In the meantime the travellers had entered upon the forest, under the guidance of Stoneheart, who rode alone in advance, with drooping head, and apparently plunged in sombre thought.
For two hours they progressed without exchanging a word. The hunter rode on as if he were alone, without troubling himself in the least about those who followed him; without even turning his head in their direction, to see whether they were behind him.
This behaviour only moderately astonished thehacendero, who, recollecting the manner in which he had made acquaintance with the hunter the day before, was expecting a certain oddness of character on his part. Nevertheless, he was hurt by the coldness and indifference displayed by the man whose good will he had sought to conciliate. So he made no attempt to engage him to break the silence and become more sociable.
A little before midday the travellers reached a tolerably large clearing, in the centre of which there gushed forth, from the fissures of a rock, which rose to a grand height in the form of a pyramid, a spring of water, as clear and limpid as crystal, which ran off in a narrow stream through thick tufts of gladiolus.
This clearing, shaded by a leafy vault of gigantic trees surrounding it, offered a delicious spot for repose to the weary travellers.
"We will wait here until the greatest heat of the day is over," said the guide, breaking silence for the first time since they had left theteocali.
"Content," said thehacendero, smiling; "indeed, you could not have chosen a fitter spot."
"One of the baggage mules carries food and other refreshment, of which you may avail yourself, if you choose; they have been provided for your use."
"And you—will you not join us?" asked thehacendero.
"I am neither hungry nor thirsty; do not trouble yourself about me; other duties claim my attention."
Thinking it useless to insist, Don Pedro dismounted, lifted his daughter from her saddle, and placed her on the turf beside the brook. The horses were tethered, and all settled themselves to snatch a few moments of repose.
Stoneheart, after silently helping thepeonesto unload the mule which carried the provisions, and spreading them out before Don Pedro and his daughter, absented himself with hasty strides, and was soon lost in the forest.
"What a strange fellow!" said thecapataz, while doing honour to the food before him.
"His conduct is incomprehensible," answered Don Pedro.
"But I believe him honest, in spite of his rough manner," said Doña Hermosa; "up to the present his proceedings towards us have been irreproachable."
"Very true," said her father; "yet he seems to display a coldness which, I confess, makes me uneasy."
"It is impossible to think ill of a man who, in spite of all, has shown us nothing but kindness hitherto," replied Doña Hermosa, with a certain degree of warmth of manner; "we owe him our lives, especially myself, whom he saved from a certain and horrible death."
"Very true, my daughter; yet all this is most difficult to account for."
"Not the least in the world, father: this man, accustomed to live amongst Indians, has unconsciously adopted their sententiousness, and the reserve of their manners. What you consider coldness, is probably no more than bashfulness in the presence of a class of persons he is not accustomed to; and his want of knowledge of our habits prevents his speaking."
"It is not impossible that you may be right, my child; however, I intend to ease my mind of this anxiety; and I will not leave him till I have made an effort to loosen his tongue."
"Why should you distress him, father? We cannot exact anything from him, beyond leading us in safety to thehacienda.Let him do as he likes, if he only fulfils the promise he made us."
"All very well, señorita," objected thecapataz; "but you must confess that we should be seriously at a loss if he takes it into his head not to come back."
"That supposition is inadmissible, Don Luciano: his horse is feeding with ours; besides, for what purpose should he commit such an unwarrantable treason."
"This man, in spite of the whiteness of his skin, is more an Indian than an individual of our colour; and, right or wrong, señorita, I distrust the redskins amazingly."
"Moreover," added Don Pedro, "I cannot see what urgent business could induce him to leave us all alone, and to plunge into the forest."
"Who can tell, father?" said the girl shrewdly; "It may be he is gone to do us some further service."
"At all events, señorita," resumed thecapataz, "I see one thing very clearly, which is, that if this man does not come back again, our position is still more frightful than it was yesterday, for then we had our rifles. Today we are completely without weapons, and incapable of defending ourselves if attacked by man or beast."
"It is too true," cried thehacendero, turning pale; "our arms were taken from us while we slept. I never thought of them before. What can be the meaning of all this? Have we again fallen into a snare, and is this man really a traitor?"
"No, my father," replied the girl, with spirit; "he is innocent; I am sure of it. You will soon acknowledge the injustice of your suspicions."
"God grant it!" said Don Pedro, with a sigh.
At this moment a sharp and prolonged whistle was heard at a distance. At the sound the hunter's horse, which had been browsing peaceably, pricked up his ears, and darting in the direction whence the whistle was heard, gave a neigh of pleasure, and galloped off into the forest.
"What did I tell you, señorita?" cried thecapataz. "Do you believe me now?"
"No," she replied energetically; "I do not believe this man to be a traitor. Strong as appearances may be against him, you will soon see the injustice of your suspicions."
"For this once, my daughter, I concur with Don Luciano; it is evident that, for reasons of his own the miscreant has abandoned us."
His daughter shook her head, but said nothing.
Thehacenderocontinued:
"What shall we do? We must decide upon something or other; we cannot stop here and wait for night."
"It is my opinion," said thecapataz, "that we have no other alternative than to leave this place directly. Who knows whether the wretch is not preparing to swoop down upon us this very moment, at the head of a band of robbers like himself?"
"Yes; but where are we to go? None of us knows the road," interposed thehacendero.
"Horses have an infallible instinct which never fails to direct them to inhabited places. Let us throw the reins on their necks, and leave them to choose their road."
"It is a chance we might try; it might succeed. Let us set to work without delay."
"Father! In the name of Heaven," entreated Doña Hermosa, "Think of what you are about to do. Do not act with a precipitation you would soon regret. Wait a little while yet; it is scarcely midday, and an hour more or less is of little importance."
"I will not wait a minute, not a second!" violently exclaimed thehacendero, rising to his feet. "Here,muchachos!Saddle the horses quickly; we will be off."
Thepeoneshastened to obey.
"Be careful, father," said the girl; "I hear the sound of a horse's hoofs in the thicket; our guide is returning."
The convictions of thehacenderowere shaken by his daughter's earnest appeal. He dropped on the turf again, making a sign to his companion to do the like.
Doña Hermosa had not deceived herself. The noise she had heard was certainly the step—not perhaps of a horse, for it was slow and heavy, but at all events of an animal of great size. It was obviously approaching.
"Perhaps it is a grizzly bear," muttered thehacendero.
"Or a jaguar in search of prey," added thecapatazin a low voice.
The anxiety of the travellers was intense. Abandoned in the forest, without arms to defend themselves, it was clear that they were lost if a wild beast should really attack them; for flight was impossible, as they knew not where to fly to.
"You are mistaken," said Doña Hermosa, who alone had preserved her presence of mind; "no danger threatens us. Look! The horses continue feeding without showing the least alarm."
"You are right," said Don Pedro; "they would have perceived the scent of a wild beast—have been mad with fear, and taken to flight before this."
Suddenly the bushes parted, and the hunter made his appearance, leading his horse by the bridle.
"I was sure of it," cried Doña Hermosa in triumph; while her father and thecapatazcast down their eyes, blushing for shame.
The features of the hunter were as cold and impassive as they had been when he quitted the clearing, only their expression was more sombre. His horse carried on his back a heavy bundle, oblong in shape, carefully corded, and wrapped up in buffalo hide.
"You must excuse me for having left you," he said in a voice that sounded rather sadly; "I only perceived, when it was too late, that you had been deprived of your weapons,—at least I suppose that to be the case; for you cannot have forgotten to take them when you left theteocali; and as it is more than probable you will have to defend yourselves before you leave the wilderness, I have been to find arms for you."
"Is that the reason why you left us?"
"Why I left you!" he answered quietly. "I brought you to this place because a few paces off I have one of thosecaches(hiding places) which we hunters fashion, here and there in the desert, to serve us in time of need. But," he added in a bitter tone, "it has been discovered and pillaged. On that account I whistled for my horse, whose help had become indispensable; for I was obliged to go to anothercacheat some distance. If it had not been for this mishap, I should have been back at least half an hour ago."
This explanation was given by the hunter without emphasis, and in the tone of a man conscious he was merely relating a simple fact.
He unloaded his horse, and opened the bale. It contained five American rifles, knives, straight swords calledmachetes, powder, balls, and hatchets.
"Arm yourselves. The rifles are good; they will not fail you when the time to use them arrives."
The Mexicans did not wait to be asked twice; they were soon armed to the teeth.
"Now, at least," said the hunter, "you can defend yourselves like men, instead of letting yourselves be butchered like deer."
"Ah," sighed Doña Hermosa, "I was convinced he would act like this."
"Thanks, señorita," was his response; "thanks for your trust in me."
While he spoke these words, his features became animated, and his eyes flashed; but he soon resumed the impassiveness of marble.
"I promised to conduct you in safety to your home," he said, "and I will do so."
"Is there any danger to be feared?" inquired Don Pedro.
"There is always danger," he replied bitterly, "in the desert more than elsewhere."
"Are we threatened with treachery?"
"Ask me no questions; I will not reply to them. Listen to my words, and profit by them. If you wish to preserve your scalps, you must place implicit confidence in me, whatever I may do, and obey me, without fear or hesitation, in everything I may order. All I shall do will be done with but one aim—your safety. Do you consent to these conditions?"
"We do," exclaimed Doña Hermosa fervently; "we will not doubt your loyalty, and will act entirely according to your council."
"I swear it," said thehacendero.
"It is well; now I will be answerable for everything. Put aside all anxiety. Do not speak to me; I have need to collect my thoughts."
Bowing carelessly, he betook himself to a little distance, and seated himself at the foot of a tree.
In the meantime the curiosity of the Mexicans was strongly excited. They comprehended that serious danger was impending, and that the hunter was planning means to avert it; but now that they had excellent weapons, horns full of powder, and balls, they looked at their position in a new light, and, although their anxiety was still great, they did not despair of being able to escape from the snares laid for their feet.
The hunter, after remaining motionless as a statue for nearly half an hour, raised his head, calculated the time by the shadows of the trees, and said, rising with some impetuosity,
"To horse; it is time to go."
The horses were soon saddled, and the travellers in their seats.
"You will march in Indian file," continued the hunter; "follow exactly in my steps."
Instead of advancing in the direction he had taken hitherto, he rode his horse into the rivulet, the course of which he followed until he reached a spot where two other brooks contributed their waters. Stoneheart chose the left hand brook, and followed its windings. The Mexicans closely imitated this manoeuvre, riding in Indian file—the head of each horse at the crupper of the one in front of him.
The heat was stifling in the covert, where the circulation of the air, impeded by the foliage, was scarcely perceptible. The deepest calm prevailed through the forest; the birds, nestled under the leaves, had ceased their songs; and nothing was heard but the monotonous humming of innumerable myriads of mosquitoes hovering about the marshes.
In the meantime the brook they were following increased by degrees till it assumed the character of a river. Here and there, already, blackchicots(trees uprooted and carried down by the rivers, often forming serious obstacles to navigation) began to make their appearance, on which rosy flamingoes and herons stood on one leg; the banks right and left became steeper, and the horses for some time past had been obliged to swim.
This unknown river, whose blue waters had never reflected anything but the azure of the skies and the green dome formed by the trees capriciously bending over its banks, presented to the eye a grand and majestic sight, impressing the mind with a kind of melancholy calm and religious awe.
The travellers, silent as phantoms, continued their journey, swimming slowly down the middle of the river, close at the heels of their guide, whose eagle glance explored its banks. Arriving at a place where an immense rock rose like a solitary watchtower, and formed an immense vault overhanging the stream, Stoneheart slipped from his horse, whose bridle he gave to Don Pedro, and swam under the arch, making a sign to the others to pursue their course. He soon reappeared in one of those Indian canoes which are built of birch bark, detached by means of boiling water, and whose lightness is unequalled. With a few strokes of the paddle he reached the travellers; the latter climbed into the canoe, and their horses, relieved from the weight of their riders, were able to swim with greater ease.
Doña Hermosa was very glad of the change. Still suffering from her wound, she began to feel much difficulty in keeping her seat on her horse, although she exerted herself to the utmost to conceal her fatigue. But the quick eye of the hunter had noticed her lassitude, and he had brought the canoe for her relief.
They still continued to advance in this manner for nearly an hour, without any occurrence to disturb their tranquillity or make them suspect the vicinity of an enemy. At last they reached a turn of the river where the banks rose, for a considerable space, to a prodigious height, and hemmed in the stream between two walls of rock terminating in peaks. In the centre of the river arose a block of grayish granite, about sixty yards in circumference, and towards it the hunter guided the canoe. The Mexicans, at first astonished at this manoeuvre, were not long before they comprehended it; for, when close in upon the rock, they discovered that one of its faces sloped down in a gentle incline, and in this face there yawned the mouth of a cavern.
The canoe touched the ground; the travellers disembarked, and hastened to bring the horses to land: the poor animals were spent with fatigue.
"Come," said the hunter, shouldering the canoe; and the Mexicans followed him.
The cavern was spacious, and seemed to extend under water to a great distance. The horses were stabled in a corner, and supplied with provender.
"Here," said the hunter, "we are as much in safety as it is possible to be in the desert. If nothing comes to trouble us, we will pass the night here, in order to give our horses the rest of which they stand so much in need. You can light a fire without hesitation; the fissures in the rock, which afford you light, will divide the smoke, and render it invisible. Although I believe I have hidden our trail from those in pursuit of us, it is still incumbent on me to make a reconnaissance outside. Be not uneasy; present or absent, I watch over you. I will return in an hour. But take heed not to show yourselves; in the virgin forest, who can tell what eyes may be upon him? Adieu for a time."
He went out, leaving his companions a prey to anxiety, which was the more lively because, although well aware that some great danger threatened, they could not foresee either whence or in what manner it would fall on them, and because they were completely at the mercy of a man whose character and ultimate intentions it was impossible to divine.
Nature has rights she always enforces: whatever the anxiety of the Mexicans, the fatigues they had endured during the whole of that long day made them feel the imperious necessity of recruiting their strength; so, after a few gloomy reflections on their critical and almost desperate situation, Don Pedro ordered thepeonesto light a fire and prepare the evening meal.
Men whose physical faculties are more frequently called into exertion than their minds, never forget to eat and sleep, whatever situation chance may place them in; appetite and sleep never fail them. The reason is simple: constantly exposed to Titanic struggles with man or the elements, their natural forces must be maintained in an equal ratio with the efforts they have to make to surmount the obstacles which oppose, or the perils which threaten them.
The meal was sad and silent; the Mexicans were too deeply impressed by the approach of night, the time habitually chosen by the redskins for their attacks, to care for exchanging many words.
The hunter's absence was protracted; already, for more than two hours, the sun had disappeared behind the high mountaintops; thick darkness enveloped the earth as with a shroud; not a star twinkled in the sky; and great black clouds coursed through space, completely veiling the orb of the moon.
Thehacenderowould not resign to any other the duty of watching over the common safety. Lying face downwards on the platform, so that he might not be visible if an unseen enemy were lying in wait, he anxiously scanned the dark line of the water. At his side lay thecapataz, who, equally with himself, had no wish to attempt a repose which he knew to be impossible.
The high cliffs of the banks were bare and deserted; only at one place, where the shore was accessible, they saw black shapes moving for a few seconds, with hoarse and angry growls, and then disappearing. These black forms were evidently wild animals, slaking their thirst in the river before repairing to their layers.
"Come!" suddenly exclaimed a deep and determined voice in the ear of the Mexican.
Don Pedro turned round, repressing a cry of astonishment; the hunter stood by him, leaning on his rifle.
The three men entered the cavern. The remains of the fire which had been lighted for the evening meal diffused light enough to distinguish objects.
"You are very late," said thehacendero.
"I have traversed six leagues since I left you," replied the hunter; "but that is no matter. A man, whose name you need not know at present, has resolved to prevent your reaching thehacienda.A party of Apaches is on our trail. All my precautions have not availed to conceal our tracks from these cunning demons, whose piercing eyes would detect in the air the trail of the eagle's flight. They are encamped close by; they are preparing rafts and canoes to attack you."
"Are there many of them?" inquired thehacendero.
"No; not above a score at most, of whom only six or seven are armed with rifles; the rest have but bows and lances. Knowing you to be without arms, or at least believing so, they count upon carrying you off without striking a blow."
"Who is the man who is so inveterate against us?"
"What is that to you? He is a strange and mysterious being, whose life is one continual round of dark conspiracies; his mind is an abyss which no one has dared to sound, the depths of which even he himself, who fears nothing in the world, would dread to fathom. But enough of him. You are to be attacked in two hours; three chances of escape from the fate prepared for you are open to you."
"And what are these chances?" said thehacendero.
"The first is, to remain here, await the attack, and make a vigorous resistance. The Apaches, alarmed at finding armed and on their guard the men whom they hoped to surprise weaponless and defenceless, may lose courage, and retreat."
Doña Hermosa, aroused by the sound of voices, had approached, and was listening attentively.
Thehacenderoshook his head. "The chance seems hazardous," he said; "for if our enemies succeeded in setting foot on the rock, they would overpower us by dint of numbers, and make themselves masters of our persons."
"That would most probably be the case," said the hunter, coolly.
"Let us hear the second chance; the one already proposed seems impracticable."
"This rock communicates, by a subterraneous passage under the bed of the river, with another rock, a good distance from the place where we now are. I will lead you to that rock; when we get there, we will embark in the canoe; having reached the opposite bank of the river, we will mount, and trust our safety to the speed of our horses."
"I should prefer this chance, if our horses were not so worn out that a night flight across the wilderness would be almost an impossibility."
"The redskins know as well as I do all the outlets from the rock on which we have taken refuge. Most likely they have already guarded the passage by which we might hope to escape."
"Alas!" said thehacendero, sorrowfully, "With all your good intention to help us, the chances you propose are against us."
"I know it; unfortunately, it does not depend upon me to make them otherwise."
"And lastly," resumed Don Pedro, with much resignation, "what is the third chance?"
"I am afraid you will find the last more desperate than the other two. It is a rash and dangerous undertaking, which might perhaps offer a hope of success if we had not with us a woman, whom we must not expose to one peril in order to save her from another."
"Then it is useless to name it," said thehacendero, with a mournful look at his daughter.
"You are wrong, father," said Doña Hermosa, with much animation; "let us hear, at least, what this chance is. Perhaps it is the only good one. Explain, señor," continued she, addressing the hunter. "After all you have done for us, we should be ungrateful not to listen to your counsel. I am convinced that what you hesitate to propose, for my sake, is the only means of safety open to us."
"That may be," answered the hunter; "but I repeat, señorita, that the means are impracticable—you being with us."
The girl drew herself up, a gay smile played about her rosy lips, and, commencing her speech in a voice slightly ironical, she said:
"You surely think me very weak and pusillanimous, señor, since you dare not speak out. I am but a woman, it is true, and feeble, as we all are; but I think I have proved to you, in the few hours during which we have travelled together, that my heart is above vulgar fears; and that if my physical strength is not equal to my moral energy, my will triumphs over my woman's weakness, and makes me superior to circumstances, let them be what they will."
Stoneheart listened attentively to the beautiful girl. The mask of impassiveness which covered his features melted away at the sound of that melodious voice, and a deep blush suffused his face.
"Pardon me, señorita," he said in a voice which the secret feelings agitating him caused to waver; "I was wrong; I will speak out."
"Good!" said she, with a pleasant smile; "I knew what your answer would be."
"The Apaches," began the hunter, "are encamped, as I have told you, at a short distance from the bank of the river. Certain that they will not be molested, they keep no watch; they sleep, drink the firewater, and await the time for attacking you. We are six men, well armed and determined; we know that our safety depends on the success of our expedition. Let us land on the island, surprise the redskins, and fall on them boldly. Perhaps we may succeed in opening ourselves a passage, and in that case we shall be saved, for they will not pursue us after they have been defeated. This is my proposal."
There was a long silence; it was Doña Hermosa who broke it.
"You were wrong in hesitating to acquaint us with this project," said she, fervently; "it is the only one practicable. It is better to meet danger halfway than to tremble in cowardly expectation of its advent. Let us go! Let us go! We have not a minute to lose."
"Daughter," exclaimed Don Pedro, "you are mad! Remember, we are going to expose ourselves to almost certain death."
"Be it so, my father," she replied, with feverish energy; "our fate is in the hands of God, whose protection has been so evident thus far, that I believe He will not abandon us now."
"The señorita is right," cried thecapataz; "let us smoke these demons out of their lair. This hunter, to whom I make my most humble apologies for having suspected his loyalty for an instant, will supply us with the means of arriving, without being discovered, at the camp of the Apaches."
"I can but do my best," said the hunter modestly.
"Let us go, then, since needs must," said thehacendero, with a sigh.
Thepeones, who had not mingled in the conversation, seized their rifles with an air of determination which proved them resolved to do their duty.
"Follow me," said the hunter, lighting a torch ofocotewood, to show the way.
Without another word, the Mexicans plunged into the depth of the cavern, taking with them the horses whose strength had been thoroughly recruited by their rest of so many hours.
They continued pushing their way through the subterranean passage. Overhead they heard the dull and ceaseless noise of the waters; thousands of night birds, dazzled by the unwonted light of the torch, awoke from their slumbers, and wheeled around, uttering mournful and discordant cries.
At the end of half an hour's rapid march, the hunter halted.
"Wait for me here," he said, and passed on rapidly, after delivering the torch to thecapataz.
Shortly after, he returned.
"Come," said he, "all goes well."
They followed him anew. Suddenly a fresh, cool breeze met their faces, and through the obscurity before them they saw two or three points of light glittering. They had reached the other rock.
"We must now redouble our caution," said the hunter; "those points of light you see shining through the mist are the campfires of the Apaches. Their ear is fine; the least noise would betray our presence."
The canoe was launched again; the Mexicans embarked, thecapataz, at the stern of the frail bark, holding the reins of the horses, which followed swimming.
Crossing occupied only a few minutes, and the canoe soon grated against the sandy beach.
Nothing could be better than the place chosen by the hunter. A high rock threw over the water, to a considerable distance, so dark a shadow, that it was impossible to distinguish the travellers ten paces off.
The forest, scarcely twenty yards from the shore, offered, amongst its thickets, immediate protection to the fugitives.
"The señorita will remain here, with onepeonto guard the horses," said the hunter; "we others will attempt the surprise."
"Not so," exclaimed the girl resolutely. "I want no one here. You would miss the man you wish to leave with me. Give me a pistol, to defend myself in case of attack, and go."
"Nevertheless, señorita—"
"It is my will," she peremptorily exclaimed. "Go, and God be with you!"
Thehacenderoconvulsively pressed his daughter to his bosom.
"Courage, my father!" she cried, while she embraced him; "Courage; all will end well."
She took a pistol from him, and left him, waving her adieu.
The hunter for the last time warned his companions to be cautious; and the men set off, following his exact footsteps in the forest.
After marching half an hour in Indian file, they saw the fires of the Apaches glimmering close by.
At a sign from the hunter, the Mexicans threw themselves on the ground, and began to crawl forward in silence, advancing with extreme precaution inch by inch, their ears on the watch, and ready to fire at the first suspicious movement of the enemy.
But nothing stirred: most of the Apaches slept, plunged, as Stoneheart had asserted, in the brutal drunkenness caused by the abuse of the firewater.
Only three or four warriors, easily recognised as chiefs by the vulture plumes they wore in their hair, were squatting around the fire, smoking with the mechanical gravity characteristic of the Indian.
By the hunter's order, the Mexicans slowly arose, and each man sheltered himself behind the trunk of a tree.
"I leave you here," whispered Stoneheart. "I am going to enter the camp. Keep still as death; and, whatever may happen, do not fire before you see me throw my cap on the ground."
He disappeared among the underwood.
From the spot where the travellers were hidden, they could easily see all that took place in the camp of the redskins, and even hear what was said; for only a few yards separated them from the fire round which thesachemscrouched.
With bodies ensconced behind the trees, their fingers on the triggers of their rifles, their eyes fixed in feverish impatience on the camp, the Mexicans awaited the signal to give fire.
The few minutes preceding a night attack are very solemn. A man left alone with his thoughts on such an occasion, about to risk his life in pitiless strife, however brave he may be, feels himself seized by an instinctive dread, which sends a cold shudder thrilling through his frame. In that supreme hour he sees his whole life pass, as in a dream, with giddy rapidity before him, and the most abiding and predominant sensation is the thought of that which is to happen beyond the grave,—the dread unknown.
Some ten minutes had elapsed since the departure of the hunter, when a slight noise was heard in the brushwood on the opposite side of the camp to that where the Mexicans lay in ambush.
The Apache chiefs turned their heads negligently, the bushes parted, and Stoneheart made his appearance in the circle of light caused by the watch fires.
The hunter slowly approached the chiefs. When close to them, he stopped, and bowed ceremoniously, but without speaking.
Thesachemsreturned the salute with the innate good breeding of the redskins.
"My brother is welcome," said a chief. "Will he sit by the council fire?"
"No," said the hunter; "my time is short."
"My brother is prudent," resumed the chief; "he has abandoned the palefaces, because he knows that the Tigercat has delivered them over to the barbed arrows of the Apache warriors."
"I have not abandoned the palefaces: my brother deceives himself. I have sworn to defend them; I will do so."
"That is against the orders of the Tigercat."
"I take no orders from him. I hate treachery. I will not let the redskin braves accomplish what they meditate."
"Oh!" grunted thesachem;"My brother lifts his voice very high. I have heard the hawk mock at the eagle, but a blow of its mighty wing crushed the hawk to powder."
"A truce to sarcasm, chief. You are one of the most renowned braves of your tribe, and cannot consent to become the agent of an infamous treachery. The Tigercat has received these travellers in hiscalli;he has treated them with hospitality. Is not hospitality sacred in the desert?"
The Apache burst into a laugh.
"The Tigercat is a great chief; he would neither eat nor drink with the palefaces."
"It is an unworthy artifice."
"The palefaces are thievish dogs. The Apaches will take their scalps."
"Wretch!" cried the hunter; "I too am a paleface. Come and take my scalp."
And, rapid as thought, he cast on the ground the cap of fur which covered his head, and at the same instant precipitated himself on the Indian chief, and plunged his knife into his heart.
Five shots were heard simultaneously with this action, and the remaining chiefs sitting round the fire rolled to the ground in their death agony.
Thesachemswere the only Indians with rifles.
"Forward! Forward!" shouted the hunter; and seizing his rifle by the muzzle, he hurled himself into the midst of the panic-stricken Apaches.
The Mexicans after their first fire, rushed into the camp to reinforce the guide.
Then a terrible struggle commenced—six men against fifteen—a struggle all the more fierce and desperate because each man knew he could expect no mercy.
Happily for themselves, the whites were armed with pistols. These they discharged point-blank in the face of their opponents, attacking them afterwards with the sabre.
The Indians had been so completely surprised—they had so little expected to have to sustain such a vigorous onslaught from men who seemed to have emerged from the earth, and whose numbers they were far from suspecting—that half of them had been killed before the rest could recover from their fright, or attempt serious resistance. When at last they essayed an organised defence, it was too late. The Mexicans pressed them so hard, that a longer resistance was impossible.
"Hold!" shouted the hunter.
Whites and redskins lowered their arms at once.
The hunter continued: "Warriors of the Apaches, throw down your arms!"
They obeyed; and at a signal from the guide, the Mexicans bound their opponents without further difficulty.
As soon as the redskins acknowledged their defeat, they awaited, with complete apathy and their usual fatalism, the doom their victors might think fit to impose upon them.
Out of twenty Apache braves, only eight remained alive: the rest had fallen.
"At sunrise," said the hunter, "I will come and release you from your bonds. Till then, stir not! I pardon once; never a second time."
The Mexicans collected all the arms, freed all the horses tethered at one side of the camp, drove them into the forest, where they were soon lost to sight, and left the Apaches.
"And now," exclaimed the hunter, "let us return to the señorita."
"But," enquired Don Pedro, "is it really your intention to restore these men to liberty?"
"Assuredly. Would you have me leave them to be devoured by wild beasts?"
"It would be no great misfortune," answered the rancorouscapataz.
"Are they not men, like ourselves?"
"They are so little like ourselves, that it is hardly worth mention," said thecapataz.
"And will you really dare to place yourself in the power of these ferocious beings, exasperated as they are by defeat?" asked thehacendero. "Do you not fear they will assassinate you?"
"These men!" replied the hunter in disdain; "They would not dare."
Don Pedro could not repress his amazement.
"The redskins are the most vindictive of men," said he.
"True," was the reply; "but I am not a man in their eyes."
"What then?"
"An evil spirit," murmured the hunter in a hoarse whisper.
By this time they had reached the place where they had left their horses.
The noise of the combat had extended itself to the spot where Doña Hermosa was waiting; but that courageous girl, far from suffering herself to be overcome by the very natural fear she experienced, understood the importance of the post confided to her, and remained firmly on her guard, a pistol in each hand, attentively listening to every sound in the forest, ready to defend herself, and resolute to die sooner than fall into the hands of the Indians.
Her father having explained to her what had occurred, they began their journey at the best speed of their horses.
The whole night passed without slackening their pace. At sunrise they had cleared the forest, and there lay the bare wilderness, extending to the horizon.
They continued their route for two more hours, when they halted.
The hunter addressed them: "We must part here." He spoke in a firm, voice, yet unable completely to conceal the feeling of sorrow which pervaded him.
"So soon!" said the girl naively
"Thanks for that expression of regret, señorita; but I must go. You are but a few miles from yourhacienda:the road is easy; my help is no longer needful."
"We must not part thus, señor," said thehacendero, holding out his hand; "I owe you too many obligations."
"Forget them,caballero," vehemently exclaimed the young hunter; "forget me too: we must never meet again. You return to civilised life, I to the desert. Our roads are far apart; for your sake and for mine, pray that we never again stand face to face. Only," he added, lifting his eyes to the señorita, "I carry with me a memory of you which can never be effaced. And now, farewell! Yonder are thevaquerosof yourhaciendaapproaching to meet you. You are in safety."
He bent his head to his saddlebow, tuned his horse, and began to gallop away. But, looking back, he perceived Doña Hermosa riding after him.
"Stay," she exclaimed.
He obeyed mechanically.
"Look," said she, presenting to him a slender gold ring; "of all my possessions, I value this ring the most; it belonged to my mother whom I never knew. Keep it in memory of me, señor."
The señorita rode off, leaving the ring in his hand without giving him time to reply.
After the Spanish rule had been firmly established in the New World, the government, to hold the Indians, in cheek, constructed fortified posts, at certain distances, on the extreme limits of their possessions. These posts were calledpresidios, and were peopled by criminals of every degree of whom it was deemed prudent to clear the mother country. Thepresidioof San Lucar, on the Rio Bermejo, was one of the first established.
At the epoch of the foundation of thispresidio, the post consisted solely of a fort built on the north bank, on a steep cliff which commands the river, the plains to the south, and the surrounding country.
It is square in form, built with very thick walls of hewn stone, and flanked by three bastions,—two on the river, to east and west, the third in the plain.
The interior contains the chapel, priest's house and the powder magazine; on the other sides are the old dwelling places of the prisoners, spacious buildings for the commandant, the treasurer, and officers of the garrison, and likewise a small hospital.
All these buildings, only one story high, were finished off with flat Italian roofs. Outside, the government had also constructed vast granaries, a bakery, a mill, two workshops for saddlers and carpenters, and tworanchosappropriated to the horses and cattle.
In these days the fort is almost in ruins the walls, for want of repair, are crumbling in all directions; only the dwellings are kept in tolerable condition.
Thepresidioof San Lucar is divided into three sections,—two to the north, the third to the south of the river.
Its general aspect is melancholy. A few sparse trees grow here and there, in close contiguity to the river, manifesting, by their want of vitality, how ungrateful is the soil from which they draw their existence. The roads are covered with a pulverulent sand, throwing up clouds of dust at the least motion in the atmosphere.
Three days after the events recorded in our last chapter, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, five or sixvaquerosandleperoswere seated at a table in the drinking room of apulquería(a public house) of New San Lucar, which is situated on the south bank of the river, and disputed vehemently, while they emptied, at long draughts, thepulquein the cups which circulated among them.
"¡Canarios!" exclaimed a tall and meagre fellow, with the mien and air of a brazen-faced scoundrel, "Are we not free men? If Señor Don Louis Pedrosa, our governor, persist in fleecing us in this fashion, the Tigercat is not too far off for a man to come to an understanding with him. Though he chooses to be an Indian chief today, he is a white man without alloy, and acaballeroto the tips of his fingers."
"¡Calla la voz!be silent, Pablito!" said another; "You had better swallow your words with yourpulquethan utter such folly."
"I will speak!" said Pablito, who was washing the inside of his throat more than the others.
"Do you not know that invisible eyes are watching us from the shade, and that ears are open to gather up our words, and profit by them?"
"There you are again," replied the first speaker: "always in fear, Carlocho! I have no more respect for a spy than for an oldcuarta" (hag).
"Pablito!" exclaimed the other, placing his finger on his lips.
"What! Am I not right? Why does Don Louis bear us so much malice?"
"You are wrong," interrupted a third, with a laugh. "Don Louis, on the contrary, is only too fond of you so he always keeps you under his thumb."
"This devil of averadohas a wit fit for such a rascal as he," roared Pablito, with shouts of laughter.
"Well, after us the end of the world."
"In the meantime let us drink," said theverado.
"Good! Let us drink, and drown care. Have we not Don Fernando Carril to help us when our purses run dry?"
"Another name which ought to have stuck in your throat," said Carlocho, striking the table in his irritation with his fist. "Can you never hold your tongue, cursed dog?"
Pablito frowned, and, looking angrily across the table, exclaimed: "Do you pretend to give me a lesson,amigo? ¡Canarios!You begin to put my blood up."
"A lesson? And why not, when you deserve it?" replied the other, without stirring. "Caraythese two hours you have been drinking like a sponge; you are full as a vat, and talk as wildly as an old woman. Hold your tongue, or go to sleep."
"Mil rayos," growled Pablito, sticking his knife violently into the table; "You shall answer for this!"
"¡Vive Dios!A blood-letting will do you good. My hand itches to give you anavajada(a stroke with a knife) across your hideous snout."
"Hideous snout, did you say?" and Pablito threw himself upon Carlocho, who awaited his onset firmly.
The othervaquerosandleperosthrew themselves between the pair, to prevent the meeting.
"¡Halloa,caballeros!" cried thepulquero(innkeeper), thinking it necessary to interfere. "Peace! in the name of God or the devil! No quarrels in my house: if you wish for satisfaction, the street is free."
"Thepulquerois right!" screamed Pablito. "Come, if you are a man!"
"Gladly!" cried Carlocho; and the twovaquerosrushed into the street.
As to the worthypulquero, he stood at his door, his hands in the pockets of hiscalzoneras(loose trousers), and whistled ajarana(a dance tune), while expecting the fight.
Pablito and Carlocho wrapped the left arm in thezarapéfor a shield, took off their hats and saluted with much affectation, drew their long knives from their girdles, and, without exchanging a word, stood on their guard with remarkable coolness.
In this kind of duel—the only one, by the by, known in Mexico—satisfaction consists in slashing the adversary in the face. A blow delivered below the girdle would be considered a piece of treachery unworthy of a truecaballero.
The two opponents, firmly planted with legs apart, bodies inclined, and heads thrown back, watched each other fixedly, in order to forestall a movement, parry a blow, or inflict a wound. The rest of thevaqueros, with their delicate maize cigarettes in their mouths, looked on composedly, and applauded every adroit thrust or parry.
The fight was continued for some minutes, with equal success on either side, when Pablito, whose sight was most likely obfuscated by his copious potations, came to the parry a second too late, and felt the point of Carlocho's knife rip the skin of his face from chin to forehead.
"Bravo! Bravo!" exclaimed all thevaquerosat once. "Well hit!"
The combatants, flattered by this approbation, stepped away from each other, bowed to the spectators, sheathed their knives, saluted one another with exquisite courtesy, and having first shaken hands, went into thepulqueríaonce more.
Thevaquerosare a peculiar race of men, whose ways and manners are quite distinct from the customs known in Europe. Those of San Lucar may serve as a type. Born on the Indian frontiers they have contracted sanguinary habits, and their disregard of life is remarkable. Inveterate gamblers, the cards are never out of their hands; and play is a fruitful source of quarrels, in which the knife is constantly called into requisition. Careless of the future, little heedful of present trouble, and enduring physical suffering hardily, they look upon death with as much contempt as on life, and recoil before no danger.
These men—who often abandon their families in order to live a life of greater license among the savage hordes of the desert; who, in shear wantonness, spill the blood of their fellow creatures; who are implacable in their hate—these men are capable of ardent friendship, and of extraordinary devotedness and self-denial. Their character presents a curious mixture of good and evil, of unbridled vice and sterling qualities. They are at one and the same time idle, gamblers, quarrelsome, drunkards, ferocious, brave to rashness and devoted heart and soul to a friend, or the patron of their choice. From infancy blood runs like water from their hands during the period of thematanza del ganado(slaughtering the cattle); and this familiarity with the crimson stains hardens them to the sight of human gore. Lastly, their jokes are as coarse as their habits, the threat of using the knife on quite frivolous occasions being the most delicate and the most common.
While thevaqueros, reseated at the table in thepulquería, were pouring libations to their reconciliation, and drowning the remembrance of the petty incident in floods ofpulqueandmezcal(a coarse kind of brandy), a man entered, muffled in the folds of a thick cloak, and with the wide brim of his hat pulled over his eyes. Approaching the table without uttering a word, he cast a look of seeming indifference around, lighted a cigarette at the brazier, and struck three blows upon it with a large piastre he held between his fingers.
The noise, which appeared to be a signal, startled the threevaqueros. They dropped the noisy conversation they were engaged in, as if suddenly struck by an electric shock, and became as still as death. Pablito and Carlocho began to tremble, seeking all the while to discover the features of the new arrival under the folds of his cloak; while theveradoturned his head on one side to hide his crafty smiles.
The stranger cast his half-consumed cigar into the brazier, and retired from the filthy room in the same silence in which he came.
An instant later, Pablito, who was stanching his bleeding cheek, and Carlocho, making a pretence of important business, quitted thepulquería. Theveradoglided along the wall to the door, and followed at their heels.
"Holloa!" muttered thepulquero, "Here are threepícaros(villains), who seem to be concocting some devil's job, in which more broken heads thanduros(dollars) are to be gained.¡Caray!That is their lookout."
The remainingvaqueros, completely absorbed in a game atmonte, and bending over their cards, appeared scarcely to have noticed the departure of their comrades.
At some little distance from thepulqueríathe stranger looked back. The twovaqueroswere walking close behind him, talking carelessly, as if they were two idlers strolling along. Theveradowas not to be seen.
The stranger went on his way again, after making a scarcely perceptible sign to the two men, and pursued a road which, in a gentle curve, gradually retired from the river, and led, little by little, into the fields. At the exit from thepueblothis road took a sharp angle, and narrowed suddenly into a path, which lost itself in the plain among many more.
Just at the bend in the road, a cavalier, trotting hurriedly in the direction of thepresidio, passed close to the three men; but, immersed in their thoughts, neither stranger norvaquerostook notice of him. As to the cavalier, he darted a rapid and piercing look at them, and gradually slackened his horse's speed, which he stopped altogether a few yards further on.
"God forgive me!" he said to himself; that is Don Fernando Carril, or else the devil in flesh and bone. That fool, Zapote, has missed him again, then! What business can he have out here, in company with those two bandits, who look like agents of Satan? May I never be Torribio Quiroga if I don't find out, and if I do not put myself on their traces.
Señor Don Torribio Quiroga was an individual of not more than thirty-five, with a rather stout figure, under the middle height. But to make up for it, the squareness of his shoulders, and thick-set limbs, gave unmistakable evidence of great muscular power. Little grey eyes, lively, and sparkling with malice and audacity, lit up a face which was perhaps somewhat vulgar. He was dressed in the costume of all Mexicans of a certain rank.
He dismounted, and looked about for somebody to hold his horse, but could see no one; for, at San Lucar, and especially in the newpueblo, it was almost a miracle to meet two persons passing through the streets at the same time. He stamped in anger, threw the reins over his arm, and led his horse to thepulqueríawhence thevaqueroshad come, confiding him to the care of the landlord.
Having carefully completed this duty—for the Mexican's dearest friend is his horse—Don Torribio retraced his steps with the most minute precaution, like a man who wishes to see without himself being seen.
Thevaqueroshad gained considerably upon him, and disappeared behind a hillock of shifting sand just at the moment when he turned the angle of the lane: however, he soon saw them again as they were toiling up a steep and rough path leading to a clump of trees, which by chance or some caprice of nature had shot up among the arid sands.
Sure of finding them now, Don Torribio began to walk more slowly, and lit a cigar, to keep himself in countenance in case of surprise, or to prevent any casual suspicion of his intentions. Luckily, thevaquerosnever looked back once, but entered the wood close upon the heels of the man recognised by Don Torribio as Don Fernando Carril.
When, in his turn, Don Torribio arrived at the margin of the wood, he took good care not to walk straight into it. He first made a slightdétourto the right; then, bending down to the ground, he commenced crawling on hands and knees, taking special care to avoid any noise that might excite the attention of thevaqueros.
The sound of voices soon reached him. Gently raising his head, he perceived, in a small clearing close at hand, the figures of the three men, who had stopped, and were engaged in a lively conversation. He rose from the ground, and hid himself behind a maple tree.
Don Fernando Carril had dropped his cloak, leaning with his shoulders against a tree, and, with his legs crossed, he was listening with visible impatience to what Pablito was saying.
The hands of Don Fernando were small, and delicately gloved; his feet, showing the nobility of his blood by their diminutive size, were encased in varnished boots,—a luxury unheard of in these distant regions. His costume, of amazing richness, was absolutely identical in shape with that of thevaqueros. A diamond of immense value fastened the collar of his shirt; and hiszarapéwas worth more than five hundred piastres. For the present, we will conclude the portrait here.
Two years before our narrative commences, Don Fernando Carril had arrived at San Lucar, knowing nobody; and everyone had asked, Who is he? Where does he come from? Whence does he derive his riches? And where do his estates lie? Don Fernando bought ahaciendaa few leagues from San Lucar. Under pretence of defending it against the Indians, he fortified it, surrounded it with palisades and a moat, and furnished it with two small pieces of cannon. In this way he had kept his doings secret, and curiosity at bay. Although he never opened hishaciendato receive a guest, he was himself received by the first inhabitants of San Lucar, whom he visited most assiduously, till suddenly, to the great amazement of all, he disappeared for several months.
The ladies missed their practice in smiles and ogling, the men their occupation of contriving adroit questions to entrap Don Fernando. Don Louis Pedrosa, whose post as governor gave him a right to be inquisitive, could not help feeling uneasy about the stranger; but, wearied with conjecture, he was obliged to trust to time, which, sooner or later, reveals all mysteries. Nothing more was known of the man who was standing in the clearing, listening to Pablito.
"Enough!" said this personage, interrupting Pablito, in a fit of passion; "You are a dog, and a dog's son."
"Señor!" exclaimed the latter.
"I feel inclined to crush you, wretch!"
"A threat! And to me!" shouted thevaquerowhite with fury, and unsheathing his knife.
Don Fernando seized the man's fist with his gloved hand, and gave it such a sudden and violent wrench, that thevaquerodropped his weapon with a groan.
"Down on your knees, and ask for pardon!" the don went on, hurling the wretch to the ground.
"No! I will die first!"
"Begone! You are a brute beast!"
Thevaquerostaggered as he rose; his eyes were bloodshot, his lips blue; his whole body trembled. He picked up his knife, and approached Don Fernando, who stood there with folded arms.
"It is true; yes, I am a brute beast; but, nevertheless, I am devoted to you. Forgive me, or kill me, but do not bid me begone."
"Go! I tell you."
"And you have no more to say to me?"
"It is my last word; vex me no more."
"Your last word to me? Then I go—to the devil!" And he raised his weapon to kill himself.
Don Fernando arrested the stroke. "I forgive you," said he: "but, if you still wish to remain in my service, be mute as a corpse."
Thevaquerofell at his feet, and covered with kisses the hand extended to him. It was like a dog licking the hand of the master who has beaten him.
Carlocho had taken no part in this scene, but remained a calm and unmoved spectator.
"What charm has this mysterious stranger," muttered Don Torribio behind his maple, "to make himself beloved like this?"
After a short silence, Don Fernando again spoke.
"I know you are devoted to me. I have great confidence in your fidelity; but you are a drunkard, and drink is an evil counsellor."
"I will drink no more," replied thevaquero.
Don Fernando smiled in disdain.
"Drink, but do not drown your reason. Drunkenness such as yours lets fall words for which there is no remedy,—words more murderous than the dagger. It is not the master, it is the friend who speaks to you. Can I count on you both?"
"You can."
"I leave this place for a few days; you will remain in the neighbourhood. At a short distance from thepueblois the Hacienda de las Norias de San Antonio; do you know it?"
"Who does not know Don Pedro de Luna?"
"Watch thathaciendacarefully, both without and within. If anything extraordinary befalls Don Pedro or his daughter, Doña Hermosa, one of you will come and acquaint me with it. You know where to find me?"
The men bowed their heads.
"Will you execute all my orders, however incomprehensible, with promptitude and accuracy?"
"We swear so, master."
"Good! One word more; attach to yourselves as manyvaquerosas you can; strive to gather together a body of men to be depended on. Do this without exciting suspicion; she never sleeps with both eyes closed. Stay! I remember! Put no faith in theverado;he is a traitor—a spy upon me, in the service of the Tigercat."
"Shall we kill him?" coolly asked Carlocho.
"It might be, prudent; only rid yourselves of him quietly."
The twovaqueroslooked at each other furtively.
Don Fernando seemed not to remark what happened.
"Do you want money?" he asked.
"No, master; we have still some."
"Nevertheless, take this as well: better to have too much than too little."
He placed in the hands of Carlocho a long netted purse, across the meshes of which a goodly number of gold pieces glittered.
"Now, Pablito, my horse."
Thevaqueroled from the recesses of the wood a magnificent charger. Don Fernando vaulted into the saddle.
"Remember," said he, "prudence and fidelity; one indiscretion would cost you your lives."
He waved his hand to thevaqueros, gave his horse the spur, and rode off in the direction of thepresidio. The two men resumed the road to thepueblo.
When they were a good way off, the brushwood at one corner of the clearing began to shake, and a human head slowly emerged, the face blanched with terror.
The head was succeeded by the body of theveradowho had risen to his feet, his knife in one hand, a pistol in the other, and now looked about him with his hair standing on end.
"¡Canarios!" he cried in a low tone; "rid themselves of me quietly! We shall see! we shall see,¡Santa Virgen del Pilar!What demons! Aha! I was right to listen."
"It is the only way to hear," said a mocking voice.
"Who goes there?" roared theverado, as he jumped to one side.
"A friend," replied Don Torribio, leaving his hiding place and advancing into the open.
"What! You, Señor Don Torribio Quiroga? You are welcome. Then you listened too?"
"¡Cuerpo de Cristo!Didn't I listen! I think I have profited by it, to get edifying news about Don Fernando."
"Since you overheard the conversation, what do you think of it?"
"Thiscaballeroseems to me a black villain enough; but we will thwart his infamous plans."
"God grant we may!" muttered theverado, with a sigh.
"And now, what are your own intentions?"
"Mine! I swear I do not know. I know nothing, except that my head swims. Did you hear? They want to rid themselves of me quietly! In my opinion, they are the greatest wretches in the prairie."
"Pooh! I have known them a long time; they give me very little uneasiness."
"And I, on the contrary, am very uneasy."
"What the devil! You are not dead yet!"
"¡Vive Dios!I am little better off; I am literally between death and the devil."
"How can you be afraid—you, the most daring hunter of the jaguar I know?"
"A jaguar is but a jaguar, after all; one can talk reason to him with a ball. But these twobirbones(rascals), whom Don Fernando has maliciously set upon my trail, are veritable demons, without faith or law, who would bleed their own fathers for a small measure ofpulque." ("To bleed" is the common Mexican expression for "to stab.")
"True; but time presses. For reasons with which I need not acquaint you, I take enormous interest in Don Pedro de Luna, and more in his lovely daughter. Don Fernando Carril, as we have just learnt, is concocting some infernal plot against this family. I mean to frustrate it. Will you assist me? Two men can do a great deal, if they work with a will."
"Do you propose a partnership with me, Don Torribio?"
"Call it what you will; but answer promptly."
"In that case, sincerity for sincerity, Don Torribio. This morning I would have refused your proposal: tonight I accept it; for I have done with soft-heartedness. My position is completely changed. Rid themselves of me quietly!¡Vive Dios!I will have my revenge. I am yours, as my knife is to the sheath. I am yours, body and soul, on the word of avaquero."
"I see we shall easily come to an understanding."
"Say, rather, we understand each other already."
"Good! But we must be cautious, if we wish to succeed: the game we are about to chase is wily. Do you know aleperonamed Tonillo el Zapote?"
"Know Tonillo! He is my bosom friend."
"So much the better. This Tonillo is a resolute fellow, on whom one can fearlessly depend."
"That is holy truth. Moreover, he is acaballeroof excellent principle."
"He is: find him out, and bring him one hour after sunset to the Callejou de las Minas" (the pass of the mines).
"It shall be done; I understand perfectly. We will be there."
"And then, we three will arrange our counterplot."
"Yes; and set your heart at rest. We will find a way to deliver you from this man, who wishes to rid himself of me quietly."
"That seems to lie heavily on your mind."
"¡Caray!Just put yourself in my place. After all, the longest liver will see. Don Fernando has not got quite so far with me as he fancies."
"Then you will bring Tonillo?"
"Were I to bring him by force, we would both be there."
"Now, we have nothing more to do than to go about our separate affairs."
"Which road do you take?"
"I am going direct to thehaciendaof Don Pedro."
"Listen to me, Don Torribio: do not broach this matter to him."
"What is your reason for saying so,verado?"
"Because Don Pedro, excellent man and perfectcaballeroas he is, has old-fashioned ideas, and would probably attempt to dissuade you from your plan."
"Perhaps you may be right; he had better know nothing of the service I wish to render him."
"It will be better. Now Don Torribio, good-bye till evening."
"Good-bye; and good luck!"
The two men separated. Don Torribio Quiroga ran hastily down the road leading to thepueblo, to regain his horse from thepulquero; while theverado, whose horse had been hidden somewhere about, jumped into the saddle, and galloped off in a fury still muttering between his teeth:
"Rid themselves of me quietly! Was there ever such an idea? But we shall see.¡Mil rayos!" (a thousand thunders).