CHAPTER XIII.
RED CEDAR.
Red Cedar was more than six feet in height; his enormous head wasfastened to his square shoulders by a short and muscular neck, like abull's; his bony members were covered with muscles hard as ropes. Inshort, his whole person was a specimen of brute strength at itsculminating point.
A fox-skin cap, pressed down on his head, allowed escape to a few tuftsof coarse greyish hair, and fell on his little grey eyes, which wereclose to a nose that was hooked like the beak of a bird of prey; hiswide mouth was filled with white, large teeth; his cheekbones wereprominent and purpled; and the lower part of his face disappeared in athick black beard, mingled with grey hairs. He wore a hunting shirt ofstriped calico, fastened round the waist by a strap of brown leather,through which were passed two pistols, an axe, and a long knife; a pairof leggings of tawny leather, sewed at equal distances with hair, felldown to his knees; while his legs were protected by Indian moccasins,ornamented with a profusion of beads and bells. A game bag of fawn skin,which seemed full, fell over his right hip; and he held in his hand anAmerican rifle, studded with copper nails.
No one knew who Red Cedar was, or whence he came. About two years priorto the period of our story opening he had suddenly made his appearancein the country, accompanied by a wife of a certain age--a species ofMegaera, of masculine form and repellant aspect; a girl of seventeen;and three vigorous lads, who resembled him too closely not to be hisown, and whose age varied from nineteen to twenty-four.
Red Cedar himself appeared to be fifty-five at the most. The name bywhich he was known had been given to him by the Indians, of whom he haddeclared himself the implacable enemy, and boasted that he had killedtwo hundred. The old woman was called Betsy; the girl, Ellen; the eldestson, Nathan; the second, Sutter; and the last, Shaw.
This family had built a shanty in the forest, a few miles from Paso, andlived alone in the desert, without having entered into any relationswith the inhabitants of the village; or the trappers and wood rangers,its neighbours. The mysterious conduct of these strangers had given riseto numerous comments; but all had remained without reply or solution,and after two years they remained as perfect strangers as on the day oftheir arrival.
Still, mournful and sad stories were in circulation on their account:they inspired an instinctive hatred and involuntary terror in theMexicans. Some said in a whisper that old Red Cedar and his three sonswere nothing less than "scalp hunters;" that is to say, in the publicesteem, people placed beneath the pirates of the prairies, that uncleanbreed of birds of prey which everybody fears and despises.
The entry of Red Cedar was significant; the otherwise unscrupulous menwho filled the venta hurriedly retired on his approach, and made roomfor him with a zeal mingled with disgust. The old partisan crossed theroom with head erect; a smile of haughty disdain played round his thinlips at the sight of the effect his presence produced, and he went up tothe monk and his two companions. On reaching them he roughly placed thebutt of his rifle on the ground, leaned his two crossed hands upon thebarrel, and after bending a cunning glance on the persons before him,said to the monk in a hoarse voice,--
"The deuce take you, senor padre! Here I am: what do you want with me?"
Far from being vexed at this brutal address, the latter smiled on thecolossus, and held out his hand to him, as he graciously made answer,--
"You are welcome, Red Cedar; we were expecting you impatiently. Sit downby my side on this butaca, and we will talk while drinking a glass ofpulque."
"The deuce twist your neck, and may your accursed pulque choke you! Doyou take me for a wretched abortion of your sort?" the other answered ashe fell into the seat offered him. "Order me some brandy, and that ofthe strongest. I am not a babe, I suppose."
Without making the slightest observation, the monk rose, went to speakwith the host, and presently returned with a bottle, from which hepoured a bumper for the old hunter. The latter emptied the glass at adraught, put it back on the table with a sonorous "hum!" and turned tothe monk with a grimacing smile.
"Come, the devil is not always so black as he looks, senor padre," hesaid, as he passed his hand over his mouth to wipe his moustache. "I seethat we can come to an understanding."
"It will only depend on you, Red Cedar. Here are two worthy Canadianhunters who will do nothing without your support."
The Hercules took a side glance at the young men.
"Eh!" he said, "what do you want with these children? Did I not promiseyou to reach the placer with my sons only?"
"He, he! You are powerfully built, both you and your lads, I allow; butI doubt whether four men, were they twice as strong as you are, couldcarry out this affair successfully. You will have numerous enemies tocombat on your road."
"All the better! The more there are, the more we shall kill," heanswered with a sinister laugh.
"Senor padre," Dick interrupted, "as far as I am concerned, I carelittle about it."
But he was suddenly checked by a meaning glance from his mate.
"What do you care little about, my pretty lad?" the giant asked in amocking voice.
"Nothing," the young man answered drily. "Suppose I had not spoken."
"Good," Red Cedar remarked; "it shall be as you wish. Here's yourhealth."
And he poured the rest of the bottle into his glass.
"Come," said Harry, "Let us have but few words. Explain yourself oncefor all, without beating about the bush, senor padre."
"Yes," Red Cedar observed, "men ought not to waste their time thus inchattering."
"Very good. This, then, is what I propose. Red Cedar will collect withinthree days from this time thirty resolute men, of whom he will take thecommand, and we will start immediately in search of the placer. Does itsuit you in that way?"
"Hum!" Red Cedar said. "In order to go in search of the placer we mustknow a little in what direction it is, or deuce take me if I undertakethe business!"
"Do not trouble yourself about that, Red Cedar; I will accompany you.Have I not got a plan of the country?"
The colossus shot at the monk a glance which sparkled under his darkeyelash, but he hastened to moderate its brilliancy by letting his eyesfall.
"That is true," he said with feigned indifference; "I forgot that youwere coming with us. Then you will leave your parishioners during yourabsence?"
"Heaven will watch over them."
"Eh! It will have its work cut out. However, that does not concern me atall. But why did you oblige me to come to this meson?"
"In order to introduce you to these two hunters, who will accompany us."
"I beg your pardon," Dick observed, "but I do not exactly see of whatuse I can be to you in all this: my aid, and that of my mate, do notappear to me to be indispensable."
"On the contrary," the monk answered quickly, "I reckon entirely onyou."
The giant had risen.
"What!" he said, as he roughly laid his enormous hand on Dick'sshoulder, "You do not understand that this honourable personage, who didnot hesitate to kill a man in order to rob him of the secret of theplacer, has a terrible fear of finding himself alone with me on theprairie? He fears that I shall kill him in my turn to rob him of thesecret of which he became master by a crime. Ha, ha, ha!"
And he turned his back unceremoniously.
"How can you suppose such things, Red Cedar?" the monk exclaimed.
"Do you fancy that I did not read you?" the latter answered. "But it isall the same to you. Do as you please: I leave you at liberty to act asyou like."
"What! You are off already?"
"Hang it! What have I to do any longer here? All is settled between us.In three days thirty of the best frontiersmen will be assembled by mycare at Grizzly Bear Creek, where we shall expect you."
After shrugging his shoulders once again he went off without any salute,or even turning his head.
"It must be confessed," Dick observed, "that the man has a mostvillainous face. What a hideous fellow!"
"Oh!"
the monk answered with a sigh, "The exterior is nothing. Youshould know the inner man."
"Why, in that case, do you have any dealings with him?"
The monk blushed slightly.
"Because it must be so," he muttered.
"All right for you," Dick continued; "but as nothing obliges my friendand myself to have any more intimate relations with that man, you mustnot mind, senor Padre, if--"
"Silence, Dick!" Harry shouted, angrily. "You do not know what you aretalking about. We will accompany you, senor padre. You can reckon on usto defend you if necessary, for I suppose that Red Cedar is right."
"In what way?"
"You do not wish to trust your life defencelessly in his hands, and youreckoned on us to protect you. Is it not so?"
"Why should I feign any longer? Yes, that man terrifies me, and I do notwish to trust myself to his mercy."
"Do not be alarmed; we shall be there, and on our word as hunters, not ahair of your head shall fall."
A lively satisfaction appeared on the monk's pale face at this generouspromise.
"Thanks," he said warmly.
Harry's conduct appeared so extraordinary to Dick, who knew the loftysentiments and innate honor of his comrade, that, without striving tofathom the motives which made him act thus, he contented himself bybacking up his words by an affirmative nod of the head.
"Be assured, caballeros, that when we have reached the placer, I willgive you a large share, and you will have no cause to regretaccompanying me."
"The money question has but slight interest with us," Harry answered."My friend and I are free hunters, caring very little for riches, whichwould be to us rather a source of embarrassment than of pleasure andenjoyment. Curiosity alone, and the desire of exploring strangecountries, are sufficient to make us undertake this journey."
"Whatever the reason that makes you accept my proposals, I am not theless obliged to you."
"Now you will permit us to take leave of you, and we shall holdourselves at your orders."
"Go, gentlemen; I will not keep you longer. I know where to find youwhen I want you."
The young men took up their hats, slung their rifles on their shoulders,and left the meson. The monk looked after them.
"Oh!" he muttered, "I believe I can trust to those men: they have stillin their veins a few drops of that honest French blood which despisestreachery. No matter," he added, as if on reflection; "I will take myprecautions."
After this aside, he rose and looked around him. The room was full ofadventurers, who drank or played at _monte_, and whose energetic facesstood out in the semi-obscurity of the room, which was scarce lighted bya smoky lamp. After a moment's reflection the monk boldly struck thetable with his clenched fist, and shouted in a loud voice:
"Senores caballeros, I invite you to listen to me. I have, I fancy, anadvantageous proposal to make to you."
The company turned their heads; those who were gambling for a momentabandoned their cards and dice; the drinkers alone kept in their handsthe glasses they held; but all approached the monk, round whom theygrouped themselves curiously.
"Caballeros," he continued, "if I am not mistaken, all present aregentlemen whom fortune has more or less ill-treated."
The adventurers, by an automatic movement of extraordinary regularity,bowed their heads in affirmation.
"If you wish it," he continued with an imperceptible smile, "I willundertake to repair the wrong by it done you."
The adventurers pricked up their ears.
"Speak, speak, senor padre!" they shouted with delight.
"What is the affair?" a man with a hang-dog face said, who stood in thefront ranks.
"A war party which I intend to lead shortly into Apacheria," the monksaid, "and for which purpose I need you."
At this proposition the first ardor of the adventurers visibly cooleddown. The Apaches and Comanches inspire an invincible terror in theinhabitants of the Mexican frontiers. The monk guessed the effect he hadproduced; but he continued, as if not observing anything:--
"I take you all into my service for a month, at the rate of fourpiastres a day."
At this magnificent offer the eyes of the adventurers sparkled withgreed, fear gave way to avarice, and they all exclaimed,--
"We accept, reverend father!
"But," the man continued who had already spoken, "we shall be happy,senor padre, if, before starting, you would give us your holybenediction, and absolve us from the few sins we may have committed."
"Yes," the company yelled, "we shall be happy if you consent to that,reverend father."
The monk appeared to reflect: the adventurers, anxiously waited.
"Well, be it so," he answered after a moment. "As the work in which I amabout to employ you is so meritorious, I will give you my blessing, andgrant you absolution of your sins."
For a few minutes there was a shout and exclamations of joy in the room.The monk demanded silence, and when it was restored he said,--
"Now, caballeros, give me each your name, that I may find you when Ineed you."
He sat down and began enrolling the adventurers, who, with the men RedCedar supplied, would form the band with which he hoped to reach theplacer. We will leave the worthy monk for a few moments, and follow thetwo Canadian hunters.