CHAPTER XXIII.
"Thou seemest to fancy's eye An animated blossom born in air; Which breathes and bourgeons in the golden sky, And sheds its odors there."
Sutermeister.
Notwithstanding his native resolution, and an indifference to dangerthat amounted to recklessness, Luis did not find himself alone with theHaytians without, at least, a lively consciousness of the novelty of hissituation. Still, nothing occurred to excite uneasiness, and hecontinued his imperfect communications with his new friends,occasionally throwing in a remark to Sancho, in Spanish, who merelywanted encouragement to discourse by the hour. Instead of following theboat of the Santa Maria, on board which the ambassador had embarked, thecanoe pushed on several leagues further east, it being understood thatLuis was not to present himself in the town of Guacanagari, until afterthe arrival of the ships, when he was to rejoin his comrades stealthily,or in a way not to attract attention.
Our hero would not have been a true lover, had he remained indifferentto the glories of the natural scenery that lay spread before his eyes,as he thus coasted the shores of Espanola. The boldness of thelandscape, as in the Mediterranean, was relieved by the softness of alow latitude, which throws some such witchery around rocks andpromontories, as a sunny smile lends to female beauty. More than oncedid he burst out into exclamations of delight, and as often did Sanchorespond in the same temper, if not exactly in the same language; thelatter conceiving it to be a sort of duty to echo all that the youngnoble said, in the way of poetry.
"I take it, Senor Conde," observed the seaman, when they had reached aspot several leagues beyond that where the launch of the ship had put toshore; "I take it for granted, Senor Conde, that your Excellency knowethwhither these naked gentry are paddling, all this time. They seem in ahurry, and have a port in their minds, if it be not in view."
"Art thou uneasy, friend Sancho, that thou puttest thy question thusearnestly?"
"If I am, Don Luis, it is altogether on account of the family ofBobadilla, which would lose its head, did any mishap befall yourExcellency. What is it to Sancho, of the ship-yard-gate, whether he ismarried to some princess in Cipango, and gets to be adopted by the GreatKhan, or whether he is an indifferent mariner out of Moguer? It is verymuch as if one should offer him the choice between wearing a doublet andeating garlic, and going naked on sweet fruits and a full stomach. Itake it, Senor, your Excellency would not willingly exchange the castleof Llera for the palace of this Great Cacique?"
"Thou art right, Sancho; even rank must depend on the state of societyin which we live. A Castilian noble cannot envy a Haytian sovereign."
"More especially, since my lord, the Senor Don Almirante, hath publiclyproclaimed that our gracious lady, the Dona Isabella, is henceforth andforever to be queen over him," returned Sancho, with a knowing glance ofthe eye. "Little do these worthy people understand the honor that is instore for them, and least of all, his Highness, King Guacanagari!"
"Hush, Sancho, and keep thy unpleasant intimations in thine own breast.Our friends turn the head of the canoe toward yonder river's mouth, andseem bent on landing."
By this time, indeed, the natives had coasted as far as they intended,and were turning in toward the entrance of a small stream, which, takingits rise among the noble mountains that were grouped inland, found itsway through a smiling valley to the ocean. This stream was neither broadnor deep, but it contained far more than water sufficient for any craftused by the natives. Its banks were fringed with bushes; and as theyglided up it, Luis saw fifty sites where he thought he could be contentto pass his life, provided, always, that it might possess the advantageof Mercedes' presence. It is scarcely necessary to add, too, that in allthese scenes he fancied his mistress attired in the velvets and lacesthat were then so much used by high-born dames, and that he saw hernatural grace, embellished by the courtly ease and polished accessoriesof one who lived daily, if not hourly, in the presence of her royalmistress.
As the canoe shut in the coast, by entering between the two points thatformed the river's mouth, Sancho pointed out to the young noble a smallfleet of canoes, that was coming down before the wind from the eastward,apparently bound, like so many more they had seen that day, to the Bayof Acul, on a visit to the wonderful strangers. The natives in the canoealso beheld this little flotilla, which was driving before the windunder cotton sails, and by their smiles and signs showed that they gaveit the same destination. About this time, too, or just as they enteredthe mouth of the stream, Mattinao drew from under a light cotton robe,that he occasionally wore, a thin circlet of pure gold, which he placedupon his head, in the manner of a coronet. This, Luis knew, was a tokenthat he was a cacique, one of those who were tributary to Guacanagari,and he arose to salute him at this evidence of his rank, an act that wasimitated by all of the Haytians also. From this assumption of state,Luis rightly imagined that Mattinao had now entered within the limits ofa territory that acknowledged his will. From the moment that the youngcacique threw aside his incognito, he ceased to paddle, but, assuming anair of authority and dignity, he attempted to converse with his guest inthe best manner their imperfect means of communication would allow. Heoften pronounced the word, Ozema, and Luis inferred from the manner inwhich he used it, that it was the name of a favorite wife, it havingbeen already ascertained by the Spaniards, or at least it was thought tobe ascertained, that the caciques indulged in polygamy, while theyrigidly restricted their subjects to one wife.
The canoe ascended the river several miles, until it reached one ofthose tropical valleys in which nature seems to expend her means ofrendering this earth inviting. While the scenery had much of the freedomof a wilderness, the presence of man for centuries had deprived it ofall its ruder and more savage features. Like those who tenanted it, thespot possessed the perfection of native grace, unfettered and uninvadedby any of the more elaborate devices of human expedients. The dwellingswere not without beauty, though simple as the wants of their owners; theflowers bloomed in midwinter, and the generous branches still groanedwith the weight of their nutritious and palatable fruits.
Mattinao was received by his people with an eager curiosity, blendedwith profound respect. His mild subjects crowded around Luis and Sancho,with some such wonder as a civilized man would gaze at one of theprophets, were he to return to earth in the flesh. They had heard of thearrival of the ships, but they did not the less regard their inmates asvisitors from heaven. This, probably, was not the opinion of the moreelevated in rank, for, even in the savage state, the vulgar mind is farfrom being that of the favored few. Whether it was owing to this greaterfacility of character, and to habits that more easily adapted themselvesto the untutored notions of the Indians, or to their sense of propriety,Sancho soon became the favorite with the multitude; leaving the Count ofLlera more especially to the care of Mattinao, and the principal men ofhis tribe. Owing to this circumstance, the two Spaniards were soonseparated, Sancho being led away by the _oi polloi_ to a sort of squarein the centre of the village, leaving Don Luis in the habitation of thecacique.
No sooner did Mattinao find himself in the company of our hero, and thatof two of his confidential chiefs, than the name of Ozema was repeatedeagerly among the Indians. A rapid conversation followed, a messengerwas despatched, Luis knew not whither, and then the chiefs took theirdeparture, leaving the young Castilian alone with the cacique. Layingaside his golden band, and placing a cotton robe about his person, whichhad hitherto been nearly naked, Mattinao made a sign for his companionto follow him, and left the building. Throwing the buckler over hisshoulder, and adjusting the belt of his sword in a way that the weaponshould not incommode him in walking, Luis obeyed with as much confidenceas he would have followed a friend along the streets of Seville.
Mattinao led the way through a wilderness of sweets, where tropicalplants luxuriated beneath the branches of trees loaded with lusciousfruits, holding his course by a foot-path which lay on the banks of atorrent that flowed from a ravine, and poured its waters into
the riverbelow. The distance he went might have been half a mile. Here he reacheda cluster of rustic dwellings that occupied a lovely terrace on ahill-side, where they overlooked the larger town below the river, andcommanded a view of the distant ocean. Luis saw at a glance that thissweet retreat was devoted to the uses of the gentler sex, and he doubtednot that it formed a species of seraglio, set apart for the wives of theyoung cacique. He was led into one of the principal dwellings, where thesimple but grateful refreshments used by the natives, were again offeredto him.
The intercourse of a month had not sufficed to render either party veryfamiliar with the language of the other. A few of the commoner words ofthe Indians had been caught by the Spaniards, and perhaps Luis was oneof the most ready in their use; still, it is highly probable, he wasoftener wrong than right, even when he felt the most confident of hissuccess. But the language of friendship is not easily mistaken, and ourhero had not entertained a feeling of distrust from the time he left theships, down to the present moment.
Mattinao had despatched a messenger to an adjacent dwelling when heentered that in which Luis was now entertained, and when sufficient timehad been given for the last to refresh himself, the cacique arose, andby a courteous gesture, such as might have become a master of ceremoniesin the court of Isabella, he again invited the young grandee to follow.They took their way along the terrace, to a house larger than common,and which evidently contained several subdivisions, as they entered intoa sort of anteroom. Here they remained but a minute; the cacique, aftera short parley with a female, removing a curtain ingeniously made ofsea-weed, and leading the way to an inner apartment. It had but a singleoccupant, whose character Luis fancied to be announced in the use of thesingle word "Ozema," that the cacique uttered in a low, affectionatetone, as they entered. Luis bowed to this Indian beauty, as profoundlyas he could have made his reverence to a high-born damsel of Spain;then, recovering himself, he fastened one long, steady look ofadmiration on the face of the curious but half-frightened young creaturewho stood before him, and exclaimed, in such tones as only indicaterapture, admiration, and astonishment mingled--
"Mercedes!"
The young cacique repeated this name in the best manner he could,evidently mistaking it for a Spanish term to express admiration, orsatisfaction; while the trembling young thing, who was the subject ofall this wonder, shrunk back a step, blushed, laughed, and muttered inher soft, low, musical voice, "Mercedes," as the innocent take up andrenew any source of their harmless pleasures. She then stood, with herarms folded meekly on her bosom, resembling a statue of wonder. But itmay be necessary to explain why, at a moment so peculiar, the thoughtsand tongue of Luis had so suddenly resorted to his mistress. In order todo this, we shall first attempt a short description of the person andappearance of Ozema, as was, in fact, the name of the Indian beauty.
All the accounts agree in describing the aborigines of the West Indiesas being singularly well formed, and of a natural grace in theirmovements, that extorted a common admiration among the Spaniards. Theircolor was not unpleasant, and the inhabitants of Hayti, in particular,were said to be very little darker than the people of Spain. Those whowere but little exposed to the bright sun of that climate, and who dwelthabitually beneath the shades of groves, or in the retirement of theirdwellings, like persons of similar habits in Europe, might, bycomparison, have even been termed fair. Such was the fact with Ozema,who, instead of being the wife of the young cacique, was his onlysister. According to the laws of Hayti, the authority of a cacique wastransmitted through females, and a son of Ozema was looked forward to,as the heir of his uncle. Owing to this fact, and to the circumstancethat the true royal line, if a term so dignified can be applied to astate of society so simple, was reduced to these two individuals, Ozemahad been more than usually fostered by the tribe, leaving her free fromcare, and as little exposed to hardships, as at all comported with thecondition of her people. She had reached her eighteenth year, withouthaving experienced any of those troubles and exposures which are more orless the inevitable companions of savage life; though it was remarked bythe Spaniards, that all the Indians they had yet seen seemed more thanusually free from evils of this character. They owed this exception tothe generous quality of the soil, the genial warmth of the climate, andthe salubrity of the air. In a word, Ozema, in her person, possessedjust those advantages that freedom from restraint, native graces, andwild luxuriance, might be supposed to lend the female form, under theadvantages of a mild climate, a healthful and simple diet, and perfectexemption from exposure, care, or toil. It would not have been difficultto fancy Eve such a creature, when she first appeared to Adam, freshfrom the hands of her divine Creator, modest, artless, timid, andperfect.
The Haytians used a scanty dress, though it shocked none of theiropinions to go forth in the garb of nature. Still, few of rank were seenwithout some pretensions to attire, which was worn rather as anornament, or a mark of distinction, than as necessary either to usage orcomfort. Ozema, herself, formed no exception to the general rule. Acincture of Indian cloth, woven in gay colors, circled her slenderwaist, and fell nearly as low as her knees; a robe of spotless cotton,inartificially made, but white as the driven snow, and of a texture sofine that it might have shamed many of the manufactures of our own days,fell like a scarf across a shoulder, and was loosely united at theopposite side, dropping in folds nearly to the ground. Sandals, of greatingenuity and beauty, protected the soles of feet that a queen mighthave envied; and a large plate of pure gold, rudely wrought, wassuspended from her neck by a string of small, but gorgeous shells.Bracelets of the latter were on her pretty wrists, and two light bandsof gold encircled ankles that were as faultless as those of the Venus ofNaples. In that region, the fineness of the hair was thought the test ofbirth, with better reason than many imagine the feet and hands to be, incivilized life. As power and rank had passed from female to female inher family, for several centuries, the hair of Ozema was silken, soft,waving, exuberant, and black as jet. It covered her shoulders, like aglorious mantle, and fell as low as her simple cincture. So light andsilken was this natural veil, that its ends waved in the gentle currentof air that was rather breathing than blowing through the apartment.
Although this extraordinary creature was much the loveliest specimen ofyoung-womanhood that Luis had seen among the wild beauties of theislands, it was not so much her graceful and well-rounded form, or eventhe charms of face and expression, that surprised him, as a decided andaccidental resemblance to the being he had left in Spain, and who had solong been the idol of his heart. This resemblance alone had caused himto utter the name of his mistress, in the manner related. Could the twohave been placed together, it would have been easy to detect markedpoints of difference between them, without being reduced to compare theintellectual and thoughtful expression of our heroine's countenance,with the wondering, doubting, half-startled look of Ozema: but still thegeneral likeness was so strong, that no person who was familiar with theface of one could fail to note it on meeting with the other. Side byside, it would have been discovered that the face of Mercedes had theadvantage in finesse and delicacy; that her features and brow werenobler; her eye more illuminated by the intelligence within; her smilemore radiant with thought and the feelings of a cultivated woman; herblush more sensitive, betraying most of the consciousness ofconventional habits; and that the expression generally was much morehighly cultivated, than that which sprung from the artless impulses andlimited ideas of the young Haytian. Nevertheless, in mere beauty, inyouth, and tint, and outline, the disparity was scarcely perceptible,while the resemblance was striking; and, on the score of animation,native frankness, ingenuousness, and all that witchery which ardent andundisguised feeling lends to woman, many might have preferred theconfiding _abandon_ of the beautiful young Indian, to the more trainedand dignified reserve of the Castilian heiress. What in the latter wasearnest, high-souled, native, but religious enthusiasm, in the other wasmerely the outpourings of unguided impulses, which, however feminine intheir origi
n, were but little regulated in their indulgence.
"Mercedes!" exclaimed our hero, when this vision of Indian lovelinessunexpectedly broke on his sight. "Mercedes!" repeated Mattinao;"Mercedes!" murmured Ozema, recoiling a step, blushing, laughing, andthen resuming her innocent confidence, as she several times uttered thesame word, which she also mistook for an expression of admiration, inher own low, melodious voice.
Conversation being out of the question, there remained nothing for theparties but to express their feelings by signs and acts of amity. Luishad not come on his little expedition unprovided with presents.Anticipating an interview with the wife of the cacique, he had broughtup from the village below, several articles that he supposed might suither untutored fancy. But the moment he beheld the vision that actuallystood before him, they all seemed unworthy of such a being. In one ofhis onsets against the Moors, he had brought off a turban of rich butlight cloth, and he had kept it as a trophy, occasionally wearing it, inhis visits to the shore, out of pure caprice, and as a sort of ornamentthat might well impose on the simple-minded natives. These vagariesexcited no remarks, as mariners are apt to indulge their whims in thismanner, when far from the observations of those to whom they habituallydefer. This turban was on his head at the moment he entered theapartment of Ozema, and, overcome with the delight of finding sounexpected a resemblance, and, possibly, excited by so unlooked-for anexhibition of feminine loveliness, he gallantly unrolled it, threw outthe folds of rich cloth, and cast it over the shoulders of the beautifulOzema as a mantle.
The expressions of gratitude and delight that escaped thisunsophisticated young creature, were warm, sincere, and undisguised. Shecast the ample robe on the ground before her, repeated the word"Mercedes," again and again, and manifested her pleasure with all thewarmth of a generous and ingenuous nature. If we were to say that thisdisplay of Ozema was altogether free from the child-like rapture thatwas, perhaps, inseparable from her ignorance, it would be attributing toher benighted condition the experience and regulated feelings ofadvanced civilization; but, notwithstanding the guileless simplicitywith which she betrayed her emotions, her delight was not without muchof the dignity and tone that usually mark the conduct of the superiorclasses all over the world. Luis fancied it as graceful as it was_naive_ and charming. He endeavored to imagine the manner in which theLady of Valverde might receive an offering of precious stones from thegracious hands of Dona Isabella, and he even thought it very possiblethat the artless grace of Ozema was not far behind what he knew would bethe meek self-respect, mingled with grateful pleasure, that Mercedescould not fail to exhibit.
While thoughts like these were passing through his mind, the Indian girllaid aside her own less enticing robe, without a thought of shame, andthen she folded her faultless form in the cloth of the turban. This wasno sooner done, with a grace and freedom peculiar to her unfetteredmind, than she drew the necklace of shells from her person, and,advancing a step or two toward our hero, extended the offering with ahalf-averted face, though the laughing and willing eyes more thansupplied the place of language. Luis accepted the gift with suitableeagerness, nor did he refrain from using the Castilian gallantry ofkissing the pretty hand from which he took the bauble.
The cacique, who had been a pleased spectator of all that passed, nowsigned for the count to follow him, leading the way toward anotherdwelling. Here Don Luis was introduced to other young females, and totwo or three children, the former of whom, he soon discovered, were thewives of Mattinao, and the latter his offspring. By dint of gestures, afew words, and such other means of explanation as were resorted tobetween the Spaniards and the natives, he now succeeded in ascertainingthe real affinity which existed between the cacique and Ozema. Our herofelt a sensation like pleasure when he discovered that the Indian beautywas not married; and he was fain to refer the feeling, perhaps justly,to a sort of jealous sensitiveness that grew out of her resemblance toMercedes.
The remainder of that, and the whole of the three following days, werepassed by Luis with his friend, the cacique, in this, the favorite andsacred residence of the latter. Of course our hero was, if any thing, asubject of greater interest to all his hosts, than they could possiblybe to him. They took a thousand innocent liberties with his person:examining his dress, and the ornaments he wore, not failing to comparethe whiteness of his skin with the redder tint of that of Mattinao. Onthese occasions Ozema was the most reserved and shy, though her lookfollowed every movement, and her pleased countenance denoted theinterest she felt in all that concerned the stranger. Hours at a time,did Luis lie stretched on fragrant mats near this artless and lovelycreature, studying the wayward expression of her features, in the fondhope of seeing stronger and stronger resemblances to Mercedes, andsometimes losing himself in that which was peculiarly her own. In thecourse of the time passed in these dwellings, efforts were made by thecount to obtain some useful information of the island; and whether itwas owing to her superior rank, or to a native superiority of mind, orto a charm of manner, he soon fancied that the cacique's beautifulsister succeeded better in making him understand her meaning, thaneither of the wives of Mattinao, or the cacique himself. To Ozema, then,Luis put most of his questions; and ere the day had passed, thisquick-witted and attentive girl had made greater progress in opening anintelligible understanding between the adventurers and her countrymen,than had been accomplished by the communications of the two previousmonths. She caught the Spanish words with a readiness that seemedinstinctive, pronouncing them with an accent that only rendered themprettier and softer to the ear.
Luis de Bobadilla was just as good a Catholic as a rigid education, awandering life, and the habits of the camp would be apt to make one ofhis rank, years, and temperament. Still, that was an age in which mostlaymen had a deep reverence for religion; whether they actuallysubmitted to its purifying influence or not. If there were anyfree-thinkers, at all, they existed principally among those who passedtheir lives in their closets, or were to be found among the churchmen,themselves; who often used the cowl as a hood to conceal theirinfidelity. His close association with Columbus, too, had contributed tostrengthen our hero's tendency to believe in the constant supervision ofProvidence; and he now felt a strong inclination to fancy that thisextraordinary facility of Ozema's in acquiring languages, was one of itssemi-miraculous provisions, made with a view to further the introductionof the religion of the cross among her people. Often did he flatterhimself, as he sat gazing into the sparkling, and yet mild eyes of thegirl, listening to her earnest efforts to make him comprehend hermeaning, that he was to be the instrument of bringing about this greatgood, through so young and charming an agent. The admiral had alsoenjoined on him the importance of ascertaining, if possible, theposition of the mines, and he had actually succeeded in making Ozemacomprehend his questions on a subject that was all-engrossing with mostof the Spaniards. Her answers were less intelligible, but Luis thoughtthey never could be sufficiently full; flattering himself, the wholetime, that he was only laboring to comply with the wishes of Columbus.
The day after his arrival, our hero was treated to an exhibition of someof the Indian games. These sports have been too often described to needrepetition here; but, in all their movements and exercises, which werealtogether pacific, the young princess was conspicuous for grace andskill. Luis, too, was required to show his powers, and being exceedinglyathletic and active, he easily bore away the palm from his friendMattinao. The young cacique manifested neither jealousy nordisappointment at this result, while his sister laughed and clapped herhands with delight, when he was outdone, even at his own sports, by thegreater strength or greater efforts of his guest. More than once, thewives of Mattinao seemed to utter gentle reproaches at this exuberanceof feeling, but Ozema answered with smiling taunts, and Luis thoughther, at such moments, more beautiful than even imagination could draw,and perhaps with justice; for her cheeks were flushed, her eyes becameas brilliant as ornaments of jet, and the teeth that were visiblebetween lips like cherries, resembled rows of ivory
. We have said thatthe eyes of Ozema were black, differing, in this particular, from thedeep-blue, melancholy orbs of the enthusiastic Mercedes; but still theywere alike, so often uttering the same feelings, more especiallytouching matters in which Luis was concerned. More than once, during thetrial of strength, did the young man fancy that the expression of therapture which fairly danced in the eyes of Ozema, was the verycounterpart of that of the deep-seated delight which had so often beamedon him, from the glances of Mercedes, in the tourney; and, at suchtimes, it struck him that the resemblance between the two was so strongas, after some allowance had been made for dress, and other sufficientlystriking circumstances, to render them almost identical.
The reader is not to suppose from this, that our hero was actuallyinconstant to big ancient love. Far from it. Mercedes was too deeplyenshrined in his heart--and Luis, with all his faults, was aswarm-hearted and true-hearted a cavalier as breathed--to be so easilydispossessed. But he was young, distant from her he had so long adored,and was, withal, not altogether insensible to admiration so artlesslyand winningly betrayed by the Indian girl. Had there been the leastimmodest glance, any proof that art or design lay at the bottom ofOzema's conduct, he would at once have taken the alarm, and beencompletely disenthralled from his temporary delusion; but, on thecontrary, all was so frank and natural with this artless girl; when shemost betrayed the hold he had taken of her imagination, it was done witha simplicity so obvious, a _naivete_ so irrepressible, and aningenuousness so clearly the fruit of innocence, that it was impossibleto suspect artifice. In a word, our hero merely showed that he washuman, by yielding in a certain degree to a fascination that, under thecircumstances, might well have made deeper inroads on the faith even ofmen who enjoyed much better reputations for stability of purpose.
In situations of so much novelty, time flies swiftly, and Luis himselfwas astonished when, on looking back, he remembered that he had now beenseveral days with Mattinao, most of which period had actually beenpassed in what might not inaptly be termed the seraglio of the cacique.Sancho of the ship-yard-gate had not been in the least neglected allthis time. He had been a hero, in his own circle, as well as the youngnoble, nor had he been at all forgetful of his duty on the subject ofsearching for gold. Though he had neither acquired a single word of theHaytian language, nor taught a syllable of Spanish to even one of thelaughing nymphs who surrounded him, he had decorated the persons of manyof them with hawk's-bells, and had contrived to abstract from them, inreturn, every ornament that resembled the precious metal, which theypossessed. This transfer, no doubt, was honestly effected, however,having been made on that favorite principle of the free trade theorists,which maintains that trade is merely an exchange of equivalents;overlooking all the adverse circumstances which may happen, just at themoment, to determine the standard of value. Sancho had his notions ofcommerce as well as the modern philosophers, and, as he and Luisoccasionally met during their sojourn with Mattinao, he revealed a fewof his opinions on this interesting subject, in one of their interviews.
"I perceive thou hast not forgotten thy passion for doblas, friendSancho," said Luis, laughing, as the old seaman exhibited the store ofdust and golden plates he had collected; "there is sufficient of themetal in thy sack to coin a score of them, each having the royalcountenances of our lord the King, and our lady the Queen!"
"Double that, Senor Conde; just double that; and all for the price ofsome seventeen hawk's-bells, that cost but a handful of maravedis. Bythe mass! this is a most just and holy trade, and such as it becomes usChristians to carry on. Here are these savages, they think no more ofgold than your Excellency thinks of a dead Moor, and to be revenged onthem, I hold a hawk's-bell just as cheap. Let them think as poorly asthey please of their ornaments and yellow dust, they will find me justas willing to part with the twenty hawk's-bells that remain. Let thembarter away, they will find me as ready as they possibly can be, to givenothing for nothing."
"Is this quite honest, Sancho, to rob an Indian of his gold, in exchangefor a bauble that copper so easily purchaseth? Remember thou art aCastilian, and henceforth give _two_ hawk's-bells, where thou hasthitherto given but _one_."
"I never forget my birth, Senor, for happily the ship-yard of Moguer isin old Spain. Is not the value of a thing to be settled by what it willbring in the market? ask any of our traders and they will tell you this,which is clear as the sun in the heavens. When the Venetians lay beforeCandia, grapes, and figs, and Greek wine, could be had for the asking inthat island, while western articles commanded any price. Oh, nothing isplainer than the fact that every thing hath its price, and it is realtrade to give one worthless commodity for another."
"If it be honest to profit by the ignorance of another," answered Luis,who had a nobleman's contempt for commerce, "then it is just to deceivethe child and the idiot."
"God forbid, and especially St. Andrew, my patron, that I should do anything so wicked. Hawk's-bells are of more account than gold, in Hayti,Senor, and happening to know it, I am willing to part with the preciousthings for the dross. You see I am generous instead of being avaricious,for all parties are in Hayti, where the value of, the articles must besettled. It is true, that after running great risks at sea, andundergoing great pains and chances, by carrying this gold to Spain, Imay be requited for my trouble, and get enough benefit to make an honestlivelihood. I hope Dona Isabella will have so much feeling for these,her new subjects, as to prevent their ever going into the shippingbusiness--a most laborious and dangerous calling, as we both well know."
"And why art thou so particular in desiring this favor in behalf ofthese poor islanders, and that, too, Sancho, at the expense of thine ownbones?"
"Simply, Senor," answered the knave, with a cunning leer, "lest itunsettle trade, which ought to be as free and unencumbered as possible.Here, now, if we Spaniards come to Hayti, we sell-one hawk's-bell for adobla in gold; whereas, were we to give these savages the trouble tocome to Spain, a dobla of their gold would buy a hundred hawk's-bells!No--no--it is right as it is; and may a double allowance of purgatory bethe lot of him who wishes to throw any difficulties in the way of agood, honest, free, and civilizing trade, say I."
Sancho was thus occupied in explaining his notions of free trade--thegreat mystification of modern philanthropists--when there arose such acry in the village of Mattinao, as is only heard in moments of extremejeopardy and sudden terror. The conversation took place in the grove,about midway between the town and the private dwellings of the cacique;and so implicit had become the confidence the two Spaniards reposed intheir friends, that neither had any other arms about his person, thanthose furnished by nature. Luis had left both sword and buckler, half anhour earlier, at the feet of Ozetna, who had been enacting a mimic hero,with his weapons, for their mutual diversion; while Sancho had found thearquebuse much too heavy to be carried about for a plaything. The lastwas deposited in the room where he had taken up his comfortablequarters.
"Can this mean treachery, Senor?" exclaimed Sancho. "Have theseblackguards found out the true value of hawk's-bells, after all, and dothey mean to demand the balance due them?"
"My life on it, Mattinao and all his people are true, Sancho. Thisuproar hath a different meaning--hark! is not that the cry of'Caonabo!'"
"The very same, Senor! That is the name of the Carib cacique, who is theterror of all these tribes."
"Thy arquebuse, Sancho, if possible; then join me at the dwellingsabove. Ozema and the wives of our good friend must be defended, at everyhazard!"
Luis had no sooner given these orders, than he and Sancho separated, thelatter running toward the town, which, by this time, was a scene of wildtumult, while our hero, slowly and sullenly, retired toward the privatedwellings of the cacique, occasionally looking back, as if he longed toplunge into the thickest of the fray. Twenty times did he wish for hisfavorite charger and a stout lance, when, indeed, it would not have beenan extraordinary feat for a knight of his prowess to put to flight athousand enemies like those who now menaced him. O
ften had he singlybroken whole ranks of Christian foot-soldiers, and it is well known thatsolitary individuals, when mounted, subsequently drove hundreds of thenatives before them.
The alarm reached the dwelling of Mattinao before our hero. When heentered the house of Ozema, he found its mistress surrounded by fiftyfemales, some of whom had already ascended from the town below, each ofwhom was eagerly uttering the terrible name of "Caonabo." Ozema herselfwas the most collected of them all, though it was apparent that, fromsome cause, she was an object of particular solicitude from those aroundher. As Luis entered the apartment, the wives of Mattinao were pressingaround the princess; and he soon gathered from their words andentreaties, that they urged her to fly, lest she should fall into thehands of the Carib chief. He even fancied, and he fancied it justly,that the rest of the females supposed the seizure of the cacique'sbeautiful sister to be the real object of the sudden attack. Thisconjecture in no manner lessened Luis' ardor in the defence. The momentOzema caught sight of him, she flew to his side, clasping her hands, anduttering the name of "Caonabo," in a tone that would have melted a heartof stone. At the same time, her eyes spoke a language of hope,confidence, and petition that was not necessary to enlist our hero'sresolution on her side. In a moment, the sword of the young cavalier wasin his hand, and the buckler on his arm. He then assured the princess ofhis zeal, in the best manner he could, by placing the buckler before herthrobbing breast, and waving the sword, as in defiance of her enemies:no sooner was this pledge given, than every other female disappeared,some flying to the rescue of their children, and all endeavoring to findplaces of concealment. By this singular and unexpected desertion, Luisfound himself, for the first time since they had met, alone with Ozema.
To remain in the house would be to suffer the enemy to approach unseen,and the shrieks and cries sufficiently announced that, each moment, thedanger grew nearer. Luis accordingly made a sign for the girl to followhim, first rolling the turban into a bundle and placing it on her arm,that it might serve her, at need, as a species of shield against thehostile arrows. While he was thus employed, Ozema's head fell upon hisbreast, and the excited girl burst into tears. This display of weakness,however, lasted but a moment, when she aroused herself, smiled throughher tears, pressed the arm of Luis convulsively, and became the Indianheroine again. They then left the building together.
Luis soon perceived that his retreat from the house had not been made amoment too soon. The family of Mattinao had already disappeared, and astrong party of the invaders was in full view, rushing madly up thegrove, silent, but evidently bent on seizing their prey. He felt Ozema,who clung to his arm, tremble violently, and then he heard hermurmuring--
"Caonabo--no--no--no!"
The young Indian princess had caught the Spanish monosyllable ofdissent, and Luis understood this exclamation to express her strongdisinclination to become a wife of the Carib chief. His resolution toprotect her or to die, was in no manner lessened by this involuntarybetrayal of her feelings, which he could not but think might have someconnection with himself; for, while our hero was both honorable andgenerous, he was human, and, consequently, well disposed to take afavorable view of his own powers of pleasing. It was only in connectionwith Mercedes, that Luis de Bobadilla was humble.
A soldier almost from childhood, the young count looked hastily aroundhim for a position that would favor his means of defence, and whichwould render his arms the most available. Luckily, one offered so nearhim, that it required but a minute to occupy it. The terrace lay againsta precipice of rocks, and a hundred feet from the house, was a spotwhere the face of this precipice was angular, throwing forward a wall oneach side to some distance, while the cliff above overhung the basesufficiently to remove all danger from falling stones. In the angle wereseveral large fragments of rock that would afford shelter againstarrows, and, there being a sufficient space of greensward before them,on which a knight might well display his prowess when in possession ofthis position, our hero felt himself strong, if not impregnable, sincehe could be assailed only in front. Ozema was stationed behind one ofthe fragments of the fallen rocks, her person only half concealed,however, concern for Luis, and curiosity as related to her enemies,equally inducing her to expose her head and beautiful bust.
Luis was scarcely in possession of this post, ere a dozen Indians weredrawn up in a line at the distance of fifty yards in his front. Theywere armed with bows, war-clubs, and spears. Being without otherdefensive armor than his buckler, the young man would have thought hissituation sufficiently critical, did he not know that the archery of thenatives was any thing but formidable. Their arrows would kill,certainly, when shot at short distances, and against the naked skin, butit might be questioned if they would penetrate the stout velvet in whichLuis was encased, and fifty yards was not near enough to excite unduealarm. The young man did not dare to retreat to the rocks, as a clearspace was indispensable for the free use of his good sword, and to thatweapon alone he looked for his eventual triumph.
It was, perhaps, fortunate for our hero that Caonabo himself was notwith the party which beleaguered him. That redoubtable chieftain, whohad been led to a distance in pursuit of the flying females, under abelief that she he sought was among them, would doubtless have broughtthe matter to an immediate issue by a desperate charge, when numbersmight have prevailed against courage and skill. The actual assailantschose a different course, and began to poise their bows. One of the mostskilful among them drew an arrow to the head, and let it fly. Themissile glanced from the buckler of the knight, and struck the hillbehind him, as lightly as if the parties had been at their idle sports.Another followed, and Luis turned it aside with his sword, disdaining toraise his shield against such a trifle. This cool manner of receivingtheir assaults caused the Indians to raise a shout, whether inadmiration or rage, Luis could not tell.
The next attack was more judicious, being made on a principle thatNapoleon is said to have adopted in directing discharges of hisartillery. All those who had bows, some six or eight, drew their arrowstogether, and the weapons came rattling on the buckler of the assailedin a single flight. It was not easy to escape altogether from such acombined assault, and our hero received one or two bruises from glancingarrows, though no blood followed the blows. A second attempt of the samenature was about to be made, when the alarmed girl rushed from her placeof concealment, and, like the Pocahontas of our own history, threwherself before Luis, with her arms meekly placed on her bosom. As soonas she appeared, there was a cry of "Ozema"--"Ozema," among theassailants, who were not Caribs, as all will understand who are familiarwith the island history, but milder Haytians, governed by a Carib chief.
In vain Luis endeavored to persuade the devoted girl to withdraw. Shethought his life in danger, and no language, had he been able to exerthis eloquence on the occasion, could have induced her to leave himexposed to such a danger. As the Indians were endeavoring to obtainchances at the person of Luis without killing the princess, he saw thereremained no alternative but a retreat behind the fragment of rock. Justas he obtained this temporary security, a fierce-looking warrior joinedthe assailants, who immediately commenced a vociferous explanation ofthe actual state of the attack.
"Caonabo?" demanded Luis, of Ozema, pointing toward the new-comer.
The girl shook her head, after taking an anxious look at the stranger'sface, at the same time clinging to our hero's arm, with seductivedependence.
"No--no--no--" she said, eagerly. "No Caonabo--no--no--no."
Luis understood the first part of this answer to mean that the strangerwas not the Carib chief; and the last to signify Ozema's strong andsettled aversion to becoming his wife.
The consultation among the assailants was soon ended. Six of them thenpoised their war-clubs and spears, and made a rush for the citadel ofthe besieged. When they were within twenty feet of his cover, our herosprang lightly forward on the sward to meet his foes. Two of the spearshe received on his buckler, severing both shafts with a single blow ofhis keen and highly-temper
ed sword. As he recovered from the effort,with an upward cut he met the raised arm of the club-man most inadvance. Hand and club fell at his feet with the skilful touch. Making asweep with the weapon in his front, its point seamed the breasts of thetwo astonished spears-men, whose distance alone saved them from moreserious injuries.
This rapid and unlooked-for execution struck the assailants with awe anddread. Never before had they witnessed the power of metal as used inwar; and the sudden amputation of the arm struck them as somethingmiraculous. Even the ferocious Carib fell back in dismay, and Luis felthopes of victory. This was the first occasion on which the Spaniards hadcome to blows with the mild inhabitants of the islands they haddiscovered, though it is usual with the historians to refer to anincident of still latter occurrence, as the commencement of strife, thesevere privacy which has ever been thrown over the connection of DonLuis with the expedition, having completely baffled their slight andsuperficial researches. Of course, the efficiency of a weapon like thatused by our hero, was as novel to the Haytians as it was terrific.
At this instant a shout among the assailants, and the appearance of afresh body of the invaders, with a tall and commanding chief at theirhead, announced the arrival of Caonabo in person. This warlike caciquewas soon made acquainted with the state of affairs, and it was evidentthat the prowess of our hero struck him as much with admiration as withwonder. After a few minutes, he directed his followers to fall back to agreater distance, and, laying aside his club, he advanced fearlesslytoward Luis, making signs of amity.
When the two adversaries met, it was with mutual respect and confidence.The Carib made a short and vehement speech, in which the only word thatwas intelligible to our hero, was the name of the beautiful youngIndian. By this time Ozema had also advanced, as if eager to speak, andher rude suitor turned to her, with an appeal that was passionate, ifnot eloquent. He laid his hand frequently on his heart, and his voicebecame soft and persuasive. Ozema replied earnestly, and in the quickmanner of one whose resolution was settled. At the close of her speech,the color mounted to the temples of the ardent girl, and, as ifpurposely to make her meaning understood by our hero, she ended bysaying, in Spanish--
"Caonabo--no--no--no!--Luis--Luis!"
The aspect of the hurricane of the tropics is not darker, or moremenacing, than the scowl with which the Carib chief heard thisunequivocal rejection of his suit, accompanied, as it was, by so plain ademonstration in favor of the stranger. Waving his hand in defiance, hestrode back to his people, and issued orders for a fresh assault.
This time, a tempest of arrows preceded the rush, and Luis was fain toseek his former cover behind the rocks. Indeed, this was the only mannerin which he could save the life of Ozema; the devoted girl resolutelypersevering in standing before his body, in the hope it would shield himfrom his enemies. There had been some words of reproach from Caonabo tothe Carib chief who had retreated from the first attack, and the air wasyet filled with arrows, as this man rushed forward, singly, to redeemhis name. Luis met him, firm as the rock behind him. The shock wasviolent, and the blow that fell on the buckler would have crushed an armless inured to such rude encounters; but it glanced obliquely from theshield, and the club struck the earth with the weight of a beetle. Ourhero saw that all now depended on a deep impression. His sword flashedin the bright sun, and the head of the Carib tumbled by the side of hisclub, actually leaving the body erect for an instant, so keen was theweapon, and so dexterous had been the blow.
Twenty savages were on the spring, but they stopped like men transfixed,at this unexpected sight. Caonabo, however, undaunted even when mostsurprised, roared out his orders like a maddened bull, and the waveringcrowd was again about to advance, when the loud report of an arquebusewas heard, followed by the whistling of its deadly missives. A secondHaytian fell dead in his tracks. It exceeded the powers of savageendurance to resist this assault, which, to their uninstructed minds,appeared to come from heaven. In two minutes, neither Caonabo nor any ofhis followers were visible. As they rushed down the hill, Sanchoappeared from a cover, carrying the arquebuse, which he had taken theprecaution to reload.
The circumstances did not admit of delay. Not a being of Mattinao'stribe was to be seen in any direction; and Luis made no doubt that theyhad all fled. Determined to save Ozema at every hazard, he now took hisway to the river, in order to escape in one of the canoes. In passingthrough the town, it was seen that not a house had been plundered; andthe circumstance was commented on by the Spaniards, Luis pointing it outto his companion.
"Caonabo--no--no--no--Ozema!--Ozema!" was the answer of the girl, whowell knew the real object of the inroad.
A dozen canoes lay at the landing, and five minutes sufficed for thefugitives to enter one and to commence their retreat. The current flowedtoward the sea, and in a couple of hours they were on the ocean. As thewind blew constantly from the eastward, Sancho soon rigged an apologyfor a sail, and an hour before the sun set, the party landed on a pointthat concealed them from the bay; Luis being mindful of the admiral'sinjunction, to conceal his excursion, lest others might claim a similarfavor.