CHAPTER VIII.
A NOBLE BANDIT.
There was, after this accusation, so energetically pronounced by theyoung girl, some minutes of deathlike silence in the tent.
Without, the wind lashed the trees, and intertwined the branches withsounds almost like human wailings; the leaves were whirled in the air,and fell quivering on the thicket; at short intervals the lugubriousnote of the owl, concealed in the hollows of the rocks, was heard,repeated from the distance like a dismal echo. Vague and indefinablesounds arose, carried on the wings of the wind, dying away only to becontinually repeated, and further adding to the mysterious horror ofthis sombre and moonless night, the thick darkness of which gave to theobjects a fantastically deathlike appearance.
The marquis had risen, his arms crossed behind his back, his headreclining on his breast; he strode about the tent, a prey to anagitation which he made vain efforts to conceal.
Dona Laura, half lying on the sofa, her head thrown backwards, followedhim with a fixed and mocking look, waiting with anxiety the approachingexplosion of that anger she had not been afraid to excite.
At last, after some minutes, which appeared an age to the young girl,the marquis stopped in front of her, and raised his head.
His face was pale, but his features had resumed their careless andmocking expression, only a light nervous quivering of his eyebrows--anindex with him of a furious rage, mastered with difficulty--borewitness to the efforts he was compelled to make to subdue himself.
"I have allowed you, have I not, Senorita," said he, "to speak withoutinterrupting you; I have in this interview--you will at least render methat justice--given proof, not only of patience, but of good taste. Infact," added he, with an ironical smile, "of what use is it to discussan accomplished fact? Nothing that you can say will change your actualposition; you are in my power; no human aid can succeed in modifying myintentions towards you. This conversation, that I should wish to havebeen conducted more amicably, you yourself, of your own accord, haveplaced on the unfriendly footing on which it now is."
He stopped; the young girl coquettishly supported her head on her righthand, and surveying him with a look, in which contempt and raillerywere equally mingled, she answered him with a careless voice--
"You make a grave mistake, caballero. This conversation, which youvalue so much, I care very little for. Now that I have explained myselfclearly, and without reservation, I will allow you to speak as much asyou please, since it is impossible for me to impose silence on you, andI am condemned to hear you; only, I warn you beforehand, in order toavoid the expenditure of useless eloquence, that whatever you may sayto me, whatever may be the threats you offer me, you will not obtainthe honour of an answer."
The marquis bit his lip with so much violence that he drew blood, butanswered with a sneer--
"In truth, Senorita, is this resolution firmly fixed in your mind?You will not deign to answer me? I shall be deprived of hearing theharmonious music of your gentle voice resounding in my ear; but, inspite of yourself, I am convinced, you will fail in your heroic vow."
"Try it," answered she with disdain. "The occasion is suitable for meto give you a denial."
"I shall take care not to allow it to escape, Senorita."
The marquis approached a butaca, placed a few paces before theyoung girl, sat down, and assuming an attitude full of grace andcarelessness, he continued in a tone as peaceable as though he had beencommencing a confidential communication--
"Senorita," said he, "you have, I admit, perfectly defined ourrespective positions; that secret you possess has been revealed to meby chance by a former servant of your family, who sold it me very dear.It was, then, with the fixed intention of obtaining the informationnecessary to the success of my plans, that I presented myself to yourfather. You see that I imitate your candour. I did not love you, and,to say the truth, I do not love you now. A woman like you, seductiveas you are, would not suit me; your disposition is too much like myown. I should have probably married you had you consented to give meyour hand--pardon me this rude candour--but, resolved to seize thetreasure that I covet, I should, to assure myself of its possession,have accomplished what I consider as the greatest sacrifice, that is tosay, the act of alienating my liberty forever in favour of a woman whomI did not love."
The young girl bowed with a mocking smile, and clapped her hands two orthree times.
Almost immediately the curtain was drawn aside, and the slave appeared.
"Phoebe," said dona Laura to her, "as probably I shall not be able totake the repose which I need till very late, and as I feel, in spiteof myself, my eyelids drooping, and sleep overcoming me, bring me themate, my child, and bring me at the same time papelitos; perhaps thesetwo stimulants combined, and taken in a strong dose, will triumph overthe sleepiness which oppresses me."
The slave went out laughing, and the marquis remained an instant,overcome by the superb coolness of the young girl, and her heroicindifference.
Some minutes passed away, during which they both maintained silence;there the light step of the Negress was again heard, and shereappeared, holding in her hands a silver platter, on which were themate, some cigarettes of Indian maize straw, and a silver braserito,containing fire.
Phoebe presented the mate to her mistress, and made a movement towithdraw.
"Remain, chica," said dona Laura; "what the marquis has to tell mecannot be too serious for you to hear."
The young servant placed on the table the platter she held, and cameincontinently to lie at the feet of her mistress, exchanging with hera mocking smile, which redoubled, if that is possible, the rage of themarquis.
"Let it be so," said the marquis, bowing, "I will continue beforeyour slave, Senorita; it is little consequence to me who hears or wholistens to me; moreover, I have but a few more words to say."
Dona Laura sipped her mate, without paying any attention to the speechof the marquis.
"You never put sugar enough in the mate, chica," said she; "this isbitter."
"I was saying, Senorita," continued the marquis, "that, repulsed byyou, but not wishing to renounce projects for a long time ripened andfixed in my mind, I at last resolved to carry you away. I will notweary you with the recital of the means employed by me to succeed indeceiving the restless vigilance of your family. Since you are herealone in my power, at several hundred leagues from the residence ofyour father, it is not only that I have succeeded in making you fallinto the snare laid by me under your feet, but also that I have so wellguarded against the suspicions of those who interest themselves in yourfate."
"Decidedly, Phoebe, this mate is too bitter," said the young girl;"give me a cigarette."
The slave obeyed.
"Now, Senorita," continued the marquis, still impassable, "I am comingto the end of this conversation, of which all that has been yet saidis to a certain extent only a preface--a rather long preface, perhaps,but one which you will pardon me, for it was indispensable, to makemyself well understood by you. I have carried you away, it is true;but reassure yourself, as long as you remain under my protection,your honour shall be safe; I give you the word of a gentleman for it.You smile; you are wrong. I am honest in my way. Give me the exactindications that I expect from you, and immediately I grant you, notonly liberty, but, moreover, I engage to send you back safe and sound,without your honour being suspected, into the hands of your family.Strange as this proposition may appear to you, it is neverthelessserious, and appears to me to merit your consideration. Answer me oneword--one word only, 'Yes' and on the instant you are free."
The marquis paused; dona Laura remained mute, and appeared not to haveheard.
"You are obstinate, Senorita," replied Don Roque, with some animation"you are wrong; you are staking, I repeat, your fortune and your futurehappiness at this moment."
"Another cigarette, Phoebe," interrupted dona Laura, shrugging hershoulders.
"Beware!" cried Don Roque, with ill-suppressed irritation; "Beware,Senorita we must finish once for all t
hese continual evasions."
The young girl rose, took a step towards the marquis, measured himfor an instant from head to foot, covering him, so to speak, with alook charged with all the contempt which she felt for him, and turningtowards Phoebe, who was motionless and mute by her side--
"Come, chica," said she to her, placing her hand on her shoulder; "thenight is far advanced, it is time for us to retire, and go to sleep."
And without granting another look to the marquis, mute and stupefiedwith this audacious procedure, the young girl quitted the room.
In spite of himself, the marquis remained an instant in the place whichhe occupied; his eyes firmly fixed on the curtain, the folds of whichstill preserved a scarcely perceptible vibration. All of a sudden herecovered himself, passed his hand across his forehead, moist withperspiration, and darting a look of hatred towards the spot where donaLaura had disappeared--
"Oh!" cried he, with a voice stifled by fury, "What tortures will I payfor so many insults!"
He left the tent, staggering like a drunken man.
The cold air of the night, fanning his face, brought him wonderfulrelief; little by little his features regained their serenity; calmnessreturned to his mind; an ironical smile played upon his slender lips,and he murmured in a low voice, as he strode towards his tent:
"Fool that I am to allow myself to be carried away thus by a foolishchild! What in reality are her insults and contempt to me? Am I notmaster to subdue her pride? Patience, patience! Nay, vengeance, if itbe long in coming, will only strike her the more cruelly, and will beonly the more terrible."
The marquis re-entered his tent. After having regulated the wick of alamp the flickering light of which feebly illumined the surroundingobjects, Don Roque approached a round stool, which served him for atable, and drawing from his breast a yellow and stained paper, onwhich was rudely drawn, by an unskilful hand, a kind of rough plan,he proceeded to study it with the greatest care, and was not long inbecoming completely absorbed.
The entire night was passed away without the marquis quitting theposition he had taken, and without his eyes closing for a singleinstant.
The plan, rough and incomplete as it appeared to be, was that of thediamond country, which concealed those incalculable riches so ardentlycoveted by the young man.
But this plan--made from memory a long time after having seen thecountry, and that in superficial manner, by an ignorant man--couldunluckily only be a feeble aid to the marquis. He felt it in spite ofhimself, and this certainty redoubled his fury.
But what could be done with a woman more than he had done with donaLaura? How was he to vanquish her resistance, and constrain her tospeak?
For more than three hours the sun had already risen; the marquis, stillplunged in his thoughts, had not appeared to perceive the return of thelight, when the gallop of a horse which approached rapidly, caused himsuddenly to raise his head.
At the same instant the curtain of the tent was withdrawn, and thecaptain entered.
The Indian was covered with dust; his flushed features, and hisforehead covered with perspiration, showed the velocity of his journey.
"Ah, it is you, Diogo!" cried the marquis on perceiving him. "Welcome,what news?"
"Nothing, my lord," answered the captain.
"How nothing? Have you not been able to succeed in discovering thetrack of that Malco?"
"Pardon me, my lord; I have, on the contrary, followed that track formore than three hours."
"Then you have news to give me?"
"I have, my lord, but not what you expect."
"Explain yourself, my friend; my head is a little fatigued."
"Here is the fact, in a few words, my lord. After having, as I havetold you, followed for three hours, without the slightest deviation,the track of Malco--a track, let it be said to his honour, thoroughlydevious, and as to which everybody but myself would inevitably havebeen deceived, so skilfully was it made--I arrived on the borders ofa forest, into which I did not hesitate to enter. Absorbed by the careI took in not losing this frightfully involved track, I did not careto look much around me, so that I suddenly found myself in an Indianencampment."
"An encampment of Indians so near us!" cried the marquis, with surprise.
"Yes, my lord, of Indian bravos, and moreover, the bravest of thiscountry."
"H'm--already!"
"Yes, I found myself suddenly face to face with three Indians, of whomone was a Guaycurus, the other a Payagoas; as to the other, he wassimply a Monduruka slave."
"Oh, oh! That is serious for us."
"It could not be more serious, my lord."
"And how did you escape from this trap?"
"These savages have honour. Although my uniform revealed me as oneof their most deadly enemies, they, nevertheless, received me in afriendly way, and invited me to sit near their fire."
"That is strange," murmured the marquis.
"Seeing that they received me thus, I accepted their invitationfrankly, and sat myself near them. My design was to make them talk, inwhich I succeeded."
"Aha! What did they say?"
"They informed me that Malco had come to seek them some hours beforeme; that he had had a long conversation with them, and that he hadinformed them of your arrival, the number of men at your disposal, andeven the very spot where you encamped."
"The wretch! The double traitor!" cried the marquis.
"This revelation, I admit, made me reflect seriously, and placed me ingreat embarrassment, from which I did not know how to escape, when theIndians themselves furnished me with the means to make an honourableretreat."
"How is that?"
"The Guaycurus chief informed me that the truce concluded with thewhites had been broken."
"Oh!" exclaimed the marquis, "What fatality! To fail so near the end."
"Permit me to finish, my lord."
"Speak! Speak!"
"The chief added, that probably as you had for a long time left theplantations, you were ignorant of this rupture, and that consequentlyit would not be right to abuse your good faith by attacking you."
"Ah!" said the marquis, breathing heavily.
"As they do no not wish to be wanting in the laws of hospitality, theygive you two days to go away."
"H'm," cried the marquis, whom these last words plunged more profoundlyinto the perplexity from which, for an instant, he thought he hadescaped; "What did you say then, Diogo?"
"The most strict truth, my lord, on my honour."
"I believe you, my friend; but finish."
"Oh, I have nothing much more to add, except that they informed methat, in case you refused to accept this condition, you would beinevitably attacked."
"And about Malco? Did they tell you nothing more about him?"
"Not a word, my lord."
"So that you are completely unaware where this wretch hides himself?"
"Absolutely, my lord; I thought that what the Guaycurus chief had toldme was of such great importance, that you would desire to be informedof it as soon as possible, so I have returned as rapidly as I could."
"You have done well, my friend; I thank you. But in such circumstancesas these," he asked, "how would you act?"
"I should beat a retreat."
"Beat a retreat; never!"
"Then we shall be massacred to the last man."
"No matter, I will push ahead. You will not abandon me?"
"I, my lord? My duty is to follow you; wherever you go I will follow.What is it to me to be killed?"
And after having respectfully saluted the young man, the captainwithdrew with as tranquil and careless a step as though he were notcertain beforehand that the order just given him was equivalent to acondemnation to death.
When he was alone the marquis remained an instant motionless; then,stamping his foot with rage, and darting to heaven a look of defiance--
"Oh!" cried he, with a stifled voice, "These cursed diamonds; I willhave them, although it were necessary, in seizing them, to walk inblood
up to the girdle."