CHAPTER XXIII.
“For valour, is not love a Hercules,Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?”Love’s Labour’s Lost.
“For valour, is not love a Hercules,Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?”Love’s Labour’s Lost.
“For valour, is not love a Hercules,Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?”Love’s Labour’s Lost.
“For valour, is not love a Hercules,
Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?”
Love’s Labour’s Lost.
At early dawn on the morning that followed the departure of Appadocca, Feliciana was sitting in the principal apartment of the Rancha. She was occupying her favourite chair by the window, and with her cheek resting upon her hand, was gazing listlessly and absently on the green grass without, on which the dew still sparkled in the silvery rays of the rising sun.
She seemed occupied by her own thoughts, although the beautiful picture of waking nature—a scene always enchanting in the tropics—was before her, and every moment, as she heard the rustling of thecaratthat roofed the house, or the creaking of the cedar windows as they became heated with the sun, or any other sound which might resemble a footfall, she turned her headeagerly to look, and turned away again, evidently disappointed when she saw nothing.
The morning merged more and more towards noon, she more and more frequently turned round to look, but seemed every time disappointed as before, for Appadocca, whom she was expecting, did not appear.
“Can he be ill,” thought Feliciana, “Maria, Maria!” she cried, as she became more and more alarmed by the idea.
An old servant appeared, and was immediately sent to see if the stranger was well.
She soon returned, and said that there was no one in the room.
Feliciana jumped up and rushed into the apartment which Appadocca had occupied. No one had slept on the bed.
The truth now broke in upon the young lady. Her countenance fell; she walked back dejectedly to her chair, and looked out as before.
“What shall I do?” asked the old domestic, who had now a long time waited in vain for the orders of her absent mistress.
Feliciana started: “Tell my papa,” she said, and turned away her head.
The old domestic went slowly and in a side-longmanner out of the apartment, gazing at the young lady the whole time, and muttering “what is the matter with the child?”
Feliciana remained where she was the greater part of the day, closed her ears to the repeated exhortations of her old servant to take food, and declared, in answer to her pressing questions, that she had had a disagreeable dream the night before, which had thrown a feeling of melancholy over her the whole of that day. When she retired to her apartment in the evening, the young lady hastily gathered her valuables, and wrote a letter, which she addressed to her father, and sat quietly and pensively until the night was half spent. She then rose, and carefully let herself out of the house, and walked slowly and cautiously away, until she got to a considerable distance from the Rancha. Once in the open field, the bold Feliciana began to run, for it was only by running that she could keep pace with the rapidity and activity of her thoughts. The next day she was by the sea shore, and was just in time to catch a glimpse of the littlefalluchawhich had received Appadocca on board, as she was sailing away. She waved her handkerchief, but no one on board saw her, and thefalluchaleft her behind.
Undaunted by this accident, the young lady continuedher journey along the shore, moving, however, in an easterly direction.
Oppressed with fatigue, she sat for a moment, in the evening, on the grass, to rest herself.
The dull sounds of horses’ hoofs in a short time were distinctly heard.
“I am undone,” Feliciana exclaimed, and turned to look.
Two horsemen were seen rapidly approaching in the direction by which she herself had come.
“They are my father’s men,” she said to herself, and looked about for some tree, or other object, behind which she might conceal herself: but there was not a thing at hand.
The horsemen drew closer and closer again; she looked round once more: at a short distance, the grass seemed to grow richer and thicker. She crept along towards this point, and threw herself flat into the tuft: but she was barely concealed, and durst not hope to escape being seen.
“I cannot avoid being taken,” she said to herself, and seemed unnerved by the thought. The horsemen approached nearer and nearer. The thoughts of Appadocca crowded on her; the conflict of undefined feelings which had taken place in her mind, had ended in leavingher a being that was devoted to that mysterious man, and one who could now form no idea of life in which he was not the beginning and the end. Her fears now yielded to a stronger feeling; she drew from her bosom a gilded poniard, and vowed that she would not be deterred from fulfilling her vow as long as she lived. The horsemen had almost arrived to where she was, they came opposite to her, they looked neither on one side nor on the other, but seemed entirely absorbed by the subject on which they were conversing in a loud tone of voice.
From her hiding place Feliciana could see them distinctly. Joy, joy! they were not her father’s men. But may they not be other persons that were sent after her in one direction, while her father’s own Llaneros went in another? She remained quiet and listened.
“No, I shall not take less than seven piastres each for my oxen; and, as for my jack-asses, I shall not let them go for less than four piastres a-head,” said one of the horsemen.
“You are quite right,” replied the other; “those people in Trinidad can afford to pay a good price for their bullocks. By-the-bye, have you remarked what a number more of beasts we sell since the English took that island. I understand these fellows live entirely onbeef, and that is the reason why they are such good soldiers.”
“Good or bad soldiers,” answered the other, “if they eat beef, and make us sell our cattle, that is all we care about.”
“They are merchants,” said Feliciana to herself, and resolved at once to speak to them.
“Yes, continued the first speaker, I shall not—”
“Ho!” cried Feliciana, springing from the ground, “senores, senores, ho!”
The horsemen looked round, and crossed themselves, and at the same time, cried, “Jesu!”
“Stop, stop, I wish to speak to you,” Feliciana continued.
The horseman reined up their horses, and remained apparently under the effect of some powerful fear.
“What may she be?”
“Who knows what she may be! that’s just the reason why we should obey her,” replied the other.
In the mean time Feliciana came up.
“Shall we speak to her?” one inquired of the other.
“Where are you riding to, senores?” she inquired.
They looked inquiringly at each other, and then asked each other in a whisper, “Shall I answer?”
“Where are you going to, senores?” she repeated.
“To Guiria, beautiful lady,” one at last answered.
“Be good enough to take me with you,” said Feliciana.
The horsemen looked amazed at each other.
“I shall give you two hundred piastres.”
The two horsemen opened their eyes.
“Two hundred piastres?” they repeated inquiringly.
“Yes.”
“And who are you, beautiful lady, that are thus solitary in the Savannahs? are you one of us or some blessed spirit that is permitted to walk the earth. We are good and true catholics, do not harm us, we beseech you.” The two horsemen here devoutly crossed themselves respectively.
“I am no spirit,” answered Feliciana, “but an unfortunate lady, who is flying to the rescue of—of—her—husband: pray take me on with you, and I shall reward you, as I have said.”
The horsemen mused, and whispered to each other for a moment. Then one of them dismounted.
“Senora,” he said, “Heaven forbid that we should ever commit the crime of leaving a lady in the wilds without shelter or protection. Allow me to assist you in mounting my horse.”
Feliciana was supported on the saddle. The threepersons then proceeded on their journey. The horsemen changed places alternately at the various stages of the journey; and while one walked at the side of Feliciana’s horse, the other rode by turns, until they arrived in the environs of the town of Guiria, where Feliciana found a number of opportunities to continue her wanderings in search of Appadocca.