CHAPTER THREE.
AN ENIGMA.
After riding several miles farther, he arrived at a small village,situated in the same plain through which he had been journeying. There,as all along the route, he found the houses deserted and abandoned bytheir owners! Not a soul was to be seen--no one to offer himhospitality; and as nothing could be found in the empty houses--neitherfood to satisfy his hunger, nor water to quench his thirst--thetraveller was compelled to ride on without halting. "_Cosa estrana_!"muttered he to himself, "what on earth can be the meaning of thiscomplete depopulation?"
In addition to the desertion of the houses, another odd circumstance hadstruck his attention. Almost at every hut which he passed, he sawcanoes and _periaguas_ suspended from the branches of the trees, andraised many feet above the ground! In a part of the country where thereis neither lake nor river--not so much as the tiniest stream--no wonderthe sight astonished our traveller, considering that he was a strangerto the district, and had not yet encountered a single individual whomight explain the ludicrous phenomenon.
Just as he was pondering over an explanation of these singularities, asound fell upon his ear, that produced within him a feeling of joy. Itwas the hoof-stroke of a horse, breaking upon the profound solitude. Itcame from behind him; and betokened that some horseman was approachingin his rear, though still invisible on account of a turning in the road,which the young traveller had just doubled.
In a few seconds' time the horseman appeared in sight; and gallopingfreely forward, soon came side by side with our traveller.
"_Santos Dios_!" saluted the new-comer, at the same time raising hishand to his hat.
"_Santos Dios_!" responded the young man, with a similar gesture.
The meeting of two travellers in the midst of a profound solitude isalways an event, which leads to their regarding one another with acertain degree of curiosity; and such occurred in the present instance.
He who had just arrived was also a young man--apparently of twenty-fouror twenty-five years; and this conformity of age was the only point inwhich the two travellers resembled each other. The new-comer wassomewhat above medium stature, with a figure combining both elegance andstrength. His features were regular and well defined; his eyes blackand brilliant; his moustache thick and curving, and his complexiondeeply embrowned with the sun. All these circumstances tended to showthat he was a man of action; while a certain air of energy and commandbespoke fiery passions, and the hot Arabian blood, which flows in theveins of many Spanish-Mexican families.
His horse was a bay-brown, whose slender limbs and sinewy form declaredhim also to be descended from an oriental race. The ease with which hisrider managed him, and his firm graceful seat in the saddle, betokened ahorseman of the first quality.
His costume was both costly and elegant. A vest of unbleached cambricsuited well the heat of the climate. His limbs were covered with_calzoneros_ of silk velvet of a bright purple colour; while boots ofbuff leather, armed with long glancing spurs, encased his feet. A hatof _vicuna_ cloth, with its trimming of gold lace, completed a costumehalf-military, half-civilian. To strengthen its military character arapier in a leathern sheath hung from his waist-belt, and a carbine,suspended in front, rested against the pommel of his saddle.
"_Puez, amigo_!" said the newly-arrived horseman, after a pause, andglancing significantly at the back of the traveller. "May I ask if youhave far to go upon that horse?"
"No, thank goodness!" replied the other; "only to the hacienda of SanSalvador; which, if I'm not mistaken, is scarce six leagues distant."
"San Salvador? I think I've heard the name. Is it not near to anestate called hacienda of Las Palmas?"
"Within two leagues of it, I believe."
"Ah! then we are following the same route," said he in the laced cap; "Ifear, however," he continued, checking the ardour of his steed, "thatthere will soon be some distance between us. Your horse does not appearto be in any particular hurry?"
The last speech was accompanied by a significant smile.
"It is quite true," rejoined the other, also smiling, as he spoke; "andmore than once upon my journey I have had reason to blame the mistakeneconomy of my good father, who, instead of letting me have a properroadster, has munificently furnished me with a steed that has escapedfrom the horns of all the bulls of the Valladolid Circus; theconsequence of which is, that the poor beast cannot see even a cow onthe distant horizon without taking to his heels in the oppositedirection."
"_Carrambo_! and do you mean to say you have come all the way fromValladolid on that sorry hack?"
"Indeed, yes, Senor--only I have been two months on the way."
Just then the Rosinante of the circus, roused by the presence of theother horse, appeared to pique himself on a point of honour, and made aneffort to keep up with his new companion. Thanks to the courtesy of themoustached cavalier, who continued to restrain the ardour of his finesteed, the two horses kept abreast, and the travellers were left free tocontinue the conversation.
"You have been courteous enough," said the stranger, "to inform me thatyou are from Valladolid. In return, let me tell you that I am fromMexico, and that my name is Rafael Tres-Villas, captain in the Queen'sdragoons."
"And mine," rejoined the young traveller, "is Cornelio Lantejas, studentin the University of Valladolid."
"Well, Senor Don Cornelio, can you give me the solution of an enigmawhich has puzzled me for two days, and which I have been unable to askany one else, for the reason that I have not met with a soul since Ientered this accursed country. How do you explain this completesolitude--the houses, and villages without inhabitant, and skiffs andcanoes suspended from the trees in a district where you may go tenleagues without finding a drop of water?"
"I cannot explain it at all, Senor Don Rafael," replied the student; "ithas equally astonished myself; and more than that--has caused me mosthorrible fear."
"Fear!" echoed the captain of dragoons; "of what?"
"The truth is, Senor Capitan, I have a bad habit of being more afraid ofdangers which I cannot comprehend, than those which I know. I fear thatthe insurrection has gained this province--though I was told to thecontrary--and that the State of Oajaca was perfectly tranquil. Likeenough the people have abandoned their dwellings to avoid falling intothe hands of some party of insurgents that may be scouring the country?"
"Bah!" exclaimed the dragoon, with a contemptuous toss of his head."Poor devils like them are not in the habit of fleeing from marauders.Besides, the country-people have nothing to fear from those who followthe banner of the insurrection. In any case, it was not for sailingthrough these sandy plains that the canoes and _periaguas_ have beenhung up to the trees? There's some other cause, than the panic of theinsurrection, that has breathed a spirit of vertigo into the peoplehere; though, for the life of me, I can't guess what it is."
For a while the two travellers continued their journey in silence--eachabsorbed in speculating upon the singular mystery that surrounded them,and of which neither could give an explanation.