brother for his cordial offer," the Black Bear was the first -to say. "Under the present circumstances his help will be very -advantageous for us; but once the victory is decided, the spoil will be -equally shared between the two nations." - -The Jester bowed. - -"What plan has my brother formed?" he asked. - -"A very simple one. The Comanches are terrible horsemen: with my brother -at their head, they must be invincible. So soon as the moon shines in -the heavens the Jester will set out with his warriors, and proceed -toward Guetzalli, being careful to fire the prairie in front of his -detachment, in order to raise a curtain of smoke which will conceal his -movements and prevent his warriors being counted. If, as is not -probable, the palefaces have placed vedettes before their great lodge to -announce the arrival of the expedition, my brother will seize and kill -them at once, to prevent them giving any alarm. In this expedition, as -in all those that have preceded it, everything belonging to the -palefaces--lodges, jacals, houses--will be burnt; the beasts carried off -and sent to the rear. On arriving in front of Guetzalli my brother will -hide himself as well as he can, and await the signal I will give him to -attack the palefaces." - -"Good! My brother is a prudent chief. He will succeed. I will do exactly -as he has told me; and he, what will he do while I am executing this -portion of the general plan?" - -A strange smile played on the Black Bear's lips. - -"He will see," he said laying his hand on the Comanche's shoulder. "Let -him act as a chief, and I promise him a glorious victory." - -"Good!" the Comanche made answer. "My brother is the first of his -nation; he knows how he should behave; the Apaches are not women. I go -to rejoin my warriors." - -"'Tis well; my brother has understood. Tomorrow at the rising of the -moon." - -The Jester bowed, and the two chiefs separated, apparently the best -friends in the world. A few moments later the greatest animation -prevailed in the Apache camp; the women struck the tents and loaded the -mules, the children lassoed and saddled the horses, and all preparations -were made for their departure. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM. - - -The next day at the rising of the moon, as had been agreed, the Jester -ordered his detachment to set out. Presently a party of horsemen who had -hurried onwards threw lighted torches amid the shrubs, and in a few -minutes an immense curtain of flames rose to the sky, and completely -veiled the horizon. The Comanches carried out the orders of the Apache -chief with such rapidity and intelligence, that in less than an hour all -was consumed. - -The Black Bear, concealed in the island with his war party, had not made -a move. The traces left by the Comanches were, alas! very visible, for -the country only that morning so lovely, rich, and luxuriant, was at -present gloomy and desolate. There was no verdure, no flowers, no birds -hidden beneath the frondage, and twittering as if to outrival each other. - -The Indians' plan would have met with perfect success through the -arrangement of the campaigners, and the Guetzalli colonists would have -been surprised, had other men than Belhumeur and his friends been on the -route of the Indian army. - -The Canadian was watching. At the first smoke that arose in the distance -he understood the intention of the redskins, and without losing a moment -he sent off Eagle-head to the colony to inform the count of what was -taking place. Still, behind the fire, the Comanches were arriving at -full speed destroying and trampling beneath their horse's hoofs what the -flames might have spared. - -Night had completely set in when the Jester had arrived in sight of -the colony. Supposing that, through the rapidity of his march, the white -men would not have had time to place themselves on the defensive, he -ambushed a portion of his men, placed himself at the head of the rest, -and crawled with all the precautions employed in such cases toward the -isthmus battery. - -No one appeared: the glacis and entrenchments seemed abandoned. The -Jester uttered his war cry, rose suddenly, and bounding forward like a -jaguar, crossed the entrenchment, followed by his warriors. But, at the -moment when the Comanches prepared to leap into the interior, a fearful -discharge at point blank range levelled more than one half of the Indian -detachment, while the survivors took to flight. - -The Comanches had one great disadvantage--they possessed no firearms. -The musketry decimated them, and they could only reply by firing their -arrows, or by hurling their javelins. Noticing, therefore, though too -late for himself, that the French were on their guard, the Jester, -desperate at the check he had experienced, and his serious losses, was -unwilling to further weaken the confidence of his warriors by useless -tentatives. He concealed his detachment under the cover of the virgin -forest, and resolved to wait for the Black Bear's signal ere he made a -move. - -Don Louis had followed Eagle-head. The Indian, after several turnings, -led him almost opposite the isthmus battery to the entrance of a dense -thicket of cactus, aloes, and floripondios. - -"My brother can dismount," he said to the Frenchman; "we have arrived." - -"Arrived where?" Louis asked, looking around him in vain. - -Without replying the chief took the horse, and led it away. Louis, -during the interval looked all around him: but his researches had no -result. - -"Well," Eagle-head asked on his return, "has my brother found it?" - -"On my faith, no, chief. I give it up." - -The Indian smiled. - -"The palefaces have the eyes of moles," he said. - -"It is possible; at any rate, I should feel obliged by your lending me -yours." - -"Good! My brother shall see." - -Eagle-head glided along the ground, and Louis imitated him: in this way -they entered the thicket. After about a quarter of an hour of this -exercise, which was more than fatiguing, the Indian stopped. - -"Let my brother look," he said. - -They were in a small clearing, formed in the midst of an inextricable -medley of branches and shrubs, completed by a profusion of leaves so -artistically interlaced, that without deep observation it would be -impossible to suspect the existence of this hiding place. Belhumeur and -the two Mexicans were philosophically smoking while awaiting the return -of the envoy. - -"You are welcome," the Canadian said, so soon as he caught sight of him. -"How do you like our camp? Charming, is it not? Eagle-head discovered -it. Those devils of Indians have a peculiar talent for forming an -ambuscade. We are as safe here as in Québec Cathedral." - -During this flood of words, to which he only responded by a hearty -pressure of the hand, Louis had comfortably seated himself by the side -of his companions, and began to do honour, with excellent appetite, to -the provisions they had put aside for him. - -"But where are the horses?" he asked. - -"Here, two paces from us; not to be found by anyone save ourselves." - -"Very good. Shall we be able to get them so soon as we want them?" - -"Pardieu!" - -"The fact is we shall probably need them soon." - -"Ah, ah! But," he added, checking himself, "I am chattering, and not -noticing that you must be probably savagely hungry. Finish your meal, -and we will talk afterwards." - -"Oh! I can answer very well while eating." - -"Wo! No, everything has its proper time. Finish your breakfast: we will -listen to you afterwards." - -When Louis had finished eating he described fully the way in which he -had carried out his mission. - -"All that is very good," Belhumeur said when he had ended his report. "I -believe that we can henceforth feel assured about the safety of our -countrymen, especially with the help of the forty peons, who will take -the enemy between two fires." - -"Yes, but where shall they be concealed?" - -"Leave that to Eagle-head. The chief knows the country thoroughly, he -has hunted in it for a long time. I am certain he will find a suitable -place for the Mexicans. What do you say, chief?" - -"It is easy to hide one's self in the prairie," the chief answered -laconically. - -"Yes," Don Martial remarked, "but there is one thing you forget." - -"What?" - -"I live on the frontier, and have long been accustomed to Indian -tactics. The Apaches will arrive, preceded by a curtain of smoke; the -plain will be only one vast sheet of flame, in the midst of which we -shall struggle in vain, and which will end by swallowing us up, if we do -not take the proper precautions." - -"That is true: it is a serious matter. Unfortunately, I only see one way -of escaping from the danger, and that we cannot employ." - -"What is it?" - -"By Jove! Making off." - -"I know another," Eagle-head observed. - -"You, chief? Then you will tell us of it." - -"Let the palefaces listen. The Rio Gila, like all other large rivers, -brings down with it dead trees, at times in such quantities that at -certain spots they completely block up the passage, in time these trees -press against each other, and their branches become entwined; then grass -grows, to cement them more firmly together; the sand and earth are piled -up gradually on these immense rafts, which at a distance resemble -islands, until a storm comes as a flood, which breaks up the raft, and -bears it away." - -"I know that. I have seen frequent instances of it, chief," Belhumeur -said. "These rafts at last grow to look so like islands that the man -most accustomed to desert life and the grand spectacles of nature is -frequently deceived by them. I understand all the advantages your idea -possesses for us; but, unhappily, I do not see how it will be possible -for us to carry it out." - -"In the simplest way. The Indian's eye is good; he sees everything -within two bow-shots of him. Above the great lodge of the palefaces, did -not my brother notice an islet about fifty yards almost from the bank?" - -"What you say is quite correct," Belhumeur exclaimed; "I can call the -island to mind now." - -"From the position it occupies there will be nothing to apprehend from -fire," Louis remarked. "If it is large enough to hold us all it will be -extremely useful as an advanced post." - -"We have not a moment to lose: we must take possession of it at once, -and when we are certain that it offers all we want we will lead the -peons to it." - -"Let us start, then, without further delay," the Tigrero said as he -rose. - -The others imitated him, and the five men left the clearing. After -fetching their horses they proceeded toward the island under the -guidance of Eagle-head. - -The Indian chief had not deceived them. With that infallible glance his -countrymen possess, he had at once formed a correct opinion of the spot -he so cleverly selected. There was another consideration highly -advantageous for the adventurers--a thick line of mangroves bordered the -river's edge, and advanced sufficiently far into the stream to diminish -the distance separating the isle from the mainland, while forming a -natural defence for men concealed in the tall grass; for it was -perfectly impossible that the Indians could hide themselves in the -mangroves to harass their enemies, who, on the other hand, could do them -considerable mischief. - -This islet (we will retain the name, though it was really only a raft) -was covered with a close, strong herbage, about two yards in height, in -the midst of which, men and horses completely disappeared. When the -reconnoissance was ended, Belhumeur and the two Mexicans installed -themselves in the centre, while Louis and Eagle-head returned to the -bank to go and meet the capataz and his people. - -Don Martial did not care to accompany them. So near the colony he was -afraid of being recognised by Don Sylva, and preferred to maintain, as -long as he could, an incognito necessary for the ulterior success of his -plans. Louis, after making him the offer to accompany them, pressed him -no further, and appeared to accept his refusal without any discussion. -The truth was, that the count felt, without being able to explain it, a -species of repulsion for this man, whose cautious manner and continual -hesitation had ill disposed him in his favour. - -Eagle-head and Louis, certain that the Black Bear had really retired -with his detachment, and left no spies on the prairie, thought it -unnecessary to let the Mexicans take a long and wearisome ride before -leading them to the hiding place; consequently, they hid themselves in -the shrubs at the end of the isthmus to watch their exit, and lead them -straight to the spot. - -In the meanwhile the news Don Louis had carried to the colony had turned -everything topsy-turvy. Although, since the first foundation of the -hacienda, the Indians had constantly tried to harass the French, the -various attempts they made had been unimportant, and this was really the -first time they would have a serious contest with their ferocious -enemies. - -The Count de Lhorailles had with him about two hundred Dauph'yeers, who -had come from Valparaiso, Guyaquil, Callao, and the other Pacific ports, -which are always crowded with adventurers of every description. These -worthy people were a singular mixture of all the nationalities peopling -the two hemispheres, although the French supplied the largest factor. -Half bandits, half soldiers, these men put the utmost faith in the chief -they had freely chosen. - -The news of the attack premeditated by the Apaches was received by the -garrison with shouts of joy and enthusiasm. It was an amusement for -these adventurers to exchange shots, or rub the rust off a little, as -they naïvely said in their picturesque language. They desired before all -to prove to the Apaches the difference existing between the Creole -colonists, whom they had been in the habit of killing and plundering -from time immemorial, and Europeans whom they did not yet know. - -The count, therefore, had no need to recommend firmness to them; he was -on the contrary, obliged to repress their ardour, and beg them to be -prudent, by promising that they should soon have an opportunity of -meeting the redskins in the open field. - -As soon as the defensive preparations were made the count left the -details to his two lieutenants, two old soldiers, on whom he believed -he could count; then he thought of Blas Vasquez and his peons. In the -probable event that the Indians had left spies round the colony, they -must be persuaded that this band had really retired. For that purpose -several mules were laden with provisions, as if for a long journey; then -the capataz, well instructed, put himself at the head of the squadron, -and left the colony, rifle on thigh. - -The count, Don Sylva, and the other inhabitants followed the party with -an interest easy to comprehend, ready to help them if attacked. But -nothing stirred in the prairie; the calm and silence continued to -prevail, and the Mexicans soon disappeared in the tall grass. - -"I cannot at all understand the Indian tactics," Don Sylva muttered -thoughtfully. "As they have allowed that party to pass so quietly, they -must be planning some trick which offers a good prospect of success." - -"We shall soon know what we are to expect," the count replied; "besides, -we are ready to receive them. I am only sorry that Doña Anita should be -here; not that she runs the slightest risk, but the sound of the contest -may terrify her." - -"No, señor conde," the lady said, who came from the house at the moment; -"fear nothing of that nature for me. I am a true Mexican, and not one of -your European dames, whom the slightest thing causes to faint. Often, in -circumstances graver than these, I have heard the Apache war yell echo -in my ears, without, however, feeling that intense alarm you seem to -apprehend from me today." - -After uttering these words with that haughty and profoundly contemptuous -accent women know so well to employ to a man they do not love, Doña -Anita passed before the count without deigning him a glance, and took -her father's arm. - -The Frenchman made no reply: he bit his lips till they bled, and bowed -as if he did not understand the epigram launched at him. He intended to -have an explanation with his betrothed at a later date; for though he -did not love her, as often happens in such cases, he did not pardon her -being loved by another, and especially for regarding him with -indifference; but the events which had hurried on with such rapidity -during the last two days had hitherto prevented him asking this -important interview of the doña. - -The hacendero's daughter was an Andalusian from head to foot, all fire -and passion, only obeying the precipitate movements of her heart. Loving -with all the strength of her soul, safeguarded by her love for Don -Martial, she had judged the Count de Lhorailles coolly, and guessed the -speculator under the garb of the gentleman; hence she made up her mind -at once to render it an impossibility ever to become his wife. To -commence an overt struggle with her father--she knew, too well to risk -it, the old Spanish blood that boiled in his veins. A woman's strength -is her apparent weakness; her means of defence, stratagem. As much -Indian as she was Spaniard, Anita chose stratagem, that terrible woman's -weapon, which often renders her so dangerous. - -Blas Vazquez, the capataz, had seen the birth of Doña Anita: his wife -had been her nurse--that is, he was devoted to the young girl, and on a -sign from her he would have pledged his soul to the demon. - -When Don Louis visited the hacienda the young lady was considerably -curious as to the motive of his arrival. After the Frenchman's departure -she asked coolly for information from the capataz, who saw no harm in -giving it to her, the more so because everyone in the colony would soon -know the news the count brought. The only thing no one could know, and -which Doña Anita guessed with that heart instinct which never deceives, -was the presence of the Tigrero among the hunters ambushed in the -vicinity of the hacienda. - -On leaving her at Guaymas, Don Martial had said that he would constantly -watch over her, and save her from the fate with which she was menaced. -After that, it was plain that he must have followed her. Had he done so -(which she did not for a moment doubt), he must certainly be among the -brave men who at that moment were devoting themselves to save her, while -seeking to protect the colony. - -The logic of the heart is the only species that is positive and never -deceives. We have seen that Doña Anita, enlightened by passion, reasoned -justly. When the girl had drawn from the capataz all the information she -desired,-- - -"Don Blas," she said to him, "it is probable that if the colony is -attacked, after the services you will be able to render, and when my -father and Don Gaëtano no longer want you and your men, that you will -receive orders to return to Guaymas." - -"'Tis probable, certainly, señora," the worthy man answered. - -"In that case you will have no objection to do me a service?" she went -on, looking at him with her most fascinating smile. - -"You know, señorita, that I would throw myself into the fire for you." - -"I do not wish you to put your friendship to such a rude trial, my good -Blas; still I thank you for your kindly feeling." - -"What can I do to oblige you?" - -"Oh! A very easy matter. You know," she said lightly, "that for a long -time I have wished to have two jaguar skins as a carpet for my bedroom?" - -"No," he replied simply; "I was not aware of it." - -"Ah! Well, I tell it you now, so you know it." - -"I shall not forget it, señorita, you may be sure." - -"Thanks; but that is not exactly what I want." - -"What?" - -"That you could get the skins for me." - -"Oh! So soon as I am my own master again you can depend on me." - -"I do not wish you to expose your life to satisfy a whim." - -"Oh, señorita!" he said reproachfully. - -"No; I have a way to procure them more easily." - -"Ah! Very good. Let us see." - -"A renowned Tigrero arrived at Guaymas a few days back." - -"Don Martial Asuzena?" he quickly interrupted her. - -"Do you know him?" - -"Who does not know the Tigrero?" - -"Well, I heard that he has brought from his last hunt on the western -prairies some magnificent jaguar skins, which, I have no doubt, he would -be willing to sell at a fair price." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Here," she said, drawing a small, carefully-sealed note from her bosom, -"is a letter you will give that man. I describe in it the way in which I -should like to have the skins prepared, and the price I am willing to -give. Here is the money," she added, as she handed him a purse; "you -will arrange the matter for me." - -"There was no occasion to write," the capataz remarked. - -"Pardon me, my friend, you have so many things to think of, that a -trifle like this might easily slip your memory." - -"Well, that is possible; so perhaps you have acted wisely." - -"Well, then, it is agreed--you will perform my commission?" - -"Can you doubt it?" - -"No, my friend. But stay, one word more. Do not say anything to my -father. You know how kind he is; he would want to make me a present of -them, and I wish to pay for the skins out of my own purse." - -The capataz began laughing at the joke. The worthy man was delighted at -sharing a secret, however slight it might be, with his darling child, as -he called his young mistress. - -"It is settled," he said; "I will be dumb." - -The girl gave him a friendly nod and withdrew. What was the meaning of -the note? Why did she write it? We shall soon learn. - -The day passed at the hacienda without further incidents. The count made -several attempts to have a conversation with the doña, which she -constantly sought to avoid. - -Blas Vasquez, on quitting the colony, struck the Guaymas road, and made -his troop go at a sharp trot, through fear of a surprise. He had scarce -lost sight of the colony, and entered the tall grass, when two men, -leaping into the middle of the path, checked their horses about twenty -paces ahead of him. One of them was an Indian; the other the capataz -recognised at a glance as the man who had come to the hacienda that -morning. Vasquez commanded his men to halt, and advancing alone to meet -the stranger, said,-- - -"By what accident do I meet you here, señor Francés? You are still far -from the meeting place you indicated yourself." - -"We are so," was the reply; "but as we found no Apache trail in the -prairie we thought it useless to give you a long journey. I have been -sent to conduct you to the ambush we have chosen." - -"You did right. Have we far to go?" - -"No, hardly a quarter of an hour's ride. We are going to that islet, -which you can see by standing in your stirrups," he added, stretching -out his arm in the direction of the river. - -"Eh?" the capataz said. "The spot is well chosen: we can command the -river from there." - -"That is the reason why he selected it." - -"Be good enough, then, to serve as our guide, señor Francés: we will -follow you." - -The detachment set out again. As Don Louis had stated, within a quarter -of an hour the capataz and the peons were encamped on the islet with the -five adventurers, so well masked by grassland mangroves, that it was -impossible to see them from either bank of the river. - -So soon as the capataz had performed his duties as head of the -detachment, he sat down at the bivouac fire by the side of his new -friends, to whom Don Louis presented him. The first person Blas -perceived was Don Martial, the Tigrero. At the sight of him he could -hardly refrain from a movement of surprise. - -"_Caspita!_" he exclaimed, with a loud laugh; "the meeting is curious." - -"Why so?" the Mexican asked, rather annoyed by this recognition, which -he had not expected, for he did not think the capataz knew him. - -"Are you not Don Martial Asuzena?" - -"Yes," he replied, more and more restless. - -"My faith! I should have found it difficult to meet you at Guaymas; but -I did not expect to find you here." - -"Explain yourself, I beg. I cannot understand you at all." - -"My young mistress gave me a message for you." - -"What do you say?" the Tigrero exclaimed, his heart beginning to -palpitate. - -"What I say, nothing else. Doña Anita wishes to buy two jaguar skins of -you, it appears." - -"Of me?" - -"Yes." - -Don Martial regarded him with such an air of amazement that the capataz -began again laughing heartily. This laughter aroused the young man; made -him conjecture there was some mystery in the affair; and that if he -continued to look so astonished, he would arouse suspicions in the -worthy man, who probably did not know the word of the riddle. - -"'Tis true," he said, as if trying to remember something, "I fancy I can -call to mind some time back--" - -"Then," the capataz interrupted him, "it's all right; besides, I was -asked to hand you a letter so soon as I met you." - -"A letter from whom?" - -"Why, from my mistress, I suppose." - -"From Doña Anita?" - -"Who else?" - -"Give it me quickly," the Tigrero exclaimed in great agitation. - -The capataz handed it to him. Don Martial tore it from his hands, broke -the seal with trembling fingers, and devoured it with his eyes. When he -had finished reading it he concealed it in his bosom. - -"Well," the capataz asked him, "what does my mistress say?" - -"Only what you told me yourself," the Tigrero replied, in anything but a -firm voice. - -Blas Vasquez shook his head. - -"Hem! That man is certainly hiding something from me," he muttered. "Can -Doña Anita have deceived me?" - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero walked about in agitation, apparently -revolving some important project. At length he approached Belhumeur, who -was smoking silently, and, leaning over his ear, uttered a few words in -a low voice, to which the Canadian answered with a nod of assent. A -flash of joy illumined the Tigrero's gloomy face as he made a sign to -Cucharés to follow him, and quitted the bivouac a few minutes later. Don -Martial and the lepero, both mounted, swam across the space separating -them from the main land. The capataz perceived them at the moment they -landed, and uttered a cry of astonishment. - -"Why," he exclaimed, "the Tigrero is leaving us. Where can he be going?" - -Belhumeur regarded the Mexican with his bittersweet look, and replied, -with a jesting accent,-- - -"Who knows? Perhaps he is going to carry the answer to the letter you -gave him." - -"That is not impossible," the capataz remarked thoughtfully, little -suspecting that he spoke the exact truth. - -At this moment the sun set in floods of purple and gold far away in the -horizon behind the snow-clad peaks of the lofty mountains of the Sierra -Madre, and night soon stretched her black cerecloth over the earth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A NIGHT JOURNEY. - - -Events have so multiplied during the course of this night, that to keep -headway with the incidents, we are compelled to pass incessantly from -one person to another. - -Don Martial was rich--very rich--eager for excitement, and endowed with -warlike instincts. He had only embraced the profession of _Tigrero_ in -order to have a plausible excuse for his constant travels in the desert, -which he had passed his whole life in travelling in every direction. - -The Tigreros are generally wood rangers or old hunters, who, for a -certain salary and a premium on each hide, engage with a hacendero to -kill the wild beasts that decimate his herds. What others did for money, -he performed simply for pleasure; hence he was greatly liked on the -frontiers, and especially welcomed by all the hacenderos, who found in -him not only the clever and daring hunter, but also the boon companion -and the caballero. - -Don Martial saw Doña Anita for the first time when the chances of his -adventurous life had led him to a hacienda belonging to Don Sylva, -where, within the space of a month, he killed some dozen wild beasts. As -the Tigrero constantly watched the young girl, whom he could not see -without falling madly in love with, it happened that one day, when -Anita's horse ran away, he was near enough to save her at the peril of -his own life. It was through this event that the girl first noticed and -spoke to him. We know the rest. - -Cucharés was not at all pleased with the sudden departure from the -island. He inwardly cursed the folly which made him attach himself to a -man like him he now followed, who might expose him at any moment to the -chances of getting an arrow through his body, without any profit or -available excuse. Still Cucharés was not the man to feel long angry with -the Tigrero. He knew that grave reasons alone could have induced him to -leave a shelter at that hour of the night, resign the aid of the -hunters, and go wandering about the desert without any apparent object. -He burned to know the reasons; but he knew that Don Martial was no great -talker, and had a great objection to having his secrets spied out; and -as, in spite of all his bounce, he entertained a great respect for the -Tigrero, mingled with a decent amount of fear, he deferred to a more -favourable moment the numerous questions he longed to ask him. - -The two men, then, marched on side by side silently, allowing the reins -to hang on their horses' heads, and each indulging in his own -reflections. Still Cucharés remarked that Don Martial, instead of -seeking the cover of the forest, obstinately followed the river bank, -and kept his horse as close to it as possible. - -The darkness grew rapidly denser around them; distant objects began to -be lost in the masses of shadow on the horizon, and they soon found -themselves in complete obscurity. For some time the lepero tried, by -coughing or uttering exclamations, to attract his comrade's attention, -though unsuccessfully; but when he saw that the night had completely set -in, while the Tigrero marched on without appearing to notice the fact, -he at length mustered up courage to address him. - -"Don Martial," he said. - -"Well," the latter replied carelessly. - -"Do you not think it is time for us to stop a little?" - -"What for?" - -"What for?" the lepero replied, with a bound of surprise. - -"Yes; we have not arrived yet." - -"Then we are going somewhere?" - -"Why else should we have left our friends?" - -"That's true. Where are we going, though? That is what I should like to -know." - -"You will soon do so." - -"I confess that I should be glad of it." - -There was again silence, during which they continued to advance. They -had left the hill of Guetzalli about two musket shots behind them, and -reached a sort of creek, which through the windings of the river, was -almost parallel with the back of the hacienda, whose gloomy and imposing -mass rose before them. Don Martial stopped. - -"We have arrived," he said. - -"At last!" the lepero muttered with a sigh of satisfaction. - -"I mean to say," the Tigrero went on, "that the easiest part of our -expedition is ended." - -"We are making an expedition then?" - -"By Jove! Do you fancy, then, my good fellow, that I am marching along -the banks of the Gila merely for amusement?" - -"That surprised me, too." - -"Now our expedition will speedily commence in reality." - -"Good!" - -"I must warn you, however, that it is rather dangerous; however, I -counted on you." - -"Thanks," Cucharés answered, making a grimace which had some pretensions -to resemble a smile. The truth is, the lepero would have preferred that -his friend had not given him this proof of confidence. Don Martial -continued,-- - -"We are going there;" and he extended his arm in the direction of the -river. - -"Where then? To the hacienda?" - -"Yes." - -"You wish us to be cut in pieces." - -"How so?" - -"Do you believe we shall reach the hacienda without being discovered?" - -"We will try it at any rate." - -"Yes; and as we shall not succeed, those demons of Frenchmen, who are on -the watch, will take us for savages, and be safe to shoot at us." - -"It is a risk to run." - -"Thanks! I prefer remaining here, for I confess I am not yet mad enough -to put myself in the wolf's jaws for mere sport. Go where you please, -but I stay here." - -The Tigrero could not suppress a smile. - -"The danger is not so great as you suppose," he said. "We are expected -at the hacienda by someone who will doubtlessly have moved the sentinels -from the spot where we shall land." - -"That is possible, but I do not care to try the experiment, for a bullet -never pardons; besides, those Frenchmen are tremendous marksmen." - -The Tigrero made no reply; he did not seem even to have heard his -companion's remark. His mind was elsewhere. With his body bent forward, -he was listening. During the last few minutes the desert had assumed a -singular appearance. It woke up. All sorts of noises were heard from the -depths of the thickets and clearings. Animals of every description -rushed from the covert, and madly passed the two men without noticing -them. The birds startled from their first sleep, rose uttering shrill -cries, and circled in the air. In the river might be seen the outlines -of wild beasts swimming vigorously to reach the other bank. In a word, -something extraordinary was taking place. - -At intervals dry crackling sounds and hoarse murmurs, like those of -rising water, broke the silence, and became with each moment more -intense. On the extreme verge of the horizon a large band of bright red, -growing wider from minute to minute, spread over the scene a purple and -gold glare, which gave it a fantastic appearance. Already, on two -different occasions, enormous clouds of smoke spangled with sparks had -whirled over the heads of the two men. - -"Halloh! What is happening now?" the lepero suddenly exclaimed. "Look at -our horses, Don Martial." - -In fact, the noble beasts, with neck outstretched and ears laid back, -were breathing heavily, stamping on the ground, and trying to escape -their riders. - -"_Caspita!_" the Tigrero said calmly, "They smell the fire, that is -all." - -"What fire? Do you think the prairie is on fire?" - -"Of course. You can see it as well as I if you like." - -"Hem! What Is the meaning of that?" - -"Not much. It is one of the ordinary Indian tricks. We are in the -Comanche moon: are you not aware of that?" - -"I beg your pardon, I am not a wood ranger. I confess to you that all -this alarms me greatly, and that I would willingly give a trifle to be -out of it." - -"You are a child," Don Martial answered him laughingly. "It is evident that -the Indians have fired the prairie to conceal their numbers: they are -coming up behind the fire. You will soon hear their war cry sounding -amid the clouds of smoke and fire which are approaching, and will soon -surround us. By remaining here you run three risks--of being roasted, -scalped, or killed: three most unpleasant things, I grant, and which I -do not think will suit you. You had better come with me. If you are -killed, well, what then? It is a risk to run. Come, dismount; the fire -is gaining on us: soon we shall not have the chance. What will you do?" - -"I will follow you," the lepero replied in a mournful voice. "I must. I -was mad--deuce take me!--to leave Guaymas, where I was so happy--where I -lived without working--to come and thrust my head into such wasps' -nests. I assure you that if I escape he will be a sharp fellow who -catches me here a second time. - -"Bah, bah! People always say that. Make haste; we have no time to lose." - -In fact, the desert for a distance of several leagues burned like the -crater of an immense volcano; the flames undulated and shot along like -the waves of the sea, twisting and felling the largest trees like wisps -of straw. From the thick curtain of copper-coloured smoke which preceded -the flames there escaped, at each moment, bands of coyotes, buffaloes, -and jaguars, which, maddened with terror, rushed into the river, -uttering yells and deafening cries. - -Don Martial and the lepero entered the water; and their noble animals, -impelled by their instinct, hurried in the direction of the other bank. - -This part of the desert formed a strange contrast to that which the men -were leaving. The latter appeared an immense furnace, from which issued -vague rumours, cries of distress, agony and terror; a sea of fire, with -its billows and majestic waves, whose devouring activity swallowed up -everything on their passage, crossing valleys, escalading mountains, and -reducing to impalpable ashes the products of the vegetable and animal -kingdoms. - -The Gila, at this period of the year swollen by the rains which had -fallen in the sierra, had a width double of what it was in summer. At -that period its current becomes strong, and frequently dangerous through -its rapidity; but, at the moment our adventurers crossed it, the -numerous animals which sought to cross it simultaneously in a dense body -had so broken its force, that they reached the other bank in a -comparatively short period. - -"Eh!" Cucharés observed at the moment the horses struck land and began -ascending the bank, "Did you not tell me, Don Martial, that we were -going to the hacienda? We are not taking the road, I fancy." - -"You fancy wrong, comrade. Remember this--in the desert a man must -always appear to turn his back on the object he wishes to reach, or he -will never arrive." - -"Which means?" - -"That we are going to hobble our horses under this tuft of mesquites and -cedar-wood trees, where they will be in perfect safety, and then go -straight to the hacienda." - -The Tigrero immediately dismounted, led his horse under the shelter of -the great trees, took off its bridle in order that it might graze, -hobbled it carefully, and returned to the bank. - -Cucharés, with that resolution of despair which, under certain -circumstances, bears a striking resemblance to courage, imitated his -companion's movements point for point. The worthy lepero had at length -formed an heroic resolve. Persuaded that he was lost, he yielded himself -to the guidance of his lucky or unlucky star with that half timid -fanaticism which can only be compared with that found among the -Easterns. - -As we have said, this side of the river was plunged in shade and -silence, and the adventurers were temporarily protected from any danger. - -"Stay," the lepero again remarked; "it is a good distance from this -place to the hacienda; I can never swim it." - -"Patience. We shall find, I am certain, if we take the trouble to look, -means to shorten it. Ah, look?" he said, a moment later. "What did I say -to you?" - -The Tigrero pointed out to the lepero a small canoe fastened to a stake -in a small creek. - -"The colonists often come here to fish," he continued: "they have -several canoes concealed like this at various spots. We will take this -one, and in a few moments we shall reach our destination. Do you know -how to manage a paddle?" - -"Yes, when I am not afraid." - -Don Martial looked at him for a few seconds, then laying his hand -roughly on his shoulder, said in a sharp voice:-- - -"Listen, Cucharés, my friend. I have no time to discuss the matter -with you; I have extremely serious reasons for acting as I am now doing. -I want on your part hearty co-operation, so take warning in time. You -know me: at the first suspicious movement I will blow out your brains as -I would a coyote's. Now help me to launch the canoe and start." - -The lepero understood--resigned himself. In a few minutes the canoe was -ready and the two men in it. The passage they had to make to reach the -back of the hacienda was not long, but bristled with dangers. In the -first place, through the strength of the current which bore with it a -large quantity of dead trees, most of them still having their branches, -and which, floating half submerged in the water, threatened at each -pull to pierce the frail boat. Next, the animals which continued to shun -the fire, crossed the river in compact bands; and if the canoe were -entangled in one of these _manadas_ mad with terror, it must be crushed -with its passengers. The lightest danger the adventurers ran was the -receipt of a bullet from the sentinels hidden in the bushes which -defended the approach to the colony on the river side. But this danger -was as nothing compared with the others to which we have alluded. There -was every reason for assuming that the French, aroused by the flames, -would direct all their attention to the land side. Besides, Don Martial -believed he had nothing to fear from the sentries, who would probably -have been withdrawn. - -At a signal from Don Martial, Cucharés took up the paddles, and they -started. The fire was rapidly retiring in a western direction while -continuing its ravages. The canoe advanced slowly and cautiously through -the innumerable objects which each moment checked its progress. - -Cucharés, pale as a corpse, with hair standing on end, and eyes enlarged -by terror, rowed on frenziedly, while recommending his soul fervently to -all the numberless saints of the Spanish calendar, for he was more than -ever convinced that he would never emerge in safety from the enterprise -on which he had so foolishly entered. - -In fact, the position was a grave one, and it required all the -resolution with which the Tigrero was endowed, as well as the -excitement caused by the object he hoped to attain, to keep him from -sharing the terror which had seized on his comrade. The further they -advanced the greater the obstacles grew. Obliged to make continued -turns, in consequence of the trees that barred their passage, they only -turned on their own axis, as it were, forced to pass the same spot a -dozen times, and watch on all sides at once, not to be sunk by the -objects, either visible or invisible, which incessantly rose before -them. - -For about two hours they continued this wearying navigation; but they -insensibly approached the hacienda, whose sombre mass stood out from the -starlit sky. Suddenly a terrible cry, raised by a considerable number of -voices, filled the air, and a discharge of artillery and musketry roared -like thunder. - -"Holy Virgin!" Cucharés exclaimed, letting go the paddles and clasping -his hands, "We are lost!" - -"On the contrary," the Tigrero said, "we are saved. The Indians are -attacking the colony; all the French are at the entrenchments, and no -one will dream of watching us. Bold, my good boy! One more good pull, -and all will be over." - -"May God hear you!" the lepero muttered, beginning to paddle again with -a trembling hand. - -"Ah! The attack is serious, it appears. All the better. The harder they -fight over there, the less attention will be paid us. Let us go on." - -The two adventurers, hidden in the shade, paddled on silently, and -gradually approached the hacienda. Don Martial looked searchingly -around: all was silent in this part of the river, which was half a -pistol shot distant from the building. There was no reason for supposing -that they had been seen. The Tigrero bent over his companion. - -"That will do," he whispered; "we have arrived." - -"What! Arrived?" the lepero repeated with a frightened air. "We are -still a long way off." - -"No; at the spot where we now are, whatever may happen, you have nothing -to fear. Remain in the canoe, fasten it to one of the stumps that -surround you, and wait for me." - -"What! Are you going away?" - -"Yes; I shall leave you for an hour or two. Keep a good watch. If you -notice anything new you will imitate the cry of the waterhen twice: you -understand?" - -"Perfectly; but if a serious danger threatened us what ought I to do?" - -The Tigrero reflected for an instant. - -"What danger can threaten you here?" he said. - -"I do not know; but the Indians are fiends incarnate: with them you must -be prepared for anything." - -"You are right. Well, in case of any serious danger threatening us--but -only in that case, you understand--after giving your signal, you will -put across to that point. Mangroves grow there, under the shelter of -which you will be perfectly safe, and I will join you immediately." - -"Very good: but how shall I know where to find you?" - -"I will imitate twice the bark of the prairie dog. Now, be prudent." - -"You may be sure of that." - -The Tigrero took off all the articles of clothing that might embarrass -him, such as his zarapé and botas vaqueras, only keeping on his trousers -and vest, put his knife in his belt, made up his pistols, rifle, and -cartouche box in a packet, and imitated the song of the _maukawis_. -Presently a similar sound rose from the bank. The Tigrero then held his -weapons over his head, and glided gently into the water. The lepero soon -perceived him swimming silently and vigorously in the direction of the -hacienda; but the Tigrero was gradually lost in the distance. - -So soon as he was alone Cucharés began to inspect his weapons carefully, -changing the caps so as to be ready for anything, and run no risk of -being taken unawares; then, reassured by the calmness that prevailed -around, he lay down in the bottom of the canoe in spite of the Tigrero's -recommendations, and got ready for a nap. - -The noise of the combat had gradually died away--neither shouts nor -shots could be heard. The Indians, repulsed by the colonists, had given -up their attack. The flames of the fire became less and less bright. The -desert appeared to have fallen back into its ordinary silence and -solitude. - -The lepero, lying on his back at the bottom of the canoe, gazed at the -brilliant stars, glittering in the azure sky. Gently cradled by the -rippling, his eyes closed. At length he reached that point which is -neither sleeping nor waking, and would probably soon have fallen asleep. -At the moment, however, when he was going to yield to his feelings, he -cast a parting sleepy glance over the river. He shuddered, repressed -with difficulty a cry of terror, and started up so violently that he -almost upset the canoe. - -Cucharés had had a fearful vision: he rubbed his eyes vigorously to -assure himself that he was really awake, and looked again. What he had -taken for a vision was only too real; he had seen correctly. - -We have said that the river carried with it a large number of stumps and -dead trees still laden with their branches. During the last hour an -enormous quantity of these trees had collected round the canoe, the -lepero being quite unable to account for the fact, the more so because -these trees, which by the natural laws should have followed the current -and descended with it, cut it in every direction, and, instead of -keeping to the centre of the river, drew constantly nearer to the bank -on which stood the hacienda. - -More extraordinary still, the progress of this floating wood was so -carefully regulated that all converged on one point--the extremity of -the isthmus at the back of the hacienda. Another alarming fact was, that -Cucharés saw eyes flashing and frightful faces peering out from amidst -this raft of interlaced branches, stumps and trees. - -There was no room for doubt: each tree carried at least one Apache. The -Indians, having failed in their attempt on one side, hoped to surprise -the colony from the river, and were swimming up concealed by the trees, -in the midst of which they had collected. The lepero's position was -perplexing. Up to this moment the Indians, busied with their plans, had -paid no attention to the canoe; or, if they had noticed it, thought that -it belonged to one of their party; but the error might be detected at -any moment, and the lepero knew that, in such a case, he would be -hopelessly lost. - -Already, more than once, hands had been laid for a few seconds on the -sides of a frail boat; but, by some providential chance, the owners of -those hands had not thought of looking into the interior of the canoe. - -All these reflections, and many others, Cucharés indulged in while lying -apparently most comfortably at the bottom of the canoe, gently balanced -by the ripple, and watching the brilliant stars defile above his head. -With his features distorted by terror, his face blanched, and holding a -pistol butt convulsively clutched in either hand, while mentally -recommending himself to his patron saint, he awaited the catastrophe -which every passing minute rendered more imminent. - -He had not long to wait. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE INDIAN TRICK. - - -Among the indomitable nations that wander about the deserts contained in -the delta formed by the Rio Gila, the Rio del Norte, and the Colorado, -two claim sovereignty over the rest. They are the Apaches and Comanches. -Irreconcilable enemies, incessantly at war with each other, these two -nations were now allied by a common hatred of the white men, and all -that belongs to that abhorred race. - -Excellent hunters, intrepid horsemen, cruel and pitiless warriors, the -Apaches and Comanches are terrible neighbours for the inhabitants of New -Mexico. Every year, at the same period, these ferocious warriors rush by -thousands from their deserts, cross the rivers by fording or swimming, -and invade the Mexican frontiers at several points, burning and -plundering all they come across, carrying off women and children into -slavery, and spreading desolation and terror for more than twenty -leagues into a civilised territory. - -At the period of the Spanish rule it was not so. Numerous missions, -_presidios_, posts established at regular distances, and bodies of -troops scattered along the entire frontier, repulsed the attacks of the -Indians, drove them back and kept them within the limits of their -hunting grounds; but since the proclamation of their independence the -Mexicans have had so much to do in cutting each other's throats, and -trampling morality underfoot by their incessant revolutions, that the -posts have been called in, the missions plundered, the presidios -abandoned, and the frontiers left to guard themselves. The result has -been that the Indians gradually drew nearer, and finding no serious -resistance before them--for the very simple reason that the Mexican -Government forbids, under heavy penalties, any firearms being given to -the civilised Indians, who alone could fight successfully against the -invaders--the savages have nearly reconquered in a few years what Spain, -in her omnipotence, took ages in wresting from them. The result of this -is that the most fertile country in the world remains unfilled; not a -step can be taken in this hapless country without stumbling on still -smoking ruins; and the boldness of the savages has so increased, that -they now do not even take the trouble to hide their expeditions, which -they make annually at the same period, in the same month nearly on the -same day, and that the month is called by them in derision the "Mexican -Moon;" that is to say, the moon during which the Mexicans are plundered. - -All the facts we narrate here would be the height of buffoonery were -they not also the height of atrocity. - -The Black Bear had founded the great confederation to which he had -previously alluded, for the purpose of restoring himself in the credit -of his fellow countrymen, whom several unsuccessful expeditions had -turned against him. Like all Indian chiefs of any standing, he was -ambitious. He had already succeeded in destroying several smaller -tribes, and incorporating them with his nation: he now aspired to -nothing less than humbling the Comanches, and compelling them to -recognise his authority. It was a difficult, if not impossible -enterprise; for the Comanche nation is justly recognised as the most -warlike and dangerous in the desert. This nation, which proudly calls -itself the Queen of the Prairies, can hardly endure the presence of the -Apaches on the ground they consider belonging to themselves, and forming -their hunting territory. The Comanches have an immense advantage over -the other prairie Indians--an advantage which causes their strength, and -makes them so terrible to the nations they combat. Owing to the -precaution they have taken of never drinking spirits, they have escaped -the general degradation and most of the diseases which decimate the -other Indians, and have remained vigorous and intelligent. - -The Jester, like the Black Bear, had no great faith in the duration of -the alliance formed between the two nations: the hatred he bore the -Apaches was, indeed, too profound for him to desire it; but the -foundation of the Guetzalli colony by the French, by permanently -establishing the white men, on a territory they regarded as belonging to -themselves, was a too serious menace for the Comanches and other Indios -Bravos, and they attempted every possible scheme to get rid of these -troublesome neighbours. Hence they had temporarily hung up their old -rancour and private enmities on behalf of the general welfare, but for -that only. It was tacitly agreed between them that, so soon as the -strangers were expelled, each nation would be free to act as it pleased. - -We have seen in what way the Jester began hostilities. The Black Bear -had a scheme which he had been ripening for a long time, though not -possessing the means to put it in execution; but knowing where to obtain -the information he needed, he went to Guaymas. The Tigrero, by proposing -to him to enter the colony as a guide, had unsuspectingly supplied him -with the pretext he sought. Thus, during the few hours he spent at the -hacienda, he had not lost his time, and with that cunning peculiar to -the Indians, discovered all the weak points of the place. - -There was another reason to inflame his desire to seize the hacienda. -Like all the redskins, his dream was to have a white woman in his lodge. -Fatality, by bringing him across Doña Anita, had suddenly re-enkindled the -secret hope he entertained, and made him suppose he would at length -possess the woman he sought so long without being able to find her. -It must not be thought that the Black Bear loved the Spanish maiden: no, -he wanted a white squaw, that was all. He was humiliated by the -knowledge that the other chiefs of his nation had slaves of that colour, -while he alone had none. Had Doña Anita been ugly, he would have tried -to carry her off all the same. She was lovely--all the better; and we -may add here that the Apache chief did not consider her beautiful. -According to his Indian notions she was passable, that was all; the only -thing he valued in her was her colour. - -The Black Bear, standing with his principal warriors on the point of the -island, remained silent, with his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes -fixed on vacancy, till the moment when the first gleams of the fire -kindled by the Jester tinged the horizon with a blood-red hue. - -"My brother, the Jester, is an experienced chief," he said, "and a -faithful ally. He has well fulfilled the mission intrusted to him. He is -now smoking the paleface dogs. What the Comanches have begun the Apaches -will finish." - -"The Black Bear is the first warrior of his nation," the Little Panther -replied. "Who would dare to contend with him?" - -The Indian Sachem smiled at this flattery. - -"If the Comanches are antelopes, the Apaches are otters; they can, if -they please, swim in the water, or march on land. The palefaces have -lived. The Great Spirit is in me; it is He who dictates to me the words -my tongue utters." - -The warriors bowed. The Black Bear continued, after a moment's -silence:-- - -"What do the Apache warriors care for the fire tubes of the palefaces? -Have they not long, barbed arrows and intrepid hearts? My brothers will -follow me; we will take the scalps of these pale dogs, and fasten them -to our horses' manes, and their wives shall be our slaves." - -Shouts of joy and enthusiasm greeted these words. - -"The river is covered with numerous trunks of trees: my sons are not -squaws to fatigue themselves uselessly. They will place themselves on -these dead trees, and drift with the current down to the great lodge of -the palefaces. Let my brothers prepare. The Black Bear will set out at -the sixth hour, when the blue jay has sung twice, and the walkon has -uttered its shrill cry. I have spoken. Two hundred warriors will follow -the Black Bear." - -The chiefs bowed respectfully before the sachem, and left him alone. He -wrapped himself up in his buffalo robe, sat down by the fire, lit his -calumet by means of a medicine staff adorned with bells and feathers, -and remained silent, with his eyes fixed on the gradually extending -prairie fire. - -The island in which the Apache chief had formed his camp was at no great -distance from the French colony. The project of floating down had no -very great danger for these men, accustomed to every sort of bodily -exercise, and who swam like fish: it possessed the great advantage of -completely concealing the approach of the warriors hidden by the water -and the branches, and who, at the proper moment, would rush on the -colony like a swarm of famished vultures. - -The Black Bear was so convinced of the success of this stratagem, which -only an Indian brain could have conceived, that he only took with him -two hundred chosen men, thinking it unnecessary to lead more against -enemies taken by surprise, and who, compelled to defend themselves -against the Comanches led by the Jester, would be attacked in the rear -and massacred before they had time to look around them. - -Night sets in rapidly and suddenly in countries where the twilight does -not last longer than a lightning flash. Soon all became darkness, save -that, in the distance, a wide strip of coppery red announced the -progress of the flames, behind which the Comanches galloped like a pack -of hideous wolves over the still glowing earth, trampling under their -horses' hoofs the charred wood which was still smouldering. - -When the Black Bear considered the moment had arrived he put out his -calumet, scattered the fire, and gave a signal perfectly well understood -by the Little Panther, who was watching to execute the orders the chief -might be pleased to give. Almost immediately the two hundred warriors -selected for the expedition made their appearance. They were all picked -men, armed with clubs and lances, while their shields hung on their -backs. After a moment's silence, employed by the sachem in a species of -inspection, he said in a deep voice,-- - -"We are about to set out; the palefaces we are destined to fight are not -Yoris: they are said to be very brave, but the Apaches are the bravest -warriors in the world; no one can contend against them. My sons may be -killed, but they will conquer." - -"The warriors will suffer themselves to be killed," the Indians replied -with one voice. - -"Wah!" the Black Bear continued, "my sons have spoken well; the Black -Bear has confidence in them. The Wacondah will not abandon them; he loves -the red men. And now, my sons, we will collect the dead trees floating -on the river, and float down the current with them. The cry of the -condor will be their signal to rush on the palefaces." - -The Indians immediately began executing their chiefs orders. All strove -to reach the trunks of trees or stumps. In a few moments a considerable -quantity was collected near the point of the island. The Black Bear -turned a palling glance around, gave the signal for departure, and was -the first to enter the water and clamber on a tree. All the rest -followed him immediately without the slightest hesitation. - -The Apaches behaved so cleverly in bringing the tree trunks to the -island, and had chosen their position so well, that when they set the -trees in motion again they almost immediately struck the current, and -began to follow the river gently, drifting imperceptibly in the -direction of the colony where they wished to land. - -Still this navigation, so essentially eccentric, offered grave -inconveniences and even serious dangers to those who undertook it. The -Indians, left without paddles on the trees, were obliged to follow the -stream, only succeeding in holding on by extraordinary efforts. Like all -wood floating at the mercy of the waves, the trees continually revolved, -compelling those holding on to them to employ all their strength and -skill, lest they might be submerged at every moment. There was another -difficulty, too: it was absolutely necessary to keep in the water, so as -to give the trees the proper direction and make them reach the colony, -instead of following the current in the middle of the stream. A further -inconvenience, not the least grave of all, was that the trees on which -the Apaches were mounted met others as they floated along, against which -they struck, or their branches became so interlaced that it was -impossible to part them, and they had to be taken on as well; so that, -at the end of half an hour, an immense raft was formed, which appeared -to occupy the entire width of the river. - -The Indians are obstinate: when they have undertaken an expedition they -never give it up till it is irrevocably proved to them that success is -impossible. This happened on the present occasion; several men were -drowned, others wounded so severely that they were compelled to regain -the bank against their will. The others, however, held on; and, -encouraged by their chief, who did not cease addressing them, they -continued to descend the river. - -Long before the island from which they set out had disappeared behind -them in the windings formed by the irregular course of the river; the -point on which the buildings of the colony stood appeared but a short -way ahead, when the Black Bear, who was at the head of the party, and -whose piercing eye incessantly surveyed the scene around, noticed a -canoe a few yards ahead attached to a dead stump, gracefully dancing on -the water. - -This canoe at once appeared suspicious to the cautious Indian. It did -not seem natural to him that, at such an advanced hour of the night, any -boat should be thus tied up in the river: but the Black Bear was a man -of prompt decision, whom nothing embarrassed, and who rapidly formed his -plans. After carefully examining this, mysterious canoe, still -stationary before him, he stooped over to the Little Panther, who hung -on to the same tree in readiness to execute his orders, and, placing his -knife between his teeth, the chief unloosed his hold and dived. - -He rose again near the canoe, seized it boldly, pulled it over, and -leaped in right on Cucharés' chest and seized him by the throat. This -movement was executed so rapidly that the lepero could not employ his -weapons, and found himself completely at the mercy of his enemy before -he understood what had occurred. - -"Wah!" the Indian exclaimed with surprise on recognising him. "What is -my brother doing here?" - -The lepero had also recognised the chief, and, without knowing why, this -restored him a slight degree of courage. - -"You see," he answered, "I am sleeping." - -"Wah! My brother was afraid of the fire, and for that reason took to the -river." - -"Quite right, chief; you have hit it the first time. I _was_ afraid of -the fire." - -"Good!" the Apache continued, with a mocking smile peculiar to himself. -"My brother is not alone. Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"Eh? I do not know the Great Buffalo, chief. I don't even know whom you -are talking about." - -"All the palefaces have a forked tongue. Why does not my brother speak -the truth?" - -"I am quite willing to do so, but I do not understand you." - -"The Black Bear is a great Apache warrior; he can speak the language of -his nation, but he knows badly that of the Yoris." - -"I did not mean that. You express yourself excellently in Castilian, but -you are speaking of a person I do not know." - -"Wah! Is that possible?" the Indian said, with feigned amazement. "Does -not my brother know the warrior with whom he was two days ago?" - -"O! Now I understand; you are talking of Don Martial. Yes, certainly I -know him." - -"Good!" the chief replied; "I knew that I was not mistaken. Why is my -brother not with him at this moment?" - -"Probably because I am here," the lepero said with a grin. - -"That is true; but as I am in a hurry, and my brother does not wish to -answer me, I am going to kill him." - -Saying this in a tone which admitted of no tergiversation, the Black -Bear raised his knife. The lepero saw well enough that, if he did not -obey the Indian, he was lost, and his hesitation ceased as if by -enchantment. - -"What do you want of me?" he said. - -"The truth." - -"Question me." - -"My brother will answer?" - -"Yes." - -"Good! Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"There," he said, pointing in the direction of the hacienda. - -"How long?" - -"For more than an hour." - -"For what reason has he gone there?" - -"You can guess." - -"Yes. Are they together?" - -"They ought to be so, as she called him to her." - -"Wah! And when will he return?" - -"I do not know." - -"He did not tell my brother? - -"No." - -"Will he come back alone?" - -"I do not know." - -The Indian fixed a glance on him, as if trying to read his very heart. -The lepero was calm: he had honestly told all he knew. - -"Good!" the chief continued the next moment. "Did not the Great Buffalo -agree on a signal with his friend, in order to rejoin when he pleased?" - -"He did." - -"What is, that signal?" - -At this question a singular idea crossed Cucharés' brain. The leperos -belong to a strange race, which only bears a likeness to the Neapolitan -lazzaroni. At once prodigal and avaricious, greedy and disinterested, -extremely rash, and frightful cowards, they are the strangest medley of -all that is good and all that is bad. In them everything is blunted and -imperfect. They only act on the impulse of the moment, without -reflection, or passion. Eternal mockers, they believe in nothing and yet -believe in everything. To sum them up in a word, their life is a -constant antithesis; and for a jest which may cost their life they would -sacrifice their most devoted friend, just as they will save him. - -Cucharés was a perfect personification of this eccentric race. Though -the Apache chief's knife was scarce two inches from his breast, and he -knew that his ferocious enemy would show him no mercy, he suddenly -resolved to play him a trick, no matter the cost. We will not add that -his friendship for Don Martial unconsciously pleaded on his behalf, for -we repeat that the lepero feels no friendship for any one, not even -himself, and that his heart only exists in the shape of bowels. - -"The chief wishes to know the signal?" he said. - -"Yes," the Apache replied, - -Cucharés, with the utmost coolness, imitated the cry of the waterhen. - -"Silence!" the Black Bear exclaimed; "it is not that." - -"Pardon," the lepero replied with a grin; "perhaps I gave it badly," and -he repeated it. - -The Indian, roused by his enemy's impudence, rushed upon him, resolved -to finish him with his knife; but, blinded by his fury, he calculated -badly, and gave too violent an oscillation to the canoe. The light bark, -whose equilibrium was disturbed, turned over, and the two men rolled -into the river. Once in the water, the lepero, who swam like an otter, -set off in the direction of the hacienda as fast as he could speed. But -if he swam well, the Black Bear swam at least equally well. The first -movement of surprise overcome, the chief almost immediately discovered -his enemy's trail. - -Then began the two men a contest of skill and strength. Perhaps it would -have ended to the advantage of the white man, who had a considerable -start, had not several warriors, witnesses of what had occurred, swum -off too, and cut off the fugitive's retreat. Cucharés saw that flight -was impossible; hence, not attempting to continue a hopeless struggle, -he proceeded towards a tree, to which he clung, and awaited with -magnificent coolness whatever might happen. - -The Black Bear soon came up with him. The chief displayed no ill temper -at the trick the lepero had played him. - -"Wah!" he merely said, "my brother is a warrior: he has the craft of the -opossum." - -"Of what use is it to me," Cucharés answered carelessly, "if I cannot -succeed in saving my scalp?" - -"Perhaps," the Indian said. "Let my brother tell me where the Great -Buffalo is." - -"I have already told you, chief." - -"Yes, my brother told me that his friend was in the great lodge of the -palefaces, but he did not say at what place." - -"Hum! And if I tell you shall I be free?" - -"Yes, if my brother has not a forked tongue: if he speaks the truth, so -soon as we land on the bank, he will be free to go where he pleases." - -"A poor favour!" the lepero muttered, shaking his head. - -"Well," the chief continued, "what will my brother do?" - -"My faith!" Cucharés said, suddenly making up his mind, "I have done for -Don Martial all it was humanly possible to do. Now that he is warned, -each for himself. I must save my skin. Stay, chief; follow the direction -of my finger. You see those mangroves on the projecting point?" - -"I see them." - -"Well, behind those mangroves you will find the man you call the Great -Buffalo." - -"Good! The Black Bear is a chief; he has only one word; the paleface -shall be free." - -"Thanks." - -The conversation was hurriedly broken off, more especially as the -Apaches were rapidly approaching the banks. They had let go of the most -of the trees to which they had hitherto been clinging, and were -collected in small groups of ten or twelve on the larger trees. - -The hacienda was silent; not a light burned there; all was calm; it -looked like a deserted habitation. This profound tranquility excited the -suspicions of the Black Bear; it seemed to forebode an impending storm. -Before risking a landing he wished to assure himself positively of what -he had to expect. He uttered the cry of the iguana, and swam towards the -bank. The Apaches comprehended their chiefs intention, and stopped. At -the end of a few moments they saw him crawling along the sand. The Black -Bear walked a few paces along; he saw nothing, heard nothing; then, -completely reassured, he returned to the water's edge, and gave the -signal for landing. - -The Apaches quitted the trees and began swimming. Cucharés profited by -the moment of disorder to disappear, which was an easy matter, as no one -was thinking of him. Still the Apaches formed in a single line, and swam -vigorously; in a few minutes they reached the bank, and landed; then -they rushed at full speed towards the hacienda. - -"Fire!" a stentorian voice suddenly commanded. A loud and frightful -discharge instantaneously followed. The Apaches responded by howlings of -rage, and themselves surprised by the men they had hoped to surprise, -rushed upon them, brandishing their weapons. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF. - - -We will now return to the hunters, whom we have too long neglected, for -during the events we have been narrating they had not remained entirely -inactive. - -After the departure of the two Mexicans, Belhumeur and his friends -remained silent for an instant. The Canadian played with the charcoal -that had fallen from the brazier on to the ground; in fact, he was lost -in thought. Don Louis, with his chin resting on the palm of his hand, -was watching with distraught air the sparkles which crackled, glistened, -and went out. Eagle-head, alone of the party, wrapped up in his buffalo -robe, smoked his calumet with that stoicism and calm appearance which -belong exclusively to his race. - -"However it may be," the Canadian suddenly said, replying to the ideas -which bothered him, and thinking aloud rather than intending to renew -the conversation, "the conduct of those two men seems to me -extraordinary, not to say something else." - -"Would you suspect any treachery?" Don Louis asked, looking up. - -"In the desert you must always suspect treachery," Belhumeur said -peremptorily, "especially from chance companions." - -"Still this Tigrero, this Don Martial--that is his name I think--has a -very honest eye, my friend, to be a traitor." - -"That is true; still you will agree that ever since we first met him his -conduct has been remarkably queer." - -"I grant it; but you know as well as I how much passion blinds a man. I -believe him to be in love." - -"So do I. Still notice, pray, that in all this affair which regards him -specially, and in which we have only mixed ourselves to do him a -service, while neglecting our own occupations, he has always kept in the -background, as if afraid to show himself." - -At this moment Blas Vasquez, after stationing the peons a short distance -off, so as to remain unseen, came up and took his seat by the fire. - -"There!" he said, "All is ready: the Apaches can come and attack us -whenever they think proper." - -"One word, capataz," Belhumeur said. - -"Two if you like." - -"Do you know the man to whom you delivered a letter just now?" - -"Why do you ask?" - -"To gain some information about him." - -"Personally I know very little of him. All I can tell you is that he -enjoys an excellent reputation through the whole province, and is -generally regarded as a caballero and gallant man." - -"That is something," the Canadian muttered, shaking his head; "but, for -all that, I do not know why, but his sudden departure makes me very -restless." - -"Wah!" Eagle-head suddenly said, withdrawing from his lips the tube of -his calumet, and bending forward, while bidding his comrades to silence. -All remained motionless, with their eyes fixed on the Indian. - -"What is it?" Belhumeur at length asked. - -"Fire," the other replied slowly. "The Apaches are coming: they are -burning the prairie before them." - -"What?" Belhumeur exclaimed, rising and looking all around. "I see no -trace of fire." - -"No, not yet; but the fire is coming--I can smell it." - -"Hum! If the chief says so, it must be true; he is too experienced a -warrior to be deceived. What is to be done?" - -"We have nothing to fear from fire here," the capataz observed. - -"We have not," Don Louis quickly exclaimed; "but the inhabitants of the -hacienda?" - -"Not more than we," Belhumeur replied. "See all the trees have been cut -down, and rooted up to too great a distance from the colony for the fire -to reach it; it is only a stratagem employed by the Indians to arrive -without being counted." - -"Still I am of this caballero's opinion," the capataz said; "we should -do well to warn the hacienda." - -"There is something even more urgent to do," Don Louis said, "and that -is to send off a clever scout to learn positively with whom we have to -deal, who our enemies are, if they are numerous." - -"One does not prevent the other," Belhumeur remarked. "In a case like -the present, two precautions are worth more than one. This is my advice. -Eagle-head will reconnoitre the foe, while we proceed to the hacienda." - -"All of us?" the capataz observed. - -"No; your position here is secure, and you will be able, in the event of -an attack, to render important service. Don Louis and I will proceed -alone to the colony. Remember that you must not show yourselves under -any pretext. Whatever may happen, await the order for acting. Is that -agreed to?" - -"Go, caballeros; I will not betray your confidence." - -"Good! Now to work, I have no advice to offer you, chief: you will find -us at the hacienda if you learn anything of importance." - -Upon this these men, so long accustomed to act without losing precious -time in useless words, separated; Don Louis and Belhumeur returning to -the mainland on the side of the hacienda, while the chief rode off in -the opposite direction. Blas Vasquez remained alone with his peons; but -as he had been for many years accustomed to Indian warfare, and -understood the responsibility he took on himself from this moment, he -felt that he must redouble his vigilance. Hence he posted sentinels at -every point, recommended them the utmost attention, came back to the -brazier, wrapped himself in his fresada, and went quietly to sleep, -certain that his men would carefully watch all that took place on the -mainland. - -We will, for a moment, leave Don Louis and his friend, to follow -Eagle-head. - -The mission the chief had undertaken was anything rather than easy; but -Eagle-head was a man of experience thoroughly versed in Indian tricks, -and endowed with that unalterable phlegm which is a great ingredient of -success in certain circumstances of life. After leaving his companions -he walked quietly down to the water's edge, and when he reached the spot -where he intended to cross the river his plan was all arranged in his -head. - -The chief, instead of passing to that side of the river by which the -enemy would come, preceded by the conflagration, crossed to the other. -So soon as he reached the bank he allowed his horse a few moments for -breathing; then leaping at a bound onto the panther skin that served as -his saddle, he galloped at full speed in the direction of the enemy's -camp. This furious race lasted two hours. Night had long succeeded the -day; the pale gleams of the conflagration served as a beacon to the -chief and showed him in the darkness the road he should follow. At the -end of these two hours the chief found himself just opposite the most -advanced point of the island, where the Apaches were at this moment -engaged in collecting the driftwood they meant to use in the surprise of -the colony. Eagle-head stopped. On his right, far behind him, the -conflagration raged in the horizon; around him all was silence and -obscurity. For a long time the Indian attentively watched the island: a -secret presentiment warned him that there was the danger for him. - -Still, after careful reflection, the chief resolved to advance a few -paces further, and recross the river at the point opposite this island, -which seemed to him more suspicious because it was so tranquil. However, -before carrying out this plan, a sudden inspiration flashed across his -mind. He dismounted, hid his horse in a thicket, laid aside his rifle -and buffalo robe; then, after attempting to pierce the surrounding -gloom, he stretched himself on the ground, and crawled to the river's -bank. He gently entered the water, and swimming and diving in turn, -proceeded to the island, which he presently reached. - -But at the instant he landed, and was about to rise, an almost -imperceptible sound smote his ear; he fancied he could notice an -extraordinary commotion in the water all around him. Eagle-head plunged -again, and retired from the bank on which he had been on the point of -landing. Suddenly, at the moment he rose to the surface to take in a -fresh supply of air, he saw two burning eyes flashing before him; he -received a violent blow on the chest, and felt a powerful hand clutch -his throat as in a vice. Eagle-head saw that, unless he made a desperate -effort, he would be lost, and he attempted it. Seizing in his turn his -unknown foe who held him by the throat, he clung round him with the -vigour of despair. - -Then a horrible and silent struggle commenced in the river--a sinister -struggle, in which he sought to kill his adversary, without thinking to -repel his attacks. The water, troubled by the efforts of the two -combatants, bubbled as if alligators were engaged. At length a bloody -and disfigured body rose inertly to the surface, and floated. A few -seconds later, and a head appeared above the water, casting startled -glances around. - -At the sight of his enemy's corpse the victor indulged in a diabolical -smile; he seized him by his warlock, and swimming with one hand, dragged -the body, not to the island, but to the mainland. - -Eagle-head had conquered the Apache who attacked him in so unforeseen a -manner. The chief reached the bank, but did not leave the corpse, which -he dragged along till it was completely out of the water; then he lifted -the scalp, placed the hideous trophy in his belt, and remounted his -horse. - -The Indian had divined the Apaches' tactics; the attack of which he had -been so nearly the victim revealed to him the stratagem they designed. -It was unnecessary for him to push his investigations on the island -further. Still, had he abandoned to the current his enemy's corpse, it -would have infallibly floated down among his brothers, and revealed the -presence of a spy; so he had been careful to convey it to the bank, -where no one, save by some extraordinary accident, could discover it -before sunrise. - -The few minutes' rest he had granted his horse would have been -sufficient to restore all its vigour. The chief might have returned to -his friends, for what he had discovered was of immense importance to -them; but Belhumeur had specially recommended him to discover the -strength and nature of the war detachment which was marching on the -colony. Eagle-head was anxious to accomplish his mission; and besides, -the struggle he has undergone, and from which he had emerged as victor -by a miracle, had produced a certain amount of excitement, urging him to -carry out the adventure to the end. - -He plucked a few leaves to stop the blood from a slight wound he had -received in his left arm, fastened them on with a piece of bark, and -rode his horse once more into the river. But, as he had nothing to -examine, and did not wish to be discovered, he took care to pass at a -considerable distance from the island. On the other bank, owing to the -care taken by the Indians to burn everything, the trail was wide and -perfectly visible. In spite of the darkness the chief found no -difficulty in following it. - -The fire kindled by the Indians had not caused such ravages as might be -supposed. All that part of the prairie, with the exception of a few -scattered clumps of poplars at great distances apart, was covered with -long grass, already half burned up by the torrid beams of a summer sun. -This grass had burned rapidly, producing what the incendiaries -desired--a large quantity of smoke, but scarcely heating the ground, -which had allowed the redskins to march rapidly on the colony. - -Owing to his headlong speed, and the few hours those who preceded him -had been compelled to lose, the chief arrived almost simultaneously with -them before the hacienda; that is to say, he came up with them at the -moment when, after making a futile assault on the isthmus battery they -fled pursued by a shower of grape, which decimated their ranks; for, -having burnt everything, they had no trees to shelter them. Still the -majority managed to escape, owing to the speed of their horses. - -Eagle-head found himself unexpectedly in the very midst of the -fugitives. At first each man was too anxious about his own safety to -have time to notice him, and the chief profited by it to turn aside and -step behind a rock. But then a strange thing happened. The chief had -scarce escaped from the fugitives, and examined them for a moment, ere a -strange smile played on his lips; he spurred his horse, and bounded into -the very midst of the Indians, uttering twice a shrill, peculiar cry. At -this cry the Indians stopped in their flight, and rushing from all sides -toward the man who uttered it, they ranged themselves tumultuously -round--the chief with an expression of superstitious fear, and passive -and respectful obedience. - -The Eagle-head looked haughtily on the crowd that surrounded him, for he -was taller by a head than any man present. - -"Wah!" he at length said in a guttural voice, with an accent of bitter -reproach. "Have the Comanches become timid antelopes that they fly like -Apache dogs before the bullets of the palefaces?" - -"Eagle-head! Eagle-head!" the warriors shouted with joy mingled with -shame, looking down before the chiefs flashing glance. - -"Why have my sons left the hunting grounds of the Del Norte without the -order of a sachem? Are they now the _rastreros_ (bloodhounds) of the -Apaches?" - -A suppressed murmur ran through the ranks at this cruel reproach. - -"A sachem has spoken," Eagle-head continued sharply. "Is there no one to -answer him? Have the Comanches of the Lakes no chiefs left to command -them?" - -A warrior then broke through the ranks of the Comanches, approached -Eagle-head, and bowed his head respectfully down to his horse's neck. - -"The Jester is a chief," he said in a gentle and harmonious voice. - -Eagle-head's face was unwrinkled--his features instantaneously lost -their expression of fury. He turned on the warrior who had addressed him -a glance full of tenderness, and, offering him his right hand, palm -upwards,-- - -"Och! My heart is joyous at seeing my son, the Jester. The warriors will -camp here while the two sachems hold a council." - -And making an imperious sign to the chief, he withdrew with him, -followed by the eyes of the redskins, who hastened to obey the order he -had so peremptorily given. Eagle-head and the Jester had gone so far -that their conversation could not be overheard. - -"Let us hold a council," the chief said, as he sat down on a stone, and -signed to the Jester to take a place by his side. The latter obeyed -without reply. There was a long silence, during which the two Indians -examined each other attentively, in spite of the indifference they -affected. At length Eagle-head spoke in a slow and accentuated voice. - -"Eagle-head is a warrior renowned in his nation," he said; "he is the -first sachem of the Comanches of the Lakes; his totem shelters beneath -its mighty and protecting shadow the innumerable sons of the great -sacred tortoise, _Chemiin-Antou_, whose glistening shell has supported the -world since the Wacondah hurled into space the first man and the first -woman after their fault. The words which come from the breast of -Eagle-head are those of a sagamore; his tongue is not forked--a -falsehood never sullied his lips. Eagle-head acted as a father to the -Jester; he taught him how to tame a horse, pierce with his arrows the -rapid antelope, or to stifle in his arms the mighty boar. Eagle-head -loves the Jester, who is the son of his third wife's sister. Eagle-head -gave a place at the council fire to the Jester; he made a chief of him; -and when he went away from the villages of his nation he said to him, -'My son will command my warriors: he will lead them to hunt, to fish and -to war.' Are these words true? Does Eagle-head speak falsely?" - -"My father's words are true," the chief answered with a bow: "wisdom -speaks through his lips." - -"Why, then, has my son allied himself with the enemies of his nation to -fight the friends of his father, the sachem?" - -The chief let his head fall in confusion. - -"Why, without consulting the man who has ever aided and supported him by -his counsel, has he undertaken an unjust war?" - -"An unjust war?" the chief remarked with a certain degree of animation. - -"Yes, as it is carried on in concert with the enemies of our nation." - -"The Apaches are redskins." - -"The Apaches are cowardly and thievish dogs, whose deceitful tongues I -will pluck out." - -"But the palefaces are the enemies of the Indians." - -"Those whom my son attacked last night are not Yoris; they are -the friends of Eagle-head." - -"My father will pardon the warrior: he did not know it." - -"If the Jester really was ignorant of it, is he ready to repair the -fault he has committed?" - -"The Jester has three hundred warriors beneath his totem. Eagle-head has -come: they are his." - -"Good! I see that the Jester is still my well-beloved son. With what -chief has he made alliance? It cannot be with the Black Bear, the -implacable enemy of the Comanches, the man who but four moons past -burned two villages of my nation?" - -"A cloud had passed over the mind of the Jester: his hatred for the -white men blinded him; wisdom deserted him; he has allied himself with -the Black Bear." - -"Wah! Eagle-head did right to return toward the villages of his fathers. -Will my son obey the sachem?" - -"Whatever he orders I will do." - -"Good! Let my son follow me." - -The two chiefs rose. Eagle-head proceeded towards the isthmus, waving -his buffalo robe in his right hand as a sign of peace. The Jester -followed a few paces behind. The Comanches beheld with amazement their -sachems asking an interview with the Yoris; but accustomed to obey their -leaders without discussing the orders they were pleased to give, they -evinced no anger at this step, whose object, however, they did not -understand. The sentries posted behind the isthmus battery easily -distinguished in the moon's rays the pacific movements of the Indians, -and allowed them to come as far as the trench. - -"A sachem wishes an interview with the chief of the palefaces," -Eagle-head then said. - -"Good!" a voice replied in Spanish from the inside. "Wait a -moment--I will send for him." - -The two Comanche warriors bowed, crossed their hands on their breast, -and waited. - -Don Louis and Belhumeur had had a long conversation with Don Sylva and -the count, in which they revealed to them in what way they had learnt -that the Indians meant to attack them; the name of the man who had -informed them so correctly; and his singular conduct, in that, after -having in a measure compelled them to mix themselves up in a dangerous -affair which did not at all concern them, he had suddenly abandoned them -without any valid reason, under the futile pretext of returning to -Guaymas, where he said that important business claimed his presence with -the least possible delay. - -This news had a lively effect on the two hearers: Don Sylva especially, -could not repress a movement of anger on hearing that the man was no -other than Don Martial. He guessed at once the Tigrero's object--that he -hoped to carry off Doña Anita during the confusion. Still Don Sylva -would not impart his suspicions to his future son-in-law, intending to -tell him, were it absolutely necessary, at the last moment, but resolved -to watch his daughter closely, for this sudden departure of Don Martial -seemed to him to conceal a snare. - -Belhumeur then explained to the count the position in which he had -placed the capataz and his peons, and the mission Eagle-head had -undertaken, the result of which he would probably soon come to the -hacienda to tell. The count warmly thanked the two men who, without -knowing him, rendered him such eminent services; he offered them all the -refreshments they might need and then went to give his lieutenant orders -to warn him so soon as an Indian presented himself for a parley. - -On his side, Don Sylva retired with the ostensible object of reassuring -his daughter, but in reality to inspect the sentries stationed at the -rear of the hacienda. When the Comanches attacked the isthmus, the -French, put on their guard, received them so warmly that in the very -first attack the Indians recognised the futility of their attempt, and -retired in disorder. - -Monsieur de Lhorailles was talking with the two visitors about the -incidents of the fight, and was astonished at the prolonged absence of -Don Sylva, who had disappeared during the last hour without leaving a -trace, when Lieutenant Leroux entered the room where the three men were -conversing. - -"What do you want?" the count asked him. - -"Captain," he answered, "two Indians are waiting at the trench for -permission to enter." - -"Two?" Belhumeur asked. - -"Yes, two." - -"That is strange," the Canadian continued. - -"What shall we do?" the count said. - -"Go and have a look at them." - -They proceeded to the battery. - -"Well?" the count said. - -"Well, sir, one of these men is certainly Eagle-head; but I do not know -the other." - -"And your advice is--" - -"To let them come in. As this Indian, who is apparently a chief, comes -in the company of Eagle-head, he can only be a friend." - -"Be it so, then." - -The count gave a signal; the drawbridge was lowered, and the two chiefs -entered. The Indian sachems saluted all present with that native dignity -that distinguishes them, and then Eagle-head, on Belhumeur's invitation, -gave an account of his mission. The Frenchmen listened to him with an -attention mingled with admiration, not only for the skill he had -displayed, but also the courage of which he had given proof. - -"And now," the chief continued on ending his report, "the Jester has -understood the error into which a hatred threw him; he breaks the -alliance he formed with the Apaches, and is resolved to obey in all -respects his father Eagle-head, in order to repent his fault. Eagle-head -is a sachem--his word is granite. He places three hundred Comanche -warriors at the disposition of his brothers the palefaces." - -The count looked hesitatingly at the Canadian: knowing the trickery of -the Indians, he felt a repugnance to trust them. Belhumeur shrugged his -shoulders imperceptibly. - -"The great pale chief thanks my brother Eagle-head: he accepts his offer -with joy. His hand will ever be open, and his heart pure, for the -Comanches. The war detachment of my brother will be divided into two -parts: one, under the command of the Jester, will be concealed on the -other side of the river, to cut off the retreat of the Apaches; the -other will enter the hacienda with Eagle-head, in order to support the -palefaces. The Yori warriors are hidden in the isle, two bow-shots from -the great lodge; they will accompany the Jester." - -"Good!" Eagle-head replied; "all shall be done as my brother desires." - -The two chiefs took leave and withdrew. Belhumeur then explained to the -count the arrangements he had made with the Comanche sachem. - -"Hang it!" De Lhorailles said, "I confess that I have not the slightest -confidence in the Indians. You know that treachery is their favourite -weapon." - -"You do not know the Comanches; and, above all, you do not know -Eagle-head. I take on myself all the responsibility." - -"Act, then, as you please. I am too much indebted to you to thwart your -projects, especially when you are acting for my good." - -Belhumeur went himself to advise the capataz of the change effected in -the defensive measures. The Jester and one hundred and fifty warriors, -accompanied by the forty peons, at once crossed the river, and ambushed -themselves on the opposite bank in a clump of mangroves, ready to appear -at the first signal. The Frenchmen, with Eagle-head and a second troop -of Indians, were left to defend the isthmus, a point where they were -almost certain of not being attacked. All the other colonists concealed -themselves in the dense thickets that masked the rear of the hacienda, -with strict orders to remain invisible till the word was given to fire. -Then, when all the arrangements were made, the count and his comrades -awaited with a beating heart the Indians' attack. They had not long to -wait; and we have seen in what fashion the Black Bear was received. - -The Apache chief was brave as a lion; his warriors were picked men. The -collision was terrible; the redskins did not give way an inch. -Incessantly repulsed, incessantly they returned to the charge, fighting -hand to hand with the French, who, in spite of their bravery, their -discipline, and superiority of weapons, could not rout them. The combat -had degenerated into a horrible carnage, in which the fighters clutched -each other, stabbing and mangling, without loosing hold. Belhumeur saw -that he must attempt a decisive blow to finish with these demons, who -seemed invincible and invulnerable. He stooped down to Louis, who was -fighting by his side, and whispered a few words in his ear. The -Frenchman disembarrassed himself of the foe with whom he was fighting, -and ran off. - -A few minutes later the war cry of the Comanches was heard, strident and -terrible; and the redskin warriors bounded like jaguars on the Apaches, -swinging their clubs and long lances. At first the Black Bear fancied -assistance had arrived for him, and that the colony was in the power of -the allies but this hope did not endure a second. Then demoralisation -seized on the Apaches; they hesitated, and suddenly turned their backs, -rushing into the river, and leaving on the battlefield more than -two-thirds of their comrades. - -The colonists contented themselves with firing a few rounds of canister -at the fugitives, feeling certain they woould not escape the ambuscade -prepared for them. In fact, the musket shots of the peons could soon be -heard mingled with the war-cry of the Comanches. In this unfortunate -expedition the Black Bear lost in an hour the most renowed warriors of -his nation. The chief, covered with wounds, and only accompanied by a -dozen men, escaped with great difficulty from the carnage. The victory -of the French was complete. For a lont time the colony, through his -glorious achievement, was protected from the attacks of the redskins. - -When the combat was ended, people sought in vain in every direction for -Don Sylva and his daughter: both had disappeared, and no one knew how. -This mysterious and inexplicable event struck the inhabitants of the -colony with consternation, and changed the joy of the triumph into -mourning, for the same idea suddenly occurred to all:-- - -"Don Sylva and his daughter have been carried off by the Black Bear!" - -When the count, after repeated researches, was compelled to allow that -the hacendero and his daughter had really disappeared without leaving -the slightest trace, he gave way to all the violence of his character, -vowed a terrible hatred against the Apaches, and swore to pursue them, -without truce or mercy, until he found her whom he considered his wife, -and whose loss destroyed at one blow the brilliant future he had dreamed -of. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA. - - -At the remote period when the Aztecs, guided by the finger of God, -marched forth, without knowing it, to conquer the plateau of Ahanuac, of -which they eventually made the powerful kingdom of Mexico, although -their eyes were constantly turned toward this unknown land, the -permanent object of their greed, they frequently stopped their during -migration, as if fatigue had suddenly overpowered them, and the hope of -ever arriving had failed them. - -In such cases, instead of simply camping on the spot where this -hesitation had affected them, they installed themselves as if they never -intended to go further, and built towns. After so many centuries have -passed away, when their founders have eternally disappeared from the -surface of the globe, the imposing ruins of these cities, scattered over -a space of more than a thousand leagues, still excite the admiration, of -travellers bold enough to confront countless dangers in order to -contemplate them. - -The most singular of these ruins is indubitably that known by the name -of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, which rises about two miles from the -muddy banks of the Rio Gila, in an uncultivated and uninhabited plain, -on the skirt of the terrible sand desert known as the Del Norte. The -site on which this house is built is flat on all sides. The ruins which -once formed a city extend for more than three miles in a southern -direction: and also in the other directions all the ground is covered -with potsherds of every description. Many of these fragments are painted -of various colours--white or blue, red or yellow--which, by the by, is -an evident sign not only that this was an important city, but also that -it was inhabited by Indians differing from those now prowling about this -country, as the latter are completely ignorant of the art of making this -pottery. - -The house is a perfect square, turned to the four cardinal points. All -around are walls, indicating an enceinte inclosing not only a house, but -other buildings, traces of which are perfectly distinct; for a little to -the rear is a building having a floor above, and divided into several -parts. The edifice is built of earth, and, as far as can be seen, with -mud walls; it had the stories above the ground, but the internal -carpentry has long ago disappeared. The rooms, five in number on each -floor, were only lighted, so far as we can judge from the remains, by -the doors, and round holes made in the walls facing to the north and -south. Through these openings the man Amer (_el hombre Amargo_, as the -Indians call the Aztec sovereign) looked at the sun, on its rising and -setting, to salute it. - -A canal, now nearly dry, ran from the river and served to supply the -city with water. - -At the present day these ruins are gloomy and desolate: they are slowly -crumbling away beneath the incessant efforts of the sun, whose burning -rays calcine them, and they serve as a refuge to the hideous vultures -and the urubus which have selected it as their domicile. The Indians -carefully avoid these sinister stations, from which a superstitious -terror, for which they cannot account, keeps them aloof. - -Thus the Comanche, Sioux, Apache, or Pawnee warrior, whom the accidents -of the chase, or any other fortuitous cause, had brought to the vicinity -of this dangerous ruin on the night of the fourth or fifth day of the -cherry moon--_champasciasoni_--that is to say, about a month after the -events we described in the last chapter--would have fled at the top -speed of his horse, a prey to the wildest terror, at the strange -spectacle which would have presented itself to his awe-stricken gaze. - -The old palace of the Aztec kings threw out its gigantic outline on the -azure sky, studded with a brilliant belt of stars. From all the -openings--round or square--formed by human agency or by time in its -dilapidated walls poured floods of reddish light; while songs, shouts, -and laughter incessantly rose from the ruined apartments, and troubled -in their dens the wild beasts, surprised by these sounds, which -disturbed in so unusual a manner the silence of the desert. In the -ruins, beneath the pallid rays of the moon, might be distinguished the -shadows of men and horses grouped round enormous braseros, while a dozen -horsemen, well armed, and leaning on spears, stood motionless as bronze -equestrian statues at the entrance of the house. - -If within the ruins all was noise and light, outside all was shadow and -silence. - -The night slipped away: the moon had already traversed two thirds of her -course; the badly tended braseros went out one after another; the old -mansion alone continued to gleam through the darkness like an ill-omened -lighthouse. - -At this moment the sharp and regular sound of a horse trotting on the -sand re-echoed in the distance. The sentinels stationed at the entrance -of the house with difficulty raised their heads, oppressed by sleep and -the vivid cold of the first morning hours, and looked in the direction -whence the noise of footsteps was audible. - -A horseman appeared at the corner of the road leading to the ruins. The -stranger, paying but little heed to what he saw, continued to advance -boldly toward the house. He passed the ruined wall, and on arriving -within ten paces of the sentries, dismounted, threw the bridle on his -horse's neck, and walked with a firm step toward the sentries, who -awaited him silent and motionless. But when he was about two swords' -lengths from the party all the lances were suddenly levelled at his -breast, a hoarse voice shouted, "Halt!" - -The stranger stopped without a remark. - -"Who are you? What do you want?" asked a horseman. - -"I am a _costeño_. I have taken a long journey to see your captain, with -whom I wish to speak," the stranger said. - -By the pale and flickering rays of the moon the sentry tried in vain to -distinguish the stranger's features; but that was impossible, so -carefully was he wrapped up in his cloak. - -"What is your name?" he asked, in an ill-tempered tone, when he saw that -all his efforts were useless. - -"What need of that? Your chief does not know me, and my name will tell -him nothing." - -"Possibly so, but that concerns yourself. Keep your incognito if you -think proper; still, you must not be angry with me if I do not let you -disturb the captain. He is at this moment supping with his officers, and -certainly would not put himself out in the middle of the night to speak -with a stranger." - -The man could not conceal a sharp movement of annoyance. - -"Possibly so, I will say in my turn," he remarked an instant later. -"Listen. You are an old soldier, I think?" - -"I am one still," the trooper said, drawing himself up proudly. - -"Although you speak Spanish magnificently, I believe I can recognise the -Frenchman in you." - -"I have that honour." - -The stranger chuckled inwardly. He had caught his man: he had found out -his weak point. - -"I am alone," he went on. "You have I know not how many comrades. Allow -me to speak with your captain. What do you fear?" - -"Nothing; but my orders are strict--I dare not break through them." - -"We are in the heart of the desert, more than a hundred leagues -from every civilised abode," the stranger said, pressingly. "You can -understand that very powerful reasons were requisite to make me brave -the numberless dangers of the long journey I have made to speak for a -few moments with the Count de Lhorailles. Would you shipwreck me in -sight of port, when it only requires a little kindness on your part for -me to obtain what I want?" - -The trooper hesitated; the reasons urged by the stranger had half -convinced him. Still, after a few minutes' reflection, he said with a -toss of his head,-- - -"No, it is impossible; the captain is stern, and I do not care to lose -my corporal's stripes. All I can do for you is to allow you to bivouac -here with our men in the open air. Tomorrow it will be day; the captain -will come out; you will speak to him, and arrange matters as you please, -for it will not affect me." - -"Hem!" the stranger said thoughtfully, "it is a long time to wait." - -"Bah!" said the soldier gaily, "a night is soon passed. Besides, it is -your own fault; you are so confoundedly mysterious. A man needn't be -ashamed of his name." - -"But I repeat that your captain never heard mine." - -"What matter if he hasn't? A name is always a name." - -"Ah!" the stranger suddenly said, "I believe I have found a way to -settle everything." - -"Let's hear it: if it is good I will avail myself of it." - -"'Tis excellent." - -"All the better. I am listening." - -"Go and tell the captain that the man who fired a pistol at him a month -back at the Rancho of Guaymas is here, and wishes to speak to him." - -"Eh?" - -"Do you not understand me?" - -"Oh, perfectly." - -"Well, in that case--" - -"Between ourselves, the recommendation seems to me rather scurvy." - -"You think so?" - -"Parbleu! He was all but assassinated by you. What, was it you?" - -"Yes, I and another." - -"I compliment you on it." - -"Thanks. Well, are you not going?" - -"I confess to a certain amount of hesitation." - -"You are wrong. The Count de Lhorailles is a brave man; no one doubts -his courage. He must have retained our chance meeting in pleasant -memory." - -"After all, that's possible; and, besides you are a stranger. I cannot -bear the thought of refusing you so slight a service. I will go. Wait -here, and do not be impatient, for I do not promise you success." - -"I am certain of it." - -The old soldier dismounted with a shrug of his shoulders, and entered -the house. The stranger did not appear to doubt the success of the -corporal's embassy; for, as soon as he had disappeared, he walked up to -the door. In a few moments the corporal returned. - -"Well," the stranger asked, "what answer did the captain give you?" - -"He began laughing and ordered me to bring you in." - -"You see I was right." - -"That's true; but, for all that, an attempted assassination is a droll -recommendation." - -"A meeting," the stranger remarked. - -"I don't know if you call it by that name here; but in France we call it -waylaying. Come on." - -The stranger made no reply; he merely shrugged his shoulders, and -followed the worthy trooper. - -In an immense hall, whose dilapidated walls threatened to collapse, and -to which the star-spangled sky served as roof, four men of stern -features and flashing eyes were seated round a table, served with the -most delicate luxury and the most sensual idea of comfort. They were the -count and the officers forming his staff, namely, Lieutenants Diégo Léon -and Martin Leroux, and Don Sylva's old capataz, Blas Vasquez. - -The count had been encamped with his free company for the last five days -in the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. After the attack on the colony by -the Apaches, the count, in the hope of finding again his betrothed, who -had disappeared in so mysterious a way during the action, and most -probably had been carried off by the Indians, immediately formed the -resolution of executing the orders government had given him long -previously, and which he had hitherto delayed obeying, with pretexts -more or less plausible; but in reality because he did not care, brave as -he was, to have a fight with the redskins, who were so resolute and -difficult to overcome, especially when attacked on their own territory. -The count drew one hundred and twenty Frenchmen from the colony, to whom -the capataz, who burned to recover and deliver his master and young -mistress, added thirty resolute peons, so that the strength of the -little troop amounted to one hundred and fifty well-armed and -experienced horsemen. - -The count had asked the hunters, whose help had also been so precious to -him, to accompany him. He would have been happy to have not only -companions so intrepid, but also guides so sure as they to lead him on the -trail of the Indians, whom he was determined to follow up and -exterminate. But Count Louis and his two friends, without giving any -further excuse than the necessity of continuing their journey at once, -took leave of Lhorailles, peremptorily refusing the brilliant offers he -made them. - -The count was compelled to put up with the capataz and his peons. -Unfortunately these men were _costeños_ or inhabitants of the seaboard, -perfectly well acquainted with the coast, but entirely ignorant of all -relating to the _tierra adentro_ or interior countries. It was, -therefore, under this inexperienced guidance that the count left Guetzalli -and marched into Apacheria. - -The expedition began under favourable auspices: twice were the redskins -surprised by the French at an interval of a few days, and mercilessly -massacred. The count wished to make no prisoners, in the hope of -imprinting terror on the hearts of these barbarous savages. All the -Indians who fell alive into the hands of the French were shot, and then -hung on the trees, head downwards. - -Still, after these two encounters, so disastrous for them, the Indians -appeared to have taken the hint; and, in spite of all the count's -efforts, he found it impossible to catch them again. The summary justice -exercised by the count appeared not only to have attained, but even -outstripped the object he designed; for the Indians suddenly became -invisible. For about three weeks the count sought their trail, but was -unable to discover it. At length, on the eve of the day on which we take -up our story again, some seven or eight hundred horses, apparently free -(for according to the Indian custom, their riders lying on their flanks, -were nearly invisible), entered the ruins about midday, and rushed on -the Casa Grande at a frightful pace. - -A discharge of musketry from behind the hastily erected barricades -hurled disorder in their ranks, though it did not check the impetus of -their attack, and they fell like lightning on the French. The Apaches -had plucked up a spirit. Half naked, with their heads laden with plumes, -their long buffalo robes fluttering in the wind, steering their horses -with their knees, the Indian warriors had a warlike aspect capable of -inspiring the most resolute men with terror. The French received them -boldly, however, although deafened by the horrible yells their enemies -uttered, and blinded by the long barbed arrows which rained around them -like hail. - -But the Apaches, as much as the French, wished for no mere skirmish. By -a common accord they rushed on each other in a hand-to-hand fight. In -the midst of the Indian warriors, the Black Bear could be easily -recognised by his long plume and the eagle feathers planted in his -war-tuft. The chief urged his men on to avenge their preceding defeats by -seizing the Casa Grande. Then one of those fearful frontier actions -began, in which no prisoners are made, and which render any description -impossible through the ferocity both parties display, and the cruelties -of which they are guilty. The _bolas perdidas_, bayonet, and lance were -the only weapons employed. This fight, during which the Indians were -incessantly reinforced, lasted more than two hours, and the defenders of -the barricades allowed themselves to be killed sooner than yield an inch -of ground. - -Beginning to hope that the Indians must be wearied by so long a struggle -and such an obstinate defence, the French redoubled their efforts, when -suddenly the cry of "Treason! Treason!" was heard in their rear. The -count and the capataz, who fought in the first ranks of the volunteers -and peons, turned round. The position was critical. The French were -really caught between two fires. The Little Panther, at the head of the -fifty warriors, had turned the position, and taken the barricades in -reverse. The Indians, mad with joy at such perfect success, cut down all -they came across, uttering the wild yells of triumph. - -The count took a long glance at the battlefield, and his determination -was at once formed. He said a couple of words to the capataz, who -returned to the head of his combatants, warned them what to do, and -watched for the favourable moment to carry out his chiefs instructions. -For his part the count had lost no time. Seizing a barrel of powder, he -put into it a piece of lighted candle, and hurled it into the densest -ranks of the Indians, where it burst almost immediately, causing -irreparable injury. The terrified Apaches fell into disorder, and fled -in every direction to avoid being struck by the fragments of this novel -shell. Profiting cleverly by the respite produced by the barrel among -the assailants, the adventurers led by the capataz turned and rushed on -the Little Panther's band, which was only a few paces off by this time. -The spot was not favourable for the Indians, who, collected in a narrow -entry, could not manoeuvre their horses. The Little Panther and the -Apaches rushed forward with yells. The French, as brave and as skillful -as their adversaries, boldly awaited with levelled bayonets the shock of -the tremendous avalanche, which fell upon them with blinding speed. The -redskins were driven back. The rout commenced, and the Apaches began -flying in every direction. The count sent several peons after them, who -returned toward nightfall, stating that the Apaches, after reforming, had -entered the desert. - -The count, although satisfied with the victory he had gained (for the -enemy's loss was tremendous), did not consider it decisive, as the Black -Bear had escaped, and he had been unable to recover the person he had -sworn to save. He gave orders to his _cuadrilla_ to prepare for a -forward march in the desert, and on the next day the French would -definitely leave the Casa Grande. - -The count fêted with his officers the victory gained on the previous -day, and urged them to drink to the success of the expedition they were -going to attempt on the morrow. Flushed by the numerous potations he had -made, by the repeated toasts he had drunk, as well as by the hope of -complete success ere long, the count was in the best possible temper to -hear the singular message the old corporal delivered so much against the -grain. - -"And what sort of fellow is he?" he asked, when the other had performed -his task. - -"On my word, captain," the corporal answered, "so far as I could see, he -is stout, well-built young fellow, and gifted with a sufficient stock of -assurance, not to speak more strongly." - -The count reflected for a moment. - -"Shall I have him shot?" the soldier asked, taking this silence for a -condemnation. - -"Plague take it, what a hurry you are in, Boiland!" the count said -laughing and looking up. "No, no; this scamp's arrival is a piece of -good luck for us. On the contrary, bring him here with the utmost -politeness." - -The soldier bowed and retired. - -"Gentlemen," the count continued, "you remember the trap to which I -almost fell a victim: a certain amount of mystery, which I have never -been able to fathom, has since surrounded this affair. The man who asks -speech of me has come, I feel a presentiment, in order to give me the -key to many things which have hitherto been incomprehensible." - -"Señor conde," the capataz observed, "pray take care. You do not yet -know the character of our people; this man may come to draw you into a -snare." - -"For what purpose?" - -"_¿Quién sabe_?" Blas Vasquez answered, employing that phrase which in -Spanish is so meaning, and which it is difficult to translate into our -tongue. - -"Bah, bah!" the count said. "Trust in me, Don Blas, to unmask this -scamp, if he be a spy, as I do not suppose." - -The capataz contented himself with an almost imperceptible shrug of his -shoulders. The count was one of those men whose lofty and arrogant mind -rendered any discussion impossible. The Europeans, and, before all, the -French in America, display towards the natives--white, half-breed, or -redskins--a contempt which breaks out in their language and actions, -persuaded they stand intellectually far above the inhabitants of the -country in which they happen to be, they display towards them an -insulting pity, and amuse themselves with continually turning them into -ridicule, by mocking either their habits or their belief, and in their -hearts grant them an amount of instinct not greatly superior to that of -the brute. - -This opinion is not only unjust, but it is also entirely false. The -American Hispanos, it is true, are very far behindhand as regards -civilisation, trade, mechanical arts, &c.: progress with them is slow, -because perpetually impeded by the superstitions that form the basis of -their faith; but we ought not to make these people responsible for a -state of things from which they are eager to emerge, and for which the -Spaniards are alone culpable, owing to the system of brutalising -oppression and crushing abjectness in which they kept them. The grinding -tyranny which for several centuries weighed Indians down, by rendering -them the utter slaves of haughty and implacable masters, has given them -the characteristics of slaves--cunning and cowardice. - -With a few honourable exceptions, the mass of the Indian population -especially--for the whites have advanced with giant steps in the path of -progress during the past few years--is scampish, cunning, cowardly, and -depraved. Thus it ever happens that when a European and a half-breed -come into collision, the white man, instead of the intelligence he -boasts, is duped by the Indian. It is so well recognised as an article -of faith in Spanish America, that the half-breeds and Indians are poor -irrational creatures, gifted at the most with enough intelligence to -live from hand to mouth that the whites proudly call themselves _gente -de razón._ - -We are bound to add that, after a few years' residence in America, the -opinions of the Europeans with regard to the half-breeds are greatly -modified, because a little acquaintance with the country enables them to -take a more healthy view of the people with whom they are mixed up. But -the Count de Lhorailles had not reached that stage: he only saw in the -Indian or half-breed a being all but lacking reason, and dealt with -him on that erroneous principle. This belief was destined, at a later -date, to bear most terrible consequences. - -The count had noticed the shrug of the shoulders the capataz gave, and -was about to reply to him, when the corporal reappeared, followed by the -stranger, on whom all eyes were at once fixed. The stranger bore without -flinching the cross fire of glances, and, while remaining completely -wrapped up in the folds of his large cloak, saluted the company with -unparalleled ease. The appearance of this man in the banqueting hall -infected the guests with a feeling of uneasiness they would have been -unable to explain, but which suddenly rendered them dumb. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -CUCHARES. - - -The silence began to grow embarrassing to all, and the count speedily -noticed this. As a thorough gentleman, accustomed to command immediately -the most exceptional and difficult positions, he rose, walked toward the -stranger with outstretched hand, and turning to his officers,-- - -"Gentlemen," he said, with a peculiar inflection of voice, and bowing -courteously, "allow me to present to you this _caballero_, whose name I -am not yet acquainted with, but who, from what he has himself said, is -one of my most intimate enemies." - -"Oh, señor conde!" the unknown said, in a stifled voice. - -"I am delighted at it," the count said quickly. "Pray do not contradict -me, my dear enemy, but be good enough to take a seat by my side." - -"I never was your enemy; the proof is that I have ridden two hundred -leagues to ask a service of you." - -"It is granted ere mentioned; so put off serious matters till tomorrow. -Take a glass of champagne." - -The unknown bowed, seized the glass, and said, bowing to the company,-- - -"Gentlemen, I drink to the fortunate issue of your expedition." - -And lifting the glass to his lips, he emptied it at a draught. - -"You are a famous companion, sir. I thank you for your toast; it is of -good omen to us." - -"Commandant, pray be kind enough," Lieutenant Martin said, "to tell us -as speedily as possible your amusing relations with this caballero." - -"I would do so with pleasure, señores; but I should first like to ask -this caballero, who states he has ridden so far to see me, to break an -incognito which has lasted too long already, and to inform us of his -name, so that we may know whom we have the honour of greeting." - -The stranger began laughing, and, allowing the fold of his cloak, which -had hitherto concealed his face, to fall, replied:-- - -"With the greatest pleasure, caballeros; but I fancy that my name, like -my face, will teach you nothing. We only met once, señor conde, and -during that interview the night was too dark, and the conversation -between yourself and my comrade too animated, for my features to have -deeply imprinted on your memory, even had you seen them." - -"It is true, señor," the count replied, after attentively examining his -features. "I am free to confess that I do not remember ever having seen -you before." - -"I was sure of it." - -"Then," the count exclaimed hotly, "why do you so obstinately hide your -face?" - -"Come, sir count, I probably had my reasons for doing so. Who knows if -you may not some day have cause to regret making me break an incognito -which I probably had reasons for maintaining?" - -These words were pronounced in a sarcastic voice, mingled with a menace, -which each could read in spite of the stranger's apparent coolness. - -"It is of little consequence, señor," the count said haughtily. "I am -one of those men whose sword supports his words; so now have the -goodness to give me your name without further excuses or vacillation." - -"Which will you have, caballero--my _nom de guerre_, or any other of my -aliases?" - -"Any one you please," the count said furiously, "so long as you give us -one." - -The stranger rose, and, turning a haughty glance on all present, said in -a firm voice,-- - -"I told you on entering this room, caballero, that I had ridden two -hundred leagues to ask a service of you. I deceived you. I expect -nothing of you, neither service nor favour; on the contrary, I wish to -be useful to you. I have come for that purpose, and no other. What need -of your knowing who I am, or what my name is, as I shall not be your -obligé, but you mine?" - -"The greater reason, caballero, for you to unmask. I will respect the -quality of guest you claim here, and not make you do by force what I ask -of you; but remember this, I am resolved, whatever may happen, to listen -to nothing, and beg you to withdraw immediately, if you refuse any -longer to satisfy my wishes." - -"You will repent of it, señor conde," the stranger replied, with a -sardonic smile. "One word more, and a last one. I consent to make myself -known to you privately, the more so as what I have to tell you must only -be heard by yourself." - -"By Bacchus!" Lieutenant Martin exclaimed, "this surpasses all belief, -and such persistency is extraordinary." - -"I know not if I am mistaken," the capataz exclaimed meaningly; "but I -am certain I hold a great place in the mystery with which this caballero -surrounds himself, and that if he fears anybody here it is I." - -"You are quite correct, señor Don Blas," the stranger said with a bow. -"You see that I know you. You know me too, if not by face, fortunately -for me at this moment, by name and repute. Well, rightly or wrongly, I -am convinced that were I to pronounce that name before you, you would -induce your friend not to listen to me." - -"And what would happen then?" the capataz interrupted him. - -"A great misfortune probably," the stranger said in a firm voice. "You -see that I act frankly with you, whatever your opinion may be. I only -ask of the count ten minutes' conversation; after that he can do -whatever he pleases with the secret I intrust to him, and the news I -bring him." - -There was a moment's silence. The count examined the stranger's calm -face while reflecting profoundly. At length the unknown rose, and, -bowing to the count, said,-- - -"Which am I to do, señor--stay or go?" - -The count turned a piercing glance upon him, which the other endured -without betraying the slightest emotion. - -"Stay!" he said. - -"Good!" the unknown remarked, and seated himself again on the _butaca_. - -"Gentlemen," continued the count, addressing his guests, "you have -heard, be kind enough to excuse me for a few moments." - -The officers rose and withdrew without any reply. The capataz was the -last to go, after bending on the unknown one of those glances which -ransack the depths of a man's heart. But this glance, like the count's, -produced no effect on the stranger's cold, impassive face. - -"Now, señor," said the count to the stranger, as soon as they were -alone, "I am awaiting the fulfilment of your promise." - -"I am ready to satisfy you." - -"What is your name? Who are you?" - -"Pardon me, sir," the stranger replied with easy raillery, "if we go on -thus it will take a long time, and you will learn nothing, or very -little." - -The count repressed with difficulty a gesture of impatience. - -"Proceed as you think proper," he said. - -"Good! In that way we shall soon understand each other." - -"I am listening." - -"You are strange, señor, in this country. Having arrived a few months -back only, you do not yet know the habits and customs of the -inhabitants. Relying on the knowledge you attained in your own country, -you fancied, on arriving among us, that you could do exactly as you -pleased, because your intelligence was so superior to ours, and you have -acted accordingly." - -"To your story, señor!" interrupted the count passionately. - -"I am coming to it, señor. Owing to powerful protectors, you found -yourself at once placed in an exceptional position. You have founded a -magnificent colony in the richest province of Mexico, on the desert -frontier. You then asked and obtained from government the rank of -captain, with the right to raise a free corps composed exclusively of -your own countrymen, specially intended to hunt the Apaches, Comanches, -&c. That is easy to understand for we Mexicans are such cowards." - -"Señor, señor! I would remind you that all you are now saying is at -least useless," the count angrily exclaimed. - -"Not so much as you suppose," the other said, still perfectly calm; "but -set your mind at ease. I have finished, and now reach the point which -specially interests you. I only wished to let you see that if you did -not know _me_, I, on the other hand, know more of you than you -imagined." - -The count struck the table with his fist and stamped his foot as an -outlet for his passion. - -"I will go on," the unknown continued. "Certainly, on landing in Mexico, -however great your ambition might be, you did not expect to gain such a -brilliant position in so short a time. Facile fortune is a bad adviser. -The too much of yesterday becomes the not enough of today. When you saw -that you succeeded in everything, you wished to crown your work by a -masterstroke, and shelter yourself for ever from the freaks of that -fortune which is today your slave, but might suddenly turn its back on -you tomorrow. I do not blame you. You acted like a clever gambler; and, -being afflicted with that vice myself, I can appreciate in others a -quality I do not myself possess. - -"Oh," the count said. - -"Patience! I am there now. You looked around you, and your eyes were -naturally fixed on Don Sylva de Torrés. That caballero combined all the -qualities you sought in a father-in-law, for what you wished was to -contract a rich marriage. Ah! You no longer interrupt me. It seems that -the account I am giving of your own history is becoming interesting. Don -Sylva is kind-hearted and credulous; moreover, he has a colossal -fortune, even for this country, where fortunes are so large; and Doña -Anita is a charming girl. In short, you introduced yourself to Don -Sylva. You asked his daughter's hand, which he promised you, and the -marriage should have come off a month ago. And now, caballero, be good -enough to redouble your attention, for I am entering on the most -interesting part of my narrative." - -"Continue, señor; you see that I am listening with all necessary -patience." - -"You shall be rewarded for your complaisance, caballero, be at rest," -the unknown said with a tinge of mockery. - -"I am anxious to hear the end of your story, señor." - -"Here you have it. Unfortunately for your schemes, Doña Anita was not -consulted by her father in the choice of a husband: for a long time she -had secretly loved a young man who had done her important service." - -"And you know the man's name?" - -"Yes, señor." - -"Tell it me." - -"Not yet. This man returned her love. The two young people met without -Don Sylva's knowledge, and swore an eternal love. When Doña Anita was -constrained by her father to regard you as her husband she feigned -submission, for she did not dare openly to resist her father; but she -warned the man she loved, and the couple, after renewing their love -vows, thought on a way to break off this fatal marriage." - -The count had risen several moments back, and was now pacing the room. -At the last words he stopped before the stranger. - -"Then," he said in a gloomy voice, "the attempted assassination at the -Rancho--" - -"Was a means employed by the lover to get rid of you? Yes, señor," the -stranger calmly said. - -"This man, then, is only a dastardly assassin!" he said contemptuously. - -"You are wrong, caballero; he only wished to compel you to retire. The -proof is that your life was in his hands and he did not take it." - -"To the point, then!" the count exclaimed. "Assassin or not, you will -tell me his name, for you have finished now, I suppose?" - -"Not yet. After the meeting at the Rancho you proceeded to your -hacienda, accompanied by your future father-in-law and wife. Even then, -without leaving you a moment's rest, the hatred of Doña Anita's lover -pursued you: the Apaches attacked you. - -"Well?" - -"Well, need I give you further explanation? Cannot you understand that -this man was in league with the redskins?" - -"And Doña Anita knew it?" - -"I will not affirm that positively, but it is probable." - -"Oh!" - -"Was not the game well played?" - -The count bit his lips till the blood began to flow. - -"And you know who carried Doña Anita off?" - -"I do." - -"It was not the redskins?" - -"No." - -"That man, then?" - -"Yes." - -"But her father was carried off to?" - -"I know it; but it was not at all with his will, I assure you." - -"Where is Don Sylva now?" - -"Quietly at home at Guaymas." - -"Is his daughter with him?" - -"No." - -"She is with that man, I suppose?" - -"You are a perfect sorcerer." - -"And you know where they are?" - -"I do." - -Quick as lightning the count bounded on the stranger, seized him by the -collar with his left hand, and, placing a pistol against his breast, -shouted in a hoarse voice,-- - -"Now, villain, you will tell me where they are!" - -"Is that the game we are playing?" the stranger said. "Well, as you -please, caballero." - -Then throwing back his cloak quickly, he aimed at the count two pistols -which he held in either hand. The stranger's movement had been so rapid -that the count was unable to prevent it. Besides, a sudden idea occurred -to him at the moment. Lowering his pistol, and thrusting it back in his -girdle, he muttered,-- - -"I was mad: pardon that angry movement." - -"Most heartily," the unknown replied, laying his pistols on the table -within reach. - -"Pardon me again. Now that I reflect on what you have just told me, I -see that your object was to be of service to me." - -The stranger made a gesture of affirmation. - -"But there is one thing I cannot explain." - -"What is that?" - -"The manner in which you have told me all these details." - -"Oh! That is simple enough." - -"I shall feel obliged by your explanation." - -"With pleasure, caballero. Two men attacked you at the Rancho." - -"Yes." - -"I am he who pulled you off your horse." - -"Oh!" the count said, with a singular intonation in his voice. - -"In a word, my name is Cucharés! I am a lepero; that is to say, I like -the sun better than the shade, rest than work, and would sooner stab a -man, when properly paid for it, than do a good action which brings in -nothing. You comprehend me?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Then we can come to an understanding?" - -"I think so." - -"Well, so do I, and that is the reason I have come to you." - -"One question more." - -"Ask it." - -"At this moment you are betraying your friends?" - -"I? Who?" - -"The persons you have hitherto served." - -"A man like myself, caballero, has no friends, only customers." - -"Friends or customers, you are betraying them." - -"Pooh! We have settled our accounts. They owe me nothing, nor I them. We -are quits. Look ye, caballero: in every business there are two sides, -which a skilful man can work equally well. I have drawn all I could from -the first, so I am going to try the other now." - -The count heard the lepero develope this strange theory with an amazement -mingled with terror. A cynicism so ripe and shameless terrified him and -yet the count was not excessively thin-skinned. - -"We will agree, then, that you have come to do me a service." - -The lepero smiled. - -"Let us understand one another," continued he. "I say so not to startle -the consciences of the gentlemen who were present on my entrance; but -between ourselves, I will be more frank." - -"Which means?" - -"That I have come to sell it to you." - -"Be it so!" - -"I shall want a long price." - -"Good!" - -"A very long price." - -"No matter, if it is worth it." - -"Come," the lepero exclaimed joyfully, "you are just the man I expected -to find you. Well, you can trust in me." - -"I must do so, I suppose." - -"What would you? It is the way of the world. Today my turn, tomorrow -yours. Bah! You will have no cause to regret a few thousand piastres." - -"First, then, my rival's name." - -"It will cost you fifty ounces, and you cannot think it dear." - -"Here they are," the count said, arranging them on the table. - -The lepero made them disappear in a second in his large pockets. - -"The name of your rival, caballero, is Don Martial. He is a Tigrero, and -very rich." - -"I fancy I have heard Don Sylva mention that name." - -"It is probable. Don Sylva cannot endure Don Martial, especially since -he saved Doña Anita's life." - -"I remember that circumstance too; Don Sylva frequently mentioned it to -me. And now, how did Don Martial carry the girl off?" - -"Very easily, the more so as she wished nothing better than to follow -him. During your fight with the Apaches he placed Doña Anita in a canoe, -into which I had already thrown her father, gagged and tied; then we -went off, all four of us. All through the night we kept to the river, so -as to leave no traces of our flight, and by daybreak had covered fifteen -leagues. No longer fearing discovery, we landed. Indios Mansos sold us -some horses. Don Martial ordered me to take the young girl's father to -Guaymas, and I fulfilled this difficult commission with all honour. Don -Sylva was unwilling to follow me; but at last I managed to get him into -his own house, where I left him, and went back to Don Martial, who had -requested me to bring him certain things, and was awaiting me at a spot -agreed on between us." - -"Ah!" the count said, "and how did you come to leave him?" - -"Good gracious, caballero! We separated, as so often happens to the best -of friends, in consequence of a misunderstanding." - -"Very good! He turned you off?" - -"Nearly so, I am obliged to confess." - -"Have you left him long?" - -The lepero winked his right eye. - -"No," he answered. - -"Can you lead me to the spot where he now is?" - -"Yes, whenever you please." - -"Very good! Is it far?" - -"No, but pardon me, caballero, let us settle matters at once. Are you -agreeable?" - -"Let us see." - -"How much will you give me to learn at what spot Don Martial and Doña -Anita are concealed?" - -"Two hundred ounces." - -"Hand them over." - -"Here they are." - -The count took some handfuls of money from an iron box in a corner of -the room, and gave them to the lepero. - -"There is a pleasure in dealing with you," said Cucharés, as he sent -these ounces to join the others with admirable celerity. "Thus you see I -was quite right when I told you that I was going to do you a service." - -"It is true, and I thank you. Where are Don Martial and the Doña?" - -"At the mission of Don Francisco. But now I must ask permission to leave -you." - -"Not yet." - -"Why not?" - -"For two reasons; the first, because, in spite of all the confidence I -have in you, nothing has yet proved to me that you have told the truth." - -"Oh!" said the lepero with a gesture of denial. - -"I know very well I am mistaken; but what would you have? I am naturally -suspicious." - -"Good! I will remain. But now for your second reason." - -"This is it. I have in my turn a service to ask of you." - -"To be paid for?" - -"Of course." - -"I am listening." - -"I will give you a hundred ounces to lead me to my rival." - -"Canarios!" the lepero exclaimed. - -"One hundred ounces," the count said again. - -"I understand you. One hundred ounces--a fine sum. But look ye, count: -I am a costeño, and a lepero in the bargain. This desert life does not -suit my temperament and injures my health. I have taken an oath to have -no more of it. The road from here to the mission is difficult. We shall -have to cross the desert. No, taking all things into consideration, it -is impossible." - -"That is unlucky," coldly replied the count. - -"It is." - -"Because," he continued, "I would have given you not one, but two -hundred ounces." - -"Eh?" asked the other, cocking his ears. - -"But as you refuse--you do so, I think?--I shall be obliged, to my great -regret to have you shot." - -"What do you say?" the lepero exclaimed, with a movement of terror. - -"By'r Lady!" the count said simply, "my dear fellow, you are so clever in -business matters that, having found two sides of a question, I am -terribly frightened lest you should find a third." - -And before Cucharés could prevent him he seized the pistols that lay on -the table. The lepero turned livid. - -"Pardon me, pardon me," he said in an ill-assured voice. "As you desire -it so eagerly, I must please you to the best of my power. I accept the -two hundred ounces." - -"Very good!" the count exclaimed. "I thought, too, that we should come -to an understanding." - -He went to fetch the money from the iron chest; but, as he turned his -back on the lepero, he could not see the singular smile that curved his -lips. Had he done so, he would not have chanted his victory so loudly. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK. - - -The lepero's story, true in its foundation, was utterly false and -erroneous in its details. Perhaps, however, he had an interest in -deceiving the Count de Lhorailles, which the reader will be able to -judge of better after reading the following chapter. - -After escaping so miraculously from the hands of the Apaches, into -whose power he had fallen, Cucharés dived and sought the centre of the -river. On mounting to the surface again to take breath, he looked around -him: he was alone. The lepero stifled a cry of joy, and, after a -moment's reflection, swam vigorously in the direction of the mangroves, -where Don Martial, warned by the signal he had been compelled to give, -had doubtlessly been awaiting him some time. With a few strokes he -reached the trees, beneath whose shade he disappeared. But another piece -of good luck awaited him there: the canoe, abandoned to itself, had -floated up against the trunk of a tree, and remained stationary. - -Cucharés, leaving the water, soon succeeded in emptying the canoe and -making it float again. These boats are so light that they can be easily -emptied, for in these regions they are made of birch bark, which the -Indians strip from the tree by means of boiling water. - -He had scarce landed ere a shadow bent over him and muttered in his -ear:-- - -"You have been a long time." - -The lepero gave a start of terror; but he recognised Don Martial. In a -very few words he explained to him all that happened. - -"It is all the better, as you have come here," the Tigrero said. "Hide -yourself in the mangroves, and do not stir under any pretext until I -return." - -And he rapidly retired. Cucharés obeyed with more zeal because he heard -at no great distance from him the sound of the obstinate contest going -on at that moment between the French and Apaches. Don Martial, dagger in -hand, in readiness for any event, had glided like a phantom up to a -clump of floripondins, where Doña Anita awaited him all trembling. Just -as he was going to pull back the branches that separated him from the -young girl, he stopped with panting breast and frowning brow. She was -not alone. Her voice, quivering with emotion or anger, was harsh and -imperious, whom could she be speaking to? Who was the man that had -succeeded in discovering her in this retired spot, where she fancied -herself so well concealed, and who, it seemed, was trying to force her -to follow him? The Tigrero listened. Soon he made a gesture of anger and -menace. He had recognised the voice of the man with whom Doña Anita was -talking: it was her father. - -All was lost! - -The hacendero was trying to lead his daughter in the direction of the -buildings; while employing the most convincing reasons. He did not -appear to suspect the motive which had brought his daughter to that -spot. Doña Anita refused to go away, alleging the danger of being met by -an Indian marauder, and thus falling into the danger she so earnestly -wished to avoid. - -Don Martial struck his brow; a singular smile played on his lips; his -eyes flashed fire, and he noiselessly slipped back to the river bank. -Still the combat was going on: at times it appeared to draw -nearer--oaths and yells could be distinguished; at others, flashes lit -up the scene, and a shower of bullets whizzed through the air with that -sharp, hissing sound which terrifies novices in warfare. - -"In the name of Heaven, my beloved daughter," Don Sylva urged, "come! We -have not a moment to lose; in a few seconds our retreat may be perhaps -cut off. Come, I implore you!" - -"No, my father!" she said, shaking her head. "I am resigned: whatever -may happen, I repeat to you, I will not leave this spot." - -"It is madness," the hacendero exclaimed in great grief. "You wish to -die, then?" - -"What matter to me?" she said sorrowfully. "Am I not condemned in every -way? Heaven is my witness, father, that I would gladly die to escape the -marriage prepared for me." - -"My daughter, in the Virgin's name----" - -"What do you care, father, whether I fall into the hands of Pagan -savages today, when tomorrow you would surrender me with your own hands -to a man I detest?" - -"Speak not to me thus, daughter. Besides, the moment is very badly -chosen, it seems to me, for a discussion like this. Come, the shouts are -growing more furious; it will soon be too late." - -"Go, if you think proper," she said resolutely. "I shall remain here, -whatever may happen." - -"As it is so, as you obstinately resist me, I will employ force to -compel your obedience." - -The girl threw her left arm round the trunk of a cedar tree, and looking -with intense resolution at her father, exclaimed,-- - -"Do so if you dare, O my father! But I warn you that, at the first step -you take toward me, that will happen which you want to avoid. I will -utter such piercing shrieks that they must reach the ears of the Pagans, -who will run up." - -Don Sylva stopped in hesitation: he knew his daughter's firm and -determined character, and that she would at once put this threat in -execution. A few minutes elapsed, during which father and daughter stood -face to face, not uttering a word, or making even a gesture. - -Suddenly the branches were noisily parted, yielding a passage to two -men, or rather two demons, who, rushing with panther bounds on the -hacendero, hurled him to the ground. Before Don Sylva was able to -recognise the enemies who attacked him so unexpectedly by the pale beams -of the stars, he was gagged and bound, while a handkerchief twisted -round his head hid from him all external objects, and prevented him -seeing what his daughter's fate might be. The latter, at this sudden -attack, uttered a cry of terror, at once prudently checked, for she had -recognised Don Martial. - -"Silence!" the Tigrero hurriedly said in a low voice. "I could manage in -no other way. Come, come, your father, you know, is a sacred object to -me." - -The girl made no reply. At a sign from Don Martial, Cucharés seized Don -Sylva, threw him on his shoulders, and went toward the mangroves. - -"Where are we going?" Doña Anita asked in a trembling voice. - -"To a place where we can be happy together," the Tigrero answered -gently, as he lifted her with a passionate movement, and ran off with her -to the canoe. Doña Anita made no resistance: she smiled and threw her -arms round her lover's neck to keep her balance during this -steeplechase, in which Don Martial leaped from branch to branch, holding -on by the creepers and encouraging his lovely burden by signs and looks. -Cucharés had placed Don Sylva in the bottom of the canoe, and, paddles -in hand, was impatiently awaiting the Tigrero's arrival: for the combat -seemed doubled in intensity, although, from the number of musket shots, -it was easy to see that victory would rest with the French. - -"What shall we do?" Cucharés inquired. - -"Get into the middle of the river, and slip down with the current." - -"But our horses?" - -"Let us save ourselves first; we will think of the horses afterwards. It -is evident that the white men are the victors. As soon as the fight is -over, Count de Lhorailles will send everywhere in search of his guests. -It is important not to leave any trail, for the French are demons, and -would find us again." - -"Still, I fancy--" Cucharés timidly observed. - -"Be off!" said the Tigrero in a peremptory tone, kicking the canoe -vigorously from the bank. - -The first moments of the voyage passed in silence: each reflected on the -peculiar position in which he was placed. - -Don Martial had assumed a tremendous responsibility by staking, as it -were, on one throw the happiness of the girl he loved and his own. -Besides, the hacendero lying at the bottom of the canoe gave him great -subject for thought. The position was grave, the solution difficult. - -Doña Anita, with drooping head and absent glance, was dreamily letting -her dainty hand glide through the water over the side of the canoe. - -Cucharés, while paddling furiously, was thinking that the life he led -was anything rather than agreeable, and that he was far happier at -Guaymas, as he lay with his head in the shade, and his feet in the sun, -in the church porch, enjoying his siesta, refreshed by the sea breeze, -and lulled to sleep by the mysterious murmur of the surf on the shingle. - -As for Don Sylva de Torrés, he was not reflecting. A prey to one of -those dumb passions which, if they lasted any length of time, must end -in insanity, he frantically bit the gag that shut his mouth, and writhed -in his bonds, while unable to break them. - -The various sounds of the contest gradually died out. For some time -longer the travellers remained silent, absorbed not only in their -thoughts, but affected by that gentle melancholy produced on all nervous -natures by that solemn calmness and striking harmony of the wilderness, -whose sublime and majestic grandeur no human pen is capable of -describing. - -The stars were beginning to pale in the sky: an opal line was vaguely -drawn in the horizon: the clumsy alligators were quitting the mud and -going in search of their morning meal; the owls, perched on the trees, -were saluting the approaching sunrise; the coyotes glided in startled -bands along the shore, uttering their hoarse barks; the wild beasts were -retreating to their hidden dens, heavy with sleep and fatigue; day was -on the point of breaking. Doña Anita leaned coquettishly on Don -Martial's shoulder. - -"Where are we going?" she asked him in a gentle resigned voice. - -"We are flying," he laconically answered. - -"We have been descending the river in this way for more than six hours, -borne by the current and helped by your four vigorously-pulled paddles. -Are we not out of reach of danger?" - -"Yes, long ago. It is not any fear of the French which troubles me -now--" - -"What then?" - -The Tigrero pointed to Don Sylva, who, having exhausted his strength and -passion, had at length tacitly recognised his powerlessness, and was -sleeping quite exhausted. - -"Alas!" she said, "You are right. Things can not go on thus, my friend; -the position is intolerable." - -"If you will allow me to act as I think proper, before a quarter of an -hour your father will thank me." - -"Do you not know that I am entirely yours?" - -"Thanks!" he said. Turning to Cucharés, he muttered a few words in his -ear. - -"Ah, ah! That is an idea," the lepero said with a grin. Two minutes -later the canoe ran ashore. Don Sylva, delicately borne by two powerful -hands, was carried ashore without waking. - -"Now it is your turn," Don Martial said to the girl: "for the success of -the scheme I have formed you must allow yourself to be fastened to this -tree." - -"Do so, my friend." - -The Tigrero took her into his vigorous arms, bore her ashore and in a -twinkling had fastened her tightly by the waist to the stem of a tree. - -"Now," he said hurriedly, "remember this. Your father and yourself were -carried off from the hacienda by the Apaches; accident brought us in -your way, and--" - -"You save us, I suppose?" she said with a smile. - -"Quite correct; but utter shrill cries, as if you felt in great alarm. -You understand, do you not?" - -"Perfectly." - -The play was performed in the way arranged. The girl uttered piercing -shrieks, to which the two adventurers replied by discharging their -rifles and pistols; they then rushed toward the hacendero, whom they -hastened to liberate from his bonds, and to whom they restored not only -the use of his limbs, but also of his eyes and tongue. Don Sylva half -rose, and looked around him: he saw his daughter fastened to a tree, -from which two men were freeing her. The hacendero raised his eyes to -heaven, and uttered a fervent prayer. - -So soon as Doña Anita was free she ran to her father, and cast herself -in his arms. As she embraced him she hid her face, which blushed, -perhaps, for shame at this unworthy deception, on the old man's breast. - -"My poor darling child," he murmured, with tears in his eyes, "It was -for you, for you alone, I trembled during the whole of this fearful -night." - -The girl made no reply, for she felt stung to the heart by this -reproach. Don Martial and Cucharés, judging the moment favourable, then -approached, holding their smoking rifles in their hands. On recognising -them a cloud passed over the hacendero's face--a vague suspicion gnawed -at his heart; he bent a searching glance on the two men and on his -daughter, and rose with frowning brow and quivering lips, though not -uttering a word. Don Martial was embarrassed by this silence, which he -had been far from anticipating. After the service he was supposed to -have done Don Sylva, the duty of speaking first fell upon him. - -"I am happy," he said in an embarrassed voice, "to have arrived here so -fortunately, Don Sylva, as I was enabled to save you from the redskins." - -"I thank you, señor Don Martial," the hacendero answered dryly. "I could -expect nothing less from your gallantry. It was written, so it seems, -that after saving the daughter, you must also save the father. You are -destined, I see it, to be the liberator of my entire family: receive my -sincere thanks." - -These words were uttered with an accent of raillery that pierced the -Tigrero like an arrow: he could not find a word in reply, and bowed -awkwardly in order to hide his embarrassment. - -"My father," Doña Anita said in a caressing tone, "Don Martial has -risked his life for us." - -"Have I not thanked him for it?" he continued. "The affair was a sharp -one, as it seems, but the heathens escaped very quickly. Was there no -one killed?" - -And saying this the hacendero affected to look carefully around him. Don -Martial drew himself up. - -"Señor Don Sylva de Torrés," he said in a firm voice, "as chance has -brought us once again face to face permit me to tell you that few men -are so devoted to you as myself." - -"You have just proved, caballero." - -"Leave that out of sight," he went on hurriedly. "Now that you are free, -and can act as you please, command me. What would you of me? I am ready -to do anything you please, in order to prove to you how happy I should -be in doing you a service." - -"That is language I can understand, caballero, and to which I will -frankly respond. Important reasons compel me to return to the French -colony of Guetzalli, whence the heathens carried me off so -treacherously." - -"When do you wish to start?" - -"At once, if that be possible." - -"Everything is possible, caballero. Still, I would call your attention -to the fact that we are nearly thirty leagues from that hacienda; that -the country in which we now are is a desert; that we should have great -difficulty in finding horses: and, with the best will in the world, we -cannot, make the journey on foot." - -"Especially my daughter, I presume," the other remarked with a sardonic -smile. - -"Yes," the Tigrero said, "especially the señorita." - -"What else is to be done? for I must return there--with my daughter," he -added, purposely laying stress on the last three words, "and that so -soon as possible." - -The Tigrero did not utter the exact truth in telling Don Sylva they were -thirty leagues from the colony. It was not more than eighteen; but in a -country like this, where roads do not exist, fifteen leagues are an -almost insurmountable obstacle to a man not thoroughly acquainted with -desert life. Don Sylva, though he had never travelled under other than -favourable circumstances--that is to say, with all the comfort it is -possible to obtain in these remote regions--was aware, theoretically, if -not practically, of all the difficulties which would rise before him -with each step, and what obstacles would check his movements. His -resolution was made almost immediately. - -Don Sylva, like a good many of his countrymen, was gifted with rare -obstinacy. When he had formed a plan, the greater the obstacles which -prevented its accomplishment, the greater his determination to carry it -out. - -"Listen," he said to Don Martial; "I wish to be frank with you. I fancy -I tell you nothing new in announcing my daughter's marriage with the -Count de Lhorailles. That marriage must be performed: I have sworn it, -and it shall be, whatever may be said or done to impede it. And now I am -about to make trial of the devotion you boast of offering me." - -"Speak, señor." - -"You will send your companion to the Count de Lhorailles; he will carry -him a message to calm his uneasiness and announce my speedy arrival." - -"Good!" - -"Will you do it?" - -"At once." - -"Thanks! Now, as regards yourself personally, I leave you at liberty to -follow or leave us at your pleasure; but in the first place, we want -horses, arms, and, above all, an escort. I do not wish to fall once more -into the hands of the heathen. Perhaps I shall not have the good fortune -to escape from them so easily as on this occasion." - -"Remain here: in two hours I will return with horses. As for an escort, -I will try and procure you one, although I do not promise it. As you -allow me to do so, I will accompany you till you have rejoined the -_conde_. I hope, during the period I may have the felicity of passing -near you, to succeed in proving to you that you have judged me -wrongfully." - -These words were pronounced with such an accent of truth that the -hacendero felt moved. - -"Whatever may happen," he said, "I thank you: you will none the less -have done me an immense service, for which I shall be ever grateful to -you." - -Don Sylva tore a leaf from his pocketbook, on which he wrote a few lines -in pencil, folded it, and handed it to the Tigrero. - -"Are you sure of that man?" he asked him. - -"As of myself," Don Martial replied evasively. "Be assured that he will -see the conde." - -The hacendero made a sign of satisfaction as the Tigrero went up to -Cucharés. - -"Listen," he said aloud as he gave him the paper. "Within two days you -must have delivered this to the chief of Guetzalli. You understand me?" - -"Yes," the lepero replied. - -"Go, and may Heaven protect you from all evil encounters! In a quarter -of an hour behind that mound," he hurriedly added in a whisper. - -"Agreed," the other said with a bow. - -"Take the canoe," the Tigrero continued. - -Had the hacendero conceived any doubts, they were dissipated when he saw -Cucharés leap into the canoe, seize the paddles, and depart without -exchanging a signal with the Tigrero, or even turning his head. - -"The first part of your instructions is fulfilled," said the Tigrero, -returning to Don Sylva's side. "Now for the second part. Take my pistols -and musket. In case of any alarm you can defend yourself. I leave you -here. Pray do not move, and within two hours at the latest I will rejoin -you." - -"Do you know where to find horses?" - -"Do you not remember that the desert is my domain?" he returned with a -melancholy smile. "I am at home here, as I shall prove to you. Farewell -for the present." - -And he went off in a direction opposed to that taken by the canoe. When -he had disappeared from Don Sylva's sight behind a clump of trees and -shrubs, the Tigrero turned sharply to the right and ran back. Cucharés, -carelessly seated on the ground, was smoking a cigarette while awaiting -him. - -"No words, but deeds," the Tigrero said. "We have no time to waste." - -"I am listening," - -"Look at this diamond;" and he pointed to a ring through which his neck -handkerchief was drawn. - -"It is worth 6000 piastres," Cucharés said, examining it like a judge. - -Don Martial handed it to him. - -"I give it you," he said. - -"What am I to do for it?" - -"First hand me the letter." - -"Here it is." - -Don Martial took it and tore it into impalpable fragments. - -"Next?" Cucharés continued. - -"Next, I have another diamond like that one at your service. You know -me?" - -"Yes; I accept." - -"On one condition." - -"I know it," said the other with a significant sign. - -"And you accept?" - -"Of course I do." - -"It is a bargain." - -"He shall never trouble you again." - -"Good! But you understand that I shall need proofs." - -"You shall have them." - -"Good-by, then." - -The two accomplices parted, well satisfied with each other. A nod was as -good as a wink in such a case. We have seen how Cucharés acquitted -himself of the mission intrusted to him by Don Sylva. Don Martial, after -his short conversation with Cucharés, went to look for horses. Two hours -later he had returned. He not only brought excellent horses, but had -hired four peons, or men who called themselves so, to act as escort. The -hacendero comprehended all the delicacy of Don Martial's conduct: and -though the air and garb of his defenders were not completely orthodox, -he warmly thanked the Tigrero for the trouble he had taken to supply his -wants. Reassured as to his journey, he breakfasted with good appetite on -a lump of venison, washed down with _pulque_, which Don Martial had -procured. Then, so soon as the meal was over, the little band, well -armed, set out resolutely in the direction of Guetzalli, where Don -Sylva expected to arrive in three days, if nothing thwarted his -calculations. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -IN THE PRAIRIE. - - -The Mexican frontier, up to the old Jesuit missions, now abandoned and -falling in ruins, forms the skirt of the great prairie of the Rio Gila -or of Apacheria, which extends as far as the mournful desert of the -Norte. In this portion of the prairie nature expands all that richness -of growth and vegetation which may be in vain sought elsewhere. - -Guetzalli was built by Count de Lhorailles on the ruins of a once -flourishing mission of the reverend Jesuits, which the decree commanding -their expulsion had compelled them to abandon. Without entering into -discussion for or against the Jesuits, we will say, _en passant_, that -these clergy rendered immense services in America; that all the missions -thus founded in the desert prospered; that the Indians flocked in by -thousands to range themselves beneath their paternal laws: and that -certain missions, whose names we could quote were it necessary, counted -as many as sixty thousand neophytes; that, as a proof of the excellence -of their system, when the order was given them to give up their mission -to other monks, and withdraw, their proselytes implored them to resist -this unjust ostracism, and offered to defend them against everybody. - -The Jesuits have the greater claim to this tardy justice we now seek to -do them in the fact that, in spite of the many years that have elapsed -since their departure, and although all the men they brought into the -bosom of the church by incessant labour have returned to a savage life, -the remembrance of the good deeds of these pious missionaries still -lives in the hearts of the Indians, and forms at night round the -campfires the staple of conversation, so deeply engraved on the minds of -these primitive beings is the small amount of kindness shown them. - -Don Sylva de Torrés wished to reach the colony of Guetzalli again so -soon as possible, and by the most direct route. Unfortunately he was -obliged to cross, as the crow flies, a large extent of country through -which no road ran. Moreover, owing to his topographical ignorance of the -prairie, he was compelled to trust in Don Martial, an excellent guide in -every respect, whose sagacity and thorough knowledge of the desert he -did not for a moment doubt, but in whom he placed but slight confidence, -while unable to explain his motive even to himself. - -Still the Tigrero (apparently at least) gave proofs of his entire -devotion to the hacendero, leading him by the most beaten tracks, making -him avoid difficult passages, and watching with unequalled care and -solicitude over the safety of his little band. Each evening at sunset -the party encamped on the top of an open hill, whence a large quantity -of ground could be surveyed, in order to guard against any surprise. On -the evening of the fourth day, after a fatiguing march over an irregular -tract, Don Martial reached a hill where he proposed to camp. - -The hacendero greeted the offer with greater pleasure, for, being but -little accustomed to this mode of travelling, he felt extremely -fatigued. After a frugal meal, composed of maize tortillas, and frijoles -powdered with the hottest spices, and washed down with pulque, Don -Sylva, without even thinking of smoking a cigarette (his custom always -after a meal), wrapped himself in his zarapé, laid down with his feet -toward the fire, and fell off almost immediately into a profound sleep. - -Don Martial and the young girl remained for some time silently opposite -each other, their eyes fixed on the hacendero, and uneasily watching the -phases of his sleep. At length, when the Tigrero was persuaded that Don -Sylva was really asleep, he bent over her, and muttered in her ear in a -gentle voice:-- - -"Pardon, Doña Anita, pardon!" - -"For what?" she asked in surprise. - -"Because you are suffering through me." - -"Egotist!" she said with an enchanting smile, "it is not through myself -too, as I love you?" - -"Oh, thank you!" he exclaimed. "You restore to my heart that courage -which I felt dying out. Alas! How will all this end?" - -"Well, I am convinced," she said quickly. "We must be patient. My father -believe me, will soon change his opinion about you." - -The Tigrero smiled sorrowfully. - -"Still," he said, "I cannot carry you about the prairie indefinitely." - -"That is true," she remarked despondently. "What is to be done?" - -"I do not know. For the last two days we have only been moving round the -colony, from which we are scarce three leagues distant, and yet I cannot -resolve to enter it." - -"Alas!" the girl murmured. - -"Ah!" he continued, with a degree of animation in his glance, "Why is -this man your father, Doña Anita?" - -"Speak not so, my friend," she said hurriedly, laying her little hand on -his mouth as if to prevent him saying more. "Why despair? God is good; -He will not fail us. We know not what He has in reserve for us: let us -place our trust in Him!" - -"Still," he replied, shaking his head, "our position is not tenable. It -is impossible to go on at haphazard. Your father, in spite of his -ignorance of the country, will at length perceive I am deceiving him, -and I shall be hopelessly ruined in his opinion. On the other hand, by -proceeding to the colony, I place you in the hands once more of the man -you are forced to marry. I cannot resolve on doing this odious deed. Oh! -I would joyfully give ten years of my life to know how I ought to act." - -At this moment, as if Heaven had heard his words, and hastened to reply -immediately, the Tigrero, whose eyes were mechanically fixed on the -prairie, which at this moment was buried in obscurity, saw a short -distance off, in the midst of the tall grass, a luminous point arise in -the air twice, tracing in its passage quaint parabolas. At the same -moment Don Martial's practised ear heard, or fancied it heard, the -suppressed snorting of a horse. - -"It is extraordinary," he muttered, as if speaking to himself. "What can -it mean? Is it a signal? Still we are alone here. Through the whole of -the past day I have not caught sight of a single trail; but that -light--" - -"What is the matter, my friend?" Doña Anita asked anxiously. "You seem -restless. Can any danger menace us? Speak! You know I am brave; and by -your side, what can I fear? Hide nothing from me. Something -extraordinary is taking place, is it not?" - -"Well, yes," he replied, resolutely making up his mind, "something -extraordinary is really happening; but calm yourself, I do not believe -there is anything for you to fear." - -"But what is it? I saw nothing." - -"Stay: look there!" he said quickly, and stretched out his arm. - -The girl looked attentively, and saw what the Tigrero had noticed a few -moments previously--a reddish dot sparkling in the gloom, and describing -interlaced lines. - -"'Tis evidently a signal," the Tigrero went on. "Somebody is concealed -there." - -"Do you expect anyone?" she asked him. - -"No; and yet, I know not why, but I fancy that signal can only be -intended for me." - -"Still recollect that we are in the prairie, and probably, without -suspecting it, surrounded by bands of Indian hunters. They may be -corresponding with each other by means of that light which we have seen -twice gleaming before our eyes." - -"No, Doña Anita, you are mistaken. We are not, at any rate for the -present, surrounded by any Indians: we are quite alone." - -"How can you know that, my friend, since you have not left us for a -moment to go and look for trails?" - -"Doña Anita, my well beloved!" he said in a stern voice, "the prairie is -a book on which Heaven's secrets are written in ineffaceable letters, -which the man accustomed to desert life can read currently. The wind -passing through the branches, the bird flying through the air, the deer -or buffalo grazing on the tufted grass, the alligator slothfully -wallowing in the mud, are to me certain signs in which I cannot be -mistaken. For the last two days we have seen no Indian sign; the -buffaloes and other animals we have passed growled calmly and without -distrust; the flight of the birds was regular; the alligators almost -disappeared in the mud which covered them. All these animals scent the -approach of man, and especially of the Indian, for a considerable -distance, and so soon as they have done so, disappear at headlong speed, -so great is the terror with which the Lord of creation inspires them. I -repeat to you, we are alone here, quite alone here, and therefore that -signal is intended for me. See, there it is again!" - -"It is true; I can see it!" - -"I must know what the meaning of it is," he said, seizing his rifle. - -"Oh, Don Martial, I implore you, take care! Be prudent. Think of me!" -she added in agony. - -"Reassure yourself, Doña Anita. I am too old a wood ranger to let myself -be deceived by a clumsy trick. I shall return shortly." - -And without listening further to the young girl, who tried to retain him -by her entreaties and tears, he proceeded to the slope of the hill, -which he descended rapidly, though with the utmost prudence. On arriving -in the prairie the Tigrero stopped to look around him. The party were -encamped about two arrow-shots from the Gila, nearly opposite a large -island, which is in reality only a rock, bearing some resemblance to the -human form, and which the Apaches call _the master of the life of man_. -In their excursions upon Indian territory the redskins never fail to -stop at this island and deposit their offerings, the ceremony consisting -in throwing into the water, with dancing, tobacco, hair, and birds -feathers. This rock, which offers a most striking appearance from the -distance, has two excavations in it more than 1200 feet in length, and -forty wide, the roof being of an arched form. - -The fact which had aroused the Tigrero's curiosity, and caused him to -undertake the enterprise of discovery in the meaning of the signal, was -that it came from the island; and this he could not at all account for, -being aware that the Indians felt for the rock a veneration mingled with -a superstitious terror so great, that no Indian warrior however brave he -might be, would have dared to spend the night there. It was the -knowledge of this peculiarity which urged him to examine into the -mystery. - -Tall and tufted grass grew profusely down to the river's edge. Concealed -by the thickly-growing mangroves and shrubs, intertwined in inextricable -confusion, the Tigrero glided cautiously down to the bank. So soon as he -reached it he let himself hang from a branch, and entered the water so -quietly that his immersion produced no sound. - -Holding his rifle over his head to keep it out of the wet, the Tigrero -then swam with one hand in the direction of the island. The distance was -short: the Tigrero was a vigorous swimmer, and he soon reached the spot -where he wished to land. So soon as he was on the island he crawled -through the shrubs, listening to the slightest sounds, and trying to -pierce the darkness. He saw nothing, heard nothing; then he rose, and -walked toward one of the grottos, at the entrance of which he could see -a fire blazing from the spot where he stood: near it was seated a man, -smoking as quietly as if he had been seated before a pulquería at -Guaymas. - -Don Martial, after attentively regarding this man, had difficulty in -repressing a shout of joy, and walked toward him without further attempt -at concealment. He had recognised his confidant, Cucharés, the lepero. -At the sound of his footfall Cucharés turned his head. - -"You have come at last!" he exclaimed. "For more than an hour I have -been racking my brain in inventing fresh signs, to which you would not -deign a reply." - -"Ah, my dear fellow," the Tigrero joyfully replied, "could I have -suspected it was you I should have been with you long ago; but I so -little expected you--" - -"You are quite right, and in such a country as this it is better to be -prudent than not sufficiently so." - -"Ah, ah! There is something new?" the Tigrero said, as he sat down to -the fire to dry his clothes. - -"Caspita! If there was not, should I be here?" - -"True: you are a good comrade, and I thank you for coming. You know that -I have a faithful memory." - -"I know it." - -"But come, what have you to tell me? I am anxious to hear all the news. -But, before beginning, one question." - -"Well?" - -"Is the news good?" - -"Excellent; you shall judge." - -"Caray! As it is so, take this ring, which I was not to have given till -our little affair was settled. But do not be frightened: when we balance -our account I shall find something to please you." - -The lepero's eye glistened with joy and avarice; he seized the ring, and -sent it to join company with the one he received a few days previously. - -"Thanks!" he said. "Heaven keep me! There is a pleasure in dealing with -you. You do not huckster, at any rate." - -"Now for the news." - -"Here it is, short and good. El señor conde, rendered desperate by the -disappearance of his betrothed, whom he supposes to have been carried -off by the Apaches, has quitted the hacienda at the head of his company, -and is now crossing the desert in every direction in pursuit of the -Black Bear." - -"By all the saints! That is the best news you could bring me. And what -do you intend doing?" - -"What! Did we not agree that _el conde_--" - -"Of course," the Tigrero quickly interrupted him, "but to do that you -must find him, and that, I fancy, is not so easy now." - -"On the contrary." - -"How so?" - -"Why, señor Don Martial, do you wish to insult me by taking me for a -_pavo_ (goose)?" - -"By no means, gossip: still--" - -"Still you believe it. Well, you are mistaken, caballero, and I am not -sorry to tell you so. During the very few hours which I spent at the -hacienda I made inquiries, and, as I announced myself the bearer of a -most important mission for _el señor conde_, no one made any bones -about answering me. It seems that the Apaches, instead of pushing on, -were so thoroughly beaten by the French (for whom, by the way, they feel -an enormous respect), that they are returning on the desert del Norte, -in order to regain their villages. The conde is pursuing them, is he -not?" - -"You told me so." - -"Well, in all probability he will not dare to enter the desert." - -"Naturally," the Tigrero said with a shudder, in spite of his tried -courage. - -"Well, then, he can only stop at one spot." - -"At the Casa Grande!" Don Martial exclaimed quickly. - -"Quite right! I am certain of finding him there." - -"Body of me! Go there, then." - -"I shall set out immediately after your departure." - -The Tigrero looked at him in surprise. - -"You're a fine fellow, Cucharés, on my soul!" he said presently. "I am -delighted to find that I made no mistake about you." - -"What would you?" the scamp answered modestly while winking his little -grey eye. "The relations into which I entered with you are so agreeable -to me, that I can refuse you nothing." - -The two men began laughing at this sally, which might have been in -better taste. - -"Now that all is settled between us," Don Martial went on, "let us -part." - -"How did you come here?" - -"Can't you see? By swimming: and you?" - -"On my horse. I would offer to land you again, but we are going in -opposite directions." - -"For the present, yes." - -"Do you intend to cross over there soon, then?" - -"Probably," he said with an equivocal smile. - -"In that case we shall soon meet again." - -"I hope so." - -"Stay, Don Martial. Now that your clothes are dry, I should not like you -to wet them again. Let us go and see if there be not a canoe about: you -know the Indians leave them everywhere." - -The Tigrero entered the grotto, and found there a canoe, with its -paddles carefully balanced against the sides: he unscrupulously carried -it out on his shoulders. - -"By the way," he said, "why the deuce did you give me the meeting here?" - -"Not to be disturbed. Would you have liked anyone to overhear our -conversation?" - -"I allow that. Good-by, then." - -"Good-by." - -The men separated--Cucharés to commence a long journey, and Don Martial -to return to his camping ground. But they were mistaken in supposing -that no one had overheard their conversation. They had scarce quitted -the island in different directions ere, from a thicket of dahlias and -floripondins growing at the entrance of the grotto, a hideous head was -thrust out cautiously, and looked around; then, at the end of a moment, -the bushes were further parted, and an Apache Indian, painted and armed -for war appeared. It was the Black Bear. - -"Wah!" he muttered with a menacing gesture, "the palefaces are dogs. The -Apache warriors will follow their trail." - -Then, after keeping his eyes fixed for a few instants on the -star-spangled sky, he entered the grotto. - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero had regained the encampment. Doña Anita, -rendered restless by so long an absence, was awaiting him with the most -lively anxiety. - -"Well?" she asked, running up as soon as she saw him. - -"Good news?" he answered. - -"Oh, I was so frightened!" - -"I thank you. It was as I expected. The signal was intended for me." - -"Then?" - -"I found a friend, who gave me the means to quit the false position in -which we are." - -"In what way?" - -"Do not trouble yourself about anything, I repeat, but leave me to act." - -The girl bowed submissively, and, in spite of the curiosity that -devoured her, retired without any further questioning into the _jacal_ -of branches prepared for her. Don Martial, instead of sleeping, sat down -on the ground, folded arms on his chest, leaned against a tree, and -remained thus motionless till daybreak, plunged in deep and melancholy -thought. At sunrise the Tigrero shook off the effects of his night watch -and aroused his comrades. Ten minutes after the little party was _en -route_. - -"Oh, oh!" the hacendero said, "You are very early this morning." - -"Did you not notice that we did not even breakfast before starting, as -we usually do?" - -"Of course I did." - -"Do you know the reason? Because we shall breakfast at Guetzalli, where -we shall arrive in two hours at the latest." - -"Ah, caramba!" the hacendero exclaimed, "you delight me with that news." - -"I thought I should." - -Doña Anita, on hearing him speak thus, had looked sorrowfully at Don -Martial; but seeing his face so calm, his smile so frank, she felt -suddenly reassured, and suspected that his silence of the previous night -intended some pleasant surprise for her. - -As Don Martial had stated, two hours later they reached the colony. So -soon as they were perceived by the sentinels the isthmus drawbridge was -lowered, and they entered the hacienda, where they were received with -all possible politeness. Doña Anita, with her eyes constantly fixed on -the Tigrero, blushed and turned pale, understanding nothing of his -perfect calmness. They dismounted in the second courtyard before the -gate of honour. - -"Where is the Count de Lhorailles?" asked the hacendero, surprised that -his future son-in-law had not merely neglected to come to meet him, but -was not there to receive him. - -"My master will feel highly annoyed, when he hears of your arrival, at -not having been present to welcome you," replied the steward, breaking -out into profuse apologies. - -"Is he absent?" - -"Yes, señor." - -"But he will soon return?" - -"I hardly think so. The captain started in pursuit of the savages at the -head of his entire company." - -This news was a thunderbolt for Don Sylva; but the Tigrero and Doña -Anita exchanged a glance of delight. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -BOOT AND SADDLE! - - -The great desert del Norte is the American Sahara--more extensive, more -to be feared, than the African Sahara; for it contains no laughing -oases, sheltered by fine trees, and refreshed by sparkling fountains. -Beneath a coppery sky extend immense plains, covered with a -dirty-greyish sand; in every direction horizons succeed horizons; -sand, ever sand, fine impalpable sand, bearing a closer resemblance with -human dust, which the wind carries aloft in long whirlwinds, whose -desolating aspect varies incessantly at the will of the tempest, which -hollows out valleys and throws up hills each time the fearful -_cordonazo_ howls across this desolate soil. - -Greyish rocks, covered with patches of parched lichen, at times lift up -their stunted crests in the midst of this chaos, which has not changed -its appearance since the creation. The buffalo, the ashata, the -swift-footed antelope, shun this desert, where their feet would only -rest on a shifting soil; flocks of blear-eyed and ill-omened vultures -alone soar over these regions in search of extremely rare prey for the -desert is so horrible that the Indians themselves enter on it with a -tremour, and cross it with express speed when they return to their -villages after a foray on the Mexican territory. And yet, however rapid -their journey may be, their passage is marked in an indelible manner by -the skeletons of mules and horses which they are compelled to abandon, -and whose bones blanch in the desert, until the hurricane, again -unchained, covers all with a cerecloth of sand. - -Still, as the hand of Deity is everywhere visible, in the desert more -profoundly than elsewhere, there spring up at long intervals, and half -buried in the sand, in the midst of piled up rocks, vigorous trees, with -enormous trunks and immense foliage, which seem to offer the traveller -rest beneath their shade. But these trees grow few and far between on -the plain, and two are rarely found together at the same spot. These -trees, revered by the Indians and wood rangers, are the imprint of -Providence on the desert, the proof of His solicitude and inexhaustible -goodness. But we repeat it, with the exception of these few landmarks, -lost like imperceptible dots in the immensity, there are neither animals -nor vegetables on the Del Norte: sand, and naught but sand. - -The Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, where the Count de Lhorailles' free -company was encamped, rose, and probably still rises, at the extreme -limit of the prairie, at not more than two leagues from the skirt of the -desert. The line of demarcation was clearly and coarsely traced between -the two regions: on the one side a luxuriant vegetation, glowing with -vigour and health; verdant plains covered with a close, tall grass, in -which animals of every description browsed: the song of birds, the hiss -of reptiles, the lowing of the buffaloes, in a word, grand, vigorous, -and ever-joyous life, exhaling in every pore of this blessed landscape. - -On the other side, the silence of death: a grey horizon; a sea of sand, -whose agitated waves pressed forward on every side, as if to encroach on -the prairie; not even the most scanty pasture--nothing--no roots, no -moss, naught but sand! - -After his conversation with Cucharés the count recalled his lieutenants, -and began drinking and laughing again in their society. They rose from -the table at an advanced hour to retire to sleep. Cucharés, however, did -not sleep: he was too busily engaged in thinking. We know now, or nearly -so, with what purpose he joined the count at the Casa Grande. - -At sunrise the bugles sounded the _réveillé_. The soldiers rose from the -ground on which they had been sleeping, shook off the night's cold, and -were busily engaged in dressing their horses and preparations for the -morning's meal. The camp soon put on that hurry and reckless animation -so characteristic of Frenchmen when out on an expedition. - -In the great hall of the Casa Grande the count and his lieutenants, -seated on the dried skulls of buffaloes, were holding a council. The -discussion was animated. - -"In an hour," the count said, "we shall set out. We have twenty mules -laden with provisions, ten to carry water, and eight for ammunition. We -have, therefore, nothing to fear." - -"That is true to a certain point, señor conde," the capataz observed. - -"Why so?" - -"We have no guides." - -"What use are guides?" the count said passionately. "I fancy we need -only follow the Apache trail." - -Blas Vazquez shook his head. - -"You do not know the Del Norte, excellency," he said candidly. - -"This is the first time accident has brought me this way." - -"I pray God it be not the last." - -"What do you mean?" the count said with a secret shudder. - -"Señor conde, the Del Norte is not a desert, but a gulf of shifting -sands; at the slightest breath of air in these desolate regions the sand -rises, whirls, and swallows up men and horses, leaving not a trace; all -disappears for ever, buried beneath a cerecloth of sand." - -"Oh, oh!" the count said thoughtfully. - -"Believe me, señor conde," the capataz continued. "Do not venture with -your brave soldiers into this implacable desert: not one of you will -leave it again." - -"Still the Apaches are men too: they are not braver or better mounted -than we, I may say." - -"They are not." - -"Well, they cross the Del Norte from north to south, from east to west, -and that, not once a year or ten times, but continually, whenever the -fancy takes them." - -"But do you know at what price, señor conde? Have you counted the -corpses they leave along the road to mark their passage? And then you -cannot compare yourselves with the Pagans: the desert possesses no -secrets for them. They know its furthest mysteries." - -"Then," the count exclaimed impatiently, "your impression is--" - -"That in bringing you here, and attacking you two days ago, the Apaches -laid a trap for you. They wish to entice you after them into the desert; -certain not merely that you will not catch them, but that you and all -your men will leave your bones there." - -"Still you agree with me, my dear Don Blas, that it is very -extraordinary there is not among all your peons one capable of guiding -us in this desert. Hang it, they are Mexicans!" - -"Yes excellency, but I have more than once had the honour of observing -to you that all these men are costeños, or inhabitants of the seaboard. -They never before came so far into the interior." - -"What shall we do, then?" the count asked with some hesitation. - -"Return to the colony," the capataz replied. "I see no other means." - -"Shall we abandon Don Sylva and his daughter?" - -Blas Vasquez frowned. He replied in a solemn voice, and with much -emotion,-- - -"Excellency, I was born on the estate of the Torrés family. No one is -more devoted, body and soul, than I am to the persons whose names you -have pronounced; but no one is bound to attempt impossibilities. It -would be tempting God to enter the desert in our present state. We have -no right to calculate on a miracle, and that alone could bring us back -here safe and sound." - -There was a moment's silence. These words produced on the count's mind -an impression which he tried in vain to master. The lepero guessed his -hesitation, and approached. - -"Why," he said in a crafty voice, "did you not tell me that you needed a -guide, señor conde?" - -"What good would that do?" - -"In fact, that is true; it was not worth the trouble, as I promised to -conduct you to Don Sylva. You have doubtlessly forgotten that?" - -"You know the road, then?" - -"Yes, as well as a man can who has only gone along it twice." - -"By heavens!" the count exclaimed, "We can push on now; nothing need -keep us longer. Diégo Léon, order 'the boot and saddle' to be sounded, and -if you are a good guide you shall have proofs of my satisfaction." - -"Oh, you can trust to me, excellency!" the lepero answered with a -dubious smile. "I certify you will reach the spot whither I have to -guide you." - -"I ask no more." - -Blas Vasquez, with that instinctive suspicion innate in all honest minds -when they come across wicked persons, felt an irresistible repugnance -for the lepero. This repugnance had displayed itself from the first -moment of Cucharés' appearance in the hall the previous evening. While -he was talking to the count he therefore examined him closely. When he -had ended, Blas made a sign to the count, who came up with him. The -capataz led him to a distant corner of the room, and whispered in his -ear,-- - -"Take care; that man is deceiving you." - -"You know it?" - -"I am certain of it." - -"Why so?" - -"Something tells me so." - -"Have you any proofs?" - -"None." - -"You must be mad, Don Blas, fear troubles your senses." - -"God grant that I am deceived!" - -"Listen! Nothing forces you to follow us. Remain here till we return: in -that way, whatever may happen, you will escape the dangers which in your -idea menace us." - -The capataz drew himself up to his full height. - -"Enough, Don Gaëtano," he said coldly. "In warning you I acted as my -conscience commanded. You will not attend to my advice--you need not do -so; I have done my duty as I was bound to do. You wish to march forward. -I will follow you, and hope soon to prove to you that if I am prudent, I -can be as brave as any man when it is necessary." - -"Thanks!" the count answered, affectionately pressing his hand: "I felt -sure that you would not abandon me." - -At this moment a great disturbance was heard outside, and Lieutenant -Diégo Léon entered precipitately. - -"What is the matter, lieutenant?" the count asked sternly. "What means -this startled face? Why do you enter in this way?" - -"Captain," the lieutenant answered in a panting voice, "the company has -revolted." - -"Eh? What do you say, sir? My troopers have revolted?" - -"Yes, captain." - -"Ah!" he said, biting his moustaches, "And why have they revolted, if -you please?" - -"Because they do not wish to enter the desert." - -"They do not wish!" the count continued, weighing every word. "Are you -sure of what you say, lieutenant?" - -"I swear it, captain; but listen." - -In fact, shouts and oaths, an ever-increasing noise, which was beginning -to assume formidable proportions, were heard outside. - -"Oh, oh! This is becoming serious, I fancy," the count continued. - -"Much more than you suppose, captain. The company, I repeat, is in -complete mutiny. The rebels have loaded their arms: they surround the -house, uttering threats against you. They say they want to speak to you, -and that they are sure of obtaining what they want, by good will or -ill." - -"I am curious to see that," the count said, still perfectly calm, as he -walked toward the door. - -"Stay, captain," the officers exclaimed, as they rushed before him; "our -men are exasperated; some accident may happen to you." - -"Nonsense, gentlemen," he replied angrily, repulsing them; "you are mad: -they do not know me well enough yet. I intend to show these bandits that -I am worthy to command them." - -And, without listening to any entreaty, he slowly walked out of the room -with a firm and calm step. - -What had happened may be told in a few words. - -Blas Vasquez' peons, during the few days the company had bivouacked in -the ruined city, told the troops, with sufficient exaggeration, mournful -and gloomy stories about the desert, giving details about those accursed -regions which would have made the hair stand on the head of the bravest. -Unfortunately, as we have said, the company was encamped hardly two -leagues from the entrance of the Del Norte: the gloomy horizon of the -desert added its frightful reality to the terrible tales told by the -peons. - -All the count's soldiers were French Dauph'yeers, principally men who -had escaped the gallows, brave, but, like all Frenchmen, easy to lead -backwards and forwards, and equally resolute for good or bad. Since they -had been under the command of the Count de Lhorailles, although he had -behaved with considerable bravery in action, they only obeyed him with a -certain degree of repugnance. The count had grave faults in their eyes; -in the first place, that of being a count; next, they considered him too -polite, his voice was too soft, his manner too delicate and effeminate. -They could not imagine that this gentleman, so well clothed and well -gloved, was capable of leading them to great things. They would have -liked as a chief a man of rude voice and rough manner, with whom they -could have lived, so to speak, on a footing of equality. - -In the morning rumour had spread that the camp was about to be raised, -in order to enter the desert and pursue the Apaches. At once groups were -formed--commentaries commenced--the men gradually grew excited. -Resistance was soon organised, and when the lieutenant came to give -orders to raise the camp he was greeted with laughter, jests, and -hisses; in short, he was compelled to give ground before the mutineers, -and return to his captain to make his report. - -An officer, under such circumstances, acts very wrongly in losing his -coolness, and yielding a step in the presence of revolt, he ought sooner -to let himself be killed. In a mutiny one concession compels another; -then this inevitably happens--the rebels count their strength, and at -the same time their leaders': they recognise the immense superiority -brute strength gives them, and immediately abuse the position which the -weakness or sloth of their officers has given them, not to ask a simple -modification, but even to claim a radical change. - -This happened under the present circumstances. So soon as the lieutenant -had retired, his departure was at once regarded in the light of a -triumph. The soldiers began haranguing, influenced by those among them -whose tongues were most loosely hung. It was no longer a question about -not entering the desert, but of appointing other officers, and returning -at once to the colony. The entire staff must be changed, and the leaders -chosen from those who inspired their comrades with most confidence--that -is to say, the most dangerous fellows. - -The effervescence had reached the boiling point: the soldiers brandished -their weapons furiously, while directing the most furious threats at the -captain and his lieutenants. Suddenly the door opened, and the count -appeared. He was pale, but calm. He took a quiet look at the mutinous -band that howled around him. - -"The captain! Here is the captain!" the troopers shouted. - -"Kill him!" others went on. - -"Down with him, down with him!" they howled in chorus. - -All rushed upon him, brandishing weapons and offering insults. But the -count did not give way; on the contrary, he advanced a step. He held in -his mouth a fine husk cigarette, from which he puffed the smoke with the -utmost serenity. - -Nothing imposes on masses like cold and unaffected courage. There was a -pause in the revolt. The captain and his men examined each other, like -two tigers measuring their strength ere bounding forward. The count -profited by the moment of silence he had obtained to take the word. - -"What do you want?" he asked calmly, while withdrawing his cigarette -from his mouth, and following the light cloud of bluish smoke as it rose -in spirals in the sky. - -At this question of their captain's the charm was broken; the shouts and -yells recommenced with even greater intensity; the rebels were angry -with themselves for having allowed their chief's firmness momentarily to -overawe them. All spoke at once. They surrounded the count on all sides, -pulling him in every direction, to force him to listen to them. The -count, pressed and hustled by all these rogues, who had thrown -discipline overboard, and were sure of impunity in a country where -justice only nominally exists, did not lose his countenance--his -coolness remained the same. He allowed these men to yell at their ease -for some moments, their eyes bloodshot, and foam on their lips; and when -he considered this had lasted long enough, he said, in a voice as calm -and tranquil as on the first occasion:-- - -"My friends, it is impossible for us to go on talking in this way: I -understand nothing of what you say. Choose one of your comrades to make -your complaints in your name. If they are just, I will do you justice; -but be calm." - -After uttering these words the count leaned his shoulder against the -door, crossed his arms on his chest, and began smoking again, apparently -indifferent to what was going on around him. The calmness and firmness -displayed by the count from the beginning of this scene had already -borne their fruit: he had regained numerous partisans among his -soldiers. These men, though they dared not yet openly avow the sympathy -they felt with their chief, warmly supported the proposition he had made -them. - -"The captain is right," they said. "It is impossible, if we continue to -badger him in this way, that he can understand our arguments." - -"We must be just too," others took up the ball. "How can you expect the -captain to do justice unless we clearly explain to him what we want?" - -The revolt had made an immense backward step. It no longer spoke of -deposing its chiefs; it limited itself to asking justice of the captain. -Hence it still tacitly recognised him. - -At length, after numberless discussions among the mutineers, one of -their number was selected to take the word in the name of the rest. He -was a short, square-shouldered fellow, with a cunning face, and little -eyes sparkling with wickedness and spite; a regular scoundrel in a word. -The type of the low-class adventurer, with whom everything is comprised -in robbery and assassination. This man, whose _nom de guerre_ was -Curtius, was a Parisian, and hailed from the Faubourg Saint Marceau. An -ex-soldier, an ex-sailor, he had been at every trade, except, perhaps, -that of an honest man. Since his arrival in the colony he had been -remarkable for his spirit of insubordination, brutality, and, above all, -his bounce. He boasted of "owing eight dead;" that is to say, in the -language of the country, having committed eight murders. He inspired his -comrades with an instinctive terror. When he was selected to take word -he rammed his hat down on the side of his head, and addressing his -comrades, said,-- - -"You shall see how I'll walk into him." - -And he advanced, insolently swaying from side to side, toward the -captain, who watched his approach with a smile of peculiar meaning. -Suddenly a great silence fell on the crowd; hearts beat powerfully, -faces grew anxious; each guessed instinctively that something decisive -and extraordinary was about to happen. - -When Curtius was only two paces from his captain he stopped, and, -surveying him insolently, said,-- - -"Come, captain, the business is this: my com--" - -But the count gave him no time to finish. Quickly drawing a pistol from -his girdle, he pressed it against his temples and blew out his brains. -The bandit rolled in the dust with a fractured skull. The captain -returned the pistol to his sash, and coolly raising his head, said in a -firm voice:-- - -"Has anyone further observations to make?" - -No one stirred: the bandits had suddenly become lambs. They stood silent -and penitent before their chief, for they understood him. The count -smiled contemptuously. - -"Pick up this carrion," he said, spurning the corpse with his foot. "We -are Dauph'yeers, and woe to the man who does not carry out the clauses -of our agreement: I will kill him like a dog. Let this scoundrel be -hanged by the feet, that his unclean carcass may become the prey of the -vultures. In ten minutes the boot and saddle will sound: all the worse -for the man who is not ready." - -After this thundering speech the count re-entered the house with as firm -a step as he had left. The revolt was subdued--the wild beasts had -recognised the iron grip beneath the velvet glove; they were tamed -forever, and henceforth would let themselves be killed without uttering -a murmur. - -"'Tis no matter," the soldiers said to each other, "he is a rude fellow -for all that: he hasn't any cold in his eyes." - -And then each eagerly made his preparations for departure. Ten minutes -later, as the captain had announced, he reappeared; the troop was on -horseback, ranged in order of battle, and ready to set out. The count -smiled, and gave the word to set out. - -"Humph!" Cucharés muttered to himself, "What a pity that Don Martial has -such fine diamonds! After what I have seen I could have broken my word -with pleasure." - -Before long the free company, with the captain at its head, disappeared -in the Del Norte. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE CONFESSION. - - -The hacendero and his daughter left the colony of Guetzalli under the -escort of Don Martial and the four peons he had taken into his service. -The little band advanced to the west, in the direction of which the free -company had marched in pursuit of the Apaches. Don Sylva was the more -anxious to rejoin the French because he knew that their expedition had -no other purpose than to deliver him and his daughter from the hands of -the redskins. - -The journey was gloomy and silent. As the travellers approached the -desert the scenery assumed a sombre grandeur peculiar to primitive -countries, which exercised an unconscious influence over the mind, and -plunged them into a melancholy which they were powerless to overcome. - -No more cabins, no more _jacals_, no more travellers found by the side -of the road, offering an affectionate wish for your safe arrival as you -pass, but an accidented soil, impenetrable forests peopled with wild -beasts, whose eyes sparkled like live coals amid the wildly-interlaced -creepers, shrubs and tall grass. At times the trail of the Frenchmen -might be seen on the soil, trodden by a large number of horses; but -suddenly the country changed its character, and every trace disappeared. - -Each evening, after the Tigrero had beaten the vicinity to drive back the -wild beasts, the camp was formed by the bank of a stream, the fires -lighted, and a hut of branches hastily constructed to protect Doña Anita -from the night cold; then, after a scanty meal, they wrapped themselves -up in their fresadas and zarapés and slept till daybreak. The only -incidents which at times disturbed the monotony of their life were the -discovery of an elk or deer, in pursuit of which Don Martial and his -peons galloped at full speed, and it often took hours ere the poor brute -was headed and killed. - -But there were none of those pleasant chats and confidences which make -time appear less tedious, and render the fatigues of an interminable -road endurable. The travellers maintained a reserve toward each other, -which not only kept all intimacy aloof, but also any confidence. They -only spoke when circumstances rendered it compulsory, and then only -exchanged words that were indispensable. The reason of this was that two -of the travellers had a secret unknown to the third, which weighed upon -them, and at which they blushed inwardly. - -Man, with his necessarily incomplete nature, is neither entirely good -nor entirely bad. Most frequently, after committing actions under the -iron pressure of passion or personal interest, when his coolness has -returned, and he measures the depth of the abyss in which he has -precipitated himself, he regrets them, especially if his life, though -not exemplary, has at least hitherto been exempt from deeds which are -offensive to morality. Such was at this moment the situation of Don -Martial and Doña Anita. Both had been led by their mutual love to commit -a fault they bitterly repented; for we will state here, to prevent our -readers forming an erroneous estimate of their character, that their -hearts were honest, and when, in a moment of madness, they arranged and -carried out their flight, they were far from foreseeing the fatal -consequences which this hopeless step would entail. - -Don Martial, especially after the orders he had given Cucharés, and the -hacendero's unshaken determination of rejoining the Count de Lhorailles, -clearly comprehended that his position was growing with each moment more -difficult, and that he was proceeding along a path that had no outlet. -Thus the two lovers, fatally attached by the secret of their flight, -still kept hidden from each other the remorse that devoured them; they -felt at each step that the ground on which they walked was undermined, -and that it might suddenly give way beneath their feet. - -In such a situation life became intolerable, as there was no longer a -community of thought or feeling between these three persons. A collision -between them was imminent, though it happened, perhaps, sooner than they -anticipated, through the pressure of the circumstances in which they -were entangled. After a journey of about a fortnight, during which no -noteworthy incident occurred, Don Martial and his companions, guided -partly by the information they had picked up at the hacienda, and partly -by the trail left by the persons they were following, at length reached -the ruins of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. It was about six in the -evening when the little party entered the ruins: the sun, already below -the horizon, only illumined the earth with those changing beams which -glisten for a long while after the planet king has disappeared. Marching -a short distance from each other, Don Sylva and Don Martial looked -searchingly around, advancing cautiously, and with finger on the rifle -trigger, through this inextricable maze, so favourable for an Indian -ambuscade. They at length reached the Casa Grande, and nothing -extraordinary had met their sight. Night had almost set in, and objects -began to grow confused in the shadows. Don Martial, who was preparing to -dismount, suddenly stopped, uttering a cry of astonishment, almost of -terror. - -"What is it?" Don Sylva asked quickly as he walked up to the Tigrero. - -"Look!" the latter said, stretching out his arm in the direction of a -clump of stunted trees which stood a short distance from the entrance. -The human voice exerts a strange faculty over animals--that of inspiring -them with insurmountable fear and respect. To the few words exchanged by -the two men hoarse and confused cries responded, and seven or eight -savage vultures rose from the centre of the clump, and began flying -heavily over the travellers' heads, forming wide circles in the air, and -continuing their infernal music. - -"I can see nothing," Don Sylva went on; "it is as black as in an oven." - -"That is true: still, if you look more carefully at the object I point -out you will easily recognise it." - -Without any reply the hacendero pushed on his horse. - -"A man hung by the feet!" he uttered, stopping his horse with a gesture -of horror and disgust. "What can have happened here?" - -"Who can say? It is not a savage--his colour and dress do not allow the -least doubt on that point; still he has his scalp, so the Apaches did -not kill him. What is the meaning it?" - -"A mutiny perhaps," the hacendero hazarded. - -Don Martial became pensive; his eyebrows contracted. "It is not -possible," he said to himself; but a moment after added, "Let us enter -the house; we must not leave Doña Anita any longer alone. Our absence -must surprise her and might alarm her if prolonged. When the encampment -is arranged I will go and look, and I shall be very unlucky if I do not -discover the clue to this ill-omened mystery." - -The two men retired and rejoined Doña Anita, who was awaiting them a few -paces off, under the guard of the peons. When the travellers had -dismounted and crossed the threshold of the casa, Don Martial lighted -several torches of _ocote_ wood to find their way in the darkness, and -guided his companions to the large hall to which we have already -introduced our readers. It was not the first time Don Martial had -visited the ruins: frequently, during his long hunting expeditions in -the western prairies, they had offered him a refuge. Thus he knew their -most hidden nooks. - -It was he, too, who had urged his companions to proceed to the Casa -Grande, for he was convinced that the count could only find there a safe -and sure bivouac for his troop. The hall, in which a table stood, -presented unmistakable signs of the recent passage of several persons, -and a tolerably prolonged stay they had made at the spot. - -"You see," he said to the hacendero, "that I was not mistaken; the -persons we seek stopped here." - -"It is true. Do you think they have long left it?" - -"I cannot tell you yet; but while supper is being prepared, and you are -making yourselves comfortable, I will take a look round outside. On my -return I trust to be more fortunate, and be able to satisfy your -curiosity." - -And placing the torch he held in his hand in an iron bracket fastened to -the wall, the Tigrero quitted the house. Doña Anita fell pensively back -on a species of clumsy sofa, accidentally left by the side of the table. -Aided by the peons, the hacendero began making preparations for the -night. The horses were unsaddled, driven into a species of enclosure, -and had an ample stock of alfalfa placed before them. The trunks were -unloaded, the bales carried into the hall, where they were piled up, -after one had been opened to take out the requisite provisions; and then -an enormous brazier was kindled, over which a quarter of deer-meat was -hung. - -When these various preparations were ended the hacendero sat down on a -buffalo's skull, lighted a husk cigarette, and began smoking, while -every now and then turning a sad glance on his daughter, who was still -plunged in melancholy thought. Don Martial's absence was rather long, -for it lasted two hours. At the end of that time his horse's hoofs could -be heard echoing on the stone flooring of the ruins, and he reappeared. - -"Well?" Don Sylva asked him. - -"Let us sup first," the Tigrero answered, pointing to the girl in a way -her father comprehended. - -The meal was short, as might be expected from persons preoccupied and -wearied with a long day's march. Indeed, with the exception of the roast -venison, it only consisted of _cainc_, maize tortillas, and _frijoles -con aji_. Doña Anita ate a few spoonfuls of tamarind preserve; then, -after bowing to her friends, she rose and walked into a small room -adjoining the hall, where a bed had been made up for her with her -father's wraps, and the entrance to which was closed by hanging up, in -place of the absent door, a horse blanket attached to nails driven in -the wall. - -"You fellows," the Tigrero said, addressing the peons, "had better keep -good watch, if you wish to save your scalps. I warn you that we are in an -enemy's country, and if you go to sleep you will probably pay dearly for -it." - -The peons assured the Tigrero that they would redouble their vigilance, -and went out to execute the orders they had received. The two men -remained seated opposite each other. - -"Well," Don Sylva began, again asking his companion the question he had -already begun, "have you learned anything?" - -"All that was possible to learn, Don Sylva," the Tigrero sharply -replied. "Were it otherwise I should be a scurvy hunter, and the jaguars -and tigers would have had the best of me long ago." - -"Is the information you have obtained favourable." - -"That depends on your future plans. The French have been here, and -bivouacked for several days. During their stay in the ruins they were -vigorously attacked by the Apaches, whom, however, they succeeded in -repulsing. Now it is probable, though I cannot assert it, that the -troopers revolted for some cause of which I am ignorant, and that the -poor wretch we saw hanging to the tree like rotten fruit paid for the -rest, as generally happens." - -"I thank you for your information, which proves to me that we are not -mistaken, but followed the right trail. Now, can you complete your -information by telling me if the French have long left the ruins, and in -what direction they have marched?" - -"Those questions are very easy to answer. The free company left their -bivouac yesterday, a few moments after sunrise, and entered the desert." - -"The desert!" the hacendero exclaimed, letting his arms sink in -despondency. - -There was a silence of some moments, during which both men reflected. At -length Don Sylva took the word. - -"It is impossible," he said. - -"Still, it is so." - -"But it is an extraordinary act of imprudence, almost of madness." - -"I do not deny it." - -"Oh, the unhappy men!" - -"They are lost!" - -"The fact is, that if they escape, Heaven will perform a miracle in -their favour." - -"I think with you; but it is now an accomplished fact, which no -recriminations of ours can alter; so, Don Sylva, I believe that the -wisest thing is to trouble ourselves no more about them, but let them -get out of it as they best can." - -"Is that your notion?" - -"It is," the Tigrero replied carelessly. "I propose to remain here two -or three days, and see if anything turns up. After that time, if we have -seen or heard nothing, we will remount, and return to Guetzalli by the -road we came, without stopping to look back, that we may arrive more -speedily, and the sooner quit these horrible regions." - -The hacendero shook his head like a man who has just formed an -irrevocable determination. - -"Then you will go alone, Don Martial," he said dryly. - -"What!" the latter exclaimed, looking him firmly in the face. "What is -your meaning?" - -"I mean that I shall not turn back on the path I have hitherto followed; -in a word, that I will not fly." - -Don Martial was confounded by this answer. - -"What do you intend doing, then?" - -"Can you guess that? Why did we come to this place? For what purpose -have we been travelling so long?" - -"Excuse me, Don Sylva, but the question is now changed. You will do me -the justice to allow that I have followed you without any -observations--that I have been a faithful guide to you during this -journey." - -"I do so indeed. Now explain to me your notion." - -"It is this, Don Sylva. So long as we only wandered about the prairies, -at the risk of being devoured by wild beasts, I bowed my head, without -attempting to oppose your designs, for I tacitly recognised that you -were acting as you were bound to do. Even now, were you and I alone, I -would bow without a murmur before the firm determination that animates -you. But reflect that you have your daughter with you--that you condemn -her to undergo nameless tortures in this fearful desert, where you force -her to follow you, and which will probably swallow up both." - -Don Sylva made no reply, so the Tigrero continued,-- - -"Our party is weak. We have provisions for only a few days; and you -know, once in the Del Norte, we find no more water or game. If, during -our excursion, we are assailed by a _temporal_, we are lost--lost, -without resources, without hope!" - -"All that you tell me is correct, I am well aware; still, I cannot -follow your advice. Listen to me in your turn, Don Martial. The Count de -Lhorailles is my friend; he will soon be my son-in-law. I do not say -this to vex you, but only that you may thoroughly understand my position -with regard to him. It was for my sake, to save me from those whom he -supposed to have carried me off, that, without calculation, and solely -urged by his noble heart, he entered the desert. Can I allow him to -perish without trying to bring him succour? Is he not a stranger to -Mexico--our guest, in a word? It is my duty to save him, and I will -attempt it, whatever may happen." - -"Since matters are so, Don Sylva, I will no longer try to combat a -resolution so firmly made. I will not tell you that the man to whom you -give your daughter is an adventurer, driven from his country through his -ill-conduct, and who, in the marriage he seeks to contract, sees only -one thing--the immense fortune you possess. All these things, and many -others, I could supply you with proofs of; but you would not believe me, -for you would only read rivalry in my conduct; so let us say no more on -that head. You wish to enter the desert: I will follow you. Whatever may -happen, you will find me at your side ready to defend and aid you. But -as the hour for frank explanations has arrived, I do not wish any cloud -to remain between us--that you should thoroughly know the man with whom -you are going to attempt the desperate stroke you meditate, so that you -may have a full and entire confidence in him." - -The hacendero gazed at him with surprise. At this moment the curtain of -Doña Anita's room was raised; the young girl came out, walked slowly -down the hall, knelt before her father, and turning to the Tigrero,-- - -"Now speak, Don Martial," she said. "Perhaps my father will pardon me on -seeing me thus implore his forgiveness." - -"Pardon you!" the hacendero said, his eyes wandering from his daughter -to the man who was standing before him with blushing brow and downcast -eyes. "What is the meaning of this? What fault have you committed?" - -"A fault for which I am alone culpable, Don Sylva, and for which I alone -must suffer the punishment. I deceived you disgracefully: it was I who -carried off your daughter." - -"What!" the hacendero shouted with an outburst of fury. "I was your -plaything, your dupe, then?" - -"Passion does not reason. I will only say one word in my defence: I love -your daughter! Alas! Don Sylva, I now perceive how culpable I have been. -Reflection, though tardy, has at length arrived, and, like Doña Anita, -who is weeping at your feet, I humble myself before you, and say, -'Pardon me!'" - -"Pardon, father!" the poor girl said in a weak voice. - -The hacendero made a gesture. - -"Oh!" the Tigrero said quickly, "Be generous, Don Sylva. Do not spurn -us. Our repentance is true and sincere. I am eager to repair the evil I -have done. I was mad then: passion blinded me. Do not overwhelm me." - -"Father," Doña Anita continued in a tearful voice, "I love him. Still, -when we left the colony, we might have fled, and abandoned you; but we -did not do it. The idea never once occurred to us. We were ashamed of -our fault. You see us both here ready to obey you, and perform without a -murmur the orders it may please you to give us. Be not inflexible, O my -father, but pardon us!" - -The hacendero drew himself up. - -"You see," he said severely, "I can no longer hesitate. I must save the -Count de Lhorailles at all hazards, else I should be your accomplice." - -The Tigrero walked in great agitation up and down the hall: his eyebrows -were contracted--his face deadly pale. - -"Yes," he said in a broken voice, "yes, he must be saved. No matter what -becomes of me after. No cowardly weakness! I have committed a fault, and -will undergo all the consequences." - -"Aid me frankly and loyally in my search, and I will pardon you," Don -Sylva said gravely. "My honour is compromised by your fault. I place it -in your hands." - -"Thanks, Don Sylva; you will have no cause to repent," the Tigrero nobly -replied. - -The hacendero gently raised his daughter, drew her to his breast, and -embraced her several times. - -"My poor child!" he said to her, "I forgive you. Alas! Who knows whether -in a few days I shall not have, in my turn, to ask your forgiveness for -all the sufferings I have inflicted on you? Go and rest; the night is -drawing on--you must have need of repose." - -"Oh, how kind you are and how I love you, father!" she cried from her -heart, "Fear nothing. Whatever sufferings the future may have in store -for me, I will endure them without a murmur. Now I am happy, for you -have pardoned me." - -Don Martial's eye followed the maiden. - -"When do you intend starting?" he said, stifling a sigh. - -"Tomorrow, if possible." - -"Be it so. Let us trust in Heaven." - -After conversing for some short time longer, and making their final -arrangements, Don Sylva wrapped himself up in his coverings, and soon -fell asleep. As for the Tigrero, he left the house to see that the peons -were carefully watching over their common safety. - -"Provided that Cucharés has not fulfilled my orders!" he muttered. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE MANHUNT. - - -On the next morning at daybreak the little band quitted the Casa Grande -and two hours later entered the Del Norte. At the sight of the desert -the maiden felt her heart contract; a secret presentiment seemed to warn -her that the future would be fatal. She turned back, cast a melancholy -glance on the gloomy forests which chequered the horizon behind her, and -could not repress a sigh. - -The temperature was sultry, the sky blue, not a breath of wind was -stirring: on the sand might still be seen the deep footsteps of the -count's free company. - -"We are on the right road," the hacendero said; "their trail is -visible." - -"Yes," the Tigrero muttered, "and it will remain so till the temporal is -unchained." - -"Then," Doña Anita remarked, "may Heaven come to our aid!" - -"Amen!" all the travellers exclaimed, crossing themselves, instinctively -responding to the secret voice which each of us has in the depths of our -heart, and which foreboded to their misfortune. - -Several hours passed away: the weather remained fine. At times the -travellers saw, at a great distance above their heads, innumerable -swarms of birds proceeding toward the hot regions, or _las tierras -calientes_, as they are called in that country, and hastening to cross -the desert. But everywhere nothing was visible save a grey and -melancholy sand, or gloomy rocks wildly piled on each other like the -ruins of an unknown and antediluvian world, found at times in remote -solitudes. - -The caravan, when night set in, camped under the shelter of a block of -granite, lighting a poor fire, hardly sufficient to protect them from -the icy cold which, in these regions, weighs upon nature at night. Don -Martial rode incessantly on the sides of the small band, watching over -their safety with filial solicitude, never remaining a moment at rest, -in spite of the urging of Don Sylva and the entreaties of the maiden. - -"No!" he constantly answered; "On my vigilance your safety depends. Let -me act as I think proper. I should never pardon myself if I allowed you -to be surprised." - -Gradually the traces left by the troops became less visible, and at -length disappeared entirely. One evening, at the moment the travellers -were forming their camp at the foot of an immense rock, which formed a -species of roof over their heads, the hacendero pointed out to Don -Martial a thin white vapour, which stood out prominently against the -blue sky. - -"The sky is losing its brightness," he said; "we shall probably soon -have a change of weather. God grant that a hurricane does not menace -us!" - -The Tigrero shook his head. - -"No," he said, "you are mistaken. Your eyes are not so accustomed as -mine to consult the sky. That is not a cloud." - -"What is it, then?" - -"The smoke of a _bois de vâche_ fire kindled by travellers. We have -neighbours." - -"Oh!" the hacendero said. "Can we be on the trail of those friends we -have lost so long?" - -Don Martial remained silent. He minutely examined the smoke, which was -soon mingled with the atmosphere. At length he said:-- - -"That smoke bodes us no good. Our friends, as you call them, are -Frenchmen; that is to say, profoundly ignorant of desert life. Were they -near us, it would be as easy to see them as that rock down there. They -would have lighted not one fire, but twenty braseros, whose flames, and, -above all, dense smoke, would have immediately revealed their presence -to us. They do not select their wood: whether it be dry or damp they -care little. They are unaware of the importance in the desert of -discovering one's enemy, while not allowing one's presence to be -suspected." - -"You conclude from this?" - -"That the fire you discovered has been lit by savages, or at least by -wood rangers accustomed to the habits of Indian life. All leads to this -supposition. Judge for yourself--you who, without any great experience, -though having a slight acquaintance with the desert, took it for a -cloud. Any superficial observer would have committed the same mistake as -yourself, so fine and undulating as it is, and its colour harmonises so -well with all those vapours the sun incessantly draws out of the earth. -The men, whoever they may be, who lit that fire, have left nothing to -chance; they have calculated and foreseen everything, and I am greatly -mistaken if they are not enemies." - -"At what distance do you suppose them from us?" - -"Four leagues at the most. What is that distance in the desert, when it -can be crossed so easily in a straight line?" - -"Then your advice is?" the hacendero asked. - -"Weigh well my words, Don Sylva; above all, do not give them an -interpretation differing from mine. By a prodigy almost unexampled in -the Del Norte, we have now been crossing the desert for nearly three -weeks, and nothing has happened to trouble our security: for a week we -have been, moreover, seeking a trail which it is impossible to come on -again." - -"Quite true." - -"I have, therefore, worked out this conclusion, which I believe to be -correct, and which you will approve, I am convinced. The French only -accidentally formed the resolution of entering the desert: they only did -it to pursue the Apaches. Is not that your view?" - -"It is." - -"Very good. Consequently, they crossed it in a straight line. The -weather which has favoured us favoured them too: their interest, the -object they wished to attain, everything, in a word, demanded that they -should display the utmost speed in their march. A pursuit, you know as -well as I, is a chase in which each tries to arrive first." - -"Then you suppose--?" Don Sylva interrupted him. - -"I am certain that the French left the desert long ago, and are now -coursing over the plains of Apacheria: that fire we noticed is a -convincing proof to me." - -"How so?" - -"You will soon understand. The Apaches have the greatest interest in -driving the French from their hunting grounds. Desperate at seeing them -out of the desert, they have probably lit this fire to deceive them, and -compel their return." - -The hacendero was thoughtful. The reasons Don Martial offered him seemed -correct: he knew not what determination to form. - -"Well," he said presently, "and what conclusion do you arrive at from -all this?" - -"That we should do wrong," Don Martial said resolutely, "in losing more -time here in search of people who are no longer in the desert, and -running the risk of being caught by a tempest, which every passing hour -renders more imminent in a country like this, which is continually -exposed to hurricanes." - -"Then you would return!" - -"By no means. I would push on, and enter Apacheria as quickly as -possible, for I am convinced I should then be speedily on the trail of -our friends." - -"Yes, that appears to me correct enough; but we are long way yet from -the prairies." - -"Not so far as you suppose; but let us break off our conversation at -this point. I wish to go out and examine that fire more closely, for it -troubles me greatly." - -"Be prudent." - -"Is not your safety concerned?" the Tigrero said, as he bent a gentle -and mournful glance on Doña Anita. He rose, saddled his horse in a -second, and started at a gallop. - -"Brave heart!" Doña Anita murmured, on seeing him disappear in the mist. -The hacendero sighed, but made no further reply, and his head fell -pensively on his chest. - -Don Martial pressed on rapidly by the flickering light of the moon, -which spread its sickly and fantastic rays over the desolate scene. At -times he perceived heavy rocks, dumb and gloomy sentinels, whose -gigantic shadows striped the grey sand for a long distance; or else -enormous ahuehuelts, whose branches were laden with that thick moss -called Spaniard's beard, which fell in long festoons, and was agitated -by the slightest breath of wind. - -After nearly an hour and a half's march, the Tigrero stopped his horse, -dismounted, and looked attentively around him. He soon found what he -sought. A short distance from him the wind and rain had hollowed a -rather deep ravine; he drew his horse into it, fastened it to an -enormous stone, bound up its nostrils to prevent its neighing, and went -off, after throwing his rifle on his shoulder. - -From the spot where he was this moment standing the fire was visible, -and the red flash it traced in the air stood out clearly in the -darkness. Round the fire several shadows were reclining which the -Tigrero recognised at the first glance as Indians. The Mexican had not -deceived himself, his experience had not failed him. They were certainly -redskins encamped there in the desert at a short distance from his -party. But who were they? Friends or enemies? He must assure himself -about that fact. - -This was not an easy matter on this flat and barren soil, where it was -almost impossible to advance without being noticed; for the Indians are -like wild beasts, possessing the privilege of seeing in the night. In -the gloom their pupils expand like those of tigers, and they distinguish -their enemies as easily in the deepest shadow as in the most dazzling -sunshine. - -Still Don Martial did not recoil from his task. Not far from the -redskins' bivouac was an enourmous block of granite, at the foot of -which three or four ahuehuelts had sprung up, and in the course of time -so entangled their branches in one another that they formed, at a -certain distance up the rock, a thorough thicket. The Tigrero lay down -on the ground, and gently, inch by inch, employing his knees and elbows, -he glided in the direction of the rock, skilfully taking advantage of -the shadow thrown by the rock itself. It took the Tigrero nearly half an -hour to cross the forty yards that still separated him from the rock. At -length he reached it; he then stopped to draw breath, and uttered a sigh -of satisfaction. - -The rest was nothing: he no longer feared being seen, owing to the -curtain of branches that hid him from the sight of the Indians, but only -being heard. After resting a few seconds he began climbing again, -raising himself gradually on the abrupt side of the rock. At length he -found himself level with the branches, into which he glided and -disappeared. From the hiding place he had so fortunately reached he -could not only survey the Indian camp, but perfectly hear their -conversation. We need scarcely say that Don Martial understood and spoke -perfectly all the dialects of the Indian tribes that traverse the vast -solitudes of Mexico. - -These Indians Don Martial at once recognised to be Apaches. His -forebodings then were realised. Round a _bois de vâche_ fire, which -produced a large flame, while only allowing a slight thread of smoke to -escape, several chiefs were gravely crouching on their heels, and -smoking their calumets while warming themselves, for the cold was sharp. -Don Martial distinguished in their midst the Black Bear. The sachem's -face was gloomy; he seemed in a terrible passion; he frequently raised -his head anxiously, and fixing his piercing eye on the space, -interrogated the darkness. A noise of horse hoofs was heard, and a -mounted Indian entered the lighted part of the camp. After dismounting, -the Indian approached the fire, crouched near his comrades, lighted his -calumet, and began smoking with a perfectly calm face, although the dust -that covered him, and his panting chest, showed that he must have made a -long and painful journey. - -On his arrival the Black Bear gazed fixedly at him, and they went on -smoking without saying a word; for Indian etiquette prescribes that the -sachem should not interrogate another chief before the latter has shaken -into the fire the ashes of his calumet. The Black Bear's impatience was -evidently shared by the other Indians; still all remained grave and -silent. At length the newcomer drew a final puff of smoke, which he sent -forth through his mouth and nostrils, and returned his calumet to his -girdle. The Black Bear turned to him. - -"The Little Panther has been long," he said. - -As this was not a question the Indian limited himself to replying with a -bow. - -"The vultures are soaring in large flocks over the desert," the chief -presently continued; "the coyotes are sharpening their bent claws; the -Apaches scent a smell of blood which makes their hearts bound with joy -in their breasts. Has my son seen nothing?" - -"The Little Panther is a renowned warrior of his tribe. At the first -leaves he will be a chief. He has fulfilled the mission his father -entrusted to him." - -"Wah! What are the Long-knives doing?" - -"The Long-knives are dogs that howl without knowing how to bite: an -Apache warrior terrifies them." - -The chiefs smiled with pride at this boast, which they simply regarded -as seriously meant. - -"The Little Panther has seen their camp," the Indian continued; "he has -counted them. They cry like women, and lament like weak children. Two of -them will not take their accustomed place this night at the council fire -of their brothers." - -And with a gesture marked with a certain degree of nobility, the Indian -raised the cotton shirt which fell from his neck about half way down his -thighs, and displayed two bleeding scalps fastened to his waist belt. - -"Wah!" the chiefs exclaimed joyfully, "the Little Panther has fought -bravely!" - -The Black Bear made the warrior a sign to hand him the scalps. He -unfastened them and gave them. The sachem examined them attentively. The -Apaches fixed their eyes eagerly upon him. - -"_Asch'eth_ (it is good)," he said presently; "my brother has killed a -Long Knife and a Yori." - -And he returned the scalps to the warrior. - -"Have the palefaces discovered the trail of the Apaches?" - -"The palefaces are moles; they are only good in their great stone -villages." - -"What has my son done?" - -"The Panther executed the orders of the sachem point by point. When the -warrior perceived that the palefaces would not see him, he went towards -them mocking them, and led them for three hours after him into the heart -of the desert." - -"Good! My son has done well. What next?" - -"When the palefaces had gone far enough the Panther left them, after -killing two in memory of his visit, and then proceeded to the camp of -the warriors of his nation." - -"My son is weary: the hour of rest has arrived for him." - -"Not yet," the Indian replied seriously. - -"Wah! Let my son explain." - -At this remark Don Martial, who was listening attentively to all that -was said, felt his heart contract, he knew not why. The Indian -continued,-- - -"There are others beside the Long-knives in the desert; the Little -Panther has discovered another trail." - -"Another trail?" - -"Yes. It is not very visible: there are seven horses and three mules in -all. I recognised one of the horses." - -"Wah! I await what my brother is about to tell me." - -"Six Yori warriors, having a woman with them, have entered the desert." - -The chiefs eyes flashed fire. - -"A palefaced woman?" he asked. - -The Indian bowed in affirmation. The sachem reflected for a moment, and -then his face re-assumed that stoical mask which was habitual to it. - -"The Black Bear is not mistaken," he said; "he smelt the scent of blood: -his Apache sons will have a splendid chase. Tomorrow at the _endi-tah_ -(sunrise) the warriors will mount. The sachem's lodge is empty. Let us -now leave the Big-knives to their fate," he added, raising his eyes to -heaven; "Nyang, the genius of evil, will take on himself to bury them -beneath the sand. The Master of Life summons the tempest: our task is -fulfilled. Let us follow the track of the Yoris, and return to our -hunting grounds at full speed. The hurricane will soon howl across the -desert. My sons can go to sleep: a chief will watch over them. I have -spoken." - -The warriors bowed silently, rose one after the other, and went to lie -down on the sand a short distance off. Within five minutes they were all -in a deep sleep. The Black Bear alone watched. With his head in his -hands, and his elbows on his knees, he looked fixedly at the sky. At -times his face lost that severe expression, and a transient smile played -around his lips. What thoughts thus absorbed the sachem? On what was he -meditating? - -Don Martial read his thoughts, and felt a shudder of terror. He remained -another half-hour motionless in his hiding place lest he might run the -risk of discovery. Then he went down again as he had come, employing -even greater precautions; for at this moment, when a leaden silence -brooded over the desert, the slightest sound would have betrayed his -presence to the Indian chief's subtile ear. He feared the discovery now -more than ever, after the revelations he had succeeded in overhearing. -At length he reached again, all safe and sound, the spot where he had -left his horse. - -For some time the Tigrero let the bridle hang loosely on his noble -animal's neck, went slowly onwards, revolving in his mind all he had -heard, and searching for the means he should employ to shield his -companions from the frightful danger that menaced them. His perplexity -was extreme: he knew not what to decide on. He knew Don Sylva too well -to suppose that a personal interest, however powerful it might be, would -induce him to abandon his friends in their present peril. But must Doña -Anita be sacrificed to this delicacy--to this false notion of honour; -above all, for a man in every respect unworthy of the interest the -hacendero felt for him? - -It was possible to avoid and escape the Apaches by skill and courage; -but how to escape the tempest which in a few hours perhaps, would burst -on the desert, destroy every trace, and render flight impossible? - -The girl must be saved at any risk. This thought incessantly returned to -the Tigrero's perplexed mind, and gnawed at his heart like a searing -iron: he felt himself affected by a cold rage on considering the -material impossibilities that rose so implacably before him. How to save -the girl? He constantly asked himself this question, for which he found -no answer. For a long time he went on thus with drooping head, seeking -in vain a method which would enable him to act on his own inspiration, -and escape from the critical position in which he found himself. At -length light dawned on his mind; he raised his head haughtily, cast a -glance of defiance toward the enemies who appeared so sure of seizing -his companions, and digging the spurs into his horse, started at full -speed. - -When he reached the camp he found every one asleep save the peon who was -mounting guard. The night was well on--it was about one o'clock in the -morning; the moon spread around a dazzling light, almost as clear as -day. The Apaches would not set out before daybreak, and he had, -therefore, about four hours left him for action. He resolved to profit -by them. Four hours well employed are enormous in a flight. - -The Tigrero began by carefully rubbing down his horse to restore the -elasticity to its limbs, for he would need all its speed; then, aided by -the peons, he loaded the mules and saddled the horses. This last -accomplished, he reflected for a moment, and they wrapped round the -horse hoofs pieces of sheep-skin filled with sand. This stratagem, he -fancied, would foil the Indians, who, no longer recognising the traces -they expected, would fancy themselves on a false trail. For greater -security he ordered two or three skins of mezcal to be left on the rock. -He knew the Apaches' liking for strong liquors, and calculated on their -drunken propensities. This done, ho aroused Don Sylva and his daughter. - -"To horse! To horse!" he said in a voice that admitted of no reply. - -"What's the matter?" the hacendero asked, still half asleep. - -"That if we do not start at once we are lost!" - -"How--what do you mean?" - -"To horse! To horse! Every moment we waste here brings us nearer to -death. Presently I will explain all." - -"In Heaven's name tell me what the matter is!" - -"You shall know. Come, come." - -Without listening to anything, he compelled the hacendero to mount: Doña -Anita had done so already. The Tigrero looked around for the last time, -and gave the signal for departure. The party started at their horses' -topmost speed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE APACHES. - - -Nothing is so mournful as a night march through the desert, especially -under such circumstances as hurried our party on. Night is the mother of -phantoms; in the darkness, the gayest landscapes become -sinister--everything assumes a form to startle the traveller. The moon, -however brilliant the light it diffuses may be, imparts to objects a -fantastic appearance and mournful hues which cause the bravest to -tremble. - -This sepulchral calmness of the desert--this solitude that surrounds -you, torments you from every side, and peoples the scenery with -spectres--this obscurity which enfolds you like a leaden shroud--all -combine to trouble the brain, and arouse a species of febrile terror, -which the vivifying sunbeams are alone powerful enough to dissipate. - -In spite of themselves our friends suffered from this feeling. They -galloped through the night, not able to explain to themselves their -motive for doing so, not knowing whither they were going. With heavy -heads and weighed down eyelids, they had only one thought--of sleep. -Borne along by their horses at headlong speed; the trees and rocks -danced around them. They therefore secured themselves in their saddles, -closed their eyes, and yielded to the sleep which overwhelmed them, and -which they no longer felt the strength to resist. - -Sleep is perhaps the most tyrannical and imperious necessity of man: it -makes him despise and forget all else. The man overpowered by sleep will -give way to it, no matter where he is, or what danger menaces him. -Hunger and thirst may be subdued for a while by strength of will and -courage, but sleep cannot. It is impossible to contend against it. It -strangles you in its iron claws, and in a few moments hurls you down -panting and conquered. - -With the exception of Don Martial, whose eye was sharp and mind clear, -the other members of the party resembled somnambulists. Hanging to their -horses as well as they could, with eyes shut and thoughts wandering, -they hurried on unconsciously, a prey to that horrible nightmare which -is neither sleeping nor waking, but only the torpor of the senses and -the oblivion of the mind. - -This lasted the whole night. They had travelled ten leagues, and were -utterly exhausted. Still at sunrise, beneath the influence of the warm -rays, they gradually shook off their heaviness, opened their eyes, -looked curiously around them, and an infinity of questions rose from the -heart to the lips, as generally happens in such a case. - -The party had reached the banks of the Rio Gila, whose muddy waters -form, on this side, the desert frontier. Don Martial, after carefully -examining the spot where he was, stopped on the bank. The bags of sand -were removed from the horses' feet, and they were supplied with food. As -for the men, they must temporarily put up with a mouthful of _refino_ to -restore their strength. - -The appearance of the country had changed. On the other bank of the -river a thick, strong grass covered the ground, and immense virgin -forests grew on the horizon. - -"Ouf!" Don Sylva said, rolling on the ground with an expression of great -satisfaction, "What a journey! I am worn out. If that were to last but -one day, _voto a brios!_ I could not stand it any longer. I am neither -hungry nor thirsty. I will go to sleep." - -While saying this the hacendero had arranged himself in the posture most -agreeable for a nap. - -"Not yet, Don Sylva," the Tigrero said sharply, and shaking him by the -arm. "Do you want to leave your bones here?" - -"Go to the deuce! I want to sleep, I tell you." - -"Very good," Don Martial made answer coldly; "but if you and Doña Anita -fall into the hands of the Apaches you will not make me responsible for -it?" - -"Eh?" the hacendero said, jumping up, and looking him in the face, "What -are you saying about Apaches?" - -"I tell you again that the Apaches are in pursuit of us. We are only a -few hours ahead of them, and if we do not make haste we are lost." - -"_Canarios!_ We must fly," Don Sylva exclaimed, now thoroughly awake. -"My daughter must not fall into the hands of those demons." - -As for Doña Anita, little troubled her at this moment. She was fast -asleep. - -"Let the horses eat, and then we will start. We have a long way to go, -and they must be able to bear us. These few moments of rest will allow -Doña Anita to regain her strength." - -"Poor child!" the hacendero muttered, "I am the cause of what has -happened. My unlucky obstinacy brought us here." - -"What use is recrimination, Don Sylva? We are all to blame. Let us -forget the past, only to think of the present." - -"Yes, you are right. What need discussing things that are done? Now that -I am perfectly awake, tell me what you did during the night, and why you -forced us to start so suddenly." - -"My story will be short, Don Sylva; but you, I believe, will find it -very interesting. But you shall judge for yourself. After leaving you -last night, as you remember, to find out--" - -"Yes, you wished to examine a fire that seemed to you suspicious." - -"That was it. Well, I was not mistaken: that fire, as I supposed, was a -snare laid by the Apaches. I managed to crawl up to them unnoticed, and -hear their conversation. Do you know what they said?" - -"By my faith, I have little notion what such idiots as those talk -about." - -"Not such idiots as you fancy somewhat lightly, Don Sylva. One of their -runners was telling the sachem the result of a mission entrusted to him. -Among other things he mentioned that he had discovered a paleface trail, -and that among the palefaces was a woman." - -"_Caspita!_" the hacendero exclaimed in terror, "Are you quite sure of -that, Don Martial?" - -"The more so because I heard the chief make this reply. Be attentive, -Don Sylva--" - -"I am listening, my friend: go on." - -"'At sunrise we will set out in pursuit of the palefaces. The chief's -lodge is empty: he wants a white woman to occupy it.'" - -"Caramba!" - -"Yes. Then finding I had learnt sufficient of the expedition the -redskins were undertaking, I slipped away and regained our camp as soon -as possible. You know the--" - -"Yes, I know the rest, Don Martial," the hacendero said almost -affectionately; "and I thank you most sincerely, not only for the -intelligence you have displayed on this occasion, but also for the -devotion with which you compelled us to follow you, instead of being -disgusted by our mad sloth." - -"I have done nothing but what I should do, Don Sylva. Have I not sworn -to devote my life to you?" - -"Yes, my friend, and you keep your vow nobly." - -Since the hacendero had known Don Martial this was the first time he -spoke openly with him, and gave him the title of friend. The Tigrero was -touched by this expression; and if he had hitherto felt some slight -prejudice against Don Sylva, it was suddenly dissipated, and only left -in his heart a feeling of profound gratitude. - -Doña Anita awoke during this conversation, and it was with an -indescribable joy that she heard them talking thus amicably together. -When her father told her the cause of the hasty journey she had been -compelled to undertake in the middle of the night, she warmly thanked -Don Martial, and rewarded him for all his sufferings by one of those -glances, the secret of which only women in love possess, and into which -they throw their whole soul. The Tigrero, delighted at seeing his -devotion appreciated as it deserved served to be, forgot all his -fatigues, and had only one desire--that of terminating happily what he -had so well begun. So soon as the horses were saddled they mounted -again. - -"I leave myself in your hands, Don Martial," the hacendero said: "you -alone; can save us." - -"With the help of Heaven I shall succeed," the Tigrero replied -passionately. - -They entered the river, which was rather wide at this spot. Instead of -crossing it at right angles, Don Martial, in order to throw the savages -off the scent, followed the course of the river for some distance, and -made repeated curves. At length, on reaching a point where the river was -inclosed by two calcareous banks, where it was impossible for the -horses' hoofs to leave any marks, he landed. The party had left the -desert. Before them stretched those immense prairies, whose undulating -soil gradually, rises to the slopes of the _Sierra Madre_ and the -_Sierra de los Comanches_. They are no longer sterile and desolate -plains, denuded of wood and water, but a luxuriant nature, with an -extraordinary productive force--trees, flowers, grass; countless birds -singing joyously beneath the foliage; animals of every description -running, browsing and sporting in the midst of these natural prairies. - -The travellers yielded instinctively to the feeling of comfort produced -by the sight of this splendid prairie, when compared with the desolate -desert they had just quitted, and in which they had wandered about so -long haphazard. This contrast was full of charm for them: they felt, -their courage rekindled, and hope returning to their hearts. About -eleven o'clock the horses were so fatigued that the travellers were -compelled to encamp, in order to give them a few hours' rest, and thus -pass the great heats of the day. Don Martial chose the top of a wooded -hill, whence the prairie could be surveyed, while they remained -completely concealed among the trees. - -The Tigrero would not permit them, however, to light a fire to cook food -as the smoke would have caused their retreat to be discovered; and in -their present position they could not exercise too great prudence, as it -was evident that the Apaches would have started in pursuit at sunrise. -Those crafty bloodhounds must be thrown off the scent. In spite of all -the precautions he had taken, the Tigrero could not flatter himself with -the hope of having foiled them; for the redskins are so clever in -discovering a trail. After eating a few hasty mouthfuls he allowed his -companions to enjoy a rest they needed so greatly, and rose to go on the -watch. - -This man appeared made of iron--fatigue took no hold on him; his will -was so firm that he resisted everything, and the desire to save the -woman he loved endowed him with a supernatural strength. He slowly -descended the hill, examining each shrub, only advancing with extreme -prudence, and with his ear open to every sound, however slight. So soon -as he reached the plain, certain that his presence would be concealed by -the tall grass, in which he entirely disappeared, he hastened at full -speed towards a sombre and primeval forest, whose trees approached -almost close to the hill. This forest was really what it appeared to -be--a virgin forest. The trees and leaves intertwined formed an -inextricable curtain, through which a hatchet would have been required -to cut a passage. Had he been alone, the Tigrero would not have been -greatly embarrassed by this apparently insurmountable obstacle. Skilful -and powerful as he was, he would have travelled 'twixt earth and sky, by -passing from branch to branch, as he had often done before. But what a -man so desolate as himself could do was not to be expected from a frail -and weak woman. - -For an instant the Tigrero felt his heart fail him, and his courage give -way. But this despair was only momentary. Don Martial drew himself up -proudly and suddenly regained all his energy. He continued to advance -toward the forest, looking around like a wild beast on the watch for -prey. All of a sudden he uttered a stifled cry of joy. He had found what -he had been seeking without any hope of finding it. - -Before him, beneath a thick dome of verdure, ran one of those narrow -paths formed by wild beasts in going to water, which it required the -Tigrero's practised eye to detect. He resolutely turned aside into this -path. Like all such it took innumerable turnings, incessantly coming -back on itself. After following it for a length of time, the Tigrero -went back and re-ascended the hill. - -His companions, anxious at his prolonged absence, were impatiently -expecting him. Each welcomed his return with delight. He told them what -he had been doing, and the track he had discovered. While Don Martial -had been on the search, one of his peons, however, had made, on the side -of this very hill, a discovery most valuable at such a moment to our -travellers. This man, while wandering about the neighbourhood to kill -time, had found the entrance to a cave which he had not dared to -explore, not knowing whether he might not unexpectedly find himself face -to face with a wild beast. - -Don Martial quivered with joy at this news. He seized an _ocote_ torch -and ordered the peon to lead him to the cavern. It was only a few paces -distant, and on that side of the hill which faced the river. The -entrance was so obstructed by shrubs and parasitic plants, that it was -evident no living being had ever penetrated it for many a long year. The -Tigrero moved the shrubs with the greatest care, in order not to injure -them, and glided into the cavern. The entrance was tolerably lofty, -though rather narrow. Before going in Don Martial struck a light and -kindled the torch. - -This cavern was one of those natural grottos, so many of which are to be -found in these regions. The walls were lofty and dry, the ground covered -with fine sand. It evidently received air from imperceptible fissures, -as no mephitic exhalation escaped from it, and breathing was quite easy; -in a word, although it was rather gloomy, it was habitable. It grew -gradually lower to a species of hall, in the centre of which was a gulf, -the bottom of which Don Martial could not see, though he held down his -torch. He looked around him, saw a lump of rock, probably detached from -the roof and threw it into the abyss. - -For a long time he heard the stone dashing against the sides, and then -the noise of a body falling into water. Don Martial knew all he -wanted to know. He stepped past the gulf, and advanced along a narrow -shelving passage. After walking for about ten minutes along it, he saw -light a considerable distance ahead. The grotto had two outlets. Don -Martial returned at full speed. - -"We are saved!" he said to his companions. "Follow me: we have not an -instant to lose in reaching the refuge Providence so generously offers -us." - -They followed him. - -"What shall we do, though," Don Sylva asked, "with the horses?" - -"Do not trouble yourselves about them; I will conceal them. Place in the -grotto our provisions, for it is probable we shall be forced to remain -here some time; also keep by you the saddles and bridles, which I do not -know what to do with. As for the horses, they are my business." - -Each set to work with that feverish ardour produced by the hope of -escaping a danger; and at the end of an hour at most, the baggage, -provisions, and men had all disappeared in the cavern. Don Martial drew -the bushes over the entrance, to hide the traces of his companions' -passage, and breathed with that delight caused by the success of a -daring project; then he returned to the crest of the hill. - -He fastened the horses and mules together with his reata, and descending -to the plain, he proceeded toward the forest, and entered the path he -had previously discovered. It was very narrow, and the horses could only -proceed in single file, and with extreme difficulty. At length he -reached a species of clearing, where be abandoned the poor animals, -leaving them all the forage, which he had taken care to pack on the -mules. Don Martial was well aware that the horses would stray but a -short distance from the spot where he left them, and that when they were -wanted it would be easy to find them. - -These various occupations had consumed a good deal of time, and the day -was considerably advanced when the Tigrero finally quitted the forest. -The sun, very low on the horizon, appeared like a ball of fire, nearly -on a level with the ground. The shadow of the trees was -disproportionately elongated. The evening breeze was beginning to rise. -A few hoarse cries, issuing at intervals from the depths of the forest, -announced the speedy re-awakening of the wild beasts, those denizens of -the desert which, during the night, are its absolute king. - -On reaching the crest of the hill, and before entering the grotto, Don -Martial surveyed the horizon by the last rays of the expiring sun. -Suddenly he turned pale; a nervous shudder passed through his frame; his -eyes, dilated by terror, were obstinately fixed on the river; and he -muttered in a low voice, stamping with fury,-- - -"Already? The demons!" - -What the Tigrero had seen was really startling. A band of Indian -horsemen was traversing the river at the precise spot where he and his -companions had crossed it a few hours previously. Don Martial followed -their movements with growing alarm. On arriving at the river bank, -without any hesitation or delay, they took up his trail. Doubt was no -longer possible; the Apaches had not been deceived by the hunter's -schemes, but had come in a straight line behind the party, exercising -great diligence. In less than an hour they could reach the hill; and -then, with that diabolical science they possessed to discover the best -hidden trail, who knew what would happen? - -The Tigrero felt his heart breaking, and half mad with grief, rushed -into the grotto. On seeing him enter thus with livid features, the -hacendero and his daughter hurried to meet him. - -"What is the matter?" They asked. - -"We are lost!" he exclaimed with despair. "Here are the Apaches!" - -"The Apaches!" they muttered with terror. - -"O heavens save me!" Doña Anita said, falling on her knees and fervently -clasping her hands. - -The Tigrero bent over the fair girl, took her in his arms with a -strength rendered tenfold by grief, and turning to the hacendero,-- - -"Come," he shouted, "follow me. Perhaps one chance of salvation is still -left us." - -And he hurried toward the extremity of the grotto, all eagerly following -him. They hurried on for some time in this way. Doña Anita, almost -fainting, leaned her lovely head on the Tigrero's shoulders. He still -ran on. - -"Come, come," he said, "we shall soon be saved." - -His companions uttered a shout of joy: they had perceived a gleam of -daylight before them. Suddenly, at the moment Don Martial reached the -entrance, and was about to rush forth, a man appeared. It was the Black -Bear. - -The Tigrero leaped back with the howl of a wild beast. - -"Wah!" the Apache said, with a mocking voice, "my brother knows that I -love this woman, and to please me hastens to bring her to me." - -"You have not got her yet, demon!" Don Martial shouted, boldly placing -himself before Doña Anita, with a pistol in each hand. "Come and take -her." - -Rapidly approaching footsteps were heard in the depths of the cavern. -The Mexicans were caught between two fires. The Black Bear, with his eye -fixed on the Tigrero, watched his every movement. Suddenly he bounded -forward like a tiger cat, uttering his war yell. The Tigrero fired both -pistols at him and seized him round the waist. The two men rolled on the -ground, intertwined like two serpents, while Don Sylva and the peons -fought desperately with the other Indians. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE WOOD RANGERS. - - -We will now return to certain persons of this story, whom we have too -long forgotten. - -Although the French had remained masters of the field, and succeeded in -driving back their savage enemies when they attacked the hacienda upon -the Rio Gila, they did not hide from themselves the fact that they did -not owe this unhoped for victory solely to their own courage. The final -charge made by the Comanches, under the orders of Eagle-head, had alone -decided the victory. Hence, when the enemy disappeared, the Count de -Lhorailles, with uncommon generosity and frankness, especially in a man -of his character, warmly thanked the Comanches, and made the hunters the -most magnificent offers. The latter modestly received the count's -flattering compliments, and plainly declined all the offers he made -them. - -As Belhumeur told him, they had no other motive for their conduct than -that of helping fellow countrymen. Now that all was finished, and the -French would be long free from any attacks on the part of the savages, -they had only one thing more to do--take leave of the count so soon as -possible, and continue their journey. The count, however, induced them -to spend two more days at the colony. - -Doña Anita and her father had disappeared in so mysterious a manner, -that the French, but little accustomed to Indian tricks, and completely -ignorant of the manner of discovering or following a trail in the -desert, were incapable of going in search of the two persons who had -been carried off. The count, in his mind, had built on the experience of -Eagle-head and the sagacity of his warriors to find traces of the -hacendero and his daughter. He explained to the hunters, in the fullest -details, the service he hoped to obtain from them, and they thought they -had no right to refuse it. - -The next morning, at daybreak, Eagle-head divided his detachment into -four troops, each commanded by a renowned warrior, and after giving the -men their instructions, he sent them off in four different directions. -The Comanches beat up the country with that cleverness and skill the -redskins possess to so eminent a degree, but all was useless. The four -troops returned one after the other to the hacienda without making any -discovery. Though they had gone over the ground for a radius of about -twenty leagues round the colony--though not a tuft of grass or a shrub -had escaped their minute investigations--the trail could not be found. -We know the reason--water alone keeps no trace. Don Sylva and his -daughter had been carried down with the current of the Rio Gila. - -"You see," Belhumeur said to the count, "we have done what was humanly -possible to recover the persons carried off during the fight; it is -evident that the ravishers embarked them on the river, and carried them -a long distance ere they landed. Who can say where they are now? The -redskins go fast, especially when flying; they have an immense advance -on us, as the ill success of our efforts proves: it would be madness to -hope to catch them. Allow us, then, to take our leave: perhaps, during -our passage across the prairie, we may obtain information which may -presently prove useful to you." - -"I will no longer encroach on your kindness," the count replied -courteously. "Go whenever you think proper, caballeros; but accept the -expression of my gratitude, and believe that I should be happy to prove -it to you otherwise than by sterile words. Besides, I am also going to -leave the colony, and we may perhaps meet in the desert." - -The next morning the hunters and the Comanches quitted the hacienda, and -buried themselves in the prairie. In the evening Eagle-head had the camp -formed, and the fires lighted. After supper, when all were about to -retire for the night, the sachem sent the _hachesto_, or public crier, -to summon the chiefs to the council fire. - -"My pale brothers will take a place near the chiefs," Eagle-head said, -addressing the Canadian and the Frenchman. - -The latter accepted with a nod, and sat down by the brasero among the -Comanche chiefs, who were already waiting, silent and reserved, for the -communication from their great sachem. When Eagle-head had taken his -seat he made a sign to the pipe bearer. The latter entered the circle, -respectfully carrying in his hand the calumet of medicine, whose stem -was adorned with feathers and a multitude of bells, while the bowl was -hollowed out of a white stone only found in the Rocky Mountains. - -The calumet was filled and lighted. - -The pipe bearer, so soon as he entered the circle, turned the bowl of -the pipe to the four cardinal points, murmuring in a low voice -mysterious words, intended to invoke the goodwill of the Wacondah, the -Master of Life, and remove from the minds of the chiefs the malignant -influence of the first man. Then, still holding the bowl in his hand, he -presented the mouthpiece to Eagle-head, saying in a loud and impressive -voice,-- - -"My father is the first sachem of the valorous nation of the Comanches. -Wisdom resides in him. Although the snows of age have not yet frozen the -thoughts in his brain, like all men, he is subject to error. Let my -father reflect ere he speak; for the words which pass his lips must be -such as the Comanches can hear." - -"My son has spoken well," the sachem replied. - -He took the tube, and smoked silently for a few moments; then he removed -the stem from his lips, and handed it to his nearest neighbour. The pipe -thus passed round the circle, and not a chief uttered a word. When each -had smoked, and all the tobacco in the bowl was consumed, the pipe -bearer shook out the ash into his left hand, and threw it into the -brazier, exclaiming,-- - -"The chiefs are assembled here in council. Their words are sacred. -Wacondah has heard our prayer, it is granted. Woe to the man who forgets -that conscience must be his only guide!" - -After uttering these words with great dignity the pipe bearer left the -circle, murmuring in a low, though perfectly distinct voice,-- - -"Just as the ash I have thrown into the fire has disappeared for ever, -so the words of the chiefs must be sacred, and never be repeated outside -the sachems' circle. My fathers can speak; the council is opened." - -The pipe bearer departed after this warning. Then Eagle-head rose, and, -after surveying all the warriors present, took the word. - -"Comanche chiefs and warriors," he said, "many moons have passed away -since I left the villages of my nation; many moons will again pass ere -the all-powerful Wacondah will permit me to sit at the council fire of -the great Comanche sachems. The blood has ever flowed red in my veins, -and my heart has never worn a skin for my brothers. The words which pass -my lips are spoken by the will of the Great Spirit. He knows how I have -kept up my love for you. The Comanche nation is powerful; it is the -Queen of the Prairies. Its hunting grounds cover the whole world. What -need has it to ally itself with other nations to avenge insults? Does -the unclean coyote retire into the den of the haughty jaguar? Does the -owl lay its eggs in the eagle's nest? Why should the Comanche walk on -the warpath with the Apache dogs? The Apaches are cowardly and -treacherous women. I thank my brothers for not only having broken with -them, but also for having helped me to defeat them. Now my heart is sad, -a mist covers my mind, because I must separate myself from my brothers. -Let them accept my farewell. Let the Jester pity me, because I shall -walk in the shadow far from him. The sunbeams, however burning they may -be, will not warm me. I have spoken. Have I spoken well, powerful men?" - -Eagle-head sat down amid a murmur of grief, and concealed his face -behind the skirt of his buffalo robe. There was great silence in the -assembly; the Jester seemed to interrogate the other chiefs with a -glance. At length he rose, and took the word in his turn to reply to the -sachem. - -"The Jester is young," he said; "his head is good, though he does not -possess, the great wisdom of his father. Eagle-head is a sachem beloved -by the Wacondah. Why has the Master of Life brought the chief back among -the warriors of his nation? Is it that he should leave them again almost -immediately? No; the Master of Life loves his Comanche sons. He could -not have desired that. The warriors need a wise and experienced chief to -lead them on the warpath, and instruct them round the council fire. My -father's head is grey; he will teach and guide the warriors. The Jester -cannot do so; he is still too young, and wants experience. Where my -father goes his sons will go; what my father wishes his sons will wish. -But never let him speak again about leaving them. Let him disperse the -cloud that obscures his mind. His sons implore it by the mouth of the -Jester--that child he brought up, whom he loved so much formerly, and of -whom he made a man. I have spoken; here is my wampum. Have I spoken -well, powerful men?" - -After uttering the last words the chief threw a collar of wampum at -Eagle-head's feet, and sat down again. - -"The great sachem must remain with his sons," all the warriors shouted, -as, in their turn, they threw down their wampum collars. - -Eagle-head rose with an air of great nobility; he allowed the skirt of -his buffalo robe to fall, and addressing the anxious and attentive -assembly,-- - -"I have heard the strain of the walkon, the beloved bird of the -Wacondah, echo in my ears," he said: "its harmonious voice penetrated -to my heart and made it thrill with joy. My sons are good, and I love -them. The Jester and ten warriors to be chosen by himself, will -accompany me, and the others will ride to the great villages of my -nation to announce to the sachems the return of Eagle-head among his -brothers. I have spoken." - -The Jester then asked for the great calumet, which was immediately -brought him by the pipe bearer, and the chiefs smoked in turn, without -uttering a word. When the last puff of smoke had dissolved, the -hachesto, to whom the Jester had said a few words in a low voice, -proclaimed the names of the ten warriors selected to accompany the -sachem. The chiefs rose, bowed to Eagle-head, and silently mounting -their horses, started at a gallop. - -For a considerable period the Jester and Eagle-head conversed in a low -voice; at the end of the palaver, the Jester and his warriors went off -in their turn, Eagle-head, Belhumeur and Don Louis remaining alone. The -Canadian watched the Indians depart, and when they had disappeared he -turned to the chief. - -"Hum!" he said, "Will not the hour soon arrive to speak frankly and -terminate our business? Since our departure from home we have troubled -ourselves a great deal about others, and forgotten our own affairs; is -it not time to think of them?" - -"Eagle-head does not forget: he is preparing to satisfy his pale -brothers." - -Belhumeur burst out laughing. - -"Excuse me, chief; for my part, my business is very simple. You asked me -to accompany you and here I am. May I be a dog of an Apache if I know -anything more! Louis, it is different, is looking for a well-beloved -friend: remember that we have promised to help him to find him." - -"Eagle-head," the chief replied, "has shared his heart between his two -white brothers: each has half. The road we have to go is long, and must -last several moons. We shall cross the great desert. The Jester and his -warriors have gone to kill buffaloes for the journey. I will lead my -white brothers to a spot which I discovered a few moons ago, and which -is only known to myself. The Wacondah, when he created the red man, gave -him strength, courage, and immense hunting grounds, saying to him: 'Be -free and happy.' He gave the palefaces wisdom and science, by teaching -them to know the value of sparkling stones and yellow pebbles. The -redskins and the palefaces each follow the path the Great Spirit has -traced for them. I am leading my brothers to a placer." - -"To a placer!" the two men exclaimed in amazement. - -"Yes. What would an Indian sachem do with these enormous treasures, -which he knows not how to use? Gold is everything with the palefaces. -Let my brothers be happy; Eagle-head will give them more than they can -ever take." - -"An instant, chief. What the deuce would you have me do with your gold? -I am a hunter, whom his horse and rifle suffice. At the period that I -crossed the prairie in the company of Loyal-heart, we frequently found -rich nuggets beneath our feet, and ever turned from them with -contempt." - -"What need have we of gold?" Don Louis supported his friend. "Let us -forget this placer, however rich it may be. Let us not reveal its -existence to anyone, for crimes enough are committed daily for gold. -Give up this scheme, chief. We thank you for your generous offer, but it -is impossible for us to accept it." - -"Well spoken," Belhumeur exclaimed joyously. "Deuce take the gold, which -we can make no use of, and let us live like the free hunters we are! By -heavens, chief, I assure you, had you told me at the time the object for -which you wished me to follow you, I should have let you start alone." - -Eagle-head smiled. - -"I expected the answer my brothers have given me," he said. "I am happy -to see that I have not been mistaken. Yes, gold is useless, to -them--they are right; but that is not a motive for despising it. Like -all things placed on the earth by the Great Spirit, gold is useful. My -brothers will accompany me to the placer, not, as they suppose, to -collect nuggets, but merely to know where they are, and go to fetch them -when wanted. Misfortune ever arrives unexpectedly: the most favoured by -the Great Spirit today are often those whom tomorrow he will smite most -severely. Well, if the gold of this placer is as nothing for the -happiness of my brothers, who insures them that it may not serve some -day to save one of their friends from despair?" - -"That is true," said Don Louis, touched by the justice of this -reasoning. "What you say is wise, and deserves consideration. We can -refuse to enrich ourselves; but we have no right to despise riches, -which may possibly, at some future day, serve others." - -"If that is really your opinion I adopt it; besides, as we are on the -road, it is as well to go to the end. Still, the man who had told me -that I should one day turn _gambusino_ would have astonished me. In the -meanwhile I will go and try to kill a deer." - -On this Belhumeur rose, took his gun, and went off whistling. The Jester -was two days absent. About the middle of the third day he reappeared. -Six horses lassoed in the prairie were loaded with provisions; six -others carried skins filled with water. Eagle-head was satisfied with -the way in which the chief had performed his mission: but as the journey -they had to make was a long one (for they had to cross the Del Norte -desert at its longest part,) he ordered that each horseman should carry -on his saddle, with his alforjas, two little water skins. - -All these measures having been carefully taken, the horses and their -riders rested. Fresh and of good cheer, the next morning, at daybreak, -the little troop started in the direction of the desert. We will say -nothing of the journey, save that it was successful and accomplished -under the most favourable auspices: no incident occurred to mar its -monotonous tranquillity. The Comanches and their friends crossed the -desert like a tornado, with that headlong speed of which they alone -possess the secret, and which renders them so dangerous when they invade -the Mexican frontiers. - -On arriving in the prairies of the Sierra de los Comanches, Eagle-head -ordered the Jester and his warriors to await him in a camp which he -formed on the skirt of a virgin forest, in an immense clearing on the -banks of an unknown stream, which, after a course of several leagues, -falls into the Rio del Norte, and then departed with his comrades. The -sachem foresaw everything. Although he placed entire confidence in the -Jester, he did not wish, through prudential motives, to let him know the -site of the placer. At a later date he had cause to congratulate himself -on this step. - -The hunters pushed on straight for the mountains, which rose before them -like apparently insurmountable granitic walls; but the nearer they -approached the more the mountains sloped down. They soon entered a -narrow gorge, at the entrance of which they were forced to leave their -horses. It was probably owing to this apparently futile circumstance -that this placer had not yet been discovered by the Indians, for the -redskins never, under any circumstances, dismount. It may justly be said -of them, as of the Guachos of the Pampas, in the Banda Oriental and -Patagonia, that they live on horseback. - -By a singular accident during one of his hunts, a deer which Eagle-head -had wounded entered this gorge to die. The chief, who had been following -the animal for several hours, did not hesitate to go in quest of it. -After traversing the whole length of the gorge he reached a valley, a -kind of funnel formed between two abrupt mountains, which, except on -this side, rendered access not only difficult, but impossible. There he -found the deer expiring on a sand sprinkled with gold dust, and sown -with nuggets winch sparkled like diamonds in the sunshine. - -On entering the valley the hunters could not repress a cry of admiration -and a shudder of delight. However strong a man may be morally, gold -possesses an irresistible attraction, and exerts a powerful fascination -over him. Belhumeur was the first to regain his calmness. - -"Oh, oh!" he said, wiping the perspiration which poured down his face, -"there are fortunes enough hidden in this nook of earth. God grant that -they may remain so a long time, for the happiness of mankind!" - -"What shall we do?" asked Louis, his chest heaving and his eyes -sparkling. - -Eagle-head alone regarded these incalculable riches with an indifferent -eye. - -"Hum!" the Canadian continued, "This is evidently our property, as the -chief surrenders it to us." - -The sachem made a sign of affirmation. - -"Hear what I propose," he continued. "We do not need this gold, which at -this moment would be more injurious to us than useful. Still, as no one -can foresee the future, we must assure ourselves of the ownership. Let -us cover this sand with leaves and branches, so that if accident lead a -hunter to the top of one of those mountains, he may not see the gold -glistening; then we will pile up stones, and close the mouth of the -valley; for what has happened to Eagle-head must not happen to another. -What is your opinion?" - -"To work!" Don Louis exclaimed. "I am anxious not to have my eyes -dazzled longer by this diabolical metal, which makes me giddy." - -"To work, then!" Belhumeur replied. - -The three men cut down branches from the trees, and formed with them a -thick carpet, under which the auriferous sand and nuggets entirely -disappeared. - -"Will you not take a specimen of the nuggets?" Belhumeur said to the -count. "Perhaps it may be useful to take a few." - -"My faith, no!" the latter replied, shrugging his shoulders; "I do not -care for it. Take some if you will: for my part, I will not soil my -fingers with them." - -The Canadian began laughing, picked up two or three nuggets as huge as -walnuts, and placed them in his bullet pouch. - -"Sapristi!" he said, "if I kill sundry Apaches with these they will have -no right to complain, I hope." - -They quitted the valley, the entrance to which they stopped up with -masses of rock. They then regained their horses, and returned to the -camp, after cutting notches in the trees, so as to be able to recognise -the spot, if, at a later date, circumstances led them to the placer, -which, we are bound to say in their favour, not one of them desired. - -The Jester was awaiting his friends with the intensest impatience. The -prairie was not quiet. In the morning the runners had perceived a small -band of palefaces crossing the Del Norte, and proceeding toward a hill, -on the top of which they had encamped. At this moment a large Apache -war-party had crossed the river at the same spot, apparently following a -trail. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, "It is plain that those dogs are pursuing -white people." - -"Shall we let them be massacred beneath our eyes?" Louis exclaimed -indignantly. - -"My faith, no! If it depend on us," the hunter said, "perhaps this good -action will obtain our pardon for the feeling of covetousness to which -we for a moment yielded. Speak, Eagle-head! What will you do?" - -"Save the palefaces," the chief replied. - -The orders were immediately given by the sachem, and executed with that -intelligence and promptitude characteristic of picked warriors on the -war trail. The horses were left under the guard of a Comanche, and the -detachment, divided into two parties, advanced cautiously into the -prairie. With the exception of Eagle-head, the Jester, Louis, and -Belhumeur, who had rifles, all the others were armed with lances and -bows. - -"Diamond cut diamond," the Canadian said in a low voice. "We are going -to surprise those who are preparing to surprise others." - -At this moment two shots were heard, followed by others, and then the -war cry of the Apaches echoed far and wide. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, rushing forward, "They do not fancy we are so -near." - -All the others followed him at full speed. In the meanwhile the combat -had assumed horrible proportions in the cavern. Don Sylva and the peons -resisted courageously; but what could they do against the swarm of -enemies that assailed them on every side? - -The Tigrero and the Black Bear, interlaced like two serpents, were -seeking to stab each other. Don Martial, when he perceived the Indian, -leaped back so precipitately that he cleared the passage and reached the -hall, in the centre of which was the abyss to which we before alluded. -It was on the verge of this gulf that the two men, with flashing eyes, -heaving chests, and lips closed by fury, redoubled their efforts. - -Suddenly several shots were heard, and the war cry of the Comanches -burst forth like thunder. The Black Bear loosed his hold of Don Martial, -leaped on his feet, and rushed on Doña Anita; but the girl, though -suffering from an indescribable terror, repulsed the savage by a -supernatural effort. The latter, already wounded by the Tigrero's -pistols, tottered backwards to the edge of the abyss, where he lost his -balance. He felt that all was over. By an instinctive effort he -stretched out his arms, seized Don Martial (who, half stunned by the -contest he had been engaged in, was trying to rise), made him totter in -his turn, and the two fell to the bottom of the abyss, uttering a -horrible cry. - -Doña Anita rushed forward: she was lost--when suddenly she felt herself -seized by a vigorous hand, and rapidly dragged backwards. She had -fainted. - -The Comanches had arrived too late. Of the seven persons composing the -little band, five had been killed; a peon seriously wounded, and Doña -Anita alone survived. The young girl had been saved by Belhumeur. When -she opened her eyes again she smiled gently, and in a childlike voice, -melodious as a bird's carol, began singing a Mexican seguedilla. The -hunters recoiled with a cry of horror. Doña Anita was mad! - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -EL AHUEHUELT. - - -The count de Lhorailles entered the great Del Norte desert under the -guidance of Cucharés. During the first day all went on famously; the -weather was magnificent--the provisions more than plentiful. With their -innate carelessness the Frenchmen forgot their past fears, and laughed -at the alarm which the Mexican peons did not cease manifesting; for, -better informed, they did not conceal the terror which the prolonged -stay of the company in this terrible region caused them. - -The days were spent in the desert in wandering purposelessly in search -of the Apaches, who had at length become invisible. At times they -perceived an Indian horseman in the distance, apparently mocking them, -who presently came up close to their lines. Boot and saddle was sounded; -everybody mounted, and pursued this phantom horseman, who, after -allowing them to follow him for a long time, suddenly disappeared like a -vision. - -This mode of life, however, through its very monotony, began to grow -insipid and insupportable. To see nothing but grey sand, ever sand--not -a bird or a wild beast--tawny, weather-worn rocks--a few lofty -ahuehuelts--a species of cedar, with long bare branches, covered with a -greyish moss, hanging in heavy festoons--had nothing very amusing about -it. The troop began to grow dispirited. The reflection of the sun on the -sand caused ophthalmia; the water, decomposed by the heat, was no longer -drinkable; the provisions were spoiling; and scurvy had commenced its -ravages among the soldiers. This state of things was growing -intolerable: measures must be taken to get out of it as rapidly as -possible. - -The count formed his officers into a council; and it was composed of -Lieutenants Martin Leroux and Diégo Léon, Sergeant Boileau, Blas -Vasquez, and Cucharés. These five persons, presided over by the count, -took their seats on bales, while a short distance off, the soldiers, -reclining on the ground, tried to shelter themselves beneath the shadow -of their picketed horses. - -It was urgent to assemble the council, for the company was rapidly -demoralising; there was revolt in the air, and complaints had already -been openly uttered. The execution at the Casa Grande was completely -forgotten; and, if a remedy were not soon found, no one knew what -terrible consequences this general dissatisfaction might not entail. - -"Gentlemen," the Count de Lhorailles said, "I have assembled you in -order to consult with you on the means to put a stop to the despondency -which has fallen on our company during the last few days. The -circumstances are so serious that I shall feel obliged by your giving me -your frank opinion. The general welfare is at stake, and in such a state -of things each has a right to express his opinion without fear of -wounding the self-love of anyone. Speak; I am listening to you. You -first, Sergeant Boileau: as the lowest in rank, you must take the word -first." - -The sergeant was an old African soldier, knowing his duties perfectly--a -thorough trooper in the fullest sense of the word; but we must confess -that he was nothing of an orator. At this direct challenge from his -chief he smiled, blushed like a girl, let his head droop, opened an -enormous mouth, and stopped short. The count, perceiving his -embarrassment, kindly urged him to speak. At length, after many an -effort, the sergeant managed to begin in a hoarse and perfectly -indistinct voice. - -"Hang it, captain!" he said, "I can understand that the situation is not -at all pleasant; but what is to be done? A man is a trooper, or he is -not. Hence my opinion is that you ought to act as you think proper; and -we are here to obey you in every respect, as is our peremptory duty, -without any subsequent or offensive after-thought." - -The officers could not refrain from laughing at the worthy sergeant's -profession of faith, as he stopped all ashamed. - -"It is your turn, capataz," the captain said. "Give us your opinion." - -Blas Vasquez fixed his burning eyes on the count. - -"Do you really ask it frankly?" he said. - -"Certainly I do." - -"Then listen," he said in a firm voice, and with an accent bearing -conviction. "My opinion is that we are betrayed; that it is impossible -for us to leave this desert, where we shall all perish in pursuing -invisible enemies, who have caused us to fall into a trap which will -hold us all." - -These words produced a great impression on the hearers, who understood -their perfect truth. The captain shook his head thoughtfully. - -"Don Blas," he said, "you bring, then, a heavy accusation against -someone. Have you conscientiously weighed the purport of your words?" - -"Yes," he replied; "but--" - -"Remember that we can admit no vague suppositions. Things have reached -such a pitch that, if you wish us to give you the credence you -doubtlessly deserve, you must bring your charges precisely, and not -shrink from pronouncing any name if it be necessary." - -"I shall shrink from nothing, señor conde. I know all the responsibility -I take on myself. No consideration, however powerful it may be, will -make me conceal what I regard as a sacred duty." - -"Speak, then, in Heaven's name; and God grant that your words may not -compel me to inflict an exemplary chastisement on one of our comrades." - -The capataz collected himself for a moment. All anxiously awaited his -explanation: Cucharés especially was suffering from an emotion which he -found great difficulty in concealing. Blas Vasquez at length spoke -again, while keeping his eye so fixed on the count that the latter began -to understand that he and his men were the victims of some odious -treachery. - -"Señor conde," Blas said, "we Mexicans have a law from which we never -depart--a law which, indeed, is inscribed in the hearts of all honest -men. It is this: in the same way that the pilot is responsible for the -ship intrusted to him to take into port, the pioneer responds with his -person for the safety of the people he undertakes to guide in the -desert. In this case no discussion is possible: either the guide is -ignorant, or he is not. If he is ignorant, why, against the opinion of -everybody, has he forced us to enter the desert, while taking on himself -the entire responsibility of our journey? Why, if he be not ignorant, -did he not guide us straight across the desert as he agreed to do, -instead of leading us at venture in pursuit of an enemy who, he knows as -well as I do, is never stationary in the desert, but traverses it at his -horse's utmost speed when forced to enter it? Hence on the guide alone -must weigh the blame of all that has happened, as he was master of -events, and arranged them as he thought proper." - -Cucharés, more and more perturbed, knew not what countenance to keep; -his emotion was visible to all. - -"What reply have you to make?" the captain asked him. - -Under circumstances like the present, the man attacked has only two -means of defence--to feign indignation or contempt. Cucharés chose the -latter. Summoning up all his boldness and impudence, he raised his -voice, shrugged his shoulders disdainfully, and answered in an ironical -tone,-- - -"I will not do Don Blas the honour of discussing his remarks: there are -certain accusations which an honest man scorns to repel. It was my duty -to act in conformity with the orders of the captain, who alone commands -here. Since we have been in the desert we have lost twenty men, killed -by the Indians or by disease. Can I be logically rendered responsible -for this misfortune? Do I not run the same risks as all of you of -perishing in the desert? Is it in my power to escape the fate that -threatens you? If the captain had merely ordered me to cross the desert, -we should have done so long ago: he told me that he wished to catch the -Apaches up, and I was compelled to obey him." - -These reasons, specious as they were, were still accepted as good by the -officers. Cucharés breathed again, but he had not yet finished with the -capataz. - -"Good!" the latter said. "Strictly speaking, you might be right in your -remarks, and I would put faith in your statements, had I not other and -graver charges to bring against you." - -The lepero shrugged his shoulders once more. - -"I know, and can supply proof, that, by your remarks and insinuations, -you sow discord and rebellion among the peons and troopers. This -morning, before the _réveillé_, believing that no one saw you, you rose, -and with your dagger pierced ten of the fifteen water skins still left -us. The noise I made in running toward you alone prevented the entire -consummation of your crime. At the moment when the captain gave us -orders to assemble, I was about to warn him of what yon had done. What -have you to answer to this? Defend yourself, if it be possible." - -All eyes were fixed on the lepero. He was livid. His eyes, suffused with -blood, were haggard. Before it was possible to guess his intention, he -drew a pistol and fired at the capataz, who fell without uttering a cry; -then with a tiger-bound he leaped on his horse, and started at full -speed. There was an indescribable tumult. All rushed in pursuit of the -lepero. - -"Down with the murderer!" the captain shouted, urging his men by voice -and gestures to seize the villain. - -The Frenchmen, rendered furious by this pursuit, began firing on -Cucharés as on a wild beast. For a long time he was seen galloping his -horse in every direction, and seeking in vain to quit the circle in -which the troopers had inclosed him. At length he tottered in his -saddle, tried to hold on by his horse's mane, and rolled in the sand, -uttering a parting yell of fury. He was dead! - -This event caused extreme excitement among the soldiers: from this -moment they felt that they were betrayed, and began to see their -position as it really was--that is to say, desperate. In vain did the -captain try to restore them a little courage; they would listen to -nothing, but yielded to that despair which disorganises and paralyses -everything. The count gave the order for departure, and they set out. - -But whither should they go? In what direction turn? No trace was -visible. Still they marched on, rather to change their place than in the -hope of emerging from the sepulchre of sand in which they believed -themselves eternally buried. Eight days passed away--eight -centuries---during which the adventurers endured the most frightful -tortures of thirst and hunger. The troop no longer existed; there were -neither chiefs nor soldiers; it was a legion of hideous phantoms, a -flock of wild beasts ready to devour each other on the first -opportunity. - -They had been reduced to splitting the ears of the horses and mules in -order to drink the blood. - -Wandering now on this side, now on that, deceived by the mirage, dazzled -by the burning sunbeams, they were a prey to a hideous despair. Some -laughed with a silly air; and these were the happiest, for they no -longer felt their sufferings: they were mad. Others brandished their -weapons furiously, raising their fists, with menaces and curses to -heaven, which, like an immense plate of red-hot iron, seemed the -implacable dome of their sandy tomb. Some, rendered raging by suffering, -blew out their brains, while mocking their comrades who were too -weak-minded to follow their example. - -The French are, perhaps, the bravest nation in existence; but, on the -other hand, the easiest to demoralise. If their impulse is irresistible -in the onward march; it is the same when they give way. Nothing will -stop them--neither reasoning nor coercive measures. Extreme in -everything, the Frenchman is more than a man, or less than a child. - -The Count de Lhorailles, gloomy and heart-broken, surveyed the ruin of -all his hopes. Ever the first to march the last to rest, not eating a -mouthful till he was certain that all his comrades had their share, he -watched with unexampled tenderness and care over these poor soldiers, -who, strangely enough, in the misery in which they were plunged, never -dreamed of addressing a reproach to him. - -Of Blas Vasquez' peons the majority were dead. The rest had sought -safety in flight; that is, they had gone a little further on to seek a -hidden tomb. All those who remained faithful to the captain were -Europeans, principally Frenchmen, brave Dauph'yeers, utterly ignorant of -the way to combat and conquer the implacable enemy against whom they -struggled--the desert! Of the two hundred and forty-five men of which -the squadron was composed on its entering the Del Norte, one hundred and -thirty-three still survived, if we allow that these haggard, fleshless -spectres were men. - -The most atrocious pain which a man can suffer in the desert is the -frightful malady called _calentura_ by the Mexicans. The calentura! That -temporary madness, which makes you see, during its intermittent attacks, -the most dainty and delicious dishes, the most limpid water, the most -exquisite wines; which satiates and enervates you; and, when it leaves -you, renders you more desponding, more broken, than before, for you -retain the remembrance of all you possessed during your dream. - -One day, at length, the wretched men, crushed by misery and torture of -every description, refused to go further, and resolved to die where -accident had led them. They lay down in the torrid sand, beneath the -shadow of a few ahuehuelts, with the firm will of remaining motionless -until death, which they had summoned so loudly, came at length to -deliver them from their woes. The sun set in a mist of purple and gold, -to the sound of the curses and imprecations of these wretched men who, -expecting nothing more, hoping nothing more, had only retained the cruel -instincts of the wild beast. - -Still the night succeeded to day--gradually calmness took the place of -disorder. Sleep, that great consoler, weighed down the heavy eyelids of -the men, who, if they did not sleep, fell into state of somnolency, -which brought a truce to their fearful tortures, if only for a few -moments. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a formidable sound -aroused them--a fiery whirlwind passed over them--the thunder burst -forth in terrific peals. The sky was black as ink--not a star, not a -moonbeam--nothing but dense gloom, which hid the nearest objects from -sight. - -The poor fellows rose in great terror; they dragged themselves on as -well as they could one after the other, crouching together like a flock -of sheep surprised by a storm, wishing, with that inborn egotism of man, -to die together. - -"A temporal, a temporal!" all shouted with an expression of voice -impossible to render. - -It was in reality the temporal, that fearful scourge, which was -unloosing all its fury, and passing over the desert to subvert its -surface. The wind howled with extraordinary force, raising clouds of -dust, which whirled round with extreme velocity, and formed enormous -spouts, that, ran along and suddenly burst with a frightful crash. Men -and animals caught in the tornado were whisked away into a space like -straws. - -"Down on the ground!" the count shouted in a tremendous voice; "Down on -the ground. 'Tis the African simoom! Down, all of you who care for -life!" - -Strange to say, all these men, weighed down with atrocious sufferings, -obeyed their chiefs orders like children, so great is the terror death -inspires in the darkness. They buried their faces in the sand, in order -to avoid the burning blast of air that passed over them. The animals -crouched on the ground, with outstretched necks, instinctively followed -their example. At intervals, when the wind granted a moment's respite to -these unhappy men, whom it took a delight in torturing, cries and groans -of agony could be heard, mingled with blasphemies and ardent prayers, -that rose from the crowd stretched trembling on the earth. The hurricane -raged through the entire night with ever increasing fury; toward morning -it gradually grew calmer; by sunrise it had exhausted all its strength, -and rushed toward other regions. - -The aspect of the desert was completely changed. Where valleys had been -on the previous night were now mountains; the sparse trees, twisted, -uprooted, or burned by the hurricane, displayed their blackened and -denuded skeletons; no trace of a footpath, no sign of man; all was flat, -smooth, and even as a mirror. The French had been reduced to sixty men; -the others had been carried off or swallowed up, and there was no hope -of discovering the slightest sign of them: the sand was stretched over -them like an immense greyish shroud. - -The first feeling the survivors experienced was terror; the second, -despair; and then the groans and complaints broke out again with renewed -strength. The count, gloomy and sad, regarded these poor people with an -expression of the tenderest pity. Suddenly he burst out into a feverish -laugh, and going up to his horse, which had hitherto, by a species or -miracle, escaped disaster, he saddled it, while gently patting it and -humming a wild tune between his teeth. - -His companions watched him with a feeling of vague terror, for which -they could not account. Although they were so miserable, their captain -still represented superior intellect and a firm will, those two forces -which have so much power over coarse natures, even when circumstances -have forced them to deny them. In their wretched condition they -collected round their chief, like children seek shelter on their -mother's breast. He had ever consoled them, giving them an example of -courage and abnegation: thus, when they saw him acting as he was doing, -they had a foreboding of evil. - -When his horse was saddled the count leaped lightly on its back, and for -a few minutes he made the animal curvet, though it had the greatest -difficulty in keeping on its feet. - -"Hold, my fine fellows!" he suddenly shouted. "Come up here! You had -better listen to some good advice--a parting hint I wish to give you -before I go." - -The soldiers dragged themselves up as well as they could, and surrounded -him. - -The count turned a glance of satisfaction around. - -"Existence is a miserable farce, is it not?" he said, bursting into a -laugh; "and it is often a heavy chain to drag about. How many times, -since we have been wandering about this desert, have I had the thought -which I now utter openly! Well, I confess to you, as long as I had a -hope of saving you, I struggled courageously: that hope I no longer -possess. As we must die of want within a few days--a few hours, -perhaps--I prefer to finish it at once. Believe me, you had better -follow my example. It is soon done, as you shall see." - -While uttering the last words he drew a pistol from his waist belt. At -this moment cries were heard. - -"What is it? What is the matter?" - -"Look, captain! People are coming at last to our help: we are saved!" -Sergeant Boileau exclaimed, rising like a spectre by his side, and -seizing his arm. - -The count freed himself with a smile. - -"You are mad, my poor comrade," he said, looking in the direction -indicated, where a cloud of dust really rose, and was rapidly -approaching; "no one can come to our aid. We have not even," he added -with bitter irony, "the resource of the shipwrecked crew of the _Méduse_! -We are condemned to die in this infernal desert. Farewell, -all--farewell!" - -He raised the pistol. - -"Captain," the sergeant cried reproachfully, "take care! You have no -right to kill yourself. You are our chief, and must be the last to die: -if not, you are a coward!" - -The count bounded as though a serpent had stung him, and made a gesture -as if to rush on the sergeant. The expression of his face was so savage, -his movement so terrible, that the sergeant was terrified, and recoiled. -The captain profited by this second respite, put the muzzle of the -pistol to his temple, and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, -with his skull fractured. - -The adventurers had not yet recovered from the stupor this frightful -event had thrown them into, when the cloud of dust they had noticed -burst violently asunder, and they perceived a troop of mounted Indians, -in the midst of whom were a woman and two or three white men, galloping -toward them at full speed. Convinced that the Apaches had come up to -deal them the final blow, like vultures collecting round a fallen -buffalo, they did not even attempt an impossible resistance. - -"Oh!" one of the hunters shouted, as he leaped from his horse and rushed -toward them, "the poor fellows!" - -The newcomers were Belhumeur, Louis and their friends the Comanches. In -a few words they were apprised of all that had happened, and the -tortures the French had endured. - -"Good heavens!" Belhumeur shouted, "if provisions failed, you had water -in abundance; then why do you complain of thirst?" - -Without saying a word, Eagle-head and the Jester dug up the ground with -their knives at the foot of an ahuehuelt. Within ten minutes an abundant -stream of limpid water poured along the sand. The Frenchmen rushed in -disorder toward it. - -"Poor fellows!" Don Louis murmured, "Shall we not take them from this -spot?" - -"Do you think I would let them perish, now I have restored them to hope? -Poor girl!" casting a melancholy glance at Doña Anita, who was laughing -and cracking her fingers like castanets, "why is it not equally easy to -restore her to reason?" - -Don Louis sighed, but made no reply. - -The French then learned a thing, which would have saved them all -probably, had they known it sooner--that the ahuehuelt, which, in the -Comanche Indian dialect, signifies the _Lord of the Waters_, is a tree -which grows in arid spots, and its presence ever indicates either a -spring flush with the soil or a hidden source; that for this reason the -redskins hold it in veneration; and, as it is principally found in the -deserts, they designate it also by the name of the _Great Medicine of -Travellers_. - - * * * * * - -Two days later the adventurers, guided by the hunters and Comanches, -quitted the desert. They speedily reached the Casa Grande of -Moctecuhzoma, where their saviours, after giving them the provisions -they stood in such pressing need of, finally left them, hardly knowing -how to escape from their hearty thanks and blessings. - -(Those of our readers who have felt an interest in Don Louis will find -his history continued in another volume, called "THE GOLD-SEEKERS.") - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - -***** This file should be named 42535-8.txt or 42535-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/5/3/42535/ - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Tiger-Slayer - A Tale of the Indian Desert - -Author: Gustave Aimard - -Translator: Lascelles Wraxall - -Release Date: April 14, 2013 [EBook #42535] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - - - - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<h1>THE TIGER-SLAYER.</h1> - -<h3>A TALE OF THE INDIAN DESERT.</h3> - -<h3>BY</h3> - -<h2>GUSTAVE AIMARD,</h2> - -<h4>AUTHOR OF "THE PRAIRIE FLOWER," ETC.</h4> - -<h5>LONDON</h5> - -<h5>WARD AND LOCK</h5> - -<h5>MDCCCLX.</h5> - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> - - - -<p style="margin-left: 35%; font-size: 0.8em;">PREFACE.</p> - -<div class="center" style="font-size: 0.8em;"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">I.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">LA FERIA DE PLATA</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">II.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">DON SYLVA DE TORRÉS</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">III.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">THE TWO HUNTERS</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">IV.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">COUNT MAXIM GAËTAN DE LHORAILLES</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">V.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">THE DAUPH'YEERS</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">VI.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">BY THE WINDO</a>W</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">VII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">A DUEL</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">VIII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">THE DEPARTURE</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">IX.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">A MEETING IN THE DESERT</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">X.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">BEFORE THE ATTACK</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XI.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">THE MEXICAN MOON</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XIII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">A NIGHT JOURNEY</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XIV.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">AN INDIAN TRICK</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XV.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">SET A CHIEF TO CATCH A CHIEF</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XVI.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XVII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CUCHARÉS</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XVIII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XIX.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">IN THE PRAIRIE</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XX.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">BOOT AND SADDLE</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XXI.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">THE CONFESSION</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XXII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">THE MAN HUNT</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XXIII.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">THE APACHES</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XXIV.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">THE WOOD RANGERS</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">XXV.</td><td align="left"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">EL AHUEHUELT</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4>PREFACE.</h4> - - -<p>It is hardly necessary to say anything on behalf of the new aspirant for -public favour whom I am now introducing to the reader. He has achieved a -continental reputation, and the French regard him proudly as their -Fenimore Cooper. It will be found, I trust, on perusal, that the -position he has so rapidly assumed in the literature of his country is -justified by the reality of his descriptions, and the truthfulness which -appears in every page. Gustave Aimard has the rare advantage of having -lived for many years as an Indian among the Indians. He is acquainted -with their language, and has gone through all the extraordinary phases -of a nomadic life in the prairie. Had he chosen to write his life, it -would have been one of the most marvellous romances of the age: but he -has preferred to weave into his stories the extraordinary events of -which he has been witness during his chequered life. Believing that his -works only require to be known in order to secure him as favourable a -reception in this country as he has elsewhere, it has afforded me much -satisfaction to have it in my power to place them in this garb. Some -slight modifications have been effected here and there; but in other -respects I have presented a faithful rendering.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%; font-size: 0.8em;">LASCELLES WRAXALL.</span><br /> -</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></h4> - -<h3>LA FERIA DE PLATA.</h3> - - -<p>From the earliest days of the discovery of America, its distant shores -became the refuge and rendezvous of adventurers of every description, -whose daring genius, stifled by the trammels of the old European -civilisation, sought fresh scope for action.</p> - -<p>Some asked from the New World liberty of conscience—the right of -praying to God in their own fashion; others, breaking their sword blades -to convert them into daggers, assassinated entire nations to rob their -gold, and enrich themselves with their spoils; others, lastly, men of -indomitable temperament, with lions' hearts contained in bodies of iron, -recognising no bridle, accepting no laws, and confounding liberty with -license, formed, almost unconsciously, that formidable association of -the "Brethren of the Coast," which for a season made Spain tremble for -her possessions, and with which Louis XIV., the Sun King, did not -disdain to treat.</p> - -<p>The descendants of these extraordinary men still exist in America; and -whenever any revolutionary crisis heaves up, after a short struggle, the -dregs of the population, they instinctively range themselves round the -grandsons of the great adventurers, in the hope of achieving mighty -things in their turn under the leadership of heroes.</p> - -<p>At the period when we were in America chance allowed us to witness one -of the boldest enterprises ever conceived and carried out by these -daring adventurers. This <i>coup de main</i> created such excitement that for -some months it occupied the press, and aroused the curiosity and -sympathy of the whole world.</p> - -<p>Reasons, which our readers will doubtless appreciate, have induced us to -alter the names of the persons who played the principal parts in this -strange drama, though we adhere to the utmost exactness as regards the -facts.</p> - -<p>About ten years back the discovery of the rich Californian plains -awakened suddenly the adventurous instincts of thousands of young and -intelligent men, who, leaving country and family, rushed, full of -enthusiasm, towards the new Eldorado, where the majority only met with -misery and death, after sufferings and vexations innumerable.</p> - -<p>The road from Europe to California is a long one. Many persons stopped -half way; some at Valparaiso; others, again, at Mazatlan or San Blas, -though the majority reached San Francisco.</p> - -<p>It is not within the scope of our story to give the details, too well -known at present, of all the deceptions by which the luckless emigrants -were assailed with the first step they took on this land, where they -imagined they needed only to stoop and pick up handfuls of gold.</p> - -<p>We must ask our readers to accompany us to Guaymas six months after the -discovery of the placers.</p> - -<p>In a previous work we have spoken of Sonora; but as the history we -purpose to narrate passes entirely in that distant province of Mexico, -we must give a more detailed account of it here.</p> - -<p>Mexico is indubitably the fairest country in the world, and every -variety, of climate is found there. But while its territory is immense, -the population unfortunately, instead of being in a fair ratio with it, -only amounts to seven million, of whom nearly five million belong to the -Indian or mixed races.</p> - -<p>The Mexican Confederation comprises the federal district of Mexico, -twenty-one states, and three territories or provinces, possessing no -internal independent administration.</p> - -<p>We will say nothing of the government, from the simple reason that up to -the present the normal condition of that magnificent and unhappy country -has ever been anarchy.</p> - -<p>Still, Mexico appears to be a federative republic, at least nominally, -although the only recognised power is the sabre.</p> - -<p>The first of the seven states, situated on the Atlantic, is Sonora. It -extends from north to south, between the Rio Gila and the Rio Mayo. It -is separated on the east from the State of Chihuahua by the Sierra -Verde, and on the west is bathed by the Vermilion Sea, or Sea of Cortez, -as most Spanish maps still insist on calling it.</p> - -<p>The State of Sonora is one of the richest in Mexico, owing to the -numerous gold mines by which its soil is veined. Unfortunately, or -fortunately, according to the point of view from which we like to regard -it, Sonora is incessantly traversed by innumerable Indian tribes, -against which the inhabitants wage a constant war. Thus the continual -engagements with these savage hordes, the contempt of life, and the -habit of shedding human blood on the slightest pretext, have given the -Sonorians a haughty and decided bearing, and imprinted on them a stamp -of nobility and grandeur, which separates them entirely from the other -states, and causes them to be recognised at the first glance.</p> - -<p>In spite of its great extent of territory and lengthened seaboard, -Mexico possesses in reality only two ports on the Pacific—Guaymas and -Acapulco. The rest are only roadsteads, in which vessels are afraid to -seek shelter, especially when the impetuous <i>cordonazo</i> blows from the -south-west and upheaves the Gulf of California.</p> - -<p>We shall only speak here of Guaymas. This town, founded but a few years -back on the mouth of the San José, seems destined to become, ere long, -one of the chief Pacific ports. Its military position is admirable. Like -all the Spanish American towns, the houses are low, whitewashed, and -flat-roofed. The fort, situated on the summit of a rock, in which some -cannon rust on carriages peeling away beneath the sun, is of a yellow -hue, harmonising with the ochre tinge of the beach. Behind the town rise -lofty, scarped mountains, their sides furrowed with ravines hollowed out -by the rainy season, and their brown peaks lost in the clouds.</p> - -<p>Unhappily, we are compelled to avow that this port, despite of its -ambitious title of town, is still a miserable village, without church or -hotel. We do not say there are no drinking-shops; on the contrary, as -may be imagined in a port so near San Francisco, they swarm.</p> - -<p>The aspect of Guaymas is sorrowful; you feel that, in spite of the -efforts of Europeans and adventurers to galvanise this population, the -Spanish tyranny which has weighed upon it for three centuries has -plunged it into a state of moral degradation and inferiority, from which -it will require years to raise it.</p> - -<p>The day on which our story commences, at about two in the afternoon, in -spite of the red-hot sun which poured its beams on the town, Guaymas, -generally so quiet at that hour, when the inhabitants, overcome by the -heat, are asleep indoors, presented an animated appearance, which would -have surprised the stranger whom accident had taken there at that -moment, and would have caused him to suppose, most assuredly, that he -was about to witness one of those thousand <i>pronunciamientos</i> which -annually break out in this wretched province. Still, it was nothing of -the sort. The military authority, represented by General San Benito, -Governor of Guaymas, was, or seemed to be, satisfied with the -government. The smugglers, leperos, and hiaquis continued in a tolerably -satisfactory state, without complaining too much of the powers that -were. Whence, then, the extraordinary agitation that prevailed in the -town? What reason was strong enough to keep this indolent population -awake, and make it forget its siesta?</p> - -<p>For three days the town had been a prey to the gold fever. The governor, -yielding to the supplications of several considerable merchants, had -authorised for five days a <i>feria de plata</i>, or, literally, a silver -fair.</p> - -<p>Gambling tables, held by persons of distinction, were publicly open in -the principal houses; but the fact which gave this festival a -strangeness impossible to find elsewhere was, that monte tables were -displayed in every street in the open air, on which gold tinkled, and -where everybody possessed of a real had the right to risk it, without -distinction of caste or colour.</p> - -<p>In Mexico everything is done differently from other countries. The -inhabitants of this country, having no reminiscences of the past which -they wish to forget, no faith in the future in which they do not -believe, only live for the present, and exist with that feverish energy -peculiar to races which feel their end approaching.</p> - -<p>The Mexicans have two marked tastes which govern them entirely, play and -love. We say tastes, and not passions, for the Mexicans are not capable -of those great emotions which conquer the will, and overthrow the human -economy by developing an energetic power of action.</p> - -<p>The groups round the monte tables were numerous and animated. Still, -everything went on with an order and tranquility which nothing troubled, -although no agent of the government was walking about the streets to -maintain a good intelligence and watch the gamblers.</p> - -<p>About halfway up the Calle de la Merced, one of the widest in Guaymas, -and opposite a house of goodly appearance, there stood a table covered -with a green baize and piled up with gold ounces, behind which a man of -about thirty, with a crafty face, was stationed, who, with a pack of -cards in his hand, and a smile on his lips, invited by the most -insinuating remarks the numerous spectators who surrounded him to tempt -fortune.</p> - -<p>"Come, caballeros," he said in a honeyed tone, while turning a -provocative glance upon the wretched men, haughtily draped in their -rags, who regarded him with extreme indifference, "I cannot always win; -luck is going to turn, I am sure. Here are one hundred ounces: who will -cover them?"</p> - -<p>No one answered.</p> - -<p>The banker, not allowing himself to be defeated, let a tinkling cascade -of ounces glide through his fingers, whose tawny reflection was capable -of turning the most resolute head.</p> - -<p>"It is a nice sum, caballeros, one hundred ounces: with them the ugliest -man is certain of gaining the smiles of beauty. Come, who will cover -them?"</p> - -<p>"Bah," a lepero said, with a disdainful air, "what are one hundred -ounces? Had you not won my last <i>tlaco</i>, Tío Lucas, I would cover them, -that I would."</p> - -<p>"I am in despair, Señor Cucharés," the banker replied with a bow, "that -luck was so much against you, and I should feel delighted if you would -allow me to lend you an ounce."</p> - -<p>"You are jesting," the lepero said, drawing himself up haughtily. "Keep -your gold, Tío Lucas; I know the way to procure as much as I want, -whenever I think proper; but," he added, bowing with the most exquisite -politeness, "I am not the less grateful to you for your generous offer."</p> - -<p>And he offered the banker, across the table, his hand, which the latter -pressed with great cordiality.</p> - -<p>The lepero profited by the occasion to pick up with his free hand a pile -of twenty ounces that was in his reach.</p> - -<p>Tío Lucas had great difficulty in restraining himself, but he feigned -not to have seen anything.</p> - -<p>After this interchange of good offices there was a moment's silence. The -spectators had seen everything that occurred, and therefore awaited with -some curiosity the <i>dénouement</i> of this scene. Señor Cucharés was the -first to renew the conversation.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" he suddenly shouted, striking his forehead, "I believe, by Nuestra -Señora de la Merced, that I am losing my head."</p> - -<p>"Why so, caballero?" Tío Lucas asked, visibly disturbed by this -exclamation.</p> - -<p>"Caray! It's very simple," the other went on. "Did I not tell you just -now that you had won all my money?"</p> - -<p>"You certainly said so, and these caballeros heard it with me: to your -last ochavo—those were your very words."</p> - -<p>"I remember it perfectly, and it is that which makes me so mad."</p> - -<p>"What!" the banker exclaimed with feigned astonishment, "You are mad -because I won from you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, it's not that."</p> - -<p>"What is it, then?"</p> - -<p>"Caramba! It is because I made a mistake, and I have some ounces still -left."</p> - -<p>"Impossible!"</p> - -<p>"Just see, then."</p> - -<p>The lepero put his hand in his pocket, and, with unparalleled -effrontery, displayed to the banker the gold he had just stolen from -him. But the latter did not wince.</p> - -<p>"It is incredible," said he.</p> - -<p>"Eh?" the lepero interjected, fixing a flashing eye on the other.</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is incredible that you, Señor Cucharés, should have made such a -slip of memory."</p> - -<p>"Well, as I have remembered it, all can be set right now; we can -continue our game."</p> - -<p>"Very good: one hundred ounces is the stake."</p> - -<p>"Oh no! I haven't that amount."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense! Feel in your pockets again."</p> - -<p>"It is useless; I know I haven't got it."</p> - -<p>"That is really most annoying."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"Because I have vowed not to play for less."</p> - -<p>"Then you won't cover twenty ounces?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot; I would not cover one short of a hundred."</p> - -<p>"H'm!" the lepero went on, knitting his brows, "is that meant for an -insult, Tío Lucas?"</p> - -<p>The banker had no time to reply; for a man of about thirty, mounted on a -magnificent black horse, had stopped for a few seconds before the table, -and, while carelessly smoking his cigar, listened to the discussion -between the banker and the lepero.</p> - -<p>"Done for one hundred ounces," he said, as he cleared a way by means of -his horse's chest up to the table, on which he dropped a purse full of -gold.</p> - -<p>The two speakers suddenly raised their heads.</p> - -<p>"Here are the cards, caballero," the banker hastened to say, glad of an -incident which temporarily freed him from a dangerous opponent. Cucharés -shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, and looked at the newcomer.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" he muttered to himself, "the Tigrero! Has he come for Anita? I -must know that."</p> - -<p>And he gently drew nearer the stranger, and presently stood by his side.</p> - -<p>He was a tall man, with an olive complexion, a piercing glance, and an -open and resolute face. His dress, of the greatest richness, glistened -with gold and diamonds. He wore, slightly inclined over his left ear, a -broad brimmed sombrero, surrounded by a golilla of fine gold: his -spencer of blue cloth, embroidered with silver, allowed a dazzling white -shirt to be seen, under the collar of which passed a cravat of China -crape, fastened with a diamond ring; his calzoneras, drawn up round the -hips by a red silk scarf with gold fringed ends and two rows of diamond -buttons, were open at the side, and allowed his <i>calzón</i> to float -beneath; he wore <i>botas vaqueras</i> (or herdsmen) boots of figured -leather, richly embroidered, attached below the knee by a garter of -silver tissue; while his <i>manga</i>, glistening with gold, hung tastefully -from his right shoulder.</p> - -<p>His horse, with a small head and legs fine as spindles, was splendidly -accoutred: <i>las armas de agua</i> and the <i>zarapé</i> fastened to the croup, -and the magnificent <i>anquera</i> adorned with steel chains, completed a -caparison of which we can form no idea in Europe.</p> - -<p>Like all Mexicans of a certain class when travelling, the stranger was -armed from head to foot; that is to say, in addition to the lasso -fastened to the saddle, and the rifle laid across the saddle-bow, he had -also by his side a long sword, and a pair of pistols in his girdle, -without reckoning the knife whose silver inlaid hilt could be seen -peeping out of one of his boots.</p> - -<p>Such as we have described him, this man was the perfect type of a -Mexican of Sonora—ever ready for peace or war, fearing the one no more -than he despised the other. After bowing politely to Tío Lucas he took -the cards the latter offered him, and shuffled them while looking around -him.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" he said, casting a friendly glance to the lepero, "you're here, -gossip Cucharés?"</p> - -<p>"At your service, Don Martial," the other replied, lifting his hand to -the ragged brim of his beaver.</p> - -<p>The stranger smiled.</p> - -<p>"Be good enough to cut for me while I light my pajillo."</p> - -<p>"With pleasure," the lepero exclaimed.</p> - -<p>El Tigrero, or Don Martial, whichever the reader may please to call him, -took a gold <i>mechero</i> from his pocket, and carelessly struck a light -while the lepero cut the cards.</p> - -<p>"Señor," the latter said in a piteous voice.</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>"You have lost."</p> - -<p>"Good. Tío Lucas, take a hundred ounces from my purse."</p> - -<p>"I have them, your excellency," the banker replied. "Would you please to -play again?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly, but not for such trifles. I should like to feel interested -in the game."</p> - -<p>"I will cover any stake your excellency may like to name," the banker -said, whose practised eye had discovered in the stranger's purse, amid a -decent number of ounces, some forty diamonds of the purest water.</p> - -<p>"H'm! Are you really ready to cover any stake I name?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>The stranger looked at him sharply.</p> - -<p>"Even if I played for a thousand gold ounces?"</p> - -<p>"I would cover double that if your excellency dares to stake it," the -baker said imperturbably.</p> - -<p>A contemptuous smile played for the second time on the horseman's -haughty lips.</p> - -<p>"I do dare it," he said.</p> - -<p>"Two thousand ounces, then?"</p> - -<p>"Agreed."</p> - -<p>"Shall I cut?" Cucharés asked timidly.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" the other answered lightly.</p> - -<p>The lepero seized the cards with a hand trembling from emotion. There -was a hum of expectation from the gamblers who surrounded the table. At -this moment a window opened in the house before which Tío Lucas had -established his monte table, and a charming girl leant carelessly over -the balcony, looking down into the street.</p> - -<p>The stranger turned to the balcony, and rising in his stirrups,—</p> - -<p>"I salute the lovely Anita," he said, as he doffed his hat and bowed -profoundly.</p> - -<p>The girl blushed, bent on him an expressive glance from beneath her long -velvety eyelashes, but made no reply.</p> - -<p>"You have lost, excellency," Tío Lucas said with a joyous accent, which -he could not completely conceal.</p> - -<p>"Very good," the stranger replied, without even looking at him, so -fascinated was he by the charming apparition on the balcony.</p> - -<p>"You play no more?"</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, I double."</p> - -<p>"What!" exclaimed the banker, falling back a step in spite of himself at -this proposition.</p> - -<p>"No, I am wrong; I have something else to propose."</p> - -<p>"What is it, excellency?"</p> - -<p>"How; much have you there?" he said, pointing to the table with a -disdainful gesture.</p> - -<p>"Why, at least seven thousand ounces."</p> - -<p>"Not more? That's very little."</p> - -<p>The spectators regarded with a stupor, mingled with terror, this -extraordinary man, who played for ounces and diamonds as others did for -ochavos. The girl became pale. She turned a supplicating glance to the -stranger.</p> - -<p>"Play no more," she murmured in a trembling voice.</p> - -<p>"Thanks," he exclaimed, "thanks, Señorita; your beautiful eyes will -bring me a fortune. I would give all the gold on the table for the -súchil flower you hold in your hand, and which your lips have touched."</p> - -<p>"Do not play, Don Martial," the girl repeated, as she retired and closed -the window. But, through accident or some other reason, her hand let -loose the flower. The horseman made his steed bound forward, caught it -in its flight, and buried it in his bosom, after having kissed it -several times.</p> - -<p>"Cucharés," he then said to the lepero, "turn up a card."</p> - -<p>The latter obeyed. "Seis de copas!" he said.</p> - -<p>"Voto a brios!" the stranger exclaimed, "the colour of the heart we -shall win. Tío Lucas, I will back this card against all the gold you -have on your table."</p> - -<p>The banker turned pale and hesitated; the spectators had their eyes -fixed upon him.</p> - -<p>"Bah!" he thought after a minute's reflection, "It is impossible for him -to win. I accept, excellency," he then added aloud.</p> - -<p>"Count the sum you have."</p> - -<p>"That is unnecessary, Señor; there are nine thousand four hundred and -fifty gold ounces."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>At the statement of this formidable amount the spectators gave vent to a -mingled shout of admiration and covetousness.</p> - -<p>"I fancied you richer," the stranger said ironically. "Well, so be it -then."</p> - -<p>"Will you cut this time, excellency?"</p> - -<p>"No, I am thoroughly convinced you are going to lose, Tío Lucas, and I -wish you to be quite convinced that I have won fairly. In consequence, -do me the pleasure of cutting, yourself. You will then be the artisan of -your own ruin, and be unable to reproach anybody."</p> - -<p>The spectators quivered with pleasure on seeing the chivalrous way in -which the stranger behaved. At this moment the street was thronged with -people whom the rumour of this remarkable stake had collected from every -part of the town. A deadly silence prevailed through the crowd, so great -was the interest that each felt in the <i>dénouement</i> of this grand and -hitherto unexampled match. The banker wiped the perspiration that beaded -on his livid brow, and seized the first card with a trembling hand. He -balanced it for a few seconds between finger and thumb with manifest -hesitation.</p> - -<p>"Make haste," Cucharés cried to him with a grin.</p> - -<p>Tío Lucas mechanically let the card fall as he turned his head away.</p> - -<p>"Seis de copas!" the lepero shouted in a hoarse voice.</p> - -<p>The banker uttered a yell of pain.</p> - -<p>"I have lost!" he muttered.</p> - -<p>"I was sure of it," the horseman said, still impassible. "Cucharés," he -added, "carry that table and the gold upon it to Doña Anita. I shall -expect you tonight you know where."</p> - -<p>The lepero bowed respectfully. Assisted by two sturdy fellows, he -executed the order he had just received, and entered the house, while -the stranger started off at a gallop; and Tío Lucas, slightly recovered -from the stunning blow he had received, philosophically twisted a cigar, -repeating to those who forced their consolations upon him,—</p> - -<p>"I have lost, it is true, but against a very fair player, and for a good -stake. Bah! I shall have my revenge some day."</p> - -<p>Then, so soon as the cigarette was made, the poor cleaned-out banker -lighted it and walked off very calmly. The crowd, having no further -excuse for remaining, also disappeared in its turn.</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> About £31,500 Fact.</p></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></h4> - -<h3>DON SYLVA DE TORRÉS.</h3> - - -<p>Guaymas is quite a new town, built somewhat from day to day according to -the fancy of the emigrants, and hence no regular lines of streets have -been maintained. However, we had better mention here that, with the -exception of a few houses to which that name may be fairly given, all -the rest are frightful dens, built of mud, and deplorably dirty.</p> - -<p>In the Calle de la Merced, the principal, or to speak more truthfully, -the only street in the town (for the others are only alleys), stood a -one-storied house, ornamented with a balcony, and a peristyle supported -by four pillars. The front was covered by a coating of lime of dazzling -whiteness, and the roof was flat.</p> - -<p>The proprietor of this house was one of the richest <i>mineros</i> in Sonora, -and possessor of a dozen mines, all in work; he also devoted himself to -cattle breeding, and owned several haciendas scattered over the -province, the smallest of which was equal in size to an English county.</p> - -<p>I am certain that, if Don Sylva de Torrés had wished to liquidate his -fortune, and discover what he was really worth, it would have realised -several millions.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva had come to live in Guaymas some months back, where he -ordinarily only paid flying visits, and those at lengthened intervals. -This time, contrary to his usual custom, he had brought his daughter -Anita with him. Hence the entire population of Guaymas was a prey to the -greatest curiosity, and all eyes were fixed on Don Sylva's house, so -extraordinary did the conduct of the <i>hacendero</i> appear.</p> - -<p>Shut up in his house, the doors of which only opened to a few privileged -persons, Don Sylva did not seem to trouble himself the least in the -world about the gossips; for he was engaged in realising certain -projects, whose importance prevented him noticing what was said or -thought of him.</p> - -<p>Though the Mexicans are excessively rich, and like to do honour to their -wealth, they have no idea of comfort. The utmost carelessness prevails -among them. Their luxury, if I may be allowed to employ the term, is -brutal, without any discernment or real value.</p> - -<p>These men, principally accustomed to the rude life of the American -deserts, to struggle continually against the changes of a climate which -is frequently deadly, and the unceasing aggressions of the Indians, who -surround them on all sides, camp rather than live in the towns, fancying -they have done everything when they have squandered gold and diamonds.</p> - -<p>The Mexican houses are in evidence to prove the correctness of our -opinion. With the exception of the inevitable European piano, which -swaggers in the corner of every drawing room, you only see a few clumsy -<i>butacas,</i> rickety tables, bad engravings hanging on the whitewashed -walls, and that is all.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva's house differed in no respect from the others; and the -master's horses on returning to the stable from the watering place, had -to cross the <i>salón</i>, all dripping as they were, and leaving manifest -traces of their passage.</p> - -<p>At the moment when we introduce the reader into Don Sylva's house, two -persons, male and female, were sitting in the saloon talking, or at -least exchanging a few words at long intervals.</p> - -<p>They were Don Sylva and his daughter Anita. The crossing of the Spanish -and Indian races has produced the most perfect plastic type to be found -anywhere. Don Sylva, although nearly fifty years of age, did not appear -to be forty. He was tall, upright, and his face, though stern, had great -gentleness imprinted upon it. He wore the Mexican dress in its most -rigorous exactness; but his clothes were so rich, that few of his -countrymen could have equalled it, much less surpassed it.</p> - -<p>Anita who reclined on a sofa, half buried in masses of silk and gauze, -like a hummingbird concealed in the moss, was a charming girl of -eighteen at the most, whose black eyes, modestly shaded by long velvety -lashes, were full of voluptuous promise, which was not gainsaid by the -undulating and serpentine outlines of her exquisitely modelled body. Her -slightest gestures had grace and majesty completed by the ravishing -smile of her coral lips. Her complexion, slightly gilded by the American -sun, imparted to her face an expression impossible to render; and lastly -her whole person exhaled a delicious perfume of innocence and candour -which attracted sympathy and inspired love.</p> - -<p>Like all Mexican women when at home, she merely wore a light robe of -embroidered muslin; her <i>rebozo</i> was thrown negligently over her shoulders, -and a profusion of jasmine flowers was intertwined in her bluish-black -tresses. Anita seemed in deep thought. At one moment the arch of her -eyebrows was contracted by some thought that annoyed her, her bosom -heaved and her dainty foot, cased in a slipper lined with swan's down, -impatiently tapped on the ground.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva also appeared to be dissatisfied. After directing a severe -glance at his daughter, he rose, and drawing near her, said,—</p> - -<p>"You are mad, Anita: your behaviour is extravagant. A young, well-born -girl ought not, in any case to act as you have just done."</p> - -<p>The young Mexican girl only answered by a significant pout, and an -almost imperceptible shrug of the shoulders.</p> - -<p>Her father continued,—</p> - -<p>"Especially," he said, laying a stress on each word, "in your position -as regards the Count de Lhorailles."</p> - -<p>The girl started as if a serpent had stung her, and fixing an -interrogatory glance on the hacendero's immovable face, she replied,—</p> - -<p>"I do not understand you, my father."</p> - -<p>"You do not understand me, Anita? I cannot believe it. Have I not -formally promised your hand to the count?"</p> - -<p>"What matter, if I do not love him? Do you wish to condemn me to -lifelong misery?"</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, I regarded your happiness in this union. I have only -you, Anita, to console me for the mournful loss of your beloved mother. -Poor child! You are still, thank Heaven, at that happy age when the -heart does not know itself, and when the words 'happiness, unhappiness,' -have no meaning. You do not love the count, you say. All the better— -your heart is free. When, at a later date, you have had occasion to -appreciate the noble qualities of the man I give you as husband, you -will then thank me for having insisted on a marriage, which today causes -you so much vexation."</p> - -<p>"Stay, father," the girl said with an air of vexation. "My heart is not -free, and you are well aware of the fact."</p> - -<p>"I know, Doña Anita de Torrés," the hacendero answered severely, "that a -love unworthy yourself and me cannot enter your heart. Through my -ancestors I am a Christiano Viejo; and if a few drops of Indian blood be -mingled in my veins, what I owe to the memory of my ancestors is only -the more deeply engraved on my mind. The first of our family, Antonia de -Sylva, lieutenant to Hernando Cortez, married, it is true, a Mexican -princess of the family of Moctecuhzoma, but all the other branches are -Spanish."</p> - -<p>"Are we not Mexicans then, my father?"</p> - -<p>"Alas! My poor child, who can say who we are and what are we? Our -unhappy country, since it shook off the Spanish yoke, has been -struggling convulsively, and is exhausted by the incessant efforts of -those ambitious men, who in a few years will have robbed it even of that -nationality which we had so much difficulty in achieving. These -disgraceful contests render us the laughing stocks of other people, and -above all, cause the joy of our greedy neighbours, who with their eyes -invariably fixed upon us, are preparing to enrich themselves with our -spoils, of which they have pilfered some fragments already by robbing us -of several of our rich provinces."</p> - -<p>"But, father, I am a woman, and therefore unaffected by politics. I have -nothing to do with the <i>gringos</i>."</p> - -<p>"More than you can imagine, my child. I do not wish that at a given day -the immense property my ancestors and myself have acquired by our toil -should become the prey of these accursed heretics. In order to save it, -I have resolved on marrying you to the Count de Lhorailles. He is a -Frenchman, and belongs to one of the noblest families of that country. -Besides he is a handsome and brave gentleman, scarcely thirty years of -age, who combines the most precious moral qualifications with the -physical qualities. He is a member of a powerful and respected nation -which knows how to protect its subjects, in whatever corner of the world -they may be. By marrying him your fortune is sheltered from every -political reverse."</p> - -<p>"But I do not love him, father."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense, my dear babe. Do not talk longer of that. I am willing to -forget the folly of which you were guilty a few moments back, but on -condition that you forget that man, Martial."</p> - -<p>"Never!" she exclaimed resolutely.</p> - -<p>"Never! That is a long time, daughter. You will reflect, I am convinced. -Besides, who is this man? What is his family? Do you know? He is called -Martial el Tigrero. Voto a Dios, that is not a name! That man saved your -life by stopping your horse when it ran away. Well, is that a reason for -him to fall in love with you, and you with him? I offered him a -magnificent reward, which he refused with the most supreme disdain. -There is an end of it, then; let him leave me at peace. I have, and wish -for, nothing more to do with him."</p> - -<p>"I love him, father," the young girl repeated.</p> - -<p>"Listen, Anita. You would make me angry, if I did not put a restraint on -myself. Enough on that head. Prepare to receive the Count de Lhorailles -in a proper manner. I have sworn that you shall be his wife, and, -Cristo! It shall be so, if I have to drag you by force to the altar!"</p> - -<p>The hacendero pronounced these words with such resolution in his voice, -and with such a fierce accent, that the girl saw it would be better for -her to appear to yield, and put a stop to a discussion which would only -grow more embittered, and perhaps have grave consequences. She let her -head fall, and was silent, while her father walked up and down the room -with a very dissatisfied air.</p> - -<p>The door was partly opened, and a peon thrust his head discreetly -through the crevice.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" Don Sylva asked as he stopped.</p> - -<p>"Excellency," the man replied, "a caballero, followed by four others -bearing a table covered with pieces of gold, requests an audience of the -señorita."</p> - -<p>The hacendero shot a glance at his daughter full of expressiveness. Doña -Anita let her head sink in confusion. Don Sylva reflected for a moment, -and then his countenance cleared.</p> - -<p>"Let him come in," he said.</p> - -<p>The peon withdrew; but he returned in a few seconds, preceding an old -acquaintance, Cucharés, still enwrapped in his ragged zarapé, and -directing the four leperos who carried the table. On entering the -saloon, Cucharés uncovered respectfully, courteously saluted the -hacendero and his daughter, and with a sign ordered the porters to -deposit the table in the centre of the apartment.</p> - -<p>"Señorita," he said in a honied voice, "the Señor Don Martial, faithful -to the pledge he had made you, humbly supplicates you to accept his -gains at monte, as a feeble testimony of his devotion and admiration."</p> - -<p>"You rascal!" Don Sylva angrily exclaimed as he took a step toward him -"Do you know in whose presence you are?"</p> - -<p>"In that of Doña Anita and her highly-respected parent," the scamp -replied imperturbably, as he wrapped himself majestically in his -tatters. "I have not, to my knowledge, failed in the respect I owe to -both."</p> - -<p>"Withdraw at once, and take with you this gold, which does not concern -my daughter."</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, excellency, I received orders to bring the gold here, and -with your permission I will leave it. Don Martial would not forgive me -if I acted otherwise."</p> - -<p>"I do not know Don Martial, as it pleases you to style the man who sent -you. I wish to have nothing in common with him."</p> - -<p>"That is possible, excellency; but it is no affair of mine. You can have -an explanation with him if you think proper. For my part, as my mission -is accomplished, I kiss your hands."</p> - -<p>And, after bowing once more to the two, the lepero went off -majestically, followed by his four acolytes, with measured steps.</p> - -<p>"See there," exclaimed Don Sylva violently, "see there, my daughter, to -what insults your folly exposes me!"</p> - -<p>"An insult, father?" she replied timidly. "On the contrary, I think that -Don Martial has acted like a true caballero, and that he gives me a -great proof of his love. That sum is enormous."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" Don Sylva said wrathfully, "that is the way you take it. Well, I -will act as a caballero also, <i>voto a brios!</i> As you shall see. Come -here, someone!"</p> - -<p>Several peons came in.</p> - -<p>"Open the windows!"</p> - -<p>The servants obeyed. The crowd was not yet dispersed, and a large number -of persons was still collected round the house. The hacendero leant out -and by a wave of his hand requested silence. The crowd was instinctively -silent, and drew nearer, guessing that something in which it was -interested was about to happen.</p> - -<p>"Señores caballeros y amigos," the hacendero said in a powerful voice, -"a man whom I do not know has dared to offer to my daughter the money he -has won at monte. Doña Anita spurns such presents, especially when they -come from a person with whom she does not wish to have any connection, -friendly or otherwise. She begs me to distribute this gold among you, as -she will not touch it in any way: she desires thus to prove, in the -presence of you all, the contempt she feels for a man who has dared to -offer her such an insult."</p> - -<p>The speech improvised by the hacendero was drowned by the frenzied -applause of the leperos and other assembled beggars, whose eyes sparkled -with greed. Anita felt the burning tears swelling her eyelids. In spite -of all her efforts to remain undisturbed, her heart was almost broken.</p> - -<p>Troubling himself not at all about his daughter, Don Sylva ordered his -servants to cast the ounces into the street. A shower of gold then -literally began falling on the wretches, who rushed with incredible -ardour on this new species of manna. The Calle de la Merced offered, at -that moment, the most singular sight imaginable. The gold poured and -poured on; it seemed to be inexhaustible. The beggars leaped like -coyotes on the precious metal, overthrowing and trampling underfoot the -weaker.</p> - -<p>At the height of the shower a horseman came galloping up. Astonished, -confounded by what he saw, he stopped for a moment to look around him; -then he drove his spurs into his horse, and by dealing blows of his -chicote liberally all around, he succeeded in clearing the dense crowd, -and reached the hacendero's house, which he entered.</p> - -<p>"Here is the count," Don Sylva said laconically to his daughter.</p> - -<p>In fact, within a minute that gentleman entered the saloon.</p> - -<p>"Halloh!" he said, stopping at the doorway, "What strange notion is this -of yours, Don Sylva? On my soul, you are amusing yourself by throwing -millions out of the window, to the still greater amusement of the -leperos and other rogues of the same genus!"</p> - -<p>"Ah, 'tis you, señor Conde," the hacendero replied calmly; "you are -welcome. I shall be with you in an instant. Only these few handfuls, and -it will be finished."</p> - -<p>"Don't hurry yourself," the count said with a laugh. "I confess that the -fancy is original;" and drawing near the young lady, whom he saluted -with exquisite politeness, he continued,—</p> - -<p>"Would you deign, Señorita, to give me the word of this enigma, which, I -confess, interests me in the highest degree?"</p> - -<p>"Ask my father, Señor," she answered with a certain dryness, which -rendered conversation impossible.</p> - -<p>The count feigned not to notice this rebuff; he bowed with a smile, and -falling into a <i>butaca,</i> said coolly,—</p> - -<p>"I will wait; I am in no hurry."</p> - -<p>The hacendero, in telling his daughter that the gentleman he intended -for her husband was a handsome man, had in no respect flattered him. -Count Maxime Gaëtan de Lhorailles was a man of thirty at the most, well -built and active, and slightly above the middle height. His light hair -allowed him to be recognised as a son of the north; his features were -fine, his glance expressive, and his hands and feet denoted race. -Everything about him indicated the gentleman of an old stock; and if Don -Sylva was not more deceived about the moral qualities than he had been -about the physical, Count de Lhorailles was really a perfect gentleman.</p> - -<p>At length the hacendero exhausted all the gold Cucharés had brought: he -then hurled the table into the street, ordered the windows to be closed, -and came back to take a seat by the side of the count, rubbing his -hands.</p> - -<p>"There," he said with a joyous air, "that's finished. Now I am quite at -your service."</p> - -<p>"First one word."</p> - -<p>"Say it."</p> - -<p>"Excuse me. You are aware that I am a stranger, and such as thirsting -for instruction."</p> - -<p>"I am listening to you."</p> - -<p>"Since I have lived in Mexico I have seen many extraordinary customs. I -ought to be <i>blasé</i> about novelties; still, I must confess that what I -have just seen surpasses anything I have hitherto witnessed. I should -like to be certain whether this is a custom of which I was hitherto -ignorant."</p> - -<p>"What are you talking about?"</p> - -<p>"Why, what you were doing when I arrived—that gold you were dropping -like a beneficent dew on the bandits of every description collected -before your house; ill weeds, between ourselves, to be thus bedewed."</p> - -<p>Don Sylva burst into a laugh.</p> - -<p>"No, that is not a custom of ours," he replied.</p> - -<p>"Very good. Then, you were indulging in the regal pastime of throwing a -million to the scum. Plague! Don Sylva, a man must be as rich as -yourself to allow such a gratification."</p> - -<p>"Things are not as you fancy."</p> - -<p>"Still I saw it raining ounces."</p> - -<p>"True, but they did not belong to me."</p> - -<p>"Better and better still. That renders the affair more complicated; you -heighten my curiosity immensely."</p> - -<p>"I will satisfy it."</p> - -<p>"I am all attention, for the affair is growing as interesting to me as a -story in the 'Arabian Nights.'"</p> - -<p>"H'm!" the hacendero said, tossing his head, "It interests you more than -you perhaps suspect."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"You shall judge."</p> - -<p>Doña Anita was in torture; she knew not what to do. Seeing that her -father was about to divulge all to the count, she did not feel in -herself the courage to be present at such a revelation, and rose -tottering.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," she said in a feeble voice, "I feel indisposed; be kind -enough to allow me to retire."</p> - -<p>"Really," the count said, as he hurried towards her, and offered her his -arm to support her, "you are pale, Doña Anita. Allow me to accompany you -to your apartment."</p> - -<p>"I thank you, caballero, but I am strong enough to proceed there alone, -and, while duly grateful for your offer, pray permit me to decline it."</p> - -<p>"As you please, señorita," the count replied, inwardly piqued by this -refusal.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva entertained for a moment the idea of ordering his daughter to -remain; but the poor girl turned towards him so despairing a glance that -he did not feel the courage to impose on her a longer torture.</p> - -<p>"Go my child," he said to her.</p> - -<p>Anita hastened to take advantage of the permission; she left the -<i>salón,</i> and sought refuge in her bedroom, where she sank into a chair, -and burst into tears.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with Doña Anita?" the count asked with sympathy, so -soon as she had gone.</p> - -<p>"Vapours—headache—what do I know?" the hacendero replied, shrugging -his shoulders. "All young girls are like that. In a few minutes she will -have forgotten it."</p> - -<p>"All the better. I confess to you that I was alarmed."</p> - -<p>"But now that we are alone, would you not like me to give you the -explanation of the enigma which appeared to interest you so much?"</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, speak without further delay: for, on my part, I have -several important matters to impart to you."</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE TWO HUNTERS.</h3> - - -<p>About five miles from the town is the village of San José de Guaymas, -commonly known as the <i>Rancho</i>.</p> - -<p>This miserable <i>pueblo</i> is merely composed of a square of moderate size, -intersected at right angles by tumbledown cabins, which are inhabited by -Hiaqui Indians (a large number of whom hire themselves out annually at -Guaymas to work as porters, carpenters, masons, &c), and all those -nameless adventurers who have thronged to the shores of the Pacific -since the discovery of the Californian plains.</p> - -<p>The road from Guaymas to San José runs through a parched and sandy -plain, on which only a few nopales and stunted cactuses grow, whose -withered branches are covered with dust, and produce the effect of white -phantoms at night.</p> - -<p>The evening of the day on which our story commences, a horseman, folded -to the eyes in a zarapé, was following this road, and proceeding in a -gallop to the Rancho.</p> - -<p>The sky, of a dark azure, was studded with glistening stars; the moon, -which had traversed one-third of her course, illumined the silent plain, -and indefinitely prolonged the tall shadows of the trees on the naked -earth.</p> - -<p>The horseman, doubtlessly anxious to reach the end of a journey which -was not without peril at this advanced hour, incessantly urged on with -spur and voice his horse, which did not, however, appear to need this -constantly-renewed encouragement.</p> - -<p>He had all but crossed the immense uncultivated plains, and was just -entering the woods which surround the Rancho, when his horse suddenly -leaped on one side, and pricked up its ears in alarm. A sharp sound -announced that the horseman had cocked his pistols; and, when this -precaution had been taken against all risk, he turned an inquiring -glance around.</p> - -<p>"Fear nothing, caballero," a frank and sympathetic voice exclaimed; "but -have the kindness to go a little farther to the right, if it makes no -difference to you."</p> - -<p>The stranger looked, and saw a man kneeling under his steed's feet, and -holding in his hands the head of a horse, which was lying nearly across -the road.</p> - -<p>"What on earth are you doing there?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"You can see," the other replied sorrowfully, "I am bidding good-by to -my poor companion. A man must have lived a long time in the desert to -appreciate the value of such a friend as he was."</p> - -<p>"That is true," the stranger remarked, and immediately dismounting, -added, "Is he dead then?"</p> - -<p>"No, not yet; but, unfortunately, he is as bad as if he were."</p> - -<p>With these words he sighed.</p> - -<p>The stranger bent over the animal, whose body was agitated by a nervous -quivering, opened its eyelids, and regarded it attentively.</p> - -<p>"Your horse has had a stroke," he said a moment later. "Let me act."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" the other exclaimed, "do you think you can save him?"</p> - -<p>"I hope so," the first speaker laconically observed.</p> - -<p>"<i>Caray!</i> If you do that, we shall be friends for life. Poor Negro! My -old comrade!"</p> - -<p>The horseman bathed the animal's temples and nostrils with rum and -water. At the end of a few moments, the horse appeared slightly -recovered, his faded eyes began to sparkle again, and he tried to rise.</p> - -<p>"Hold him tight," the improvised surgeon said.</p> - -<p>"Be quiet, then, my good beast. Come, Negro, my boy, <i>quieto, quieto;</i> -it is for your good," he said soothingly.</p> - -<p>The intelligent animal seemed to understand. It turned its head towards -its master, and answered him with a plaintive neigh. The horseman, -during this period, had been feeling in his girdle; and bending again -over the horse,—</p> - -<p>"Mind and hold him tightly," he again recommended.</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>"Bleed him."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that is it. I knew it; but unfortunately I did not dare risk doing -it myself, through fear of killing the horse."</p> - -<p>"All right?"</p> - -<p>"Go on."</p> - -<p>The horse made a hasty move, caused by the coldness of the wound; but -its master held it down and checked its struggles. The two men suffered -a moment of anxiety: the blood did not issue. At last a black drop -appeared in the wound, then a second, speedily followed by a long jet of -black and foaming blood.</p> - -<p>"He is saved," the stranger said, as he wiped his lancet and returned it -to his fob.</p> - -<p>"I will repay you this, on the word of Belhumeur!" the owner of the -horse said with much emotion. "You have rendered me one of those -services which are never forgotten."</p> - -<p>And, by an irresistible impulse, he held out his hand to the man who had -so providentially crossed his path. The latter warmly returned the -vigorous pressure. Henceforth all was arranged between them. These two -men who a few moments previously were ignorant of each other's -existence, were friends, attached by one of those services which in -American countries possess an immense value.</p> - -<p>The blood gradually lost its black tinge; it became vermillion, and -flowed abundantly. The breathing of the panting steed had grown easy and -regular. The first stranger made a copious bleeding, and when he -considered the horse in a fair way of recovery he stopped the effusion.</p> - -<p>"And now," he said, "what do you propose doing?"</p> - -<p>"My faith, I don't know. Your help has been so useful to me that I -should like to follow your advice."</p> - -<p>"Where were you going when this accident occurred?"</p> - -<p>"To the Rancho."</p> - -<p>"I am going there too. We are only a few yards from it. You will get up -behind me. We will lead your horse, and start when you please."</p> - -<p>"I ask nothing better. You believe that my horse cannot carry me?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps he could do so, for he is a noble animal; but it would be -imprudent, and you would run a risk of killing him. It would be better, -believe me, to act as I suggested."</p> - -<p>"Yes; but I am afraid—"</p> - -<p>"What of?" the other sharply interrupted him. "Are we not friends?"</p> - -<p>"That is true. I accept."</p> - -<p>The horse sprang up somewhat actively, and the two men who had met so -strangely started at once, mounted on one horse. Twenty minutes later -they reached the first buildings of the Rancho. At the entrance of the -village the owner of the horse stopped, and turning to his companion, -said,—</p> - -<p>"Where will you get down?"</p> - -<p>"That is all the same to me; let us go first where you are going."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" the horseman said, scratching his head, "the fact is, I am going -nowhere in particular."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! You will understand me in two words. I landed today at Guaymas; -the Rancho is only the first station of a journey I meditate in the -desert, and which will probably last a long time."</p> - -<p>By the moonlight, a ray of which now played on the stranger's face, his -companion attentively regarded his noble and pensive countenance, on -which grief had already cut deep furrows.</p> - -<p>"So that," he at length said, "any lodging will suit you?"</p> - -<p>"A night is soon spent. I only ask a shelter for horse and self."</p> - -<p>"Well, if you will permit me to act in my turn as guide, you shall have -that within ten minutes."</p> - -<p>"Agreed."</p> - -<p>"I do not promise you a palace, but I will take you to a <i>pulquería</i>, -where I am accustomed to put up when accident brings me to these parts. -You will find the society rather mixed, but what would you have? And, as -you said yourself, a night is soon spent."</p> - -<p>"In Heaven's name, then, proceed."</p> - -<p>Then, passing his arm through that of his comrade, the new guide seized -the horse's reins, and steered to a house standing about two-thirds of -the way down the street where they were, whose badly fitting windows -gleamed in the night like the stoke holes of a furnace, while cries, -laughter, songs, and the shrill sound of the <i>jarabes</i>, indicated that, -if the rest of the <i>pueblo</i> were plunged in sleep, there, at least, -people were awake.</p> - -<p>The two strangers stopped before the door of this pothouse.</p> - -<p>"Have you quite made up your mind?" the first said.</p> - -<p>"Perfectly," the other answered.</p> - -<p>The guide then rapped furiously at the worm-eaten door. It was long ere -anyone answered. At length a hoarse voice shouted from inside, while the -greatest silence succeeded, as if by enchantment, the noise that had -hitherto prevailed.</p> - -<p>"<i>¿Quíen vive?"</i></p> - -<p>"<i>Gente de paz</i>," the stranger replied.</p> - -<p>"Hum!" the voice went on, "That is not a name. What sort of weather is -it?"</p> - -<p>"One for all—all for one. The <i>cormuel</i> is strong enough to blow the -horns off the oxen on the top of the Cerro del Huérfano."</p> - -<p>The door was immediately opened, and the strangers entered. At first -they could distinguish nothing through the thick and smoky atmosphere of -the room, and walked hap-hazard. The companion of the first horseman was -well known in this den; for the master of the house and several other -persons eagerly collected round him.</p> - -<p>"Caballeros," he said, pointing to the person who followed him, "this -señor is my friend, and I must request your kindness for him."</p> - -<p>"He shall be treated like yourself, Belhumeur," the host replied. "Your -horses have been led to the corral, where a truss of alfalfa has been -put before them. As for yourselves, the house belongs to you, and you -can dispose of it as you please."</p> - -<p>During this exchange of compliments the strangers had contrived to find -their way through the crowd. They crossed the room, and sat down in a -corner before a table on which the host himself placed pulque, mezcal, -chinguirito, Catalonian refino, and sherry.</p> - -<p>"Caramba, Señor Huesped!" the man whom we had heard called frequently -Belhumeur, said with a laugh, "You are generous today."</p> - -<p>"Do you not see that I have an angelito?" the other answered gravely.</p> - -<p>"What, your son Pedrito—?"</p> - -<p>"Is dead. I am trying to give my friends a cordial welcome, in order the -better to feast the entrance into heaven of my poor boy, who, having -never sinned, is an angel by the side of God."</p> - -<p>"That's very proper," Belhumeur said, hobnobbing with the rather stoical -parent.</p> - -<p>The latter emptied his glass of refino at a draught, and -withdrew. The strangers, by this time accustomed to the atmosphere in -which they found themselves, began to look around them. The room of the -pulquería offered them a most singular sight.</p> - -<p>In the centre some ten individuals, with faces enough to hang them, -covered with rags, and armed to the teeth, were furiously playing at -monte. It was a strange fact, but one which did not appear to astonish -any of the honourable gamblers that a long dagger was stuck in the table -to the right of the banker, and two pistols lay on his left. A few steps -further on, men and women, more than half intoxicated, were dancing and -singing, with lubricious gestures and mad shouts, to the shrill sounds -of two or three <i>vihuelas</i> and <i>jarabes</i>. In a corner of the room thirty -people were assembled round a table, on which a child, four years of age -at the most, was seated in a wicker chair. This child presided over the -meeting. He was dressed in his best clothes, had a crown of flowers on -his head, and a profusion of nosegays was piled up on the table all -round him.</p> - -<p>But alas! The child's brow was pale, his eyes glassy, his complexion -leaden and marked with violet spots. His body had the peculiar stiffness -of a corpse. He was dead. He was the angelito, whose entrance into -heaven the worthy pulquero was celebrating.</p> - -<p>Men, women and children were drinking and laughing, as they reminded the -poor mother, who made heroic efforts not to burst into tears, of the -precocious intelligence, goodness and prettiness of the little creature -she had just lost.</p> - -<p>"All this is hideous," the first traveller muttered, with signs of -disgust.</p> - -<p>"Is it not so?" the other assented. "Let us not notice it, but isolate -ourselves amid these scoundrels, who have already forgotten our -presence, and talk."</p> - -<p>"Willingly, but unhappily we have nothing to say to each other."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps we have. In the first place, we might let each other know who -we are."</p> - -<p>"That is true."</p> - -<p>"You agree with me? Then I will give you the example of confidence and -frankness."</p> - -<p>"Good. After that my turn will come."</p> - -<p>Belhumeur looked round at the company. The orgy had recommenced with -fresh fury; it was evident that no one troubled himself about them. He -rested his elbows on the table, leant over to his comrade, and began:—</p> - -<p>"As you already know, my dear mate, my name is Belhumeur. I am a -Canadian; that is to say almost a Frenchman. Circumstances too long to -narrate at present, but which I tell you some day, brought me, when a -lad into this country. Twenty years of my life have passed in traversing -the desert in every direction: there is not a stream or a by-path which -I do not know. I could, if I would, live quietly and free from care with -a dear friend, an old companion, who has retired to a magnificent -hacienda which he possesses a few leagues from Hermosillo; but the -existence of a hunter has charms which only those who have lived it can -understand: it always compels them to renew it in spite of themselves. I -am still a young man, hardly five-and-forty years of age. An old friend -of mine, an Indian chief of the name of Eagle-head, proposed to me to -accompany him on an excursion he wished to make in Apacheria. I allowed -myself to be tempted; said good-by to those I love, and who tried in -vain to hold me back; and free from all ties, without regret for the -past, happy in the present, and careless of the future, I went gaily -ahead, bearing with me those inestimable treasures for the hunter, a -strong heart, a gay character, excellent arms, and a horse accustomed, -like his master, to good fortune and ill; and so here I am. And now, -mate, you know me as well as if we had been friends for the last ten -years."</p> - -<p>The other had listened attentively to this story, fixing a thoughtful -glance on the bold adventurer, who sat smiling before him. He gazed with -interest on this man, with the loyal face and sharply-cut features, -whose countenance exhaled the rude and noble frankness of a man who is -really good and great.</p> - -<p>When Belhumeur was silent he remained for some moments without replying, -doubtlessly plunged in profound and earnest reflections; then, offering -him across the table a white, elegant, and delicate hand, he replied -with great emotion, and in the best French ever spoken in these distant -regions,—</p> - -<p>"I thank you, Belhumeur, for the confidence you have placed in me. My -history is not longer, but more mournful than yours. You shall have it -in a few words."</p> - -<p>"Eh?" the Canadian exclaimed, vigorously pressing the hand offered him. -"Do you happen to be a Frenchman?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have that honour."</p> - -<p>"By Jove! I ought to have suspected it," he burst out joyously. "Only to -think that for an hour we have been stupidly talking bad Spanish, -instead of employing our own tongue; for I come from Canada, and the -Canadians are the French of America, are they not?"</p> - -<p>"You are right."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, it is agreed, no more Spanish between us."</p> - -<p>"No, nothing but French."</p> - -<p>"Bravo! Here's your health, my worthy fellow countryman! And now," he -added, returning his glass to the table after emptying it, "let us have -your story. I am listening."</p> - -<p>"I told you that it is not long."</p> - -<p>"No matter; go ahead. I am certain 'twill interest me enormously."</p> - -<p>The Frenchman stifled a sigh.</p> - -<p>"I, too, have lived the life of a wood ranger," he said; "I, too, have -experienced the intoxicating charms of that feverish existence, full of -moving incidents, no two of which are alike. Far from the country where -we now are, I have traversed vast deserts, immense virgin forests, in -which no man prior to myself had left the imprint of his footstep. Like -you, a friend accompanied me in my adventurous travels, sustaining my -courage, maintaining my gaiety by his inexhaustible humour and his -unbounded courage. Alas! That was the happiest period of my life.</p> - -<p>"I fell in love with a woman and married her. So soon as my friend saw -me rich and surrounded by a family he left me. His departure was my -first grief—a grief from which I never recovered, which each day -rendered more poignant and which now tortures me like a remorse. Alas! -Where is now that strong heart, that devoted friend who ever interposed -between danger and myself, who loved me like a brother, and for whom I -felt a son's affection? He is probably dead!"</p> - -<p>In uttering the last words the Frenchman let his head sink in his hands, -and yielded to a flood of bitter thoughts, which rose from his heart -with every reminiscence he recalled. Belhumeur looked at him in a -melancholy manner, and pressing his hand, said in a low and sympathising -voice, "Courage, my friend."</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Frenchman continued, "that was what he always said to me -when, prostrated by grief, I felt hope failing me. 'Courage,' he would -say to me in his rough voice, laying his hand on my shoulders; and I -would feel galvanised by the touch, and draw myself up at the sound of -that cherished voice, ready to recommence the struggle, for I felt -myself stronger. Several years passed in the midst of a felicity which -nothing came to trouble. I had a wife I adored, charming children for -whom I formed dreams of the future; in short, I wanted for -nothing save my poor comrade, about whom I could discover nothing from -the moment he left me, in spite of my constant inquiries. Now, my -happiness has faded away never to return. My wife, my children are -dead—cruelly murdered in their sleep by Indians, who carried my -hacienda by storm. I alone remained alive amid the smoking ruins of that -abode where I had spent so many happy days. All I loved was eternally -buried beneath the ashes. My heart was broken, and I did not wish to -survive all that was dear to me; but a friend, the only one that -remained to me, saved me. He carried me off by main force to his tribe, -for he was an Indian. By his care and devotion he recalled me to life, -and restored to me, if not the hope of a happiness henceforth -impossible for me, at least the courage to struggle against that destiny -whose blows had been so rude. He died only a few months back. Before -closing his eyes for ever he made me swear to do all he asked of me. I -promised him. 'Brother,' he said, 'every man must proceed in life toward -a certain object. So soon as I am dead, go in search of that friend from -whom you have so long been separated. You will find him, I feel -convinced. He will trace your line of conduct.' Two hours later the -worthy chief died in my arms. So soon as his body was committed to the -earth I set out. This very day, as I told you, I reached Guaymas. My -intention is to bury myself immediately in the wilderness; for if my -poor friend be still alive, I can only find him there."</p> - -<p>There was a lengthened silence, at length broken by Belhumeur.</p> - -<p>"Hum! All that is very sad, mate, I must allow," he said, tossing his -head. "You are rushing upon a desperate enterprise, in which the chances -of success are almost null. A man is a grain of sand lost in the desert. -Who knows, even supposing he still lives, at what place he may be at -this moment; and if, while you are seeking him on one side, he may not -be on the other? Still, I have a proposition to make to you, which, I -believe, can only prove advantageous."</p> - -<p>"I know it, my friend, before you tell it me. I thank you, and accept -it," the Frenchman replied quickly.</p> - -<p>"It is agreed then. We start together. You will come with me into -Apacheria?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"By Jove! I am in luck. I have hardly separated from Loyal Heart ere -Heaven brings me together with a friend as precious as he is."</p> - -<p>"Who is that Loyal Heart you mention?"</p> - -<p>"The friend with whom I lived so long, and whom you shall know some day. -But come, we will start at daybreak."</p> - -<p>"Whenever you please."</p> - -<p>"I have the meeting with Eagle-head two days' journey from here. I am -much mistaken, or he is waiting for me by this time."</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do in Apacheria?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know. Eagle-head asked me to accompany him, and I am going. It -is my rule never to ask my friends more of their secrets than they are -willing to tell me. In that way we are more free."</p> - -<p>"Excellent reasoning, my dear Belhumeur; but, as we shall be together -for a long time, I hope, at least—"</p> - -<p>"I, too."</p> - -<p>"It is right," the Frenchman continued, "that you should know my name, -which I have hitherto forgotten to tell you."</p> - -<p>"That need not trouble you; for I could easily give you one if you had -reasons for preserving your incognito."</p> - -<p>"None at all: my name is Count Louis de Prébois Crancé."</p> - -<p>Belhumeur rose as if moved by a spring, took off his fur cap, and bowing -before his new friend, said—</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, sir count, for the free manner in which I have addressed -you. Had I known in whose company I had the honour of being, I should -certainly not have taken so great a liberty."</p> - -<p>"Belhumeur, Belhumeur," the count said with a mournful smile, and -seizing his hand quickly, "is our friendship to commence in that way? -There are here only two men ready to share the same life, run the same -dangers, and confront the same foes. Let us leave to the foolish -inhabitants of cities those vain distinctions which possess no -significance for us; let us be frankly and loyally brothers. I only wish -to be to you Louis, your good comrade, your devoted friend, in the same -way as you are to me only Belhumeur, the rough wood ranger."</p> - -<p>The Canadian's face shone with pleasure at these words.</p> - -<p>"Well spoken," he said gaily, "well spoken, on my soul! I am but a poor -ignorant hunter; and, by my faith, why should I conceal it? What you -have just said to me has gone straight to my heart. I am yours, Louis, -for life and death; and I hope to prove to you soon, comrade, that I -have a certain value."</p> - -<p>"I am convinced of it; but we understand each other now, do we not?"</p> - -<p>"By Jove—!"</p> - -<p>At this moment there was such a tremendous disturbance in the street, -that it drowned that in the room. As always happens under such -circumstances, the adventurers assembled in the pulquería were silent of -a common accord, in order to listen. Shouts, the clashing of sabres, the -stamping of horses, drowned at intervals by the discharge of fire arms, -could be clearly distinguished.</p> - -<p>"Caray!" Belhumeur exclaimed, "there's fighting going on in the street."</p> - -<p>"I am afraid so," the pulquero laconically answered, who was more than -half drunk, as he swallowed a glass of refino.</p> - -<p>Suddenly from sabre hilts and pistol butts resounded vigorously on the -badly-joined plank of the door, and a powerful voice shouted angrily,—</p> - -<p>"Open, in the devil's name, or I'll smash in your miserable door!"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></h4> - -<h3>COUNT MAXIME GAËTAN DE LHORAILLES.</h3> - - -<p>Before explaining to the reader the cause of the infernal noise which -suddenly rose to disturb the tranquility of the people assembled in the -pulquería, we are obliged to go back a little distance.</p> - -<p>About three years before the period in which our story opens, on a cold -and rainy December night, eight men, whose costumes and manners showed -them to belong to the highest Parisian society, were assembled in an -elegant private room of the Café Anglais.</p> - -<p>The night was far advanced; the wax candles, two-thirds consumed, only -spread a mournful light; the rain lashed the windows, and the wind -howled lugubriously. The guests, seated round the table and the relics -of a splendid supper, seemed, in spite of themselves, to have been -infected by the gloomy melancholy that brooded over nature, and, lying -back on their chairs, some slept, while others, lost in thought, paid no -attention to what was going on around them.</p> - -<p>The clock on the mantelpiece slowly struck three, and the last sound had -scarcely died away ere the repeated cracking of a postilion's whip could -be heard beneath the windows of the room.</p> - -<p>The door opened and a waiter came in.</p> - -<p>"The post-chaise the Count de Lhorailles ordered is waiting," he said.</p> - -<p>"Thanks," one of the guests said, dismissing the waiter by a -sign.</p> - -<p>The latter went out, and closed the door after him. The few words he had -uttered had broken the charm which enchained the guests; all sat up, as -if aroused from sleep suddenly; and turning to a young man of thirty, -they said,—</p> - -<p>"It is really true that you are going?"</p> - -<p>"I am," he answered, with a nod of affirmation.</p> - -<p>"Where to, though? People do not usually part in this mysterious way," -one of the guests continued.</p> - -<p>The gentleman to whom the remark was addressed smiled sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>The Count de Lhorailles was a handsome man, with expressive features, -energetic glance, and disdainful lip; he belonged to the most ancient -nobility, and his reputation was perfectly established among the "lions" -of the day. He rose, and looking round the circle, said,—</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen, I can perfectly well understand that my conduct appears to -you strange. You have a right to an explanation from me, and I am most -desirous to give it to you. It was, indeed, for that purpose that I -invited you to the last supper we shall enjoy together. The hour for my -departure has struck—the chaise is waiting. Tomorrow I shall be far -from Paris, and within a week I shall have left France never to return. -Listen to me."</p> - -<p>The guests made a marked movement as they gazed on the count.</p> - -<p>"Do not be impatient, gentlemen," he said; "the story I have to tell you -is not long, for it is my own. In two words, here it is:—</p> - -<p>"I am completely ruined. I have only a small sum of money left, on which -I should starve in Paris, and end in a month by blowing out my brains—a -gloomy perspective which possesses no attractions for me, I assure you. -On the other hand, I have such a fatal skill with arms, that, without -any fault of my own, I enjoy a reputation as a duellist, which weighs on -me fearfully, especially since my deplorable affair with that poor -Viscount de Morsens, whom I was obliged to kill against my will, in -order to close his mouth and put a stop to his calumnies. In short, for -the reasons I have had the honour of imparting to you, and an infinity -of others it is needless for you to know, and which I am convinced would -interest you very slightly, France has become odious to me to such a -degree that I am most anxious to quit it. So now a parting glass of -champagne, and good-by to all."</p> - -<p>"A moment," remarked the guest who had already spoken. "You have not -told us, count, to what country you intend to proceed."</p> - -<p>"Can't you guess? To America. I am allowed to possess a certain amount -of courage and intelligence, and therefore am going to a country where, -if I may believe all I hear, those two qualities are sufficient to make -the fortune of their possessor. Have you any more questions to ask me, -baron?" he added, turning to his questioner.</p> - -<p>The latter, ere replying, remained for some moments plunged in serious -reflections; at length he raised his head, and fixed a cold and -searching glance on the count.</p> - -<p>"You really mean to go, my friend?" he said quite seriously. "You swear -it on your honour?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, on my honour."</p> - -<p>"And you are really resolved to make for yourself, in America, a -position at the least equal to that you held here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said sharply, "by all means possible."</p> - -<p>"That is good. In your turn listen to me, count, and if you will profit -by what I am about to reveal to you, you may perhaps, by the help of -Heaven, succeed in accomplishing the wild projects you have formed."</p> - -<p>All the guests drew round curiously; the count himself felt interested -in spite of himself.</p> - -<p>The Baron de Spurtzheim was a man of about five-and-forty. His bronzed -complexion, his marked features, and the strange expression of his eye -gave him a peculiar aspect, which escaped the notice of the vulgar herd, -and caused him to be regarded as a really remarkable man by all -intelligent persons.</p> - -<p>The only thing known about the baron was his colossal fortune, which he -spent royally. As for his antecedents, everyone was ignorant of them, -although he was received in the first society. It was merely remarked -vaguely that he had been a great traveller, and had resided for several -years in America; but nothing was more uncertain than these rumours, and -they would not have been sufficient to open the <i>salons</i> of the noble -suburb to him, had not the Austrian ambassador, without his knowledge, -served as his guarantee most warmly in several delicate circumstances.</p> - -<p>The baron was more intimately connected with the count than with his -other companions. He seemed to feel a certain degree of interest in him; -and several times, guessing his friend's embarrassed circumstances, he -had delicately offered him his assistance. The Count de Lhorailles, -though too proud to accept these offers, felt equally grateful to the -baron, and had allowed him to assume a certain influence over him, -without suspecting it.</p> - -<p>"Speak, but be brief, my dear baron," the count said. "You know that the -chaise is waiting for me."</p> - -<p>Without replying, the baron rang the bell. The waiter came in.</p> - -<p>"Dismiss the postilion, and tell him to return at five o'clock. You can -go."</p> - -<p>The waiter bowed and went out.</p> - -<p>The count, more and more amazed at his friend's strange conduct, did not -make the least observation. However, he poured out a glass of champagne, -which he emptied at a draught, crossed his arms, leant back in his -chair, and waited.</p> - -<p>"And now, gentlemen," the baron said in his sarcastic and incisive -voice, "as our friend De Lhorailles has told us his history, and we are -becoming confidential, why should I not tell you mine? The weather is -fearful—it is raining torrents. Here we are, comfortably tiled in: we -have champagne and regalias—two excellent things when not abused. What -have we better to do? 'Nothing,' I hear you say. Listen to me, then, for -I believe what I have to tell you will interest you the more, because -some among you will not be vexed to know the whole truth about me."</p> - -<p>The majority of the guests burst into a laugh at this remark. When their -hilarity was calmed the baron began:—</p> - -<p>"As for the first part of my story, I shall imitate the count's brevity. -In the present age gentlemen find themselves so naturally beyond the -pale of the law through the prejudices of blood and education, that they -all are fated to pass through a rough apprenticeship to life, by -devouring in a few years, they know not how, the paternal fortune. This -happened to me, gentlemen, as to yourselves. My ancestors in the middle -ages were, to a certain extent, freebooters. True blood always shows -itself. When my last resources were nearly exhausted, my instincts were -aroused, and my eyes fixed on America. In less than ten years I amassed -there the colossal fortune which I now have the distinguished honour, -not of dissipating—the lesson was too rude, and I profited by it—but -of spending in your honourable company, while careful to keep my capital -intact."</p> - -<p>"But," the count exclaimed impatiently, "how did you amass this colossal -fortune, as you yourself term it?"</p> - -<p>"About a million and a half," the baron coolly remarked.</p> - -<p>A shudder of covetousness ran through the whole party.</p> - -<p>"A colossal fortune indeed," the count continued; "but, I repeat, how -did you acquire it?"</p> - -<p>"If I had not intended to reveal it to you, my dear fellow, you may be -sure I would not have abused your patience by making you listen to the -trivialities you have just heard."</p> - -<p>"We are listening," the guests shouted.</p> - -<p>The baron coolly looked at them all.</p> - -<p>"In the first place let us drink a glass of champagne to our friend's -success," he said in a sarcastic tone.</p> - -<p>The glasses were filled and emptied again in a twinkling, so great was -the curiosity of the auditors. After putting down his glass before him -the baron lighted a regalia, and, turning to the count, said to him,—</p> - -<p>"I am now addressing myself more particularly to you, my friend. You are -young, enterprising, gifted with an iron constitution and an energetic -will. I am convinced, that if death does not thwart your plans, you will -succeed, whatever may be the enterprise you undertake, or the objects -you propose to yourself. In the life you are about to begin, the -principal cause of success, I may say almost the only one, is a thorough -knowledge of the ground on which you are about to manoeuvre, and the -society you propose entering. If, on my entrance upon that adventurous -life, I had possessed the good fortune of meeting a friend willing to -initiate me into the mysteries of my new existence, my fortune would -have been made five years earlier. What no one did for me I am willing -to do for you. Perhaps, at a later date you will be grateful for the -information I have given you, and which will serve as your guide in the -inextricable maze you are about to enter. In the first place, lay down -this principle: the people among whom you are about going to live are -your natural enemies. Hence you will have to support a daily, hourly -struggle. All means must appear to you good to emerge from the battle a -victor. Lay on one side your notions of honour and delicacy. In America -they are vain words, useless even to make dupes, from the very simple -reason that no one believes in them. The sole deity of America is gold. -To acquire gold the American is capable of everything; but not, as in -old Europe, under the cloak of honesty, and by roundabout process, but -frankly, openly, without shame, and without remorse. This laid down, -your line of conduct is ready traced. There is no project, however -extravagant it may appear, which in that country does not offer chances -of success; for the means of execution are immense, and almost -impossible of control. The American is the man who has best comprehended -the strength of association: hence it is the lever by means of which his -schemes are carried out. On arriving there alone, without friends or -acquaintances, however intelligent and determined you may be, you will -be lost, because you find yourself alone in the face of all."</p> - -<p>"That is true," the count muttered with conviction.</p> - -<p>"Patience!" the baron replied with a smile. "Do you think I intend to -send you into action without a cuirass? No, no, I will give you one, and -magnificently tempered, too, I assure you."</p> - -<p>All those present looked with amazement on this man, who had grown -enormously in their esteem in a few moments. The baron feigned not to -perceive the impression he produced, and in a minute or so he continued, -laying a stress on every word, as if wishful to engrave it more deeply -on the count's memory:—</p> - -<p>"Remember what I am about to tell you; it is of the utmost importance -for you not to forget a word, my friend; from that positively depends -the success of your trip to the New World."</p> - -<p>"Speak—I am not losing a syllable!" the count interrupted him with a -species of febrile impatience.</p> - -<p>"When strangers began to flock to America, a company of bold fellows -was formed without faith or law, and without pity as without weakness, -who, denying all nationality, as they issued from every people, only -recognised one government, that which they themselves instituted on -Tortoise Island, a desolate rock, lost in the middle of the ocean—a -monstrous government; for violence was at its basis, and it only -admitted of right being might. These bold companions, attached to each -other by a Draconian charter, assumed the name of Brethren of the Coast, -and were divided into two classes—the Buccaneers and the Filibusters.</p> - -<p>"The buccaneers, wandering, through the primeval forests, hunted oxen, -while the filibusters scoured the seas, attacking every flag, plundering -every vessel under the pretext of making war on the Spaniards, but in -reality stripping the rich for the benefit of the poor—the only means -they discovered to restore the balance between the two classes. The -Brethren of the Coast, continually recruited from all the rogues of the -new world, became powerful—so powerful, indeed, that the Spaniards -trembled for their possessions, and a glorious King of France did not -disdain to treat with them, and send an ambassador to them. At last, -through the very force of circumstances, like all powers which are the -offspring of anarchy, and consequently possess no inherent vitality, -when the maritime nations recognised their own strength, the Brethren of -the Coast grew gradually weaker, and finally disappeared entirely. By -forcing them into obscurity, it was supposed that they were not merely -conquered, but annihilated; but it was not so, as you shall now see. I -ask your pardon for this long and tedious prologue, but it was -indispensable, so that you should better comprehend the rest I have to -explain to you."</p> - -<p>"It is nearly half past four," observed the count; "we have not more -than forty minutes left us."</p> - -<p>"That period, though so short, will be sufficient," the baron answered. -"I resume my narrative. The Brethren of the Coast were not destroyed, -but transformed. They yielded with extraordinary cleverness to the -exigencies of that progress which threatened to outstrip them: they had -changed their skin—from tigers they had become foxes. The Brethren of -the Coast were converted into <i>Dauph'yeers</i>. Instead of boldly boarding -the enemies' ships, sword and hatchet in hand, as they formerly did, -they became insignificant, and dug mines. At the present day the -Dauph'yeers are the masters and kings of the New World; they are nowhere -and everywhere, but they reign; their influence is felt in all ranks of -society; they are found on every rung of the ladder, but are never seen. -They detached the United States from England; Peru, Chili and Mexico, -from Spain. Their power is immense, the more so because it is secret, -ignored and almost denied, which displays their strength. For a secret -society to be denied existence is a real power. There is not a -revolution in America in which the influence of the Dauph'yeers does not -step forward valorously, either to insure its triumph or to crush it. -They can do everything—they are everything: without their golden circle -nothing is possible. Such have the Brethren of the Coast become, in less -than two centuries, by the force of progress! They are the axis round -which the New World revolves though it little suspects it. It is a -wretched lot for that magnificent country to have been condemned, ever -since its discovery, to undergo the tyranny of bandits of every rank, -who seem to have undertaken the mission of exhausting her in every way, -while never giving her the chance of liberating herself."</p> - -<p>There was a lengthened silence: each was reflecting on what he had just -heard. The baron himself had buried his face in his hands, and was lost -in that world of ideas which he had evoked, and which now assailed him -in a mass with sensations of mingled pain and bitterness.</p> - -<p>The distant sound of a rapidly approaching vehicle recalled the count to -the gravity of the situation.</p> - -<p>"Here is my chaise," he said. "I am about to set out, and I know -nothing."</p> - -<p>"Patience!" the baron replied. "Take leave of your friends, and we will -start."</p> - -<p>Yielding, in spite of himself, to the influence of this singular man, -the count obeyed, without dreaming of offering the slightest opposition. -He rose, embraced each of his old friends, exchanged with them hearty -hand-shakings, received their auguries of success, and left the room, -followed by the baron.</p> - -<p>The post-chaise was waiting in front of the house. The young men had -opened the windows, and were waving fresh adieux to their friend. The -count turned a long look on the Boulevard. The night was gloomy, though -the rain no longer fell; the sky was black; and the gas-jets glinted -feebly in the distance like stars lost in a fog.</p> - -<p>"Farewell," he said in a stifled voice, "farewell! Who knows whether I -shall ever return?"</p> - -<p>"Courage!" a stern voice whispered in his ear.</p> - -<p>The young man shuddered: the baron was at his side.</p> - -<p>"Come, my friend," he said, as he helped him to enter the carriage, "I -will accompany you to the barrier."</p> - -<p>The count got in and fell back on a cushion.</p> - -<p>"The Normandy road," the baron shouted to the postilion, as he shut the -door.</p> - -<p>The driver cracked his whip, and the chaise started at a gallop.</p> - -<p>"Good-by, good-by!" the young men loudly shouted as they leant out of -the windows of the Café Anglais.</p> - -<p>For a long time the two remained silent. At length the baron took the -word.</p> - -<p>"Gaëtan!" he said.</p> - -<p>"What would you?" the latter replied.</p> - -<p>"I have not yet finished my narrative."</p> - -<p>"It is true," he muttered distractedly.</p> - -<p>"Do you not wish me to end it?"</p> - -<p>"Speak, my friend."</p> - -<p>"In what a tone you say that, my good fellow! Your mind is wandering in -imaginary space; you are doubtlessly dreaming of those you are leaving.</p> - -<p>"Alas!" murmured the count with a sigh, "I am alone in the world. What -have I to regret? I possess neither friends nor relations."</p> - -<p>"Ungrateful man!" The baron said in a reproachful tone.</p> - -<p>"It is true: Pardon me, my dear fellow; I did not think of what I was -saying."</p> - -<p>"I pardon you, but on condition that you listen to me."</p> - -<p>"I promise it."</p> - -<p>"My friend, it you desire success, the friendship and protection of -those Dauph'yeers I mentioned are indispensable for you."</p> - -<p>"How can I obtain them—I, a wretched stranger? How I tremble on -thinking of the country in which I dreamed of creating such a glorious -future! The veil that covered my eyes is fallen. I see the extravagance -of my projects, and all hope abandons me."</p> - -<p>"Already?" exclaimed the baron sternly. "Child without energy, to -abandon a contest even before having engaged in it! Man without strength -and courage! I will give you the means, if you like, of obtaining the -friendship and protection so necessary for you."</p> - -<p>"You!" the count said, quivering with excitement.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I! Do you fancy I have been amusing myself with torturing your -mind for the last two hours, like the jaguar plays with the lamb, for -the mere pleasure of deriding you? No, Gaëtan. If you had that thought, -you were wrong, for I am fond of you. When I learned your scheme I -applauded, from the bottom of my heart, that resolution which restored -you to your proper place in my mind. When you this night frankly avowed -to us your position, and explained your plans, I found myself again in -you; my heart beat; for a moment I was happy: and then I vowed to open -to you that path so wide, so great, and so noble, that if you do not -succeed, it will be because you do not desire to do so."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" the count said energetically, "I may succumb in the contest which -begins this day between myself and humanity at large, but fear nothing, -my friend; I will fall nobly like a man of courage."</p> - -<p>"I am persuaded of it, my friend. I have only a few more words to say to -you. I, too, was a Dauph'yeer, and am so still. Thanks to my brethren, I -gained the fortune I now possess. Take this portfolio: put round your -neck this chain, from which a medallion hangs; then, when you are alone, -read these instructions contained in the portfolio, and act as they -prescribe. If you follow them point for point, I guarantee your success. -That is the present I reserved for you, and which I would not give you -till we were alone."</p> - -<p>"O heavens!" the count said with effusion.</p> - -<p>"Here we are at the barrier," the baron remarked, as he stopped the -carriage. "It is time for us to separate. Farewell, my friend! Courage -and good will! Embrace me. Above all, remember the portfolio and the -medallion."</p> - -<p>The two men remained for a long time in each other's arms. At length the -baron freed himself by a vigorous effort, opened the door, and leaped -out on the pavement.</p> - -<p>"Farewell!" he cried for the last time; "Farewell, Gaëtan, remember me."</p> - -<p>The post-chaise was bowling along the high road at full speed. Strange -to say, both men muttered the same word, shaking heads with -discouragement, when they found themselves alone—one walking at full -speed along the footpath, the other buried in the cushions.</p> - -<p>That word was "Perhaps!"</p> - -<p>The reason was that, despite all their efforts to deceive each other, -neither of them hoped.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE DAUPH'YEERS.</h3> - - -<p>Now let us quit the old world, and, taking an immense stride, transport -ourselves to the new one at a single leap.</p> - -<p>There is in America a city which possibly cannot be compared to any -other in the whole world. That city is Valparaiso!</p> - -<p>Valparaiso! The word resounds in the enchanted ear like the gentle soft -notes of a love song.</p> - -<p>A coquettish, smiling, and mad city, softly reclining like a careless -Creole, round a delicious bay, at the foot of three majestic mountains, -lazily bathing her rosy and dainty feet in the azure waves of the -Pacific, and veiling her dreamy brow in the storm-laden clouds which -escape from Cape Horn, and roll with a sinister sound round the peaks of -the Cordilleras, to form a splendid glory for them.</p> - -<p>Although built on the Chilean coast, this strange city belongs, in fact, -to no country, and recognises no nationality: or to speak more -correctly, it admits all into its bosom.</p> - -<p>At Valparaiso the adventurer of every clime have given each other the -meeting. All tongues are spoken there, every branch of trade is carried -on. The population is the quaintest amalgam of the most eccentric -personalities, who have rushed from the most remote parts of the four -quarters of the old world, to attack fortune in this city, the advanced -sentinel of Transatlantic civilisation, and whose occult influence -governs the Hispano-American republic.</p> - -<p>Valparaiso, like nearly all the commercial centres of South America, is -a pile of shapeless dens and magnificent palaces jostling each other, -and hanging in abrupt clusters on the abrupt flanks of the three -mountains.</p> - -<p>At the period the event occurred which we are about to describe, the -streets were narrow, dirty, deprived of air and sun. The paving, being -perfectly ignored, rendered them perfect morasses, in which the wayfarer -sank to the knee when the winter's rains had loosened the soil. This -rendered the use of a horse indispensable, even for the shortest -passage.</p> - -<p>Deleterious exhalations incessantly escaped from these mud holes, -heightened by the filth of every description which the daily cleaning of -the inhabitants accumulated, while no one dreamed of draining these -permanent abodes of pernicious fevers.</p> - -<p>At the present day, we are told, this state of things has been altered, -and Valparaiso no longer resembles itself. We should like to believe it; -but the carelessness of the South American, so well known to us, compels -us to be very circumspect in such a matter.</p> - -<p>In one of the dirtiest and worst-famed streets of Valparaiso was a house -which we ask the reader's permission to describe in a few words.</p> - -<p>We are compelled at the outset, to confess that if the architect -intrusted with its construction had shown himself more than sober in the -distribution of the ornaments, he had built it perfectly to suit the -trade of the various tenants destined in future to occupy it one after -the other.</p> - -<p>It was a clay-built hovel. The <i>façade</i> looked upon the Street de la -Merced; the opposite side had an outlook of the sea, above which it -projected for a certain distance upon posts.</p> - -<p>This house was inhabited by an innkeeper. Contrary to the European -buildings, which grow smaller the higher they rise from the ground, this -house grew larger; so that the upper part was lofty and well lighted, -while the shop and other ground floor rooms were confined and gloomy.</p> - -<p>The present occupier had skilfully profited by this architectural -arrangement to have a room made in the wall between the first and second -floors, which was reached by a turning staircase, concealed in the -masonry.</p> - -<p>This room was so built that the slightest noise in the street distinctly -reached the ears of persons in it, while stifling any they might make, -however loud it might be.</p> - -<p>The worthy landlord, occupier of this house, had naturally a rather -mixed custom of people of every description—smugglers, <i>rateros</i>, -rogues, and others, whose habits might bring them into unpleasant -difficulties with the Chilean police; consequently, a whaleboat -constantly fastened to a ring under a window opening on the sea, -offered a provisional but secure shelter to the customers of the -establishment whenever, by any accident, the agents of government -evinced a desire to pay a domiciliary visit to his den.</p> - -<p>This house was known—and probably is still known, unless an earthquake -or a fire has caused this rookery to disappear from the face of the -earth of Valparaiso—by the name of the <i>Locanda del Sol.</i></p> - -<p>On an iron plate suspended from a beam, and creaking with every breath -of wind, there had been painted by a native artist a huge red face, -surrounded by orange beams, possibly intended as an explanation of the -sign to which I have alluded above.</p> - -<p>Señor Benito Sarzuela master of the Locanda del Sol, was a tall, dry -fellow with an angular face end crafty look; a mixture of the Araucano, -Negro and Spaniard, whose <i>morale</i> responded perfectly to his -<i>physique;</i> that is to say, he combined in himself the vices of the -three races to which he belonged—red, black, and white—without -possessing one single virtue of theirs, and that beneath the shadow of -an avowed and almost honest trade he carried on clandestinely some -twenty, the most innocent of which would have taken him to the -<i>presidios</i> or galleys for life, had he been discovered.</p> - -<p>Some two months after the events we described in a previous chapter, -about eleven of the clock on a cold and misty night, Señor Benito -Sarzuela was seated in melancholy mood within his bar, contemplating -with mournful eye the deserted room of his establishment.</p> - -<p>The wind blowing violently, caused the sign of the <i>mesón</i> to creak on -its hinges with gloomy complaints, and the heavy black clouds coming -from the south moved weightily athwart the sky, dropping at intervals -heavy masses of rain on the ground loosened by previous storms.</p> - -<p>"Come," the unhappy host muttered to himself with a piteous air, "there -is another day which finishes as badly as the others. <i>Sangre de Dios!</i> -For the last week I have had no luck. If it continues only a fortnight -longer I shall be ruined a man."</p> - -<p>In fact, through a singular accident, for about a month the Locanda del -Sol had been completely shorn of its old brilliancy, and the landlord -did not know any reason for its eclipse.</p> - -<p>The sound of clanking glasses and cups was no longer heard in the room, -usually affected by thirsty souls. Strange change in human things! -Abundance had been too suddenly followed by the most perfect vacuum. It -might be said that the plague reigned in this deserted house. The -bottles remained methodically arranged on the shelves, and hardly two -passers-by had come in during the past day to drink a glass of <i>pisco</i>, -which they hastily paid for, so eager were they to quit this den, in -spite of the becks, and nods, and wreathed smiles of the host, who tried -in vain to keep them to talk of public affairs, and, above all, cheer -his solitude.</p> - -<p>After a few words we have heard him utter, the worthy Don Benito rose -carelessly, and prepared, with many an oath, to close his establishment, -so at any rate to save in candles, when suddenly an individual entered, -then two, then ten, and at last such a number that the locandero gave up -all attempts at counting them.</p> - -<p>These men were all wrapped up in cloaks; their heads were covered by -felt hats, whose broad brims, pulled down carefully over their eyes, -rendered them perfectly unrecognisable.</p> - -<p>The room was soon crowded with customers drinking and smoking, but not -uttering a word.</p> - -<p>The extraordinary thing was that, although all the tables were lined, -such a religious silence prevailed among these strange bibbers that the -noise of the rain pattering outside could be distinctly heard, as well -as the footfall of the horses ridden by the serenos, which resounded -hoarsely on the pebbles or in the muddy ponds that covered the ground.</p> - -<p>The host, agreeably surprised by this sudden turn of fortune, had -joyfully set to work serving his unexpected customers; but all at once a -singular thing happened, which Señor Sarzuela was far from anticipating. -Although the proverb say that you can never have enough of a good -thing—and proverbs are the wisdom of nations—it happened that the -affluence of people, who appeared to have made an appointment at his -house, became so considerable, and assumed such gigantic proportions, -that the landlord himself began to be terrified; for his hostelry, empty -a moment previously, was now so crammed that he soon did not know where -to put the new arrivals who continued to flock in. In fact the crowd, -after filling the common room, had, like a rising tide, flowed over -into the adjoining room, then it escaladed the stairs, and spread over -the upper floors.</p> - -<p>At the first stroke of eleven more than two hundred customers occupied -the Locanda del Sol.</p> - -<p>The locandero, with that craft which was one of the most salient points -of his character, then comprehended that something extraordinary was -about to happen, and that his house would be the scene.</p> - -<p>At the thought a convulsive tremor seized upon him, his hair began to -stand on end, and he sought in his brain for the means he must employ to -get rid of these sinister and silent guests.</p> - -<p>In his despair he rose with an air which he sought to render most -resolute, and walked to the door as if for the purpose of closing his -establishment. The customers, still silent as fish, did not make a sign -of moving; on the contrary, they pretended they noticed nothing.</p> - -<p>Don Benito felt his nervousness redoubled.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the voice of a sereno singing in the distance furnished him -with the pretext he vainly sought, by shouting as he passed the -locanda,—</p> - -<p>"<i>Ave Maria purísima. Las onze han dado y llueve.</i>"<a name="FNanchor_1_2" id="FNanchor_1_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_2" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>Although accompanied by modulations capable of making a dog weep, the -sacramental cry of the sereno absolutely produced no impression on mine -host's customers. The force of terror at length restoring him a slight -degree of courage, Señor Sarzuela decided on directly addressing his -obstinate customers. For this purpose he deliberately posted himself in -the centre of the room, thrust his fist into his side, and raising his -head, said in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm, but whose -tremor he could not hide,—</p> - -<p>"Señores caballeros, it is eleven o'clock. The police regulations forbid -me keeping open longer. Have the goodness, I beg you, to withdraw -without delay, so that I may close my establishment."</p> - -<p>This harangue, from which he promised himself the greatest success, -produced an effect exactly contrary to what he expected. The strangers -vigorously smote the table with their glasses, shouting unanimously,—</p> - -<p>"Drink!"</p> - -<p>The landlord bounded back at this fearful disturbance.</p> - -<p>"Still, caballeros," he ventured to remark, after a moment's hesitation, -"the police regulations are severe. It is eleven, and—"</p> - -<p>He could say no more: the noise recommenced with even greater intensity, -and the customers shouted together, in a voice of thunder, "Drink!"</p> - -<p>A reaction, easy to comprehend, then took place in the mind of mine -host. Fancying that a personal attack was made on himself, persuaded -that his interests were at stake, the coward disappeared to make room -for the miser, threatened in what is dearest to him—his property.</p> - -<p>"Ah," he shouted in feverish exasperation, "that is the game! Well, we -will see if I am master in my own house. I will go and fetch the alcalde."</p> - -<p>This threat of justice from the mouth of the worthy Sarzuela appeared so -droll, that the customers broke out, with a unanimity that did them all -credit, into a burst of Homeric laughter right under the poor fellow's -nose. This was the <i>coup de grâce</i>. The host's anger was converted into -raving madness, and he rushed headforemost at the door, under the -laughter and inextinguishable shouts of his persecutors. But he had -hardly crossed the threshold of his house ere a new arrival seized him -unceremoniously by the arm and hurled him back roughly into the room, -saying in a bantering voice,—</p> - -<p>"What fly has stung you, my dear landlord? Are you mad to go out -bareheaded in such weather, at the risk of catching a pleurisy?"</p> - -<p>And then, while the locandero, terrified and confounded by this rude -shock, tried to regain his balance and re-establish a little order in -his ideas, the unknown, as coolly as if he were at home, had, with the -help of some of the customers, to whom he made signs, shut the shutters -and bolted the door with as much care as Sarzuela himself usually -devoted to this delicate operation.</p> - -<p>"There, now that is done," the stranger said, turning to the amazed host -"suppose we have a chat, <i>compadre</i>? Ah, I suppose you do not recognise -me?" he added, as he removed his hat and displayed a fine intelligent -face, over which a mocking smile was at this moment playing.</p> - -<p>"Oh, el Señor Don Gaëtano!" said Sarzuela, whom this meeting was far -from pleasing, and who tried to conceal a horrible grimace.</p> - -<p>"Silence!" the other said. "Come hither."</p> - -<p>"With a gesture he drew the landlord into a corner of the room, and, -leaning down to his ear, said in a low voice,—</p> - -<p>"Are there any strangers in your house?"</p> - -<p>"Look!" he said with a piteous glance, as he pointed to the still -drinking customers, "that legion of demons invaded my house an hour -back. They drink well, it is true; but there is something suspicious -about them not at all encouraging to an honest man."</p> - -<p>"The more reason that you should have nothing to fear. Besides, I am not -alluding to them. I ask you if you have any strange lodgers? As for -those men, you know them as well as I do, perhaps better."</p> - -<p>"From top to bottom of my house I have no other persons than these -caballeros, whom you say I know. It is very possible; but as ever since -they have been here, thanks to the way in which they are muffled, it has -been impossible for me to see the tip of a nose, I was utterly unable to -recognise them."</p> - -<p>"You are a donkey, my good friend. These men who bother you so greatly -are all Dauph'yeers."</p> - -<p>"Really!" the amazed host exclaimed: "then why do they hide their -faces?"</p> - -<p>"My faith, Master Sarzuela, I fancy it is probably because they do not -wish to have them seen."</p> - -<p>And laughing at the landlord, who was sadly out of countenance, the -stranger made a sign. Two men rose, rushed on the poor fellow, and -before he could even guess what they intended, he found himself so -magnificently garroted that he could not even cross himself.</p> - -<p>"Fear nothing, Master Sarzuela; no harm will befall you," the stranger -continued. "We only want to talk without witnesses, and as you are -naturally a chatterer, we take our precautions, that is all. So be calm; -in a few hours you will be free. Come, look sharp, you fellows," he -continued, addressing his men. "Gag him, lay him on his bed, and turn -the key in his door. Good-by, my worthy host, and pray keep calm."</p> - -<p>The stranger's orders were punctually executed; the luckless Sarzuela, -tied and gagged, was carried from the room on the shoulders of two of -his assailants, borne upstairs, thrown on his bed, and locked in in -a twinkling, ere he had even time to think of the slightest resistance.</p> - -<p>We will leave him to indulge in the gloomy reflections which probably -assailed him in a throng so soon as he was alone, face to face with his -despair, and return to the large room of the locanda, where persons far -more interesting to us than the poor landlord are awaiting us.</p> - -<p>The Dauph'yeers, so soon as they found themselves masters of the -hostelry, ranged the tables one on the other against the walls, so as to -clear the centre of the room, and drew up the benches in a line, on -which they seated themselves.</p> - -<p>The Locanda del Sol, owing to the changes it underwent, was in a few -moments completely metamorphosed into a club.</p> - -<p>The last arrival, the man who had given the order to gag the host, -enjoyed, according to all appearances, a certain influence over the -honourable company collected at this moment on the ground floor room of -the hostelry. So soon as the master of the house had disappeared he took -off his cloak, made a sign commanding silence, and speaking in excellent -French, said in a clear and sonorous voice,—</p> - -<p>"Brethren, thanks for your punctuality."</p> - -<p>The Dauph'yeers politely returned his salute.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," he continued, "our projects are advancing. Soon, I hope, we -shall attain the object to which we have so long been tending, and quit -that obscurity in which we are languishing, to conquer our place in the -sunshine. America is a marvellous land, in which every ambition can be -satisfied. I have taken all the necessary measures, as I pledged myself -to you to do a fortnight ago, when I had the honour of convening you for -the first time. We have succeeded. You were kind enough to appoint me -director of the Mexican movement, and I thank you for it, gentleman. A -concession of three thousand acres of land has been made me at -Guetzalli, in Upper Sonora. The first step has been taken. My -lieutenant, De Laville, started yesterday for Mexico, to take possession -of the granted territory. I have today another request to make of you. -You who listen to me here are all European or North Americans, and you -will understand me. For a very long time the Dauph'yeers, the successors -of the Brethren of the Coast have been calmly watching, as apparently -disinterested spectators of the endless drama of the American republics, -the sudden changes and shameless revolutions of the old Spanish -colonies. The hour has arrived to throw ourselves into the contest. I -need one hundred and fifty devoted men. Guetzalli will serve them as a -temporary refuge. I shall soon tell them what I expect from their -courage; but you must strive to carry out what I attempt. The enterprise -I meditate, and in which I shall possibly perish, is entirely in the -interest of the association. If I succeed, every man who took part in it -will have a large reward and splendid position insured him. You know the -man who introduced me to you, and he had gained your entire confidence. -The medal he gave me, and which I now show you, proves to you that he -entirely responds for me. Will you, in your turn, trust in me as he has -done? Without you I can do nothing. I await your reply."</p> - -<p>He was silent. His auditors began a long discussion among themselves, -though in a low voice, which they carried on for some time. At length -silence was restored, and a man rose.</p> - -<p>"Count Gaëtan de Lhorailles," he said, "my brethren have requested me to -answer you in their name. You presented yourself to us, supported by the -recommendation of a man in whom we have the most entire confidence. Your -conduct has appeared to confirm this recommendation. The one hundred and -fifty men you ask for are ready to follow you, no matter whither you may -lead them, persuaded as they are that they can only gain by seconding -your plans. I, Diégo Léon, inscribe myself at the head of the list."</p> - -<p>"And I!"</p> - -<p>"And I!"</p> - -<p>"And I!"</p> - -<p>The Dauph'yeers shouted, outcrying each other. The count gave a signal, -and silence was re-established.</p> - -<p>"Brothers, I thank you," he said. "The nucleus of our association will -remain at Valparaiso, and if I need them I will draw from that city the -resolute men I may presently want. For the moment one hundred and fifty -men are sufficient for me. If my plans succeed, who knows what the -future may have in store for us? I have drawn up a charter-party, all -the stipulations of which will be rigorously kept by myself and by you, -I have no doubt. Read and sign. In two days I start for Talca: but in -six weeks I will meet here those among you who consent to follow me, and -then I will communicate to them my plans in their fullest details."</p> - -<p>"Captain de Lhorailles," Diégo Léon replied, "you say that you have only -need of one hundred and fifty men. Draw them by lots, then; for all wish -to accompany you."</p> - -<p>"Thank you once again, my brave comrades. Believe me, each shall have -his turn. The project I have formed is grand and worthy of you. -Selection would only arouse jealousy among men all equally worthy. Diégo -Léon, I intrust to you the duty of drawing lots for the names of those -who are to form part of the first expedition."</p> - -<p>"It shall be done," said Léon, a methodical and steady Bearnese and -ex-corporal of the Spahis.</p> - -<p>"And now, my friends, one last word. Remember that in three months I -shall expect you at Guetzalli; and, by the aid of Heaven, the star of -the Dauph'yeer shall not be dimmed. Drink, brothers, drink to the -success of our enterprise!"</p> - -<p>"Let us drink!" all the Brethren of the Coast shouted quite electrified.</p> - -<p>The wine and brandy then began flowing. The whole night was spent in an -orgie, whose proportions became, towards morning, gigantic. The Count de -Lhorailles—thanks to the talisman the baron gave him on parting—had -found himself, immediately on his arrival in America, at the head of -resolute and unscrupulous men, by whose help it was easy for an -intellect like his to accomplish great things.</p> - -<p>Two months after the meeting to which we have introduced the reader, the -count and his one hundred and fifty Dauph'yeers were assembled at the -colony of Guetzalli—that magnificent concession which M. de Lhorailles -had obtained through his occult influences.</p> - -<p>The count appeared to command good fortune, and everything he undertook -succeeded. The projects which appeared the wildest were carried out by -him. His colony prospered and assumed proportions which delighted the -Mexican government. The count, with the tact and knowledge of the world -he thoroughly possessed, had caused the jealous and the curious to be -silent. He had created a circle of devoted friends and useful -acquaintances, who on various occasions pleaded in his behalf and -supported him by their credit.</p> - -<p>Our readers can judge of the progress he had made in so short a -time—scarce three years—when we say that, at the moment we introduce -him on the stage, he had almost attained the object of his constant -efforts. He was about to gain an honourable rank in society by marrying -the daughter of Don Sylva de Torrés, one of the richest hacenderos in -Sonora: and through the influence of his future father-in-law he had -just received a commission as captain of a free corps, intended to -repulse the incursions of the Comanches and Apaches on the Mexican -territory, and the right of forming this company exclusively of -Europeans if he thought proper.</p> - -<p>We will now return to the house of Don Sylva de Torrés, which we left -almost at the moment the Count de Lhorailles entered it.</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_2" id="Footnote_1_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_2"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> I salute you, most pure Mary! Eleven has struck, and it -rains.</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></h4> - -<h3>BY THE WINDOW.</h3> - - -<p>When the young lady left the sitting room to retire to her sleeping -apartment, the count followed her with a lingering look, apparently not -at all understanding the extraordinary conduct of his betrothed, -especially under the circumstances in which they stood to each other, as -they were so shortly to be married; but, after a few moments' -reflection, the count shook his head, as if to dispel the mournful -thoughts by which he was assailed, and, turning to Don Sylva, said:—</p> - -<p>"Let us talk about business matters. Are you agreeable?"</p> - -<p>"Have you anything new, then, to tell me?"</p> - -<p>"Many things."</p> - -<p>"Interesting?"</p> - -<p>"You shall be the judge."</p> - -<p>"Go on, then. I am all impatience to hear them."</p> - -<p>"Let us proceed in rotation. You are aware, my friend, why I left -Guetzalli?"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly. Well, have you succeeded?"</p> - -<p>"As I expected. Thanks to certain letters of which I was the bearer, -and, above all, your kind recommendation, General Marcos received me in -the most charming manner. The reception he deigned to accord me was most -affectionate. In short, he gave me <i>carte blanche</i>, authorising me to -raise, not only one hundred and fifty men, but double the number if I -considered it necessary."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that is magnificent."</p> - -<p>"Is it not? He told me also that in a war like that I was about to -undertake—for my chase of the Apaches is a real war—he left me at -liberty to act as I pleased, ratifying beforehand all I might do, being -persuaded, as he added, that it would ever be for the interest and glory -of Mexico."</p> - -<p>"Come, I am delighted with the result. And now, what are your -intentions?"</p> - -<p>"I have resolved on quitting you to proceed, in the first place, to -Guetzalli, whence I have now been absent nearly three weeks. I want to -revisit my colony, in order to see if all goes on as I would wish, and if -my men are happy. On the other hand, I shall not be sorry, before -departing for possibly a long period with the greater part of my forces, -to protect my colonists from a <i>coup de main</i>, by throwing up round the -establishment earthworks strong enough to repulse an assault of the -savages. This is the more important, because Guetzalli must always -remain, to a certain extent, my headquarters."</p> - -<p>"All right; and you start?"</p> - -<p>"This very evening."</p> - -<p>"So soon?"</p> - -<p>"I must. You are aware how time presses at present."</p> - -<p>"It is true. Have you nothing more to say to me?"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, I have one other point which I expressly reserved for the -last."</p> - -<p>"You attach a great interest to it, then?"</p> - -<p>"Immense."</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh! I am listening to you, then, my friend. Speak quickly."</p> - -<p>"On my arrival in this country, at a period when the enterprises I have -since successfully carried out were only in embryo, you were good -enough, Don Sylva, to place at my disposal not only your credit, which -is immense, but your riches, which are incalculable."</p> - -<p>"It is true," the Mexican said with a smile.</p> - -<p>"I availed myself largely of your offers, frequently assailing your -strong box, and employing your credit whenever the occasion presented -itself. Permit me now to settle with you the only part of the debt I can -discharge, for I am incapable of repaying the other. Here," he added, -taking a paper from his portfolio, "is a bill for 100,000 piastres, -payable at sight on Walter Blount and Co., bankers, of Mexico. I am -happy, believe me, Don Sylva, to be able to pay this debt so promptly, -not because—"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me," the hacendero quickly interrupted him, and declining with a -gesture the paper the Count offered him, "we no longer understand each -other, it seems to me."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"I will explain. On your arrival at Guaymas, you presented yourself to -me, bearing a pressing letter of recommendation from a man to whom I -owed very great obligations a few years back. The Baron de Spurtzheim -described you to me rather as a beloved son than as a friend in whom he -took interest. My house was at once opened to you—it was my duty to do -so. Then, when I knew you, and could appreciate all that was noble and -grand in your character, our relations, at first rather cold, became -closer and more intimate. I offered you my daughter's hand, which you -accepted."</p> - -<p>"And gladly so," the count explained.</p> - -<p>"Very good," the hacendero continued with a smile. "The money I could -receive from a stranger—money which he honestly owes me—belongs to my -son-in-law. Tear up that paper, then, my dear count, and pray do not -think of such a trifle."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" the count said, in a tone of vexation, "that was exactly what -troubled me. I am not your son-in-law yet, and may I confess it? I fear -I never shall be."</p> - -<p>"What can make you fancy that? Have you not my promise? The word of Don -Sylva de Torrés, Sir Count de Lhorailles, is a pledge which no one has -ever yet dared to doubt."</p> - -<p>"And for that reason I have no such idea. It is not you I am afraid of."</p> - -<p>"Who, then?"</p> - -<p>"Doña Anita."</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh! My friend, you must explain yourself, for I confess I do not -understand you at all," Don Sylva said sharply, as he rose and began -walking up and down the room in considerable agitation.</p> - -<p>"Good gracious, my friend, I am quite in despair at having produced this -discussion! I love Doña Anita. Love, as you know, easily takes umbrage. -Although my betrothed has ever been amiable, kind, and gracious to me, -still I confess that I fancy she does not love me."</p> - -<p>"You are mad, Don Gaëtano. Young girls know not what they like or -dislike. Do not trouble yourself about such a childish thing. I promised -that she shall be your wife, and it shall be so."</p> - -<p>"Still, if she loved another, I should not like—"</p> - -<p>"What! Really what you say has not common sense. Anita loves no one but -you, I am sure; and stay, would you like to be reassured? You say that -you start for Guetzalli this evening?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Very good. Prepare apartments for my daughter and myself. In a few days -we will join you at your hacienda."</p> - -<p>"Is it possible?" the count said joyfully.</p> - -<p>"Tomorrow at daybreak we will start; so make haste."</p> - -<p>"A thousand thanks."</p> - -<p>"Come, you are now easier?"</p> - -<p>"I am the happiest of mortals."</p> - -<p>"All the better."</p> - -<p>The two men exchanged a few words further, and separated with renewed -promises of meeting again soon.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva, accustomed to command despotically in his establishment, and -to allow no one to discuss his will, told his daughter, through her -waiting maid, that she must prepare for a rather long journey the next -morning, and felt certain of her obedience.</p> - -<p>The news was a thunderbolt for the young lady. She sank half fainting -into an easy chair, and melted into tears. It was evident to her that -this journey was only a pretext to separate her from the man she loved, -and place, her a defenceless victim, in the power of the man she -abhorred, and who was to be her husband. The poor child remained thus -for several hours, a prey to violent despair, and not dreaming of -seeking impossible repose; for, in the state in which she found herself, -she knew that sleep would not close her eyes, all swollen with tears, -and red with fever.</p> - -<p>Gradually the sounds of the town died away one after the other. All -slept, or seemed to sleep. Don Sylva's house was plunged into complete -darkness; a weak light alone glistened like a star through the young -girl's windows, proving that there at least someone was watching.</p> - -<p>At this moment two hesitating shadows were cast on the wall opposite the -hacendero's house. Two men, wrapped in long cloaks, stopped and examined -the dimly lighted window with that attention only found in thieves and -lovers. The two men to whom we allude incontestably belonged to the -latter category.</p> - -<p>"Hum!" the first said in a sharp but suppressed voice, "You are certain -of what you assert, Cucharés?"</p> - -<p>"As of my eternal salvation, Señor Don Martial," the scamp replied in -the same tone. "The accursed Englishman entered the house while I was -there. Don Sylva appeared on the best terms with the heretic. May his -soul be confounded!"</p> - -<p>We may here remark that a few years ago, and possibly even now, in the -eyes of the Mexicans all foreigners were English, no matter the nation -to which they belonged, and consequently heretics. Hence they naturally -ranked, though little suspecting it, with the men whom it is no crime to -kill, but whose assassination is rather looked upon as a meritorious -action. We are bound to add, to the credit of the Mexicans, that -whenever the occasion offered, they killed the English with an ardour -which was a sufficient proof of their piety.</p> - -<p>Don Martial continued:—</p> - -<p>"On the faith of the Tigrero, this man has twice crossed my path, and I -have spared him; but let him be careful against the third meeting."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Cucharés said, "the reverend Fra Becchico says that a man gains -splendid indulgences by 'cutting' an Englishman. I have not yet had the -luck to come across one, although I owe about eight dead men. I am much -inclined to indulge myself with this one; it would be so much gained."</p> - -<p>"On thy life, picaro, let him alone. That man belongs to me."</p> - -<p>"Well, we'll not mention it again," he replied, stifling a sigh; "I will -leave him to you. For all that it annoys me, although the niña seems to -detest him cordially."</p> - -<p>"Have you any proof of what you say?"</p> - -<p>"What better proof than the repugnance she displays so soon as he -appears, and the pallor which then covers her face without any apparent -reason?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, I would give a thousand ounces to know what to believe."</p> - -<p>"What prevents you? Everybody is asleep—no one will see you. The story -is not high—fifteen feet at the most. I am certain that Doña Anita -would be delighted to have a chat with you."</p> - -<p>"Oh, if I could but believe it!" he muttered with hesitation, casting a -side glance at the still lighted window.</p> - -<p>"Who knows? Perhaps she is expecting you."</p> - -<p>"Silence, you scoundrel!"</p> - -<p>"By'r Lady only listen! If what is said be true, the poor child must be -in a perplexity, if not worse: she has probably great need of -assistance."</p> - -<p>"What do they say? Come, speak, but be brief."</p> - -<p>"A very simple thing—that Doña Anita de Torrés marries within a week -the Englishman, Don Gaëtano."</p> - -<p>"You lie villain!" said the Tigrero with badly-restrained wrath. "I know -not what prevents me thrusting down your throat with my dagger the -odious words you have just uttered."</p> - -<p>"You would do wrong," the other said, without being in the -least discovered. "I am only an echo that repeats what it hears, nothing -more. You alone in all Guaymas are ignorant of this news. After all, -there is nothing astonishing in that, as you have only returned to town -this day, after an absence of more than a month."</p> - -<p>"That is true; but what is to be done?"</p> - -<p>"Caray! Follow the advice I give you."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero turned another long glance on the window, and let his head -sink with an irresolute air.</p> - -<p>"What will she say on seeing me?" he muttered.</p> - -<p>"Caramba!" the lepero said in a sarcastic tone, "She will cry, 'You are -welcome, <i>alma mia!</i>' It is clear, caray! Don Martial, have you become a -timid child, that a woman's glance can make you tremble? Opportunity has -only three hairs, in love as in war. You must seize her when she -presents herself: if you do not, you run a risk of not meeting her -again."</p> - -<p>The Mexican approached the lepero near enough to touch him, and, fixing -his glance on his tiger-cat eyes, said in a low and concentrated voice,—</p> - -<p>"Cucharés, I trust in you. You know me. I have often come to your -assistance. Were you to deceive my confidence I would kill you like a -coyote."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero pronounced these words with such an accent of dull fury, -that the lepero, who knew the man before whom he was standing, turned -pale in spite of himself, and felt a shudder of terror pass through his -limbs.</p> - -<p>"I am devoted to you, Don Martial," he replied in a voice, which he -tried in vain to render firm. "Whatever may happen, count on me. What -must I do?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing; but wait, watch, at the least suspicious sound, the first -hostile shadow that appears in the darkness, warn me."</p> - -<p>"Count on me. Go to work. I am deaf and dumb, and during your absence I -will watch over you like a son over his father."</p> - -<p>"Good!" the Tigrero said.</p> - -<p>He drew a few steps nearer, undid the reata fastened round his loins, -and held it in his right hand. Then he raised his eyes, measured the -distance and turning the reata forcibly round his head, hurled it into -Doña Anita's balcony. The running knot caught in an iron hook, and -remained firmly attached.</p> - -<p>"Remember!" the Tigrero said, as he turned toward Cucharés.</p> - -<p>"Go on," the latter said, as he leaned against the wall and crossed his -legs; "I answer for everything."</p> - -<p>Don Martial was satisfied, or feigned to be satisfied, with this -assurance. He seized the reata, and taking a leap, like one of those -panthers he had so often tracked on the prairies, he raised himself by -the strength of his wrists, and speedily reached the balcony. He climbed -over and went up to the window.</p> - -<p>Doña Anita was asleep, half reclining in an easy chair. The poor girl, -pale and exhausted, her eyes swollen with tears, had been conquered by -sleep, which never gives up its claim on young and vigorous -constitutions. On her marbled cheeks the tears had traced a long furrow, -which was still humid. Martial surveyed with a tender glance the woman -he loved, though not daring to approach her. Surprised thus during her -sleep, Anita appeared to him even more beautiful; a halo of purity and -candour seemed to surround her, watch over her repose, and render her -holy and unassailable.</p> - -<p>After a long and voluptuous contemplation, the Tigrero at length decided -on advancing. The window, which was only leaned to (for the young girl -had not dreamed of falling to sleep, as she had done), opened at the -slightest push. Don Martial took one step, and found himself in the -room. At the sight of this virginal chamber a religious respect fell on -the Tigrero. He felt his heart beat rebelliously; and tottering, mad -with fear and love, he fell on his knees by the side of the being he -adored.</p> - -<p>Anita opened her eyes.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" she exclaimed, on seeing Don Martial, "Blessed be God, since He -sends you to my assistance!"</p> - -<p>The Tigrero surveyed her with moistened eye and panting chest. But -suddenly the girl drew herself up; her memory returned, and with it that -timid modesty innate in all women.</p> - -<p>"Begone," she said, recoiling to the extremity of the room, "begone, -caballero! How are you here? Who led you to my room? Answer I command -you."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero humbly bowed his head.</p> - -<p>"God," he said, in an inarticulate voice, "God alone has conducted me to -your side, señorita, as you yourself said. Oh, pardon me for having -dared to surprise you thus! I have committed a great fault, I am aware; -but a misfortune menaces you—I feel it, I guess it. You are alone, -without support, and I have come to say to you, 'Madam, I am very low, -very unworthy to serve you, but you have need of a firm and devoted -heart. Here I am! Take my blood, take my life. I would be so happy to -die for you!' In the name of Heaven, señora, in the name of what you -love most on earth, do not reject my prayer. My arm, my heart, are -yours: dispose of them."</p> - -<p>These words were uttered by the young man in a choking voice, as he -knelt in the middle of the room, his hands clasped, and fixing on Doña -Anita his eyes, into which he had thrown his entire soul.</p> - -<p>The hacendero's daughter turned her limpid glance on the young man, and, -without removing her eyes, approached him with short steps, hesitating -and trembling despite herself. When she arrived near him she remained -for a moment undecided. At length she laid her two small, dainty hands -on his shoulders, and placed her gentle face so near his, that the -Tigrero felt on his forehead the freshness of her embalmed breath, while -her long, black, and perfumed tresses gently caressed him.</p> - -<p>"It is true, then," she said in a harmonious voice, "you love me then, -Don Martial?"</p> - -<p>"Oh!" the young man murmured, almost mad with love at this delicious -contact.</p> - -<p>The Mexican girl bent over him still more, and grazing with her rosy -lips the Tigrero's moist brow,—</p> - -<p>"Now," she said to him, starting back with the ravishing movement of a -startled fawn, while her brow turned purple with the effort she had made -to overcome her modesty, "now defend me, Don Martial; for in the -presence of God, who sees us and judges us, I am your wife!"</p> - -<p>The Tigrero leaped on his feet beneath the corrosive sting of this kiss. -With a radiant brow and sparkling eyes, he seized the girl's arm and -drawing her to the corner of the room, where was a statue of the -Virgin, before which perfumed oil was burning,—</p> - -<p>"On your knees, señorita," he said in an inspired voice, and himself -bowed the knee.</p> - -<p>The girl obeyed him.</p> - -<p>"Holy Mother of Sorrow!" Don Martial went on, "<i>Nuestra Señora de la -Soledad!</i> Divine succour of the afflicted, who soundest all hearts! Thou -seest the purity of our souls, the holiness of our love. Before thee I -take for my wife Doña Anita de Torrés. I swear to defend and protect -her, before and against everybody, even if I lose my life in the contest -I commence this day for the happiness of her I love, and who from this -day forth is really my betrothed."</p> - -<p>After pronouncing this oath in a firm voice the Tigrero turned to the -maiden.</p> - -<p>"It is your turn now, señorita," he said to her.</p> - -<p>The girl fervently clasped her hands, and raising her tear-laden eyes to -the holy image,—</p> - -<p>"Nuestra Señora de la Soledad," she said in a voice broken with emotion, -"thou, my only protector since the day of my birth, knowest how truly I -am devoted to thee! I swear that all this man has said is the truth. I -take him for my husband in thy sight, and will never have another."</p> - -<p>They rose, and Doña Anita led the Tigrero to the balcony.</p> - -<p>"Go!" she said to him. "Don Martial's wife must not be suspected. Go, my -husband, my brother! The man to whom they want to deliver me is called -the Count de Lhorailles. Tomorrow at daybreak we leave this place, -probably to join him."</p> - -<p>"And he?"</p> - -<p>"Started this night."</p> - -<p>"Where is he going?"</p> - -<p>"I know not."</p> - -<p>"I will kill him."</p> - -<p>"Farewell, Don Martial, farewell!"</p> - -<p>"Farewell, Doña Anita! Take courage: I am watching over you."</p> - -<p>And after imprinting a last and chaste kiss on the young girl's pure -brow, he clambered over the balcony, and hanging by the reata, glided -down into the street. The hacendero's daughter unfastened the running -knot, leant out and gazed on the Tigrero as long as she could see him; -then she closed the window.</p> - -<p>"Alas, alas!" murmured she, suppressing a sigh, "What have I done? Holy -Virgin, thou alone canst restore me the courage which is deserting me."</p> - -<p>She let the curtain fall which veiled the window, and turned to go and -kneel before the Virgin; but suddenly she recoiled, uttering a cry of -terror. Two paces from her Don Sylva was standing with frowning brow and -stern face.</p> - -<p>"Doña Anita, my daughter," said he, in a slow and stern voice, "I have -seen and heard everything; spare yourself, then, I beg you, all useless -denial."</p> - -<p>"My father!" the poor child stammered in a broken voice.</p> - -<p>"Silence!" he continued. "It is three o'clock; we set out at sunrise. -Prepare yourself to marry in a fortnight Don Gaëtano de Lhorailles."</p> - -<p>And, without deigning to add a word, he walked out slowly, carefully -closing the door after him.</p> - -<p>As soon as she was alone the young girl bent down as if listening, -tottered a few steps forward, raised her hands with a nervous gesture to -her contracted throat—then, pealing forth a piercing cry, fell back on -the floor.</p> - -<p>She had fainted.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE DUEL.</h3> - - -<p>It was about eight in the evening when the Count de Lhorailles left the -residence of Don Sylva de Torrés. The <i>feria de plata</i> was then in all -its splendour. The streets of Guaymas were thronged with a joyful and -motley crowd: the shouts of songs and laughter rose on every side. The -piles of gold heaped on the monte tables emitted their yellow and -intoxicating reflection in the dazzling gleams of the lights, that -shone in every door and window: here and there the sounds of the -<i>vihuelas</i> and <i>jarabes</i> escaped from the pulquerías, invaded by the -drinkers. The count, elbowed and elbowing, traversed as quickly as was -possible the dense groups which at every instant barred his passage; but -the conversation he had had with Don Sylva had put him in too happy a -temper for him to dream of being vexed at the numerous collisions he -endured at every moment.</p> - -<p>At length, after numberless difficulties, and wasting at least thrice -the time he would have employed under other circumstances, he reached at -about ten in the evening, the house where he lodged. He had spent about -two hours in covering less than six hundred yards.</p> - -<p>On arriving at the mesón, the count proceeded first to the corral to see -his horse, to which he gave, with his own hand, two trusses of alfalfa; -then, after ordering that he should be called at one o'clock, if by -accident (which was most improbable) he retired to his <i>cuarto</i> to take -a few hours' rest.</p> - -<p>The count intended to start at such an early hour in order to avoid the -heat of the day, and travel more quickly. Besides, after his lengthened -conversation with Don Sylva, the noble adventurer was not sorry to find -himself alone, in order to go over in his mind all the happy things that -had happened during the past evening.</p> - -<p>From the moment he had landed in America the count had enjoyed—to -employ a familiar term—a shameful good luck: everything succeeded with -him. In a few months his fortune might be thus summed up:—A colony -founded under the most favourable auspices, and already on the road of -progress and improvement: while keeping his nationality intact—that is -to say, his liberty of action and an inviolable neutrality—he was in -the service of the Mexican Government, as captain of a free corps of one -hundred and fifty devoted men, with whom he could attempt, if not carry -out, the wildest enterprises. In the last place, he was on the point of -marrying the daughter of a man twenty times a millionaire, as far as he -had opportunity of judging; and what in no way spoiled the affair, his -betrothed was delightful.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, or fortunately, according the standpoint our readers may -think in judging of our hero, this man, worn out by the enervating -eccentricities of Parisian life, no longer felt his heart beat from any -emotion of joy, sorrow or fear: all was dead within him. He was exactly -the man wanted to succeed in the country to which accident had sent him. -In the great del of life he had begun in America he had an immense -advantage over his adversaries—that of never allowing himself to be -directed by passion; and consequently, owing to his unalterable coolness, -he was enabled to evade the pitfalls incessantly laid for him, over -which he triumphed without appearing to notice them.</p> - -<p>After what we have said, we have hardly need to add that he did not love -the woman whose hand he sought. She was young and lovely—so much the -better. Had she been old and ugly he would have accepted her hand all -the same. What did he care? He only sought one thing in marriage—a -brilliant and envied position. In fine, the Count de Lhorailles was all -calculation. We have made a mistake, however, in affirming that he had -not a weak point. He was ambitious. This passion, one of the most -violent of those with which Heaven has afflicted the human race, was -possibly the only link by which the count was still attached to -humanity. Ambition in him had reached such a pitch, especially during -the last few months—it had taken such an immense development—that he -would have sacrificed all to it.</p> - -<p>Now let us see what was the object of this man's ambition. What future -did he dream of? It is probable that we may explain this to the reader -in fuller detail presently.</p> - -<p>The count went to bed; that is to say, after wrapping himself carefully -in his zarapé, he stretched himself on the leathern frame which -throughout Mexico is the substitute for beds, whose existence is -completely ignored. So soon as he lay down he fell asleep, with that -conscience peculiar to the adventurer whose every hour is claimed -beforehand, and who, having but a few moments to grant to rest, hastens -to profit by them, and sleeps as the Spaniards say, <i>a la pierna -suelta</i>, which we may translate nearly by sleeping with closed fists.</p> - -<p>At one in the morning the count, as he had promised, awoke, lighted the -<i>cebo</i> which served him as a candle, arranged his toilette to a certain -extent, carefully examined his pistols and rifle, and assured himself -that his sabre left the scabbard easily; then, when all these various -preparations, indispensable for every traveller careful for his safety, -were ended, he opened the door of the cuarto and proceeded to the -corral.</p> - -<p>His horse was eating heartily, and gaily finishing its alfalfa. The -count himself gave it a measure of oats, which he saw it dispose of with -neighs of pleasure, and then put on the saddle. In Mexico, horsemen, -whatever the class of society to which they belong, never leave to -others the care of attending to their steeds: for in those semi-savage -countries the life of the rider depends nearly always upon the vigour -and speed of his animal.</p> - -<p>The door of the mesón was only leaned to, so that the travellers might -start whenever they pleased without disturbing anybody. The count lit -his cigar, leaped into the saddle, and started on a trot along the road -leading to the Rancho. Nothing is so agreeable as night travelling in -Mexico. The earth, refreshed by the night breeze, and bedewed by the -copious dew, exhaled acrid and perfumed scents, whose beneficent -emanations restore the body all its vigour, and the mind its lucidity. -The moon, just on the point of disappearing, profusely scattered its -oblique rays, which lengthened immoderately the shadow of the trees -growing at intervals along the road, and made them in the obscurity -resemble a legion of fleshless spectres. The sky, of a deep azure, was -studded with an infinite number of glistening stars, in the midst of -which flashed the dazzling southern cross, to which the Indians have -given the name of <i>Poron Chayké</i>. The wind breathed gently through the -branches, in which the blue jay uttered at intervals the melodious notes -of its melancholy song, with which were mingled at times, in the -profundities of the desert, the howling of the cougar, the sharp miauw -of the panther or the ounce, and the hoarse bark of the coyotes in -search of prey.</p> - -<p>The count, on leaving Guaymas, had hurried on his horse; but subjugated, -in spite of himself, by the irresistible attractions of this autumn -night he gradually checked the pace of his steed, and yielded to the -flood of thoughts which mounted incessantly to his brain, and plunged -him into a gentle reverie. The descendant of an ancient and haughty -Frank race, alone in this desert, he mentally surveyed the splendour of -his name so long eclipsed, and his heart expanded with joy and pride on -reflecting that the task was reserved for him perhaps to rehabilitate -those from whom he descended, and restore, this time eternally, the -fortunes of his family, of which he had hitherto proved such a bad -guardian.</p> - -<p>This land, which he trampled underfoot, would restore him what he had -lost and madly squandered a hundred fold. The moment had at length -arrived when, free from all hobbles, he was about to realise those plans -for the future so long engraved on his brain. He went on thus, -travelling in the country of chimeras, and so absorbed in his thoughts, -that he no longer troubled himself with what went on around him.</p> - -<p>The stars were beginning to turn pale in the heavens, and be -extinguished in turn. The dawn was tracing a white line, which gradually -assumed a reddish tint on the distant obscurity of the horizon. On the -approach of day the air became fresher; then the count, aroused—if we -may employ the term—by the icy impression produced on him by the -bountiful desert dew, pulled the folds of his zarapé over the shoulders -with a shudder, and started at a gallop, directing a glance to the sky, -and muttering,—</p> - -<p>"I will succeed, no matter the odds."</p> - -<p>A haughty defiance, to which the heavens seemed prepared to respond -immediately.</p> - -<p>The day was on the brink of dawning, and, in consequence of that, the -night, owing to its struggle with the twilight, had become more gloomy, -as always happens during the few moments preceding the apparition of the -sun. The first houses of the Rancho were standing out from the fog, a -short distance before him, when the count heard, or fancied he heard, -the sound of several horses' hoofs re-echoing on the pebbles behind him.</p> - -<p>In America, by night, and on a solitary road, the presence of man -announces always or nearly always, a peril.</p> - -<p>The count stopped and listened. The sound was rapidly approaching. The -Frenchman was brave, and had proved it in many circumstances; still he -did not at all desire to be assassinated in the corner of the road, and -perish miserably through an ambuscade. He looked around, in order to -study the chances of safety offered him in the probable event that the -arrivals were enemies.</p> - -<p>The plain was bare and flat: not a tree, not a ditch, nor any elevation -behind which he could intrench himself. Two hundred yards in front, as -we have said, were the first houses of the Rancho.</p> - -<p>The count made up his mind on the instant. He dug his spurs into his -horse's flanks, and galloped at full speed in the direction of San José. -It seemed to him as if the strangers imitated him, and pressed on their -horses too.</p> - -<p>A few minutes passed thus, during which the sound grew more distinct. It -was, therefore, evident to the Frenchman that the strangers were after -him. He threw a glance behind him, and perceived two shadows, still -distant, rushing at full speed towards him. By this time the count had -reached the Rancho. Reassured by the vicinity of houses, and not caring -to fly from a perhaps imaginary danger, he turned back, drew his horse -across the road, took a pistol in each hand, and waited. The strangers -were still pressing on without checking the speed of their horses, and -were soon within twenty yards of the count.</p> - -<p>"Who goes there?" he shouted in a firm and loud voice.</p> - -<p>The unknown made no reply, and appeared to redouble their speed.</p> - -<p>"Who's there?" the count repeated. "Stop, or I fire!"</p> - -<p>He uttered these words with such a determined accent, his countenance -was so intrepid, that, after a few moments' hesitation, the strangers -stopped.</p> - -<p>There were two of them. The day, just feebly breaking, permitted the -count to distinguish them perfectly. They were dressed in Mexican -costume; but, strangely enough in this country, where, under similar -circumstances, the bandits care very little about showing their faces, -the strangers were masked.</p> - -<p>"Hold, my masters!" shouted the count. "What means this obstinate -pursuit?"</p> - -<p>"That we probably have an interest in catching you up," replied a -hoarse voice sarcastically.</p> - -<p>"Then you really are after me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, if you are the stranger known as the Count de Lhorailles."</p> - -<p>"I am he," said he without any hesitation.</p> - -<p>"Very good; then we can come to an understanding."</p> - -<p>"I ask nothing better, though, from your suspicious conduct, you appear -to me to be bandits, if you want my purse, take it and be off, for I am -in a hurry."</p> - -<p>"Keep your purse, caballero; we want to take your life, and not your -money."</p> - -<p>"Ah, ha! 'tis, then, a trap, followed by an assassination."</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken. I offer you a fair fight."</p> - -<p>"Hum!" the count said, "a fair fight: two against one—that is rather -disproportionate."</p> - -<p>"You would be correct if matters were as you assume," the man haughtily -replied who had hitherto taken the word; "but my companion will content -himself with looking on and taking no part in the duel."</p> - -<p>The count reflected.</p> - -<p>"Pardieu!" he said at last, "It is an extraordinary affair! A duel in -Mexico and with a Mexican! Such a thing as that has never been heard of -before."</p> - -<p>"It is true, caballero; but all things must have a beginning."</p> - -<p>"Enough of jesting. I ask nothing better than to fight, and I hope to -prove to you that I am a resolute man; but before accepting your -proposition, I should not be sorry to know why you force me to fight -you."</p> - -<p>"For what end?"</p> - -<p>"Corbleu! Why, to know it. You must understand that I cannot waste my -time in fighting with every ruffler I meet on the road, and who has a -fancy to have his throat cut."</p> - -<p>"It will be enough for you to know that I hate you."</p> - -<p>"Caramba! I suspected as much; but as you seem determined not to show me -your face, I should like to be able to recognise you at another time."</p> - -<p>"Enough chattering," the unknown said haughtily. "Time is flying. We -have had sufficient discussion."</p> - -<p>"Well, my master, if that is the case, get ready. I warn you that I -intend to take you both. A Frenchman would never have any difficulty in -holding his own against two Mexican bandits."</p> - -<p>"As you please."</p> - -<p>"Forward!"</p> - -<p>"Forward!"</p> - -<p>The three horsemen spurred their horses and charged. When they met they -exchanged pistol shots, and then drew their sabres. The fight was brief, -but obstinate. One of the strangers, slightly wounded, was carried away -by his horse, and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The count, grazed by a -ball, felt his anger changed to fury, and redoubled his efforts to -master his foe; but he had before him a sturdy opponent, a man of -surprising skill and of strength at least equal to his own.</p> - -<p>This man whose eyes he saw gleaming like live coals through the holes in -his mask, whirled round him with extraordinary rapidity, making his -horse perform the boldest curvets, attacking him incessantly with the -point or edge of his sabre, while bounding out of reach of the -counterblows.</p> - -<p>The count exhausted himself in vain against this indefatigable enemy. -His movements began to lose their elasticity—his sight grew -troubled—the perspiration stood in beads on his forehead. His silent -adversary increased the rapidity of his attacks: the issue of the combat -was no longer doubtful, when the Frenchman suddenly felt a slipknot fall -on his shoulders. Before he could even dream of loosening it he was -roughly lifted from his saddle, and hurled to the ground so violently -that he almost fainted, and found it impossible to make an effort to -rise. The second stranger, after a mad course of a few moments, had at -length succeeded in mastering his horse; he returned in all haste to the -scene of action, the two men so furiously engaged not noticing it; then, -thinking it time to put an end to the duel, he raised his reata and -lassoed the count.</p> - -<p>So soon as he saw his enemy on the ground, the unknown leaped from his -horse and ran up to him. His first care was to free the Frenchman from -the slipknot that strangled him, and then tried to restore him to his -senses, which was not a lengthy task.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" the count said, with a bitter smile, as he rose and crossed his -arms on his chest, "that is what you call fair fighting."</p> - -<p>"You are alone to blame for what has happened," the other said quietly, -"as you would not agree to my propositions."</p> - -<p>The Frenchman disdained any discussion. He contented himself with -shrugging his shoulders contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"Your life belongs to me," his adversary continued.</p> - -<p>"Yes, through a piece of treachery; but no matter—assassinate me, and -finish the affair."</p> - -<p>"I do not wish to kill you."</p> - -<p>"What do you want, then?"</p> - -<p>"To give you a piece of advice."</p> - -<p>The count laughed sarcastically.</p> - -<p>"You must be mad, my good fellow."</p> - -<p>"Not so much as you fancy. Listen attentively to what I have to say to -you."</p> - -<p>"I will do so even for the hope of being promptly freed from your -presence."</p> - -<p>"Good, Señor Conde de Lhorailles. Your arrival in this country has -caused the unhappiness of two persons."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense! You are jesting with me."</p> - -<p>"I speak seriously. Don Sylva de Torrés has promised you his daughter's -hand."</p> - -<p>"How does it concern you?"</p> - -<p>"Answer!"</p> - -<p>"It is true. Why should I conceal it?"</p> - -<p>"Doña Anita does not love you."</p> - -<p>"How do you know that?" the count asked with a mocking smile.</p> - -<p>"I know it; I know, too, that she loves another."</p> - -<p>"Only think of that!"</p> - -<p>"And that the other loves her."</p> - -<p>"All the worse for him; for I swear that I will not surrender her."</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken, señor conde. You will surrender her or die."</p> - -<p>"Neither one or the other," the impetuous Frenchman shouted, now -perfectly recovered from his stunning fall. "I repeat that I will marry -Doña Anita. If she does not love me, well, that is unfortunate. I hope -that she will presently alter her opinion of me. The marriage suits me, -and no one will succeed in breaking it off."</p> - -<p>The unknown listened, a prey to violent emotion. His eyes flashed -lightning, and he stamped his feet furiously; still he made an effort to -master the feeling which agitated him, and replied in a slow and firm -voice,—</p> - -<p>"Take care of what you do, caballero. I have sworn to warn you, and have -done so honestly. Heaven grant that my words find an echo in your heart, -and that you follow the counsel I give you! The first time accident -brings us together again one of us will die."</p> - -<p>"I will take my precautions, be assured; but you are wrong not to profit -by the present occasion to kill me, for it will not occur again."</p> - -<p>The two strangers had by this time remounted.</p> - -<p>"Count de Lhorailles," the unknown said again, as he bent over the -Frenchman, "for the last time, take care, for I have a great advantage -over you. I know you, and you do not know me. It will be an easy thing -for me to reach you whenever I please. We are the sons of Indians and -Spaniards. We feel a burning hatred: so take care."</p> - -<p>After bowing ironically to the count he burst into a mocking laugh, -spurred his horse, and started at headlong speed, followed by his silent -companion. The count watched them disappear with a pensive air. When -they were lost in the obscurity he tossed his head several times, as if -to shake off the gloomy thoughts that oppressed him in spite of himself, -then picked up his sabre and pistols, took his horse by the bridle, and -walked slowly toward the pulquería, near which the fight had taken -place.</p> - -<p>The light which filtered through the badly-joined planks of the door, -the songs and laughter that resounded from the interior, afforded a -reasonable prospect of obtaining a temporary shelter in this house.</p> - -<p>"Hum!" he muttered to himself as he walked along, "That bandit is right. -He knows me, and I have no way of recognising him. By Jupiter, I have a -good sound hatred on my shoulders! But nonsense!" he added, "I was too -happy. I wanted an enemy. On my soul, let him do as he will! Even if -Hades combine against me, I swear that nothing will induce me to resign -the hand of Doña Anita."</p> - -<p>At this moment he found himself in front of the pulquería, at the door -of which he rapped. Naturally impatient, angered, too, by the accident -which had happened to him, and the tremendous struggle he had been -engaged in, the count was about to carry out his threat of beating in -the door, when it was opened.</p> - -<p>"<i>Válga me Dios!</i>" he exclaimed wrathfully, "Is this the way you allow -people to be assassinated before your doors, without proceeding to their -assistance?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" the pulquero said sharply, "Is anyone dead?"</p> - -<p>"No, thanks to Heaven!" the count replied; "But I had a narrow escape of -being killed."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" the pulquero said with great nonchalance, "If we were to trouble -ourselves about all who shout for help at night, we should have enough -to do; and besides, it is very dangerous on account of the police."</p> - -<p>The count shrugged his shoulders and walked in, leading his horse after -him. The door was closed again immediately.</p> - -<p>The count was unaware that in Mexico the man who finds a corpse, or -brings the assassin to trial, is obliged to pay all the expenses of a -justice enormously expensive in itself, and which never affords any -satisfaction to the victim. In all the Mexican provinces people are so -thoroughly convinced of the truth of what we assert, that, so soon as a -murder is committed, everyone runs off, without dreaming of helping the -victim; for, in the case of death supervening, such an act of charity -would entail many annoyances on the individual who tried to imitate the -good Samaritan.</p> - -<p>In Sonora people do better still: as soon as a quarrel begins, and a man -falls, they shut all the doors.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE DEPARTURE.</h3> - - -<p>As Don Sylva had announced to his daughter, by daybreak all was ready -for the start. In Mexico, and specially in Sonora, where roads are -mainly remarkable for their absence, the mode of travelling differs -utterly from that adopted in Europe. There are no public vehicles, no -relays of post horses; the only means of transport known and practised -is on horseback.</p> - -<p>A journey of only a few days entails interminable cares and vexations. -You must carry everything with you, because you are certain of finding -nothing on the road. Beds, tents, provisions and water before all, must -be carried on mule-back. Without these indispensable precautions you -would run a risk of dying from hunger or thirst, and sleeping in the -open air.</p> - -<p>You must also be provided with a considerable and well-armed escort, in -order to repulse the attacks of wild beasts, Indians and especially -robbers with whom all the roads of Mexico swarm, owing to the anarchy in -which this unhappy country is plunged. Hence it is easy to comprehend -the earnest desire Don Sylva felt to quit Guaymas at as early an hour as -possible.</p> - -<p>The court of the house resembled an hostelry. Fifteen mules laden with -bales were waiting while the palanquin in which Doña Anita was to travel -was being got ready. Some forty steeds, saddled, bridled, with -musquetoons attached at to the troussequins, and pistols in the -holsters, were fastened to rings in the wall while a peon held in hand a -splendid stallion, magnificently harnessed, which stamped and champed -its silver bit, which it covered with foam.</p> - -<p>In the street a crowd of people, among whom were Don Martial and -Cucharés, already returned from their expedition to the Rancho, were -curiously regarding this departure, which they could not at all -comprehend at such an advanced period of the year, so unpropitious for a -country residence, and making all sorts of comments on the reason of the -journey.</p> - -<p>Among all these people, collected by accident or through curiosity, was -a man, evidently an Indian, who, leaning carelessly against the wall, -never took his eyes off the door of Don Sylva's house, and followed with -evident interest all the movements of the hacendero's numerous servants.</p> - -<p>This man, still young, appeared to be an Hiaqui Indian, although an -observer, after a close inspection, would have asserted the contrary; -for there was in the man's wide brow, in his eyes, whose glitter he -tried in vain to moderate, in the haughty mouth, and above all, in the -native elegance of his vigorous limbs, which seemed carved on the model -of the Greek Hercules, something proud, resolute and independent, which -rather denoted the proud Comanche or ferocious Apache than the stupid -Hiaqui; but in this crowd no one dreamed of troubling himself about the -Indian, who, for his part, was careful to attract as little attention as -possible.</p> - -<p>The Hiaquis are accustomed to come to Guaymas, and let themselves out as -workmen or servants; hence the presence of an Indian there is not at all -extraordinary, and is not noticed.</p> - -<p>At last, at about eight o'clock, Don Sylva, giving his hand to his -daughter, who was dressed in a charming travelling costume, appeared -beneath the portico of the house. Doña Anita was pale as a ghost. Her -haggard features, her swollen eyes, testified to the sufferings of the -night, and the restraint she was forced to place on herself, even at -this moment, to prevent her bursting into tears in the presence of all. -At the sight of the young lady, Don Martial and Cucharés exchanged a -rapid glance, while a smile of indefinable expression played round the -lips of the Indian to whom we have alluded.</p> - -<p>On the hacendero's arrival silence was re-established as if by -enchantment; the <i>arrieros</i> ran to the heads of their mules; the servants, -armed to the teeth, mounted; and Don Sylva, after assuring himself by a -glance that all was ready, and that his orders had been punctually -executed, placed his daughter in the palanquin, where she at once -nestled like a hummingbird among rose leaves.</p> - -<p>At a sign from the hacendero, the mules, fastened to each other by the -tails, began to leave the house behind the <i>nana</i>, whose bells they -followed, and escorted by peons. Before mounting his horse Don Sylva -turned to an old servant, who, straw hat in hand, respectfully stood -near him.</p> - -<p>"Adieu, Tío Pelucho!" he said to him. "I intrust the house to you. Keep -good watch, and take care of all in it. I leave you Pedrito and -Florentio to help you, and you will give them the necessary orders for -all to go on properly during my absence."</p> - -<p>"You may be at ease, mi amo," the old man answered, saluting his master. -"Thanks to Heaven, this is not the first time you have left me alone -here, and I believe I have ever done my duty properly."</p> - -<p>"You are a good servant, Tío Pelucho," Don Sylva said with a smile; "I -start in most perfect ease of mind."</p> - -<p>"May God bless you, mi amo, as well as the niña!" the old man continued, -crossing himself.</p> - -<p>"Good bye, Tío Pelucho," the young lady then said, leaning out of the -palanquin. "I know that you are careful of everything belonging to me."</p> - -<p>The old man bowed with visible delight. Don Sylva gave the order for -departure, and the whole caravan started in the direction of the Rancho -de San José.</p> - -<p>It was one of those magnificent mornings only known in these blessed -regions. The night storm had entirely swept the sky, which was of a pale -blue. The sun, already high in the horizon, shot forth its hot beams, -which were slightly tempered by the odoriferous vapours exhaling from -the ground. The atmosphere, impregnated by acrid and penetrating odours, -was of extraordinary transparency; a light breeze refreshed the air at -intervals; flocks of birds, glistening with a thousand colours, flew in -every direction, and the mules following the bell of the <i>nena -madrina</i>—the mother mule—were urged on by the songs of the arrieros.</p> - -<p>The caravan moved along gaily through the sandy plain, raising round it -clouds of dust, and forming a long twining serpent in the endless -turnings of the road. A vanguard of ten servants explored the -neighbourhood, examining the bushes, and shifting sand heaps. Don Sylva -smoked a cigar while conversing with his daughter; and a rearguard, -formed of twenty resolute men, closed the march, and insured the -security of the convoy.</p> - -<p>In this country, we repeat it, where the police are a nullity, and -consequently surveillance impossible, a journey of four leagues—and the -Rancho de San José is only that distance from Guaymas—is a very serious -affair, and demands as many precautions as a journey of a hundred -leagues with us, the enemies who may be met, and with whom you run a risk -of a contest at any moment—Indians, robbers, or wild beasts—being too -numerous, determined, and too greedy for plunder and murder to allow the -traveller to confide with gaiety of heart in the speed of his horse.</p> - -<p>They were already far from Guaymas, the white houses of which town had -long ago disappeared in the numerous turnings of the road, when the -capataz, leaving the head of the caravan, where he had hitherto remained -galloped back to the palanquin, where Don Sylva was still riding.</p> - -<p>"Well, Blas," the latter said, "what is there new? Have you noticed -anything alarming ahead of us?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing, excellency," the capataz replied: "all is going well, and in -an hour at the latest we shall be at the Rancho."</p> - -<p>"Whence, then, the haste you showed to join me again?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! Excellency, it is not much; but an idea occurred to me—something I -wished you to see."</p> - -<p>"Ah, ah!" Don Sylva said. "What is it, my lad?"</p> - -<p>"Look, excellency," the capataz continued, pointing in a south-western -direction.</p> - -<p>"Ah! What is that? A fire, if I am not mistaken."</p> - -<p>"It is indeed a fire, excellency. Look here;" and he pointed -east-south-east.</p> - -<p>"There's another. Who on earth has lighted the fires on those scarped -points? What can their object be?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! It is easy enough to understand that, excellency."</p> - -<p>"Do you think so, my boy? Well, then you will explain it to me."</p> - -<p>"I am willing to do so. Stay," he said, pointing to the first fire: -"that hill is the Cerro del Gigante."</p> - -<p>"It is."</p> - -<p>"And that," the capataz continued, pointing to the second fire, "is the -Cerro de San Xavier."</p> - -<p>"I think it is."</p> - -<p>"I am certain of it."</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>"As we know that a fire cannot kindle itself, and as people do not amuse -themselves with a fire when the thermometer is up at a hundred—"</p> - -<p>"You conclude from that—?"</p> - -<p>"That those fires have been lighted by robbers or Indians, who have had -scent of our departure."</p> - -<p>"Stay, stay! That is most logical, my friend. Continue your explanation, -for it interests me enormously."</p> - -<p>Don Sylva's capataz, or steward, was a tall, herculean fellow of about -forty, devoted body and soul to his master, who placed the greatest -confidence in him. The worthy man bowed with a smile of satisfaction on -hearing the hacendero's kind remarks.</p> - -<p>"Oh! Now," he went on, "I have not much more to say, except that the -ladrones who are watching us know, through that signal, that Don Sylva -de Torrés and his daughter have left Guaymas for the Rancho."</p> - -<p>"My faith! You are right. I had forgotten all those details. I did not -think of all the birds of prey that are watching our passage. Well, -after all, though, what do we care if the bandits are at our heels? We -do not hide ourselves. Our start took place in the presence of plenty of -persons. We are numerous enough not to fear any insult; but if any of -those picaros dare to attack us, cascaras! They will find their work cut -out for them, I am convinced. Push on, then, without any fear, Blas, my -boy! Nothing unpleasant can happen to us."</p> - -<p>The capataz saluted his master and galloped back to the head of the -column. An hour later they reached the Rancho without any accident.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva rode at the right-hand door of the palanquin, talking to his -daughter, who only answered in monosyllables, in spite of the continued -efforts she made to hide her sorrow from her father's clear eyes, when -the hacendero heard his name called repeatedly. He turned his head -sharply, and uttered an exclamation of surprise on recognising in the -man who addressed him the Count de Lhorailles.</p> - -<p>"What! Señor conde, you here? What singular hazard makes me meet you so -near the port, when you should have been so far ahead of us?"</p> - -<p>On perceiving the count the Doña felt herself blush, and fell back, -letting the curtains of the palanquin slip from her hand.</p> - -<p>"Oh?" replied the count, with a courteous bow, "Since last night certain -things have happened to me which I must impart to you, Don -Sylva—things which will surprise you, I am certain; but the present is -not the moment to commence such a story."</p> - -<p>"Whatever you think proper, my friend. But say, do you set out again, or -remain here?"</p> - -<p>"I go, I go! In stopping here my sole object was to await you. If you -consent we will travel together. Instead of preceding you at Guetzalli, -we shall arrive together—that is the only difference."</p> - -<p>"Capital! Let us go," he added, making a sign to the capataz. The -latter, on seeing his master conversing with the count, had ordered a -halt, but now the caravan started again. The Rancho was speedily -traversed, and then the journey commenced in reality.</p> - -<p>The desert lay expanded before the travellers in endless sandy plains. -On the yellow ground, a long, tortuous line, formed by the whitened -bones of mules and horses that had broken down, indicated the road which -must be followed so as not to go astray.</p> - -<p>About two hundred yards ahead of the caravan a man was trotting along, -carelessly seated on the back of a skeleton donkey, swaying from side to -side, half lulled to sleep by the burning sunbeams which fell vertically -on his bare head.</p> - -<p>"Eh?" Don Sylva said, on perceiving the man. "Blas," said Don Sylva on -perceiving this man, "call the Indian over yonder. These devils of -redskins know the desert thoroughly and he can serve as our guide. In -that way we shall run no risk of losing our road, for he will be sure to -put us right."</p> - -<p>"Quite true," the count observed; "in these confounded sand hills no man -can be sure of his direction."</p> - -<p>"Go to him," commanded Don Sylva.</p> - -<p>The capataz put his horse at a gallop. On arriving within a short -distance of the solitary traveller, he formed a sort of speaking trumpet -with his hands.</p> - -<p>"Halloh, José!" he shouted.</p> - -<p>In Mexico all the <i>Mansos</i>, or civilised Indians, are called José, and -reply to this name, which has grown generic. The Indian thus hailed -turned round.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" he asked with a careless air.</p> - -<p>It was the man whom we saw at Guaymas, watching so attentively the -preparations for the hacendero's departure. Was it chance that brought -him to this spot? That was a question which none but himself could have -answered.</p> - -<p>Blas Vasquez was what is called in Mexico a <i>hombre de a caballo</i>, -versed for a long period in Indian tricks. He bent on the traveller an -enquiring glance, which the latter supported with perfect ease. With his -head timidly bowed, his hands laid on the donkey's neck, his naked legs -hanging down on either side, he offered a complete type of the Indian -manso, almost brutalised by the vicious contact with the whites. The -capataz shook his head with a dissatisfied air; his investigation was -far from satisfying him. Still, after a moment's hesitation, he resumed -his interrogatory.</p> - -<p>"What are you doing all alone on this road, José?" he asked him.</p> - -<p>"I have come from del Puerto, where I have been engaged as a carpenter. -I remained there a month, and as I saved the small sum I wanted, I -started yesterday to return to my village."</p> - -<p>All this was perfectly probable; the majority of the Hiaqui Indians act -in this way; and then what interest could the man have in deceiving him? -He was alone and unarmed; the caravan on the other hand, was numerous -and composed of devoted men. No danger was, therefore, to be -apprehended.</p> - -<p>"Well, did you earn much money?" the capataz continued,</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Indian said triumphantly; "five piastres and these three -besides."</p> - -<p>"Why, José, you are a rich man."</p> - -<p>The Hiaqui smiled doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "Tiburón has money."</p> - -<p>"Is your name Tiburón (shark)?" the capataz said distrustfully. "That is -an ugly name."</p> - -<p>"Why so? The palefaces gave that name to their red son, and he finds it -good, since it comes from them, and he keeps it."</p> - -<p>"Is your village far from here?"</p> - -<p>"If I had a good horse I should arrive in three days. The village of my -tribe is between the Gila and Guetzalli."</p> - -<p>"Do you know Guetzalli?"</p> - -<p>The Indian shrugged his shoulders disdainfully.</p> - -<p>"The redskins know all the hunting grounds on the Gila," he said.</p> - -<p>At this moment the caravan caught up the two speakers.</p> - -<p>"Well, Blas," Don Sylva asked, "Who is the man?"</p> - -<p>"A Hiaqui Indian. He is returning to his village, after earning a trifle -at the Puerto."</p> - -<p>"Can he be of service to us?"</p> - -<p>"I believe so. His tribe, he says, is encamped near the Gila."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said the count, drawing nearer, "Does he belong to the White Horse -tribe?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Indian said.</p> - -<p>"In that case I answer for the man," the count said quickly. "Those -Indians are very gentle; they are miserable beggars, often starving; and -I employ them at the hacienda."</p> - -<p>"Listen!" Don Sylva said, tapping the redskin's shoulder amicably. "We -are going to Guetzalli."</p> - -<p>"Good."</p> - -<p>"We want a faithful and devoted guide."</p> - -<p>"Tiburón is poor; he has only a poor donkey, which cannot march so -quickly as his pale brothers drive their horses."</p> - -<p>"Do not trouble yourself about that," the hacendero added. "I will give -you such a horse as you never mounted, if you serve us honestly. On -arriving at the hacienda, I will add ten piastres to those you already -possess. Does that suit you?"</p> - -<p>The Indian's eye sparkled with greed at this proposal.</p> - -<p>"Where is the horse?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Here," the capataz replied, pointing to a superb stallion led by a -peon.</p> - -<p>The redskin looked at it with the eye of a connoisseur.</p> - -<p>"Well, do you accept?" the hacendero said.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Then get off your donkey, and let us start."</p> - -<p>"I cannot abandon my donkey; it is a famous brute, which has done me -good service."</p> - -<p>"That need not trouble you; it can follow with the baggage mules."</p> - -<p>The Indian gave a nod of assent, but made no further reply. In a few -minutes he was mounted, and the caravan continued its march. The capataz -alone did not appear to place any great confidence in the guide so -singularly met.</p> - -<p>"I will watch him," he said in a low voice.</p> - -<p>The march went on the whole day without any fresh incident, and the next -day they reached the Rio Gila. The banks of this river contrast by their -fertility with the desolate aridity of the plains that surround them. -Don Sylva's journey, though recommenced at the moment when the sun, -arrived at its zenith, pours down its burning beams perpendicularly, was -only an agreeable promenade of a few leagues, beneath the dense shade of -tufted woods which grow with an amount of sap unknown in our climates.</p> - -<p>It was nearly three o'clock when the travellers saw before them the -colony of Guetzalli, founded by the Count de Lhorailles, and which, -although it only had a few months' existence, had already attained a -considerable size. This colony was composed of a hacienda, round which -were grouped the labourers' huts. We will devote a few words to it.</p> - -<p>The hacienda was built on a peninsula nearly three leagues in -circumference, covered with wood and pasture, on which more than four -thousand head of cattle grazed peacefully, returning at night to the -parks adjoining the house, which was surrounded by the river, forming an -<i>enceinte</i> of natural fortresses. The tongue of land, not more than -eight yards in width, attaching it to the mainland, was commanded by a -battery of six heavy guns, in its turn surrounded by a wide, wet ditch.</p> - -<p>The house, surrounded by tall embattled walls, bastioned at the angles, -was a species of fortress capable of sustaining a regular siege with the -eight guns mounted on the bastions which guarded the approaches. It was -composed of a huge main building, one story high, with a terraced roof, -having ten windows in the frontage, and flanked on the right and left by -two buildings, running out at right angles, one of which served as a -magazine for grain and maize, while the other was occupied by the -capataz and the numerous <i>employés</i> of the hacienda.</p> - -<p>Wide steps, furnished with a double iron balustrade, curiously worked, -and surmounted by a veranda, formed the approach to the count's -apartments, which were furnished with that simple and picturesque taste -which distinguishes the Spanish farms of America.</p> - -<p>Between the house and the outer wall was a vast garden, exquisitely laid -out, and so covered with bushes that at four paces' distance it was -impossible to see anything. The space left free behind the farm was -reserved for the parks or corrals in which the animals were shut up at -night, and a species of large court, in which the <i>matanza del ganado</i>, -or slaughter of the cattle, was performed once annually.</p> - -<p>Nothing could be so picturesque as the appearance of this white house, -whose roof could be seen for a long distance, half concealed by the -branches which formed a curtain of foliage most refreshing to the eye. -From the windows of the first floor the eye surveyed the plain on one -side; on the other, the Rio Gila, which, like a wide silvery ribbon, -rolled along with the most capricious windings, and was lost an immense -distance off in the blue horizon.</p> - -<p>Since the time when the Apaches all but surprised the hacienda, a -<i>mirador</i> had been built on the roof of the main building, where a -sentinel had been stationed day and night to watch the neighbourhood, -and announce, by means of a bullock's horn, the approach of any stranger -to the colony. Besides, a post of six men guarded the isthmus battery, -whose guns were ready to thunder at the slightest alarm.</p> - -<p>Thus the arrival of the caravan had been signalled when it was still a -long distance off; and the count's lieutenant, Martin Leroux, an old -African soldier, was standing behind the guns to interrogate the -arrivals so soon as they were within hail. Don Sylva was perfectly aware -of the regulations established in the hacienda, which were, indeed, -common to all the establishments held by white men; for at these -frontier posts, where people are exposed to the constant depredations of -the Indians, they are obliged to be incessantly on the watch. But the -thing the Mexican could not comprehend was that the count's lieutenant, -who must have recognised him, did not open the gates immediately, and he -made a remark to that effect.</p> - -<p>"He would have done wrong," the count replied. "The colony of Guetzalli -is a fortress, and the regulations must be the same for all: the general -welfare depends on their strict and entire observation. Martin -recognised me long ago, I am convinced; but he may suppose that I am a -prisoner of the Indians, and that, in leaving me apparently free they -intend to surprise the colony. Be assured that my excellent lieutenant -will not let us pass till he is quite certain that our European clothes -do not cover red skins."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes!" Don Sylva muttered to himself; "That is true. The Europeans -foresee everything. They are our masters."</p> - -<p>The caravan was now not more than twenty yards from the hacienda.</p> - -<p>"I fancy," the count observed, "that if we do not wish to receive a -shower of bullets we had better halt."</p> - -<p>"What!" said Don Sylva in amazement; "They would fire?"</p> - -<p>"I am certain of it."</p> - -<p>The two men checked their horses and waited to be challenged.</p> - -<p>"Who goes there?" a powerful voice shouted in French from behind the -battery.</p> - -<p>"Well, what do you think of it now?" the count said to the hacendero.</p> - -<p>"It is perfectly wonderful," rejoined the latter.</p> - -<p>"Friends," the count answered. "Lhorailles and freedom!"</p> - -<p>"All right—open," the voice commanded. "They are friends. Would that we -often received such visitors!"</p> - -<p>The peons lowered the drawbridge (the only passage by which the hacienda -could be entered), the caravan passed over and the drawbridge was -immediately raised after them.</p> - -<p>"You will excuse me, captain," Martin Leroux said, respectfully -approaching the count, "but, although I recognised you, we live in a -country where, I think, too great prudence cannot be exercised."</p> - -<p>"You have done your duty, lieutenant, and I can only thank you for it. -Have you any news?"</p> - -<p>"Not much. A troop of horse I sent out into the plain discovered a -deserted fire. I fancy the Indians are prowling round us."</p> - -<p>"We will be on our guard."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I keep good watch, especially at present, for the month is drawing -nigh which the Comanches call so audaciously the Mexican moon. I should -not be sorry, if they dared to meddle with us, to give them a lesson -which would be profitable for the future."</p> - -<p>"I share your views entirely. Redouble your vigilance, and all will be -well."</p> - -<p>"Have you no other orders to give me?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Then I will withdraw. You know, captain, that you intrust the internal -details to me, and I must be everywhere in turn."</p> - -<p>"Go, lieutenant; let me not keep you."</p> - -<p>The old soldier saluted his chief, and retired with a friendly nod to -the capataz, who followed him with the peons and baggage mules.</p> - -<p>The count led his guests to the apartments kept for visitors, and -installed them in comfortably-furnished rooms.</p> - -<p>"Pray rest yourself, Don Sylva," he said; "you and Doña Anita must be -fatigued with your journey. Tomorrow, if you permit me, we will talk -about our business."</p> - -<p>"Whenever you like, my friend."</p> - -<p>The count bowed to his guests and withdrew. Since his meeting with his -betrothed he had not exchanged a word with her. In the courtyard he -found the Hiaqui Indian smoking and walking lazily around. He went up to -him.</p> - -<p>"Here," he said, "are the ten piastres promised you."</p> - -<p>"Thanks," said the Indian as he took them.</p> - -<p>"Now, what are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>"Rest myself till tomorrow; then join the men of my tribe."</p> - -<p>"Are you in a great hurry to see them?"</p> - -<p>"I? Not at all."</p> - -<p>"Stay here, then."</p> - -<p>"What to do?"</p> - -<p>"I will tell you; perhaps I may need you within a few days."</p> - -<p>"Shall I be paid?"</p> - -<p>"Amply. Does that suit you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Then you will remain?"</p> - -<p>"I will."</p> - -<p>The count went away, not noticing the strange expression in the glance -the Indian turned on him.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a></h4> - -<h3>A MEETING IN THE DESERT.</h3> - - -<p>About three musket shots' distance from the hacienda, in a thicket of -nopals, mastic trees, and mesquites, intermingled with a few mahogany -cedars, wild cottonwood trees, and pines, just an hour before sunset, a -horseman dismounted; hobbled his horse, a magnificent mustang, with -flashing eyes and fine chest; then, after turning an inquiring glance -around, probably satisfied with the profound silence and tranquility -pervading at the spot, he made his arrangements for camping.</p> - -<p>The man had passed middle life: he was an Indian warrior of great height -dressed in the Comanche costume in its utmost purity. Although he -appeared to be sixty years of age, he seemed gifted with great vigour, -and no sign of decrepitude could be traced in his muscular limbs and -intelligent face: the eagle's feather fixed in the centre of his warlock -allowed him to be recognised as a chief. This man was Eagle-head, the -Comanche chief.</p> - -<p>After laying his rifle by his side he collected dry wood, and lit a -fire; then he threw several yards of tasajo on the ashes, with several -maize tortillas; and all these preparations for a comfortable supper -made, he filled his calumet, crouched near the fire, and began smoking -with that placid calmness which never deserts the Indians under any -circumstances.</p> - -<p>Two hours thus passed peacefully, and nothing disturbed the repose the -chief was enjoying. Night succeeded day; darkness had invaded the -desert, and with it the silence of solitude began to reign in the -mysterious depths of the prairie.</p> - -<p>The Indian still remained motionless, contenting himself with turning -now and then to his horse, which was gaily devouring the climbing peas -and the young buds of the trees.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Eagle-head looked up, bent forward, and, without otherwise -disturbing himself, stretched out his hand to his rifle, while the -mustang left off eating, laid back its ears, and neighed noisily. Still -the forest appeared as calm as ever. It needed all an Indian's sharp ear -to have heard a suspicious rustling through the silence.</p> - -<p>At the end of a moment the chiefs frowning brows returned to their -proper position, he re-assumed his easy posture, and lifting his two -forefingers to his mouth, imitated with rare perfection, for two or -three minutes, the harmonious, modulations of the centzontle, or Mexican -nightingale: the horse had also begun eating again.</p> - -<p>Only a few minutes passed ere the cry of the nighthawk was twice heard -in the direction of the river. Soon after the sound of horses became -audible, mingled with the cracking of branches and the rustling of -leaves, and two mounted men made their appearance. The chief did not -turn to see who they were; he had probably recognised them, and knew -that they alone, or at any rate one of them, were to come to him here.</p> - -<p>These two horsemen were Don Louis and Belhumeur. They hobbled their -horses by the side of the chiefs, lay down by the fire, and, on the -Indian's silent invitation, vigorously attacked the supper prepared for -them. They had left the Rancho the previous evening, and ridden without -the loss of a moment to join the chief.</p> - -<p>The Count de Lhorailles had invited them at the pulquería to join his -party, but Belhumeur had declined the offer. Not knowing for what -purpose the Indian chief had appointed to meet him, he did not care to -mix up a stranger in his friend's affairs. Still, the three men had -parted on excellent terms, and the count pressed Don Louis and the -Canadian to pay him a visit at Guetzalli, an offer to which they had -replied evasively.</p> - -<p>Singular is the effect of sympathy. The impression the count produced on -the two adventurers was so unfavourable for him, that the latter, while -replying with the utmost politeness, had not thought it wise to give -their names, and had employed the greatest reserve, carrying their -prudence to such an extent as to leave him ignorant of their -nationality, by continuing to converse in Spanish, though at the first -word he uttered they recognised him to be a Frenchman.</p> - -<p>When they had ended their meal Belhumeur filled his pipe, and put out -his hand to take up a coal.</p> - -<p>"Wait," the chief said sharply.</p> - -<p>This was the first word the Indian uttered; up to that moment the three -men had not interchanged a syllable. Belhumeur looked at him.</p> - -<p>"H'm!" he said, "What is the matter now?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know yet," the chief answered. "I have heard a suspicious -rustling in the bushes; and at a great distance off, to leeward of us, -several buffaloes peacefully grazing took to flight without any apparent -cause."</p> - -<p>"Hum!" the Canadian went on, "That is growing serious. What do you -think, Louis?"</p> - -<p>"In the desert," the latter replied slowly, "everything has a -cause—nothing happens by accident. I believe we had better be on our -guard. Stay!" he added, as he raised his head, and pointed out to his -friends several birds that passed rapidly away over them. "Have you -often seen at this hour a flight of condors soaring in the sky?"</p> - -<p>The chief shook his head.</p> - -<p>"There is something the matter," he muttered: "the dogs of Apaches are -hunting."</p> - -<p>"'Tis possible," Belhumeur said.</p> - -<p>"Before all," the Frenchman observed, "let us put out the fire; its -gleam, slight as it is, might betray us."</p> - -<p>His companions followed his advice, and the fire was extinguished in a -second.</p> - -<p>"My brother, the paleface, is prudent," the chief said courteously. "He -knows the desert. I am happy to see him by my side."</p> - -<p>Don Louis thanked the chief courteously.</p> - -<p>"And now," Belhumeur went on, "we are almost invisible—no visible -danger threatens us; so let us hold a council. The chief had the first -scent of peril: it is, therefore, his place to tell us what he -observed."</p> - -<p>The Indian wrapped him up in his fresada; the three men drew closer, so -as to be able to speak in a whisper, and the council commenced.</p> - -<p>"Since sunrise this morning," Eagle-head said, "I have been marching in -the desert. I was anxious to reach the place of meeting, and proceeded -in a straight line to arrive sooner. All along the road I found evident -signs of the passage of a numerous band; the tracks were wide and full, -like those made by a party of warriors so large they care not for -discovery. These trails continued for a long distance, then suddenly -disappeared: it was impossible for me to find them again."</p> - -<p>"Deuce, deuce!" the Canadian muttered, "That is awkward."</p> - -<p>"At first I did not pay much attention to trail, but presently I began -to feel restless, and that is the reason I have mentioned it to you."</p> - -<p>"What reason rendered you restless?"</p> - -<p>"I believe that the expedition whose passage I discovered is directed -against the great cabin of the palefaces at Guetzalli."</p> - -<p>"What makes you suppose so?" Louis asked.</p> - -<p>"This. At the hour the alligator leaves the mud of the bank to plunge -again into the Gila, the sound of horses a short distance off compelled -me, lest I should be discovered, to bury myself in a thicket of -mangroves and floripondios. When sheltered from a surprise I looked out. -A band of palefaces passed within bow-shot of me, in the direction of -Guetzalli."</p> - -<p>"I know who they were," Belhumeur remarked. "What next?"</p> - -<p>"I recognised, in spite of the care he had taken to render himself -unrecognisable, the man who served as guide to the party; then I guessed -the infernal scheme formed by the Apache dogs."</p> - -<p>"Who was it?"</p> - -<p>"A man my brother knows. It is Wah-sho-che-gorah, the Black Bear, the -principal chief of the White Crow tribe."</p> - -<p>"If you are not mistaken, chief, horrible things will be done ere long. -The Black Bear is the implacable enemy of the whites."</p> - -<p>"That was the reason I spoke to my brother. But, after all what does it -concern us? In the desert each man has enough to do in taking care of -himself, without troubling about others."</p> - -<p>The Canadian shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Yes, what you say is true," he replied. "We ought, perhaps, to abandon -the inhabitants of the hacienda to their fate, and not interfere in -matters which may cause us great misery."</p> - -<p>"Do you intend to act thus?" the Frenchman asked sharply.</p> - -<p>"I do not say so positively," the Canadian replied; "but the case is a -difficult one. We shall have to deal with numerous enemies."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but the men about to be surprised are your fellow countrymen."</p> - -<p>"It is true; and it is that which renders the affair so awkward. I do -not wish to see these unhappy beings scalped. On the other hand, we run -the risk, by hurrying rashly into danger, of ourselves being the victims -of our devotion."</p> - -<p>"Why reflect thus?"</p> - -<p>"By Jove! In order to weigh the for and against. There is nothing I -detest so much as rushing headlong into an enterprise of which I have -not calculated the consequences beforehand. When I have done so I care -for nothing."</p> - -<p>Don Louis could not refrain from smiling at this singular reasoning.</p> - -<p>"I have my plan," the Canadian went on a moment later. "The night will -not pass without our learning something new. Let us draw near the bank -of the river. I am greatly mistaken, or we shall soon obtain there the -there the information we require before we make up our minds. Our horses -run no risk here: we can leave them; besides, they would only prove an -embarrassment for us."</p> - -<p>The three men lay down on the ground, and began crawling silently in the -direction indicated by Belhumeur.</p> - -<p>The night was magnificent, the moon brilliant, and the atmosphere so -diaphanous, that objects might have been distinguished for a great -distance on an open plain. The three adventurers did not leave their -covert; but, on arriving at the skirt of the forest, they hid themselves -in an almost inextricable thicket, and waited with that patience so -characteristic of the wood rangers.</p> - -<p>The silence which brooded over the desert was so intense that the -slightest sounds were perceptible. A leaf falling on the water, a pebble -detaching itself from the bank, the slow and continuous murmur of the -water running over its gravel bed, the rustling of the owl's wing as it -fluttered from branch to branch, were the only distinguishable sounds.</p> - -<p>For several hours the three men remained motionless and watchful, eye -and ear strained, with the finger on the trigger of the rifle, through -fear of a surprise; but nothing had yet happened to corroborate the -suspicions of Eagle-head, or the previsions of Belhumeur. Suddenly Louis -felt the chief's arm resting gently on his shoulder, as he pointed to -the river. The Frenchman rose on his knees and looked.</p> - -<p>An almost imperceptible movement agitated the surface of the river, as -if an alligator were floating along.</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur muttered; "I fancy that is what we are expecting."</p> - -<p>A black mass soon appeared, floating rather than swimming on the water, -and noiselessly advancing toward the spot where the hunters were in -ambush. At the end of a few moments, this body, whatever it might be, -stopped, and the cry of the prairie dog was heard several times -repeated.</p> - -<p>At once the howl of the coyote broke forth forcibly so near the three -men, that, spite of themselves, they shuddered, and a man hanging by -the hands dropped down from an oak tree, scarcely three yards from the -spot where they were.</p> - -<p>This man wore the Mexican costume.</p> - -<p>"Come, chief," he said in a low voice, though not venturing down to the -river, "come, we are alone."</p> - -<p>The man thus addressed emerged from the water, and clambered up the bank -to join the person awaiting him.</p> - -<p>"My brother speaks too loudly," he said. "In the desert a man is never -alone; the leaves have eyes, the trees ears."</p> - -<p>"Bah! What you say, has not common sense. Who on earth would play the -spy on us? With the exception of your warriors, who are probably -concealed in the neighbourhood, no one can see or hear us."</p> - -<p>The Indian shook his head. Now that he was standing only a few spaces -from the adventurers, Belhumeur perceived that Eagle-head was not -mistaken, and that the man was really the Black Bear. The two men stood -for a moment silently gazing at each other. The Mexican was the first to -speak.</p> - -<p>"You have manoeuvred well," he said in an insinuating voice. "I know not -how you managed it, but you have succeeded in entering the fort."</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Indian replied.</p> - -<p>"Now we have only our final arrangements to make. You are a great chief -in whom I place the utmost confidence. Here is what I promised you. I -ought not to pay you till afterwards, but I do not wish the slightest -cloud to rise between us."</p> - -<p>The Indian silently rejected the purse the other held out to him.</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear has reflected," he said coldly.</p> - -<p>"On what, may I ask?"</p> - -<p>"A warrior is not a woman to waste his words. What my brother offered -the Black Bear, the Apache chief refuses."</p> - -<p>"Which means?"</p> - -<p>"That all is broken off."</p> - -<p>The Mexican repressed with difficulty a sign of disappointment.</p> - -<p>"Then," he said, "You have not warned your warriors? When I give the -order you will not attack the hacienda?"</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear has warned his warriors. He will attack the palefaces."</p> - -<p>"What did you say this moment? I confess that I do not comprehend you, -chief."</p> - -<p>"Because the paleface will not comprehend. The Black Bear will attack -the hacienda, but on his own account."</p> - -<p>"That was agreed between us, I fancy."</p> - -<p>"Yes; but the Black Bear has seen the singing bird. His hut is empty: he -wishes to place in it the young pale virgin."</p> - -<p>"Scoundrel!" the Mexican shouted in his wrath; "You would betray me in -that way?"</p> - -<p>"How have I betrayed the paleface?" the Indian replied, still perfectly -calm. "He offered me a bargain; I refused it. I see nothing dishonest in -that."</p> - -<p>The Mexican bit his lip with rage; he was caught, and could make no -reply.</p> - -<p>"I will revenge myself," he said, stamping his foot.</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear is a powerful chief; he laughs at the croaking of the -ravens. The paleface can do nothing against him."</p> - -<p>With a movement swift as thought, the Mexican rushed on the Indian, -seized him by the throat, and, drawing his dagger, raised it to strike -him. But the Apache carefully watched the actions of his opponent: by a -movement no less swift he freed himself from his grasp, and with one -bound was out of reach.</p> - -<p>"The paleface has dared to touch a chief," he said in a hoarse voice; -"he shall die."</p> - -<p>The Mexican shrugged his shoulders and seized the pistol in his girdle.</p> - -<p>It is impossible to say how this scene would have ended, had not a new -incident happened to change its features completely. From the same tree -in which the Mexican had been hidden a few moments previously, another -individual suddenly fell, rushed on the chief, and hurled him to the -ground before he could make a gesture to defend himself, so thoroughly -was he off his guard.</p> - -<p>"By Jove!" Belhumeur muttered with a stifled laugh, "there must be a -legion of devils in that tree."</p> - -<p>The Mexican and the man who had come so luckily to his help had securely -tied the Indian with a reata.</p> - -<p>"Now you are in my power, chief," the Mexican said, "and you will be -obliged to consent to my terms."</p> - -<p>The Apache grinned, and uttered a shrill whistle.</p> - -<p>At this signal fifty Indian warriors appeared, as if they had sprung from -the ground, and that so suddenly, that the two white men were -surrounded in an instant by an impassable circle.</p> - -<p>"Deuce!" Belhumeur said in an aside, "that complicates matters. How will -they get out of that?"</p> - -<p>"And we?" Louis whispered in his ear.</p> - -<p>The Canadian replied by that shrug of the shoulders which signifies in -all languages, "We must trust in Heaven," and began looking again, -interested as he was in the highest degree by the unexpected changes of -scene.</p> - -<p>"Cucharés!" the Mexican said to his companion, "Hold that scoundrel -tight and at the least suspicious movement kill him like a dog."</p> - -<p>"Be calm, Don Martial," the lepero answered, pulling from his vaquera -boot a knife, whose sharp blade flashed with a bluish tinge in the -moon's rays.</p> - -<p>"What decision does the Black Bear come to?" the Tigrero went on, -addressing the chief lying at his feet.</p> - -<p>"The life of a chief belongs to thee, dog of the palefaces: take it if -thou darest!" the Apache replied with a smile of contempt.</p> - -<p>"I will not kill you: not because I am afraid, for I know not such a -feeling," the Mexican said, "but because I disdain to shed the blood of -an enemy who is defenceless, even if he be, like you, an unclean -coyote."</p> - -<p>"Kill me, I say, if thou canst, but insult me not. Hasten! For my -warriors may lose patience, sacrifice thee to their wrath, and thou -mightest die unavenged."</p> - -<p>"You are jesting; you know perfectly well that your warriors will not -move an inch so long as I hold you thus. I propose to offer you peace."</p> - -<p>"Peace!" the chief said, and his eyes flashed. "On what conditions?"</p> - -<p>"Two only. Cucharés, unfasten the reata, but watch him closely."</p> - -<p>The lepero obeyed.</p> - -<p>"Thanks," the chief said as he rose to his knees. "Speak; I am -listening—my ears are open. What are these conditions?"</p> - -<p>"First, my comrade and myself will be free to retire whither we please."</p> - -<p>"Good, and next?"</p> - -<p>"Next, you will pledge yourself to remain with your warriors, and not -return to the hacienda in the disguise you have assumed for the next -twenty-four hours."</p> - -<p>"Is that all?"</p> - -<p>"It is all."</p> - -<p>"Listen to me in your turn, then, paleface. I accept your conditions, -but I must tell you mine."</p> - -<p>"Speak."</p> - -<p>"I will not re-enter the hacienda save with the eagle feather in my -war-tuft, at the head of my warriors, and that before the sun has thrice -set behind the lofty peaks of the mountains of the day."</p> - -<p>"You are boasting, Apache; it is impossible for you to enter the -hacienda save by treachery."</p> - -<p>"We shall see;" and smiling with a sinister air, he added, "the singing -bird will go into the hut of an Apache chief to cook his game."</p> - -<p>The Mexican shrugged his shoulders contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"Try to take the hacienda and carry off the maiden," he said.</p> - -<p>"I will try. Your hand."</p> - -<p>"Here it is."</p> - -<p>The chief turned to his warriors, holding the Tigrero's hand clasped in -his own.</p> - -<p>"Brothers!" he said in a loud voice, and with an accent of supreme -majesty, "this paleface is the friend of the Black Bear—let no one -molest him."</p> - -<p>The warriors bowed respectfully, and fell back to the right and left, to -leave a passage for the two white men.</p> - -<p>"Farewell!" the Black Bear said, saluting his enemy. "In twenty-four -hours I shall be on your trail."</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken, dog of an Apache," Don Martial replied disdainfully; -"I shall be on yours."</p> - -<p>"Good! We are, then, certain of meeting," the Black Bear said.</p> - -<p>And he retired with a slow and firm step, followed by his warriors, -whose footfalls soon died away in the depths of the forest.</p> - -<p>"On my faith, Don Martial," the lepero said, "I believe that you were -wrong to let that Indian dog escape so easily."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Were we not obliged to get out of the wasp's nest into which we had -thrust our heads?" he said. "Bah! It is only put off for a time. Let us -go and find our horses."</p> - -<p>"One moment if you will grant it me," Belhumeur said, leaving his hiding -place, and advancing politely with his two comrades.</p> - -<p>"What's this?" Cucharés said, pulling out his knife again, while Don -Martial coolly cocked his pistols.</p> - -<p>"This? Caballero," Belhumeur said quietly, "I fancy you can see plainly; -enough."</p> - -<p>"I see three men."</p> - -<p>"Indeed, you are not at all mistaken. Three men who have been unseen -witnesses of the scene you ended so bravely—three men who held -themselves ready to come to your aid had it been necessary, and who now -offer to make common cause with you, to prevent the plunder of the -hacienda by the Apaches. Does that suit you?"</p> - -<p>"That depends," the Tigrero said. "I must know first what interest urges -you to act in this manner."</p> - -<p>"That of being agreeable to you in the first place," Belhumeur replied -politely, "and next, the desire to save the scalps of the poor wretches -menaced by those infernal redskins."</p> - -<p>"In that case I heartily accept your offer."</p> - -<p>"Be good enough, then, to follow us to our camping ground, that we may -discuss the plan of the campaign."</p> - -<p>So soon as Cucharés noticed that the men who presented themselves so -strangely were really friends, he returned his knife to his boot, and -went in search of the horses, which had been left a short distance off. -He arrived at this moment, leading the two horses, and the five men -proceeded together to the camping ground.</p> - -<p>"Take care," Belhumeur said to Don Martial; "you have made yourself an -implacable enemy this night. If you do not make haste to kill him, one -day or another the Black Bear will kill you. The Apaches never pardon an -insult."</p> - -<p>"I know it; so I shall take my precautions, you may be sure."</p> - -<p>"That is your concern. Perhaps it would have been better to get rid of -him, at the risk of what might have happened afterwards."</p> - -<p>"How could I imagine I had friends so near me? Oh, had I but known it!"</p> - -<p>"Well, it is of no use crying over spilt milk."</p> - -<p>"Do you believe that he will keep scrupulously the conditions he -accepted?"</p> - -<p>"You do not know the Black Bear; he is a man of noble sentiments and has -a way of his own for understanding points of honour. You saw that during -your entire discussion he disdained to play any trickery: his words were -always frank."</p> - -<p>"They were."</p> - -<p>"Be certain, therefore, that he will keep his promise."</p> - -<p>The conversation was interrupted. Don Martial had suddenly become -pensive. The Apache's menaces gave him a good deal to think about. The -camp was reached, and Eagle-head immediately set to work rekindling the -fire.</p> - -<p>"What are you about?" Belhumeur observed to him. "You will reveal our -presence."</p> - -<p>"No," the Indian said, shaking his head. "The Black Bear has retired -with his warriors: they are far away at present; so we need not take -useless precautions."</p> - -<p>The fire soon cracked again. The five men crouched round it joyfully, -lit their pipes and began smoking.</p> - -<p>"I don't care," the Canadian presently said. "Had it not been for the -extraordinary coolness you displayed I do not know how you would have -escaped."</p> - -<p>"Let us now see how best to foil the plans of those red devils," said -the Mexican.</p> - -<p>"It is very simple," Louis interposed. "One of us will proceed tomorrow -to the hacienda, to warn the owner of what has passed this night. He -will be on his guard and all will be right."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I believe those are the best means, and we will employ them."</p> - -<p>"Five men are as nothing against five hundred," observed Eagle-head; -"we must warn the palefaces."</p> - -<p>"That is assuredly the plan we must follow," the Tigrero remarked; "but -which of us will consent to go to the hacienda? Neither my comrade nor -myself can do so."</p> - -<p>"I fancy there is some love story hidden under all this," the Canadian -observed cunningly. "I can understand that you would find a difficulty -in—"</p> - -<p>"What need of further discussion?" Louis interrupted. "With tomorrow's -dawn I will go to the hacienda; I undertake to explain to the owner all -the dangers that menace him in their fullest details."</p> - -<p>"That is agreed on, then, and all is settled," Belhumeur said.</p> - -<p>"Then, so soon as our horses have rested, my comrade and myself will -return to Guaymas."</p> - -<p>"No, you will not, if you please," the Frenchman objected. "I fancy it -is proper that you should know the result of the mission I undertake, -for it concerns you even more than us. I suspect—"</p> - -<p>The Mexican repressed a lively movement of annoyance.</p> - -<p>"You are right," he replied; "I did not think of that. I will therefore -await your return."</p> - -<p>The hunters interchanged a few more remarks, then wrapped themselves in -their blankets, lay down on the ground, and speedily fell asleep. The -profoundest silence fell on the clearing, which was but dimly lighted by -the reddish rays of the expiring fire. The adventurers had been asleep -about two hours, when the branches of a shrub were gently parted and a -man made his appearance.</p> - -<p>He stopped for a moment, seemed to be listening, then crawled without -the slightest sound toward the spot where the Tigrero was reposing. It -would have been easy to recognise the Black Bear by the light of the -fire. The Apache chief plucked his scalping knife from his girdle, and -laid it gently on the Tigrero's chest; then casting a parting glance -around, to convince himself that the five men slept, he retired with the -same precautions, and soon disappeared in the shrub, which closed upon -him.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a></h4> - -<h3>BEFORE THE ATTACK.</h3> - - -<p>At the first cry of the maukawis—that is to say, at sunrise—the -adventurers awoke.</p> - -<p>The night had been calm. They had slept with nothing to disturb their -rest. Iced, however, by the abundant dew which had filtered through -their blankets during their sleep, they hurriedly rose to restore the -circulation of their blood and warm their stiffened limbs.</p> - -<p>At the first movement Don Martial made a knife fell down on the ground. -The Mexican picked it up, and uttered a cry of amazement and almost of -terror as he showed it to his companions. The arm so unexpectedly found -was a scalping knife, whose blade was still stained with large bloody -spots.</p> - -<p>"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, brandishing the knife angrily.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head seized it, and examined it carefully.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" he said in surprise, "the Black Bear has been with us during our -sleep."</p> - -<p>The hunters could not refrain from a movement of alarm.</p> - -<p>"It is impossible," Belhumeur observed.</p> - -<p>The Indian shook his head as he displayed the weapon.</p> - -<p>"This," he continued, "is the Apache chief's scalping knife; the <i>totem</i> -of the tribe is engraved on the hilt."</p> - -<p>"'Tis true."</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear is a renowned chief. His heart is large enough to -contain a world. Obliged to fulfil the engagements he has made, he -wished to prove to his enemy that he was master of his life, and that he -would take it whenever he thought proper. That is the meaning of this -knife placed on the chest of the <i>Yori</i> during his sleep."</p> - -<p>The adventurers were confounded by so much boldness. They shuddered at -the thought that they had been at the mercy of the chief, who disdained -to kill them, and contented himself with defying them. The Mexican -especially felt a shudder in spite of his courage. The Canadian was the -first to recover his coolness.</p> - -<p>"Canario!" he exclaimed, "This Apache dog did right to warn us. Now we -will be on our guard."</p> - -<p>"Hum!" Cucharés said, passing his hands through his thick and matted -hair, "I have not the least desire to be scalped."</p> - -<p>"Bah!" Belhumeur said, "People sometimes recover."</p> - -<p>"That is possible; but I don't care to make the attempt."</p> - -<p>"And now that day has quite broken," Louis observed, "I fancy the time -has arrived for me to go to the hacienda. What do you say, gentlemen?"</p> - -<p>"We have not a moment to lose, if we wish to foil the enemy's plans," -said Don Martial in support of his suggestion.</p> - -<p>"The more so as we have to take certain measures which it would be as -well to determine as soon as possible," Belhumeur remarked.</p> - -<p>The Indian and the lepero contented themselves with giving their assent -through a nod.</p> - -<p>"Now let us arrange a meeting place," Louis went on to say. "You can not -wait for me here, as the Indians know where to find you."</p> - -<p>"Yes," Belhumeur replied thoughtfully, "but I do not know the country -where we now are, and I should be quite troubled to find a fitting -spot."</p> - -<p>"I know one," Eagle-head said. "I will lead you to it: our pale brother -will join us again there."</p> - -<p>"Very good, but for that purpose I must know the spot."</p> - -<p>"My brother need not trouble himself about that. When he leaves the -great cabin I shall be near him."</p> - -<p>"Very good—all right. Good-by till we meet again."</p> - -<p>Louis saddled his horse and started off at a gallop in the direction of -the hacienda, which was about three musket shots from the camping place.</p> - -<p>The Count de Lhorailles was walking about anxiously in the hall of the -main body of the building. In spite of himself his meeting with the -Mexican occupied his mind. He wished to have a frank explanation with -Doña Anita in her father's presence, which should dissipate his doubts, -or at least give him the key of the mystery that surrounded the affair.</p> - -<p>Another circumstance also dulled his humour, and redoubled his alarms. -At daybreak Diégo Léon, his lieutenant, told him that the Indian guide -brought home with them the previous day had disappeared during the -night, and left no trace. The position was becoming serious. The Mexican -moon was approaching. That guide was evidently an Indian spy, ordered to -inquire into the strength of the hacienda, and the means of surprising -it. The Apaches and Comanches could not be far off; perhaps they were -already on the watch in the tall prairie grass, awaiting the favourable -moment to rush on their implacable foes.</p> - -<p>The count did not conceal from himself that if his position was -critical, he was the main cause of it. Invested by the government with -an important command, especially charged with the protection of the -frontier against Indian invasions, he had not yet made a move, and had -in no way tried to fulfil the commission he had not merely accepted but -solicited. The Mexican moon commenced in a month; before that period he -must strike a decisive blow, which would inspire the Indians with a -wholesome terror, prevent them combining and thus foil their plans.</p> - -<p>The count had been reflecting for a long time, forgetting in his anxiety -the guests he had brought to his house, after whom he had not yet asked, -when his old lieutenant appeared before him.</p> - -<p>"What do you want, Martin?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Excuse me for disturbing you, captain. Diégo Léon, who is on guard at -the isthmus battery with eight men, has just sent me to tell you that a -man wishes to see you on a serious matter."</p> - -<p>"What sort of a man is he?"</p> - -<p>"A white man, well dressed, and mounted on an excellent horse."</p> - -<p>"Hem! Did he said nothing further?"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, he added this: 'You will say to the man who commands you -that I am one of the men he met at the Rancho of San José.'"</p> - -<p>The count's face grew suddenly serene.</p> - -<p>"Let him come in," he said: "'tis a friend."</p> - -<p>The lieutenant withdrew. So soon as he was alone the count recommenced -his walk.</p> - -<p>"What can this man want of me?" he muttered. "When I asked his friend -and himself to accompany me here they both refused. What reason can have -caused such a sudden change in their plans? Bah! What is the use of -addling one's brains?" he added, on hearing a horse's footfall -re-echoing in the inner <i>patio</i>. "I shall soon know."</p> - -<p>Almost immediately Don Louis appeared, led by the lieutenant, who, on a -sign from the count, at once disappeared.</p> - -<p>"What happy accident," the count said graciously, "procures me the -honour of a visit I was so far from expecting?"</p> - -<p>Don Louis politely returned the salutation, and replied,</p> - -<p>"It is no happy accident that brings me. God grant that I may not be the -harbinger of misfortune!"</p> - -<p>These words made the count frown.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, señor?" he asked in anxiety. "I do not understand -you."</p> - -<p>"You will soon do so. But speak French, if you have no objection; we -shall understand each other more easily," he said, giving up the Spanish -which he had hitherto employed.</p> - -<p>"What!" the count exclaimed in surprise, "You speak French?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Louis said, "for I have the honour of being your fellow -countryman, although," he added with a suppressed sigh, "I have quitted -our country for more than ten years. It is always a great pleasure to me -to be able to speak my own language."</p> - -<p>The expression of the count's face completely changed on hearing these -words.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" he continued, "permit me to press your hand, sir. Two Frenchmen -who meet in this distant land are brothers; let us momentarily forget -the spot where we are, and talk about France—that dear country from -which we are so remote and which we love so much."</p> - -<p>"Alas, sir!" Louis replied, with suppressed emotion, "I should be happy -to forget for a few minutes what surrounds us, to summon up the -recollections of our common country. Unfortunately the moment is a grave -one; great dangers threaten you, and the time we would thus lose might -produce a fearful catastrophe."</p> - -<p>"You startle me, sir. What is happening? What have you so terrible to -announce to me?"</p> - -<p>"Did I not tell you that I was a messenger of evil tidings?"</p> - -<p>"No matter. When told by you they will be welcome. In the situation in -which I am placed in this desert, must I not ever expect misfortune?"</p> - -<p>"I hope to be able to help you in warding off the danger that now hangs -over you."</p> - -<p>"Thanks for your fraternal conduct. Now speak, I am listening to you. -Whatever you may tell me, I shall have the courage to hear it."</p> - -<p>Don Louis, without revealing to the count his meeting with the Tigrero, -as had been agreed on, told him how he had overheard a conversation -between his guide and several Apache warriors ambushed in the vicinity -of the hacienda, and the plan they had formed to surprise the colony.</p> - -<p>"And now, sir," he added, "it is for you to judge of the gravity of this -news, and the arrangements you will have to make, in order to foil the -plans of the Indians."</p> - -<p>"I thank you, sir. When my lieutenant told me, a few moments prior to -your arrival, of the disappearance of the guide, I immediately saw that -I had to do with a spy. What you now report to me converts my suspicions -into certainty. As you say, there is not a moment to lose, and I will at -once think over the necessary arrangements."</p> - -<p>He walked to a table and struck a bell sharply. A peon entered.</p> - -<p>"The first lieutenant," he said. In a few minutes the latter arrived.</p> - -<p>"Lieutenant," the count said to him, "take twenty men with you, and -scour the country for three leagues round. I have just learned that -Indians are concealed near here."</p> - -<p>The old soldier bowed in reply, and prepared to obey.</p> - -<p>"An instant," Louis exclaimed, signing him to stop, "one word more."</p> - -<p>"Eh?" Martin Leroux said, turning round in amazement, "You are talking -French now."</p> - -<p>"As you hear," Louis answered with a smile.</p> - -<p>"You wished to make a remark," the count asked.</p> - -<p>"I have lived in America a very long time. My home has been the desert, -and I know the Indians, whom I have learned to rival in craft. If you -allow me. I will give you some advice, which, I fancy, may be useful to -you under present circumstances."</p> - -<p>"By Jove!" the count exclaimed; "pray speak, my dear countryman. Your -advice will be very advantageous to us, I feel assured."</p> - -<p>At this moment Don Sylva entered the room.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" the count continued, "come hither, my friend. We have great need -of you. Your knowledge of Indian habits will prove most useful to us."</p> - -<p>"What has happened?" the hacendero asked as he bowed courteously to all -present.</p> - -<p>"We are threatened with an attack from the Apaches."</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh! That is serious, my friend. What do you propose doing?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know yet. I had given Don Martin orders to scour the -neighbourhood; but this gentleman appears to be of a different opinion."</p> - -<p>"The caballero is right," the Mexican answered, bowing to Don Louis; -"but, in the first place, are you certain about this attack?"</p> - -<p>"This gentleman came expressly to warn me."</p> - -<p>"Then there can be no further doubt. We must make the necessary -arrangements as quickly as possible. What is the caballero's opinion?"</p> - -<p>"He was about to give it at the moment you came in."</p> - -<p>"Then pray do not let me disturb your conference. Speak, sir."</p> - -<p>Don Louis bowed and took the word.</p> - -<p>"Caballero!" he began, turning to Don Sylva, "What I am about to say is -addressed principally to the French señores, who, accustomed to European -warfare and in the white mode of fighting, are, I am convinced, ignorant -of Indian tactics."</p> - -<p>"'Tis true," the count observed.</p> - -<p>"Bah!" Leroux said, twirling his long moustaches with great -self-sufficiency, "We will learn them."</p> - -<p>"Take care you do not do so at your own expense," Don Louis continued. -"Indian war is entirely one of stratagems and ambushes. The enemy who -attacks you never forms in line; he remains constantly concealed, -employing all means to conquer, but principally treachery. Five hundred -Apache warriors, commanded by an intrepid chief, would defeat in the -prairie your best soldiers, whom they would decimate, while not giving a -chance for retaliation."</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" the count muttered, "Is that their only way of fighting?"</p> - -<p>"The only one," the hacendero said in confirmation.</p> - -<p>"Hum!" Leroux remarked, "I fancy it is very like the war in Africa."</p> - -<p>"Not so much as you suppose. The Arabs let themselves be seen, while the -Apaches, I repeat to you, only show themselves in the utmost extremity."</p> - -<p>"Then my plan of pushing forward a reconnoissance—"</p> - -<p>"Is impracticable for two reasons: either your horsemen, though -surrounded by enemies, will not discover one of them, or they will be -attracted into an ambush, where, in spite of prodigies of valour, they -will perish to the last man."</p> - -<p>"All that this gentleman says is most perfectly true: it is easy to see -that he has a great experience of Indian warfare, and has often measured -himself with <i>Indios bravos.</i>"</p> - -<p>"That experience cost my happiness. All those I loved were massacred by -these ferocious enemies," Don Louis replied sorrowfully. "Fear the same -fate if you do not display the greatest prudence. I know how repugnant -it is to the chivalrous character of our nation to follow such a course; -but in my opinion it is the only one that offers any chances of -salvation."</p> - -<p>"We have here several women, children, and your daughter before all, Don -Sylva. We must absolutely shelter her from all danger; if possible, -spare her the slightest alarm. I, therefore, accept this gentleman's -views, and am determined to act with the greatest circumspection."</p> - -<p>"I thank you for my daughter and myself."</p> - -<p>"And now, sir, as we are already indebted to you for such good advice, -complete your task. In my place, what would you do?"</p> - -<p>"My advice is as follows," Louis answered seriously. "The Apaches will -attack you for certain reasons I know, and which it is unnecessary to -tell you. They make a point of honour of the success of that attack. -Hence intrench yourselves here as well as you can. You have a -considerable garrison composed of tried men; consequently, nearly all -the chances are in your favour."</p> - -<p>"I have one hundred and seventy resolute Frenchmen, who have all been -soldiers."</p> - -<p>"Behind good walls, and well armed, they are more than you want."</p> - -<p>"Without counting forty peons, accustomed to pursuing the Indians, and -whom I brought with me," Don Sylva remarked.</p> - -<p>"Are those men here at this moment?" Louis asked sharply.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir."</p> - -<p>"Oh! That simplifies the question materially. If you will believe me, -the Indians have now everything to fear instead of you."</p> - -<p>"Explain."</p> - -<p>"It is evident that you will be attacked from the river. Perhaps, in -order to divide your forces, the Indians will make a feigned attack from -the side of the isthmus; but that point is too strongly defended for them -to attempt to carry it. I repeat, then, all the enemy's efforts will be -directed on the side of the river."</p> - -<p>"I would call your attention to the fact, sir," the lieutenant said, -"that at this moment the river is rendered unnavigable by thousands of -trees torn from the mountains by the storms, and which it bears along -with it."</p> - -<p>"I know not whether the river is navigable or not," Don Louis replied -firmly, "but of one thing I am certain, that the Apaches will attack you -on that side."</p> - -<p>"In any case, and not to be taken by surprise, two of the guns will be -moved from the isthmus battery, leaving four there, which are more -than sufficient, and laid so as to enfilade the river, care be taken to -mask them. You will also, Leroux, mount a culverin on the platform of -the mirador, whence we shall command the course of the Gila. Go and have -these orders executed at once."</p> - -<p>The old soldier went out without any reply, in order to carry out the -commands of his chief.</p> - -<p>"You see, gentlemen," the count then said, "that I hasten to profit by -the counsels you are good enough to give me. I recognise my utter -inexperience of this Indian warfare, and I repeat that I am happy at -being so well supported."</p> - -<p>"This gentleman has foreseen everything," the hacendero said; "like him, -I believe that the house is most exposed to the river front."</p> - -<p>"A last word," Don Louis continued.</p> - -<p>"Speak, speak, sir."</p> - -<p>"Did you not say, caballero, that you brought with you forty peons, -accustomed to Indian warfare, and that they were still here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I said so, and it is perfectly true."</p> - -<p>"Very good. I believe—and be good enough to take it as a simple -observation, caballero—I say I believe that it would be a masterstroke, -which would insure you the victory, to place your enemies between two -fires."</p> - -<p>"Indeed it would," the count exclaimed; "but how to do it? You yourself -said, only a moment ago, that it would be the height of imprudence to -send out a scouting party."</p> - -<p>"I said, and I repeat it, the grass and woods are at this moment filled -with eyes fixed on the hacienda, who will let no one pass out -unnoticed."</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>"Did I not tell you that this war was one of stratagems and ambushes?"</p> - -<p>"You did; but I do not understand, I confess, what you are driving at."</p> - -<p>"It is however, excessively simple; you will understand me in a few -words."</p> - -<p>"I much desire it."</p> - -<p>"Señor caballero," Don Louis went on, turning to Don Sylva, "do you -intend to remain here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; for certain private reasons I must remain some time here."</p> - -<p>"I have no intention, be assured, señor, to interfere in your private -affairs. So you remain here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Very good. Have you among your peons a devoted man on whom you can -count as on yourself?"</p> - -<p>"Cascaras! I should think so. I have Blas Vasquez."</p> - -<p>"Would you be good enough to tell me who this Blas is, as I have not the -honour of his acquaintance?"</p> - -<p>"He is my capataz, and I can trust to him as to myself in matters of -danger."</p> - -<p>"Excellent! All is going on famously, then."</p> - -<p>"I really cannot make you out," the count said.</p> - -<p>"You shall see," said Louis.</p> - -<p>"I have been trying to do so for the last half hour."</p> - -<p>"Your capataz, to whom you will give your instructions, will put himself -at the head of his peons within an hour, and ostensibly take the road to -Guaymas; but, as soon as he has gone two or three leagues to a point we -shall settle on, he will halt. The rest will be the business of myself -and friends."</p> - -<p>"Oh! I understand your plan now. The peons hidden by you will attack the -Indians in the rear so soon as the action has commenced between and them -us."</p> - -<p>"That is it."</p> - -<p>"But the Apaches? Do you believe they will allow a troop of white men to -retire without harassing them?"</p> - -<p>"The Indians are too shrewd to oppose them. What good would it do to -attack a body of men who have no baggage? The fight would not profit -them, but cause their position to be discovered. No, no, be easy, -caballero, they will not stir: they have too great an interest in -remaining invisible."</p> - -<p>"And what do you intend to do?"</p> - -<p>"The Indians certainly saw me come in this direction; they know I am -here. If I went out with them it would betray all. I shall go away alone -as I came, and that immediately."</p> - -<p>"The plan is so simple and well arranged that it must succeed. Receive -our thanks, sir, and be kind enough to tell us your name, that we may -know the man to whom we are indebted for so great a service."</p> - -<p>"To what end, sir?"</p> - -<p>"I join my entreaties, caballero, to those of my friend, Don Gaëtano, in -order to induce you to reveal the name of a man whose memory will be -eternally engraved on our hearts."</p> - -<p>Don Louis hesitated, though unable to account to himself for the reason -that made him do so. He felt a repugnance to give up his incognito as -respected the count. The two men, however, pressed him so politely, that -having no serious reason to offer for the maintenance of his incognito, -he allowed himself to be vanquished by their entreaties, and consented -to give his name.</p> - -<p>"Caballeros," he at length said, "I am the Count Louis Edward Maxime de -Prébois Crancé."</p> - -<p>"We are friends, I trust," De Lhorailles said, holding out his hand to -him.</p> - -<p>"What I have done is a proof of it, I think, sir," the other replied -with a bow, but not taking the offered hand.</p> - -<p>"I thank you," the count went on, without appearing to notice Louis' -repugnance. "Do you intend to leave us soon?"</p> - -<p>"I must leave you to the urgent business you have on hand. If you will -allow me, I will take my leave at once."</p> - -<p>"Not breakfasting, at least?"</p> - -<p>"You will excuse me, but time presses. I have friends I have now left -for some hours, and who must be alarmed by my lengthened absence."</p> - -<p>"As they know you are at my house, that is impossible, sir," the count -said, somewhat piqued.</p> - -<p>"They do not know that I arrived here without accident."</p> - -<p>"That is different; then I will not delay you. Once again I thank you, -sir."</p> - -<p>"I have acted in accordance with my conscience; you owe me no thanks."</p> - -<p>The three men quitted the hall, and proceeded towards the isthmus -battery, talking of indifferent matters. About half way they met Don -Blas, the capataz. Don Sylva made him a sign to join them, and when he -was near them explained to him in two words the events that were -preparing, and the part he would have to play.</p> - -<p>"Voto a Brios!" the capataz exclaimed joyously. "I thank you, Don Sylva, -for this good news. We shall have a row at last, then, with those Apache -dogs! Caray! They'll see some fun, I swear."</p> - -<p>"I trust entirely to you, Blas."</p> - -<p>"But at what place must I await this caballero?"</p> - -<p>"That is true: we have not fixed the place of meeting."</p> - -<p>"About three leagues from here, on the Guaymas road, at a place where -the road makes a bend, there is an isolated hill called, I think, <i>El -Pan de Azucar</i>: you can ambush there without any fear of discovery. I -will join you at this spot with my friends."</p> - -<p>"That is agreed. At about what hour?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot say for certain: that must depend on circumstances."</p> - -<p>A few minutes later Don Louis was riding back to the prairie, while the -Count de Lhorailles and the two Mexicans, made preparations for an -active defence of the colony.</p> - -<p>"It is strange," Don Louis muttered to himself as he galloped on, "that -this man who is my countryman, and for whom I shall risk my life ere -long, inspires me with no sympathy."</p> - -<p>Suddenly his horse shied. Roughly startled from his reverie, the -Frenchman looked up.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head stood before him.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE MEXICAN MOON.</h3> - - -<p>After his visit to the hunters the Black Bear set out, at the head of -his warriors, to proceed to a neighbouring island, known by the name of -Choke-Heckel, which was one of the advanced Apache posts on the Mexican -frontier. He reached the isle at daybreak. At this spot the Gila attains -its greatest width: each of the arms formed by the island is nearly two -miles wide. The island which rises in the middle of the water, like a -basket of flowers, is about two miles long by half a mile wide, and is -one immense bouquet, exhaling the sweetest perfumes, and the melodious -songs of the birds which congregate in incalculable numbers on all the -branches of the trees by which it is covered.</p> - -<p>Illumined on this day by the splendid beams of a flashing sun, the place -had a strange and unusual appearance which had a powerful effect on the -imagination. As far as the eye could reach over the island and the two -banks of the Gila could be seen tents of buffalo hide, or huts of -branches leaned against each other, and whose strange colours wearied -the sight. Numerous canoes made of horse-skins sewed together, and -mostly round, or else hollowed out of trunks of trees, traversed the -river in every direction. The warriors dismounted and set their horses -free, which immediately proceeded to join a number of others.</p> - -<p>The chief went towards the huts before which feather flags and the -scalps of renowned warriors fluttered in the breeze, passing through the -women who were preparing the morning meal. But the Black Bear had been -recognised immediately on his arrival, and all got out of his way with -respectful bows. A thing no European could credit is the respect all -Indians, without exception, pay to their chiefs. Among those who have -kept up the manners of their forefathers, and, disdaining European -civilisation, have continued to wander about the prairies as free men, -this respect is changed into fanaticism, almost into adoration.</p> - -<p>The gold fillet adorned with two buffalo horns, placed on the Black -Bear's brow, caused him to be recognised by all, and the liveliest joy -was evinced on his passage. He at length reached the river's bank. On -arriving there he made a sign to a man fishing a short distance off in a -canoe; the latter hastened up, and the chief passed over to the island. -A hut of branches had been prepared for him. It is probable that -invisible sentinels were watching for his arrival, for the moment he set -foot on land, a chief called the Little Panther presented himself before -him.</p> - -<p>"The great chief is welcome among his brothers," he said, bowing -courteously before the Black Bear. "Has my father had a good journey?"</p> - -<p>"I have had a good journey, I thank my brother."</p> - -<p>"If my father consents I will lead him to <i>jacal</i> built to receive -him."</p> - -<p>"Let us go," the chief said.</p> - -<p>The Little Panther bowed a second time, and guided the chief along a -path formed through the shrubs. They soon arrived at a jacal, which, in -the mind of the Indians, offered the ideal of what was comfortable, -through its size, the brilliancy of the colours with which it was -painted, and its cleanliness.</p> - -<p>"My father is at home," the Little Panther said, respectfully raising -the <i>fresada</i> (blanket) which closed the jacal, and falling back to let -the Black Bear pass. The latter entered.</p> - -<p>"My brother will follow me," he said.</p> - -<p>The Little Panther walked in behind him, and let the curtain fall. This -abode did not in any way differ from that of the other Indians. A fire -burned in the centre. The Black Bear made a sign to the other chief to -sit down on a buffalo skull. He then chose one for himself, and sat down -near the fire. After a moment's silence, employed by the two chiefs in -smoking gravely, the Black Bear addressed the Little Panther:—</p> - -<p>"Are the chiefs of all the tribes of our nation collected on the island -as I ordered?"</p> - -<p>"They are."</p> - -<p>"When will they come to my jacal?"</p> - -<p>"That depends on my father. They await his good pleasure."</p> - -<p>The Black Bear began smoking again silently. A long period was thus -spent.</p> - -<p>"Nothing new has happened during my absence?" the Black Bear asked, -shaking the ash out of his calumet on his thumb.</p> - -<p>"Three chiefs of the prairie Comanches have arrived, sent by their -nation to treat with the Apaches."</p> - -<p>"Wah!" the chief said. "Are they renowned warriors?"</p> - -<p>"They have many wolves' tails on their moccasins. They must be valiant."</p> - -<p>The Black Bear nodded his head in affirmation.</p> - -<p>"One of them, it is said, is the Jester," the Little Panther continued.</p> - -<p>"Is my brother certain of what he says?" the chief asked sharply.</p> - -<p>"The Comanche warriors refused to give their names when they learned the -absence of my father. They answered it was well, and that they would -await his return."</p> - -<p>"Good! They are chiefs. Where are they?"</p> - -<p>"They have lighted a fire, round which they are camping."</p> - -<p>"Time is precious. My brother will warn the Apache chiefs that I await -them at the council fire."</p> - -<p>The Little Panther rose without replying, and quitted the jacal.</p> - -<p>For about an hour the Indian chief remained alone buried in thought: at -the end of that time the sound of several approaching men could be heard -outside. The curtain was raised by the Little Panther, who walked in.</p> - -<p>"Well?" the Black Bear asked.</p> - -<p>"The chiefs are waiting."</p> - -<p>"Let them come in."</p> - -<p>The chiefs made their appearance. They were ten in number; each had put -on his best ornaments, and all wore their war paint. They entered -silently, and ranged themselves silently round the fire, after silently -saluting the great chief, and kissing the hem of his robe.</p> - -<p>As soon as all the chiefs had assembled in the interior of the <i>toldo</i>, -a troop of Apache warriors drew up outside, to keep off the curious, and -insure the secrecy of the deliberations. The Black Bear, in spite of his -self-mastery, could not refrain from a movement of joy at the sight of -all these men, who were entirely devoted to him, and by whose help he -felt certain of accomplishing his projects.</p> - -<p>"My brothers are welcome," he said, inviting them by a sign to take -seats on the buffalo skulls ranged round the fire, "I was awaiting them -impatiently."</p> - -<p>The chiefs bowed and sat down. Then the pipe bearer entered and -presented the calumet to each warrior, who drew two or three puffs of -tobacco. When this ceremony was over, and the pipe bearer had departed, -the deliberations began.</p> - -<p>"Before all," said the Black Bear, "I must give you an account of my -mission. The Black Bear has completely fulfilled it; he has entered the -hut of the white men; he has thoroughly examined it; he knows the number -of palefaces that defend it; and when the hour arrives for him to lead -his warriors there, the Black Bear will know how to find the road -again."</p> - -<p>The chiefs bowed with satisfaction.</p> - -<p>"This great cabin of the whites," the Black Bear continued, "is the only -serious obstacle we shall find on our road in the new expedition we are -undertaking."</p> - -<p>"The Yoris are dogs without courage. The Apaches will give them -petticoats, and make them prepare their game," the Little Panther said -with a grin.</p> - -<p>The Black Bear shook his head.</p> - -<p>"The palefaces of the great cabin of Guetzalli are not Yoris," he said. -"A chief has seen them—-they are men. Nearly all of them have blue eyes -and hair the colour of ripe maize; they seem very brave—my brothers -must be prudent."</p> - -<p>"Does not my father know who these men are?" a chief inquired.</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear does not know. He was told down there near the great -Salt Lake, that they inhabited a country very far from here, toward the -rising sun: that is all."</p> - -<p>"These men have no trees, nor fruit, nor buffaloes in their own country, -that they come to steal ours."</p> - -<p>"The palefaces are insatiable," the Black Bear replied. "They forget -that the Great Spirit has only given them, like other men, one mouth and -two hands. All they see they covet. The Wacondah, who loves his red -sons, let them be born in a rich country, and has covered them with his -gifts. The palefaces are jealous, and seek continually to rob and -dispossess them; but the Apaches are brave warriors: they can defend -their hunting grounds, and prevent them being trampled by these -vagabonds, who have come from the other side of the Great Salt Lake on -the floating cabins of the <i>Great Medicine.</i>"</p> - -<p>The chiefs warmly applauded this harangue, which expressed so well the -sentiments that affected them, and the animosity with which they were -animated against the white race—that conquering and invading race, -which constantly drives them further into the desert, not even leaving -them the requisite space to breathe and live quietly after their -fashion.</p> - -<p>"The great nation of the Comanches of the Lakes, that which is called -the Queen of the Prairies, has deputed to our nation three renowned -warriors. I know not the object of this embassy, which, however, must be -peaceful. Does it please you, chiefs of my nation, to receive them, and -admit them to smoke the calumet of peace round our council fire."</p> - -<p>"My father is a very wise warrior," the Little Panther replied: "he can, -when he likes, divine the most hidden thoughts in the heart of his -enemies. What he does will be well done. The chiefs of his nation will -be always happy to regulate their conduct by the counsels he may deign -to give them."</p> - -<p>The Black Bear threw a glance round the assembly, as if to assure -himself that the Little Panther had truly expressed the general will. -The members of the council silently bowed their heads in acquiescence. -The chief smiled proudly on seeing himself so appreciated by his -companions, and addressing the Little Panther, said,—</p> - -<p>"Let my brothers, the Comanche chiefs, be introduced."</p> - -<p>These words were pronounced with a majesty equal to that of a European -king sitting in parliament.</p> - -<p>The Little Panther went out to execute the order he had received. During -his absence, which was rather long, not a word was exchanged between the -chiefs seated on buffalo skulls, with their elbows on their knees, and -their chins on the palm of their hand; they remained motionless and -silent, apparently plunged into deep thought.</p> - -<p>The Little Panther at length returned, preceding the Comanche warriors. -On their entry the Apache chiefs rose and saluted them ceremoniously. -The Comanches returned the salutation with no less courtesy, but without -any other response, and waited till they were addressed.</p> - -<p>The Comanche warriors were young and finely built; they had a martial -bearing, a free glance, and thoughtful brow. Dressed in their national -costume, with heads proudly raised, and hands stemmed in their sides, -they had something noble and loyal about them which aroused sympathy. -One of them specially, the youngest of the three—he was hardly -five-and-twenty—must be a superior man, to judge by appearances: the -stern lines of his countenance, the brilliancy of his glance, the -elegance and majesty of his bearing, caused him to be recognised at the -first glance as a chosen man.</p> - -<p>His name was the Jester; and, as might be guessed from the tuft of -condor feathers passed through his warlock, he was one of the principal -chiefs of the nation.</p> - -<p>The Apache chiefs bent on the new arrivals, while not appearing to -notice them, that profoundly inquisitive glance possessed to so eminent -a degree by the Indians. The Comanches, though they might guess the -power of the glances fixed on them, did not make a sign, nor allow a -movement to escape them, indicating that they knew themselves to be the -object of attention to all present.</p> - -<p>Machiavel, author of the "Prince" though he was, compared with the red -men, was only a child in matters of policy. These poor savages, as -they are called by those who do not know them, are the cleverest and -most cunning diplomatists in existence.</p> - -<p>After an instant's delay the Black Bear took a step toward the Comanche -chiefs, bowed to them, and holding out his right hand palm upwards, -said,—</p> - -<p>"I am happy to receive beneath my cabin, in the midst of my people, my -brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes. They will take their place at the -council fire, and smoke with their brothers the calumet of peace."</p> - -<p>"Be it so," the Jester replied in a stern voice. "Are we not all children -of Wacondah?"</p> - -<p>And, without adding another word, he took his seat with the other chiefs -at the council fire, side by side with the Apaches. The conversation was -broken off again, for everyone was smoking. At length, when the calumet -bowls contained only ashes, the Black Bear turned with a courteous smile -to the Jester.</p> - -<p>"My brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes, are doubtlessly hunting the -buffalo not far from here, and then the thought occurred to them to -visit their Apache brothers. I thank them for it."</p> - -<p>The Jester bowed.</p> - -<p>"The Comanches of the Lakes are far away chasing the antelopes on the -Del Nato. The Jester, and a few devoted warriors of his tribe who -accompany him, are alone encamped on the hunting grounds."</p> - -<p>"The Jester is a chief renowned on the prairie," the Apache graciously -remarked. "The Black Bear is happy to have seen him. So great a warrior -as my brother does not act thus without some plausible motive."</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear has guessed it. The Jester has come to renew with his -Apache brothers the narrow bonds of a loyal friendship. Why, instead of -disputing a territory to which we have equal claims, should we not -divide it between us? Should the red men destroy each other? Would it -not be better to bury the war hatchet by the council fire at such a -depth that, when an Apache met a Comanche, he would only see in him a -well-beloved brother? The palefaces, who each moon encroach on our -possessions more and more, carry on a furious war with us; then why -should we help them by our intestine dissensions?"</p> - -<p>The Black Bear rose, and, stretching forth his arm with authority, -said,—</p> - -<p>"My brother, the Jester, is right. Only one sentiment should henceforth -guide us—patriotism! Let us lay aside all our paltry enmities, to think -but of one thing—liberty! The palefaces are perfectly ignorant of -our plans. During the few days I passed at Guaymas I was able to -convince myself of that: thus our sudden invasion will be to them a -thunderbolt, which will ice them with terror. They will be more than -half conquered by our approach."</p> - -<p>There was a solemn silence. The Jester then turned a calm and proud -glance round the meeting, and exclaimed,—</p> - -<p>"The Mexican moon will begin in twenty-four hours. Redskin warriors! -Shall we allow it to pass away without attempting one of those daring -strokes which we usually perform at this period of the year? There is -one establishment above all, over which we should rush like a whirlwind: -that establishment founded by palefaces, other than the Yoris, is for us -a permanent menace. I will not deal craftily with you. Apache chiefs! I -come to offer you frankly, if you will attack Guetzalli, the support of -four hundred Comanche warriors, at whose head I will place myself."</p> - -<p>At this proposition a quiver of pleasure ran through the meeting.</p> - -<p>"I joyfully accept my brother's proposal," the Black Bear said. "I have, -nearly the same number of warriors: our two bands will be strong enough, -I hope, to utterly destroy the palefaces. Tomorrow, at the rising of the -moon, we will set out."</p> - -<p>The chiefs retired, and the Black Bear and the Jester were left alone. -These two chiefs enjoyed an equal reputation, and both were adored by -their countrymen, hence they examined each other curiously, for up to -that moment they had always been enemies, and never had the chance of -meeting save with weapons in their hands.</p> - -<p>"I thank my brother for his cordial offer," the Black Bear was the first -to say. "Under the present circumstances his help will be very -advantageous for us; but once the victory is decided, the spoil will be -equally shared between the two nations."</p> - -<p>The Jester bowed.</p> - -<p>"What plan has my brother formed?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"A very simple one. The Comanches are terrible horsemen: with my brother -at their head, they must be invincible. So soon as the moon shines in -the heavens the Jester will set out with his warriors, and proceed -toward Guetzalli, being careful to fire the prairie in front of his -detachment, in order to raise a curtain of smoke which will conceal his -movements and prevent his warriors being counted. If, as is not -probable, the palefaces have placed vedettes before their great lodge to -announce the arrival of the expedition, my brother will seize and kill -them at once, to prevent them giving any alarm. In this expedition, as -in all those that have preceded it, everything belonging to the -palefaces—lodges, jacals, houses—will be burnt; the beasts carried off -and sent to the rear. On arriving in front of Guetzalli my brother will -hide himself as well as he can, and await the signal I will give him to -attack the palefaces."</p> - -<p>"Good! My brother is a prudent chief. He will succeed. I will do exactly -as he has told me; and he, what will he do while I am executing this -portion of the general plan?"</p> - -<p>A strange smile played on the Black Bear's lips.</p> - -<p>"He will see," he said laying his hand on the Comanche's shoulder. "Let -him act as a chief, and I promise him a glorious victory."</p> - -<p>"Good!" the Comanche made answer. "My brother is the first of his -nation; he knows how he should behave; the Apaches are not women. I go -to rejoin my warriors."</p> - -<p>"'Tis well; my brother has understood. Tomorrow at the rising of the -moon."</p> - -<p>The Jester bowed, and the two chiefs separated, apparently the best -friends in the world. A few moments later the greatest animation -prevailed in the Apache camp; the women struck the tents and loaded the -mules, the children lassoed and saddled the horses, and all preparations -were made for their departure.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a></h4> - -<h3>A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM.</h3> - - -<p>The next day at the rising of the moon, as had been agreed, the Jester -ordered his detachment to set out. Presently a party of horsemen who had -hurried onwards threw lighted torches amid the shrubs, and in a few -minutes an immense curtain of flames rose to the sky, and completely -veiled the horizon. The Comanches carried out the orders of the Apache -chief with such rapidity and intelligence, that in less than an hour all -was consumed.</p> - -<p>The Black Bear, concealed in the island with his war party, had not made -a move. The traces left by the Comanches were, alas! very visible, for -the country only that morning so lovely, rich, and luxuriant, was at -present gloomy and desolate. There was no verdure, no flowers, no birds -hidden beneath the frondage, and twittering as if to outrival each other.</p> - -<p>The Indians' plan would have met with perfect success through the -arrangement of the campaigners, and the Guetzalli colonists would have -been surprised, had other men than Belhumeur and his friends been on the -route of the Indian army.</p> - -<p>The Canadian was watching. At the first smoke that arose in the distance -he understood the intention of the redskins, and without losing a moment -he sent off Eagle-head to the colony to inform the count of what was -taking place. Still, behind the fire, the Comanches were arriving at -full speed destroying and trampling beneath their horse's hoofs what the -flames might have spared.</p> - -<p>Night had completely set in when the Jester had arrived in sight of -the colony. Supposing that, through the rapidity of his march, the white -men would not have had time to place themselves on the defensive, he -ambushed a portion of his men, placed himself at the head of the rest, -and crawled with all the precautions employed in such cases toward the -isthmus battery.</p> - -<p>No one appeared: the glacis and entrenchments seemed abandoned. The -Jester uttered his war cry, rose suddenly, and bounding forward like a -jaguar, crossed the entrenchment, followed by his warriors. But, at the -moment when the Comanches prepared to leap into the interior, a fearful -discharge at point blank range levelled more than one half of the Indian -detachment, while the survivors took to flight.</p> - -<p>The Comanches had one great disadvantage—they possessed no firearms. -The musketry decimated them, and they could only reply by firing their -arrows, or by hurling their javelins. Noticing, therefore, though too -late for himself, that the French were on their guard, the Jester, -desperate at the check he had experienced, and his serious losses, was -unwilling to further weaken the confidence of his warriors by useless -tentatives. He concealed his detachment under the cover of the virgin -forest, and resolved to wait for the Black Bear's signal ere he made a -move.</p> - -<p>Don Louis had followed Eagle-head. The Indian, after several turnings, -led him almost opposite the isthmus battery to the entrance of a dense -thicket of cactus, aloes, and floripondios.</p> - -<p>"My brother can dismount," he said to the Frenchman; "we have arrived."</p> - -<p>"Arrived where?" Louis asked, looking around him in vain.</p> - -<p>Without replying the chief took the horse, and led it away. Louis, -during the interval looked all around him: but his researches had no -result.</p> - -<p>"Well," Eagle-head asked on his return, "has my brother found it?"</p> - -<p>"On my faith, no, chief. I give it up."</p> - -<p>The Indian smiled.</p> - -<p>"The palefaces have the eyes of moles," he said.</p> - -<p>"It is possible; at any rate, I should feel obliged by your lending me -yours."</p> - -<p>"Good! My brother shall see."</p> - -<p>Eagle-head glided along the ground, and Louis imitated him: in this way -they entered the thicket. After about a quarter of an hour of this -exercise, which was more than fatiguing, the Indian stopped.</p> - -<p>"Let my brother look," he said.</p> - -<p>They were in a small clearing, formed in the midst of an inextricable -medley of branches and shrubs, completed by a profusion of leaves so -artistically interlaced, that without deep observation it would be -impossible to suspect the existence of this hiding place. Belhumeur and -the two Mexicans were philosophically smoking while awaiting the return -of the envoy.</p> - -<p>"You are welcome," the Canadian said, so soon as he caught sight of him. -"How do you like our camp? Charming, is it not? Eagle-head discovered -it. Those devils of Indians have a peculiar talent for forming an -ambuscade. We are as safe here as in Québec Cathedral."</p> - -<p>During this flood of words, to which he only responded by a hearty -pressure of the hand, Louis had comfortably seated himself by the side -of his companions, and began to do honour, with excellent appetite, to -the provisions they had put aside for him.</p> - -<p>"But where are the horses?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Here, two paces from us; not to be found by anyone save ourselves."</p> - -<p>"Very good. Shall we be able to get them so soon as we want them?"</p> - -<p>"Pardieu!"</p> - -<p>"The fact is we shall probably need them soon."</p> - -<p>"Ah, ah! But," he added, checking himself, "I am chattering, and not -noticing that you must be probably savagely hungry. Finish your meal, -and we will talk afterwards."</p> - -<p>"Oh! I can answer very well while eating."</p> - -<p>"Wo! No, everything has its proper time. Finish your breakfast: we will -listen to you afterwards."</p> - -<p>When Louis had finished eating he described fully the way in which he -had carried out his mission.</p> - -<p>"All that is very good," Belhumeur said when he had ended his report. "I -believe that we can henceforth feel assured about the safety of our -countrymen, especially with the help of the forty peons, who will take -the enemy between two fires."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but where shall they be concealed?"</p> - -<p>"Leave that to Eagle-head. The chief knows the country thoroughly, he -has hunted in it for a long time. I am certain he will find a suitable -place for the Mexicans. What do you say, chief?"</p> - -<p>"It is easy to hide one's self in the prairie," the chief answered -laconically.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Don Martial remarked, "but there is one thing you forget."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"I live on the frontier, and have long been accustomed to Indian -tactics. The Apaches will arrive, preceded by a curtain of smoke; the -plain will be only one vast sheet of flame, in the midst of which we -shall struggle in vain, and which will end by swallowing us up, if we do -not take the proper precautions."</p> - -<p>"That is true: it is a serious matter. Unfortunately, I only see one way -of escaping from the danger, and that we cannot employ."</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"By Jove! Making off."</p> - -<p>"I know another," Eagle-head observed.</p> - -<p>"You, chief? Then you will tell us of it."</p> - -<p>"Let the palefaces listen. The Rio Gila, like all other large rivers, -brings down with it dead trees, at times in such quantities that at -certain spots they completely block up the passage, in time these trees -press against each other, and their branches become entwined; then grass -grows, to cement them more firmly together; the sand and earth are piled -up gradually on these immense rafts, which at a distance resemble -islands, until a storm comes as a flood, which breaks up the raft, and -bears it away."</p> - -<p>"I know that. I have seen frequent instances of it, chief," Belhumeur -said. "These rafts at last grow to look so like islands that the man -most accustomed to desert life and the grand spectacles of nature is -frequently deceived by them. I understand all the advantages your idea -possesses for us; but, unhappily, I do not see how it will be possible -for us to carry it out."</p> - -<p>"In the simplest way. The Indian's eye is good; he sees everything -within two bow-shots of him. Above the great lodge of the palefaces, did -not my brother notice an islet about fifty yards almost from the bank?"</p> - -<p>"What you say is quite correct," Belhumeur exclaimed; "I can call the -island to mind now."</p> - -<p>"From the position it occupies there will be nothing to apprehend from -fire," Louis remarked. "If it is large enough to hold us all it will be -extremely useful as an advanced post."</p> - -<p>"We have not a moment to lose: we must take possession of it at once, -and when we are certain that it offers all we want we will lead the -peons to it."</p> - -<p>"Let us start, then, without further delay," the Tigrero said as he -rose.</p> - -<p>The others imitated him, and the five men left the clearing. After -fetching their horses they proceeded toward the island under the -guidance of Eagle-head.</p> - -<p>The Indian chief had not deceived them. With that infallible glance his -countrymen possess, he had at once formed a correct opinion of the spot -he so cleverly selected. There was another consideration highly -advantageous for the adventurers—a thick line of mangroves bordered the -river's edge, and advanced sufficiently far into the stream to diminish -the distance separating the isle from the mainland, while forming a -natural defence for men concealed in the tall grass; for it was -perfectly impossible that the Indians could hide themselves in the -mangroves to harass their enemies, who, on the other hand, could do them -considerable mischief.</p> - -<p>This islet (we will retain the name, though it was really only a raft) -was covered with a close, strong herbage, about two yards in height, in -the midst of which, men and horses completely disappeared. When the -reconnoissance was ended, Belhumeur and the two Mexicans installed -themselves in the centre, while Louis and Eagle-head returned to the -bank to go and meet the capataz and his people.</p> - -<p>Don Martial did not care to accompany them. So near the colony he was -afraid of being recognised by Don Sylva, and preferred to maintain, as -long as he could, an incognito necessary for the ulterior success of his -plans. Louis, after making him the offer to accompany them, pressed him -no further, and appeared to accept his refusal without any discussion. -The truth was, that the count felt, without being able to explain it, a -species of repulsion for this man, whose cautious manner and continual -hesitation had ill disposed him in his favour.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head and Louis, certain that the Black Bear had really retired -with his detachment, and left no spies on the prairie, thought it -unnecessary to let the Mexicans take a long and wearisome ride before -leading them to the hiding place; consequently, they hid themselves in -the shrubs at the end of the isthmus to watch their exit, and lead them -straight to the spot.</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile the news Don Louis had carried to the colony had turned -everything topsy-turvy. Although, since the first foundation of the -hacienda, the Indians had constantly tried to harass the French, the -various attempts they made had been unimportant, and this was really the -first time they would have a serious contest with their ferocious -enemies.</p> - -<p>The Count de Lhorailles had with him about two hundred Dauph'yeers, who -had come from Valparaiso, Guyaquil, Callao, and the other Pacific ports, -which are always crowded with adventurers of every description. These -worthy people were a singular mixture of all the nationalities peopling -the two hemispheres, although the French supplied the largest factor. -Half bandits, half soldiers, these men put the utmost faith in the chief -they had freely chosen.</p> - -<p>The news of the attack premeditated by the Apaches was received by the -garrison with shouts of joy and enthusiasm. It was an amusement for -these adventurers to exchange shots, or rub the rust off a little, as -they naïvely said in their picturesque language. They desired before all -to prove to the Apaches the difference existing between the Creole -colonists, whom they had been in the habit of killing and plundering -from time immemorial, and Europeans whom they did not yet know.</p> - -<p>The count, therefore, had no need to recommend firmness to them; he was -on the contrary, obliged to repress their ardour, and beg them to be -prudent, by promising that they should soon have an opportunity of -meeting the redskins in the open field.</p> - -<p>As soon as the defensive preparations were made the count left the -details to his two lieutenants, two old soldiers, on whom he believed -he could count; then he thought of Blas Vasquez and his peons. In the -probable event that the Indians had left spies round the colony, they -must be persuaded that this band had really retired. For that purpose -several mules were laden with provisions, as if for a long journey; then -the capataz, well instructed, put himself at the head of the squadron, -and left the colony, rifle on thigh.</p> - -<p>The count, Don Sylva, and the other inhabitants followed the party with -an interest easy to comprehend, ready to help them if attacked. But -nothing stirred in the prairie; the calm and silence continued to -prevail, and the Mexicans soon disappeared in the tall grass.</p> - -<p>"I cannot at all understand the Indian tactics," Don Sylva muttered -thoughtfully. "As they have allowed that party to pass so quietly, they -must be planning some trick which offers a good prospect of success."</p> - -<p>"We shall soon know what we are to expect," the count replied; "besides, -we are ready to receive them. I am only sorry that Doña Anita should be -here; not that she runs the slightest risk, but the sound of the contest -may terrify her."</p> - -<p>"No, señor conde," the lady said, who came from the house at the moment; -"fear nothing of that nature for me. I am a true Mexican, and not one of -your European dames, whom the slightest thing causes to faint. Often, in -circumstances graver than these, I have heard the Apache war yell echo -in my ears, without, however, feeling that intense alarm you seem to -apprehend from me today."</p> - -<p>After uttering these words with that haughty and profoundly contemptuous -accent women know so well to employ to a man they do not love, Doña -Anita passed before the count without deigning him a glance, and took -her father's arm.</p> - -<p>The Frenchman made no reply: he bit his lips till they bled, and bowed -as if he did not understand the epigram launched at him. He intended to -have an explanation with his betrothed at a later date; for though he -did not love her, as often happens in such cases, he did not pardon her -being loved by another, and especially for regarding him with -indifference; but the events which had hurried on with such rapidity -during the last two days had hitherto prevented him asking this -important interview of the doña.</p> - -<p>The hacendero's daughter was an Andalusian from head to foot, all fire -and passion, only obeying the precipitate movements of her heart. Loving -with all the strength of her soul, safeguarded by her love for Don -Martial, she had judged the Count de Lhorailles coolly, and guessed the -speculator under the garb of the gentleman; hence she made up her mind -at once to render it an impossibility ever to become his wife. To -commence an overt struggle with her father—she knew, too well to risk -it, the old Spanish blood that boiled in his veins. A woman's strength -is her apparent weakness; her means of defence, stratagem. As much -Indian as she was Spaniard, Anita chose stratagem, that terrible woman's -weapon, which often renders her so dangerous.</p> - -<p>Blas Vazquez, the capataz, had seen the birth of Doña Anita: his wife -had been her nurse—that is, he was devoted to the young girl, and on a -sign from her he would have pledged his soul to the demon.</p> - -<p>When Don Louis visited the hacienda the young lady was considerably -curious as to the motive of his arrival. After the Frenchman's departure -she asked coolly for information from the capataz, who saw no harm in -giving it to her, the more so because everyone in the colony would soon -know the news the count brought. The only thing no one could know, and -which Doña Anita guessed with that heart instinct which never deceives, -was the presence of the Tigrero among the hunters ambushed in the -vicinity of the hacienda.</p> - -<p>On leaving her at Guaymas, Don Martial had said that he would constantly -watch over her, and save her from the fate with which she was menaced. -After that, it was plain that he must have followed her. Had he done so -(which she did not for a moment doubt), he must certainly be among the -brave men who at that moment were devoting themselves to save her, while -seeking to protect the colony.</p> - -<p>The logic of the heart is the only species that is positive and never -deceives. We have seen that Doña Anita, enlightened by passion, reasoned -justly. When the girl had drawn from the capataz all the information she -desired,—</p> - -<p>"Don Blas," she said to him, "it is probable that if the colony is -attacked, after the services you will be able to render, and when my -father and Don Gaëtano no longer want you and your men, that you will -receive orders to return to Guaymas."</p> - -<p>"'Tis probable, certainly, señora," the worthy man answered.</p> - -<p>"In that case you will have no objection to do me a service?" she went -on, looking at him with her most fascinating smile.</p> - -<p>"You know, señorita, that I would throw myself into the fire for you."</p> - -<p>"I do not wish you to put your friendship to such a rude trial, my good -Blas; still I thank you for your kindly feeling."</p> - -<p>"What can I do to oblige you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! A very easy matter. You know," she said lightly, "that for a long -time I have wished to have two jaguar skins as a carpet for my bedroom?"</p> - -<p>"No," he replied simply; "I was not aware of it."</p> - -<p>"Ah! Well, I tell it you now, so you know it."</p> - -<p>"I shall not forget it, señorita, you may be sure."</p> - -<p>"Thanks; but that is not exactly what I want."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"That you could get the skins for me."</p> - -<p>"Oh! So soon as I am my own master again you can depend on me."</p> - -<p>"I do not wish you to expose your life to satisfy a whim."</p> - -<p>"Oh, señorita!" he said reproachfully.</p> - -<p>"No; I have a way to procure them more easily."</p> - -<p>"Ah! Very good. Let us see."</p> - -<p>"A renowned Tigrero arrived at Guaymas a few days back."</p> - -<p>"Don Martial Asuzena?" he quickly interrupted her.</p> - -<p>"Do you know him?"</p> - -<p>"Who does not know the Tigrero?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I heard that he has brought from his last hunt on the western -prairies some magnificent jaguar skins, which, I have no doubt, he would -be willing to sell at a fair price."</p> - -<p>"I am certain of it."</p> - -<p>"Here," she said, drawing a small, carefully-sealed note from her bosom, -"is a letter you will give that man. I describe in it the way in which I -should like to have the skins prepared, and the price I am willing to -give. Here is the money," she added, as she handed him a purse; "you -will arrange the matter for me."</p> - -<p>"There was no occasion to write," the capataz remarked.</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, my friend, you have so many things to think of, that a -trifle like this might easily slip your memory."</p> - -<p>"Well, that is possible; so perhaps you have acted wisely."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, it is agreed—you will perform my commission?"</p> - -<p>"Can you doubt it?"</p> - -<p>"No, my friend. But stay, one word more. Do not say anything to my -father. You know how kind he is; he would want to make me a present of -them, and I wish to pay for the skins out of my own purse."</p> - -<p>The capataz began laughing at the joke. The worthy man was delighted at -sharing a secret, however slight it might be, with his darling child, as -he called his young mistress.</p> - -<p>"It is settled," he said; "I will be dumb."</p> - -<p>The girl gave him a friendly nod and withdrew. What was the meaning of -the note? Why did she write it? We shall soon learn.</p> - -<p>The day passed at the hacienda without further incidents. The count made -several attempts to have a conversation with the doña, which she -constantly sought to avoid.</p> - -<p>Blas Vasquez, on quitting the colony, struck the Guaymas road, and made -his troop go at a sharp trot, through fear of a surprise. He had scarce -lost sight of the colony, and entered the tall grass, when two men, -leaping into the middle of the path, checked their horses about twenty -paces ahead of him. One of them was an Indian; the other the capataz -recognised at a glance as the man who had come to the hacienda that -morning. Vasquez commanded his men to halt, and advancing alone to meet -the stranger, said,—</p> - -<p>"By what accident do I meet you here, señor Francés? You are still far -from the meeting place you indicated yourself."</p> - -<p>"We are so," was the reply; "but as we found no Apache trail in the -prairie we thought it useless to give you a long journey. I have been -sent to conduct you to the ambush we have chosen."</p> - -<p>"You did right. Have we far to go?"</p> - -<p>"No, hardly a quarter of an hour's ride. We are going to that islet, -which you can see by standing in your stirrups," he added, stretching -out his arm in the direction of the river.</p> - -<p>"Eh?" the capataz said. "The spot is well chosen: we can command the -river from there."</p> - -<p>"That is the reason why he selected it."</p> - -<p>"Be good enough, then, to serve as our guide, señor Francés: we will -follow you."</p> - -<p>The detachment set out again. As Don Louis had stated, within a quarter -of an hour the capataz and the peons were encamped on the islet with the -five adventurers, so well masked by grassland mangroves, that it was -impossible to see them from either bank of the river.</p> - -<p>So soon as the capataz had performed his duties as head of the -detachment, he sat down at the bivouac fire by the side of his new -friends, to whom Don Louis presented him. The first person Blas -perceived was Don Martial, the Tigrero. At the sight of him he could -hardly refrain from a movement of surprise.</p> - -<p>"<i>Caspita!</i>" he exclaimed, with a loud laugh; "the meeting is curious."</p> - -<p>"Why so?" the Mexican asked, rather annoyed by this recognition, which -he had not expected, for he did not think the capataz knew him.</p> - -<p>"Are you not Don Martial Asuzena?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," he replied, more and more restless.</p> - -<p>"My faith! I should have found it difficult to meet you at Guaymas; but -I did not expect to find you here."</p> - -<p>"Explain yourself, I beg. I cannot understand you at all."</p> - -<p>"My young mistress gave me a message for you."</p> - -<p>"What do you say?" the Tigrero exclaimed, his heart beginning to -palpitate.</p> - -<p>"What I say, nothing else. Doña Anita wishes to buy two jaguar skins of -you, it appears."</p> - -<p>"Of me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>Don Martial regarded him with such an air of amazement that the capataz -began again laughing heartily. This laughter aroused the young man; made -him conjecture there was some mystery in the affair; and that if he -continued to look so astonished, he would arouse suspicions in the -worthy man, who probably did not know the word of the riddle.</p> - -<p>"'Tis true," he said, as if trying to remember something, "I fancy I can -call to mind some time back—"</p> - -<p>"Then," the capataz interrupted him, "it's all right; besides, I was -asked to hand you a letter so soon as I met you."</p> - -<p>"A letter from whom?"</p> - -<p>"Why, from my mistress, I suppose."</p> - -<p>"From Doña Anita?"</p> - -<p>"Who else?"</p> - -<p>"Give it me quickly," the Tigrero exclaimed in great agitation.</p> - -<p>The capataz handed it to him. Don Martial tore it from his hands, broke -the seal with trembling fingers, and devoured it with his eyes. When he -had finished reading it he concealed it in his bosom.</p> - -<p>"Well," the capataz asked him, "what does my mistress say?"</p> - -<p>"Only what you told me yourself," the Tigrero replied, in anything but a -firm voice.</p> - -<p>Blas Vasquez shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Hem! That man is certainly hiding something from me," he muttered. "Can -Doña Anita have deceived me?"</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile the Tigrero walked about in agitation, apparently -revolving some important project. At length he approached Belhumeur, who -was smoking silently, and, leaning over his ear, uttered a few words in -a low voice, to which the Canadian answered with a nod of assent. A -flash of joy illumined the Tigrero's gloomy face as he made a sign to -Cucharés to follow him, and quitted the bivouac a few minutes later. Don -Martial and the lepero, both mounted, swam across the space separating -them from the main land. The capataz perceived them at the moment they -landed, and uttered a cry of astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Why," he exclaimed, "the Tigrero is leaving us. Where can he be going?"</p> - -<p>Belhumeur regarded the Mexican with his bittersweet look, and replied, -with a jesting accent,—</p> - -<p>"Who knows? Perhaps he is going to carry the answer to the letter you -gave him."</p> - -<p>"That is not impossible," the capataz remarked thoughtfully, little -suspecting that he spoke the exact truth.</p> - -<p>At this moment the sun set in floods of purple and gold far away in the -horizon behind the snow-clad peaks of the lofty mountains of the Sierra -Madre, and night soon stretched her black cerecloth over the earth.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a></h4> - -<h3>A NIGHT JOURNEY.</h3> - - -<p>Events have so multiplied during the course of this night, that to keep -headway with the incidents, we are compelled to pass incessantly from -one person to another.</p> - -<p>Don Martial was rich—very rich—eager for excitement, and endowed with -warlike instincts. He had only embraced the profession of <i>Tigrero</i> in -order to have a plausible excuse for his constant travels in the desert, -which he had passed his whole life in travelling in every direction.</p> - -<p>The Tigreros are generally wood rangers or old hunters, who, for a -certain salary and a premium on each hide, engage with a hacendero to -kill the wild beasts that decimate his herds. What others did for money, -he performed simply for pleasure; hence he was greatly liked on the -frontiers, and especially welcomed by all the hacenderos, who found in -him not only the clever and daring hunter, but also the boon companion -and the caballero.</p> - -<p>Don Martial saw Doña Anita for the first time when the chances of his -adventurous life had led him to a hacienda belonging to Don Sylva, -where, within the space of a month, he killed some dozen wild beasts. As -the Tigrero constantly watched the young girl, whom he could not see -without falling madly in love with, it happened that one day, when -Anita's horse ran away, he was near enough to save her at the peril of -his own life. It was through this event that the girl first noticed and -spoke to him. We know the rest.</p> - -<p>Cucharés was not at all pleased with the sudden departure from the -island. He inwardly cursed the folly which made him attach himself to a -man like him he now followed, who might expose him at any moment to the -chances of getting an arrow through his body, without any profit or -available excuse. Still Cucharés was not the man to feel long angry with -the Tigrero. He knew that grave reasons alone could have induced him to -leave a shelter at that hour of the night, resign the aid of the -hunters, and go wandering about the desert without any apparent object. -He burned to know the reasons; but he knew that Don Martial was no great -talker, and had a great objection to having his secrets spied out; and -as, in spite of all his bounce, he entertained a great respect for the -Tigrero, mingled with a decent amount of fear, he deferred to a more -favourable moment the numerous questions he longed to ask him.</p> - -<p>The two men, then, marched on side by side silently, allowing the reins -to hang on their horses' heads, and each indulging in his own -reflections. Still Cucharés remarked that Don Martial, instead of -seeking the cover of the forest, obstinately followed the river bank, -and kept his horse as close to it as possible.</p> - -<p>The darkness grew rapidly denser around them; distant objects began to -be lost in the masses of shadow on the horizon, and they soon found -themselves in complete obscurity. For some time the lepero tried, by -coughing or uttering exclamations, to attract his comrade's attention, -though unsuccessfully; but when he saw that the night had completely set -in, while the Tigrero marched on without appearing to notice the fact, -he at length mustered up courage to address him.</p> - -<p>"Don Martial," he said.</p> - -<p>"Well," the latter replied carelessly.</p> - -<p>"Do you not think it is time for us to stop a little?"</p> - -<p>"What for?"</p> - -<p>"What for?" the lepero replied, with a bound of surprise.</p> - -<p>"Yes; we have not arrived yet."</p> - -<p>"Then we are going somewhere?"</p> - -<p>"Why else should we have left our friends?"</p> - -<p>"That's true. Where are we going, though? That is what I should like to -know."</p> - -<p>"You will soon do so."</p> - -<p>"I confess that I should be glad of it."</p> - -<p>There was again silence, during which they continued to advance. They -had left the hill of Guetzalli about two musket shots behind them, and -reached a sort of creek, which through the windings of the river, was -almost parallel with the back of the hacienda, whose gloomy and imposing -mass rose before them. Don Martial stopped.</p> - -<p>"We have arrived," he said.</p> - -<p>"At last!" the lepero muttered with a sigh of satisfaction.</p> - -<p>"I mean to say," the Tigrero went on, "that the easiest part of our -expedition is ended."</p> - -<p>"We are making an expedition then?"</p> - -<p>"By Jove! Do you fancy, then, my good fellow, that I am marching along -the banks of the Gila merely for amusement?"</p> - -<p>"That surprised me, too."</p> - -<p>"Now our expedition will speedily commence in reality."</p> - -<p>"Good!"</p> - -<p>"I must warn you, however, that it is rather dangerous; however, I -counted on you."</p> - -<p>"Thanks," Cucharés answered, making a grimace which had some pretensions -to resemble a smile. The truth is, the lepero would have preferred that -his friend had not given him this proof of confidence. Don Martial -continued,—</p> - -<p>"We are going there;" and he extended his arm in the direction of the -river.</p> - -<p>"Where then? To the hacienda?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"You wish us to be cut in pieces."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"Do you believe we shall reach the hacienda without being discovered?"</p> - -<p>"We will try it at any rate."</p> - -<p>"Yes; and as we shall not succeed, those demons of Frenchmen, who are on -the watch, will take us for savages, and be safe to shoot at us."</p> - -<p>"It is a risk to run."</p> - -<p>"Thanks! I prefer remaining here, for I confess I am not yet mad enough -to put myself in the wolf's jaws for mere sport. Go where you please, -but I stay here."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero could not suppress a smile.</p> - -<p>"The danger is not so great as you suppose," he said. "We are expected -at the hacienda by someone who will doubtlessly have moved the sentinels -from the spot where we shall land."</p> - -<p>"That is possible, but I do not care to try the experiment, for a bullet -never pardons; besides, those Frenchmen are tremendous marksmen."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero made no reply; he did not seem even to have heard his -companion's remark. His mind was elsewhere. With his body bent forward, -he was listening. During the last few minutes the desert had assumed a -singular appearance. It woke up. All sorts of noises were heard from the -depths of the thickets and clearings. Animals of every description -rushed from the covert, and madly passed the two men without noticing -them. The birds startled from their first sleep, rose uttering shrill -cries, and circled in the air. In the river might be seen the outlines -of wild beasts swimming vigorously to reach the other bank. In a word, -something extraordinary was taking place.</p> - -<p>At intervals dry crackling sounds and hoarse murmurs, like those of -rising water, broke the silence, and became with each moment more -intense. On the extreme verge of the horizon a large band of bright red, -growing wider from minute to minute, spread over the scene a purple and -gold glare, which gave it a fantastic appearance. Already, on two -different occasions, enormous clouds of smoke spangled with sparks had -whirled over the heads of the two men.</p> - -<p>"Halloh! What is happening now?" the lepero suddenly exclaimed. "Look at -our horses, Don Martial."</p> - -<p>In fact, the noble beasts, with neck outstretched and ears laid back, -were breathing heavily, stamping on the ground, and trying to escape -their riders.</p> - -<p>"<i>Caspita!</i>" the Tigrero said calmly, "They smell the fire, that is -all."</p> - -<p>"What fire? Do you think the prairie is on fire?"</p> - -<p>"Of course. You can see it as well as I if you like."</p> - -<p>"Hem! What Is the meaning of that?"</p> - -<p>"Not much. It is one of the ordinary Indian tricks. We are in the -Comanche moon: are you not aware of that?"</p> - -<p>"I beg your pardon, I am not a wood ranger. I confess to you that all -this alarms me greatly, and that I would willingly give a trifle to be -out of it."</p> - -<p>"You are a child," Don Martial answered him laughingly. "It is evident that -the Indians have fired the prairie to conceal their numbers: they are -coming up behind the fire. You will soon hear their war cry sounding -amid the clouds of smoke and fire which are approaching, and will soon -surround us. By remaining here you run three risks—of being roasted, -scalped, or killed: three most unpleasant things, I grant, and which I -do not think will suit you. You had better come with me. If you are -killed, well, what then? It is a risk to run. Come, dismount; the fire -is gaining on us: soon we shall not have the chance. What will you do?"</p> - -<p>"I will follow you," the lepero replied in a mournful voice. "I must. I -was mad—deuce take me!—to leave Guaymas, where I was so happy—where I -lived without working—to come and thrust my head into such wasps' -nests. I assure you that if I escape he will be a sharp fellow who -catches me here a second time.</p> - -<p>"Bah, bah! People always say that. Make haste; we have no time to lose."</p> - -<p>In fact, the desert for a distance of several leagues burned like the -crater of an immense volcano; the flames undulated and shot along like -the waves of the sea, twisting and felling the largest trees like wisps -of straw. From the thick curtain of copper-coloured smoke which preceded -the flames there escaped, at each moment, bands of coyotes, buffaloes, -and jaguars, which, maddened with terror, rushed into the river, -uttering yells and deafening cries.</p> - -<p>Don Martial and the lepero entered the water; and their noble animals, -impelled by their instinct, hurried in the direction of the other bank.</p> - -<p>This part of the desert formed a strange contrast to that which the men -were leaving. The latter appeared an immense furnace, from which issued -vague rumours, cries of distress, agony and terror; a sea of fire, with -its billows and majestic waves, whose devouring activity swallowed up -everything on their passage, crossing valleys, escalading mountains, and -reducing to impalpable ashes the products of the vegetable and animal -kingdoms.</p> - -<p>The Gila, at this period of the year swollen by the rains which had -fallen in the sierra, had a width double of what it was in summer. At -that period its current becomes strong, and frequently dangerous through -its rapidity; but, at the moment our adventurers crossed it, the -numerous animals which sought to cross it simultaneously in a dense body -had so broken its force, that they reached the other bank in a -comparatively short period.</p> - -<p>"Eh!" Cucharés observed at the moment the horses struck land and began -ascending the bank, "Did you not tell me, Don Martial, that we were -going to the hacienda? We are not taking the road, I fancy."</p> - -<p>"You fancy wrong, comrade. Remember this—in the desert a man must -always appear to turn his back on the object he wishes to reach, or he -will never arrive."</p> - -<p>"Which means?"</p> - -<p>"That we are going to hobble our horses under this tuft of mesquites and -cedar-wood trees, where they will be in perfect safety, and then go -straight to the hacienda."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero immediately dismounted, led his horse under the shelter of -the great trees, took off its bridle in order that it might graze, -hobbled it carefully, and returned to the bank.</p> - -<p>Cucharés, with that resolution of despair which, under certain -circumstances, bears a striking resemblance to courage, imitated his -companion's movements point for point. The worthy lepero had at length -formed an heroic resolve. Persuaded that he was lost, he yielded himself -to the guidance of his lucky or unlucky star with that half timid -fanaticism which can only be compared with that found among the -Easterns.</p> - -<p>As we have said, this side of the river was plunged in shade and -silence, and the adventurers were temporarily protected from any danger.</p> - -<p>"Stay," the lepero again remarked; "it is a good distance from this -place to the hacienda; I can never swim it."</p> - -<p>"Patience. We shall find, I am certain, if we take the trouble to look, -means to shorten it. Ah, look?" he said, a moment later. "What did I say -to you?"</p> - -<p>The Tigrero pointed out to the lepero a small canoe fastened to a stake -in a small creek.</p> - -<p>"The colonists often come here to fish," he continued: "they have -several canoes concealed like this at various spots. We will take this -one, and in a few moments we shall reach our destination. Do you know -how to manage a paddle?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, when I am not afraid."</p> - -<p>Don Martial looked at him for a few seconds, then laying his hand -roughly on his shoulder, said in a sharp voice:—</p> - -<p>"Listen, Cucharés, my friend. I have no time to discuss the matter -with you; I have extremely serious reasons for acting as I am now doing. -I want on your part hearty co-operation, so take warning in time. You -know me: at the first suspicious movement I will blow out your brains as -I would a coyote's. Now help me to launch the canoe and start."</p> - -<p>The lepero understood—resigned himself. In a few minutes the canoe was -ready and the two men in it. The passage they had to make to reach the -back of the hacienda was not long, but bristled with dangers. In the -first place, through the strength of the current which bore with it a -large quantity of dead trees, most of them still having their branches, -and which, floating half submerged in the water, threatened at each -pull to pierce the frail boat. Next, the animals which continued to shun -the fire, crossed the river in compact bands; and if the canoe were -entangled in one of these <i>manadas</i> mad with terror, it must be crushed -with its passengers. The lightest danger the adventurers ran was the -receipt of a bullet from the sentinels hidden in the bushes which -defended the approach to the colony on the river side. But this danger -was as nothing compared with the others to which we have alluded. There -was every reason for assuming that the French, aroused by the flames, -would direct all their attention to the land side. Besides, Don Martial -believed he had nothing to fear from the sentries, who would probably -have been withdrawn.</p> - -<p>At a signal from Don Martial, Cucharés took up the paddles, and they -started. The fire was rapidly retiring in a western direction while -continuing its ravages. The canoe advanced slowly and cautiously through -the innumerable objects which each moment checked its progress.</p> - -<p>Cucharés, pale as a corpse, with hair standing on end, and eyes enlarged -by terror, rowed on frenziedly, while recommending his soul fervently to -all the numberless saints of the Spanish calendar, for he was more than -ever convinced that he would never emerge in safety from the enterprise -on which he had so foolishly entered.</p> - -<p>In fact, the position was a grave one, and it required all the -resolution with which the Tigrero was endowed, as well as the -excitement caused by the object he hoped to attain, to keep him from -sharing the terror which had seized on his comrade. The further they -advanced the greater the obstacles grew. Obliged to make continued -turns, in consequence of the trees that barred their passage, they only -turned on their own axis, as it were, forced to pass the same spot a -dozen times, and watch on all sides at once, not to be sunk by the -objects, either visible or invisible, which incessantly rose before -them.</p> - -<p>For about two hours they continued this wearying navigation; but they -insensibly approached the hacienda, whose sombre mass stood out from the -starlit sky. Suddenly a terrible cry, raised by a considerable number of -voices, filled the air, and a discharge of artillery and musketry roared -like thunder.</p> - -<p>"Holy Virgin!" Cucharés exclaimed, letting go the paddles and clasping -his hands, "We are lost!"</p> - -<p>"On the contrary," the Tigrero said, "we are saved. The Indians are -attacking the colony; all the French are at the entrenchments, and no -one will dream of watching us. Bold, my good boy! One more good pull, -and all will be over."</p> - -<p>"May God hear you!" the lepero muttered, beginning to paddle again with -a trembling hand.</p> - -<p>"Ah! The attack is serious, it appears. All the better. The harder they -fight over there, the less attention will be paid us. Let us go on."</p> - -<p>The two adventurers, hidden in the shade, paddled on silently, and -gradually approached the hacienda. Don Martial looked searchingly -around: all was silent in this part of the river, which was half a -pistol shot distant from the building. There was no reason for supposing -that they had been seen. The Tigrero bent over his companion.</p> - -<p>"That will do," he whispered; "we have arrived."</p> - -<p>"What! Arrived?" the lepero repeated with a frightened air. "We are -still a long way off."</p> - -<p>"No; at the spot where we now are, whatever may happen, you have nothing -to fear. Remain in the canoe, fasten it to one of the stumps that -surround you, and wait for me."</p> - -<p>"What! Are you going away?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I shall leave you for an hour or two. Keep a good watch. If you -notice anything new you will imitate the cry of the waterhen twice: you -understand?"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly; but if a serious danger threatened us what ought I to do?"</p> - -<p>The Tigrero reflected for an instant.</p> - -<p>"What danger can threaten you here?" he said.</p> - -<p>"I do not know; but the Indians are fiends incarnate: with them you must -be prepared for anything."</p> - -<p>"You are right. Well, in case of any serious danger threatening us—but -only in that case, you understand—after giving your signal, you will -put across to that point. Mangroves grow there, under the shelter of -which you will be perfectly safe, and I will join you immediately."</p> - -<p>"Very good: but how shall I know where to find you?"</p> - -<p>"I will imitate twice the bark of the prairie dog. Now, be prudent."</p> - -<p>"You may be sure of that."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero took off all the articles of clothing that might embarrass -him, such as his zarapé and botas vaqueras, only keeping on his trousers -and vest, put his knife in his belt, made up his pistols, rifle, and -cartouche box in a packet, and imitated the song of the <i>maukawis</i>. -Presently a similar sound rose from the bank. The Tigrero then held his -weapons over his head, and glided gently into the water. The lepero soon -perceived him swimming silently and vigorously in the direction of the -hacienda; but the Tigrero was gradually lost in the distance.</p> - -<p>So soon as he was alone Cucharés began to inspect his weapons carefully, -changing the caps so as to be ready for anything, and run no risk of -being taken unawares; then, reassured by the calmness that prevailed -around, he lay down in the bottom of the canoe in spite of the Tigrero's -recommendations, and got ready for a nap.</p> - -<p>The noise of the combat had gradually died away—neither shouts nor -shots could be heard. The Indians, repulsed by the colonists, had given -up their attack. The flames of the fire became less and less bright. The -desert appeared to have fallen back into its ordinary silence and -solitude.</p> - -<p>The lepero, lying on his back at the bottom of the canoe, gazed at the -brilliant stars, glittering in the azure sky. Gently cradled by the -rippling, his eyes closed. At length he reached that point which is -neither sleeping nor waking, and would probably soon have fallen asleep. -At the moment, however, when he was going to yield to his feelings, he -cast a parting sleepy glance over the river. He shuddered, repressed -with difficulty a cry of terror, and started up so violently that he -almost upset the canoe.</p> - -<p>Cucharés had had a fearful vision: he rubbed his eyes vigorously to -assure himself that he was really awake, and looked again. What he had -taken for a vision was only too real; he had seen correctly.</p> - -<p>We have said that the river carried with it a large number of stumps and -dead trees still laden with their branches. During the last hour an -enormous quantity of these trees had collected round the canoe, the -lepero being quite unable to account for the fact, the more so because -these trees, which by the natural laws should have followed the current -and descended with it, cut it in every direction, and, instead of -keeping to the centre of the river, drew constantly nearer to the bank -on which stood the hacienda.</p> - -<p>More extraordinary still, the progress of this floating wood was so -carefully regulated that all converged on one point—the extremity of -the isthmus at the back of the hacienda. Another alarming fact was, that -Cucharés saw eyes flashing and frightful faces peering out from amidst -this raft of interlaced branches, stumps and trees.</p> - -<p>There was no room for doubt: each tree carried at least one Apache. The -Indians, having failed in their attempt on one side, hoped to surprise -the colony from the river, and were swimming up concealed by the trees, -in the midst of which they had collected. The lepero's position was -perplexing. Up to this moment the Indians, busied with their plans, had -paid no attention to the canoe; or, if they had noticed it, thought that -it belonged to one of their party; but the error might be detected at -any moment, and the lepero knew that, in such a case, he would be -hopelessly lost.</p> - -<p>Already, more than once, hands had been laid for a few seconds on the -sides of a frail boat; but, by some providential chance, the owners of -those hands had not thought of looking into the interior of the canoe.</p> - -<p>All these reflections, and many others, Cucharés indulged in while lying -apparently most comfortably at the bottom of the canoe, gently balanced -by the ripple, and watching the brilliant stars defile above his head. -With his features distorted by terror, his face blanched, and holding a -pistol butt convulsively clutched in either hand, while mentally -recommending himself to his patron saint, he awaited the catastrophe -which every passing minute rendered more imminent.</p> - -<p>He had not long to wait.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE INDIAN TRICK.</h3> - - -<p>Among the indomitable nations that wander about the deserts contained in -the delta formed by the Rio Gila, the Rio del Norte, and the Colorado, -two claim sovereignty over the rest. They are the Apaches and Comanches. -Irreconcilable enemies, incessantly at war with each other, these two -nations were now allied by a common hatred of the white men, and all -that belongs to that abhorred race.</p> - -<p>Excellent hunters, intrepid horsemen, cruel and pitiless warriors, the -Apaches and Comanches are terrible neighbours for the inhabitants of New -Mexico. Every year, at the same period, these ferocious warriors rush by -thousands from their deserts, cross the rivers by fording or swimming, -and invade the Mexican frontiers at several points, burning and -plundering all they come across, carrying off women and children into -slavery, and spreading desolation and terror for more than twenty -leagues into a civilised territory.</p> - -<p>At the period of the Spanish rule it was not so. Numerous missions, -<i>presidios</i>, posts established at regular distances, and bodies of -troops scattered along the entire frontier, repulsed the attacks of the -Indians, drove them back and kept them within the limits of their -hunting grounds; but since the proclamation of their independence the -Mexicans have had so much to do in cutting each other's throats, and -trampling morality underfoot by their incessant revolutions, that the -posts have been called in, the missions plundered, the presidios -abandoned, and the frontiers left to guard themselves. The result has -been that the Indians gradually drew nearer, and finding no serious -resistance before them—for the very simple reason that the Mexican -Government forbids, under heavy penalties, any firearms being given to -the civilised Indians, who alone could fight successfully against the -invaders—the savages have nearly reconquered in a few years what Spain, -in her omnipotence, took ages in wresting from them. The result of this -is that the most fertile country in the world remains unfilled; not a -step can be taken in this hapless country without stumbling on still -smoking ruins; and the boldness of the savages has so increased, that -they now do not even take the trouble to hide their expeditions, which -they make annually at the same period, in the same month nearly on the -same day, and that the month is called by them in derision the "Mexican -Moon;" that is to say, the moon during which the Mexicans are plundered.</p> - -<p>All the facts we narrate here would be the height of buffoonery were -they not also the height of atrocity.</p> - -<p>The Black Bear had founded the great confederation to which he had -previously alluded, for the purpose of restoring himself in the credit -of his fellow countrymen, whom several unsuccessful expeditions had -turned against him. Like all Indian chiefs of any standing, he was -ambitious. He had already succeeded in destroying several smaller -tribes, and incorporating them with his nation: he now aspired to -nothing less than humbling the Comanches, and compelling them to -recognise his authority. It was a difficult, if not impossible -enterprise; for the Comanche nation is justly recognised as the most -warlike and dangerous in the desert. This nation, which proudly calls -itself the Queen of the Prairies, can hardly endure the presence of the -Apaches on the ground they consider belonging to themselves, and forming -their hunting territory. The Comanches have an immense advantage over -the other prairie Indians—an advantage which causes their strength, and -makes them so terrible to the nations they combat. Owing to the -precaution they have taken of never drinking spirits, they have escaped -the general degradation and most of the diseases which decimate the -other Indians, and have remained vigorous and intelligent.</p> - -<p>The Jester, like the Black Bear, had no great faith in the duration of -the alliance formed between the two nations: the hatred he bore the -Apaches was, indeed, too profound for him to desire it; but the -foundation of the Guetzalli colony by the French, by permanently -establishing the white men, on a territory they regarded as belonging to -themselves, was a too serious menace for the Comanches and other Indios -Bravos, and they attempted every possible scheme to get rid of these -troublesome neighbours. Hence they had temporarily hung up their old -rancour and private enmities on behalf of the general welfare, but for -that only. It was tacitly agreed between them that, so soon as the -strangers were expelled, each nation would be free to act as it pleased.</p> - -<p>We have seen in what way the Jester began hostilities. The Black Bear -had a scheme which he had been ripening for a long time, though not -possessing the means to put it in execution; but knowing where to obtain -the information he needed, he went to Guaymas. The Tigrero, by proposing -to him to enter the colony as a guide, had unsuspectingly supplied him -with the pretext he sought. Thus, during the few hours he spent at the -hacienda, he had not lost his time, and with that cunning peculiar to -the Indians, discovered all the weak points of the place.</p> - -<p>There was another reason to inflame his desire to seize the hacienda. -Like all the redskins, his dream was to have a white woman in his lodge. -Fatality, by bringing him across Doña Anita, had suddenly re-enkindled the -secret hope he entertained, and made him suppose he would at length -possess the woman he sought so long without being able to find her. -It must not be thought that the Black Bear loved the Spanish maiden: no, -he wanted a white squaw, that was all. He was humiliated by the -knowledge that the other chiefs of his nation had slaves of that colour, -while he alone had none. Had Doña Anita been ugly, he would have tried -to carry her off all the same. She was lovely—all the better; and we -may add here that the Apache chief did not consider her beautiful. -According to his Indian notions she was passable, that was all; the only -thing he valued in her was her colour.</p> - -<p>The Black Bear, standing with his principal warriors on the point of the -island, remained silent, with his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes -fixed on vacancy, till the moment when the first gleams of the fire -kindled by the Jester tinged the horizon with a blood-red hue.</p> - -<p>"My brother, the Jester, is an experienced chief," he said, "and a -faithful ally. He has well fulfilled the mission intrusted to him. He is -now smoking the paleface dogs. What the Comanches have begun the Apaches -will finish."</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear is the first warrior of his nation," the Little Panther -replied. "Who would dare to contend with him?"</p> - -<p>The Indian Sachem smiled at this flattery.</p> - -<p>"If the Comanches are antelopes, the Apaches are otters; they can, if -they please, swim in the water, or march on land. The palefaces have -lived. The Great Spirit is in me; it is He who dictates to me the words -my tongue utters."</p> - -<p>The warriors bowed. The Black Bear continued, after a moment's -silence:—</p> - -<p>"What do the Apache warriors care for the fire tubes of the palefaces? -Have they not long, barbed arrows and intrepid hearts? My brothers will -follow me; we will take the scalps of these pale dogs, and fasten them -to our horses' manes, and their wives shall be our slaves."</p> - -<p>Shouts of joy and enthusiasm greeted these words.</p> - -<p>"The river is covered with numerous trunks of trees: my sons are not -squaws to fatigue themselves uselessly. They will place themselves on -these dead trees, and drift with the current down to the great lodge of -the palefaces. Let my brothers prepare. The Black Bear will set out at -the sixth hour, when the blue jay has sung twice, and the walkon has -uttered its shrill cry. I have spoken. Two hundred warriors will follow -the Black Bear."</p> - -<p>The chiefs bowed respectfully before the sachem, and left him alone. He -wrapped himself up in his buffalo robe, sat down by the fire, lit his -calumet by means of a medicine staff adorned with bells and feathers, -and remained silent, with his eyes fixed on the gradually extending -prairie fire.</p> - -<p>The island in which the Apache chief had formed his camp was at no great -distance from the French colony. The project of floating down had no -very great danger for these men, accustomed to every sort of bodily -exercise, and who swam like fish: it possessed the great advantage of -completely concealing the approach of the warriors hidden by the water -and the branches, and who, at the proper moment, would rush on the -colony like a swarm of famished vultures.</p> - -<p>The Black Bear was so convinced of the success of this stratagem, which -only an Indian brain could have conceived, that he only took with him -two hundred chosen men, thinking it unnecessary to lead more against -enemies taken by surprise, and who, compelled to defend themselves -against the Comanches led by the Jester, would be attacked in the rear -and massacred before they had time to look around them.</p> - -<p>Night sets in rapidly and suddenly in countries where the twilight does -not last longer than a lightning flash. Soon all became darkness, save -that, in the distance, a wide strip of coppery red announced the -progress of the flames, behind which the Comanches galloped like a pack -of hideous wolves over the still glowing earth, trampling under their -horses' hoofs the charred wood which was still smouldering.</p> - -<p>When the Black Bear considered the moment had arrived he put out his -calumet, scattered the fire, and gave a signal perfectly well understood -by the Little Panther, who was watching to execute the orders the chief -might be pleased to give. Almost immediately the two hundred warriors -selected for the expedition made their appearance. They were all picked -men, armed with clubs and lances, while their shields hung on their -backs. After a moment's silence, employed by the sachem in a species of -inspection, he said in a deep voice,—</p> - -<p>"We are about to set out; the palefaces we are destined to fight are not -Yoris: they are said to be very brave, but the Apaches are the bravest -warriors in the world; no one can contend against them. My sons may be -killed, but they will conquer."</p> - -<p>"The warriors will suffer themselves to be killed," the Indians replied -with one voice.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" the Black Bear continued, "my sons have spoken well; the Black -Bear has confidence in them. The Wacondah will not abandon them; he loves -the red men. And now, my sons, we will collect the dead trees floating -on the river, and float down the current with them. The cry of the -condor will be their signal to rush on the palefaces."</p> - -<p>The Indians immediately began executing their chiefs orders. All strove -to reach the trunks of trees or stumps. In a few moments a considerable -quantity was collected near the point of the island. The Black Bear -turned a palling glance around, gave the signal for departure, and was -the first to enter the water and clamber on a tree. All the rest -followed him immediately without the slightest hesitation.</p> - -<p>The Apaches behaved so cleverly in bringing the tree trunks to the -island, and had chosen their position so well, that when they set the -trees in motion again they almost immediately struck the current, and -began to follow the river gently, drifting imperceptibly in the -direction of the colony where they wished to land.</p> - -<p>Still this navigation, so essentially eccentric, offered grave -inconveniences and even serious dangers to those who undertook it. The -Indians, left without paddles on the trees, were obliged to follow the -stream, only succeeding in holding on by extraordinary efforts. Like all -wood floating at the mercy of the waves, the trees continually revolved, -compelling those holding on to them to employ all their strength and -skill, lest they might be submerged at every moment. There was another -difficulty, too: it was absolutely necessary to keep in the water, so as -to give the trees the proper direction and make them reach the colony, -instead of following the current in the middle of the stream. A further -inconvenience, not the least grave of all, was that the trees on which -the Apaches were mounted met others as they floated along, against which -they struck, or their branches became so interlaced that it was -impossible to part them, and they had to be taken on as well; so that, -at the end of half an hour, an immense raft was formed, which appeared -to occupy the entire width of the river.</p> - -<p>The Indians are obstinate: when they have undertaken an expedition they -never give it up till it is irrevocably proved to them that success is -impossible. This happened on the present occasion; several men were -drowned, others wounded so severely that they were compelled to regain -the bank against their will. The others, however, held on; and, -encouraged by their chief, who did not cease addressing them, they -continued to descend the river.</p> - -<p>Long before the island from which they set out had disappeared behind -them in the windings formed by the irregular course of the river; the -point on which the buildings of the colony stood appeared but a short -way ahead, when the Black Bear, who was at the head of the party, and -whose piercing eye incessantly surveyed the scene around, noticed a -canoe a few yards ahead attached to a dead stump, gracefully dancing on -the water.</p> - -<p>This canoe at once appeared suspicious to the cautious Indian. It did -not seem natural to him that, at such an advanced hour of the night, any -boat should be thus tied up in the river: but the Black Bear was a man -of prompt decision, whom nothing embarrassed, and who rapidly formed his -plans. After carefully examining this, mysterious canoe, still -stationary before him, he stooped over to the Little Panther, who hung -on to the same tree in readiness to execute his orders, and, placing his -knife between his teeth, the chief unloosed his hold and dived.</p> - -<p>He rose again near the canoe, seized it boldly, pulled it over, and -leaped in right on Cucharés' chest and seized him by the throat. This -movement was executed so rapidly that the lepero could not employ his -weapons, and found himself completely at the mercy of his enemy before -he understood what had occurred.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" the Indian exclaimed with surprise on recognising him. "What is -my brother doing here?"</p> - -<p>The lepero had also recognised the chief, and, without knowing why, this -restored him a slight degree of courage.</p> - -<p>"You see," he answered, "I am sleeping."</p> - -<p>"Wah! My brother was afraid of the fire, and for that reason took to the -river."</p> - -<p>"Quite right, chief; you have hit it the first time. I <i>was</i> afraid of -the fire."</p> - -<p>"Good!" the Apache continued, with a mocking smile peculiar to himself. -"My brother is not alone. Where is the Great Buffalo?"</p> - -<p>"Eh? I do not know the Great Buffalo, chief. I don't even know whom you -are talking about."</p> - -<p>"All the palefaces have a forked tongue. Why does not my brother speak -the truth?"</p> - -<p>"I am quite willing to do so, but I do not understand you."</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear is a great Apache warrior; he can speak the language of -his nation, but he knows badly that of the Yoris."</p> - -<p>"I did not mean that. You express yourself excellently in Castilian, but -you are speaking of a person I do not know."</p> - -<p>"Wah! Is that possible?" the Indian said, with feigned amazement. "Does -not my brother know the warrior with whom he was two days ago?"</p> - -<p>"O! Now I understand; you are talking of Don Martial. Yes, certainly I -know him."</p> - -<p>"Good!" the chief replied; "I knew that I was not mistaken. Why is my -brother not with him at this moment?"</p> - -<p>"Probably because I am here," the lepero said with a grin.</p> - -<p>"That is true; but as I am in a hurry, and my brother does not wish to -answer me, I am going to kill him."</p> - -<p>Saying this in a tone which admitted of no tergiversation, the Black -Bear raised his knife. The lepero saw well enough that, if he did not -obey the Indian, he was lost, and his hesitation ceased as if by -enchantment.</p> - -<p>"What do you want of me?" he said.</p> - -<p>"The truth."</p> - -<p>"Question me."</p> - -<p>"My brother will answer?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Good! Where is the Great Buffalo?"</p> - -<p>"There," he said, pointing in the direction of the hacienda.</p> - -<p>"How long?"</p> - -<p>"For more than an hour."</p> - -<p>"For what reason has he gone there?"</p> - -<p>"You can guess."</p> - -<p>"Yes. Are they together?"</p> - -<p>"They ought to be so, as she called him to her."</p> - -<p>"Wah! And when will he return?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know."</p> - -<p>"He did not tell my brother?</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Will he come back alone?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know."</p> - -<p>The Indian fixed a glance on him, as if trying to read his very heart. -The lepero was calm: he had honestly told all he knew.</p> - -<p>"Good!" the chief continued the next moment. "Did not the Great Buffalo -agree on a signal with his friend, in order to rejoin when he pleased?"</p> - -<p>"He did."</p> - -<p>"What is, that signal?"</p> - -<p>At this question a singular idea crossed Cucharés' brain. The leperos -belong to a strange race, which only bears a likeness to the Neapolitan -lazzaroni. At once prodigal and avaricious, greedy and disinterested, -extremely rash, and frightful cowards, they are the strangest medley of -all that is good and all that is bad. In them everything is blunted and -imperfect. They only act on the impulse of the moment, without -reflection, or passion. Eternal mockers, they believe in nothing and yet -believe in everything. To sum them up in a word, their life is a -constant antithesis; and for a jest which may cost their life they would -sacrifice their most devoted friend, just as they will save him.</p> - -<p>Cucharés was a perfect personification of this eccentric race. Though -the Apache chief's knife was scarce two inches from his breast, and he -knew that his ferocious enemy would show him no mercy, he suddenly -resolved to play him a trick, no matter the cost. We will not add that -his friendship for Don Martial unconsciously pleaded on his behalf, for -we repeat that the lepero feels no friendship for any one, not even -himself, and that his heart only exists in the shape of bowels.</p> - -<p>"The chief wishes to know the signal?" he said.</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Apache replied,</p> - -<p>Cucharés, with the utmost coolness, imitated the cry of the waterhen.</p> - -<p>"Silence!" the Black Bear exclaimed; "it is not that."</p> - -<p>"Pardon," the lepero replied with a grin; "perhaps I gave it badly," and -he repeated it.</p> - -<p>The Indian, roused by his enemy's impudence, rushed upon him, resolved -to finish him with his knife; but, blinded by his fury, he calculated -badly, and gave too violent an oscillation to the canoe. The light bark, -whose equilibrium was disturbed, turned over, and the two men rolled -into the river. Once in the water, the lepero, who swam like an otter, -set off in the direction of the hacienda as fast as he could speed. But -if he swam well, the Black Bear swam at least equally well. The first -movement of surprise overcome, the chief almost immediately discovered -his enemy's trail.</p> - -<p>Then began the two men a contest of skill and strength. Perhaps it would -have ended to the advantage of the white man, who had a considerable -start, had not several warriors, witnesses of what had occurred, swum -off too, and cut off the fugitive's retreat. Cucharés saw that flight -was impossible; hence, not attempting to continue a hopeless struggle, -he proceeded towards a tree, to which he clung, and awaited with -magnificent coolness whatever might happen.</p> - -<p>The Black Bear soon came up with him. The chief displayed no ill temper -at the trick the lepero had played him.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" he merely said, "my brother is a warrior: he has the craft of the -opossum."</p> - -<p>"Of what use is it to me," Cucharés answered carelessly, "if I cannot -succeed in saving my scalp?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps," the Indian said. "Let my brother tell me where the Great -Buffalo is."</p> - -<p>"I have already told you, chief."</p> - -<p>"Yes, my brother told me that his friend was in the great lodge of the -palefaces, but he did not say at what place."</p> - -<p>"Hum! And if I tell you shall I be free?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, if my brother has not a forked tongue: if he speaks the truth, so -soon as we land on the bank, he will be free to go where he pleases."</p> - -<p>"A poor favour!" the lepero muttered, shaking his head.</p> - -<p>"Well," the chief continued, "what will my brother do?"</p> - -<p>"My faith!" Cucharés said, suddenly making up his mind, "I have done for -Don Martial all it was humanly possible to do. Now that he is warned, -each for himself. I must save my skin. Stay, chief; follow the direction -of my finger. You see those mangroves on the projecting point?"</p> - -<p>"I see them."</p> - -<p>"Well, behind those mangroves you will find the man you call the Great -Buffalo."</p> - -<p>"Good! The Black Bear is a chief; he has only one word; the paleface -shall be free."</p> - -<p>"Thanks."</p> - -<p>The conversation was hurriedly broken off, more especially as the -Apaches were rapidly approaching the banks. They had let go of the most -of the trees to which they had hitherto been clinging, and were -collected in small groups of ten or twelve on the larger trees.</p> - -<p>The hacienda was silent; not a light burned there; all was calm; it -looked like a deserted habitation. This profound tranquility excited the -suspicions of the Black Bear; it seemed to forebode an impending storm. -Before risking a landing he wished to assure himself positively of what -he had to expect. He uttered the cry of the iguana, and swam towards the -bank. The Apaches comprehended their chiefs intention, and stopped. At -the end of a few moments they saw him crawling along the sand. The Black -Bear walked a few paces along; he saw nothing, heard nothing; then, -completely reassured, he returned to the water's edge, and gave the -signal for landing.</p> - -<p>The Apaches quitted the trees and began swimming. Cucharés profited by -the moment of disorder to disappear, which was an easy matter, as no one -was thinking of him. Still the Apaches formed in a single line, and swam -vigorously; in a few minutes they reached the bank, and landed; then -they rushed at full speed towards the hacienda.</p> - -<p>"Fire!" a stentorian voice suddenly commanded. A loud and frightful -discharge instantaneously followed. The Apaches responded by howlings of -rage, and themselves surprised by the men they had hoped to surprise, -rushed upon them, brandishing their weapons.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.</a></h4> - -<h3>SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF.</h3> - - -<p>We will now return to the hunters, whom we have too long neglected, for -during the events we have been narrating they had not remained entirely -inactive.</p> - -<p>After the departure of the two Mexicans, Belhumeur and his friends -remained silent for an instant. The Canadian played with the charcoal -that had fallen from the brazier on to the ground; in fact, he was lost -in thought. Don Louis, with his chin resting on the palm of his hand, -was watching with distraught air the sparkles which crackled, glistened, -and went out. Eagle-head, alone of the party, wrapped up in his buffalo -robe, smoked his calumet with that stoicism and calm appearance which -belong exclusively to his race.</p> - -<p>"However it may be," the Canadian suddenly said, replying to the ideas -which bothered him, and thinking aloud rather than intending to renew -the conversation, "the conduct of those two men seems to me -extraordinary, not to say something else."</p> - -<p>"Would you suspect any treachery?" Don Louis asked, looking up.</p> - -<p>"In the desert you must always suspect treachery," Belhumeur said -peremptorily, "especially from chance companions."</p> - -<p>"Still this Tigrero, this Don Martial—that is his name I think—has a -very honest eye, my friend, to be a traitor."</p> - -<p>"That is true; still you will agree that ever since we first met him his -conduct has been remarkably queer."</p> - -<p>"I grant it; but you know as well as I how much passion blinds a man. I -believe him to be in love."</p> - -<p>"So do I. Still notice, pray, that in all this affair which regards him -specially, and in which we have only mixed ourselves to do him a -service, while neglecting our own occupations, he has always kept in the -background, as if afraid to show himself."</p> - -<p>At this moment Blas Vasquez, after stationing the peons a short distance -off, so as to remain unseen, came up and took his seat by the fire.</p> - -<p>"There!" he said, "All is ready: the Apaches can come and attack us -whenever they think proper."</p> - -<p>"One word, capataz," Belhumeur said.</p> - -<p>"Two if you like."</p> - -<p>"Do you know the man to whom you delivered a letter just now?"</p> - -<p>"Why do you ask?"</p> - -<p>"To gain some information about him."</p> - -<p>"Personally I know very little of him. All I can tell you is that he -enjoys an excellent reputation through the whole province, and is -generally regarded as a caballero and gallant man."</p> - -<p>"That is something," the Canadian muttered, shaking his head; "but, for -all that, I do not know why, but his sudden departure makes me very -restless."</p> - -<p>"Wah!" Eagle-head suddenly said, withdrawing from his lips the tube of -his calumet, and bending forward, while bidding his comrades to silence. -All remained motionless, with their eyes fixed on the Indian.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" Belhumeur at length asked.</p> - -<p>"Fire," the other replied slowly. "The Apaches are coming: they are -burning the prairie before them."</p> - -<p>"What?" Belhumeur exclaimed, rising and looking all around. "I see no -trace of fire."</p> - -<p>"No, not yet; but the fire is coming—I can smell it."</p> - -<p>"Hum! If the chief says so, it must be true; he is too experienced a -warrior to be deceived. What is to be done?"</p> - -<p>"We have nothing to fear from fire here," the capataz observed.</p> - -<p>"We have not," Don Louis quickly exclaimed; "but the inhabitants of the -hacienda?"</p> - -<p>"Not more than we," Belhumeur replied. "See all the trees have been cut -down, and rooted up to too great a distance from the colony for the fire -to reach it; it is only a stratagem employed by the Indians to arrive -without being counted."</p> - -<p>"Still I am of this caballero's opinion," the capataz said; "we should -do well to warn the hacienda."</p> - -<p>"There is something even more urgent to do," Don Louis said, "and that -is to send off a clever scout to learn positively with whom we have to -deal, who our enemies are, if they are numerous."</p> - -<p>"One does not prevent the other," Belhumeur remarked. "In a case like -the present, two precautions are worth more than one. This is my advice. -Eagle-head will reconnoitre the foe, while we proceed to the hacienda."</p> - -<p>"All of us?" the capataz observed.</p> - -<p>"No; your position here is secure, and you will be able, in the event of -an attack, to render important service. Don Louis and I will proceed -alone to the colony. Remember that you must not show yourselves under -any pretext. Whatever may happen, await the order for acting. Is that -agreed to?"</p> - -<p>"Go, caballeros; I will not betray your confidence."</p> - -<p>"Good! Now to work, I have no advice to offer you, chief: you will find -us at the hacienda if you learn anything of importance."</p> - -<p>Upon this these men, so long accustomed to act without losing precious -time in useless words, separated; Don Louis and Belhumeur returning to -the mainland on the side of the hacienda, while the chief rode off in -the opposite direction. Blas Vasquez remained alone with his peons; but -as he had been for many years accustomed to Indian warfare, and -understood the responsibility he took on himself from this moment, he -felt that he must redouble his vigilance. Hence he posted sentinels at -every point, recommended them the utmost attention, came back to the -brazier, wrapped himself in his fresada, and went quietly to sleep, -certain that his men would carefully watch all that took place on the -mainland.</p> - -<p>We will, for a moment, leave Don Louis and his friend, to follow -Eagle-head.</p> - -<p>The mission the chief had undertaken was anything rather than easy; but -Eagle-head was a man of experience thoroughly versed in Indian tricks, -and endowed with that unalterable phlegm which is a great ingredient of -success in certain circumstances of life. After leaving his companions -he walked quietly down to the water's edge, and when he reached the spot -where he intended to cross the river his plan was all arranged in his -head.</p> - -<p>The chief, instead of passing to that side of the river by which the -enemy would come, preceded by the conflagration, crossed to the other. -So soon as he reached the bank he allowed his horse a few moments for -breathing; then leaping at a bound onto the panther skin that served as -his saddle, he galloped at full speed in the direction of the enemy's -camp. This furious race lasted two hours. Night had long succeeded the -day; the pale gleams of the conflagration served as a beacon to the -chief and showed him in the darkness the road he should follow. At the -end of these two hours the chief found himself just opposite the most -advanced point of the island, where the Apaches were at this moment -engaged in collecting the driftwood they meant to use in the surprise of -the colony. Eagle-head stopped. On his right, far behind him, the -conflagration raged in the horizon; around him all was silence and -obscurity. For a long time the Indian attentively watched the island: a -secret presentiment warned him that there was the danger for him.</p> - -<p>Still, after careful reflection, the chief resolved to advance a few -paces further, and recross the river at the point opposite this island, -which seemed to him more suspicious because it was so tranquil. However, -before carrying out this plan, a sudden inspiration flashed across his -mind. He dismounted, hid his horse in a thicket, laid aside his rifle -and buffalo robe; then, after attempting to pierce the surrounding -gloom, he stretched himself on the ground, and crawled to the river's -bank. He gently entered the water, and swimming and diving in turn, -proceeded to the island, which he presently reached.</p> - -<p>But at the instant he landed, and was about to rise, an almost -imperceptible sound smote his ear; he fancied he could notice an -extraordinary commotion in the water all around him. Eagle-head plunged -again, and retired from the bank on which he had been on the point of -landing. Suddenly, at the moment he rose to the surface to take in a -fresh supply of air, he saw two burning eyes flashing before him; he -received a violent blow on the chest, and felt a powerful hand clutch -his throat as in a vice. Eagle-head saw that, unless he made a desperate -effort, he would be lost, and he attempted it. Seizing in his turn his -unknown foe who held him by the throat, he clung round him with the -vigour of despair.</p> - -<p>Then a horrible and silent struggle commenced in the river—a sinister -struggle, in which he sought to kill his adversary, without thinking to -repel his attacks. The water, troubled by the efforts of the two -combatants, bubbled as if alligators were engaged. At length a bloody -and disfigured body rose inertly to the surface, and floated. A few -seconds later, and a head appeared above the water, casting startled -glances around.</p> - -<p>At the sight of his enemy's corpse the victor indulged in a diabolical -smile; he seized him by his warlock, and swimming with one hand, dragged -the body, not to the island, but to the mainland.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head had conquered the Apache who attacked him in so unforeseen a -manner. The chief reached the bank, but did not leave the corpse, which -he dragged along till it was completely out of the water; then he lifted -the scalp, placed the hideous trophy in his belt, and remounted his -horse.</p> - -<p>The Indian had divined the Apaches' tactics; the attack of which he had -been so nearly the victim revealed to him the stratagem they designed. -It was unnecessary for him to push his investigations on the island -further. Still, had he abandoned to the current his enemy's corpse, it -would have infallibly floated down among his brothers, and revealed the -presence of a spy; so he had been careful to convey it to the bank, -where no one, save by some extraordinary accident, could discover it -before sunrise.</p> - -<p>The few minutes' rest he had granted his horse would have been -sufficient to restore all its vigour. The chief might have returned to -his friends, for what he had discovered was of immense importance to -them; but Belhumeur had specially recommended him to discover the -strength and nature of the war detachment which was marching on the -colony. Eagle-head was anxious to accomplish his mission; and besides, -the struggle he has undergone, and from which he had emerged as victor -by a miracle, had produced a certain amount of excitement, urging him to -carry out the adventure to the end.</p> - -<p>He plucked a few leaves to stop the blood from a slight wound he had -received in his left arm, fastened them on with a piece of bark, and -rode his horse once more into the river. But, as he had nothing to -examine, and did not wish to be discovered, he took care to pass at a -considerable distance from the island. On the other bank, owing to the -care taken by the Indians to burn everything, the trail was wide and -perfectly visible. In spite of the darkness the chief found no -difficulty in following it.</p> - -<p>The fire kindled by the Indians had not caused such ravages as might be -supposed. All that part of the prairie, with the exception of a few -scattered clumps of poplars at great distances apart, was covered with -long grass, already half burned up by the torrid beams of a summer sun. -This grass had burned rapidly, producing what the incendiaries -desired—a large quantity of smoke, but scarcely heating the ground, -which had allowed the redskins to march rapidly on the colony.</p> - -<p>Owing to his headlong speed, and the few hours those who preceded him -had been compelled to lose, the chief arrived almost simultaneously with -them before the hacienda; that is to say, he came up with them at the -moment when, after making a futile assault on the isthmus battery they -fled pursued by a shower of grape, which decimated their ranks; for, -having burnt everything, they had no trees to shelter them. Still the -majority managed to escape, owing to the speed of their horses.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head found himself unexpectedly in the very midst of the -fugitives. At first each man was too anxious about his own safety to -have time to notice him, and the chief profited by it to turn aside and -step behind a rock. But then a strange thing happened. The chief had -scarce escaped from the fugitives, and examined them for a moment, ere a -strange smile played on his lips; he spurred his horse, and bounded into -the very midst of the Indians, uttering twice a shrill, peculiar cry. At -this cry the Indians stopped in their flight, and rushing from all sides -toward the man who uttered it, they ranged themselves tumultuously -round—the chief with an expression of superstitious fear, and passive -and respectful obedience.</p> - -<p>The Eagle-head looked haughtily on the crowd that surrounded him, for he -was taller by a head than any man present.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" he at length said in a guttural voice, with an accent of bitter -reproach. "Have the Comanches become timid antelopes that they fly like -Apache dogs before the bullets of the palefaces?"</p> - -<p>"Eagle-head! Eagle-head!" the warriors shouted with joy mingled with -shame, looking down before the chiefs flashing glance.</p> - -<p>"Why have my sons left the hunting grounds of the Del Norte without the -order of a sachem? Are they now the <i>rastreros</i> (bloodhounds) of the -Apaches?"</p> - -<p>A suppressed murmur ran through the ranks at this cruel reproach.</p> - -<p>"A sachem has spoken," Eagle-head continued sharply. "Is there no one to -answer him? Have the Comanches of the Lakes no chiefs left to command -them?"</p> - -<p>A warrior then broke through the ranks of the Comanches, approached -Eagle-head, and bowed his head respectfully down to his horse's neck.</p> - -<p>"The Jester is a chief," he said in a gentle and harmonious voice.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head's face was unwrinkled—his features instantaneously lost -their expression of fury. He turned on the warrior who had addressed him -a glance full of tenderness, and, offering him his right hand, palm -upwards,—</p> - -<p>"Och! My heart is joyous at seeing my son, the Jester. The warriors will -camp here while the two sachems hold a council."</p> - -<p>And making an imperious sign to the chief, he withdrew with him, -followed by the eyes of the redskins, who hastened to obey the order he -had so peremptorily given. Eagle-head and the Jester had gone so far -that their conversation could not be overheard.</p> - -<p>"Let us hold a council," the chief said, as he sat down on a stone, and -signed to the Jester to take a place by his side. The latter obeyed -without reply. There was a long silence, during which the two Indians -examined each other attentively, in spite of the indifference they -affected. At length Eagle-head spoke in a slow and accentuated voice.</p> - -<p>"Eagle-head is a warrior renowned in his nation," he said; "he is the -first sachem of the Comanches of the Lakes; his totem shelters beneath -its mighty and protecting shadow the innumerable sons of the great -sacred tortoise, <i>Chemiin-Antou</i>, whose glistening shell has supported the -world since the Wacondah hurled into space the first man and the first -woman after their fault. The words which come from the breast of -Eagle-head are those of a sagamore; his tongue is not forked—a -falsehood never sullied his lips. Eagle-head acted as a father to the -Jester; he taught him how to tame a horse, pierce with his arrows the -rapid antelope, or to stifle in his arms the mighty boar. Eagle-head -loves the Jester, who is the son of his third wife's sister. Eagle-head -gave a place at the council fire to the Jester; he made a chief of him; -and when he went away from the villages of his nation he said to him, -'My son will command my warriors: he will lead them to hunt, to fish and -to war.' Are these words true? Does Eagle-head speak falsely?"</p> - -<p>"My father's words are true," the chief answered with a bow: "wisdom -speaks through his lips."</p> - -<p>"Why, then, has my son allied himself with the enemies of his nation to -fight the friends of his father, the sachem?"</p> - -<p>The chief let his head fall in confusion.</p> - -<p>"Why, without consulting the man who has ever aided and supported him by -his counsel, has he undertaken an unjust war?"</p> - -<p>"An unjust war?" the chief remarked with a certain degree of animation.</p> - -<p>"Yes, as it is carried on in concert with the enemies of our nation."</p> - -<p>"The Apaches are redskins."</p> - -<p>"The Apaches are cowardly and thievish dogs, whose deceitful tongues I -will pluck out."</p> - -<p>"But the palefaces are the enemies of the Indians."</p> - -<p>"Those whom my son attacked last night are not Yoris; they are -the friends of Eagle-head."</p> - -<p>"My father will pardon the warrior: he did not know it."</p> - -<p>"If the Jester really was ignorant of it, is he ready to repair the -fault he has committed?"</p> - -<p>"The Jester has three hundred warriors beneath his totem. Eagle-head has -come: they are his."</p> - -<p>"Good! I see that the Jester is still my well-beloved son. With what -chief has he made alliance? It cannot be with the Black Bear, the -implacable enemy of the Comanches, the man who but four moons past -burned two villages of my nation?"</p> - -<p>"A cloud had passed over the mind of the Jester: his hatred for the -white men blinded him; wisdom deserted him; he has allied himself with -the Black Bear."</p> - -<p>"Wah! Eagle-head did right to return toward the villages of his fathers. -Will my son obey the sachem?"</p> - -<p>"Whatever he orders I will do."</p> - -<p>"Good! Let my son follow me."</p> - -<p>The two chiefs rose. Eagle-head proceeded towards the isthmus, waving -his buffalo robe in his right hand as a sign of peace. The Jester -followed a few paces behind. The Comanches beheld with amazement their -sachems asking an interview with the Yoris; but accustomed to obey their -leaders without discussing the orders they were pleased to give, they -evinced no anger at this step, whose object, however, they did not -understand. The sentries posted behind the isthmus battery easily -distinguished in the moon's rays the pacific movements of the Indians, -and allowed them to come as far as the trench.</p> - -<p>"A sachem wishes an interview with the chief of the palefaces," -Eagle-head then said.</p> - -<p>"Good!" a voice replied in Spanish from the inside. "Wait a -moment—I will send for him."</p> - -<p>The two Comanche warriors bowed, crossed their hands on their breast, -and waited.</p> - -<p>Don Louis and Belhumeur had had a long conversation with Don Sylva and -the count, in which they revealed to them in what way they had learnt -that the Indians meant to attack them; the name of the man who had -informed them so correctly; and his singular conduct, in that, after -having in a measure compelled them to mix themselves up in a dangerous -affair which did not at all concern them, he had suddenly abandoned them -without any valid reason, under the futile pretext of returning to -Guaymas, where he said that important business claimed his presence with -the least possible delay.</p> - -<p>This news had a lively effect on the two hearers: Don Sylva especially, -could not repress a movement of anger on hearing that the man was no -other than Don Martial. He guessed at once the Tigrero's object—that he -hoped to carry off Doña Anita during the confusion. Still Don Sylva -would not impart his suspicions to his future son-in-law, intending to -tell him, were it absolutely necessary, at the last moment, but resolved -to watch his daughter closely, for this sudden departure of Don Martial -seemed to him to conceal a snare.</p> - -<p>Belhumeur then explained to the count the position in which he had -placed the capataz and his peons, and the mission Eagle-head had -undertaken, the result of which he would probably soon come to the -hacienda to tell. The count warmly thanked the two men who, without -knowing him, rendered him such eminent services; he offered them all the -refreshments they might need and then went to give his lieutenant orders -to warn him so soon as an Indian presented himself for a parley.</p> - -<p>On his side, Don Sylva retired with the ostensible object of reassuring -his daughter, but in reality to inspect the sentries stationed at the -rear of the hacienda. When the Comanches attacked the isthmus, the -French, put on their guard, received them so warmly that in the very -first attack the Indians recognised the futility of their attempt, and -retired in disorder.</p> - -<p>Monsieur de Lhorailles was talking with the two visitors about the -incidents of the fight, and was astonished at the prolonged absence of -Don Sylva, who had disappeared during the last hour without leaving a -trace, when Lieutenant Leroux entered the room where the three men were -conversing.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" the count asked him.</p> - -<p>"Captain," he answered, "two Indians are waiting at the trench for -permission to enter."</p> - -<p>"Two?" Belhumeur asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes, two."</p> - -<p>"That is strange," the Canadian continued.</p> - -<p>"What shall we do?" the count said.</p> - -<p>"Go and have a look at them."</p> - -<p>They proceeded to the battery.</p> - -<p>"Well?" the count said.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, one of these men is certainly Eagle-head; but I do not know -the other."</p> - -<p>"And your advice is—"</p> - -<p>"To let them come in. As this Indian, who is apparently a chief, comes -in the company of Eagle-head, he can only be a friend."</p> - -<p>"Be it so, then."</p> - -<p>The count gave a signal; the drawbridge was lowered, and the two chiefs -entered. The Indian sachems saluted all present with that native dignity -that distinguishes them, and then Eagle-head, on Belhumeur's invitation, -gave an account of his mission. The Frenchmen listened to him with an -attention mingled with admiration, not only for the skill he had -displayed, but also the courage of which he had given proof.</p> - -<p>"And now," the chief continued on ending his report, "the Jester has -understood the error into which a hatred threw him; he breaks the -alliance he formed with the Apaches, and is resolved to obey in all -respects his father Eagle-head, in order to repent his fault. Eagle-head -is a sachem—his word is granite. He places three hundred Comanche -warriors at the disposition of his brothers the palefaces."</p> - -<p>The count looked hesitatingly at the Canadian: knowing the trickery of -the Indians, he felt a repugnance to trust them. Belhumeur shrugged his -shoulders imperceptibly.</p> - -<p>"The great pale chief thanks my brother Eagle-head: he accepts his offer -with joy. His hand will ever be open, and his heart pure, for the -Comanches. The war detachment of my brother will be divided into two -parts: one, under the command of the Jester, will be concealed on the -other side of the river, to cut off the retreat of the Apaches; the -other will enter the hacienda with Eagle-head, in order to support the -palefaces. The Yori warriors are hidden in the isle, two bow-shots from -the great lodge; they will accompany the Jester."</p> - -<p>"Good!" Eagle-head replied; "all shall be done as my brother desires."</p> - -<p>The two chiefs took leave and withdrew. Belhumeur then explained to the -count the arrangements he had made with the Comanche sachem.</p> - -<p>"Hang it!" De Lhorailles said, "I confess that I have not the slightest -confidence in the Indians. You know that treachery is their favourite -weapon."</p> - -<p>"You do not know the Comanches; and, above all, you do not know -Eagle-head. I take on myself all the responsibility."</p> - -<p>"Act, then, as you please. I am too much indebted to you to thwart your -projects, especially when you are acting for my good."</p> - -<p>Belhumeur went himself to advise the capataz of the change effected in -the defensive measures. The Jester and one hundred and fifty warriors, -accompanied by the forty peons, at once crossed the river, and ambushed -themselves on the opposite bank in a clump of mangroves, ready to appear -at the first signal. The Frenchmen, with Eagle-head and a second troop -of Indians, were left to defend the isthmus, a point where they were -almost certain of not being attacked. All the other colonists concealed -themselves in the dense thickets that masked the rear of the hacienda, -with strict orders to remain invisible till the word was given to fire. -Then, when all the arrangements were made, the count and his comrades -awaited with a beating heart the Indians' attack. They had not long to -wait; and we have seen in what fashion the Black Bear was received.</p> - -<p>The Apache chief was brave as a lion; his warriors were picked men. The -collision was terrible; the redskins did not give way an inch. -Incessantly repulsed, incessantly they returned to the charge, fighting -hand to hand with the French, who, in spite of their bravery, their -discipline, and superiority of weapons, could not rout them. The combat -had degenerated into a horrible carnage, in which the fighters clutched -each other, stabbing and mangling, without loosing hold. Belhumeur saw -that he must attempt a decisive blow to finish with these demons, who -seemed invincible and invulnerable. He stooped down to Louis, who was -fighting by his side, and whispered a few words in his ear. The -Frenchman disembarrassed himself of the foe with whom he was fighting, -and ran off.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later the war cry of the Comanches was heard, strident and -terrible; and the redskin warriors bounded like jaguars on the Apaches, -swinging their clubs and long lances. At first the Black Bear fancied -assistance had arrived for him, and that the colony was in the power of -the allies but this hope did not endure a second. Then demoralisation -seized on the Apaches; they hesitated, and suddenly turned their backs, -rushing into the river, and leaving on the battlefield more than -two-thirds of their comrades.</p> - -<p>The colonists contented themselves with firing a few rounds of canister -at the fugitives, feeling certain they woould not escape the ambuscade -prepared for them. In fact, the musket shots of the peons could soon be -heard mingled with the war-cry of the Comanches. In this unfortunate -expedition the Black Bear lost in an hour the most renowed warriors of -his nation. The chief, covered with wounds, and only accompanied by a -dozen men, escaped with great difficulty from the carnage. The victory -of the French was complete. For a lont time the colony, through his -glorious achievement, was protected from the attacks of the redskins.</p> - -<p>When the combat was ended, people sought in vain in every direction for -Don Sylva and his daughter: both had disappeared, and no one knew how. -This mysterious and inexplicable event struck the inhabitants of the -colony with consternation, and changed the joy of the triumph into -mourning, for the same idea suddenly occurred to all:—</p> - -<p>"Don Sylva and his daughter have been carried off by the Black Bear!"</p> - -<p>When the count, after repeated researches, was compelled to allow that -the hacendero and his daughter had really disappeared without leaving -the slightest trace, he gave way to all the violence of his character, -vowed a terrible hatred against the Apaches, and swore to pursue them, -without truce or mercy, until he found her whom he considered his wife, -and whose loss destroyed at one blow the brilliant future he had dreamed -of.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA.</h3> - - -<p>At the remote period when the Aztecs, guided by the finger of God, -marched forth, without knowing it, to conquer the plateau of Ahanuac, of -which they eventually made the powerful kingdom of Mexico, although -their eyes were constantly turned toward this unknown land, the -permanent object of their greed, they frequently stopped their during -migration, as if fatigue had suddenly overpowered them, and the hope of -ever arriving had failed them.</p> - -<p>In such cases, instead of simply camping on the spot where this -hesitation had affected them, they installed themselves as if they never -intended to go further, and built towns. After so many centuries have -passed away, when their founders have eternally disappeared from the -surface of the globe, the imposing ruins of these cities, scattered over -a space of more than a thousand leagues, still excite the admiration, of -travellers bold enough to confront countless dangers in order to -contemplate them.</p> - -<p>The most singular of these ruins is indubitably that known by the name -of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, which rises about two miles from the -muddy banks of the Rio Gila, in an uncultivated and uninhabited plain, -on the skirt of the terrible sand desert known as the Del Norte. The -site on which this house is built is flat on all sides. The ruins which -once formed a city extend for more than three miles in a southern -direction: and also in the other directions all the ground is covered -with potsherds of every description. Many of these fragments are painted -of various colours—white or blue, red or yellow—which, by the by, is -an evident sign not only that this was an important city, but also that -it was inhabited by Indians differing from those now prowling about this -country, as the latter are completely ignorant of the art of making this -pottery.</p> - -<p>The house is a perfect square, turned to the four cardinal points. All -around are walls, indicating an enceinte inclosing not only a house, but -other buildings, traces of which are perfectly distinct; for a little to -the rear is a building having a floor above, and divided into several -parts. The edifice is built of earth, and, as far as can be seen, with -mud walls; it had the stories above the ground, but the internal -carpentry has long ago disappeared. The rooms, five in number on each -floor, were only lighted, so far as we can judge from the remains, by -the doors, and round holes made in the walls facing to the north and -south. Through these openings the man Amer (<i>el hombre Amargo</i>, as the -Indians call the Aztec sovereign) looked at the sun, on its rising and -setting, to salute it.</p> - -<p>A canal, now nearly dry, ran from the river and served to supply the -city with water.</p> - -<p>At the present day these ruins are gloomy and desolate: they are slowly -crumbling away beneath the incessant efforts of the sun, whose burning -rays calcine them, and they serve as a refuge to the hideous vultures -and the urubus which have selected it as their domicile. The Indians -carefully avoid these sinister stations, from which a superstitious -terror, for which they cannot account, keeps them aloof.</p> - -<p>Thus the Comanche, Sioux, Apache, or Pawnee warrior, whom the accidents -of the chase, or any other fortuitous cause, had brought to the vicinity -of this dangerous ruin on the night of the fourth or fifth day of the -cherry moon—<i>champasciasoni</i>—that is to say, about a month after the -events we described in the last chapter—would have fled at the top -speed of his horse, a prey to the wildest terror, at the strange -spectacle which would have presented itself to his awe-stricken gaze.</p> - -<p>The old palace of the Aztec kings threw out its gigantic outline on the -azure sky, studded with a brilliant belt of stars. From all the -openings—round or square—formed by human agency or by time in its -dilapidated walls poured floods of reddish light; while songs, shouts, -and laughter incessantly rose from the ruined apartments, and troubled -in their dens the wild beasts, surprised by these sounds, which -disturbed in so unusual a manner the silence of the desert. In the -ruins, beneath the pallid rays of the moon, might be distinguished the -shadows of men and horses grouped round enormous braseros, while a dozen -horsemen, well armed, and leaning on spears, stood motionless as bronze -equestrian statues at the entrance of the house.</p> - -<p>If within the ruins all was noise and light, outside all was shadow and -silence.</p> - -<p>The night slipped away: the moon had already traversed two thirds of her -course; the badly tended braseros went out one after another; the old -mansion alone continued to gleam through the darkness like an ill-omened -lighthouse.</p> - -<p>At this moment the sharp and regular sound of a horse trotting on the -sand re-echoed in the distance. The sentinels stationed at the entrance -of the house with difficulty raised their heads, oppressed by sleep and -the vivid cold of the first morning hours, and looked in the direction -whence the noise of footsteps was audible.</p> - -<p>A horseman appeared at the corner of the road leading to the ruins. The -stranger, paying but little heed to what he saw, continued to advance -boldly toward the house. He passed the ruined wall, and on arriving -within ten paces of the sentries, dismounted, threw the bridle on his -horse's neck, and walked with a firm step toward the sentries, who -awaited him silent and motionless. But when he was about two swords' -lengths from the party all the lances were suddenly levelled at his -breast, a hoarse voice shouted, "Halt!"</p> - -<p>The stranger stopped without a remark.</p> - -<p>"Who are you? What do you want?" asked a horseman.</p> - -<p>"I am a <i>costeño</i>. I have taken a long journey to see your captain, with -whom I wish to speak," the stranger said.</p> - -<p>By the pale and flickering rays of the moon the sentry tried in vain to -distinguish the stranger's features; but that was impossible, so -carefully was he wrapped up in his cloak.</p> - -<p>"What is your name?" he asked, in an ill-tempered tone, when he saw that -all his efforts were useless.</p> - -<p>"What need of that? Your chief does not know me, and my name will tell -him nothing."</p> - -<p>"Possibly so, but that concerns yourself. Keep your incognito if you -think proper; still, you must not be angry with me if I do not let you -disturb the captain. He is at this moment supping with his officers, and -certainly would not put himself out in the middle of the night to speak -with a stranger."</p> - -<p>The man could not conceal a sharp movement of annoyance.</p> - -<p>"Possibly so, I will say in my turn," he remarked an instant later. -"Listen. You are an old soldier, I think?"</p> - -<p>"I am one still," the trooper said, drawing himself up proudly.</p> - -<p>"Although you speak Spanish magnificently, I believe I can recognise the -Frenchman in you."</p> - -<p>"I have that honour."</p> - -<p>The stranger chuckled inwardly. He had caught his man: he had found out -his weak point.</p> - -<p>"I am alone," he went on. "You have I know not how many comrades. Allow -me to speak with your captain. What do you fear?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing; but my orders are strict—I dare not break through them."</p> - -<p>"We are in the heart of the desert, more than a hundred leagues -from every civilised abode," the stranger said, pressingly. "You can -understand that very powerful reasons were requisite to make me brave -the numberless dangers of the long journey I have made to speak for a -few moments with the Count de Lhorailles. Would you shipwreck me in -sight of port, when it only requires a little kindness on your part for -me to obtain what I want?"</p> - -<p>The trooper hesitated; the reasons urged by the stranger had half -convinced him. Still, after a few minutes' reflection, he said with a -toss of his head,—</p> - -<p>"No, it is impossible; the captain is stern, and I do not care to lose -my corporal's stripes. All I can do for you is to allow you to bivouac -here with our men in the open air. Tomorrow it will be day; the captain -will come out; you will speak to him, and arrange matters as you please, -for it will not affect me."</p> - -<p>"Hem!" the stranger said thoughtfully, "it is a long time to wait."</p> - -<p>"Bah!" said the soldier gaily, "a night is soon passed. Besides, it is -your own fault; you are so confoundedly mysterious. A man needn't be -ashamed of his name."</p> - -<p>"But I repeat that your captain never heard mine."</p> - -<p>"What matter if he hasn't? A name is always a name."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" the stranger suddenly said, "I believe I have found a way to -settle everything."</p> - -<p>"Let's hear it: if it is good I will avail myself of it."</p> - -<p>"'Tis excellent."</p> - -<p>"All the better. I am listening."</p> - -<p>"Go and tell the captain that the man who fired a pistol at him a month -back at the Rancho of Guaymas is here, and wishes to speak to him."</p> - -<p>"Eh?"</p> - -<p>"Do you not understand me?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, perfectly."</p> - -<p>"Well, in that case—"</p> - -<p>"Between ourselves, the recommendation seems to me rather scurvy."</p> - -<p>"You think so?"</p> - -<p>"Parbleu! He was all but assassinated by you. What, was it you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I and another."</p> - -<p>"I compliment you on it."</p> - -<p>"Thanks. Well, are you not going?"</p> - -<p>"I confess to a certain amount of hesitation."</p> - -<p>"You are wrong. The Count de Lhorailles is a brave man; no one doubts -his courage. He must have retained our chance meeting in pleasant -memory."</p> - -<p>"After all, that's possible; and, besides you are a stranger. I cannot -bear the thought of refusing you so slight a service. I will go. Wait -here, and do not be impatient, for I do not promise you success."</p> - -<p>"I am certain of it."</p> - -<p>The old soldier dismounted with a shrug of his shoulders, and entered -the house. The stranger did not appear to doubt the success of the -corporal's embassy; for, as soon as he had disappeared, he walked up to -the door. In a few moments the corporal returned.</p> - -<p>"Well," the stranger asked, "what answer did the captain give you?"</p> - -<p>"He began laughing and ordered me to bring you in."</p> - -<p>"You see I was right."</p> - -<p>"That's true; but, for all that, an attempted assassination is a droll -recommendation."</p> - -<p>"A meeting," the stranger remarked.</p> - -<p>"I don't know if you call it by that name here; but in France we call it -waylaying. Come on."</p> - -<p>The stranger made no reply; he merely shrugged his shoulders, and -followed the worthy trooper.</p> - -<p>In an immense hall, whose dilapidated walls threatened to collapse, and -to which the star-spangled sky served as roof, four men of stern -features and flashing eyes were seated round a table, served with the -most delicate luxury and the most sensual idea of comfort. They were the -count and the officers forming his staff, namely, Lieutenants Diégo Léon -and Martin Leroux, and Don Sylva's old capataz, Blas Vasquez.</p> - -<p>The count had been encamped with his free company for the last five days -in the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. After the attack on the colony by -the Apaches, the count, in the hope of finding again his betrothed, who -had disappeared in so mysterious a way during the action, and most -probably had been carried off by the Indians, immediately formed the -resolution of executing the orders government had given him long -previously, and which he had hitherto delayed obeying, with pretexts -more or less plausible; but in reality because he did not care, brave as -he was, to have a fight with the redskins, who were so resolute and -difficult to overcome, especially when attacked on their own territory. -The count drew one hundred and twenty Frenchmen from the colony, to whom -the capataz, who burned to recover and deliver his master and young -mistress, added thirty resolute peons, so that the strength of the -little troop amounted to one hundred and fifty well-armed and -experienced horsemen.</p> - -<p>The count had asked the hunters, whose help had also been so precious to -him, to accompany him. He would have been happy to have not only -companions so intrepid, but also guides so sure as they to lead him on the -trail of the Indians, whom he was determined to follow up and -exterminate. But Count Louis and his two friends, without giving any -further excuse than the necessity of continuing their journey at once, -took leave of Lhorailles, peremptorily refusing the brilliant offers he -made them.</p> - -<p>The count was compelled to put up with the capataz and his peons. -Unfortunately these men were <i>costeños</i> or inhabitants of the seaboard, -perfectly well acquainted with the coast, but entirely ignorant of all -relating to the <i>tierra adentro</i> or interior countries. It was, -therefore, under this inexperienced guidance that the count left Guetzalli -and marched into Apacheria.</p> - -<p>The expedition began under favourable auspices: twice were the redskins -surprised by the French at an interval of a few days, and mercilessly -massacred. The count wished to make no prisoners, in the hope of -imprinting terror on the hearts of these barbarous savages. All the -Indians who fell alive into the hands of the French were shot, and then -hung on the trees, head downwards.</p> - -<p>Still, after these two encounters, so disastrous for them, the Indians -appeared to have taken the hint; and, in spite of all the count's -efforts, he found it impossible to catch them again. The summary justice -exercised by the count appeared not only to have attained, but even -outstripped the object he designed; for the Indians suddenly became -invisible. For about three weeks the count sought their trail, but was -unable to discover it. At length, on the eve of the day on which we take -up our story again, some seven or eight hundred horses, apparently free -(for according to the Indian custom, their riders lying on their flanks, -were nearly invisible), entered the ruins about midday, and rushed on -the Casa Grande at a frightful pace.</p> - -<p>A discharge of musketry from behind the hastily erected barricades -hurled disorder in their ranks, though it did not check the impetus of -their attack, and they fell like lightning on the French. The Apaches -had plucked up a spirit. Half naked, with their heads laden with plumes, -their long buffalo robes fluttering in the wind, steering their horses -with their knees, the Indian warriors had a warlike aspect capable of -inspiring the most resolute men with terror. The French received them -boldly, however, although deafened by the horrible yells their enemies -uttered, and blinded by the long barbed arrows which rained around them -like hail.</p> - -<p>But the Apaches, as much as the French, wished for no mere skirmish. By -a common accord they rushed on each other in a hand-to-hand fight. In -the midst of the Indian warriors, the Black Bear could be easily -recognised by his long plume and the eagle feathers planted in his -war-tuft. The chief urged his men on to avenge their preceding defeats by -seizing the Casa Grande. Then one of those fearful frontier actions -began, in which no prisoners are made, and which render any description -impossible through the ferocity both parties display, and the cruelties -of which they are guilty. The <i>bolas perdidas</i>, bayonet, and lance were -the only weapons employed. This fight, during which the Indians were -incessantly reinforced, lasted more than two hours, and the defenders of -the barricades allowed themselves to be killed sooner than yield an inch -of ground.</p> - -<p>Beginning to hope that the Indians must be wearied by so long a struggle -and such an obstinate defence, the French redoubled their efforts, when -suddenly the cry of "Treason! Treason!" was heard in their rear. The -count and the capataz, who fought in the first ranks of the volunteers -and peons, turned round. The position was critical. The French were -really caught between two fires. The Little Panther, at the head of the -fifty warriors, had turned the position, and taken the barricades in -reverse. The Indians, mad with joy at such perfect success, cut down all -they came across, uttering the wild yells of triumph.</p> - -<p>The count took a long glance at the battlefield, and his determination -was at once formed. He said a couple of words to the capataz, who -returned to the head of his combatants, warned them what to do, and -watched for the favourable moment to carry out his chiefs instructions. -For his part the count had lost no time. Seizing a barrel of powder, he -put into it a piece of lighted candle, and hurled it into the densest -ranks of the Indians, where it burst almost immediately, causing -irreparable injury. The terrified Apaches fell into disorder, and fled -in every direction to avoid being struck by the fragments of this novel -shell. Profiting cleverly by the respite produced by the barrel among -the assailants, the adventurers led by the capataz turned and rushed on -the Little Panther's band, which was only a few paces off by this time. -The spot was not favourable for the Indians, who, collected in a narrow -entry, could not manoeuvre their horses. The Little Panther and the -Apaches rushed forward with yells. The French, as brave and as skillful -as their adversaries, boldly awaited with levelled bayonets the shock of -the tremendous avalanche, which fell upon them with blinding speed. The -redskins were driven back. The rout commenced, and the Apaches began -flying in every direction. The count sent several peons after them, who -returned toward nightfall, stating that the Apaches, after reforming, had -entered the desert.</p> - -<p>The count, although satisfied with the victory he had gained (for the -enemy's loss was tremendous), did not consider it decisive, as the Black -Bear had escaped, and he had been unable to recover the person he had -sworn to save. He gave orders to his <i>cuadrilla</i> to prepare for a -forward march in the desert, and on the next day the French would -definitely leave the Casa Grande.</p> - -<p>The count fêted with his officers the victory gained on the previous -day, and urged them to drink to the success of the expedition they were -going to attempt on the morrow. Flushed by the numerous potations he had -made, by the repeated toasts he had drunk, as well as by the hope of -complete success ere long, the count was in the best possible temper to -hear the singular message the old corporal delivered so much against the -grain.</p> - -<p>"And what sort of fellow is he?" he asked, when the other had performed -his task.</p> - -<p>"On my word, captain," the corporal answered, "so far as I could see, he -is stout, well-built young fellow, and gifted with a sufficient stock of -assurance, not to speak more strongly."</p> - -<p>The count reflected for a moment.</p> - -<p>"Shall I have him shot?" the soldier asked, taking this silence for a -condemnation.</p> - -<p>"Plague take it, what a hurry you are in, Boiland!" the count said -laughing and looking up. "No, no; this scamp's arrival is a piece of -good luck for us. On the contrary, bring him here with the utmost -politeness."</p> - -<p>The soldier bowed and retired.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," the count continued, "you remember the trap to which I -almost fell a victim: a certain amount of mystery, which I have never -been able to fathom, has since surrounded this affair. The man who asks -speech of me has come, I feel a presentiment, in order to give me the -key to many things which have hitherto been incomprehensible."</p> - -<p>"Señor conde," the capataz observed, "pray take care. You do not yet -know the character of our people; this man may come to draw you into a -snare."</p> - -<p>"For what purpose?"</p> - -<p>"<i>¿Quién sabe</i>?" Blas Vasquez answered, employing that phrase which in -Spanish is so meaning, and which it is difficult to translate into our -tongue.</p> - -<p>"Bah, bah!" the count said. "Trust in me, Don Blas, to unmask this -scamp, if he be a spy, as I do not suppose."</p> - -<p>The capataz contented himself with an almost imperceptible shrug of his -shoulders. The count was one of those men whose lofty and arrogant mind -rendered any discussion impossible. The Europeans, and, before all, the -French in America, display towards the natives—white, half-breed, or -redskins—a contempt which breaks out in their language and actions, -persuaded they stand intellectually far above the inhabitants of the -country in which they happen to be, they display towards them an -insulting pity, and amuse themselves with continually turning them into -ridicule, by mocking either their habits or their belief, and in their -hearts grant them an amount of instinct not greatly superior to that of -the brute.</p> - -<p>This opinion is not only unjust, but it is also entirely false. The -American Hispanos, it is true, are very far behindhand as regards -civilisation, trade, mechanical arts, &c.: progress with them is slow, -because perpetually impeded by the superstitions that form the basis of -their faith; but we ought not to make these people responsible for a -state of things from which they are eager to emerge, and for which the -Spaniards are alone culpable, owing to the system of brutalising -oppression and crushing abjectness in which they kept them. The grinding -tyranny which for several centuries weighed Indians down, by rendering -them the utter slaves of haughty and implacable masters, has given them -the characteristics of slaves—cunning and cowardice.</p> - -<p>With a few honourable exceptions, the mass of the Indian population -especially—for the whites have advanced with giant steps in the path of -progress during the past few years—is scampish, cunning, cowardly, and -depraved. Thus it ever happens that when a European and a half-breed -come into collision, the white man, instead of the intelligence he -boasts, is duped by the Indian. It is so well recognised as an article -of faith in Spanish America, that the half-breeds and Indians are poor -irrational creatures, gifted at the most with enough intelligence to -live from hand to mouth that the whites proudly call themselves <i>gente -de razón.</i></p> - -<p>We are bound to add that, after a few years' residence in America, the -opinions of the Europeans with regard to the half-breeds are greatly -modified, because a little acquaintance with the country enables them to -take a more healthy view of the people with whom they are mixed up. But -the Count de Lhorailles had not reached that stage: he only saw in the -Indian or half-breed a being all but lacking reason, and dealt with -him on that erroneous principle. This belief was destined, at a later -date, to bear most terrible consequences.</p> - -<p>The count had noticed the shrug of the shoulders the capataz gave, and -was about to reply to him, when the corporal reappeared, followed by the -stranger, on whom all eyes were at once fixed. The stranger bore without -flinching the cross fire of glances, and, while remaining completely -wrapped up in the folds of his large cloak, saluted the company with -unparalleled ease. The appearance of this man in the banqueting hall -infected the guests with a feeling of uneasiness they would have been -unable to explain, but which suddenly rendered them dumb.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a></h4> - -<h3>CUCHARÉS.</h3> - - -<p>The silence began to grow embarrassing to all, and the count speedily -noticed this. As a thorough gentleman, accustomed to command immediately -the most exceptional and difficult positions, he rose, walked toward the -stranger with outstretched hand, and turning to his officers,—</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," he said, with a peculiar inflection of voice, and bowing -courteously, "allow me to present to you this <i>caballero</i>, whose name I -am not yet acquainted with, but who, from what he has himself said, is -one of my most intimate enemies."</p> - -<p>"Oh, señor conde!" the unknown said, in a stifled voice.</p> - -<p>"I am delighted at it," the count said quickly. "Pray do not contradict -me, my dear enemy, but be good enough to take a seat by my side."</p> - -<p>"I never was your enemy; the proof is that I have ridden two hundred -leagues to ask a service of you."</p> - -<p>"It is granted ere mentioned; so put off serious matters till tomorrow. -Take a glass of champagne."</p> - -<p>The unknown bowed, seized the glass, and said, bowing to the company,—</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen, I drink to the fortunate issue of your expedition."</p> - -<p>And lifting the glass to his lips, he emptied it at a draught.</p> - -<p>"You are a famous companion, sir. I thank you for your toast; it is of -good omen to us."</p> - -<p>"Commandant, pray be kind enough," Lieutenant Martin said, "to tell us -as speedily as possible your amusing relations with this caballero."</p> - -<p>"I would do so with pleasure, señores; but I should first like to ask -this caballero, who states he has ridden so far to see me, to break an -incognito which has lasted too long already, and to inform us of his -name, so that we may know whom we have the honour of greeting."</p> - -<p>The stranger began laughing, and, allowing the fold of his cloak, which -had hitherto concealed his face, to fall, replied:—</p> - -<p>"With the greatest pleasure, caballeros; but I fancy that my name, like -my face, will teach you nothing. We only met once, señor conde, and -during that interview the night was too dark, and the conversation -between yourself and my comrade too animated, for my features to have -deeply imprinted on your memory, even had you seen them."</p> - -<p>"It is true, señor," the count replied, after attentively examining his -features. "I am free to confess that I do not remember ever having seen -you before."</p> - -<p>"I was sure of it."</p> - -<p>"Then," the count exclaimed hotly, "why do you so obstinately hide your -face?"</p> - -<p>"Come, sir count, I probably had my reasons for doing so. Who knows if -you may not some day have cause to regret making me break an incognito -which I probably had reasons for maintaining?"</p> - -<p>These words were pronounced in a sarcastic voice, mingled with a menace, -which each could read in spite of the stranger's apparent coolness.</p> - -<p>"It is of little consequence, señor," the count said haughtily. "I am -one of those men whose sword supports his words; so now have the -goodness to give me your name without further excuses or vacillation."</p> - -<p>"Which will you have, caballero—my <i>nom de guerre</i>, or any other of my -aliases?"</p> - -<p>"Any one you please," the count said furiously, "so long as you give us -one."</p> - -<p>The stranger rose, and, turning a haughty glance on all present, said in -a firm voice,—</p> - -<p>"I told you on entering this room, caballero, that I had ridden two -hundred leagues to ask a service of you. I deceived you. I expect -nothing of you, neither service nor favour; on the contrary, I wish to -be useful to you. I have come for that purpose, and no other. What need -of your knowing who I am, or what my name is, as I shall not be your -obligé, but you mine?"</p> - -<p>"The greater reason, caballero, for you to unmask. I will respect the -quality of guest you claim here, and not make you do by force what I ask -of you; but remember this, I am resolved, whatever may happen, to listen -to nothing, and beg you to withdraw immediately, if you refuse any -longer to satisfy my wishes."</p> - -<p>"You will repent of it, señor conde," the stranger replied, with a -sardonic smile. "One word more, and a last one. I consent to make myself -known to you privately, the more so as what I have to tell you must only -be heard by yourself."</p> - -<p>"By Bacchus!" Lieutenant Martin exclaimed, "this surpasses all belief, -and such persistency is extraordinary."</p> - -<p>"I know not if I am mistaken," the capataz exclaimed meaningly; "but I -am certain I hold a great place in the mystery with which this caballero -surrounds himself, and that if he fears anybody here it is I."</p> - -<p>"You are quite correct, señor Don Blas," the stranger said with a bow. -"You see that I know you. You know me too, if not by face, fortunately -for me at this moment, by name and repute. Well, rightly or wrongly, I -am convinced that were I to pronounce that name before you, you would -induce your friend not to listen to me."</p> - -<p>"And what would happen then?" the capataz interrupted him.</p> - -<p>"A great misfortune probably," the stranger said in a firm voice. "You -see that I act frankly with you, whatever your opinion may be. I only -ask of the count ten minutes' conversation; after that he can do -whatever he pleases with the secret I intrust to him, and the news I -bring him."</p> - -<p>There was a moment's silence. The count examined the stranger's calm -face while reflecting profoundly. At length the unknown rose, and, -bowing to the count, said,—</p> - -<p>"Which am I to do, señor—stay or go?"</p> - -<p>The count turned a piercing glance upon him, which the other endured -without betraying the slightest emotion.</p> - -<p>"Stay!" he said.</p> - -<p>"Good!" the unknown remarked, and seated himself again on the <i>butaca</i>.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," continued the count, addressing his guests, "you have -heard, be kind enough to excuse me for a few moments."</p> - -<p>The officers rose and withdrew without any reply. The capataz was the -last to go, after bending on the unknown one of those glances which -ransack the depths of a man's heart. But this glance, like the count's, -produced no effect on the stranger's cold, impassive face.</p> - -<p>"Now, señor," said the count to the stranger, as soon as they were -alone, "I am awaiting the fulfilment of your promise."</p> - -<p>"I am ready to satisfy you."</p> - -<p>"What is your name? Who are you?"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, sir," the stranger replied with easy raillery, "if we go on -thus it will take a long time, and you will learn nothing, or very -little."</p> - -<p>The count repressed with difficulty a gesture of impatience.</p> - -<p>"Proceed as you think proper," he said.</p> - -<p>"Good! In that way we shall soon understand each other."</p> - -<p>"I am listening."</p> - -<p>"You are strange, señor, in this country. Having arrived a few months -back only, you do not yet know the habits and customs of the -inhabitants. Relying on the knowledge you attained in your own country, -you fancied, on arriving among us, that you could do exactly as you -pleased, because your intelligence was so superior to ours, and you have -acted accordingly."</p> - -<p>"To your story, señor!" interrupted the count passionately.</p> - -<p>"I am coming to it, señor. Owing to powerful protectors, you found -yourself at once placed in an exceptional position. You have founded a -magnificent colony in the richest province of Mexico, on the desert -frontier. You then asked and obtained from government the rank of -captain, with the right to raise a free corps composed exclusively of -your own countrymen, specially intended to hunt the Apaches, Comanches, -&c. That is easy to understand for we Mexicans are such cowards."</p> - -<p>"Señor, señor! I would remind you that all you are now saying is at -least useless," the count angrily exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"Not so much as you suppose," the other said, still perfectly calm; "but -set your mind at ease. I have finished, and now reach the point which -specially interests you. I only wished to let you see that if you did -not know <i>me</i>, I, on the other hand, know more of you than you -imagined."</p> - -<p>The count struck the table with his fist and stamped his foot as an -outlet for his passion.</p> - -<p>"I will go on," the unknown continued. "Certainly, on landing in Mexico, -however great your ambition might be, you did not expect to gain such a -brilliant position in so short a time. Facile fortune is a bad adviser. -The too much of yesterday becomes the not enough of today. When you saw -that you succeeded in everything, you wished to crown your work by a -masterstroke, and shelter yourself for ever from the freaks of that -fortune which is today your slave, but might suddenly turn its back on -you tomorrow. I do not blame you. You acted like a clever gambler; and, -being afflicted with that vice myself, I can appreciate in others a -quality I do not myself possess.</p> - -<p>"Oh," the count said.</p> - -<p>"Patience! I am there now. You looked around you, and your eyes were -naturally fixed on Don Sylva de Torrés. That caballero combined all the -qualities you sought in a father-in-law, for what you wished was to -contract a rich marriage. Ah! You no longer interrupt me. It seems that -the account I am giving of your own history is becoming interesting. Don -Sylva is kind-hearted and credulous; moreover, he has a colossal -fortune, even for this country, where fortunes are so large; and Doña -Anita is a charming girl. In short, you introduced yourself to Don -Sylva. You asked his daughter's hand, which he promised you, and the -marriage should have come off a month ago. And now, caballero, be good -enough to redouble your attention, for I am entering on the most -interesting part of my narrative."</p> - -<p>"Continue, señor; you see that I am listening with all necessary -patience."</p> - -<p>"You shall be rewarded for your complaisance, caballero, be at rest," -the unknown said with a tinge of mockery.</p> - -<p>"I am anxious to hear the end of your story, señor."</p> - -<p>"Here you have it. Unfortunately for your schemes, Doña Anita was not -consulted by her father in the choice of a husband: for a long time she -had secretly loved a young man who had done her important service."</p> - -<p>"And you know the man's name?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, señor."</p> - -<p>"Tell it me."</p> - -<p>"Not yet. This man returned her love. The two young people met without -Don Sylva's knowledge, and swore an eternal love. When Doña Anita was -constrained by her father to regard you as her husband she feigned -submission, for she did not dare openly to resist her father; but she -warned the man she loved, and the couple, after renewing their love -vows, thought on a way to break off this fatal marriage."</p> - -<p>The count had risen several moments back, and was now pacing the room. -At the last words he stopped before the stranger.</p> - -<p>"Then," he said in a gloomy voice, "the attempted assassination at the -Rancho—"</p> - -<p>"Was a means employed by the lover to get rid of you? Yes, señor," the -stranger calmly said.</p> - -<p>"This man, then, is only a dastardly assassin!" he said contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"You are wrong, caballero; he only wished to compel you to retire. The -proof is that your life was in his hands and he did not take it."</p> - -<p>"To the point, then!" the count exclaimed. "Assassin or not, you will -tell me his name, for you have finished now, I suppose?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet. After the meeting at the Rancho you proceeded to your -hacienda, accompanied by your future father-in-law and wife. Even then, -without leaving you a moment's rest, the hatred of Doña Anita's lover -pursued you: the Apaches attacked you.</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>"Well, need I give you further explanation? Cannot you understand that -this man was in league with the redskins?"</p> - -<p>"And Doña Anita knew it?"</p> - -<p>"I will not affirm that positively, but it is probable."</p> - -<p>"Oh!"</p> - -<p>"Was not the game well played?"</p> - -<p>The count bit his lips till the blood began to flow.</p> - -<p>"And you know who carried Doña Anita off?"</p> - -<p>"I do."</p> - -<p>"It was not the redskins?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"That man, then?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"But her father was carried off to?"</p> - -<p>"I know it; but it was not at all with his will, I assure you."</p> - -<p>"Where is Don Sylva now?"</p> - -<p>"Quietly at home at Guaymas."</p> - -<p>"Is his daughter with him?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"She is with that man, I suppose?"</p> - -<p>"You are a perfect sorcerer."</p> - -<p>"And you know where they are?"</p> - -<p>"I do."</p> - -<p>Quick as lightning the count bounded on the stranger, seized him by the -collar with his left hand, and, placing a pistol against his breast, -shouted in a hoarse voice,—</p> - -<p>"Now, villain, you will tell me where they are!"</p> - -<p>"Is that the game we are playing?" the stranger said. "Well, as you -please, caballero."</p> - -<p>Then throwing back his cloak quickly, he aimed at the count two pistols -which he held in either hand. The stranger's movement had been so rapid -that the count was unable to prevent it. Besides, a sudden idea occurred -to him at the moment. Lowering his pistol, and thrusting it back in his -girdle, he muttered,—</p> - -<p>"I was mad: pardon that angry movement."</p> - -<p>"Most heartily," the unknown replied, laying his pistols on the table -within reach.</p> - -<p>"Pardon me again. Now that I reflect on what you have just told me, I -see that your object was to be of service to me."</p> - -<p>The stranger made a gesture of affirmation.</p> - -<p>"But there is one thing I cannot explain."</p> - -<p>"What is that?"</p> - -<p>"The manner in which you have told me all these details."</p> - -<p>"Oh! That is simple enough."</p> - -<p>"I shall feel obliged by your explanation."</p> - -<p>"With pleasure, caballero. Two men attacked you at the Rancho."</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"I am he who pulled you off your horse."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" the count said, with a singular intonation in his voice.</p> - -<p>"In a word, my name is Cucharés! I am a lepero; that is to say, I like -the sun better than the shade, rest than work, and would sooner stab a -man, when properly paid for it, than do a good action which brings in -nothing. You comprehend me?"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly."</p> - -<p>"Then we can come to an understanding?"</p> - -<p>"I think so."</p> - -<p>"Well, so do I, and that is the reason I have come to you."</p> - -<p>"One question more."</p> - -<p>"Ask it."</p> - -<p>"At this moment you are betraying your friends?"</p> - -<p>"I? Who?"</p> - -<p>"The persons you have hitherto served."</p> - -<p>"A man like myself, caballero, has no friends, only customers."</p> - -<p>"Friends or customers, you are betraying them."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! We have settled our accounts. They owe me nothing, nor I them. We -are quits. Look ye, caballero: in every business there are two sides, -which a skilful man can work equally well. I have drawn all I could from -the first, so I am going to try the other now."</p> - -<p>The count heard the lepero develope this strange theory with an amazement -mingled with terror. A cynicism so ripe and shameless terrified him and -yet the count was not excessively thin-skinned.</p> - -<p>"We will agree, then, that you have come to do me a service."</p> - -<p>The lepero smiled.</p> - -<p>"Let us understand one another," continued he. "I say so not to startle -the consciences of the gentlemen who were present on my entrance; but -between ourselves, I will be more frank."</p> - -<p>"Which means?"</p> - -<p>"That I have come to sell it to you."</p> - -<p>"Be it so!"</p> - -<p>"I shall want a long price."</p> - -<p>"Good!"</p> - -<p>"A very long price."</p> - -<p>"No matter, if it is worth it."</p> - -<p>"Come," the lepero exclaimed joyfully, "you are just the man I expected -to find you. Well, you can trust in me."</p> - -<p>"I must do so, I suppose."</p> - -<p>"What would you? It is the way of the world. Today my turn, tomorrow -yours. Bah! You will have no cause to regret a few thousand piastres."</p> - -<p>"First, then, my rival's name."</p> - -<p>"It will cost you fifty ounces, and you cannot think it dear."</p> - -<p>"Here they are," the count said, arranging them on the table.</p> - -<p>The lepero made them disappear in a second in his large pockets.</p> - -<p>"The name of your rival, caballero, is Don Martial. He is a Tigrero, and -very rich."</p> - -<p>"I fancy I have heard Don Sylva mention that name."</p> - -<p>"It is probable. Don Sylva cannot endure Don Martial, especially since -he saved Doña Anita's life."</p> - -<p>"I remember that circumstance too; Don Sylva frequently mentioned it to -me. And now, how did Don Martial carry the girl off?"</p> - -<p>"Very easily, the more so as she wished nothing better than to follow -him. During your fight with the Apaches he placed Doña Anita in a canoe, -into which I had already thrown her father, gagged and tied; then we -went off, all four of us. All through the night we kept to the river, so -as to leave no traces of our flight, and by daybreak had covered fifteen -leagues. No longer fearing discovery, we landed. Indios Mansos sold us -some horses. Don Martial ordered me to take the young girl's father to -Guaymas, and I fulfilled this difficult commission with all honour. Don -Sylva was unwilling to follow me; but at last I managed to get him into -his own house, where I left him, and went back to Don Martial, who had -requested me to bring him certain things, and was awaiting me at a spot -agreed on between us."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" the count said, "and how did you come to leave him?"</p> - -<p>"Good gracious, caballero! We separated, as so often happens to the best -of friends, in consequence of a misunderstanding."</p> - -<p>"Very good! He turned you off?"</p> - -<p>"Nearly so, I am obliged to confess."</p> - -<p>"Have you left him long?"</p> - -<p>The lepero winked his right eye.</p> - -<p>"No," he answered.</p> - -<p>"Can you lead me to the spot where he now is?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, whenever you please."</p> - -<p>"Very good! Is it far?"</p> - -<p>"No, but pardon me, caballero, let us settle matters at once. Are you -agreeable?"</p> - -<p>"Let us see."</p> - -<p>"How much will you give me to learn at what spot Don Martial and Doña -Anita are concealed?"</p> - -<p>"Two hundred ounces."</p> - -<p>"Hand them over."</p> - -<p>"Here they are."</p> - -<p>The count took some handfuls of money from an iron box in a corner of -the room, and gave them to the lepero.</p> - -<p>"There is a pleasure in dealing with you," said Cucharés, as he sent -these ounces to join the others with admirable celerity. "Thus you see I -was quite right when I told you that I was going to do you a service."</p> - -<p>"It is true, and I thank you. Where are Don Martial and the Doña?"</p> - -<p>"At the mission of Don Francisco. But now I must ask permission to leave -you."</p> - -<p>"Not yet."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"For two reasons; the first, because, in spite of all the confidence I -have in you, nothing has yet proved to me that you have told the truth."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" said the lepero with a gesture of denial.</p> - -<p>"I know very well I am mistaken; but what would you have? I am naturally -suspicious."</p> - -<p>"Good! I will remain. But now for your second reason."</p> - -<p>"This is it. I have in my turn a service to ask of you."</p> - -<p>"To be paid for?"</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>"I am listening."</p> - -<p>"I will give you a hundred ounces to lead me to my rival."</p> - -<p>"Canarios!" the lepero exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"One hundred ounces," the count said again.</p> - -<p>"I understand you. One hundred ounces—a fine sum. But look ye, count: -I am a costeño, and a lepero in the bargain. This desert life does not -suit my temperament and injures my health. I have taken an oath to have -no more of it. The road from here to the mission is difficult. We shall -have to cross the desert. No, taking all things into consideration, it -is impossible."</p> - -<p>"That is unlucky," coldly replied the count.</p> - -<p>"It is."</p> - -<p>"Because," he continued, "I would have given you not one, but two -hundred ounces."</p> - -<p>"Eh?" asked the other, cocking his ears.</p> - -<p>"But as you refuse—you do so, I think?—I shall be obliged, to my great -regret to have you shot."</p> - -<p>"What do you say?" the lepero exclaimed, with a movement of terror.</p> - -<p>"By'r Lady!" the count said simply, "my dear fellow, you are so clever in -business matters that, having found two sides of a question, I am -terribly frightened lest you should find a third."</p> - -<p>And before Cucharés could prevent him he seized the pistols that lay on -the table. The lepero turned livid.</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, pardon me," he said in an ill-assured voice. "As you desire -it so eagerly, I must please you to the best of my power. I accept the -two hundred ounces."</p> - -<p>"Very good!" the count exclaimed. "I thought, too, that we should come -to an understanding."</p> - -<p>He went to fetch the money from the iron chest; but, as he turned his -back on the lepero, he could not see the singular smile that curved his -lips. Had he done so, he would not have chanted his victory so loudly.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></h4> - -<h3>IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK.</h3> - - -<p>The lepero's story, true in its foundation, was utterly false and -erroneous in its details. Perhaps, however, he had an interest in -deceiving the Count de Lhorailles, which the reader will be able to -judge of better after reading the following chapter.</p> - -<p>After escaping so miraculously from the hands of the Apaches, into -whose power he had fallen, Cucharés dived and sought the centre of the -river. On mounting to the surface again to take breath, he looked around -him: he was alone. The lepero stifled a cry of joy, and, after a -moment's reflection, swam vigorously in the direction of the mangroves, -where Don Martial, warned by the signal he had been compelled to give, -had doubtlessly been awaiting him some time. With a few strokes he -reached the trees, beneath whose shade he disappeared. But another piece -of good luck awaited him there: the canoe, abandoned to itself, had -floated up against the trunk of a tree, and remained stationary.</p> - -<p>Cucharés, leaving the water, soon succeeded in emptying the canoe and -making it float again. These boats are so light that they can be easily -emptied, for in these regions they are made of birch bark, which the -Indians strip from the tree by means of boiling water.</p> - -<p>He had scarce landed ere a shadow bent over him and muttered in his -ear:—</p> - -<p>"You have been a long time."</p> - -<p>The lepero gave a start of terror; but he recognised Don Martial. In a -very few words he explained to him all that happened.</p> - -<p>"It is all the better, as you have come here," the Tigrero said. "Hide -yourself in the mangroves, and do not stir under any pretext until I -return."</p> - -<p>And he rapidly retired. Cucharés obeyed with more zeal because he heard -at no great distance from him the sound of the obstinate contest going -on at that moment between the French and Apaches. Don Martial, dagger in -hand, in readiness for any event, had glided like a phantom up to a -clump of floripondins, where Doña Anita awaited him all trembling. Just -as he was going to pull back the branches that separated him from the -young girl, he stopped with panting breast and frowning brow. She was -not alone. Her voice, quivering with emotion or anger, was harsh and -imperious, whom could she be speaking to? Who was the man that had -succeeded in discovering her in this retired spot, where she fancied -herself so well concealed, and who, it seemed, was trying to force her -to follow him? The Tigrero listened. Soon he made a gesture of anger and -menace. He had recognised the voice of the man with whom Doña Anita was -talking: it was her father.</p> - -<p>All was lost!</p> - -<p>The hacendero was trying to lead his daughter in the direction of the -buildings; while employing the most convincing reasons. He did not -appear to suspect the motive which had brought his daughter to that -spot. Doña Anita refused to go away, alleging the danger of being met by -an Indian marauder, and thus falling into the danger she so earnestly -wished to avoid.</p> - -<p>Don Martial struck his brow; a singular smile played on his lips; his -eyes flashed fire, and he noiselessly slipped back to the river bank. -Still the combat was going on: at times it appeared to draw -nearer—oaths and yells could be distinguished; at others, flashes lit -up the scene, and a shower of bullets whizzed through the air with that -sharp, hissing sound which terrifies novices in warfare.</p> - -<p>"In the name of Heaven, my beloved daughter," Don Sylva urged, "come! We -have not a moment to lose; in a few seconds our retreat may be perhaps -cut off. Come, I implore you!"</p> - -<p>"No, my father!" she said, shaking her head. "I am resigned: whatever -may happen, I repeat to you, I will not leave this spot."</p> - -<p>"It is madness," the hacendero exclaimed in great grief. "You wish to -die, then?"</p> - -<p>"What matter to me?" she said sorrowfully. "Am I not condemned in every -way? Heaven is my witness, father, that I would gladly die to escape the -marriage prepared for me."</p> - -<p>"My daughter, in the Virgin's name——"</p> - -<p>"What do you care, father, whether I fall into the hands of Pagan -savages today, when tomorrow you would surrender me with your own hands -to a man I detest?"</p> - -<p>"Speak not to me thus, daughter. Besides, the moment is very badly -chosen, it seems to me, for a discussion like this. Come, the shouts are -growing more furious; it will soon be too late."</p> - -<p>"Go, if you think proper," she said resolutely. "I shall remain here, -whatever may happen."</p> - -<p>"As it is so, as you obstinately resist me, I will employ force to -compel your obedience."</p> - -<p>The girl threw her left arm round the trunk of a cedar tree, and looking -with intense resolution at her father, exclaimed,—</p> - -<p>"Do so if you dare, O my father! But I warn you that, at the first step -you take toward me, that will happen which you want to avoid. I will -utter such piercing shrieks that they must reach the ears of the Pagans, -who will run up."</p> - -<p>Don Sylva stopped in hesitation: he knew his daughter's firm and -determined character, and that she would at once put this threat in -execution. A few minutes elapsed, during which father and daughter stood -face to face, not uttering a word, or making even a gesture.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the branches were noisily parted, yielding a passage to two -men, or rather two demons, who, rushing with panther bounds on the -hacendero, hurled him to the ground. Before Don Sylva was able to -recognise the enemies who attacked him so unexpectedly by the pale beams -of the stars, he was gagged and bound, while a handkerchief twisted -round his head hid from him all external objects, and prevented him -seeing what his daughter's fate might be. The latter, at this sudden -attack, uttered a cry of terror, at once prudently checked, for she had -recognised Don Martial.</p> - -<p>"Silence!" the Tigrero hurriedly said in a low voice. "I could manage in -no other way. Come, come, your father, you know, is a sacred object to -me."</p> - -<p>The girl made no reply. At a sign from Don Martial, Cucharés seized Don -Sylva, threw him on his shoulders, and went toward the mangroves.</p> - -<p>"Where are we going?" Doña Anita asked in a trembling voice.</p> - -<p>"To a place where we can be happy together," the Tigrero answered -gently, as he lifted her with a passionate movement, and ran off with her -to the canoe. Doña Anita made no resistance: she smiled and threw her -arms round her lover's neck to keep her balance during this -steeplechase, in which Don Martial leaped from branch to branch, holding -on by the creepers and encouraging his lovely burden by signs and looks. -Cucharés had placed Don Sylva in the bottom of the canoe, and, paddles -in hand, was impatiently awaiting the Tigrero's arrival: for the combat -seemed doubled in intensity, although, from the number of musket shots, -it was easy to see that victory would rest with the French.</p> - -<p>"What shall we do?" Cucharés inquired.</p> - -<p>"Get into the middle of the river, and slip down with the current."</p> - -<p>"But our horses?"</p> - -<p>"Let us save ourselves first; we will think of the horses afterwards. It -is evident that the white men are the victors. As soon as the fight is -over, Count de Lhorailles will send everywhere in search of his guests. -It is important not to leave any trail, for the French are demons, and -would find us again."</p> - -<p>"Still, I fancy—" Cucharés timidly observed.</p> - -<p>"Be off!" said the Tigrero in a peremptory tone, kicking the canoe -vigorously from the bank.</p> - -<p>The first moments of the voyage passed in silence: each reflected on the -peculiar position in which he was placed.</p> - -<p>Don Martial had assumed a tremendous responsibility by staking, as it -were, on one throw the happiness of the girl he loved and his own. -Besides, the hacendero lying at the bottom of the canoe gave him great -subject for thought. The position was grave, the solution difficult.</p> - -<p>Doña Anita, with drooping head and absent glance, was dreamily letting -her dainty hand glide through the water over the side of the canoe.</p> - -<p>Cucharés, while paddling furiously, was thinking that the life he led -was anything rather than agreeable, and that he was far happier at -Guaymas, as he lay with his head in the shade, and his feet in the sun, -in the church porch, enjoying his siesta, refreshed by the sea breeze, -and lulled to sleep by the mysterious murmur of the surf on the shingle.</p> - -<p>As for Don Sylva de Torrés, he was not reflecting. A prey to one of -those dumb passions which, if they lasted any length of time, must end -in insanity, he frantically bit the gag that shut his mouth, and writhed -in his bonds, while unable to break them.</p> - -<p>The various sounds of the contest gradually died out. For some time -longer the travellers remained silent, absorbed not only in their -thoughts, but affected by that gentle melancholy produced on all nervous -natures by that solemn calmness and striking harmony of the wilderness, -whose sublime and majestic grandeur no human pen is capable of -describing.</p> - -<p>The stars were beginning to pale in the sky: an opal line was vaguely -drawn in the horizon: the clumsy alligators were quitting the mud and -going in search of their morning meal; the owls, perched on the trees, -were saluting the approaching sunrise; the coyotes glided in startled -bands along the shore, uttering their hoarse barks; the wild beasts were -retreating to their hidden dens, heavy with sleep and fatigue; day was -on the point of breaking. Doña Anita leaned coquettishly on Don -Martial's shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Where are we going?" she asked him in a gentle resigned voice.</p> - -<p>"We are flying," he laconically answered.</p> - -<p>"We have been descending the river in this way for more than six hours, -borne by the current and helped by your four vigorously-pulled paddles. -Are we not out of reach of danger?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, long ago. It is not any fear of the French which troubles me -now—"</p> - -<p>"What then?"</p> - -<p>The Tigrero pointed to Don Sylva, who, having exhausted his strength and -passion, had at length tacitly recognised his powerlessness, and was -sleeping quite exhausted.</p> - -<p>"Alas!" she said, "You are right. Things can not go on thus, my friend; -the position is intolerable."</p> - -<p>"If you will allow me to act as I think proper, before a quarter of an -hour your father will thank me."</p> - -<p>"Do you not know that I am entirely yours?"</p> - -<p>"Thanks!" he said. Turning to Cucharés, he muttered a few words in his -ear.</p> - -<p>"Ah, ah! That is an idea," the lepero said with a grin. Two minutes -later the canoe ran ashore. Don Sylva, delicately borne by two powerful -hands, was carried ashore without waking.</p> - -<p>"Now it is your turn," Don Martial said to the girl: "for the success of -the scheme I have formed you must allow yourself to be fastened to this -tree."</p> - -<p>"Do so, my friend."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero took her into his vigorous arms, bore her ashore and in a -twinkling had fastened her tightly by the waist to the stem of a tree.</p> - -<p>"Now," he said hurriedly, "remember this. Your father and yourself were -carried off from the hacienda by the Apaches; accident brought us in -your way, and—"</p> - -<p>"You save us, I suppose?" she said with a smile.</p> - -<p>"Quite correct; but utter shrill cries, as if you felt in great alarm. -You understand, do you not?"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly."</p> - -<p>The play was performed in the way arranged. The girl uttered piercing -shrieks, to which the two adventurers replied by discharging their -rifles and pistols; they then rushed toward the hacendero, whom they -hastened to liberate from his bonds, and to whom they restored not only -the use of his limbs, but also of his eyes and tongue. Don Sylva half -rose, and looked around him: he saw his daughter fastened to a tree, -from which two men were freeing her. The hacendero raised his eyes to -heaven, and uttered a fervent prayer.</p> - -<p>So soon as Doña Anita was free she ran to her father, and cast herself -in his arms. As she embraced him she hid her face, which blushed, -perhaps, for shame at this unworthy deception, on the old man's breast.</p> - -<p>"My poor darling child," he murmured, with tears in his eyes, "It was -for you, for you alone, I trembled during the whole of this fearful -night."</p> - -<p>The girl made no reply, for she felt stung to the heart by this -reproach. Don Martial and Cucharés, judging the moment favourable, then -approached, holding their smoking rifles in their hands. On recognising -them a cloud passed over the hacendero's face—a vague suspicion gnawed -at his heart; he bent a searching glance on the two men and on his -daughter, and rose with frowning brow and quivering lips, though not -uttering a word. Don Martial was embarrassed by this silence, which he -had been far from anticipating. After the service he was supposed to -have done Don Sylva, the duty of speaking first fell upon him.</p> - -<p>"I am happy," he said in an embarrassed voice, "to have arrived here so -fortunately, Don Sylva, as I was enabled to save you from the redskins."</p> - -<p>"I thank you, señor Don Martial," the hacendero answered dryly. "I could -expect nothing less from your gallantry. It was written, so it seems, -that after saving the daughter, you must also save the father. You are -destined, I see it, to be the liberator of my entire family: receive my -sincere thanks."</p> - -<p>These words were uttered with an accent of raillery that pierced the -Tigrero like an arrow: he could not find a word in reply, and bowed -awkwardly in order to hide his embarrassment.</p> - -<p>"My father," Doña Anita said in a caressing tone, "Don Martial has -risked his life for us."</p> - -<p>"Have I not thanked him for it?" he continued. "The affair was a sharp -one, as it seems, but the heathens escaped very quickly. Was there no -one killed?"</p> - -<p>And saying this the hacendero affected to look carefully around him. Don -Martial drew himself up.</p> - -<p>"Señor Don Sylva de Torrés," he said in a firm voice, "as chance has -brought us once again face to face permit me to tell you that few men -are so devoted to you as myself."</p> - -<p>"You have just proved, caballero."</p> - -<p>"Leave that out of sight," he went on hurriedly. "Now that you are free, -and can act as you please, command me. What would you of me? I am ready -to do anything you please, in order to prove to you how happy I should -be in doing you a service."</p> - -<p>"That is language I can understand, caballero, and to which I will -frankly respond. Important reasons compel me to return to the French -colony of Guetzalli, whence the heathens carried me off so -treacherously."</p> - -<p>"When do you wish to start?"</p> - -<p>"At once, if that be possible."</p> - -<p>"Everything is possible, caballero. Still, I would call your attention -to the fact that we are nearly thirty leagues from that hacienda; that -the country in which we now are is a desert; that we should have great -difficulty in finding horses: and, with the best will in the world, we -cannot, make the journey on foot."</p> - -<p>"Especially my daughter, I presume," the other remarked with a sardonic -smile.</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Tigrero said, "especially the señorita."</p> - -<p>"What else is to be done? for I must return there—with my daughter," he -added, purposely laying stress on the last three words, "and that so -soon as possible."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero did not utter the exact truth in telling Don Sylva they were -thirty leagues from the colony. It was not more than eighteen; but in a -country like this, where roads do not exist, fifteen leagues are an -almost insurmountable obstacle to a man not thoroughly acquainted with -desert life. Don Sylva, though he had never travelled under other than -favourable circumstances—that is to say, with all the comfort it is -possible to obtain in these remote regions—was aware, theoretically, if -not practically, of all the difficulties which would rise before him -with each step, and what obstacles would check his movements. His -resolution was made almost immediately.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva, like a good many of his countrymen, was gifted with rare -obstinacy. When he had formed a plan, the greater the obstacles which -prevented its accomplishment, the greater his determination to carry it -out.</p> - -<p>"Listen," he said to Don Martial; "I wish to be frank with you. I fancy -I tell you nothing new in announcing my daughter's marriage with the -Count de Lhorailles. That marriage must be performed: I have sworn it, -and it shall be, whatever may be said or done to impede it. And now I am -about to make trial of the devotion you boast of offering me."</p> - -<p>"Speak, señor."</p> - -<p>"You will send your companion to the Count de Lhorailles; he will carry -him a message to calm his uneasiness and announce my speedy arrival."</p> - -<p>"Good!"</p> - -<p>"Will you do it?"</p> - -<p>"At once."</p> - -<p>"Thanks! Now, as regards yourself personally, I leave you at liberty to -follow or leave us at your pleasure; but in the first place, we want -horses, arms, and, above all, an escort. I do not wish to fall once more -into the hands of the heathen. Perhaps I shall not have the good fortune -to escape from them so easily as on this occasion."</p> - -<p>"Remain here: in two hours I will return with horses. As for an escort, -I will try and procure you one, although I do not promise it. As you -allow me to do so, I will accompany you till you have rejoined the -<i>conde</i>. I hope, during the period I may have the felicity of passing -near you, to succeed in proving to you that you have judged me -wrongfully."</p> - -<p>These words were pronounced with such an accent of truth that the -hacendero felt moved.</p> - -<p>"Whatever may happen," he said, "I thank you: you will none the less -have done me an immense service, for which I shall be ever grateful to -you."</p> - -<p>Don Sylva tore a leaf from his pocketbook, on which he wrote a few lines -in pencil, folded it, and handed it to the Tigrero.</p> - -<p>"Are you sure of that man?" he asked him.</p> - -<p>"As of myself," Don Martial replied evasively. "Be assured that he will -see the conde."</p> - -<p>The hacendero made a sign of satisfaction as the Tigrero went up to -Cucharés.</p> - -<p>"Listen," he said aloud as he gave him the paper. "Within two days you -must have delivered this to the chief of Guetzalli. You understand me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," the lepero replied.</p> - -<p>"Go, and may Heaven protect you from all evil encounters! In a quarter -of an hour behind that mound," he hurriedly added in a whisper.</p> - -<p>"Agreed," the other said with a bow.</p> - -<p>"Take the canoe," the Tigrero continued.</p> - -<p>Had the hacendero conceived any doubts, they were dissipated when he saw -Cucharés leap into the canoe, seize the paddles, and depart without -exchanging a signal with the Tigrero, or even turning his head.</p> - -<p>"The first part of your instructions is fulfilled," said the Tigrero, -returning to Don Sylva's side. "Now for the second part. Take my pistols -and musket. In case of any alarm you can defend yourself. I leave you -here. Pray do not move, and within two hours at the latest I will rejoin -you."</p> - -<p>"Do you know where to find horses?"</p> - -<p>"Do you not remember that the desert is my domain?" he returned with a -melancholy smile. "I am at home here, as I shall prove to you. Farewell -for the present."</p> - -<p>And he went off in a direction opposed to that taken by the canoe. When -he had disappeared from Don Sylva's sight behind a clump of trees and -shrubs, the Tigrero turned sharply to the right and ran back. Cucharés, -carelessly seated on the ground, was smoking a cigarette while awaiting -him.</p> - -<p>"No words, but deeds," the Tigrero said. "We have no time to waste."</p> - -<p>"I am listening,"</p> - -<p>"Look at this diamond;" and he pointed to a ring through which his neck -handkerchief was drawn.</p> - -<p>"It is worth 6000 piastres," Cucharés said, examining it like a judge.</p> - -<p>Don Martial handed it to him.</p> - -<p>"I give it you," he said.</p> - -<p>"What am I to do for it?"</p> - -<p>"First hand me the letter."</p> - -<p>"Here it is."</p> - -<p>Don Martial took it and tore it into impalpable fragments.</p> - -<p>"Next?" Cucharés continued.</p> - -<p>"Next, I have another diamond like that one at your service. You know -me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I accept."</p> - -<p>"On one condition."</p> - -<p>"I know it," said the other with a significant sign.</p> - -<p>"And you accept?"</p> - -<p>"Of course I do."</p> - -<p>"It is a bargain."</p> - -<p>"He shall never trouble you again."</p> - -<p>"Good! But you understand that I shall need proofs."</p> - -<p>"You shall have them."</p> - -<p>"Good-by, then."</p> - -<p>The two accomplices parted, well satisfied with each other. A nod was as -good as a wink in such a case. We have seen how Cucharés acquitted -himself of the mission intrusted to him by Don Sylva. Don Martial, after -his short conversation with Cucharés, went to look for horses. Two hours -later he had returned. He not only brought excellent horses, but had -hired four peons, or men who called themselves so, to act as escort. The -hacendero comprehended all the delicacy of Don Martial's conduct: and -though the air and garb of his defenders were not completely orthodox, -he warmly thanked the Tigrero for the trouble he had taken to supply his -wants. Reassured as to his journey, he breakfasted with good appetite on -a lump of venison, washed down with <i>pulque</i>, which Don Martial had -procured. Then, so soon as the meal was over, the little band, well -armed, set out resolutely in the direction of Guetzalli, where Don -Sylva expected to arrive in three days, if nothing thwarted his -calculations.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.</a></h4> - -<h3>IN THE PRAIRIE.</h3> - - -<p>The Mexican frontier, up to the old Jesuit missions, now abandoned and -falling in ruins, forms the skirt of the great prairie of the Rio Gila -or of Apacheria, which extends as far as the mournful desert of the -Norte. In this portion of the prairie nature expands all that richness -of growth and vegetation which may be in vain sought elsewhere.</p> - -<p>Guetzalli was built by Count de Lhorailles on the ruins of a once -flourishing mission of the reverend Jesuits, which the decree commanding -their expulsion had compelled them to abandon. Without entering into -discussion for or against the Jesuits, we will say, <i>en passant</i>, that -these clergy rendered immense services in America; that all the missions -thus founded in the desert prospered; that the Indians flocked in by -thousands to range themselves beneath their paternal laws: and that -certain missions, whose names we could quote were it necessary, counted -as many as sixty thousand neophytes; that, as a proof of the excellence -of their system, when the order was given them to give up their mission -to other monks, and withdraw, their proselytes implored them to resist -this unjust ostracism, and offered to defend them against everybody.</p> - -<p>The Jesuits have the greater claim to this tardy justice we now seek to -do them in the fact that, in spite of the many years that have elapsed -since their departure, and although all the men they brought into the -bosom of the church by incessant labour have returned to a savage life, -the remembrance of the good deeds of these pious missionaries still -lives in the hearts of the Indians, and forms at night round the -campfires the staple of conversation, so deeply engraved on the minds of -these primitive beings is the small amount of kindness shown them.</p> - -<p>Don Sylva de Torrés wished to reach the colony of Guetzalli again so -soon as possible, and by the most direct route. Unfortunately he was -obliged to cross, as the crow flies, a large extent of country through -which no road ran. Moreover, owing to his topographical ignorance of the -prairie, he was compelled to trust in Don Martial, an excellent guide in -every respect, whose sagacity and thorough knowledge of the desert he -did not for a moment doubt, but in whom he placed but slight confidence, -while unable to explain his motive even to himself.</p> - -<p>Still the Tigrero (apparently at least) gave proofs of his entire -devotion to the hacendero, leading him by the most beaten tracks, making -him avoid difficult passages, and watching with unequalled care and -solicitude over the safety of his little band. Each evening at sunset -the party encamped on the top of an open hill, whence a large quantity -of ground could be surveyed, in order to guard against any surprise. On -the evening of the fourth day, after a fatiguing march over an irregular -tract, Don Martial reached a hill where he proposed to camp.</p> - -<p>The hacendero greeted the offer with greater pleasure, for, being but -little accustomed to this mode of travelling, he felt extremely -fatigued. After a frugal meal, composed of maize tortillas, and frijoles -powdered with the hottest spices, and washed down with pulque, Don -Sylva, without even thinking of smoking a cigarette (his custom always -after a meal), wrapped himself in his zarapé, laid down with his feet -toward the fire, and fell off almost immediately into a profound sleep.</p> - -<p>Don Martial and the young girl remained for some time silently opposite -each other, their eyes fixed on the hacendero, and uneasily watching the -phases of his sleep. At length, when the Tigrero was persuaded that Don -Sylva was really asleep, he bent over her, and muttered in her ear in a -gentle voice:—</p> - -<p>"Pardon, Doña Anita, pardon!"</p> - -<p>"For what?" she asked in surprise.</p> - -<p>"Because you are suffering through me."</p> - -<p>"Egotist!" she said with an enchanting smile, "it is not through myself -too, as I love you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, thank you!" he exclaimed. "You restore to my heart that courage -which I felt dying out. Alas! How will all this end?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I am convinced," she said quickly. "We must be patient. My father -believe me, will soon change his opinion about you."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero smiled sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>"Still," he said, "I cannot carry you about the prairie indefinitely."</p> - -<p>"That is true," she remarked despondently. "What is to be done?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know. For the last two days we have only been moving round the -colony, from which we are scarce three leagues distant, and yet I cannot -resolve to enter it."</p> - -<p>"Alas!" the girl murmured.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" he continued, with a degree of animation in his glance, "Why is -this man your father, Doña Anita?"</p> - -<p>"Speak not so, my friend," she said hurriedly, laying her little hand on -his mouth as if to prevent him saying more. "Why despair? God is good; -He will not fail us. We know not what He has in reserve for us: let us -place our trust in Him!"</p> - -<p>"Still," he replied, shaking his head, "our position is not tenable. It -is impossible to go on at haphazard. Your father, in spite of his -ignorance of the country, will at length perceive I am deceiving him, -and I shall be hopelessly ruined in his opinion. On the other hand, by -proceeding to the colony, I place you in the hands once more of the man -you are forced to marry. I cannot resolve on doing this odious deed. Oh! -I would joyfully give ten years of my life to know how I ought to act."</p> - -<p>At this moment, as if Heaven had heard his words, and hastened to reply -immediately, the Tigrero, whose eyes were mechanically fixed on the -prairie, which at this moment was buried in obscurity, saw a short -distance off, in the midst of the tall grass, a luminous point arise in -the air twice, tracing in its passage quaint parabolas. At the same -moment Don Martial's practised ear heard, or fancied it heard, the -suppressed snorting of a horse.</p> - -<p>"It is extraordinary," he muttered, as if speaking to himself. "What can -it mean? Is it a signal? Still we are alone here. Through the whole of -the past day I have not caught sight of a single trail; but that -light—"</p> - -<p>"What is the matter, my friend?" Doña Anita asked anxiously. "You seem -restless. Can any danger menace us? Speak! You know I am brave; and by -your side, what can I fear? Hide nothing from me. Something -extraordinary is taking place, is it not?"</p> - -<p>"Well, yes," he replied, resolutely making up his mind, "something -extraordinary is really happening; but calm yourself, I do not believe -there is anything for you to fear."</p> - -<p>"But what is it? I saw nothing."</p> - -<p>"Stay: look there!" he said quickly, and stretched out his arm.</p> - -<p>The girl looked attentively, and saw what the Tigrero had noticed a few -moments previously—a reddish dot sparkling in the gloom, and describing -interlaced lines.</p> - -<p>"'Tis evidently a signal," the Tigrero went on. "Somebody is concealed -there."</p> - -<p>"Do you expect anyone?" she asked him.</p> - -<p>"No; and yet, I know not why, but I fancy that signal can only be -intended for me."</p> - -<p>"Still recollect that we are in the prairie, and probably, without -suspecting it, surrounded by bands of Indian hunters. They may be -corresponding with each other by means of that light which we have seen -twice gleaming before our eyes."</p> - -<p>"No, Doña Anita, you are mistaken. We are not, at any rate for the -present, surrounded by any Indians: we are quite alone."</p> - -<p>"How can you know that, my friend, since you have not left us for a -moment to go and look for trails?"</p> - -<p>"Doña Anita, my well beloved!" he said in a stern voice, "the prairie is -a book on which Heaven's secrets are written in ineffaceable letters, -which the man accustomed to desert life can read currently. The wind -passing through the branches, the bird flying through the air, the deer -or buffalo grazing on the tufted grass, the alligator slothfully -wallowing in the mud, are to me certain signs in which I cannot be -mistaken. For the last two days we have seen no Indian sign; the -buffaloes and other animals we have passed growled calmly and without -distrust; the flight of the birds was regular; the alligators almost -disappeared in the mud which covered them. All these animals scent the -approach of man, and especially of the Indian, for a considerable -distance, and so soon as they have done so, disappear at headlong speed, -so great is the terror with which the Lord of creation inspires them. I -repeat to you, we are alone here, quite alone here, and therefore that -signal is intended for me. See, there it is again!"</p> - -<p>"It is true; I can see it!"</p> - -<p>"I must know what the meaning of it is," he said, seizing his rifle.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Don Martial, I implore you, take care! Be prudent. Think of me!" -she added in agony.</p> - -<p>"Reassure yourself, Doña Anita. I am too old a wood ranger to let myself -be deceived by a clumsy trick. I shall return shortly."</p> - -<p>And without listening further to the young girl, who tried to retain him -by her entreaties and tears, he proceeded to the slope of the hill, -which he descended rapidly, though with the utmost prudence. On arriving -in the prairie the Tigrero stopped to look around him. The party were -encamped about two arrow-shots from the Gila, nearly opposite a large -island, which is in reality only a rock, bearing some resemblance to the -human form, and which the Apaches call <i>the master of the life of man</i>. -In their excursions upon Indian territory the redskins never fail to -stop at this island and deposit their offerings, the ceremony consisting -in throwing into the water, with dancing, tobacco, hair, and birds -feathers. This rock, which offers a most striking appearance from the -distance, has two excavations in it more than 1200 feet in length, and -forty wide, the roof being of an arched form.</p> - -<p>The fact which had aroused the Tigrero's curiosity, and caused him to -undertake the enterprise of discovery in the meaning of the signal, was -that it came from the island; and this he could not at all account for, -being aware that the Indians felt for the rock a veneration mingled with -a superstitious terror so great, that no Indian warrior however brave he -might be, would have dared to spend the night there. It was the -knowledge of this peculiarity which urged him to examine into the -mystery.</p> - -<p>Tall and tufted grass grew profusely down to the river's edge. Concealed -by the thickly-growing mangroves and shrubs, intertwined in inextricable -confusion, the Tigrero glided cautiously down to the bank. So soon as he -reached it he let himself hang from a branch, and entered the water so -quietly that his immersion produced no sound.</p> - -<p>Holding his rifle over his head to keep it out of the wet, the Tigrero -then swam with one hand in the direction of the island. The distance was -short: the Tigrero was a vigorous swimmer, and he soon reached the spot -where he wished to land. So soon as he was on the island he crawled -through the shrubs, listening to the slightest sounds, and trying to -pierce the darkness. He saw nothing, heard nothing; then he rose, and -walked toward one of the grottos, at the entrance of which he could see -a fire blazing from the spot where he stood: near it was seated a man, -smoking as quietly as if he had been seated before a pulquería at -Guaymas.</p> - -<p>Don Martial, after attentively regarding this man, had difficulty in -repressing a shout of joy, and walked toward him without further attempt -at concealment. He had recognised his confidant, Cucharés, the lepero. -At the sound of his footfall Cucharés turned his head.</p> - -<p>"You have come at last!" he exclaimed. "For more than an hour I have -been racking my brain in inventing fresh signs, to which you would not -deign a reply."</p> - -<p>"Ah, my dear fellow," the Tigrero joyfully replied, "could I have -suspected it was you I should have been with you long ago; but I so -little expected you—"</p> - -<p>"You are quite right, and in such a country as this it is better to be -prudent than not sufficiently so."</p> - -<p>"Ah, ah! There is something new?" the Tigrero said, as he sat down to -the fire to dry his clothes.</p> - -<p>"Caspita! If there was not, should I be here?"</p> - -<p>"True: you are a good comrade, and I thank you for coming. You know that -I have a faithful memory."</p> - -<p>"I know it."</p> - -<p>"But come, what have you to tell me? I am anxious to hear all the news. -But, before beginning, one question."</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>"Is the news good?"</p> - -<p>"Excellent; you shall judge."</p> - -<p>"Caray! As it is so, take this ring, which I was not to have given till -our little affair was settled. But do not be frightened: when we balance -our account I shall find something to please you."</p> - -<p>The lepero's eye glistened with joy and avarice; he seized the ring, and -sent it to join company with the one he received a few days previously.</p> - -<p>"Thanks!" he said. "Heaven keep me! There is a pleasure in dealing with -you. You do not huckster, at any rate."</p> - -<p>"Now for the news."</p> - -<p>"Here it is, short and good. El señor conde, rendered desperate by the -disappearance of his betrothed, whom he supposes to have been carried -off by the Apaches, has quitted the hacienda at the head of his company, -and is now crossing the desert in every direction in pursuit of the -Black Bear."</p> - -<p>"By all the saints! That is the best news you could bring me. And what -do you intend doing?"</p> - -<p>"What! Did we not agree that <i>el conde</i>—"</p> - -<p>"Of course," the Tigrero quickly interrupted him, "but to do that you -must find him, and that, I fancy, is not so easy now."</p> - -<p>"On the contrary."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"Why, señor Don Martial, do you wish to insult me by taking me for a -<i>pavo</i> (goose)?"</p> - -<p>"By no means, gossip: still—"</p> - -<p>"Still you believe it. Well, you are mistaken, caballero, and I am not -sorry to tell you so. During the very few hours which I spent at the -hacienda I made inquiries, and, as I announced myself the bearer of a -most important mission for <i>el señor conde</i>, no one made any bones -about answering me. It seems that the Apaches, instead of pushing on, -were so thoroughly beaten by the French (for whom, by the way, they feel -an enormous respect), that they are returning on the desert del Norte, -in order to regain their villages. The conde is pursuing them, is he -not?"</p> - -<p>"You told me so."</p> - -<p>"Well, in all probability he will not dare to enter the desert."</p> - -<p>"Naturally," the Tigrero said with a shudder, in spite of his tried -courage.</p> - -<p>"Well, then, he can only stop at one spot."</p> - -<p>"At the Casa Grande!" Don Martial exclaimed quickly.</p> - -<p>"Quite right! I am certain of finding him there."</p> - -<p>"Body of me! Go there, then."</p> - -<p>"I shall set out immediately after your departure."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero looked at him in surprise.</p> - -<p>"You're a fine fellow, Cucharés, on my soul!" he said presently. "I am -delighted to find that I made no mistake about you."</p> - -<p>"What would you?" the scamp answered modestly while winking his little -grey eye. "The relations into which I entered with you are so agreeable -to me, that I can refuse you nothing."</p> - -<p>The two men began laughing at this sally, which might have been in -better taste.</p> - -<p>"Now that all is settled between us," Don Martial went on, "let us -part."</p> - -<p>"How did you come here?"</p> - -<p>"Can't you see? By swimming: and you?"</p> - -<p>"On my horse. I would offer to land you again, but we are going in -opposite directions."</p> - -<p>"For the present, yes."</p> - -<p>"Do you intend to cross over there soon, then?"</p> - -<p>"Probably," he said with an equivocal smile.</p> - -<p>"In that case we shall soon meet again."</p> - -<p>"I hope so."</p> - -<p>"Stay, Don Martial. Now that your clothes are dry, I should not like you -to wet them again. Let us go and see if there be not a canoe about: you -know the Indians leave them everywhere."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero entered the grotto, and found there a canoe, with its -paddles carefully balanced against the sides: he unscrupulously carried -it out on his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"By the way," he said, "why the deuce did you give me the meeting here?"</p> - -<p>"Not to be disturbed. Would you have liked anyone to overhear our -conversation?"</p> - -<p>"I allow that. Good-by, then."</p> - -<p>"Good-by."</p> - -<p>The men separated—Cucharés to commence a long journey, and Don Martial -to return to his camping ground. But they were mistaken in supposing -that no one had overheard their conversation. They had scarce quitted -the island in different directions ere, from a thicket of dahlias and -floripondins growing at the entrance of the grotto, a hideous head was -thrust out cautiously, and looked around; then, at the end of a moment, -the bushes were further parted, and an Apache Indian, painted and armed -for war appeared. It was the Black Bear.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" he muttered with a menacing gesture, "the palefaces are dogs. The -Apache warriors will follow their trail."</p> - -<p>Then, after keeping his eyes fixed for a few instants on the -star-spangled sky, he entered the grotto.</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile the Tigrero had regained the encampment. Doña Anita, -rendered restless by so long an absence, was awaiting him with the most -lively anxiety.</p> - -<p>"Well?" she asked, running up as soon as she saw him.</p> - -<p>"Good news?" he answered.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I was so frightened!"</p> - -<p>"I thank you. It was as I expected. The signal was intended for me."</p> - -<p>"Then?"</p> - -<p>"I found a friend, who gave me the means to quit the false position in -which we are."</p> - -<p>"In what way?"</p> - -<p>"Do not trouble yourself about anything, I repeat, but leave me to act."</p> - -<p>The girl bowed submissively, and, in spite of the curiosity that -devoured her, retired without any further questioning into the <i>jacal</i> -of branches prepared for her. Don Martial, instead of sleeping, sat down -on the ground, folded arms on his chest, leaned against a tree, and -remained thus motionless till daybreak, plunged in deep and melancholy -thought. At sunrise the Tigrero shook off the effects of his night watch -and aroused his comrades. Ten minutes after the little party was <i>en -route</i>.</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" the hacendero said, "You are very early this morning."</p> - -<p>"Did you not notice that we did not even breakfast before starting, as -we usually do?"</p> - -<p>"Of course I did."</p> - -<p>"Do you know the reason? Because we shall breakfast at Guetzalli, where -we shall arrive in two hours at the latest."</p> - -<p>"Ah, caramba!" the hacendero exclaimed, "you delight me with that news."</p> - -<p>"I thought I should."</p> - -<p>Doña Anita, on hearing him speak thus, had looked sorrowfully at Don -Martial; but seeing his face so calm, his smile so frank, she felt -suddenly reassured, and suspected that his silence of the previous night -intended some pleasant surprise for her.</p> - -<p>As Don Martial had stated, two hours later they reached the colony. So -soon as they were perceived by the sentinels the isthmus drawbridge was -lowered, and they entered the hacienda, where they were received with -all possible politeness. Doña Anita, with her eyes constantly fixed on -the Tigrero, blushed and turned pale, understanding nothing of his -perfect calmness. They dismounted in the second courtyard before the -gate of honour.</p> - -<p>"Where is the Count de Lhorailles?" asked the hacendero, surprised that -his future son-in-law had not merely neglected to come to meet him, but -was not there to receive him.</p> - -<p>"My master will feel highly annoyed, when he hears of your arrival, at -not having been present to welcome you," replied the steward, breaking -out into profuse apologies.</p> - -<p>"Is he absent?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, señor."</p> - -<p>"But he will soon return?"</p> - -<p>"I hardly think so. The captain started in pursuit of the savages at the -head of his entire company."</p> - -<p>This news was a thunderbolt for Don Sylva; but the Tigrero and Doña -Anita exchanged a glance of delight.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.</a></h4> - -<h3>BOOT AND SADDLE!</h3> - - -<p>The great desert del Norte is the American Sahara—more extensive, more -to be feared, than the African Sahara; for it contains no laughing -oases, sheltered by fine trees, and refreshed by sparkling fountains. -Beneath a coppery sky extend immense plains, covered with a -dirty-greyish sand; in every direction horizons succeed horizons; -sand, ever sand, fine impalpable sand, bearing a closer resemblance with -human dust, which the wind carries aloft in long whirlwinds, whose -desolating aspect varies incessantly at the will of the tempest, which -hollows out valleys and throws up hills each time the fearful -<i>cordonazo</i> howls across this desolate soil.</p> - -<p>Greyish rocks, covered with patches of parched lichen, at times lift up -their stunted crests in the midst of this chaos, which has not changed -its appearance since the creation. The buffalo, the ashata, the -swift-footed antelope, shun this desert, where their feet would only -rest on a shifting soil; flocks of blear-eyed and ill-omened vultures -alone soar over these regions in search of extremely rare prey for the -desert is so horrible that the Indians themselves enter on it with a -tremour, and cross it with express speed when they return to their -villages after a foray on the Mexican territory. And yet, however rapid -their journey may be, their passage is marked in an indelible manner by -the skeletons of mules and horses which they are compelled to abandon, -and whose bones blanch in the desert, until the hurricane, again -unchained, covers all with a cerecloth of sand.</p> - -<p>Still, as the hand of Deity is everywhere visible, in the desert more -profoundly than elsewhere, there spring up at long intervals, and half -buried in the sand, in the midst of piled up rocks, vigorous trees, with -enormous trunks and immense foliage, which seem to offer the traveller -rest beneath their shade. But these trees grow few and far between on -the plain, and two are rarely found together at the same spot. These -trees, revered by the Indians and wood rangers, are the imprint of -Providence on the desert, the proof of His solicitude and inexhaustible -goodness. But we repeat it, with the exception of these few landmarks, -lost like imperceptible dots in the immensity, there are neither animals -nor vegetables on the Del Norte: sand, and naught but sand.</p> - -<p>The Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, where the Count de Lhorailles' free -company was encamped, rose, and probably still rises, at the extreme -limit of the prairie, at not more than two leagues from the skirt of the -desert. The line of demarcation was clearly and coarsely traced between -the two regions: on the one side a luxuriant vegetation, glowing with -vigour and health; verdant plains covered with a close, tall grass, in -which animals of every description browsed: the song of birds, the hiss -of reptiles, the lowing of the buffaloes, in a word, grand, vigorous, -and ever-joyous life, exhaling in every pore of this blessed landscape.</p> - -<p>On the other side, the silence of death: a grey horizon; a sea of sand, -whose agitated waves pressed forward on every side, as if to encroach on -the prairie; not even the most scanty pasture—nothing—no roots, no -moss, naught but sand!</p> - -<p>After his conversation with Cucharés the count recalled his lieutenants, -and began drinking and laughing again in their society. They rose from -the table at an advanced hour to retire to sleep. Cucharés, however, did -not sleep: he was too busily engaged in thinking. We know now, or nearly -so, with what purpose he joined the count at the Casa Grande.</p> - -<p>At sunrise the bugles sounded the <i>réveillé</i>. The soldiers rose from the -ground on which they had been sleeping, shook off the night's cold, and -were busily engaged in dressing their horses and preparations for the -morning's meal. The camp soon put on that hurry and reckless animation -so characteristic of Frenchmen when out on an expedition.</p> - -<p>In the great hall of the Casa Grande the count and his lieutenants, -seated on the dried skulls of buffaloes, were holding a council. The -discussion was animated.</p> - -<p>"In an hour," the count said, "we shall set out. We have twenty mules -laden with provisions, ten to carry water, and eight for ammunition. We -have, therefore, nothing to fear."</p> - -<p>"That is true to a certain point, señor conde," the capataz observed.</p> - -<p>"Why so?"</p> - -<p>"We have no guides."</p> - -<p>"What use are guides?" the count said passionately. "I fancy we need -only follow the Apache trail."</p> - -<p>Blas Vazquez shook his head.</p> - -<p>"You do not know the Del Norte, excellency," he said candidly.</p> - -<p>"This is the first time accident has brought me this way."</p> - -<p>"I pray God it be not the last."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" the count said with a secret shudder.</p> - -<p>"Señor conde, the Del Norte is not a desert, but a gulf of shifting -sands; at the slightest breath of air in these desolate regions the sand -rises, whirls, and swallows up men and horses, leaving not a trace; all -disappears for ever, buried beneath a cerecloth of sand."</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" the count said thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Believe me, señor conde," the capataz continued. "Do not venture with -your brave soldiers into this implacable desert: not one of you will -leave it again."</p> - -<p>"Still the Apaches are men too: they are not braver or better mounted -than we, I may say."</p> - -<p>"They are not."</p> - -<p>"Well, they cross the Del Norte from north to south, from east to west, -and that, not once a year or ten times, but continually, whenever the -fancy takes them."</p> - -<p>"But do you know at what price, señor conde? Have you counted the -corpses they leave along the road to mark their passage? And then you -cannot compare yourselves with the Pagans: the desert possesses no -secrets for them. They know its furthest mysteries."</p> - -<p>"Then," the count exclaimed impatiently, "your impression is—"</p> - -<p>"That in bringing you here, and attacking you two days ago, the Apaches -laid a trap for you. They wish to entice you after them into the desert; -certain not merely that you will not catch them, but that you and all -your men will leave your bones there."</p> - -<p>"Still you agree with me, my dear Don Blas, that it is very -extraordinary there is not among all your peons one capable of guiding -us in this desert. Hang it, they are Mexicans!"</p> - -<p>"Yes excellency, but I have more than once had the honour of observing -to you that all these men are costeños, or inhabitants of the seaboard. -They never before came so far into the interior."</p> - -<p>"What shall we do, then?" the count asked with some hesitation.</p> - -<p>"Return to the colony," the capataz replied. "I see no other means."</p> - -<p>"Shall we abandon Don Sylva and his daughter?"</p> - -<p>Blas Vasquez frowned. He replied in a solemn voice, and with much -emotion,—</p> - -<p>"Excellency, I was born on the estate of the Torrés family. No one is -more devoted, body and soul, than I am to the persons whose names you -have pronounced; but no one is bound to attempt impossibilities. It -would be tempting God to enter the desert in our present state. We have -no right to calculate on a miracle, and that alone could bring us back -here safe and sound."</p> - -<p>There was a moment's silence. These words produced on the count's mind -an impression which he tried in vain to master. The lepero guessed his -hesitation, and approached.</p> - -<p>"Why," he said in a crafty voice, "did you not tell me that you needed a -guide, señor conde?"</p> - -<p>"What good would that do?"</p> - -<p>"In fact, that is true; it was not worth the trouble, as I promised to -conduct you to Don Sylva. You have doubtlessly forgotten that?"</p> - -<p>"You know the road, then?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, as well as a man can who has only gone along it twice."</p> - -<p>"By heavens!" the count exclaimed, "We can push on now; nothing need -keep us longer. Diégo Léon, order 'the boot and saddle' to be sounded, and -if you are a good guide you shall have proofs of my satisfaction."</p> - -<p>"Oh, you can trust to me, excellency!" the lepero answered with a -dubious smile. "I certify you will reach the spot whither I have to -guide you."</p> - -<p>"I ask no more."</p> - -<p>Blas Vasquez, with that instinctive suspicion innate in all honest minds -when they come across wicked persons, felt an irresistible repugnance -for the lepero. This repugnance had displayed itself from the first -moment of Cucharés' appearance in the hall the previous evening. While -he was talking to the count he therefore examined him closely. When he -had ended, Blas made a sign to the count, who came up with him. The -capataz led him to a distant corner of the room, and whispered in his -ear,—</p> - -<p>"Take care; that man is deceiving you."</p> - -<p>"You know it?"</p> - -<p>"I am certain of it."</p> - -<p>"Why so?"</p> - -<p>"Something tells me so."</p> - -<p>"Have you any proofs?"</p> - -<p>"None."</p> - -<p>"You must be mad, Don Blas, fear troubles your senses."</p> - -<p>"God grant that I am deceived!"</p> - -<p>"Listen! Nothing forces you to follow us. Remain here till we return: in -that way, whatever may happen, you will escape the dangers which in your -idea menace us."</p> - -<p>The capataz drew himself up to his full height.</p> - -<p>"Enough, Don Gaëtano," he said coldly. "In warning you I acted as my -conscience commanded. You will not attend to my advice—you need not do -so; I have done my duty as I was bound to do. You wish to march forward. -I will follow you, and hope soon to prove to you that if I am prudent, I -can be as brave as any man when it is necessary."</p> - -<p>"Thanks!" the count answered, affectionately pressing his hand: "I felt -sure that you would not abandon me."</p> - -<p>At this moment a great disturbance was heard outside, and Lieutenant -Diégo Léon entered precipitately.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter, lieutenant?" the count asked sternly. "What means -this startled face? Why do you enter in this way?"</p> - -<p>"Captain," the lieutenant answered in a panting voice, "the company has -revolted."</p> - -<p>"Eh? What do you say, sir? My troopers have revolted?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, captain."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" he said, biting his moustaches, "And why have they revolted, if -you please?"</p> - -<p>"Because they do not wish to enter the desert."</p> - -<p>"They do not wish!" the count continued, weighing every word. "Are you -sure of what you say, lieutenant?"</p> - -<p>"I swear it, captain; but listen."</p> - -<p>In fact, shouts and oaths, an ever-increasing noise, which was beginning -to assume formidable proportions, were heard outside.</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh! This is becoming serious, I fancy," the count continued.</p> - -<p>"Much more than you suppose, captain. The company, I repeat, is in -complete mutiny. The rebels have loaded their arms: they surround the -house, uttering threats against you. They say they want to speak to you, -and that they are sure of obtaining what they want, by good will or -ill."</p> - -<p>"I am curious to see that," the count said, still perfectly calm, as he -walked toward the door.</p> - -<p>"Stay, captain," the officers exclaimed, as they rushed before him; "our -men are exasperated; some accident may happen to you."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense, gentlemen," he replied angrily, repulsing them; "you are mad: -they do not know me well enough yet. I intend to show these bandits that -I am worthy to command them."</p> - -<p>And, without listening to any entreaty, he slowly walked out of the room -with a firm and calm step.</p> - -<p>What had happened may be told in a few words.</p> - -<p>Blas Vasquez' peons, during the few days the company had bivouacked in -the ruined city, told the troops, with sufficient exaggeration, mournful -and gloomy stories about the desert, giving details about those accursed -regions which would have made the hair stand on the head of the bravest. -Unfortunately, as we have said, the company was encamped hardly two -leagues from the entrance of the Del Norte: the gloomy horizon of the -desert added its frightful reality to the terrible tales told by the -peons.</p> - -<p>All the count's soldiers were French Dauph'yeers, principally men who -had escaped the gallows, brave, but, like all Frenchmen, easy to lead -backwards and forwards, and equally resolute for good or bad. Since they -had been under the command of the Count de Lhorailles, although he had -behaved with considerable bravery in action, they only obeyed him with a -certain degree of repugnance. The count had grave faults in their eyes; -in the first place, that of being a count; next, they considered him too -polite, his voice was too soft, his manner too delicate and effeminate. -They could not imagine that this gentleman, so well clothed and well -gloved, was capable of leading them to great things. They would have -liked as a chief a man of rude voice and rough manner, with whom they -could have lived, so to speak, on a footing of equality.</p> - -<p>In the morning rumour had spread that the camp was about to be raised, -in order to enter the desert and pursue the Apaches. At once groups were -formed—commentaries commenced—the men gradually grew excited. -Resistance was soon organised, and when the lieutenant came to give -orders to raise the camp he was greeted with laughter, jests, and -hisses; in short, he was compelled to give ground before the mutineers, -and return to his captain to make his report.</p> - -<p>An officer, under such circumstances, acts very wrongly in losing his -coolness, and yielding a step in the presence of revolt, he ought sooner -to let himself be killed. In a mutiny one concession compels another; -then this inevitably happens—the rebels count their strength, and at -the same time their leaders': they recognise the immense superiority -brute strength gives them, and immediately abuse the position which the -weakness or sloth of their officers has given them, not to ask a simple -modification, but even to claim a radical change.</p> - -<p>This happened under the present circumstances. So soon as the lieutenant -had retired, his departure was at once regarded in the light of a -triumph. The soldiers began haranguing, influenced by those among them -whose tongues were most loosely hung. It was no longer a question about -not entering the desert, but of appointing other officers, and returning -at once to the colony. The entire staff must be changed, and the leaders -chosen from those who inspired their comrades with most confidence—that -is to say, the most dangerous fellows.</p> - -<p>The effervescence had reached the boiling point: the soldiers brandished -their weapons furiously, while directing the most furious threats at the -captain and his lieutenants. Suddenly the door opened, and the count -appeared. He was pale, but calm. He took a quiet look at the mutinous -band that howled around him.</p> - -<p>"The captain! Here is the captain!" the troopers shouted.</p> - -<p>"Kill him!" others went on.</p> - -<p>"Down with him, down with him!" they howled in chorus.</p> - -<p>All rushed upon him, brandishing weapons and offering insults. But the -count did not give way; on the contrary, he advanced a step. He held in -his mouth a fine husk cigarette, from which he puffed the smoke with the -utmost serenity.</p> - -<p>Nothing imposes on masses like cold and unaffected courage. There was a -pause in the revolt. The captain and his men examined each other, like -two tigers measuring their strength ere bounding forward. The count -profited by the moment of silence he had obtained to take the word.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" he asked calmly, while withdrawing his cigarette -from his mouth, and following the light cloud of bluish smoke as it rose -in spirals in the sky.</p> - -<p>At this question of their captain's the charm was broken; the shouts and -yells recommenced with even greater intensity; the rebels were angry -with themselves for having allowed their chief's firmness momentarily to -overawe them. All spoke at once. They surrounded the count on all sides, -pulling him in every direction, to force him to listen to them. The -count, pressed and hustled by all these rogues, who had thrown -discipline overboard, and were sure of impunity in a country where -justice only nominally exists, did not lose his countenance—his -coolness remained the same. He allowed these men to yell at their ease -for some moments, their eyes bloodshot, and foam on their lips; and when -he considered this had lasted long enough, he said, in a voice as calm -and tranquil as on the first occasion:—</p> - -<p>"My friends, it is impossible for us to go on talking in this way: I -understand nothing of what you say. Choose one of your comrades to make -your complaints in your name. If they are just, I will do you justice; -but be calm."</p> - -<p>After uttering these words the count leaned his shoulder against the -door, crossed his arms on his chest, and began smoking again, apparently -indifferent to what was going on around him. The calmness and firmness -displayed by the count from the beginning of this scene had already -borne their fruit: he had regained numerous partisans among his -soldiers. These men, though they dared not yet openly avow the sympathy -they felt with their chief, warmly supported the proposition he had made -them.</p> - -<p>"The captain is right," they said. "It is impossible, if we continue to -badger him in this way, that he can understand our arguments."</p> - -<p>"We must be just too," others took up the ball. "How can you expect the -captain to do justice unless we clearly explain to him what we want?"</p> - -<p>The revolt had made an immense backward step. It no longer spoke of -deposing its chiefs; it limited itself to asking justice of the captain. -Hence it still tacitly recognised him.</p> - -<p>At length, after numberless discussions among the mutineers, one of -their number was selected to take the word in the name of the rest. He -was a short, square-shouldered fellow, with a cunning face, and little -eyes sparkling with wickedness and spite; a regular scoundrel in a word. -The type of the low-class adventurer, with whom everything is comprised -in robbery and assassination. This man, whose <i>nom de guerre</i> was -Curtius, was a Parisian, and hailed from the Faubourg Saint Marceau. An -ex-soldier, an ex-sailor, he had been at every trade, except, perhaps, -that of an honest man. Since his arrival in the colony he had been -remarkable for his spirit of insubordination, brutality, and, above all, -his bounce. He boasted of "owing eight dead;" that is to say, in the -language of the country, having committed eight murders. He inspired his -comrades with an instinctive terror. When he was selected to take word -he rammed his hat down on the side of his head, and addressing his -comrades, said,—</p> - -<p>"You shall see how I'll walk into him."</p> - -<p>And he advanced, insolently swaying from side to side, toward the -captain, who watched his approach with a smile of peculiar meaning. -Suddenly a great silence fell on the crowd; hearts beat powerfully, -faces grew anxious; each guessed instinctively that something decisive -and extraordinary was about to happen.</p> - -<p>When Curtius was only two paces from his captain he stopped, and, -surveying him insolently, said,—</p> - -<p>"Come, captain, the business is this: my com—"</p> - -<p>But the count gave him no time to finish. Quickly drawing a pistol from -his girdle, he pressed it against his temples and blew out his brains. -The bandit rolled in the dust with a fractured skull. The captain -returned the pistol to his sash, and coolly raising his head, said in a -firm voice:—</p> - -<p>"Has anyone further observations to make?"</p> - -<p>No one stirred: the bandits had suddenly become lambs. They stood silent -and penitent before their chief, for they understood him. The count -smiled contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"Pick up this carrion," he said, spurning the corpse with his foot. "We -are Dauph'yeers, and woe to the man who does not carry out the clauses -of our agreement: I will kill him like a dog. Let this scoundrel be -hanged by the feet, that his unclean carcass may become the prey of the -vultures. In ten minutes the boot and saddle will sound: all the worse -for the man who is not ready."</p> - -<p>After this thundering speech the count re-entered the house with as firm -a step as he had left. The revolt was subdued—the wild beasts had -recognised the iron grip beneath the velvet glove; they were tamed -forever, and henceforth would let themselves be killed without uttering -a murmur.</p> - -<p>"'Tis no matter," the soldiers said to each other, "he is a rude fellow -for all that: he hasn't any cold in his eyes."</p> - -<p>And then each eagerly made his preparations for departure. Ten minutes -later, as the captain had announced, he reappeared; the troop was on -horseback, ranged in order of battle, and ready to set out. The count -smiled, and gave the word to set out.</p> - -<p>"Humph!" Cucharés muttered to himself, "What a pity that Don Martial has -such fine diamonds! After what I have seen I could have broken my word -with pleasure."</p> - -<p>Before long the free company, with the captain at its head, disappeared -in the Del Norte.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE CONFESSION.</h3> - - -<p>The hacendero and his daughter left the colony of Guetzalli under the -escort of Don Martial and the four peons he had taken into his service. -The little band advanced to the west, in the direction of which the free -company had marched in pursuit of the Apaches. Don Sylva was the more -anxious to rejoin the French because he knew that their expedition had -no other purpose than to deliver him and his daughter from the hands of -the redskins.</p> - -<p>The journey was gloomy and silent. As the travellers approached the -desert the scenery assumed a sombre grandeur peculiar to primitive -countries, which exercised an unconscious influence over the mind, and -plunged them into a melancholy which they were powerless to overcome.</p> - -<p>No more cabins, no more <i>jacals</i>, no more travellers found by the side -of the road, offering an affectionate wish for your safe arrival as you -pass, but an accidented soil, impenetrable forests peopled with wild -beasts, whose eyes sparkled like live coals amid the wildly-interlaced -creepers, shrubs and tall grass. At times the trail of the Frenchmen -might be seen on the soil, trodden by a large number of horses; but -suddenly the country changed its character, and every trace disappeared.</p> - -<p>Each evening, after the Tigrero had beaten the vicinity to drive back the -wild beasts, the camp was formed by the bank of a stream, the fires -lighted, and a hut of branches hastily constructed to protect Doña Anita -from the night cold; then, after a scanty meal, they wrapped themselves -up in their fresadas and zarapés and slept till daybreak. The only -incidents which at times disturbed the monotony of their life were the -discovery of an elk or deer, in pursuit of which Don Martial and his -peons galloped at full speed, and it often took hours ere the poor brute -was headed and killed.</p> - -<p>But there were none of those pleasant chats and confidences which make -time appear less tedious, and render the fatigues of an interminable -road endurable. The travellers maintained a reserve toward each other, -which not only kept all intimacy aloof, but also any confidence. They -only spoke when circumstances rendered it compulsory, and then only -exchanged words that were indispensable. The reason of this was that two -of the travellers had a secret unknown to the third, which weighed upon -them, and at which they blushed inwardly.</p> - -<p>Man, with his necessarily incomplete nature, is neither entirely good -nor entirely bad. Most frequently, after committing actions under the -iron pressure of passion or personal interest, when his coolness has -returned, and he measures the depth of the abyss in which he has -precipitated himself, he regrets them, especially if his life, though -not exemplary, has at least hitherto been exempt from deeds which are -offensive to morality. Such was at this moment the situation of Don -Martial and Doña Anita. Both had been led by their mutual love to commit -a fault they bitterly repented; for we will state here, to prevent our -readers forming an erroneous estimate of their character, that their -hearts were honest, and when, in a moment of madness, they arranged and -carried out their flight, they were far from foreseeing the fatal -consequences which this hopeless step would entail.</p> - -<p>Don Martial, especially after the orders he had given Cucharés, and the -hacendero's unshaken determination of rejoining the Count de Lhorailles, -clearly comprehended that his position was growing with each moment more -difficult, and that he was proceeding along a path that had no outlet. -Thus the two lovers, fatally attached by the secret of their flight, -still kept hidden from each other the remorse that devoured them; they -felt at each step that the ground on which they walked was undermined, -and that it might suddenly give way beneath their feet.</p> - -<p>In such a situation life became intolerable, as there was no longer a -community of thought or feeling between these three persons. A collision -between them was imminent, though it happened, perhaps, sooner than they -anticipated, through the pressure of the circumstances in which they -were entangled. After a journey of about a fortnight, during which no -noteworthy incident occurred, Don Martial and his companions, guided -partly by the information they had picked up at the hacienda, and partly -by the trail left by the persons they were following, at length reached -the ruins of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. It was about six in the -evening when the little party entered the ruins: the sun, already below -the horizon, only illumined the earth with those changing beams which -glisten for a long while after the planet king has disappeared. Marching -a short distance from each other, Don Sylva and Don Martial looked -searchingly around, advancing cautiously, and with finger on the rifle -trigger, through this inextricable maze, so favourable for an Indian -ambuscade. They at length reached the Casa Grande, and nothing -extraordinary had met their sight. Night had almost set in, and objects -began to grow confused in the shadows. Don Martial, who was preparing to -dismount, suddenly stopped, uttering a cry of astonishment, almost of -terror.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" Don Sylva asked quickly as he walked up to the Tigrero.</p> - -<p>"Look!" the latter said, stretching out his arm in the direction of a -clump of stunted trees which stood a short distance from the entrance. -The human voice exerts a strange faculty over animals—that of inspiring -them with insurmountable fear and respect. To the few words exchanged by -the two men hoarse and confused cries responded, and seven or eight -savage vultures rose from the centre of the clump, and began flying -heavily over the travellers' heads, forming wide circles in the air, and -continuing their infernal music.</p> - -<p>"I can see nothing," Don Sylva went on; "it is as black as in an oven."</p> - -<p>"That is true: still, if you look more carefully at the object I point -out you will easily recognise it."</p> - -<p>Without any reply the hacendero pushed on his horse.</p> - -<p>"A man hung by the feet!" he uttered, stopping his horse with a gesture -of horror and disgust. "What can have happened here?"</p> - -<p>"Who can say? It is not a savage—his colour and dress do not allow the -least doubt on that point; still he has his scalp, so the Apaches did -not kill him. What is the meaning it?"</p> - -<p>"A mutiny perhaps," the hacendero hazarded.</p> - -<p>Don Martial became pensive; his eyebrows contracted. "It is not -possible," he said to himself; but a moment after added, "Let us enter -the house; we must not leave Doña Anita any longer alone. Our absence -must surprise her and might alarm her if prolonged. When the encampment -is arranged I will go and look, and I shall be very unlucky if I do not -discover the clue to this ill-omened mystery."</p> - -<p>The two men retired and rejoined Doña Anita, who was awaiting them a few -paces off, under the guard of the peons. When the travellers had -dismounted and crossed the threshold of the casa, Don Martial lighted -several torches of <i>ocote</i> wood to find their way in the darkness, and -guided his companions to the large hall to which we have already -introduced our readers. It was not the first time Don Martial had -visited the ruins: frequently, during his long hunting expeditions in -the western prairies, they had offered him a refuge. Thus he knew their -most hidden nooks.</p> - -<p>It was he, too, who had urged his companions to proceed to the Casa -Grande, for he was convinced that the count could only find there a safe -and sure bivouac for his troop. The hall, in which a table stood, -presented unmistakable signs of the recent passage of several persons, -and a tolerably prolonged stay they had made at the spot.</p> - -<p>"You see," he said to the hacendero, "that I was not mistaken; the -persons we seek stopped here."</p> - -<p>"It is true. Do you think they have long left it?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot tell you yet; but while supper is being prepared, and you are -making yourselves comfortable, I will take a look round outside. On my -return I trust to be more fortunate, and be able to satisfy your -curiosity."</p> - -<p>And placing the torch he held in his hand in an iron bracket fastened to -the wall, the Tigrero quitted the house. Doña Anita fell pensively back -on a species of clumsy sofa, accidentally left by the side of the table. -Aided by the peons, the hacendero began making preparations for the -night. The horses were unsaddled, driven into a species of enclosure, -and had an ample stock of alfalfa placed before them. The trunks were -unloaded, the bales carried into the hall, where they were piled up, -after one had been opened to take out the requisite provisions; and then -an enormous brazier was kindled, over which a quarter of deer-meat was -hung.</p> - -<p>When these various preparations were ended the hacendero sat down on a -buffalo's skull, lighted a husk cigarette, and began smoking, while -every now and then turning a sad glance on his daughter, who was still -plunged in melancholy thought. Don Martial's absence was rather long, -for it lasted two hours. At the end of that time his horse's hoofs could -be heard echoing on the stone flooring of the ruins, and he reappeared.</p> - -<p>"Well?" Don Sylva asked him.</p> - -<p>"Let us sup first," the Tigrero answered, pointing to the girl in a way -her father comprehended.</p> - -<p>The meal was short, as might be expected from persons preoccupied and -wearied with a long day's march. Indeed, with the exception of the roast -venison, it only consisted of <i>cainc</i>, maize tortillas, and <i>frijoles -con aji</i>. Doña Anita ate a few spoonfuls of tamarind preserve; then, -after bowing to her friends, she rose and walked into a small room -adjoining the hall, where a bed had been made up for her with her -father's wraps, and the entrance to which was closed by hanging up, in -place of the absent door, a horse blanket attached to nails driven in -the wall.</p> - -<p>"You fellows," the Tigrero said, addressing the peons, "had better keep -good watch, if you wish to save your scalps. I warn you that we are in an -enemy's country, and if you go to sleep you will probably pay dearly for -it."</p> - -<p>The peons assured the Tigrero that they would redouble their vigilance, -and went out to execute the orders they had received. The two men -remained seated opposite each other.</p> - -<p>"Well," Don Sylva began, again asking his companion the question he had -already begun, "have you learned anything?"</p> - -<p>"All that was possible to learn, Don Sylva," the Tigrero sharply -replied. "Were it otherwise I should be a scurvy hunter, and the jaguars -and tigers would have had the best of me long ago."</p> - -<p>"Is the information you have obtained favourable."</p> - -<p>"That depends on your future plans. The French have been here, and -bivouacked for several days. During their stay in the ruins they were -vigorously attacked by the Apaches, whom, however, they succeeded in -repulsing. Now it is probable, though I cannot assert it, that the -troopers revolted for some cause of which I am ignorant, and that the -poor wretch we saw hanging to the tree like rotten fruit paid for the -rest, as generally happens."</p> - -<p>"I thank you for your information, which proves to me that we are not -mistaken, but followed the right trail. Now, can you complete your -information by telling me if the French have long left the ruins, and in -what direction they have marched?"</p> - -<p>"Those questions are very easy to answer. The free company left their -bivouac yesterday, a few moments after sunrise, and entered the desert."</p> - -<p>"The desert!" the hacendero exclaimed, letting his arms sink in -despondency.</p> - -<p>There was a silence of some moments, during which both men reflected. At -length Don Sylva took the word.</p> - -<p>"It is impossible," he said.</p> - -<p>"Still, it is so."</p> - -<p>"But it is an extraordinary act of imprudence, almost of madness."</p> - -<p>"I do not deny it."</p> - -<p>"Oh, the unhappy men!"</p> - -<p>"They are lost!"</p> - -<p>"The fact is, that if they escape, Heaven will perform a miracle in -their favour."</p> - -<p>"I think with you; but it is now an accomplished fact, which no -recriminations of ours can alter; so, Don Sylva, I believe that the -wisest thing is to trouble ourselves no more about them, but let them -get out of it as they best can."</p> - -<p>"Is that your notion?"</p> - -<p>"It is," the Tigrero replied carelessly. "I propose to remain here two -or three days, and see if anything turns up. After that time, if we have -seen or heard nothing, we will remount, and return to Guetzalli by the -road we came, without stopping to look back, that we may arrive more -speedily, and the sooner quit these horrible regions."</p> - -<p>The hacendero shook his head like a man who has just formed an -irrevocable determination.</p> - -<p>"Then you will go alone, Don Martial," he said dryly.</p> - -<p>"What!" the latter exclaimed, looking him firmly in the face. "What is -your meaning?"</p> - -<p>"I mean that I shall not turn back on the path I have hitherto followed; -in a word, that I will not fly."</p> - -<p>Don Martial was confounded by this answer.</p> - -<p>"What do you intend doing, then?"</p> - -<p>"Can you guess that? Why did we come to this place? For what purpose -have we been travelling so long?"</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, Don Sylva, but the question is now changed. You will do me -the justice to allow that I have followed you without any -observations—that I have been a faithful guide to you during this -journey."</p> - -<p>"I do so indeed. Now explain to me your notion."</p> - -<p>"It is this, Don Sylva. So long as we only wandered about the prairies, -at the risk of being devoured by wild beasts, I bowed my head, without -attempting to oppose your designs, for I tacitly recognised that you -were acting as you were bound to do. Even now, were you and I alone, I -would bow without a murmur before the firm determination that animates -you. But reflect that you have your daughter with you—that you condemn -her to undergo nameless tortures in this fearful desert, where you force -her to follow you, and which will probably swallow up both."</p> - -<p>Don Sylva made no reply, so the Tigrero continued,—</p> - -<p>"Our party is weak. We have provisions for only a few days; and you -know, once in the Del Norte, we find no more water or game. If, during -our excursion, we are assailed by a <i>temporal</i>, we are lost—lost, -without resources, without hope!"</p> - -<p>"All that you tell me is correct, I am well aware; still, I cannot -follow your advice. Listen to me in your turn, Don Martial. The Count de -Lhorailles is my friend; he will soon be my son-in-law. I do not say -this to vex you, but only that you may thoroughly understand my position -with regard to him. It was for my sake, to save me from those whom he -supposed to have carried me off, that, without calculation, and solely -urged by his noble heart, he entered the desert. Can I allow him to -perish without trying to bring him succour? Is he not a stranger to -Mexico—our guest, in a word? It is my duty to save him, and I will -attempt it, whatever may happen."</p> - -<p>"Since matters are so, Don Sylva, I will no longer try to combat a -resolution so firmly made. I will not tell you that the man to whom you -give your daughter is an adventurer, driven from his country through his -ill-conduct, and who, in the marriage he seeks to contract, sees only -one thing—the immense fortune you possess. All these things, and many -others, I could supply you with proofs of; but you would not believe me, -for you would only read rivalry in my conduct; so let us say no more on -that head. You wish to enter the desert: I will follow you. Whatever may -happen, you will find me at your side ready to defend and aid you. But -as the hour for frank explanations has arrived, I do not wish any cloud -to remain between us—that you should thoroughly know the man with whom -you are going to attempt the desperate stroke you meditate, so that you -may have a full and entire confidence in him."</p> - -<p>The hacendero gazed at him with surprise. At this moment the curtain of -Doña Anita's room was raised; the young girl came out, walked slowly -down the hall, knelt before her father, and turning to the Tigrero,—</p> - -<p>"Now speak, Don Martial," she said. "Perhaps my father will pardon me on -seeing me thus implore his forgiveness."</p> - -<p>"Pardon you!" the hacendero said, his eyes wandering from his daughter -to the man who was standing before him with blushing brow and downcast -eyes. "What is the meaning of this? What fault have you committed?"</p> - -<p>"A fault for which I am alone culpable, Don Sylva, and for which I alone -must suffer the punishment. I deceived you disgracefully: it was I who -carried off your daughter."</p> - -<p>"What!" the hacendero shouted with an outburst of fury. "I was your -plaything, your dupe, then?"</p> - -<p>"Passion does not reason. I will only say one word in my defence: I love -your daughter! Alas! Don Sylva, I now perceive how culpable I have been. -Reflection, though tardy, has at length arrived, and, like Doña Anita, -who is weeping at your feet, I humble myself before you, and say, -'Pardon me!'"</p> - -<p>"Pardon, father!" the poor girl said in a weak voice.</p> - -<p>The hacendero made a gesture.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" the Tigrero said quickly, "Be generous, Don Sylva. Do not spurn -us. Our repentance is true and sincere. I am eager to repair the evil I -have done. I was mad then: passion blinded me. Do not overwhelm me."</p> - -<p>"Father," Doña Anita continued in a tearful voice, "I love him. Still, -when we left the colony, we might have fled, and abandoned you; but we -did not do it. The idea never once occurred to us. We were ashamed of -our fault. You see us both here ready to obey you, and perform without a -murmur the orders it may please you to give us. Be not inflexible, O my -father, but pardon us!"</p> - -<p>The hacendero drew himself up.</p> - -<p>"You see," he said severely, "I can no longer hesitate. I must save the -Count de Lhorailles at all hazards, else I should be your accomplice."</p> - -<p>The Tigrero walked in great agitation up and down the hall: his eyebrows -were contracted—his face deadly pale.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said in a broken voice, "yes, he must be saved. No matter what -becomes of me after. No cowardly weakness! I have committed a fault, and -will undergo all the consequences."</p> - -<p>"Aid me frankly and loyally in my search, and I will pardon you," Don -Sylva said gravely. "My honour is compromised by your fault. I place it -in your hands."</p> - -<p>"Thanks, Don Sylva; you will have no cause to repent," the Tigrero nobly -replied.</p> - -<p>The hacendero gently raised his daughter, drew her to his breast, and -embraced her several times.</p> - -<p>"My poor child!" he said to her, "I forgive you. Alas! Who knows whether -in a few days I shall not have, in my turn, to ask your forgiveness for -all the sufferings I have inflicted on you? Go and rest; the night is -drawing on—you must have need of repose."</p> - -<p>"Oh, how kind you are and how I love you, father!" she cried from her -heart, "Fear nothing. Whatever sufferings the future may have in store -for me, I will endure them without a murmur. Now I am happy, for you -have pardoned me."</p> - -<p>Don Martial's eye followed the maiden.</p> - -<p>"When do you intend starting?" he said, stifling a sigh.</p> - -<p>"Tomorrow, if possible."</p> - -<p>"Be it so. Let us trust in Heaven."</p> - -<p>After conversing for some short time longer, and making their final -arrangements, Don Sylva wrapped himself up in his coverings, and soon -fell asleep. As for the Tigrero, he left the house to see that the peons -were carefully watching over their common safety.</p> - -<p>"Provided that Cucharés has not fulfilled my orders!" he muttered.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE MANHUNT.</h3> - - -<p>On the next morning at daybreak the little band quitted the Casa Grande -and two hours later entered the Del Norte. At the sight of the desert -the maiden felt her heart contract; a secret presentiment seemed to warn -her that the future would be fatal. She turned back, cast a melancholy -glance on the gloomy forests which chequered the horizon behind her, and -could not repress a sigh.</p> - -<p>The temperature was sultry, the sky blue, not a breath of wind was -stirring: on the sand might still be seen the deep footsteps of the -count's free company.</p> - -<p>"We are on the right road," the hacendero said; "their trail is -visible."</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Tigrero muttered, "and it will remain so till the temporal is -unchained."</p> - -<p>"Then," Doña Anita remarked, "may Heaven come to our aid!"</p> - -<p>"Amen!" all the travellers exclaimed, crossing themselves, instinctively -responding to the secret voice which each of us has in the depths of our -heart, and which foreboded to their misfortune.</p> - -<p>Several hours passed away: the weather remained fine. At times the -travellers saw, at a great distance above their heads, innumerable -swarms of birds proceeding toward the hot regions, or <i>las tierras -calientes</i>, as they are called in that country, and hastening to cross -the desert. But everywhere nothing was visible save a grey and -melancholy sand, or gloomy rocks wildly piled on each other like the -ruins of an unknown and antediluvian world, found at times in remote -solitudes.</p> - -<p>The caravan, when night set in, camped under the shelter of a block of -granite, lighting a poor fire, hardly sufficient to protect them from -the icy cold which, in these regions, weighs upon nature at night. Don -Martial rode incessantly on the sides of the small band, watching over -their safety with filial solicitude, never remaining a moment at rest, -in spite of the urging of Don Sylva and the entreaties of the maiden.</p> - -<p>"No!" he constantly answered; "On my vigilance your safety depends. Let -me act as I think proper. I should never pardon myself if I allowed you -to be surprised."</p> - -<p>Gradually the traces left by the troops became less visible, and at -length disappeared entirely. One evening, at the moment the travellers -were forming their camp at the foot of an immense rock, which formed a -species of roof over their heads, the hacendero pointed out to Don -Martial a thin white vapour, which stood out prominently against the -blue sky.</p> - -<p>"The sky is losing its brightness," he said; "we shall probably soon -have a change of weather. God grant that a hurricane does not menace -us!"</p> - -<p>The Tigrero shook his head.</p> - -<p>"No," he said, "you are mistaken. Your eyes are not so accustomed as -mine to consult the sky. That is not a cloud."</p> - -<p>"What is it, then?"</p> - -<p>"The smoke of a <i>bois de vâche</i> fire kindled by travellers. We have -neighbours."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" the hacendero said. "Can we be on the trail of those friends we -have lost so long?"</p> - -<p>Don Martial remained silent. He minutely examined the smoke, which was -soon mingled with the atmosphere. At length he said:—</p> - -<p>"That smoke bodes us no good. Our friends, as you call them, are -Frenchmen; that is to say, profoundly ignorant of desert life. Were they -near us, it would be as easy to see them as that rock down there. They -would have lighted not one fire, but twenty braseros, whose flames, and, -above all, dense smoke, would have immediately revealed their presence -to us. They do not select their wood: whether it be dry or damp they -care little. They are unaware of the importance in the desert of -discovering one's enemy, while not allowing one's presence to be -suspected."</p> - -<p>"You conclude from this?"</p> - -<p>"That the fire you discovered has been lit by savages, or at least by -wood rangers accustomed to the habits of Indian life. All leads to this -supposition. Judge for yourself—you who, without any great experience, -though having a slight acquaintance with the desert, took it for a -cloud. Any superficial observer would have committed the same mistake as -yourself, so fine and undulating as it is, and its colour harmonises so -well with all those vapours the sun incessantly draws out of the earth. -The men, whoever they may be, who lit that fire, have left nothing to -chance; they have calculated and foreseen everything, and I am greatly -mistaken if they are not enemies."</p> - -<p>"At what distance do you suppose them from us?"</p> - -<p>"Four leagues at the most. What is that distance in the desert, when it -can be crossed so easily in a straight line?"</p> - -<p>"Then your advice is?" the hacendero asked.</p> - -<p>"Weigh well my words, Don Sylva; above all, do not give them an -interpretation differing from mine. By a prodigy almost unexampled in -the Del Norte, we have now been crossing the desert for nearly three -weeks, and nothing has happened to trouble our security: for a week we -have been, moreover, seeking a trail which it is impossible to come on -again."</p> - -<p>"Quite true."</p> - -<p>"I have, therefore, worked out this conclusion, which I believe to be -correct, and which you will approve, I am convinced. The French only -accidentally formed the resolution of entering the desert: they only did -it to pursue the Apaches. Is not that your view?"</p> - -<p>"It is."</p> - -<p>"Very good. Consequently, they crossed it in a straight line. The -weather which has favoured us favoured them too: their interest, the -object they wished to attain, everything, in a word, demanded that they -should display the utmost speed in their march. A pursuit, you know as -well as I, is a chase in which each tries to arrive first."</p> - -<p>"Then you suppose—?" Don Sylva interrupted him.</p> - -<p>"I am certain that the French left the desert long ago, and are now -coursing over the plains of Apacheria: that fire we noticed is a -convincing proof to me."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"You will soon understand. The Apaches have the greatest interest in -driving the French from their hunting grounds. Desperate at seeing them -out of the desert, they have probably lit this fire to deceive them, and -compel their return."</p> - -<p>The hacendero was thoughtful. The reasons Don Martial offered him seemed -correct: he knew not what determination to form.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said presently, "and what conclusion do you arrive at from -all this?"</p> - -<p>"That we should do wrong," Don Martial said resolutely, "in losing more -time here in search of people who are no longer in the desert, and -running the risk of being caught by a tempest, which every passing hour -renders more imminent in a country like this, which is continually -exposed to hurricanes."</p> - -<p>"Then you would return!"</p> - -<p>"By no means. I would push on, and enter Apacheria as quickly as -possible, for I am convinced I should then be speedily on the trail of -our friends."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that appears to me correct enough; but we are long way yet from -the prairies."</p> - -<p>"Not so far as you suppose; but let us break off our conversation at -this point. I wish to go out and examine that fire more closely, for it -troubles me greatly."</p> - -<p>"Be prudent."</p> - -<p>"Is not your safety concerned?" the Tigrero said, as he bent a gentle -and mournful glance on Doña Anita. He rose, saddled his horse in a -second, and started at a gallop.</p> - -<p>"Brave heart!" Doña Anita murmured, on seeing him disappear in the mist. -The hacendero sighed, but made no further reply, and his head fell -pensively on his chest.</p> - -<p>Don Martial pressed on rapidly by the flickering light of the moon, -which spread its sickly and fantastic rays over the desolate scene. At -times he perceived heavy rocks, dumb and gloomy sentinels, whose -gigantic shadows striped the grey sand for a long distance; or else -enormous ahuehuelts, whose branches were laden with that thick moss -called Spaniard's beard, which fell in long festoons, and was agitated -by the slightest breath of wind.</p> - -<p>After nearly an hour and a half's march, the Tigrero stopped his horse, -dismounted, and looked attentively around him. He soon found what he -sought. A short distance from him the wind and rain had hollowed a -rather deep ravine; he drew his horse into it, fastened it to an -enormous stone, bound up its nostrils to prevent its neighing, and went -off, after throwing his rifle on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>From the spot where he was this moment standing the fire was visible, -and the red flash it traced in the air stood out clearly in the -darkness. Round the fire several shadows were reclining which the -Tigrero recognised at the first glance as Indians. The Mexican had not -deceived himself, his experience had not failed him. They were certainly -redskins encamped there in the desert at a short distance from his -party. But who were they? Friends or enemies? He must assure himself -about that fact.</p> - -<p>This was not an easy matter on this flat and barren soil, where it was -almost impossible to advance without being noticed; for the Indians are -like wild beasts, possessing the privilege of seeing in the night. In -the gloom their pupils expand like those of tigers, and they distinguish -their enemies as easily in the deepest shadow as in the most dazzling -sunshine.</p> - -<p>Still Don Martial did not recoil from his task. Not far from the -redskins' bivouac was an enourmous block of granite, at the foot of -which three or four ahuehuelts had sprung up, and in the course of time -so entangled their branches in one another that they formed, at a -certain distance up the rock, a thorough thicket. The Tigrero lay down -on the ground, and gently, inch by inch, employing his knees and elbows, -he glided in the direction of the rock, skilfully taking advantage of -the shadow thrown by the rock itself. It took the Tigrero nearly half an -hour to cross the forty yards that still separated him from the rock. At -length he reached it; he then stopped to draw breath, and uttered a sigh -of satisfaction.</p> - -<p>The rest was nothing: he no longer feared being seen, owing to the -curtain of branches that hid him from the sight of the Indians, but only -being heard. After resting a few seconds he began climbing again, -raising himself gradually on the abrupt side of the rock. At length he -found himself level with the branches, into which he glided and -disappeared. From the hiding place he had so fortunately reached he -could not only survey the Indian camp, but perfectly hear their -conversation. We need scarcely say that Don Martial understood and spoke -perfectly all the dialects of the Indian tribes that traverse the vast -solitudes of Mexico.</p> - -<p>These Indians Don Martial at once recognised to be Apaches. His -forebodings then were realised. Round a <i>bois de vâche</i> fire, which -produced a large flame, while only allowing a slight thread of smoke to -escape, several chiefs were gravely crouching on their heels, and -smoking their calumets while warming themselves, for the cold was sharp. -Don Martial distinguished in their midst the Black Bear. The sachem's -face was gloomy; he seemed in a terrible passion; he frequently raised -his head anxiously, and fixing his piercing eye on the space, -interrogated the darkness. A noise of horse hoofs was heard, and a -mounted Indian entered the lighted part of the camp. After dismounting, -the Indian approached the fire, crouched near his comrades, lighted his -calumet, and began smoking with a perfectly calm face, although the dust -that covered him, and his panting chest, showed that he must have made a -long and painful journey.</p> - -<p>On his arrival the Black Bear gazed fixedly at him, and they went on -smoking without saying a word; for Indian etiquette prescribes that the -sachem should not interrogate another chief before the latter has shaken -into the fire the ashes of his calumet. The Black Bear's impatience was -evidently shared by the other Indians; still all remained grave and -silent. At length the newcomer drew a final puff of smoke, which he sent -forth through his mouth and nostrils, and returned his calumet to his -girdle. The Black Bear turned to him.</p> - -<p>"The Little Panther has been long," he said.</p> - -<p>As this was not a question the Indian limited himself to replying with a -bow.</p> - -<p>"The vultures are soaring in large flocks over the desert," the chief -presently continued; "the coyotes are sharpening their bent claws; the -Apaches scent a smell of blood which makes their hearts bound with joy -in their breasts. Has my son seen nothing?"</p> - -<p>"The Little Panther is a renowned warrior of his tribe. At the first -leaves he will be a chief. He has fulfilled the mission his father -entrusted to him."</p> - -<p>"Wah! What are the Long-knives doing?"</p> - -<p>"The Long-knives are dogs that howl without knowing how to bite: an -Apache warrior terrifies them."</p> - -<p>The chiefs smiled with pride at this boast, which they simply regarded -as seriously meant.</p> - -<p>"The Little Panther has seen their camp," the Indian continued; "he has -counted them. They cry like women, and lament like weak children. Two of -them will not take their accustomed place this night at the council fire -of their brothers."</p> - -<p>And with a gesture marked with a certain degree of nobility, the Indian -raised the cotton shirt which fell from his neck about half way down his -thighs, and displayed two bleeding scalps fastened to his waist belt.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" the chiefs exclaimed joyfully, "the Little Panther has fought -bravely!"</p> - -<p>The Black Bear made the warrior a sign to hand him the scalps. He -unfastened them and gave them. The sachem examined them attentively. The -Apaches fixed their eyes eagerly upon him.</p> - -<p>"<i>Asch'eth</i> (it is good)," he said presently; "my brother has killed a -Long Knife and a Yori."</p> - -<p>And he returned the scalps to the warrior.</p> - -<p>"Have the palefaces discovered the trail of the Apaches?"</p> - -<p>"The palefaces are moles; they are only good in their great stone -villages."</p> - -<p>"What has my son done?"</p> - -<p>"The Panther executed the orders of the sachem point by point. When the -warrior perceived that the palefaces would not see him, he went towards -them mocking them, and led them for three hours after him into the heart -of the desert."</p> - -<p>"Good! My son has done well. What next?"</p> - -<p>"When the palefaces had gone far enough the Panther left them, after -killing two in memory of his visit, and then proceeded to the camp of -the warriors of his nation."</p> - -<p>"My son is weary: the hour of rest has arrived for him."</p> - -<p>"Not yet," the Indian replied seriously.</p> - -<p>"Wah! Let my son explain."</p> - -<p>At this remark Don Martial, who was listening attentively to all that -was said, felt his heart contract, he knew not why. The Indian -continued,—</p> - -<p>"There are others beside the Long-knives in the desert; the Little -Panther has discovered another trail."</p> - -<p>"Another trail?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. It is not very visible: there are seven horses and three mules in -all. I recognised one of the horses."</p> - -<p>"Wah! I await what my brother is about to tell me."</p> - -<p>"Six Yori warriors, having a woman with them, have entered the desert."</p> - -<p>The chiefs eyes flashed fire.</p> - -<p>"A palefaced woman?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The Indian bowed in affirmation. The sachem reflected for a moment, and -then his face re-assumed that stoical mask which was habitual to it.</p> - -<p>"The Black Bear is not mistaken," he said; "he smelt the scent of blood: -his Apache sons will have a splendid chase. Tomorrow at the <i>endi-tah</i> -(sunrise) the warriors will mount. The sachem's lodge is empty. Let us -now leave the Big-knives to their fate," he added, raising his eyes to -heaven; "Nyang, the genius of evil, will take on himself to bury them -beneath the sand. The Master of Life summons the tempest: our task is -fulfilled. Let us follow the track of the Yoris, and return to our -hunting grounds at full speed. The hurricane will soon howl across the -desert. My sons can go to sleep: a chief will watch over them. I have -spoken."</p> - -<p>The warriors bowed silently, rose one after the other, and went to lie -down on the sand a short distance off. Within five minutes they were all -in a deep sleep. The Black Bear alone watched. With his head in his -hands, and his elbows on his knees, he looked fixedly at the sky. At -times his face lost that severe expression, and a transient smile played -around his lips. What thoughts thus absorbed the sachem? On what was he -meditating?</p> - -<p>Don Martial read his thoughts, and felt a shudder of terror. He remained -another half-hour motionless in his hiding place lest he might run the -risk of discovery. Then he went down again as he had come, employing -even greater precautions; for at this moment, when a leaden silence -brooded over the desert, the slightest sound would have betrayed his -presence to the Indian chief's subtile ear. He feared the discovery now -more than ever, after the revelations he had succeeded in overhearing. -At length he reached again, all safe and sound, the spot where he had -left his horse.</p> - -<p>For some time the Tigrero let the bridle hang loosely on his noble -animal's neck, went slowly onwards, revolving in his mind all he had -heard, and searching for the means he should employ to shield his -companions from the frightful danger that menaced them. His perplexity -was extreme: he knew not what to decide on. He knew Don Sylva too well -to suppose that a personal interest, however powerful it might be, would -induce him to abandon his friends in their present peril. But must Doña -Anita be sacrificed to this delicacy—to this false notion of honour; -above all, for a man in every respect unworthy of the interest the -hacendero felt for him?</p> - -<p>It was possible to avoid and escape the Apaches by skill and courage; -but how to escape the tempest which in a few hours perhaps, would burst -on the desert, destroy every trace, and render flight impossible?</p> - -<p>The girl must be saved at any risk. This thought incessantly returned to -the Tigrero's perplexed mind, and gnawed at his heart like a searing -iron: he felt himself affected by a cold rage on considering the -material impossibilities that rose so implacably before him. How to save -the girl? He constantly asked himself this question, for which he found -no answer. For a long time he went on thus with drooping head, seeking -in vain a method which would enable him to act on his own inspiration, -and escape from the critical position in which he found himself. At -length light dawned on his mind; he raised his head haughtily, cast a -glance of defiance toward the enemies who appeared so sure of seizing -his companions, and digging the spurs into his horse, started at full -speed.</p> - -<p>When he reached the camp he found every one asleep save the peon who was -mounting guard. The night was well on—it was about one o'clock in the -morning; the moon spread around a dazzling light, almost as clear as -day. The Apaches would not set out before daybreak, and he had, -therefore, about four hours left him for action. He resolved to profit -by them. Four hours well employed are enormous in a flight.</p> - -<p>The Tigrero began by carefully rubbing down his horse to restore the -elasticity to its limbs, for he would need all its speed; then, aided by -the peons, he loaded the mules and saddled the horses. This last -accomplished, he reflected for a moment, and they wrapped round the -horse hoofs pieces of sheep-skin filled with sand. This stratagem, he -fancied, would foil the Indians, who, no longer recognising the traces -they expected, would fancy themselves on a false trail. For greater -security he ordered two or three skins of mezcal to be left on the rock. -He knew the Apaches' liking for strong liquors, and calculated on their -drunken propensities. This done, ho aroused Don Sylva and his daughter.</p> - -<p>"To horse! To horse!" he said in a voice that admitted of no reply.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" the hacendero asked, still half asleep.</p> - -<p>"That if we do not start at once we are lost!"</p> - -<p>"How—what do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"To horse! To horse! Every moment we waste here brings us nearer to -death. Presently I will explain all."</p> - -<p>"In Heaven's name tell me what the matter is!"</p> - -<p>"You shall know. Come, come."</p> - -<p>Without listening to anything, he compelled the hacendero to mount: Doña -Anita had done so already. The Tigrero looked around for the last time, -and gave the signal for departure. The party started at their horses' -topmost speed.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE APACHES.</h3> - - -<p>Nothing is so mournful as a night march through the desert, especially -under such circumstances as hurried our party on. Night is the mother of -phantoms; in the darkness, the gayest landscapes become -sinister—everything assumes a form to startle the traveller. The moon, -however brilliant the light it diffuses may be, imparts to objects a -fantastic appearance and mournful hues which cause the bravest to -tremble.</p> - -<p>This sepulchral calmness of the desert—this solitude that surrounds -you, torments you from every side, and peoples the scenery with -spectres—this obscurity which enfolds you like a leaden shroud—all -combine to trouble the brain, and arouse a species of febrile terror, -which the vivifying sunbeams are alone powerful enough to dissipate.</p> - -<p>In spite of themselves our friends suffered from this feeling. They -galloped through the night, not able to explain to themselves their -motive for doing so, not knowing whither they were going. With heavy -heads and weighed down eyelids, they had only one thought—of sleep. -Borne along by their horses at headlong speed; the trees and rocks -danced around them. They therefore secured themselves in their saddles, -closed their eyes, and yielded to the sleep which overwhelmed them, and -which they no longer felt the strength to resist.</p> - -<p>Sleep is perhaps the most tyrannical and imperious necessity of man: it -makes him despise and forget all else. The man overpowered by sleep will -give way to it, no matter where he is, or what danger menaces him. -Hunger and thirst may be subdued for a while by strength of will and -courage, but sleep cannot. It is impossible to contend against it. It -strangles you in its iron claws, and in a few moments hurls you down -panting and conquered.</p> - -<p>With the exception of Don Martial, whose eye was sharp and mind clear, -the other members of the party resembled somnambulists. Hanging to their -horses as well as they could, with eyes shut and thoughts wandering, -they hurried on unconsciously, a prey to that horrible nightmare which -is neither sleeping nor waking, but only the torpor of the senses and -the oblivion of the mind.</p> - -<p>This lasted the whole night. They had travelled ten leagues, and were -utterly exhausted. Still at sunrise, beneath the influence of the warm -rays, they gradually shook off their heaviness, opened their eyes, -looked curiously around them, and an infinity of questions rose from the -heart to the lips, as generally happens in such a case.</p> - -<p>The party had reached the banks of the Rio Gila, whose muddy waters -form, on this side, the desert frontier. Don Martial, after carefully -examining the spot where he was, stopped on the bank. The bags of sand -were removed from the horses' feet, and they were supplied with food. As -for the men, they must temporarily put up with a mouthful of <i>refino</i> to -restore their strength.</p> - -<p>The appearance of the country had changed. On the other bank of the -river a thick, strong grass covered the ground, and immense virgin -forests grew on the horizon.</p> - -<p>"Ouf!" Don Sylva said, rolling on the ground with an expression of great -satisfaction, "What a journey! I am worn out. If that were to last but -one day, <i>voto a brios!</i> I could not stand it any longer. I am neither -hungry nor thirsty. I will go to sleep."</p> - -<p>While saying this the hacendero had arranged himself in the posture most -agreeable for a nap.</p> - -<p>"Not yet, Don Sylva," the Tigrero said sharply, and shaking him by the -arm. "Do you want to leave your bones here?"</p> - -<p>"Go to the deuce! I want to sleep, I tell you."</p> - -<p>"Very good," Don Martial made answer coldly; "but if you and Doña Anita -fall into the hands of the Apaches you will not make me responsible for -it?"</p> - -<p>"Eh?" the hacendero said, jumping up, and looking him in the face, "What -are you saying about Apaches?"</p> - -<p>"I tell you again that the Apaches are in pursuit of us. We are only a -few hours ahead of them, and if we do not make haste we are lost."</p> - -<p>"<i>Canarios!</i> We must fly," Don Sylva exclaimed, now thoroughly awake. -"My daughter must not fall into the hands of those demons."</p> - -<p>As for Doña Anita, little troubled her at this moment. She was fast -asleep.</p> - -<p>"Let the horses eat, and then we will start. We have a long way to go, -and they must be able to bear us. These few moments of rest will allow -Doña Anita to regain her strength."</p> - -<p>"Poor child!" the hacendero muttered, "I am the cause of what has -happened. My unlucky obstinacy brought us here."</p> - -<p>"What use is recrimination, Don Sylva? We are all to blame. Let us -forget the past, only to think of the present."</p> - -<p>"Yes, you are right. What need discussing things that are done? Now that -I am perfectly awake, tell me what you did during the night, and why you -forced us to start so suddenly."</p> - -<p>"My story will be short, Don Sylva; but you, I believe, will find it -very interesting. But you shall judge for yourself. After leaving you -last night, as you remember, to find out—"</p> - -<p>"Yes, you wished to examine a fire that seemed to you suspicious."</p> - -<p>"That was it. Well, I was not mistaken: that fire, as I supposed, was a -snare laid by the Apaches. I managed to crawl up to them unnoticed, and -hear their conversation. Do you know what they said?"</p> - -<p>"By my faith, I have little notion what such idiots as those talk -about."</p> - -<p>"Not such idiots as you fancy somewhat lightly, Don Sylva. One of their -runners was telling the sachem the result of a mission entrusted to him. -Among other things he mentioned that he had discovered a paleface trail, -and that among the palefaces was a woman."</p> - -<p>"<i>Caspita!</i>" the hacendero exclaimed in terror, "Are you quite sure of -that, Don Martial?"</p> - -<p>"The more so because I heard the chief make this reply. Be attentive, -Don Sylva—"</p> - -<p>"I am listening, my friend: go on."</p> - -<p>"'At sunrise we will set out in pursuit of the palefaces. The chief's -lodge is empty: he wants a white woman to occupy it.'"</p> - -<p>"Caramba!"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Then finding I had learnt sufficient of the expedition the -redskins were undertaking, I slipped away and regained our camp as soon -as possible. You know the—"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know the rest, Don Martial," the hacendero said almost -affectionately; "and I thank you most sincerely, not only for the -intelligence you have displayed on this occasion, but also for the -devotion with which you compelled us to follow you, instead of being -disgusted by our mad sloth."</p> - -<p>"I have done nothing but what I should do, Don Sylva. Have I not sworn -to devote my life to you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, my friend, and you keep your vow nobly."</p> - -<p>Since the hacendero had known Don Martial this was the first time he -spoke openly with him, and gave him the title of friend. The Tigrero was -touched by this expression; and if he had hitherto felt some slight -prejudice against Don Sylva, it was suddenly dissipated, and only left -in his heart a feeling of profound gratitude.</p> - -<p>Doña Anita awoke during this conversation, and it was with an -indescribable joy that she heard them talking thus amicably together. -When her father told her the cause of the hasty journey she had been -compelled to undertake in the middle of the night, she warmly thanked -Don Martial, and rewarded him for all his sufferings by one of those -glances, the secret of which only women in love possess, and into which -they throw their whole soul. The Tigrero, delighted at seeing his -devotion appreciated as it deserved served to be, forgot all his -fatigues, and had only one desire—that of terminating happily what he -had so well begun. So soon as the horses were saddled they mounted -again.</p> - -<p>"I leave myself in your hands, Don Martial," the hacendero said: "you -alone; can save us."</p> - -<p>"With the help of Heaven I shall succeed," the Tigrero replied -passionately.</p> - -<p>They entered the river, which was rather wide at this spot. Instead of -crossing it at right angles, Don Martial, in order to throw the savages -off the scent, followed the course of the river for some distance, and -made repeated curves. At length, on reaching a point where the river was -inclosed by two calcareous banks, where it was impossible for the -horses' hoofs to leave any marks, he landed. The party had left the -desert. Before them stretched those immense prairies, whose undulating -soil gradually, rises to the slopes of the <i>Sierra Madre</i> and the -<i>Sierra de los Comanches</i>. They are no longer sterile and desolate -plains, denuded of wood and water, but a luxuriant nature, with an -extraordinary productive force—trees, flowers, grass; countless birds -singing joyously beneath the foliage; animals of every description -running, browsing and sporting in the midst of these natural prairies.</p> - -<p>The travellers yielded instinctively to the feeling of comfort produced -by the sight of this splendid prairie, when compared with the desolate -desert they had just quitted, and in which they had wandered about so -long haphazard. This contrast was full of charm for them: they felt, -their courage rekindled, and hope returning to their hearts. About -eleven o'clock the horses were so fatigued that the travellers were -compelled to encamp, in order to give them a few hours' rest, and thus -pass the great heats of the day. Don Martial chose the top of a wooded -hill, whence the prairie could be surveyed, while they remained -completely concealed among the trees.</p> - -<p>The Tigrero would not permit them, however, to light a fire to cook food -as the smoke would have caused their retreat to be discovered; and in -their present position they could not exercise too great prudence, as it -was evident that the Apaches would have started in pursuit at sunrise. -Those crafty bloodhounds must be thrown off the scent. In spite of all -the precautions he had taken, the Tigrero could not flatter himself with -the hope of having foiled them; for the redskins are so clever in -discovering a trail. After eating a few hasty mouthfuls he allowed his -companions to enjoy a rest they needed so greatly, and rose to go on the -watch.</p> - -<p>This man appeared made of iron—fatigue took no hold on him; his will -was so firm that he resisted everything, and the desire to save the -woman he loved endowed him with a supernatural strength. He slowly -descended the hill, examining each shrub, only advancing with extreme -prudence, and with his ear open to every sound, however slight. So soon -as he reached the plain, certain that his presence would be concealed by -the tall grass, in which he entirely disappeared, he hastened at full -speed towards a sombre and primeval forest, whose trees approached -almost close to the hill. This forest was really what it appeared to -be—a virgin forest. The trees and leaves intertwined formed an -inextricable curtain, through which a hatchet would have been required -to cut a passage. Had he been alone, the Tigrero would not have been -greatly embarrassed by this apparently insurmountable obstacle. Skilful -and powerful as he was, he would have travelled 'twixt earth and sky, by -passing from branch to branch, as he had often done before. But what a -man so desolate as himself could do was not to be expected from a frail -and weak woman.</p> - -<p>For an instant the Tigrero felt his heart fail him, and his courage give -way. But this despair was only momentary. Don Martial drew himself up -proudly and suddenly regained all his energy. He continued to advance -toward the forest, looking around like a wild beast on the watch for -prey. All of a sudden he uttered a stifled cry of joy. He had found what -he had been seeking without any hope of finding it.</p> - -<p>Before him, beneath a thick dome of verdure, ran one of those narrow -paths formed by wild beasts in going to water, which it required the -Tigrero's practised eye to detect. He resolutely turned aside into this -path. Like all such it took innumerable turnings, incessantly coming -back on itself. After following it for a length of time, the Tigrero -went back and re-ascended the hill.</p> - -<p>His companions, anxious at his prolonged absence, were impatiently -expecting him. Each welcomed his return with delight. He told them what -he had been doing, and the track he had discovered. While Don Martial -had been on the search, one of his peons, however, had made, on the side -of this very hill, a discovery most valuable at such a moment to our -travellers. This man, while wandering about the neighbourhood to kill -time, had found the entrance to a cave which he had not dared to -explore, not knowing whether he might not unexpectedly find himself face -to face with a wild beast.</p> - -<p>Don Martial quivered with joy at this news. He seized an <i>ocote</i> torch -and ordered the peon to lead him to the cavern. It was only a few paces -distant, and on that side of the hill which faced the river. The -entrance was so obstructed by shrubs and parasitic plants, that it was -evident no living being had ever penetrated it for many a long year. The -Tigrero moved the shrubs with the greatest care, in order not to injure -them, and glided into the cavern. The entrance was tolerably lofty, -though rather narrow. Before going in Don Martial struck a light and -kindled the torch.</p> - -<p>This cavern was one of those natural grottos, so many of which are to be -found in these regions. The walls were lofty and dry, the ground covered -with fine sand. It evidently received air from imperceptible fissures, -as no mephitic exhalation escaped from it, and breathing was quite easy; -in a word, although it was rather gloomy, it was habitable. It grew -gradually lower to a species of hall, in the centre of which was a gulf, -the bottom of which Don Martial could not see, though he held down his -torch. He looked around him, saw a lump of rock, probably detached from -the roof and threw it into the abyss.</p> - -<p>For a long time he heard the stone dashing against the sides, and then -the noise of a body falling into water. Don Martial knew all he -wanted to know. He stepped past the gulf, and advanced along a narrow -shelving passage. After walking for about ten minutes along it, he saw -light a considerable distance ahead. The grotto had two outlets. Don -Martial returned at full speed.</p> - -<p>"We are saved!" he said to his companions. "Follow me: we have not an -instant to lose in reaching the refuge Providence so generously offers -us."</p> - -<p>They followed him.</p> - -<p>"What shall we do, though," Don Sylva asked, "with the horses?"</p> - -<p>"Do not trouble yourselves about them; I will conceal them. Place in the -grotto our provisions, for it is probable we shall be forced to remain -here some time; also keep by you the saddles and bridles, which I do not -know what to do with. As for the horses, they are my business."</p> - -<p>Each set to work with that feverish ardour produced by the hope of -escaping a danger; and at the end of an hour at most, the baggage, -provisions, and men had all disappeared in the cavern. Don Martial drew -the bushes over the entrance, to hide the traces of his companions' -passage, and breathed with that delight caused by the success of a -daring project; then he returned to the crest of the hill.</p> - -<p>He fastened the horses and mules together with his reata, and descending -to the plain, he proceeded toward the forest, and entered the path he -had previously discovered. It was very narrow, and the horses could only -proceed in single file, and with extreme difficulty. At length he -reached a species of clearing, where be abandoned the poor animals, -leaving them all the forage, which he had taken care to pack on the -mules. Don Martial was well aware that the horses would stray but a -short distance from the spot where he left them, and that when they were -wanted it would be easy to find them.</p> - -<p>These various occupations had consumed a good deal of time, and the day -was considerably advanced when the Tigrero finally quitted the forest. -The sun, very low on the horizon, appeared like a ball of fire, nearly -on a level with the ground. The shadow of the trees was -disproportionately elongated. The evening breeze was beginning to rise. -A few hoarse cries, issuing at intervals from the depths of the forest, -announced the speedy re-awakening of the wild beasts, those denizens of -the desert which, during the night, are its absolute king.</p> - -<p>On reaching the crest of the hill, and before entering the grotto, Don -Martial surveyed the horizon by the last rays of the expiring sun. -Suddenly he turned pale; a nervous shudder passed through his frame; his -eyes, dilated by terror, were obstinately fixed on the river; and he -muttered in a low voice, stamping with fury,—</p> - -<p>"Already? The demons!"</p> - -<p>What the Tigrero had seen was really startling. A band of Indian -horsemen was traversing the river at the precise spot where he and his -companions had crossed it a few hours previously. Don Martial followed -their movements with growing alarm. On arriving at the river bank, -without any hesitation or delay, they took up his trail. Doubt was no -longer possible; the Apaches had not been deceived by the hunter's -schemes, but had come in a straight line behind the party, exercising -great diligence. In less than an hour they could reach the hill; and -then, with that diabolical science they possessed to discover the best -hidden trail, who knew what would happen?</p> - -<p>The Tigrero felt his heart breaking, and half mad with grief, rushed -into the grotto. On seeing him enter thus with livid features, the -hacendero and his daughter hurried to meet him.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter?" They asked.</p> - -<p>"We are lost!" he exclaimed with despair. "Here are the Apaches!"</p> - -<p>"The Apaches!" they muttered with terror.</p> - -<p>"O heavens save me!" Doña Anita said, falling on her knees and fervently -clasping her hands.</p> - -<p>The Tigrero bent over the fair girl, took her in his arms with a -strength rendered tenfold by grief, and turning to the hacendero,—</p> - -<p>"Come," he shouted, "follow me. Perhaps one chance of salvation is still -left us."</p> - -<p>And he hurried toward the extremity of the grotto, all eagerly following -him. They hurried on for some time in this way. Doña Anita, almost -fainting, leaned her lovely head on the Tigrero's shoulders. He still -ran on.</p> - -<p>"Come, come," he said, "we shall soon be saved."</p> - -<p>His companions uttered a shout of joy: they had perceived a gleam of -daylight before them. Suddenly, at the moment Don Martial reached the -entrance, and was about to rush forth, a man appeared. It was the Black -Bear.</p> - -<p>The Tigrero leaped back with the howl of a wild beast.</p> - -<p>"Wah!" the Apache said, with a mocking voice, "my brother knows that I -love this woman, and to please me hastens to bring her to me."</p> - -<p>"You have not got her yet, demon!" Don Martial shouted, boldly placing -himself before Doña Anita, with a pistol in each hand. "Come and take -her."</p> - -<p>Rapidly approaching footsteps were heard in the depths of the cavern. -The Mexicans were caught between two fires. The Black Bear, with his eye -fixed on the Tigrero, watched his every movement. Suddenly he bounded -forward like a tiger cat, uttering his war yell. The Tigrero fired both -pistols at him and seized him round the waist. The two men rolled on the -ground, intertwined like two serpents, while Don Sylva and the peons -fought desperately with the other Indians.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.</a></h4> - -<h3>THE WOOD RANGERS.</h3> - - -<p>We will now return to certain persons of this story, whom we have too -long forgotten.</p> - -<p>Although the French had remained masters of the field, and succeeded in -driving back their savage enemies when they attacked the hacienda upon -the Rio Gila, they did not hide from themselves the fact that they did -not owe this unhoped for victory solely to their own courage. The final -charge made by the Comanches, under the orders of Eagle-head, had alone -decided the victory. Hence, when the enemy disappeared, the Count de -Lhorailles, with uncommon generosity and frankness, especially in a man -of his character, warmly thanked the Comanches, and made the hunters the -most magnificent offers. The latter modestly received the count's -flattering compliments, and plainly declined all the offers he made -them.</p> - -<p>As Belhumeur told him, they had no other motive for their conduct than -that of helping fellow countrymen. Now that all was finished, and the -French would be long free from any attacks on the part of the savages, -they had only one thing more to do—take leave of the count so soon as -possible, and continue their journey. The count, however, induced them -to spend two more days at the colony.</p> - -<p>Doña Anita and her father had disappeared in so mysterious a manner, -that the French, but little accustomed to Indian tricks, and completely -ignorant of the manner of discovering or following a trail in the -desert, were incapable of going in search of the two persons who had -been carried off. The count, in his mind, had built on the experience of -Eagle-head and the sagacity of his warriors to find traces of the -hacendero and his daughter. He explained to the hunters, in the fullest -details, the service he hoped to obtain from them, and they thought they -had no right to refuse it.</p> - -<p>The next morning, at daybreak, Eagle-head divided his detachment into -four troops, each commanded by a renowned warrior, and after giving the -men their instructions, he sent them off in four different directions. -The Comanches beat up the country with that cleverness and skill the -redskins possess to so eminent a degree, but all was useless. The four -troops returned one after the other to the hacienda without making any -discovery. Though they had gone over the ground for a radius of about -twenty leagues round the colony—though not a tuft of grass or a shrub -had escaped their minute investigations—the trail could not be found. -We know the reason—water alone keeps no trace. Don Sylva and his -daughter had been carried down with the current of the Rio Gila.</p> - -<p>"You see," Belhumeur said to the count, "we have done what was humanly -possible to recover the persons carried off during the fight; it is -evident that the ravishers embarked them on the river, and carried them -a long distance ere they landed. Who can say where they are now? The -redskins go fast, especially when flying; they have an immense advance -on us, as the ill success of our efforts proves: it would be madness to -hope to catch them. Allow us, then, to take our leave: perhaps, during -our passage across the prairie, we may obtain information which may -presently prove useful to you."</p> - -<p>"I will no longer encroach on your kindness," the count replied -courteously. "Go whenever you think proper, caballeros; but accept the -expression of my gratitude, and believe that I should be happy to prove -it to you otherwise than by sterile words. Besides, I am also going to -leave the colony, and we may perhaps meet in the desert."</p> - -<p>The next morning the hunters and the Comanches quitted the hacienda, and -buried themselves in the prairie. In the evening Eagle-head had the camp -formed, and the fires lighted. After supper, when all were about to -retire for the night, the sachem sent the <i>hachesto</i>, or public crier, -to summon the chiefs to the council fire.</p> - -<p>"My pale brothers will take a place near the chiefs," Eagle-head said, -addressing the Canadian and the Frenchman.</p> - -<p>The latter accepted with a nod, and sat down by the brasero among the -Comanche chiefs, who were already waiting, silent and reserved, for the -communication from their great sachem. When Eagle-head had taken his -seat he made a sign to the pipe bearer. The latter entered the circle, -respectfully carrying in his hand the calumet of medicine, whose stem -was adorned with feathers and a multitude of bells, while the bowl was -hollowed out of a white stone only found in the Rocky Mountains.</p> - -<p>The calumet was filled and lighted.</p> - -<p>The pipe bearer, so soon as he entered the circle, turned the bowl of -the pipe to the four cardinal points, murmuring in a low voice -mysterious words, intended to invoke the goodwill of the Wacondah, the -Master of Life, and remove from the minds of the chiefs the malignant -influence of the first man. Then, still holding the bowl in his hand, he -presented the mouthpiece to Eagle-head, saying in a loud and impressive -voice,—</p> - -<p>"My father is the first sachem of the valorous nation of the Comanches. -Wisdom resides in him. Although the snows of age have not yet frozen the -thoughts in his brain, like all men, he is subject to error. Let my -father reflect ere he speak; for the words which pass his lips must be -such as the Comanches can hear."</p> - -<p>"My son has spoken well," the sachem replied.</p> - -<p>He took the tube, and smoked silently for a few moments; then he removed -the stem from his lips, and handed it to his nearest neighbour. The pipe -thus passed round the circle, and not a chief uttered a word. When each -had smoked, and all the tobacco in the bowl was consumed, the pipe -bearer shook out the ash into his left hand, and threw it into the -brazier, exclaiming,—</p> - -<p>"The chiefs are assembled here in council. Their words are sacred. -Wacondah has heard our prayer, it is granted. Woe to the man who forgets -that conscience must be his only guide!"</p> - -<p>After uttering these words with great dignity the pipe bearer left the -circle, murmuring in a low, though perfectly distinct voice,—</p> - -<p>"Just as the ash I have thrown into the fire has disappeared for ever, -so the words of the chiefs must be sacred, and never be repeated outside -the sachems' circle. My fathers can speak; the council is opened."</p> - -<p>The pipe bearer departed after this warning. Then Eagle-head rose, and, -after surveying all the warriors present, took the word.</p> - -<p>"Comanche chiefs and warriors," he said, "many moons have passed away -since I left the villages of my nation; many moons will again pass ere -the all-powerful Wacondah will permit me to sit at the council fire of -the great Comanche sachems. The blood has ever flowed red in my veins, -and my heart has never worn a skin for my brothers. The words which pass -my lips are spoken by the will of the Great Spirit. He knows how I have -kept up my love for you. The Comanche nation is powerful; it is the -Queen of the Prairies. Its hunting grounds cover the whole world. What -need has it to ally itself with other nations to avenge insults? Does -the unclean coyote retire into the den of the haughty jaguar? Does the -owl lay its eggs in the eagle's nest? Why should the Comanche walk on -the warpath with the Apache dogs? The Apaches are cowardly and -treacherous women. I thank my brothers for not only having broken with -them, but also for having helped me to defeat them. Now my heart is sad, -a mist covers my mind, because I must separate myself from my brothers. -Let them accept my farewell. Let the Jester pity me, because I shall -walk in the shadow far from him. The sunbeams, however burning they may -be, will not warm me. I have spoken. Have I spoken well, powerful men?"</p> - -<p>Eagle-head sat down amid a murmur of grief, and concealed his face -behind the skirt of his buffalo robe. There was great silence in the -assembly; the Jester seemed to interrogate the other chiefs with a -glance. At length he rose, and took the word in his turn to reply to the -sachem.</p> - -<p>"The Jester is young," he said; "his head is good, though he does not -possess, the great wisdom of his father. Eagle-head is a sachem beloved -by the Wacondah. Why has the Master of Life brought the chief back among -the warriors of his nation? Is it that he should leave them again almost -immediately? No; the Master of Life loves his Comanche sons. He could -not have desired that. The warriors need a wise and experienced chief to -lead them on the warpath, and instruct them round the council fire. My -father's head is grey; he will teach and guide the warriors. The Jester -cannot do so; he is still too young, and wants experience. Where my -father goes his sons will go; what my father wishes his sons will wish. -But never let him speak again about leaving them. Let him disperse the -cloud that obscures his mind. His sons implore it by the mouth of the -Jester—that child he brought up, whom he loved so much formerly, and of -whom he made a man. I have spoken; here is my wampum. Have I spoken -well, powerful men?"</p> - -<p>After uttering the last words the chief threw a collar of wampum at -Eagle-head's feet, and sat down again.</p> - -<p>"The great sachem must remain with his sons," all the warriors shouted, -as, in their turn, they threw down their wampum collars.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head rose with an air of great nobility; he allowed the skirt of -his buffalo robe to fall, and addressing the anxious and attentive -assembly,—</p> - -<p>"I have heard the strain of the walkon, the beloved bird of the -Wacondah, echo in my ears," he said: "its harmonious voice penetrated -to my heart and made it thrill with joy. My sons are good, and I love -them. The Jester and ten warriors to be chosen by himself, will -accompany me, and the others will ride to the great villages of my -nation to announce to the sachems the return of Eagle-head among his -brothers. I have spoken."</p> - -<p>The Jester then asked for the great calumet, which was immediately -brought him by the pipe bearer, and the chiefs smoked in turn, without -uttering a word. When the last puff of smoke had dissolved, the -hachesto, to whom the Jester had said a few words in a low voice, -proclaimed the names of the ten warriors selected to accompany the -sachem. The chiefs rose, bowed to Eagle-head, and silently mounting -their horses, started at a gallop.</p> - -<p>For a considerable period the Jester and Eagle-head conversed in a low -voice; at the end of the palaver, the Jester and his warriors went off -in their turn, Eagle-head, Belhumeur and Don Louis remaining alone. The -Canadian watched the Indians depart, and when they had disappeared he -turned to the chief.</p> - -<p>"Hum!" he said, "Will not the hour soon arrive to speak frankly and -terminate our business? Since our departure from home we have troubled -ourselves a great deal about others, and forgotten our own affairs; is -it not time to think of them?"</p> - -<p>"Eagle-head does not forget: he is preparing to satisfy his pale -brothers."</p> - -<p>Belhumeur burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, chief; for my part, my business is very simple. You asked me -to accompany you and here I am. May I be a dog of an Apache if I know -anything more! Louis, it is different, is looking for a well-beloved -friend: remember that we have promised to help him to find him."</p> - -<p>"Eagle-head," the chief replied, "has shared his heart between his two -white brothers: each has half. The road we have to go is long, and must -last several moons. We shall cross the great desert. The Jester and his -warriors have gone to kill buffaloes for the journey. I will lead my -white brothers to a spot which I discovered a few moons ago, and which -is only known to myself. The Wacondah, when he created the red man, gave -him strength, courage, and immense hunting grounds, saying to him: 'Be -free and happy.' He gave the palefaces wisdom and science, by teaching -them to know the value of sparkling stones and yellow pebbles. The -redskins and the palefaces each follow the path the Great Spirit has -traced for them. I am leading my brothers to a placer."</p> - -<p>"To a placer!" the two men exclaimed in amazement.</p> - -<p>"Yes. What would an Indian sachem do with these enormous treasures, -which he knows not how to use? Gold is everything with the palefaces. -Let my brothers be happy; Eagle-head will give them more than they can -ever take."</p> - -<p>"An instant, chief. What the deuce would you have me do with your gold? -I am a hunter, whom his horse and rifle suffice. At the period that I -crossed the prairie in the company of Loyal-heart, we frequently found -rich nuggets beneath our feet, and ever turned from them with -contempt."</p> - -<p>"What need have we of gold?" Don Louis supported his friend. "Let us -forget this placer, however rich it may be. Let us not reveal its -existence to anyone, for crimes enough are committed daily for gold. -Give up this scheme, chief. We thank you for your generous offer, but it -is impossible for us to accept it."</p> - -<p>"Well spoken," Belhumeur exclaimed joyously. "Deuce take the gold, which -we can make no use of, and let us live like the free hunters we are! By -heavens, chief, I assure you, had you told me at the time the object for -which you wished me to follow you, I should have let you start alone."</p> - -<p>Eagle-head smiled.</p> - -<p>"I expected the answer my brothers have given me," he said. "I am happy -to see that I have not been mistaken. Yes, gold is useless, to -them—they are right; but that is not a motive for despising it. Like -all things placed on the earth by the Great Spirit, gold is useful. My -brothers will accompany me to the placer, not, as they suppose, to -collect nuggets, but merely to know where they are, and go to fetch them -when wanted. Misfortune ever arrives unexpectedly: the most favoured by -the Great Spirit today are often those whom tomorrow he will smite most -severely. Well, if the gold of this placer is as nothing for the -happiness of my brothers, who insures them that it may not serve some -day to save one of their friends from despair?"</p> - -<p>"That is true," said Don Louis, touched by the justice of this -reasoning. "What you say is wise, and deserves consideration. We can -refuse to enrich ourselves; but we have no right to despise riches, -which may possibly, at some future day, serve others."</p> - -<p>"If that is really your opinion I adopt it; besides, as we are on the -road, it is as well to go to the end. Still, the man who had told me -that I should one day turn <i>gambusino</i> would have astonished me. In the -meanwhile I will go and try to kill a deer."</p> - -<p>On this Belhumeur rose, took his gun, and went off whistling. The Jester -was two days absent. About the middle of the third day he reappeared. -Six horses lassoed in the prairie were loaded with provisions; six -others carried skins filled with water. Eagle-head was satisfied with -the way in which the chief had performed his mission: but as the journey -they had to make was a long one (for they had to cross the Del Norte -desert at its longest part,) he ordered that each horseman should carry -on his saddle, with his alforjas, two little water skins.</p> - -<p>All these measures having been carefully taken, the horses and their -riders rested. Fresh and of good cheer, the next morning, at daybreak, -the little troop started in the direction of the desert. We will say -nothing of the journey, save that it was successful and accomplished -under the most favourable auspices: no incident occurred to mar its -monotonous tranquillity. The Comanches and their friends crossed the -desert like a tornado, with that headlong speed of which they alone -possess the secret, and which renders them so dangerous when they invade -the Mexican frontiers.</p> - -<p>On arriving in the prairies of the Sierra de los Comanches, Eagle-head -ordered the Jester and his warriors to await him in a camp which he -formed on the skirt of a virgin forest, in an immense clearing on the -banks of an unknown stream, which, after a course of several leagues, -falls into the Rio del Norte, and then departed with his comrades. The -sachem foresaw everything. Although he placed entire confidence in the -Jester, he did not wish, through prudential motives, to let him know the -site of the placer. At a later date he had cause to congratulate himself -on this step.</p> - -<p>The hunters pushed on straight for the mountains, which rose before them -like apparently insurmountable granitic walls; but the nearer they -approached the more the mountains sloped down. They soon entered a -narrow gorge, at the entrance of which they were forced to leave their -horses. It was probably owing to this apparently futile circumstance -that this placer had not yet been discovered by the Indians, for the -redskins never, under any circumstances, dismount. It may justly be said -of them, as of the Guachos of the Pampas, in the Banda Oriental and -Patagonia, that they live on horseback.</p> - -<p>By a singular accident during one of his hunts, a deer which Eagle-head -had wounded entered this gorge to die. The chief, who had been following -the animal for several hours, did not hesitate to go in quest of it. -After traversing the whole length of the gorge he reached a valley, a -kind of funnel formed between two abrupt mountains, which, except on -this side, rendered access not only difficult, but impossible. There he -found the deer expiring on a sand sprinkled with gold dust, and sown -with nuggets winch sparkled like diamonds in the sunshine.</p> - -<p>On entering the valley the hunters could not repress a cry of admiration -and a shudder of delight. However strong a man may be morally, gold -possesses an irresistible attraction, and exerts a powerful fascination -over him. Belhumeur was the first to regain his calmness.</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" he said, wiping the perspiration which poured down his face, -"there are fortunes enough hidden in this nook of earth. God grant that -they may remain so a long time, for the happiness of mankind!"</p> - -<p>"What shall we do?" asked Louis, his chest heaving and his eyes -sparkling.</p> - -<p>Eagle-head alone regarded these incalculable riches with an indifferent -eye.</p> - -<p>"Hum!" the Canadian continued, "This is evidently our property, as the -chief surrenders it to us."</p> - -<p>The sachem made a sign of affirmation.</p> - -<p>"Hear what I propose," he continued. "We do not need this gold, which at -this moment would be more injurious to us than useful. Still, as no one -can foresee the future, we must assure ourselves of the ownership. Let -us cover this sand with leaves and branches, so that if accident lead a -hunter to the top of one of those mountains, he may not see the gold -glistening; then we will pile up stones, and close the mouth of the -valley; for what has happened to Eagle-head must not happen to another. -What is your opinion?"</p> - -<p>"To work!" Don Louis exclaimed. "I am anxious not to have my eyes -dazzled longer by this diabolical metal, which makes me giddy."</p> - -<p>"To work, then!" Belhumeur replied.</p> - -<p>The three men cut down branches from the trees, and formed with them a -thick carpet, under which the auriferous sand and nuggets entirely -disappeared.</p> - -<p>"Will you not take a specimen of the nuggets?" Belhumeur said to the -count. "Perhaps it may be useful to take a few."</p> - -<p>"My faith, no!" the latter replied, shrugging his shoulders; "I do not -care for it. Take some if you will: for my part, I will not soil my -fingers with them."</p> - -<p>The Canadian began laughing, picked up two or three nuggets as huge as -walnuts, and placed them in his bullet pouch.</p> - -<p>"Sapristi!" he said, "if I kill sundry Apaches with these they will have -no right to complain, I hope."</p> - -<p>They quitted the valley, the entrance to which they stopped up with -masses of rock. They then regained their horses, and returned to the -camp, after cutting notches in the trees, so as to be able to recognise -the spot, if, at a later date, circumstances led them to the placer, -which, we are bound to say in their favour, not one of them desired.</p> - -<p>The Jester was awaiting his friends with the intensest impatience. The -prairie was not quiet. In the morning the runners had perceived a small -band of palefaces crossing the Del Norte, and proceeding toward a hill, -on the top of which they had encamped. At this moment a large Apache -war-party had crossed the river at the same spot, apparently following a -trail.</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, "It is plain that those dogs are pursuing -white people."</p> - -<p>"Shall we let them be massacred beneath our eyes?" Louis exclaimed -indignantly.</p> - -<p>"My faith, no! If it depend on us," the hunter said, "perhaps this good -action will obtain our pardon for the feeling of covetousness to which -we for a moment yielded. Speak, Eagle-head! What will you do?"</p> - -<p>"Save the palefaces," the chief replied.</p> - -<p>The orders were immediately given by the sachem, and executed with that -intelligence and promptitude characteristic of picked warriors on the -war trail. The horses were left under the guard of a Comanche, and the -detachment, divided into two parties, advanced cautiously into the -prairie. With the exception of Eagle-head, the Jester, Louis, and -Belhumeur, who had rifles, all the others were armed with lances and -bows.</p> - -<p>"Diamond cut diamond," the Canadian said in a low voice. "We are going -to surprise those who are preparing to surprise others."</p> - -<p>At this moment two shots were heard, followed by others, and then the -war cry of the Apaches echoed far and wide.</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, rushing forward, "They do not fancy we are so -near."</p> - -<p>All the others followed him at full speed. In the meanwhile the combat -had assumed horrible proportions in the cavern. Don Sylva and the peons -resisted courageously; but what could they do against the swarm of -enemies that assailed them on every side?</p> - -<p>The Tigrero and the Black Bear, interlaced like two serpents, were -seeking to stab each other. Don Martial, when he perceived the Indian, -leaped back so precipitately that he cleared the passage and reached the -hall, in the centre of which was the abyss to which we before alluded. -It was on the verge of this gulf that the two men, with flashing eyes, -heaving chests, and lips closed by fury, redoubled their efforts.</p> - -<p>Suddenly several shots were heard, and the war cry of the Comanches -burst forth like thunder. The Black Bear loosed his hold of Don Martial, -leaped on his feet, and rushed on Doña Anita; but the girl, though -suffering from an indescribable terror, repulsed the savage by a -supernatural effort. The latter, already wounded by the Tigrero's -pistols, tottered backwards to the edge of the abyss, where he lost his -balance. He felt that all was over. By an instinctive effort he -stretched out his arms, seized Don Martial (who, half stunned by the -contest he had been engaged in, was trying to rise), made him totter in -his turn, and the two fell to the bottom of the abyss, uttering a -horrible cry.</p> - -<p>Doña Anita rushed forward: she was lost—when suddenly she felt herself -seized by a vigorous hand, and rapidly dragged backwards. She had -fainted.</p> - -<p>The Comanches had arrived too late. Of the seven persons composing the -little band, five had been killed; a peon seriously wounded, and Doña -Anita alone survived. The young girl had been saved by Belhumeur. When -she opened her eyes again she smiled gently, and in a childlike voice, -melodious as a bird's carol, began singing a Mexican seguedilla. The -hunters recoiled with a cry of horror. Doña Anita was mad!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.</a></h4> - -<h3>EL AHUEHUELT.</h3> - - -<p>The count de Lhorailles entered the great Del Norte desert under the -guidance of Cucharés. During the first day all went on famously; the -weather was magnificent—the provisions more than plentiful. With their -innate carelessness the Frenchmen forgot their past fears, and laughed -at the alarm which the Mexican peons did not cease manifesting; for, -better informed, they did not conceal the terror which the prolonged -stay of the company in this terrible region caused them.</p> - -<p>The days were spent in the desert in wandering purposelessly in search -of the Apaches, who had at length become invisible. At times they -perceived an Indian horseman in the distance, apparently mocking them, -who presently came up close to their lines. Boot and saddle was sounded; -everybody mounted, and pursued this phantom horseman, who, after -allowing them to follow him for a long time, suddenly disappeared like a -vision.</p> - -<p>This mode of life, however, through its very monotony, began to grow -insipid and insupportable. To see nothing but grey sand, ever sand—not -a bird or a wild beast—tawny, weather-worn rocks—a few lofty -ahuehuelts—a species of cedar, with long bare branches, covered with a -greyish moss, hanging in heavy festoons—had nothing very amusing about -it. The troop began to grow dispirited. The reflection of the sun on the -sand caused ophthalmia; the water, decomposed by the heat, was no longer -drinkable; the provisions were spoiling; and scurvy had commenced its -ravages among the soldiers. This state of things was growing -intolerable: measures must be taken to get out of it as rapidly as -possible.</p> - -<p>The count formed his officers into a council; and it was composed of -Lieutenants Martin Leroux and Diégo Léon, Sergeant Boileau, Blas -Vasquez, and Cucharés. These five persons, presided over by the count, -took their seats on bales, while a short distance off, the soldiers, -reclining on the ground, tried to shelter themselves beneath the shadow -of their picketed horses.</p> - -<p>It was urgent to assemble the council, for the company was rapidly -demoralising; there was revolt in the air, and complaints had already -been openly uttered. The execution at the Casa Grande was completely -forgotten; and, if a remedy were not soon found, no one knew what -terrible consequences this general dissatisfaction might not entail.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," the Count de Lhorailles said, "I have assembled you in -order to consult with you on the means to put a stop to the despondency -which has fallen on our company during the last few days. The -circumstances are so serious that I shall feel obliged by your giving me -your frank opinion. The general welfare is at stake, and in such a state -of things each has a right to express his opinion without fear of -wounding the self-love of anyone. Speak; I am listening to you. You -first, Sergeant Boileau: as the lowest in rank, you must take the word -first."</p> - -<p>The sergeant was an old African soldier, knowing his duties perfectly—a -thorough trooper in the fullest sense of the word; but we must confess -that he was nothing of an orator. At this direct challenge from his -chief he smiled, blushed like a girl, let his head droop, opened an -enormous mouth, and stopped short. The count, perceiving his -embarrassment, kindly urged him to speak. At length, after many an -effort, the sergeant managed to begin in a hoarse and perfectly -indistinct voice.</p> - -<p>"Hang it, captain!" he said, "I can understand that the situation is not -at all pleasant; but what is to be done? A man is a trooper, or he is -not. Hence my opinion is that you ought to act as you think proper; and -we are here to obey you in every respect, as is our peremptory duty, -without any subsequent or offensive after-thought."</p> - -<p>The officers could not refrain from laughing at the worthy sergeant's -profession of faith, as he stopped all ashamed.</p> - -<p>"It is your turn, capataz," the captain said. "Give us your opinion."</p> - -<p>Blas Vasquez fixed his burning eyes on the count.</p> - -<p>"Do you really ask it frankly?" he said.</p> - -<p>"Certainly I do."</p> - -<p>"Then listen," he said in a firm voice, and with an accent bearing -conviction. "My opinion is that we are betrayed; that it is impossible -for us to leave this desert, where we shall all perish in pursuing -invisible enemies, who have caused us to fall into a trap which will -hold us all."</p> - -<p>These words produced a great impression on the hearers, who understood -their perfect truth. The captain shook his head thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Don Blas," he said, "you bring, then, a heavy accusation against -someone. Have you conscientiously weighed the purport of your words?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," he replied; "but—"</p> - -<p>"Remember that we can admit no vague suppositions. Things have reached -such a pitch that, if you wish us to give you the credence you -doubtlessly deserve, you must bring your charges precisely, and not -shrink from pronouncing any name if it be necessary."</p> - -<p>"I shall shrink from nothing, señor conde. I know all the responsibility -I take on myself. No consideration, however powerful it may be, will -make me conceal what I regard as a sacred duty."</p> - -<p>"Speak, then, in Heaven's name; and God grant that your words may not -compel me to inflict an exemplary chastisement on one of our comrades."</p> - -<p>The capataz collected himself for a moment. All anxiously awaited his -explanation: Cucharés especially was suffering from an emotion which he -found great difficulty in concealing. Blas Vasquez at length spoke -again, while keeping his eye so fixed on the count that the latter began -to understand that he and his men were the victims of some odious -treachery.</p> - -<p>"Señor conde," Blas said, "we Mexicans have a law from which we never -depart—a law which, indeed, is inscribed in the hearts of all honest -men. It is this: in the same way that the pilot is responsible for the -ship intrusted to him to take into port, the pioneer responds with his -person for the safety of the people he undertakes to guide in the -desert. In this case no discussion is possible: either the guide is -ignorant, or he is not. If he is ignorant, why, against the opinion of -everybody, has he forced us to enter the desert, while taking on himself -the entire responsibility of our journey? Why, if he be not ignorant, -did he not guide us straight across the desert as he agreed to do, -instead of leading us at venture in pursuit of an enemy who, he knows as -well as I do, is never stationary in the desert, but traverses it at his -horse's utmost speed when forced to enter it? Hence on the guide alone -must weigh the blame of all that has happened, as he was master of -events, and arranged them as he thought proper."</p> - -<p>Cucharés, more and more perturbed, knew not what countenance to keep; -his emotion was visible to all.</p> - -<p>"What reply have you to make?" the captain asked him.</p> - -<p>Under circumstances like the present, the man attacked has only two -means of defence—to feign indignation or contempt. Cucharés chose the -latter. Summoning up all his boldness and impudence, he raised his -voice, shrugged his shoulders disdainfully, and answered in an ironical -tone,—</p> - -<p>"I will not do Don Blas the honour of discussing his remarks: there are -certain accusations which an honest man scorns to repel. It was my duty -to act in conformity with the orders of the captain, who alone commands -here. Since we have been in the desert we have lost twenty men, killed -by the Indians or by disease. Can I be logically rendered responsible -for this misfortune? Do I not run the same risks as all of you of -perishing in the desert? Is it in my power to escape the fate that -threatens you? If the captain had merely ordered me to cross the desert, -we should have done so long ago: he told me that he wished to catch the -Apaches up, and I was compelled to obey him."</p> - -<p>These reasons, specious as they were, were still accepted as good by the -officers. Cucharés breathed again, but he had not yet finished with the -capataz.</p> - -<p>"Good!" the latter said. "Strictly speaking, you might be right in your -remarks, and I would put faith in your statements, had I not other and -graver charges to bring against you."</p> - -<p>The lepero shrugged his shoulders once more.</p> - -<p>"I know, and can supply proof, that, by your remarks and insinuations, -you sow discord and rebellion among the peons and troopers. This -morning, before the <i>réveillé</i>, believing that no one saw you, you rose, -and with your dagger pierced ten of the fifteen water skins still left -us. The noise I made in running toward you alone prevented the entire -consummation of your crime. At the moment when the captain gave us -orders to assemble, I was about to warn him of what yon had done. What -have you to answer to this? Defend yourself, if it be possible."</p> - -<p>All eyes were fixed on the lepero. He was livid. His eyes, suffused with -blood, were haggard. Before it was possible to guess his intention, he -drew a pistol and fired at the capataz, who fell without uttering a cry; -then with a tiger-bound he leaped on his horse, and started at full -speed. There was an indescribable tumult. All rushed in pursuit of the -lepero.</p> - -<p>"Down with the murderer!" the captain shouted, urging his men by voice -and gestures to seize the villain.</p> - -<p>The Frenchmen, rendered furious by this pursuit, began firing on -Cucharés as on a wild beast. For a long time he was seen galloping his -horse in every direction, and seeking in vain to quit the circle in -which the troopers had inclosed him. At length he tottered in his -saddle, tried to hold on by his horse's mane, and rolled in the sand, -uttering a parting yell of fury. He was dead!</p> - -<p>This event caused extreme excitement among the soldiers: from this -moment they felt that they were betrayed, and began to see their -position as it really was—that is to say, desperate. In vain did the -captain try to restore them a little courage; they would listen to -nothing, but yielded to that despair which disorganises and paralyses -everything. The count gave the order for departure, and they set out.</p> - -<p>But whither should they go? In what direction turn? No trace was -visible. Still they marched on, rather to change their place than in the -hope of emerging from the sepulchre of sand in which they believed -themselves eternally buried. Eight days passed away—eight -centuries—-during which the adventurers endured the most frightful -tortures of thirst and hunger. The troop no longer existed; there were -neither chiefs nor soldiers; it was a legion of hideous phantoms, a -flock of wild beasts ready to devour each other on the first -opportunity.</p> - -<p>They had been reduced to splitting the ears of the horses and mules in -order to drink the blood.</p> - -<p>Wandering now on this side, now on that, deceived by the mirage, dazzled -by the burning sunbeams, they were a prey to a hideous despair. Some -laughed with a silly air; and these were the happiest, for they no -longer felt their sufferings: they were mad. Others brandished their -weapons furiously, raising their fists, with menaces and curses to -heaven, which, like an immense plate of red-hot iron, seemed the -implacable dome of their sandy tomb. Some, rendered raging by suffering, -blew out their brains, while mocking their comrades who were too -weak-minded to follow their example.</p> - -<p>The French are, perhaps, the bravest nation in existence; but, on the -other hand, the easiest to demoralise. If their impulse is irresistible -in the onward march; it is the same when they give way. Nothing will -stop them—neither reasoning nor coercive measures. Extreme in -everything, the Frenchman is more than a man, or less than a child.</p> - -<p>The Count de Lhorailles, gloomy and heart-broken, surveyed the ruin of -all his hopes. Ever the first to march the last to rest, not eating a -mouthful till he was certain that all his comrades had their share, he -watched with unexampled tenderness and care over these poor soldiers, -who, strangely enough, in the misery in which they were plunged, never -dreamed of addressing a reproach to him.</p> - -<p>Of Blas Vasquez' peons the majority were dead. The rest had sought -safety in flight; that is, they had gone a little further on to seek a -hidden tomb. All those who remained faithful to the captain were -Europeans, principally Frenchmen, brave Dauph'yeers, utterly ignorant of -the way to combat and conquer the implacable enemy against whom they -struggled—the desert! Of the two hundred and forty-five men of which -the squadron was composed on its entering the Del Norte, one hundred and -thirty-three still survived, if we allow that these haggard, fleshless -spectres were men.</p> - -<p>The most atrocious pain which a man can suffer in the desert is the -frightful malady called <i>calentura</i> by the Mexicans. The calentura! That -temporary madness, which makes you see, during its intermittent attacks, -the most dainty and delicious dishes, the most limpid water, the most -exquisite wines; which satiates and enervates you; and, when it leaves -you, renders you more desponding, more broken, than before, for you -retain the remembrance of all you possessed during your dream.</p> - -<p>One day, at length, the wretched men, crushed by misery and torture of -every description, refused to go further, and resolved to die where -accident had led them. They lay down in the torrid sand, beneath the -shadow of a few ahuehuelts, with the firm will of remaining motionless -until death, which they had summoned so loudly, came at length to -deliver them from their woes. The sun set in a mist of purple and gold, -to the sound of the curses and imprecations of these wretched men who, -expecting nothing more, hoping nothing more, had only retained the cruel -instincts of the wild beast.</p> - -<p>Still the night succeeded to day—gradually calmness took the place of -disorder. Sleep, that great consoler, weighed down the heavy eyelids of -the men, who, if they did not sleep, fell into state of somnolency, -which brought a truce to their fearful tortures, if only for a few -moments. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a formidable sound -aroused them—a fiery whirlwind passed over them—the thunder burst -forth in terrific peals. The sky was black as ink—not a star, not a -moonbeam—nothing but dense gloom, which hid the nearest objects from -sight.</p> - -<p>The poor fellows rose in great terror; they dragged themselves on as -well as they could one after the other, crouching together like a flock -of sheep surprised by a storm, wishing, with that inborn egotism of man, -to die together.</p> - -<p>"A temporal, a temporal!" all shouted with an expression of voice -impossible to render.</p> - -<p>It was in reality the temporal, that fearful scourge, which was -unloosing all its fury, and passing over the desert to subvert its -surface. The wind howled with extraordinary force, raising clouds of -dust, which whirled round with extreme velocity, and formed enormous -spouts, that, ran along and suddenly burst with a frightful crash. Men -and animals caught in the tornado were whisked away into a space like -straws.</p> - -<p>"Down on the ground!" the count shouted in a tremendous voice; "Down on -the ground. 'Tis the African simoom! Down, all of you who care for -life!"</p> - -<p>Strange to say, all these men, weighed down with atrocious sufferings, -obeyed their chiefs orders like children, so great is the terror death -inspires in the darkness. They buried their faces in the sand, in order -to avoid the burning blast of air that passed over them. The animals -crouched on the ground, with outstretched necks, instinctively followed -their example. At intervals, when the wind granted a moment's respite to -these unhappy men, whom it took a delight in torturing, cries and groans -of agony could be heard, mingled with blasphemies and ardent prayers, -that rose from the crowd stretched trembling on the earth. The hurricane -raged through the entire night with ever increasing fury; toward morning -it gradually grew calmer; by sunrise it had exhausted all its strength, -and rushed toward other regions.</p> - -<p>The aspect of the desert was completely changed. Where valleys had been -on the previous night were now mountains; the sparse trees, twisted, -uprooted, or burned by the hurricane, displayed their blackened and -denuded skeletons; no trace of a footpath, no sign of man; all was flat, -smooth, and even as a mirror. The French had been reduced to sixty men; -the others had been carried off or swallowed up, and there was no hope -of discovering the slightest sign of them: the sand was stretched over -them like an immense greyish shroud.</p> - -<p>The first feeling the survivors experienced was terror; the second, -despair; and then the groans and complaints broke out again with renewed -strength. The count, gloomy and sad, regarded these poor people with an -expression of the tenderest pity. Suddenly he burst out into a feverish -laugh, and going up to his horse, which had hitherto, by a species or -miracle, escaped disaster, he saddled it, while gently patting it and -humming a wild tune between his teeth.</p> - -<p>His companions watched him with a feeling of vague terror, for which -they could not account. Although they were so miserable, their captain -still represented superior intellect and a firm will, those two forces -which have so much power over coarse natures, even when circumstances -have forced them to deny them. In their wretched condition they -collected round their chief, like children seek shelter on their -mother's breast. He had ever consoled them, giving them an example of -courage and abnegation: thus, when they saw him acting as he was doing, -they had a foreboding of evil.</p> - -<p>When his horse was saddled the count leaped lightly on its back, and for -a few minutes he made the animal curvet, though it had the greatest -difficulty in keeping on its feet.</p> - -<p>"Hold, my fine fellows!" he suddenly shouted. "Come up here! You had -better listen to some good advice—a parting hint I wish to give you -before I go."</p> - -<p>The soldiers dragged themselves up as well as they could, and surrounded -him.</p> - -<p>The count turned a glance of satisfaction around.</p> - -<p>"Existence is a miserable farce, is it not?" he said, bursting into a -laugh; "and it is often a heavy chain to drag about. How many times, -since we have been wandering about this desert, have I had the thought -which I now utter openly! Well, I confess to you, as long as I had a -hope of saving you, I struggled courageously: that hope I no longer -possess. As we must die of want within a few days—a few hours, -perhaps—I prefer to finish it at once. Believe me, you had better -follow my example. It is soon done, as you shall see."</p> - -<p>While uttering the last words he drew a pistol from his waist belt. At -this moment cries were heard.</p> - -<p>"What is it? What is the matter?"</p> - -<p>"Look, captain! People are coming at last to our help: we are saved!" -Sergeant Boileau exclaimed, rising like a spectre by his side, and -seizing his arm.</p> - -<p>The count freed himself with a smile.</p> - -<p>"You are mad, my poor comrade," he said, looking in the direction -indicated, where a cloud of dust really rose, and was rapidly -approaching; "no one can come to our aid. We have not even," he added -with bitter irony, "the resource of the shipwrecked crew of the <i>Méduse!</i> -We are condemned to die in this infernal desert. Farewell, -all—farewell!"</p> - -<p>He raised the pistol.</p> - -<p>"Captain," the sergeant cried reproachfully, "take care! You have no -right to kill yourself. You are our chief, and must be the last to die: -if not, you are a coward!"</p> - -<p>The count bounded as though a serpent had stung him, and made a gesture -as if to rush on the sergeant. The expression of his face was so savage, -his movement so terrible, that the sergeant was terrified, and recoiled. -The captain profited by this second respite, put the muzzle of the -pistol to his temple, and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, -with his skull fractured.</p> - -<p>The adventurers had not yet recovered from the stupor this frightful -event had thrown them into, when the cloud of dust they had noticed -burst violently asunder, and they perceived a troop of mounted Indians, -in the midst of whom were a woman and two or three white men, galloping -toward them at full speed. Convinced that the Apaches had come up to -deal them the final blow, like vultures collecting round a fallen -buffalo, they did not even attempt an impossible resistance.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" one of the hunters shouted, as he leaped from his horse and rushed -toward them, "the poor fellows!"</p> - -<p>The newcomers were Belhumeur, Louis and their friends the Comanches. In -a few words they were apprised of all that had happened, and the -tortures the French had endured.</p> - -<p>"Good heavens!" Belhumeur shouted, "if provisions failed, you had water -in abundance; then why do you complain of thirst?"</p> - -<p>Without saying a word, Eagle-head and the Jester dug up the ground with -their knives at the foot of an ahuehuelt. Within ten minutes an abundant -stream of limpid water poured along the sand. The Frenchmen rushed in -disorder toward it.</p> - -<p>"Poor fellows!" Don Louis murmured, "Shall we not take them from this -spot?"</p> - -<p>"Do you think I would let them perish, now I have restored them to hope? -Poor girl!" casting a melancholy glance at Doña Anita, who was laughing -and cracking her fingers like castanets, "why is it not equally easy to -restore her to reason?"</p> - -<p>Don Louis sighed, but made no reply.</p> - -<p>The French then learned a thing, which would have saved them all -probably, had they known it sooner—that the ahuehuelt, which, in the -Comanche Indian dialect, signifies the <i>Lord of the Waters</i>, is a tree -which grows in arid spots, and its presence ever indicates either a -spring flush with the soil or a hidden source; that for this reason the -redskins hold it in veneration; and, as it is principally found in the -deserts, they designate it also by the name of the <i>Great Medicine of -Travellers</i>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Two days later the adventurers, guided by the hunters and Comanches, -quitted the desert. They speedily reached the Casa Grande of -Moctecuhzoma, where their saviours, after giving them the provisions -they stood in such pressing need of, finally left them, hardly knowing -how to escape from their hearty thanks and blessings.</p> - -<p>(Those of our readers who have felt an interest in Don Louis will find -his history continued in another volume, called "THE GOLD-SEEKERS.")</p> - -<h4>THE END.</h4> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - -***** This file should be named 42535-h.htm or 42535-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/5/3/42535/ - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Tiger-Slayer - A Tale of the Indian Desert - -Author: Gustave Aimard - -Translator: Lascelles Wraxall - -Release Date: April 14, 2013 [EBook #42535] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - - - - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - - - - -THE TIGER-SLAYER. - -A TALE OF THE INDIAN DESERT. - -BY - -GUSTAVE AIMARD, - -AUTHOR OF "THE PRAIRIE FLOWER," ETC. - -LONDON - -WARD AND LOCK - -MDCCCLX. - - - - - CONTENTS - - PREFACE. - - I. LA FERIA DE PLATA - II. DON SYLVA DE TORRES - III. THE TWO HUNTERS - IV. COUNT MAXIM GAETAN DE LHORAILLES - V. THE DAUPH'YEERS - VI. BY THE WINDOW - VII. A DUEL - VIII. THE DEPARTURE - IX. A MEETING IN THE DESERT - X. BEFORE THE ATTACK - XI. THE MEXICAN MOON - XII. A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM - XIII. A NIGHT JOURNEY - XIV. AN INDIAN TRICK - XV. SET A CHIEF TO CATCH A CHIEF - XVI. THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA - XVII. CUCHARES - XVIII. IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK - XIX. IN THE PRAIRIE - XX. BOOT AND SADDLE - XXI. THE CONFESSION - XXII. THE MAN HUNT - XXIII. THE APACHES - XXIV. THE WOOD RANGERS - XXV. EL AHUEHUELT - - - - -PREFACE. - - -It is hardly necessary to say anything on behalf of the new aspirant for -public favour whom I am now introducing to the reader. He has achieved a -continental reputation, and the French regard him proudly as their -Fenimore Cooper. It will be found, I trust, on perusal, that the -position he has so rapidly assumed in the literature of his country is -justified by the reality of his descriptions, and the truthfulness which -appears in every page. Gustave Aimard has the rare advantage of having -lived for many years as an Indian among the Indians. He is acquainted -with their language, and has gone through all the extraordinary phases -of a nomadic life in the prairie. Had he chosen to write his life, it -would have been one of the most marvellous romances of the age: but he -has preferred to weave into his stories the extraordinary events of -which he has been witness during his chequered life. Believing that his -works only require to be known in order to secure him as favourable a -reception in this country as he has elsewhere, it has afforded me much -satisfaction to have it in my power to place them in this garb. Some -slight modifications have been effected here and there; but in other -respects I have presented a faithful rendering. - - - LASCELLES WRAXALL. - - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -LA FERIA DE PLATA. - - -From the earliest days of the discovery of America, its distant shores -became the refuge and rendezvous of adventurers of every description, -whose daring genius, stifled by the trammels of the old European -civilisation, sought fresh scope for action. - -Some asked from the New World liberty of conscience--the right of -praying to God in their own fashion; others, breaking their sword blades -to convert them into daggers, assassinated entire nations to rob their -gold, and enrich themselves with their spoils; others, lastly, men of -indomitable temperament, with lions' hearts contained in bodies of iron, -recognising no bridle, accepting no laws, and confounding liberty with -license, formed, almost unconsciously, that formidable association of -the "Brethren of the Coast," which for a season made Spain tremble for -her possessions, and with which Louis XIV., the Sun King, did not -disdain to treat. - -The descendants of these extraordinary men still exist in America; and -whenever any revolutionary crisis heaves up, after a short struggle, the -dregs of the population, they instinctively range themselves round the -grandsons of the great adventurers, in the hope of achieving mighty -things in their turn under the leadership of heroes. - -At the period when we were in America chance allowed us to witness one -of the boldest enterprises ever conceived and carried out by these -daring adventurers. This _coup de main_ created such excitement that for -some months it occupied the press, and aroused the curiosity and -sympathy of the whole world. - -Reasons, which our readers will doubtless appreciate, have induced us to -alter the names of the persons who played the principal parts in this -strange drama, though we adhere to the utmost exactness as regards the -facts. - -About ten years back the discovery of the rich Californian plains -awakened suddenly the adventurous instincts of thousands of young and -intelligent men, who, leaving country and family, rushed, full of -enthusiasm, towards the new Eldorado, where the majority only met with -misery and death, after sufferings and vexations innumerable. - -The road from Europe to California is a long one. Many persons stopped -half way; some at Valparaiso; others, again, at Mazatlan or San Blas, -though the majority reached San Francisco. - -It is not within the scope of our story to give the details, too well -known at present, of all the deceptions by which the luckless emigrants -were assailed with the first step they took on this land, where they -imagined they needed only to stoop and pick up handfuls of gold. - -We must ask our readers to accompany us to Guaymas six months after the -discovery of the placers. - -In a previous work we have spoken of Sonora; but as the history we -purpose to narrate passes entirely in that distant province of Mexico, -we must give a more detailed account of it here. - -Mexico is indubitably the fairest country in the world, and every -variety, of climate is found there. But while its territory is immense, -the population unfortunately, instead of being in a fair ratio with it, -only amounts to seven million, of whom nearly five million belong to the -Indian or mixed races. - -The Mexican Confederation comprises the federal district of Mexico, -twenty-one states, and three territories or provinces, possessing no -internal independent administration. - -We will say nothing of the government, from the simple reason that up to -the present the normal condition of that magnificent and unhappy country -has ever been anarchy. - -Still, Mexico appears to be a federative republic, at least nominally, -although the only recognised power is the sabre. - -The first of the seven states, situated on the Atlantic, is Sonora. It -extends from north to south, between the Rio Gila and the Rio Mayo. It -is separated on the east from the State of Chihuahua by the Sierra -Verde, and on the west is bathed by the Vermilion Sea, or Sea of Cortez, -as most Spanish maps still insist on calling it. - -The State of Sonora is one of the richest in Mexico, owing to the -numerous gold mines by which its soil is veined. Unfortunately, or -fortunately, according to the point of view from which we like to regard -it, Sonora is incessantly traversed by innumerable Indian tribes, -against which the inhabitants wage a constant war. Thus the continual -engagements with these savage hordes, the contempt of life, and the -habit of shedding human blood on the slightest pretext, have given the -Sonorians a haughty and decided bearing, and imprinted on them a stamp -of nobility and grandeur, which separates them entirely from the other -states, and causes them to be recognised at the first glance. - -In spite of its great extent of territory and lengthened seaboard, -Mexico possesses in reality only two ports on the Pacific--Guaymas and -Acapulco. The rest are only roadsteads, in which vessels are afraid to -seek shelter, especially when the impetuous _cordonazo_ blows from the -south-west and upheaves the Gulf of California. - -We shall only speak here of Guaymas. This town, founded but a few years -back on the mouth of the San Jose, seems destined to become, ere long, -one of the chief Pacific ports. Its military position is admirable. Like -all the Spanish American towns, the houses are low, whitewashed, and -flat-roofed. The fort, situated on the summit of a rock, in which some -cannon rust on carriages peeling away beneath the sun, is of a yellow -hue, harmonising with the ochre tinge of the beach. Behind the town rise -lofty, scarped mountains, their sides furrowed with ravines hollowed out -by the rainy season, and their brown peaks lost in the clouds. - -Unhappily, we are compelled to avow that this port, despite of its -ambitious title of town, is still a miserable village, without church or -hotel. We do not say there are no drinking-shops; on the contrary, as -may be imagined in a port so near San Francisco, they swarm. - -The aspect of Guaymas is sorrowful; you feel that, in spite of the -efforts of Europeans and adventurers to galvanise this population, the -Spanish tyranny which has weighed upon it for three centuries has -plunged it into a state of moral degradation and inferiority, from which -it will require years to raise it. - -The day on which our story commences, at about two in the afternoon, in -spite of the red-hot sun which poured its beams on the town, Guaymas, -generally so quiet at that hour, when the inhabitants, overcome by the -heat, are asleep indoors, presented an animated appearance, which would -have surprised the stranger whom accident had taken there at that -moment, and would have caused him to suppose, most assuredly, that he -was about to witness one of those thousand _pronunciamientos_ which -annually break out in this wretched province. Still, it was nothing of -the sort. The military authority, represented by General San Benito, -Governor of Guaymas, was, or seemed to be, satisfied with the -government. The smugglers, leperos, and hiaquis continued in a tolerably -satisfactory state, without complaining too much of the powers that -were. Whence, then, the extraordinary agitation that prevailed in the -town? What reason was strong enough to keep this indolent population -awake, and make it forget its siesta? - -For three days the town had been a prey to the gold fever. The governor, -yielding to the supplications of several considerable merchants, had -authorised for five days a _feria de plata_, or, literally, a silver -fair. - -Gambling tables, held by persons of distinction, were publicly open in -the principal houses; but the fact which gave this festival a -strangeness impossible to find elsewhere was, that monte tables were -displayed in every street in the open air, on which gold tinkled, and -where everybody possessed of a real had the right to risk it, without -distinction of caste or colour. - -In Mexico everything is done differently from other countries. The -inhabitants of this country, having no reminiscences of the past which -they wish to forget, no faith in the future in which they do not -believe, only live for the present, and exist with that feverish energy -peculiar to races which feel their end approaching. - -The Mexicans have two marked tastes which govern them entirely, play and -love. We say tastes, and not passions, for the Mexicans are not capable -of those great emotions which conquer the will, and overthrow the human -economy by developing an energetic power of action. - -The groups round the monte tables were numerous and animated. Still, -everything went on with an order and tranquility which nothing troubled, -although no agent of the government was walking about the streets to -maintain a good intelligence and watch the gamblers. - -About halfway up the Calle de la Merced, one of the widest in Guaymas, -and opposite a house of goodly appearance, there stood a table covered -with a green baize and piled up with gold ounces, behind which a man of -about thirty, with a crafty face, was stationed, who, with a pack of -cards in his hand, and a smile on his lips, invited by the most -insinuating remarks the numerous spectators who surrounded him to tempt -fortune. - -"Come, caballeros," he said in a honeyed tone, while turning a -provocative glance upon the wretched men, haughtily draped in their -rags, who regarded him with extreme indifference, "I cannot always win; -luck is going to turn, I am sure. Here are one hundred ounces: who will -cover them?" - -No one answered. - -The banker, not allowing himself to be defeated, let a tinkling cascade -of ounces glide through his fingers, whose tawny reflection was capable -of turning the most resolute head. - -"It is a nice sum, caballeros, one hundred ounces: with them the ugliest -man is certain of gaining the smiles of beauty. Come, who will cover -them?" - -"Bah," a lepero said, with a disdainful air, "what are one hundred -ounces? Had you not won my last _tlaco_, Tio Lucas, I would cover them, -that I would." - -"I am in despair, Senor Cuchares," the banker replied with a bow, "that -luck was so much against you, and I should feel delighted if you would -allow me to lend you an ounce." - -"You are jesting," the lepero said, drawing himself up haughtily. "Keep -your gold, Tio Lucas; I know the way to procure as much as I want, -whenever I think proper; but," he added, bowing with the most exquisite -politeness, "I am not the less grateful to you for your generous offer." - -And he offered the banker, across the table, his hand, which the latter -pressed with great cordiality. - -The lepero profited by the occasion to pick up with his free hand a pile -of twenty ounces that was in his reach. - -Tio Lucas had great difficulty in restraining himself, but he feigned -not to have seen anything. - -After this interchange of good offices there was a moment's silence. The -spectators had seen everything that occurred, and therefore awaited with -some curiosity the _denouement_ of this scene. Senor Cuchares was the -first to renew the conversation. - -"Oh!" he suddenly shouted, striking his forehead, "I believe, by Nuestra -Senora de la Merced, that I am losing my head." - -"Why so, caballero?" Tio Lucas asked, visibly disturbed by this -exclamation. - -"Caray! It's very simple," the other went on. "Did I not tell you just -now that you had won all my money?" - -"You certainly said so, and these caballeros heard it with me: to your -last ochavo--those were your very words." - -"I remember it perfectly, and it is that which makes me so mad." - -"What!" the banker exclaimed with feigned astonishment, "You are mad -because I won from you?" - -"Oh, no, it's not that." - -"What is it, then?" - -"Caramba! It is because I made a mistake, and I have some ounces still -left." - -"Impossible!" - -"Just see, then." - -The lepero put his hand in his pocket, and, with unparalleled -effrontery, displayed to the banker the gold he had just stolen from -him. But the latter did not wince. - -"It is incredible," said he. - -"Eh?" the lepero interjected, fixing a flashing eye on the other. - -"Yes, it is incredible that you, Senor Cuchares, should have made such a -slip of memory." - -"Well, as I have remembered it, all can be set right now; we can -continue our game." - -"Very good: one hundred ounces is the stake." - -"Oh no! I haven't that amount." - -"Nonsense! Feel in your pockets again." - -"It is useless; I know I haven't got it." - -"That is really most annoying." - -"How so?" - -"Because I have vowed not to play for less." - -"Then you won't cover twenty ounces?" - -"I cannot; I would not cover one short of a hundred." - -"H'm!" the lepero went on, knitting his brows, "is that meant for an -insult, Tio Lucas?" - -The banker had no time to reply; for a man of about thirty, mounted on a -magnificent black horse, had stopped for a few seconds before the table, -and, while carelessly smoking his cigar, listened to the discussion -between the banker and the lepero. - -"Done for one hundred ounces," he said, as he cleared a way by means of -his horse's chest up to the table, on which he dropped a purse full of -gold. - -The two speakers suddenly raised their heads. - -"Here are the cards, caballero," the banker hastened to say, glad of an -incident which temporarily freed him from a dangerous opponent. Cuchares -shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, and looked at the newcomer. - -"Oh!" he muttered to himself, "the Tigrero! Has he come for Anita? I -must know that." - -And he gently drew nearer the stranger, and presently stood by his side. - -He was a tall man, with an olive complexion, a piercing glance, and an -open and resolute face. His dress, of the greatest richness, glistened -with gold and diamonds. He wore, slightly inclined over his left ear, a -broad brimmed sombrero, surrounded by a golilla of fine gold: his -spencer of blue cloth, embroidered with silver, allowed a dazzling white -shirt to be seen, under the collar of which passed a cravat of China -crape, fastened with a diamond ring; his calzoneras, drawn up round the -hips by a red silk scarf with gold fringed ends and two rows of diamond -buttons, were open at the side, and allowed his _calzon_ to float -beneath; he wore _botas vaqueras_ (or herdsmen) boots of figured -leather, richly embroidered, attached below the knee by a garter of -silver tissue; while his _manga_, glistening with gold, hung tastefully -from his right shoulder. - -His horse, with a small head and legs fine as spindles, was splendidly -accoutred: _las armas de agua_ and the _zarape_ fastened to the croup, -and the magnificent _anquera_ adorned with steel chains, completed a -caparison of which we can form no idea in Europe. - -Like all Mexicans of a certain class when travelling, the stranger was -armed from head to foot; that is to say, in addition to the lasso -fastened to the saddle, and the rifle laid across the saddle-bow, he had -also by his side a long sword, and a pair of pistols in his girdle, -without reckoning the knife whose silver inlaid hilt could be seen -peeping out of one of his boots. - -Such as we have described him, this man was the perfect type of a -Mexican of Sonora--ever ready for peace or war, fearing the one no more -than he despised the other. After bowing politely to Tio Lucas he took -the cards the latter offered him, and shuffled them while looking around -him. - -"Ah!" he said, casting a friendly glance to the lepero, "you're here, -gossip Cuchares?" - -"At your service, Don Martial," the other replied, lifting his hand to -the ragged brim of his beaver. - -The stranger smiled. - -"Be good enough to cut for me while I light my pajillo." - -"With pleasure," the lepero exclaimed. - -El Tigrero, or Don Martial, whichever the reader may please to call him, -took a gold _mechero_ from his pocket, and carelessly struck a light -while the lepero cut the cards. - -"Senor," the latter said in a piteous voice. - -"Well?" - -"You have lost." - -"Good. Tio Lucas, take a hundred ounces from my purse." - -"I have them, your excellency," the banker replied. "Would you please to -play again?" - -"Certainly, but not for such trifles. I should like to feel interested -in the game." - -"I will cover any stake your excellency may like to name," the banker -said, whose practised eye had discovered in the stranger's purse, amid a -decent number of ounces, some forty diamonds of the purest water. - -"H'm! Are you really ready to cover any stake I name?" - -"Yes." - -The stranger looked at him sharply. - -"Even if I played for a thousand gold ounces?" - -"I would cover double that if your excellency dares to stake it," the -baker said imperturbably. - -A contemptuous smile played for the second time on the horseman's -haughty lips. - -"I do dare it," he said. - -"Two thousand ounces, then?" - -"Agreed." - -"Shall I cut?" Cuchares asked timidly. - -"Why not?" the other answered lightly. - -The lepero seized the cards with a hand trembling from emotion. There -was a hum of expectation from the gamblers who surrounded the table. At -this moment a window opened in the house before which Tio Lucas had -established his monte table, and a charming girl leant carelessly over -the balcony, looking down into the street. - -The stranger turned to the balcony, and rising in his stirrups,-- - -"I salute the lovely Anita," he said, as he doffed his hat and bowed -profoundly. - -The girl blushed, bent on him an expressive glance from beneath her long -velvety eyelashes, but made no reply. - -"You have lost, excellency," Tio Lucas said with a joyous accent, which -he could not completely conceal. - -"Very good," the stranger replied, without even looking at him, so -fascinated was he by the charming apparition on the balcony. - -"You play no more?" - -"On the contrary, I double." - -"What!" exclaimed the banker, falling back a step in spite of himself at -this proposition. - -"No, I am wrong; I have something else to propose." - -"What is it, excellency?" - -"How; much have you there?" he said, pointing to the table with a -disdainful gesture. - -"Why, at least seven thousand ounces." - -"Not more? That's very little." - -The spectators regarded with a stupor, mingled with terror, this -extraordinary man, who played for ounces and diamonds as others did for -ochavos. The girl became pale. She turned a supplicating glance to the -stranger. - -"Play no more," she murmured in a trembling voice. - -"Thanks," he exclaimed, "thanks, Senorita; your beautiful eyes will -bring me a fortune. I would give all the gold on the table for the -suchil flower you hold in your hand, and which your lips have touched." - -"Do not play, Don Martial," the girl repeated, as she retired and closed -the window. But, through accident or some other reason, her hand let -loose the flower. The horseman made his steed bound forward, caught it -in its flight, and buried it in his bosom, after having kissed it -several times. - -"Cuchares," he then said to the lepero, "turn up a card." - -The latter obeyed. "Seis de copas!" he said. - -"Voto a brios!" the stranger exclaimed, "the colour of the heart we -shall win. Tio Lucas, I will back this card against all the gold you -have on your table." - -The banker turned pale and hesitated; the spectators had their eyes -fixed upon him. - -"Bah!" he thought after a minute's reflection, "It is impossible for him -to win. I accept, excellency," he then added aloud. - -"Count the sum you have." - -"That is unnecessary, Senor; there are nine thousand four hundred and -fifty gold ounces."[1] - -At the statement of this formidable amount the spectators gave vent to a -mingled shout of admiration and covetousness. - -"I fancied you richer," the stranger said ironically. "Well, so be it -then." - -"Will you cut this time, excellency?" - -"No, I am thoroughly convinced you are going to lose, Tio Lucas, and I -wish you to be quite convinced that I have won fairly. In consequence, -do me the pleasure of cutting, yourself. You will then be the artisan of -your own ruin, and be unable to reproach anybody." - -The spectators quivered with pleasure on seeing the chivalrous way in -which the stranger behaved. At this moment the street was thronged with -people whom the rumour of this remarkable stake had collected from every -part of the town. A deadly silence prevailed through the crowd, so great -was the interest that each felt in the _denouement_ of this grand and -hitherto unexampled match. The banker wiped the perspiration that beaded -on his livid brow, and seized the first card with a trembling hand. He -balanced it for a few seconds between finger and thumb with manifest -hesitation. - -"Make haste," Cuchares cried to him with a grin. - -Tio Lucas mechanically let the card fall as he turned his head away. - -"Seis de copas!" the lepero shouted in a hoarse voice. - -The banker uttered a yell of pain. - -"I have lost!" he muttered. - -"I was sure of it," the horseman said, still impassible. "Cuchares," he -added, "carry that table and the gold upon it to Dona Anita. I shall -expect you tonight you know where." - -The lepero bowed respectfully. Assisted by two sturdy fellows, he -executed the order he had just received, and entered the house, while -the stranger started off at a gallop; and Tio Lucas, slightly recovered -from the stunning blow he had received, philosophically twisted a cigar, -repeating to those who forced their consolations upon him,-- - -"I have lost, it is true, but against a very fair player, and for a good -stake. Bah! I shall have my revenge some day." - -Then, so soon as the cigarette was made, the poor cleaned-out banker -lighted it and walked off very calmly. The crowd, having no further -excuse for remaining, also disappeared in its turn. - - -[1] About L31,500 Fact. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -DON SYLVA DE TORRES. - - -Guaymas is quite a new town, built somewhat from day to day according to -the fancy of the emigrants, and hence no regular lines of streets have -been maintained. However, we had better mention here that, with the -exception of a few houses to which that name may be fairly given, all -the rest are frightful dens, built of mud, and deplorably dirty. - -In the Calle de la Merced, the principal, or to speak more truthfully, -the only street in the town (for the others are only alleys), stood a -one-storied house, ornamented with a balcony, and a peristyle supported -by four pillars. The front was covered by a coating of lime of dazzling -whiteness, and the roof was flat. - -The proprietor of this house was one of the richest _mineros_ in Sonora, -and possessor of a dozen mines, all in work; he also devoted himself to -cattle breeding, and owned several haciendas scattered over the -province, the smallest of which was equal in size to an English county. - -I am certain that, if Don Sylva de Torres had wished to liquidate his -fortune, and discover what he was really worth, it would have realised -several millions. - -Don Sylva had come to live in Guaymas some months back, where he -ordinarily only paid flying visits, and those at lengthened intervals. -This time, contrary to his usual custom, he had brought his daughter -Anita with him. Hence the entire population of Guaymas was a prey to the -greatest curiosity, and all eyes were fixed on Don Sylva's house, so -extraordinary did the conduct of the _hacendero_ appear. - -Shut up in his house, the doors of which only opened to a few privileged -persons, Don Sylva did not seem to trouble himself the least in the -world about the gossips; for he was engaged in realising certain -projects, whose importance prevented him noticing what was said or -thought of him. - -Though the Mexicans are excessively rich, and like to do honour to their -wealth, they have no idea of comfort. The utmost carelessness prevails -among them. Their luxury, if I may be allowed to employ the term, is -brutal, without any discernment or real value. - -These men, principally accustomed to the rude life of the American -deserts, to struggle continually against the changes of a climate which -is frequently deadly, and the unceasing aggressions of the Indians, who -surround them on all sides, camp rather than live in the towns, fancying -they have done everything when they have squandered gold and diamonds. - -The Mexican houses are in evidence to prove the correctness of our -opinion. With the exception of the inevitable European piano, which -swaggers in the corner of every drawing room, you only see a few clumsy -_butacas,_ rickety tables, bad engravings hanging on the whitewashed -walls, and that is all. - -Don Sylva's house differed in no respect from the others; and the -master's horses on returning to the stable from the watering place, had -to cross the _salon_, all dripping as they were, and leaving manifest -traces of their passage. - -At the moment when we introduce the reader into Don Sylva's house, two -persons, male and female, were sitting in the saloon talking, or at -least exchanging a few words at long intervals. - -They were Don Sylva and his daughter Anita. The crossing of the Spanish -and Indian races has produced the most perfect plastic type to be found -anywhere. Don Sylva, although nearly fifty years of age, did not appear -to be forty. He was tall, upright, and his face, though stern, had great -gentleness imprinted upon it. He wore the Mexican dress in its most -rigorous exactness; but his clothes were so rich, that few of his -countrymen could have equalled it, much less surpassed it. - -Anita who reclined on a sofa, half buried in masses of silk and gauze, -like a hummingbird concealed in the moss, was a charming girl of -eighteen at the most, whose black eyes, modestly shaded by long velvety -lashes, were full of voluptuous promise, which was not gainsaid by the -undulating and serpentine outlines of her exquisitely modelled body. Her -slightest gestures had grace and majesty completed by the ravishing -smile of her coral lips. Her complexion, slightly gilded by the American -sun, imparted to her face an expression impossible to render; and lastly -her whole person exhaled a delicious perfume of innocence and candour -which attracted sympathy and inspired love. - -Like all Mexican women when at home, she merely wore a light robe of -embroidered muslin; her _rebozo_ was thrown negligently over her shoulders, -and a profusion of jasmine flowers was intertwined in her bluish-black -tresses. Anita seemed in deep thought. At one moment the arch of her -eyebrows was contracted by some thought that annoyed her, her bosom -heaved and her dainty foot, cased in a slipper lined with swan's down, -impatiently tapped on the ground. - -Don Sylva also appeared to be dissatisfied. After directing a severe -glance at his daughter, he rose, and drawing near her, said,-- - -"You are mad, Anita: your behaviour is extravagant. A young, well-born -girl ought not, in any case to act as you have just done." - -The young Mexican girl only answered by a significant pout, and an -almost imperceptible shrug of the shoulders. - -Her father continued,-- - -"Especially," he said, laying a stress on each word, "in your position -as regards the Count de Lhorailles." - -The girl started as if a serpent had stung her, and fixing an -interrogatory glance on the hacendero's immovable face, she replied,-- - -"I do not understand you, my father." - -"You do not understand me, Anita? I cannot believe it. Have I not -formally promised your hand to the count?" - -"What matter, if I do not love him? Do you wish to condemn me to -lifelong misery?" - -"On the contrary, I regarded your happiness in this union. I have only -you, Anita, to console me for the mournful loss of your beloved mother. -Poor child! You are still, thank Heaven, at that happy age when the -heart does not know itself, and when the words 'happiness, unhappiness,' -have no meaning. You do not love the count, you say. All the better-- -your heart is free. When, at a later date, you have had occasion to -appreciate the noble qualities of the man I give you as husband, you -will then thank me for having insisted on a marriage, which today causes -you so much vexation." - -"Stay, father," the girl said with an air of vexation. "My heart is not -free, and you are well aware of the fact." - -"I know, Dona Anita de Torres," the hacendero answered severely, "that a -love unworthy yourself and me cannot enter your heart. Through my -ancestors I am a Christiano Viejo; and if a few drops of Indian blood be -mingled in my veins, what I owe to the memory of my ancestors is only -the more deeply engraved on my mind. The first of our family, Antonia de -Sylva, lieutenant to Hernando Cortez, married, it is true, a Mexican -princess of the family of Moctecuhzoma, but all the other branches are -Spanish." - -"Are we not Mexicans then, my father?" - -"Alas! My poor child, who can say who we are and what are we? Our -unhappy country, since it shook off the Spanish yoke, has been -struggling convulsively, and is exhausted by the incessant efforts of -those ambitious men, who in a few years will have robbed it even of that -nationality which we had so much difficulty in achieving. These -disgraceful contests render us the laughing stocks of other people, and -above all, cause the joy of our greedy neighbours, who with their eyes -invariably fixed upon us, are preparing to enrich themselves with our -spoils, of which they have pilfered some fragments already by robbing us -of several of our rich provinces." - -"But, father, I am a woman, and therefore unaffected by politics. I have -nothing to do with the _gringos_." - -"More than you can imagine, my child. I do not wish that at a given day -the immense property my ancestors and myself have acquired by our toil -should become the prey of these accursed heretics. In order to save it, -I have resolved on marrying you to the Count de Lhorailles. He is a -Frenchman, and belongs to one of the noblest families of that country. -Besides he is a handsome and brave gentleman, scarcely thirty years of -age, who combines the most precious moral qualifications with the -physical qualities. He is a member of a powerful and respected nation -which knows how to protect its subjects, in whatever corner of the world -they may be. By marrying him your fortune is sheltered from every -political reverse." - -"But I do not love him, father." - -"Nonsense, my dear babe. Do not talk longer of that. I am willing to -forget the folly of which you were guilty a few moments back, but on -condition that you forget that man, Martial." - -"Never!" she exclaimed resolutely. - -"Never! That is a long time, daughter. You will reflect, I am convinced. -Besides, who is this man? What is his family? Do you know? He is called -Martial el Tigrero. Voto a Dios, that is not a name! That man saved your -life by stopping your horse when it ran away. Well, is that a reason for -him to fall in love with you, and you with him? I offered him a -magnificent reward, which he refused with the most supreme disdain. -There is an end of it, then; let him leave me at peace. I have, and wish -for, nothing more to do with him." - -"I love him, father," the young girl repeated. - -"Listen, Anita. You would make me angry, if I did not put a restraint on -myself. Enough on that head. Prepare to receive the Count de Lhorailles -in a proper manner. I have sworn that you shall be his wife, and, -Cristo! It shall be so, if I have to drag you by force to the altar!" - -The hacendero pronounced these words with such resolution in his voice, -and with such a fierce accent, that the girl saw it would be better for -her to appear to yield, and put a stop to a discussion which would only -grow more embittered, and perhaps have grave consequences. She let her -head fall, and was silent, while her father walked up and down the room -with a very dissatisfied air. - -The door was partly opened, and a peon thrust his head discreetly -through the crevice. - -"What do you want?" Don Sylva asked as he stopped. - -"Excellency," the man replied, "a caballero, followed by four others -bearing a table covered with pieces of gold, requests an audience of the -senorita." - -The hacendero shot a glance at his daughter full of expressiveness. Dona -Anita let her head sink in confusion. Don Sylva reflected for a moment, -and then his countenance cleared. - -"Let him come in," he said. - -The peon withdrew; but he returned in a few seconds, preceding an old -acquaintance, Cuchares, still enwrapped in his ragged zarape, and -directing the four leperos who carried the table. On entering the -saloon, Cuchares uncovered respectfully, courteously saluted the -hacendero and his daughter, and with a sign ordered the porters to -deposit the table in the centre of the apartment. - -"Senorita," he said in a honied voice, "the Senor Don Martial, faithful -to the pledge he had made you, humbly supplicates you to accept his -gains at monte, as a feeble testimony of his devotion and admiration." - -"You rascal!" Don Sylva angrily exclaimed as he took a step toward him -"Do you know in whose presence you are?" - -"In that of Dona Anita and her highly-respected parent," the scamp -replied imperturbably, as he wrapped himself majestically in his -tatters. "I have not, to my knowledge, failed in the respect I owe to -both." - -"Withdraw at once, and take with you this gold, which does not concern -my daughter." - -"Excuse me, excellency, I received orders to bring the gold here, and -with your permission I will leave it. Don Martial would not forgive me -if I acted otherwise." - -"I do not know Don Martial, as it pleases you to style the man who sent -you. I wish to have nothing in common with him." - -"That is possible, excellency; but it is no affair of mine. You can have -an explanation with him if you think proper. For my part, as my mission -is accomplished, I kiss your hands." - -And, after bowing once more to the two, the lepero went off -majestically, followed by his four acolytes, with measured steps. - -"See there," exclaimed Don Sylva violently, "see there, my daughter, to -what insults your folly exposes me!" - -"An insult, father?" she replied timidly. "On the contrary, I think that -Don Martial has acted like a true caballero, and that he gives me a -great proof of his love. That sum is enormous." - -"Ah!" Don Sylva said wrathfully, "that is the way you take it. Well, I -will act as a caballero also, _voto a brios_! As you shall see. Come -here, someone!" - -Several peons came in. - -"Open the windows!" - -The servants obeyed. The crowd was not yet dispersed, and a large number -of persons was still collected round the house. The hacendero leant out -and by a wave of his hand requested silence. The crowd was instinctively -silent, and drew nearer, guessing that something in which it was -interested was about to happen. - -"Senores caballeros y amigos," the hacendero said in a powerful voice, -"a man whom I do not know has dared to offer to my daughter the money he -has won at monte. Dona Anita spurns such presents, especially when they -come from a person with whom she does not wish to have any connection, -friendly or otherwise. She begs me to distribute this gold among you, as -she will not touch it in any way: she desires thus to prove, in the -presence of you all, the contempt she feels for a man who has dared to -offer her such an insult." - -The speech improvised by the hacendero was drowned by the frenzied -applause of the leperos and other assembled beggars, whose eyes sparkled -with greed. Anita felt the burning tears swelling her eyelids. In spite -of all her efforts to remain undisturbed, her heart was almost broken. - -Troubling himself not at all about his daughter, Don Sylva ordered his -servants to cast the ounces into the street. A shower of gold then -literally began falling on the wretches, who rushed with incredible -ardour on this new species of manna. The Calle de la Merced offered, at -that moment, the most singular sight imaginable. The gold poured and -poured on; it seemed to be inexhaustible. The beggars leaped like -coyotes on the precious metal, overthrowing and trampling underfoot the -weaker. - -At the height of the shower a horseman came galloping up. Astonished, -confounded by what he saw, he stopped for a moment to look around him; -then he drove his spurs into his horse, and by dealing blows of his -chicote liberally all around, he succeeded in clearing the dense crowd, -and reached the hacendero's house, which he entered. - -"Here is the count," Don Sylva said laconically to his daughter. - -In fact, within a minute that gentleman entered the saloon. - -"Halloh!" he said, stopping at the doorway, "What strange notion is this -of yours, Don Sylva? On my soul, you are amusing yourself by throwing -millions out of the window, to the still greater amusement of the -leperos and other rogues of the same genus!" - -"Ah, 'tis you, senor Conde," the hacendero replied calmly; "you are -welcome. I shall be with you in an instant. Only these few handfuls, and -it will be finished." - -"Don't hurry yourself," the count said with a laugh. "I confess that the -fancy is original;" and drawing near the young lady, whom he saluted -with exquisite politeness, he continued,-- - -"Would you deign, Senorita, to give me the word of this enigma, which, I -confess, interests me in the highest degree?" - -"Ask my father, Senor," she answered with a certain dryness, which -rendered conversation impossible. - -The count feigned not to notice this rebuff; he bowed with a smile, and -falling into a _butaca,_ said coolly,-- - -"I will wait; I am in no hurry." - -The hacendero, in telling his daughter that the gentleman he intended -for her husband was a handsome man, had in no respect flattered him. -Count Maxime Gaetan de Lhorailles was a man of thirty at the most, well -built and active, and slightly above the middle height. His light hair -allowed him to be recognised as a son of the north; his features were -fine, his glance expressive, and his hands and feet denoted race. -Everything about him indicated the gentleman of an old stock; and if Don -Sylva was not more deceived about the moral qualities than he had been -about the physical, Count de Lhorailles was really a perfect gentleman. - -At length the hacendero exhausted all the gold Cuchares had brought: he -then hurled the table into the street, ordered the windows to be closed, -and came back to take a seat by the side of the count, rubbing his -hands. - -"There," he said with a joyous air, "that's finished. Now I am quite at -your service." - -"First one word." - -"Say it." - -"Excuse me. You are aware that I am a stranger, and such as thirsting -for instruction." - -"I am listening to you." - -"Since I have lived in Mexico I have seen many extraordinary customs. I -ought to be _blase_ about novelties; still, I must confess that what I -have just seen surpasses anything I have hitherto witnessed. I should -like to be certain whether this is a custom of which I was hitherto -ignorant." - -"What are you talking about?" - -"Why, what you were doing when I arrived--that gold you were dropping -like a beneficent dew on the bandits of every description collected -before your house; ill weeds, between ourselves, to be thus bedewed." - -Don Sylva burst into a laugh. - -"No, that is not a custom of ours," he replied. - -"Very good. Then, you were indulging in the regal pastime of throwing a -million to the scum. Plague! Don Sylva, a man must be as rich as -yourself to allow such a gratification." - -"Things are not as you fancy." - -"Still I saw it raining ounces." - -"True, but they did not belong to me." - -"Better and better still. That renders the affair more complicated; you -heighten my curiosity immensely." - -"I will satisfy it." - -"I am all attention, for the affair is growing as interesting to me as a -story in the 'Arabian Nights.'" - -"H'm!" the hacendero said, tossing his head, "It interests you more than -you perhaps suspect." - -"How so?" - -"You shall judge." - -Dona Anita was in torture; she knew not what to do. Seeing that her -father was about to divulge all to the count, she did not feel in -herself the courage to be present at such a revelation, and rose -tottering. - -"Gentlemen," she said in a feeble voice, "I feel indisposed; be kind -enough to allow me to retire." - -"Really," the count said, as he hurried towards her, and offered her his -arm to support her, "you are pale, Dona Anita. Allow me to accompany you -to your apartment." - -"I thank you, caballero, but I am strong enough to proceed there alone, -and, while duly grateful for your offer, pray permit me to decline it." - -"As you please, senorita," the count replied, inwardly piqued by this -refusal. - -Don Sylva entertained for a moment the idea of ordering his daughter to -remain; but the poor girl turned towards him so despairing a glance that -he did not feel the courage to impose on her a longer torture. - -"Go my child," he said to her. - -Anita hastened to take advantage of the permission; she left the -_salon,_ and sought refuge in her bedroom, where she sank into a chair, -and burst into tears. - -"What is the matter with Dona Anita?" the count asked with sympathy, so -soon as she had gone. - -"Vapours--headache--what do I know?" the hacendero replied, shrugging -his shoulders. "All young girls are like that. In a few minutes she will -have forgotten it." - -"All the better. I confess to you that I was alarmed." - -"But now that we are alone, would you not like me to give you the -explanation of the enigma which appeared to interest you so much?" - -"On the contrary, speak without further delay: for, on my part, I have -several important matters to impart to you." - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE TWO HUNTERS. - - -About five miles from the town is the village of San Jose de Guaymas, -commonly known as the _Rancho_. - -This miserable _pueblo_ is merely composed of a square of moderate size, -intersected at right angles by tumbledown cabins, which are inhabited by -Hiaqui Indians (a large number of whom hire themselves out annually at -Guaymas to work as porters, carpenters, masons, &c), and all those -nameless adventurers who have thronged to the shores of the Pacific -since the discovery of the Californian plains. - -The road from Guaymas to San Jose runs through a parched and sandy -plain, on which only a few nopales and stunted cactuses grow, whose -withered branches are covered with dust, and produce the effect of white -phantoms at night. - -The evening of the day on which our story commences, a horseman, folded -to the eyes in a zarape, was following this road, and proceeding in a -gallop to the Rancho. - -The sky, of a dark azure, was studded with glistening stars; the moon, -which had traversed one-third of her course, illumined the silent plain, -and indefinitely prolonged the tall shadows of the trees on the naked -earth. - -The horseman, doubtlessly anxious to reach the end of a journey which -was not without peril at this advanced hour, incessantly urged on with -spur and voice his horse, which did not, however, appear to need this -constantly-renewed encouragement. - -He had all but crossed the immense uncultivated plains, and was just -entering the woods which surround the Rancho, when his horse suddenly -leaped on one side, and pricked up its ears in alarm. A sharp sound -announced that the horseman had cocked his pistols; and, when this -precaution had been taken against all risk, he turned an inquiring -glance around. - -"Fear nothing, caballero," a frank and sympathetic voice exclaimed; "but -have the kindness to go a little farther to the right, if it makes no -difference to you." - -The stranger looked, and saw a man kneeling under his steed's feet, and -holding in his hands the head of a horse, which was lying nearly across -the road. - -"What on earth are you doing there?" he asked. - -"You can see," the other replied sorrowfully, "I am bidding good-by to -my poor companion. A man must have lived a long time in the desert to -appreciate the value of such a friend as he was." - -"That is true," the stranger remarked, and immediately dismounting, -added, "Is he dead then?" - -"No, not yet; but, unfortunately, he is as bad as if he were." - -With these words he sighed. - -The stranger bent over the animal, whose body was agitated by a nervous -quivering, opened its eyelids, and regarded it attentively. - -"Your horse has had a stroke," he said a moment later. "Let me act." - -"Oh!" the other exclaimed, "do you think you can save him?" - -"I hope so," the first speaker laconically observed. - -"_Caray!_ If you do that, we shall be friends for life. Poor Negro! My -old comrade!" - -The horseman bathed the animal's temples and nostrils with rum and -water. At the end of a few moments, the horse appeared slightly -recovered, his faded eyes began to sparkle again, and he tried to rise. - -"Hold him tight," the improvised surgeon said. - -"Be quiet, then, my good beast. Come, Negro, my boy, _quieto, quieto;_ -it is for your good," he said soothingly. - -The intelligent animal seemed to understand. It turned its head towards -its master, and answered him with a plaintive neigh. The horseman, -during this period, had been feeling in his girdle; and bending again -over the horse,-- - -"Mind and hold him tightly," he again recommended. - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Bleed him." - -"Yes, that is it. I knew it; but unfortunately I did not dare risk doing -it myself, through fear of killing the horse." - -"All right?" - -"Go on." - -The horse made a hasty move, caused by the coldness of the wound; but -its master held it down and checked its struggles. The two men suffered -a moment of anxiety: the blood did not issue. At last a black drop -appeared in the wound, then a second, speedily followed by a long jet of -black and foaming blood. - -"He is saved," the stranger said, as he wiped his lancet and returned it -to his fob. - -"I will repay you this, on the word of Belhumeur!" the owner of the -horse said with much emotion. "You have rendered me one of those -services which are never forgotten." - -And, by an irresistible impulse, he held out his hand to the man who had -so providentially crossed his path. The latter warmly returned the -vigorous pressure. Henceforth all was arranged between them. These two -men who a few moments previously were ignorant of each other's -existence, were friends, attached by one of those services which in -American countries possess an immense value. - -The blood gradually lost its black tinge; it became vermillion, and -flowed abundantly. The breathing of the panting steed had grown easy and -regular. The first stranger made a copious bleeding, and when he -considered the horse in a fair way of recovery he stopped the effusion. - -"And now," he said, "what do you propose doing?" - -"My faith, I don't know. Your help has been so useful to me that I -should like to follow your advice." - -"Where were you going when this accident occurred?" - -"To the Rancho." - -"I am going there too. We are only a few yards from it. You will get up -behind me. We will lead your horse, and start when you please." - -"I ask nothing better. You believe that my horse cannot carry me?" - -"Perhaps he could do so, for he is a noble animal; but it would be -imprudent, and you would run a risk of killing him. It would be better, -believe me, to act as I suggested." - -"Yes; but I am afraid--" - -"What of?" the other sharply interrupted him. "Are we not friends?" - -"That is true. I accept." - -The horse sprang up somewhat actively, and the two men who had met so -strangely started at once, mounted on one horse. Twenty minutes later -they reached the first buildings of the Rancho. At the entrance of the -village the owner of the horse stopped, and turning to his companion, -said,-- - -"Where will you get down?" - -"That is all the same to me; let us go first where you are going." - -"Ah!" the horseman said, scratching his head, "the fact is, I am going -nowhere in particular." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh! You will understand me in two words. I landed today at Guaymas; -the Rancho is only the first station of a journey I meditate in the -desert, and which will probably last a long time." - -By the moonlight, a ray of which now played on the stranger's face, his -companion attentively regarded his noble and pensive countenance, on -which grief had already cut deep furrows. - -"So that," he at length said, "any lodging will suit you?" - -"A night is soon spent. I only ask a shelter for horse and self." - -"Well, if you will permit me to act in my turn as guide, you shall have -that within ten minutes." - -"Agreed." - -"I do not promise you a palace, but I will take you to a _pulqueria_, -where I am accustomed to put up when accident brings me to these parts. -You will find the society rather mixed, but what would you have? And, as -you said yourself, a night is soon spent." - -"In Heaven's name, then, proceed." - -Then, passing his arm through that of his comrade, the new guide seized -the horse's reins, and steered to a house standing about two-thirds of -the way down the street where they were, whose badly fitting windows -gleamed in the night like the stoke holes of a furnace, while cries, -laughter, songs, and the shrill sound of the _jarabes_, indicated that, -if the rest of the _pueblo_ were plunged in sleep, there, at least, -people were awake. - -The two strangers stopped before the door of this pothouse. - -"Have you quite made up your mind?" the first said. - -"Perfectly," the other answered. - -The guide then rapped furiously at the worm-eaten door. It was long ere -anyone answered. At length a hoarse voice shouted from inside, while the -greatest silence succeeded, as if by enchantment, the noise that had -hitherto prevailed. - -"_?Quien vive?"_ - -"_Gente de paz_," the stranger replied. - -"Hum!" the voice went on, "That is not a name. What sort of weather is -it?" - -"One for all--all for one. The _cormuel_ is strong enough to blow the -horns off the oxen on the top of the Cerro del Huerfano." - -The door was immediately opened, and the strangers entered. At first -they could distinguish nothing through the thick and smoky atmosphere of -the room, and walked hap-hazard. The companion of the first horseman was -well known in this den; for the master of the house and several other -persons eagerly collected round him. - -"Caballeros," he said, pointing to the person who followed him, "this -senor is my friend, and I must request your kindness for him." - -"He shall be treated like yourself, Belhumeur," the host replied. "Your -horses have been led to the corral, where a truss of alfalfa has been -put before them. As for yourselves, the house belongs to you, and you -can dispose of it as you please." - -During this exchange of compliments the strangers had contrived to find -their way through the crowd. They crossed the room, and sat down in a -corner before a table on which the host himself placed pulque, mezcal, -chinguirito, Catalonian refino, and sherry. - -"Caramba, Senor Huesped!" the man whom we had heard called frequently -Belhumeur, said with a laugh, "You are generous today." - -"Do you not see that I have an angelito?" the other answered gravely. - -"What, your son Pedrito--?" - -"Is dead. I am trying to give my friends a cordial welcome, in order the -better to feast the entrance into heaven of my poor boy, who, having -never sinned, is an angel by the side of God." - -"That's very proper," Belhumeur said, hobnobbing with the rather stoical -parent. - -The latter emptied his glass of refino at a draught, and -withdrew. The strangers, by this time accustomed to the atmosphere in -which they found themselves, began to look around them. The room of the -pulqueria offered them a most singular sight. - -In the centre some ten individuals, with faces enough to hang them, -covered with rags, and armed to the teeth, were furiously playing at -monte. It was a strange fact, but one which did not appear to astonish -any of the honourable gamblers that a long dagger was stuck in the table -to the right of the banker, and two pistols lay on his left. A few steps -further on, men and women, more than half intoxicated, were dancing and -singing, with lubricious gestures and mad shouts, to the shrill sounds -of two or three _vihuelas_ and _jarabes_. In a corner of the room thirty -people were assembled round a table, on which a child, four years of age -at the most, was seated in a wicker chair. This child presided over the -meeting. He was dressed in his best clothes, had a crown of flowers on -his head, and a profusion of nosegays was piled up on the table all -round him. - -But alas! The child's brow was pale, his eyes glassy, his complexion -leaden and marked with violet spots. His body had the peculiar stiffness -of a corpse. He was dead. He was the angelito, whose entrance into -heaven the worthy pulquero was celebrating. - -Men, women and children were drinking and laughing, as they reminded the -poor mother, who made heroic efforts not to burst into tears, of the -precocious intelligence, goodness and prettiness of the little creature -she had just lost. - -"All this is hideous," the first traveller muttered, with signs of -disgust. - -"Is it not so?" the other assented. "Let us not notice it, but isolate -ourselves amid these scoundrels, who have already forgotten our -presence, and talk." - -"Willingly, but unhappily we have nothing to say to each other." - -"Perhaps we have. In the first place, we might let each other know who -we are." - -"That is true." - -"You agree with me? Then I will give you the example of confidence and -frankness." - -"Good. After that my turn will come." - -Belhumeur looked round at the company. The orgy had recommenced with -fresh fury; it was evident that no one troubled himself about them. He -rested his elbows on the table, leant over to his comrade, and began:-- - -"As you already know, my dear mate, my name is Belhumeur. I am a -Canadian; that is to say almost a Frenchman. Circumstances too long to -narrate at present, but which I tell you some day, brought me, when a -lad into this country. Twenty years of my life have passed in traversing -the desert in every direction: there is not a stream or a by-path which -I do not know. I could, if I would, live quietly and free from care with -a dear friend, an old companion, who has retired to a magnificent -hacienda which he possesses a few leagues from Hermosillo; but the -existence of a hunter has charms which only those who have lived it can -understand: it always compels them to renew it in spite of themselves. I -am still a young man, hardly five-and-forty years of age. An old friend -of mine, an Indian chief of the name of Eagle-head, proposed to me to -accompany him on an excursion he wished to make in Apacheria. I allowed -myself to be tempted; said good-by to those I love, and who tried in -vain to hold me back; and free from all ties, without regret for the -past, happy in the present, and careless of the future, I went gaily -ahead, bearing with me those inestimable treasures for the hunter, a -strong heart, a gay character, excellent arms, and a horse accustomed, -like his master, to good fortune and ill; and so here I am. And now, -mate, you know me as well as if we had been friends for the last ten -years." - -The other had listened attentively to this story, fixing a thoughtful -glance on the bold adventurer, who sat smiling before him. He gazed with -interest on this man, with the loyal face and sharply-cut features, -whose countenance exhaled the rude and noble frankness of a man who is -really good and great. - -When Belhumeur was silent he remained for some moments without replying, -doubtlessly plunged in profound and earnest reflections; then, offering -him across the table a white, elegant, and delicate hand, he replied -with great emotion, and in the best French ever spoken in these distant -regions,-- - -"I thank you, Belhumeur, for the confidence you have placed in me. My -history is not longer, but more mournful than yours. You shall have it -in a few words." - -"Eh?" the Canadian exclaimed, vigorously pressing the hand offered him. -"Do you happen to be a Frenchman?" - -"Yes, I have that honour." - -"By Jove! I ought to have suspected it," he burst out joyously. "Only to -think that for an hour we have been stupidly talking bad Spanish, -instead of employing our own tongue; for I come from Canada, and the -Canadians are the French of America, are they not?" - -"You are right." - -"Well, then, it is agreed, no more Spanish between us." - -"No, nothing but French." - -"Bravo! Here's your health, my worthy fellow countryman! And now," he -added, returning his glass to the table after emptying it, "let us have -your story. I am listening." - -"I told you that it is not long." - -"No matter; go ahead. I am certain 'twill interest me enormously." - -The Frenchman stifled a sigh. - -"I, too, have lived the life of a wood ranger," he said; "I, too, have -experienced the intoxicating charms of that feverish existence, full of -moving incidents, no two of which are alike. Far from the country where -we now are, I have traversed vast deserts, immense virgin forests, in -which no man prior to myself had left the imprint of his footstep. Like -you, a friend accompanied me in my adventurous travels, sustaining my -courage, maintaining my gaiety by his inexhaustible humour and his -unbounded courage. Alas! That was the happiest period of my life. - -"I fell in love with a woman and married her. So soon as my friend saw -me rich and surrounded by a family he left me. His departure was my -first grief--a grief from which I never recovered, which each day -rendered more poignant and which now tortures me like a remorse. Alas! -Where is now that strong heart, that devoted friend who ever interposed -between danger and myself, who loved me like a brother, and for whom I -felt a son's affection? He is probably dead!" - -In uttering the last words the Frenchman let his head sink in his hands, -and yielded to a flood of bitter thoughts, which rose from his heart -with every reminiscence he recalled. Belhumeur looked at him in a -melancholy manner, and pressing his hand, said in a low and sympathising -voice, "Courage, my friend." - -"Yes," the Frenchman continued, "that was what he always said to me -when, prostrated by grief, I felt hope failing me. 'Courage,' he would -say to me in his rough voice, laying his hand on my shoulders; and I -would feel galvanised by the touch, and draw myself up at the sound of -that cherished voice, ready to recommence the struggle, for I felt -myself stronger. Several years passed in the midst of a felicity which -nothing came to trouble. I had a wife I adored, charming children for -whom I formed dreams of the future; in short, I wanted for -nothing save my poor comrade, about whom I could discover nothing from -the moment he left me, in spite of my constant inquiries. Now, my -happiness has faded away never to return. My wife, my children are -dead--cruelly murdered in their sleep by Indians, who carried my -hacienda by storm. I alone remained alive amid the smoking ruins of that -abode where I had spent so many happy days. All I loved was eternally -buried beneath the ashes. My heart was broken, and I did not wish to -survive all that was dear to me; but a friend, the only one that -remained to me, saved me. He carried me off by main force to his tribe, -for he was an Indian. By his care and devotion he recalled me to life, -and restored to me, if not the hope of a happiness henceforth -impossible for me, at least the courage to struggle against that destiny -whose blows had been so rude. He died only a few months back. Before -closing his eyes for ever he made me swear to do all he asked of me. I -promised him. 'Brother,' he said, 'every man must proceed in life toward -a certain object. So soon as I am dead, go in search of that friend from -whom you have so long been separated. You will find him, I feel -convinced. He will trace your line of conduct.' Two hours later the -worthy chief died in my arms. So soon as his body was committed to the -earth I set out. This very day, as I told you, I reached Guaymas. My -intention is to bury myself immediately in the wilderness; for if my -poor friend be still alive, I can only find him there." - -There was a lengthened silence, at length broken by Belhumeur. - -"Hum! All that is very sad, mate, I must allow," he said, tossing his -head. "You are rushing upon a desperate enterprise, in which the chances -of success are almost null. A man is a grain of sand lost in the desert. -Who knows, even supposing he still lives, at what place he may be at -this moment; and if, while you are seeking him on one side, he may not -be on the other? Still, I have a proposition to make to you, which, I -believe, can only prove advantageous." - -"I know it, my friend, before you tell it me. I thank you, and accept -it," the Frenchman replied quickly. - -"It is agreed then. We start together. You will come with me into -Apacheria?" - -"Yes." - -"By Jove! I am in luck. I have hardly separated from Loyal Heart ere -Heaven brings me together with a friend as precious as he is." - -"Who is that Loyal Heart you mention?" - -"The friend with whom I lived so long, and whom you shall know some day. -But come, we will start at daybreak." - -"Whenever you please." - -"I have the meeting with Eagle-head two days' journey from here. I am -much mistaken, or he is waiting for me by this time." - -"What are you going to do in Apacheria?" - -"I do not know. Eagle-head asked me to accompany him, and I am going. It -is my rule never to ask my friends more of their secrets than they are -willing to tell me. In that way we are more free." - -"Excellent reasoning, my dear Belhumeur; but, as we shall be together -for a long time, I hope, at least--" - -"I, too." - -"It is right," the Frenchman continued, "that you should know my name, -which I have hitherto forgotten to tell you." - -"That need not trouble you; for I could easily give you one if you had -reasons for preserving your incognito." - -"None at all: my name is Count Louis de Prebois Crance." - -Belhumeur rose as if moved by a spring, took off his fur cap, and bowing -before his new friend, said-- - -"Pardon me, sir count, for the free manner in which I have addressed -you. Had I known in whose company I had the honour of being, I should -certainly not have taken so great a liberty." - -"Belhumeur, Belhumeur," the count said with a mournful smile, and -seizing his hand quickly, "is our friendship to commence in that way? -There are here only two men ready to share the same life, run the same -dangers, and confront the same foes. Let us leave to the foolish -inhabitants of cities those vain distinctions which possess no -significance for us; let us be frankly and loyally brothers. I only wish -to be to you Louis, your good comrade, your devoted friend, in the same -way as you are to me only Belhumeur, the rough wood ranger." - -The Canadian's face shone with pleasure at these words. - -"Well spoken," he said gaily, "well spoken, on my soul! I am but a poor -ignorant hunter; and, by my faith, why should I conceal it? What you -have just said to me has gone straight to my heart. I am yours, Louis, -for life and death; and I hope to prove to you soon, comrade, that I -have a certain value." - -"I am convinced of it; but we understand each other now, do we not?" - -"By Jove--!" - -At this moment there was such a tremendous disturbance in the street, -that it drowned that in the room. As always happens under such -circumstances, the adventurers assembled in the pulqueria were silent of -a common accord, in order to listen. Shouts, the clashing of sabres, the -stamping of horses, drowned at intervals by the discharge of fire arms, -could be clearly distinguished. - -"Caray!" Belhumeur exclaimed, "there's fighting going on in the street." - -"I am afraid so," the pulquero laconically answered, who was more than -half drunk, as he swallowed a glass of refino. - -Suddenly from sabre hilts and pistol butts resounded vigorously on the -badly-joined plank of the door, and a powerful voice shouted angrily,-- - -"Open, in the devil's name, or I'll smash in your miserable door!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -COUNT MAXIME GAETAN DE LHORAILLES. - - -Before explaining to the reader the cause of the infernal noise which -suddenly rose to disturb the tranquility of the people assembled in the -pulqueria, we are obliged to go back a little distance. - -About three years before the period in which our story opens, on a cold -and rainy December night, eight men, whose costumes and manners showed -them to belong to the highest Parisian society, were assembled in an -elegant private room of the Cafe Anglais. - -The night was far advanced; the wax candles, two-thirds consumed, only -spread a mournful light; the rain lashed the windows, and the wind -howled lugubriously. The guests, seated round the table and the relics -of a splendid supper, seemed, in spite of themselves, to have been -infected by the gloomy melancholy that brooded over nature, and, lying -back on their chairs, some slept, while others, lost in thought, paid no -attention to what was going on around them. - -The clock on the mantelpiece slowly struck three, and the last sound had -scarcely died away ere the repeated cracking of a postilion's whip could -be heard beneath the windows of the room. - -The door opened and a waiter came in. - -"The post-chaise the Count de Lhorailles ordered is waiting," he said. - -"Thanks," one of the guests said, dismissing the waiter by a -sign. - -The latter went out, and closed the door after him. The few words he had -uttered had broken the charm which enchained the guests; all sat up, as -if aroused from sleep suddenly; and turning to a young man of thirty, -they said,-- - -"It is really true that you are going?" - -"I am," he answered, with a nod of affirmation. - -"Where to, though? People do not usually part in this mysterious way," -one of the guests continued. - -The gentleman to whom the remark was addressed smiled sorrowfully. - -The Count de Lhorailles was a handsome man, with expressive features, -energetic glance, and disdainful lip; he belonged to the most ancient -nobility, and his reputation was perfectly established among the "lions" -of the day. He rose, and looking round the circle, said,-- - -"Gentlemen, I can perfectly well understand that my conduct appears to -you strange. You have a right to an explanation from me, and I am most -desirous to give it to you. It was, indeed, for that purpose that I -invited you to the last supper we shall enjoy together. The hour for my -departure has struck--the chaise is waiting. Tomorrow I shall be far -from Paris, and within a week I shall have left France never to return. -Listen to me." - -The guests made a marked movement as they gazed on the count. - -"Do not be impatient, gentlemen," he said; "the story I have to tell you -is not long, for it is my own. In two words, here it is:-- - -"I am completely ruined. I have only a small sum of money left, on which -I should starve in Paris, and end in a month by blowing out my brains--a -gloomy perspective which possesses no attractions for me, I assure you. -On the other hand, I have such a fatal skill with arms, that, without -any fault of my own, I enjoy a reputation as a duellist, which weighs on -me fearfully, especially since my deplorable affair with that poor -Viscount de Morsens, whom I was obliged to kill against my will, in -order to close his mouth and put a stop to his calumnies. In short, for -the reasons I have had the honour of imparting to you, and an infinity -of others it is needless for you to know, and which I am convinced would -interest you very slightly, France has become odious to me to such a -degree that I am most anxious to quit it. So now a parting glass of -champagne, and good-by to all." - -"A moment," remarked the guest who had already spoken. "You have not -told us, count, to what country you intend to proceed." - -"Can't you guess? To America. I am allowed to possess a certain amount -of courage and intelligence, and therefore am going to a country where, -if I may believe all I hear, those two qualities are sufficient to make -the fortune of their possessor. Have you any more questions to ask me, -baron?" he added, turning to his questioner. - -The latter, ere replying, remained for some moments plunged in serious -reflections; at length he raised his head, and fixed a cold and -searching glance on the count. - -"You really mean to go, my friend?" he said quite seriously. "You swear -it on your honour?" - -"Yes, on my honour." - -"And you are really resolved to make for yourself, in America, a -position at the least equal to that you held here?" - -"Yes," he said sharply, "by all means possible." - -"That is good. In your turn listen to me, count, and if you will profit -by what I am about to reveal to you, you may perhaps, by the help of -Heaven, succeed in accomplishing the wild projects you have formed." - -All the guests drew round curiously; the count himself felt interested -in spite of himself. - -The Baron de Spurtzheim was a man of about five-and-forty. His bronzed -complexion, his marked features, and the strange expression of his eye -gave him a peculiar aspect, which escaped the notice of the vulgar herd, -and caused him to be regarded as a really remarkable man by all -intelligent persons. - -The only thing known about the baron was his colossal fortune, which he -spent royally. As for his antecedents, everyone was ignorant of them, -although he was received in the first society. It was merely remarked -vaguely that he had been a great traveller, and had resided for several -years in America; but nothing was more uncertain than these rumours, and -they would not have been sufficient to open the _salons_ of the noble -suburb to him, had not the Austrian ambassador, without his knowledge, -served as his guarantee most warmly in several delicate circumstances. - -The baron was more intimately connected with the count than with his -other companions. He seemed to feel a certain degree of interest in him; -and several times, guessing his friend's embarrassed circumstances, he -had delicately offered him his assistance. The Count de Lhorailles, -though too proud to accept these offers, felt equally grateful to the -baron, and had allowed him to assume a certain influence over him, -without suspecting it. - -"Speak, but be brief, my dear baron," the count said. "You know that the -chaise is waiting for me." - -Without replying, the baron rang the bell. The waiter came in. - -"Dismiss the postilion, and tell him to return at five o'clock. You can -go." - -The waiter bowed and went out. - -The count, more and more amazed at his friend's strange conduct, did not -make the least observation. However, he poured out a glass of champagne, -which he emptied at a draught, crossed his arms, leant back in his -chair, and waited. - -"And now, gentlemen," the baron said in his sarcastic and incisive -voice, "as our friend De Lhorailles has told us his history, and we are -becoming confidential, why should I not tell you mine? The weather is -fearful--it is raining torrents. Here we are, comfortably tiled in: we -have champagne and regalias--two excellent things when not abused. What -have we better to do? 'Nothing,' I hear you say. Listen to me, then, for -I believe what I have to tell you will interest you the more, because -some among you will not be vexed to know the whole truth about me." - -The majority of the guests burst into a laugh at this remark. When their -hilarity was calmed the baron began:-- - -"As for the first part of my story, I shall imitate the count's brevity. -In the present age gentlemen find themselves so naturally beyond the -pale of the law through the prejudices of blood and education, that they -all are fated to pass through a rough apprenticeship to life, by -devouring in a few years, they know not how, the paternal fortune. This -happened to me, gentlemen, as to yourselves. My ancestors in the middle -ages were, to a certain extent, freebooters. True blood always shows -itself. When my last resources were nearly exhausted, my instincts were -aroused, and my eyes fixed on America. In less than ten years I amassed -there the colossal fortune which I now have the distinguished honour, -not of dissipating--the lesson was too rude, and I profited by it--but -of spending in your honourable company, while careful to keep my capital -intact." - -"But," the count exclaimed impatiently, "how did you amass this colossal -fortune, as you yourself term it?" - -"About a million and a half," the baron coolly remarked. - -A shudder of covetousness ran through the whole party. - -"A colossal fortune indeed," the count continued; "but, I repeat, how -did you acquire it?" - -"If I had not intended to reveal it to you, my dear fellow, you may be -sure I would not have abused your patience by making you listen to the -trivialities you have just heard." - -"We are listening," the guests shouted. - -The baron coolly looked at them all. - -"In the first place let us drink a glass of champagne to our friend's -success," he said in a sarcastic tone. - -The glasses were filled and emptied again in a twinkling, so great was -the curiosity of the auditors. After putting down his glass before him -the baron lighted a regalia, and, turning to the count, said to him,-- - -"I am now addressing myself more particularly to you, my friend. You are -young, enterprising, gifted with an iron constitution and an energetic -will. I am convinced, that if death does not thwart your plans, you will -succeed, whatever may be the enterprise you undertake, or the objects -you propose to yourself. In the life you are about to begin, the -principal cause of success, I may say almost the only one, is a thorough -knowledge of the ground on which you are about to manoeuvre, and the -society you propose entering. If, on my entrance upon that adventurous -life, I had possessed the good fortune of meeting a friend willing to -initiate me into the mysteries of my new existence, my fortune would -have been made five years earlier. What no one did for me I am willing -to do for you. Perhaps, at a later date you will be grateful for the -information I have given you, and which will serve as your guide in the -inextricable maze you are about to enter. In the first place, lay down -this principle: the people among whom you are about going to live are -your natural enemies. Hence you will have to support a daily, hourly -struggle. All means must appear to you good to emerge from the battle a -victor. Lay on one side your notions of honour and delicacy. In America -they are vain words, useless even to make dupes, from the very simple -reason that no one believes in them. The sole deity of America is gold. -To acquire gold the American is capable of everything; but not, as in -old Europe, under the cloak of honesty, and by roundabout process, but -frankly, openly, without shame, and without remorse. This laid down, -your line of conduct is ready traced. There is no project, however -extravagant it may appear, which in that country does not offer chances -of success; for the means of execution are immense, and almost -impossible of control. The American is the man who has best comprehended -the strength of association: hence it is the lever by means of which his -schemes are carried out. On arriving there alone, without friends or -acquaintances, however intelligent and determined you may be, you will -be lost, because you find yourself alone in the face of all." - -"That is true," the count muttered with conviction. - -"Patience!" the baron replied with a smile. "Do you think I intend to -send you into action without a cuirass? No, no, I will give you one, and -magnificently tempered, too, I assure you." - -All those present looked with amazement on this man, who had grown -enormously in their esteem in a few moments. The baron feigned not to -perceive the impression he produced, and in a minute or so he continued, -laying a stress on every word, as if wishful to engrave it more deeply -on the count's memory:-- - -"Remember what I am about to tell you; it is of the utmost importance -for you not to forget a word, my friend; from that positively depends -the success of your trip to the New World." - -"Speak--I am not losing a syllable!" the count interrupted him with a -species of febrile impatience. - -"When strangers began to flock to America, a company of bold fellows -was formed without faith or law, and without pity as without weakness, -who, denying all nationality, as they issued from every people, only -recognised one government, that which they themselves instituted on -Tortoise Island, a desolate rock, lost in the middle of the ocean--a -monstrous government; for violence was at its basis, and it only -admitted of right being might. These bold companions, attached to each -other by a Draconian charter, assumed the name of Brethren of the Coast, -and were divided into two classes--the Buccaneers and the Filibusters. - -"The buccaneers, wandering, through the primeval forests, hunted oxen, -while the filibusters scoured the seas, attacking every flag, plundering -every vessel under the pretext of making war on the Spaniards, but in -reality stripping the rich for the benefit of the poor--the only means -they discovered to restore the balance between the two classes. The -Brethren of the Coast, continually recruited from all the rogues of the -new world, became powerful--so powerful, indeed, that the Spaniards -trembled for their possessions, and a glorious King of France did not -disdain to treat with them, and send an ambassador to them. At last, -through the very force of circumstances, like all powers which are the -offspring of anarchy, and consequently possess no inherent vitality, -when the maritime nations recognised their own strength, the Brethren of -the Coast grew gradually weaker, and finally disappeared entirely. By -forcing them into obscurity, it was supposed that they were not merely -conquered, but annihilated; but it was not so, as you shall now see. I -ask your pardon for this long and tedious prologue, but it was -indispensable, so that you should better comprehend the rest I have to -explain to you." - -"It is nearly half past four," observed the count; "we have not more -than forty minutes left us." - -"That period, though so short, will be sufficient," the baron answered. -"I resume my narrative. The Brethren of the Coast were not destroyed, -but transformed. They yielded with extraordinary cleverness to the -exigencies of that progress which threatened to outstrip them: they had -changed their skin--from tigers they had become foxes. The Brethren of -the Coast were converted into _Dauph'yeers_. Instead of boldly boarding -the enemies' ships, sword and hatchet in hand, as they formerly did, -they became insignificant, and dug mines. At the present day the -Dauph'yeers are the masters and kings of the New World; they are nowhere -and everywhere, but they reign; their influence is felt in all ranks of -society; they are found on every rung of the ladder, but are never seen. -They detached the United States from England; Peru, Chili and Mexico, -from Spain. Their power is immense, the more so because it is secret, -ignored and almost denied, which displays their strength. For a secret -society to be denied existence is a real power. There is not a -revolution in America in which the influence of the Dauph'yeers does not -step forward valorously, either to insure its triumph or to crush it. -They can do everything--they are everything: without their golden circle -nothing is possible. Such have the Brethren of the Coast become, in less -than two centuries, by the force of progress! They are the axis round -which the New World revolves though it little suspects it. It is a -wretched lot for that magnificent country to have been condemned, ever -since its discovery, to undergo the tyranny of bandits of every rank, -who seem to have undertaken the mission of exhausting her in every way, -while never giving her the chance of liberating herself." - -There was a lengthened silence: each was reflecting on what he had just -heard. The baron himself had buried his face in his hands, and was lost -in that world of ideas which he had evoked, and which now assailed him -in a mass with sensations of mingled pain and bitterness. - -The distant sound of a rapidly approaching vehicle recalled the count to -the gravity of the situation. - -"Here is my chaise," he said. "I am about to set out, and I know -nothing." - -"Patience!" the baron replied. "Take leave of your friends, and we will -start." - -Yielding, in spite of himself, to the influence of this singular man, -the count obeyed, without dreaming of offering the slightest opposition. -He rose, embraced each of his old friends, exchanged with them hearty -hand-shakings, received their auguries of success, and left the room, -followed by the baron. - -The post-chaise was waiting in front of the house. The young men had -opened the windows, and were waving fresh adieux to their friend. The -count turned a long look on the Boulevard. The night was gloomy, though -the rain no longer fell; the sky was black; and the gas-jets glinted -feebly in the distance like stars lost in a fog. - -"Farewell," he said in a stifled voice, "farewell! Who knows whether I -shall ever return?" - -"Courage!" a stern voice whispered in his ear. - -The young man shuddered: the baron was at his side. - -"Come, my friend," he said, as he helped him to enter the carriage, "I -will accompany you to the barrier." - -The count got in and fell back on a cushion. - -"The Normandy road," the baron shouted to the postilion, as he shut the -door. - -The driver cracked his whip, and the chaise started at a gallop. - -"Good-by, good-by!" the young men loudly shouted as they leant out of -the windows of the Cafe Anglais. - -For a long time the two remained silent. At length the baron took the -word. - -"Gaetan!" he said. - -"What would you?" the latter replied. - -"I have not yet finished my narrative." - -"It is true," he muttered distractedly. - -"Do you not wish me to end it?" - -"Speak, my friend." - -"In what a tone you say that, my good fellow! Your mind is wandering in -imaginary space; you are doubtlessly dreaming of those you are leaving. - -"Alas!" murmured the count with a sigh, "I am alone in the world. What -have I to regret? I possess neither friends nor relations." - -"Ungrateful man!" The baron said in a reproachful tone. - -"It is true: Pardon me, my dear fellow; I did not think of what I was -saying." - -"I pardon you, but on condition that you listen to me." - -"I promise it." - -"My friend, it you desire success, the friendship and protection of -those Dauph'yeers I mentioned are indispensable for you." - -"How can I obtain them--I, a wretched stranger? How I tremble on -thinking of the country in which I dreamed of creating such a glorious -future! The veil that covered my eyes is fallen. I see the extravagance -of my projects, and all hope abandons me." - -"Already?" exclaimed the baron sternly. "Child without energy, to -abandon a contest even before having engaged in it! Man without strength -and courage! I will give you the means, if you like, of obtaining the -friendship and protection so necessary for you." - -"You!" the count said, quivering with excitement. - -"Yes, I! Do you fancy I have been amusing myself with torturing your -mind for the last two hours, like the jaguar plays with the lamb, for -the mere pleasure of deriding you? No, Gaetan. If you had that thought, -you were wrong, for I am fond of you. When I learned your scheme I -applauded, from the bottom of my heart, that resolution which restored -you to your proper place in my mind. When you this night frankly avowed -to us your position, and explained your plans, I found myself again in -you; my heart beat; for a moment I was happy: and then I vowed to open -to you that path so wide, so great, and so noble, that if you do not -succeed, it will be because you do not desire to do so." - -"Oh!" the count said energetically, "I may succumb in the contest which -begins this day between myself and humanity at large, but fear nothing, -my friend; I will fall nobly like a man of courage." - -"I am persuaded of it, my friend. I have only a few more words to say to -you. I, too, was a Dauph'yeer, and am so still. Thanks to my brethren, I -gained the fortune I now possess. Take this portfolio: put round your -neck this chain, from which a medallion hangs; then, when you are alone, -read these instructions contained in the portfolio, and act as they -prescribe. If you follow them point for point, I guarantee your success. -That is the present I reserved for you, and which I would not give you -till we were alone." - -"O heavens!" the count said with effusion. - -"Here we are at the barrier," the baron remarked, as he stopped the -carriage. "It is time for us to separate. Farewell, my friend! Courage -and good will! Embrace me. Above all, remember the portfolio and the -medallion." - -The two men remained for a long time in each other's arms. At length the -baron freed himself by a vigorous effort, opened the door, and leaped -out on the pavement. - -"Farewell!" he cried for the last time; "Farewell, Gaetan, remember me." - -The post-chaise was bowling along the high road at full speed. Strange -to say, both men muttered the same word, shaking heads with -discouragement, when they found themselves alone--one walking at full -speed along the footpath, the other buried in the cushions. - -That word was "Perhaps!" - -The reason was that, despite all their efforts to deceive each other, -neither of them hoped. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE DAUPH'YEERS. - - -Now let us quit the old world, and, taking an immense stride, transport -ourselves to the new one at a single leap. - -There is in America a city which possibly cannot be compared to any -other in the whole world. That city is Valparaiso! - -Valparaiso! The word resounds in the enchanted ear like the gentle soft -notes of a love song. - -A coquettish, smiling, and mad city, softly reclining like a careless -Creole, round a delicious bay, at the foot of three majestic mountains, -lazily bathing her rosy and dainty feet in the azure waves of the -Pacific, and veiling her dreamy brow in the storm-laden clouds which -escape from Cape Horn, and roll with a sinister sound round the peaks of -the Cordilleras, to form a splendid glory for them. - -Although built on the Chilean coast, this strange city belongs, in fact, -to no country, and recognises no nationality: or to speak more -correctly, it admits all into its bosom. - -At Valparaiso the adventurer of every clime have given each other the -meeting. All tongues are spoken there, every branch of trade is carried -on. The population is the quaintest amalgam of the most eccentric -personalities, who have rushed from the most remote parts of the four -quarters of the old world, to attack fortune in this city, the advanced -sentinel of Transatlantic civilisation, and whose occult influence -governs the Hispano-American republic. - -Valparaiso, like nearly all the commercial centres of South America, is -a pile of shapeless dens and magnificent palaces jostling each other, -and hanging in abrupt clusters on the abrupt flanks of the three -mountains. - -At the period the event occurred which we are about to describe, the -streets were narrow, dirty, deprived of air and sun. The paving, being -perfectly ignored, rendered them perfect morasses, in which the wayfarer -sank to the knee when the winter's rains had loosened the soil. This -rendered the use of a horse indispensable, even for the shortest -passage. - -Deleterious exhalations incessantly escaped from these mud holes, -heightened by the filth of every description which the daily cleaning of -the inhabitants accumulated, while no one dreamed of draining these -permanent abodes of pernicious fevers. - -At the present day, we are told, this state of things has been altered, -and Valparaiso no longer resembles itself. We should like to believe it; -but the carelessness of the South American, so well known to us, compels -us to be very circumspect in such a matter. - -In one of the dirtiest and worst-famed streets of Valparaiso was a house -which we ask the reader's permission to describe in a few words. - -We are compelled at the outset, to confess that if the architect -intrusted with its construction had shown himself more than sober in the -distribution of the ornaments, he had built it perfectly to suit the -trade of the various tenants destined in future to occupy it one after -the other. - -It was a clay-built hovel. The _facade_ looked upon the Street de la -Merced; the opposite side had an outlook of the sea, above which it -projected for a certain distance upon posts. - -This house was inhabited by an innkeeper. Contrary to the European -buildings, which grow smaller the higher they rise from the ground, this -house grew larger; so that the upper part was lofty and well lighted, -while the shop and other ground floor rooms were confined and gloomy. - -The present occupier had skilfully profited by this architectural -arrangement to have a room made in the wall between the first and second -floors, which was reached by a turning staircase, concealed in the -masonry. - -This room was so built that the slightest noise in the street distinctly -reached the ears of persons in it, while stifling any they might make, -however loud it might be. - -The worthy landlord, occupier of this house, had naturally a rather -mixed custom of people of every description--smugglers, _rateros_, -rogues, and others, whose habits might bring them into unpleasant -difficulties with the Chilean police; consequently, a whaleboat -constantly fastened to a ring under a window opening on the sea, -offered a provisional but secure shelter to the customers of the -establishment whenever, by any accident, the agents of government -evinced a desire to pay a domiciliary visit to his den. - -This house was known--and probably is still known, unless an earthquake -or a fire has caused this rookery to disappear from the face of the -earth of Valparaiso--by the name of the _Locanda del Sol._ - -On an iron plate suspended from a beam, and creaking with every breath -of wind, there had been painted by a native artist a huge red face, -surrounded by orange beams, possibly intended as an explanation of the -sign to which I have alluded above. - -Senor Benito Sarzuela master of the Locanda del Sol, was a tall, dry -fellow with an angular face end crafty look; a mixture of the Araucano, -Negro and Spaniard, whose _morale_ responded perfectly to his -_physique;_ that is to say, he combined in himself the vices of the -three races to which he belonged--red, black, and white--without -possessing one single virtue of theirs, and that beneath the shadow of -an avowed and almost honest trade he carried on clandestinely some -twenty, the most innocent of which would have taken him to the -_presidios_ or galleys for life, had he been discovered. - -Some two months after the events we described in a previous chapter, -about eleven of the clock on a cold and misty night, Senor Benito -Sarzuela was seated in melancholy mood within his bar, contemplating -with mournful eye the deserted room of his establishment. - -The wind blowing violently, caused the sign of the _meson_ to creak on -its hinges with gloomy complaints, and the heavy black clouds coming -from the south moved weightily athwart the sky, dropping at intervals -heavy masses of rain on the ground loosened by previous storms. - -"Come," the unhappy host muttered to himself with a piteous air, "there -is another day which finishes as badly as the others. _Sangre de Dios!_ -For the last week I have had no luck. If it continues only a fortnight -longer I shall be ruined a man." - -In fact, through a singular accident, for about a month the Locanda del -Sol had been completely shorn of its old brilliancy, and the landlord -did not know any reason for its eclipse. - -The sound of clanking glasses and cups was no longer heard in the room, -usually affected by thirsty souls. Strange change in human things! -Abundance had been too suddenly followed by the most perfect vacuum. It -might be said that the plague reigned in this deserted house. The -bottles remained methodically arranged on the shelves, and hardly two -passers-by had come in during the past day to drink a glass of _pisco_, -which they hastily paid for, so eager were they to quit this den, in -spite of the becks, and nods, and wreathed smiles of the host, who tried -in vain to keep them to talk of public affairs, and, above all, cheer -his solitude. - -After a few words we have heard him utter, the worthy Don Benito rose -carelessly, and prepared, with many an oath, to close his establishment, -so at any rate to save in candles, when suddenly an individual entered, -then two, then ten, and at last such a number that the locandero gave up -all attempts at counting them. - -These men were all wrapped up in cloaks; their heads were covered by -felt hats, whose broad brims, pulled down carefully over their eyes, -rendered them perfectly unrecognisable. - -The room was soon crowded with customers drinking and smoking, but not -uttering a word. - -The extraordinary thing was that, although all the tables were lined, -such a religious silence prevailed among these strange bibbers that the -noise of the rain pattering outside could be distinctly heard, as well -as the footfall of the horses ridden by the serenos, which resounded -hoarsely on the pebbles or in the muddy ponds that covered the ground. - -The host, agreeably surprised by this sudden turn of fortune, had -joyfully set to work serving his unexpected customers; but all at once a -singular thing happened, which Senor Sarzuela was far from anticipating. -Although the proverb say that you can never have enough of a good -thing--and proverbs are the wisdom of nations--it happened that the -affluence of people, who appeared to have made an appointment at his -house, became so considerable, and assumed such gigantic proportions, -that the landlord himself began to be terrified; for his hostelry, empty -a moment previously, was now so crammed that he soon did not know where -to put the new arrivals who continued to flock in. In fact the crowd, -after filling the common room, had, like a rising tide, flowed over -into the adjoining room, then it escaladed the stairs, and spread over -the upper floors. - -At the first stroke of eleven more than two hundred customers occupied -the Locanda del Sol. - -The locandero, with that craft which was one of the most salient points -of his character, then comprehended that something extraordinary was -about to happen, and that his house would be the scene. - -At the thought a convulsive tremor seized upon him, his hair began to -stand on end, and he sought in his brain for the means he must employ to -get rid of these sinister and silent guests. - -In his despair he rose with an air which he sought to render most -resolute, and walked to the door as if for the purpose of closing his -establishment. The customers, still silent as fish, did not make a sign -of moving; on the contrary, they pretended they noticed nothing. - -Don Benito felt his nervousness redoubled. - -Suddenly the voice of a sereno singing in the distance furnished him -with the pretext he vainly sought, by shouting as he passed the -locanda,-- - -"_Ave Maria purisima. Las onze han dado y llueve._"[1] - -Although accompanied by modulations capable of making a dog weep, the -sacramental cry of the sereno absolutely produced no impression on mine -host's customers. The force of terror at length restoring him a slight -degree of courage, Senor Sarzuela decided on directly addressing his -obstinate customers. For this purpose he deliberately posted himself in -the centre of the room, thrust his fist into his side, and raising his -head, said in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm, but whose -tremor he could not hide,-- - -"Senores caballeros, it is eleven o'clock. The police regulations forbid -me keeping open longer. Have the goodness, I beg you, to withdraw -without delay, so that I may close my establishment." - -This harangue, from which he promised himself the greatest success, -produced an effect exactly contrary to what he expected. The strangers -vigorously smote the table with their glasses, shouting unanimously,-- - -"Drink!" - -The landlord bounded back at this fearful disturbance. - -"Still, caballeros," he ventured to remark, after a moment's hesitation, -"the police regulations are severe. It is eleven, and--" - -He could say no more: the noise recommenced with even greater intensity, -and the customers shouted together, in a voice of thunder, "Drink!" - -A reaction, easy to comprehend, then took place in the mind of mine -host. Fancying that a personal attack was made on himself, persuaded -that his interests were at stake, the coward disappeared to make room -for the miser, threatened in what is dearest to him--his property. - -"Ah," he shouted in feverish exasperation, "that is the game! Well, we -will see if I am master in my own house. I will go and fetch the alcalde." - -This threat of justice from the mouth of the worthy Sarzuela appeared so -droll, that the customers broke out, with a unanimity that did them all -credit, into a burst of Homeric laughter right under the poor fellow's -nose. This was the _coup de grace_. The host's anger was converted into -raving madness, and he rushed headforemost at the door, under the -laughter and inextinguishable shouts of his persecutors. But he had -hardly crossed the threshold of his house ere a new arrival seized him -unceremoniously by the arm and hurled him back roughly into the room, -saying in a bantering voice,-- - -"What fly has stung you, my dear landlord? Are you mad to go out -bareheaded in such weather, at the risk of catching a pleurisy?" - -And then, while the locandero, terrified and confounded by this rude -shock, tried to regain his balance and re-establish a little order in -his ideas, the unknown, as coolly as if he were at home, had, with the -help of some of the customers, to whom he made signs, shut the shutters -and bolted the door with as much care as Sarzuela himself usually -devoted to this delicate operation. - -"There, now that is done," the stranger said, turning to the amazed host -"suppose we have a chat, _compadre_? Ah, I suppose you do not recognise -me?" he added, as he removed his hat and displayed a fine intelligent -face, over which a mocking smile was at this moment playing. - -"Oh, el Senor Don Gaetano!" said Sarzuela, whom this meeting was far -from pleasing, and who tried to conceal a horrible grimace. - -"Silence!" the other said. "Come hither." - -"With a gesture he drew the landlord into a corner of the room, and, -leaning down to his ear, said in a low voice,-- - -"Are there any strangers in your house?" - -"Look!" he said with a piteous glance, as he pointed to the still -drinking customers, "that legion of demons invaded my house an hour -back. They drink well, it is true; but there is something suspicious -about them not at all encouraging to an honest man." - -"The more reason that you should have nothing to fear. Besides, I am not -alluding to them. I ask you if you have any strange lodgers? As for -those men, you know them as well as I do, perhaps better." - -"From top to bottom of my house I have no other persons than these -caballeros, whom you say I know. It is very possible; but as ever since -they have been here, thanks to the way in which they are muffled, it has -been impossible for me to see the tip of a nose, I was utterly unable to -recognise them." - -"You are a donkey, my good friend. These men who bother you so greatly -are all Dauph'yeers." - -"Really!" the amazed host exclaimed: "then why do they hide their -faces?" - -"My faith, Master Sarzuela, I fancy it is probably because they do not -wish to have them seen." - -And laughing at the landlord, who was sadly out of countenance, the -stranger made a sign. Two men rose, rushed on the poor fellow, and -before he could even guess what they intended, he found himself so -magnificently garroted that he could not even cross himself. - -"Fear nothing, Master Sarzuela; no harm will befall you," the stranger -continued. "We only want to talk without witnesses, and as you are -naturally a chatterer, we take our precautions, that is all. So be calm; -in a few hours you will be free. Come, look sharp, you fellows," he -continued, addressing his men. "Gag him, lay him on his bed, and turn -the key in his door. Good-by, my worthy host, and pray keep calm." - -The stranger's orders were punctually executed; the luckless Sarzuela, -tied and gagged, was carried from the room on the shoulders of two of -his assailants, borne upstairs, thrown on his bed, and locked in in -a twinkling, ere he had even time to think of the slightest resistance. - -We will leave him to indulge in the gloomy reflections which probably -assailed him in a throng so soon as he was alone, face to face with his -despair, and return to the large room of the locanda, where persons far -more interesting to us than the poor landlord are awaiting us. - -The Dauph'yeers, so soon as they found themselves masters of the -hostelry, ranged the tables one on the other against the walls, so as to -clear the centre of the room, and drew up the benches in a line, on -which they seated themselves. - -The Locanda del Sol, owing to the changes it underwent, was in a few -moments completely metamorphosed into a club. - -The last arrival, the man who had given the order to gag the host, -enjoyed, according to all appearances, a certain influence over the -honourable company collected at this moment on the ground floor room of -the hostelry. So soon as the master of the house had disappeared he took -off his cloak, made a sign commanding silence, and speaking in excellent -French, said in a clear and sonorous voice,-- - -"Brethren, thanks for your punctuality." - -The Dauph'yeers politely returned his salute. - -"Gentlemen," he continued, "our projects are advancing. Soon, I hope, we -shall attain the object to which we have so long been tending, and quit -that obscurity in which we are languishing, to conquer our place in the -sunshine. America is a marvellous land, in which every ambition can be -satisfied. I have taken all the necessary measures, as I pledged myself -to you to do a fortnight ago, when I had the honour of convening you for -the first time. We have succeeded. You were kind enough to appoint me -director of the Mexican movement, and I thank you for it, gentleman. A -concession of three thousand acres of land has been made me at -Guetzalli, in Upper Sonora. The first step has been taken. My -lieutenant, De Laville, started yesterday for Mexico, to take possession -of the granted territory. I have today another request to make of you. -You who listen to me here are all European or North Americans, and you -will understand me. For a very long time the Dauph'yeers, the successors -of the Brethren of the Coast have been calmly watching, as apparently -disinterested spectators of the endless drama of the American republics, -the sudden changes and shameless revolutions of the old Spanish -colonies. The hour has arrived to throw ourselves into the contest. I -need one hundred and fifty devoted men. Guetzalli will serve them as a -temporary refuge. I shall soon tell them what I expect from their -courage; but you must strive to carry out what I attempt. The enterprise -I meditate, and in which I shall possibly perish, is entirely in the -interest of the association. If I succeed, every man who took part in it -will have a large reward and splendid position insured him. You know the -man who introduced me to you, and he had gained your entire confidence. -The medal he gave me, and which I now show you, proves to you that he -entirely responds for me. Will you, in your turn, trust in me as he has -done? Without you I can do nothing. I await your reply." - -He was silent. His auditors began a long discussion among themselves, -though in a low voice, which they carried on for some time. At length -silence was restored, and a man rose. - -"Count Gaetan de Lhorailles," he said, "my brethren have requested me to -answer you in their name. You presented yourself to us, supported by the -recommendation of a man in whom we have the most entire confidence. Your -conduct has appeared to confirm this recommendation. The one hundred and -fifty men you ask for are ready to follow you, no matter whither you may -lead them, persuaded as they are that they can only gain by seconding -your plans. I, Diego Leon, inscribe myself at the head of the list." - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -"And I!" - -The Dauph'yeers shouted, outcrying each other. The count gave a signal, -and silence was re-established. - -"Brothers, I thank you," he said. "The nucleus of our association will -remain at Valparaiso, and if I need them I will draw from that city the -resolute men I may presently want. For the moment one hundred and fifty -men are sufficient for me. If my plans succeed, who knows what the -future may have in store for us? I have drawn up a charter-party, all -the stipulations of which will be rigorously kept by myself and by you, -I have no doubt. Read and sign. In two days I start for Talca: but in -six weeks I will meet here those among you who consent to follow me, and -then I will communicate to them my plans in their fullest details." - -"Captain de Lhorailles," Diego Leon replied, "you say that you have only -need of one hundred and fifty men. Draw them by lots, then; for all wish -to accompany you." - -"Thank you once again, my brave comrades. Believe me, each shall have -his turn. The project I have formed is grand and worthy of you. -Selection would only arouse jealousy among men all equally worthy. Diego -Leon, I intrust to you the duty of drawing lots for the names of those -who are to form part of the first expedition." - -"It shall be done," said Leon, a methodical and steady Bearnese and -ex-corporal of the Spahis. - -"And now, my friends, one last word. Remember that in three months I -shall expect you at Guetzalli; and, by the aid of Heaven, the star of -the Dauph'yeer shall not be dimmed. Drink, brothers, drink to the -success of our enterprise!" - -"Let us drink!" all the Brethren of the Coast shouted quite electrified. - -The wine and brandy then began flowing. The whole night was spent in an -orgie, whose proportions became, towards morning, gigantic. The Count de -Lhorailles--thanks to the talisman the baron gave him on parting--had -found himself, immediately on his arrival in America, at the head of -resolute and unscrupulous men, by whose help it was easy for an -intellect like his to accomplish great things. - -Two months after the meeting to which we have introduced the reader, the -count and his one hundred and fifty Dauph'yeers were assembled at the -colony of Guetzalli--that magnificent concession which M. de Lhorailles -had obtained through his occult influences. - -The count appeared to command good fortune, and everything he undertook -succeeded. The projects which appeared the wildest were carried out by -him. His colony prospered and assumed proportions which delighted the -Mexican government. The count, with the tact and knowledge of the world -he thoroughly possessed, had caused the jealous and the curious to be -silent. He had created a circle of devoted friends and useful -acquaintances, who on various occasions pleaded in his behalf and -supported him by their credit. - -Our readers can judge of the progress he had made in so short a -time--scarce three years--when we say that, at the moment we introduce -him on the stage, he had almost attained the object of his constant -efforts. He was about to gain an honourable rank in society by marrying -the daughter of Don Sylva de Torres, one of the richest hacenderos in -Sonora: and through the influence of his future father-in-law he had -just received a commission as captain of a free corps, intended to -repulse the incursions of the Comanches and Apaches on the Mexican -territory, and the right of forming this company exclusively of -Europeans if he thought proper. - -We will now return to the house of Don Sylva de Torres, which we left -almost at the moment the Count de Lhorailles entered it. - - -[1] I salute you, most pure Mary! Eleven has struck, and it rains. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BY THE WINDOW. - - -When the young lady left the sitting room to retire to her sleeping -apartment, the count followed her with a lingering look, apparently not -at all understanding the extraordinary conduct of his betrothed, -especially under the circumstances in which they stood to each other, as -they were so shortly to be married; but, after a few moments' -reflection, the count shook his head, as if to dispel the mournful -thoughts by which he was assailed, and, turning to Don Sylva, said:-- - -"Let us talk about business matters. Are you agreeable?" - -"Have you anything new, then, to tell me?" - -"Many things." - -"Interesting?" - -"You shall be the judge." - -"Go on, then. I am all impatience to hear them." - -"Let us proceed in rotation. You are aware, my friend, why I left -Guetzalli?" - -"Perfectly. Well, have you succeeded?" - -"As I expected. Thanks to certain letters of which I was the bearer, -and, above all, your kind recommendation, General Marcos received me in -the most charming manner. The reception he deigned to accord me was most -affectionate. In short, he gave me _carte blanche_, authorising me to -raise, not only one hundred and fifty men, but double the number if I -considered it necessary." - -"Oh, that is magnificent." - -"Is it not? He told me also that in a war like that I was about to -undertake--for my chase of the Apaches is a real war--he left me at -liberty to act as I pleased, ratifying beforehand all I might do, being -persuaded, as he added, that it would ever be for the interest and glory -of Mexico." - -"Come, I am delighted with the result. And now, what are your -intentions?" - -"I have resolved on quitting you to proceed, in the first place, to -Guetzalli, whence I have now been absent nearly three weeks. I want to -revisit my colony, in order to see if all goes on as I would wish, and if -my men are happy. On the other hand, I shall not be sorry, before -departing for possibly a long period with the greater part of my forces, -to protect my colonists from a _coup de main_, by throwing up round the -establishment earthworks strong enough to repulse an assault of the -savages. This is the more important, because Guetzalli must always -remain, to a certain extent, my headquarters." - -"All right; and you start?" - -"This very evening." - -"So soon?" - -"I must. You are aware how time presses at present." - -"It is true. Have you nothing more to say to me?" - -"Pardon me, I have one other point which I expressly reserved for the -last." - -"You attach a great interest to it, then?" - -"Immense." - -"Oh, oh! I am listening to you, then, my friend. Speak quickly." - -"On my arrival in this country, at a period when the enterprises I have -since successfully carried out were only in embryo, you were good -enough, Don Sylva, to place at my disposal not only your credit, which -is immense, but your riches, which are incalculable." - -"It is true," the Mexican said with a smile. - -"I availed myself largely of your offers, frequently assailing your -strong box, and employing your credit whenever the occasion presented -itself. Permit me now to settle with you the only part of the debt I can -discharge, for I am incapable of repaying the other. Here," he added, -taking a paper from his portfolio, "is a bill for 100,000 piastres, -payable at sight on Walter Blount and Co., bankers, of Mexico. I am -happy, believe me, Don Sylva, to be able to pay this debt so promptly, -not because--" - -"Pardon me," the hacendero quickly interrupted him, and declining with a -gesture the paper the Count offered him, "we no longer understand each -other, it seems to me." - -"How so?" - -"I will explain. On your arrival at Guaymas, you presented yourself to -me, bearing a pressing letter of recommendation from a man to whom I -owed very great obligations a few years back. The Baron de Spurtzheim -described you to me rather as a beloved son than as a friend in whom he -took interest. My house was at once opened to you--it was my duty to do -so. Then, when I knew you, and could appreciate all that was noble and -grand in your character, our relations, at first rather cold, became -closer and more intimate. I offered you my daughter's hand, which you -accepted." - -"And gladly so," the count explained. - -"Very good," the hacendero continued with a smile. "The money I could -receive from a stranger--money which he honestly owes me--belongs to my -son-in-law. Tear up that paper, then, my dear count, and pray do not -think of such a trifle." - -"Ah!" the count said, in a tone of vexation, "that was exactly what -troubled me. I am not your son-in-law yet, and may I confess it? I fear -I never shall be." - -"What can make you fancy that? Have you not my promise? The word of Don -Sylva de Torres, Sir Count de Lhorailles, is a pledge which no one has -ever yet dared to doubt." - -"And for that reason I have no such idea. It is not you I am afraid of." - -"Who, then?" - -"Dona Anita." - -"Oh, oh! My friend, you must explain yourself, for I confess I do not -understand you at all," Don Sylva said sharply, as he rose and began -walking up and down the room in considerable agitation. - -"Good gracious, my friend, I am quite in despair at having produced this -discussion! I love Dona Anita. Love, as you know, easily takes umbrage. -Although my betrothed has ever been amiable, kind, and gracious to me, -still I confess that I fancy she does not love me." - -"You are mad, Don Gaetano. Young girls know not what they like or -dislike. Do not trouble yourself about such a childish thing. I promised -that she shall be your wife, and it shall be so." - -"Still, if she loved another, I should not like--" - -"What! Really what you say has not common sense. Anita loves no one but -you, I am sure; and stay, would you like to be reassured? You say that -you start for Guetzalli this evening?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Prepare apartments for my daughter and myself. In a few days -we will join you at your hacienda." - -"Is it possible?" the count said joyfully. - -"Tomorrow at daybreak we will start; so make haste." - -"A thousand thanks." - -"Come, you are now easier?" - -"I am the happiest of mortals." - -"All the better." - -The two men exchanged a few words further, and separated with renewed -promises of meeting again soon. - -Don Sylva, accustomed to command despotically in his establishment, and -to allow no one to discuss his will, told his daughter, through her -waiting maid, that she must prepare for a rather long journey the next -morning, and felt certain of her obedience. - -The news was a thunderbolt for the young lady. She sank half fainting -into an easy chair, and melted into tears. It was evident to her that -this journey was only a pretext to separate her from the man she loved, -and place, her a defenceless victim, in the power of the man she -abhorred, and who was to be her husband. The poor child remained thus -for several hours, a prey to violent despair, and not dreaming of -seeking impossible repose; for, in the state in which she found herself, -she knew that sleep would not close her eyes, all swollen with tears, -and red with fever. - -Gradually the sounds of the town died away one after the other. All -slept, or seemed to sleep. Don Sylva's house was plunged into complete -darkness; a weak light alone glistened like a star through the young -girl's windows, proving that there at least someone was watching. - -At this moment two hesitating shadows were cast on the wall opposite the -hacendero's house. Two men, wrapped in long cloaks, stopped and examined -the dimly lighted window with that attention only found in thieves and -lovers. The two men to whom we allude incontestably belonged to the -latter category. - -"Hum!" the first said in a sharp but suppressed voice, "You are certain -of what you assert, Cuchares?" - -"As of my eternal salvation, Senor Don Martial," the scamp replied in -the same tone. "The accursed Englishman entered the house while I was -there. Don Sylva appeared on the best terms with the heretic. May his -soul be confounded!" - -We may here remark that a few years ago, and possibly even now, in the -eyes of the Mexicans all foreigners were English, no matter the nation -to which they belonged, and consequently heretics. Hence they naturally -ranked, though little suspecting it, with the men whom it is no crime to -kill, but whose assassination is rather looked upon as a meritorious -action. We are bound to add, to the credit of the Mexicans, that -whenever the occasion offered, they killed the English with an ardour -which was a sufficient proof of their piety. - -Don Martial continued:-- - -"On the faith of the Tigrero, this man has twice crossed my path, and I -have spared him; but let him be careful against the third meeting." - -"Oh!" Cuchares said, "the reverend Fra Becchico says that a man gains -splendid indulgences by 'cutting' an Englishman. I have not yet had the -luck to come across one, although I owe about eight dead men. I am much -inclined to indulge myself with this one; it would be so much gained." - -"On thy life, picaro, let him alone. That man belongs to me." - -"Well, we'll not mention it again," he replied, stifling a sigh; "I will -leave him to you. For all that it annoys me, although the nina seems to -detest him cordially." - -"Have you any proof of what you say?" - -"What better proof than the repugnance she displays so soon as he -appears, and the pallor which then covers her face without any apparent -reason?" - -"Ah, I would give a thousand ounces to know what to believe." - -"What prevents you? Everybody is asleep--no one will see you. The story -is not high--fifteen feet at the most. I am certain that Dona Anita -would be delighted to have a chat with you." - -"Oh, if I could but believe it!" he muttered with hesitation, casting a -side glance at the still lighted window. - -"Who knows? Perhaps she is expecting you." - -"Silence, you scoundrel!" - -"By'r Lady only listen! If what is said be true, the poor child must be -in a perplexity, if not worse: she has probably great need of -assistance." - -"What do they say? Come, speak, but be brief." - -"A very simple thing--that Dona Anita de Torres marries within a week -the Englishman, Don Gaetano." - -"You lie villain!" said the Tigrero with badly-restrained wrath. "I know -not what prevents me thrusting down your throat with my dagger the -odious words you have just uttered." - -"You would do wrong," the other said, without being in the -least discovered. "I am only an echo that repeats what it hears, nothing -more. You alone in all Guaymas are ignorant of this news. After all, -there is nothing astonishing in that, as you have only returned to town -this day, after an absence of more than a month." - -"That is true; but what is to be done?" - -"Caray! Follow the advice I give you." - -The Tigrero turned another long glance on the window, and let his head -sink with an irresolute air. - -"What will she say on seeing me?" he muttered. - -"Caramba!" the lepero said in a sarcastic tone, "She will cry, 'You are -welcome, _alma mia!_' It is clear, caray! Don Martial, have you become a -timid child, that a woman's glance can make you tremble? Opportunity has -only three hairs, in love as in war. You must seize her when she -presents herself: if you do not, you run a risk of not meeting her -again." - -The Mexican approached the lepero near enough to touch him, and, fixing -his glance on his tiger-cat eyes, said in a low and concentrated voice,-- - -"Cuchares, I trust in you. You know me. I have often come to your -assistance. Were you to deceive my confidence I would kill you like a -coyote." - -The Tigrero pronounced these words with such an accent of dull fury, -that the lepero, who knew the man before whom he was standing, turned -pale in spite of himself, and felt a shudder of terror pass through his -limbs. - -"I am devoted to you, Don Martial," he replied in a voice, which he -tried in vain to render firm. "Whatever may happen, count on me. What -must I do?" - -"Nothing; but wait, watch, at the least suspicious sound, the first -hostile shadow that appears in the darkness, warn me." - -"Count on me. Go to work. I am deaf and dumb, and during your absence I -will watch over you like a son over his father." - -"Good!" the Tigrero said. - -He drew a few steps nearer, undid the reata fastened round his loins, -and held it in his right hand. Then he raised his eyes, measured the -distance and turning the reata forcibly round his head, hurled it into -Dona Anita's balcony. The running knot caught in an iron hook, and -remained firmly attached. - -"Remember!" the Tigrero said, as he turned toward Cuchares. - -"Go on," the latter said, as he leaned against the wall and crossed his -legs; "I answer for everything." - -Don Martial was satisfied, or feigned to be satisfied, with this -assurance. He seized the reata, and taking a leap, like one of those -panthers he had so often tracked on the prairies, he raised himself by -the strength of his wrists, and speedily reached the balcony. He climbed -over and went up to the window. - -Dona Anita was asleep, half reclining in an easy chair. The poor girl, -pale and exhausted, her eyes swollen with tears, had been conquered by -sleep, which never gives up its claim on young and vigorous -constitutions. On her marbled cheeks the tears had traced a long furrow, -which was still humid. Martial surveyed with a tender glance the woman -he loved, though not daring to approach her. Surprised thus during her -sleep, Anita appeared to him even more beautiful; a halo of purity and -candour seemed to surround her, watch over her repose, and render her -holy and unassailable. - -After a long and voluptuous contemplation, the Tigrero at length decided -on advancing. The window, which was only leaned to (for the young girl -had not dreamed of falling to sleep, as she had done), opened at the -slightest push. Don Martial took one step, and found himself in the -room. At the sight of this virginal chamber a religious respect fell on -the Tigrero. He felt his heart beat rebelliously; and tottering, mad -with fear and love, he fell on his knees by the side of the being he -adored. - -Anita opened her eyes. - -"Oh!" she exclaimed, on seeing Don Martial, "Blessed be God, since He -sends you to my assistance!" - -The Tigrero surveyed her with moistened eye and panting chest. But -suddenly the girl drew herself up; her memory returned, and with it that -timid modesty innate in all women. - -"Begone," she said, recoiling to the extremity of the room, "begone, -caballero! How are you here? Who led you to my room? Answer I command -you." - -The Tigrero humbly bowed his head. - -"God," he said, in an inarticulate voice, "God alone has conducted me to -your side, senorita, as you yourself said. Oh, pardon me for having -dared to surprise you thus! I have committed a great fault, I am aware; -but a misfortune menaces you--I feel it, I guess it. You are alone, -without support, and I have come to say to you, 'Madam, I am very low, -very unworthy to serve you, but you have need of a firm and devoted -heart. Here I am! Take my blood, take my life. I would be so happy to -die for you!' In the name of Heaven, senora, in the name of what you -love most on earth, do not reject my prayer. My arm, my heart, are -yours: dispose of them." - -These words were uttered by the young man in a choking voice, as he -knelt in the middle of the room, his hands clasped, and fixing on Dona -Anita his eyes, into which he had thrown his entire soul. - -The hacendero's daughter turned her limpid glance on the young man, and, -without removing her eyes, approached him with short steps, hesitating -and trembling despite herself. When she arrived near him she remained -for a moment undecided. At length she laid her two small, dainty hands -on his shoulders, and placed her gentle face so near his, that the -Tigrero felt on his forehead the freshness of her embalmed breath, while -her long, black, and perfumed tresses gently caressed him. - -"It is true, then," she said in a harmonious voice, "you love me then, -Don Martial?" - -"Oh!" the young man murmured, almost mad with love at this delicious -contact. - -The Mexican girl bent over him still more, and grazing with her rosy -lips the Tigrero's moist brow,-- - -"Now," she said to him, starting back with the ravishing movement of a -startled fawn, while her brow turned purple with the effort she had made -to overcome her modesty, "now defend me, Don Martial; for in the -presence of God, who sees us and judges us, I am your wife!" - -The Tigrero leaped on his feet beneath the corrosive sting of this kiss. -With a radiant brow and sparkling eyes, he seized the girl's arm and -drawing her to the corner of the room, where was a statue of the -Virgin, before which perfumed oil was burning,-- - -"On your knees, senorita," he said in an inspired voice, and himself -bowed the knee. - -The girl obeyed him. - -"Holy Mother of Sorrow!" Don Martial went on, "_Nuestra Senora de la -Soledad_! Divine succour of the afflicted, who soundest all hearts! Thou -seest the purity of our souls, the holiness of our love. Before thee I -take for my wife Dona Anita de Torres. I swear to defend and protect -her, before and against everybody, even if I lose my life in the contest -I commence this day for the happiness of her I love, and who from this -day forth is really my betrothed." - -After pronouncing this oath in a firm voice the Tigrero turned to the -maiden. - -"It is your turn now, senorita," he said to her. - -The girl fervently clasped her hands, and raising her tear-laden eyes to -the holy image,-- - -"Nuestra Senora de la Soledad," she said in a voice broken with emotion, -"thou, my only protector since the day of my birth, knowest how truly I -am devoted to thee! I swear that all this man has said is the truth. I -take him for my husband in thy sight, and will never have another." - -They rose, and Dona Anita led the Tigrero to the balcony. - -"Go!" she said to him. "Don Martial's wife must not be suspected. Go, my -husband, my brother! The man to whom they want to deliver me is called -the Count de Lhorailles. Tomorrow at daybreak we leave this place, -probably to join him." - -"And he?" - -"Started this night." - -"Where is he going?" - -"I know not." - -"I will kill him." - -"Farewell, Don Martial, farewell!" - -"Farewell, Dona Anita! Take courage: I am watching over you." - -And after imprinting a last and chaste kiss on the young girl's pure -brow, he clambered over the balcony, and hanging by the reata, glided -down into the street. The hacendero's daughter unfastened the running -knot, leant out and gazed on the Tigrero as long as she could see him; -then she closed the window. - -"Alas, alas!" murmured she, suppressing a sigh, "What have I done? Holy -Virgin, thou alone canst restore me the courage which is deserting me." - -She let the curtain fall which veiled the window, and turned to go and -kneel before the Virgin; but suddenly she recoiled, uttering a cry of -terror. Two paces from her Don Sylva was standing with frowning brow and -stern face. - -"Dona Anita, my daughter," said he, in a slow and stern voice, "I have -seen and heard everything; spare yourself, then, I beg you, all useless -denial." - -"My father!" the poor child stammered in a broken voice. - -"Silence!" he continued. "It is three o'clock; we set out at sunrise. -Prepare yourself to marry in a fortnight Don Gaetano de Lhorailles." - -And, without deigning to add a word, he walked out slowly, carefully -closing the door after him. - -As soon as she was alone the young girl bent down as if listening, -tottered a few steps forward, raised her hands with a nervous gesture to -her contracted throat--then, pealing forth a piercing cry, fell back on -the floor. - -She had fainted. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE DUEL. - - -It was about eight in the evening when the Count de Lhorailles left the -residence of Don Sylva de Torres. The _feria de plata_ was then in all -its splendour. The streets of Guaymas were thronged with a joyful and -motley crowd: the shouts of songs and laughter rose on every side. The -piles of gold heaped on the monte tables emitted their yellow and -intoxicating reflection in the dazzling gleams of the lights, that -shone in every door and window: here and there the sounds of the -_vihuelas_ and _jarabes_ escaped from the pulquerias, invaded by the -drinkers. The count, elbowed and elbowing, traversed as quickly as was -possible the dense groups which at every instant barred his passage; but -the conversation he had had with Don Sylva had put him in too happy a -temper for him to dream of being vexed at the numerous collisions he -endured at every moment. - -At length, after numberless difficulties, and wasting at least thrice -the time he would have employed under other circumstances, he reached at -about ten in the evening, the house where he lodged. He had spent about -two hours in covering less than six hundred yards. - -On arriving at the meson, the count proceeded first to the corral to see -his horse, to which he gave, with his own hand, two trusses of alfalfa; -then, after ordering that he should be called at one o'clock, if by -accident (which was most improbable) he retired to his _cuarto_ to take -a few hours' rest. - -The count intended to start at such an early hour in order to avoid the -heat of the day, and travel more quickly. Besides, after his lengthened -conversation with Don Sylva, the noble adventurer was not sorry to find -himself alone, in order to go over in his mind all the happy things that -had happened during the past evening. - -From the moment he had landed in America the count had enjoyed--to -employ a familiar term--a shameful good luck: everything succeeded with -him. In a few months his fortune might be thus summed up:--A colony -founded under the most favourable auspices, and already on the road of -progress and improvement: while keeping his nationality intact--that is -to say, his liberty of action and an inviolable neutrality--he was in -the service of the Mexican Government, as captain of a free corps of one -hundred and fifty devoted men, with whom he could attempt, if not carry -out, the wildest enterprises. In the last place, he was on the point of -marrying the daughter of a man twenty times a millionaire, as far as he -had opportunity of judging; and what in no way spoiled the affair, his -betrothed was delightful. - -Unfortunately, or fortunately, according the standpoint our readers may -think in judging of our hero, this man, worn out by the enervating -eccentricities of Parisian life, no longer felt his heart beat from any -emotion of joy, sorrow or fear: all was dead within him. He was exactly -the man wanted to succeed in the country to which accident had sent him. -In the great del of life he had begun in America he had an immense -advantage over his adversaries--that of never allowing himself to be -directed by passion; and consequently, owing to his unalterable coolness, -he was enabled to evade the pitfalls incessantly laid for him, over -which he triumphed without appearing to notice them. - -After what we have said, we have hardly need to add that he did not love -the woman whose hand he sought. She was young and lovely--so much the -better. Had she been old and ugly he would have accepted her hand all -the same. What did he care? He only sought one thing in marriage--a -brilliant and envied position. In fine, the Count de Lhorailles was all -calculation. We have made a mistake, however, in affirming that he had -not a weak point. He was ambitious. This passion, one of the most -violent of those with which Heaven has afflicted the human race, was -possibly the only link by which the count was still attached to -humanity. Ambition in him had reached such a pitch, especially during -the last few months--it had taken such an immense development--that he -would have sacrificed all to it. - -Now let us see what was the object of this man's ambition. What future -did he dream of? It is probable that we may explain this to the reader -in fuller detail presently. - -The count went to bed; that is to say, after wrapping himself carefully -in his zarape, he stretched himself on the leathern frame which -throughout Mexico is the substitute for beds, whose existence is -completely ignored. So soon as he lay down he fell asleep, with that -conscience peculiar to the adventurer whose every hour is claimed -beforehand, and who, having but a few moments to grant to rest, hastens -to profit by them, and sleeps as the Spaniards say, _a la pierna -suelta_, which we may translate nearly by sleeping with closed fists. - -At one in the morning the count, as he had promised, awoke, lighted the -_cebo_ which served him as a candle, arranged his toilette to a certain -extent, carefully examined his pistols and rifle, and assured himself -that his sabre left the scabbard easily; then, when all these various -preparations, indispensable for every traveller careful for his safety, -were ended, he opened the door of the cuarto and proceeded to the -corral. - -His horse was eating heartily, and gaily finishing its alfalfa. The -count himself gave it a measure of oats, which he saw it dispose of with -neighs of pleasure, and then put on the saddle. In Mexico, horsemen, -whatever the class of society to which they belong, never leave to -others the care of attending to their steeds: for in those semi-savage -countries the life of the rider depends nearly always upon the vigour -and speed of his animal. - -The door of the meson was only leaned to, so that the travellers might -start whenever they pleased without disturbing anybody. The count lit -his cigar, leaped into the saddle, and started on a trot along the road -leading to the Rancho. Nothing is so agreeable as night travelling in -Mexico. The earth, refreshed by the night breeze, and bedewed by the -copious dew, exhaled acrid and perfumed scents, whose beneficent -emanations restore the body all its vigour, and the mind its lucidity. -The moon, just on the point of disappearing, profusely scattered its -oblique rays, which lengthened immoderately the shadow of the trees -growing at intervals along the road, and made them in the obscurity -resemble a legion of fleshless spectres. The sky, of a deep azure, was -studded with an infinite number of glistening stars, in the midst of -which flashed the dazzling southern cross, to which the Indians have -given the name of _Poron Chayke_. The wind breathed gently through the -branches, in which the blue jay uttered at intervals the melodious notes -of its melancholy song, with which were mingled at times, in the -profundities of the desert, the howling of the cougar, the sharp miauw -of the panther or the ounce, and the hoarse bark of the coyotes in -search of prey. - -The count, on leaving Guaymas, had hurried on his horse; but subjugated, -in spite of himself, by the irresistible attractions of this autumn -night he gradually checked the pace of his steed, and yielded to the -flood of thoughts which mounted incessantly to his brain, and plunged -him into a gentle reverie. The descendant of an ancient and haughty -Frank race, alone in this desert, he mentally surveyed the splendour of -his name so long eclipsed, and his heart expanded with joy and pride on -reflecting that the task was reserved for him perhaps to rehabilitate -those from whom he descended, and restore, this time eternally, the -fortunes of his family, of which he had hitherto proved such a bad -guardian. - -This land, which he trampled underfoot, would restore him what he had -lost and madly squandered a hundred fold. The moment had at length -arrived when, free from all hobbles, he was about to realise those plans -for the future so long engraved on his brain. He went on thus, -travelling in the country of chimeras, and so absorbed in his thoughts, -that he no longer troubled himself with what went on around him. - -The stars were beginning to turn pale in the heavens, and be -extinguished in turn. The dawn was tracing a white line, which gradually -assumed a reddish tint on the distant obscurity of the horizon. On the -approach of day the air became fresher; then the count, aroused--if we -may employ the term--by the icy impression produced on him by the -bountiful desert dew, pulled the folds of his zarape over the shoulders -with a shudder, and started at a gallop, directing a glance to the sky, -and muttering,-- - -"I will succeed, no matter the odds." - -A haughty defiance, to which the heavens seemed prepared to respond -immediately. - -The day was on the brink of dawning, and, in consequence of that, the -night, owing to its struggle with the twilight, had become more gloomy, -as always happens during the few moments preceding the apparition of the -sun. The first houses of the Rancho were standing out from the fog, a -short distance before him, when the count heard, or fancied he heard, -the sound of several horses' hoofs re-echoing on the pebbles behind him. - -In America, by night, and on a solitary road, the presence of man -announces always or nearly always, a peril. - -The count stopped and listened. The sound was rapidly approaching. The -Frenchman was brave, and had proved it in many circumstances; still he -did not at all desire to be assassinated in the corner of the road, and -perish miserably through an ambuscade. He looked around, in order to -study the chances of safety offered him in the probable event that the -arrivals were enemies. - -The plain was bare and flat: not a tree, not a ditch, nor any elevation -behind which he could intrench himself. Two hundred yards in front, as -we have said, were the first houses of the Rancho. - -The count made up his mind on the instant. He dug his spurs into his -horse's flanks, and galloped at full speed in the direction of San Jose. -It seemed to him as if the strangers imitated him, and pressed on their -horses too. - -A few minutes passed thus, during which the sound grew more distinct. It -was, therefore, evident to the Frenchman that the strangers were after -him. He threw a glance behind him, and perceived two shadows, still -distant, rushing at full speed towards him. By this time the count had -reached the Rancho. Reassured by the vicinity of houses, and not caring -to fly from a perhaps imaginary danger, he turned back, drew his horse -across the road, took a pistol in each hand, and waited. The strangers -were still pressing on without checking the speed of their horses, and -were soon within twenty yards of the count. - -"Who goes there?" he shouted in a firm and loud voice. - -The unknown made no reply, and appeared to redouble their speed. - -"Who's there?" the count repeated. "Stop, or I fire!" - -He uttered these words with such a determined accent, his countenance -was so intrepid, that, after a few moments' hesitation, the strangers -stopped. - -There were two of them. The day, just feebly breaking, permitted the -count to distinguish them perfectly. They were dressed in Mexican -costume; but, strangely enough in this country, where, under similar -circumstances, the bandits care very little about showing their faces, -the strangers were masked. - -"Hold, my masters!" shouted the count. "What means this obstinate -pursuit?" - -"That we probably have an interest in catching you up," replied a -hoarse voice sarcastically. - -"Then you really are after me?" - -"Yes, if you are the stranger known as the Count de Lhorailles." - -"I am he," said he without any hesitation. - -"Very good; then we can come to an understanding." - -"I ask nothing better, though, from your suspicious conduct, you appear -to me to be bandits, if you want my purse, take it and be off, for I am -in a hurry." - -"Keep your purse, caballero; we want to take your life, and not your -money." - -"Ah, ha! 'tis, then, a trap, followed by an assassination." - -"You are mistaken. I offer you a fair fight." - -"Hum!" the count said, "a fair fight: two against one--that is rather -disproportionate." - -"You would be correct if matters were as you assume," the man haughtily -replied who had hitherto taken the word; "but my companion will content -himself with looking on and taking no part in the duel." - -The count reflected. - -"Pardieu!" he said at last, "It is an extraordinary affair! A duel in -Mexico and with a Mexican! Such a thing as that has never been heard of -before." - -"It is true, caballero; but all things must have a beginning." - -"Enough of jesting. I ask nothing better than to fight, and I hope to -prove to you that I am a resolute man; but before accepting your -proposition, I should not be sorry to know why you force me to fight -you." - -"For what end?" - -"Corbleu! Why, to know it. You must understand that I cannot waste my -time in fighting with every ruffler I meet on the road, and who has a -fancy to have his throat cut." - -"It will be enough for you to know that I hate you." - -"Caramba! I suspected as much; but as you seem determined not to show me -your face, I should like to be able to recognise you at another time." - -"Enough chattering," the unknown said haughtily. "Time is flying. We -have had sufficient discussion." - -"Well, my master, if that is the case, get ready. I warn you that I -intend to take you both. A Frenchman would never have any difficulty in -holding his own against two Mexican bandits." - -"As you please." - -"Forward!" - -"Forward!" - -The three horsemen spurred their horses and charged. When they met they -exchanged pistol shots, and then drew their sabres. The fight was brief, -but obstinate. One of the strangers, slightly wounded, was carried away -by his horse, and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The count, grazed by a -ball, felt his anger changed to fury, and redoubled his efforts to -master his foe; but he had before him a sturdy opponent, a man of -surprising skill and of strength at least equal to his own. - -This man whose eyes he saw gleaming like live coals through the holes in -his mask, whirled round him with extraordinary rapidity, making his -horse perform the boldest curvets, attacking him incessantly with the -point or edge of his sabre, while bounding out of reach of the -counterblows. - -The count exhausted himself in vain against this indefatigable enemy. -His movements began to lose their elasticity--his sight grew -troubled--the perspiration stood in beads on his forehead. His silent -adversary increased the rapidity of his attacks: the issue of the combat -was no longer doubtful, when the Frenchman suddenly felt a slipknot fall -on his shoulders. Before he could even dream of loosening it he was -roughly lifted from his saddle, and hurled to the ground so violently -that he almost fainted, and found it impossible to make an effort to -rise. The second stranger, after a mad course of a few moments, had at -length succeeded in mastering his horse; he returned in all haste to the -scene of action, the two men so furiously engaged not noticing it; then, -thinking it time to put an end to the duel, he raised his reata and -lassoed the count. - -So soon as he saw his enemy on the ground, the unknown leaped from his -horse and ran up to him. His first care was to free the Frenchman from -the slipknot that strangled him, and then tried to restore him to his -senses, which was not a lengthy task. - -"Ah!" the count said, with a bitter smile, as he rose and crossed his -arms on his chest, "that is what you call fair fighting." - -"You are alone to blame for what has happened," the other said quietly, -"as you would not agree to my propositions." - -The Frenchman disdained any discussion. He contented himself with -shrugging his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Your life belongs to me," his adversary continued. - -"Yes, through a piece of treachery; but no matter--assassinate me, and -finish the affair." - -"I do not wish to kill you." - -"What do you want, then?" - -"To give you a piece of advice." - -The count laughed sarcastically. - -"You must be mad, my good fellow." - -"Not so much as you fancy. Listen attentively to what I have to say to -you." - -"I will do so even for the hope of being promptly freed from your -presence." - -"Good, Senor Conde de Lhorailles. Your arrival in this country has -caused the unhappiness of two persons." - -"Nonsense! You are jesting with me." - -"I speak seriously. Don Sylva de Torres has promised you his daughter's -hand." - -"How does it concern you?" - -"Answer!" - -"It is true. Why should I conceal it?" - -"Dona Anita does not love you." - -"How do you know that?" the count asked with a mocking smile. - -"I know it; I know, too, that she loves another." - -"Only think of that!" - -"And that the other loves her." - -"All the worse for him; for I swear that I will not surrender her." - -"You are mistaken, senor conde. You will surrender her or die." - -"Neither one or the other," the impetuous Frenchman shouted, now -perfectly recovered from his stunning fall. "I repeat that I will marry -Dona Anita. If she does not love me, well, that is unfortunate. I hope -that she will presently alter her opinion of me. The marriage suits me, -and no one will succeed in breaking it off." - -The unknown listened, a prey to violent emotion. His eyes flashed -lightning, and he stamped his feet furiously; still he made an effort to -master the feeling which agitated him, and replied in a slow and firm -voice,-- - -"Take care of what you do, caballero. I have sworn to warn you, and have -done so honestly. Heaven grant that my words find an echo in your heart, -and that you follow the counsel I give you! The first time accident -brings us together again one of us will die." - -"I will take my precautions, be assured; but you are wrong not to profit -by the present occasion to kill me, for it will not occur again." - -The two strangers had by this time remounted. - -"Count de Lhorailles," the unknown said again, as he bent over the -Frenchman, "for the last time, take care, for I have a great advantage -over you. I know you, and you do not know me. It will be an easy thing -for me to reach you whenever I please. We are the sons of Indians and -Spaniards. We feel a burning hatred: so take care." - -After bowing ironically to the count he burst into a mocking laugh, -spurred his horse, and started at headlong speed, followed by his silent -companion. The count watched them disappear with a pensive air. When -they were lost in the obscurity he tossed his head several times, as if -to shake off the gloomy thoughts that oppressed him in spite of himself, -then picked up his sabre and pistols, took his horse by the bridle, and -walked slowly toward the pulqueria, near which the fight had taken -place. - -The light which filtered through the badly-joined planks of the door, -the songs and laughter that resounded from the interior, afforded a -reasonable prospect of obtaining a temporary shelter in this house. - -"Hum!" he muttered to himself as he walked along, "That bandit is right. -He knows me, and I have no way of recognising him. By Jupiter, I have a -good sound hatred on my shoulders! But nonsense!" he added, "I was too -happy. I wanted an enemy. On my soul, let him do as he will! Even if -Hades combine against me, I swear that nothing will induce me to resign -the hand of Dona Anita." - -At this moment he found himself in front of the pulqueria, at the door -of which he rapped. Naturally impatient, angered, too, by the accident -which had happened to him, and the tremendous struggle he had been -engaged in, the count was about to carry out his threat of beating in -the door, when it was opened. - -"_Valga me Dios!_" he exclaimed wrathfully, "Is this the way you allow -people to be assassinated before your doors, without proceeding to their -assistance?" - -"Oh, oh!" the pulquero said sharply, "Is anyone dead?" - -"No, thanks to Heaven!" the count replied; "But I had a narrow escape of -being killed." - -"Oh!" the pulquero said with great nonchalance, "If we were to trouble -ourselves about all who shout for help at night, we should have enough -to do; and besides, it is very dangerous on account of the police." - -The count shrugged his shoulders and walked in, leading his horse after -him. The door was closed again immediately. - -The count was unaware that in Mexico the man who finds a corpse, or -brings the assassin to trial, is obliged to pay all the expenses of a -justice enormously expensive in itself, and which never affords any -satisfaction to the victim. In all the Mexican provinces people are so -thoroughly convinced of the truth of what we assert, that, so soon as a -murder is committed, everyone runs off, without dreaming of helping the -victim; for, in the case of death supervening, such an act of charity -would entail many annoyances on the individual who tried to imitate the -good Samaritan. - -In Sonora people do better still: as soon as a quarrel begins, and a man -falls, they shut all the doors. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE DEPARTURE. - - -As Don Sylva had announced to his daughter, by daybreak all was ready -for the start. In Mexico, and specially in Sonora, where roads are -mainly remarkable for their absence, the mode of travelling differs -utterly from that adopted in Europe. There are no public vehicles, no -relays of post horses; the only means of transport known and practised -is on horseback. - -A journey of only a few days entails interminable cares and vexations. -You must carry everything with you, because you are certain of finding -nothing on the road. Beds, tents, provisions and water before all, must -be carried on mule-back. Without these indispensable precautions you -would run a risk of dying from hunger or thirst, and sleeping in the -open air. - -You must also be provided with a considerable and well-armed escort, in -order to repulse the attacks of wild beasts, Indians and especially -robbers with whom all the roads of Mexico swarm, owing to the anarchy in -which this unhappy country is plunged. Hence it is easy to comprehend -the earnest desire Don Sylva felt to quit Guaymas at as early an hour as -possible. - -The court of the house resembled an hostelry. Fifteen mules laden with -bales were waiting while the palanquin in which Dona Anita was to travel -was being got ready. Some forty steeds, saddled, bridled, with -musquetoons attached at to the troussequins, and pistols in the -holsters, were fastened to rings in the wall while a peon held in hand a -splendid stallion, magnificently harnessed, which stamped and champed -its silver bit, which it covered with foam. - -In the street a crowd of people, among whom were Don Martial and -Cuchares, already returned from their expedition to the Rancho, were -curiously regarding this departure, which they could not at all -comprehend at such an advanced period of the year, so unpropitious for a -country residence, and making all sorts of comments on the reason of the -journey. - -Among all these people, collected by accident or through curiosity, was -a man, evidently an Indian, who, leaning carelessly against the wall, -never took his eyes off the door of Don Sylva's house, and followed with -evident interest all the movements of the hacendero's numerous servants. - -This man, still young, appeared to be an Hiaqui Indian, although an -observer, after a close inspection, would have asserted the contrary; -for there was in the man's wide brow, in his eyes, whose glitter he -tried in vain to moderate, in the haughty mouth, and above all, in the -native elegance of his vigorous limbs, which seemed carved on the model -of the Greek Hercules, something proud, resolute and independent, which -rather denoted the proud Comanche or ferocious Apache than the stupid -Hiaqui; but in this crowd no one dreamed of troubling himself about the -Indian, who, for his part, was careful to attract as little attention as -possible. - -The Hiaquis are accustomed to come to Guaymas, and let themselves out as -workmen or servants; hence the presence of an Indian there is not at all -extraordinary, and is not noticed. - -At last, at about eight o'clock, Don Sylva, giving his hand to his -daughter, who was dressed in a charming travelling costume, appeared -beneath the portico of the house. Dona Anita was pale as a ghost. Her -haggard features, her swollen eyes, testified to the sufferings of the -night, and the restraint she was forced to place on herself, even at -this moment, to prevent her bursting into tears in the presence of all. -At the sight of the young lady, Don Martial and Cuchares exchanged a -rapid glance, while a smile of indefinable expression played round the -lips of the Indian to whom we have alluded. - -On the hacendero's arrival silence was re-established as if by -enchantment; the _arrieros_ ran to the heads of their mules; the servants, -armed to the teeth, mounted; and Don Sylva, after assuring himself by a -glance that all was ready, and that his orders had been punctually -executed, placed his daughter in the palanquin, where she at once -nestled like a hummingbird among rose leaves. - -At a sign from the hacendero, the mules, fastened to each other by the -tails, began to leave the house behind the _nana_, whose bells they -followed, and escorted by peons. Before mounting his horse Don Sylva -turned to an old servant, who, straw hat in hand, respectfully stood -near him. - -"Adieu, Tio Pelucho!" he said to him. "I intrust the house to you. Keep -good watch, and take care of all in it. I leave you Pedrito and -Florentio to help you, and you will give them the necessary orders for -all to go on properly during my absence." - -"You may be at ease, mi amo," the old man answered, saluting his master. -"Thanks to Heaven, this is not the first time you have left me alone -here, and I believe I have ever done my duty properly." - -"You are a good servant, Tio Pelucho," Don Sylva said with a smile; "I -start in most perfect ease of mind." - -"May God bless you, mi amo, as well as the nina!" the old man continued, -crossing himself. - -"Good bye, Tio Pelucho," the young lady then said, leaning out of the -palanquin. "I know that you are careful of everything belonging to me." - -The old man bowed with visible delight. Don Sylva gave the order for -departure, and the whole caravan started in the direction of the Rancho -de San Jose. - -It was one of those magnificent mornings only known in these blessed -regions. The night storm had entirely swept the sky, which was of a pale -blue. The sun, already high in the horizon, shot forth its hot beams, -which were slightly tempered by the odoriferous vapours exhaling from -the ground. The atmosphere, impregnated by acrid and penetrating odours, -was of extraordinary transparency; a light breeze refreshed the air at -intervals; flocks of birds, glistening with a thousand colours, flew in -every direction, and the mules following the bell of the _nena -madrina_--the mother mule--were urged on by the songs of the arrieros. - -The caravan moved along gaily through the sandy plain, raising round it -clouds of dust, and forming a long twining serpent in the endless -turnings of the road. A vanguard of ten servants explored the -neighbourhood, examining the bushes, and shifting sand heaps. Don Sylva -smoked a cigar while conversing with his daughter; and a rearguard, -formed of twenty resolute men, closed the march, and insured the -security of the convoy. - -In this country, we repeat it, where the police are a nullity, and -consequently surveillance impossible, a journey of four leagues--and the -Rancho de San Jose is only that distance from Guaymas--is a very serious -affair, and demands as many precautions as a journey of a hundred -leagues with us, the enemies who may be met, and with whom you run a risk -of a contest at any moment--Indians, robbers, or wild beasts--being too -numerous, determined, and too greedy for plunder and murder to allow the -traveller to confide with gaiety of heart in the speed of his horse. - -They were already far from Guaymas, the white houses of which town had -long ago disappeared in the numerous turnings of the road, when the -capataz, leaving the head of the caravan, where he had hitherto remained -galloped back to the palanquin, where Don Sylva was still riding. - -"Well, Blas," the latter said, "what is there new? Have you noticed -anything alarming ahead of us?" - -"Nothing, excellency," the capataz replied: "all is going well, and in -an hour at the latest we shall be at the Rancho." - -"Whence, then, the haste you showed to join me again?" - -"Oh! Excellency, it is not much; but an idea occurred to me--something I -wished you to see." - -"Ah, ah!" Don Sylva said. "What is it, my lad?" - -"Look, excellency," the capataz continued, pointing in a south-western -direction. - -"Ah! What is that? A fire, if I am not mistaken." - -"It is indeed a fire, excellency. Look here;" and he pointed -east-south-east. - -"There's another. Who on earth has lighted the fires on those scarped -points? What can their object be?" - -"Oh! It is easy enough to understand that, excellency." - -"Do you think so, my boy? Well, then you will explain it to me." - -"I am willing to do so. Stay," he said, pointing to the first fire: -"that hill is the Cerro del Gigante." - -"It is." - -"And that," the capataz continued, pointing to the second fire, "is the -Cerro de San Xavier." - -"I think it is." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Well?" - -"As we know that a fire cannot kindle itself, and as people do not amuse -themselves with a fire when the thermometer is up at a hundred--" - -"You conclude from that--?" - -"That those fires have been lighted by robbers or Indians, who have had -scent of our departure." - -"Stay, stay! That is most logical, my friend. Continue your explanation, -for it interests me enormously." - -Don Sylva's capataz, or steward, was a tall, herculean fellow of about -forty, devoted body and soul to his master, who placed the greatest -confidence in him. The worthy man bowed with a smile of satisfaction on -hearing the hacendero's kind remarks. - -"Oh! Now," he went on, "I have not much more to say, except that the -ladrones who are watching us know, through that signal, that Don Sylva -de Torres and his daughter have left Guaymas for the Rancho." - -"My faith! You are right. I had forgotten all those details. I did not -think of all the birds of prey that are watching our passage. Well, -after all, though, what do we care if the bandits are at our heels? We -do not hide ourselves. Our start took place in the presence of plenty of -persons. We are numerous enough not to fear any insult; but if any of -those picaros dare to attack us, cascaras! They will find their work cut -out for them, I am convinced. Push on, then, without any fear, Blas, my -boy! Nothing unpleasant can happen to us." - -The capataz saluted his master and galloped back to the head of the -column. An hour later they reached the Rancho without any accident. - -Don Sylva rode at the right-hand door of the palanquin, talking to his -daughter, who only answered in monosyllables, in spite of the continued -efforts she made to hide her sorrow from her father's clear eyes, when -the hacendero heard his name called repeatedly. He turned his head -sharply, and uttered an exclamation of surprise on recognising in the -man who addressed him the Count de Lhorailles. - -"What! Senor conde, you here? What singular hazard makes me meet you so -near the port, when you should have been so far ahead of us?" - -On perceiving the count the Dona felt herself blush, and fell back, -letting the curtains of the palanquin slip from her hand. - -"Oh?" replied the count, with a courteous bow, "Since last night certain -things have happened to me which I must impart to you, Don -Sylva--things which will surprise you, I am certain; but the present is -not the moment to commence such a story." - -"Whatever you think proper, my friend. But say, do you set out again, or -remain here?" - -"I go, I go! In stopping here my sole object was to await you. If you -consent we will travel together. Instead of preceding you at Guetzalli, -we shall arrive together--that is the only difference." - -"Capital! Let us go," he added, making a sign to the capataz. The -latter, on seeing his master conversing with the count, had ordered a -halt, but now the caravan started again. The Rancho was speedily -traversed, and then the journey commenced in reality. - -The desert lay expanded before the travellers in endless sandy plains. -On the yellow ground, a long, tortuous line, formed by the whitened -bones of mules and horses that had broken down, indicated the road which -must be followed so as not to go astray. - -About two hundred yards ahead of the caravan a man was trotting along, -carelessly seated on the back of a skeleton donkey, swaying from side to -side, half lulled to sleep by the burning sunbeams which fell vertically -on his bare head. - -"Eh?" Don Sylva said, on perceiving the man. "Blas," said Don Sylva on -perceiving this man, "call the Indian over yonder. These devils of -redskins know the desert thoroughly and he can serve as our guide. In -that way we shall run no risk of losing our road, for he will be sure to -put us right." - -"Quite true," the count observed; "in these confounded sand hills no man -can be sure of his direction." - -"Go to him," commanded Don Sylva. - -The capataz put his horse at a gallop. On arriving within a short -distance of the solitary traveller, he formed a sort of speaking trumpet -with his hands. - -"Halloh, Jose!" he shouted. - -In Mexico all the _Mansos_, or civilised Indians, are called Jose, and -reply to this name, which has grown generic. The Indian thus hailed -turned round. - -"What do you want?" he asked with a careless air. - -It was the man whom we saw at Guaymas, watching so attentively the -preparations for the hacendero's departure. Was it chance that brought -him to this spot? That was a question which none but himself could have -answered. - -Blas Vasquez was what is called in Mexico a _hombre de a caballo_, -versed for a long period in Indian tricks. He bent on the traveller an -enquiring glance, which the latter supported with perfect ease. With his -head timidly bowed, his hands laid on the donkey's neck, his naked legs -hanging down on either side, he offered a complete type of the Indian -manso, almost brutalised by the vicious contact with the whites. The -capataz shook his head with a dissatisfied air; his investigation was -far from satisfying him. Still, after a moment's hesitation, he resumed -his interrogatory. - -"What are you doing all alone on this road, Jose?" he asked him. - -"I have come from del Puerto, where I have been engaged as a carpenter. -I remained there a month, and as I saved the small sum I wanted, I -started yesterday to return to my village." - -All this was perfectly probable; the majority of the Hiaqui Indians act -in this way; and then what interest could the man have in deceiving him? -He was alone and unarmed; the caravan on the other hand, was numerous -and composed of devoted men. No danger was, therefore, to be -apprehended. - -"Well, did you earn much money?" the capataz continued, - -"Yes," the Indian said triumphantly; "five piastres and these three -besides." - -"Why, Jose, you are a rich man." - -The Hiaqui smiled doubtfully. - -"Yes," he said, "Tiburon has money." - -"Is your name Tiburon (shark)?" the capataz said distrustfully. "That is -an ugly name." - -"Why so? The palefaces gave that name to their red son, and he finds it -good, since it comes from them, and he keeps it." - -"Is your village far from here?" - -"If I had a good horse I should arrive in three days. The village of my -tribe is between the Gila and Guetzalli." - -"Do you know Guetzalli?" - -The Indian shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. - -"The redskins know all the hunting grounds on the Gila," he said. - -At this moment the caravan caught up the two speakers. - -"Well, Blas," Don Sylva asked, "Who is the man?" - -"A Hiaqui Indian. He is returning to his village, after earning a trifle -at the Puerto." - -"Can he be of service to us?" - -"I believe so. His tribe, he says, is encamped near the Gila." - -"Ah!" said the count, drawing nearer, "Does he belong to the White Horse -tribe?" - -"Yes," the Indian said. - -"In that case I answer for the man," the count said quickly. "Those -Indians are very gentle; they are miserable beggars, often starving; and -I employ them at the hacienda." - -"Listen!" Don Sylva said, tapping the redskin's shoulder amicably. "We -are going to Guetzalli." - -"Good." - -"We want a faithful and devoted guide." - -"Tiburon is poor; he has only a poor donkey, which cannot march so -quickly as his pale brothers drive their horses." - -"Do not trouble yourself about that," the hacendero added. "I will give -you such a horse as you never mounted, if you serve us honestly. On -arriving at the hacienda, I will add ten piastres to those you already -possess. Does that suit you?" - -The Indian's eye sparkled with greed at this proposal. - -"Where is the horse?" he asked. - -"Here," the capataz replied, pointing to a superb stallion led by a -peon. - -The redskin looked at it with the eye of a connoisseur. - -"Well, do you accept?" the hacendero said. - -"Yes." - -"Then get off your donkey, and let us start." - -"I cannot abandon my donkey; it is a famous brute, which has done me -good service." - -"That need not trouble you; it can follow with the baggage mules." - -The Indian gave a nod of assent, but made no further reply. In a few -minutes he was mounted, and the caravan continued its march. The capataz -alone did not appear to place any great confidence in the guide so -singularly met. - -"I will watch him," he said in a low voice. - -The march went on the whole day without any fresh incident, and the next -day they reached the Rio Gila. The banks of this river contrast by their -fertility with the desolate aridity of the plains that surround them. -Don Sylva's journey, though recommenced at the moment when the sun, -arrived at its zenith, pours down its burning beams perpendicularly, was -only an agreeable promenade of a few leagues, beneath the dense shade of -tufted woods which grow with an amount of sap unknown in our climates. - -It was nearly three o'clock when the travellers saw before them the -colony of Guetzalli, founded by the Count de Lhorailles, and which, -although it only had a few months' existence, had already attained a -considerable size. This colony was composed of a hacienda, round which -were grouped the labourers' huts. We will devote a few words to it. - -The hacienda was built on a peninsula nearly three leagues in -circumference, covered with wood and pasture, on which more than four -thousand head of cattle grazed peacefully, returning at night to the -parks adjoining the house, which was surrounded by the river, forming an -_enceinte_ of natural fortresses. The tongue of land, not more than -eight yards in width, attaching it to the mainland, was commanded by a -battery of six heavy guns, in its turn surrounded by a wide, wet ditch. - -The house, surrounded by tall embattled walls, bastioned at the angles, -was a species of fortress capable of sustaining a regular siege with the -eight guns mounted on the bastions which guarded the approaches. It was -composed of a huge main building, one story high, with a terraced roof, -having ten windows in the frontage, and flanked on the right and left by -two buildings, running out at right angles, one of which served as a -magazine for grain and maize, while the other was occupied by the -capataz and the numerous _employes_ of the hacienda. - -Wide steps, furnished with a double iron balustrade, curiously worked, -and surmounted by a veranda, formed the approach to the count's -apartments, which were furnished with that simple and picturesque taste -which distinguishes the Spanish farms of America. - -Between the house and the outer wall was a vast garden, exquisitely laid -out, and so covered with bushes that at four paces' distance it was -impossible to see anything. The space left free behind the farm was -reserved for the parks or corrals in which the animals were shut up at -night, and a species of large court, in which the _matanza del ganado_, -or slaughter of the cattle, was performed once annually. - -Nothing could be so picturesque as the appearance of this white house, -whose roof could be seen for a long distance, half concealed by the -branches which formed a curtain of foliage most refreshing to the eye. -From the windows of the first floor the eye surveyed the plain on one -side; on the other, the Rio Gila, which, like a wide silvery ribbon, -rolled along with the most capricious windings, and was lost an immense -distance off in the blue horizon. - -Since the time when the Apaches all but surprised the hacienda, a -_mirador_ had been built on the roof of the main building, where a -sentinel had been stationed day and night to watch the neighbourhood, -and announce, by means of a bullock's horn, the approach of any stranger -to the colony. Besides, a post of six men guarded the isthmus battery, -whose guns were ready to thunder at the slightest alarm. - -Thus the arrival of the caravan had been signalled when it was still a -long distance off; and the count's lieutenant, Martin Leroux, an old -African soldier, was standing behind the guns to interrogate the -arrivals so soon as they were within hail. Don Sylva was perfectly aware -of the regulations established in the hacienda, which were, indeed, -common to all the establishments held by white men; for at these -frontier posts, where people are exposed to the constant depredations of -the Indians, they are obliged to be incessantly on the watch. But the -thing the Mexican could not comprehend was that the count's lieutenant, -who must have recognised him, did not open the gates immediately, and he -made a remark to that effect. - -"He would have done wrong," the count replied. "The colony of Guetzalli -is a fortress, and the regulations must be the same for all: the general -welfare depends on their strict and entire observation. Martin -recognised me long ago, I am convinced; but he may suppose that I am a -prisoner of the Indians, and that, in leaving me apparently free they -intend to surprise the colony. Be assured that my excellent lieutenant -will not let us pass till he is quite certain that our European clothes -do not cover red skins." - -"Oh, yes!" Don Sylva muttered to himself; "That is true. The Europeans -foresee everything. They are our masters." - -The caravan was now not more than twenty yards from the hacienda. - -"I fancy," the count observed, "that if we do not wish to receive a -shower of bullets we had better halt." - -"What!" said Don Sylva in amazement; "They would fire?" - -"I am certain of it." - -The two men checked their horses and waited to be challenged. - -"Who goes there?" a powerful voice shouted in French from behind the -battery. - -"Well, what do you think of it now?" the count said to the hacendero. - -"It is perfectly wonderful," rejoined the latter. - -"Friends," the count answered. "Lhorailles and freedom!" - -"All right--open," the voice commanded. "They are friends. Would that we -often received such visitors!" - -The peons lowered the drawbridge (the only passage by which the hacienda -could be entered), the caravan passed over and the drawbridge was -immediately raised after them. - -"You will excuse me, captain," Martin Leroux said, respectfully -approaching the count, "but, although I recognised you, we live in a -country where, I think, too great prudence cannot be exercised." - -"You have done your duty, lieutenant, and I can only thank you for it. -Have you any news?" - -"Not much. A troop of horse I sent out into the plain discovered a -deserted fire. I fancy the Indians are prowling round us." - -"We will be on our guard." - -"Oh, I keep good watch, especially at present, for the month is drawing -nigh which the Comanches call so audaciously the Mexican moon. I should -not be sorry, if they dared to meddle with us, to give them a lesson -which would be profitable for the future." - -"I share your views entirely. Redouble your vigilance, and all will be -well." - -"Have you no other orders to give me?" - -"No." - -"Then I will withdraw. You know, captain, that you intrust the internal -details to me, and I must be everywhere in turn." - -"Go, lieutenant; let me not keep you." - -The old soldier saluted his chief, and retired with a friendly nod to -the capataz, who followed him with the peons and baggage mules. - -The count led his guests to the apartments kept for visitors, and -installed them in comfortably-furnished rooms. - -"Pray rest yourself, Don Sylva," he said; "you and Dona Anita must be -fatigued with your journey. Tomorrow, if you permit me, we will talk -about our business." - -"Whenever you like, my friend." - -The count bowed to his guests and withdrew. Since his meeting with his -betrothed he had not exchanged a word with her. In the courtyard he -found the Hiaqui Indian smoking and walking lazily around. He went up to -him. - -"Here," he said, "are the ten piastres promised you." - -"Thanks," said the Indian as he took them. - -"Now, what are you going to do?" - -"Rest myself till tomorrow; then join the men of my tribe." - -"Are you in a great hurry to see them?" - -"I? Not at all." - -"Stay here, then." - -"What to do?" - -"I will tell you; perhaps I may need you within a few days." - -"Shall I be paid?" - -"Amply. Does that suit you?" - -"Yes." - -"Then you will remain?" - -"I will." - -The count went away, not noticing the strange expression in the glance -the Indian turned on him. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A MEETING IN THE DESERT. - - -About three musket shots' distance from the hacienda, in a thicket of -nopals, mastic trees, and mesquites, intermingled with a few mahogany -cedars, wild cottonwood trees, and pines, just an hour before sunset, a -horseman dismounted; hobbled his horse, a magnificent mustang, with -flashing eyes and fine chest; then, after turning an inquiring glance -around, probably satisfied with the profound silence and tranquility -pervading at the spot, he made his arrangements for camping. - -The man had passed middle life: he was an Indian warrior of great height -dressed in the Comanche costume in its utmost purity. Although he -appeared to be sixty years of age, he seemed gifted with great vigour, -and no sign of decrepitude could be traced in his muscular limbs and -intelligent face: the eagle's feather fixed in the centre of his warlock -allowed him to be recognised as a chief. This man was Eagle-head, the -Comanche chief. - -After laying his rifle by his side he collected dry wood, and lit a -fire; then he threw several yards of tasajo on the ashes, with several -maize tortillas; and all these preparations for a comfortable supper -made, he filled his calumet, crouched near the fire, and began smoking -with that placid calmness which never deserts the Indians under any -circumstances. - -Two hours thus passed peacefully, and nothing disturbed the repose the -chief was enjoying. Night succeeded day; darkness had invaded the -desert, and with it the silence of solitude began to reign in the -mysterious depths of the prairie. - -The Indian still remained motionless, contenting himself with turning -now and then to his horse, which was gaily devouring the climbing peas -and the young buds of the trees. - -Suddenly Eagle-head looked up, bent forward, and, without otherwise -disturbing himself, stretched out his hand to his rifle, while the -mustang left off eating, laid back its ears, and neighed noisily. Still -the forest appeared as calm as ever. It needed all an Indian's sharp ear -to have heard a suspicious rustling through the silence. - -At the end of a moment the chiefs frowning brows returned to their -proper position, he re-assumed his easy posture, and lifting his two -forefingers to his mouth, imitated with rare perfection, for two or -three minutes, the harmonious, modulations of the centzontle, or Mexican -nightingale: the horse had also begun eating again. - -Only a few minutes passed ere the cry of the nighthawk was twice heard -in the direction of the river. Soon after the sound of horses became -audible, mingled with the cracking of branches and the rustling of -leaves, and two mounted men made their appearance. The chief did not -turn to see who they were; he had probably recognised them, and knew -that they alone, or at any rate one of them, were to come to him here. - -These two horsemen were Don Louis and Belhumeur. They hobbled their -horses by the side of the chiefs, lay down by the fire, and, on the -Indian's silent invitation, vigorously attacked the supper prepared for -them. They had left the Rancho the previous evening, and ridden without -the loss of a moment to join the chief. - -The Count de Lhorailles had invited them at the pulqueria to join his -party, but Belhumeur had declined the offer. Not knowing for what -purpose the Indian chief had appointed to meet him, he did not care to -mix up a stranger in his friend's affairs. Still, the three men had -parted on excellent terms, and the count pressed Don Louis and the -Canadian to pay him a visit at Guetzalli, an offer to which they had -replied evasively. - -Singular is the effect of sympathy. The impression the count produced on -the two adventurers was so unfavourable for him, that the latter, while -replying with the utmost politeness, had not thought it wise to give -their names, and had employed the greatest reserve, carrying their -prudence to such an extent as to leave him ignorant of their -nationality, by continuing to converse in Spanish, though at the first -word he uttered they recognised him to be a Frenchman. - -When they had ended their meal Belhumeur filled his pipe, and put out -his hand to take up a coal. - -"Wait," the chief said sharply. - -This was the first word the Indian uttered; up to that moment the three -men had not interchanged a syllable. Belhumeur looked at him. - -"H'm!" he said, "What is the matter now?" - -"I do not know yet," the chief answered. "I have heard a suspicious -rustling in the bushes; and at a great distance off, to leeward of us, -several buffaloes peacefully grazing took to flight without any apparent -cause." - -"Hum!" the Canadian went on, "That is growing serious. What do you -think, Louis?" - -"In the desert," the latter replied slowly, "everything has a -cause--nothing happens by accident. I believe we had better be on our -guard. Stay!" he added, as he raised his head, and pointed out to his -friends several birds that passed rapidly away over them. "Have you -often seen at this hour a flight of condors soaring in the sky?" - -The chief shook his head. - -"There is something the matter," he muttered: "the dogs of Apaches are -hunting." - -"'Tis possible," Belhumeur said. - -"Before all," the Frenchman observed, "let us put out the fire; its -gleam, slight as it is, might betray us." - -His companions followed his advice, and the fire was extinguished in a -second. - -"My brother, the paleface, is prudent," the chief said courteously. "He -knows the desert. I am happy to see him by my side." - -Don Louis thanked the chief courteously. - -"And now," Belhumeur went on, "we are almost invisible--no visible -danger threatens us; so let us hold a council. The chief had the first -scent of peril: it is, therefore, his place to tell us what he -observed." - -The Indian wrapped him up in his fresada; the three men drew closer, so -as to be able to speak in a whisper, and the council commenced. - -"Since sunrise this morning," Eagle-head said, "I have been marching in -the desert. I was anxious to reach the place of meeting, and proceeded -in a straight line to arrive sooner. All along the road I found evident -signs of the passage of a numerous band; the tracks were wide and full, -like those made by a party of warriors so large they care not for -discovery. These trails continued for a long distance, then suddenly -disappeared: it was impossible for me to find them again." - -"Deuce, deuce!" the Canadian muttered, "That is awkward." - -"At first I did not pay much attention to trail, but presently I began -to feel restless, and that is the reason I have mentioned it to you." - -"What reason rendered you restless?" - -"I believe that the expedition whose passage I discovered is directed -against the great cabin of the palefaces at Guetzalli." - -"What makes you suppose so?" Louis asked. - -"This. At the hour the alligator leaves the mud of the bank to plunge -again into the Gila, the sound of horses a short distance off compelled -me, lest I should be discovered, to bury myself in a thicket of -mangroves and floripondios. When sheltered from a surprise I looked out. -A band of palefaces passed within bow-shot of me, in the direction of -Guetzalli." - -"I know who they were," Belhumeur remarked. "What next?" - -"I recognised, in spite of the care he had taken to render himself -unrecognisable, the man who served as guide to the party; then I guessed -the infernal scheme formed by the Apache dogs." - -"Who was it?" - -"A man my brother knows. It is Wah-sho-che-gorah, the Black Bear, the -principal chief of the White Crow tribe." - -"If you are not mistaken, chief, horrible things will be done ere long. -The Black Bear is the implacable enemy of the whites." - -"That was the reason I spoke to my brother. But, after all what does it -concern us? In the desert each man has enough to do in taking care of -himself, without troubling about others." - -The Canadian shook his head. - -"Yes, what you say is true," he replied. "We ought, perhaps, to abandon -the inhabitants of the hacienda to their fate, and not interfere in -matters which may cause us great misery." - -"Do you intend to act thus?" the Frenchman asked sharply. - -"I do not say so positively," the Canadian replied; "but the case is a -difficult one. We shall have to deal with numerous enemies." - -"Yes, but the men about to be surprised are your fellow countrymen." - -"It is true; and it is that which renders the affair so awkward. I do -not wish to see these unhappy beings scalped. On the other hand, we run -the risk, by hurrying rashly into danger, of ourselves being the victims -of our devotion." - -"Why reflect thus?" - -"By Jove! In order to weigh the for and against. There is nothing I -detest so much as rushing headlong into an enterprise of which I have -not calculated the consequences beforehand. When I have done so I care -for nothing." - -Don Louis could not refrain from smiling at this singular reasoning. - -"I have my plan," the Canadian went on a moment later. "The night will -not pass without our learning something new. Let us draw near the bank -of the river. I am greatly mistaken, or we shall soon obtain there the -there the information we require before we make up our minds. Our horses -run no risk here: we can leave them; besides, they would only prove an -embarrassment for us." - -The three men lay down on the ground, and began crawling silently in the -direction indicated by Belhumeur. - -The night was magnificent, the moon brilliant, and the atmosphere so -diaphanous, that objects might have been distinguished for a great -distance on an open plain. The three adventurers did not leave their -covert; but, on arriving at the skirt of the forest, they hid themselves -in an almost inextricable thicket, and waited with that patience so -characteristic of the wood rangers. - -The silence which brooded over the desert was so intense that the -slightest sounds were perceptible. A leaf falling on the water, a pebble -detaching itself from the bank, the slow and continuous murmur of the -water running over its gravel bed, the rustling of the owl's wing as it -fluttered from branch to branch, were the only distinguishable sounds. - -For several hours the three men remained motionless and watchful, eye -and ear strained, with the finger on the trigger of the rifle, through -fear of a surprise; but nothing had yet happened to corroborate the -suspicions of Eagle-head, or the previsions of Belhumeur. Suddenly Louis -felt the chief's arm resting gently on his shoulder, as he pointed to -the river. The Frenchman rose on his knees and looked. - -An almost imperceptible movement agitated the surface of the river, as -if an alligator were floating along. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur muttered; "I fancy that is what we are expecting." - -A black mass soon appeared, floating rather than swimming on the water, -and noiselessly advancing toward the spot where the hunters were in -ambush. At the end of a few moments, this body, whatever it might be, -stopped, and the cry of the prairie dog was heard several times -repeated. - -At once the howl of the coyote broke forth forcibly so near the three -men, that, spite of themselves, they shuddered, and a man hanging by -the hands dropped down from an oak tree, scarcely three yards from the -spot where they were. - -This man wore the Mexican costume. - -"Come, chief," he said in a low voice, though not venturing down to the -river, "come, we are alone." - -The man thus addressed emerged from the water, and clambered up the bank -to join the person awaiting him. - -"My brother speaks too loudly," he said. "In the desert a man is never -alone; the leaves have eyes, the trees ears." - -"Bah! What you say, has not common sense. Who on earth would play the -spy on us? With the exception of your warriors, who are probably -concealed in the neighbourhood, no one can see or hear us." - -The Indian shook his head. Now that he was standing only a few spaces -from the adventurers, Belhumeur perceived that Eagle-head was not -mistaken, and that the man was really the Black Bear. The two men stood -for a moment silently gazing at each other. The Mexican was the first to -speak. - -"You have manoeuvred well," he said in an insinuating voice. "I know not -how you managed it, but you have succeeded in entering the fort." - -"Yes," the Indian replied. - -"Now we have only our final arrangements to make. You are a great chief -in whom I place the utmost confidence. Here is what I promised you. I -ought not to pay you till afterwards, but I do not wish the slightest -cloud to rise between us." - -The Indian silently rejected the purse the other held out to him. - -"The Black Bear has reflected," he said coldly. - -"On what, may I ask?" - -"A warrior is not a woman to waste his words. What my brother offered -the Black Bear, the Apache chief refuses." - -"Which means?" - -"That all is broken off." - -The Mexican repressed with difficulty a sign of disappointment. - -"Then," he said, "You have not warned your warriors? When I give the -order you will not attack the hacienda?" - -"The Black Bear has warned his warriors. He will attack the palefaces." - -"What did you say this moment? I confess that I do not comprehend you, -chief." - -"Because the paleface will not comprehend. The Black Bear will attack -the hacienda, but on his own account." - -"That was agreed between us, I fancy." - -"Yes; but the Black Bear has seen the singing bird. His hut is empty: he -wishes to place in it the young pale virgin." - -"Scoundrel!" the Mexican shouted in his wrath; "You would betray me in -that way?" - -"How have I betrayed the paleface?" the Indian replied, still perfectly -calm. "He offered me a bargain; I refused it. I see nothing dishonest in -that." - -The Mexican bit his lip with rage; he was caught, and could make no -reply. - -"I will revenge myself," he said, stamping his foot. - -"The Black Bear is a powerful chief; he laughs at the croaking of the -ravens. The paleface can do nothing against him." - -With a movement swift as thought, the Mexican rushed on the Indian, -seized him by the throat, and, drawing his dagger, raised it to strike -him. But the Apache carefully watched the actions of his opponent: by a -movement no less swift he freed himself from his grasp, and with one -bound was out of reach. - -"The paleface has dared to touch a chief," he said in a hoarse voice; -"he shall die." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders and seized the pistol in his girdle. - -It is impossible to say how this scene would have ended, had not a new -incident happened to change its features completely. From the same tree -in which the Mexican had been hidden a few moments previously, another -individual suddenly fell, rushed on the chief, and hurled him to the -ground before he could make a gesture to defend himself, so thoroughly -was he off his guard. - -"By Jove!" Belhumeur muttered with a stifled laugh, "there must be a -legion of devils in that tree." - -The Mexican and the man who had come so luckily to his help had securely -tied the Indian with a reata. - -"Now you are in my power, chief," the Mexican said, "and you will be -obliged to consent to my terms." - -The Apache grinned, and uttered a shrill whistle. - -At this signal fifty Indian warriors appeared, as if they had sprung from -the ground, and that so suddenly, that the two white men were -surrounded in an instant by an impassable circle. - -"Deuce!" Belhumeur said in an aside, "that complicates matters. How will -they get out of that?" - -"And we?" Louis whispered in his ear. - -The Canadian replied by that shrug of the shoulders which signifies in -all languages, "We must trust in Heaven," and began looking again, -interested as he was in the highest degree by the unexpected changes of -scene. - -"Cuchares!" the Mexican said to his companion, "Hold that scoundrel -tight and at the least suspicious movement kill him like a dog." - -"Be calm, Don Martial," the lepero answered, pulling from his vaquera -boot a knife, whose sharp blade flashed with a bluish tinge in the -moon's rays. - -"What decision does the Black Bear come to?" the Tigrero went on, -addressing the chief lying at his feet. - -"The life of a chief belongs to thee, dog of the palefaces: take it if -thou darest!" the Apache replied with a smile of contempt. - -"I will not kill you: not because I am afraid, for I know not such a -feeling," the Mexican said, "but because I disdain to shed the blood of -an enemy who is defenceless, even if he be, like you, an unclean -coyote." - -"Kill me, I say, if thou canst, but insult me not. Hasten! For my -warriors may lose patience, sacrifice thee to their wrath, and thou -mightest die unavenged." - -"You are jesting; you know perfectly well that your warriors will not -move an inch so long as I hold you thus. I propose to offer you peace." - -"Peace!" the chief said, and his eyes flashed. "On what conditions?" - -"Two only. Cuchares, unfasten the reata, but watch him closely." - -The lepero obeyed. - -"Thanks," the chief said as he rose to his knees. "Speak; I am -listening--my ears are open. What are these conditions?" - -"First, my comrade and myself will be free to retire whither we please." - -"Good, and next?" - -"Next, you will pledge yourself to remain with your warriors, and not -return to the hacienda in the disguise you have assumed for the next -twenty-four hours." - -"Is that all?" - -"It is all." - -"Listen to me in your turn, then, paleface. I accept your conditions, -but I must tell you mine." - -"Speak." - -"I will not re-enter the hacienda save with the eagle feather in my -war-tuft, at the head of my warriors, and that before the sun has thrice -set behind the lofty peaks of the mountains of the day." - -"You are boasting, Apache; it is impossible for you to enter the -hacienda save by treachery." - -"We shall see;" and smiling with a sinister air, he added, "the singing -bird will go into the hut of an Apache chief to cook his game." - -The Mexican shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. - -"Try to take the hacienda and carry off the maiden," he said. - -"I will try. Your hand." - -"Here it is." - -The chief turned to his warriors, holding the Tigrero's hand clasped in -his own. - -"Brothers!" he said in a loud voice, and with an accent of supreme -majesty, "this paleface is the friend of the Black Bear--let no one -molest him." - -The warriors bowed respectfully, and fell back to the right and left, to -leave a passage for the two white men. - -"Farewell!" the Black Bear said, saluting his enemy. "In twenty-four -hours I shall be on your trail." - -"You are mistaken, dog of an Apache," Don Martial replied disdainfully; -"I shall be on yours." - -"Good! We are, then, certain of meeting," the Black Bear said. - -And he retired with a slow and firm step, followed by his warriors, -whose footfalls soon died away in the depths of the forest. - -"On my faith, Don Martial," the lepero said, "I believe that you were -wrong to let that Indian dog escape so easily." - -The Tigrero shrugged his shoulders. - -"Were we not obliged to get out of the wasp's nest into which we had -thrust our heads?" he said. "Bah! It is only put off for a time. Let us -go and find our horses." - -"One moment if you will grant it me," Belhumeur said, leaving his hiding -place, and advancing politely with his two comrades. - -"What's this?" Cuchares said, pulling out his knife again, while Don -Martial coolly cocked his pistols. - -"This? Caballero," Belhumeur said quietly, "I fancy you can see plainly; -enough." - -"I see three men." - -"Indeed, you are not at all mistaken. Three men who have been unseen -witnesses of the scene you ended so bravely--three men who held -themselves ready to come to your aid had it been necessary, and who now -offer to make common cause with you, to prevent the plunder of the -hacienda by the Apaches. Does that suit you?" - -"That depends," the Tigrero said. "I must know first what interest urges -you to act in this manner." - -"That of being agreeable to you in the first place," Belhumeur replied -politely, "and next, the desire to save the scalps of the poor wretches -menaced by those infernal redskins." - -"In that case I heartily accept your offer." - -"Be good enough, then, to follow us to our camping ground, that we may -discuss the plan of the campaign." - -So soon as Cuchares noticed that the men who presented themselves so -strangely were really friends, he returned his knife to his boot, and -went in search of the horses, which had been left a short distance off. -He arrived at this moment, leading the two horses, and the five men -proceeded together to the camping ground. - -"Take care," Belhumeur said to Don Martial; "you have made yourself an -implacable enemy this night. If you do not make haste to kill him, one -day or another the Black Bear will kill you. The Apaches never pardon an -insult." - -"I know it; so I shall take my precautions, you may be sure." - -"That is your concern. Perhaps it would have been better to get rid of -him, at the risk of what might have happened afterwards." - -"How could I imagine I had friends so near me? Oh, had I but known it!" - -"Well, it is of no use crying over spilt milk." - -"Do you believe that he will keep scrupulously the conditions he -accepted?" - -"You do not know the Black Bear; he is a man of noble sentiments and has -a way of his own for understanding points of honour. You saw that during -your entire discussion he disdained to play any trickery: his words were -always frank." - -"They were." - -"Be certain, therefore, that he will keep his promise." - -The conversation was interrupted. Don Martial had suddenly become -pensive. The Apache's menaces gave him a good deal to think about. The -camp was reached, and Eagle-head immediately set to work rekindling the -fire. - -"What are you about?" Belhumeur observed to him. "You will reveal our -presence." - -"No," the Indian said, shaking his head. "The Black Bear has retired -with his warriors: they are far away at present; so we need not take -useless precautions." - -The fire soon cracked again. The five men crouched round it joyfully, -lit their pipes and began smoking. - -"I don't care," the Canadian presently said. "Had it not been for the -extraordinary coolness you displayed I do not know how you would have -escaped." - -"Let us now see how best to foil the plans of those red devils," said -the Mexican. - -"It is very simple," Louis interposed. "One of us will proceed tomorrow -to the hacienda, to warn the owner of what has passed this night. He -will be on his guard and all will be right." - -"Yes, I believe those are the best means, and we will employ them." - -"Five men are as nothing against five hundred," observed Eagle-head; -"we must warn the palefaces." - -"That is assuredly the plan we must follow," the Tigrero remarked; "but -which of us will consent to go to the hacienda? Neither my comrade nor -myself can do so." - -"I fancy there is some love story hidden under all this," the Canadian -observed cunningly. "I can understand that you would find a difficulty -in--" - -"What need of further discussion?" Louis interrupted. "With tomorrow's -dawn I will go to the hacienda; I undertake to explain to the owner all -the dangers that menace him in their fullest details." - -"That is agreed on, then, and all is settled," Belhumeur said. - -"Then, so soon as our horses have rested, my comrade and myself will -return to Guaymas." - -"No, you will not, if you please," the Frenchman objected. "I fancy it -is proper that you should know the result of the mission I undertake, -for it concerns you even more than us. I suspect--" - -The Mexican repressed a lively movement of annoyance. - -"You are right," he replied; "I did not think of that. I will therefore -await your return." - -The hunters interchanged a few more remarks, then wrapped themselves in -their blankets, lay down on the ground, and speedily fell asleep. The -profoundest silence fell on the clearing, which was but dimly lighted by -the reddish rays of the expiring fire. The adventurers had been asleep -about two hours, when the branches of a shrub were gently parted and a -man made his appearance. - -He stopped for a moment, seemed to be listening, then crawled without -the slightest sound toward the spot where the Tigrero was reposing. It -would have been easy to recognise the Black Bear by the light of the -fire. The Apache chief plucked his scalping knife from his girdle, and -laid it gently on the Tigrero's chest; then casting a parting glance -around, to convince himself that the five men slept, he retired with the -same precautions, and soon disappeared in the shrub, which closed upon -him. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BEFORE THE ATTACK. - - -At the first cry of the maukawis--that is to say, at sunrise--the -adventurers awoke. - -The night had been calm. They had slept with nothing to disturb their -rest. Iced, however, by the abundant dew which had filtered through -their blankets during their sleep, they hurriedly rose to restore the -circulation of their blood and warm their stiffened limbs. - -At the first movement Don Martial made a knife fell down on the ground. -The Mexican picked it up, and uttered a cry of amazement and almost of -terror as he showed it to his companions. The arm so unexpectedly found -was a scalping knife, whose blade was still stained with large bloody -spots. - -"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, brandishing the knife angrily. - -Eagle-head seized it, and examined it carefully. - -"Wah!" he said in surprise, "the Black Bear has been with us during our -sleep." - -The hunters could not refrain from a movement of alarm. - -"It is impossible," Belhumeur observed. - -The Indian shook his head as he displayed the weapon. - -"This," he continued, "is the Apache chief's scalping knife; the _totem_ -of the tribe is engraved on the hilt." - -"'Tis true." - -"The Black Bear is a renowned chief. His heart is large enough to -contain a world. Obliged to fulfil the engagements he has made, he -wished to prove to his enemy that he was master of his life, and that he -would take it whenever he thought proper. That is the meaning of this -knife placed on the chest of the _Yori_ during his sleep." - -The adventurers were confounded by so much boldness. They shuddered at -the thought that they had been at the mercy of the chief, who disdained -to kill them, and contented himself with defying them. The Mexican -especially felt a shudder in spite of his courage. The Canadian was the -first to recover his coolness. - -"Canario!" he exclaimed, "This Apache dog did right to warn us. Now we -will be on our guard." - -"Hum!" Cuchares said, passing his hands through his thick and matted -hair, "I have not the least desire to be scalped." - -"Bah!" Belhumeur said, "People sometimes recover." - -"That is possible; but I don't care to make the attempt." - -"And now that day has quite broken," Louis observed, "I fancy the time -has arrived for me to go to the hacienda. What do you say, gentlemen?" - -"We have not a moment to lose, if we wish to foil the enemy's plans," -said Don Martial in support of his suggestion. - -"The more so as we have to take certain measures which it would be as -well to determine as soon as possible," Belhumeur remarked. - -The Indian and the lepero contented themselves with giving their assent -through a nod. - -"Now let us arrange a meeting place," Louis went on to say. "You can not -wait for me here, as the Indians know where to find you." - -"Yes," Belhumeur replied thoughtfully, "but I do not know the country -where we now are, and I should be quite troubled to find a fitting -spot." - -"I know one," Eagle-head said. "I will lead you to it: our pale brother -will join us again there." - -"Very good, but for that purpose I must know the spot." - -"My brother need not trouble himself about that. When he leaves the -great cabin I shall be near him." - -"Very good--all right. Good-by till we meet again." - -Louis saddled his horse and started off at a gallop in the direction of -the hacienda, which was about three musket shots from the camping place. - -The Count de Lhorailles was walking about anxiously in the hall of the -main body of the building. In spite of himself his meeting with the -Mexican occupied his mind. He wished to have a frank explanation with -Dona Anita in her father's presence, which should dissipate his doubts, -or at least give him the key of the mystery that surrounded the affair. - -Another circumstance also dulled his humour, and redoubled his alarms. -At daybreak Diego Leon, his lieutenant, told him that the Indian guide -brought home with them the previous day had disappeared during the -night, and left no trace. The position was becoming serious. The Mexican -moon was approaching. That guide was evidently an Indian spy, ordered to -inquire into the strength of the hacienda, and the means of surprising -it. The Apaches and Comanches could not be far off; perhaps they were -already on the watch in the tall prairie grass, awaiting the favourable -moment to rush on their implacable foes. - -The count did not conceal from himself that if his position was -critical, he was the main cause of it. Invested by the government with -an important command, especially charged with the protection of the -frontier against Indian invasions, he had not yet made a move, and had -in no way tried to fulfil the commission he had not merely accepted but -solicited. The Mexican moon commenced in a month; before that period he -must strike a decisive blow, which would inspire the Indians with a -wholesome terror, prevent them combining and thus foil their plans. - -The count had been reflecting for a long time, forgetting in his anxiety -the guests he had brought to his house, after whom he had not yet asked, -when his old lieutenant appeared before him. - -"What do you want, Martin?" he asked. - -"Excuse me for disturbing you, captain. Diego Leon, who is on guard at -the isthmus battery with eight men, has just sent me to tell you that a -man wishes to see you on a serious matter." - -"What sort of a man is he?" - -"A white man, well dressed, and mounted on an excellent horse." - -"Hem! Did he said nothing further?" - -"Pardon me, he added this: 'You will say to the man who commands you -that I am one of the men he met at the Rancho of San Jose.'" - -The count's face grew suddenly serene. - -"Let him come in," he said: "'tis a friend." - -The lieutenant withdrew. So soon as he was alone the count recommenced -his walk. - -"What can this man want of me?" he muttered. "When I asked his friend -and himself to accompany me here they both refused. What reason can have -caused such a sudden change in their plans? Bah! What is the use of -addling one's brains?" he added, on hearing a horse's footfall -re-echoing in the inner _patio_. "I shall soon know." - -Almost immediately Don Louis appeared, led by the lieutenant, who, on a -sign from the count, at once disappeared. - -"What happy accident," the count said graciously, "procures me the -honour of a visit I was so far from expecting?" - -Don Louis politely returned the salutation, and replied, - -"It is no happy accident that brings me. God grant that I may not be the -harbinger of misfortune!" - -These words made the count frown. - -"What do you mean, senor?" he asked in anxiety. "I do not understand -you." - -"You will soon do so. But speak French, if you have no objection; we -shall understand each other more easily," he said, giving up the Spanish -which he had hitherto employed. - -"What!" the count exclaimed in surprise, "You speak French?" - -"Yes," Louis said, "for I have the honour of being your fellow -countryman, although," he added with a suppressed sigh, "I have quitted -our country for more than ten years. It is always a great pleasure to me -to be able to speak my own language." - -The expression of the count's face completely changed on hearing these -words. - -"Oh!" he continued, "permit me to press your hand, sir. Two Frenchmen -who meet in this distant land are brothers; let us momentarily forget -the spot where we are, and talk about France--that dear country from -which we are so remote and which we love so much." - -"Alas, sir!" Louis replied, with suppressed emotion, "I should be happy -to forget for a few minutes what surrounds us, to summon up the -recollections of our common country. Unfortunately the moment is a grave -one; great dangers threaten you, and the time we would thus lose might -produce a fearful catastrophe." - -"You startle me, sir. What is happening? What have you so terrible to -announce to me?" - -"Did I not tell you that I was a messenger of evil tidings?" - -"No matter. When told by you they will be welcome. In the situation in -which I am placed in this desert, must I not ever expect misfortune?" - -"I hope to be able to help you in warding off the danger that now hangs -over you." - -"Thanks for your fraternal conduct. Now speak, I am listening to you. -Whatever you may tell me, I shall have the courage to hear it." - -Don Louis, without revealing to the count his meeting with the Tigrero, -as had been agreed on, told him how he had overheard a conversation -between his guide and several Apache warriors ambushed in the vicinity -of the hacienda, and the plan they had formed to surprise the colony. - -"And now, sir," he added, "it is for you to judge of the gravity of this -news, and the arrangements you will have to make, in order to foil the -plans of the Indians." - -"I thank you, sir. When my lieutenant told me, a few moments prior to -your arrival, of the disappearance of the guide, I immediately saw that -I had to do with a spy. What you now report to me converts my suspicions -into certainty. As you say, there is not a moment to lose, and I will at -once think over the necessary arrangements." - -He walked to a table and struck a bell sharply. A peon entered. - -"The first lieutenant," he said. In a few minutes the latter arrived. - -"Lieutenant," the count said to him, "take twenty men with you, and -scour the country for three leagues round. I have just learned that -Indians are concealed near here." - -The old soldier bowed in reply, and prepared to obey. - -"An instant," Louis exclaimed, signing him to stop, "one word more." - -"Eh?" Martin Leroux said, turning round in amazement, "You are talking -French now." - -"As you hear," Louis answered with a smile. - -"You wished to make a remark," the count asked. - -"I have lived in America a very long time. My home has been the desert, -and I know the Indians, whom I have learned to rival in craft. If you -allow me. I will give you some advice, which, I fancy, may be useful to -you under present circumstances." - -"By Jove!" the count exclaimed; "pray speak, my dear countryman. Your -advice will be very advantageous to us, I feel assured." - -At this moment Don Sylva entered the room. - -"Ah!" the count continued, "come hither, my friend. We have great need -of you. Your knowledge of Indian habits will prove most useful to us." - -"What has happened?" the hacendero asked as he bowed courteously to all -present. - -"We are threatened with an attack from the Apaches." - -"Oh, oh! That is serious, my friend. What do you propose doing?" - -"I do not know yet. I had given Don Martin orders to scour the -neighbourhood; but this gentleman appears to be of a different opinion." - -"The caballero is right," the Mexican answered, bowing to Don Louis; -"but, in the first place, are you certain about this attack?" - -"This gentleman came expressly to warn me." - -"Then there can be no further doubt. We must make the necessary -arrangements as quickly as possible. What is the caballero's opinion?" - -"He was about to give it at the moment you came in." - -"Then pray do not let me disturb your conference. Speak, sir." - -Don Louis bowed and took the word. - -"Caballero!" he began, turning to Don Sylva, "What I am about to say is -addressed principally to the French senores, who, accustomed to European -warfare and in the white mode of fighting, are, I am convinced, ignorant -of Indian tactics." - -"'Tis true," the count observed. - -"Bah!" Leroux said, twirling his long moustaches with great -self-sufficiency, "We will learn them." - -"Take care you do not do so at your own expense," Don Louis continued. -"Indian war is entirely one of stratagems and ambushes. The enemy who -attacks you never forms in line; he remains constantly concealed, -employing all means to conquer, but principally treachery. Five hundred -Apache warriors, commanded by an intrepid chief, would defeat in the -prairie your best soldiers, whom they would decimate, while not giving a -chance for retaliation." - -"Oh, oh!" the count muttered, "Is that their only way of fighting?" - -"The only one," the hacendero said in confirmation. - -"Hum!" Leroux remarked, "I fancy it is very like the war in Africa." - -"Not so much as you suppose. The Arabs let themselves be seen, while the -Apaches, I repeat to you, only show themselves in the utmost extremity." - -"Then my plan of pushing forward a reconnoissance--" - -"Is impracticable for two reasons: either your horsemen, though -surrounded by enemies, will not discover one of them, or they will be -attracted into an ambush, where, in spite of prodigies of valour, they -will perish to the last man." - -"All that this gentleman says is most perfectly true: it is easy to see -that he has a great experience of Indian warfare, and has often measured -himself with _Indios bravos._" - -"That experience cost my happiness. All those I loved were massacred by -these ferocious enemies," Don Louis replied sorrowfully. "Fear the same -fate if you do not display the greatest prudence. I know how repugnant -it is to the chivalrous character of our nation to follow such a course; -but in my opinion it is the only one that offers any chances of -salvation." - -"We have here several women, children, and your daughter before all, Don -Sylva. We must absolutely shelter her from all danger; if possible, -spare her the slightest alarm. I, therefore, accept this gentleman's -views, and am determined to act with the greatest circumspection." - -"I thank you for my daughter and myself." - -"And now, sir, as we are already indebted to you for such good advice, -complete your task. In my place, what would you do?" - -"My advice is as follows," Louis answered seriously. "The Apaches will -attack you for certain reasons I know, and which it is unnecessary to -tell you. They make a point of honour of the success of that attack. -Hence intrench yourselves here as well as you can. You have a -considerable garrison composed of tried men; consequently, nearly all -the chances are in your favour." - -"I have one hundred and seventy resolute Frenchmen, who have all been -soldiers." - -"Behind good walls, and well armed, they are more than you want." - -"Without counting forty peons, accustomed to pursuing the Indians, and -whom I brought with me," Don Sylva remarked. - -"Are those men here at this moment?" Louis asked sharply. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Oh! That simplifies the question materially. If you will believe me, -the Indians have now everything to fear instead of you." - -"Explain." - -"It is evident that you will be attacked from the river. Perhaps, in -order to divide your forces, the Indians will make a feigned attack from -the side of the isthmus; but that point is too strongly defended for them -to attempt to carry it. I repeat, then, all the enemy's efforts will be -directed on the side of the river." - -"I would call your attention to the fact, sir," the lieutenant said, -"that at this moment the river is rendered unnavigable by thousands of -trees torn from the mountains by the storms, and which it bears along -with it." - -"I know not whether the river is navigable or not," Don Louis replied -firmly, "but of one thing I am certain, that the Apaches will attack you -on that side." - -"In any case, and not to be taken by surprise, two of the guns will be -moved from the isthmus battery, leaving four there, which are more -than sufficient, and laid so as to enfilade the river, care be taken to -mask them. You will also, Leroux, mount a culverin on the platform of -the mirador, whence we shall command the course of the Gila. Go and have -these orders executed at once." - -The old soldier went out without any reply, in order to carry out the -commands of his chief. - -"You see, gentlemen," the count then said, "that I hasten to profit by -the counsels you are good enough to give me. I recognise my utter -inexperience of this Indian warfare, and I repeat that I am happy at -being so well supported." - -"This gentleman has foreseen everything," the hacendero said; "like him, -I believe that the house is most exposed to the river front." - -"A last word," Don Louis continued. - -"Speak, speak, sir." - -"Did you not say, caballero, that you brought with you forty peons, -accustomed to Indian warfare, and that they were still here?" - -"Yes, I said so, and it is perfectly true." - -"Very good. I believe--and be good enough to take it as a simple -observation, caballero--I say I believe that it would be a masterstroke, -which would insure you the victory, to place your enemies between two -fires." - -"Indeed it would," the count exclaimed; "but how to do it? You yourself -said, only a moment ago, that it would be the height of imprudence to -send out a scouting party." - -"I said, and I repeat it, the grass and woods are at this moment filled -with eyes fixed on the hacienda, who will let no one pass out -unnoticed." - -"Well?" - -"Did I not tell you that this war was one of stratagems and ambushes?" - -"You did; but I do not understand, I confess, what you are driving at." - -"It is however, excessively simple; you will understand me in a few -words." - -"I much desire it." - -"Senor caballero," Don Louis went on, turning to Don Sylva, "do you -intend to remain here?" - -"Yes; for certain private reasons I must remain some time here." - -"I have no intention, be assured, senor, to interfere in your private -affairs. So you remain here?" - -"Yes." - -"Very good. Have you among your peons a devoted man on whom you can -count as on yourself?" - -"Cascaras! I should think so. I have Blas Vasquez." - -"Would you be good enough to tell me who this Blas is, as I have not the -honour of his acquaintance?" - -"He is my capataz, and I can trust to him as to myself in matters of -danger." - -"Excellent! All is going on famously, then." - -"I really cannot make you out," the count said. - -"You shall see," said Louis. - -"I have been trying to do so for the last half hour." - -"Your capataz, to whom you will give your instructions, will put himself -at the head of his peons within an hour, and ostensibly take the road to -Guaymas; but, as soon as he has gone two or three leagues to a point we -shall settle on, he will halt. The rest will be the business of myself -and friends." - -"Oh! I understand your plan now. The peons hidden by you will attack the -Indians in the rear so soon as the action has commenced between and them -us." - -"That is it." - -"But the Apaches? Do you believe they will allow a troop of white men to -retire without harassing them?" - -"The Indians are too shrewd to oppose them. What good would it do to -attack a body of men who have no baggage? The fight would not profit -them, but cause their position to be discovered. No, no, be easy, -caballero, they will not stir: they have too great an interest in -remaining invisible." - -"And what do you intend to do?" - -"The Indians certainly saw me come in this direction; they know I am -here. If I went out with them it would betray all. I shall go away alone -as I came, and that immediately." - -"The plan is so simple and well arranged that it must succeed. Receive -our thanks, sir, and be kind enough to tell us your name, that we may -know the man to whom we are indebted for so great a service." - -"To what end, sir?" - -"I join my entreaties, caballero, to those of my friend, Don Gaetano, in -order to induce you to reveal the name of a man whose memory will be -eternally engraved on our hearts." - -Don Louis hesitated, though unable to account to himself for the reason -that made him do so. He felt a repugnance to give up his incognito as -respected the count. The two men, however, pressed him so politely, that -having no serious reason to offer for the maintenance of his incognito, -he allowed himself to be vanquished by their entreaties, and consented -to give his name. - -"Caballeros," he at length said, "I am the Count Louis Edward Maxime de -Prebois Crance." - -"We are friends, I trust," De Lhorailles said, holding out his hand to -him. - -"What I have done is a proof of it, I think, sir," the other replied -with a bow, but not taking the offered hand. - -"I thank you," the count went on, without appearing to notice Louis' -repugnance. "Do you intend to leave us soon?" - -"I must leave you to the urgent business you have on hand. If you will -allow me, I will take my leave at once." - -"Not breakfasting, at least?" - -"You will excuse me, but time presses. I have friends I have now left -for some hours, and who must be alarmed by my lengthened absence." - -"As they know you are at my house, that is impossible, sir," the count -said, somewhat piqued. - -"They do not know that I arrived here without accident." - -"That is different; then I will not delay you. Once again I thank you, -sir." - -"I have acted in accordance with my conscience; you owe me no thanks." - -The three men quitted the hall, and proceeded towards the isthmus -battery, talking of indifferent matters. About half way they met Don -Blas, the capataz. Don Sylva made him a sign to join them, and when he -was near them explained to him in two words the events that were -preparing, and the part he would have to play. - -"Voto a Brios!" the capataz exclaimed joyously. "I thank you, Don Sylva, -for this good news. We shall have a row at last, then, with those Apache -dogs! Caray! They'll see some fun, I swear." - -"I trust entirely to you, Blas." - -"But at what place must I await this caballero?" - -"That is true: we have not fixed the place of meeting." - -"About three leagues from here, on the Guaymas road, at a place where -the road makes a bend, there is an isolated hill called, I think, _El -Pan de Azucar_: you can ambush there without any fear of discovery. I -will join you at this spot with my friends." - -"That is agreed. At about what hour?" - -"I cannot say for certain: that must depend on circumstances." - -A few minutes later Don Louis was riding back to the prairie, while the -Count de Lhorailles and the two Mexicans, made preparations for an -active defence of the colony. - -"It is strange," Don Louis muttered to himself as he galloped on, "that -this man who is my countryman, and for whom I shall risk my life ere -long, inspires me with no sympathy." - -Suddenly his horse shied. Roughly startled from his reverie, the -Frenchman looked up. - -Eagle-head stood before him. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE MEXICAN MOON. - - -After his visit to the hunters the Black Bear set out, at the head of -his warriors, to proceed to a neighbouring island, known by the name of -Choke-Heckel, which was one of the advanced Apache posts on the Mexican -frontier. He reached the isle at daybreak. At this spot the Gila attains -its greatest width: each of the arms formed by the island is nearly two -miles wide. The island which rises in the middle of the water, like a -basket of flowers, is about two miles long by half a mile wide, and is -one immense bouquet, exhaling the sweetest perfumes, and the melodious -songs of the birds which congregate in incalculable numbers on all the -branches of the trees by which it is covered. - -Illumined on this day by the splendid beams of a flashing sun, the place -had a strange and unusual appearance which had a powerful effect on the -imagination. As far as the eye could reach over the island and the two -banks of the Gila could be seen tents of buffalo hide, or huts of -branches leaned against each other, and whose strange colours wearied -the sight. Numerous canoes made of horse-skins sewed together, and -mostly round, or else hollowed out of trunks of trees, traversed the -river in every direction. The warriors dismounted and set their horses -free, which immediately proceeded to join a number of others. - -The chief went towards the huts before which feather flags and the -scalps of renowned warriors fluttered in the breeze, passing through the -women who were preparing the morning meal. But the Black Bear had been -recognised immediately on his arrival, and all got out of his way with -respectful bows. A thing no European could credit is the respect all -Indians, without exception, pay to their chiefs. Among those who have -kept up the manners of their forefathers, and, disdaining European -civilisation, have continued to wander about the prairies as free men, -this respect is changed into fanaticism, almost into adoration. - -The gold fillet adorned with two buffalo horns, placed on the Black -Bear's brow, caused him to be recognised by all, and the liveliest joy -was evinced on his passage. He at length reached the river's bank. On -arriving there he made a sign to a man fishing a short distance off in a -canoe; the latter hastened up, and the chief passed over to the island. -A hut of branches had been prepared for him. It is probable that -invisible sentinels were watching for his arrival, for the moment he set -foot on land, a chief called the Little Panther presented himself before -him. - -"The great chief is welcome among his brothers," he said, bowing -courteously before the Black Bear. "Has my father had a good journey?" - -"I have had a good journey, I thank my brother." - -"If my father consents I will lead him to _jacal_ built to receive -him." - -"Let us go," the chief said. - -The Little Panther bowed a second time, and guided the chief along a -path formed through the shrubs. They soon arrived at a jacal, which, in -the mind of the Indians, offered the ideal of what was comfortable, -through its size, the brilliancy of the colours with which it was -painted, and its cleanliness. - -"My father is at home," the Little Panther said, respectfully raising -the _fresada_ (blanket) which closed the jacal, and falling back to let -the Black Bear pass. The latter entered. - -"My brother will follow me," he said. - -The Little Panther walked in behind him, and let the curtain fall. This -abode did not in any way differ from that of the other Indians. A fire -burned in the centre. The Black Bear made a sign to the other chief to -sit down on a buffalo skull. He then chose one for himself, and sat down -near the fire. After a moment's silence, employed by the two chiefs in -smoking gravely, the Black Bear addressed the Little Panther:-- - -"Are the chiefs of all the tribes of our nation collected on the island -as I ordered?" - -"They are." - -"When will they come to my jacal?" - -"That depends on my father. They await his good pleasure." - -The Black Bear began smoking again silently. A long period was thus -spent. - -"Nothing new has happened during my absence?" the Black Bear asked, -shaking the ash out of his calumet on his thumb. - -"Three chiefs of the prairie Comanches have arrived, sent by their -nation to treat with the Apaches." - -"Wah!" the chief said. "Are they renowned warriors?" - -"They have many wolves' tails on their moccasins. They must be valiant." - -The Black Bear nodded his head in affirmation. - -"One of them, it is said, is the Jester," the Little Panther continued. - -"Is my brother certain of what he says?" the chief asked sharply. - -"The Comanche warriors refused to give their names when they learned the -absence of my father. They answered it was well, and that they would -await his return." - -"Good! They are chiefs. Where are they?" - -"They have lighted a fire, round which they are camping." - -"Time is precious. My brother will warn the Apache chiefs that I await -them at the council fire." - -The Little Panther rose without replying, and quitted the jacal. - -For about an hour the Indian chief remained alone buried in thought: at -the end of that time the sound of several approaching men could be heard -outside. The curtain was raised by the Little Panther, who walked in. - -"Well?" the Black Bear asked. - -"The chiefs are waiting." - -"Let them come in." - -The chiefs made their appearance. They were ten in number; each had put -on his best ornaments, and all wore their war paint. They entered -silently, and ranged themselves silently round the fire, after silently -saluting the great chief, and kissing the hem of his robe. - -As soon as all the chiefs had assembled in the interior of the _toldo_, -a troop of Apache warriors drew up outside, to keep off the curious, and -insure the secrecy of the deliberations. The Black Bear, in spite of his -self-mastery, could not refrain from a movement of joy at the sight of -all these men, who were entirely devoted to him, and by whose help he -felt certain of accomplishing his projects. - -"My brothers are welcome," he said, inviting them by a sign to take -seats on the buffalo skulls ranged round the fire, "I was awaiting them -impatiently." - -The chiefs bowed and sat down. Then the pipe bearer entered and -presented the calumet to each warrior, who drew two or three puffs of -tobacco. When this ceremony was over, and the pipe bearer had departed, -the deliberations began. - -"Before all," said the Black Bear, "I must give you an account of my -mission. The Black Bear has completely fulfilled it; he has entered the -hut of the white men; he has thoroughly examined it; he knows the number -of palefaces that defend it; and when the hour arrives for him to lead -his warriors there, the Black Bear will know how to find the road -again." - -The chiefs bowed with satisfaction. - -"This great cabin of the whites," the Black Bear continued, "is the only -serious obstacle we shall find on our road in the new expedition we are -undertaking." - -"The Yoris are dogs without courage. The Apaches will give them -petticoats, and make them prepare their game," the Little Panther said -with a grin. - -The Black Bear shook his head. - -"The palefaces of the great cabin of Guetzalli are not Yoris," he said. -"A chief has seen them---they are men. Nearly all of them have blue eyes -and hair the colour of ripe maize; they seem very brave--my brothers -must be prudent." - -"Does not my father know who these men are?" a chief inquired. - -"The Black Bear does not know. He was told down there near the great -Salt Lake, that they inhabited a country very far from here, toward the -rising sun: that is all." - -"These men have no trees, nor fruit, nor buffaloes in their own country, -that they come to steal ours." - -"The palefaces are insatiable," the Black Bear replied. "They forget -that the Great Spirit has only given them, like other men, one mouth and -two hands. All they see they covet. The Wacondah, who loves his red -sons, let them be born in a rich country, and has covered them with his -gifts. The palefaces are jealous, and seek continually to rob and -dispossess them; but the Apaches are brave warriors: they can defend -their hunting grounds, and prevent them being trampled by these -vagabonds, who have come from the other side of the Great Salt Lake on -the floating cabins of the _Great Medicine._" - -The chiefs warmly applauded this harangue, which expressed so well the -sentiments that affected them, and the animosity with which they were -animated against the white race--that conquering and invading race, -which constantly drives them further into the desert, not even leaving -them the requisite space to breathe and live quietly after their -fashion. - -"The great nation of the Comanches of the Lakes, that which is called -the Queen of the Prairies, has deputed to our nation three renowned -warriors. I know not the object of this embassy, which, however, must be -peaceful. Does it please you, chiefs of my nation, to receive them, and -admit them to smoke the calumet of peace round our council fire." - -"My father is a very wise warrior," the Little Panther replied: "he can, -when he likes, divine the most hidden thoughts in the heart of his -enemies. What he does will be well done. The chiefs of his nation will -be always happy to regulate their conduct by the counsels he may deign -to give them." - -The Black Bear threw a glance round the assembly, as if to assure -himself that the Little Panther had truly expressed the general will. -The members of the council silently bowed their heads in acquiescence. -The chief smiled proudly on seeing himself so appreciated by his -companions, and addressing the Little Panther, said,-- - -"Let my brothers, the Comanche chiefs, be introduced." - -These words were pronounced with a majesty equal to that of a European -king sitting in parliament. - -The Little Panther went out to execute the order he had received. During -his absence, which was rather long, not a word was exchanged between the -chiefs seated on buffalo skulls, with their elbows on their knees, and -their chins on the palm of their hand; they remained motionless and -silent, apparently plunged into deep thought. - -The Little Panther at length returned, preceding the Comanche warriors. -On their entry the Apache chiefs rose and saluted them ceremoniously. -The Comanches returned the salutation with no less courtesy, but without -any other response, and waited till they were addressed. - -The Comanche warriors were young and finely built; they had a martial -bearing, a free glance, and thoughtful brow. Dressed in their national -costume, with heads proudly raised, and hands stemmed in their sides, -they had something noble and loyal about them which aroused sympathy. -One of them specially, the youngest of the three--he was hardly -five-and-twenty--must be a superior man, to judge by appearances: the -stern lines of his countenance, the brilliancy of his glance, the -elegance and majesty of his bearing, caused him to be recognised at the -first glance as a chosen man. - -His name was the Jester; and, as might be guessed from the tuft of -condor feathers passed through his warlock, he was one of the principal -chiefs of the nation. - -The Apache chiefs bent on the new arrivals, while not appearing to -notice them, that profoundly inquisitive glance possessed to so eminent -a degree by the Indians. The Comanches, though they might guess the -power of the glances fixed on them, did not make a sign, nor allow a -movement to escape them, indicating that they knew themselves to be the -object of attention to all present. - -Machiavel, author of the "Prince" though he was, compared with the red -men, was only a child in matters of policy. These poor savages, as -they are called by those who do not know them, are the cleverest and -most cunning diplomatists in existence. - -After an instant's delay the Black Bear took a step toward the Comanche -chiefs, bowed to them, and holding out his right hand palm upwards, -said,-- - -"I am happy to receive beneath my cabin, in the midst of my people, my -brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes. They will take their place at the -council fire, and smoke with their brothers the calumet of peace." - -"Be it so," the Jester replied in a stern voice. "Are we not all children -of Wacondah?" - -And, without adding another word, he took his seat with the other chiefs -at the council fire, side by side with the Apaches. The conversation was -broken off again, for everyone was smoking. At length, when the calumet -bowls contained only ashes, the Black Bear turned with a courteous smile -to the Jester. - -"My brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes, are doubtlessly hunting the -buffalo not far from here, and then the thought occurred to them to -visit their Apache brothers. I thank them for it." - -The Jester bowed. - -"The Comanches of the Lakes are far away chasing the antelopes on the -Del Nato. The Jester, and a few devoted warriors of his tribe who -accompany him, are alone encamped on the hunting grounds." - -"The Jester is a chief renowned on the prairie," the Apache graciously -remarked. "The Black Bear is happy to have seen him. So great a warrior -as my brother does not act thus without some plausible motive." - -"The Black Bear has guessed it. The Jester has come to renew with his -Apache brothers the narrow bonds of a loyal friendship. Why, instead of -disputing a territory to which we have equal claims, should we not -divide it between us? Should the red men destroy each other? Would it -not be better to bury the war hatchet by the council fire at such a -depth that, when an Apache met a Comanche, he would only see in him a -well-beloved brother? The palefaces, who each moon encroach on our -possessions more and more, carry on a furious war with us; then why -should we help them by our intestine dissensions?" - -The Black Bear rose, and, stretching forth his arm with authority, -said,-- - -"My brother, the Jester, is right. Only one sentiment should henceforth -guide us--patriotism! Let us lay aside all our paltry enmities, to think -but of one thing--liberty! The palefaces are perfectly ignorant of -our plans. During the few days I passed at Guaymas I was able to -convince myself of that: thus our sudden invasion will be to them a -thunderbolt, which will ice them with terror. They will be more than -half conquered by our approach." - -There was a solemn silence. The Jester then turned a calm and proud -glance round the meeting, and exclaimed,-- - -"The Mexican moon will begin in twenty-four hours. Redskin warriors! -Shall we allow it to pass away without attempting one of those daring -strokes which we usually perform at this period of the year? There is -one establishment above all, over which we should rush like a whirlwind: -that establishment founded by palefaces, other than the Yoris, is for us -a permanent menace. I will not deal craftily with you. Apache chiefs! I -come to offer you frankly, if you will attack Guetzalli, the support of -four hundred Comanche warriors, at whose head I will place myself." - -At this proposition a quiver of pleasure ran through the meeting. - -"I joyfully accept my brother's proposal," the Black Bear said. "I have, -nearly the same number of warriors: our two bands will be strong enough, -I hope, to utterly destroy the palefaces. Tomorrow, at the rising of the -moon, we will set out." - -The chiefs retired, and the Black Bear and the Jester were left alone. -These two chiefs enjoyed an equal reputation, and both were adored by -their countrymen, hence they examined each other curiously, for up to -that moment they had always been enemies, and never had the chance of -meeting save with weapons in their hands. - -"I thank my brother for his cordial offer," the Black Bear was the first -to say. "Under the present circumstances his help will be very -advantageous for us; but once the victory is decided, the spoil will be -equally shared between the two nations." - -The Jester bowed. - -"What plan has my brother formed?" he asked. - -"A very simple one. The Comanches are terrible horsemen: with my brother -at their head, they must be invincible. So soon as the moon shines in -the heavens the Jester will set out with his warriors, and proceed -toward Guetzalli, being careful to fire the prairie in front of his -detachment, in order to raise a curtain of smoke which will conceal his -movements and prevent his warriors being counted. If, as is not -probable, the palefaces have placed vedettes before their great lodge to -announce the arrival of the expedition, my brother will seize and kill -them at once, to prevent them giving any alarm. In this expedition, as -in all those that have preceded it, everything belonging to the -palefaces--lodges, jacals, houses--will be burnt; the beasts carried off -and sent to the rear. On arriving in front of Guetzalli my brother will -hide himself as well as he can, and await the signal I will give him to -attack the palefaces." - -"Good! My brother is a prudent chief. He will succeed. I will do exactly -as he has told me; and he, what will he do while I am executing this -portion of the general plan?" - -A strange smile played on the Black Bear's lips. - -"He will see," he said laying his hand on the Comanche's shoulder. "Let -him act as a chief, and I promise him a glorious victory." - -"Good!" the Comanche made answer. "My brother is the first of his -nation; he knows how he should behave; the Apaches are not women. I go -to rejoin my warriors." - -"'Tis well; my brother has understood. Tomorrow at the rising of the -moon." - -The Jester bowed, and the two chiefs separated, apparently the best -friends in the world. A few moments later the greatest animation -prevailed in the Apache camp; the women struck the tents and loaded the -mules, the children lassoed and saddled the horses, and all preparations -were made for their departure. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A WOMAN'S STRATAGEM. - - -The next day at the rising of the moon, as had been agreed, the Jester -ordered his detachment to set out. Presently a party of horsemen who had -hurried onwards threw lighted torches amid the shrubs, and in a few -minutes an immense curtain of flames rose to the sky, and completely -veiled the horizon. The Comanches carried out the orders of the Apache -chief with such rapidity and intelligence, that in less than an hour all -was consumed. - -The Black Bear, concealed in the island with his war party, had not made -a move. The traces left by the Comanches were, alas! very visible, for -the country only that morning so lovely, rich, and luxuriant, was at -present gloomy and desolate. There was no verdure, no flowers, no birds -hidden beneath the frondage, and twittering as if to outrival each other. - -The Indians' plan would have met with perfect success through the -arrangement of the campaigners, and the Guetzalli colonists would have -been surprised, had other men than Belhumeur and his friends been on the -route of the Indian army. - -The Canadian was watching. At the first smoke that arose in the distance -he understood the intention of the redskins, and without losing a moment -he sent off Eagle-head to the colony to inform the count of what was -taking place. Still, behind the fire, the Comanches were arriving at -full speed destroying and trampling beneath their horse's hoofs what the -flames might have spared. - -Night had completely set in when the Jester had arrived in sight of -the colony. Supposing that, through the rapidity of his march, the white -men would not have had time to place themselves on the defensive, he -ambushed a portion of his men, placed himself at the head of the rest, -and crawled with all the precautions employed in such cases toward the -isthmus battery. - -No one appeared: the glacis and entrenchments seemed abandoned. The -Jester uttered his war cry, rose suddenly, and bounding forward like a -jaguar, crossed the entrenchment, followed by his warriors. But, at the -moment when the Comanches prepared to leap into the interior, a fearful -discharge at point blank range levelled more than one half of the Indian -detachment, while the survivors took to flight. - -The Comanches had one great disadvantage--they possessed no firearms. -The musketry decimated them, and they could only reply by firing their -arrows, or by hurling their javelins. Noticing, therefore, though too -late for himself, that the French were on their guard, the Jester, -desperate at the check he had experienced, and his serious losses, was -unwilling to further weaken the confidence of his warriors by useless -tentatives. He concealed his detachment under the cover of the virgin -forest, and resolved to wait for the Black Bear's signal ere he made a -move. - -Don Louis had followed Eagle-head. The Indian, after several turnings, -led him almost opposite the isthmus battery to the entrance of a dense -thicket of cactus, aloes, and floripondios. - -"My brother can dismount," he said to the Frenchman; "we have arrived." - -"Arrived where?" Louis asked, looking around him in vain. - -Without replying the chief took the horse, and led it away. Louis, -during the interval looked all around him: but his researches had no -result. - -"Well," Eagle-head asked on his return, "has my brother found it?" - -"On my faith, no, chief. I give it up." - -The Indian smiled. - -"The palefaces have the eyes of moles," he said. - -"It is possible; at any rate, I should feel obliged by your lending me -yours." - -"Good! My brother shall see." - -Eagle-head glided along the ground, and Louis imitated him: in this way -they entered the thicket. After about a quarter of an hour of this -exercise, which was more than fatiguing, the Indian stopped. - -"Let my brother look," he said. - -They were in a small clearing, formed in the midst of an inextricable -medley of branches and shrubs, completed by a profusion of leaves so -artistically interlaced, that without deep observation it would be -impossible to suspect the existence of this hiding place. Belhumeur and -the two Mexicans were philosophically smoking while awaiting the return -of the envoy. - -"You are welcome," the Canadian said, so soon as he caught sight of him. -"How do you like our camp? Charming, is it not? Eagle-head discovered -it. Those devils of Indians have a peculiar talent for forming an -ambuscade. We are as safe here as in Quebec Cathedral." - -During this flood of words, to which he only responded by a hearty -pressure of the hand, Louis had comfortably seated himself by the side -of his companions, and began to do honour, with excellent appetite, to -the provisions they had put aside for him. - -"But where are the horses?" he asked. - -"Here, two paces from us; not to be found by anyone save ourselves." - -"Very good. Shall we be able to get them so soon as we want them?" - -"Pardieu!" - -"The fact is we shall probably need them soon." - -"Ah, ah! But," he added, checking himself, "I am chattering, and not -noticing that you must be probably savagely hungry. Finish your meal, -and we will talk afterwards." - -"Oh! I can answer very well while eating." - -"Wo! No, everything has its proper time. Finish your breakfast: we will -listen to you afterwards." - -When Louis had finished eating he described fully the way in which he -had carried out his mission. - -"All that is very good," Belhumeur said when he had ended his report. "I -believe that we can henceforth feel assured about the safety of our -countrymen, especially with the help of the forty peons, who will take -the enemy between two fires." - -"Yes, but where shall they be concealed?" - -"Leave that to Eagle-head. The chief knows the country thoroughly, he -has hunted in it for a long time. I am certain he will find a suitable -place for the Mexicans. What do you say, chief?" - -"It is easy to hide one's self in the prairie," the chief answered -laconically. - -"Yes," Don Martial remarked, "but there is one thing you forget." - -"What?" - -"I live on the frontier, and have long been accustomed to Indian -tactics. The Apaches will arrive, preceded by a curtain of smoke; the -plain will be only one vast sheet of flame, in the midst of which we -shall struggle in vain, and which will end by swallowing us up, if we do -not take the proper precautions." - -"That is true: it is a serious matter. Unfortunately, I only see one way -of escaping from the danger, and that we cannot employ." - -"What is it?" - -"By Jove! Making off." - -"I know another," Eagle-head observed. - -"You, chief? Then you will tell us of it." - -"Let the palefaces listen. The Rio Gila, like all other large rivers, -brings down with it dead trees, at times in such quantities that at -certain spots they completely block up the passage, in time these trees -press against each other, and their branches become entwined; then grass -grows, to cement them more firmly together; the sand and earth are piled -up gradually on these immense rafts, which at a distance resemble -islands, until a storm comes as a flood, which breaks up the raft, and -bears it away." - -"I know that. I have seen frequent instances of it, chief," Belhumeur -said. "These rafts at last grow to look so like islands that the man -most accustomed to desert life and the grand spectacles of nature is -frequently deceived by them. I understand all the advantages your idea -possesses for us; but, unhappily, I do not see how it will be possible -for us to carry it out." - -"In the simplest way. The Indian's eye is good; he sees everything -within two bow-shots of him. Above the great lodge of the palefaces, did -not my brother notice an islet about fifty yards almost from the bank?" - -"What you say is quite correct," Belhumeur exclaimed; "I can call the -island to mind now." - -"From the position it occupies there will be nothing to apprehend from -fire," Louis remarked. "If it is large enough to hold us all it will be -extremely useful as an advanced post." - -"We have not a moment to lose: we must take possession of it at once, -and when we are certain that it offers all we want we will lead the -peons to it." - -"Let us start, then, without further delay," the Tigrero said as he -rose. - -The others imitated him, and the five men left the clearing. After -fetching their horses they proceeded toward the island under the -guidance of Eagle-head. - -The Indian chief had not deceived them. With that infallible glance his -countrymen possess, he had at once formed a correct opinion of the spot -he so cleverly selected. There was another consideration highly -advantageous for the adventurers--a thick line of mangroves bordered the -river's edge, and advanced sufficiently far into the stream to diminish -the distance separating the isle from the mainland, while forming a -natural defence for men concealed in the tall grass; for it was -perfectly impossible that the Indians could hide themselves in the -mangroves to harass their enemies, who, on the other hand, could do them -considerable mischief. - -This islet (we will retain the name, though it was really only a raft) -was covered with a close, strong herbage, about two yards in height, in -the midst of which, men and horses completely disappeared. When the -reconnoissance was ended, Belhumeur and the two Mexicans installed -themselves in the centre, while Louis and Eagle-head returned to the -bank to go and meet the capataz and his people. - -Don Martial did not care to accompany them. So near the colony he was -afraid of being recognised by Don Sylva, and preferred to maintain, as -long as he could, an incognito necessary for the ulterior success of his -plans. Louis, after making him the offer to accompany them, pressed him -no further, and appeared to accept his refusal without any discussion. -The truth was, that the count felt, without being able to explain it, a -species of repulsion for this man, whose cautious manner and continual -hesitation had ill disposed him in his favour. - -Eagle-head and Louis, certain that the Black Bear had really retired -with his detachment, and left no spies on the prairie, thought it -unnecessary to let the Mexicans take a long and wearisome ride before -leading them to the hiding place; consequently, they hid themselves in -the shrubs at the end of the isthmus to watch their exit, and lead them -straight to the spot. - -In the meanwhile the news Don Louis had carried to the colony had turned -everything topsy-turvy. Although, since the first foundation of the -hacienda, the Indians had constantly tried to harass the French, the -various attempts they made had been unimportant, and this was really the -first time they would have a serious contest with their ferocious -enemies. - -The Count de Lhorailles had with him about two hundred Dauph'yeers, who -had come from Valparaiso, Guyaquil, Callao, and the other Pacific ports, -which are always crowded with adventurers of every description. These -worthy people were a singular mixture of all the nationalities peopling -the two hemispheres, although the French supplied the largest factor. -Half bandits, half soldiers, these men put the utmost faith in the chief -they had freely chosen. - -The news of the attack premeditated by the Apaches was received by the -garrison with shouts of joy and enthusiasm. It was an amusement for -these adventurers to exchange shots, or rub the rust off a little, as -they naively said in their picturesque language. They desired before all -to prove to the Apaches the difference existing between the Creole -colonists, whom they had been in the habit of killing and plundering -from time immemorial, and Europeans whom they did not yet know. - -The count, therefore, had no need to recommend firmness to them; he was -on the contrary, obliged to repress their ardour, and beg them to be -prudent, by promising that they should soon have an opportunity of -meeting the redskins in the open field. - -As soon as the defensive preparations were made the count left the -details to his two lieutenants, two old soldiers, on whom he believed -he could count; then he thought of Blas Vasquez and his peons. In the -probable event that the Indians had left spies round the colony, they -must be persuaded that this band had really retired. For that purpose -several mules were laden with provisions, as if for a long journey; then -the capataz, well instructed, put himself at the head of the squadron, -and left the colony, rifle on thigh. - -The count, Don Sylva, and the other inhabitants followed the party with -an interest easy to comprehend, ready to help them if attacked. But -nothing stirred in the prairie; the calm and silence continued to -prevail, and the Mexicans soon disappeared in the tall grass. - -"I cannot at all understand the Indian tactics," Don Sylva muttered -thoughtfully. "As they have allowed that party to pass so quietly, they -must be planning some trick which offers a good prospect of success." - -"We shall soon know what we are to expect," the count replied; "besides, -we are ready to receive them. I am only sorry that Dona Anita should be -here; not that she runs the slightest risk, but the sound of the contest -may terrify her." - -"No, senor conde," the lady said, who came from the house at the moment; -"fear nothing of that nature for me. I am a true Mexican, and not one of -your European dames, whom the slightest thing causes to faint. Often, in -circumstances graver than these, I have heard the Apache war yell echo -in my ears, without, however, feeling that intense alarm you seem to -apprehend from me today." - -After uttering these words with that haughty and profoundly contemptuous -accent women know so well to employ to a man they do not love, Dona -Anita passed before the count without deigning him a glance, and took -her father's arm. - -The Frenchman made no reply: he bit his lips till they bled, and bowed -as if he did not understand the epigram launched at him. He intended to -have an explanation with his betrothed at a later date; for though he -did not love her, as often happens in such cases, he did not pardon her -being loved by another, and especially for regarding him with -indifference; but the events which had hurried on with such rapidity -during the last two days had hitherto prevented him asking this -important interview of the dona. - -The hacendero's daughter was an Andalusian from head to foot, all fire -and passion, only obeying the precipitate movements of her heart. Loving -with all the strength of her soul, safeguarded by her love for Don -Martial, she had judged the Count de Lhorailles coolly, and guessed the -speculator under the garb of the gentleman; hence she made up her mind -at once to render it an impossibility ever to become his wife. To -commence an overt struggle with her father--she knew, too well to risk -it, the old Spanish blood that boiled in his veins. A woman's strength -is her apparent weakness; her means of defence, stratagem. As much -Indian as she was Spaniard, Anita chose stratagem, that terrible woman's -weapon, which often renders her so dangerous. - -Blas Vazquez, the capataz, had seen the birth of Dona Anita: his wife -had been her nurse--that is, he was devoted to the young girl, and on a -sign from her he would have pledged his soul to the demon. - -When Don Louis visited the hacienda the young lady was considerably -curious as to the motive of his arrival. After the Frenchman's departure -she asked coolly for information from the capataz, who saw no harm in -giving it to her, the more so because everyone in the colony would soon -know the news the count brought. The only thing no one could know, and -which Dona Anita guessed with that heart instinct which never deceives, -was the presence of the Tigrero among the hunters ambushed in the -vicinity of the hacienda. - -On leaving her at Guaymas, Don Martial had said that he would constantly -watch over her, and save her from the fate with which she was menaced. -After that, it was plain that he must have followed her. Had he done so -(which she did not for a moment doubt), he must certainly be among the -brave men who at that moment were devoting themselves to save her, while -seeking to protect the colony. - -The logic of the heart is the only species that is positive and never -deceives. We have seen that Dona Anita, enlightened by passion, reasoned -justly. When the girl had drawn from the capataz all the information she -desired,-- - -"Don Blas," she said to him, "it is probable that if the colony is -attacked, after the services you will be able to render, and when my -father and Don Gaetano no longer want you and your men, that you will -receive orders to return to Guaymas." - -"'Tis probable, certainly, senora," the worthy man answered. - -"In that case you will have no objection to do me a service?" she went -on, looking at him with her most fascinating smile. - -"You know, senorita, that I would throw myself into the fire for you." - -"I do not wish you to put your friendship to such a rude trial, my good -Blas; still I thank you for your kindly feeling." - -"What can I do to oblige you?" - -"Oh! A very easy matter. You know," she said lightly, "that for a long -time I have wished to have two jaguar skins as a carpet for my bedroom?" - -"No," he replied simply; "I was not aware of it." - -"Ah! Well, I tell it you now, so you know it." - -"I shall not forget it, senorita, you may be sure." - -"Thanks; but that is not exactly what I want." - -"What?" - -"That you could get the skins for me." - -"Oh! So soon as I am my own master again you can depend on me." - -"I do not wish you to expose your life to satisfy a whim." - -"Oh, senorita!" he said reproachfully. - -"No; I have a way to procure them more easily." - -"Ah! Very good. Let us see." - -"A renowned Tigrero arrived at Guaymas a few days back." - -"Don Martial Asuzena?" he quickly interrupted her. - -"Do you know him?" - -"Who does not know the Tigrero?" - -"Well, I heard that he has brought from his last hunt on the western -prairies some magnificent jaguar skins, which, I have no doubt, he would -be willing to sell at a fair price." - -"I am certain of it." - -"Here," she said, drawing a small, carefully-sealed note from her bosom, -"is a letter you will give that man. I describe in it the way in which I -should like to have the skins prepared, and the price I am willing to -give. Here is the money," she added, as she handed him a purse; "you -will arrange the matter for me." - -"There was no occasion to write," the capataz remarked. - -"Pardon me, my friend, you have so many things to think of, that a -trifle like this might easily slip your memory." - -"Well, that is possible; so perhaps you have acted wisely." - -"Well, then, it is agreed--you will perform my commission?" - -"Can you doubt it?" - -"No, my friend. But stay, one word more. Do not say anything to my -father. You know how kind he is; he would want to make me a present of -them, and I wish to pay for the skins out of my own purse." - -The capataz began laughing at the joke. The worthy man was delighted at -sharing a secret, however slight it might be, with his darling child, as -he called his young mistress. - -"It is settled," he said; "I will be dumb." - -The girl gave him a friendly nod and withdrew. What was the meaning of -the note? Why did she write it? We shall soon learn. - -The day passed at the hacienda without further incidents. The count made -several attempts to have a conversation with the dona, which she -constantly sought to avoid. - -Blas Vasquez, on quitting the colony, struck the Guaymas road, and made -his troop go at a sharp trot, through fear of a surprise. He had scarce -lost sight of the colony, and entered the tall grass, when two men, -leaping into the middle of the path, checked their horses about twenty -paces ahead of him. One of them was an Indian; the other the capataz -recognised at a glance as the man who had come to the hacienda that -morning. Vasquez commanded his men to halt, and advancing alone to meet -the stranger, said,-- - -"By what accident do I meet you here, senor Frances? You are still far -from the meeting place you indicated yourself." - -"We are so," was the reply; "but as we found no Apache trail in the -prairie we thought it useless to give you a long journey. I have been -sent to conduct you to the ambush we have chosen." - -"You did right. Have we far to go?" - -"No, hardly a quarter of an hour's ride. We are going to that islet, -which you can see by standing in your stirrups," he added, stretching -out his arm in the direction of the river. - -"Eh?" the capataz said. "The spot is well chosen: we can command the -river from there." - -"That is the reason why he selected it." - -"Be good enough, then, to serve as our guide, senor Frances: we will -follow you." - -The detachment set out again. As Don Louis had stated, within a quarter -of an hour the capataz and the peons were encamped on the islet with the -five adventurers, so well masked by grassland mangroves, that it was -impossible to see them from either bank of the river. - -So soon as the capataz had performed his duties as head of the -detachment, he sat down at the bivouac fire by the side of his new -friends, to whom Don Louis presented him. The first person Blas -perceived was Don Martial, the Tigrero. At the sight of him he could -hardly refrain from a movement of surprise. - -"_Caspita!_" he exclaimed, with a loud laugh; "the meeting is curious." - -"Why so?" the Mexican asked, rather annoyed by this recognition, which -he had not expected, for he did not think the capataz knew him. - -"Are you not Don Martial Asuzena?" - -"Yes," he replied, more and more restless. - -"My faith! I should have found it difficult to meet you at Guaymas; but -I did not expect to find you here." - -"Explain yourself, I beg. I cannot understand you at all." - -"My young mistress gave me a message for you." - -"What do you say?" the Tigrero exclaimed, his heart beginning to -palpitate. - -"What I say, nothing else. Dona Anita wishes to buy two jaguar skins of -you, it appears." - -"Of me?" - -"Yes." - -Don Martial regarded him with such an air of amazement that the capataz -began again laughing heartily. This laughter aroused the young man; made -him conjecture there was some mystery in the affair; and that if he -continued to look so astonished, he would arouse suspicions in the -worthy man, who probably did not know the word of the riddle. - -"'Tis true," he said, as if trying to remember something, "I fancy I can -call to mind some time back--" - -"Then," the capataz interrupted him, "it's all right; besides, I was -asked to hand you a letter so soon as I met you." - -"A letter from whom?" - -"Why, from my mistress, I suppose." - -"From Dona Anita?" - -"Who else?" - -"Give it me quickly," the Tigrero exclaimed in great agitation. - -The capataz handed it to him. Don Martial tore it from his hands, broke -the seal with trembling fingers, and devoured it with his eyes. When he -had finished reading it he concealed it in his bosom. - -"Well," the capataz asked him, "what does my mistress say?" - -"Only what you told me yourself," the Tigrero replied, in anything but a -firm voice. - -Blas Vasquez shook his head. - -"Hem! That man is certainly hiding something from me," he muttered. "Can -Dona Anita have deceived me?" - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero walked about in agitation, apparently -revolving some important project. At length he approached Belhumeur, who -was smoking silently, and, leaning over his ear, uttered a few words in -a low voice, to which the Canadian answered with a nod of assent. A -flash of joy illumined the Tigrero's gloomy face as he made a sign to -Cuchares to follow him, and quitted the bivouac a few minutes later. Don -Martial and the lepero, both mounted, swam across the space separating -them from the main land. The capataz perceived them at the moment they -landed, and uttered a cry of astonishment. - -"Why," he exclaimed, "the Tigrero is leaving us. Where can he be going?" - -Belhumeur regarded the Mexican with his bittersweet look, and replied, -with a jesting accent,-- - -"Who knows? Perhaps he is going to carry the answer to the letter you -gave him." - -"That is not impossible," the capataz remarked thoughtfully, little -suspecting that he spoke the exact truth. - -At this moment the sun set in floods of purple and gold far away in the -horizon behind the snow-clad peaks of the lofty mountains of the Sierra -Madre, and night soon stretched her black cerecloth over the earth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A NIGHT JOURNEY. - - -Events have so multiplied during the course of this night, that to keep -headway with the incidents, we are compelled to pass incessantly from -one person to another. - -Don Martial was rich--very rich--eager for excitement, and endowed with -warlike instincts. He had only embraced the profession of _Tigrero_ in -order to have a plausible excuse for his constant travels in the desert, -which he had passed his whole life in travelling in every direction. - -The Tigreros are generally wood rangers or old hunters, who, for a -certain salary and a premium on each hide, engage with a hacendero to -kill the wild beasts that decimate his herds. What others did for money, -he performed simply for pleasure; hence he was greatly liked on the -frontiers, and especially welcomed by all the hacenderos, who found in -him not only the clever and daring hunter, but also the boon companion -and the caballero. - -Don Martial saw Dona Anita for the first time when the chances of his -adventurous life had led him to a hacienda belonging to Don Sylva, -where, within the space of a month, he killed some dozen wild beasts. As -the Tigrero constantly watched the young girl, whom he could not see -without falling madly in love with, it happened that one day, when -Anita's horse ran away, he was near enough to save her at the peril of -his own life. It was through this event that the girl first noticed and -spoke to him. We know the rest. - -Cuchares was not at all pleased with the sudden departure from the -island. He inwardly cursed the folly which made him attach himself to a -man like him he now followed, who might expose him at any moment to the -chances of getting an arrow through his body, without any profit or -available excuse. Still Cuchares was not the man to feel long angry with -the Tigrero. He knew that grave reasons alone could have induced him to -leave a shelter at that hour of the night, resign the aid of the -hunters, and go wandering about the desert without any apparent object. -He burned to know the reasons; but he knew that Don Martial was no great -talker, and had a great objection to having his secrets spied out; and -as, in spite of all his bounce, he entertained a great respect for the -Tigrero, mingled with a decent amount of fear, he deferred to a more -favourable moment the numerous questions he longed to ask him. - -The two men, then, marched on side by side silently, allowing the reins -to hang on their horses' heads, and each indulging in his own -reflections. Still Cuchares remarked that Don Martial, instead of -seeking the cover of the forest, obstinately followed the river bank, -and kept his horse as close to it as possible. - -The darkness grew rapidly denser around them; distant objects began to -be lost in the masses of shadow on the horizon, and they soon found -themselves in complete obscurity. For some time the lepero tried, by -coughing or uttering exclamations, to attract his comrade's attention, -though unsuccessfully; but when he saw that the night had completely set -in, while the Tigrero marched on without appearing to notice the fact, -he at length mustered up courage to address him. - -"Don Martial," he said. - -"Well," the latter replied carelessly. - -"Do you not think it is time for us to stop a little?" - -"What for?" - -"What for?" the lepero replied, with a bound of surprise. - -"Yes; we have not arrived yet." - -"Then we are going somewhere?" - -"Why else should we have left our friends?" - -"That's true. Where are we going, though? That is what I should like to -know." - -"You will soon do so." - -"I confess that I should be glad of it." - -There was again silence, during which they continued to advance. They -had left the hill of Guetzalli about two musket shots behind them, and -reached a sort of creek, which through the windings of the river, was -almost parallel with the back of the hacienda, whose gloomy and imposing -mass rose before them. Don Martial stopped. - -"We have arrived," he said. - -"At last!" the lepero muttered with a sigh of satisfaction. - -"I mean to say," the Tigrero went on, "that the easiest part of our -expedition is ended." - -"We are making an expedition then?" - -"By Jove! Do you fancy, then, my good fellow, that I am marching along -the banks of the Gila merely for amusement?" - -"That surprised me, too." - -"Now our expedition will speedily commence in reality." - -"Good!" - -"I must warn you, however, that it is rather dangerous; however, I -counted on you." - -"Thanks," Cuchares answered, making a grimace which had some pretensions -to resemble a smile. The truth is, the lepero would have preferred that -his friend had not given him this proof of confidence. Don Martial -continued,-- - -"We are going there;" and he extended his arm in the direction of the -river. - -"Where then? To the hacienda?" - -"Yes." - -"You wish us to be cut in pieces." - -"How so?" - -"Do you believe we shall reach the hacienda without being discovered?" - -"We will try it at any rate." - -"Yes; and as we shall not succeed, those demons of Frenchmen, who are on -the watch, will take us for savages, and be safe to shoot at us." - -"It is a risk to run." - -"Thanks! I prefer remaining here, for I confess I am not yet mad enough -to put myself in the wolf's jaws for mere sport. Go where you please, -but I stay here." - -The Tigrero could not suppress a smile. - -"The danger is not so great as you suppose," he said. "We are expected -at the hacienda by someone who will doubtlessly have moved the sentinels -from the spot where we shall land." - -"That is possible, but I do not care to try the experiment, for a bullet -never pardons; besides, those Frenchmen are tremendous marksmen." - -The Tigrero made no reply; he did not seem even to have heard his -companion's remark. His mind was elsewhere. With his body bent forward, -he was listening. During the last few minutes the desert had assumed a -singular appearance. It woke up. All sorts of noises were heard from the -depths of the thickets and clearings. Animals of every description -rushed from the covert, and madly passed the two men without noticing -them. The birds startled from their first sleep, rose uttering shrill -cries, and circled in the air. In the river might be seen the outlines -of wild beasts swimming vigorously to reach the other bank. In a word, -something extraordinary was taking place. - -At intervals dry crackling sounds and hoarse murmurs, like those of -rising water, broke the silence, and became with each moment more -intense. On the extreme verge of the horizon a large band of bright red, -growing wider from minute to minute, spread over the scene a purple and -gold glare, which gave it a fantastic appearance. Already, on two -different occasions, enormous clouds of smoke spangled with sparks had -whirled over the heads of the two men. - -"Halloh! What is happening now?" the lepero suddenly exclaimed. "Look at -our horses, Don Martial." - -In fact, the noble beasts, with neck outstretched and ears laid back, -were breathing heavily, stamping on the ground, and trying to escape -their riders. - -"_Caspita!_" the Tigrero said calmly, "They smell the fire, that is -all." - -"What fire? Do you think the prairie is on fire?" - -"Of course. You can see it as well as I if you like." - -"Hem! What Is the meaning of that?" - -"Not much. It is one of the ordinary Indian tricks. We are in the -Comanche moon: are you not aware of that?" - -"I beg your pardon, I am not a wood ranger. I confess to you that all -this alarms me greatly, and that I would willingly give a trifle to be -out of it." - -"You are a child," Don Martial answered him laughingly. "It is evident that -the Indians have fired the prairie to conceal their numbers: they are -coming up behind the fire. You will soon hear their war cry sounding -amid the clouds of smoke and fire which are approaching, and will soon -surround us. By remaining here you run three risks--of being roasted, -scalped, or killed: three most unpleasant things, I grant, and which I -do not think will suit you. You had better come with me. If you are -killed, well, what then? It is a risk to run. Come, dismount; the fire -is gaining on us: soon we shall not have the chance. What will you do?" - -"I will follow you," the lepero replied in a mournful voice. "I must. I -was mad--deuce take me!--to leave Guaymas, where I was so happy--where I -lived without working--to come and thrust my head into such wasps' -nests. I assure you that if I escape he will be a sharp fellow who -catches me here a second time. - -"Bah, bah! People always say that. Make haste; we have no time to lose." - -In fact, the desert for a distance of several leagues burned like the -crater of an immense volcano; the flames undulated and shot along like -the waves of the sea, twisting and felling the largest trees like wisps -of straw. From the thick curtain of copper-coloured smoke which preceded -the flames there escaped, at each moment, bands of coyotes, buffaloes, -and jaguars, which, maddened with terror, rushed into the river, -uttering yells and deafening cries. - -Don Martial and the lepero entered the water; and their noble animals, -impelled by their instinct, hurried in the direction of the other bank. - -This part of the desert formed a strange contrast to that which the men -were leaving. The latter appeared an immense furnace, from which issued -vague rumours, cries of distress, agony and terror; a sea of fire, with -its billows and majestic waves, whose devouring activity swallowed up -everything on their passage, crossing valleys, escalading mountains, and -reducing to impalpable ashes the products of the vegetable and animal -kingdoms. - -The Gila, at this period of the year swollen by the rains which had -fallen in the sierra, had a width double of what it was in summer. At -that period its current becomes strong, and frequently dangerous through -its rapidity; but, at the moment our adventurers crossed it, the -numerous animals which sought to cross it simultaneously in a dense body -had so broken its force, that they reached the other bank in a -comparatively short period. - -"Eh!" Cuchares observed at the moment the horses struck land and began -ascending the bank, "Did you not tell me, Don Martial, that we were -going to the hacienda? We are not taking the road, I fancy." - -"You fancy wrong, comrade. Remember this--in the desert a man must -always appear to turn his back on the object he wishes to reach, or he -will never arrive." - -"Which means?" - -"That we are going to hobble our horses under this tuft of mesquites and -cedar-wood trees, where they will be in perfect safety, and then go -straight to the hacienda." - -The Tigrero immediately dismounted, led his horse under the shelter of -the great trees, took off its bridle in order that it might graze, -hobbled it carefully, and returned to the bank. - -Cuchares, with that resolution of despair which, under certain -circumstances, bears a striking resemblance to courage, imitated his -companion's movements point for point. The worthy lepero had at length -formed an heroic resolve. Persuaded that he was lost, he yielded himself -to the guidance of his lucky or unlucky star with that half timid -fanaticism which can only be compared with that found among the -Easterns. - -As we have said, this side of the river was plunged in shade and -silence, and the adventurers were temporarily protected from any danger. - -"Stay," the lepero again remarked; "it is a good distance from this -place to the hacienda; I can never swim it." - -"Patience. We shall find, I am certain, if we take the trouble to look, -means to shorten it. Ah, look?" he said, a moment later. "What did I say -to you?" - -The Tigrero pointed out to the lepero a small canoe fastened to a stake -in a small creek. - -"The colonists often come here to fish," he continued: "they have -several canoes concealed like this at various spots. We will take this -one, and in a few moments we shall reach our destination. Do you know -how to manage a paddle?" - -"Yes, when I am not afraid." - -Don Martial looked at him for a few seconds, then laying his hand -roughly on his shoulder, said in a sharp voice:-- - -"Listen, Cuchares, my friend. I have no time to discuss the matter -with you; I have extremely serious reasons for acting as I am now doing. -I want on your part hearty co-operation, so take warning in time. You -know me: at the first suspicious movement I will blow out your brains as -I would a coyote's. Now help me to launch the canoe and start." - -The lepero understood--resigned himself. In a few minutes the canoe was -ready and the two men in it. The passage they had to make to reach the -back of the hacienda was not long, but bristled with dangers. In the -first place, through the strength of the current which bore with it a -large quantity of dead trees, most of them still having their branches, -and which, floating half submerged in the water, threatened at each -pull to pierce the frail boat. Next, the animals which continued to shun -the fire, crossed the river in compact bands; and if the canoe were -entangled in one of these _manadas_ mad with terror, it must be crushed -with its passengers. The lightest danger the adventurers ran was the -receipt of a bullet from the sentinels hidden in the bushes which -defended the approach to the colony on the river side. But this danger -was as nothing compared with the others to which we have alluded. There -was every reason for assuming that the French, aroused by the flames, -would direct all their attention to the land side. Besides, Don Martial -believed he had nothing to fear from the sentries, who would probably -have been withdrawn. - -At a signal from Don Martial, Cuchares took up the paddles, and they -started. The fire was rapidly retiring in a western direction while -continuing its ravages. The canoe advanced slowly and cautiously through -the innumerable objects which each moment checked its progress. - -Cuchares, pale as a corpse, with hair standing on end, and eyes enlarged -by terror, rowed on frenziedly, while recommending his soul fervently to -all the numberless saints of the Spanish calendar, for he was more than -ever convinced that he would never emerge in safety from the enterprise -on which he had so foolishly entered. - -In fact, the position was a grave one, and it required all the -resolution with which the Tigrero was endowed, as well as the -excitement caused by the object he hoped to attain, to keep him from -sharing the terror which had seized on his comrade. The further they -advanced the greater the obstacles grew. Obliged to make continued -turns, in consequence of the trees that barred their passage, they only -turned on their own axis, as it were, forced to pass the same spot a -dozen times, and watch on all sides at once, not to be sunk by the -objects, either visible or invisible, which incessantly rose before -them. - -For about two hours they continued this wearying navigation; but they -insensibly approached the hacienda, whose sombre mass stood out from the -starlit sky. Suddenly a terrible cry, raised by a considerable number of -voices, filled the air, and a discharge of artillery and musketry roared -like thunder. - -"Holy Virgin!" Cuchares exclaimed, letting go the paddles and clasping -his hands, "We are lost!" - -"On the contrary," the Tigrero said, "we are saved. The Indians are -attacking the colony; all the French are at the entrenchments, and no -one will dream of watching us. Bold, my good boy! One more good pull, -and all will be over." - -"May God hear you!" the lepero muttered, beginning to paddle again with -a trembling hand. - -"Ah! The attack is serious, it appears. All the better. The harder they -fight over there, the less attention will be paid us. Let us go on." - -The two adventurers, hidden in the shade, paddled on silently, and -gradually approached the hacienda. Don Martial looked searchingly -around: all was silent in this part of the river, which was half a -pistol shot distant from the building. There was no reason for supposing -that they had been seen. The Tigrero bent over his companion. - -"That will do," he whispered; "we have arrived." - -"What! Arrived?" the lepero repeated with a frightened air. "We are -still a long way off." - -"No; at the spot where we now are, whatever may happen, you have nothing -to fear. Remain in the canoe, fasten it to one of the stumps that -surround you, and wait for me." - -"What! Are you going away?" - -"Yes; I shall leave you for an hour or two. Keep a good watch. If you -notice anything new you will imitate the cry of the waterhen twice: you -understand?" - -"Perfectly; but if a serious danger threatened us what ought I to do?" - -The Tigrero reflected for an instant. - -"What danger can threaten you here?" he said. - -"I do not know; but the Indians are fiends incarnate: with them you must -be prepared for anything." - -"You are right. Well, in case of any serious danger threatening us--but -only in that case, you understand--after giving your signal, you will -put across to that point. Mangroves grow there, under the shelter of -which you will be perfectly safe, and I will join you immediately." - -"Very good: but how shall I know where to find you?" - -"I will imitate twice the bark of the prairie dog. Now, be prudent." - -"You may be sure of that." - -The Tigrero took off all the articles of clothing that might embarrass -him, such as his zarape and botas vaqueras, only keeping on his trousers -and vest, put his knife in his belt, made up his pistols, rifle, and -cartouche box in a packet, and imitated the song of the _maukawis_. -Presently a similar sound rose from the bank. The Tigrero then held his -weapons over his head, and glided gently into the water. The lepero soon -perceived him swimming silently and vigorously in the direction of the -hacienda; but the Tigrero was gradually lost in the distance. - -So soon as he was alone Cuchares began to inspect his weapons carefully, -changing the caps so as to be ready for anything, and run no risk of -being taken unawares; then, reassured by the calmness that prevailed -around, he lay down in the bottom of the canoe in spite of the Tigrero's -recommendations, and got ready for a nap. - -The noise of the combat had gradually died away--neither shouts nor -shots could be heard. The Indians, repulsed by the colonists, had given -up their attack. The flames of the fire became less and less bright. The -desert appeared to have fallen back into its ordinary silence and -solitude. - -The lepero, lying on his back at the bottom of the canoe, gazed at the -brilliant stars, glittering in the azure sky. Gently cradled by the -rippling, his eyes closed. At length he reached that point which is -neither sleeping nor waking, and would probably soon have fallen asleep. -At the moment, however, when he was going to yield to his feelings, he -cast a parting sleepy glance over the river. He shuddered, repressed -with difficulty a cry of terror, and started up so violently that he -almost upset the canoe. - -Cuchares had had a fearful vision: he rubbed his eyes vigorously to -assure himself that he was really awake, and looked again. What he had -taken for a vision was only too real; he had seen correctly. - -We have said that the river carried with it a large number of stumps and -dead trees still laden with their branches. During the last hour an -enormous quantity of these trees had collected round the canoe, the -lepero being quite unable to account for the fact, the more so because -these trees, which by the natural laws should have followed the current -and descended with it, cut it in every direction, and, instead of -keeping to the centre of the river, drew constantly nearer to the bank -on which stood the hacienda. - -More extraordinary still, the progress of this floating wood was so -carefully regulated that all converged on one point--the extremity of -the isthmus at the back of the hacienda. Another alarming fact was, that -Cuchares saw eyes flashing and frightful faces peering out from amidst -this raft of interlaced branches, stumps and trees. - -There was no room for doubt: each tree carried at least one Apache. The -Indians, having failed in their attempt on one side, hoped to surprise -the colony from the river, and were swimming up concealed by the trees, -in the midst of which they had collected. The lepero's position was -perplexing. Up to this moment the Indians, busied with their plans, had -paid no attention to the canoe; or, if they had noticed it, thought that -it belonged to one of their party; but the error might be detected at -any moment, and the lepero knew that, in such a case, he would be -hopelessly lost. - -Already, more than once, hands had been laid for a few seconds on the -sides of a frail boat; but, by some providential chance, the owners of -those hands had not thought of looking into the interior of the canoe. - -All these reflections, and many others, Cuchares indulged in while lying -apparently most comfortably at the bottom of the canoe, gently balanced -by the ripple, and watching the brilliant stars defile above his head. -With his features distorted by terror, his face blanched, and holding a -pistol butt convulsively clutched in either hand, while mentally -recommending himself to his patron saint, he awaited the catastrophe -which every passing minute rendered more imminent. - -He had not long to wait. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE INDIAN TRICK. - - -Among the indomitable nations that wander about the deserts contained in -the delta formed by the Rio Gila, the Rio del Norte, and the Colorado, -two claim sovereignty over the rest. They are the Apaches and Comanches. -Irreconcilable enemies, incessantly at war with each other, these two -nations were now allied by a common hatred of the white men, and all -that belongs to that abhorred race. - -Excellent hunters, intrepid horsemen, cruel and pitiless warriors, the -Apaches and Comanches are terrible neighbours for the inhabitants of New -Mexico. Every year, at the same period, these ferocious warriors rush by -thousands from their deserts, cross the rivers by fording or swimming, -and invade the Mexican frontiers at several points, burning and -plundering all they come across, carrying off women and children into -slavery, and spreading desolation and terror for more than twenty -leagues into a civilised territory. - -At the period of the Spanish rule it was not so. Numerous missions, -_presidios_, posts established at regular distances, and bodies of -troops scattered along the entire frontier, repulsed the attacks of the -Indians, drove them back and kept them within the limits of their -hunting grounds; but since the proclamation of their independence the -Mexicans have had so much to do in cutting each other's throats, and -trampling morality underfoot by their incessant revolutions, that the -posts have been called in, the missions plundered, the presidios -abandoned, and the frontiers left to guard themselves. The result has -been that the Indians gradually drew nearer, and finding no serious -resistance before them--for the very simple reason that the Mexican -Government forbids, under heavy penalties, any firearms being given to -the civilised Indians, who alone could fight successfully against the -invaders--the savages have nearly reconquered in a few years what Spain, -in her omnipotence, took ages in wresting from them. The result of this -is that the most fertile country in the world remains unfilled; not a -step can be taken in this hapless country without stumbling on still -smoking ruins; and the boldness of the savages has so increased, that -they now do not even take the trouble to hide their expeditions, which -they make annually at the same period, in the same month nearly on the -same day, and that the month is called by them in derision the "Mexican -Moon;" that is to say, the moon during which the Mexicans are plundered. - -All the facts we narrate here would be the height of buffoonery were -they not also the height of atrocity. - -The Black Bear had founded the great confederation to which he had -previously alluded, for the purpose of restoring himself in the credit -of his fellow countrymen, whom several unsuccessful expeditions had -turned against him. Like all Indian chiefs of any standing, he was -ambitious. He had already succeeded in destroying several smaller -tribes, and incorporating them with his nation: he now aspired to -nothing less than humbling the Comanches, and compelling them to -recognise his authority. It was a difficult, if not impossible -enterprise; for the Comanche nation is justly recognised as the most -warlike and dangerous in the desert. This nation, which proudly calls -itself the Queen of the Prairies, can hardly endure the presence of the -Apaches on the ground they consider belonging to themselves, and forming -their hunting territory. The Comanches have an immense advantage over -the other prairie Indians--an advantage which causes their strength, and -makes them so terrible to the nations they combat. Owing to the -precaution they have taken of never drinking spirits, they have escaped -the general degradation and most of the diseases which decimate the -other Indians, and have remained vigorous and intelligent. - -The Jester, like the Black Bear, had no great faith in the duration of -the alliance formed between the two nations: the hatred he bore the -Apaches was, indeed, too profound for him to desire it; but the -foundation of the Guetzalli colony by the French, by permanently -establishing the white men, on a territory they regarded as belonging to -themselves, was a too serious menace for the Comanches and other Indios -Bravos, and they attempted every possible scheme to get rid of these -troublesome neighbours. Hence they had temporarily hung up their old -rancour and private enmities on behalf of the general welfare, but for -that only. It was tacitly agreed between them that, so soon as the -strangers were expelled, each nation would be free to act as it pleased. - -We have seen in what way the Jester began hostilities. The Black Bear -had a scheme which he had been ripening for a long time, though not -possessing the means to put it in execution; but knowing where to obtain -the information he needed, he went to Guaymas. The Tigrero, by proposing -to him to enter the colony as a guide, had unsuspectingly supplied him -with the pretext he sought. Thus, during the few hours he spent at the -hacienda, he had not lost his time, and with that cunning peculiar to -the Indians, discovered all the weak points of the place. - -There was another reason to inflame his desire to seize the hacienda. -Like all the redskins, his dream was to have a white woman in his lodge. -Fatality, by bringing him across Dona Anita, had suddenly re-enkindled the -secret hope he entertained, and made him suppose he would at length -possess the woman he sought so long without being able to find her. -It must not be thought that the Black Bear loved the Spanish maiden: no, -he wanted a white squaw, that was all. He was humiliated by the -knowledge that the other chiefs of his nation had slaves of that colour, -while he alone had none. Had Dona Anita been ugly, he would have tried -to carry her off all the same. She was lovely--all the better; and we -may add here that the Apache chief did not consider her beautiful. -According to his Indian notions she was passable, that was all; the only -thing he valued in her was her colour. - -The Black Bear, standing with his principal warriors on the point of the -island, remained silent, with his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes -fixed on vacancy, till the moment when the first gleams of the fire -kindled by the Jester tinged the horizon with a blood-red hue. - -"My brother, the Jester, is an experienced chief," he said, "and a -faithful ally. He has well fulfilled the mission intrusted to him. He is -now smoking the paleface dogs. What the Comanches have begun the Apaches -will finish." - -"The Black Bear is the first warrior of his nation," the Little Panther -replied. "Who would dare to contend with him?" - -The Indian Sachem smiled at this flattery. - -"If the Comanches are antelopes, the Apaches are otters; they can, if -they please, swim in the water, or march on land. The palefaces have -lived. The Great Spirit is in me; it is He who dictates to me the words -my tongue utters." - -The warriors bowed. The Black Bear continued, after a moment's -silence:-- - -"What do the Apache warriors care for the fire tubes of the palefaces? -Have they not long, barbed arrows and intrepid hearts? My brothers will -follow me; we will take the scalps of these pale dogs, and fasten them -to our horses' manes, and their wives shall be our slaves." - -Shouts of joy and enthusiasm greeted these words. - -"The river is covered with numerous trunks of trees: my sons are not -squaws to fatigue themselves uselessly. They will place themselves on -these dead trees, and drift with the current down to the great lodge of -the palefaces. Let my brothers prepare. The Black Bear will set out at -the sixth hour, when the blue jay has sung twice, and the walkon has -uttered its shrill cry. I have spoken. Two hundred warriors will follow -the Black Bear." - -The chiefs bowed respectfully before the sachem, and left him alone. He -wrapped himself up in his buffalo robe, sat down by the fire, lit his -calumet by means of a medicine staff adorned with bells and feathers, -and remained silent, with his eyes fixed on the gradually extending -prairie fire. - -The island in which the Apache chief had formed his camp was at no great -distance from the French colony. The project of floating down had no -very great danger for these men, accustomed to every sort of bodily -exercise, and who swam like fish: it possessed the great advantage of -completely concealing the approach of the warriors hidden by the water -and the branches, and who, at the proper moment, would rush on the -colony like a swarm of famished vultures. - -The Black Bear was so convinced of the success of this stratagem, which -only an Indian brain could have conceived, that he only took with him -two hundred chosen men, thinking it unnecessary to lead more against -enemies taken by surprise, and who, compelled to defend themselves -against the Comanches led by the Jester, would be attacked in the rear -and massacred before they had time to look around them. - -Night sets in rapidly and suddenly in countries where the twilight does -not last longer than a lightning flash. Soon all became darkness, save -that, in the distance, a wide strip of coppery red announced the -progress of the flames, behind which the Comanches galloped like a pack -of hideous wolves over the still glowing earth, trampling under their -horses' hoofs the charred wood which was still smouldering. - -When the Black Bear considered the moment had arrived he put out his -calumet, scattered the fire, and gave a signal perfectly well understood -by the Little Panther, who was watching to execute the orders the chief -might be pleased to give. Almost immediately the two hundred warriors -selected for the expedition made their appearance. They were all picked -men, armed with clubs and lances, while their shields hung on their -backs. After a moment's silence, employed by the sachem in a species of -inspection, he said in a deep voice,-- - -"We are about to set out; the palefaces we are destined to fight are not -Yoris: they are said to be very brave, but the Apaches are the bravest -warriors in the world; no one can contend against them. My sons may be -killed, but they will conquer." - -"The warriors will suffer themselves to be killed," the Indians replied -with one voice. - -"Wah!" the Black Bear continued, "my sons have spoken well; the Black -Bear has confidence in them. The Wacondah will not abandon them; he loves -the red men. And now, my sons, we will collect the dead trees floating -on the river, and float down the current with them. The cry of the -condor will be their signal to rush on the palefaces." - -The Indians immediately began executing their chiefs orders. All strove -to reach the trunks of trees or stumps. In a few moments a considerable -quantity was collected near the point of the island. The Black Bear -turned a palling glance around, gave the signal for departure, and was -the first to enter the water and clamber on a tree. All the rest -followed him immediately without the slightest hesitation. - -The Apaches behaved so cleverly in bringing the tree trunks to the -island, and had chosen their position so well, that when they set the -trees in motion again they almost immediately struck the current, and -began to follow the river gently, drifting imperceptibly in the -direction of the colony where they wished to land. - -Still this navigation, so essentially eccentric, offered grave -inconveniences and even serious dangers to those who undertook it. The -Indians, left without paddles on the trees, were obliged to follow the -stream, only succeeding in holding on by extraordinary efforts. Like all -wood floating at the mercy of the waves, the trees continually revolved, -compelling those holding on to them to employ all their strength and -skill, lest they might be submerged at every moment. There was another -difficulty, too: it was absolutely necessary to keep in the water, so as -to give the trees the proper direction and make them reach the colony, -instead of following the current in the middle of the stream. A further -inconvenience, not the least grave of all, was that the trees on which -the Apaches were mounted met others as they floated along, against which -they struck, or their branches became so interlaced that it was -impossible to part them, and they had to be taken on as well; so that, -at the end of half an hour, an immense raft was formed, which appeared -to occupy the entire width of the river. - -The Indians are obstinate: when they have undertaken an expedition they -never give it up till it is irrevocably proved to them that success is -impossible. This happened on the present occasion; several men were -drowned, others wounded so severely that they were compelled to regain -the bank against their will. The others, however, held on; and, -encouraged by their chief, who did not cease addressing them, they -continued to descend the river. - -Long before the island from which they set out had disappeared behind -them in the windings formed by the irregular course of the river; the -point on which the buildings of the colony stood appeared but a short -way ahead, when the Black Bear, who was at the head of the party, and -whose piercing eye incessantly surveyed the scene around, noticed a -canoe a few yards ahead attached to a dead stump, gracefully dancing on -the water. - -This canoe at once appeared suspicious to the cautious Indian. It did -not seem natural to him that, at such an advanced hour of the night, any -boat should be thus tied up in the river: but the Black Bear was a man -of prompt decision, whom nothing embarrassed, and who rapidly formed his -plans. After carefully examining this, mysterious canoe, still -stationary before him, he stooped over to the Little Panther, who hung -on to the same tree in readiness to execute his orders, and, placing his -knife between his teeth, the chief unloosed his hold and dived. - -He rose again near the canoe, seized it boldly, pulled it over, and -leaped in right on Cuchares' chest and seized him by the throat. This -movement was executed so rapidly that the lepero could not employ his -weapons, and found himself completely at the mercy of his enemy before -he understood what had occurred. - -"Wah!" the Indian exclaimed with surprise on recognising him. "What is -my brother doing here?" - -The lepero had also recognised the chief, and, without knowing why, this -restored him a slight degree of courage. - -"You see," he answered, "I am sleeping." - -"Wah! My brother was afraid of the fire, and for that reason took to the -river." - -"Quite right, chief; you have hit it the first time. I _was_ afraid of -the fire." - -"Good!" the Apache continued, with a mocking smile peculiar to himself. -"My brother is not alone. Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"Eh? I do not know the Great Buffalo, chief. I don't even know whom you -are talking about." - -"All the palefaces have a forked tongue. Why does not my brother speak -the truth?" - -"I am quite willing to do so, but I do not understand you." - -"The Black Bear is a great Apache warrior; he can speak the language of -his nation, but he knows badly that of the Yoris." - -"I did not mean that. You express yourself excellently in Castilian, but -you are speaking of a person I do not know." - -"Wah! Is that possible?" the Indian said, with feigned amazement. "Does -not my brother know the warrior with whom he was two days ago?" - -"O! Now I understand; you are talking of Don Martial. Yes, certainly I -know him." - -"Good!" the chief replied; "I knew that I was not mistaken. Why is my -brother not with him at this moment?" - -"Probably because I am here," the lepero said with a grin. - -"That is true; but as I am in a hurry, and my brother does not wish to -answer me, I am going to kill him." - -Saying this in a tone which admitted of no tergiversation, the Black -Bear raised his knife. The lepero saw well enough that, if he did not -obey the Indian, he was lost, and his hesitation ceased as if by -enchantment. - -"What do you want of me?" he said. - -"The truth." - -"Question me." - -"My brother will answer?" - -"Yes." - -"Good! Where is the Great Buffalo?" - -"There," he said, pointing in the direction of the hacienda. - -"How long?" - -"For more than an hour." - -"For what reason has he gone there?" - -"You can guess." - -"Yes. Are they together?" - -"They ought to be so, as she called him to her." - -"Wah! And when will he return?" - -"I do not know." - -"He did not tell my brother? - -"No." - -"Will he come back alone?" - -"I do not know." - -The Indian fixed a glance on him, as if trying to read his very heart. -The lepero was calm: he had honestly told all he knew. - -"Good!" the chief continued the next moment. "Did not the Great Buffalo -agree on a signal with his friend, in order to rejoin when he pleased?" - -"He did." - -"What is, that signal?" - -At this question a singular idea crossed Cuchares' brain. The leperos -belong to a strange race, which only bears a likeness to the Neapolitan -lazzaroni. At once prodigal and avaricious, greedy and disinterested, -extremely rash, and frightful cowards, they are the strangest medley of -all that is good and all that is bad. In them everything is blunted and -imperfect. They only act on the impulse of the moment, without -reflection, or passion. Eternal mockers, they believe in nothing and yet -believe in everything. To sum them up in a word, their life is a -constant antithesis; and for a jest which may cost their life they would -sacrifice their most devoted friend, just as they will save him. - -Cuchares was a perfect personification of this eccentric race. Though -the Apache chief's knife was scarce two inches from his breast, and he -knew that his ferocious enemy would show him no mercy, he suddenly -resolved to play him a trick, no matter the cost. We will not add that -his friendship for Don Martial unconsciously pleaded on his behalf, for -we repeat that the lepero feels no friendship for any one, not even -himself, and that his heart only exists in the shape of bowels. - -"The chief wishes to know the signal?" he said. - -"Yes," the Apache replied, - -Cuchares, with the utmost coolness, imitated the cry of the waterhen. - -"Silence!" the Black Bear exclaimed; "it is not that." - -"Pardon," the lepero replied with a grin; "perhaps I gave it badly," and -he repeated it. - -The Indian, roused by his enemy's impudence, rushed upon him, resolved -to finish him with his knife; but, blinded by his fury, he calculated -badly, and gave too violent an oscillation to the canoe. The light bark, -whose equilibrium was disturbed, turned over, and the two men rolled -into the river. Once in the water, the lepero, who swam like an otter, -set off in the direction of the hacienda as fast as he could speed. But -if he swam well, the Black Bear swam at least equally well. The first -movement of surprise overcome, the chief almost immediately discovered -his enemy's trail. - -Then began the two men a contest of skill and strength. Perhaps it would -have ended to the advantage of the white man, who had a considerable -start, had not several warriors, witnesses of what had occurred, swum -off too, and cut off the fugitive's retreat. Cuchares saw that flight -was impossible; hence, not attempting to continue a hopeless struggle, -he proceeded towards a tree, to which he clung, and awaited with -magnificent coolness whatever might happen. - -The Black Bear soon came up with him. The chief displayed no ill temper -at the trick the lepero had played him. - -"Wah!" he merely said, "my brother is a warrior: he has the craft of the -opossum." - -"Of what use is it to me," Cuchares answered carelessly, "if I cannot -succeed in saving my scalp?" - -"Perhaps," the Indian said. "Let my brother tell me where the Great -Buffalo is." - -"I have already told you, chief." - -"Yes, my brother told me that his friend was in the great lodge of the -palefaces, but he did not say at what place." - -"Hum! And if I tell you shall I be free?" - -"Yes, if my brother has not a forked tongue: if he speaks the truth, so -soon as we land on the bank, he will be free to go where he pleases." - -"A poor favour!" the lepero muttered, shaking his head. - -"Well," the chief continued, "what will my brother do?" - -"My faith!" Cuchares said, suddenly making up his mind, "I have done for -Don Martial all it was humanly possible to do. Now that he is warned, -each for himself. I must save my skin. Stay, chief; follow the direction -of my finger. You see those mangroves on the projecting point?" - -"I see them." - -"Well, behind those mangroves you will find the man you call the Great -Buffalo." - -"Good! The Black Bear is a chief; he has only one word; the paleface -shall be free." - -"Thanks." - -The conversation was hurriedly broken off, more especially as the -Apaches were rapidly approaching the banks. They had let go of the most -of the trees to which they had hitherto been clinging, and were -collected in small groups of ten or twelve on the larger trees. - -The hacienda was silent; not a light burned there; all was calm; it -looked like a deserted habitation. This profound tranquility excited the -suspicions of the Black Bear; it seemed to forebode an impending storm. -Before risking a landing he wished to assure himself positively of what -he had to expect. He uttered the cry of the iguana, and swam towards the -bank. The Apaches comprehended their chiefs intention, and stopped. At -the end of a few moments they saw him crawling along the sand. The Black -Bear walked a few paces along; he saw nothing, heard nothing; then, -completely reassured, he returned to the water's edge, and gave the -signal for landing. - -The Apaches quitted the trees and began swimming. Cuchares profited by -the moment of disorder to disappear, which was an easy matter, as no one -was thinking of him. Still the Apaches formed in a single line, and swam -vigorously; in a few minutes they reached the bank, and landed; then -they rushed at full speed towards the hacienda. - -"Fire!" a stentorian voice suddenly commanded. A loud and frightful -discharge instantaneously followed. The Apaches responded by howlings of -rage, and themselves surprised by the men they had hoped to surprise, -rushed upon them, brandishing their weapons. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF. - - -We will now return to the hunters, whom we have too long neglected, for -during the events we have been narrating they had not remained entirely -inactive. - -After the departure of the two Mexicans, Belhumeur and his friends -remained silent for an instant. The Canadian played with the charcoal -that had fallen from the brazier on to the ground; in fact, he was lost -in thought. Don Louis, with his chin resting on the palm of his hand, -was watching with distraught air the sparkles which crackled, glistened, -and went out. Eagle-head, alone of the party, wrapped up in his buffalo -robe, smoked his calumet with that stoicism and calm appearance which -belong exclusively to his race. - -"However it may be," the Canadian suddenly said, replying to the ideas -which bothered him, and thinking aloud rather than intending to renew -the conversation, "the conduct of those two men seems to me -extraordinary, not to say something else." - -"Would you suspect any treachery?" Don Louis asked, looking up. - -"In the desert you must always suspect treachery," Belhumeur said -peremptorily, "especially from chance companions." - -"Still this Tigrero, this Don Martial--that is his name I think--has a -very honest eye, my friend, to be a traitor." - -"That is true; still you will agree that ever since we first met him his -conduct has been remarkably queer." - -"I grant it; but you know as well as I how much passion blinds a man. I -believe him to be in love." - -"So do I. Still notice, pray, that in all this affair which regards him -specially, and in which we have only mixed ourselves to do him a -service, while neglecting our own occupations, he has always kept in the -background, as if afraid to show himself." - -At this moment Blas Vasquez, after stationing the peons a short distance -off, so as to remain unseen, came up and took his seat by the fire. - -"There!" he said, "All is ready: the Apaches can come and attack us -whenever they think proper." - -"One word, capataz," Belhumeur said. - -"Two if you like." - -"Do you know the man to whom you delivered a letter just now?" - -"Why do you ask?" - -"To gain some information about him." - -"Personally I know very little of him. All I can tell you is that he -enjoys an excellent reputation through the whole province, and is -generally regarded as a caballero and gallant man." - -"That is something," the Canadian muttered, shaking his head; "but, for -all that, I do not know why, but his sudden departure makes me very -restless." - -"Wah!" Eagle-head suddenly said, withdrawing from his lips the tube of -his calumet, and bending forward, while bidding his comrades to silence. -All remained motionless, with their eyes fixed on the Indian. - -"What is it?" Belhumeur at length asked. - -"Fire," the other replied slowly. "The Apaches are coming: they are -burning the prairie before them." - -"What?" Belhumeur exclaimed, rising and looking all around. "I see no -trace of fire." - -"No, not yet; but the fire is coming--I can smell it." - -"Hum! If the chief says so, it must be true; he is too experienced a -warrior to be deceived. What is to be done?" - -"We have nothing to fear from fire here," the capataz observed. - -"We have not," Don Louis quickly exclaimed; "but the inhabitants of the -hacienda?" - -"Not more than we," Belhumeur replied. "See all the trees have been cut -down, and rooted up to too great a distance from the colony for the fire -to reach it; it is only a stratagem employed by the Indians to arrive -without being counted." - -"Still I am of this caballero's opinion," the capataz said; "we should -do well to warn the hacienda." - -"There is something even more urgent to do," Don Louis said, "and that -is to send off a clever scout to learn positively with whom we have to -deal, who our enemies are, if they are numerous." - -"One does not prevent the other," Belhumeur remarked. "In a case like -the present, two precautions are worth more than one. This is my advice. -Eagle-head will reconnoitre the foe, while we proceed to the hacienda." - -"All of us?" the capataz observed. - -"No; your position here is secure, and you will be able, in the event of -an attack, to render important service. Don Louis and I will proceed -alone to the colony. Remember that you must not show yourselves under -any pretext. Whatever may happen, await the order for acting. Is that -agreed to?" - -"Go, caballeros; I will not betray your confidence." - -"Good! Now to work, I have no advice to offer you, chief: you will find -us at the hacienda if you learn anything of importance." - -Upon this these men, so long accustomed to act without losing precious -time in useless words, separated; Don Louis and Belhumeur returning to -the mainland on the side of the hacienda, while the chief rode off in -the opposite direction. Blas Vasquez remained alone with his peons; but -as he had been for many years accustomed to Indian warfare, and -understood the responsibility he took on himself from this moment, he -felt that he must redouble his vigilance. Hence he posted sentinels at -every point, recommended them the utmost attention, came back to the -brazier, wrapped himself in his fresada, and went quietly to sleep, -certain that his men would carefully watch all that took place on the -mainland. - -We will, for a moment, leave Don Louis and his friend, to follow -Eagle-head. - -The mission the chief had undertaken was anything rather than easy; but -Eagle-head was a man of experience thoroughly versed in Indian tricks, -and endowed with that unalterable phlegm which is a great ingredient of -success in certain circumstances of life. After leaving his companions -he walked quietly down to the water's edge, and when he reached the spot -where he intended to cross the river his plan was all arranged in his -head. - -The chief, instead of passing to that side of the river by which the -enemy would come, preceded by the conflagration, crossed to the other. -So soon as he reached the bank he allowed his horse a few moments for -breathing; then leaping at a bound onto the panther skin that served as -his saddle, he galloped at full speed in the direction of the enemy's -camp. This furious race lasted two hours. Night had long succeeded the -day; the pale gleams of the conflagration served as a beacon to the -chief and showed him in the darkness the road he should follow. At the -end of these two hours the chief found himself just opposite the most -advanced point of the island, where the Apaches were at this moment -engaged in collecting the driftwood they meant to use in the surprise of -the colony. Eagle-head stopped. On his right, far behind him, the -conflagration raged in the horizon; around him all was silence and -obscurity. For a long time the Indian attentively watched the island: a -secret presentiment warned him that there was the danger for him. - -Still, after careful reflection, the chief resolved to advance a few -paces further, and recross the river at the point opposite this island, -which seemed to him more suspicious because it was so tranquil. However, -before carrying out this plan, a sudden inspiration flashed across his -mind. He dismounted, hid his horse in a thicket, laid aside his rifle -and buffalo robe; then, after attempting to pierce the surrounding -gloom, he stretched himself on the ground, and crawled to the river's -bank. He gently entered the water, and swimming and diving in turn, -proceeded to the island, which he presently reached. - -But at the instant he landed, and was about to rise, an almost -imperceptible sound smote his ear; he fancied he could notice an -extraordinary commotion in the water all around him. Eagle-head plunged -again, and retired from the bank on which he had been on the point of -landing. Suddenly, at the moment he rose to the surface to take in a -fresh supply of air, he saw two burning eyes flashing before him; he -received a violent blow on the chest, and felt a powerful hand clutch -his throat as in a vice. Eagle-head saw that, unless he made a desperate -effort, he would be lost, and he attempted it. Seizing in his turn his -unknown foe who held him by the throat, he clung round him with the -vigour of despair. - -Then a horrible and silent struggle commenced in the river--a sinister -struggle, in which he sought to kill his adversary, without thinking to -repel his attacks. The water, troubled by the efforts of the two -combatants, bubbled as if alligators were engaged. At length a bloody -and disfigured body rose inertly to the surface, and floated. A few -seconds later, and a head appeared above the water, casting startled -glances around. - -At the sight of his enemy's corpse the victor indulged in a diabolical -smile; he seized him by his warlock, and swimming with one hand, dragged -the body, not to the island, but to the mainland. - -Eagle-head had conquered the Apache who attacked him in so unforeseen a -manner. The chief reached the bank, but did not leave the corpse, which -he dragged along till it was completely out of the water; then he lifted -the scalp, placed the hideous trophy in his belt, and remounted his -horse. - -The Indian had divined the Apaches' tactics; the attack of which he had -been so nearly the victim revealed to him the stratagem they designed. -It was unnecessary for him to push his investigations on the island -further. Still, had he abandoned to the current his enemy's corpse, it -would have infallibly floated down among his brothers, and revealed the -presence of a spy; so he had been careful to convey it to the bank, -where no one, save by some extraordinary accident, could discover it -before sunrise. - -The few minutes' rest he had granted his horse would have been -sufficient to restore all its vigour. The chief might have returned to -his friends, for what he had discovered was of immense importance to -them; but Belhumeur had specially recommended him to discover the -strength and nature of the war detachment which was marching on the -colony. Eagle-head was anxious to accomplish his mission; and besides, -the struggle he has undergone, and from which he had emerged as victor -by a miracle, had produced a certain amount of excitement, urging him to -carry out the adventure to the end. - -He plucked a few leaves to stop the blood from a slight wound he had -received in his left arm, fastened them on with a piece of bark, and -rode his horse once more into the river. But, as he had nothing to -examine, and did not wish to be discovered, he took care to pass at a -considerable distance from the island. On the other bank, owing to the -care taken by the Indians to burn everything, the trail was wide and -perfectly visible. In spite of the darkness the chief found no -difficulty in following it. - -The fire kindled by the Indians had not caused such ravages as might be -supposed. All that part of the prairie, with the exception of a few -scattered clumps of poplars at great distances apart, was covered with -long grass, already half burned up by the torrid beams of a summer sun. -This grass had burned rapidly, producing what the incendiaries -desired--a large quantity of smoke, but scarcely heating the ground, -which had allowed the redskins to march rapidly on the colony. - -Owing to his headlong speed, and the few hours those who preceded him -had been compelled to lose, the chief arrived almost simultaneously with -them before the hacienda; that is to say, he came up with them at the -moment when, after making a futile assault on the isthmus battery they -fled pursued by a shower of grape, which decimated their ranks; for, -having burnt everything, they had no trees to shelter them. Still the -majority managed to escape, owing to the speed of their horses. - -Eagle-head found himself unexpectedly in the very midst of the -fugitives. At first each man was too anxious about his own safety to -have time to notice him, and the chief profited by it to turn aside and -step behind a rock. But then a strange thing happened. The chief had -scarce escaped from the fugitives, and examined them for a moment, ere a -strange smile played on his lips; he spurred his horse, and bounded into -the very midst of the Indians, uttering twice a shrill, peculiar cry. At -this cry the Indians stopped in their flight, and rushing from all sides -toward the man who uttered it, they ranged themselves tumultuously -round--the chief with an expression of superstitious fear, and passive -and respectful obedience. - -The Eagle-head looked haughtily on the crowd that surrounded him, for he -was taller by a head than any man present. - -"Wah!" he at length said in a guttural voice, with an accent of bitter -reproach. "Have the Comanches become timid antelopes that they fly like -Apache dogs before the bullets of the palefaces?" - -"Eagle-head! Eagle-head!" the warriors shouted with joy mingled with -shame, looking down before the chiefs flashing glance. - -"Why have my sons left the hunting grounds of the Del Norte without the -order of a sachem? Are they now the _rastreros_ (bloodhounds) of the -Apaches?" - -A suppressed murmur ran through the ranks at this cruel reproach. - -"A sachem has spoken," Eagle-head continued sharply. "Is there no one to -answer him? Have the Comanches of the Lakes no chiefs left to command -them?" - -A warrior then broke through the ranks of the Comanches, approached -Eagle-head, and bowed his head respectfully down to his horse's neck. - -"The Jester is a chief," he said in a gentle and harmonious voice. - -Eagle-head's face was unwrinkled--his features instantaneously lost -their expression of fury. He turned on the warrior who had addressed him -a glance full of tenderness, and, offering him his right hand, palm -upwards,-- - -"Och! My heart is joyous at seeing my son, the Jester. The warriors will -camp here while the two sachems hold a council." - -And making an imperious sign to the chief, he withdrew with him, -followed by the eyes of the redskins, who hastened to obey the order he -had so peremptorily given. Eagle-head and the Jester had gone so far -that their conversation could not be overheard. - -"Let us hold a council," the chief said, as he sat down on a stone, and -signed to the Jester to take a place by his side. The latter obeyed -without reply. There was a long silence, during which the two Indians -examined each other attentively, in spite of the indifference they -affected. At length Eagle-head spoke in a slow and accentuated voice. - -"Eagle-head is a warrior renowned in his nation," he said; "he is the -first sachem of the Comanches of the Lakes; his totem shelters beneath -its mighty and protecting shadow the innumerable sons of the great -sacred tortoise, _Chemiin-Antou_, whose glistening shell has supported the -world since the Wacondah hurled into space the first man and the first -woman after their fault. The words which come from the breast of -Eagle-head are those of a sagamore; his tongue is not forked--a -falsehood never sullied his lips. Eagle-head acted as a father to the -Jester; he taught him how to tame a horse, pierce with his arrows the -rapid antelope, or to stifle in his arms the mighty boar. Eagle-head -loves the Jester, who is the son of his third wife's sister. Eagle-head -gave a place at the council fire to the Jester; he made a chief of him; -and when he went away from the villages of his nation he said to him, -'My son will command my warriors: he will lead them to hunt, to fish and -to war.' Are these words true? Does Eagle-head speak falsely?" - -"My father's words are true," the chief answered with a bow: "wisdom -speaks through his lips." - -"Why, then, has my son allied himself with the enemies of his nation to -fight the friends of his father, the sachem?" - -The chief let his head fall in confusion. - -"Why, without consulting the man who has ever aided and supported him by -his counsel, has he undertaken an unjust war?" - -"An unjust war?" the chief remarked with a certain degree of animation. - -"Yes, as it is carried on in concert with the enemies of our nation." - -"The Apaches are redskins." - -"The Apaches are cowardly and thievish dogs, whose deceitful tongues I -will pluck out." - -"But the palefaces are the enemies of the Indians." - -"Those whom my son attacked last night are not Yoris; they are -the friends of Eagle-head." - -"My father will pardon the warrior: he did not know it." - -"If the Jester really was ignorant of it, is he ready to repair the -fault he has committed?" - -"The Jester has three hundred warriors beneath his totem. Eagle-head has -come: they are his." - -"Good! I see that the Jester is still my well-beloved son. With what -chief has he made alliance? It cannot be with the Black Bear, the -implacable enemy of the Comanches, the man who but four moons past -burned two villages of my nation?" - -"A cloud had passed over the mind of the Jester: his hatred for the -white men blinded him; wisdom deserted him; he has allied himself with -the Black Bear." - -"Wah! Eagle-head did right to return toward the villages of his fathers. -Will my son obey the sachem?" - -"Whatever he orders I will do." - -"Good! Let my son follow me." - -The two chiefs rose. Eagle-head proceeded towards the isthmus, waving -his buffalo robe in his right hand as a sign of peace. The Jester -followed a few paces behind. The Comanches beheld with amazement their -sachems asking an interview with the Yoris; but accustomed to obey their -leaders without discussing the orders they were pleased to give, they -evinced no anger at this step, whose object, however, they did not -understand. The sentries posted behind the isthmus battery easily -distinguished in the moon's rays the pacific movements of the Indians, -and allowed them to come as far as the trench. - -"A sachem wishes an interview with the chief of the palefaces," -Eagle-head then said. - -"Good!" a voice replied in Spanish from the inside. "Wait a -moment--I will send for him." - -The two Comanche warriors bowed, crossed their hands on their breast, -and waited. - -Don Louis and Belhumeur had had a long conversation with Don Sylva and -the count, in which they revealed to them in what way they had learnt -that the Indians meant to attack them; the name of the man who had -informed them so correctly; and his singular conduct, in that, after -having in a measure compelled them to mix themselves up in a dangerous -affair which did not at all concern them, he had suddenly abandoned them -without any valid reason, under the futile pretext of returning to -Guaymas, where he said that important business claimed his presence with -the least possible delay. - -This news had a lively effect on the two hearers: Don Sylva especially, -could not repress a movement of anger on hearing that the man was no -other than Don Martial. He guessed at once the Tigrero's object--that he -hoped to carry off Dona Anita during the confusion. Still Don Sylva -would not impart his suspicions to his future son-in-law, intending to -tell him, were it absolutely necessary, at the last moment, but resolved -to watch his daughter closely, for this sudden departure of Don Martial -seemed to him to conceal a snare. - -Belhumeur then explained to the count the position in which he had -placed the capataz and his peons, and the mission Eagle-head had -undertaken, the result of which he would probably soon come to the -hacienda to tell. The count warmly thanked the two men who, without -knowing him, rendered him such eminent services; he offered them all the -refreshments they might need and then went to give his lieutenant orders -to warn him so soon as an Indian presented himself for a parley. - -On his side, Don Sylva retired with the ostensible object of reassuring -his daughter, but in reality to inspect the sentries stationed at the -rear of the hacienda. When the Comanches attacked the isthmus, the -French, put on their guard, received them so warmly that in the very -first attack the Indians recognised the futility of their attempt, and -retired in disorder. - -Monsieur de Lhorailles was talking with the two visitors about the -incidents of the fight, and was astonished at the prolonged absence of -Don Sylva, who had disappeared during the last hour without leaving a -trace, when Lieutenant Leroux entered the room where the three men were -conversing. - -"What do you want?" the count asked him. - -"Captain," he answered, "two Indians are waiting at the trench for -permission to enter." - -"Two?" Belhumeur asked. - -"Yes, two." - -"That is strange," the Canadian continued. - -"What shall we do?" the count said. - -"Go and have a look at them." - -They proceeded to the battery. - -"Well?" the count said. - -"Well, sir, one of these men is certainly Eagle-head; but I do not know -the other." - -"And your advice is--" - -"To let them come in. As this Indian, who is apparently a chief, comes -in the company of Eagle-head, he can only be a friend." - -"Be it so, then." - -The count gave a signal; the drawbridge was lowered, and the two chiefs -entered. The Indian sachems saluted all present with that native dignity -that distinguishes them, and then Eagle-head, on Belhumeur's invitation, -gave an account of his mission. The Frenchmen listened to him with an -attention mingled with admiration, not only for the skill he had -displayed, but also the courage of which he had given proof. - -"And now," the chief continued on ending his report, "the Jester has -understood the error into which a hatred threw him; he breaks the -alliance he formed with the Apaches, and is resolved to obey in all -respects his father Eagle-head, in order to repent his fault. Eagle-head -is a sachem--his word is granite. He places three hundred Comanche -warriors at the disposition of his brothers the palefaces." - -The count looked hesitatingly at the Canadian: knowing the trickery of -the Indians, he felt a repugnance to trust them. Belhumeur shrugged his -shoulders imperceptibly. - -"The great pale chief thanks my brother Eagle-head: he accepts his offer -with joy. His hand will ever be open, and his heart pure, for the -Comanches. The war detachment of my brother will be divided into two -parts: one, under the command of the Jester, will be concealed on the -other side of the river, to cut off the retreat of the Apaches; the -other will enter the hacienda with Eagle-head, in order to support the -palefaces. The Yori warriors are hidden in the isle, two bow-shots from -the great lodge; they will accompany the Jester." - -"Good!" Eagle-head replied; "all shall be done as my brother desires." - -The two chiefs took leave and withdrew. Belhumeur then explained to the -count the arrangements he had made with the Comanche sachem. - -"Hang it!" De Lhorailles said, "I confess that I have not the slightest -confidence in the Indians. You know that treachery is their favourite -weapon." - -"You do not know the Comanches; and, above all, you do not know -Eagle-head. I take on myself all the responsibility." - -"Act, then, as you please. I am too much indebted to you to thwart your -projects, especially when you are acting for my good." - -Belhumeur went himself to advise the capataz of the change effected in -the defensive measures. The Jester and one hundred and fifty warriors, -accompanied by the forty peons, at once crossed the river, and ambushed -themselves on the opposite bank in a clump of mangroves, ready to appear -at the first signal. The Frenchmen, with Eagle-head and a second troop -of Indians, were left to defend the isthmus, a point where they were -almost certain of not being attacked. All the other colonists concealed -themselves in the dense thickets that masked the rear of the hacienda, -with strict orders to remain invisible till the word was given to fire. -Then, when all the arrangements were made, the count and his comrades -awaited with a beating heart the Indians' attack. They had not long to -wait; and we have seen in what fashion the Black Bear was received. - -The Apache chief was brave as a lion; his warriors were picked men. The -collision was terrible; the redskins did not give way an inch. -Incessantly repulsed, incessantly they returned to the charge, fighting -hand to hand with the French, who, in spite of their bravery, their -discipline, and superiority of weapons, could not rout them. The combat -had degenerated into a horrible carnage, in which the fighters clutched -each other, stabbing and mangling, without loosing hold. Belhumeur saw -that he must attempt a decisive blow to finish with these demons, who -seemed invincible and invulnerable. He stooped down to Louis, who was -fighting by his side, and whispered a few words in his ear. The -Frenchman disembarrassed himself of the foe with whom he was fighting, -and ran off. - -A few minutes later the war cry of the Comanches was heard, strident and -terrible; and the redskin warriors bounded like jaguars on the Apaches, -swinging their clubs and long lances. At first the Black Bear fancied -assistance had arrived for him, and that the colony was in the power of -the allies but this hope did not endure a second. Then demoralisation -seized on the Apaches; they hesitated, and suddenly turned their backs, -rushing into the river, and leaving on the battlefield more than -two-thirds of their comrades. - -The colonists contented themselves with firing a few rounds of canister -at the fugitives, feeling certain they woould not escape the ambuscade -prepared for them. In fact, the musket shots of the peons could soon be -heard mingled with the war-cry of the Comanches. In this unfortunate -expedition the Black Bear lost in an hour the most renowed warriors of -his nation. The chief, covered with wounds, and only accompanied by a -dozen men, escaped with great difficulty from the carnage. The victory -of the French was complete. For a lont time the colony, through his -glorious achievement, was protected from the attacks of the redskins. - -When the combat was ended, people sought in vain in every direction for -Don Sylva and his daughter: both had disappeared, and no one knew how. -This mysterious and inexplicable event struck the inhabitants of the -colony with consternation, and changed the joy of the triumph into -mourning, for the same idea suddenly occurred to all:-- - -"Don Sylva and his daughter have been carried off by the Black Bear!" - -When the count, after repeated researches, was compelled to allow that -the hacendero and his daughter had really disappeared without leaving -the slightest trace, he gave way to all the violence of his character, -vowed a terrible hatred against the Apaches, and swore to pursue them, -without truce or mercy, until he found her whom he considered his wife, -and whose loss destroyed at one blow the brilliant future he had dreamed -of. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE CASA GRANDE OF MOCTECUHZOMA. - - -At the remote period when the Aztecs, guided by the finger of God, -marched forth, without knowing it, to conquer the plateau of Ahanuac, of -which they eventually made the powerful kingdom of Mexico, although -their eyes were constantly turned toward this unknown land, the -permanent object of their greed, they frequently stopped their during -migration, as if fatigue had suddenly overpowered them, and the hope of -ever arriving had failed them. - -In such cases, instead of simply camping on the spot where this -hesitation had affected them, they installed themselves as if they never -intended to go further, and built towns. After so many centuries have -passed away, when their founders have eternally disappeared from the -surface of the globe, the imposing ruins of these cities, scattered over -a space of more than a thousand leagues, still excite the admiration, of -travellers bold enough to confront countless dangers in order to -contemplate them. - -The most singular of these ruins is indubitably that known by the name -of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, which rises about two miles from the -muddy banks of the Rio Gila, in an uncultivated and uninhabited plain, -on the skirt of the terrible sand desert known as the Del Norte. The -site on which this house is built is flat on all sides. The ruins which -once formed a city extend for more than three miles in a southern -direction: and also in the other directions all the ground is covered -with potsherds of every description. Many of these fragments are painted -of various colours--white or blue, red or yellow--which, by the by, is -an evident sign not only that this was an important city, but also that -it was inhabited by Indians differing from those now prowling about this -country, as the latter are completely ignorant of the art of making this -pottery. - -The house is a perfect square, turned to the four cardinal points. All -around are walls, indicating an enceinte inclosing not only a house, but -other buildings, traces of which are perfectly distinct; for a little to -the rear is a building having a floor above, and divided into several -parts. The edifice is built of earth, and, as far as can be seen, with -mud walls; it had the stories above the ground, but the internal -carpentry has long ago disappeared. The rooms, five in number on each -floor, were only lighted, so far as we can judge from the remains, by -the doors, and round holes made in the walls facing to the north and -south. Through these openings the man Amer (_el hombre Amargo_, as the -Indians call the Aztec sovereign) looked at the sun, on its rising and -setting, to salute it. - -A canal, now nearly dry, ran from the river and served to supply the -city with water. - -At the present day these ruins are gloomy and desolate: they are slowly -crumbling away beneath the incessant efforts of the sun, whose burning -rays calcine them, and they serve as a refuge to the hideous vultures -and the urubus which have selected it as their domicile. The Indians -carefully avoid these sinister stations, from which a superstitious -terror, for which they cannot account, keeps them aloof. - -Thus the Comanche, Sioux, Apache, or Pawnee warrior, whom the accidents -of the chase, or any other fortuitous cause, had brought to the vicinity -of this dangerous ruin on the night of the fourth or fifth day of the -cherry moon--_champasciasoni_--that is to say, about a month after the -events we described in the last chapter--would have fled at the top -speed of his horse, a prey to the wildest terror, at the strange -spectacle which would have presented itself to his awe-stricken gaze. - -The old palace of the Aztec kings threw out its gigantic outline on the -azure sky, studded with a brilliant belt of stars. From all the -openings--round or square--formed by human agency or by time in its -dilapidated walls poured floods of reddish light; while songs, shouts, -and laughter incessantly rose from the ruined apartments, and troubled -in their dens the wild beasts, surprised by these sounds, which -disturbed in so unusual a manner the silence of the desert. In the -ruins, beneath the pallid rays of the moon, might be distinguished the -shadows of men and horses grouped round enormous braseros, while a dozen -horsemen, well armed, and leaning on spears, stood motionless as bronze -equestrian statues at the entrance of the house. - -If within the ruins all was noise and light, outside all was shadow and -silence. - -The night slipped away: the moon had already traversed two thirds of her -course; the badly tended braseros went out one after another; the old -mansion alone continued to gleam through the darkness like an ill-omened -lighthouse. - -At this moment the sharp and regular sound of a horse trotting on the -sand re-echoed in the distance. The sentinels stationed at the entrance -of the house with difficulty raised their heads, oppressed by sleep and -the vivid cold of the first morning hours, and looked in the direction -whence the noise of footsteps was audible. - -A horseman appeared at the corner of the road leading to the ruins. The -stranger, paying but little heed to what he saw, continued to advance -boldly toward the house. He passed the ruined wall, and on arriving -within ten paces of the sentries, dismounted, threw the bridle on his -horse's neck, and walked with a firm step toward the sentries, who -awaited him silent and motionless. But when he was about two swords' -lengths from the party all the lances were suddenly levelled at his -breast, a hoarse voice shouted, "Halt!" - -The stranger stopped without a remark. - -"Who are you? What do you want?" asked a horseman. - -"I am a _costeno_. I have taken a long journey to see your captain, with -whom I wish to speak," the stranger said. - -By the pale and flickering rays of the moon the sentry tried in vain to -distinguish the stranger's features; but that was impossible, so -carefully was he wrapped up in his cloak. - -"What is your name?" he asked, in an ill-tempered tone, when he saw that -all his efforts were useless. - -"What need of that? Your chief does not know me, and my name will tell -him nothing." - -"Possibly so, but that concerns yourself. Keep your incognito if you -think proper; still, you must not be angry with me if I do not let you -disturb the captain. He is at this moment supping with his officers, and -certainly would not put himself out in the middle of the night to speak -with a stranger." - -The man could not conceal a sharp movement of annoyance. - -"Possibly so, I will say in my turn," he remarked an instant later. -"Listen. You are an old soldier, I think?" - -"I am one still," the trooper said, drawing himself up proudly. - -"Although you speak Spanish magnificently, I believe I can recognise the -Frenchman in you." - -"I have that honour." - -The stranger chuckled inwardly. He had caught his man: he had found out -his weak point. - -"I am alone," he went on. "You have I know not how many comrades. Allow -me to speak with your captain. What do you fear?" - -"Nothing; but my orders are strict--I dare not break through them." - -"We are in the heart of the desert, more than a hundred leagues -from every civilised abode," the stranger said, pressingly. "You can -understand that very powerful reasons were requisite to make me brave -the numberless dangers of the long journey I have made to speak for a -few moments with the Count de Lhorailles. Would you shipwreck me in -sight of port, when it only requires a little kindness on your part for -me to obtain what I want?" - -The trooper hesitated; the reasons urged by the stranger had half -convinced him. Still, after a few minutes' reflection, he said with a -toss of his head,-- - -"No, it is impossible; the captain is stern, and I do not care to lose -my corporal's stripes. All I can do for you is to allow you to bivouac -here with our men in the open air. Tomorrow it will be day; the captain -will come out; you will speak to him, and arrange matters as you please, -for it will not affect me." - -"Hem!" the stranger said thoughtfully, "it is a long time to wait." - -"Bah!" said the soldier gaily, "a night is soon passed. Besides, it is -your own fault; you are so confoundedly mysterious. A man needn't be -ashamed of his name." - -"But I repeat that your captain never heard mine." - -"What matter if he hasn't? A name is always a name." - -"Ah!" the stranger suddenly said, "I believe I have found a way to -settle everything." - -"Let's hear it: if it is good I will avail myself of it." - -"'Tis excellent." - -"All the better. I am listening." - -"Go and tell the captain that the man who fired a pistol at him a month -back at the Rancho of Guaymas is here, and wishes to speak to him." - -"Eh?" - -"Do you not understand me?" - -"Oh, perfectly." - -"Well, in that case--" - -"Between ourselves, the recommendation seems to me rather scurvy." - -"You think so?" - -"Parbleu! He was all but assassinated by you. What, was it you?" - -"Yes, I and another." - -"I compliment you on it." - -"Thanks. Well, are you not going?" - -"I confess to a certain amount of hesitation." - -"You are wrong. The Count de Lhorailles is a brave man; no one doubts -his courage. He must have retained our chance meeting in pleasant -memory." - -"After all, that's possible; and, besides you are a stranger. I cannot -bear the thought of refusing you so slight a service. I will go. Wait -here, and do not be impatient, for I do not promise you success." - -"I am certain of it." - -The old soldier dismounted with a shrug of his shoulders, and entered -the house. The stranger did not appear to doubt the success of the -corporal's embassy; for, as soon as he had disappeared, he walked up to -the door. In a few moments the corporal returned. - -"Well," the stranger asked, "what answer did the captain give you?" - -"He began laughing and ordered me to bring you in." - -"You see I was right." - -"That's true; but, for all that, an attempted assassination is a droll -recommendation." - -"A meeting," the stranger remarked. - -"I don't know if you call it by that name here; but in France we call it -waylaying. Come on." - -The stranger made no reply; he merely shrugged his shoulders, and -followed the worthy trooper. - -In an immense hall, whose dilapidated walls threatened to collapse, and -to which the star-spangled sky served as roof, four men of stern -features and flashing eyes were seated round a table, served with the -most delicate luxury and the most sensual idea of comfort. They were the -count and the officers forming his staff, namely, Lieutenants Diego Leon -and Martin Leroux, and Don Sylva's old capataz, Blas Vasquez. - -The count had been encamped with his free company for the last five days -in the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. After the attack on the colony by -the Apaches, the count, in the hope of finding again his betrothed, who -had disappeared in so mysterious a way during the action, and most -probably had been carried off by the Indians, immediately formed the -resolution of executing the orders government had given him long -previously, and which he had hitherto delayed obeying, with pretexts -more or less plausible; but in reality because he did not care, brave as -he was, to have a fight with the redskins, who were so resolute and -difficult to overcome, especially when attacked on their own territory. -The count drew one hundred and twenty Frenchmen from the colony, to whom -the capataz, who burned to recover and deliver his master and young -mistress, added thirty resolute peons, so that the strength of the -little troop amounted to one hundred and fifty well-armed and -experienced horsemen. - -The count had asked the hunters, whose help had also been so precious to -him, to accompany him. He would have been happy to have not only -companions so intrepid, but also guides so sure as they to lead him on the -trail of the Indians, whom he was determined to follow up and -exterminate. But Count Louis and his two friends, without giving any -further excuse than the necessity of continuing their journey at once, -took leave of Lhorailles, peremptorily refusing the brilliant offers he -made them. - -The count was compelled to put up with the capataz and his peons. -Unfortunately these men were _costenos_ or inhabitants of the seaboard, -perfectly well acquainted with the coast, but entirely ignorant of all -relating to the _tierra adentro_ or interior countries. It was, -therefore, under this inexperienced guidance that the count left Guetzalli -and marched into Apacheria. - -The expedition began under favourable auspices: twice were the redskins -surprised by the French at an interval of a few days, and mercilessly -massacred. The count wished to make no prisoners, in the hope of -imprinting terror on the hearts of these barbarous savages. All the -Indians who fell alive into the hands of the French were shot, and then -hung on the trees, head downwards. - -Still, after these two encounters, so disastrous for them, the Indians -appeared to have taken the hint; and, in spite of all the count's -efforts, he found it impossible to catch them again. The summary justice -exercised by the count appeared not only to have attained, but even -outstripped the object he designed; for the Indians suddenly became -invisible. For about three weeks the count sought their trail, but was -unable to discover it. At length, on the eve of the day on which we take -up our story again, some seven or eight hundred horses, apparently free -(for according to the Indian custom, their riders lying on their flanks, -were nearly invisible), entered the ruins about midday, and rushed on -the Casa Grande at a frightful pace. - -A discharge of musketry from behind the hastily erected barricades -hurled disorder in their ranks, though it did not check the impetus of -their attack, and they fell like lightning on the French. The Apaches -had plucked up a spirit. Half naked, with their heads laden with plumes, -their long buffalo robes fluttering in the wind, steering their horses -with their knees, the Indian warriors had a warlike aspect capable of -inspiring the most resolute men with terror. The French received them -boldly, however, although deafened by the horrible yells their enemies -uttered, and blinded by the long barbed arrows which rained around them -like hail. - -But the Apaches, as much as the French, wished for no mere skirmish. By -a common accord they rushed on each other in a hand-to-hand fight. In -the midst of the Indian warriors, the Black Bear could be easily -recognised by his long plume and the eagle feathers planted in his -war-tuft. The chief urged his men on to avenge their preceding defeats by -seizing the Casa Grande. Then one of those fearful frontier actions -began, in which no prisoners are made, and which render any description -impossible through the ferocity both parties display, and the cruelties -of which they are guilty. The _bolas perdidas_, bayonet, and lance were -the only weapons employed. This fight, during which the Indians were -incessantly reinforced, lasted more than two hours, and the defenders of -the barricades allowed themselves to be killed sooner than yield an inch -of ground. - -Beginning to hope that the Indians must be wearied by so long a struggle -and such an obstinate defence, the French redoubled their efforts, when -suddenly the cry of "Treason! Treason!" was heard in their rear. The -count and the capataz, who fought in the first ranks of the volunteers -and peons, turned round. The position was critical. The French were -really caught between two fires. The Little Panther, at the head of the -fifty warriors, had turned the position, and taken the barricades in -reverse. The Indians, mad with joy at such perfect success, cut down all -they came across, uttering the wild yells of triumph. - -The count took a long glance at the battlefield, and his determination -was at once formed. He said a couple of words to the capataz, who -returned to the head of his combatants, warned them what to do, and -watched for the favourable moment to carry out his chiefs instructions. -For his part the count had lost no time. Seizing a barrel of powder, he -put into it a piece of lighted candle, and hurled it into the densest -ranks of the Indians, where it burst almost immediately, causing -irreparable injury. The terrified Apaches fell into disorder, and fled -in every direction to avoid being struck by the fragments of this novel -shell. Profiting cleverly by the respite produced by the barrel among -the assailants, the adventurers led by the capataz turned and rushed on -the Little Panther's band, which was only a few paces off by this time. -The spot was not favourable for the Indians, who, collected in a narrow -entry, could not manoeuvre their horses. The Little Panther and the -Apaches rushed forward with yells. The French, as brave and as skillful -as their adversaries, boldly awaited with levelled bayonets the shock of -the tremendous avalanche, which fell upon them with blinding speed. The -redskins were driven back. The rout commenced, and the Apaches began -flying in every direction. The count sent several peons after them, who -returned toward nightfall, stating that the Apaches, after reforming, had -entered the desert. - -The count, although satisfied with the victory he had gained (for the -enemy's loss was tremendous), did not consider it decisive, as the Black -Bear had escaped, and he had been unable to recover the person he had -sworn to save. He gave orders to his _cuadrilla_ to prepare for a -forward march in the desert, and on the next day the French would -definitely leave the Casa Grande. - -The count feted with his officers the victory gained on the previous -day, and urged them to drink to the success of the expedition they were -going to attempt on the morrow. Flushed by the numerous potations he had -made, by the repeated toasts he had drunk, as well as by the hope of -complete success ere long, the count was in the best possible temper to -hear the singular message the old corporal delivered so much against the -grain. - -"And what sort of fellow is he?" he asked, when the other had performed -his task. - -"On my word, captain," the corporal answered, "so far as I could see, he -is stout, well-built young fellow, and gifted with a sufficient stock of -assurance, not to speak more strongly." - -The count reflected for a moment. - -"Shall I have him shot?" the soldier asked, taking this silence for a -condemnation. - -"Plague take it, what a hurry you are in, Boiland!" the count said -laughing and looking up. "No, no; this scamp's arrival is a piece of -good luck for us. On the contrary, bring him here with the utmost -politeness." - -The soldier bowed and retired. - -"Gentlemen," the count continued, "you remember the trap to which I -almost fell a victim: a certain amount of mystery, which I have never -been able to fathom, has since surrounded this affair. The man who asks -speech of me has come, I feel a presentiment, in order to give me the -key to many things which have hitherto been incomprehensible." - -"Senor conde," the capataz observed, "pray take care. You do not yet -know the character of our people; this man may come to draw you into a -snare." - -"For what purpose?" - -"_?Quien sabe_?" Blas Vasquez answered, employing that phrase which in -Spanish is so meaning, and which it is difficult to translate into our -tongue. - -"Bah, bah!" the count said. "Trust in me, Don Blas, to unmask this -scamp, if he be a spy, as I do not suppose." - -The capataz contented himself with an almost imperceptible shrug of his -shoulders. The count was one of those men whose lofty and arrogant mind -rendered any discussion impossible. The Europeans, and, before all, the -French in America, display towards the natives--white, half-breed, or -redskins--a contempt which breaks out in their language and actions, -persuaded they stand intellectually far above the inhabitants of the -country in which they happen to be, they display towards them an -insulting pity, and amuse themselves with continually turning them into -ridicule, by mocking either their habits or their belief, and in their -hearts grant them an amount of instinct not greatly superior to that of -the brute. - -This opinion is not only unjust, but it is also entirely false. The -American Hispanos, it is true, are very far behindhand as regards -civilisation, trade, mechanical arts, &c.: progress with them is slow, -because perpetually impeded by the superstitions that form the basis of -their faith; but we ought not to make these people responsible for a -state of things from which they are eager to emerge, and for which the -Spaniards are alone culpable, owing to the system of brutalising -oppression and crushing abjectness in which they kept them. The grinding -tyranny which for several centuries weighed Indians down, by rendering -them the utter slaves of haughty and implacable masters, has given them -the characteristics of slaves--cunning and cowardice. - -With a few honourable exceptions, the mass of the Indian population -especially--for the whites have advanced with giant steps in the path of -progress during the past few years--is scampish, cunning, cowardly, and -depraved. Thus it ever happens that when a European and a half-breed -come into collision, the white man, instead of the intelligence he -boasts, is duped by the Indian. It is so well recognised as an article -of faith in Spanish America, that the half-breeds and Indians are poor -irrational creatures, gifted at the most with enough intelligence to -live from hand to mouth that the whites proudly call themselves _gente -de razon._ - -We are bound to add that, after a few years' residence in America, the -opinions of the Europeans with regard to the half-breeds are greatly -modified, because a little acquaintance with the country enables them to -take a more healthy view of the people with whom they are mixed up. But -the Count de Lhorailles had not reached that stage: he only saw in the -Indian or half-breed a being all but lacking reason, and dealt with -him on that erroneous principle. This belief was destined, at a later -date, to bear most terrible consequences. - -The count had noticed the shrug of the shoulders the capataz gave, and -was about to reply to him, when the corporal reappeared, followed by the -stranger, on whom all eyes were at once fixed. The stranger bore without -flinching the cross fire of glances, and, while remaining completely -wrapped up in the folds of his large cloak, saluted the company with -unparalleled ease. The appearance of this man in the banqueting hall -infected the guests with a feeling of uneasiness they would have been -unable to explain, but which suddenly rendered them dumb. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -CUCHARES. - - -The silence began to grow embarrassing to all, and the count speedily -noticed this. As a thorough gentleman, accustomed to command immediately -the most exceptional and difficult positions, he rose, walked toward the -stranger with outstretched hand, and turning to his officers,-- - -"Gentlemen," he said, with a peculiar inflection of voice, and bowing -courteously, "allow me to present to you this _caballero_, whose name I -am not yet acquainted with, but who, from what he has himself said, is -one of my most intimate enemies." - -"Oh, senor conde!" the unknown said, in a stifled voice. - -"I am delighted at it," the count said quickly. "Pray do not contradict -me, my dear enemy, but be good enough to take a seat by my side." - -"I never was your enemy; the proof is that I have ridden two hundred -leagues to ask a service of you." - -"It is granted ere mentioned; so put off serious matters till tomorrow. -Take a glass of champagne." - -The unknown bowed, seized the glass, and said, bowing to the company,-- - -"Gentlemen, I drink to the fortunate issue of your expedition." - -And lifting the glass to his lips, he emptied it at a draught. - -"You are a famous companion, sir. I thank you for your toast; it is of -good omen to us." - -"Commandant, pray be kind enough," Lieutenant Martin said, "to tell us -as speedily as possible your amusing relations with this caballero." - -"I would do so with pleasure, senores; but I should first like to ask -this caballero, who states he has ridden so far to see me, to break an -incognito which has lasted too long already, and to inform us of his -name, so that we may know whom we have the honour of greeting." - -The stranger began laughing, and, allowing the fold of his cloak, which -had hitherto concealed his face, to fall, replied:-- - -"With the greatest pleasure, caballeros; but I fancy that my name, like -my face, will teach you nothing. We only met once, senor conde, and -during that interview the night was too dark, and the conversation -between yourself and my comrade too animated, for my features to have -deeply imprinted on your memory, even had you seen them." - -"It is true, senor," the count replied, after attentively examining his -features. "I am free to confess that I do not remember ever having seen -you before." - -"I was sure of it." - -"Then," the count exclaimed hotly, "why do you so obstinately hide your -face?" - -"Come, sir count, I probably had my reasons for doing so. Who knows if -you may not some day have cause to regret making me break an incognito -which I probably had reasons for maintaining?" - -These words were pronounced in a sarcastic voice, mingled with a menace, -which each could read in spite of the stranger's apparent coolness. - -"It is of little consequence, senor," the count said haughtily. "I am -one of those men whose sword supports his words; so now have the -goodness to give me your name without further excuses or vacillation." - -"Which will you have, caballero--my _nom de guerre_, or any other of my -aliases?" - -"Any one you please," the count said furiously, "so long as you give us -one." - -The stranger rose, and, turning a haughty glance on all present, said in -a firm voice,-- - -"I told you on entering this room, caballero, that I had ridden two -hundred leagues to ask a service of you. I deceived you. I expect -nothing of you, neither service nor favour; on the contrary, I wish to -be useful to you. I have come for that purpose, and no other. What need -of your knowing who I am, or what my name is, as I shall not be your -oblige, but you mine?" - -"The greater reason, caballero, for you to unmask. I will respect the -quality of guest you claim here, and not make you do by force what I ask -of you; but remember this, I am resolved, whatever may happen, to listen -to nothing, and beg you to withdraw immediately, if you refuse any -longer to satisfy my wishes." - -"You will repent of it, senor conde," the stranger replied, with a -sardonic smile. "One word more, and a last one. I consent to make myself -known to you privately, the more so as what I have to tell you must only -be heard by yourself." - -"By Bacchus!" Lieutenant Martin exclaimed, "this surpasses all belief, -and such persistency is extraordinary." - -"I know not if I am mistaken," the capataz exclaimed meaningly; "but I -am certain I hold a great place in the mystery with which this caballero -surrounds himself, and that if he fears anybody here it is I." - -"You are quite correct, senor Don Blas," the stranger said with a bow. -"You see that I know you. You know me too, if not by face, fortunately -for me at this moment, by name and repute. Well, rightly or wrongly, I -am convinced that were I to pronounce that name before you, you would -induce your friend not to listen to me." - -"And what would happen then?" the capataz interrupted him. - -"A great misfortune probably," the stranger said in a firm voice. "You -see that I act frankly with you, whatever your opinion may be. I only -ask of the count ten minutes' conversation; after that he can do -whatever he pleases with the secret I intrust to him, and the news I -bring him." - -There was a moment's silence. The count examined the stranger's calm -face while reflecting profoundly. At length the unknown rose, and, -bowing to the count, said,-- - -"Which am I to do, senor--stay or go?" - -The count turned a piercing glance upon him, which the other endured -without betraying the slightest emotion. - -"Stay!" he said. - -"Good!" the unknown remarked, and seated himself again on the _butaca_. - -"Gentlemen," continued the count, addressing his guests, "you have -heard, be kind enough to excuse me for a few moments." - -The officers rose and withdrew without any reply. The capataz was the -last to go, after bending on the unknown one of those glances which -ransack the depths of a man's heart. But this glance, like the count's, -produced no effect on the stranger's cold, impassive face. - -"Now, senor," said the count to the stranger, as soon as they were -alone, "I am awaiting the fulfilment of your promise." - -"I am ready to satisfy you." - -"What is your name? Who are you?" - -"Pardon me, sir," the stranger replied with easy raillery, "if we go on -thus it will take a long time, and you will learn nothing, or very -little." - -The count repressed with difficulty a gesture of impatience. - -"Proceed as you think proper," he said. - -"Good! In that way we shall soon understand each other." - -"I am listening." - -"You are strange, senor, in this country. Having arrived a few months -back only, you do not yet know the habits and customs of the -inhabitants. Relying on the knowledge you attained in your own country, -you fancied, on arriving among us, that you could do exactly as you -pleased, because your intelligence was so superior to ours, and you have -acted accordingly." - -"To your story, senor!" interrupted the count passionately. - -"I am coming to it, senor. Owing to powerful protectors, you found -yourself at once placed in an exceptional position. You have founded a -magnificent colony in the richest province of Mexico, on the desert -frontier. You then asked and obtained from government the rank of -captain, with the right to raise a free corps composed exclusively of -your own countrymen, specially intended to hunt the Apaches, Comanches, -&c. That is easy to understand for we Mexicans are such cowards." - -"Senor, senor! I would remind you that all you are now saying is at -least useless," the count angrily exclaimed. - -"Not so much as you suppose," the other said, still perfectly calm; "but -set your mind at ease. I have finished, and now reach the point which -specially interests you. I only wished to let you see that if you did -not know _me_, I, on the other hand, know more of you than you -imagined." - -The count struck the table with his fist and stamped his foot as an -outlet for his passion. - -"I will go on," the unknown continued. "Certainly, on landing in Mexico, -however great your ambition might be, you did not expect to gain such a -brilliant position in so short a time. Facile fortune is a bad adviser. -The too much of yesterday becomes the not enough of today. When you saw -that you succeeded in everything, you wished to crown your work by a -masterstroke, and shelter yourself for ever from the freaks of that -fortune which is today your slave, but might suddenly turn its back on -you tomorrow. I do not blame you. You acted like a clever gambler; and, -being afflicted with that vice myself, I can appreciate in others a -quality I do not myself possess. - -"Oh," the count said. - -"Patience! I am there now. You looked around you, and your eyes were -naturally fixed on Don Sylva de Torres. That caballero combined all the -qualities you sought in a father-in-law, for what you wished was to -contract a rich marriage. Ah! You no longer interrupt me. It seems that -the account I am giving of your own history is becoming interesting. Don -Sylva is kind-hearted and credulous; moreover, he has a colossal -fortune, even for this country, where fortunes are so large; and Dona -Anita is a charming girl. In short, you introduced yourself to Don -Sylva. You asked his daughter's hand, which he promised you, and the -marriage should have come off a month ago. And now, caballero, be good -enough to redouble your attention, for I am entering on the most -interesting part of my narrative." - -"Continue, senor; you see that I am listening with all necessary -patience." - -"You shall be rewarded for your complaisance, caballero, be at rest," -the unknown said with a tinge of mockery. - -"I am anxious to hear the end of your story, senor." - -"Here you have it. Unfortunately for your schemes, Dona Anita was not -consulted by her father in the choice of a husband: for a long time she -had secretly loved a young man who had done her important service." - -"And you know the man's name?" - -"Yes, senor." - -"Tell it me." - -"Not yet. This man returned her love. The two young people met without -Don Sylva's knowledge, and swore an eternal love. When Dona Anita was -constrained by her father to regard you as her husband she feigned -submission, for she did not dare openly to resist her father; but she -warned the man she loved, and the couple, after renewing their love -vows, thought on a way to break off this fatal marriage." - -The count had risen several moments back, and was now pacing the room. -At the last words he stopped before the stranger. - -"Then," he said in a gloomy voice, "the attempted assassination at the -Rancho--" - -"Was a means employed by the lover to get rid of you? Yes, senor," the -stranger calmly said. - -"This man, then, is only a dastardly assassin!" he said contemptuously. - -"You are wrong, caballero; he only wished to compel you to retire. The -proof is that your life was in his hands and he did not take it." - -"To the point, then!" the count exclaimed. "Assassin or not, you will -tell me his name, for you have finished now, I suppose?" - -"Not yet. After the meeting at the Rancho you proceeded to your -hacienda, accompanied by your future father-in-law and wife. Even then, -without leaving you a moment's rest, the hatred of Dona Anita's lover -pursued you: the Apaches attacked you. - -"Well?" - -"Well, need I give you further explanation? Cannot you understand that -this man was in league with the redskins?" - -"And Dona Anita knew it?" - -"I will not affirm that positively, but it is probable." - -"Oh!" - -"Was not the game well played?" - -The count bit his lips till the blood began to flow. - -"And you know who carried Dona Anita off?" - -"I do." - -"It was not the redskins?" - -"No." - -"That man, then?" - -"Yes." - -"But her father was carried off to?" - -"I know it; but it was not at all with his will, I assure you." - -"Where is Don Sylva now?" - -"Quietly at home at Guaymas." - -"Is his daughter with him?" - -"No." - -"She is with that man, I suppose?" - -"You are a perfect sorcerer." - -"And you know where they are?" - -"I do." - -Quick as lightning the count bounded on the stranger, seized him by the -collar with his left hand, and, placing a pistol against his breast, -shouted in a hoarse voice,-- - -"Now, villain, you will tell me where they are!" - -"Is that the game we are playing?" the stranger said. "Well, as you -please, caballero." - -Then throwing back his cloak quickly, he aimed at the count two pistols -which he held in either hand. The stranger's movement had been so rapid -that the count was unable to prevent it. Besides, a sudden idea occurred -to him at the moment. Lowering his pistol, and thrusting it back in his -girdle, he muttered,-- - -"I was mad: pardon that angry movement." - -"Most heartily," the unknown replied, laying his pistols on the table -within reach. - -"Pardon me again. Now that I reflect on what you have just told me, I -see that your object was to be of service to me." - -The stranger made a gesture of affirmation. - -"But there is one thing I cannot explain." - -"What is that?" - -"The manner in which you have told me all these details." - -"Oh! That is simple enough." - -"I shall feel obliged by your explanation." - -"With pleasure, caballero. Two men attacked you at the Rancho." - -"Yes." - -"I am he who pulled you off your horse." - -"Oh!" the count said, with a singular intonation in his voice. - -"In a word, my name is Cuchares! I am a lepero; that is to say, I like -the sun better than the shade, rest than work, and would sooner stab a -man, when properly paid for it, than do a good action which brings in -nothing. You comprehend me?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Then we can come to an understanding?" - -"I think so." - -"Well, so do I, and that is the reason I have come to you." - -"One question more." - -"Ask it." - -"At this moment you are betraying your friends?" - -"I? Who?" - -"The persons you have hitherto served." - -"A man like myself, caballero, has no friends, only customers." - -"Friends or customers, you are betraying them." - -"Pooh! We have settled our accounts. They owe me nothing, nor I them. We -are quits. Look ye, caballero: in every business there are two sides, -which a skilful man can work equally well. I have drawn all I could from -the first, so I am going to try the other now." - -The count heard the lepero develope this strange theory with an amazement -mingled with terror. A cynicism so ripe and shameless terrified him and -yet the count was not excessively thin-skinned. - -"We will agree, then, that you have come to do me a service." - -The lepero smiled. - -"Let us understand one another," continued he. "I say so not to startle -the consciences of the gentlemen who were present on my entrance; but -between ourselves, I will be more frank." - -"Which means?" - -"That I have come to sell it to you." - -"Be it so!" - -"I shall want a long price." - -"Good!" - -"A very long price." - -"No matter, if it is worth it." - -"Come," the lepero exclaimed joyfully, "you are just the man I expected -to find you. Well, you can trust in me." - -"I must do so, I suppose." - -"What would you? It is the way of the world. Today my turn, tomorrow -yours. Bah! You will have no cause to regret a few thousand piastres." - -"First, then, my rival's name." - -"It will cost you fifty ounces, and you cannot think it dear." - -"Here they are," the count said, arranging them on the table. - -The lepero made them disappear in a second in his large pockets. - -"The name of your rival, caballero, is Don Martial. He is a Tigrero, and -very rich." - -"I fancy I have heard Don Sylva mention that name." - -"It is probable. Don Sylva cannot endure Don Martial, especially since -he saved Dona Anita's life." - -"I remember that circumstance too; Don Sylva frequently mentioned it to -me. And now, how did Don Martial carry the girl off?" - -"Very easily, the more so as she wished nothing better than to follow -him. During your fight with the Apaches he placed Dona Anita in a canoe, -into which I had already thrown her father, gagged and tied; then we -went off, all four of us. All through the night we kept to the river, so -as to leave no traces of our flight, and by daybreak had covered fifteen -leagues. No longer fearing discovery, we landed. Indios Mansos sold us -some horses. Don Martial ordered me to take the young girl's father to -Guaymas, and I fulfilled this difficult commission with all honour. Don -Sylva was unwilling to follow me; but at last I managed to get him into -his own house, where I left him, and went back to Don Martial, who had -requested me to bring him certain things, and was awaiting me at a spot -agreed on between us." - -"Ah!" the count said, "and how did you come to leave him?" - -"Good gracious, caballero! We separated, as so often happens to the best -of friends, in consequence of a misunderstanding." - -"Very good! He turned you off?" - -"Nearly so, I am obliged to confess." - -"Have you left him long?" - -The lepero winked his right eye. - -"No," he answered. - -"Can you lead me to the spot where he now is?" - -"Yes, whenever you please." - -"Very good! Is it far?" - -"No, but pardon me, caballero, let us settle matters at once. Are you -agreeable?" - -"Let us see." - -"How much will you give me to learn at what spot Don Martial and Dona -Anita are concealed?" - -"Two hundred ounces." - -"Hand them over." - -"Here they are." - -The count took some handfuls of money from an iron box in a corner of -the room, and gave them to the lepero. - -"There is a pleasure in dealing with you," said Cuchares, as he sent -these ounces to join the others with admirable celerity. "Thus you see I -was quite right when I told you that I was going to do you a service." - -"It is true, and I thank you. Where are Don Martial and the Dona?" - -"At the mission of Don Francisco. But now I must ask permission to leave -you." - -"Not yet." - -"Why not?" - -"For two reasons; the first, because, in spite of all the confidence I -have in you, nothing has yet proved to me that you have told the truth." - -"Oh!" said the lepero with a gesture of denial. - -"I know very well I am mistaken; but what would you have? I am naturally -suspicious." - -"Good! I will remain. But now for your second reason." - -"This is it. I have in my turn a service to ask of you." - -"To be paid for?" - -"Of course." - -"I am listening." - -"I will give you a hundred ounces to lead me to my rival." - -"Canarios!" the lepero exclaimed. - -"One hundred ounces," the count said again. - -"I understand you. One hundred ounces--a fine sum. But look ye, count: -I am a costeno, and a lepero in the bargain. This desert life does not -suit my temperament and injures my health. I have taken an oath to have -no more of it. The road from here to the mission is difficult. We shall -have to cross the desert. No, taking all things into consideration, it -is impossible." - -"That is unlucky," coldly replied the count. - -"It is." - -"Because," he continued, "I would have given you not one, but two -hundred ounces." - -"Eh?" asked the other, cocking his ears. - -"But as you refuse--you do so, I think?--I shall be obliged, to my great -regret to have you shot." - -"What do you say?" the lepero exclaimed, with a movement of terror. - -"By'r Lady!" the count said simply, "my dear fellow, you are so clever in -business matters that, having found two sides of a question, I am -terribly frightened lest you should find a third." - -And before Cuchares could prevent him he seized the pistols that lay on -the table. The lepero turned livid. - -"Pardon me, pardon me," he said in an ill-assured voice. "As you desire -it so eagerly, I must please you to the best of my power. I accept the -two hundred ounces." - -"Very good!" the count exclaimed. "I thought, too, that we should come -to an understanding." - -He went to fetch the money from the iron chest; but, as he turned his -back on the lepero, he could not see the singular smile that curved his -lips. Had he done so, he would not have chanted his victory so loudly. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -IN WHICH THE STORY GOES BACK. - - -The lepero's story, true in its foundation, was utterly false and -erroneous in its details. Perhaps, however, he had an interest in -deceiving the Count de Lhorailles, which the reader will be able to -judge of better after reading the following chapter. - -After escaping so miraculously from the hands of the Apaches, into -whose power he had fallen, Cuchares dived and sought the centre of the -river. On mounting to the surface again to take breath, he looked around -him: he was alone. The lepero stifled a cry of joy, and, after a -moment's reflection, swam vigorously in the direction of the mangroves, -where Don Martial, warned by the signal he had been compelled to give, -had doubtlessly been awaiting him some time. With a few strokes he -reached the trees, beneath whose shade he disappeared. But another piece -of good luck awaited him there: the canoe, abandoned to itself, had -floated up against the trunk of a tree, and remained stationary. - -Cuchares, leaving the water, soon succeeded in emptying the canoe and -making it float again. These boats are so light that they can be easily -emptied, for in these regions they are made of birch bark, which the -Indians strip from the tree by means of boiling water. - -He had scarce landed ere a shadow bent over him and muttered in his -ear:-- - -"You have been a long time." - -The lepero gave a start of terror; but he recognised Don Martial. In a -very few words he explained to him all that happened. - -"It is all the better, as you have come here," the Tigrero said. "Hide -yourself in the mangroves, and do not stir under any pretext until I -return." - -And he rapidly retired. Cuchares obeyed with more zeal because he heard -at no great distance from him the sound of the obstinate contest going -on at that moment between the French and Apaches. Don Martial, dagger in -hand, in readiness for any event, had glided like a phantom up to a -clump of floripondins, where Dona Anita awaited him all trembling. Just -as he was going to pull back the branches that separated him from the -young girl, he stopped with panting breast and frowning brow. She was -not alone. Her voice, quivering with emotion or anger, was harsh and -imperious, whom could she be speaking to? Who was the man that had -succeeded in discovering her in this retired spot, where she fancied -herself so well concealed, and who, it seemed, was trying to force her -to follow him? The Tigrero listened. Soon he made a gesture of anger and -menace. He had recognised the voice of the man with whom Dona Anita was -talking: it was her father. - -All was lost! - -The hacendero was trying to lead his daughter in the direction of the -buildings; while employing the most convincing reasons. He did not -appear to suspect the motive which had brought his daughter to that -spot. Dona Anita refused to go away, alleging the danger of being met by -an Indian marauder, and thus falling into the danger she so earnestly -wished to avoid. - -Don Martial struck his brow; a singular smile played on his lips; his -eyes flashed fire, and he noiselessly slipped back to the river bank. -Still the combat was going on: at times it appeared to draw -nearer--oaths and yells could be distinguished; at others, flashes lit -up the scene, and a shower of bullets whizzed through the air with that -sharp, hissing sound which terrifies novices in warfare. - -"In the name of Heaven, my beloved daughter," Don Sylva urged, "come! We -have not a moment to lose; in a few seconds our retreat may be perhaps -cut off. Come, I implore you!" - -"No, my father!" she said, shaking her head. "I am resigned: whatever -may happen, I repeat to you, I will not leave this spot." - -"It is madness," the hacendero exclaimed in great grief. "You wish to -die, then?" - -"What matter to me?" she said sorrowfully. "Am I not condemned in every -way? Heaven is my witness, father, that I would gladly die to escape the -marriage prepared for me." - -"My daughter, in the Virgin's name----" - -"What do you care, father, whether I fall into the hands of Pagan -savages today, when tomorrow you would surrender me with your own hands -to a man I detest?" - -"Speak not to me thus, daughter. Besides, the moment is very badly -chosen, it seems to me, for a discussion like this. Come, the shouts are -growing more furious; it will soon be too late." - -"Go, if you think proper," she said resolutely. "I shall remain here, -whatever may happen." - -"As it is so, as you obstinately resist me, I will employ force to -compel your obedience." - -The girl threw her left arm round the trunk of a cedar tree, and looking -with intense resolution at her father, exclaimed,-- - -"Do so if you dare, O my father! But I warn you that, at the first step -you take toward me, that will happen which you want to avoid. I will -utter such piercing shrieks that they must reach the ears of the Pagans, -who will run up." - -Don Sylva stopped in hesitation: he knew his daughter's firm and -determined character, and that she would at once put this threat in -execution. A few minutes elapsed, during which father and daughter stood -face to face, not uttering a word, or making even a gesture. - -Suddenly the branches were noisily parted, yielding a passage to two -men, or rather two demons, who, rushing with panther bounds on the -hacendero, hurled him to the ground. Before Don Sylva was able to -recognise the enemies who attacked him so unexpectedly by the pale beams -of the stars, he was gagged and bound, while a handkerchief twisted -round his head hid from him all external objects, and prevented him -seeing what his daughter's fate might be. The latter, at this sudden -attack, uttered a cry of terror, at once prudently checked, for she had -recognised Don Martial. - -"Silence!" the Tigrero hurriedly said in a low voice. "I could manage in -no other way. Come, come, your father, you know, is a sacred object to -me." - -The girl made no reply. At a sign from Don Martial, Cuchares seized Don -Sylva, threw him on his shoulders, and went toward the mangroves. - -"Where are we going?" Dona Anita asked in a trembling voice. - -"To a place where we can be happy together," the Tigrero answered -gently, as he lifted her with a passionate movement, and ran off with her -to the canoe. Dona Anita made no resistance: she smiled and threw her -arms round her lover's neck to keep her balance during this -steeplechase, in which Don Martial leaped from branch to branch, holding -on by the creepers and encouraging his lovely burden by signs and looks. -Cuchares had placed Don Sylva in the bottom of the canoe, and, paddles -in hand, was impatiently awaiting the Tigrero's arrival: for the combat -seemed doubled in intensity, although, from the number of musket shots, -it was easy to see that victory would rest with the French. - -"What shall we do?" Cuchares inquired. - -"Get into the middle of the river, and slip down with the current." - -"But our horses?" - -"Let us save ourselves first; we will think of the horses afterwards. It -is evident that the white men are the victors. As soon as the fight is -over, Count de Lhorailles will send everywhere in search of his guests. -It is important not to leave any trail, for the French are demons, and -would find us again." - -"Still, I fancy--" Cuchares timidly observed. - -"Be off!" said the Tigrero in a peremptory tone, kicking the canoe -vigorously from the bank. - -The first moments of the voyage passed in silence: each reflected on the -peculiar position in which he was placed. - -Don Martial had assumed a tremendous responsibility by staking, as it -were, on one throw the happiness of the girl he loved and his own. -Besides, the hacendero lying at the bottom of the canoe gave him great -subject for thought. The position was grave, the solution difficult. - -Dona Anita, with drooping head and absent glance, was dreamily letting -her dainty hand glide through the water over the side of the canoe. - -Cuchares, while paddling furiously, was thinking that the life he led -was anything rather than agreeable, and that he was far happier at -Guaymas, as he lay with his head in the shade, and his feet in the sun, -in the church porch, enjoying his siesta, refreshed by the sea breeze, -and lulled to sleep by the mysterious murmur of the surf on the shingle. - -As for Don Sylva de Torres, he was not reflecting. A prey to one of -those dumb passions which, if they lasted any length of time, must end -in insanity, he frantically bit the gag that shut his mouth, and writhed -in his bonds, while unable to break them. - -The various sounds of the contest gradually died out. For some time -longer the travellers remained silent, absorbed not only in their -thoughts, but affected by that gentle melancholy produced on all nervous -natures by that solemn calmness and striking harmony of the wilderness, -whose sublime and majestic grandeur no human pen is capable of -describing. - -The stars were beginning to pale in the sky: an opal line was vaguely -drawn in the horizon: the clumsy alligators were quitting the mud and -going in search of their morning meal; the owls, perched on the trees, -were saluting the approaching sunrise; the coyotes glided in startled -bands along the shore, uttering their hoarse barks; the wild beasts were -retreating to their hidden dens, heavy with sleep and fatigue; day was -on the point of breaking. Dona Anita leaned coquettishly on Don -Martial's shoulder. - -"Where are we going?" she asked him in a gentle resigned voice. - -"We are flying," he laconically answered. - -"We have been descending the river in this way for more than six hours, -borne by the current and helped by your four vigorously-pulled paddles. -Are we not out of reach of danger?" - -"Yes, long ago. It is not any fear of the French which troubles me -now--" - -"What then?" - -The Tigrero pointed to Don Sylva, who, having exhausted his strength and -passion, had at length tacitly recognised his powerlessness, and was -sleeping quite exhausted. - -"Alas!" she said, "You are right. Things can not go on thus, my friend; -the position is intolerable." - -"If you will allow me to act as I think proper, before a quarter of an -hour your father will thank me." - -"Do you not know that I am entirely yours?" - -"Thanks!" he said. Turning to Cuchares, he muttered a few words in his -ear. - -"Ah, ah! That is an idea," the lepero said with a grin. Two minutes -later the canoe ran ashore. Don Sylva, delicately borne by two powerful -hands, was carried ashore without waking. - -"Now it is your turn," Don Martial said to the girl: "for the success of -the scheme I have formed you must allow yourself to be fastened to this -tree." - -"Do so, my friend." - -The Tigrero took her into his vigorous arms, bore her ashore and in a -twinkling had fastened her tightly by the waist to the stem of a tree. - -"Now," he said hurriedly, "remember this. Your father and yourself were -carried off from the hacienda by the Apaches; accident brought us in -your way, and--" - -"You save us, I suppose?" she said with a smile. - -"Quite correct; but utter shrill cries, as if you felt in great alarm. -You understand, do you not?" - -"Perfectly." - -The play was performed in the way arranged. The girl uttered piercing -shrieks, to which the two adventurers replied by discharging their -rifles and pistols; they then rushed toward the hacendero, whom they -hastened to liberate from his bonds, and to whom they restored not only -the use of his limbs, but also of his eyes and tongue. Don Sylva half -rose, and looked around him: he saw his daughter fastened to a tree, -from which two men were freeing her. The hacendero raised his eyes to -heaven, and uttered a fervent prayer. - -So soon as Dona Anita was free she ran to her father, and cast herself -in his arms. As she embraced him she hid her face, which blushed, -perhaps, for shame at this unworthy deception, on the old man's breast. - -"My poor darling child," he murmured, with tears in his eyes, "It was -for you, for you alone, I trembled during the whole of this fearful -night." - -The girl made no reply, for she felt stung to the heart by this -reproach. Don Martial and Cuchares, judging the moment favourable, then -approached, holding their smoking rifles in their hands. On recognising -them a cloud passed over the hacendero's face--a vague suspicion gnawed -at his heart; he bent a searching glance on the two men and on his -daughter, and rose with frowning brow and quivering lips, though not -uttering a word. Don Martial was embarrassed by this silence, which he -had been far from anticipating. After the service he was supposed to -have done Don Sylva, the duty of speaking first fell upon him. - -"I am happy," he said in an embarrassed voice, "to have arrived here so -fortunately, Don Sylva, as I was enabled to save you from the redskins." - -"I thank you, senor Don Martial," the hacendero answered dryly. "I could -expect nothing less from your gallantry. It was written, so it seems, -that after saving the daughter, you must also save the father. You are -destined, I see it, to be the liberator of my entire family: receive my -sincere thanks." - -These words were uttered with an accent of raillery that pierced the -Tigrero like an arrow: he could not find a word in reply, and bowed -awkwardly in order to hide his embarrassment. - -"My father," Dona Anita said in a caressing tone, "Don Martial has -risked his life for us." - -"Have I not thanked him for it?" he continued. "The affair was a sharp -one, as it seems, but the heathens escaped very quickly. Was there no -one killed?" - -And saying this the hacendero affected to look carefully around him. Don -Martial drew himself up. - -"Senor Don Sylva de Torres," he said in a firm voice, "as chance has -brought us once again face to face permit me to tell you that few men -are so devoted to you as myself." - -"You have just proved, caballero." - -"Leave that out of sight," he went on hurriedly. "Now that you are free, -and can act as you please, command me. What would you of me? I am ready -to do anything you please, in order to prove to you how happy I should -be in doing you a service." - -"That is language I can understand, caballero, and to which I will -frankly respond. Important reasons compel me to return to the French -colony of Guetzalli, whence the heathens carried me off so -treacherously." - -"When do you wish to start?" - -"At once, if that be possible." - -"Everything is possible, caballero. Still, I would call your attention -to the fact that we are nearly thirty leagues from that hacienda; that -the country in which we now are is a desert; that we should have great -difficulty in finding horses: and, with the best will in the world, we -cannot, make the journey on foot." - -"Especially my daughter, I presume," the other remarked with a sardonic -smile. - -"Yes," the Tigrero said, "especially the senorita." - -"What else is to be done? for I must return there--with my daughter," he -added, purposely laying stress on the last three words, "and that so -soon as possible." - -The Tigrero did not utter the exact truth in telling Don Sylva they were -thirty leagues from the colony. It was not more than eighteen; but in a -country like this, where roads do not exist, fifteen leagues are an -almost insurmountable obstacle to a man not thoroughly acquainted with -desert life. Don Sylva, though he had never travelled under other than -favourable circumstances--that is to say, with all the comfort it is -possible to obtain in these remote regions--was aware, theoretically, if -not practically, of all the difficulties which would rise before him -with each step, and what obstacles would check his movements. His -resolution was made almost immediately. - -Don Sylva, like a good many of his countrymen, was gifted with rare -obstinacy. When he had formed a plan, the greater the obstacles which -prevented its accomplishment, the greater his determination to carry it -out. - -"Listen," he said to Don Martial; "I wish to be frank with you. I fancy -I tell you nothing new in announcing my daughter's marriage with the -Count de Lhorailles. That marriage must be performed: I have sworn it, -and it shall be, whatever may be said or done to impede it. And now I am -about to make trial of the devotion you boast of offering me." - -"Speak, senor." - -"You will send your companion to the Count de Lhorailles; he will carry -him a message to calm his uneasiness and announce my speedy arrival." - -"Good!" - -"Will you do it?" - -"At once." - -"Thanks! Now, as regards yourself personally, I leave you at liberty to -follow or leave us at your pleasure; but in the first place, we want -horses, arms, and, above all, an escort. I do not wish to fall once more -into the hands of the heathen. Perhaps I shall not have the good fortune -to escape from them so easily as on this occasion." - -"Remain here: in two hours I will return with horses. As for an escort, -I will try and procure you one, although I do not promise it. As you -allow me to do so, I will accompany you till you have rejoined the -_conde_. I hope, during the period I may have the felicity of passing -near you, to succeed in proving to you that you have judged me -wrongfully." - -These words were pronounced with such an accent of truth that the -hacendero felt moved. - -"Whatever may happen," he said, "I thank you: you will none the less -have done me an immense service, for which I shall be ever grateful to -you." - -Don Sylva tore a leaf from his pocketbook, on which he wrote a few lines -in pencil, folded it, and handed it to the Tigrero. - -"Are you sure of that man?" he asked him. - -"As of myself," Don Martial replied evasively. "Be assured that he will -see the conde." - -The hacendero made a sign of satisfaction as the Tigrero went up to -Cuchares. - -"Listen," he said aloud as he gave him the paper. "Within two days you -must have delivered this to the chief of Guetzalli. You understand me?" - -"Yes," the lepero replied. - -"Go, and may Heaven protect you from all evil encounters! In a quarter -of an hour behind that mound," he hurriedly added in a whisper. - -"Agreed," the other said with a bow. - -"Take the canoe," the Tigrero continued. - -Had the hacendero conceived any doubts, they were dissipated when he saw -Cuchares leap into the canoe, seize the paddles, and depart without -exchanging a signal with the Tigrero, or even turning his head. - -"The first part of your instructions is fulfilled," said the Tigrero, -returning to Don Sylva's side. "Now for the second part. Take my pistols -and musket. In case of any alarm you can defend yourself. I leave you -here. Pray do not move, and within two hours at the latest I will rejoin -you." - -"Do you know where to find horses?" - -"Do you not remember that the desert is my domain?" he returned with a -melancholy smile. "I am at home here, as I shall prove to you. Farewell -for the present." - -And he went off in a direction opposed to that taken by the canoe. When -he had disappeared from Don Sylva's sight behind a clump of trees and -shrubs, the Tigrero turned sharply to the right and ran back. Cuchares, -carelessly seated on the ground, was smoking a cigarette while awaiting -him. - -"No words, but deeds," the Tigrero said. "We have no time to waste." - -"I am listening," - -"Look at this diamond;" and he pointed to a ring through which his neck -handkerchief was drawn. - -"It is worth 6000 piastres," Cuchares said, examining it like a judge. - -Don Martial handed it to him. - -"I give it you," he said. - -"What am I to do for it?" - -"First hand me the letter." - -"Here it is." - -Don Martial took it and tore it into impalpable fragments. - -"Next?" Cuchares continued. - -"Next, I have another diamond like that one at your service. You know -me?" - -"Yes; I accept." - -"On one condition." - -"I know it," said the other with a significant sign. - -"And you accept?" - -"Of course I do." - -"It is a bargain." - -"He shall never trouble you again." - -"Good! But you understand that I shall need proofs." - -"You shall have them." - -"Good-by, then." - -The two accomplices parted, well satisfied with each other. A nod was as -good as a wink in such a case. We have seen how Cuchares acquitted -himself of the mission intrusted to him by Don Sylva. Don Martial, after -his short conversation with Cuchares, went to look for horses. Two hours -later he had returned. He not only brought excellent horses, but had -hired four peons, or men who called themselves so, to act as escort. The -hacendero comprehended all the delicacy of Don Martial's conduct: and -though the air and garb of his defenders were not completely orthodox, -he warmly thanked the Tigrero for the trouble he had taken to supply his -wants. Reassured as to his journey, he breakfasted with good appetite on -a lump of venison, washed down with _pulque_, which Don Martial had -procured. Then, so soon as the meal was over, the little band, well -armed, set out resolutely in the direction of Guetzalli, where Don -Sylva expected to arrive in three days, if nothing thwarted his -calculations. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -IN THE PRAIRIE. - - -The Mexican frontier, up to the old Jesuit missions, now abandoned and -falling in ruins, forms the skirt of the great prairie of the Rio Gila -or of Apacheria, which extends as far as the mournful desert of the -Norte. In this portion of the prairie nature expands all that richness -of growth and vegetation which may be in vain sought elsewhere. - -Guetzalli was built by Count de Lhorailles on the ruins of a once -flourishing mission of the reverend Jesuits, which the decree commanding -their expulsion had compelled them to abandon. Without entering into -discussion for or against the Jesuits, we will say, _en passant_, that -these clergy rendered immense services in America; that all the missions -thus founded in the desert prospered; that the Indians flocked in by -thousands to range themselves beneath their paternal laws: and that -certain missions, whose names we could quote were it necessary, counted -as many as sixty thousand neophytes; that, as a proof of the excellence -of their system, when the order was given them to give up their mission -to other monks, and withdraw, their proselytes implored them to resist -this unjust ostracism, and offered to defend them against everybody. - -The Jesuits have the greater claim to this tardy justice we now seek to -do them in the fact that, in spite of the many years that have elapsed -since their departure, and although all the men they brought into the -bosom of the church by incessant labour have returned to a savage life, -the remembrance of the good deeds of these pious missionaries still -lives in the hearts of the Indians, and forms at night round the -campfires the staple of conversation, so deeply engraved on the minds of -these primitive beings is the small amount of kindness shown them. - -Don Sylva de Torres wished to reach the colony of Guetzalli again so -soon as possible, and by the most direct route. Unfortunately he was -obliged to cross, as the crow flies, a large extent of country through -which no road ran. Moreover, owing to his topographical ignorance of the -prairie, he was compelled to trust in Don Martial, an excellent guide in -every respect, whose sagacity and thorough knowledge of the desert he -did not for a moment doubt, but in whom he placed but slight confidence, -while unable to explain his motive even to himself. - -Still the Tigrero (apparently at least) gave proofs of his entire -devotion to the hacendero, leading him by the most beaten tracks, making -him avoid difficult passages, and watching with unequalled care and -solicitude over the safety of his little band. Each evening at sunset -the party encamped on the top of an open hill, whence a large quantity -of ground could be surveyed, in order to guard against any surprise. On -the evening of the fourth day, after a fatiguing march over an irregular -tract, Don Martial reached a hill where he proposed to camp. - -The hacendero greeted the offer with greater pleasure, for, being but -little accustomed to this mode of travelling, he felt extremely -fatigued. After a frugal meal, composed of maize tortillas, and frijoles -powdered with the hottest spices, and washed down with pulque, Don -Sylva, without even thinking of smoking a cigarette (his custom always -after a meal), wrapped himself in his zarape, laid down with his feet -toward the fire, and fell off almost immediately into a profound sleep. - -Don Martial and the young girl remained for some time silently opposite -each other, their eyes fixed on the hacendero, and uneasily watching the -phases of his sleep. At length, when the Tigrero was persuaded that Don -Sylva was really asleep, he bent over her, and muttered in her ear in a -gentle voice:-- - -"Pardon, Dona Anita, pardon!" - -"For what?" she asked in surprise. - -"Because you are suffering through me." - -"Egotist!" she said with an enchanting smile, "it is not through myself -too, as I love you?" - -"Oh, thank you!" he exclaimed. "You restore to my heart that courage -which I felt dying out. Alas! How will all this end?" - -"Well, I am convinced," she said quickly. "We must be patient. My father -believe me, will soon change his opinion about you." - -The Tigrero smiled sorrowfully. - -"Still," he said, "I cannot carry you about the prairie indefinitely." - -"That is true," she remarked despondently. "What is to be done?" - -"I do not know. For the last two days we have only been moving round the -colony, from which we are scarce three leagues distant, and yet I cannot -resolve to enter it." - -"Alas!" the girl murmured. - -"Ah!" he continued, with a degree of animation in his glance, "Why is -this man your father, Dona Anita?" - -"Speak not so, my friend," she said hurriedly, laying her little hand on -his mouth as if to prevent him saying more. "Why despair? God is good; -He will not fail us. We know not what He has in reserve for us: let us -place our trust in Him!" - -"Still," he replied, shaking his head, "our position is not tenable. It -is impossible to go on at haphazard. Your father, in spite of his -ignorance of the country, will at length perceive I am deceiving him, -and I shall be hopelessly ruined in his opinion. On the other hand, by -proceeding to the colony, I place you in the hands once more of the man -you are forced to marry. I cannot resolve on doing this odious deed. Oh! -I would joyfully give ten years of my life to know how I ought to act." - -At this moment, as if Heaven had heard his words, and hastened to reply -immediately, the Tigrero, whose eyes were mechanically fixed on the -prairie, which at this moment was buried in obscurity, saw a short -distance off, in the midst of the tall grass, a luminous point arise in -the air twice, tracing in its passage quaint parabolas. At the same -moment Don Martial's practised ear heard, or fancied it heard, the -suppressed snorting of a horse. - -"It is extraordinary," he muttered, as if speaking to himself. "What can -it mean? Is it a signal? Still we are alone here. Through the whole of -the past day I have not caught sight of a single trail; but that -light--" - -"What is the matter, my friend?" Dona Anita asked anxiously. "You seem -restless. Can any danger menace us? Speak! You know I am brave; and by -your side, what can I fear? Hide nothing from me. Something -extraordinary is taking place, is it not?" - -"Well, yes," he replied, resolutely making up his mind, "something -extraordinary is really happening; but calm yourself, I do not believe -there is anything for you to fear." - -"But what is it? I saw nothing." - -"Stay: look there!" he said quickly, and stretched out his arm. - -The girl looked attentively, and saw what the Tigrero had noticed a few -moments previously--a reddish dot sparkling in the gloom, and describing -interlaced lines. - -"'Tis evidently a signal," the Tigrero went on. "Somebody is concealed -there." - -"Do you expect anyone?" she asked him. - -"No; and yet, I know not why, but I fancy that signal can only be -intended for me." - -"Still recollect that we are in the prairie, and probably, without -suspecting it, surrounded by bands of Indian hunters. They may be -corresponding with each other by means of that light which we have seen -twice gleaming before our eyes." - -"No, Dona Anita, you are mistaken. We are not, at any rate for the -present, surrounded by any Indians: we are quite alone." - -"How can you know that, my friend, since you have not left us for a -moment to go and look for trails?" - -"Dona Anita, my well beloved!" he said in a stern voice, "the prairie is -a book on which Heaven's secrets are written in ineffaceable letters, -which the man accustomed to desert life can read currently. The wind -passing through the branches, the bird flying through the air, the deer -or buffalo grazing on the tufted grass, the alligator slothfully -wallowing in the mud, are to me certain signs in which I cannot be -mistaken. For the last two days we have seen no Indian sign; the -buffaloes and other animals we have passed growled calmly and without -distrust; the flight of the birds was regular; the alligators almost -disappeared in the mud which covered them. All these animals scent the -approach of man, and especially of the Indian, for a considerable -distance, and so soon as they have done so, disappear at headlong speed, -so great is the terror with which the Lord of creation inspires them. I -repeat to you, we are alone here, quite alone here, and therefore that -signal is intended for me. See, there it is again!" - -"It is true; I can see it!" - -"I must know what the meaning of it is," he said, seizing his rifle. - -"Oh, Don Martial, I implore you, take care! Be prudent. Think of me!" -she added in agony. - -"Reassure yourself, Dona Anita. I am too old a wood ranger to let myself -be deceived by a clumsy trick. I shall return shortly." - -And without listening further to the young girl, who tried to retain him -by her entreaties and tears, he proceeded to the slope of the hill, -which he descended rapidly, though with the utmost prudence. On arriving -in the prairie the Tigrero stopped to look around him. The party were -encamped about two arrow-shots from the Gila, nearly opposite a large -island, which is in reality only a rock, bearing some resemblance to the -human form, and which the Apaches call _the master of the life of man_. -In their excursions upon Indian territory the redskins never fail to -stop at this island and deposit their offerings, the ceremony consisting -in throwing into the water, with dancing, tobacco, hair, and birds -feathers. This rock, which offers a most striking appearance from the -distance, has two excavations in it more than 1200 feet in length, and -forty wide, the roof being of an arched form. - -The fact which had aroused the Tigrero's curiosity, and caused him to -undertake the enterprise of discovery in the meaning of the signal, was -that it came from the island; and this he could not at all account for, -being aware that the Indians felt for the rock a veneration mingled with -a superstitious terror so great, that no Indian warrior however brave he -might be, would have dared to spend the night there. It was the -knowledge of this peculiarity which urged him to examine into the -mystery. - -Tall and tufted grass grew profusely down to the river's edge. Concealed -by the thickly-growing mangroves and shrubs, intertwined in inextricable -confusion, the Tigrero glided cautiously down to the bank. So soon as he -reached it he let himself hang from a branch, and entered the water so -quietly that his immersion produced no sound. - -Holding his rifle over his head to keep it out of the wet, the Tigrero -then swam with one hand in the direction of the island. The distance was -short: the Tigrero was a vigorous swimmer, and he soon reached the spot -where he wished to land. So soon as he was on the island he crawled -through the shrubs, listening to the slightest sounds, and trying to -pierce the darkness. He saw nothing, heard nothing; then he rose, and -walked toward one of the grottos, at the entrance of which he could see -a fire blazing from the spot where he stood: near it was seated a man, -smoking as quietly as if he had been seated before a pulqueria at -Guaymas. - -Don Martial, after attentively regarding this man, had difficulty in -repressing a shout of joy, and walked toward him without further attempt -at concealment. He had recognised his confidant, Cuchares, the lepero. -At the sound of his footfall Cuchares turned his head. - -"You have come at last!" he exclaimed. "For more than an hour I have -been racking my brain in inventing fresh signs, to which you would not -deign a reply." - -"Ah, my dear fellow," the Tigrero joyfully replied, "could I have -suspected it was you I should have been with you long ago; but I so -little expected you--" - -"You are quite right, and in such a country as this it is better to be -prudent than not sufficiently so." - -"Ah, ah! There is something new?" the Tigrero said, as he sat down to -the fire to dry his clothes. - -"Caspita! If there was not, should I be here?" - -"True: you are a good comrade, and I thank you for coming. You know that -I have a faithful memory." - -"I know it." - -"But come, what have you to tell me? I am anxious to hear all the news. -But, before beginning, one question." - -"Well?" - -"Is the news good?" - -"Excellent; you shall judge." - -"Caray! As it is so, take this ring, which I was not to have given till -our little affair was settled. But do not be frightened: when we balance -our account I shall find something to please you." - -The lepero's eye glistened with joy and avarice; he seized the ring, and -sent it to join company with the one he received a few days previously. - -"Thanks!" he said. "Heaven keep me! There is a pleasure in dealing with -you. You do not huckster, at any rate." - -"Now for the news." - -"Here it is, short and good. El senor conde, rendered desperate by the -disappearance of his betrothed, whom he supposes to have been carried -off by the Apaches, has quitted the hacienda at the head of his company, -and is now crossing the desert in every direction in pursuit of the -Black Bear." - -"By all the saints! That is the best news you could bring me. And what -do you intend doing?" - -"What! Did we not agree that _el conde_--" - -"Of course," the Tigrero quickly interrupted him, "but to do that you -must find him, and that, I fancy, is not so easy now." - -"On the contrary." - -"How so?" - -"Why, senor Don Martial, do you wish to insult me by taking me for a -_pavo_ (goose)?" - -"By no means, gossip: still--" - -"Still you believe it. Well, you are mistaken, caballero, and I am not -sorry to tell you so. During the very few hours which I spent at the -hacienda I made inquiries, and, as I announced myself the bearer of a -most important mission for _el senor conde_, no one made any bones -about answering me. It seems that the Apaches, instead of pushing on, -were so thoroughly beaten by the French (for whom, by the way, they feel -an enormous respect), that they are returning on the desert del Norte, -in order to regain their villages. The conde is pursuing them, is he -not?" - -"You told me so." - -"Well, in all probability he will not dare to enter the desert." - -"Naturally," the Tigrero said with a shudder, in spite of his tried -courage. - -"Well, then, he can only stop at one spot." - -"At the Casa Grande!" Don Martial exclaimed quickly. - -"Quite right! I am certain of finding him there." - -"Body of me! Go there, then." - -"I shall set out immediately after your departure." - -The Tigrero looked at him in surprise. - -"You're a fine fellow, Cuchares, on my soul!" he said presently. "I am -delighted to find that I made no mistake about you." - -"What would you?" the scamp answered modestly while winking his little -grey eye. "The relations into which I entered with you are so agreeable -to me, that I can refuse you nothing." - -The two men began laughing at this sally, which might have been in -better taste. - -"Now that all is settled between us," Don Martial went on, "let us -part." - -"How did you come here?" - -"Can't you see? By swimming: and you?" - -"On my horse. I would offer to land you again, but we are going in -opposite directions." - -"For the present, yes." - -"Do you intend to cross over there soon, then?" - -"Probably," he said with an equivocal smile. - -"In that case we shall soon meet again." - -"I hope so." - -"Stay, Don Martial. Now that your clothes are dry, I should not like you -to wet them again. Let us go and see if there be not a canoe about: you -know the Indians leave them everywhere." - -The Tigrero entered the grotto, and found there a canoe, with its -paddles carefully balanced against the sides: he unscrupulously carried -it out on his shoulders. - -"By the way," he said, "why the deuce did you give me the meeting here?" - -"Not to be disturbed. Would you have liked anyone to overhear our -conversation?" - -"I allow that. Good-by, then." - -"Good-by." - -The men separated--Cuchares to commence a long journey, and Don Martial -to return to his camping ground. But they were mistaken in supposing -that no one had overheard their conversation. They had scarce quitted -the island in different directions ere, from a thicket of dahlias and -floripondins growing at the entrance of the grotto, a hideous head was -thrust out cautiously, and looked around; then, at the end of a moment, -the bushes were further parted, and an Apache Indian, painted and armed -for war appeared. It was the Black Bear. - -"Wah!" he muttered with a menacing gesture, "the palefaces are dogs. The -Apache warriors will follow their trail." - -Then, after keeping his eyes fixed for a few instants on the -star-spangled sky, he entered the grotto. - -In the meanwhile the Tigrero had regained the encampment. Dona Anita, -rendered restless by so long an absence, was awaiting him with the most -lively anxiety. - -"Well?" she asked, running up as soon as she saw him. - -"Good news?" he answered. - -"Oh, I was so frightened!" - -"I thank you. It was as I expected. The signal was intended for me." - -"Then?" - -"I found a friend, who gave me the means to quit the false position in -which we are." - -"In what way?" - -"Do not trouble yourself about anything, I repeat, but leave me to act." - -The girl bowed submissively, and, in spite of the curiosity that -devoured her, retired without any further questioning into the _jacal_ -of branches prepared for her. Don Martial, instead of sleeping, sat down -on the ground, folded arms on his chest, leaned against a tree, and -remained thus motionless till daybreak, plunged in deep and melancholy -thought. At sunrise the Tigrero shook off the effects of his night watch -and aroused his comrades. Ten minutes after the little party was _en -route_. - -"Oh, oh!" the hacendero said, "You are very early this morning." - -"Did you not notice that we did not even breakfast before starting, as -we usually do?" - -"Of course I did." - -"Do you know the reason? Because we shall breakfast at Guetzalli, where -we shall arrive in two hours at the latest." - -"Ah, caramba!" the hacendero exclaimed, "you delight me with that news." - -"I thought I should." - -Dona Anita, on hearing him speak thus, had looked sorrowfully at Don -Martial; but seeing his face so calm, his smile so frank, she felt -suddenly reassured, and suspected that his silence of the previous night -intended some pleasant surprise for her. - -As Don Martial had stated, two hours later they reached the colony. So -soon as they were perceived by the sentinels the isthmus drawbridge was -lowered, and they entered the hacienda, where they were received with -all possible politeness. Dona Anita, with her eyes constantly fixed on -the Tigrero, blushed and turned pale, understanding nothing of his -perfect calmness. They dismounted in the second courtyard before the -gate of honour. - -"Where is the Count de Lhorailles?" asked the hacendero, surprised that -his future son-in-law had not merely neglected to come to meet him, but -was not there to receive him. - -"My master will feel highly annoyed, when he hears of your arrival, at -not having been present to welcome you," replied the steward, breaking -out into profuse apologies. - -"Is he absent?" - -"Yes, senor." - -"But he will soon return?" - -"I hardly think so. The captain started in pursuit of the savages at the -head of his entire company." - -This news was a thunderbolt for Don Sylva; but the Tigrero and Dona -Anita exchanged a glance of delight. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -BOOT AND SADDLE! - - -The great desert del Norte is the American Sahara--more extensive, more -to be feared, than the African Sahara; for it contains no laughing -oases, sheltered by fine trees, and refreshed by sparkling fountains. -Beneath a coppery sky extend immense plains, covered with a -dirty-greyish sand; in every direction horizons succeed horizons; -sand, ever sand, fine impalpable sand, bearing a closer resemblance with -human dust, which the wind carries aloft in long whirlwinds, whose -desolating aspect varies incessantly at the will of the tempest, which -hollows out valleys and throws up hills each time the fearful -_cordonazo_ howls across this desolate soil. - -Greyish rocks, covered with patches of parched lichen, at times lift up -their stunted crests in the midst of this chaos, which has not changed -its appearance since the creation. The buffalo, the ashata, the -swift-footed antelope, shun this desert, where their feet would only -rest on a shifting soil; flocks of blear-eyed and ill-omened vultures -alone soar over these regions in search of extremely rare prey for the -desert is so horrible that the Indians themselves enter on it with a -tremour, and cross it with express speed when they return to their -villages after a foray on the Mexican territory. And yet, however rapid -their journey may be, their passage is marked in an indelible manner by -the skeletons of mules and horses which they are compelled to abandon, -and whose bones blanch in the desert, until the hurricane, again -unchained, covers all with a cerecloth of sand. - -Still, as the hand of Deity is everywhere visible, in the desert more -profoundly than elsewhere, there spring up at long intervals, and half -buried in the sand, in the midst of piled up rocks, vigorous trees, with -enormous trunks and immense foliage, which seem to offer the traveller -rest beneath their shade. But these trees grow few and far between on -the plain, and two are rarely found together at the same spot. These -trees, revered by the Indians and wood rangers, are the imprint of -Providence on the desert, the proof of His solicitude and inexhaustible -goodness. But we repeat it, with the exception of these few landmarks, -lost like imperceptible dots in the immensity, there are neither animals -nor vegetables on the Del Norte: sand, and naught but sand. - -The Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma, where the Count de Lhorailles' free -company was encamped, rose, and probably still rises, at the extreme -limit of the prairie, at not more than two leagues from the skirt of the -desert. The line of demarcation was clearly and coarsely traced between -the two regions: on the one side a luxuriant vegetation, glowing with -vigour and health; verdant plains covered with a close, tall grass, in -which animals of every description browsed: the song of birds, the hiss -of reptiles, the lowing of the buffaloes, in a word, grand, vigorous, -and ever-joyous life, exhaling in every pore of this blessed landscape. - -On the other side, the silence of death: a grey horizon; a sea of sand, -whose agitated waves pressed forward on every side, as if to encroach on -the prairie; not even the most scanty pasture--nothing--no roots, no -moss, naught but sand! - -After his conversation with Cuchares the count recalled his lieutenants, -and began drinking and laughing again in their society. They rose from -the table at an advanced hour to retire to sleep. Cuchares, however, did -not sleep: he was too busily engaged in thinking. We know now, or nearly -so, with what purpose he joined the count at the Casa Grande. - -At sunrise the bugles sounded the _reveille_. The soldiers rose from the -ground on which they had been sleeping, shook off the night's cold, and -were busily engaged in dressing their horses and preparations for the -morning's meal. The camp soon put on that hurry and reckless animation -so characteristic of Frenchmen when out on an expedition. - -In the great hall of the Casa Grande the count and his lieutenants, -seated on the dried skulls of buffaloes, were holding a council. The -discussion was animated. - -"In an hour," the count said, "we shall set out. We have twenty mules -laden with provisions, ten to carry water, and eight for ammunition. We -have, therefore, nothing to fear." - -"That is true to a certain point, senor conde," the capataz observed. - -"Why so?" - -"We have no guides." - -"What use are guides?" the count said passionately. "I fancy we need -only follow the Apache trail." - -Blas Vazquez shook his head. - -"You do not know the Del Norte, excellency," he said candidly. - -"This is the first time accident has brought me this way." - -"I pray God it be not the last." - -"What do you mean?" the count said with a secret shudder. - -"Senor conde, the Del Norte is not a desert, but a gulf of shifting -sands; at the slightest breath of air in these desolate regions the sand -rises, whirls, and swallows up men and horses, leaving not a trace; all -disappears for ever, buried beneath a cerecloth of sand." - -"Oh, oh!" the count said thoughtfully. - -"Believe me, senor conde," the capataz continued. "Do not venture with -your brave soldiers into this implacable desert: not one of you will -leave it again." - -"Still the Apaches are men too: they are not braver or better mounted -than we, I may say." - -"They are not." - -"Well, they cross the Del Norte from north to south, from east to west, -and that, not once a year or ten times, but continually, whenever the -fancy takes them." - -"But do you know at what price, senor conde? Have you counted the -corpses they leave along the road to mark their passage? And then you -cannot compare yourselves with the Pagans: the desert possesses no -secrets for them. They know its furthest mysteries." - -"Then," the count exclaimed impatiently, "your impression is--" - -"That in bringing you here, and attacking you two days ago, the Apaches -laid a trap for you. They wish to entice you after them into the desert; -certain not merely that you will not catch them, but that you and all -your men will leave your bones there." - -"Still you agree with me, my dear Don Blas, that it is very -extraordinary there is not among all your peons one capable of guiding -us in this desert. Hang it, they are Mexicans!" - -"Yes excellency, but I have more than once had the honour of observing -to you that all these men are costenos, or inhabitants of the seaboard. -They never before came so far into the interior." - -"What shall we do, then?" the count asked with some hesitation. - -"Return to the colony," the capataz replied. "I see no other means." - -"Shall we abandon Don Sylva and his daughter?" - -Blas Vasquez frowned. He replied in a solemn voice, and with much -emotion,-- - -"Excellency, I was born on the estate of the Torres family. No one is -more devoted, body and soul, than I am to the persons whose names you -have pronounced; but no one is bound to attempt impossibilities. It -would be tempting God to enter the desert in our present state. We have -no right to calculate on a miracle, and that alone could bring us back -here safe and sound." - -There was a moment's silence. These words produced on the count's mind -an impression which he tried in vain to master. The lepero guessed his -hesitation, and approached. - -"Why," he said in a crafty voice, "did you not tell me that you needed a -guide, senor conde?" - -"What good would that do?" - -"In fact, that is true; it was not worth the trouble, as I promised to -conduct you to Don Sylva. You have doubtlessly forgotten that?" - -"You know the road, then?" - -"Yes, as well as a man can who has only gone along it twice." - -"By heavens!" the count exclaimed, "We can push on now; nothing need -keep us longer. Diego Leon, order 'the boot and saddle' to be sounded, and -if you are a good guide you shall have proofs of my satisfaction." - -"Oh, you can trust to me, excellency!" the lepero answered with a -dubious smile. "I certify you will reach the spot whither I have to -guide you." - -"I ask no more." - -Blas Vasquez, with that instinctive suspicion innate in all honest minds -when they come across wicked persons, felt an irresistible repugnance -for the lepero. This repugnance had displayed itself from the first -moment of Cuchares' appearance in the hall the previous evening. While -he was talking to the count he therefore examined him closely. When he -had ended, Blas made a sign to the count, who came up with him. The -capataz led him to a distant corner of the room, and whispered in his -ear,-- - -"Take care; that man is deceiving you." - -"You know it?" - -"I am certain of it." - -"Why so?" - -"Something tells me so." - -"Have you any proofs?" - -"None." - -"You must be mad, Don Blas, fear troubles your senses." - -"God grant that I am deceived!" - -"Listen! Nothing forces you to follow us. Remain here till we return: in -that way, whatever may happen, you will escape the dangers which in your -idea menace us." - -The capataz drew himself up to his full height. - -"Enough, Don Gaetano," he said coldly. "In warning you I acted as my -conscience commanded. You will not attend to my advice--you need not do -so; I have done my duty as I was bound to do. You wish to march forward. -I will follow you, and hope soon to prove to you that if I am prudent, I -can be as brave as any man when it is necessary." - -"Thanks!" the count answered, affectionately pressing his hand: "I felt -sure that you would not abandon me." - -At this moment a great disturbance was heard outside, and Lieutenant -Diego Leon entered precipitately. - -"What is the matter, lieutenant?" the count asked sternly. "What means -this startled face? Why do you enter in this way?" - -"Captain," the lieutenant answered in a panting voice, "the company has -revolted." - -"Eh? What do you say, sir? My troopers have revolted?" - -"Yes, captain." - -"Ah!" he said, biting his moustaches, "And why have they revolted, if -you please?" - -"Because they do not wish to enter the desert." - -"They do not wish!" the count continued, weighing every word. "Are you -sure of what you say, lieutenant?" - -"I swear it, captain; but listen." - -In fact, shouts and oaths, an ever-increasing noise, which was beginning -to assume formidable proportions, were heard outside. - -"Oh, oh! This is becoming serious, I fancy," the count continued. - -"Much more than you suppose, captain. The company, I repeat, is in -complete mutiny. The rebels have loaded their arms: they surround the -house, uttering threats against you. They say they want to speak to you, -and that they are sure of obtaining what they want, by good will or -ill." - -"I am curious to see that," the count said, still perfectly calm, as he -walked toward the door. - -"Stay, captain," the officers exclaimed, as they rushed before him; "our -men are exasperated; some accident may happen to you." - -"Nonsense, gentlemen," he replied angrily, repulsing them; "you are mad: -they do not know me well enough yet. I intend to show these bandits that -I am worthy to command them." - -And, without listening to any entreaty, he slowly walked out of the room -with a firm and calm step. - -What had happened may be told in a few words. - -Blas Vasquez' peons, during the few days the company had bivouacked in -the ruined city, told the troops, with sufficient exaggeration, mournful -and gloomy stories about the desert, giving details about those accursed -regions which would have made the hair stand on the head of the bravest. -Unfortunately, as we have said, the company was encamped hardly two -leagues from the entrance of the Del Norte: the gloomy horizon of the -desert added its frightful reality to the terrible tales told by the -peons. - -All the count's soldiers were French Dauph'yeers, principally men who -had escaped the gallows, brave, but, like all Frenchmen, easy to lead -backwards and forwards, and equally resolute for good or bad. Since they -had been under the command of the Count de Lhorailles, although he had -behaved with considerable bravery in action, they only obeyed him with a -certain degree of repugnance. The count had grave faults in their eyes; -in the first place, that of being a count; next, they considered him too -polite, his voice was too soft, his manner too delicate and effeminate. -They could not imagine that this gentleman, so well clothed and well -gloved, was capable of leading them to great things. They would have -liked as a chief a man of rude voice and rough manner, with whom they -could have lived, so to speak, on a footing of equality. - -In the morning rumour had spread that the camp was about to be raised, -in order to enter the desert and pursue the Apaches. At once groups were -formed--commentaries commenced--the men gradually grew excited. -Resistance was soon organised, and when the lieutenant came to give -orders to raise the camp he was greeted with laughter, jests, and -hisses; in short, he was compelled to give ground before the mutineers, -and return to his captain to make his report. - -An officer, under such circumstances, acts very wrongly in losing his -coolness, and yielding a step in the presence of revolt, he ought sooner -to let himself be killed. In a mutiny one concession compels another; -then this inevitably happens--the rebels count their strength, and at -the same time their leaders': they recognise the immense superiority -brute strength gives them, and immediately abuse the position which the -weakness or sloth of their officers has given them, not to ask a simple -modification, but even to claim a radical change. - -This happened under the present circumstances. So soon as the lieutenant -had retired, his departure was at once regarded in the light of a -triumph. The soldiers began haranguing, influenced by those among them -whose tongues were most loosely hung. It was no longer a question about -not entering the desert, but of appointing other officers, and returning -at once to the colony. The entire staff must be changed, and the leaders -chosen from those who inspired their comrades with most confidence--that -is to say, the most dangerous fellows. - -The effervescence had reached the boiling point: the soldiers brandished -their weapons furiously, while directing the most furious threats at the -captain and his lieutenants. Suddenly the door opened, and the count -appeared. He was pale, but calm. He took a quiet look at the mutinous -band that howled around him. - -"The captain! Here is the captain!" the troopers shouted. - -"Kill him!" others went on. - -"Down with him, down with him!" they howled in chorus. - -All rushed upon him, brandishing weapons and offering insults. But the -count did not give way; on the contrary, he advanced a step. He held in -his mouth a fine husk cigarette, from which he puffed the smoke with the -utmost serenity. - -Nothing imposes on masses like cold and unaffected courage. There was a -pause in the revolt. The captain and his men examined each other, like -two tigers measuring their strength ere bounding forward. The count -profited by the moment of silence he had obtained to take the word. - -"What do you want?" he asked calmly, while withdrawing his cigarette -from his mouth, and following the light cloud of bluish smoke as it rose -in spirals in the sky. - -At this question of their captain's the charm was broken; the shouts and -yells recommenced with even greater intensity; the rebels were angry -with themselves for having allowed their chief's firmness momentarily to -overawe them. All spoke at once. They surrounded the count on all sides, -pulling him in every direction, to force him to listen to them. The -count, pressed and hustled by all these rogues, who had thrown -discipline overboard, and were sure of impunity in a country where -justice only nominally exists, did not lose his countenance--his -coolness remained the same. He allowed these men to yell at their ease -for some moments, their eyes bloodshot, and foam on their lips; and when -he considered this had lasted long enough, he said, in a voice as calm -and tranquil as on the first occasion:-- - -"My friends, it is impossible for us to go on talking in this way: I -understand nothing of what you say. Choose one of your comrades to make -your complaints in your name. If they are just, I will do you justice; -but be calm." - -After uttering these words the count leaned his shoulder against the -door, crossed his arms on his chest, and began smoking again, apparently -indifferent to what was going on around him. The calmness and firmness -displayed by the count from the beginning of this scene had already -borne their fruit: he had regained numerous partisans among his -soldiers. These men, though they dared not yet openly avow the sympathy -they felt with their chief, warmly supported the proposition he had made -them. - -"The captain is right," they said. "It is impossible, if we continue to -badger him in this way, that he can understand our arguments." - -"We must be just too," others took up the ball. "How can you expect the -captain to do justice unless we clearly explain to him what we want?" - -The revolt had made an immense backward step. It no longer spoke of -deposing its chiefs; it limited itself to asking justice of the captain. -Hence it still tacitly recognised him. - -At length, after numberless discussions among the mutineers, one of -their number was selected to take the word in the name of the rest. He -was a short, square-shouldered fellow, with a cunning face, and little -eyes sparkling with wickedness and spite; a regular scoundrel in a word. -The type of the low-class adventurer, with whom everything is comprised -in robbery and assassination. This man, whose _nom de guerre_ was -Curtius, was a Parisian, and hailed from the Faubourg Saint Marceau. An -ex-soldier, an ex-sailor, he had been at every trade, except, perhaps, -that of an honest man. Since his arrival in the colony he had been -remarkable for his spirit of insubordination, brutality, and, above all, -his bounce. He boasted of "owing eight dead;" that is to say, in the -language of the country, having committed eight murders. He inspired his -comrades with an instinctive terror. When he was selected to take word -he rammed his hat down on the side of his head, and addressing his -comrades, said,-- - -"You shall see how I'll walk into him." - -And he advanced, insolently swaying from side to side, toward the -captain, who watched his approach with a smile of peculiar meaning. -Suddenly a great silence fell on the crowd; hearts beat powerfully, -faces grew anxious; each guessed instinctively that something decisive -and extraordinary was about to happen. - -When Curtius was only two paces from his captain he stopped, and, -surveying him insolently, said,-- - -"Come, captain, the business is this: my com--" - -But the count gave him no time to finish. Quickly drawing a pistol from -his girdle, he pressed it against his temples and blew out his brains. -The bandit rolled in the dust with a fractured skull. The captain -returned the pistol to his sash, and coolly raising his head, said in a -firm voice:-- - -"Has anyone further observations to make?" - -No one stirred: the bandits had suddenly become lambs. They stood silent -and penitent before their chief, for they understood him. The count -smiled contemptuously. - -"Pick up this carrion," he said, spurning the corpse with his foot. "We -are Dauph'yeers, and woe to the man who does not carry out the clauses -of our agreement: I will kill him like a dog. Let this scoundrel be -hanged by the feet, that his unclean carcass may become the prey of the -vultures. In ten minutes the boot and saddle will sound: all the worse -for the man who is not ready." - -After this thundering speech the count re-entered the house with as firm -a step as he had left. The revolt was subdued--the wild beasts had -recognised the iron grip beneath the velvet glove; they were tamed -forever, and henceforth would let themselves be killed without uttering -a murmur. - -"'Tis no matter," the soldiers said to each other, "he is a rude fellow -for all that: he hasn't any cold in his eyes." - -And then each eagerly made his preparations for departure. Ten minutes -later, as the captain had announced, he reappeared; the troop was on -horseback, ranged in order of battle, and ready to set out. The count -smiled, and gave the word to set out. - -"Humph!" Cuchares muttered to himself, "What a pity that Don Martial has -such fine diamonds! After what I have seen I could have broken my word -with pleasure." - -Before long the free company, with the captain at its head, disappeared -in the Del Norte. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE CONFESSION. - - -The hacendero and his daughter left the colony of Guetzalli under the -escort of Don Martial and the four peons he had taken into his service. -The little band advanced to the west, in the direction of which the free -company had marched in pursuit of the Apaches. Don Sylva was the more -anxious to rejoin the French because he knew that their expedition had -no other purpose than to deliver him and his daughter from the hands of -the redskins. - -The journey was gloomy and silent. As the travellers approached the -desert the scenery assumed a sombre grandeur peculiar to primitive -countries, which exercised an unconscious influence over the mind, and -plunged them into a melancholy which they were powerless to overcome. - -No more cabins, no more _jacals_, no more travellers found by the side -of the road, offering an affectionate wish for your safe arrival as you -pass, but an accidented soil, impenetrable forests peopled with wild -beasts, whose eyes sparkled like live coals amid the wildly-interlaced -creepers, shrubs and tall grass. At times the trail of the Frenchmen -might be seen on the soil, trodden by a large number of horses; but -suddenly the country changed its character, and every trace disappeared. - -Each evening, after the Tigrero had beaten the vicinity to drive back the -wild beasts, the camp was formed by the bank of a stream, the fires -lighted, and a hut of branches hastily constructed to protect Dona Anita -from the night cold; then, after a scanty meal, they wrapped themselves -up in their fresadas and zarapes and slept till daybreak. The only -incidents which at times disturbed the monotony of their life were the -discovery of an elk or deer, in pursuit of which Don Martial and his -peons galloped at full speed, and it often took hours ere the poor brute -was headed and killed. - -But there were none of those pleasant chats and confidences which make -time appear less tedious, and render the fatigues of an interminable -road endurable. The travellers maintained a reserve toward each other, -which not only kept all intimacy aloof, but also any confidence. They -only spoke when circumstances rendered it compulsory, and then only -exchanged words that were indispensable. The reason of this was that two -of the travellers had a secret unknown to the third, which weighed upon -them, and at which they blushed inwardly. - -Man, with his necessarily incomplete nature, is neither entirely good -nor entirely bad. Most frequently, after committing actions under the -iron pressure of passion or personal interest, when his coolness has -returned, and he measures the depth of the abyss in which he has -precipitated himself, he regrets them, especially if his life, though -not exemplary, has at least hitherto been exempt from deeds which are -offensive to morality. Such was at this moment the situation of Don -Martial and Dona Anita. Both had been led by their mutual love to commit -a fault they bitterly repented; for we will state here, to prevent our -readers forming an erroneous estimate of their character, that their -hearts were honest, and when, in a moment of madness, they arranged and -carried out their flight, they were far from foreseeing the fatal -consequences which this hopeless step would entail. - -Don Martial, especially after the orders he had given Cuchares, and the -hacendero's unshaken determination of rejoining the Count de Lhorailles, -clearly comprehended that his position was growing with each moment more -difficult, and that he was proceeding along a path that had no outlet. -Thus the two lovers, fatally attached by the secret of their flight, -still kept hidden from each other the remorse that devoured them; they -felt at each step that the ground on which they walked was undermined, -and that it might suddenly give way beneath their feet. - -In such a situation life became intolerable, as there was no longer a -community of thought or feeling between these three persons. A collision -between them was imminent, though it happened, perhaps, sooner than they -anticipated, through the pressure of the circumstances in which they -were entangled. After a journey of about a fortnight, during which no -noteworthy incident occurred, Don Martial and his companions, guided -partly by the information they had picked up at the hacienda, and partly -by the trail left by the persons they were following, at length reached -the ruins of the Casa Grande of Moctecuhzoma. It was about six in the -evening when the little party entered the ruins: the sun, already below -the horizon, only illumined the earth with those changing beams which -glisten for a long while after the planet king has disappeared. Marching -a short distance from each other, Don Sylva and Don Martial looked -searchingly around, advancing cautiously, and with finger on the rifle -trigger, through this inextricable maze, so favourable for an Indian -ambuscade. They at length reached the Casa Grande, and nothing -extraordinary had met their sight. Night had almost set in, and objects -began to grow confused in the shadows. Don Martial, who was preparing to -dismount, suddenly stopped, uttering a cry of astonishment, almost of -terror. - -"What is it?" Don Sylva asked quickly as he walked up to the Tigrero. - -"Look!" the latter said, stretching out his arm in the direction of a -clump of stunted trees which stood a short distance from the entrance. -The human voice exerts a strange faculty over animals--that of inspiring -them with insurmountable fear and respect. To the few words exchanged by -the two men hoarse and confused cries responded, and seven or eight -savage vultures rose from the centre of the clump, and began flying -heavily over the travellers' heads, forming wide circles in the air, and -continuing their infernal music. - -"I can see nothing," Don Sylva went on; "it is as black as in an oven." - -"That is true: still, if you look more carefully at the object I point -out you will easily recognise it." - -Without any reply the hacendero pushed on his horse. - -"A man hung by the feet!" he uttered, stopping his horse with a gesture -of horror and disgust. "What can have happened here?" - -"Who can say? It is not a savage--his colour and dress do not allow the -least doubt on that point; still he has his scalp, so the Apaches did -not kill him. What is the meaning it?" - -"A mutiny perhaps," the hacendero hazarded. - -Don Martial became pensive; his eyebrows contracted. "It is not -possible," he said to himself; but a moment after added, "Let us enter -the house; we must not leave Dona Anita any longer alone. Our absence -must surprise her and might alarm her if prolonged. When the encampment -is arranged I will go and look, and I shall be very unlucky if I do not -discover the clue to this ill-omened mystery." - -The two men retired and rejoined Dona Anita, who was awaiting them a few -paces off, under the guard of the peons. When the travellers had -dismounted and crossed the threshold of the casa, Don Martial lighted -several torches of _ocote_ wood to find their way in the darkness, and -guided his companions to the large hall to which we have already -introduced our readers. It was not the first time Don Martial had -visited the ruins: frequently, during his long hunting expeditions in -the western prairies, they had offered him a refuge. Thus he knew their -most hidden nooks. - -It was he, too, who had urged his companions to proceed to the Casa -Grande, for he was convinced that the count could only find there a safe -and sure bivouac for his troop. The hall, in which a table stood, -presented unmistakable signs of the recent passage of several persons, -and a tolerably prolonged stay they had made at the spot. - -"You see," he said to the hacendero, "that I was not mistaken; the -persons we seek stopped here." - -"It is true. Do you think they have long left it?" - -"I cannot tell you yet; but while supper is being prepared, and you are -making yourselves comfortable, I will take a look round outside. On my -return I trust to be more fortunate, and be able to satisfy your -curiosity." - -And placing the torch he held in his hand in an iron bracket fastened to -the wall, the Tigrero quitted the house. Dona Anita fell pensively back -on a species of clumsy sofa, accidentally left by the side of the table. -Aided by the peons, the hacendero began making preparations for the -night. The horses were unsaddled, driven into a species of enclosure, -and had an ample stock of alfalfa placed before them. The trunks were -unloaded, the bales carried into the hall, where they were piled up, -after one had been opened to take out the requisite provisions; and then -an enormous brazier was kindled, over which a quarter of deer-meat was -hung. - -When these various preparations were ended the hacendero sat down on a -buffalo's skull, lighted a husk cigarette, and began smoking, while -every now and then turning a sad glance on his daughter, who was still -plunged in melancholy thought. Don Martial's absence was rather long, -for it lasted two hours. At the end of that time his horse's hoofs could -be heard echoing on the stone flooring of the ruins, and he reappeared. - -"Well?" Don Sylva asked him. - -"Let us sup first," the Tigrero answered, pointing to the girl in a way -her father comprehended. - -The meal was short, as might be expected from persons preoccupied and -wearied with a long day's march. Indeed, with the exception of the roast -venison, it only consisted of _cainc_, maize tortillas, and _frijoles -con aji_. Dona Anita ate a few spoonfuls of tamarind preserve; then, -after bowing to her friends, she rose and walked into a small room -adjoining the hall, where a bed had been made up for her with her -father's wraps, and the entrance to which was closed by hanging up, in -place of the absent door, a horse blanket attached to nails driven in -the wall. - -"You fellows," the Tigrero said, addressing the peons, "had better keep -good watch, if you wish to save your scalps. I warn you that we are in an -enemy's country, and if you go to sleep you will probably pay dearly for -it." - -The peons assured the Tigrero that they would redouble their vigilance, -and went out to execute the orders they had received. The two men -remained seated opposite each other. - -"Well," Don Sylva began, again asking his companion the question he had -already begun, "have you learned anything?" - -"All that was possible to learn, Don Sylva," the Tigrero sharply -replied. "Were it otherwise I should be a scurvy hunter, and the jaguars -and tigers would have had the best of me long ago." - -"Is the information you have obtained favourable." - -"That depends on your future plans. The French have been here, and -bivouacked for several days. During their stay in the ruins they were -vigorously attacked by the Apaches, whom, however, they succeeded in -repulsing. Now it is probable, though I cannot assert it, that the -troopers revolted for some cause of which I am ignorant, and that the -poor wretch we saw hanging to the tree like rotten fruit paid for the -rest, as generally happens." - -"I thank you for your information, which proves to me that we are not -mistaken, but followed the right trail. Now, can you complete your -information by telling me if the French have long left the ruins, and in -what direction they have marched?" - -"Those questions are very easy to answer. The free company left their -bivouac yesterday, a few moments after sunrise, and entered the desert." - -"The desert!" the hacendero exclaimed, letting his arms sink in -despondency. - -There was a silence of some moments, during which both men reflected. At -length Don Sylva took the word. - -"It is impossible," he said. - -"Still, it is so." - -"But it is an extraordinary act of imprudence, almost of madness." - -"I do not deny it." - -"Oh, the unhappy men!" - -"They are lost!" - -"The fact is, that if they escape, Heaven will perform a miracle in -their favour." - -"I think with you; but it is now an accomplished fact, which no -recriminations of ours can alter; so, Don Sylva, I believe that the -wisest thing is to trouble ourselves no more about them, but let them -get out of it as they best can." - -"Is that your notion?" - -"It is," the Tigrero replied carelessly. "I propose to remain here two -or three days, and see if anything turns up. After that time, if we have -seen or heard nothing, we will remount, and return to Guetzalli by the -road we came, without stopping to look back, that we may arrive more -speedily, and the sooner quit these horrible regions." - -The hacendero shook his head like a man who has just formed an -irrevocable determination. - -"Then you will go alone, Don Martial," he said dryly. - -"What!" the latter exclaimed, looking him firmly in the face. "What is -your meaning?" - -"I mean that I shall not turn back on the path I have hitherto followed; -in a word, that I will not fly." - -Don Martial was confounded by this answer. - -"What do you intend doing, then?" - -"Can you guess that? Why did we come to this place? For what purpose -have we been travelling so long?" - -"Excuse me, Don Sylva, but the question is now changed. You will do me -the justice to allow that I have followed you without any -observations--that I have been a faithful guide to you during this -journey." - -"I do so indeed. Now explain to me your notion." - -"It is this, Don Sylva. So long as we only wandered about the prairies, -at the risk of being devoured by wild beasts, I bowed my head, without -attempting to oppose your designs, for I tacitly recognised that you -were acting as you were bound to do. Even now, were you and I alone, I -would bow without a murmur before the firm determination that animates -you. But reflect that you have your daughter with you--that you condemn -her to undergo nameless tortures in this fearful desert, where you force -her to follow you, and which will probably swallow up both." - -Don Sylva made no reply, so the Tigrero continued,-- - -"Our party is weak. We have provisions for only a few days; and you -know, once in the Del Norte, we find no more water or game. If, during -our excursion, we are assailed by a _temporal_, we are lost--lost, -without resources, without hope!" - -"All that you tell me is correct, I am well aware; still, I cannot -follow your advice. Listen to me in your turn, Don Martial. The Count de -Lhorailles is my friend; he will soon be my son-in-law. I do not say -this to vex you, but only that you may thoroughly understand my position -with regard to him. It was for my sake, to save me from those whom he -supposed to have carried me off, that, without calculation, and solely -urged by his noble heart, he entered the desert. Can I allow him to -perish without trying to bring him succour? Is he not a stranger to -Mexico--our guest, in a word? It is my duty to save him, and I will -attempt it, whatever may happen." - -"Since matters are so, Don Sylva, I will no longer try to combat a -resolution so firmly made. I will not tell you that the man to whom you -give your daughter is an adventurer, driven from his country through his -ill-conduct, and who, in the marriage he seeks to contract, sees only -one thing--the immense fortune you possess. All these things, and many -others, I could supply you with proofs of; but you would not believe me, -for you would only read rivalry in my conduct; so let us say no more on -that head. You wish to enter the desert: I will follow you. Whatever may -happen, you will find me at your side ready to defend and aid you. But -as the hour for frank explanations has arrived, I do not wish any cloud -to remain between us--that you should thoroughly know the man with whom -you are going to attempt the desperate stroke you meditate, so that you -may have a full and entire confidence in him." - -The hacendero gazed at him with surprise. At this moment the curtain of -Dona Anita's room was raised; the young girl came out, walked slowly -down the hall, knelt before her father, and turning to the Tigrero,-- - -"Now speak, Don Martial," she said. "Perhaps my father will pardon me on -seeing me thus implore his forgiveness." - -"Pardon you!" the hacendero said, his eyes wandering from his daughter -to the man who was standing before him with blushing brow and downcast -eyes. "What is the meaning of this? What fault have you committed?" - -"A fault for which I am alone culpable, Don Sylva, and for which I alone -must suffer the punishment. I deceived you disgracefully: it was I who -carried off your daughter." - -"What!" the hacendero shouted with an outburst of fury. "I was your -plaything, your dupe, then?" - -"Passion does not reason. I will only say one word in my defence: I love -your daughter! Alas! Don Sylva, I now perceive how culpable I have been. -Reflection, though tardy, has at length arrived, and, like Dona Anita, -who is weeping at your feet, I humble myself before you, and say, -'Pardon me!'" - -"Pardon, father!" the poor girl said in a weak voice. - -The hacendero made a gesture. - -"Oh!" the Tigrero said quickly, "Be generous, Don Sylva. Do not spurn -us. Our repentance is true and sincere. I am eager to repair the evil I -have done. I was mad then: passion blinded me. Do not overwhelm me." - -"Father," Dona Anita continued in a tearful voice, "I love him. Still, -when we left the colony, we might have fled, and abandoned you; but we -did not do it. The idea never once occurred to us. We were ashamed of -our fault. You see us both here ready to obey you, and perform without a -murmur the orders it may please you to give us. Be not inflexible, O my -father, but pardon us!" - -The hacendero drew himself up. - -"You see," he said severely, "I can no longer hesitate. I must save the -Count de Lhorailles at all hazards, else I should be your accomplice." - -The Tigrero walked in great agitation up and down the hall: his eyebrows -were contracted--his face deadly pale. - -"Yes," he said in a broken voice, "yes, he must be saved. No matter what -becomes of me after. No cowardly weakness! I have committed a fault, and -will undergo all the consequences." - -"Aid me frankly and loyally in my search, and I will pardon you," Don -Sylva said gravely. "My honour is compromised by your fault. I place it -in your hands." - -"Thanks, Don Sylva; you will have no cause to repent," the Tigrero nobly -replied. - -The hacendero gently raised his daughter, drew her to his breast, and -embraced her several times. - -"My poor child!" he said to her, "I forgive you. Alas! Who knows whether -in a few days I shall not have, in my turn, to ask your forgiveness for -all the sufferings I have inflicted on you? Go and rest; the night is -drawing on--you must have need of repose." - -"Oh, how kind you are and how I love you, father!" she cried from her -heart, "Fear nothing. Whatever sufferings the future may have in store -for me, I will endure them without a murmur. Now I am happy, for you -have pardoned me." - -Don Martial's eye followed the maiden. - -"When do you intend starting?" he said, stifling a sigh. - -"Tomorrow, if possible." - -"Be it so. Let us trust in Heaven." - -After conversing for some short time longer, and making their final -arrangements, Don Sylva wrapped himself up in his coverings, and soon -fell asleep. As for the Tigrero, he left the house to see that the peons -were carefully watching over their common safety. - -"Provided that Cuchares has not fulfilled my orders!" he muttered. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE MANHUNT. - - -On the next morning at daybreak the little band quitted the Casa Grande -and two hours later entered the Del Norte. At the sight of the desert -the maiden felt her heart contract; a secret presentiment seemed to warn -her that the future would be fatal. She turned back, cast a melancholy -glance on the gloomy forests which chequered the horizon behind her, and -could not repress a sigh. - -The temperature was sultry, the sky blue, not a breath of wind was -stirring: on the sand might still be seen the deep footsteps of the -count's free company. - -"We are on the right road," the hacendero said; "their trail is -visible." - -"Yes," the Tigrero muttered, "and it will remain so till the temporal is -unchained." - -"Then," Dona Anita remarked, "may Heaven come to our aid!" - -"Amen!" all the travellers exclaimed, crossing themselves, instinctively -responding to the secret voice which each of us has in the depths of our -heart, and which foreboded to their misfortune. - -Several hours passed away: the weather remained fine. At times the -travellers saw, at a great distance above their heads, innumerable -swarms of birds proceeding toward the hot regions, or _las tierras -calientes_, as they are called in that country, and hastening to cross -the desert. But everywhere nothing was visible save a grey and -melancholy sand, or gloomy rocks wildly piled on each other like the -ruins of an unknown and antediluvian world, found at times in remote -solitudes. - -The caravan, when night set in, camped under the shelter of a block of -granite, lighting a poor fire, hardly sufficient to protect them from -the icy cold which, in these regions, weighs upon nature at night. Don -Martial rode incessantly on the sides of the small band, watching over -their safety with filial solicitude, never remaining a moment at rest, -in spite of the urging of Don Sylva and the entreaties of the maiden. - -"No!" he constantly answered; "On my vigilance your safety depends. Let -me act as I think proper. I should never pardon myself if I allowed you -to be surprised." - -Gradually the traces left by the troops became less visible, and at -length disappeared entirely. One evening, at the moment the travellers -were forming their camp at the foot of an immense rock, which formed a -species of roof over their heads, the hacendero pointed out to Don -Martial a thin white vapour, which stood out prominently against the -blue sky. - -"The sky is losing its brightness," he said; "we shall probably soon -have a change of weather. God grant that a hurricane does not menace -us!" - -The Tigrero shook his head. - -"No," he said, "you are mistaken. Your eyes are not so accustomed as -mine to consult the sky. That is not a cloud." - -"What is it, then?" - -"The smoke of a _bois de vache_ fire kindled by travellers. We have -neighbours." - -"Oh!" the hacendero said. "Can we be on the trail of those friends we -have lost so long?" - -Don Martial remained silent. He minutely examined the smoke, which was -soon mingled with the atmosphere. At length he said:-- - -"That smoke bodes us no good. Our friends, as you call them, are -Frenchmen; that is to say, profoundly ignorant of desert life. Were they -near us, it would be as easy to see them as that rock down there. They -would have lighted not one fire, but twenty braseros, whose flames, and, -above all, dense smoke, would have immediately revealed their presence -to us. They do not select their wood: whether it be dry or damp they -care little. They are unaware of the importance in the desert of -discovering one's enemy, while not allowing one's presence to be -suspected." - -"You conclude from this?" - -"That the fire you discovered has been lit by savages, or at least by -wood rangers accustomed to the habits of Indian life. All leads to this -supposition. Judge for yourself--you who, without any great experience, -though having a slight acquaintance with the desert, took it for a -cloud. Any superficial observer would have committed the same mistake as -yourself, so fine and undulating as it is, and its colour harmonises so -well with all those vapours the sun incessantly draws out of the earth. -The men, whoever they may be, who lit that fire, have left nothing to -chance; they have calculated and foreseen everything, and I am greatly -mistaken if they are not enemies." - -"At what distance do you suppose them from us?" - -"Four leagues at the most. What is that distance in the desert, when it -can be crossed so easily in a straight line?" - -"Then your advice is?" the hacendero asked. - -"Weigh well my words, Don Sylva; above all, do not give them an -interpretation differing from mine. By a prodigy almost unexampled in -the Del Norte, we have now been crossing the desert for nearly three -weeks, and nothing has happened to trouble our security: for a week we -have been, moreover, seeking a trail which it is impossible to come on -again." - -"Quite true." - -"I have, therefore, worked out this conclusion, which I believe to be -correct, and which you will approve, I am convinced. The French only -accidentally formed the resolution of entering the desert: they only did -it to pursue the Apaches. Is not that your view?" - -"It is." - -"Very good. Consequently, they crossed it in a straight line. The -weather which has favoured us favoured them too: their interest, the -object they wished to attain, everything, in a word, demanded that they -should display the utmost speed in their march. A pursuit, you know as -well as I, is a chase in which each tries to arrive first." - -"Then you suppose--?" Don Sylva interrupted him. - -"I am certain that the French left the desert long ago, and are now -coursing over the plains of Apacheria: that fire we noticed is a -convincing proof to me." - -"How so?" - -"You will soon understand. The Apaches have the greatest interest in -driving the French from their hunting grounds. Desperate at seeing them -out of the desert, they have probably lit this fire to deceive them, and -compel their return." - -The hacendero was thoughtful. The reasons Don Martial offered him seemed -correct: he knew not what determination to form. - -"Well," he said presently, "and what conclusion do you arrive at from -all this?" - -"That we should do wrong," Don Martial said resolutely, "in losing more -time here in search of people who are no longer in the desert, and -running the risk of being caught by a tempest, which every passing hour -renders more imminent in a country like this, which is continually -exposed to hurricanes." - -"Then you would return!" - -"By no means. I would push on, and enter Apacheria as quickly as -possible, for I am convinced I should then be speedily on the trail of -our friends." - -"Yes, that appears to me correct enough; but we are long way yet from -the prairies." - -"Not so far as you suppose; but let us break off our conversation at -this point. I wish to go out and examine that fire more closely, for it -troubles me greatly." - -"Be prudent." - -"Is not your safety concerned?" the Tigrero said, as he bent a gentle -and mournful glance on Dona Anita. He rose, saddled his horse in a -second, and started at a gallop. - -"Brave heart!" Dona Anita murmured, on seeing him disappear in the mist. -The hacendero sighed, but made no further reply, and his head fell -pensively on his chest. - -Don Martial pressed on rapidly by the flickering light of the moon, -which spread its sickly and fantastic rays over the desolate scene. At -times he perceived heavy rocks, dumb and gloomy sentinels, whose -gigantic shadows striped the grey sand for a long distance; or else -enormous ahuehuelts, whose branches were laden with that thick moss -called Spaniard's beard, which fell in long festoons, and was agitated -by the slightest breath of wind. - -After nearly an hour and a half's march, the Tigrero stopped his horse, -dismounted, and looked attentively around him. He soon found what he -sought. A short distance from him the wind and rain had hollowed a -rather deep ravine; he drew his horse into it, fastened it to an -enormous stone, bound up its nostrils to prevent its neighing, and went -off, after throwing his rifle on his shoulder. - -From the spot where he was this moment standing the fire was visible, -and the red flash it traced in the air stood out clearly in the -darkness. Round the fire several shadows were reclining which the -Tigrero recognised at the first glance as Indians. The Mexican had not -deceived himself, his experience had not failed him. They were certainly -redskins encamped there in the desert at a short distance from his -party. But who were they? Friends or enemies? He must assure himself -about that fact. - -This was not an easy matter on this flat and barren soil, where it was -almost impossible to advance without being noticed; for the Indians are -like wild beasts, possessing the privilege of seeing in the night. In -the gloom their pupils expand like those of tigers, and they distinguish -their enemies as easily in the deepest shadow as in the most dazzling -sunshine. - -Still Don Martial did not recoil from his task. Not far from the -redskins' bivouac was an enourmous block of granite, at the foot of -which three or four ahuehuelts had sprung up, and in the course of time -so entangled their branches in one another that they formed, at a -certain distance up the rock, a thorough thicket. The Tigrero lay down -on the ground, and gently, inch by inch, employing his knees and elbows, -he glided in the direction of the rock, skilfully taking advantage of -the shadow thrown by the rock itself. It took the Tigrero nearly half an -hour to cross the forty yards that still separated him from the rock. At -length he reached it; he then stopped to draw breath, and uttered a sigh -of satisfaction. - -The rest was nothing: he no longer feared being seen, owing to the -curtain of branches that hid him from the sight of the Indians, but only -being heard. After resting a few seconds he began climbing again, -raising himself gradually on the abrupt side of the rock. At length he -found himself level with the branches, into which he glided and -disappeared. From the hiding place he had so fortunately reached he -could not only survey the Indian camp, but perfectly hear their -conversation. We need scarcely say that Don Martial understood and spoke -perfectly all the dialects of the Indian tribes that traverse the vast -solitudes of Mexico. - -These Indians Don Martial at once recognised to be Apaches. His -forebodings then were realised. Round a _bois de vache_ fire, which -produced a large flame, while only allowing a slight thread of smoke to -escape, several chiefs were gravely crouching on their heels, and -smoking their calumets while warming themselves, for the cold was sharp. -Don Martial distinguished in their midst the Black Bear. The sachem's -face was gloomy; he seemed in a terrible passion; he frequently raised -his head anxiously, and fixing his piercing eye on the space, -interrogated the darkness. A noise of horse hoofs was heard, and a -mounted Indian entered the lighted part of the camp. After dismounting, -the Indian approached the fire, crouched near his comrades, lighted his -calumet, and began smoking with a perfectly calm face, although the dust -that covered him, and his panting chest, showed that he must have made a -long and painful journey. - -On his arrival the Black Bear gazed fixedly at him, and they went on -smoking without saying a word; for Indian etiquette prescribes that the -sachem should not interrogate another chief before the latter has shaken -into the fire the ashes of his calumet. The Black Bear's impatience was -evidently shared by the other Indians; still all remained grave and -silent. At length the newcomer drew a final puff of smoke, which he sent -forth through his mouth and nostrils, and returned his calumet to his -girdle. The Black Bear turned to him. - -"The Little Panther has been long," he said. - -As this was not a question the Indian limited himself to replying with a -bow. - -"The vultures are soaring in large flocks over the desert," the chief -presently continued; "the coyotes are sharpening their bent claws; the -Apaches scent a smell of blood which makes their hearts bound with joy -in their breasts. Has my son seen nothing?" - -"The Little Panther is a renowned warrior of his tribe. At the first -leaves he will be a chief. He has fulfilled the mission his father -entrusted to him." - -"Wah! What are the Long-knives doing?" - -"The Long-knives are dogs that howl without knowing how to bite: an -Apache warrior terrifies them." - -The chiefs smiled with pride at this boast, which they simply regarded -as seriously meant. - -"The Little Panther has seen their camp," the Indian continued; "he has -counted them. They cry like women, and lament like weak children. Two of -them will not take their accustomed place this night at the council fire -of their brothers." - -And with a gesture marked with a certain degree of nobility, the Indian -raised the cotton shirt which fell from his neck about half way down his -thighs, and displayed two bleeding scalps fastened to his waist belt. - -"Wah!" the chiefs exclaimed joyfully, "the Little Panther has fought -bravely!" - -The Black Bear made the warrior a sign to hand him the scalps. He -unfastened them and gave them. The sachem examined them attentively. The -Apaches fixed their eyes eagerly upon him. - -"_Asch'eth_ (it is good)," he said presently; "my brother has killed a -Long Knife and a Yori." - -And he returned the scalps to the warrior. - -"Have the palefaces discovered the trail of the Apaches?" - -"The palefaces are moles; they are only good in their great stone -villages." - -"What has my son done?" - -"The Panther executed the orders of the sachem point by point. When the -warrior perceived that the palefaces would not see him, he went towards -them mocking them, and led them for three hours after him into the heart -of the desert." - -"Good! My son has done well. What next?" - -"When the palefaces had gone far enough the Panther left them, after -killing two in memory of his visit, and then proceeded to the camp of -the warriors of his nation." - -"My son is weary: the hour of rest has arrived for him." - -"Not yet," the Indian replied seriously. - -"Wah! Let my son explain." - -At this remark Don Martial, who was listening attentively to all that -was said, felt his heart contract, he knew not why. The Indian -continued,-- - -"There are others beside the Long-knives in the desert; the Little -Panther has discovered another trail." - -"Another trail?" - -"Yes. It is not very visible: there are seven horses and three mules in -all. I recognised one of the horses." - -"Wah! I await what my brother is about to tell me." - -"Six Yori warriors, having a woman with them, have entered the desert." - -The chiefs eyes flashed fire. - -"A palefaced woman?" he asked. - -The Indian bowed in affirmation. The sachem reflected for a moment, and -then his face re-assumed that stoical mask which was habitual to it. - -"The Black Bear is not mistaken," he said; "he smelt the scent of blood: -his Apache sons will have a splendid chase. Tomorrow at the _endi-tah_ -(sunrise) the warriors will mount. The sachem's lodge is empty. Let us -now leave the Big-knives to their fate," he added, raising his eyes to -heaven; "Nyang, the genius of evil, will take on himself to bury them -beneath the sand. The Master of Life summons the tempest: our task is -fulfilled. Let us follow the track of the Yoris, and return to our -hunting grounds at full speed. The hurricane will soon howl across the -desert. My sons can go to sleep: a chief will watch over them. I have -spoken." - -The warriors bowed silently, rose one after the other, and went to lie -down on the sand a short distance off. Within five minutes they were all -in a deep sleep. The Black Bear alone watched. With his head in his -hands, and his elbows on his knees, he looked fixedly at the sky. At -times his face lost that severe expression, and a transient smile played -around his lips. What thoughts thus absorbed the sachem? On what was he -meditating? - -Don Martial read his thoughts, and felt a shudder of terror. He remained -another half-hour motionless in his hiding place lest he might run the -risk of discovery. Then he went down again as he had come, employing -even greater precautions; for at this moment, when a leaden silence -brooded over the desert, the slightest sound would have betrayed his -presence to the Indian chief's subtile ear. He feared the discovery now -more than ever, after the revelations he had succeeded in overhearing. -At length he reached again, all safe and sound, the spot where he had -left his horse. - -For some time the Tigrero let the bridle hang loosely on his noble -animal's neck, went slowly onwards, revolving in his mind all he had -heard, and searching for the means he should employ to shield his -companions from the frightful danger that menaced them. His perplexity -was extreme: he knew not what to decide on. He knew Don Sylva too well -to suppose that a personal interest, however powerful it might be, would -induce him to abandon his friends in their present peril. But must Dona -Anita be sacrificed to this delicacy--to this false notion of honour; -above all, for a man in every respect unworthy of the interest the -hacendero felt for him? - -It was possible to avoid and escape the Apaches by skill and courage; -but how to escape the tempest which in a few hours perhaps, would burst -on the desert, destroy every trace, and render flight impossible? - -The girl must be saved at any risk. This thought incessantly returned to -the Tigrero's perplexed mind, and gnawed at his heart like a searing -iron: he felt himself affected by a cold rage on considering the -material impossibilities that rose so implacably before him. How to save -the girl? He constantly asked himself this question, for which he found -no answer. For a long time he went on thus with drooping head, seeking -in vain a method which would enable him to act on his own inspiration, -and escape from the critical position in which he found himself. At -length light dawned on his mind; he raised his head haughtily, cast a -glance of defiance toward the enemies who appeared so sure of seizing -his companions, and digging the spurs into his horse, started at full -speed. - -When he reached the camp he found every one asleep save the peon who was -mounting guard. The night was well on--it was about one o'clock in the -morning; the moon spread around a dazzling light, almost as clear as -day. The Apaches would not set out before daybreak, and he had, -therefore, about four hours left him for action. He resolved to profit -by them. Four hours well employed are enormous in a flight. - -The Tigrero began by carefully rubbing down his horse to restore the -elasticity to its limbs, for he would need all its speed; then, aided by -the peons, he loaded the mules and saddled the horses. This last -accomplished, he reflected for a moment, and they wrapped round the -horse hoofs pieces of sheep-skin filled with sand. This stratagem, he -fancied, would foil the Indians, who, no longer recognising the traces -they expected, would fancy themselves on a false trail. For greater -security he ordered two or three skins of mezcal to be left on the rock. -He knew the Apaches' liking for strong liquors, and calculated on their -drunken propensities. This done, ho aroused Don Sylva and his daughter. - -"To horse! To horse!" he said in a voice that admitted of no reply. - -"What's the matter?" the hacendero asked, still half asleep. - -"That if we do not start at once we are lost!" - -"How--what do you mean?" - -"To horse! To horse! Every moment we waste here brings us nearer to -death. Presently I will explain all." - -"In Heaven's name tell me what the matter is!" - -"You shall know. Come, come." - -Without listening to anything, he compelled the hacendero to mount: Dona -Anita had done so already. The Tigrero looked around for the last time, -and gave the signal for departure. The party started at their horses' -topmost speed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE APACHES. - - -Nothing is so mournful as a night march through the desert, especially -under such circumstances as hurried our party on. Night is the mother of -phantoms; in the darkness, the gayest landscapes become -sinister--everything assumes a form to startle the traveller. The moon, -however brilliant the light it diffuses may be, imparts to objects a -fantastic appearance and mournful hues which cause the bravest to -tremble. - -This sepulchral calmness of the desert--this solitude that surrounds -you, torments you from every side, and peoples the scenery with -spectres--this obscurity which enfolds you like a leaden shroud--all -combine to trouble the brain, and arouse a species of febrile terror, -which the vivifying sunbeams are alone powerful enough to dissipate. - -In spite of themselves our friends suffered from this feeling. They -galloped through the night, not able to explain to themselves their -motive for doing so, not knowing whither they were going. With heavy -heads and weighed down eyelids, they had only one thought--of sleep. -Borne along by their horses at headlong speed; the trees and rocks -danced around them. They therefore secured themselves in their saddles, -closed their eyes, and yielded to the sleep which overwhelmed them, and -which they no longer felt the strength to resist. - -Sleep is perhaps the most tyrannical and imperious necessity of man: it -makes him despise and forget all else. The man overpowered by sleep will -give way to it, no matter where he is, or what danger menaces him. -Hunger and thirst may be subdued for a while by strength of will and -courage, but sleep cannot. It is impossible to contend against it. It -strangles you in its iron claws, and in a few moments hurls you down -panting and conquered. - -With the exception of Don Martial, whose eye was sharp and mind clear, -the other members of the party resembled somnambulists. Hanging to their -horses as well as they could, with eyes shut and thoughts wandering, -they hurried on unconsciously, a prey to that horrible nightmare which -is neither sleeping nor waking, but only the torpor of the senses and -the oblivion of the mind. - -This lasted the whole night. They had travelled ten leagues, and were -utterly exhausted. Still at sunrise, beneath the influence of the warm -rays, they gradually shook off their heaviness, opened their eyes, -looked curiously around them, and an infinity of questions rose from the -heart to the lips, as generally happens in such a case. - -The party had reached the banks of the Rio Gila, whose muddy waters -form, on this side, the desert frontier. Don Martial, after carefully -examining the spot where he was, stopped on the bank. The bags of sand -were removed from the horses' feet, and they were supplied with food. As -for the men, they must temporarily put up with a mouthful of _refino_ to -restore their strength. - -The appearance of the country had changed. On the other bank of the -river a thick, strong grass covered the ground, and immense virgin -forests grew on the horizon. - -"Ouf!" Don Sylva said, rolling on the ground with an expression of great -satisfaction, "What a journey! I am worn out. If that were to last but -one day, _voto a brios!_ I could not stand it any longer. I am neither -hungry nor thirsty. I will go to sleep." - -While saying this the hacendero had arranged himself in the posture most -agreeable for a nap. - -"Not yet, Don Sylva," the Tigrero said sharply, and shaking him by the -arm. "Do you want to leave your bones here?" - -"Go to the deuce! I want to sleep, I tell you." - -"Very good," Don Martial made answer coldly; "but if you and Dona Anita -fall into the hands of the Apaches you will not make me responsible for -it?" - -"Eh?" the hacendero said, jumping up, and looking him in the face, "What -are you saying about Apaches?" - -"I tell you again that the Apaches are in pursuit of us. We are only a -few hours ahead of them, and if we do not make haste we are lost." - -"_Canarios!_ We must fly," Don Sylva exclaimed, now thoroughly awake. -"My daughter must not fall into the hands of those demons." - -As for Dona Anita, little troubled her at this moment. She was fast -asleep. - -"Let the horses eat, and then we will start. We have a long way to go, -and they must be able to bear us. These few moments of rest will allow -Dona Anita to regain her strength." - -"Poor child!" the hacendero muttered, "I am the cause of what has -happened. My unlucky obstinacy brought us here." - -"What use is recrimination, Don Sylva? We are all to blame. Let us -forget the past, only to think of the present." - -"Yes, you are right. What need discussing things that are done? Now that -I am perfectly awake, tell me what you did during the night, and why you -forced us to start so suddenly." - -"My story will be short, Don Sylva; but you, I believe, will find it -very interesting. But you shall judge for yourself. After leaving you -last night, as you remember, to find out--" - -"Yes, you wished to examine a fire that seemed to you suspicious." - -"That was it. Well, I was not mistaken: that fire, as I supposed, was a -snare laid by the Apaches. I managed to crawl up to them unnoticed, and -hear their conversation. Do you know what they said?" - -"By my faith, I have little notion what such idiots as those talk -about." - -"Not such idiots as you fancy somewhat lightly, Don Sylva. One of their -runners was telling the sachem the result of a mission entrusted to him. -Among other things he mentioned that he had discovered a paleface trail, -and that among the palefaces was a woman." - -"_Caspita!_" the hacendero exclaimed in terror, "Are you quite sure of -that, Don Martial?" - -"The more so because I heard the chief make this reply. Be attentive, -Don Sylva--" - -"I am listening, my friend: go on." - -"'At sunrise we will set out in pursuit of the palefaces. The chief's -lodge is empty: he wants a white woman to occupy it.'" - -"Caramba!" - -"Yes. Then finding I had learnt sufficient of the expedition the -redskins were undertaking, I slipped away and regained our camp as soon -as possible. You know the--" - -"Yes, I know the rest, Don Martial," the hacendero said almost -affectionately; "and I thank you most sincerely, not only for the -intelligence you have displayed on this occasion, but also for the -devotion with which you compelled us to follow you, instead of being -disgusted by our mad sloth." - -"I have done nothing but what I should do, Don Sylva. Have I not sworn -to devote my life to you?" - -"Yes, my friend, and you keep your vow nobly." - -Since the hacendero had known Don Martial this was the first time he -spoke openly with him, and gave him the title of friend. The Tigrero was -touched by this expression; and if he had hitherto felt some slight -prejudice against Don Sylva, it was suddenly dissipated, and only left -in his heart a feeling of profound gratitude. - -Dona Anita awoke during this conversation, and it was with an -indescribable joy that she heard them talking thus amicably together. -When her father told her the cause of the hasty journey she had been -compelled to undertake in the middle of the night, she warmly thanked -Don Martial, and rewarded him for all his sufferings by one of those -glances, the secret of which only women in love possess, and into which -they throw their whole soul. The Tigrero, delighted at seeing his -devotion appreciated as it deserved served to be, forgot all his -fatigues, and had only one desire--that of terminating happily what he -had so well begun. So soon as the horses were saddled they mounted -again. - -"I leave myself in your hands, Don Martial," the hacendero said: "you -alone; can save us." - -"With the help of Heaven I shall succeed," the Tigrero replied -passionately. - -They entered the river, which was rather wide at this spot. Instead of -crossing it at right angles, Don Martial, in order to throw the savages -off the scent, followed the course of the river for some distance, and -made repeated curves. At length, on reaching a point where the river was -inclosed by two calcareous banks, where it was impossible for the -horses' hoofs to leave any marks, he landed. The party had left the -desert. Before them stretched those immense prairies, whose undulating -soil gradually, rises to the slopes of the _Sierra Madre_ and the -_Sierra de los Comanches_. They are no longer sterile and desolate -plains, denuded of wood and water, but a luxuriant nature, with an -extraordinary productive force--trees, flowers, grass; countless birds -singing joyously beneath the foliage; animals of every description -running, browsing and sporting in the midst of these natural prairies. - -The travellers yielded instinctively to the feeling of comfort produced -by the sight of this splendid prairie, when compared with the desolate -desert they had just quitted, and in which they had wandered about so -long haphazard. This contrast was full of charm for them: they felt, -their courage rekindled, and hope returning to their hearts. About -eleven o'clock the horses were so fatigued that the travellers were -compelled to encamp, in order to give them a few hours' rest, and thus -pass the great heats of the day. Don Martial chose the top of a wooded -hill, whence the prairie could be surveyed, while they remained -completely concealed among the trees. - -The Tigrero would not permit them, however, to light a fire to cook food -as the smoke would have caused their retreat to be discovered; and in -their present position they could not exercise too great prudence, as it -was evident that the Apaches would have started in pursuit at sunrise. -Those crafty bloodhounds must be thrown off the scent. In spite of all -the precautions he had taken, the Tigrero could not flatter himself with -the hope of having foiled them; for the redskins are so clever in -discovering a trail. After eating a few hasty mouthfuls he allowed his -companions to enjoy a rest they needed so greatly, and rose to go on the -watch. - -This man appeared made of iron--fatigue took no hold on him; his will -was so firm that he resisted everything, and the desire to save the -woman he loved endowed him with a supernatural strength. He slowly -descended the hill, examining each shrub, only advancing with extreme -prudence, and with his ear open to every sound, however slight. So soon -as he reached the plain, certain that his presence would be concealed by -the tall grass, in which he entirely disappeared, he hastened at full -speed towards a sombre and primeval forest, whose trees approached -almost close to the hill. This forest was really what it appeared to -be--a virgin forest. The trees and leaves intertwined formed an -inextricable curtain, through which a hatchet would have been required -to cut a passage. Had he been alone, the Tigrero would not have been -greatly embarrassed by this apparently insurmountable obstacle. Skilful -and powerful as he was, he would have travelled 'twixt earth and sky, by -passing from branch to branch, as he had often done before. But what a -man so desolate as himself could do was not to be expected from a frail -and weak woman. - -For an instant the Tigrero felt his heart fail him, and his courage give -way. But this despair was only momentary. Don Martial drew himself up -proudly and suddenly regained all his energy. He continued to advance -toward the forest, looking around like a wild beast on the watch for -prey. All of a sudden he uttered a stifled cry of joy. He had found what -he had been seeking without any hope of finding it. - -Before him, beneath a thick dome of verdure, ran one of those narrow -paths formed by wild beasts in going to water, which it required the -Tigrero's practised eye to detect. He resolutely turned aside into this -path. Like all such it took innumerable turnings, incessantly coming -back on itself. After following it for a length of time, the Tigrero -went back and re-ascended the hill. - -His companions, anxious at his prolonged absence, were impatiently -expecting him. Each welcomed his return with delight. He told them what -he had been doing, and the track he had discovered. While Don Martial -had been on the search, one of his peons, however, had made, on the side -of this very hill, a discovery most valuable at such a moment to our -travellers. This man, while wandering about the neighbourhood to kill -time, had found the entrance to a cave which he had not dared to -explore, not knowing whether he might not unexpectedly find himself face -to face with a wild beast. - -Don Martial quivered with joy at this news. He seized an _ocote_ torch -and ordered the peon to lead him to the cavern. It was only a few paces -distant, and on that side of the hill which faced the river. The -entrance was so obstructed by shrubs and parasitic plants, that it was -evident no living being had ever penetrated it for many a long year. The -Tigrero moved the shrubs with the greatest care, in order not to injure -them, and glided into the cavern. The entrance was tolerably lofty, -though rather narrow. Before going in Don Martial struck a light and -kindled the torch. - -This cavern was one of those natural grottos, so many of which are to be -found in these regions. The walls were lofty and dry, the ground covered -with fine sand. It evidently received air from imperceptible fissures, -as no mephitic exhalation escaped from it, and breathing was quite easy; -in a word, although it was rather gloomy, it was habitable. It grew -gradually lower to a species of hall, in the centre of which was a gulf, -the bottom of which Don Martial could not see, though he held down his -torch. He looked around him, saw a lump of rock, probably detached from -the roof and threw it into the abyss. - -For a long time he heard the stone dashing against the sides, and then -the noise of a body falling into water. Don Martial knew all he -wanted to know. He stepped past the gulf, and advanced along a narrow -shelving passage. After walking for about ten minutes along it, he saw -light a considerable distance ahead. The grotto had two outlets. Don -Martial returned at full speed. - -"We are saved!" he said to his companions. "Follow me: we have not an -instant to lose in reaching the refuge Providence so generously offers -us." - -They followed him. - -"What shall we do, though," Don Sylva asked, "with the horses?" - -"Do not trouble yourselves about them; I will conceal them. Place in the -grotto our provisions, for it is probable we shall be forced to remain -here some time; also keep by you the saddles and bridles, which I do not -know what to do with. As for the horses, they are my business." - -Each set to work with that feverish ardour produced by the hope of -escaping a danger; and at the end of an hour at most, the baggage, -provisions, and men had all disappeared in the cavern. Don Martial drew -the bushes over the entrance, to hide the traces of his companions' -passage, and breathed with that delight caused by the success of a -daring project; then he returned to the crest of the hill. - -He fastened the horses and mules together with his reata, and descending -to the plain, he proceeded toward the forest, and entered the path he -had previously discovered. It was very narrow, and the horses could only -proceed in single file, and with extreme difficulty. At length he -reached a species of clearing, where be abandoned the poor animals, -leaving them all the forage, which he had taken care to pack on the -mules. Don Martial was well aware that the horses would stray but a -short distance from the spot where he left them, and that when they were -wanted it would be easy to find them. - -These various occupations had consumed a good deal of time, and the day -was considerably advanced when the Tigrero finally quitted the forest. -The sun, very low on the horizon, appeared like a ball of fire, nearly -on a level with the ground. The shadow of the trees was -disproportionately elongated. The evening breeze was beginning to rise. -A few hoarse cries, issuing at intervals from the depths of the forest, -announced the speedy re-awakening of the wild beasts, those denizens of -the desert which, during the night, are its absolute king. - -On reaching the crest of the hill, and before entering the grotto, Don -Martial surveyed the horizon by the last rays of the expiring sun. -Suddenly he turned pale; a nervous shudder passed through his frame; his -eyes, dilated by terror, were obstinately fixed on the river; and he -muttered in a low voice, stamping with fury,-- - -"Already? The demons!" - -What the Tigrero had seen was really startling. A band of Indian -horsemen was traversing the river at the precise spot where he and his -companions had crossed it a few hours previously. Don Martial followed -their movements with growing alarm. On arriving at the river bank, -without any hesitation or delay, they took up his trail. Doubt was no -longer possible; the Apaches had not been deceived by the hunter's -schemes, but had come in a straight line behind the party, exercising -great diligence. In less than an hour they could reach the hill; and -then, with that diabolical science they possessed to discover the best -hidden trail, who knew what would happen? - -The Tigrero felt his heart breaking, and half mad with grief, rushed -into the grotto. On seeing him enter thus with livid features, the -hacendero and his daughter hurried to meet him. - -"What is the matter?" They asked. - -"We are lost!" he exclaimed with despair. "Here are the Apaches!" - -"The Apaches!" they muttered with terror. - -"O heavens save me!" Dona Anita said, falling on her knees and fervently -clasping her hands. - -The Tigrero bent over the fair girl, took her in his arms with a -strength rendered tenfold by grief, and turning to the hacendero,-- - -"Come," he shouted, "follow me. Perhaps one chance of salvation is still -left us." - -And he hurried toward the extremity of the grotto, all eagerly following -him. They hurried on for some time in this way. Dona Anita, almost -fainting, leaned her lovely head on the Tigrero's shoulders. He still -ran on. - -"Come, come," he said, "we shall soon be saved." - -His companions uttered a shout of joy: they had perceived a gleam of -daylight before them. Suddenly, at the moment Don Martial reached the -entrance, and was about to rush forth, a man appeared. It was the Black -Bear. - -The Tigrero leaped back with the howl of a wild beast. - -"Wah!" the Apache said, with a mocking voice, "my brother knows that I -love this woman, and to please me hastens to bring her to me." - -"You have not got her yet, demon!" Don Martial shouted, boldly placing -himself before Dona Anita, with a pistol in each hand. "Come and take -her." - -Rapidly approaching footsteps were heard in the depths of the cavern. -The Mexicans were caught between two fires. The Black Bear, with his eye -fixed on the Tigrero, watched his every movement. Suddenly he bounded -forward like a tiger cat, uttering his war yell. The Tigrero fired both -pistols at him and seized him round the waist. The two men rolled on the -ground, intertwined like two serpents, while Don Sylva and the peons -fought desperately with the other Indians. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE WOOD RANGERS. - - -We will now return to certain persons of this story, whom we have too -long forgotten. - -Although the French had remained masters of the field, and succeeded in -driving back their savage enemies when they attacked the hacienda upon -the Rio Gila, they did not hide from themselves the fact that they did -not owe this unhoped for victory solely to their own courage. The final -charge made by the Comanches, under the orders of Eagle-head, had alone -decided the victory. Hence, when the enemy disappeared, the Count de -Lhorailles, with uncommon generosity and frankness, especially in a man -of his character, warmly thanked the Comanches, and made the hunters the -most magnificent offers. The latter modestly received the count's -flattering compliments, and plainly declined all the offers he made -them. - -As Belhumeur told him, they had no other motive for their conduct than -that of helping fellow countrymen. Now that all was finished, and the -French would be long free from any attacks on the part of the savages, -they had only one thing more to do--take leave of the count so soon as -possible, and continue their journey. The count, however, induced them -to spend two more days at the colony. - -Dona Anita and her father had disappeared in so mysterious a manner, -that the French, but little accustomed to Indian tricks, and completely -ignorant of the manner of discovering or following a trail in the -desert, were incapable of going in search of the two persons who had -been carried off. The count, in his mind, had built on the experience of -Eagle-head and the sagacity of his warriors to find traces of the -hacendero and his daughter. He explained to the hunters, in the fullest -details, the service he hoped to obtain from them, and they thought they -had no right to refuse it. - -The next morning, at daybreak, Eagle-head divided his detachment into -four troops, each commanded by a renowned warrior, and after giving the -men their instructions, he sent them off in four different directions. -The Comanches beat up the country with that cleverness and skill the -redskins possess to so eminent a degree, but all was useless. The four -troops returned one after the other to the hacienda without making any -discovery. Though they had gone over the ground for a radius of about -twenty leagues round the colony--though not a tuft of grass or a shrub -had escaped their minute investigations--the trail could not be found. -We know the reason--water alone keeps no trace. Don Sylva and his -daughter had been carried down with the current of the Rio Gila. - -"You see," Belhumeur said to the count, "we have done what was humanly -possible to recover the persons carried off during the fight; it is -evident that the ravishers embarked them on the river, and carried them -a long distance ere they landed. Who can say where they are now? The -redskins go fast, especially when flying; they have an immense advance -on us, as the ill success of our efforts proves: it would be madness to -hope to catch them. Allow us, then, to take our leave: perhaps, during -our passage across the prairie, we may obtain information which may -presently prove useful to you." - -"I will no longer encroach on your kindness," the count replied -courteously. "Go whenever you think proper, caballeros; but accept the -expression of my gratitude, and believe that I should be happy to prove -it to you otherwise than by sterile words. Besides, I am also going to -leave the colony, and we may perhaps meet in the desert." - -The next morning the hunters and the Comanches quitted the hacienda, and -buried themselves in the prairie. In the evening Eagle-head had the camp -formed, and the fires lighted. After supper, when all were about to -retire for the night, the sachem sent the _hachesto_, or public crier, -to summon the chiefs to the council fire. - -"My pale brothers will take a place near the chiefs," Eagle-head said, -addressing the Canadian and the Frenchman. - -The latter accepted with a nod, and sat down by the brasero among the -Comanche chiefs, who were already waiting, silent and reserved, for the -communication from their great sachem. When Eagle-head had taken his -seat he made a sign to the pipe bearer. The latter entered the circle, -respectfully carrying in his hand the calumet of medicine, whose stem -was adorned with feathers and a multitude of bells, while the bowl was -hollowed out of a white stone only found in the Rocky Mountains. - -The calumet was filled and lighted. - -The pipe bearer, so soon as he entered the circle, turned the bowl of -the pipe to the four cardinal points, murmuring in a low voice -mysterious words, intended to invoke the goodwill of the Wacondah, the -Master of Life, and remove from the minds of the chiefs the malignant -influence of the first man. Then, still holding the bowl in his hand, he -presented the mouthpiece to Eagle-head, saying in a loud and impressive -voice,-- - -"My father is the first sachem of the valorous nation of the Comanches. -Wisdom resides in him. Although the snows of age have not yet frozen the -thoughts in his brain, like all men, he is subject to error. Let my -father reflect ere he speak; for the words which pass his lips must be -such as the Comanches can hear." - -"My son has spoken well," the sachem replied. - -He took the tube, and smoked silently for a few moments; then he removed -the stem from his lips, and handed it to his nearest neighbour. The pipe -thus passed round the circle, and not a chief uttered a word. When each -had smoked, and all the tobacco in the bowl was consumed, the pipe -bearer shook out the ash into his left hand, and threw it into the -brazier, exclaiming,-- - -"The chiefs are assembled here in council. Their words are sacred. -Wacondah has heard our prayer, it is granted. Woe to the man who forgets -that conscience must be his only guide!" - -After uttering these words with great dignity the pipe bearer left the -circle, murmuring in a low, though perfectly distinct voice,-- - -"Just as the ash I have thrown into the fire has disappeared for ever, -so the words of the chiefs must be sacred, and never be repeated outside -the sachems' circle. My fathers can speak; the council is opened." - -The pipe bearer departed after this warning. Then Eagle-head rose, and, -after surveying all the warriors present, took the word. - -"Comanche chiefs and warriors," he said, "many moons have passed away -since I left the villages of my nation; many moons will again pass ere -the all-powerful Wacondah will permit me to sit at the council fire of -the great Comanche sachems. The blood has ever flowed red in my veins, -and my heart has never worn a skin for my brothers. The words which pass -my lips are spoken by the will of the Great Spirit. He knows how I have -kept up my love for you. The Comanche nation is powerful; it is the -Queen of the Prairies. Its hunting grounds cover the whole world. What -need has it to ally itself with other nations to avenge insults? Does -the unclean coyote retire into the den of the haughty jaguar? Does the -owl lay its eggs in the eagle's nest? Why should the Comanche walk on -the warpath with the Apache dogs? The Apaches are cowardly and -treacherous women. I thank my brothers for not only having broken with -them, but also for having helped me to defeat them. Now my heart is sad, -a mist covers my mind, because I must separate myself from my brothers. -Let them accept my farewell. Let the Jester pity me, because I shall -walk in the shadow far from him. The sunbeams, however burning they may -be, will not warm me. I have spoken. Have I spoken well, powerful men?" - -Eagle-head sat down amid a murmur of grief, and concealed his face -behind the skirt of his buffalo robe. There was great silence in the -assembly; the Jester seemed to interrogate the other chiefs with a -glance. At length he rose, and took the word in his turn to reply to the -sachem. - -"The Jester is young," he said; "his head is good, though he does not -possess, the great wisdom of his father. Eagle-head is a sachem beloved -by the Wacondah. Why has the Master of Life brought the chief back among -the warriors of his nation? Is it that he should leave them again almost -immediately? No; the Master of Life loves his Comanche sons. He could -not have desired that. The warriors need a wise and experienced chief to -lead them on the warpath, and instruct them round the council fire. My -father's head is grey; he will teach and guide the warriors. The Jester -cannot do so; he is still too young, and wants experience. Where my -father goes his sons will go; what my father wishes his sons will wish. -But never let him speak again about leaving them. Let him disperse the -cloud that obscures his mind. His sons implore it by the mouth of the -Jester--that child he brought up, whom he loved so much formerly, and of -whom he made a man. I have spoken; here is my wampum. Have I spoken -well, powerful men?" - -After uttering the last words the chief threw a collar of wampum at -Eagle-head's feet, and sat down again. - -"The great sachem must remain with his sons," all the warriors shouted, -as, in their turn, they threw down their wampum collars. - -Eagle-head rose with an air of great nobility; he allowed the skirt of -his buffalo robe to fall, and addressing the anxious and attentive -assembly,-- - -"I have heard the strain of the walkon, the beloved bird of the -Wacondah, echo in my ears," he said: "its harmonious voice penetrated -to my heart and made it thrill with joy. My sons are good, and I love -them. The Jester and ten warriors to be chosen by himself, will -accompany me, and the others will ride to the great villages of my -nation to announce to the sachems the return of Eagle-head among his -brothers. I have spoken." - -The Jester then asked for the great calumet, which was immediately -brought him by the pipe bearer, and the chiefs smoked in turn, without -uttering a word. When the last puff of smoke had dissolved, the -hachesto, to whom the Jester had said a few words in a low voice, -proclaimed the names of the ten warriors selected to accompany the -sachem. The chiefs rose, bowed to Eagle-head, and silently mounting -their horses, started at a gallop. - -For a considerable period the Jester and Eagle-head conversed in a low -voice; at the end of the palaver, the Jester and his warriors went off -in their turn, Eagle-head, Belhumeur and Don Louis remaining alone. The -Canadian watched the Indians depart, and when they had disappeared he -turned to the chief. - -"Hum!" he said, "Will not the hour soon arrive to speak frankly and -terminate our business? Since our departure from home we have troubled -ourselves a great deal about others, and forgotten our own affairs; is -it not time to think of them?" - -"Eagle-head does not forget: he is preparing to satisfy his pale -brothers." - -Belhumeur burst out laughing. - -"Excuse me, chief; for my part, my business is very simple. You asked me -to accompany you and here I am. May I be a dog of an Apache if I know -anything more! Louis, it is different, is looking for a well-beloved -friend: remember that we have promised to help him to find him." - -"Eagle-head," the chief replied, "has shared his heart between his two -white brothers: each has half. The road we have to go is long, and must -last several moons. We shall cross the great desert. The Jester and his -warriors have gone to kill buffaloes for the journey. I will lead my -white brothers to a spot which I discovered a few moons ago, and which -is only known to myself. The Wacondah, when he created the red man, gave -him strength, courage, and immense hunting grounds, saying to him: 'Be -free and happy.' He gave the palefaces wisdom and science, by teaching -them to know the value of sparkling stones and yellow pebbles. The -redskins and the palefaces each follow the path the Great Spirit has -traced for them. I am leading my brothers to a placer." - -"To a placer!" the two men exclaimed in amazement. - -"Yes. What would an Indian sachem do with these enormous treasures, -which he knows not how to use? Gold is everything with the palefaces. -Let my brothers be happy; Eagle-head will give them more than they can -ever take." - -"An instant, chief. What the deuce would you have me do with your gold? -I am a hunter, whom his horse and rifle suffice. At the period that I -crossed the prairie in the company of Loyal-heart, we frequently found -rich nuggets beneath our feet, and ever turned from them with -contempt." - -"What need have we of gold?" Don Louis supported his friend. "Let us -forget this placer, however rich it may be. Let us not reveal its -existence to anyone, for crimes enough are committed daily for gold. -Give up this scheme, chief. We thank you for your generous offer, but it -is impossible for us to accept it." - -"Well spoken," Belhumeur exclaimed joyously. "Deuce take the gold, which -we can make no use of, and let us live like the free hunters we are! By -heavens, chief, I assure you, had you told me at the time the object for -which you wished me to follow you, I should have let you start alone." - -Eagle-head smiled. - -"I expected the answer my brothers have given me," he said. "I am happy -to see that I have not been mistaken. Yes, gold is useless, to -them--they are right; but that is not a motive for despising it. Like -all things placed on the earth by the Great Spirit, gold is useful. My -brothers will accompany me to the placer, not, as they suppose, to -collect nuggets, but merely to know where they are, and go to fetch them -when wanted. Misfortune ever arrives unexpectedly: the most favoured by -the Great Spirit today are often those whom tomorrow he will smite most -severely. Well, if the gold of this placer is as nothing for the -happiness of my brothers, who insures them that it may not serve some -day to save one of their friends from despair?" - -"That is true," said Don Louis, touched by the justice of this -reasoning. "What you say is wise, and deserves consideration. We can -refuse to enrich ourselves; but we have no right to despise riches, -which may possibly, at some future day, serve others." - -"If that is really your opinion I adopt it; besides, as we are on the -road, it is as well to go to the end. Still, the man who had told me -that I should one day turn _gambusino_ would have astonished me. In the -meanwhile I will go and try to kill a deer." - -On this Belhumeur rose, took his gun, and went off whistling. The Jester -was two days absent. About the middle of the third day he reappeared. -Six horses lassoed in the prairie were loaded with provisions; six -others carried skins filled with water. Eagle-head was satisfied with -the way in which the chief had performed his mission: but as the journey -they had to make was a long one (for they had to cross the Del Norte -desert at its longest part,) he ordered that each horseman should carry -on his saddle, with his alforjas, two little water skins. - -All these measures having been carefully taken, the horses and their -riders rested. Fresh and of good cheer, the next morning, at daybreak, -the little troop started in the direction of the desert. We will say -nothing of the journey, save that it was successful and accomplished -under the most favourable auspices: no incident occurred to mar its -monotonous tranquillity. The Comanches and their friends crossed the -desert like a tornado, with that headlong speed of which they alone -possess the secret, and which renders them so dangerous when they invade -the Mexican frontiers. - -On arriving in the prairies of the Sierra de los Comanches, Eagle-head -ordered the Jester and his warriors to await him in a camp which he -formed on the skirt of a virgin forest, in an immense clearing on the -banks of an unknown stream, which, after a course of several leagues, -falls into the Rio del Norte, and then departed with his comrades. The -sachem foresaw everything. Although he placed entire confidence in the -Jester, he did not wish, through prudential motives, to let him know the -site of the placer. At a later date he had cause to congratulate himself -on this step. - -The hunters pushed on straight for the mountains, which rose before them -like apparently insurmountable granitic walls; but the nearer they -approached the more the mountains sloped down. They soon entered a -narrow gorge, at the entrance of which they were forced to leave their -horses. It was probably owing to this apparently futile circumstance -that this placer had not yet been discovered by the Indians, for the -redskins never, under any circumstances, dismount. It may justly be said -of them, as of the Guachos of the Pampas, in the Banda Oriental and -Patagonia, that they live on horseback. - -By a singular accident during one of his hunts, a deer which Eagle-head -had wounded entered this gorge to die. The chief, who had been following -the animal for several hours, did not hesitate to go in quest of it. -After traversing the whole length of the gorge he reached a valley, a -kind of funnel formed between two abrupt mountains, which, except on -this side, rendered access not only difficult, but impossible. There he -found the deer expiring on a sand sprinkled with gold dust, and sown -with nuggets winch sparkled like diamonds in the sunshine. - -On entering the valley the hunters could not repress a cry of admiration -and a shudder of delight. However strong a man may be morally, gold -possesses an irresistible attraction, and exerts a powerful fascination -over him. Belhumeur was the first to regain his calmness. - -"Oh, oh!" he said, wiping the perspiration which poured down his face, -"there are fortunes enough hidden in this nook of earth. God grant that -they may remain so a long time, for the happiness of mankind!" - -"What shall we do?" asked Louis, his chest heaving and his eyes -sparkling. - -Eagle-head alone regarded these incalculable riches with an indifferent -eye. - -"Hum!" the Canadian continued, "This is evidently our property, as the -chief surrenders it to us." - -The sachem made a sign of affirmation. - -"Hear what I propose," he continued. "We do not need this gold, which at -this moment would be more injurious to us than useful. Still, as no one -can foresee the future, we must assure ourselves of the ownership. Let -us cover this sand with leaves and branches, so that if accident lead a -hunter to the top of one of those mountains, he may not see the gold -glistening; then we will pile up stones, and close the mouth of the -valley; for what has happened to Eagle-head must not happen to another. -What is your opinion?" - -"To work!" Don Louis exclaimed. "I am anxious not to have my eyes -dazzled longer by this diabolical metal, which makes me giddy." - -"To work, then!" Belhumeur replied. - -The three men cut down branches from the trees, and formed with them a -thick carpet, under which the auriferous sand and nuggets entirely -disappeared. - -"Will you not take a specimen of the nuggets?" Belhumeur said to the -count. "Perhaps it may be useful to take a few." - -"My faith, no!" the latter replied, shrugging his shoulders; "I do not -care for it. Take some if you will: for my part, I will not soil my -fingers with them." - -The Canadian began laughing, picked up two or three nuggets as huge as -walnuts, and placed them in his bullet pouch. - -"Sapristi!" he said, "if I kill sundry Apaches with these they will have -no right to complain, I hope." - -They quitted the valley, the entrance to which they stopped up with -masses of rock. They then regained their horses, and returned to the -camp, after cutting notches in the trees, so as to be able to recognise -the spot, if, at a later date, circumstances led them to the placer, -which, we are bound to say in their favour, not one of them desired. - -The Jester was awaiting his friends with the intensest impatience. The -prairie was not quiet. In the morning the runners had perceived a small -band of palefaces crossing the Del Norte, and proceeding toward a hill, -on the top of which they had encamped. At this moment a large Apache -war-party had crossed the river at the same spot, apparently following a -trail. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, "It is plain that those dogs are pursuing -white people." - -"Shall we let them be massacred beneath our eyes?" Louis exclaimed -indignantly. - -"My faith, no! If it depend on us," the hunter said, "perhaps this good -action will obtain our pardon for the feeling of covetousness to which -we for a moment yielded. Speak, Eagle-head! What will you do?" - -"Save the palefaces," the chief replied. - -The orders were immediately given by the sachem, and executed with that -intelligence and promptitude characteristic of picked warriors on the -war trail. The horses were left under the guard of a Comanche, and the -detachment, divided into two parties, advanced cautiously into the -prairie. With the exception of Eagle-head, the Jester, Louis, and -Belhumeur, who had rifles, all the others were armed with lances and -bows. - -"Diamond cut diamond," the Canadian said in a low voice. "We are going -to surprise those who are preparing to surprise others." - -At this moment two shots were heard, followed by others, and then the -war cry of the Apaches echoed far and wide. - -"Oh, oh!" Belhumeur said, rushing forward, "They do not fancy we are so -near." - -All the others followed him at full speed. In the meanwhile the combat -had assumed horrible proportions in the cavern. Don Sylva and the peons -resisted courageously; but what could they do against the swarm of -enemies that assailed them on every side? - -The Tigrero and the Black Bear, interlaced like two serpents, were -seeking to stab each other. Don Martial, when he perceived the Indian, -leaped back so precipitately that he cleared the passage and reached the -hall, in the centre of which was the abyss to which we before alluded. -It was on the verge of this gulf that the two men, with flashing eyes, -heaving chests, and lips closed by fury, redoubled their efforts. - -Suddenly several shots were heard, and the war cry of the Comanches -burst forth like thunder. The Black Bear loosed his hold of Don Martial, -leaped on his feet, and rushed on Dona Anita; but the girl, though -suffering from an indescribable terror, repulsed the savage by a -supernatural effort. The latter, already wounded by the Tigrero's -pistols, tottered backwards to the edge of the abyss, where he lost his -balance. He felt that all was over. By an instinctive effort he -stretched out his arms, seized Don Martial (who, half stunned by the -contest he had been engaged in, was trying to rise), made him totter in -his turn, and the two fell to the bottom of the abyss, uttering a -horrible cry. - -Dona Anita rushed forward: she was lost--when suddenly she felt herself -seized by a vigorous hand, and rapidly dragged backwards. She had -fainted. - -The Comanches had arrived too late. Of the seven persons composing the -little band, five had been killed; a peon seriously wounded, and Dona -Anita alone survived. The young girl had been saved by Belhumeur. When -she opened her eyes again she smiled gently, and in a childlike voice, -melodious as a bird's carol, began singing a Mexican seguedilla. The -hunters recoiled with a cry of horror. Dona Anita was mad! - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -EL AHUEHUELT. - - -The count de Lhorailles entered the great Del Norte desert under the -guidance of Cuchares. During the first day all went on famously; the -weather was magnificent--the provisions more than plentiful. With their -innate carelessness the Frenchmen forgot their past fears, and laughed -at the alarm which the Mexican peons did not cease manifesting; for, -better informed, they did not conceal the terror which the prolonged -stay of the company in this terrible region caused them. - -The days were spent in the desert in wandering purposelessly in search -of the Apaches, who had at length become invisible. At times they -perceived an Indian horseman in the distance, apparently mocking them, -who presently came up close to their lines. Boot and saddle was sounded; -everybody mounted, and pursued this phantom horseman, who, after -allowing them to follow him for a long time, suddenly disappeared like a -vision. - -This mode of life, however, through its very monotony, began to grow -insipid and insupportable. To see nothing but grey sand, ever sand--not -a bird or a wild beast--tawny, weather-worn rocks--a few lofty -ahuehuelts--a species of cedar, with long bare branches, covered with a -greyish moss, hanging in heavy festoons--had nothing very amusing about -it. The troop began to grow dispirited. The reflection of the sun on the -sand caused ophthalmia; the water, decomposed by the heat, was no longer -drinkable; the provisions were spoiling; and scurvy had commenced its -ravages among the soldiers. This state of things was growing -intolerable: measures must be taken to get out of it as rapidly as -possible. - -The count formed his officers into a council; and it was composed of -Lieutenants Martin Leroux and Diego Leon, Sergeant Boileau, Blas -Vasquez, and Cuchares. These five persons, presided over by the count, -took their seats on bales, while a short distance off, the soldiers, -reclining on the ground, tried to shelter themselves beneath the shadow -of their picketed horses. - -It was urgent to assemble the council, for the company was rapidly -demoralising; there was revolt in the air, and complaints had already -been openly uttered. The execution at the Casa Grande was completely -forgotten; and, if a remedy were not soon found, no one knew what -terrible consequences this general dissatisfaction might not entail. - -"Gentlemen," the Count de Lhorailles said, "I have assembled you in -order to consult with you on the means to put a stop to the despondency -which has fallen on our company during the last few days. The -circumstances are so serious that I shall feel obliged by your giving me -your frank opinion. The general welfare is at stake, and in such a state -of things each has a right to express his opinion without fear of -wounding the self-love of anyone. Speak; I am listening to you. You -first, Sergeant Boileau: as the lowest in rank, you must take the word -first." - -The sergeant was an old African soldier, knowing his duties perfectly--a -thorough trooper in the fullest sense of the word; but we must confess -that he was nothing of an orator. At this direct challenge from his -chief he smiled, blushed like a girl, let his head droop, opened an -enormous mouth, and stopped short. The count, perceiving his -embarrassment, kindly urged him to speak. At length, after many an -effort, the sergeant managed to begin in a hoarse and perfectly -indistinct voice. - -"Hang it, captain!" he said, "I can understand that the situation is not -at all pleasant; but what is to be done? A man is a trooper, or he is -not. Hence my opinion is that you ought to act as you think proper; and -we are here to obey you in every respect, as is our peremptory duty, -without any subsequent or offensive after-thought." - -The officers could not refrain from laughing at the worthy sergeant's -profession of faith, as he stopped all ashamed. - -"It is your turn, capataz," the captain said. "Give us your opinion." - -Blas Vasquez fixed his burning eyes on the count. - -"Do you really ask it frankly?" he said. - -"Certainly I do." - -"Then listen," he said in a firm voice, and with an accent bearing -conviction. "My opinion is that we are betrayed; that it is impossible -for us to leave this desert, where we shall all perish in pursuing -invisible enemies, who have caused us to fall into a trap which will -hold us all." - -These words produced a great impression on the hearers, who understood -their perfect truth. The captain shook his head thoughtfully. - -"Don Blas," he said, "you bring, then, a heavy accusation against -someone. Have you conscientiously weighed the purport of your words?" - -"Yes," he replied; "but--" - -"Remember that we can admit no vague suppositions. Things have reached -such a pitch that, if you wish us to give you the credence you -doubtlessly deserve, you must bring your charges precisely, and not -shrink from pronouncing any name if it be necessary." - -"I shall shrink from nothing, senor conde. I know all the responsibility -I take on myself. No consideration, however powerful it may be, will -make me conceal what I regard as a sacred duty." - -"Speak, then, in Heaven's name; and God grant that your words may not -compel me to inflict an exemplary chastisement on one of our comrades." - -The capataz collected himself for a moment. All anxiously awaited his -explanation: Cuchares especially was suffering from an emotion which he -found great difficulty in concealing. Blas Vasquez at length spoke -again, while keeping his eye so fixed on the count that the latter began -to understand that he and his men were the victims of some odious -treachery. - -"Senor conde," Blas said, "we Mexicans have a law from which we never -depart--a law which, indeed, is inscribed in the hearts of all honest -men. It is this: in the same way that the pilot is responsible for the -ship intrusted to him to take into port, the pioneer responds with his -person for the safety of the people he undertakes to guide in the -desert. In this case no discussion is possible: either the guide is -ignorant, or he is not. If he is ignorant, why, against the opinion of -everybody, has he forced us to enter the desert, while taking on himself -the entire responsibility of our journey? Why, if he be not ignorant, -did he not guide us straight across the desert as he agreed to do, -instead of leading us at venture in pursuit of an enemy who, he knows as -well as I do, is never stationary in the desert, but traverses it at his -horse's utmost speed when forced to enter it? Hence on the guide alone -must weigh the blame of all that has happened, as he was master of -events, and arranged them as he thought proper." - -Cuchares, more and more perturbed, knew not what countenance to keep; -his emotion was visible to all. - -"What reply have you to make?" the captain asked him. - -Under circumstances like the present, the man attacked has only two -means of defence--to feign indignation or contempt. Cuchares chose the -latter. Summoning up all his boldness and impudence, he raised his -voice, shrugged his shoulders disdainfully, and answered in an ironical -tone,-- - -"I will not do Don Blas the honour of discussing his remarks: there are -certain accusations which an honest man scorns to repel. It was my duty -to act in conformity with the orders of the captain, who alone commands -here. Since we have been in the desert we have lost twenty men, killed -by the Indians or by disease. Can I be logically rendered responsible -for this misfortune? Do I not run the same risks as all of you of -perishing in the desert? Is it in my power to escape the fate that -threatens you? If the captain had merely ordered me to cross the desert, -we should have done so long ago: he told me that he wished to catch the -Apaches up, and I was compelled to obey him." - -These reasons, specious as they were, were still accepted as good by the -officers. Cuchares breathed again, but he had not yet finished with the -capataz. - -"Good!" the latter said. "Strictly speaking, you might be right in your -remarks, and I would put faith in your statements, had I not other and -graver charges to bring against you." - -The lepero shrugged his shoulders once more. - -"I know, and can supply proof, that, by your remarks and insinuations, -you sow discord and rebellion among the peons and troopers. This -morning, before the _reveille_, believing that no one saw you, you rose, -and with your dagger pierced ten of the fifteen water skins still left -us. The noise I made in running toward you alone prevented the entire -consummation of your crime. At the moment when the captain gave us -orders to assemble, I was about to warn him of what yon had done. What -have you to answer to this? Defend yourself, if it be possible." - -All eyes were fixed on the lepero. He was livid. His eyes, suffused with -blood, were haggard. Before it was possible to guess his intention, he -drew a pistol and fired at the capataz, who fell without uttering a cry; -then with a tiger-bound he leaped on his horse, and started at full -speed. There was an indescribable tumult. All rushed in pursuit of the -lepero. - -"Down with the murderer!" the captain shouted, urging his men by voice -and gestures to seize the villain. - -The Frenchmen, rendered furious by this pursuit, began firing on -Cuchares as on a wild beast. For a long time he was seen galloping his -horse in every direction, and seeking in vain to quit the circle in -which the troopers had inclosed him. At length he tottered in his -saddle, tried to hold on by his horse's mane, and rolled in the sand, -uttering a parting yell of fury. He was dead! - -This event caused extreme excitement among the soldiers: from this -moment they felt that they were betrayed, and began to see their -position as it really was--that is to say, desperate. In vain did the -captain try to restore them a little courage; they would listen to -nothing, but yielded to that despair which disorganises and paralyses -everything. The count gave the order for departure, and they set out. - -But whither should they go? In what direction turn? No trace was -visible. Still they marched on, rather to change their place than in the -hope of emerging from the sepulchre of sand in which they believed -themselves eternally buried. Eight days passed away--eight -centuries---during which the adventurers endured the most frightful -tortures of thirst and hunger. The troop no longer existed; there were -neither chiefs nor soldiers; it was a legion of hideous phantoms, a -flock of wild beasts ready to devour each other on the first -opportunity. - -They had been reduced to splitting the ears of the horses and mules in -order to drink the blood. - -Wandering now on this side, now on that, deceived by the mirage, dazzled -by the burning sunbeams, they were a prey to a hideous despair. Some -laughed with a silly air; and these were the happiest, for they no -longer felt their sufferings: they were mad. Others brandished their -weapons furiously, raising their fists, with menaces and curses to -heaven, which, like an immense plate of red-hot iron, seemed the -implacable dome of their sandy tomb. Some, rendered raging by suffering, -blew out their brains, while mocking their comrades who were too -weak-minded to follow their example. - -The French are, perhaps, the bravest nation in existence; but, on the -other hand, the easiest to demoralise. If their impulse is irresistible -in the onward march; it is the same when they give way. Nothing will -stop them--neither reasoning nor coercive measures. Extreme in -everything, the Frenchman is more than a man, or less than a child. - -The Count de Lhorailles, gloomy and heart-broken, surveyed the ruin of -all his hopes. Ever the first to march the last to rest, not eating a -mouthful till he was certain that all his comrades had their share, he -watched with unexampled tenderness and care over these poor soldiers, -who, strangely enough, in the misery in which they were plunged, never -dreamed of addressing a reproach to him. - -Of Blas Vasquez' peons the majority were dead. The rest had sought -safety in flight; that is, they had gone a little further on to seek a -hidden tomb. All those who remained faithful to the captain were -Europeans, principally Frenchmen, brave Dauph'yeers, utterly ignorant of -the way to combat and conquer the implacable enemy against whom they -struggled--the desert! Of the two hundred and forty-five men of which -the squadron was composed on its entering the Del Norte, one hundred and -thirty-three still survived, if we allow that these haggard, fleshless -spectres were men. - -The most atrocious pain which a man can suffer in the desert is the -frightful malady called _calentura_ by the Mexicans. The calentura! That -temporary madness, which makes you see, during its intermittent attacks, -the most dainty and delicious dishes, the most limpid water, the most -exquisite wines; which satiates and enervates you; and, when it leaves -you, renders you more desponding, more broken, than before, for you -retain the remembrance of all you possessed during your dream. - -One day, at length, the wretched men, crushed by misery and torture of -every description, refused to go further, and resolved to die where -accident had led them. They lay down in the torrid sand, beneath the -shadow of a few ahuehuelts, with the firm will of remaining motionless -until death, which they had summoned so loudly, came at length to -deliver them from their woes. The sun set in a mist of purple and gold, -to the sound of the curses and imprecations of these wretched men who, -expecting nothing more, hoping nothing more, had only retained the cruel -instincts of the wild beast. - -Still the night succeeded to day--gradually calmness took the place of -disorder. Sleep, that great consoler, weighed down the heavy eyelids of -the men, who, if they did not sleep, fell into state of somnolency, -which brought a truce to their fearful tortures, if only for a few -moments. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a formidable sound -aroused them--a fiery whirlwind passed over them--the thunder burst -forth in terrific peals. The sky was black as ink--not a star, not a -moonbeam--nothing but dense gloom, which hid the nearest objects from -sight. - -The poor fellows rose in great terror; they dragged themselves on as -well as they could one after the other, crouching together like a flock -of sheep surprised by a storm, wishing, with that inborn egotism of man, -to die together. - -"A temporal, a temporal!" all shouted with an expression of voice -impossible to render. - -It was in reality the temporal, that fearful scourge, which was -unloosing all its fury, and passing over the desert to subvert its -surface. The wind howled with extraordinary force, raising clouds of -dust, which whirled round with extreme velocity, and formed enormous -spouts, that, ran along and suddenly burst with a frightful crash. Men -and animals caught in the tornado were whisked away into a space like -straws. - -"Down on the ground!" the count shouted in a tremendous voice; "Down on -the ground. 'Tis the African simoom! Down, all of you who care for -life!" - -Strange to say, all these men, weighed down with atrocious sufferings, -obeyed their chiefs orders like children, so great is the terror death -inspires in the darkness. They buried their faces in the sand, in order -to avoid the burning blast of air that passed over them. The animals -crouched on the ground, with outstretched necks, instinctively followed -their example. At intervals, when the wind granted a moment's respite to -these unhappy men, whom it took a delight in torturing, cries and groans -of agony could be heard, mingled with blasphemies and ardent prayers, -that rose from the crowd stretched trembling on the earth. The hurricane -raged through the entire night with ever increasing fury; toward morning -it gradually grew calmer; by sunrise it had exhausted all its strength, -and rushed toward other regions. - -The aspect of the desert was completely changed. Where valleys had been -on the previous night were now mountains; the sparse trees, twisted, -uprooted, or burned by the hurricane, displayed their blackened and -denuded skeletons; no trace of a footpath, no sign of man; all was flat, -smooth, and even as a mirror. The French had been reduced to sixty men; -the others had been carried off or swallowed up, and there was no hope -of discovering the slightest sign of them: the sand was stretched over -them like an immense greyish shroud. - -The first feeling the survivors experienced was terror; the second, -despair; and then the groans and complaints broke out again with renewed -strength. The count, gloomy and sad, regarded these poor people with an -expression of the tenderest pity. Suddenly he burst out into a feverish -laugh, and going up to his horse, which had hitherto, by a species or -miracle, escaped disaster, he saddled it, while gently patting it and -humming a wild tune between his teeth. - -His companions watched him with a feeling of vague terror, for which -they could not account. Although they were so miserable, their captain -still represented superior intellect and a firm will, those two forces -which have so much power over coarse natures, even when circumstances -have forced them to deny them. In their wretched condition they -collected round their chief, like children seek shelter on their -mother's breast. He had ever consoled them, giving them an example of -courage and abnegation: thus, when they saw him acting as he was doing, -they had a foreboding of evil. - -When his horse was saddled the count leaped lightly on its back, and for -a few minutes he made the animal curvet, though it had the greatest -difficulty in keeping on its feet. - -"Hold, my fine fellows!" he suddenly shouted. "Come up here! You had -better listen to some good advice--a parting hint I wish to give you -before I go." - -The soldiers dragged themselves up as well as they could, and surrounded -him. - -The count turned a glance of satisfaction around. - -"Existence is a miserable farce, is it not?" he said, bursting into a -laugh; "and it is often a heavy chain to drag about. How many times, -since we have been wandering about this desert, have I had the thought -which I now utter openly! Well, I confess to you, as long as I had a -hope of saving you, I struggled courageously: that hope I no longer -possess. As we must die of want within a few days--a few hours, -perhaps--I prefer to finish it at once. Believe me, you had better -follow my example. It is soon done, as you shall see." - -While uttering the last words he drew a pistol from his waist belt. At -this moment cries were heard. - -"What is it? What is the matter?" - -"Look, captain! People are coming at last to our help: we are saved!" -Sergeant Boileau exclaimed, rising like a spectre by his side, and -seizing his arm. - -The count freed himself with a smile. - -"You are mad, my poor comrade," he said, looking in the direction -indicated, where a cloud of dust really rose, and was rapidly -approaching; "no one can come to our aid. We have not even," he added -with bitter irony, "the resource of the shipwrecked crew of the _Meduse_! -We are condemned to die in this infernal desert. Farewell, -all--farewell!" - -He raised the pistol. - -"Captain," the sergeant cried reproachfully, "take care! You have no -right to kill yourself. You are our chief, and must be the last to die: -if not, you are a coward!" - -The count bounded as though a serpent had stung him, and made a gesture -as if to rush on the sergeant. The expression of his face was so savage, -his movement so terrible, that the sergeant was terrified, and recoiled. -The captain profited by this second respite, put the muzzle of the -pistol to his temple, and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, -with his skull fractured. - -The adventurers had not yet recovered from the stupor this frightful -event had thrown them into, when the cloud of dust they had noticed -burst violently asunder, and they perceived a troop of mounted Indians, -in the midst of whom were a woman and two or three white men, galloping -toward them at full speed. Convinced that the Apaches had come up to -deal them the final blow, like vultures collecting round a fallen -buffalo, they did not even attempt an impossible resistance. - -"Oh!" one of the hunters shouted, as he leaped from his horse and rushed -toward them, "the poor fellows!" - -The newcomers were Belhumeur, Louis and their friends the Comanches. In -a few words they were apprised of all that had happened, and the -tortures the French had endured. - -"Good heavens!" Belhumeur shouted, "if provisions failed, you had water -in abundance; then why do you complain of thirst?" - -Without saying a word, Eagle-head and the Jester dug up the ground with -their knives at the foot of an ahuehuelt. Within ten minutes an abundant -stream of limpid water poured along the sand. The Frenchmen rushed in -disorder toward it. - -"Poor fellows!" Don Louis murmured, "Shall we not take them from this -spot?" - -"Do you think I would let them perish, now I have restored them to hope? -Poor girl!" casting a melancholy glance at Dona Anita, who was laughing -and cracking her fingers like castanets, "why is it not equally easy to -restore her to reason?" - -Don Louis sighed, but made no reply. - -The French then learned a thing, which would have saved them all -probably, had they known it sooner--that the ahuehuelt, which, in the -Comanche Indian dialect, signifies the _Lord of the Waters_, is a tree -which grows in arid spots, and its presence ever indicates either a -spring flush with the soil or a hidden source; that for this reason the -redskins hold it in veneration; and, as it is principally found in the -deserts, they designate it also by the name of the _Great Medicine of -Travellers_. - - * * * * * - -Two days later the adventurers, guided by the hunters and Comanches, -quitted the desert. They speedily reached the Casa Grande of -Moctecuhzoma, where their saviours, after giving them the provisions -they stood in such pressing need of, finally left them, hardly knowing -how to escape from their hearty thanks and blessings. - -(Those of our readers who have felt an interest in Don Louis will find -his history continued in another volume, called "THE GOLD-SEEKERS.") - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tiger-Slayer, by Gustave Aimard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TIGER-SLAYER *** - -***** This file should be named 42535.txt or 42535.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/5/3/42535/ - -Produced by Camille Bernard & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive - scans by Google) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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