CHAPTER VI.
THE SURPRISE.
The position which the leader of the caravan fancied he had been thefirst to discover, and where he had made up his mind to halt, wasadmirably selected to establish an intrenched camp--strong enough toresist for months the attacks of the Indians and the pirates of theprairies. The immense voladero hovering at a prodigious height abovethe precipices, and guarded on the right and left by enormous masses ofrock, offered such conditions of security that the peons regained alltheir merry carelessness, and only regarded the mysterious flight ofthe guide as an accident of no real importance, and which would have noother consequences for them but to make their journey somewhat longerthan the time originally arranged.
It was, hence, with well promising ardour that they rose on receivingtheir chiefs command, and prepared under his directions to dig thetrench which was intended to protect them from a surprise. This trenchwas to be bordered by a line of tall stakes, running across the openspace between the rocks, which gave the sole access to the terrace.
The headquarters were first prepared, that is to say, the tent wasraised, and the horses hobbled near pickets driven into the ground.
At the moment when the leader proceeded with several peons armed withpicks and spades toward the entrance, with the probable intention ofmarking the exact spot where the trench was to be dug, the capatazapproached him obsequiously, and said with a respectful bow--
"Mi amo, I have an important communication to make to you."
His master turned and looked at him with ill-concealed distrust.
"An important communication to make to me?" he repeated.
"Yes, mi amo," the capataz replied with a bow.
"What is it? Speak, but be brief, Carnero, for, as you see, I have notime to lose."
"I hope to gain you time, excellency," the capataz said with a silentsmile.
"Ah, ah, what is it?"
"If you will allow me to say two words aside, excellency, you will knowat once."
"Diablo! a mystery, Master Carnero?"
"Mi amo, it is my duty to inform no one but your excellency of mydiscovery."
"Hum! then you have discovered something?"
The other bowed, but made no further answer.
"Very well then," his master continued, "come this way: go on,muchachos," he added, addressing the peons, "I will rejoin you in amoment."
The latter went on, while the leader retired for a few paces, followedby the capataz. When he considered that he had placed a sufficientdistance between himself and the ears of his people, he addressed thehalf-breed again--
"Now, I suppose, Master Carnero," he said, "you will see noinconvenience in explaining yourself?"
"None at all, excellency."
"Speak then, in the fiend's name, and keep me no longer in suspense."
"This is the affair, excellency: I have discovered a grotto."
"What?" his master exclaimed, in surprise, "you have discovered agrotto?"
"Yes, excellency."
"Where?"
"Here."
"Here! that's impossible."
"It's the fact, excellency."
"But where?"
"There," he said, stretching out his arm, "behind that mass of rocks."
A suspicious look flashed from beneath his master's eyelashes.
"Ah!" he muttered, "that is very singular, Master Carnero; may I ask inwhat manner you discovered this grotto, and what motive was so imperiousas to take you among those rocks, when you were aware how indispensableyour presence was elsewhere?"
The capataz was not affected by the tone in which these words wereuttered; he answered calmly, as if he did not perceive the menace theycontained--
"Oh! mi amo, the discovery was quite accidental, I assure you."
"I do not believe in chance," his master answered "but go on."
"When we had finished breakfast," the capataz continued, soothingly, "Iperceived, on rising, that several horses, mine among them, had becomeunfastened, and were straying in different directions."
"That is true," his master muttered, apparently answering his ownthoughts rather than the remarks of the capataz.
The latter gave an almost imperceptible smile. "Fearing," he continued,"lest the horses might be lost, I immediately started in pursuit. Theywere easy to catch, with the exception of one, which rambled among therocks, and I was obliged to follow it."
"I understand; and so it led you to the mouth of the grotto."
"Exactly, mi amo; I found it standing at the very entrance, and had nodifficulty in seizing the bridle."
"That is indeed most singular. And did you enter the grotto, MasterCarnero?"
"No, mi amo. I thought it my duty to tell you of it first."
"You were right. Well, we will enter it together. Fetch some torchesof ocote wood, and show us the way. By the by, do not forget to bringweapons, for we know not what men or beasts we may find in caverns thusopening on a high road." This he said with a sarcastic air, which causedthe capataz to tremble inwardly in spite of his determined indifference.
While he executed his master's orders, the latter selected six of hispeons, on whose courage he thought he could most rely, ordered them totake their muskets, and, bidding the others to keep a good watch, butnot begin anything till he returned, he made a signal to the capatazthat he was ready to follow him. No Carnero had followed with an evileye the arrangements made by his master, but probably did not deem itprudent to risk any remark, for he silently bowed his head, and walkedtoward the pile of rocks that masked the entrance of the grotto.
These granite blocks, piled one on top of the other, did not appear,however, to have been brought there by accident, but, on the contrary,they appeared to have belonged in some early and remote age to aclumsy but substantial edifice, which was probably connected with thebreastwork still visible on the edge of the voladero on the side of theprecipice.
The Mexicans crossed the rocks without difficulty, and soon foundthemselves before the dark and frowning entrance of the cavern. Thechief gave his peons a signal to halt.
"It would not be prudent," he said, "to venture without precautions intothis cavern. Prepare your arms, muchachos, and keep your eyes open; atthe slightest suspicious sound, or the smallest object that appears,fire. Capataz, light the torches."
The latter obeyed without a word; the leader of the caravan assuredhimself at a glance that his orders had been properly carried out; thentaking his pistols from his belt, he cocked them, took one in each hand,and said to Carnero--
"Take the lead," he said, with a mocking accent; "it is only just thatyou should do the honours of this place which you so unexpectedlydiscovered. Forward, you others, and be on your guard," he added,turning to the peons.
The eight men then went into the cavern at the heels of the capataz, whoraised the torches above his head, doubtless in order to cast a greaterlight on surrounding objects.
This cavern, like most of those found in these regions, seemed to havebeen formed through some subterranean convulsion. The walls were lofty,dry, and covered at various spots with an enormous quantity of nightbirds, which, blinded and startled by the light of the torches, tookto flight with hoarse cries, and flew heavily in circles round theMexicans. The latter drove them back with some difficulty by wavingtheir muskets. But the further they got into the interior of the cavern,the greater the number of these birds became, and seriously encumberedthe visitors by flapping them with their long wings, and deafening themwith their discordant cries.
They thus reached a rather large hall, into which several passagesopened. Although the Mexicans were a considerable distance from theentrance, they found no difficulty in breathing, owing doubtless toimperceptible fissures in the rock, through which the air was received.
"Let us halt here for a moment," the leader said, taking a torch fromthe capataz; "this hall, if the cavern has several issues as I suppose,will afford us a certain refuge: let us examine the spot where we are."
While
speaking he walked round the hall, and convinced himself, bycertain still existing traces of man's handiwork, that at a formerperiod the cave had been inhabited. The peons seated themselves idlyon the blocks of granite scattered here and there, and with their gunsbetween their legs carelessly followed their master's movements.
The latter felt the suspicions aroused in his mind by the sudden natureof Carnero's discovery gradually dissipated. He felt certain that formany years no human being had entered this gloomy cave, for none ofthose flying traces which man always leaves in his passage, whateverprecaution he may take to hide his presence, had been discovered by him.All, on the contrary, evidenced the most utter abandonment and solitude,and hence the leader of the caravan was not indisposed to retire to thisspot, which was so easy of defence, instead of throwing up an intrenchedcamp, always a long and difficult task, and which had the inconvenienceof leaving men and animals exposed to a deadly climate for individualsaccustomed to the heat of the Mexican temperature.
"While continuing his explanations, the leader conversed with thecapataz in a more friendly manner than he had done for a long time,congratulating him on his discovery, and explaining his views, to whichthe latter listened with his usual crafty smile. All at once he stoppedand listened--the two men were at this moment at the entrance of one ofthe passages to which we have referred.
"Listen," he said to the capataz, as he laid his hand on his arm toattract his attention, "do you not hear something?"
The latter bent his body slightly forward, and remained motionless forsome seconds.
"I do," he said, drawing himself up, "it sounds like distant thunder."
"Is it not? or, perhaps, the rolling of subterranean waters."
"Madre de Dios! mi amo," the capataz exclaimed gleefully. "I can swearthat you are right. It would be a piece of luck for us to find water inthe cave, for it would add greatly to our security, as we should not beobliged to lead our horses, perhaps, a long distance to drink."
"I will assure myself at once if there is any truth in the supposition.The noise proceeds from that passage, so let us follow it. As for ourmen they can wait for us here; we have nothing to fear now, for if thepirates or the Indians were ambuscaded to surprise us, they would nothave waited so long before doing so, and hence the assistance of ourpeons is unnecessary."
The capataz shook his head doubtfully.
"Hum," he said, "the Indians are very clever, mi amo; and who knows whatdiabolical projects those redskins revolve in their minds? I believe itwould be more prudent to let the peons accompany us."
"Nonsense," said his master, "it is unnecessary; we are two resoluteand well-armed men; we have nothing to fear, I tell you. Besides, if,against all probability, we are attacked, our men will hear the noiseof the conflict, will run to our help, and will be at our side in aninstant."
"It is not very probable, I grant, that we have any danger to apprehend;still I considered it my duty as a devoted servant, mi amo, to warnyou, because in the event of Indians being hidden in these passages,of whose windings we are ignorant, we should be caught like rats in atrap, with no possibility of escape. Two men, however brave they maybe, are incapable of resisting twenty or thirty enemies, and you knowthat Indians never attack white men save when they are almost certain ofsuccess."
These words seemed to produce a certain impression on the leader ofthe caravan. He remained silent for a moment, apparently reflectingseriously on what he had heard, but he soon raised his head, and shookit resolutely.
"Nonsense! I do not believe in the danger you seem to apprehend; afterall, if it really exist, it will be welcome. Wait here, my men, and beready to join us at the first signal," he added, addressing the peons,who answered by rising and collecting in the middle of the hall.
Their master left them a torch to light them during his exploration,took the other, and turning to Carnero, said, "Let us go."
They then entered the passage. It was very narrow, and ran downwardswith a steep incline, so that the two men, who were unacquainted withits windings, were obliged to walk with the most serious attention, andcarefully examining all the spots they passed.
The further they proceeded, the more distinct the sound of water became;it was evident that at a very short distance from the spot where theywere, perhaps but a few steps, there ran one of those subterraneanstreams so frequently found in natural caverns, and which are generallyrivers swallowed up by an earthquake.
All at once, without being warned by the slightest sound, the leader ofthe caravan felt himself seized round the waist, his torch was snatchedroughly from his hand, and extinguished against a rock, and himselfthrown down and securely bound, before he was able to attempt theslightest resistance, so sudden and well calculated had the attack been.Carnero had been thrown down at the same time as his master, and bound.
"Cowards, demons!" the Mexican yelled, as he made a superhuman effort torise and burst his bonds; "show yourself, at least, so that I may knowwith whom I have to deal."
"Silence! General Don Sebastian Guerrero," a rough voice said to him,whose accent made him start, in spite of all his courage; "resignyourself to your fate, for you have fallen into the power of men whowill not liberate you till they have had a thorough explanation withyou."
General Guerrero, whom the readers of the "Indian Chief" will doubtlessremember, made a movement of impotent rage, but he was silent; heperceived that the originators of the snare of which he was a victimwere implacable enemies, as they had not feared to call him by his name,and more formidable than the pirates of the prairies or the redskins,with whom he at first thought he had to deal. Moreover, he thought thatthe darkness that surrounded him would soon cease, and then he would seehis enemies face to face, and recognize them.
But his expectations were deceived. When his conquerors had borne him tothe hall, where his peons were disarmed and guarded by peons, he saw,by the light of the torch that faintly illumined the hall, that amongthe men who surrounded him few wore the Mexican costume, it was true,but had their faces hidden by a piece of black crape, forming a speciesof mask, and so well fastened round their necks, that it was entirelyimpossible to recognize them.
"What do these men want with me?" he muttered as he let his head fall onhis chest sadly.
"Patience!" said the man who had already spoken, and who overheard thegeneral's remark, "you will soon know."