CHAPTER VIII.
QUONIAM'S RETURN.
The meal did not take long; each of the guests, busied with secretthoughts, ate quietly and silently. Tranquil, though he did not dare askany questions of Black-deer or Loyal Heart, for all that, burned tolearn by what concourse of extraordinary events these two men, who hadstarted from diametrically opposite points, had eventually grown intosuch close intimacy.
Nor did he understand any better how a white man of a pure race, young,and who appeared to have received a certain education, had so completelygiven up relations with men of his ideas, to adopt, as Loyal Heart haddone, the mode of life of the Redskins, and become, as it were, a partof one of these nations.
But the tiger killer was too well acquainted with prairie manners to tryand lead the conversation to a topic which might perhaps have displeasedhis comrades, and which, at any rate, would have displayed a curiosityon his part unworthy of an old wood ranger; he therefore contentedhimself with cudgelling his brains to try and strike a spark which mightguide him to the discovery of the truth, without permitting himself theslightest allusion to a subject which he longed to know all about.
Carmela felt a great friendship for Singing-bird, and so soon as themeal was ended, led her off to the jacal, where both began chattering.In accordance with the arrangements the hunters had made, Loyal Heartand Tranquil took their rifles, and entered the forest on oppositesides, to go in quest of game. Black-deer and Lanzi remained behind toprotect the women in the slightly probable event of an attack.
The two men, lying on the ground side by side, slept or smoked with thatapathy and careless indolence peculiar to men who despise talking forthe sake of talking, and thus expending energy which they may require atany moment. Several hours passed away thus, nothing occurring to troublethe calmness and silence that reigned over the bivouac, except atintervals the joyous laughter of the two young women, which vibratedharmoniously on the ears of the hunters, and brought a slight smile totheir lips.
A little before sunset the hunters returned, almost simultaneously,bending beneath the weight of the game they had killed. Loyal Heart,moreover, had lassoed a horse, which he brought in for Black-deer, whohad not one. The sight of this animal caused the adventurers some alarm,and numerous conjectures. It was not at all wild; it had allowed LoyalHeart to approach it without difficulty, who made a prisoner of italmost without opposition. Moreover, and this increased the restlessnessof its new owners, it was completely equipped in the Mexican fashion.
Tranquil concluded from this, after reflecting for a moment, that thefreebooters had attacked the conducta de plata, and the animal, whoserider had probably been killed, had escaped during the action. But whichside had gained the day, no one was able to conjecture.
After a rather lengthy discussion, it was at last agreed that so soon asnight had completely set in, Black-deer should go reconnoitring, whilethose who remained in the camp redoubled their vigilance, through fearof a surprise, either from the border ruffians or the Mexican soldiers;for although the adventurers were known to both parties, they justlyfeared the excesses to which they might give way in the intoxication ofvictory.
This fear, correct perchance as far as the troops were concerned, wasnot at all so with the men commanded by the Jaguar, and merely provedthat the worst, and at the same time most erroneous opinion wasentertained of them.
The sun was just disappearing behind the dense mass of lofty mountainsthat marked the horizon, when the hurried paces of a horse were heard ashort distance off. The hunters seized their weapons, and postedthemselves behind the enormous boles of the sumach trees that surroundedthem, in order to be ready for any event. At this moment the cry of theblue jay was repeated twice.
"Take your places again at the fire," Tranquil said, "'tis a friend."
In fact, a few moments later, the branches cracked, the shrubs weresmartly thrust aside, and Quoniam made his appearance. After nodding tothe company, he dismounted, and sat down by the side of thePanther-killer.
"Well, gossip," the latter asked him at once; "what news have you?"
"Plenty," he answered.
"Then, I suppose, you have been reconnoitring?"
"I did not have the trouble to ask questions; I only required to listenin order to learn in an hour more news than I could have discovered in ayear."
"Oh, oh," the Canadian said, "eat something, compadre, and when yourappetite is satisfied, you will tell us all you have learnt."
"I wish for nothing better, especially as there are sundry matters it isas well for you to know."
"Eat then without further delay, that you may be able to talk to us allthe sooner."
The Negro did not let the invitation be repeated, and began vigorouslyattacking the provisions which Tranquil had put aside, and which LoyalHeart now spread on the ground. The hunters were eager to hear the newsof which Quoniam stated himself to be the bearer; after all they hadbeen able to see during the past few days, they must possessconsiderable importance. Still, however great their curiosity might be,they succeeded in hiding it, and patiently waited till the Negro hadfinished his meal. The latter, who suspected what thoughts were crossingtheir minds, did not put their patience to a long trial; he ate with theproverbial rapidity of hunters, and had finished in a twinkling.
"Now I am quite at your service," he said, as he wiped his mouth on theskirt of his hunting shirt, "and ready to answer all your questions."
"We have none to ask you," Tranquil said; "we wish you, gossip, to giveus a short narrative of all that has happened to you."
"Yes, I fancy that will be the best; in that way it will be clearer andmore easy for you to show the conclusions you think the most suitable."
"Excellently reasoned, my friend; we are listening to you."
"Do you know why I left you?" Quoniam began.
"Yes, I was told, and approved of it highly."
"All the better, because I fancied for a moment that I did wrong ingoing without informing you, and I was on the point of returning."
"You would have done wrong."
"At present I am convinced of that, and congratulate myself on havingpushed forward. It is not a long ride from here to the Larch-treehacienda in a straight line; my horse is good; I went straight ahead,and covered the distance in eight hours."
"That was good riding."
"Was it not? But I was in a hurry to join you again, and most anxiousnot to lose any time on the road. When I reached the Larch-tree, therewas a great confusion at the hacienda. The peons and vaqueros collectedin the patio were talking and shouting all together, while the Capataz,the Major-domo, and even the Signor Haciendero himself, pale andalarmed, were distributing arms, raising barricades before the gates,placing cannon on their carriages--in short, taking all the precautionsof men who expect an attack at any moment. It was impossible for me tomake myself heard at first, for everybody was speaking at once--womencrying, children screaming, and men swearing. I might have fanciedmyself in a madhouse, so noisy and terrified did I find everybody; atlength, however, by going from one to the other, questioning this man,and bullying that one, I learned the following, which enabled me tocomprehend the general terror; the affair, I swear to you, was worth thetrouble."
"Out with it, friend," Loyal Heart exclaimed, with ill-restrainedimpatience.
Quoniam had never during life raised any pretensions to be an orator.The worthy Negro, who was naturally very modest, even experienced acertain difficulty in speaking at all. The hunter's unexpectedinterruption troubled him so that he stopped short, and was unable tofind a single word. Tranquil, who had so long known his comrade, hastilyinterposed.
"Let him tell his story in his own way," he said to Loyal Heart; "ifnot, it will be impossible for him to reach the end. Quoniam has a wayof telling things peculiar to himself; if interrupted, he loses thethread of his ideas, and then he grows confused."
"That is true," said the Negro; "I do not know whence it comes, but itis stronger than I: when I am stopped, it is all
up with me, and I getin such a tangle that I cannot find my way out."
"That arises from your modesty, my friend."
"Do you think so?"
"I am sure of it, so do not alarm yourself any more, but go on in thefull confidence that you will meet with no further interruption."
"I am most ready to go on, but I have forgotten where I left off."
"At the information you had succeeded in obtaining," Tranquil said,giving Loyal Heart a look which the latter understood.
"That is true: this, then, is what I learned:--The conducta de plata,escorted by Captain Melendez, was attacked by the Border Rifles, or theFreebooters as they are now called, and after a desperate fight, all theMexicans were killed."
"Ah!" Tranquil exclaimed, in stupor.
"All," Quoniam repeated; "not one escaped; it must have been a frightfulbutchery."
"Speak lower, my friend," the hunter remarked, as he looked in thedirection of the jacal, "Carmela might hear you."
The Negro gave a nod of assent.
"But," he continued, in a lower key, "this victory was not veryproductive to the Borderers, for the Mexicans had been careful to hurlthe gold they carried into a barranca, whence it was impossible to getit out."
"Well played, by Heaven!" the Canadian exclaimed; "The Captain is abrave fellow."
"Was so, you mean," said Quoniam.
"That is true," the Canadian remarked, sadly; "but go on, my friend."
"This victory fired the mine; the whole of Texas has risen; the townsand pueblos are in full revolt, and the Mexicans are pursued like wildbeasts."
"Is it so serious as that?"
"Much more than you suppose. The Jaguar is at this moment at the head ofa real army; he has hoisted the flag of Texan independence, and swornthat he will not lay down arms till he has restored liberty to hiscountry, and driven the last Mexican beyond the frontier."
There was a moment of stupor among his audience.
"Is that all?" Tranquil at length asked.
"Not yet," Quoniam made answer.
"Have you further bad news to tell us?"
"You shall judge for yourself, my friend, when I have told you all Iknow."
"Speak, then, in heaven's name!"
"This is the information I have picked up. Considering that you wouldnot be sorry to hear these important news as speedily as possible, Ihastened to finish my business with the Capataz. I had some difficultyin finding him, as he was so busy; so soon as I got hold of him, insteadof giving me the money I asked him for, he answered me that I must beoff at once, and tell you to come to the hacienda as soon as you could,for, under the circumstances, your presence there was indispensable."
"Hum!" said Tranquil, without any further explanation of his thoughts.
"Seeing," Quoniam went on, "that there was nothing more to expect of theCapataz, I took leave of him and remounted my horse; but just as I wasleaving, a great noise was heard outside, and everybody rushed to thegates, uttering shouts of joy. It seems that General Don Jos? MariaRubio, who commands the province, considers that the position of thehacienda is a very important point to defend."
"Of course," Tranquil said; "the Larch-tree commands the entrance of thevalley, and as long as it remains in the power of the Mexicans, insuresthe entry of their troops into the state."
"That is it, though I do not remember the term they employed."
"Was it, strategetical position?"
"The very thing."
"Yes, the hacienda, built at the period of the conquest, is a perfectfortress; its thick, battlemented walls, its situation on an elevationwhich cannot be commanded, and which on one side holds under its gunsthe mountain passes, and on the other the valley de los Almendrales,render it a point of the utmost importance, which can only be carried bya regular seige."
"That is what everybody said down there; it seems, too, that such isGeneral Rubio's opinion, for the cause of all the disturbance I heardwas the arrival of a large body of troops commanded by a LieutenantColonel, who had orders to shut himself up in the hacienda, and defendit to the last extremity."
"In that case war is declared?"
"Of course."
"Civil war," Tranquil continued, mournfully, "that is to say, the mostodious and horrible of all; a war in which fathers fight against sons,brothers against brothers, in which friend and foe speak the sametongue, issue from the same stem, have the same blood in their veins,and through that very reason are the more inveterate and rend each otherwith greater animosity and rage; civil war, the most horrible scourgethat can crush a people! May God grant in his mercy that it be short;but, since divine patience is at length wearied, and the Omnipotent haspermitted this fratricidal struggle, let us hope that right and justicemay remain victorious, and that the oppressors, who are the cause of allthese misfortunes, may be for ever expelled from a territory which theyhave too long sullied by their unworthy and odious presence."
"May God grant it!" his hearers replied, in a deep voice.
"But how did you succeed in escaping from the hacienda after the arrivalof the troops, Quoniam?" Tranquil continued.
"I saw that, if I amused myself by admiring the uniform and fineappearance of the troops, when order was slightly restored, the gateswould be closed, and my hopes of escaping foiled for a long time.Without saying a word, I dismounted, and leading my horse by the bridle,glided through the mob so cleverly, that I at length found myselfoutside. I then leaped into the saddle, and pushed straight ahead. I wasonly just in time, I declare, for five minutes later all the gates wereclosed."
"And then you came straight here?"
Quoniam smiled cunningly. "Do you think so?" he said.
"Hang it! I suppose so, at least."
"Well, you are mistaken, gossip; I did not return straight here: and yetit was not my inclination that prevented it, I assure you."
"What happened, then?"
"You will see, for I have not finished yet."
"Go on, then; but be brief, if that is possible."
"Every man does what he can, and you have no right to ask more of him."
"That is true, speak as you think proper."
"Never," the Negro continued, "did I gallop in such good spirits; myhorse stretched out, so that it was a pleasure to see; and it seemed asif the poor brute understood my impatience to get away from thehacienda, so fast did it race. This ride lasted thus, withoutinterruption, for nearly five hours; at the end of that period I thoughtit advisable to grant my horse a few minutes' rest, that it might regainits breath, for animals are like men precisely--if you overwork them,they break down all at once; and that would have happened to me had Inot been careful to stop in time. I therefore allowed my horse to restfor two hours; then, after rubbing it down, I started again, but had notyet reached the end of my adventures. I had scarce galloped an hourlonger ere I fell into a large party of horsemen, armed to the teeth,who suddenly emerged from a ravine, and surrounded me ere I had eventime enough to notice them. The meeting was anything but agreeable--themore so, as they did not appear at all well disposed toward me; and I donot exactly know how I should have got out of the hobble, had not one ofthe men thought proper to recognize me, though I do not remember ever tohave met him before, and burst out, 'Why, it is a friend; 'tis Quoniam,Tranquil's comrade!' I confess that this exclamation pleased me; a manmay be brave, but there are circumstances in which he feels frightened,and this is what happened to me at that moment."
The hunters smiled at the Negro's simple frankness, but were carefulnot to interrupt him, as they felt instinctively that he had reached themost interesting point of his long and prolix narration.
"At once," the latter continued, "the manner of these men changedentirely; they became most polite and attentive, in proportion as theyhad been, previously brutal. 'Lead him to the commandant,' said one ofthem the others approved, and I gave in, because resistance would havebeen folly. I followed without any remark, the man who led me to theirChief, though inwardly cursing the wasps' nest into
which I had fallen.Fortunately I had not far to go. Can you guess, Tranquil, who this Chiefwas to whom I was led?"
"The Jaguar," the hunter answered.
"What!" the Negro exclaimed, in amazement, "Have you guessed it? Well! Iswear to you that I did not suspect it in the least, and was greatlysurprised at seeing him. But I must do him the justice of saying that hereceived me very well; he questioned me about a good many matters, whichI answered as well as I could--where I came from, what was doing at thehacienda, where I was going, and so on. In short, he conversed with mefor more than an hour; then, doubtless, satisfied with the information Ihad given him, he left me free to continue my journey, and began hisown. It seems that he is going straight to the Larch-tree hacienda."
"Does he intend to lay siege to it?"
"That is his intention, I believe; but, although he is at the head ofnearly twelve hundred determined bandits, I do not think his nails, andthose of his comrades, will be hard enough to dig a hole in such stoutwalls."
"That is in God's hands. Have you finished your narrative?"
"Very soon."
"Go on, then."
"Before restoring me to liberty, the Jaguar inquired after you and Do?aCarmela with considerable interest. Then he wrote a few words on a pieceof paper, which he handed me, with a recommendation to be sure and giveit you so soon as I rejoined you."
"Good Heaven!" Tranquil exclaimed, in agitation, "And you have delayedso long in executing your commission!"
"Was I not obliged to tell you first what had happened to me? But thereis no time lost, for here is the paper."
While saying this, Quoniam drew a paper from his pocket, and offered itto Tranquil, who almost tore it out of his hands. The Negro, convincedthat he had carried out his commission excellently, did not at allcomprehend the hunter's impatience; he looked at him for a moment withan air of amazement, then shrugged his shoulders almost imperceptibly,filled his pipe, and began smoking, not troubling himself further aboutwhat was going on around him.
The hunter quickly unfolded the paper; he turned it over and over in hishands with an air of embarrassment, taking a side glance every now andthen at Loyal Heart, who had drawn a burning log from the fire, and nowheld it within reading distance, for night had completely set in. Thiswent on for some minutes; at length, Loyal Heart, understanding thereason of the hunter's hesitation, resolved on speaking to him.
"Well," he said, with a smile, "what does your friend Jaguar write?"
"Hum!" said the hunter.
"Perhaps," the other continued, "it is so badly written that you cannotmake out his scrawl. If you permit me, I will try."
The Canadian looked at him. The young man's face was calm; nothingevidenced that he had a thought of making fun of the hunter. The lattershook his head several times, and then burst into a hearty laugh.
"Deuce take all false shame!" he said, as he gave him the letter. "Whyshould I not confess that I cannot read? A man whose life has been spentin the desert ought not to fear confessing an ignorance which can havenothing dishonouring for him. Read, read, my lad, and let us know Whatour doubtful friend wishes."
And he took the log from the young man's hands.
Loyal Heart took a rapid glance at the paper. "The letter is laconic,"he said, "but explicit. Listen:
"'The Jaguar has kept his word. Of all the Mexicans who accompanied theconducta, only one is alive free and unwounded--Captain Don JuanMelendez de Gongora. Will the friends of the Jaguar have a betteropinion of him?'"
"Is that all?" Tranquil asked.
"Yes."
"Well," the hunter exclaimed, "people may say as they please, but, byHeavens! The Jaguar is a fine fellow."
"Is he not, father?" a gentle voice murmured in his ear.
Tranquil started at this remark, and turned sharply round. Carmela wasby his side, calm and smiling.