CHAPTER XXIV
In the Wood
Early, very early indeed, somewhat differently from his usual custom,Padre Salvi had celebrated mass and cleansed a dozen sinful souls in afew moments. Then it seemed that the reading of some letters which hehad received firmly sealed and waxed caused the worthy curate to losehis appetite, since he allowed his chocolate to become completely cold.
"The padre is getting sick," commented the cook while preparing anothercup. "For days he hasn't eaten; of the six dishes that I set beforehim on the table he doesn't touch even two."
"It's because he sleeps badly," replied the other servant. "He hasnightmares since he changed his bedroom. His eyes are becoming moresunken all the time and he's getting thinner and yellower day by day."
Truly, Padre Salvi was a pitiable sight. He did not care to touch thesecond cup of chocolate nor to taste the sweet cakes of Cebu; instead,he paced thoughtfully about the spacious sala, crumpling in his bonyhands the letters, which he read from time to time. Finally, he calledfor his carriage, got ready, and directed that he be taken to thewood where stood the fateful tree near which the picnic was being held.
Arriving at the edge of the wood, the padre dismissed his carriageand made his way alone into its depths. A gloomy pathway opened adifficult passage through the thickets and led to the brook formedby certain warm springs, like many that flow from the slopes ofMr. Makiling. Adorning its banks grow wild flowers, many of whichhave as yet no Latin names, but which are doubtless well-known tothe gilded insects and butterflies of all shapes and colors, blue andgold, white and black, many-hued, glittering with iridescent spots,with rubies and emeralds on their wings, and to the countless beetleswith their metallic lusters of powdered gold. The hum of the insects,the cries of the cicada, which cease not night or day, the songs ofthe birds, and the dry crashing of the rotten branch that falls andstrikes all around against the trees, are the only sounds to breakthe stillness of that mysterious place.
For some time the padre wandered aimlessly among the thick underbrush,avoiding the thorns that caught at his _guingon_ habit as though todetain him, and the roots of the trees that protruded from the soilto form stumbling-blocks at every step for this wanderer unaccustomedto such places. But suddenly his feet were arrested by the sound ofclear voices raised in merry laughter, seeming to come from the brookand apparently drawing nearer.
"I'm going to see if I can find one of those nests," said a beautiful,sweet voice, which the curate recognized. "I'd like to see _him_without having him see me, so I could follow him everywhere."
Padre Salvi hid behind the trunk of a large tree and set himselfto eavesdrop.
"Does that mean that you want to do with him what the curate does withyou?" asked a laughing voice. "He watches you everywhere. Be careful,for jealousy makes people thin and puts rings around their eyes."
"No, no, not jealousy, it's pure curiosity," replied the silvery voice,while the laughing one repeated, "Yes, jealousy, jealousy!" and sheburst out into merry laughter.
"If I were jealous, instead of making myself invisible, I'd make himso, in order that no one might see him."
"But neither would you see _him_ and that wouldn't be nice. The bestthing for us to do if we find the nest would be to present it to thecurate so that he could watch over us without the necessity of ourseeing him, don't you think so?"
"I don't believe in those herons' nests," interrupted another voice,"but if at any time I should be jealous, I'd know how to watch andstill keep myself hidden."
"How, how? Perhaps like a _Sor Escucha?_" [73]
This reminiscence of school-days provoked another merry burst oflaughter.
"And you know how she's fooled, the _Sor Escucha!_"
From his hiding-place Padre Salvi saw Maria Clara, Victoria, and Sinangwading along the border of the brook. They were moving forward withtheir eyes fixed on the crystal waters, seeking the enchanted nest ofthe heron, wet to their knees so that the wide folds of their bathingskirts revealed the graceful curves of their bodies. Their hair wasflung loose, their arms bare, and they wore camisas with wide stripesof bright hues. While looking for something that they could not findthey were picking flowers and plants which grew along the bank.
The religious Acteon stood pale and motionless gazing at that chasteDiana, but his eyes glittered in their dark circles, untired of staringat those white and shapely arms and at that elegant neck and bust,while the small rosy feet that played in the water awoke in his starvedbeing strange sensations and in his burning brain dreams of new ideas.
The three charming figures disappeared behind a bamboo thicketaround a bend in the brook, and their cruel allusions ceased to beheard. Intoxicated, staggering, covered with perspiration, Padre Salvileft his hiding-place and looked all about him with rolling eyes. Hestood still as if in doubt, then took a few steps as though he wouldtry to follow the girls, but turned again and made his way along thebanks of the stream to seek the rest of the party.
At a little distance he saw in the middle of the brook a kind ofbathing-place, well enclosed, decorated with palm leaves, flowers,and streamers, with a leafy clump of bamboo for a covering, fromwithin which came the sound of happy feminine voices. Farther onhe saw a bamboo bridge and beyond it the men bathing. Near these acrowd of servants was busily engaged around improvised _kalanes_ inplucking chickens, washing rice, and roasting a pig. On the oppositebank in a cleared space were gathered men and women under a canvascovering which was fastened partly to the hoary trees and partly tonewly-driven stakes. There were gathered the alferez, the coadjutor,the gobernadorcillo, the teniente-mayor, the schoolmaster, and manyother personages of the town, even including Sinang's father, CapitanBasilio, who had been the adversary of the deceased Don Rafael inan old lawsuit. Ibarra had said to him, "We are disputing over apoint of law, but that does not mean that we are enemies," so thecelebrated orator of the conservatives had enthusiastically acceptedthe invitation, sending along three turkeys and putting his servantsat the young man's disposal.
The curate was received with respect and deference by all, even thealferez. "Why, where has your Reverence been?" asked the latter,as he noticed the curate's scratched face and his habit covered withleaves and dry twigs. "Has your Reverence had a fall?"
"No, I lost my way," replied Padre Salvi, lowering his gaze to examinehis gown.
Bottles of lemonade were brought out and green coconuts were splitopen so that the bathers as they came from the water might refreshthemselves with the milk and the soft meat, whiter than the milkitself. The girls all received in addition rosaries of sampaguitas,intertwined with roses and ilang-ilang blossoms, to perfume theirflowing tresses. Some of the company sat on the ground or reclinedin hammocks swung from the branches of the trees, while othersamused themselves around a wide flat rock on which were to be seenplaying-cards, a chess-board, booklets, cowry shells, and pebbles.
They showed the cayman to the curate, but he seemed inattentiveuntil they told him that the gaping wound had been inflicted byIbarra. The celebrated and unknown pilot was no longer to be seen,as he had disappeared before the arrival of the alferez.
At length Maria Clara came from the bath with her companions, lookingfresh as a rose on its first morning when the dew sparkling on its fairpetals glistens like diamonds. Her first smile was for Crisostomo andthe first cloud on her brow for Padre Salvi, who noted it and sighed.
The lunch hour was now come, and the curate, the coadjutor, thegobernadorcillo, the teniente-mayor, and the other dignitaries tooktheir seats at the table over which Ibarra presided. The motherswould not permit any of the men to eat at the table where the youngwomen sat.
"This time, Albino, you can't invent holes as in the bankas," saidLeon to the quondam student of theology. "What_!_ What's that?" askedthe old women.
"The bankas, ladies, were as whole as this plate is," explained Leon.
"_Jesus!_ The rascal!" exclaimed the smiling Aunt Isabel.
"Have you yet learned anything of the criminal
who assaulted PadreDamaso?" inquired Fray Salvi of the alferez.
"Of what criminal, Padre?" asked the military man, staring at thefriar over the glass of wine that he was emptying,
"What criminal! Why, the one who struck Padre Damaso in the roadyesterday afternoon!"
"Struck Padre Damaso?" asked several voices.
The coadjutor seemed to smile, while Padre Salvi went on: "Yes, andPadre Damaso is now confined to his bed. It's thought that he may bethe very same Elias who threw you into the mudhole, senor alferez."
Either from shame or wine the alferez's face became very red.
"Of course, I thought," continued Padre Salvi in a joking manner,"that you, the alferez of the Civil Guard, would be informed aboutthe affair."
The soldier bit his lip and was murmuring some foolish excuse, whenthe meal was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a pale, thin,poorly-clad woman. No one had noticed her approach, for she had comeso noiselessly that at night she might have been taken for a ghost.
"Give this poor woman something to eat," cried the old women. "_Oy_,come here!"
Still the strange woman kept on her way to the table where thecurate was seated. As he turned his face and recognized her, hisknife dropped from his hand.
"Give this woman something to eat," ordered Ibarra.
"The night is dark and the boys disappear," murmured the wanderingwoman, but at sight of the alferez, who spoke to her, she becamefrightened and ran away among the trees.
"Who is she?" he asked.
"An unfortunate woman who has become insane from fear and sorrow,"answered Don Filipo. "For four days now she has been so."
"Is her name Sisa?" asked Ibarra with interest.
"Your soldiers arrested her," continued the teniente-mayor, ratherbitterly, to the alferez. "They marched her through the town onaccount of something about her sons which isn't very clearly known."
"What!" exclaimed the alferez, turning to the curate, "she isn't themother of your two sacristans?"
The curate nodded in affirmation.
"They disappeared and nobody made any inquiries about them," added DonFilipo with a severe look at the gobernadorcillo, who dropped his eyes.
"Look for that woman," Crisostomo ordered the servants. "I promisedto try to learn where her sons are."
"They disappeared, did you say?" asked the alferez. "Your sacristansdisappeared, Padre?"
The friar emptied the glass of wine before him and again nodded.
"_Caramba_, Padre!" exclaimed the alferez with a sarcastic laugh,pleased at the thought of a little revenge. "A few pesos of yourReverence's disappear and my sergeant is routed out early to hunt forthem--two sacristans disappear and your Reverence says nothing--andyou, senor capitan--It's also true that you--"
Here he broke off with another laugh as he buried his spoon in thered meat of a wild papaya.
The curate, confused, and not over-intent upon what he was saying,replied, "That's because I have to answer for the money--"
"A good answer, reverend shepherd of souls!" interrupted the alferezwith his mouth full of food. "A splendid answer, holy man!"
Ibarra wished to intervene, but Padre Salvi controlled himself byan effort and said with a forced smile, "Then you don't know, sir,what is said about the disappearance of those boys? No? Then askyour soldiers!"
"What!" exclaimed the alferez, all his mirth gone.
"It's said that on the night they disappeared several shots wereheard."
"Several shots?" echoed the alferez, looking around at the otherguests, who nodded their heads in corroboration of the padre'sstatement.
Padre Salvi then replied slowly and with cutting sarcasm: "Come now,I see that you don't catch the criminals nor do you know what is goingon in your own house, yet you try to set yourself up as a preacherto point out their duties to others. You ought to keep in mind thatproverb about the fool in his own house--" [74]
"Gentlemen!" interrupted Ibarra, seeing that the alferez had grownpale. "In this connection I should like to have your opinion about aproject of mine. I'm thinking of putting this crazy woman under thecare of a skilful physician and, in the meantime, with your aid andadvice, I'll search for her sons."
The return of the servants without the madwoman, whom they had beenunable to find, brought peace by turning the conversation to othermatters.
The meal ended, and while the tea and coffee were being served,both old and young scattered about in different groups. Some took thechessmen, others the cards, while the girls, curious about the future,chose to put questions to a _Wheel of Fortune_.
"Come, Senor Ibarra," called Capitan Basilio in merry mood, "we havea lawsuit fifteen years old, and there isn't a judge in the Audienciawho can settle it. Let's see if we can't end it on the chess-board."
"With the greatest pleasure," replied the youth. "Just wait a moment,the alferez is leaving."
Upon hearing about this match all the old men who understood chessgathered around the board, for it promised to be an interesting one,and attracted even spectators who were not familiar with the game. Theold women, however, surrounded the curate in order to converse with himabout spiritual matters, but Fray Salvi apparently did not considerthe place and time appropriate, for he gave vague answers and hissad, rather bored, looks wandered in all directions except towardhis questioners.
The chess-match began with great solemnity. "If this game ends in adraw, it's understood that the lawsuit is to be dropped," said Ibarra.
In the midst of the game Ibarra received a telegram which causedhis eyes to shine and his face to become pale. He put it into hispocketbook, at the same time glancing toward the group of young people,who were still with laughter and shouts putting questions to Destiny.
"Check to the king!" called the youth.
Capitan Basilio had no other recourse than to hide the piece behindthe queen.
"Check to the queen!" called the youth as he threatened that piecewith a rook which was defended by a pawn.
Being unable to protect the queen or to withdraw the piece on accountof the king behind it, Capitan Basilio asked for time to reflect.
"Willingly," agreed Ibarra, "especially as I have something to say thisvery minute to those young people in that group over there." He arosewith the agreement that his opponent should have a quarter of an hour.
Iday had the round card on which were written the forty-eightquestions, while Albino held the book of answers.
"A lie! It's not so!" cried Sinang, half in tears.
"What's the matter?" asked Maria Clara.
"Just imagine, I asked, 'When shall I have some sense?' I threw thedice and that worn-out priest read from the book, 'When the frogsraise hair.' What do you think of that?" As she said this, Sinangmade a grimace at the laughing ex-theological student.
"Who told you to ask that question?" her cousin Victoria asked her. "Toask it is enough to deserve such an answer."
"You ask a question," they said to Ibarra, offering him thewheel. "We're decided that whoever gets the best answer shall receivea present from the rest. Each of us has already had a question."
"Who got the best answer?"
"Maria Clara, Maria Clara!" replied Sinang. "We made her ask,willy-nilly, 'Is your sweetheart faithful and constant?' And thebook answered--"
But here the blushing Maria Clara put her hands over Sinang's mouthso that she could not finish.
"Well, give me the wheel," said Crisostomo, smiling. "My question is,'Shall I succeed in my present enterprise?'"
"What an ugly question!" exclaimed Sinang.
Ibarra threw the dice and in accordance with the resulting numberthe page and line were sought.
"Dreams are dreams," read Albino.
Ibarra drew out the telegram and opened it with trembling hands. "Thistime your book is wrong!" he exclaimed joyfully. "Read this: 'Schoolproject approved. Suit decided in your favor.'"
"What does it mean?" all asked.
"Didn't you say that a present is to be given to the one
receivingthe best answer?" he asked in a voice shaking with emotion as he torethe telegram carefully into two pieces.
"Yes, yes!"
"Well then, this is my present," he said as he gave one piece toMaria Clara. "A school for boys and girls is to be built in the townand this school is my present."
"And the other part, what does it mean?"
"It's to be given to the one who has received the worst answer."
"To me, then, to me!" cried Sinang.
Ibarra gave her the other piece of the telegram and hastily withdrew.
"What does it mean?" she asked, but the happy youth was already ata distance, returning to the game of chess.
Fray Salvi in abstracted mood approached the circle of youngpeople. Maria Clara wiped away her tears of joy, the laughter ceased,and the talk died away. The curate stared at the young people withoutoffering to say anything, while they silently waited for him to speak.
"What's this?" he at length asked, picking up the book and turningits leaves.
"_The Wheel of Fortune_, a book of games," replied Leon.
"Don't you know that it's a sin to believe in these things?" hescolded, tearing the leaves out angrily.
Cries of surprise and anger escaped from the lips of all.
"It's a greater sin to dispose of what isn't yours, against the wishof the owner," contradicted Albino, rising. "Padre, that's what iscalled stealing and it is forbidden by God and men!"
Maria Clara clasped her hands and gazed with tearful eyes at theremnants of the book which a few moments before had been the sourceof so much happiness for her.
Contrary to the general expectation, Fray Salvi did not reply toAlbino, but stood staring at the torn leaves as they were whirledabout, some falling in the wood, some in the water, then he staggeredaway with his hands over his head. He stopped for a few momentsto speak with Ibarra, who accompanied him to one of the carriages,which were at the disposal of the guests.
"He's doing well to leave, that kill-joy," murmured Sinang. "He hasa face that seems to say, 'Don't laugh, for I know about your sins!'"
After making the present to his fiancee, Ibarra was so happy thathe began to play without reflection or a careful examination of thepositions of the pieces. The result was that although Capitan Basiliowas hard pressed the game became a stalemate, owing to many carelessmoves on the young man's part.
"It's settled, we're at peace!" exclaimed Capitan Basilio heartily.
"Yes, we're at peace," repeated the youth, "whatever the decision ofthe court may be." And the two shook hands cordially.
While all present were rejoicing over this happy termination of aquarrel of which both parties were tired, the sudden arrival of asergeant and four soldiers of the Civil Guard, all armed and withbayonets fixed, disturbed the mirth and caused fright among the women.
"Keep still, everybody!" shouted the sergeant. "Shoot any one whomoves!"
In spite of this blustering command, Ibarra arose and approached thesergeant. "What do you want?" he asked.
"That you deliver to us at once a criminal named Elias, who was yourpilot this morning," was the threatening reply.
"A criminal--the pilot? You must be mistaken," answered Ibarra.
"No, sir, this Elias has just been accused of putting his hand ona priest--"
"Oh, was that the pilot?"
"The very same, according to reports. You admit persons of badcharacter into your fiestas, Senor Ibarra."
Ibarra looked him over from head to foot and replied with greatdisdain, "I don't have to give you an account of my actions! At ourfiestas all are welcome. Had you yourself come, you would have founda place at our table, just as did your alferez, who was with us acouple of hours ago." With this he turned his back.
The sergeant gnawed at the ends of his mustache but, consideringhimself the weaker party, ordered the soldiers to institute a search,especially among the trees, for the pilot, a description of whom hecarried on a piece of paper.
Don Filipo said to him, "Notice that this description fits nine tenthsof the natives. Don't make any false move!"
After a time the soldiers returned with the report that theyhad been unable to see either banka or man that could be calledsuspicious-looking, so the sergeant muttered a few words and wentaway as he had come--in the manner of the Civil Guard!
The merriment was little by little restored, amid questions andcomments.
"So that's the Elias who threw the alferez into the mudhole," saidLeon thoughtfully.
"How did that happen? How was it?" asked some of the more curious.
"They say that on a very rainy day in September the alferez met a manwho was carrying a bundle of firewood. The road was very muddy andthere was only a narrow path at the side, wide enough for but oneperson. They say that the alferez, instead of reining in his pony,put spurs to it, at the same time calling to the man to get outof the way. It seemed that this man, on account of the heavy loadhe was carrying on his shoulder, had little relish for going backnor did he want to be swallowed up in the mud, so he continued onhis way forward. The alferez in irritation tried to knock him down,but he snatched a piece of wood from his bundle and struck the ponyon the head with such great force that it fell, throwing its riderinto the mud. They also say that the man went on his way tranquillywithout taking any notice of the five bullets that were fired afterhim by the alferez, who was blind with mud and rage. As the man wasentirely unknown to him it was supposed that he might be the famousElias who came to the province several months ago, having come fromno one knows where. He has given the Civil Guard cause to know himin several towns for similar actions."
"Then he's a tulisan?" asked Victoria shuddering.
"I don't think so, for they say that he fought against some tulisanesone day when they were robbing a house."
"He hasn't the look of a criminal," commented Sinang.
"No, but he looks very sad. I didn't see him smile the whole morning,"added Maria Clara thoughtfully.
So the afternoon passed away and the hour for returning to thetown came. Under the last rays of the setting sun they leftthe woods, passing in silence by the mysterious tomb of Ibarra'sancestors. Afterwards, the merry talk was resumed in a lively manner,full of warmth, beneath those branches so little accustomed to hearso many voices. The trees seemed sad, while the vines swung back andforth as if to say, "Farewell, youth! Farewell, dream of a day!"
Now in the light of the great red torches of bamboo and with thesound of the guitars let us leave them on the road to the town. Thegroups grow smaller, the lights are extinguished, the songs die away,and the guitar becomes silent as they approach the abodes of men. Puton the mask now that you are once more amongst your kind!