CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN.
A REAL VIRAGO.
The two brigands remained for some time without saying a word, bothreflecting on the scheme of murder and pillage which they nowpremeditated. At this moment the tent flap was raised, and a figureappeared in the entrance. It was a woman of masculine mien--a truevirago--robust and hale; but whose countenance betrayed the ravage ofevil passions rather than time. Her coarse hair clubbed around herhead, and held in its place by a large tortoiseshell comb with goldpendants, showed no sign of advanced age. It was black as ebony.Around her neck were hung numerous chains of gold and glass beads, towhich were attached a number of crosses, scapularies, and other goldenornaments; but in spite of this gaudy adorning her countenance washideous to behold, and did not belie the portrait of Arroyo's wife whichhad been sketched by Bocardo, for it was she. As she presented herselfat the opening of the tent, rage was depicted in her countenance,exhibiting itself in the swollen veins of her neck and forehead, and inthe rolling of her bloodshot eyes.
"A shame on you!" cried she, casting on Bocardo, whom she both hated anddespised, the angry look she feared to give her husband, "a shame onyou, that after the oath you have taken, there should still remain astone of this nest of vipers, or a man to defend it!"
"Well--what now?" demanded Arroyo, in an ill-humoured tone. "What nestof vipers are you speaking of?"
"The hacienda Del Valle--what other should it be? There our men--thegreater number of them at least--have been besieging it for three dayswithout any result. No, not without result, for I've just this momentlearnt that three of our people have been killed in a sortie, and thatthis accursed Catalan, who commands the place, has nailed their headsover the door of the hacienda!"
"Who has told you this?" quickly demanded Arroyo.
"Gaspacho. He is outside awaiting your orders. He has been sent to askfor a reinforcement."
"By all the devils!" cried Arroyo in a rage. "Woman! who has given youthe privilege of interrogating the couriers that are sent me?"
As he put this interrogatory the brigand sprang to his feet; and,seizing the bullock's skull upon which he had been seated, made a motionas if he would crush with it that of his amazonian partner. Perhaps,influenced by the late councils of Bocardo, he would have decided onbearing the public execration upon his own shoulders, had it not beenfor that scapulary blessed by the Pope, and whose fatal influence he atthe moment remembered.
Bocardo paid no attention to the threatening demonstration of hisassociate, but sat phlegmatically silent.
"_Maria Santissima_!" exclaimed the virago, as she retreated before theangry menace of her husband. "Will you not protect me, Senor Bocardo?"
"Hum!" replied the latter, without moving from his seat, "you know theproverb, worthy Senora? Between the tree and the bark--you understand?These little domestic broils--"
"Must not occur any more," interposed Arroyo, quieting down; "and now,Senora," continued he, addressing himself to his helpmate, "beforereceiving Gaspacho, I have a commission for you to execute."
"What may that be?" brusquely demanded the woman, elevating her tone inproportion as that of her husband became lowered.
"It is a magnificent scheme conceived by me," interrupted Bocardo.
"Ah!" exclaimed the virago, "if you had only as much courage asintelligence, Senor Bocardo!"
"Bah! Arroyo has courage enough for both of us."
"That," said Arroyo, suddenly turning his anger upon his associate, whohad not the advantage of possessing a charmed scapulary, "that is asmuch as to say that you have the intelligence for both of us?"
"God forbid I should either say or think so," rejoined Bocardo in anhumble tone; "you are as intelligent as you are brave, Senor Arroyo."
"Wife!" continued Arroyo, without appearing to listen to the fulsomeflattery of his associate, "go and interrogate once more the prisoner wehave taken. Find out if possible what errand he was on--"
"The bird still sings the same tune," responded the woman; "he repeatsthat he is in the service of Don Mariano de Silva; and that he is thebearer of a message to that mad Colonel, as you call him, Don RafaelTres-Villas."
At this hated name the shade deepened upon the brow of the bandit.
"Have you found out what this message is?" he inquired.
"The fellow insists upon it that it is of no importance. What do yousuppose I found in his pockets, when we were searching him?"
"A vial of poison, perhaps?"
"No; but something equally droll. A packet carefully put up, enclosinga small cambric handkerchief, sweetly scented with perfume, and insidethis a tress of hair--a woman's hair, long and beautiful, by my faith!"
"Indeed!" exclaimed Bocardo, in a significant tone; "and what have youdone with it, Madame Arroyo?"
"What should I have done with it?" said the virago, with a disdainfultoss of her head--"what but fling it back in the face of the messenger--the worthless thing. No doubt it is a love-token sent to this colonelof the devil."
"The messenger took it back then?"
"Ah, indeed--with as much eagerness as if it had been a chain of gold."
"So much the better," said Bocardo, with a significant gesture. "I havean idea," he continued, "if I am not mistaken--a superb idea! With thismessenger and this love-token, we can give the Colonel Tres-Villas arendezvous, where, instead of meeting his sweetheart, he may tumble intothe middle of a score of our fellows, who may take him alive without theslightest difficulty. The thing's as good as done. Only put me incommunication with this messenger, and I'll answer for the rest. Whatsay you, Arroyo? What shall we do with the Colonel Tres-Villas?"
"Burn him over a slow fire--roast him alive!" responded the guerillero,with an expression of ferocious joy.
"But your wife will intercede for him?" ironically added Bocardo.
"_Carrambo_! Yes!" exclaimed the hag, "to burn him over the slow fire,and roast him alive--that I shall."
And with a hideous laugh she walked out of the tent to give place toGaspacho, who the next moment entered.
The courier thus named had all the appearance of an original character.He was tall and thin as the blade of a rapier, with a cynical expressionof countenance, and long snaky tresses of hair hanging down over hisshoulders, like thongs of smoked leather.
"Speak!" commanded Arroyo, as he entered. "Thou bearer of evil tidings,what have you to tell us now?"
"Perhaps, Senor Captain," responded the brigand, who, notwithstandinghis habitual air of importance, was evidently cowed by the scowl of hissuperior, "perhaps I have some good news as well?"
"First, then, deliver your bad ones!"
"Well, then, Senor Captain, there are not enough of us to take thishacienda by assault. The den of coyotes has proved stronger than weexpected; and I am sent to ask for a reinforcement of men."
"Who has sent you?--Lieutenant Lantejas?"
"Lieutenant Lantejas will never send another message. This morning hishead was nailed over the gate of the hacienda along with that ofSergeant Yanez."
"Tripes of the fiend!" exclaimed the guerilla leader, "Yanez, too!"
"Their heads are not the only ones, Captain. Besides them are those ofSalinas and Tuerto, to say nothing of Matavidas, Sacamedios, andPiojento, who were taken prisoners and hung alive by the feet from theparapet of the building. We had to fire at them and kill them with ourcarbines, in order to put an end to their sufferings."
"They deserved it--a fig for their lives! Why did they allow themselvesto be taken alive?"
"That's just what I told them," said Gaspacho, with an air of assent."I warned them that your honour would be very angry about it. But theydid not mind what I said for all that."
"So then there are now only forty-four of you laying siege to theaccursed place?"
"Your pardon, Captain. I did not yet mention four others who have beenhung up by the necks. Upon these we were not obliged to spend ourpowder--as they were dead enough already."
"_Carajo_!
" vociferated the brigand with a furious accent. "Ten of mymen gone already! _Demonios_! Am I to lose this band like the other?Go on! You have given me enough of ill news. Let me hear some of whatyou call good ones!"
"Yesterday evening a horseman approached the hacienda riding towards it,as if he had nothing to do but present himself at the gate and beadmitted. Before getting near, however, he was seen by two of ourvidettes, who at once charged upon him. After a fight, in which thehorseman made a fierce resistance, he managed to escape."
"_Carajo_!--the stupids!"
"Don't be angry with the poor fellows, Senor Captain. I assure you theydid not let him go without a struggle, which ended in one of themgetting his shoulder fractured by a pistol-shot, and the other havinghis horse fall under him. Pressed by the latter, the Royalist horsemanturned upon him, and rushing against his horse, brought the animal tothe ground. Then grasping the vidette by the collar, he lifted himclean out of his stirrups, and dashed him to the earth, as one would doa cocoa-nut to break its shell. It was full two hours before the poorfellow came to his senses."
"I know only one man strong enough to accomplish that feat," saidBocardo, turning pale--"the damned Colonel Tres-Villas. It was just inthat way that he killed Antonio Valdez."
"It was Colonel Tres-Villas," added Gaspacho. "Pepe Lobos is sure ofit. He heard the snorting of that strange horse--the same he rode uponthe day he came to Las Palmas. Besides, Pepe recognised his figure, andthe sound of his voice--notwithstanding that it was in the night. Tenof our men have gone in pursuit of him, and by this he ought to betaken."
"Holy Virgin!" exclaimed the guerillero chief, turning his eyes towardsheaven, "I promise you a wax candle as big as a palm tree, if this manfalls into our hands!"
"As big as a palm tree!" exclaimed Bocardo in astonishment.--"Camarado,do you mean it?"
"Hush!" said the other in a low voice. "Hold your tongue, Bocardo; it'sonly to humbug the Virgin!"
"Well," replied Bocardo, "whether they capture him or not, it don't muchmatter. We shall take him all the same. If I understand his history,and the meaning of the message which this coyote has for him, he can belured by it to the farthest corner of the earth."
At this moment the wife of Arroyo re-entered the tent, her faceexhibiting a still stronger expression of fury than before.
"The cage is empty!" cried she, "the bird has flown, and along with itthe guardian left to watch it--the worthless Juan de Zapote!"
"Blood and fire!" vociferated Arroyo, "quick, pursue them! Hola!"continued he, raising the flap of his tent, "twenty men to horse! Scourthe woods and the river banks. Bring back the two fugitives bound handand foot. Above all, bring them back _alive_!"
The order created a brisk movement throughout the camp, where eachseemed to compete with his fellow as to who should be the first to enteron the pursuit.
"_Jesus Santo_!" muttered Bocardo to himself, "if this Colonel shouldescape, and also the messenger, adieu to all my fine combinations!Well!" he continued, after the wife of Arroyo had gone out of the tentto hasten the departure of the pursuers. "Well, Senor Arroyo! if heshould get away from us it will be a great pity sure enough. Still weshall find consolation at the hacienda San Carlos."
"True," replied the other, "and I have need of some distraction justnow. This evening I mean to amuse myself. To-morrow we shall storm thefortress of Del Valle with all our force; and may the devil scorch me,if I leave one stone of it standing upon another!"
"Yes; to-morrow let us set seriously about it," said Bocardo, gleefullyrubbing his hands together. "But see!" he continued, glancing out ofthe tent, "our fellows are ready to start. If you take my advice,instead of twenty men, you'll send only ten. That will be quitesufficient to capture those two droll devils who have escaped from us.After you have sent the reinforcement to Del Valle we'll have no greatnumber of men to remain at head-quarters here."
The guerillero chief yielded to the counsel of his associate; andchoosing from the horsemen that were ready ten of the best mounted, hedirected them to enter upon the pursuit. The others were at the sametime ordered to proceed to the hacienda Del Valle to reinforce the partyalready besieging the place.