CHAPTER XIV.
BLACK ELK.
Everyone stopped.
In the desert, this word man almost always means an enemy. Man in theprairies is more dreaded by his fellow than the most ferocious wildbeast. A man is a rival, a forced associate, who, by the right of beingthe stronger, comes to share with the first occupant, and often, ifwe may not say always, strives to deprive him of the fruits of histhankless labour.
Thus, whites, Indians, or half-breeds, when they meet in the prairies,salute each other with eye on the watch, ears open, and the finger onthe trigger of the rifle.
At this cry of a man, the general and the lanceros, at all hazards,prepared against a sudden attack by cocking their guns, and concealingthemselves as much as possible behind the bushes.
At fifty paces before them stood an individual, who, the butt on theground, and his two hands leaning on the barrel of a long rifle, wasobserving them attentively.
He was a man of lofty stature, with energetic features and a frank,determined look. His long hair, arranged with care, was plaited,mingled with otter skins and ribbons of various colours. A huntingblouse of ornamented leather fell to his knees; gaiters of a singularcut, ornamented with strings, fringes, and a profusion of little bellscovered his legs; his shoes consisted of a pair of superb moccasins,embroidered with false pearls.
A scarlet blanket hung from his shoulders, and was fastened round hismiddle by a red belt, through which were passed two pistols, a knife,and an Indian pipe.
His rifle was profusely decorated with vermilion and little copper nails.
At a few paces from him his horse was browsing on the mast of the trees.
Like its master, it was equipped in the most fantastic manner, spottedand striped with vermilion, the reins and crupper ornamented with beadsand bunches of ribbon, while its head, mane, and tail, were abundantlydecorated with eagle's feathers floating in the wind.
At sight of this personage the general could not restrain a cry ofsurprise.
"To what Indian tribe does this man belong?" he asked the guide.
"To none," the latter replied.
"How, to none?"
"No; he is a white trapper."
"And so dressed?"
The guide shrugged his shoulders.
"We are in the prairies;" he said.
"That is true," the general murmured.
In the meantime, the individual we have described, tired, no doubt, ofthe hesitation of the little party before him, and wishing to know whattheir disposition was, resolutely accosted them.
"Eh! eh!" he said in English, "Who the devil are you--and what are youseeking here?"
"_Caramba!_" the general replied, throwing his gun behind him, andordering his people to do the same; "we are travellers, fatigued with along journey; the sun is hot, and we ask permission to rest a short timein your rancho."
These words being spoken in Spanish, the trapper replied in the samelanguage,--
"Approach without fear; Black Elk is a good sort of fellow when peopledo not seek to thwart him; you shall share the little he possesses, andmuch good may it do you."
At the name of Black Elk the guide could not repress a movement ofterror; he wished even to say a few words, but he had not time, for thehunter, throwing his gun upon his shoulder, and leaping into his saddlewith a bound, advanced towards the Mexicans.
"My rancho is a few paces from this spot," said he to the general; "ifthe senorita is inclined to taste the well-seasoned hump of a buffalo, Iam in a position to offer her that piece of politeness."
"I thank you, caballero," the young lady replied, with a smile; "but Iconfess that at this moment I stand in more need of repose than anythingelse."
"Everything will come in its time," the trapper said sententiously."Permit me, for a few moments, to take the place of your guide."
"We are at your orders," said the general; "go on, we will follow you."
"Forward! then," said the trapper, placing himself at the head of thelittle troop.
At this moment his eyes fell by chance upon the guide--his thickeyebrows contracted. "Hum!" he muttered to himself, "what does thismean? We shall see," he added.
And without taking further notice of the man, without appearing torecognise him, he gave the signal for departure.
After riding for some time silently along the banks of a moderately widerivulet, the trapper made a sharp turn, and departing from the streamsuddenly, plunged again into the forest.
"I crave your pardon," he said, "for making you turn out of your way;but this is a beaver pond, and I do not wish to frighten them."
"Oh!" the young lady cried, "how delighted I should be to see thoseindustrious animals at work!"
The trapper stopped.
"Nothing more easy, senorita," he said, "if you will follow me, whileyour companions remain here, and wait for us."
"Yes, yes!" Dona Luz replied eagerly; but checking herself all at once,added, "Oh, pardon me, dear uncle."
The general cast a look at the trapper.
"Go, my child," he said, "we will wait for you here."
"Thank you, uncle," the young girl remarked joyfully, as she leaped fromher horse.
"I will be answerable for her," the trapper said frankly; "fear nothing."
"I fear nothing when trusting her to your care, my friend," the generalreplied.
"Thanks!" And making a sign to Dona Luz, Black Elk disappeared with heramong the bushes and trees.
When they had gone some distance, the trapper stopped. After listeningand looking around him on all sides, he stooped towards the young girl,and laying his hand lightly on her right arm, said,--
"Listen!"
Dona Luz stood still, uneasy and trembling.
The trapper perceived her agitation.
"Be not afraid," he rejoined; "I am an honest man; you are in as muchsafety here alone with me in this desert as if you were in the Cathedralof Mexico, at the foot of the high altar."
The young girl cast a furtive glance at the trapper. In spite of hissingular costume, his face wore such an expression of frankness, his eyewas so soft and limpid, when fixed upon her, that she felt completelyreassured.
"Speak," she said.
"You belong," the trapper resumed, "I perceive now, to that party ofstrangers who, for some days past, have been exploring the prairies inevery direction. Do you not?"
"Yes."
"Among you is a sort of madman, who wears blue spectacles and a whitewig, and who amuses himself--for what purpose I cannot tell--with makinga provision of herbs and stones, instead of trying, like a brave hunter,to trap a beaver, or knock over a deer."
"I know the man you speak of; he, as you suppose, forms part of ourtroop; he is a very learned physician."
"I know he is; he told me so himself. He often comes this way. We arevery good friends. By means of a powder, which he persuaded me to take,he completely checked a fever which had tormented me two months, and ofwhich I could not get rid."
"Indeed! I am happy to hear of such a result."
"I should like to do something for you, to show my gratitude for thatservice."
"I thank you, my friend, but I cannot see anything in which you can beuseful to me, unless it be in showing me the beavers."
The trapper shook his head.
"Perhaps in something else," he said, "and that much sooner than youmay fancy. Listen to me attentively, senorita. I am but a poor man;but here in the prairie, we know many things that God reveals to us,because we live face to face with Him. I will give you a piece of goodadvice. That man who serves you as a guide is an arrant scoundrel, andis known as such throughout all the prairies of the West. I am very muchdeceived if he will not lead you into some ambush. There is no lack hereof plenty of rogues with whom he may lay plans to destroy you, or least,rob you."
"Are you sure of what you say?" the girl exclaimed, terrified at wordswhich coincided so strangely with what Loyal Heart had said to her.
"I am as sure as a man can be wh
o affirms a thing of which he has noproof; that is to say, after the antecedents of the Babbler everythingof the sort must be expected from him. Believe me, if he has not alreadybetrayed you, it will not be long before he will."
"Good God! I will go and warn my uncle."
"Beware of doing that! that would ruin all! The people with whom yourguide will soon be in collusion, if he be not so already, are numerous,determined, and thoroughly acquainted with the prairie."
"What is to be done, then?" the young lady asked in great alarm.
"Nothing. Wait; and, without appearing to do so, carefully watch allyour guide's proceedings."
"But----"
"You must be sure," the trapper interrupted, "that if I lead you tomistrust him, it is not with a view of deserting you when the momentcomes for requiring my help."
"Oh! I believe that."
"Well, then, this is what you must do: as soon as you are certain thatyour guide has betrayed you, send your old mad doctor to me,--you cantrust him, can you not?"
"Entirely!"
"Very well. Then, as I have said, you must send him to me, charging himonly to say this to me. 'Black Elk'--I am Black Elk."
"I know you are; you told us so."
"That is right. He will say to me, 'Black Elk, the hour is come,' andnothing else. Shall you remember these words?"
"Perfectly. Only, I do not clearly understand how that can serve us."
The trapper smiled in a mysterious manner.
"Hum!" he said, after a short pause, "these few words will bring toyou, in two hours, fifty men, the bravest in the prairies,--men who, ata signal from their leader, would allow themselves to be killed ratherthan leave you in the hands of those who will have possession of you, ifwhat I expect should happen."
There was a moment of silence,--Dona Luz appeared very thoughtful.
The trapper smiled.
"Do not be surprised at the warm interest I take in you," he said, "aman who has entire power over me, has made me swear to watch over you,during an absence he has been compelled to make."
"What do you mean by that?" she said with awakened curiosity. "And whois this man?"
"He is a hunter who commands all the white trappers of the prairies.Knowing that you had the Babbler for a guide, he suspects that thehalf-breed intends to draw you into some snare?
"But the name of the man?" she cried, in an anxious, excited tone.
"Loyal Heart. Will you have confidence in me now?"
"Thanks, my friend, thanks!" the young lady replied, with great emotion."I will not forget your instructions; and when the moment comes--ifunfortunately it should come--I will not hesitate to remind you of yourpromise."
"And you will do well, senorita, because it will then be the only meansof safety left you. You understand me perfectly, and all is well. Besure to keep our conversation to yourself. Above all, do not appear tohave any secret understanding with me; that devil of a half-breed is ascunning as a beaver; if he suspect anything, he will slip through yourfingers, like the viper he is."
"Be satisfied; I will be mute."
"Now let us pursue our way to the Beaver Pond. Loyal Heart watches overyou."
"He has already saved our lives on the occasion of the conflagration ofthe prairies," she said with emotion.
"Ah! ah!" the trapper murmured, fixing his eyes upon her with a singularexpression, "everything is for the best, then." And he added in a loudvoice: "Be without fear, senorita, if you follow strictly the advice Ihave given you, no evil will happen to you in the prairies, whatever bethe treachery to which you may be exposed."
"Oh!" the girl cried, with great warmth, "in the hour of danger I willnot hesitate to have recourse to you--I swear I will not!"
"That is settled," said the Black Elk, smiling; "now let us go and seethe beavers."
They resumed their walk, and at the end of a few minutes arrived on theverge of the forest. The trapper then stopped, and making a sign to theyoung girl to be motionless, turned towards her, and whispered--
"Look!"