CHAPTER XIV.
DISASTER.
The night was tranquil. The Brazilians passed it in sleep. Diogo alonewatched over the common safety.
About two hours before sunrise the scout who had been dispatched by themarquis returned to the camp.
He was the bearer of strange news. The Indians had disappeared.
Diogo listened attentively to the report brought by the man. Thenturning towards the marquis, who had also passed the night withoutclosing his eyes--
"Well?" asked he.
"It appears to me--" answered the marquis.
"Wait!" interrupted Diogo; "My friend," said he, addressing the scout,"go and lie down; you must want to recruit your strength."
The Brazilian bowed, and immediately withdrew.
"It is not advisable," pursued Diogo, "that this man should hear whatwe have to say."
"I think that if this news is true, it is excellent."
"Understand well, your Excellency, and be assured that I possess toothorough a knowledge of the Indians and their manners to deceivemyself."
"I admit it, my friend. Speak, then, I beg."
"I should think, your Excellency, that I failed in my duty if at thecrisis at which we are arrived I did not speak to you with the greatestfreedom. The Guaycurus have honourably warned you to withdraw fromthem--they have given you liberty to do so; wrong or right, you havescorned their warning, I do not dispute with you, understand, yourExcellency, the wisdom of this decision."
"Continue, my friend."
"They have so little intention of withdrawing, that they havedispatched me to ask the aid of their allies, the Payagoas. Then theyhave attacked you with fury, not with the design of seizing on yourcamp--they knew beforehand that they would not succeed--but to reduceyou to your present position; that is to say, to the last gasp."
"Conclude, conclude!" interrupted the marquis.
"The conclusion is easy enough," pursued the captain; "the Guaycurushave pretended to withdraw in order to bring you out into the plain,and to overcome you the more easily."
"Are you then afraid, Diogo?"
"Certainly, my lord: very much afraid."
"You!"
"Pardon; this needs an explanation. I am afraid--not to die, for fromthe moment you announced to me your formal intention, I reckoned on thesacrifice of my life."
"Then, what is it you mean?"
"I mean, my lord, that I do not fear to die, but that I am dreadfullyafraid of being killed like a beast."
Notwithstanding the gravity of the situation, the marquis burst outlaughing.
"Bah, bah!" said he; "Things, I am convinced, will turn out better thanyou suppose."
"I wish so, without hoping it, your Excellency."
"Let us see; you believe you are in a position to guide us to the spotwhere the Paulistas are at this moment."
"Nothing is more easy than to proceed on the journey, my lord, but Icannot guarantee it."
"How is that?"
"Why, because we shall all be massacred before reaching it."
"Hum, Diogo; you become monotonous, my friend."
"The end will prove me right, my lord."
"Be silent, prophet of bad omen. At what distance do you think we arefrom the Paulistas?"
"Thirty leagues at the most."
"What! Thirty leagues; no more? Come, you are becoming foolish, withyour puerile fears."
"You will see, your Excellency, you will see."
"Well, let it be so; the die is cast, I will try, whatever happens. Atbreak of day we will leave."
"With your permission, my lord, I think that as you absolutely aredetermined on a foolish thing, would it not be more suitable to do itin a logical way?"
"Which means--"
"That tomorrow will be too late."
"So, in your opinion, it would be necessary--"
"To leave immediately, my lord."
"Well, let it be so; let us set out."
In this circumstance, as in all the preceding, Diogo did not neglectany precaution.
Four of his soldiers, tried and experienced men, were at firstdispatched by him in advance.
In the preceding assault the waggons and the baggage had been burnt,and the greater part of the mules had been killed, so that the caravan,relieved of its load, was in a position to accelerate its march.
Diogo caused the horses' feet to be covered with bags of sheepskin,filled with sand, in order to stifle the sound of their steps, andordered the mouth of each animal to be fastened with a lasso.
"Companions," said he, when each man was in his saddle, "not a cry,not a sound! We are attempting; at the present moment an expedition onwhich safety depends; if we are discovered we shall be lost."
"One word, Diogo," said the marquis to him. "Why have you insisted onour leaving so suddenly?"
"Because the Indian bravos, your Excellency, ordinarily guardthemselves very badly, and pass the night in sleeping instead ofwatching."
"Thank you; now let us set out."
"One moment, my lord;" and then addressing all the soldiers:--
"I am about to march first," said he; "you will follow me one by one,holding your horses by the bridle to prevent them from stumbling; andthus arousing the attention of the enemy. You will try to march inmy steps, in order to leave as narrow a track as possible. Now, payattention and remember this:--The cry of the alligator will warn youto halt; the same cry twice raised will mean that you are to mount; thecry of the owl will order you to gallop. You thoroughly understand me,do you not?"
The descent commenced. It was a strange spectacle, that offered by thislong line of black spectres, which glided silently in the night, andappeared to climb the flanks of the hill.
The noise of a branch broken off by the wind; the falling of a leaf,the unexpected flight of a nocturnal bird--everything was the object offear; the bravest man felt, in spite of himself, the blood run cold inhis veins, for behind each trunk of a tree, each angle of a rock, hefeared he should see dart out suddenly the enemy whom he was trying toavoid.
The descent was long; they could but march slowly. Diogo, who appearedto see at night as well as by day, chose his ground with the greatestcare, and did not advance except when he was sure that the earth onwhich he placed his foot was firm.
Sometimes they stopped for a few minutes, and then a shudder of alarmran like an electric current through the whole line.
At last, at the end of an hour, they reached the plain.
The cry of an alligator which was raised in the silence warned themthat they were to halt.
Two minutes later the same cry raised twice caused them to throwthemselves in the saddle, and then at last, at the cry of the owl, theydarted off at a gallop, doubled in pace by the instinctive fear thatthey experienced of terrible danger.
The marquis had ordered dona Laura to mount on horseback. The younggirl obeyed passively, without uttering a word, and had placed herself,as well as her slave, in the middle of the line of horsemen.
The marquis had wished this because this position appeared to him leastdangerous.
During all the night the Brazilians, leaning on the necks of theirhorses, galloped on.
At sunrise they had made eighteen or nineteen leagues, which wasenormous, but the poor horses were spent.
At a league before them the fugitives perceived a broad stream.
It was the Pilcomayo, one of the most considerable affluents of the RioParaguai.
The marquis approached the captain.
"We have done wonders, Diogo," said he to him; "thanks to youradmirable arrangements, we are saved."
"Do not thank me yet, my lord," answered the Indian, with a mockingsmile "all is not yet finished."
"Oho! We have now an advance of our enemies which puts us out of theirreach."
"We have gained no advance on the Guaycurus, my lord; our only chanceof safety is to reach the river, and to cross it."
"Well! What prevents us from doing so?"
"Look at the
horses; before we have got half the distance whichseparates us from the Pilcomayo, the enemy will be upon us."
"You are thoroughly obstinate to the end; you see yourself that theplain is perfectly clear."
"You think so, my lord?"
"Why, I have looked in vain in every direction."
"That is because you are not used to the prairie, that is all. Look,"added he, stretching his arm in the direction of the northeast. "Noticethat convulsive undulation of the high grass."
"Just so; but what does that prove?"
"Do you see again," continued the impassable captain, "those companiesof nandus and of seriemas who run madly in all directions. Thoseflights of guaros and of kamichis?"
"Yes, yes, I see all that; well?"
"Well! Well, your Excellency, the undulation of the grass withoutapparent cause, since there is not a breath of air stirring, the madcourse of the nandus and the seriemas, and the frightened flight ofthe guaros and the kamichis, simply mean that the Guaycurus are on ourtrack."
"But in an hour we shall have crossed the river."
"With our horses that is impossible; it is with difficulty that theycan put one foot before the other."
"That is true," murmured the marquis, "but then what is to be done?"
"Prepare ourselves to die."
"Oh, that is not true that you say, Diogo."
"In an hour not one of us will exist," coolly answered the captain.
"But we shall not allow ourselves to be assassinated without defendingourselves?"
"That is another question, my lord. Will you fight to the last gasp?"
"Certainly."
"Very well. We shall be killed, I am certain, but the victory will costour enemies dearly."
Without losing a moment, the captain made his arrangements for thecombat.
The Brazilians jumped to the ground, cut the throats of their horses,and with the bodies of the unhappy animals they formed a circle.
The marquis, occupied at this time in speaking with animation to donaLaura, did not perceive this butchery, till it was too late to opposeit.
"What are you doing?" cried he.
"Entrenchments," impassively answered Diogo. "Behind these bodies weshall shelter ourselves."
"But how, then, shall we fly after the combat?"
The Indian burst into a nervous and discordant laugh.
"We shall not fly, inasmuch as we shall be dead."
The marquis could find nothing to answer.
Dona Laura had thrown herself on the ground, a prey to profounddespair. Her horse was the only one that had not been killed.
"You are about to die," said Don Roque.
"I hope so," answered she, with a low and broken voice.
"You thoroughly hate me, then?"
"There is not in my heart place for hatred; I despise you."
"Dona Laura," he pursued, "there is yet time. Reveal to me your secret."
"Why should I do so?" she said.
"Curses!" cried he, stamping with rage. "This woman is a demon. Willnothing, then, convince you? Of what use to you now would be thepossession of that secret?"
"And to you?" she coldly asked.
"Tell me, tell me, and I swear to you I will save you, even if to do soI should have to walk in blood up to the knees. Tell me, Dona Laura, Ientreat you."
"No! I prefer to die, than to be saved by you."
"Die, then, and be cursed!" cried the marquis, seizing a pistol fromhis girdle.
A hand arrested his arm.
He turned round, darting a fierce look at him who had dared to touchhim.
"Excuse me, your Excellency," said Diogo to him, still impassable, "ifI interrupt your interesting conversation with the senorita."
Dona Laura had not made a movement to escape death. Death for her wouldhave been a deliverance.
"What do you want with me?" cried the marquis.
"To announce to you, my lord, that the moment is near. Look!"
The marquis looked.
"Why, wretch!" cried he, after a moment, "If you are not a traitor, youare grossly deceived."
"As you please, my lord."
"It is a manada of wild horses."
"Exactly so, my lord," answered the captain, with a smile of disdain;"you have not the least experience of the style in which the Guaycurusfight, nor of life in the desert. This is probably the last thing Ishall teach you, but it is well you should know it. The Guaycurusare the best horsemen in the world. This is the ruse they employ tosurprise the enemy. They send in advance a troop of wild horses, inorder to conceal their number; then in the rear they follow, lying ontheir sides on their horses, the left hand on the mane, and the rightfoot supported by the stirrup."
We have said that all the Brazilians were lying behind the bodies oftheir horses, ready to fire at the word of command.
About them the vultures and the urubus, attracted by the smell ofblood, were wheeling in large circles, uttering harsh and discordantcries.
At a half league off, on the plain, a herd of horses was running withextreme rapidity.
The Brazilians were sorrowful and silent; they believed themselves lost.
"Boys," cried Diogo, "spare your munitions; do not fire but when youare sure. You know that we have no more powder."
All of a sudden the wild horses came down like a thunderbolt on theentrenchments, and notwithstanding a murderous discharge close to theirbreasts, leaped them with an irresistible spring.
The Guaycurus warriors leaped to their saddles, uttering frightfulcries, and the massacre commenced.
In the first rank, near Tarou Niom, was Malco Diaz.
The eyes of the half-caste flashed with excitement. He dashed withextraordinary fury into the thickest of the _melee_.
By a movement--rather from instinct than by calculation--theBrazilians, after their entrenchments had been carried, had groupedthemselves round Laura.
The young girl, kneeling on the ground, her hands clasped, was prayingwith fervour.
Poor Phoebe, her breast pierced by a lance, was writhing at her feet,in the last convulsions of agony.
There was something really grand in the spectacle offered by sometwenty men or so, motionless, silent, keeping close together, andstruggling desperately against a multitude of enemies; having made thesacrifice of their lives, but resolved to fight to the last gasp, andonly to fall when dead.
Diogo and the marquis achieved prodigies of valour--the Indian with asupreme contempt of death, the white man with the rage of despair.
"Now, your Excellency," said the captain, mockingly, "do you stillbelieve we shall be saved?"
Meanwhile the ranks of the Brazilians were being thinned more and more.
On a sudden Malco Diaz bounded in advance, overturned the marquis, andseizing dona Laura by the hair, he lifted her up, threw her on the neckof his horse, and darted off across the desert.
The young girl uttered a terrible cry, and fainted.
This cry Diogo had heard. The captain leaped over the body of themarquis, and overturning everything before him, rushed off in pursuit.
But what can a man on foot do against a horseman riding at full speed?
Malco Diaz stopped, a flash of fury darted from his eyes, and heshouldered his gun.
"It is my last charge," murmured Diogo; "it shall be for her." And hefired.
Malco Diaz immediately staggered, his arms were thrown up convulsively,and he rolled on the ground, dragging the young girl in his fall.
He was dead.
Diogo darted towards him, but suddenly he made a bound on one side,and taking his gun by the barrel, he raised it above his head. AnIndian was coming down upon him, but the former, immediately changinghis position, bounded like a jaguar, clasped in his powerful arms theIndian who pursued him, overthrew him, and at the same moment puthimself in the saddle in the Indian's place.
This prodigy of skill and agility accomplished, he flew to the aid ofthe young girl.
Scarcely had he raised her in his
arms to put her on the horse, whichhe had so miraculously appropriated, than the Guaycurus warriorssurrounded him.
Diogo cast a sorrowful look at the young girl, whom he placed on theground, and drawing from his girdle his pistols, the only arms he hadleft--
"Poor child," murmured he; "I have done what I could. Fate is againstme. I will certainly kill two more of them before dying," he said,coolly loading his pistols.
Suddenly the ranks of the warriors opened. Tarou Niom appeared.
"Let no one touch that man and woman," he said.
"Come, that will be for another time," said the captain, replacing hispistols in his girdle.
"You are brave; I love you," resumed Tarou Niom; "take that jni-maak(feather); it will serve you for a safeguard. Remain here until Ireturn."
Diogo took the feather, and sat down sadly near the young girl.
An hour later the captain and dona Laura were accompanying theGuaycurus warriors, who were returning to their village.
The young girl was still in a fainting condition, and did not yet knowthe full extent of the new misfortune which had fallen upon her.
Diogo carried her on the neck of his horse, and carefully upheld her.The brave captain appeared already if not resigned, completely consoledfor his defeat, and talked amicably with the captain, Tarou Niom, whomanifested so much regard for him.
Diogo and the young girl alone had survived by a miracle, which hadexcited a feeling of pity in the ferocious heart of the Guaycurus chief.
As to the Marquis de Castelmelhor, no one knew what had become of him.Notwithstanding the most active search, it had been impossible to findhis body.
Was he dead? Was be living? And had he, against all probability,succeeded in escaping?