CHAPTER XXVII.
THE JUSTICE OF THE DARK-HEARTS.
Don Tadeo and his friend Don Gregorio were introduced, after exchangingseveral passwords, into a subterraneous apartment, the entrance to whichwas perfectly concealed in the wall. The door closed immediately afterthem; the two men turned round sharply, but all signs of an openinghad disappeared. Without taking further notice of this circumstance,which they no doubt had expected, they cast an inquiring glance aroundthem, in order to obtain some knowledge of the locality. The placewas admirably chosen for a meeting of conspirators. It was an immenseapartment, which must have served for a long time as a cellar, as wasmade evident by the essentially alcoholic emanations still floating inthe air; the walls were low and thick, and of a dirty red colour; alamp with three jets, hanging from the roof, far from dispersing thedarkness, seemed only to render it in a manner visible. In a recessstood a table, behind which a man in a mask was seated, near to twoempty seats. Men enveloped in cloaks, and all wearing black velvetmasks, were gliding about in the darkness, silent as phantoms.
Don Tadeo and his friend exchanged a glance, and without speaking aword, proceeded to take their places in the empty seats. As soon asthey were seated, a change came over the meeting: the low whisperingwhich had been heard till that moment ceased all at once, as if byenchantment. All the conspirators gathered in a single group in front ofthe table, and with arms crossed upon their chests, waited earnestly.The man who before the arrival of Don Tadeo had appeared to preside overthe meeting arose, and casting round a confident glance on the attentivecrowd, said--
"On this day the seventy-two _ventas_ of the Dark-Hearts, spread overthe territories of the republic, are assembled in council. In all ofthem the taking up of arms, of which we, the _venta_ of Valdivia, willinstantly give the signal, will be decreed. Everywhere men faithful tothe good cause, true lovers of liberty, are preparing to commence thestruggle with Bustamente. Will you all, comrades, who are here present,when the hour strikes, descend frankly and boldly into the arena? Willyou sacrifice, without reserve, your family, your fortune, and even yourlife, if necessary, for the public good?"
He ceased, and a funereal silence prevailed in the assembly.
"Answer!" he resumed; "what will you do?"
"We will die!" the band of conspirators murmured, like a sinister andterrible echo.
"That is well, my brothers," Don Tadeo said, rising suddenly. "Iexpected no less from you, and I thank you. I have long known you all,and felt that I could depend upon you--I, whom none of you know. Thesemasks which conceal you one from another, are but transparent gauzefor the chief of the Dark-Hearts--and I am the King of Darkness! Ihave sworn that you shall live as free men, or that I will die! Beforetwenty-four hours have passed away, you will hear the signal you haveso long waited for, and then will commence that terrible struggle whichcan only end in the death of the tyrant; all the provinces, all thecities, all the towns will rise _en masse_ at the same instant; courage,then! You have only a few hours longer to suffer. The war of ambushes,surprises, of subterranean treacheries is ended; war, frank, loyal,open, in the face of the sun, is about to begin; let us show ourselveswhat we always have been, firm in our faith, and ready to die for ouropinions! Let the chiefs of sections draw near."
Ten men left the ranks, and placed themselves silently ten paces fromthe table.
"Let the corporal of chiefs of sections answer for all," said Don Tadeo.
"I am the corporal," said one of the masked men; "the orders expeditedfrom the Quinta Verde have been executed; all the sections are warned;they are all ready to rise at the first signal; each will takepossession of the posts that are assigned it."
"So far well! How many men have you at your disposal?"
"Seven thousand three hundred and seventy-seven."
"Can you depend upon them all?"
"No."
"How many are there lukewarm or irresolute?"
"Four thousand."
"How many firm and convinced?"
"Nearly three thousand; but for these I will be answerable."
"That is well! we have even more than we want; the brave will attractothers. Return to your places."
The chiefs of sections drew back,
"Now," Don Tadeo continued, "before we separate, I have to call downyour justice upon one of our brothers, who, having entered deeply intoour secrets, has been false to the society several times for a littlegold; I have the proofs in my hands. The circumstances are of the utmostimportance; one word--a single word--may ruin our cause and us! Say,what chastisement does this man deserve?"
"Death!" the conspirators responded, coolly, but simultaneously.
"I know this man," Don Tadeo continued; "let him come forth from theranks, and not oblige me to tear off his mask, and hurl his name in hisface."
No one stirred.
"This man is here--I can see him; for the last time, let him step forth,and not crown his baseness by seeking to avoid the punishment he merits."
The conspirators cast suspicious glances at each other; the assemblyseemed moved by an extreme anxiety; the man, however, upon whom theKing of Darkness called, persisted in remaining confounded amongst hiscompanions.
Don Tadeo waited for an instant, but finding that the man whom hesummoned imagined he should remain unknown, and not be discoveredbeneath his mask, he made a signal, and Don Gregorio rose and advancedtowards the group of conspirators, which opened at his approach, andlaid his hand roughly on the shoulder of a man who had instinctivelyretreated before him, until the wall forced him to stop.
"Come with me, Don Pedro," he said, and he dragged rather than led himto the table, behind which stood Don Tadeo, calm and implacable.
The guilty spy was seized with a convulsive trembling, his teethchattered, and he fell upon his knees, crying with terror:
"Mercy, my lord, mercy!"
Don Gregorio tore off his mask, and revealed the face of the spy, whosefeatures, horribly contracted by fear, and of an ashy paleness, werereally hideous.
"Don Pedro," Don Tadeo said, in a stern voice, "you have several timessought to sell your brothers of the society; it was you who causedthe death of the ten patriots shot upon the Place of Santiago; it wasyou who betrayed the secret of the Quinta Verde to the soldiers ofBustamente; this very day, even, scarcely two hours ago, you held a longconversation with General Bustamente, in which you agreed to deliver upto him tomorrow the principal chiefs of the Dark-Hearts: is that true?"
The miserable wretch had not a word to say in his defence; confounded,overwhelmed by the irresistible proofs accumulated against him, he hungdown his head in utter abandonment.
"Is this true?" Don Tadeo reiterated.
"It is true," he murmured, in a scarcely audible voice.
"You acknowledge yourself guilty?"
"Yes," he said, with a heart-stifling sob; "but grant me life, nobleseigneur, and I swear----"
"Silence!"
The spy was struck with mute despair.
"You have heard, companions and friends, how this man confesses his owncrimes; for the last time, what punishment does he deserve for havingsold his brothers?"
"Death!" replied the Dark-Hearts, without hesitation.
"In the name of the Dark-Hearts, of whom I am king, I condemn you,Don Pedro Saldillo, to death, for treachery and felony towards yourbrethren. You have five minutes to make your peace with Heaven," DonTadeo said, sternly.
He placed his watch upon the table, and drawing a pistol from his belt,cocked it deliberately. The sharp noise of the hammer made the condemnedman shudder with fear. A profound silence prevailed in the vault; thehearts of these implacable men might be heard beating in their breasts.The spy cast around wild, despairing glances, but beheld nothing butangry eyes gleaming upon him through hideous masks. Over the vault, inthe chingana, they continued dancing, and faint puffs of _sambacuejas_penetrated, at intervals, mixed with uproarious bursts of laughter, evento the awful scene beneath. The contrast of this riotous mirth
withthe terrible act of justice which was being carried out, had somethingappalling in it.
"The five minutes are past," said Don Tadeo, in a firm voice.
"A few minutes more! a few minutes, my lord!" the spy implored, wringinghis hands in despair. "I am not prepared; you cannot kill me thus! Inthe name of all you hold most dear, let me live!"
Without appearing to hear him, Don Tadeo lifted his pistol, and themiserable culprit rolled upon the ground, with his brains scatteredaround him.
"Oh!" he cried, as the pistol was aimed, "be accursed, ye assassins!"His death prevented the utterance of more.
The conspirators stood cold, impassive spectators of the scene. As soonas the stern act of justice was completed, at a signal from the chief,several men opened a trap in the floor which covered a hole half filledwith quick lime; the body was thrown into it, and the trap closed again.
"Justice has been done, brothers," said Don Tadeo, solemnly; "go inpeace, the King of Darkness watches over you."
The conspirators bowed respectfully, and disappeared one after theother, without uttering a word. At the end of a quarter of an hour noone remained in the vault but Don Tadeo and Don Gregorio.
"Oh!" said Don Tadeo, "Shall we always have thus to combat treachery?"
"Courage! my friend; you have yourself said, in a few hours war willcommence in the face of day."
"God grant I may not be deceived! This contest in the dark makesfrightful demands upon the mind; my heart begins to fail me!"
The two conspirators regained the chingana, in which the dancing,laughing, and drinking were going on with undiminished spirit; theypassed through so as not to be observed, and came out into the street.They had hardly walked fifty steps when they were joined by a man, who,to their great surprise, proved to be Valentine Guillois.
"God be praised for bringing you here so opportunely!" said Don Tadeo.
"I hope I am punctual," the Parisian remarked, with a gay laugh.
Don Tadeo pressed his hand warmly, and drew him towards his residence,where our three personages soon arrived.