EVR.YA\AN. 
 
 
 

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EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY 
 EDITED BY ERNEST RHYS 
 
 FICTION 
 
 THE INDIAN SCOUT 
 A STORY OF THE AZTEC CITY 
 BY GUSTAVE AIMARD 
 
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INTRODUCTION 
 
 " GUSTAVE AIMARD," whose baptismal name, Olivier 
 Gloux, is almost forgotten, can claim to have been in his 
 heyday the favourite Indian romancer of the French 
 schoolboy. Translated into English, his stories and novels 
 of wild life held their own in other countries too, by the 
 side of Fenimore Cooper's and Captain Mayne Reid's. 
 They dealt boldly and freely in the sensations of the camp 
 and backwoods; and they had, like the best works of the 
 other romance- writers just mentioned, the advantage of 
 being based upon the real experience of their author. 
 
 Born at Paris in 1818, young Olivier Gloux sailed to 
 America as a midshipmite when he was still a boy; and 
 there began his adventures in foreign lands. An air of 
 mystery is cast over some of the succeeding years 
 when he lived "among the Indians" as the phrase goes. 
 In a Page of My Life, prefixed to El Dorado and Le 
 Guaranis, he gives us a personal clue to his method in 
 treating the realities which he afterwards cast into a 
 romantic form. He speaks there of the comparatively 
 slight modifications which he made in his crude material ; 
 and he shows us the impulse that prompted him in his 
 wanderings. "What did I go there to do?" he asks 
 (it is to Brazil that he refers in this case); and he replies, 
 " I did not know myself: I obeyed a need of emotions, a 
 desire for the unforeseen which I could not have explained, 
 but which pushed me on with irresistible force. During 
 twenty years this desire led me, without serious motives 
 or reasons that would have seemed logical in the eyes of 
 men used to the pleasures and easy comforts of European 
 life, to leave the print of my feet in the depths of the most 
 unexplored deserts, where it procured me ineffable happi- 
 ness, strange and nameless ecstasies, and in the outcome, 
 cruel suffering." 
 
 In the same pages, Gustave Aimard spoke of the necessity 
 he felt of effacing himself in his story-telling, so as to 
 leave untouched the natural colour and the cachet of wild 
 
 vii 
 
viii The Indian Scout 
 
 life in its grandeur. He would be content if he had 
 only succeeded in making his readers " know the manners, 
 so different from ours, which were fast being effaced under 
 the incessant pressure of civilisation, and which would 
 soon exist only in the memory of some old men." 
 
 The volume from which this reference comes appeared 
 in 1864, when he may be said to have regained a Parisian 
 consciousness of the value of wild adventure, and when he 
 had become artistically and dramatically retrospective. 
 
 A year or two before, his chief English translator, who 
 seems to have had some private knowledge of his career 
 (very probably supplied by himself) had written in brief 
 an " appreciation," which is just what he himself would have 
 desired it to be. If the terms are rather large, and the 
 prairie is not definitely located, it is in essence, we believe, 
 a fair statement of the case. He was the adopted son, 
 according to this freely coloured miniature, of one of " the 
 most powerful Indian tribes." With this tribe " he lived 
 for more than fifteen years in the heart of the prairie, 
 sharing their dangers and their combats, and accompanying 
 them everywhere, rifle in one hand and tomahawk in the 
 other. In turn squatter, hunter, trapper, warrior, and 
 miner, he traversed America from the highest peaks of the 
 Cordilleras to the ocean shores, living from hand to mouth, 
 happy for the day, careless of the morrow. Hence it is 
 that in these stories he only describes his own life. The 
 Indians of whom he speaks, he has known; the manners 
 he depicts were his own." 
 
 He had already published a first story, when he reached 
 Paris in 1848. Then, after seeing some service at home in 
 the Garde Mobile, he returned to America; this time 
 apparently with a distinct idea of the literary value of such 
 experiences as he could command there. The familiar 
 blue paper covers of the stories that thereafter began to 
 flow from his pen, published by Amyot in the Rue de la 
 Paix, Paris, were to be seen everywhere. The first marked 
 success was Les Trappeurs de I Arkansas, which appeared 
 in 1858. Finally he settled down at home, a Dumas of 
 the American Indians. He was an officer in the Francs 
 Tireurs in 1870; beyond this we have only casual records 
 of his remaining years. His end was sad: he died at St. 
 Anne's Asylum, Paris, June 1883. 
 
 For the present romance, it may be enough to note that 
 
Introduction ix 
 
 in France it appears to have been the most popular of all 
 his tales. The single exception is The Prairie Flower, 
 which is a companion story, dealing with the earlier ad- 
 ventures of some of its chief characters. Outside Prescott 
 and the history books, no better description of the city 
 of Mexico can be had than that in the earlier chapters 
 labelled " A Dark History." The pendent to this is the 
 picture of the Aztec city, Quiepaa Tani, in chapters thirty- 
 two and thirty-three. Gustave Aimard, we may add, 
 supplied a certain number of notes explanatory of the 
 more difficult place-names, Indian allusions, and so forth 
 in his books; but by no means sufficient to clear up all 
 the unfamiliar words and idioms he revelled in. A glossary 
 has accordingly been supplied by Mr. Andrew Boyle for 
 the following pages, which renders their reading an easy 
 matter. 
 
 The following is the list of the chief stories and romances 
 of Gustave Aimard : 
 
 The chief of Aimard's Tales of Indian Life have been translated by 
 Sir F. C. Lascelles Wraxall: The Pirates of the Prairies, 1858; The 
 Tiger Slayer: a Tale of the Indian Desert, 1860; The Trail Hunter, 
 1861; The Indian Scout: a Story of the Aztec City, 1861; The Gold 
 Seekers: a Tale of California, 1861; The Freebooters: a Tale of the 
 Texan War, 1861 ; The Indian Chief: the Story of a Revolution, 1861 ; 
 The Trapper's Daughter: a Tale of the Rocky Mountains, 1861; The 
 Border Rifles: a Tale of the Texan War, 1861; The Prairie Flower, 
 1861; The Last of the Incas, 1862; The Red Track: a Story of 
 Social Life in Mexico, 1862; The Adventurers: a Story of a Love 
 Chace, 1863; The Pearl of the Andes, 1863; The Smuggler Chief, 
 1864. By W. Robson: Loyal Heart: or the Trappers of Arkansas, 
 1858 ; The Chief of the Aucas: or the Foster Brothers, 1859. By H. L. 
 Williams: Lynch Law, or the Hunter's Revenge, 1860. By G. A.: 
 The Buccaneer Chief: a Romance of the Spanish Main, 1864. 
 
 ANONYMOUS TRANSLATIONS: The White Scalper: a Story of the 
 Texan War, 1861 ; The Queen of the Savannah : a Story of the Mexican 
 War. 1862; Stronghold, or the Noble Revenge, 1863; The Rebel 
 Chief: a Tale of Guerilla Life, 1864; The Bee Hunters, 1864; Stone- 
 heart: a Romance, 1865; The Guide of the Desert: or, Life in the 
 Pampa, 1867; The Insurgent Chief, 1868; The Flying Horseman, 
 1868; The Treasure of Pearls, 1884. 
 
 Several of the above Translations have been re-edited and revised 
 bv P. B. Saint John, who also edited The Red River Half- Breed: a 
 
 it J 
 'ild 
 
 Tale of the Wild North-West, 1885. 
 
GLOSSARY 
 
 Abanico, a tree with large fan-shaped leaves. 
 
 Acajou, a fruit tree. 
 
 Acyar, magician. 
 
 Alcafora, an earthenware drinking vessel with a spout through which 
 
 the liquor is poured into the mouth. 
 Alforjas, saddle-bags. 
 Amanani, amantzin, High priest. 
 Armas de aqua, water skins. 
 Ayuntamiento, council house. 
 Azotea, roof. 
 
 Barranca, chasm. 
 
 Bossal, halter. 
 
 Botas vaqueras, short boots made of cow-hide. 
 
 Bouse de vache, cow-dung. 
 
 Brasero, brazier, fire-pan. 
 
 Buenos noches, good night. 
 
 Butacca, a folding arm-chair with a cane seat. 
 
 Caballero, gentleman. 
 
 Calle, street. 
 
 Calli, house. 
 
 Calumet, Indian pipe. 
 
 Calzoneros, trousers. 
 
 Canarios, mild form of the Spanish national oath " carajo." 
 
 Canaveral, thicket of bamboo and canes. 
 
 Carai, modification of the Spanish national oath. 
 
 Caramba, modification of the Spanish national oath. 
 
 Cardinal, Virginian nightingale. 
 
 Caspita, mild form of caramba. 
 
 Caval, an Indian measure. 
 
 Celador, night watchmen. 
 
 Chicote, riding whip. 
 
 Chihuatl, cithautl, woman. 
 
 Cohuatl, woman. 
 
 Collar, letter. 
 
 Compadre, compere, friend. 
 
 Companero, companion. 
 
 Con su permiso, by your leave. 
 
 Cordillera, a range of mountains. 
 
 Corral, yard. 
 
 Corrida, bull-fight. 
 
 Costeno, of the coast. 
 
 Couquar, puma or red tiger. 
 
 Coyote, an animal much resembling the prairie wolf. 
 
 Criado, servant. 
 
 Cuadrilla, troop, band. 
 
 Cuerpo de Cristo, body of Christ. 
 
 Demonio, devil. 
 
 Dios me ampare ! God help me! God bless me! 
 
 xi 
 
xii The Indian Scout 
 
 Embossada, wrapped. 
 
 Esclavina, a neckerchief folded across in a triangular shape and 
 
 tied round the neck like a sailor's collar. 
 Espada, the man who kills the bull with a sword (espada) at the bull 
 
 fights. 
 Evangelista, public-writer. 
 
 Floripondio, a Peruvian tree bearing intoxicating berries. 
 Fressada, a blanket or cloak which served as a bed as well. 
 
 Gachupino, European in Mexico. 
 Gambuccior, camp of Gambusinos. 
 Gambusino, Mexican, half hunter, half bandit 
 Gente de paz, peaceful people. 
 Gente de razon, reasonable people. 
 Gringo, here American. 
 
 Hachesto, messenger. 
 
 Hacienda, plantation. 
 
 Haciendero, planter. 
 
 Hombre de bien y religioso, a good, religious man. 
 
 Indio manzo, civilised Indian. 
 
 In pace, in peace: a vault where people were buried alive. 
 
 Jacal, hut. 
 
 Jaleo, a dance in which the dancers clap hands. 
 
 Juez de Lettras, a magistrate. 
 
 Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch' intrate, Dante's inscription over the gates 
 
 of his Inferno, " Abandon hope all ye that enter." 
 Lentis, a plant bearing pods of seeds like lentils. 
 Lepero, bandit. 
 Llano, a plain. 
 Locanda, a private lunatic asylum. 
 
 Machete, a sort of Mexican sword. 
 
 Manada, flock. 
 
 Manga, a cape, cloak, or wrap which is slung over the shoulder. 
 
 Mantilla, a lace scarf worn over the head. 
 
 Manzo, tame. 
 
 Maria Purisima ! Purest Mary! a pious oath. 
 
 Mediano, central, half-way. 
 
 Menhies, an Armorican altar. 
 
 Mi amo, my master. 
 
 Mimosa, a plant and tree with shining leaves which shrink from the 
 
 traveller as he passes. 
 Morisco, Arabic. 
 Muchacho, boy. 
 
 Navaja, dagger, razor. 
 
 Nena, familiar term for nifla. 
 
 Niha, child. 
 
 Noche tristc, unhappy night. 
 
 Nuestra Senora del Carmen, Our Lady of Carmen. 
 
 Nuestra Senora de los Angeles, Our Lady of the Angels. 
 
 Ocote, brushwood. 
 
 Oracion, prayer. 
 
 Oregano, a herb with medicinal properties, wild marjoram. 
 
 Papagallo, parrot. 
 
 Papelito, little paper, here cigarette. 
 
 Paseo, walk. 
 
 Patio, court-yard. 
 
Glossary xiii 
 
 Picaro, scoundrel. 
 
 Pimento, pepper. 
 
 Plaza Mayor, principal square. 
 
 Portal, gate. 
 
 Portal de las Flores, The Gate of the Flowers. 
 
 Presidio, prison, garrison fort. 
 
 Prie-dieu, kneeling desk for prayer. 
 
 Pronunciamento, accusation. 
 
 Providencia, carriage, vehicle. 
 
 Pueblo, village. 
 
 Pulque, a Mexican vinous drink somewhat resembling cider in taste, 
 
 but having a very disagreeable odour. 
 Pulqueria, shop where pulque is sold. 
 Pulquero, maker and seller of pulque. 
 
 Quebrada, precipice. 
 Queso, cheese. 
 Quien es ? who is it ? 
 Quien sabe ? who knows? 
 
 Ratero, scamp. 
 
 Reata, lazo, rope, leather thong which all hunters carry. 
 
 Rebozo, a light scarf, cloak. 
 
 Recua, drove. 
 
 Refi.no, a species of aguardiente. 
 
 Retablo de las animas benditas (uri), a picture of the blessed souls. 
 
 Sachem, chief. 
 
 Sagrario, chapel. 
 
 Saguon, put-house. 
 
 Saya, skirt. 
 
 Sereno, night watchman. 
 
 Serrania, mountain regions. 
 
 Sin peccado concebida, born without sin, referring to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Sombrero, broad-brimmed hat. 
 
 Tarde, afternoon. 
 
 Tasajo, dried meat. 
 
 Temporal, storm. 
 
 Tierra de adentro, inland. 
 
 Tierra caliente, hot country : certain tropical regions at the foot of the 
 
 Andes. 
 
 Tio, uncle: familiar term of address. 
 Toquilla, a kerchief used for tying round the head as a protection from 
 
 the sun or for keeping the hat on. 
 Tortilla, a sort of omelette. 
 Travestissement, a disguising. 
 Tuna, andar a la tuna, play the truant. 
 
 Un retablo de las animas benditas, see retablo. 
 
 Volga me Dios ! God help me ! 
 
 Vaquero, herdsman. 
 
 Verdugo del Demonio ! hangman of the devil! 
 
 Vicuna, South American sheep, 
 
 Vilaio, old house. 
 
 Virtu-Dieu, good Heavens! 
 
 Voto a brios, see Voto a Dios. 
 
 Voto a Dios, I swear to God: a very strong, vulgar oath. 
 
 Wacondah, great spirit, God. 
 
 Zarape, cloak or shawl which serves as a blanket and bed. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. THE SURPRISE i 
 
 II. THE GUEST 8 
 
 III. A NIGHT CONFERENCE ..... 15 
 
 IV. INDIANS AND HUNTERS ..... 23 
 V. MUTUAL EXPLANATIONS ..... 30 
 
 VI. A DARK HISTORY 38 
 
 VII. A DARK HISTORY CONTINUED .... 45 
 
 VIII. A DARK HISTORY CONCLUDED .... 54 
 
 IX. BRIGHTEYE AND MARKSMAN .... 63 
 
 X. FRESH CHARACTERS 71 
 
 XI. THE FORD OF THE RUBIO ..... 80 
 
 XII. DON STEFANO COHECHO 87 
 
 XIII. THE AMBUSCADE ...... 95 
 
 XIV. THE TRAVELLERS 103 
 
 XV. RECALLED TO LIFE . . . . . .no 
 
 XVI. THE SEARCH AFTER TRUTH 118 
 
 XVII. DON MARIANO 125 
 
 XVIII. BEFORE THE TRIAL ...... 133 
 
 XIX. FACE TO FACE 140 
 
 XX. THE JUDGMENT ....... 149 
 
 XXI. BRIGHTEYE 158 
 
 XXII. THE CAMP 167 
 
 XXIII. FLYING EAGLE 177 
 
 XXIV. QUIEPAA TANI 185 
 
 XXV. A TRIO OF VILLAINS ...... 192 
 
 XXVI. A HUNT ON THE PRAIRIE ..... 201 
 
 XXVII. A HUNT ON THE PRAIRIE CONCLUDED . . . 212 
 
 XXVIII. REDSKINS AND WHITE ..... 219 
 
 XXIX. THE COUNCIL 228 
 
 XXX. THE SECOND DETACHMENT . . . . 237 
 
 XXXI. THE TLACATEOTZIN 246 
 
 XXXII. THE FIRST WALK IN THE CITY . . . .255 
 
 XXXIII. EXPLANATORY 263 
 
 XXXIV. CONVERSATIONAL ...... 271 
 
 XXXV. THE INTERVIEW 279 
 
 XXXVI. A MEETING 288 
 
 XXXVII. COMPLICATIONS 297 
 
 XXXVIII. A WALK IN THE DARK 306 
 
 XXXIX. THE GREAT MEDICINE ..... 314 
 
 XL. THE FINAL STRUGGLE . 324 
 
 THE EPILOGUE ....... 333 
 
 XV 
 
THE INDIAN SCOUT 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE SURPRISE 
 
 IT was towards the end of May, 1855, in one of the least 
 visited parts of the immense prairies of the Far West, and 
 at a short distance from the Rio Colorado del Norte, which 
 the Indian tribes of those districts call, in their language so 
 full of imagery, " The endless river with the golden waves.'* 
 
 The night was profoundly dark. The moon, which had 
 proceeded two-thirds of its course, displayed between the 
 lofty branches of the trees her pallid face; and the scanty 
 rays of vacillating light scarce brought out the outlines of the 
 abrupt and stern scenery. There was not a breath in the 
 air, not a star in the sky. A silence of death brooded over 
 the desert a silence only interrupted, at long intervals, by 
 the sharp barking of the coyotes in search of prey, or the 
 savage miaulings of the panthers and jaguars at the water- 
 ing-place. 
 
 During the darkness, the great American savannahs, on 
 which no human sound troubles the majesty of night, assume, 
 beneath the eye of heaven, an imposing splendour, which 
 unconsciously affects the heart of the strongest man, and 
 imbues him involuntarily with a feeling of religious respect. 
 
 All at once the closely growing branches of a floripondio 
 were cautiously parted, and in the space thus left appeared 
 the anxious head of a man, whose eyes, flashing like those 
 of a wild beast, darted restless glances in every direction. 
 After a few seconds of perfect immobility, the man of whom 
 we speak left the clump of trees, in the midst of which he was 
 concealed, and leaped out on the plain. 
 
 Although his bronzed complexion had assumed almost a 
 brick colour, still, from his hunting garb, and, above all, the 
 light colour of his long hair, and his bold, frank, and sharply- 
 marked features, it was easy to recognise in this man one of 
 
 A 
 
2 The Indian Scout 
 
 those daxing Canadian wood-rangers, whose bold race is 
 daily expiring, and will probably disappear ere long. 
 
 He walked a few paces, with the barrel of his rifle thrust 
 forward, and his finger on the trigger, minutely inspecting 
 the thickets and numberless bushes that surrounded him; 
 then, probably reassured by the silence and solitude that 
 continued to prevail around, he stopped, rested the butt of 
 his rifle on the ground, bent forward, and imitated, with 
 rare perfection, the song of the centzontle, the American 
 nightingale. 
 
 Scarce had the last modulation of this song, which was 
 gentle as a love sigh, died away in the air, when a second 
 person bounded forward from the same shrub which had 
 already offered passage to the hunter. It was an Indian; 
 he stationed himself by the Canadian's side, and, after a few- 
 second's silence, said, affecting a tranquillity probably not 
 responded to by his heart," Well? " 
 
 "All is calm," the hunter answered. " The Chihuatl can 
 come." 
 
 The Indian shook his head. 
 
 " Since the rising of the moon, Mahchsi Karehde has been 
 separated from Eglantine; he knows not where she is at 
 this moment." 
 
 A kindly smile played round the hunter's lips. 
 
 " Eglantine loves my brother," he said, gently. " The 
 little bird that sings in her heart will have led her on the 
 trail of the Chief. Has Mahchsi Karehde forgotten the song 
 with which he called her to his love meetings in the tribe? " 
 
 " The Chief has forgotten nothing." 
 
 " Let him call her then." 
 
 The Indian did not let the invitation be repeated. The 
 cry of the walkon rose in the silence. 
 
 At the same moment a rustling was heard in the branches, 
 and a young woman, bounding like a startled fawn, fell 
 panting into the warrior's arms, which were opened to 
 receive her. This pressure was no longer than a flash of 
 lightning; the Chief, doubtlessly ashamed of the tender 
 emotion he had yielded to in the presence of a white man, 
 even though that white man was a friend, coldly repulsed 
 the young female, saying to her, in a voice in which no trace 
 of feeling was visible, " My sister is fatigued, without doubt; 
 no danger menaces her at this moment; she can sleep; the 
 warriors will watch over her." 
 
The Surprise 3 
 
 " Eglantine is a Comanche maid," she answered in a timid 
 voice. " Her heart is strong ; she will obey Mahchsi Karehde 
 (the Flying Eagle). Under the protection of so terrible a 
 chief she knows herself in safety." 
 
 The Indian bent on her a glance full of indescribable ten- 
 derness; but regaining, almost immediately, that apparent 
 apathy which the Redskins never depart from, " The 
 warriors wish to hold a council; my sister can sleep," he 
 said. 
 
 The young woman made no reply; she bowed respect- 
 fully to the two men, and withdrawing a few paces, she lay 
 down in the grass, and slept, or feigned to sleep. The 
 Canadian had contented himself with smiling, on seeing the 
 result obtained by the advice he had given the warrior, and 
 listened, with an approving nod of the head, to the few words 
 exchanged between the Redskins. The Chief, buried in 
 thought, stood for a few minutes with his eyes fixed, with a 
 strange expression, on the young, sleeping woman; then he 
 passed his hand several times over his brow, as if to dissipate 
 the clouds that oppressed his mind, and turned to the 
 hunter. 
 
 " My brother, the Paleface, has need of rest. The Chief 
 will watch," he said. 
 
 " The coyotes have ceased barking, the moon has dis- 
 appeared, a white streak is rising on the horizon," the 
 Canadian replied. " Day will speedily appear; sleep has 
 fled my eyelids; the men must hold a council." 
 
 The Indian bowed, without further remark, and, laying 
 his gun on the ground, collected a few armfuls of dry wood, 
 which he carried near the sleeper. The Canadian struck a 
 light; the wood soon caught, and the flame coloured the 
 trees with its blood-red hue. The two men then squatted 
 by each other's side, filled their calumets with manachie, the 
 sacred tobacco, and commenced smoking silently, with that 
 imposing gravity which the Indians, under all circumstances, 
 bring to this symbolic operation. 
 
 We will profit by this moment of rest, which accident offers 
 us, to draw a portrait of these three persons, who are destined 
 to play an important part in the course of our story. 
 
 The Canadian was a man of about forty-five years of age, 
 six feet in height, long, thin, and dry; his was a nervous 
 nature, composed of muscle and sinews, perfectly adapted to 
 the rude profession of wood-ranger, which demands a vigour 
 
4 The Indian Scout 
 
 and boldness beyond all expression. Like all his country- 
 men, the Canadian offered, in his features, the Norman type 
 in its thorough purity. His wide forehead; his grey eyes, 
 full of intelligence ; his slightly aquiline nose ; his large mouth 
 full of magnificent teeth; the long light hair, mingled with 
 a few silvery threads which escaped from under his otter- 
 skin cap, and fell in enormous ringlets on his shoulders, all 
 these details gave this man an open, frank, and honest appear- 
 ance, which attracted sympathy, and pleased at the first 
 fiance. This worthy giant, whose real name was Bonnaire, 
 ut who was only known on the prairies by the sobriquet 
 of Marksman, a sobriquet which he fully justified by the 
 correctness of his aim, and his skill in detecting the lurking- 
 places of wild beasts, was born in the vicinity of Montreal; 
 but having been taken, while very young, into the forests 
 of Upper Canada, desert life possessed such charms for him, 
 that he had given up civilised society, and for nearly thirty 
 years had traversed the vast solitudes of North America, 
 only consenting to visit the towns and villages when he 
 wanted to dispose of the skins of the animals he had killed, 
 or renew his provision of powder and bullets. 
 
 Marksman's companion, Flying Eagle, was one of the 
 most renowned chiefs of the tribe of the White Buffaloes, 
 the most powerful of all forming the warlike Comanche race, 
 that untamable and ferocious nation, which, in its immeasur- 
 able pride, haughtily terms itself the Queen of the Prairies, 
 a title which no other tribe dares to challenge. Flying Eagle, 
 though still very young, for he was scarcely four-and- twenty, 
 had already distinguished himself, on several occasions, by 
 deeds of such unheard-of boldness and temerity, that his mere 
 name inspired the countless Indian hordes that constantly 
 traverse the desert in every direction, with invincible terror. 
 He was tall, well-built, and perfectly proportioned; his 
 features were elegant, and his black eyes acquired, beneath 
 the influence of any powerful emotion, that strange rigidity 
 which commands respect; his gestures were noble, and his 
 carriage graceful, and stamped with that majesty inborn in 
 Indians. The Chief was attired in his war dress, and that 
 was so singular as to deserve a detailed description. 
 
 Flying Eagle wore the cap which only distinguished 
 warriors, who have killed many warriors, have the right to 
 assume; it is made of strips of white ermine, with a large 
 piece of red cloth fastened at the back, and falling to the 
 
The Surprise 5 
 
 thigh, to which is fastened an upright crest of black and 
 white eagle plumes, which begins at the head, and continues 
 in close order to the extremity. Above his right ear he had 
 passed through his hair a wooden knife, painted red, and 
 about the length of a hand ; this knife was the model of one 
 with which he had killed a Dacotah chief; he wore, in 
 addition, eight small wooden skewers, painted blue, and 
 adorned at the upper extremity with a gilt nail, to indicate 
 the number of bullets that had wounded him; over his left 
 ear he wore a large tuft of yellow owl feathers, with the ends 
 painted red, as the totem of the Band of Dogs ; one half his 
 face was red, and his body reddish brown, with stripes from 
 which the colour had been removed by a moistened finger. 
 His arms, starting from the shoulder, were adorned with 
 twenty-seven yellow stripes, indicating the number of his 
 exploits, while on his chest he had painted a blue hand, to 
 announce that he had frequently made prisoners. Round 
 his neck he wore a magnificent collar of grizzly bear's claws, 
 three inches in length, and white at the point. His shoulders 
 were covered by a large buffalo robe, falling almost to the 
 ground, and painted of various colours. His breeches, com- 
 posed of two separate parts, one for each leg, were tightly 
 fastened to his waistbelt, and fell almost to his ankles, em- 
 broidered externally with coloured porcupine quills, termi- 
 nating in a long tuft that trailed on the ground. Wide 
 stripes of black and white cloth were rolled round his hips, 
 and fell before and behind in heavy folds. His slippers, of 
 buffalo hide, were but slightly decorated; but wolf tails, 
 trailing on the ground behind him, and equalling in number 
 the enemies he had conquered, were fastened above his 
 ankles. From his waistbelt hung, on one side, his powder- 
 flask, ball-pouch, and scalping-knife : on the other, a quiver 
 of panther skin filled with long, sharp arrows, and his toma- 
 hawk; his gun was laid on the ground, within reach of his 
 hand. 
 
 This warrior, dressed in such a strange costume, had 
 something imposing and sinister about him which inspired 
 terror. 
 
 For the present we will confine ourselves to saying that 
 Eglantine was not more than fifteen years of age; that she 
 was very beautiful for an Indian girl; and wore, in all its 
 elegant simplicity, the sweet costume adopted by the women 
 of her nation. Ending here this description, which was 
 
6 The Indian Scout 
 
 perhaps too detailed, but which was necessary in order to 
 know the men we have introduced in the scene, we will 
 return to our narrative. 
 
 For a long time the two men smoked side by side without 
 exchanging a syllable ; at length, the Canadian shook out the 
 ashes of his pipe on his thumb nail, and addressed his com- 
 panion. 
 
 " Is my brother satisfied? " he said. 
 
 " Wah! " the Indian answered, and bowing assent; " my 
 brother has a friend." 
 
 "Good!" the hunter continued; "and what will the 
 Chief do now? " 
 
 " Flying Eagle will rejoin his tribe with Eglantine, and 
 then return to seek the Apache trail." 
 
 " For what purpose? " 
 
 " Flying Eagle will avenge himself." 
 
 " As you please, Chief. I will certainly not try to dis- 
 suade you from projects against enemies who are also mine; 
 still, I do not believe you look at the matter in the right 
 light." 
 
 " What would my brother the Paleface warrior say ? " 
 
 " I mean that we are far from the lodges of the Comanches, 
 and before reaching them we shall have doubtlessly more 
 than one turn-up with the enemies from whom the Chief 
 considers himself freed, perhaps, too prematurely." 
 
 The Indian shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. 
 
 " The Apaches are old women, chattering, and cowardly," 
 he said. " Flying Eagle despises them." 
 
 " That is possible," the hunter replied, with a toss of his 
 head; " still, in my opinion, we should have done better in 
 continuing our journey till sunrise, in order to put a greater 
 distance between them and us, instead of halting so im- 
 prudently; we are still very near the camp of our enemies." 
 
 " The fire water has stopped the ears and closed the eyes 
 of the Apache dogs; they are stretched on the ground and 
 sleeping." 
 
 " Hum! that is not my opinion; I am, on the contrary, 
 persuaded that they are watching and looking for us." 
 
 At the same instant, as if chance wished to justify the 
 apprehensions of the prudent hunter, some dozen shots were 
 fired; a horrible war-cry, to which the Canadian and the 
 Comanche responded, with a yell of defiance, was heard in 
 the forest, and nearly thirty Indians rushed howling toward 
 
The Surprise 7 
 
 the fire, at which our three characters were seated ; but the 
 latter had disappeared, as if by enchantment. 
 
 The Apaches stopped with an outburst of passion, not 
 knowing in what direction to turn, in order to find their 
 crafty foes again. Suddenly three shots were fired from the 
 interior of the forest, and three Apaches rolled on the ground, 
 with holes in their chests. The Indians uttered a yell of 
 fury, and rushed in the direction of the shots. At the 
 moment they reached the edge of the forest, a man stepped 
 forward, waving in his right hand a buffalo robe, as a signal 
 of peace. It was Marksman, the Canadian. 
 
 The Apaches stopped with an ill-omened hesitation, but 
 the Canadian, without seeming to notice the movement, 
 walked resolutely toward them with the slow and careless 
 step habitual to him; on recognising him, the Indians 
 brandished their weapons wrathfully, and wished to rush 
 upon him, for they had many reasons for hating the hunter; 
 but their Chief arrested them with a peremptory gesture. 
 
 " Let my brothers be patient," he said, with a sinister 
 smile, " they will lose nothing by waiting." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE GUEST 
 
 ON the same day that our story begins, and about three 
 miles from where the events narrated in our preceding 
 chapter occurred, a numerous caravan had halted at sunset, 
 in a vast clearing situated on the skirt of an immense virgin 
 forest, the last species of which ended on the banks of the 
 Rio Colorado. 
 
 This caravan came from the south-east, that is, from 
 Mexico. It appeared to have been on the march for a long 
 time, as far as possible to judge by the state in which the 
 clothes of the men were, as well as the harness of the horses 
 and mules. In fact, the poor beasts themselves were reduced 
 to a state of leanness and weakness, which amply testified to 
 the rude fatigue they must have endured. The caravan was 
 composed of some thirty-five persons, all attired in the 
 picturesque and characteristic costume of the half-bred 
 hunters and Gambusinos, who alone, or in small bands, at 
 the most of four, incessantly traverse the Far West, which 
 they explore in its most mysterious depths, for the purpose 
 of hunting, trapping, or discovering the numberless gold 
 veins it contains in its bosom. 
 
 The adventurers halted, dismounted, fastened their horses 
 to picquet ropes, and began immediately, with that skill and 
 quickness only attained by long habit, making their prepara- 
 tions to bivouac. The grass was pulled up over a con- 
 siderable extent of ground ; the baggage, piled up in a circle, 
 formed a breastwork, behind which a sudden attack of the 
 desert marauders might be resisted; and then fires were 
 lighted in the shape of a St. Andrew's cross in the interior 
 of the camp. 
 
 When all this had been attended to, some of the adven- 
 turers put up a large tent above a palanquin hermetically 
 closed, which was carried by two mules, one before and one 
 behind. When the tent was pitched, the mules were taken 
 out of the palanquin, and the curtains, in falling, covered it 
 so completely, that it was entirely concealed. 
 
 8 
 
The Guest 9 
 
 This palanquin was a riddle to the adventurers. No one 
 knew what it contained, though the general curiosity was 
 singularly aroused on the subject of a mystery so specially 
 incomprehensible in this deserted country; each kept care- 
 fully to himself the opinions he had formed about it above 
 all, since the day when, in the midst of a difficult piece of 
 country, and during the momentary absence of the chief of 
 the Cuadrilla, who usually never left the palanquin, which 
 he guarded like a miser does his treasure, a hunter leaned 
 over and slightly opened one of the curtains; but the man 
 had scarce time to take a furtive peep through the opening, 
 ere the chief, suddenly coming up, split his skull open with 
 a blow of his machete, and laid him dead at his feet. Then 
 he turned to the terrified witnesses, and said calmly, " Is 
 there another among you who would like to discover what I 
 think proper to keep secret? " 
 
 These words were uttered in such a tone of implacable 
 raillery and furious cruelty, that these villains, for the most 
 part without faith or law, and accustomed to brave, with a 
 laugh, the greatest perils, felt an internal shudder, and their 
 blood stagnated in their veins. This lesson had been suffi- 
 cient. No one tried afterwards to discover the captain's 
 secret. 
 
 The final arrangements had been scarcely made for the 
 encampment, ere the sound of horses was heard, and two 
 horsemen arrived at a gallop. 
 
 " Here is the Captain," the adventurers said to each 
 other. 
 
 The new comers gave their reins to men who ran up to 
 receive them, and walked hastily toward the tent. On 
 arriving there, the first stopped and addressed his com- 
 panion: " Caballero," he said to him, "you are welcome 
 among us; although very poor ourselves, we will gladly 
 share the little we possess with you." 
 
 " Thanks," the second said, with a bow, " I will not abuse 
 your gracious hospitality; to-morrow, at sunrise, I think I 
 shall be sufficiently rested to continue my journey." 
 
 " You will act as you think proper: seat yourself by this 
 fire prepared for us, while I go for a few moments into that 
 tent. I will soon rejoin you, and have the honour of keeping 
 you company." 
 
 The stranger bowed, and took his place by the fire, lighted 
 a short distance from the tent, while the captain let the 
 
io The Indian Scout 
 
 curtain he had lifted fall behind him, and disappeared from 
 his guest's sight. 
 
 The latter was a man of marked features, his stalwart 
 limbs denoting a far from ordinary strength; the few wrinkles 
 that furrowed his energetic face served to indicate that he 
 had already passed mid-life, though no trace of decrepitude 
 was visible on his solidly-built body, and not a white hair 
 silvered his long and thick locks, which were black as a 
 raven's wing. He wore the costume of the rich Mexican 
 hacienderos, that is to say, the manca ; the zarape, of many 
 colours; the velvet calzoneros, open at the knee, and botas 
 vaqueras; his hat, of vicuna skin, gallooned with gold, was 
 drawn in by a rich toquila, fastened with a costly diamond : 
 a sheathless machete hung from his right hip, merely passed 
 through an iron ring: the barrels of two six-chambered 
 revolvers shone in his waistbelt, and he had thrown on the 
 grass by his side an American rifle, beautifully damascened 
 with silver. 
 
 When the Captain left him alone, this man, while installing 
 himself before the fire in the most comfortable way possible, 
 that is to say, arranging his zarape and water bottles to 
 serve as a bed, if necessary, had cast a furtive glance around, 
 whose expression would, doubtless, have supplied the adven- 
 turers with serious matter of thought had they been able to 
 notice it; but all were busied in getting the bivouac snug, 
 and preparations for supper; and trusting entirely in the 
 loyalty of prairie hospitality, they did not at all dream of 
 watching what the stranger seated at their fire was about. 
 
 The unknown, after a few moments' reflection, rose and 
 walked up to a party of trappers, whose conversation seemed 
 very animated, and who were gesticulating with that fire 
 natural to southern races. 
 
 " Eh! " one of them said, on noticing the stranger, " this 
 senor will set us right with a word." 
 
 The latter, thus directly appealed to, turned towards the 
 speaker. 
 
 " What is the matter, caballeros? " he asked. 
 
 " Oh, a very simple matter," the adventurer made answer; 
 " your horse, a noble and handsome animal, I must allow, 
 senor, will not associate with others; it stamps its feet and 
 bites at the companions we have given it." 
 
 " Oh, that is, indeed, simple enough," a second adventurer 
 remarked, with a grin; " that horse is a costeno, and too 
 
The Guest 1 1 
 
 proud to associate with poor tterras d'adentro like our 
 horses." 
 
 At this singular reason, all burst into an Homeric laugh. 
 The stranger smiled cunningly. 
 
 " It may be the reason you state, or perhaps some other," 
 he said gently; " at any rate, there is a very simple way of 
 settling the dispute, which I will employ." 
 
 " Ah! " the second speaker said, " what is it? " 
 
 " This," the stranger replied, with the same air of placidity. 
 
 Then, walking up to the horse, which two men had a 
 difficulty in holding, he said, " Let go! " 
 
 " But if we let go, nobody knows what will happen." 
 
 " Let go! I answer for all; " then, addressing his horse, 
 "Lillo!"hesaid. 
 
 At this name, the horse raised its noble head, and fixing 
 its sparkling eye on the man who had called it with a sharp 
 and irresistible movement, it threw off the two men who 
 tried to check it, sent them rolling on the grass, to the shouts 
 of their comrades, and rubbed its head against its master's 
 chest with a neigh of pleasure. 
 
 " You see," the stranger said, as he patted the noble 
 animal, " it is not difficult." 
 
 " Hum! " the first adventurer who picked himself up said, 
 in an angry tone, and rubbing his shoulder; "that is a 
 demonio to which I would not entrust my skin, old and 
 wrinkled as it is at present." 
 
 " Do not trouble yourself any further about the horse, I 
 will attend to it." 
 
 " On the faith of Domingo, I have had enough, for my 
 part; 'tis a noble brute, but it has a fiend inside it." 
 
 The stranger shrugged his shoulders without replying, and 
 returned to the fire, followed by his horse, which paced step 
 by step behind him, not evincing the slightest wish to indulge 
 further in those eccentricities which had so greatly astonished 
 the adventurers, who are, however, all men well versed in 
 the equine art. This horse was a pure barb of Arab stock, 
 and had probably cost its present owner an enormous sum, 
 and its pace seemed strange to men accustomed to American 
 horses. Its master gave it provender, hobbled it near him, 
 and then sat down again by the fire: at the same instant 
 the Captain appeared in the entrance of the tent. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," he said, with that charming courtesy 
 natural to the Hispano- Americans ; " I beg your pardon, 
 
12 The Indian Scout 
 
 Senor Caballero, for having neglected you so long, but an 
 imperative duty claimed my presence. Now, I am quite at 
 your service." 
 
 The stranger bowed. " On the contrary," he replied, " I 
 must ask you to accept my apologies for the cool manner in 
 which I avail myself of your hospitality." 
 
 " Not a word more on this head, if you wish not to annoy 
 me." 
 
 The Captain seated himself by his guest's side. 
 
 " We will dine," he said. " I can only offer you scanty 
 fare; but one must put up with it, and I am reduced to 
 tasajo and red beans with pimento." 
 
 " That is delicious, and I should assuredly do honour to it 
 if I felt the slightest appetite; but, at the present moment, 
 it would be impossible for me to swallow the smallest 
 mouthful." 
 
 "Ah!" the Captain said, looking distrustfully at the 
 stranger. 
 
 But he met a face so simply calm, a smile so frank, that 
 he felt ashamed of his suspicions, and his face, which had 
 grown gloomy, at once regained all its serenity. 
 
 " I am vexed. Still, I will ask permission to dine at once; 
 for, differently from you, Caballero, I must confess to you 
 that I am literally dying of hunger." 
 
 " I should be in despair at causing you the slightest delay." 
 
 " Domingo," the Captain shouted, " my dinner." 
 
 The adventurer, whom the stranger's horse had treated so 
 roughly, soon came up limping, and carrying his chief's 
 supper in a wooden tray ; a few tortillas he held in his hand 
 completed the meal, which was worthy of an anchorite. 
 
 Domingo was an Indian half-bred, with a knowing look, 
 angular features, and crafty face: he appeared to be about 
 fifty years of age, so far as it is possible to judge an Indian's 
 age by his looks. Since his misadventure with the horse, 
 Domingo felt a malice for the stranger. 
 
 " Con su permiso" the Captain said, as he broke a tortilla. 
 
 " I will smoke a cigarette, if that can be called keeping 
 you company," the stranger said, with his stereotyped smile. 
 
 The other bowed politely, and fell to on his meagre repast 
 with that eagerness which denotes a lengthened abstinence. 
 We will take advantage of the opportunity to draw for the 
 reader a portrait of the chief of the caravan. 
 
 Don Miguel Ortega, for such was the name by which he 
 
The Guest 1 3 
 
 was known to his comrades, was an elegant and handsome 
 young man, not more than six and twenty years of age, with 
 a bronzed complexion, delicate features, haughty and flashing 
 eyes ; while his tall stature, well-shaped limbs, and wide and 
 arched chest, denoted rare vigour. Assuredly, through the 
 whole extent of the old Spanish colonies, it would have been 
 difficult if not impossible to meet a more seductive 
 cavalier, whom the picturesque Mexican costume became so 
 well, or combining to the same extent as he did, those 
 external advantages which charm women and captivate the 
 populace. Still, for the observer, Don Miguel had too great 
 a depth in his eye, too rude a frown, and a smile too false 
 and perfidious, not to conceal, beneath his pleasing exterior, 
 an ulcerated soul and evil instincts. 
 
 A hunter's meal, seasoned by appetite, is never long. The 
 present one was promptly disposed of. 
 
 " There," the Captain said, as he wiped his fingers with a 
 tuft of grass; " now for a cigarette to help digestion, and 
 then I shall have the honour to wish you good night. Of 
 course, you do not intend to leave us before daybreak." 
 
 " I can hardly tell you. That will depend, to some extent, 
 on the weather to-night. I am in a considerable hurry, and 
 you know, Caballero, that as our neighbours, the Gringos, 
 so justly remark time is money." 
 
 " You know better than I do, Caballero, what you have 
 to do. Act as you please; but, before I retire, accept my 
 wishes for a pleasant night's rest, and the success of your 
 plans." 
 
 " I thank you, Caballero." 
 
 " One last word, or rather, one last question before 
 separating." 
 
 " Ask it." 
 
 " Of course, if this question appears to you indiscreet, you 
 are at perfect liberty not to answer it." 
 
 " It would surprise me, on the part of so accomplished a 
 Caballero. Hence, be kind enough to explain yourself." 
 
 " My name is Don Miguel Ortega." 
 
 " And mine, Don Stefano Cohecho." 
 
 The Captain bowed. 
 
 " Will you allow me, in my turn," the stranger said, " to 
 ask you a question? " 
 
 " I beg you to do so." 
 
 " Why this exchange of names? " 
 
14 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Because, on the prairie it is good to be able to distinguish 
 friends from foes." 
 
 " That is true. And now? " 
 
 " Now I am certain that I do not count you among the 
 latter." 
 
 " Quien sabe ? " Don Stefano retorted, with a laugh. 
 " There are such strange accidents." 
 
 The two men, after exchanging a few more words in the 
 most friendly manner, cordially shook hands. Don Miguel 
 went into the tent, and Don Stefano, after turning his feet 
 towards the fire, slept, or pretended to do so. 
 
 An hour later, the deepest silence reigned in the camp. 
 The fires only produced a doubtful gleam ; and the sentinels, 
 leaning on their rifles, were themselves yielding to that 
 species of vague somnolency, which is not quite sleep, but is 
 no longer watching. All at once, an owl, probably hidden in 
 a neighbouring tree, twice uttered its melancholy hu-hu. 
 
 Don Stefano suddenly opened his eyes, without changing 
 his position; he assured himself, by an investigating glance, 
 that all was quiet around him ; then, after convincing himself 
 that his machete and revolvers had not left him, he took up 
 his rifle, and in his turn imitated the cry of the owl, which 
 was answered by a similar whoop. 
 
 The stranger, after arranging his zarape, so as to imitate 
 a human body, whispered a few words to his horse while 
 patting it, in order to calm it; and laying himself at full 
 length on the ground, he crawled towards one of the outlets 
 from the camp, stopping at intervals to look around him. 
 
 All continued to be tranquil. On reaching the foot of the 
 breastwork formed by the baggage, he jumped up, leapt over 
 the obstacles with a tiger's bound, and disappeared in the 
 prairie. At the same instant a man rose, sprang over the 
 entrenchment, and rushed in pursuit of him. 
 
 That man was Domingo. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 A NIGHT CONFERENCE 
 
 DON STEFANO COHECHO seemed to be thoroughly acquainted 
 with the desert. So soon as he was on the prairie, and 
 fancied himself safe from any curious eye, he raised his head 
 haughtily, his step grew more confident, his eye sparkled 
 with a gloomy fire, and he walked with long steps towards a 
 clump of palm trees, whose small fans formed but a scanty 
 protection by day against the burning sunbeams. 
 
 Still he neglected no precaution; at times he stopped 
 hurriedly, to listen to the slightest suspicious sound, or 
 interrogate with searching glance the gloomy depths of the 
 forest. But after a few seconds, reassured by the calm that 
 prevailed around him, he jogged onwards with that deliberate 
 step he had adopted on leaving the camp. 
 
 Domingo walked literally in his steps; spying and watch- 
 ing each of his movements with that sagacity peculiar to the 
 half-breeds, while carefully keeping on his guard against any 
 surprise on the part of the man he was following. Domingo 
 was one of those men of whom only too many are met with 
 on the frontiers. Gifted with great qualities and great vices,, 
 equally fit for good and evil, capable of accomplishing extra- 
 ordinary things in either sense ; but who, for the most part, 
 are only guided by their evil instincts. 
 
 He was at this moment following the stranger, without 
 exactly knowing the motive that made him do so ; not even 
 having decided whether to be for or against him; awaiting, 
 to make up his mind, a little better knowledge of the state 
 of affairs, and the chance of weighing the advantage he 
 should derive from treachery or the performance of his duty. 
 Hence, he carefully avoided letting his presence be suspected, 
 for he guessed that the mystery he wished to detect would, 
 if he succeeded, offer him great advantages, especially if he 
 knew how to work it. 
 
 The two men marched thus for nearly an hour, one behind 
 the other, Don Stefano not suspecting for a moment that he 
 was so cleverly watched, and that one of the most knowing 
 scoundrels on the prairie was at his heels. 
 
 15 
 
1 6 The Indian Scout 
 
 After numberless turnings in the tall grass, Don Stefano 
 at length arrived at the bank of the Rio Colorado, which at 
 this spot was as wide and placid as a lake, running over a 
 bed of sand, bordered by thick clumps of cottonwood trees, 
 and tall poplars, whose roots were bathed in the water. On 
 reaching the river, the stranger stopped, listened for a 
 moment, and, raising his fingers to his mouth, imitated the 
 bark of a coyote. Almost immediately, the same signal rose 
 in the midst of the mangrove trees, and a little birch-bark 
 canoe, pulled by two men, appeared on the bank. 
 
 " Eh! " Don Stefano said, in a suppressed voice, " I had 
 given up all hopes of meeting you." 
 
 " Did you not hear our signal? " one of the men in the 
 canoe answered. 
 
 " Should I have come without that? Still, it seems to 
 me you could have come nearer to me." 
 
 " It was not possible." 
 
 The canoe ran on to the sand; the two men leaped on 
 lightly, and in a second joined Don Stefano. Both were 
 dressed and armed like prairie hunters. 
 
 " Hum! " Don Stefano continued; "it is a long journey 
 from the camp here, and I am afraid that my absence may 
 be noticed." 
 
 " That is a risk you must run," the first speaker remarked 
 a man of tall stature, with a grave and stern face, whose 
 hair, white as snow, fell in long curls on his shoulders. 
 
 " Well, as you are here at last, let us come to an under- 
 standing; and make haste about it, for time is precious. 
 What have you done since we parted? " 
 
 "Not much; we followed you at a distance, that is all, 
 ready to come to your assistance if needed." 
 
 "Thanks; no news? " 
 
 " None. Who could have given us any? " 
 
 " That is true; and have you not met your friend Marks- 
 man?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Cuerpo de Cristo I That is annoying; for, if my pre- 
 sentiment do not deceive me, we shall soon have to play at 
 knives." 
 
 " We will do so." 
 
 " I know it, Brighteye. I have long been acquainted 
 with your courage; but you, Ruperto your comrade, and 
 myself, are only three men, after all." 
 
A Night Conference 17 
 
 " What matter? " 
 
 " What matter? you say, when we shall have to fight 
 thirty or forty hardened hunters ! On my word, Brighteye, 
 you will drive me mad with your notions. You doubt about 
 nothing; but remember, that this time we have not to con- 
 tend against badly-armed Indians, but white men, thorough 
 game for the galleys, who will die without yielding an inch, 
 and to whom we must inevitably succumb." 
 
 " That is true; I did not think of that; they are numerous." 
 
 ' * If we fall, what will become of her? " 
 
 " Good, good/' the hunter said, with a shake of his head. 
 " I repeat to you that I did not think of that." 
 
 " You see, then, that it is indispensable for us to come to 
 an understanding with Marksman and the men he may have 
 at his disposal." 
 
 " Yes; but where are you going to find in the desert the 
 trail of a man like Marksman? Who knows where he is at 
 this moment? He may be within gunshot of us, or five 
 hundred miles off." 
 
 " It is enough to drive me mad." 
 
 " The fact is, that the position is grave. Are you, at least, 
 sure this time that you are not mistaken, but are in the right 
 trail?" 
 
 " I cannot say with certainty, though everything leads 
 me to suppose that I am not mistaken. However, I shall 
 soon know what I have to depend on." 
 
 " Besides, it is the same trail we have followed ever since 
 leaving Monterey; the chances are it is they." 
 
 " What do we resolve on? " 
 
 " Hang it! I do not know what to say ! " 
 
 " On my word, you are a most heart-breaking fellow ! 
 What ! cannot you suggest any way ? " 
 
 " I must have a certainty, and then, as you said yourself, 
 it would be madness for us thus to try a sudden attack." 
 
 " You are right. I will return to the camp; to-morrow 
 night we will meet again, and I shall be very unlucky if this 
 time I do not discover what it is so important for us all to 
 know. Do you, in the meanwhile, ransack the prairie in 
 every direction, and, if possible, bring me news of Marksman." 
 
 " The recommendation is unnecessary. I shall not be 
 idle." 
 
 Don Stefano seized the old hunter's hand, and pressed it 
 between his own. 
 
1 8 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Brighteye," he said to him, with considerable emotion, 
 " I will not speak of our old friendship, nor of the services 
 which I have been several times so fortunate as to render 
 you; I will only repeat, and I know it will be sufficient for 
 you, that the happiness of my whole life depends on the 
 success of our expedition." 
 
 " Good, good; have confidence in me, Don Jose. I am 
 too old to change my friends ; I do not know who is right or 
 wrong in this business; I wish that justice may be on your 
 side; but that does not affect me. Whatever may happen, 
 I will be a good and faithful companion to you." 
 
 " Thanks, my old friend. To-morrow night, then." 
 
 After uttering these few words, Don Stefano, or, at least, 
 the man who called himself so, made a move as if to with- 
 draw ; but Brighteye stopped him, with a sudden gesture. 
 
 " What is the matter? " the stranger asked. 
 
 The hunter laid a forefinger on his mouth, to recommend 
 silence, and turned to Ruperto, who had remained silent and 
 apathetic during the interview. 
 
 " Coyote" he said to him, in a low voice. 
 
 Without replying, Ruperto bounded like a jaguar, and 
 disappeared in a clump of cotton-wood trees, which was a 
 short distance off. After a few moments, the two men who 
 had remained, with their bodies bent forward in the attitude 
 of listeners, without uttering a syllable, heard a rustling of 
 leaves, a noise of broken branches, followed by the fall of a 
 heavy body on the ground, and after that nothing. Almost 
 immediately the cry of the owl rose in the night air. 
 
 " Ruperto calls us," Brighteye then said, " all is over." 
 
 " What has happened? " Don Stefano asked anxiously. 
 
 " Less than nothing," the hunter replied, making him a 
 sign to follow. " You had a spy at your heels; that is all." 
 
 "A spy?" 
 
 " By Jove! you shall see." 
 
 " Oh, oh! that is serious." 
 
 " Less than you suppose, as we have him." 
 
 " In that case, though, we must kill the man." 
 
 " Who knows? That will probably depend on the ex- 
 planation we may have with him. At any rate, there is no 
 great harm in crushing such vipers." 
 
 While speaking thus, Brighteye and his companion had 
 entered the thicket. Domingo, thrown down, and tightly 
 garotted by means of Ruperto's reata, was vainly struggling 
 
A Night Conference 19 
 
 to break the bonds that cut into his flesh. Ruperto, with 
 his hands resting on the muzzle of his rifle, was listening with 
 a grin, but no other reply, to the flood of insults and recrimi- 
 nations which rage drew from the half-breed. 
 
 " Dios me ampare f " the latter shouted, writhing like a 
 viper. " Verdugo del Demonio I Is this the way to behave 
 between genie de razon ? Am I a Redskin, to be tied like a 
 plug of tobacco, and have my limbs fettered like a calf that 
 is being taken to the shambles? If ever you fall into my 
 hands, accursed dog! you shall pay for the trick you have 
 played me." 
 
 " Instead of threatening, my good man," Brighteye inter- 
 posed, " it seems to me you would do better by frankly 
 allowing that you are in our power, and acting in accordance." 
 
 The bandit sharply turned his head, the only part of his 
 person at liberty, toward the hunter. 
 
 " What right have you to call me good man, and give me 
 advice, old trapper of musk-rats? " he said to him, irritably. 
 " Are you white men or Indians, to treat a hunter thus? " 
 
 " If, instead of hearing what did not concern you, Senor 
 Domingo, for I believe that is your name," Don Stefano said, 
 with a cunning look, " you had remained quietly asleep in 
 your camp, the little annoyance of which you complain 
 would not have occurred." 
 
 " I am bound to recognise the justice of your reasoning," 
 the bandit replied ironically; " but, hang it! what would 
 you have? I have ever suffered from a mania of trying to 
 find out what people sought to hide from me." 
 
 The stranger looked at him suspiciously. 
 
 " And have you had the mania long, my good friend? " 
 he asked him. 
 
 " Since my earliest youth," he answered, with effrontery. 
 
 "Only think of that! Then you must have learned a 
 good many things? " 
 
 " An enormous quantity, worthy sir." 
 
 Don Stefano turned to Brighteye. 
 
 " My friend," he said to him, " just unloosen this man's 
 bonds a little. There is much to be gained in his company ; 
 I wish to enjoy his conversation for a little while." 
 
 The hunter silently executed the orders he received. The 
 bandit uttered a sigh of satisfaction at finding himself more 
 at his ease, and sat up. 
 
 " Cuerpo de Cristo / " he exclaimed, with a mocking 
 
20 The Indian Scout 
 
 accent. " The position is now, at any rate, bearable. We 
 can talk." 
 
 " I think so." 
 
 "My faith! yes. I am quite at your service, for any- 
 thing you please, Excellency." 
 
 " I will profit by your complaisance." 
 
 " Profit by it ! profit by it, Excellency ? I can only gain 
 in talking with you." 
 
 " Do you believe so? " 
 
 " I am convinced of it." 
 
 " Indeed, you may be right; but tell me, beside that noble 
 curiosity, which you so frankly confessed, have you not, by 
 accident, a few other defects ? " 
 
 The bandit appeared to reflect conscientiously for two or 
 three minutes, and then answered, with an affable grin, 
 
 " My faith! no, Excellency. I cannot find any." 
 
 " Are you sure of that? " 
 
 " Hum ! it may be so, yet I do not believe it." 
 
 " Come, you see, you are not sure." 
 
 " That is indeed true!" the bandit exclaimed, with pre- 
 tended candour. " As you know, Excellency, human nature 
 is so imperfect." 
 
 Don Stefano gave a nod of assent. 
 
 " If I were to help you," he said, " perhaps 
 
 " We might find it out, Excellency," Domingo quickly 
 interrupted him. " Well, help me, help me, I ask for nothing 
 better." 
 
 "Hum! for instance but notice that I affirm nothing; 
 I suppose, that is all." 
 
 " Car ail I am well aware of it. Go on, Excellency, do 
 not trouble yourself." 
 
 " Then, I say have you not a certain weakness for 
 money? " 
 
 " For gold, especially." 
 
 " That is what I meant to say." 
 
 " The fact is, gold is very tempting, Excellency." 
 
 " I do not wish to regard it as a crime, my friend, I only 
 mention it; besides, that passion is so natural " 
 
 " Is it not?" 
 
 " That you must be affected by it." 
 
 " Well, I confess, Excellency, that you have guessed it." 
 
 " Look you ! I was sure of it." 
 
 " Yes, money gained honestly." 
 
A Night Conference 21 
 
 " Of course! Thus, for instance, suppose any one offered 
 you a thousand piastres to discover the secret of Don Miguel 
 Ortega's palanquin? " 
 
 " Hang it! " the bandit said, fixing a sharp glance on the 
 stranger, who for his part, examined him attentively. 
 
 " And if that somebody," Don Stefano went on, " gave 
 you in addition, as earnest penny, a ring like this? " While 
 saying this, he made a magnificent diamond ring flash in the 
 bandit's eyes. 
 
 " I would accept," the latter said, with a greedy accent, 
 " even if I were compelled, in order to discover that secret, 
 to imperil the share I hope for in Paradise." 
 
 Don Stefano turned to Brighteye. " Unfasten this man," 
 he said, coldly, " we understand each other." 
 
 On feeling himself free, the half-breed gave a bound of joy. 
 "The ring! "he said. 
 
 " There it is," Don Stefano said, as he handed it to him; 
 " all is arranged." 
 
 Domingo laid his right-hand thumb across the left, and 
 raised his head proudly. " On the Holy Cross of the 
 Redeemer," he said, in a clear and impressive voice, " I swear 
 to employ all my efforts in discovering the secret Don Miguel 
 hides so jealously; I swear never to betray the Caballero 
 with whom I am treating at this moment: this oath I take 
 in the presence of these three Caballeros, pledging myself, if 
 I break it, to endure any punishment, even death, which it 
 may please these three Caballeros to inflict on me." 
 
 The oath taken by Domingo is the most terrible a Spanish 
 American can offer; there is not a single instance of it ever 
 having been broken. Don Stefano bowed, convinced of the 
 bandit's sincerity. 
 
 At this moment, several shots, followed by horrible yells, 
 were heard at a short distance off. Brighteye started. 
 " Don Jose," he said to the stranger, as he laid his hands on 
 his shoulder, "Heaven favours us. Return to the camp; 
 to-morrow night I shall probably have some news for you." 
 
 " But those shots? " 
 
 " Do not trouble yourself about them, but return to the 
 camp, I tell you, and let me act." 
 
 " Well, as you wish it, I will retire." 
 
 "Till to-morrow?" 
 
 " To-morrow." 
 
 " And I? " Domingo said. " Caramba, comrades, if you 
 
22 The Indian Scout 
 
 are going to play at knives, can you not take me with 
 you?" 
 
 The old hunter looked at him attentively. " Eh ! " he said, 
 at the expiration of a moment, " your idea is not a bad one; 
 you can come if you desire it." 
 
 " That is capital, for it is a pretext ready made to explain 
 my absence." 
 
 Don Stefano smiled, and after reminding Brighteye once 
 again of their meeting for the following night, he left the 
 thicket, and proceeded toward the camp. The two hunters 
 and the half-breed were left alone. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 INDIANS AND HUNTERS 
 
 As we have already said, at the spot where the three hunters 
 were standing, the Rio Colorado formed a wide sheet, whose 
 silvery waters wound through a superb and picturesque 
 country. At times, on either bank, the ground rose almost 
 suddenly into bold mountains of grand appearance ; at other 
 places, the river ran through fresh and laughing prairies, 
 covered with luxuriant vegetation, or graceful and undulating 
 valleys, in which grew trees of every description. 
 
 It was in one of these valleys that Brighteye's canoe had 
 been pulled in. Sheltered on all sides by lofty forests, which 
 begirt them with a dense curtain of verdure, the hunters 
 would have escaped, even during the day, from the investiga- 
 tions of curious or indiscreet persons, who might have 
 attempted to surprise them at this advanced hour of the 
 night, by the flickering rays of the moon which only reached 
 them after being followed through the leafy dome that 
 covered them: they could consider themselves as being 
 perfectly secure. 
 
 Reassured by the strength of his position, Brighteye, so 
 soon as Don Stefano had left him, formed his plan of action 
 with that lucidity which can only be obtained from a 
 lengthened knowledge of the desert. 
 
 " Comrade," he said to the half-breed, " do you know the 
 desert? " 
 
 " Not so well as you, certainly, old hunter," the latter 
 answered, modestly, " but well enough to be of good service 
 to you in the expedition you wish to attempt." 
 
 " I like that way of answering, for it shows a desire of doing 
 well. Listen to me attentively; the colour of my hair, and 
 the wrinkles that furrow my forehead, tell you sufficiently 
 that I must possess a certain amount of experience; my 
 whole life has been spent in the woods; there is not a blade 
 of grass I do not know, a sound which I cannot explain, 
 a footstep which I cannot discover. A few moments back, 
 several shots were fired not far from us, followed by th; 
 
 23 
 
24 The Indian Scout 
 
 Indian war-yell; among those shots I am certain I recog- 
 nised the rifle of a man for whom I feel the warmest friend- 
 ship; that man is in danger at this moment he is fighting 
 the Apaches, who have surprised and attacked him during 
 sleep. The number of shots leads me to suppose that my 
 friend has only two companions with him; if we do not go 
 to his help, he is lost, for his adversaries are numerous ; the 
 thing I am about to attempt is almost desperate; we have 
 every chance against us, so reflect before replying. Are you 
 still resolved to accompany Ruperto and myself; in a word, 
 risk your scalp in our company? " 
 
 " Bah! " the bandit said, carelessly, " a man can only die 
 once ; perhaps I shall never again have so fine an opportunity 
 of dying honestly. Dispose of me, old trapper I am yours, 
 body and soul." 
 
 " Good; I expected that answer; still, it was my duty to 
 warn you of the danger that threatened you : now, no more 
 talking, but let us act, for time presses, and every minute we 
 waste is an age for the man we wish to save. Walk in my 
 mocassins; keep your eye and ear on the watch; above all, 
 be prudent, and do nothing without orders." 
 
 After having carefully inspected the cap on his rifle, a 
 precaution imitated by his two companions, Brighteye looked 
 round him for a few seconds, then, with that hunter's instinct 
 which in them is almost second sight, he advanced with a 
 rapid though silent step in the direction of the fighting, 
 while making the men a sign to follow him. 
 
 It is impossible to form an idea, even a distant one, of 
 what a night march is on the prairie, on foot, through the 
 shrubs, the trees which have grown together, the creepers 
 that twine in every direction. Walking on a shifting soil, 
 composed of detritus of every nature accumulated during 
 centuries, at one place forming mounds several feet high, 
 surrounded by deep ditches, not only is it difficult to find a 
 path through this inextricable confusion, when walking 
 quietly onward, with no fear of betraying one's presence, but 
 this becomes almost impossible when you have to open a 
 passage silently, not letting a branch spring back, or a leaf 
 rustle; for that sound, though almost imperceptible, would 
 be enough to place the enemy you wish to surprise on his 
 guard. 
 
 A long residence in the desert can alone enable a man to 
 acquire the necessary skill to carry out this rude task sue- 
 
Indians and Hunters 25 
 
 cessfully. This skill Brighteye possessed in the highest 
 degree; he seemed to guess the obstacles which rose at each 
 step before him obstacles the slightest of which, under such 
 circumstances, would have made the most resolute man 
 recoil, through his conviction of it being an impossibility to 
 surmount them. 
 
 The two other hunters had only to follow the track so 
 cleverly and laboriously made by their guide. Fortunately, 
 the adventurers were only a short distance from the men 
 they were going to help; had it been otherwise, they would 
 have needed nearly the whole night to join them. Had 
 Brighteye wished it, he could have skirted the forest and 
 walked in the long grass a road incomparably more easy, 
 and especially less fatiguing; but, with his usual correctness 
 of conception, the hunter understood that the direction he 
 took was the only one which would permit him to go straight 
 to the scene of action without being discovered by the 
 Indians, who, in spite of all their sagacity, would never 
 suspect that a man would dare to attempt such a route. 
 
 After a walk of about twenty minutes, Brighteye stopped 
 the hunters had arrived. On lightly moving the branches 
 and brambles aside, they witnessed the following scene. 
 
 Before them, and scarce ten paces off, was a clearing. In 
 the centre of that clearing three fires were burning and were 
 surrounded by Apache warriors, smoking gravely, while 
 their horses, fastened to picquets, were nibbling the young 
 tree shoots. 
 
 Marksman was standing motionless near the chiefs, leaning 
 on his rifle, and exchanging a few words with them at 
 intervals. Brighteye understood nothing of what he saw; 
 all these men seemed on the best terms with the hunter, 
 who, for his part, did not display the slightest uneasiness, 
 either by his gestures or his face. 
 
 We have said that, after the Indians' sudden attack, 
 Marksman advanced towards them, waving a buffalo robe 
 in sign of peace. The Indians stopped, with that courteous 
 deference which they display in all their relations, in order 
 to listen to the hunter's explanations. A chief even stepped 
 towards him, politely inviting him to say what he wanted. 
 
 " My red brother does not know me ! Then, is it necessary 
 that I should tell him my name, that he may know with 
 whom he is speaking? " Marksman said, angrily. 
 
 " That is useless. I know that my brother is a great white 
 
26 The Indian Scout 
 
 warrior. My ears are open ; I await the explanation he will 
 be good enough to give me." 
 
 The hunter shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. 
 
 " Have the Apaches become cowardly or plundering 
 coyotes, setting out in flocks to hunt on the prairies ? Why 
 have they attacked me? " 
 
 " My brother knows it." 
 
 " No, as I ask it. The Antelope Apaches had a chief a 
 great warrior named Red Wolf. That chief was my friend. 
 I had made a treaty with him. But Red Wolf is, doubt- 
 lessly, dead; his scalp adorns the lodge of a Comanche, 
 as the young men of his tribe have come to attack me, 
 treacherously, and against the sworn peace, during my sleep." 
 
 The Chief frowned, and drew himself up. 
 
 " The Paleface, like all his countrymen, has a viper's 
 tongue," he said, rudely; " a skin covers his heart, and the 
 words his chest exhales are so many perfidies. Red Wolf is 
 not dead ; his scalp does not adorn the lodge of a Comanche 
 dog ; he is still the first chief of the Antelope Apaches. The 
 hunter knows it well, since he is speaking to him at this 
 moment." 
 
 " I am glad that my brother has made himself known," 
 the hunter replied, "for I should not have recognised him 
 from his way of acting." 
 
 " Yes, there is a traitor between us," the Chief said, drily; 
 " but that traitor is a Paleface, and not an Indian! " 
 
 " I wait till my brother explains himself. I do not under- 
 stand him; a mist has spread over my eyes my mind is 
 veiled. The words of the Chief, I have no doubt, will 
 dissipate this cloud." 
 
 " I hope so ! Let the hunter answer with an honest 
 tongue, and no deceit. His voice is a music which for a 
 long time sounded pleasantly in my ears, and rejoiced my 
 heart. I should be glad if his explanation restored me the 
 friend whom I fancied I had lost." 
 
 " Let my brother speak. I will answer his questions." 
 
 At a sign from Red Wolf, the Apaches had kindled several 
 fires, and formed a temporary camp. In spite of all his 
 cleverness, doubt had entered the heart of the Apache chief, 
 and he wished to prove to the white hunter, whom he feared, 
 that he was acting frankly, and entertained no ill design 
 against him. The Apaches, seeing the good understanding 
 that apparently prevailed between their sachem and the 
 
Indians and Hunters 27 
 
 hunter, had hastened to execute the order they received. 
 All traces of the contest disappeared in a moment, and the 
 clearing offered the appearance of a bivouac of peaceful 
 hunters receiving the visit of a friend. 
 
 Marksman smiled internally at the success of his plan, 
 and the way in which he managed, by a few words, to give 
 quite a different turn to the position of affairs. Still he was 
 not without anxiety about the explanation the Chief was 
 going to ask of him. He felt he was in a wasps' nest, from 
 which he did not know how he should contrive to emerge, 
 without some providential accident. Redskin invited the 
 hunter to take a seat by his side at the fire, which he declined, 
 however, not being at all certain how matters would end, 
 and wishing to retain a chance of escape in the event of the 
 explanation becoming stormy. 
 
 " Is the pale hunter ready to reply? " Red Wolf asked 
 him. 
 
 " I am awaiting my brother's good pleasure." 
 
 " Good ! Let my brother open his ears, then. A Chief is 
 about to speak." 
 
 " I am listening." 
 
 " Red Wolf is a renowned Chief. His name is cared by 
 the Comanches, who fly before him like timid squaws. One 
 day, at the head of his young men, Red Wolf entered an 
 altopelt (village) of the Comanches. The Buffalo Comanches 
 were hunting on the prairies ; their warriors and young men 
 were absent. Red Wolf burned the cabins, and carried off 
 the women prisoners. Is that true? " 
 
 " It is true." 
 
 " Among the women was one for whom the heart of the 
 Apache chief spoke. That woman was the Cohuatl of the 
 sachem of the Buffalo Comanches. Red Wolf led her to his 
 hut and treated her not as a prisoner, but as a well-beloved 
 sister." 
 
 " What did the pale hunter? " 
 
 The Chief broke off and looked steadily at Marksman; 
 but the latter did not move a feature. 
 
 " I wait till my brother answers me, in order to know with 
 what he reproaches me," he said. 
 
 Red Wolf continued, with a certain degree of animation 
 in his voice, 
 
 " The pale hunter, abusing the friendship of the Chief, 
 introduced himself into his village, under the pretext of 
 
28 The Indian Scout 
 
 visiting his red brother. As he was known and beloved by 
 all, he traversed the village as he pleased, sauntered about 
 everywhere, and when he had discovered Eglantine, he carried 
 her off during a dark night, like a traitor and a coward." 
 
 At this insult, the hunter pressed the barrel of his rifle 
 with a convulsive movement; but he immediately recovered 
 his coolness. 
 
 " The Chief is a great warrior," he said, " he speaks well. 
 The words reach his lips with an abundance that is charming. 
 Unfortunately, he lets himself be led astray by passion, and 
 does not describe matters as they occurred." 
 
 " Wah! " the Chief exclaimed, " Red Wolf is an impostor, 
 and his lying tongue ought to be thrown to the dogs." 
 
 " I have listened patiently to the Chief's words, it is his 
 turn to hear mine." 
 
 " Good ! Let my brother speak." 
 
 At this moment, a whistle, no louder than a sigh, was 
 audible. The Indians paid no attention to it, but the hunter 
 quivered, his eye flashed, and a smile played round the corner 
 of his lips. 
 
 " I will be brief," he said. " It is true that I introduced 
 myself into my brother's village, but frankly and loyally to 
 ask of him, in the name of Mahchsi-Karehde, the great 
 sachem of the Buffalo Comanches, his wife, whom Red Wolf 
 had carried off. I offered for her a rich ransom, composed 
 of four guns, six hides of she-buffalos, and two necklaces of 
 grizzly bears' claws. I acted thus, in the intention of pre- 
 venting a war between the Buffalo Comanches and the 
 Antelope Apaches. My brother, Red Wolf, instead of accept- 
 ing my friendly proposals, despised them. I then warned 
 him, that, by will or force, Flying Eagle would recover his 
 wife, treacherously carried off from his village while he was 
 absent. Then I withdrew. What reproach can my brother 
 address to me? Under what circumstances did I behave 
 badly to him ? Flying Eagle has got back his wife ; he has 
 acted well he was in the right. Red Wolf has nothing to 
 say to that. Under similar circumstances, he would have 
 done the same. I have spoken. Let my brother answer if 
 his heart proves to him that I was wrong." 
 
 "Good!" the Chief answered. "My brother was here 
 with Eglantine a few minutes ago ; he will tell me where she 
 is hidden, Red Wolf will capture her again, and there will no 
 longer be a cloud between Red Wolf and his friend." 
 
Indians and Hunters 29 
 
 " The Chief will forget that woman who does not love him 
 and who cannot be his. That will be better, especially as 
 Flying Eagle will never consent to give her up." 
 
 " Red Wolf has warriors to support his words," the Indian 
 said, proudly. " Flying Eagle is alone; how will he oppose 
 the will of the sachem? " 
 
 Marksman smiled. 
 
 " Flying Eagle has numerous friends," he said, " he is at 
 this moment sheltered in the camp of the Palefaces, whose 
 fires Red We If can see from here, glistening in the darkness. 
 Let my brother listen. I believe I hear the sound of footsteps 
 in the forest." 
 
 The Indian rose with agitation. 
 
 At this moment three men entered the clearing. They 
 were Brighteye, Ruperto, and Domingo. 
 
 At the sight of them, the Apaches, who were thoroughly 
 acquainted with them, rose tumultuously and uttered a cry 
 of astonishment, almost of terror, while seizing their weapons. 
 The three hunters continued to advance calmly, not caring 
 to trouble themselves about these almost hostile demon- 
 strations. 
 
 We will explain in a few words the appearance of the 
 hunters and their interference, which was probably about to 
 change the aspect of affairs. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 MUTUAL EXPLANATIONS 
 
 BRIGHTEYE and his two companions, owing to the position 
 they occupied, not only saw all that occurred in the clearing, 
 but also heard, without losing a word, the conversation 
 between Marksman and Red Wolf. 
 
 For many long years the two Canadian hunters had been 
 on intimate terms. Many times had they undertaken 
 together some of those daring expeditions which the wood- 
 rangers frequently carry out against the Indians. These 
 two men had no secrets from each ether; all was in common 
 between them hatred as well as friendship. 
 
 Brighteye was thoroughly acquainted with the events to 
 which Marksman alluded, and, had not certain reasons, we 
 shall learn presently, prevented him, he would have probably 
 aided his friend in rescuing Eglantine from Red Wolf. Still, 
 one point remained obscure on his mind; that was the 
 presence of Marksman in the middle of the Indians, the 
 quarrel which had begun in shouts and yells, and had now 
 apparently terminated with an amicable conversation. 
 
 By what strange concourse of events was it that Marks- 
 man, the man best acquainted with Indian tricks, whose 
 reputation for skill and courage was universal among the 
 hunters and trappers of the Western Prairies, now found 
 himself in an equivocal position, in the midst of thirty or 
 forty Apaches, the most scoundrelly treacherous and ferocious 
 of all the Indians who wander about the desert? This it 
 was that the worthy hunter could not explain, and which 
 rendered him so thoughtful. At the risk of whatever might 
 happen, he resolved to reveal his presence to his friend by 
 means of a signal arranged between them long ago, in order 
 to warn him that, in case of need, a friend was watching 
 over him. It was then that he gave the whistle, at the 
 sound of which we saw the hunter start. But this signal 
 had a result which Brighteye was far from expecting. The 
 branches of the tree, against the trunk of which the Canadian 
 was leaning, parted, and a man, hanging by his arms, fell 
 
 3 
 
Mutual Explanations 31 
 
 suddenly to the ground a couple of yards from him, but so 
 lightly, that his fall did not produce the slightest sound. 
 
 At the first glance, Brighteye recognised the man who 
 seemed thus to fall from the sky. Owing to his self-com- 
 mand, he displayed none of the amazement this unforeseen 
 appearance produced in him. The hunter rested the butt of 
 his rifle on the ground, and addressed the Indian politely. 
 
 " That is a strange idea of yours, Chief," he said, with a 
 smile, " to go promenading on the trees at this hour of the 
 night." 
 
 " Flying Eagle is watching the Apaches," the Indian 
 answered, with a guttural accent. " Did not my brother 
 expect to see me? " 
 
 " In the prairie we must expect everything, Chief. Still, 
 I confess that few meetings would be so agreeable to me as 
 yours, especially at this moment." 
 
 " My brother is on the trail of the Antelopes? " 
 
 " I declare to you, Chief, that an hour ago I did not expect 
 I was so near them. Had I not heard your shots, it is 
 probable that at this moment I should be quietly asleep in 
 my bivouac." 
 
 " Yes, my brother heard the rifle of a friend sing, and he 
 has come." 
 
 " You have guessed rightly, Chief. But now tell me all 
 about it, for I know nothing." 
 
 " Has not my pale brother heard Red Wolf? " 
 
 " Of course; but is there nothing else? " 
 
 " Nothing. Flying Eagle rescued his wife; the Apaches 
 pursued him, like cowardly coyotes, and this night surprised 
 him at his fire." 
 
 " Very good. Is Eglantine in safety? " 
 
 " Eglantine is a Ccmanche woman; she knows not 
 fear." 
 
 " I am aware of that she is a good creature; but that is 
 not the question at this moment. What do you purpose 
 doing?" 
 
 " Wait for a favourable moment, then utter my war-yell, 
 and fall on these dogs." 
 
 " Hum! your project is rather quick. If you will allow 
 me, I will make a slight change." 
 
 " Wisdom speaks by the mouth of the pale hunter. Flying 
 Eagle is young: he will obey." 
 
 " Good; the more so, because I shall only act for your 
 
32 The Indian Scout 
 
 welfare. But now let me listen, for the conversation seems 
 to me to be taking a turn extremely interesting for us." 
 
 The Indian bowed, but made no reply, while Brighteye 
 bent forward, better to hear what was said. After a few 
 minutes the hunter probably considered that it was time for 
 him to interfere, for he turned to the Chief and whispered in 
 his ear, as he had done during the whole of the previous con- 
 versation " Let my brother leave this affair to me; his 
 presence would be more injurious than useful to us. We 
 cannot attempt to fight so large a number of enemies, 
 so prudence demands that we should have recourse to 
 stratagem." 
 
 " The Apaches are dogs," the Comanche muttered, angrily. 
 
 " I am of your opinion; but, for the present, let us feign 
 not to consider them such. Believe me, we shall soon take 
 our revenge; besides, the advantage will be on our side, as 
 we are cheating them." 
 
 Flying Eagle let his head drop. 
 
 " Will the Chief promise me not to make a move without a 
 signal from me? " the hunter said, earnestly. 
 
 " Flying Eagle is a sachem. He has said that he will obey 
 Greyhead." 
 
 " Good. Now look, you will not have long to wait." 
 
 After muttering these words, with that mocking accent 
 peculiar to him, the old hunter resolutely thrust the brambles 
 on one side, and walked firmly into the clearing, followed 
 by his two companions. We have already described the 
 emotion produced by this unforeseen arrival. 
 
 Flying Eagle returned to his ambush up the tree, from 
 which he had only come down to speak with the hunter, and 
 give him the information he required. Brighteye stopped 
 by Marksman's side. 
 
 " Friend," he then said, in Spanish, a language which 
 most of the Indians understand, " your order is executed. 
 Flying Eagle and his wife are at this moment in the camp 
 of the Gambusinos." 
 
 " Good," Marksman answered, catching his meaning at 
 once; " who are the two men who accompany you? " 
 
 " Two hunters the Chief of the Gachupinos sent to accom- 
 pany me, in spite of my assurances that you were among 
 friends. He will soon arrive himself at the head of thirty 
 horsemen." 
 
 " Return to him, and tell him that he has no longer any 
 
Mutual Explanations 33 
 
 occasion to trouble himself; or, stay, I will go myself, to 
 prevent any misunderstanding." 
 
 These words, spoken without any emphasis, and naturally, 
 by a man whom each of the Indians present had been fre- 
 quently in a position to appreciate, produced on them an 
 effect impossible to describe. 
 
 We have already mentioned several times, in our different 
 works, that the Redskins unite the greatest prudence with 
 the maddest temerity, and never attempt any enterprise 
 without calculating beforehand all the chances of success it 
 may offer. So soon as those chances disappear, to make 
 room for probable ill results, they are not ashamed to recoil, 
 for the very simple reason that with them honour, as we 
 understand it in Europe, only holds a secondary place, and 
 success alone is regarded. 
 
 Red Wolf was assuredly a brave man; he had given 
 innumerable proofs of that in many a combat ; still, he did not 
 hesitate, in behalf of the general welfare, to sacrifice his 
 secret desires, and in doing so, as we believe, he gave a grand 
 proof of that family feeling, and almost instinctive patriotism, 
 which is one of the strongest points in the Indian character. 
 Clever as he was, the Apache Chief was completely deluded by 
 Brighteye, whose imperturbable coolness and unexpected 
 arrival would have sufficed to lead astray an individual even 
 more intelligent than the man with whom he had to deal. 
 Red Wolf made up his mind at once, without any thought of 
 self. 
 
 " Greyhead, my brother, is welcome at my fire," he said; 
 " my heart rejoices at greeting a friend; his companions and 
 himself can take their places round the council fire; the 
 calumet of a Chief is ready to be offered them." 
 
 " Red Wolf is a great Chief," Brighteye replied; " I am 
 pleased at the kindly feeling he experiences towards me. I 
 would accept his offer with the greatest pleasure, did not 
 urgent reasons oblige me to rejoin, as soon as possible, my 
 brothers the Palefaces, who are waiting for me at a short 
 distance from the spot where the Antelope Apaches are 
 encamped." 
 
 " I hope that no cloud has arisen between Greyhead and 
 his brother, Red Wolf," the Chief remarked, in a cautious 
 tone: " two warriors must esteem each other." 
 
 " That is my opinion too, Chief, and that is why I have 
 presented myself so frankly in your camp, when it would 
 
 c 
 
34 The Indian Scout 
 
 have been easy to have had several warriors of my nation to 
 accompany me." 
 
 Brighteye knew perfectly well that the Apaches under- 
 stood Spanish, and consequently nothing he had said to 
 Markham escaped them; but it was to his interest, as well 
 as that of his comrade, to pretend to be ignorant of the fact, 
 and accept as current coin the insidious propositions of the 
 Chief. 
 
 " His friends, the Palefaces, are encamped not far from 
 here? " the Chief remarked. 
 
 " Yes," Brighteye replied, " at the most from four to five 
 bowshots in a westerly direction." 
 
 " Wah! I am vexed at it," the Indian said, " for I would 
 have accompanied my brother to their camp." 
 
 "And what prevents your coming with us?" the old 
 hunter said, distinctly. " Would you fear an ill reception 
 by chance? " 
 
 " Och ! who would dare not to receive Red Wolf with the 
 respect due to him? " the Apache said, haughtily. 
 
 " No one, assuredly." 
 
 Red Wolf leaned over to a subaltern chief, and whispered 
 a few words in his ear; the man rose, and left the clearing. 
 The hunters saw this movement with anxiety, and exchanged 
 a glance, which said, " Let us keep on our guard." They 
 also fell back a few paces, as if accidentally, and drew nearer 
 together, in order to be ready at the first suspicious sign; 
 for they knew the perfidy of the men among whom they were, 
 and expected anything from them. The Indian sent off by 
 the Chief re-entered the clearing at this moment. He had 
 been absent hardly ten minutes. 
 
 " Well? " Red Wolf asked him. 
 
 " It is true," the Indian answered, laconically. 
 
 The sachem's face was overclouded; he felt certain then 
 that Brighteye had not deceived him; for the man he had 
 sent out of the camp had been ordered by him to assure 
 himself whether the fires of a party of white men could be 
 really seen a short distance off; his emissary's reply proved 
 to him that no treachery could be possible, that he must 
 continue to feign kindly feelings, and separate on proper 
 terms from the troublesome guests, whom he would have 
 liked so much to get rid of in a very different manner. At 
 his order the horses were unhobbled, and the warriors 
 mounted. 
 
Mutual Explanations 35 
 
 " Day is approaching/' he said; " the moon has again 
 entered the great mountain. I am about to start with my 
 young men. May the Wacondah protect my pale brothers ! " 
 
 " Thank you, Chief," Marksman answered. " But will 
 you not come with us? " 
 
 " We are not following the same path," the Chief replied 
 drily, as he let his horse go. 
 
 "That is probable, accursed dog!" Brighteye growled 
 between his teeth. 
 
 The whole band started at full speed, and disappeared in 
 the gloom. Soon the sound of their horses' hoofs could no 
 longer be heard, as they became mingled in the distance 
 with those thousand sounds, coming from no apparent 
 cause, which incessantly trouble the majestic silence of the 
 desert. 
 
 The hunters were alone. Like the Augurs of ancient 
 Rome, who could not look at each other without laughing, 
 little was needed for the hunters to burst into a loud burst of 
 delight after the hurried departure of the Apaches. At a 
 signal from Marksman, Flying Eagle and Eglantine came to 
 join the woodrangers, who had already seated themselves 
 unceremoniously at the fire of which they had so cleverly 
 dispossessed their enemies. 
 
 " Hum! " Brighteye said, as he charged his pipe, " I shall 
 laugh for a long time at this trick; it is almost as good as the 
 one I played the Pawnees in 1827, on the Upper Arkansas. 
 I was very young at that time; I had been traversing the 
 prairie for only a few years, and was not, as I now am, 
 accustomed to Indian devilries; I remember that " 
 
 " By what accident did I meet you here, Brighteye? " his 
 friend asked, hastily interrupting him. 
 
 Marksman knew that so soon as Brighteye began a story, 
 no power on earth would stop him. The worthy man, 
 during the course of a long and varied career, had seen and 
 done so many extraordinary things, that the slightest event 
 which occurred to him, or of which he was merely a witness, 
 immediately became an excuse for one of his interminable 
 stories. His friends, who knew his weakness, felt no hesita- 
 tion about interrupting him: still we must do Brighteye 
 the justice of saying that he was never angry with his dis- 
 turbers ; for ten minutes later he would begin another story, 
 which they as mercilessly interrupted in a similar way. 
 
 To Marksman's question, he replied, " We will talk, and 
 
36 The Indian Scout 
 
 I will tell you that." Then, turning to Domingo, he said, 
 " My friend, I thank you for the assistance you have given 
 us. Return to the camp, and do not forget your promise. 
 Above all, do not omit to narrate all you have seen, to 
 you know who ! " 
 
 " That is agreed, old hunter. Don't be uneasy. Good 
 bye." 
 
 " Here's luck." 
 
 Domingo threw his rifle over his shoulder, lit his pipe, and 
 walked in the direction of the camp, where he arrived an 
 hour later. 
 
 " There," Marksman said, " now I believe nothing will 
 prevent your going ahead." 
 
 " Yes; one thing, my friend." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "The night is nearly spent; it has been fatiguing to 
 everybody. I presume that two or three hours' sleep are 
 necessary, if not indispensable, especially as we are in no 
 hurry." 
 
 " Tell me only one thing first, and then I will let you sleep 
 as long as you please." 
 
 " What is it? " 
 
 " How you happened so fortunately to come to my 
 aid." 
 
 " Confound it ! That is exactly what I was afraid of. 
 Your question obliges me to enter into details far too long 
 for me to be able to satisfy you at this moment." 
 
 " The truth is, my friend, that, in spite of the lively desire 
 I feel to spend a few days with you, I am compelled to leave 
 you at sunrise." 
 
 "Nonsense! It is not possible." 
 
 " It is, indeed." 
 
 " But what is your hurry? " 
 
 " I have engaged myself as scout with a caravan, which I 
 have given the meeting at two o'clock to-morrow afternoon, 
 at the Del Rubio ford. That appointment has been made 
 for the last two months. You know that an engagement is 
 sacred with us hunters, and you would not like to make me 
 break my word ! " 
 
 " Not for the hides of all the buffalos killed every year on 
 the prairie. Towards what part of the Far West will you 
 guide these men? " 
 
 " I shall know that to-morrow." 
 
Mutual Explanations 37 
 
 "And with what sort of people have you to do? Are 
 they Spaniards, or Gringos? " 
 
 " On my word, I fancy they are Mexicans. Their chief's 
 name, I think, is Don Miguel Ortega, or something like it." 
 
 " Hallo! " Brighteye exclaimed, with a start of surprise; 
 " what's that you said? " 
 
 " Don Miguel Ortega. I may be mistaken, but I hardly 
 think so." 
 
 " That is strange," the old hunter said, as if speaking to 
 himself. 
 
 " I do not see anything strange in it; the name appears 
 to me common enough." 
 
 " To you, possibly. And you have made an agreement 
 with him? " 
 
 " Signed and sealed." 
 
 "As scout?" 
 
 " Yes, I say, a thousand times." 
 
 " Well, comfort yourself, Marksman; we have many a 
 long day to spend together." 
 
 " Do you belong to his party? " 
 
 "Heaven forbid!" 
 
 " Then, I don't understand anything." 
 
 Brighteye seemed to be reflecting seriously for a few 
 moments; then he turned to his friend, and said, 
 
 "Listen to me, Marksman! So surely as you are my 
 oldest friend, I do not wish to see you going to the deuce 
 your own road. I must give you certain information which 
 will be indispensable to you in doing your duty properly. I 
 see that we shall not sleep this night, so listen to me atten- 
 tively. What you are about to hear is worth the trouble." 
 
 Marksman, startled by the old hunter's solemn accent, 
 looked at him anxiously. " Speak! " he said to him. 
 
 Brighteye collected his thoughts for a moment, and then 
 took the word, beginning a long history, to which his audience 
 listened with a degree of interest and attention which 
 increased with every moment; for never, till that day, had 
 they heard the narrative of events so strange and extra- 
 ordinary. 
 
 The sun had risen for a long time, but the hunter was still 
 talking. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 A DARK HISTORY 
 
 FREED from all the observations, more or less pertinent, 
 with which it pleased the prolix hunter to embellish it, the 
 following is the remarkable story the Canadian told his 
 hearers. This narrative is so closely connected with our 
 story, that we are compelled to repeat it in all its details: 
 
 " Few cities offer a more enchanting appearance than 
 Mexico. The ancient capital of the Aztecs lies stretched 
 out, slothful and idle as a Creole maid, half veiled by the 
 thick curtain of lofty willows which border at a distance the 
 canals and roads. Built at exactly equal distance from two 
 oceans, at about 7,500 feet above their level, or at the same 
 height as the hospice of St. Bernard, this city, however, 
 enjoys a delicious tempered climate, between two magnificent 
 mountains Popocatepetl, or the burning mountain, and 
 Intaczehuatl, or the white woman whose rugged peaks, 
 covered with eternal snows, are lost in the clouds. The 
 stranger who arrives before Mexico at sunset by the eastern 
 road one of the four great ways that lead to the City of 
 the Aztecs, and the only one now remaining isolated in the 
 middle of the waters of Lake Tezcuco, on which it is built 
 experiences, at the first sight of this city, a strange emotion, 
 for which he cannot account. The Moorish architecture of 
 the edifices; the houses painted of bright colours; the 
 numberless domes of churches and convents which rise above 
 the azoteas, and cover if we may use the expression the 
 entire capital with their vast yellow, blue, and red parasols, 
 gilded by the parching rays of the declining sun; the warm 
 and perfumed evening breeze which comes sporting through 
 the leaf-laden branches; all this combines to give Mexico a 
 perfectly Eastern air, which astonishes and seduces at the 
 same time. Mexico, entirely burnt down by Fernando 
 Cortez, was rebuilt by that conqueror after the original plan; 
 all the streets intersect at right angles, and lead to the Plaza 
 Mayor by five principal arteries. 
 
 " All Spanish towns in the New World have this in common 
 
 38 
 
A Dark History 39 
 
 that, in all, the Plaza Mayor is built after the same plan. 
 Thus, at Mexico, on one side are the Cathedral and the 
 Sagrario; on the second, the Palace of the President of the 
 Republic, containing the ministerial offices four in number, 
 barracks, a prison, etc.; on the third side is the Ayunta- 
 miento; while the fourth is occupied by two bazaars the 
 Parian, and the Portal de los Flores. 
 
 " On July 10, 1854, at ten of the night, after a torrid heat, 
 which compelled the inhabitants to shut themselves up in 
 their houses the whole day through, the breeze rose and 
 refreshed the air, and everybody, mounted on the flower- 
 covered azoteas, which make them resemble hanging gardens, 
 hastened to enjoy that serene placidity of American evenings, 
 which seems to rain stars from the azure sky. The streets 
 and square were thronged with promenaders; there was an 
 inextricable throng of foot passengers, horsemen, men, 
 women, Indians and their squaws, where the rags, silk and 
 gold were arranged in the quaintest manner, in the midst of 
 cries, jests, and merry bursts of laughter. In a word, Mexico, 
 like the enchanted city of the Arabian Nights, seemed to 
 have been aroused by the bell of Oracion from a centennial 
 sleep such joy did all faces display, and so happy did all 
 seem to inhale the fresh air. 
 
 " At this moment, a non-commissioned officer, who could 
 be easily recognised as such by the vine stick he held in his 
 hand, turned out of the Calle San Francisco, and ming;led 
 with the crowd that thronged the Plaza Mayor, giving him- 
 self all the airs peculiar to soldiers in all parts of the world. 
 He was a young man, of elegant features, haughty glance, 
 and his slight moustache was coquettishly turned up. After 
 walking round the square two or three times, ogling maidens 
 and elbowing the men, he approached, with the same careless 
 air he had displayed from the beginning, a shop built against 
 one of the portales, in which an old man with a ferret-face 
 and cunning look was shutting up in the drawers of a poor 
 table, stained with a countless number of ink spots, paper, 
 pens, sand, and envelopes in a word, all the articles requisite 
 for the profession of a public writer the trade which the 
 little old man really carried on, as could be seen from a 
 board hung over the door of his shop, on which was written, 
 in white letters on a black ground, Juan Battista Leporello, 
 Evangelista. The sergeant looked for a few seconds through 
 the panes, which were covered with specimens of caligraphy, 
 
40 The Indian Scout 
 
 and then, doubtless satisfied with what he saw, he tapped 
 thrice with his stick on the door. 
 
 " A chain was moved in the interior; the soldier heard a 
 key turned in the lock, then the door opened slightly, and 
 the evangelista thrust his head out timidly. 
 
 " ' Ah, 'tis you, Don Annibal ! Dios me ampare. I did 
 not expect you so soon,' he said, in that cringing tone which 
 some men employ when they feel themselves in the hands of 
 a man stronger than themselves. 
 
 ' ' Cuerpo de Cristo ! play the innocent, old coyote,' the 
 sergeant replied roughly, ' who but I would dare to set foot 
 in your accursed den ? ' 
 
 " The evangelista shrugged his shoulders with a grin, and 
 pushed his silver spectacles with their round glasses up on 
 his forehead. 
 
 ' ' Eh, eh,' he said, coughing mysteriously, ' many people 
 have recourse to my good offices, my young Springold.' 
 
 " * It is possible,' the soldier answered, thrusting him 
 rudely back, and entering the shop. ' I pity them for falling 
 into the hands of an old bird of prey like you ; but it is not 
 that which brings me here.' 
 
 " ' Perhaps it would be better for both you and me, if 
 your visits had another motive from the one that brings you 
 here ! ' the evangelista remarked, timidly. 
 
 "'Truce to your sermons; shut the door, fasten the 
 shutters, so that no one can see us from the street, and let 
 us talk, for we have no time to lose.' 
 
 "The old man made no reply; he at once set about 
 closing the shutters, which at night protected his shop from 
 the assaults of the rateros, with a celerity for which no one 
 would have given him credit; then he sat down by his 
 visitor's side, after carefully bolting the door. 
 
 " These two men, seen thus by the light of a smoky candle, 
 offered a striking contrast; one young, handsome, strong, 
 and daring; the other old, broken, and hypocritical: both 
 taking side glances at each other, full of a strange expression, 
 and with an apparent cordiality, which probably hid a deep 
 hatred, talking in a low voice ear to ear, they resembled two 
 demons conspiring the ruin of an angel. 
 
 " The soldier was the first to speak, in a tone hardly 
 above his breath, so much did he seem to fear being over- 
 heard. 
 
 " ' Look you, Tio Leporello,' he said, ' let us come to an 
 
A Dark History 41 
 
 understanding; the half-hour has just struck at the Sagrario, 
 so speak ; what have you learnt new ? ' 
 
 " ' Hum! ' the other said, ' not much that is interesting.' 
 
 " The soldier flashed a suspicious glance at him, and 
 appeared to be reflecting. 
 
 " ' That is true/ he said, at the end of a moment, ' I did 
 not think of that ; where could my head be ? ' 
 
 " He drew from the breast pocket of his uniform a purse 
 tolerably well filled, through the meshes of which glistened 
 sundry ounces, and then a long navaja, which he opened and 
 placed on the table near him. The old man trembled at the 
 sight of the sharpened blade, whose blue steel sent forth 
 sinister rays; the soldier opened the purse and poured forth 
 the pieces in a joyous cascade before him. The evangelista 
 immediately forgot the knife, only to attend to the gold, 
 attracted involuntarily by the trinkling of the metal, as by 
 an irresistible magnet. 
 
 " The soldier had done all we have just described with the 
 coolness of a man who knows that he has unfailing arguments 
 in his possession. 
 
 " ' Then,' he said, ' rake up your memory, old demon, if 
 you do not wish my navaja to teach you with whom you 
 have to deal, in case you have forgotten.' 
 
 " The evangelista smiled pleasantly, while looking cove- 
 tously at the ounces. ' I know too well what I owe you, 
 Don Annibal,' he said, ' not to try to satisfy you by all the 
 means in my power.' 
 
 " * A truce to your unnecessary and hypocritical compli- 
 ments, old ape, and come to facts. Take this first, it will 
 encourage you to be sincere.' 
 
 " He placed several ounces in his hand, which the evan- 
 gelista disposed of with such sleight of hand, that it was 
 impossible for the soldier to know where they had gone. 
 
 ' You are generous, Don Annibal that will bring you 
 good fortune.' 
 
 1 * Go on; I want facts.' 
 
 " ' I am coming to them.' 
 
 " ' I am listening.' 
 
 " And the sergeant leaned his elbows on the table, in the 
 
 position of a man preparing to listen, while the evangelista 
 
 coughed, spat, and by an old habit of prudence, though alone 
 
 with the sergeant in his shop, looked round him suspiciously. 
 
 " The sounds on the Plaza Mayor had died out one after 
 
42 The Indian Scout 
 
 the other; the crowd had dispersed in every direction, and 
 returned to their houses, and the greatest silence prevailed 
 outside; at this moment eleven o'clock struck slowly from 
 the Cathedral, and the two men started involuntarily at the 
 mournful sounds of the clock ; the serenos chanted the hour 
 in their drawling, drunken voice; then all was quiet. 
 
 "'Will you speak, yes or no?' the soldier suddenly said, 
 with a menacing accent. 
 
 " The evangelista bounded on his butacca, as if aroused 
 from sleep, and passed his hand several times over his fore- 
 head. ' I am beginning/ he said in a humble voice. 
 ' That is lucky,' the other remarked, coarsely. 
 
 " ' You must know, then but,' he observed, suddenly 
 
 interrupting himself, ' must I enter into all the details ? ' 
 
 " ' Demonios ! ' the soldier exclaimed, passionately, ' let 
 us have an end of this once for all; you know I want to 
 have the most complete information ; Canaries 1 do not play 
 with me like a cat with a mouse ; old man, I warn you, that 
 game will be dangerous for you.' 
 
 " ' Well, this morning, I had just settled myself in my 
 office; I was arranging my papers and mending my pens, 
 when I heard a discreet tap at the door; I rose and went to 
 open it; it was a young and lovely lady, as far as I could 
 judge, for she was embossada in her black mantilla, so as 
 not to be seen.' 
 
 " ' Then it was not the woman who has come to you every 
 day for a month ? ' the soldier interrupted. 
 
 " ' Yes; but as you have doubtlessly remarked, on each 
 of her visits, she is careful to change her dress, in order to 
 prevent my recognising her; but, in spite of these pre- 
 cautions, I have been too long accustomed to ladies' tricks 
 to allow myself to be deceived, and I recognised her by the 
 first glance that shot from her black eye.' 
 'Very good: goon.' 
 
 " ' She stood for a moment before me in silence, playing 
 with her fan, with an air of embarrassment. I offered her a 
 chair politely, pretending not to recognise her, and asking 
 her how I could be of service to her. ' Oh,' she answered 
 me, with a petulant voice, ' I want a very simple matter.' 
 ' Speak, senorita; if it is connected with my profession, 
 believe me, I shall make a point of obeying you.' ' Should 
 I have come, had it not been so ? ' she replied ; * but are you 
 a man who can be trusted ? ' and while saying this, she fixed 
 
A Dark History 43 
 
 on me a searching glance. I drew myself up, and replied in 
 my most serious tone, as I laid my hand on my heart * An 
 evangelista is a confessor; all secrets die in his breast.' She 
 then drew a paper from the pocket of her saga, and turned 
 it about in her fingers, but suddenly began laughing, as she 
 said, ' How foolish I am, I make a mystery of a trifle ; 
 besides, at this moment you are only a machine, as you will 
 not understand what you write.' I bowed at all hazards, 
 expecting some diabolical combination, like those she has 
 brought to me every day for a month.' 
 
 " ' A truce to reflections,' the sergeant interrupted. 
 
 " ' She gave me the paper,' the evangelista continued, 
 ' and, as was arranged between you and me, I took a sheet 
 of paper, which I laid upon another prepared beforehand, 
 and blackened on one side, so that the words I wrote on my 
 papers were reproduced by the black page on another the 
 poor Nina not in the least suspecting it. After all, the letter 
 was not long, only two or three lines; but, may I be sent 
 to purgatory,' he added, crossing himself piously, * if I 
 understood a syllable of the horrible gibberish I copied: it 
 was doubtlessly Morisco.' 
 
 "'Afterwards?' 
 
 " ' I folded up the paper in the shape of a letter, and 
 addressed it.' 
 
 " ' Ah, ah! ' the soldier said, with interest, * that is the 
 first time.' 
 
 " ' Yes, but the information will not be of much use to 
 you.' 
 
 " ' Perhaps: what was the address? ' 
 
 " ' Z. p. V. 2, calle S. P. Z.' 
 
 "'Hum!' the soldier said, thoughtfully; 'that is cer- 
 tainly rather vague. What next?' 
 
 " ' Then she went away, after giving me a gold ounce.' 
 
 " ' She is generous.' 
 
 " ' Pobre Nina! ' the evangelista said, laying his hooked 
 fingers over his dry eyes, with an air of tenderness. 
 
 " ' Enough of that mummery, which I do not believe. 
 Is that all she said to you ? ' 
 
 ; ' Nearly so,' the other said, with hesitation. 
 
 " The sergeant looked at him. ' Is there anything else? ' 
 he remarked, as he threw him several gold coins, which the 
 evangelista disposed of at once. 
 
 " ' Almost nothing.' 
 
44 The Indian Scout 
 
 " ' You had better tell me, Tio Leporello, for, as an evan- 
 gelista, you know that the reason why letters are written, 
 is generally found in the postscript.' 
 
 " ' On leaving my office, the senorita made a sign to a 
 providencia which was passing. The carriage stopped, and 
 though the Nina spoke in a very low voice, I heard her say 
 to the driver, " To the convent of the Bernardines." ! 
 
 " The sergeant gave an almost imperceptible start. 
 
 " ' Hum! ' he said, with an indifferent air, perfectly well 
 assumed ; ' that address does not mean much. Now give me 
 the paper.' 
 
 " The evangelista fumbled in his drawer, and drew from it 
 a sheet of white paper, on which a few almost illegible words 
 were written. So soon as the soldier had the paper in his 
 hands he eagerly perused it; it appeared to have a great 
 interest for him, for he turned visibly pale, and a convulsive 
 tremor passed over his limbs; but he recovered himself 
 almost immediately. 
 
 " ' It is well,' he said, as he tore up the paper into imper- 
 ceptible fragments; ' here's for you.' 
 
 " And he threw a fresh handful of ounces on the table. 
 
 " ' Thanks, caballero,' Tio Leporello exclaimed, as he 
 bounded greedily on the precious metal. 
 
 " An ironical smile played round the soldier's lips, and, 
 taking advantage of the old man's position, as he leant over 
 the table to collect the gold, he raised his knife, and buried it 
 to the hilt between the evangelista's shoulders. The blow 
 was dealt so truly, and with such a firm hand, that the old 
 man fell like a log, without uttering a sigh or giving a cry. 
 The soldier regarded him for a moment coldly and apatheti- 
 cally, then, reassured by the immobility of his victim, whom 
 he believed dead, 
 
 " ' Come,' he muttered, ' that is all the better; at any 
 rate, he will not speak in that way.' 
 
 " After this philosophical funeral oration, the assassin 
 tranquilly wiped his knife, picked up the gold, put out the 
 candle, opened the door, closed it carefully after him, and 
 walked off with the steady, though somewhat hasty step of a 
 belated traveller hurrying to his home. 
 
 " The Plaza Mayor was deserted." 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 A DARK HISTORY CONTINUED 
 
 " ANCIENT Mexico was traversed by canals, like Venice, or, 
 to speak more correctly, like Dutch towns, for generally in 
 all the streets there was a path between the canal and the 
 houses. At the present day, when all the streets are paved, 
 and the canals have disappeared save in one quarter of the 
 city, it is difficult to understand how Cervantes, in one of his 
 novels, could compare Venice with Mexico ; but if the canals 
 are no longer visible, they still exist underground; and in 
 certain low quarters, where they have been converted into 
 drains, they manifest their presence by the foetid odours 
 which they exhale, or by the heaps of filth and stagnant 
 water. 
 
 " The sergeant, after so skilfully settling accounts with the 
 hapless evangelista, crossed the Plaza, and entered the Calle 
 de la Monterilla. 
 
 " He walked for a long time along the streets with the same 
 quiet step he had adopted on leaving the evangelista's stall. 
 At length, after about twenty minutes' walk through deserted 
 streets and gloomy lanes, whose miserable appearance became 
 with every step more menacing, he stopped before a house of 
 more than suspicious aspect, above the door of which a 
 flaring candle burned behind un retablo de las animas bene- 
 ditas ; the windows of the house were lit up, and on the 
 azotea the watchdogs were mournfully baying the moon. 
 The sergeant tapped twice on the door of this sinister abode 
 with his vine stick. 
 
 " It was a long time ere he was answered. The shouts and 
 singing suddenly ceased in the inside: at length the soldier 
 heard a heavy step approaching ; the door was partly opened 
 for everywhere in Mexico an iron chain is put up at night 
 and a drunken voice said harshly, 
 
 ' ' Quien es ? (Who's there ?) ' 
 
 ' ' Gente de paz,' the sergeant answered. 
 * Hum ! it is very late to run about the tuna and enter 
 the vilaio,' the other remarked, apparently reflecting. 
 
 45 
 
46 The Indian Scout 
 
 " ' I do not wish to enter.' 
 
 " ' Then what the deuce do you want? ' 
 
 " ' Pan y sal por los Caballeros err antes,' l the sergeant 
 answered, in a tone of authority, and placing himself so that 
 the moonbeams should fall on his face. 
 
 " The man fell back, uttering an exclamation of surprise. 
 
 " ' Volga me Dtos I Senor Don Torribio ! ' he exclaimed, 
 with an accent of profound respect; * who could have recog- 
 nised your excellency under that wretched dress ? Come in ! 
 come in ! they are waiting impatiently for you.' 
 
 " And the man, who had become as obsequious as he had 
 been insolent a few moments previously, hastened to undo 
 the chain, and threw the door wide open. 
 
 " ' It is unnecessary, Pepito,' the soldier continued, ' I 
 repeat to you that I shall not come in. How many are 
 there?" 
 
 " ' Twenty, Excellency.' 
 
 "'Armed?' 
 ; ' Completely.' 
 
 " ' Let them come down directly. I will wait for them 
 here. Go, my son, time presses.' 
 
 " ' And you? Excellency.' 
 
 " ' You will bring me a hat, an esclavina, my sword and 
 pistols. Come, make haste ! ' 
 
 " Pepito did not let the order be repeated. Leaving the 
 door open, he ran off. A few minutes after, some twenty 
 bandits, armed to the teeth, rushed into the street, jostling 
 one another. On coming up to the soldier, they saluted 
 respectfully, and, at a sign from him, remained motionless 
 and silent. 
 
 " Pepito had brought the articles demanded by the man 
 whom the evangelista called Don Annibal, himself Don 
 Torribio, and who, probably, had several other names, 
 although we will keep temporarily to the latter. 
 
 " ' Are the horses ready? ' Don Torribio asked, as he con- 
 cealed his uniform under the esclavina, and placed in his 
 girdle a long rapier and a pair of double-barrelled pistols. 
 ' Yes, Excellency,' Pepito answered, hat in hand. 
 
 " ' Good, my son. You will bring them to the spot I told 
 you ; but as it is forbidden to go about the streets on horse- 
 back by night, you will pay attention to the celadores and 
 senoros.' 
 
 1 Literally, " Bread and salt for the knight-errants." 
 
A Dark History Continued 47 
 
 " All the bandits burst into a laugh at this singular recom- 
 mendation. 
 
 " * There/ Don Torribio continued, as he put on a broad- 
 brimmed hat, which Pepito had brought him with the other 
 things, 'that is all right; we can now start. Listen to me 
 attentively, Caballeros ! ' 
 
 " The leperos and other scoundrels who composed the 
 audience, flattered by being treated as caballeros, drew 
 nearer to Don Torribio, in order to hear his instructions. 
 The latter continued, 
 
 " * Twenty men, marching, in a troop, through the streets 
 of the city would, doubtless, arouse the susceptibility and 
 suspicions of the police agents ; we must employ the greatest 
 prudence, and, above all, the utmost secrecy in order to 
 succeed in the expedition for which I have collected you. 
 You will, therefore, separate, and go one by one under the 
 walls of the convent of the Bernardines; on arriving there, 
 you will conceal yourselves as well as you can, and not stir 
 without my orders. Above all, no disputes, no quarrelling. 
 You have understood me clearly? " 
 
 " * Yes, Excellency,' the bandits answered, unanimously. 
 " ' Very good. Be off, then, for you must reach the con- 
 vent in a quarter of an hour." 
 
 " The bandits dispersed in every direction with the 
 rapidity of a flock of buzzards. Two minutes later they had 
 disappeared round the corners of the nearest streets. Pepito 
 alone remained. 
 
 "'And I?' he respectfully asked Don Torribio. 'Do 
 you not wish, Excellency, for me to accompany you? I 
 should be very bored if I remained here alone.' 
 
 " ' I should be glad enough to take you with me; but who 
 would get the horses ready if you went with me ? ' 
 " ' That is true. I did not think of it.' 
 " * But do not be alarmed, Muchacho, if I succeed as I 
 hope, you shall soon come with me.' 
 
 " Pepito, completely reassured by this promise, bowed 
 respectfully to the mysterious man, who seemed to be his 
 chief, and re-entered his house, carefully closing the door 
 after him. 
 
 "Don Torribio, when left alone, remained for several 
 seconds plunged in deep thought. At length he raised his 
 head, drew his hat over his eyes ; carefully wrapped himself 
 
48 The Indian Scout 
 
 in his esclavina, and walked of! hurriedly, muttering, ' Shall 
 I succeed ? ' 
 
 " A question which no one, not even himself, could have 
 answered. 
 
 " The convent of the Bernardines stands in one of the 
 handsomest quarters of Mexico, not far from the Paseo de 
 Bernardo, the fashionable promenade. It is a vast edifice, 
 built entirely of hewn stone, which dates from the rebuilding 
 of the city after the conquest, and was founded by Fernando 
 Cortez himself. Its general appearance is imposing and 
 majestic, like all Spanish convents; it is almost a small city 
 within a large one, for it contains all that can be agreeable and 
 useful for life a church, an hospital, a laundry, a large 
 kitchen garden, and a well laid-out flower garden, which 
 offers pleasant shade, reserved for the exercise of the nuns. 
 There are wide cloisters, decorated with grand pictures by 
 good masters, representing scenes in the life of the Virgin, 
 and of St. Bernard, to whom the convent is dedicated ; these 
 cloisters, bordered by circular galleries, out of which the cells 
 of the nuns open, enclose sandy courts, adorned with pieces 
 of water, in which fountains refresh the air at the burning 
 mid-day hour. The cells are charming retreats, in which 
 nothing that can promote comfort is wanting: a bed; two 
 butaccas covered with prepared Cordovan leather, a prte 
 Dieu, a small toilet table, in the drawer of which you are sure 
 to find a looking-glass, and several holy pictures, occupy the 
 principal space. In a corner of the room may be seen, 
 between a guitar and a scourge, a statue of the Virgin, of 
 wood or alabaster, wearing a coronal of white roses, before 
 which a lamp is continually burning. Such is the furniture 
 which, with but few exceptions, you are certain to find in 
 the nuns' cells. 
 
 " The convent of the Bernardines contained, at the period 
 when our story is laid, one hundred and fifty nuns, and about 
 sixty novices. In this country of toleration, it is rare to see 
 nuns cloistered. The sisters can go into town, pay and 
 receive visits ; the regulations are extremely mild, and, with 
 the exception of the offices, at which they are bound to be 
 present with great punctuality, the nuns, when they have 
 entered their cells, are almost at liberty to do as they please, 
 nobody taking the trouble, or seeming to do so, of watching 
 them. 
 
 " We have described the convent cells, which are all alike; 
 
A Dark History Continued 49 
 
 but that of the Mother Superior merits a particular descrip- 
 tion. Nothing could be more luxurious, more religious, and 
 yet more worldly, than its general appearance. It was an 
 immense square room, with large Gothic windows, with small 
 panes set in lead, upon which sacred subjects were painted 
 with admirable finish and admirable touch. The walls were 
 covered with long, stamped, and gilded hangings of Cordovan 
 leather, while valuable pictures, representing the principal 
 events in the life of the patron saint of the convent, were 
 arranged with that symmetry and taste only to be met with 
 in people belonging to the Church. Between the pictures 
 hung a magnificent Virgin, by Raphael, before which was an 
 altar. A silver lamp, full of perfumed oil, hung from the 
 ceiling, and burnt night and day before the altar, which 
 thick damask curtains hid, when thought proper. The 
 furniture consisted of a large Chinese screen, concealing the 
 couch of the abbess, a simple frame of carved oak, sur- 
 rounded by white gauze musquito curtains. A square table, 
 also of oak, on which were a few books and a desk, occupied 
 the centre of the room ; in a corner a vast library, containing 
 books on religious subjects, and displaying the rich bindings 
 of rare and precious works through the glass doors, a few 
 butaccas and chairs, with twisted feet, were arranged against 
 the wall. Lastly, a silver brazier, filled with olive kernels, 
 stood opposite a superb coffer, the chasing of which was a 
 masterpiece of the Renaissance. 
 
 " During the day, the light, filtered through the coloured 
 glass, spread but a gentle and mystic radiance around, which 
 caused the visitor to experience a feeling of respect and 
 devotion, by giving this vast apartment a stern and almost 
 mournful aspect. 
 
 " At the moment when we introduce the reader into this 
 cell, that is to say, a few moments prior to the scene we have 
 just described, the abbess was seated in a large straight- 
 backed easy chair, which was surmounted by an abbatial 
 crown, while the cushion of gilt leather was adorned with a 
 double fringe of silk and gold. 
 
 " The abbess was a little, plump woman, of about sixty 
 years of age, whose features would have appeared unmean- 
 ing, had it not been for the bright and piercing glance that 
 shot, like a jet of lava, from her grey eyes, when a violent 
 emotion agitated her. She held in her hand an open book, 
 and seemed plunged in profound meditation. 
 
50 The Indian Scout 
 
 " The door of the cell opened gently, and a girl, dressed 
 in the novice's robe, advanced timidly, scarce grazing the 
 floor with her light and hesitating foot. She stopped in 
 front of the easy chair, and waited silently till the abbess 
 raised her eyes to her. 
 
 " c Ah! it is you, my child,' the Mother Superior at length 
 said, noticing the novice's presence; ' come hither.' 
 
 " The latter advanced a few paces nearer. 
 
 " ' Why did you go out this morning without asking my 
 permission? ' 
 
 " On hearing these words, which the maiden, however, 
 must have expected, she turned pale, and stammered a few 
 unintelligible words. 
 
 " The abbess continued, in a stern voice: 
 
 " ' Take care, Nina! although you are still a novice, and 
 will not take the veil for several months, like all your com- 
 panions, you are under my authority mine alone.' 
 
 " These words were spoken with an intonation which made 
 the maiden tremble. 
 
 " ' Holy mother! ' she murmured. 
 
 " * You were the intimate friend, almost the sister, of that 
 young fool whom her resistance to our sovereign will snapped 
 asunder like a reed, and who died this morning.' 
 
 " ' Do you really believe that she is dead, mother? ' the girl 
 answered timidly, and in a voice interrupted by grief. 
 
 " ' Who doubts it? ' the abbess exclaimed, violently, as 
 she half rose in her chair, and fixed a viper's glance on the 
 poor child. 
 
 1 ' No one, madam, no one,' she said, falling back with 
 terror. 
 
 " ' Were you not, like the other members of the com- 
 munity,' the abbess continued, with a terrible accent, 
 ' present at her funeral? Did you not hear the prayers 
 uttered over her coffin? ' 
 
 " ' It is true, my mother! ' 
 
 " ' Did you not see her body lowered into the convent 
 vaults, and the tombstone laid over it, which the angel of 
 divine justice can alone raise at the day of judgment? Say, 
 were you not present at this sad and terrible ceremony? 
 Would you dare to assert that this did not take place, and 
 that the wretched creature still lives, whom GOD suddenly 
 smote in his wrath, that she might serve as a warning to 
 those whom Satan impels to revolt? ' 
 
A Dark History Continued 51 
 
 " ' Pardon, holy mother, pardon! I saw what you say. 
 I was present at Dona Laura's interment. Alas! doubt is 
 no longer possible ; she is really dead ! ' 
 
 " While uttering the last words, the maiden could not 
 restrain her tears, which flowed copiously. The abbess sur- 
 veyed her with a suspicious air. 
 
 " ' It is well,' she said; ' you can retire: but I repeat to 
 you, take care; I know that a spirit of revolt has seized on 
 your heart as well, and I shall watch you.' 
 
 " The maiden bowed humbly to the Mother Superior, and 
 moved as if to obey the order she had received. 
 
 " At this moment a terrible disturbance was heard. Cries 
 of terror and threats re-echoed in the corridor, and the 
 hurried steps of a tumultuous crowd could be heard rapidly 
 approaching. 
 
 " ' What is the meaning of this? ' the abbess asked with 
 terror; ' what is this noise? ' 
 
 " She rose in agitation, and walked with tottering step 
 toward the door of the cell, on which repeated blows were 
 being struck. 
 
 " * Oh, heavens ! ' the novice murmured, as she turned a 
 suppliant glance toward the statue of the Virgin, which 
 seemed to smile on her; ' have our liberators at length 
 arrived? ' 
 
 " We will return to Don Torribio, whom we left walking 
 with his companions toward the convent. 
 
 " As had been arranged between himself and his accom- 
 plices, the young man found all the band collected under the 
 convent walls. Along the streets the bandits, not to be dis- 
 turbed by the serenos, had tied and gagged them and carried 
 them off, as they met them, separately. Thanks to this 
 skilful manoeuvre, they reached their destination without 
 hindrance. Twelve serenos were captured in this way : and, 
 on reaching the convent, Don Terribio gave orders for them 
 to be laid one atop of the other at the foot of the wall. 
 
 " Then, drawing from his pocket a velvet mask, he covered 
 his face with it (a precaution imitated' by his comrades), and, 
 approaching a wretched hut which stood a short distance off, 
 he stove in the door with his shoulder. The owner rose up, 
 frightened and half-dressed, to inquire the meaning of this 
 unusual mode of rapping at his door; but the poor fellow 
 fell back with a cry of terror on perceiving the masked men 
 
52 The Indian Scout 
 
 assembled before his door. Don Torribio, being in a hurry, 
 commenced the conversation by going straight to the 
 subject-matter: ' Buenas noches, Tio Salado. I am de- 
 lighted to see you in good health/ he said to him. 
 
 ' The other answered, not knowing exactly what he 
 sa d, 
 
 ' ' I thank you, Caballero. You are too kind.' 
 ' ' Make haste! get your cloak, and come with us.' 
 ' ' I ? ' Salado said, with a start of terror. 
 ' ' Yourself/ 
 
 ' * But how can I be of service to you ? ' 
 * * I will tell you. I know that you are highly respected 
 at the convent of the Bernardines in the first place as a 
 pulquero; and, secondly, as hombre de bien y reltgoso.' 
 
 " ' Oh! oh! to a certain extent,' the pulquero answered, 
 evasively. 
 
 " ' No false modesty. I know you have the power to get 
 the gates of that house opened when you please; it is for 
 that reason I invite you to accompany us.' 
 
 " ' Maria purissima ! What are you thinking of, Cabal- 
 lero ? ' the poor fellow exclaimed, with terror. 
 
 " ' No remarks! Make haste! or, by Neustra Senora del 
 Carmen, I will burn your rookery.' 
 
 "A hollow groan issued from Salado's chest; but, after 
 taking one despairing glance at the black masks that sur- 
 rounded him, he prepared to obey. From the pulqueria to 
 the convent was only a few paces they were soon passed, 
 and Don Torribio turned to his prisoner, who was more dead 
 than alive. 
 
 " * There, compadre,' he said, distinctly, ' we have arrived. 
 It is now your place to get the door opened for us.' 
 
 " ' In heaven's name,' the pulquero exclaimed, making 
 one last effort at resistance, ' how do you expect me to set 
 about it? You forget that I have no means 
 
 " ' Listen,' Don Torribio said, imperiously; ' you under- 
 stand that I have no time for discussion. You will either 
 introduce us into the convent, and this purse, which contains 
 fifty ounces, is yours; or you refuse, and in that case,' he 
 added, coldly, as he drew a pistol from his girdle, ' I blow 
 out your brains with this.' 
 
 " A cold perspiration bedewed the pulquero's temples. 
 He was too well acquainted with the bandits of his country 
 to insult them for a moment by doubting their words. 
 
A Dark History Continued 53 
 
 " ' Well ! ' the other asked, as he cocked the pistol, ' have 
 you reflected? " 
 
 " ' Casptta, Caballero ! Do not play with that thing. I 
 will try.' 
 
 " ' Here is the purse to sharpen your wits/ Don Torribio 
 said. 
 
 " The pulquero clutched it with a movement of joy, any 
 idea of which it is impossible to give ; then he walked slowly 
 towards the convent gate, while cudgelling his brains for 
 some way in which to earn the sum he had received, without 
 running any risk a problem, we confess, of which it was 
 not easy to find the solution." 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 A DARK HISTORY CONCLUDED 
 
 "THE pulquero at length decided on obedience. Suddenly 
 a luminous thought crossed his brain, and it was with a 
 smile on his lips that he lifted the knocker. At the moment 
 he was going to let it fall, Don Torribio caught his arm. 
 ' What is the matter? ' Salado asked. 
 
 "'Eleven o'clock struck long ago; everybody must be 
 asleep in the convent, so perhaps it would be better to try 
 another plan.' 
 
 " ' You are mistaken, Caballero/ the pulquero answered; 
 ' the portress is awake.' 
 
 " ' Are you sure of it? ' 
 
 " ' Caramba ! ' the other answered, who had formed his 
 plan, and was afraid he would be obliged to return the 
 money, if his employe changed his mind. * The convent of 
 the Bernardines is open day and night to persons who come 
 for medicines. Leave me to manage it.' 
 
 " ' Go on, then,' the chief of the band said, letting loose 
 his arm. 
 
 " Salado did not allow the permission to be repeated, 
 through fear of a fresh objection, and he hastened to let 
 go the knocker, which resounded on a copper bolt. Don 
 Torribio and his companions were crouching under the wall. 
 
 " In a moment the trap-door was pushed back, and the 
 wrinkled face of the portress appeared. 
 
 " ' Who are you, my brother? ' she asked, in a peevish, 
 sleepy voice. ' Why do you come at this late hour to tap 
 at the gates of the convent? ' 
 
 " ' Ave Maria purissima ? ' Salado said, in his most nasal 
 tone. 
 
 " ' Sin peccado concebida, my brother, are you ill? ' 
 
 "'I am a poor sinner, you know, sister; my soul is 
 plunged in affliction.' 
 
 "'Who are you, brother? I really believe that I can 
 recognise your voice; but the night is so dark, that I am 
 unable to distinguish your features.' 
 
 54 
 
A Dark History Concluded 55 
 
 " ' And I sincerely trust you will not see them,' Salado 
 said, mentally ; then added, in a louder voice, ' I am Senor 
 Templado, and keep a locanda in the Calle Plateros.' 
 
 " ' Ah! I remember you now, brother/ 
 
 " ' I fancy that is biting,' the pulquero muttered. 
 
 " ' What do you desire, brother? Make haste to tell me, 
 in the most holy name of your Saviour ! ' she said, crossing 
 herself devotedly, a movement imitated by Salado ; ' for 
 the air is very cold, and I must continue my orisons, which 
 you have interrupted.' 
 
 " ' Vulgo mi Dios I sister ; my wife and two children are 
 ill ; the Reverend Pater Guardian, of the Franciscans, urged 
 me to come and ask you for three bottles of your miraculous 
 water.' 
 
 " We will observe, parenthetically, that every convent 
 manufactures in Mexico a so-called miraculous water, the 
 receipt of which is carefully kept secret; this water, we were 
 told, cures all maladies a miracle which we were never in 
 a position to test, for our part. We need hardly say, that 
 this universal panacea is sold at a very high rate, and pro- 
 duces the best part of the community's revenue. 
 
 " ' Maria! ' the old woman exclaimed, her eyes sparkling 
 with joy at the pulquero's large order. ' Three bottles ! ' 
 
 " ' Yes, sister. I will also ask your permission to rest 
 myself a little; for I have come so quick, and the emotion 
 produced by the illness of my wife and children has so 
 crushed me, that I find it difficult to keep on my legs.' 
 
 " ' Poor man ! ' the portress said, with pity. 
 
 " ' Oh ! it would really be an act of charity, my 
 sister.' 
 
 " ' Senor Templado, please look around you, to make sure 
 there is no one in the street. We live in such wicked times, 
 that a body cannot take enough precautions.' 
 
 " ' There is no one, my sister,' the pulquero answered, 
 making the bandits a sign to get ready. 
 
 " ' Then I will open.' 
 
 " ' Heaven will reward you, my sister.' 
 
 " ' Amen,' she said, piously. 
 
 " The noise of a key turned in a lock could be heard, then 
 the rumbling of bolts, and the door opened. 
 
 " ' Come in quickly, brother/ the nun said. 
 
 " But Salado had prudently withdrawn, and yielded his 
 place to Don Torribio. The latter rushed at the portress, 
 
56 The Indian Scout 
 
 not giving her time to look round, seized her by the throat, 
 and squeezed her windpipe as if his hand were a vice. 
 
 " ' One word, sorceress,' he said to her, * and I will kill 
 you ! " 
 
 " Terrified by this sudden attack from a man whose face 
 was covered by a black mask, the old woman fell back 
 senseless. 
 
 " ' Devil take the old witch ! ' Don Torribio exclaimed, 
 passionately ; ' who will guide us now ? ' 
 
 " He tried to restore the portress to her senses, but soon 
 perceiving that he should not succeed, he made a sign to 
 two of his men to tie and gag her securely; then, after 
 recommending them to stand sentry at the door, he seized 
 the bunch of keys entrusted to the nun, and began, followed 
 by his comrades, to find his way into the building inhabited 
 by the sisters. It was not an easy thing to discover, in this 
 immense Thebaid, the cell occupied by the abbess, for it was 
 that lady alone whom Don Torribio wanted. 
 
 " Now, to converse with the abbess, she must first be 
 found, and it was this that embarrassed the bandits, though 
 masters of the place they had seized by stratagem. At the 
 moment, however, when they began to lose all hopes, an 
 incident, produced by their inopportune presence, came to 
 their aid. 
 
 " The bandits had spread, like a torrent that had burst 
 its dykes, through the courts and cloisters, not troubling 
 themselves in the least as to the consequences their invasion 
 might have for the convent; and, shouting and cursing like 
 demons, they appeared to wish to leave no nook, however 
 secret it might be, unvisited; but it is true that, in acting 
 thus, they only obeyed the orders of their chief. 
 
 " The nuns, accustomed to calmness and silence, were soon 
 aroused by this disturbance, which they, for a moment, 
 believed occasioned by an earthquake ; they rushed hurriedly 
 from their beds, and, only half dressed, went, like a flock of 
 frightened doves, to seek shelter in the cell of the abbess. 
 
 " The Mother Superior, sharing the error of her nuns, had 
 succeeded in opening her door; and, collecting her flock 
 around her, she walked toward the spot whence the noise 
 came, leaning majestically on her abbatical cross. 
 
 " Suddenly she perceived a band of masked demons, yell- 
 ing, howling, and brandishing weapons of every description. 
 But, before she could utter a cry, Don Torribio rushed 
 
A Dark History Concluded 57 
 
 toward her. * No noise! ' he said. ' We do not wish to do 
 you any harm; we have come, on the contrary, to repair 
 that which you have done.' 
 
 " Dumb with terror at the sight of so many masked men, 
 the women stood as if petrified. 
 
 "'What do you want of me?' the Mother Superior 
 stammered, in a trembling voice. 
 
 "'You shall know,' the Chief answered; and, turning to 
 one of his men, he said, ' the sulphur matches.' 
 
 " A bandit silently gave him what he asked for. 
 
 " * Now listen to me attentively, Senora. Yesterday, a 
 novice belonging to your convent, who some days back 
 refused to take the veil, died suddenly.' 
 
 " The abbess looked around her with a commanding air, 
 and then addressed the man who was speaking to her. 
 
 " ' I do not know what you mean,' she replied boldly. 
 
 "'Very good! I expected that answer. I will go on; 
 this novice, scarcely sixteen years of age, was Dona Laura 
 de Acevedo del Real del Monte; she belonged to one of the 
 first families in the Republic. This morning, her obsequies 
 were performed, with all the ceremony employed on such 
 occasions, in the church of this convent; her body was then 
 lowered, with great pomp, into the vaults reserved for the 
 burial of the nuns.' 
 
 " He stopped, and fixed on the Mother Superior eyes that 
 flashed through his mask like lightning. 
 
 " ' I repeat to you that I do not know what you mean,' 
 she said coldly. 
 
 " ' Ah, very good ! Then listen to this, senora, and profit 
 by it ; for you have fallen, I swear it, into the hands of men 
 who will show you no mercy, and will be moved neither by 
 your tears nor your airs of grace, if you compel them to 
 proceed to extremities.' 
 
 " ' You can do as you please,' the Mother Superior an- 
 swered, still perfectly collected. ' I am in your hands. I 
 know that for the moment, at least, I have no help to expect 
 from any one; but Heaven will give me strength to suffer 
 martyrdom.' 
 
 " ' Madam,' Don Torribio said with a grin, ' you are 
 blaspheming, you are wittingly committing a deadly sin; 
 but no matter, that is your business: this is mine. You 
 will at once point out to me the entrance of the vault, and 
 the spot where Dona Laura is reposing. I have sworn to 
 
58 The Indian Scout 
 
 carry off her body from here, no matter at what cost. I 
 will fulfil my oath, whatever may happen. If you consent 
 to what I ask, my companions and myse 1 f ~ r }} r^ire, taking 
 with us the body of the poor deceased, but not touching a 
 pin of the immense riches the convent contains.' 
 
 " ' And if I refuse? ' she said, angrily. 
 
 " ' If you refuse,' he replied, laying a stress on each word, 
 as if he wished the lady addressed fully to understand them, 
 .' the convent will be sacked, these timid doves will become 
 the prey of the demon.' He added, with a gesture which 
 made the nuns quiver with terror, ' And I will apply to you 
 a certain torture, which I do not doubt will loosen your 
 tongue.' 
 
 " The abbess smiled contemptuously. 
 
 " ' Begin with me,' she said. 
 
 " ' That is my intention. Come,' he added, in a rough 
 voice, ' to work.' 
 
 " Two men stepped forward, and seized the Mother 
 Superior; but she made no attempt to defend herself. She 
 remained motionless, seemingly apathetic; still an almost 
 imperceptible contraction of her eyebrows evidenced the 
 internal emotion she endured. 
 
 " ' Is that your last word, senora? ' Don Torribio inquired. 
 
 "'Do your duty, villains!' she replied, with disdain. 
 ' Try to conquer the will of an old woman.' 
 
 " ' We are going to do so. Begin! ' he ordered. 
 
 " The two bandits prepared to obey their chief. 
 
 " ' Stay, in Heaven's name ! ' a maiden exclaimed, as she 
 rushed bravely before the Mother Superior, and repulsed the 
 bandits. 
 
 " It was the novice with whom the abbess was speaking at 
 the moment the convent was invaded. There was a moment 
 of breathless hesitation. 
 
 " * Be silent, I command you ! ' the abbess shrieked. ' Let 
 me suffer. GOD -sees us ! ' 
 
 " ' It is because HE sees us that I will speak,' the maiden 
 answered, peremptorily ; ' it is HE who has sent these men 
 I do not know, to prevent a great crime. Follow me, 
 Caballeros ; you have not a moment to lose ; I will lead you 
 to the vaults.' 
 
 " ' Wretch ! ' the abbess cried, writhing furiously in the 
 hands of the men who held her. ' Wretch ! my wrath will 
 fall on you.' 
 
A Dark History Concluded 59 
 
 "'I know it/ the maiden responded, sadly; 'but no 
 personal consideration will prevent my accomplishing a 
 sacred duty.' 
 
 " ' Gag that old wretch. We must finish our work/ the 
 Chief commanded. 
 
 " The order was immediately executed. In spite of her 
 desperate resistance, the Mother Superior was reduced to a 
 state of impotence in a few moments. 
 
 ' ' One of you will guard her/ Don Torribio continued, 
 ' and at the least suspicious sign blow out her brains.' Then, 
 changing his tone, he addressed the novice, ' A thousand 
 thanks, senorita! complete what you have so well begun, 
 and guide us to these terrible vaults.' 
 
 " ' Come, Caballeros/ she answered, placing herself at 
 their head. 
 
 " The bandits, who had suddenly become quiet, followed 
 her in silence, with marks of the most profound respect. At 
 a peremptory order from Don Torribio, the nuns, now 
 reassured, had dispersed and returned to their cells. 
 
 " While crossing the corridor, Don Torribio went up to 
 the girl, and whispered in her ear two or three words, which 
 made her start. 
 
 " ' Fear nothing/ he added. ' I but wished to prove to 
 you that I knew all. I only desire, senorita, to be your 
 most respectful and devoted friend.' 
 
 " The maiden sighed, but made no reply. 
 
 " ' What will become of you afterwards? Alone in this 
 convent, exposed defencelessly to the hatred of this fury, 
 who regards nothing as sacred, you will soon take the place of 
 her we are about to deliver. Is it not better to follow 
 her?' 
 
 ' ' Alas, poor Laura ! ' she muttered, hoarsely. 
 
 ' Will you, who have done so much for her up to the 
 present, abandon her at this supreme moment, when your 
 assistance and support will become more than ever necessary 
 to her? Are you not her foster-sister? her dearest friend? 
 What prevents ? You ! an orphan from your earliest youth, 
 all your affections are concentrated on Laura. Answer me, 
 Dona Luisa, I conjure you ! ' 
 
 " The maiden gave a start of surprise, almost of terror. 
 
 " ' You know me ! ' she said. 
 
 : * Have I not already said that I knew all ? Come, my 
 child, if not for your own sake, then for hers, accompany 
 
60 The Indian Scout 
 
 her. Do not compel me to leave you here in the hands of 
 terrible enemies, who will inflict frightful tortures on you.' 
 ' You wish it ? ' she stammered sadly. 
 
 1 ' She begs you by my lips.' 
 
 ' Well, be it so; the sacrifice shall be complete. I will 
 follow you, though I know not whether, in doing so, I am 
 acting rightly or wrongly ; but, although I do not know you, 
 although a mask conceals your features, I have faith in your 
 words. You seem to have a noble heart, and may heaven 
 grant that I am not committing an error.' 
 
 " ' It is the God of goodness and mercy who inspires you 
 with this resolution, poor child.' 
 
 " Dona Luisa let her head sink on her breast as she breathed 
 a sigh that resembled a sob. 
 
 " They went onwards, side by side, without exchanging 
 another word. The party had left the cloisters, and were 
 now crossing some unfinished buildings, which did not seem 
 to have been inhabited for many a long year. 
 
 " * Where are you leading us, then, Nina? ' Don Torribio 
 asked. ( I fancied that in this convent, as in others, the 
 vaults were under the chapel.' 
 
 " The maiden smiled sadly. ' I am not leading you to the 
 vaults,' she answered, in a trembling voice. 
 
 "' Where to, then?' 
 
 " * To the in pace I ' 
 
 " Don Toribio stifled an angry oath. 
 1 * Oh! 'he muttered. 
 
 " ' The coffin that was lowered into the vaults this morning 
 in the sight of all,' Dona Luisa continued, ' really contained 
 the body of my poor Laura; it was impossible to do other- 
 wise, owing to the custom which demands that the dead 
 should be buried in their clothes, and with uncovered faces; 
 but so soon as the crowd had departed, and the doors of the 
 chapel were closed on the congregation, the Mother Superior 
 had the tombstone removed again, the body brought up, and 
 transferred to the deepest in pace of the convent. But here 
 we are/ she said, as she stopped and pointed to a large 
 stone in the paved floor of the apartment in which they 
 were. 
 
 " The scene had something mournful and striking about 
 it. In the deserted apartment the masked men were 
 grouped around the maiden dressed in white, and only 
 illumined by the ruddy glare of the torches they waved, bore 
 
A Dark History Concluded 61 
 
 a strange likeness to those mysterious judges who in old times 
 met in ruins to try kings and emperors. 
 
 " * Raise the stone/ Don Torribio said, in a hollow voice. 
 
 " After a few efforts, the stone was raised, leaving open a 
 dark gulph, from which poured a blast of hot and foetid air. 
 Don Torribio took a torch, and bent over the orifice. 
 
 " ' Why,' he said, at the expiration of a moment, ' this 
 vault is deserted.' 
 
 " ' Yes/ Dona Luisa answered, simply, ' she, whom you 
 seek, is lower.' 
 
 " * What! lower? ' he cried, with a movement of terror, 
 which he could not control. 
 
 "'That vault is not deep enough; an accident might 
 cause a discovery; shrieks could be heard from outside.' 
 There are two other vaults like this, built above each other. 
 When, through any reason, the abbess has resolved on the 
 disappearance of a nun, and that she shall be cut off for ever 
 from the number of the living, the victim is let down into the 
 last cave, called Hell! There all noise dies away; every 
 sob remains unechoed; every complaint is vain. Oh! the 
 Inquisition managed matters well; and it is so short a time 
 since its rule ended in Mexico, that some of its customs have 
 been maintained in the convents. Seek lower, Caballero, 
 seek lower ! ' 
 
 " Don Torribio, at these words, felt a cold perspiration 
 beading at the roots of his hair. He believed himself a prey 
 to a horrible nightmare. Making a supreme effort to subdue 
 the emotion that overpowered him, he went down into the 
 vault by means of a light ladder leaning against one of the 
 walls, and several of his comrades followed him. After some 
 searching, they discovered a stone like the first. Don 
 Torribio plunged a torch into the gulph. 
 
 " ' Empty! ' he exclaimed, in horror. 
 
 " ' Lower, I tell you! Look lower/ Dona Luisa cried, in a 
 gloomy voice, who had remained on the edge of the topmost 
 vault. 
 
 ' What had this adorable creature done to them to endure 
 such martyrdom ? ' Don Torribio exclaimed, in his despair. 
 
 " ' Avarice and hatred are two terrible counsellors/ the 
 maiden answered ; ' but make haste ! make haste ! every 
 moment that passes is an age for her who is waiting.' 
 
 " Don Torribio, a prey to incredible fury, began seeking 
 the last vault. After a few moments, his exertions were 
 
62 The Indian Scout 
 
 crowned with success. The stone was scarce lifted, ere, 
 paying no attention to the mephitic air which rushed from 
 the opening and almost extinguished his torch, he bent over. 
 
 " ' I see her ! I see her ! ' he said, with a cry more resembling 
 a howl than a human voice. 
 
 " And, waiting no longer, without even calculating the 
 height, he leaped into the vault. A few moments later he 
 returned to the hall, bearing in his arms Dona Laura's 
 inanimate body. 
 
 " ' Away, friends, away!' he exclaimed, addressing his 
 companions ; ' let us not stay an instant longer in this den of 
 wild beasts with human faces ! ' 
 
 " At a sign from him, Dona Luisa was lifted in the arms of 
 a sturdy lepero, and all ran off in the direction of the cloisters. 
 They soon reached the cell of the Mother Superior. On 
 seeing them, the abbess made a violent effort to break her 
 bonds, and writhed impotently like a tiger, while flashing, at 
 the men who had foiled her hideous projects, glances full of 
 hatred and rage. 
 
 " ' Wretch! ' Don Torribio shouted, as he passed near her, 
 and disdainfully spurned her with his foot; ' be accursed! 
 your chastisement commences, for your victim escapes you.' 
 
 " By one of those efforts which only hatred which has 
 reached its paroxysm can render possible, the abbess suc- 
 ceeded in removing her gag slightly. 
 
 " ' Perhaps! ' she yelled, in a voice which sounded like a 
 knell in Don Torribio 's ears. 
 
 " Overcome by this great effort, she fainted. 
 
 " Five minutes after, there was no one in the convent 
 beyond its usual inmates." 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 BRIGHTEYE AND MARKSMAN 
 
 AT this point in his narrative Brighteye stopped, and began, 
 with a thoughtful air filling his Indian pipe with tobacco. 
 
 There was a lengthened silence. His auditors, still under 
 the influence of this extraordinary influence, dared not 
 venture any reflections. At length Marksman raised his 
 head. " That story is very dramatic and very gloomy," he 
 said, " but pardon my rude frankness, old and dear comrade, 
 it seems to me to have no reference to what is going on around 
 us, and the events in which we shall, probably, be called upon 
 to be interested spectators, if not actors." 
 
 " In truth," Ruperto observed, " what do we wood- 
 rangers care for adventures that happen in Mexico, or any 
 other city of the Tierras Adentro ? We are here in the desert 
 to hunt, trap, and thrash the Redskins. Any other question 
 can affect us but slightly." 
 
 Brighteye tossed his head in a significant manner, and laid 
 his pipe mechanically by his side. 
 
 " You are mistaken, comrades," he continued; " do you 
 believe, then, that I should have made you waste your time 
 in listening to this long story, if it did not possess an im- 
 portant reality for us? " 
 
 " Explain yourself, then, my friend," Marksman observed, 
 " f or I honestly confess that, for my part, I have understood 
 nothing of what you have been good enough to tell us." 
 
 The old Canadian raised his head, and seemed, for a few 
 moments, to be calculating the sun's height. "It is half- 
 past six," he said; " you have still more than sufficient time 
 to reach the ford of the Rubio, where the man is to wait, to 
 whom you have engaged yourself as guide. Listen to me, 
 therefore, for I have not quite finished. Now that I have 
 told you the mystery, you must learn what has come out to 
 clear it up." 
 
 " Speak! " Marksman replied, in the tone of a man who is 
 resolved to listen through politeness to a story which he 
 knows cannot interest him. 
 
 63 
 
64 The Indian Scout 
 
 Brighteye, not seeming to remark his friend's apathetic 
 condescension, went on in the following terms: " You have 
 remarked that Don Torribio provided for everything with a 
 degree of prudence which must keep off any suspicion, and 
 cover this adventure with an impenetrable veil. Unfortu- 
 nately for him, the evangelista was not killed. He could not 
 only speak, but show a copy of each of the letters he daily 
 handed to the young man letters which the latter paid so 
 dearly for, and which, with that prudence innate in the 
 Mexican race, he had previously guarded, to employ, if 
 needed, as a weapon against Don Torribio; or, as was more 
 probable, to avenge himself if he fell a victim to any treachery. 
 This was what happened : The evangelista, found in a dying 
 state by an early customer, had strength enough to make a 
 regular declaration to the Juer de Lettras, and hand him the 
 letters ere he died. This assassination, taken in connection 
 with the attack on the serenos by a numerous band, and the 
 invasion of the Convent of the Bernardines, furnished a clue 
 which the police began following with extreme tenacity; 
 especially as the young lady whose body had been so auda- 
 ciously carried off had powerful relations, who, for certain 
 reasons known to themselves, would not let this crime pass 
 unpunished, and spent their gold profusely. It was soon 
 learned that the bandits, on leaving the convent, mounted 
 horses brought by their confidants, and started at full speed 
 in the direction of the Presidios. The police even succeeded 
 in discovering one of the men who supplied the horses. This 
 individual, Pepito by name, bought over by the money 
 offered him, rather than frightened by threats, stated that he 
 had sold to Don Torribio Carvajal twenty-five post horses, 
 to be delivered at the Convent of the Bernardines at two 
 o'clock in the morning. As these horses were paid for in 
 advance, he, Pepito, did not trouble himself at all about the 
 singularity of the spot, or of the hour. Don Torribio and his 
 companions had arrived, bearing with them two women, one 
 of whom appeared to have fainted, and immediately galloped 
 off. The trail of the ravishers was then followed to the 
 Presidio de Tubar, where Don Torribio allowed his party to 
 rest for several days. There he purchased a close palanquin, 
 a field tent, and all the provisions necessary for a lengthened 
 journey in the desert, and one night suddenly disappeared, 
 with all his band, which was augmented by all the adventurers 
 he could pick up at the Presidio, no one being able to say 
 
Brighteye and Marksman 65 
 
 in what direction he had gone. This information, though 
 vague, was sufficient up to a certain point, and the relations 
 of the young lady were continuing their search." 
 
 " I fancy I am beginning to see what you want to arrive 
 at," Marksman interrupted him; " but conclude your story; 
 when you have finished, I will make sundry observations, 
 whose justice you will recognise, I am sure." 
 
 " I shall be delighted to hear them," Brighteye said, and 
 went on: " A man who, twenty years ago, did me a rather 
 important service, whom I had not seen since, and whom I 
 should assuredly not have recognised, had he not told me his 
 name the only thing I had not forgotten came to me and 
 my partner Ruperto, while we were at the Presidio de Tubar, 
 selling a few panther and tiger skins. This man told me 
 what I have just repeated to you: he added that he was a 
 near relation of the young lady, reminded me of the service 
 he had rendered me in a word, he affected me so greatly, 
 that I agreed to take vengeance on his enemy. Two days 
 later we took up the trail. For a man like myself, accus- 
 tomed to follow Indians' signs, it was child's play, and I 
 soon led him almost into the Spanish caravan commanded 
 by Don Miguel Ortega." 
 
 " The other was called Don Torribio Carvajal." 
 
 " Could he not have changed his name? " 
 
 " For what good in the desert? " 
 
 " In the consciousness that he would be pursued." 
 
 " Then the relatives had a great interest in this pursuit? " 
 
 " Don Jose told me he was the young lady's uncle, and 
 felt a paternal tenderness for her." 
 
 " But I fancy she is dead, or at least you told me so, if I 
 am not mistaken." 
 
 Brighteye scratched his ear. " That is the awkward part 
 of the affair," he said; " it seems she is not dead at all; on 
 the contrary." 
 
 "What!" Marksman exclaimed; "she is not dead! 
 That uncle knows it, then; it was by his consent that the 
 poor creature was buried alive! But, if that is the case, 
 there must be some odious machination in the business." 
 
 " On my word, if I must confess it, I fear so too," the 
 Canadian said, in a hesitating voice. " Still, this man 
 rendered me a great service. I have no proof in support of 
 my suspicions, and 
 
 Marksman rose, and stood in front of the old hunter. 
 
 E 
 
66 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Brighteye," he said to him, sternly; "we are fellow- 
 countrymen; we love each other like brothers; for many 
 long years we have slept side by side on the prairie, sharing 
 good fortune and ill between us, saving each other's lives a 
 hundred times, either in our struggles with wild beasts, or 
 our fights with the Indians is it so? " 
 
 " It is true, Marksman, it is true, and any one who said the 
 contrary would lie," the hunter replied with emotion. 
 
 " My friend, my brother, a great crime has been committed, 
 or is on the point of being committed. Let us watch 
 watch carefully; who knows if we may not be the instru- 
 ments chosen by Providence to unmask the guilty, and cause 
 the innocent to triumph? This Don Jose, you say, wishes 
 me to join you; well, I accept. Yourself, Ruperto, and I, 
 will go to the ford of the Rubio, and, believe me, my friend, 
 now that I am warned, I will discover the guilty party, 
 whoever he may be." 
 
 " I prefer things to be so," the hunter answered, simply. 
 " I confess that the strange position in which I found myself 
 weighed heavily upon me. I am only a poor hunter, and do 
 not at all understand these infamies of the cities." 
 
 " You are an honest man, whose heart is just and mind 
 upright. But time is slipping away. Now that we are 
 agreed as to our parts, and understand one another, I believe 
 we shall do well by starting." 
 " I will go whenever you please." 
 
 " One moment. Can you do without Ruperto for a little 
 while?" 
 " Yes." 
 
 " What's the matter? " the latter asked. 
 " You can do me a service." 
 " Speak, Marksman, I am waiting." 
 " No man can foresee the future. Perhaps, in a few days 
 we shall need allies on whom we may be able to count. 
 These allies the Chief here present will give us whenever we 
 ask for them. Accompany him to his village, Ruperto: and, 
 so soon as he has arrived there, leave him, and take up our 
 trail not positively joining us, but managing so that, if 
 necessary, we should know where to find you." 
 
 " I have understood," the hunter said, laconically, as he 
 rose. "All right." 
 
 Marksman turned to Flying Eagle, and explained what he 
 wanted of him. 
 
Brighteye and Marksman 67 
 
 " My brother saved Eglantine/' the Chief answered, nobly; 
 " Flying Eagle is a sachem of his tribe. Two hundred 
 warriors will follow the war-path at the first signal from my 
 father. The Comanches are men; the words they utter 
 come from the heart." 
 
 " Thanks, Chief," Marksman answered, warmly pressing 
 the hand the Redskin extended to him; " may the Wacondah 
 watch over you during your journey ! " 
 
 After hastily eating a slice of venison cooked on the ashes, 
 and drinking a draught of pulque from which, after the 
 custom of his nation, the only one which does not drink 
 strong liquors, the Comanche declined to take a share the 
 four men separated; Ruperto, Flying Eagle, and Eglantine 
 going into the prairie in a western direction; while Brighteye 
 and Marksman, bending slightly to the left, proceeded in an 
 easterly course, in order to reach the ford of the Rubio, 
 where the latter was expected. 
 
 " Hum ! " Brighteye observed, as he threw his rifle on to 
 his left arm, and starting with that elastic step peculiar to 
 the woodrangers; "we have some tough work cut out for 
 us." 
 
 " Who knows, my friend ? " Marksman answered, anxiously. 
 " At any rate, we must discover the truth." 
 " That is my opinion, too." 
 " There is one thing I want to know, above all." 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " What Don Miguel's carefully-closed palanquin contains." 
 " Why, hang it ! a woman, of course." 
 "Who told you so?" 
 " Nobody; but I presume so." 
 
 " Prejudge nothing, my friend; with time, all will be 
 cleared up." 
 
 "God grant it!" 
 
 " He sees everything, and knows everything, my friend. 
 Believe me, that if it hath pleased Him to set those suspicions 
 growing in our hearts that trouble us now, it is because, as I 
 told you a moment ago, He wishes to make us the instruments 
 of His justice." 
 
 " May His will be done ! " Brighteye answered, raising his 
 cap piously. " I am ready to obey Him in all that He may 
 order me." 
 
 After this mutual exchange of thoughts, the hunters, who 
 till this moment had walked side by side, proceeded in Indian 
 
68 The Indian Scout 
 
 file, in consequence of the difficult nature of the ground. On 
 reaching the tall grass, after emerging from the forest, they 
 stopped a moment to look around. 
 
 " It is late," Marksman observed. 
 
 " Yes, it is nearly mid-day. Follow me, we shall soon 
 catch up lost time." 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 " Instead of walking, would you not be inclined to ride? " 
 
 " Yes, if we had horses." 
 
 " That is just what I am going to procure." 
 
 "You have horses?" 
 
 " Last night Ruperto and I left our horses close by here, 
 while going to the meeting Don Jose had made with us, and in 
 which I was obliged to employ a canoe." 
 
 " Eh! eh! those brave beasts turn up at a lucky moment. 
 For my part, I am worn out. I have been walking for many 
 a long day over the prairie, and my legs are beginning to 
 refuse to carry me." 
 
 " Come this way, we shall soon see them." 
 
 In fact, the hunters had not walked one hundred yards in 
 the direction indicated by Brighteye, ere they found the 
 horses quietly engaged in nibbling the pea-vines and young 
 tree-shoots. The noble animals, on hearing a whistle, raised 
 their intelligent heads, and hastened toward the hunters 
 with a neigh of pleasure. According to the usual fashion in 
 the prairies, they were saddled, but their bossal was hung 
 round their necks. The hunters bridled them, leapt on their 
 backs, and started again. 
 
 " Now that we have each a good horse between our legs 
 we are certain of arriving in time," Marksman observed; 
 " hence, it is useless to hurry on, and we can talk at our 
 ease. Tell me, Brighteye, have you seen Don Miguel 
 Ortega yet? " 
 
 " Never, I allow." 
 
 " Then you do not know him? " 
 
 " If I may believe Don Jose", he is a villain. For my own 
 part, never having had any relations with him, I should be 
 considerably troubled to form any opinion, bad or good, 
 about him." 
 
 " With me it is different. I know him." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 " Very well indeed." 
 
 * For any length of time ? " 
 
Brighteye and Marksman 69 
 
 " Long enough, I believe, at any rate to enable me to form 
 an opinion about him." 
 
 " Ah! Well, what do you think of him? " 
 
 " Much good and much bad." 
 
 "Hang it? ah!" 
 
 " Why are you surprised? Are not all men in the same 
 case?" 
 
 " Nearly so, I grant." 
 
 " This man is no worse or no better than the rest. This 
 morning, as I foresaw that you were about to speak to me 
 about him, I wished to leave you liberty of action by telling 
 you that I was only slightly acquainted with him; but it is 
 possible that your opinion will soon be greatly modified, and, 
 perhaps, you will regret the support you have hitherto 
 given Don Jose", as you call him." 
 
 " Would you like me to speak candidly, Marksman, now 
 that no one, but He above, can hear us? " 
 
 " Do so, my friend. I should not be sorry to know your 
 whole thoughts." 
 
 " I am certain that you know a great deal more about the 
 story I told you last night than you pretend to do." 
 
 " Perhaps you are right; but what makes you think so? " 
 
 " Many things; and in the first place this." 
 
 " Go on." 
 
 " You are too sensible a man. You have acquired too 
 great an experience of the things of this world, to undertake, 
 without serious cause, the defence of a man who, according 
 to the principles we profess on the prairie, you ought to 
 regard, if not as an enemy, still as one of those men whom 
 it is often disagreeable to come in contact, or have any 
 relations with." 
 
 Marksman burst into a laugh. " There is truth in what 
 you say, Brighteye," he at length remarked. 
 
 " Is there not? " 
 
 " I will not attempt to play at cunning with you; but I 
 have powerful reasons for undertaking the defence of this 
 man, but I cannot tell you them at this moment. It is a 
 secret which does not belong to me, and of which I am only 
 the depositary. I trust you will soon know all; but, till 
 then, rely on my old friendship, and leave me to act in 
 any way." 
 
 "Very good! At any rate, I am now beginning to see 
 clearly, and, whatever may happen, you can reckon upon me." 
 
70 The Indian Scout 
 
 " By Jove ! I felt certain we should end by understanding 
 one another; but, silence, and let nothing be seen. We are 
 at the meeting-place. Hang it ! the Mexicans have not kept 
 us waiting. They have already pitched their camp on the 
 other side of the river." 
 
 In fact, a hunter's camp could be seen a short distance off, 
 one side resting on the river, the other on the forest, and 
 presenting perfectly fortified outworks, with the front turned 
 to the prairies, and composed of bales and trees stoutly 
 interlaced. 
 
 The two hunters made themselves known to the sentries, 
 and entered without any difficulty. Don Miguel was absent; 
 but the Gambusinos expected him at any moment. The 
 hunters dismounted, hobbled their horses, and sat down 
 quietly by the fire. 
 
 Don Stefano Cohecho had left the Gambuccior at day- 
 break, as he had announced on the previous evening. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 FRESH CHARACTERS 
 
 IN order to a right comprehension of ensuing facts, we will 
 take advantage of our privilege as story-tellers, to go back 
 a fortnight, and allow the reader to be witness of a scene 
 intimately connected with the most important events of this 
 history, and which took place a few hundred miles from the 
 spot where accident had collected our principal characters. 
 
 The Cordillera of the Andes, that immense spine of the 
 American continent, the whole length of which it traverses 
 under different names from north to south, forms, at various 
 elevations, immense llanos, on which entire people livejat a 
 height at which all vegetation ceases in Europe. 
 
 After crossing the Presidio de Tubar, the advanced post of 
 civilisation on the extreme limit of the desert, and advancing 
 into the mediano region of the tierra calliente for about one 
 hundred and twenty miles, the traveller finds himself 
 suddenly, and without any transition, in front of a virgin 
 forest, which is no less than three hundred and twenty "miles 
 deep, by eighty odd miles wide. 
 
 The most practised pen is powerless to describe the marvels 
 innumerable inclosed in that inexhaustible network of vege- 
 tation called a virgin forest, and the sight, at once strange 
 and peculiar, majestic and imposing, which it offers to the 
 dazzled sight. The most powerful imagination recoils before 
 this prodigious fecundity of elementary nature, continually 
 springing up again from its own destruction with a strength 
 and vigour ever new. The creepers, which run from tree to 
 tree, from branch to branch, plunge, at one moment, into 
 the earth, and then rise once more to the sky, and form, by 
 their interlacing and crossing, an almost insurmountable 
 barrier, as if jealous nature wished to hide from profane eyes 
 the mysterious secrets of these forests, beneath whose shade 
 man's footsteps have only reached at long intervals, and 
 never unpunished. Trees of every age and species grow 
 without order or symmetry, as if sown by chance, like wheat 
 in the furrows. Some, tall and slight, count only a few 
 
72 The Indian Scout 
 
 years; the extremities of their branches are covered by the 
 tall and wide boughs of those whose haughty heads have 
 seen centuries pass over them. Beneath their foliage softly 
 murmur pure and limpid streams, which escape from the 
 fissures of the rocks, and, after a thousand meanderings, are 
 lost in some lake or unknown river, whose bright waters had 
 never reflected aught in their clear mirror save the sublime 
 secrets of the solitude. There may be found, pell-mell and 
 in picturesque confusion, all the magnificent productions of 
 tropical regions: The acajou; the ebony; the palisander; 
 the stunted mahogany ; the black oak ; the cork ; the maple ; 
 the mimosa, with its silvery foliage; and the tamarind, 
 thrusting in every direction their branches, laden with 
 flowers, fruits, and leaves, which form a dome impenetrable 
 to the sunbeams. From the vast and unexplored depths of 
 these forests emerge, from time to time, inexplicable noises 
 furious howls, feline miauls, mocking yells, mingled with 
 shrill whistling or the joyous and harmonious song of the 
 birds. 
 
 After plunging boldly into the centre of this chaos, and 
 struggling hand to hand with this uncultivated and wild 
 nature, the traveller succeeds, with axe in one hand and 
 torch in the other, in gaining, inch by inch, step by step, a 
 road impossible to describe. At one moment, by crawling 
 like a reptile over the decaying leaves, dead wood, or guano, 
 piled up for centuries ; or by leaping from branch to branch, 
 at the tops of the trees, standing, as it were, in the air. 
 But woe to the man who neglects to have his eye constantly 
 open to all that surrounds him, and his ear on the watch: 
 for, in addition to the obstacles caused by nature, he has to 
 fear the venomous stings of the serpents startled in their 
 lairs, and the furious attacks of the wild beasts. He must 
 also carefully watch the course of the rivers and streams he 
 meets with, determine the position of the sun during the 
 day, or guide himself at night by the Southern Cross; for, 
 once astray in a virgin forest, it is impossible to get out of 
 it it is a maze, from which no Ariadne's web would help 
 to find the issue. 
 
 At last the traveller, after he has succeeded in surmounting 
 the dangers we have described, and a thousand others no 
 less terrible, which we have passed over in silence, emerges 
 on an immense plain, in the centre of which stands an Indian 
 city. That is to say, he finds himself before one of those 
 
Fresh Characters 73 
 
 mysterious cities into which no European has yet pene- 
 trated, whose exact position even is unknown, and which, 
 since the conquest, have served as an asylum for the last 
 relics of Aztec civilisation. 
 
 The fabulous accounts given by some travellers about the 
 incalculable wealth buried in these cities, has inflamed the 
 covetousness and avarice of a great number of adventurers, 
 who, at various periods, have attempted to find the lost road 
 to these queens of the Mexican prairies and savannahs. 
 Others again, only impelled by the irresistible attraction 
 extraordinary enterprises offer to vagabond imaginations, 
 have also, especially during the last fifty years, set out in 
 search of these Indian cities, though up to the present time 
 success has never crowned these various expeditions. Some 
 have returned disenchanted, and half killed by this journey 
 toward the unknown; a considerable number have left their 
 bodies at the foot of precipices or in the quibradas, to serve 
 as food for birds of prey; while others, more unfortunate 
 still, have disappeared without leaving a trace, and no one 
 has ever heard what has become of them. 
 
 Owing to events, too long to narrate here, but which we 
 shall describe some day, we have lived, against our will, in 
 one of these impenetrable cities, though, more fortunate than 
 our predecessors, whose whitened bones we saw scattered 
 along the road, we succeeded in escaping from it, through 
 dangers innumerable, all miraculously avoided. The descrip- 
 tion we are about to give, then, is scrupulously exact, and 
 cannot be doubted, for we write from personal observation. 
 
 Quiepaa Tani, the city which presents itself to the traveller's 
 sight after leaving the virgin forest, of which we have given 
 a sketch, extends from east to west, and forms a parallelo- 
 gram. A wide stream, over which several bridges of in- 
 credible lightness and elegance are thrown, runs through its 
 entire length. At each corner of the square an enormous 
 block of rock cut perpendicularly on the side that faces the 
 plains, serves as an almost impregnable fortress; these four 
 citadels are also connected by a wall twenty feet thick, and 
 forty feet high, which, inside the city, forms a slope sixty 
 feet wide at the base. This wall is built of native bricks, 
 made of sandy earth and chopped straw; they are called 
 adobes, and are about a yard long. A wide and deep fosse 
 almost doubles the height of the walls. Two gates alone 
 give access to the city. These gates are flanked by towers 
 
74 The Indian Scout 
 
 and pepper-boxes, exactly like a mediaeval fortress; and, 
 what adds to the correctness of our comparison, a small 
 bridge, made of planks, extremely narrow and light, and so 
 arranged as to be carried away on the slightest alarm, is the 
 only communication between these gates and the exterior. 
 
 The houses are low, and terminate in terraces, connected 
 with each other; they are slight, and built of wicker and 
 canavertales covered with cement, in consequence of the 
 earthquakes so frequent in these regions; but they are 
 large, airy, and pierced with numerous windows. None of 
 them are more than one story in height, and the fronts are 
 covered with a varnish of dazzling whiteness. 
 
 This strange city, seen from a distance, as it rises in the 
 midst of the tall prairie grass, offers the most singular and 
 seductive sight. 
 
 On a fine evening in the month of October, five travellers, 
 whose features or dress it would have been impossible to 
 distinguish, owing to the obscurity, came out of the forest 
 we have described above, stopped for a moment, with marked 
 indecision, on the extreme edge of the wood, and began 
 examining the ground. Before them rose a hillock, which, 
 if no great height, yet cut the horizon at right angles. 
 
 After exchanging a few words, two of these persons re- 
 mained where they were; the other three lay down on their 
 faces, and, crawling on their hands and feet, advanced 
 through the rank grass, which they caused to undulate, and 
 which completely concealed their bodies. On reaching the 
 top of the mound, which they had found such difficulty in 
 scaling, they looked out into the country, and remained 
 struck with astonishment and admiration. 
 
 The eminence, at the top of which they were, 7 was per- 
 pendicular on the other side, like all the rest of the ground 
 which extended on either side. A magnificent plain lay 
 expanded a hundred feet below them, and in the centre of 
 the plain, at a distance of about a thousand yards from 
 them, stood, proud and imposing, Quiepaa-Tani, 1 the mys- 
 terious city, defended by its massive towers and thick walls. 
 The sight of this vast city in the midst of the desert produced 
 on the minds of the three men a feeling of stupor, which 
 they could not explain, and which for a few moments rendered 
 them dumb with surprise. At length one of them rose on 
 his elbow, and addressed his comrades. 
 1 Literally, Quiepaa, sky, tani, mountain, in the Zapothecan language. 
 
Fresh Characters 75 
 
 "Are my brothers satisfied?" he said, with a guttural 
 accent, which, though he expressed himself in Spanish, 
 proved him to be an Indian. " Has Addick (the Stag) kept 
 his promise? " 
 
 " Addick is one of the first warriors of his tribe; his tongue 
 is straight, and the blood flows clearly in his veins," one of 
 the men he addressed, answered. 
 
 The Indian smiled silently, without replying; this smile 
 would have given his companions much matter for thought, 
 had they seen it. 
 
 " It seems to me," the one who had not yet spoken said, 
 " that it is very late to enter the city." 
 
 " To-morrow, at sunrise, Addick will lead the two Paleface 
 maidens to Quiepaa-Tani," the Indian answered; " the night 
 is too dark." 
 
 " The warrior is right," the second speaker remarked, " we 
 must put off the affair till to-morrow." 
 
 " Yes, let us return to our friends, whom a longer absence 
 may alarm." 
 
 Joining deeds to words, the first speaker turned round, 
 and, exactly following the track his body had left in the 
 grass, he soon found himself, as well as his companions, who 
 imitated all his movements, at the skirt of the forest, into 
 which, after their departure, the two persons they left 
 behind had returned. 
 
 The silence which reigns beneath these gloomy roofs of 
 foliage and branches during the day, had been succeeded by 
 the dull sounds of a wild concert, formed by the shrill cries 
 of the night birds, which woke, and prepared to attack the 
 loros, humming birds, and cardinals, belated far from their 
 nests ; the roaring of the couguars ; the hypocritical miawling 
 of the jaguars and panthers, and the snappish barks of the 
 coyotes, which re-echoed, with a mournful sound, from the 
 roofs of the inaccessible caverns and gaping pits which 
 served as lurking places for these dangerous guests. 
 
 Returning on the trail they had traced with their axes, 
 the three men soon found themselves near a fire of dead 
 wood, burning in the centre of a small clearing. Two women, 
 or rather girls, were crouching, pensive and sad, by the fire. 
 They counted scarce thirty years between them; they were 
 lovely, and of that Creole beauty which the divine pencil of 
 a Raphael has been alone able to reproduce. But at this 
 moment they were pale, seemed fatigued, and their faces 
 
76 The Indian Scout 
 
 reflected a gloomy sorrow. At the sound of the approaching 
 steps they raised their eyes, and a flash of joy illumined their 
 faces like a sunbeam. 
 
 The Indian threw some sticks on the fire, which was 
 threatening to go out, while one of the hunters occupied 
 himself with giving their provender to the horses, hobbled a 
 short distance off. 
 
 " Well, Don Miguel," one of the ladies said, addressing 
 the hunter who had taken a seat by her side, " shall we soon 
 near the end of our journey? " 
 
 "You have arrived, senorita; to-morrow, under the 
 guidance of our friend Addick, you will enter the city, that 
 inviolable asylum, where no one will pursue you." 
 
 "Ah!" she continued, looking absently at the Indian's 
 gloomy and apathetic face; " we shall separate to-morrow." 
 
 " We must, senorita; the care for your safety demands it." 
 
 " Who would dare to seek me in these unknown districts ? " 
 
 " Hatred dares everything. I implore you, senorita, to 
 put faith in my experience; my devotion to you is un- 
 bounded. Though still very young, you have suffered 
 enough, and it is time that a blessed sunbeam should brighten 
 your dreary brow, and dispel the clouds which thought and 
 grief have been so long collecting on it." 
 
 " Alas ! " she said, as she let her head droop, to hide the 
 tears that ran down her cheeks. 
 
 "My sister, my friend, my Laura!" the other maiden 
 said, embracing her tenderly, " be courageous to the end. 
 Shall I not be with you? Oh, fear nothing! " she added, 
 with a charming expression. " I will take half your grief on 
 myself, and your burthen will seem less heavy." 
 
 " Poor Luisa ! " the maiden murmured, as she returned 
 her caresses. " You are unhappy through me. How shall 
 I ever be able to repay your devotion? " 
 
 " By loving me, as I love you, cherished angel, and by 
 regaining hope." 
 
 " Before a month, I trust," Don Miguel said, " your 
 persecutors will be prevented from troubling you again. I 
 am playing a terrible game with them, in which my head is 
 the stake; but I care little, so long as I save you. On 
 leaving you, permit me to take with me, in my heart, the 
 hope that you will in no way attempt to leave the refuge 
 I have found for you, and that you will patiently await my 
 return." 
 
Fresh Characters 77 
 
 " Alas, Caballero ! you are aware that I live only by a 
 miracle; my relatives, my friends, indeed, all those I loved, 
 have abandoned me, except my Luisa, my foster sister, 
 whose devotion to me has never swerved; and you, whom I 
 do not know, whom I never saw, and who suddenly revealed 
 yourself to me in my tomb, like the angel of divine justice ; 
 since that terrible night, when, thanks to you, I emerged 
 from my sepulchre, like Lazarus, you have shown me the 
 kindest and most delicate attentions; you have taken the 
 place of those who betrayed me ; you have been to me more 
 than a father." 
 
 "Senorita!" said the young man, at once confused and 
 happy at these words. 
 
 " I say this to you, Don Miguel," she continued, with a 
 certain feverish animation, " because I am anxious to prove 
 to you that I am not ungrateful. I know not what God, in 
 His wisdom, may do with me; but I tell you, that my last 
 thought, my last prayer will be for you. You wish me to 
 await you; I will obey you. Believe me, I only dispute my 
 life through a certain feeling of anxiety, like the gambler at 
 his last stake," she added, with a heart-breaking smile; " but 
 I understand how much you need liberty of action for the 
 rude game you have undertaken. Hence, you can go in 
 peace; I have faith in you." 
 
 "Thanks, senorita; this promise doubles my strength. 
 Oh, now I am certain of success ! " 
 
 A rude jacal of branches had been prepared for the maidens 
 by the other hunters and the Indian warrior, and they 
 retired to rest. 
 
 Although the young man's mind was so full of restless 
 alarms, after a few moments of deep thought he laid himself 
 down by the side of his companions, and soon fell asleep. 
 In the desert nature never surrenders its claims, and the 
 greatest grief rarely succeeds in gaining the victory over the 
 material claims of the human organisation. 
 
 Scarce had the first sunbeams begun to tinge the sky of 
 an opal hue, ere the hunters opened their eyes. The pre- 
 parations for starting were soon completed; the moment of 
 separation arrived, and the parting was a sad one. The two 
 hunters had accompanied the maidens to the edge of the 
 forest, in order to remain longer with them. 
 
 Dona Luisa, taking advantage of an instant when the road 
 became so narrow that it became almost impossible for two 
 
78 The Indian Scout 
 
 to walk side by side, drew nearer Don Miguel's hunting 
 companion. 
 
 " Do me a service," she whispered, hurriedly. 
 " Speak," he answered, in the same key. 
 " That Indian inspires me with but slight confidence." 
 " You are wrong; I know him." 
 
 She shook her head petulantly. " That is possible," she 
 said; " but will you do me the service I want of you? if 
 not, I will ask Don Miguel, though I should have preferred 
 him not knowing it." 
 "Speak, I tell you." 
 " Give me a knife and your pistols." 
 The hunter looked her in the face. "Good!" he said 
 presently. " You are a brave child. Here is what you ask 
 for." And, without any one noticing it, he gave the objects 
 she wished to obtain from him, adding to them two little 
 pouches, one of gunpowder, the other of bullets. 
 " No one knows what may happen," he said. 
 " Thanks," she answered, with a movement of joy she 
 could not master. 
 
 This was all that she said; and the weapons disappeared 
 under her clothes, with a speed and resolution which made 
 the hunter smile. Five minutes after, they reached the 
 skirt of the virgin forest. 
 
 " Addick," the hunter said laconically; " remember that 
 you will answer to me for these two women." 
 
 " Addick has sworn it," the Indian merely replied. They 
 separated; it was impossible to remain longer at the spot 
 where they were, without running the risk of being discovered 
 by the Indians. The maidens and the warrior proceeded 
 toward the city. 
 
 " Let us mount the hill," Don Miguel said, " in order to 
 see them for the last time." 
 
 " I was going to propose it," the hunter said, simply. 
 They went, with similar precautions, to the spot they had 
 occupied for a few moments on the previous evening. 
 
 In the brilliant beams of the sun, which had gloriously 
 risen, the verdurous landscape had assumed a truly enchant- 
 ing aspect. Nature was aroused from her sleep, and a most 
 varied spectacle had been substituted for the gloomy and 
 solitary view of the previous night. From the gates of the 
 city, which were now widely opened, emerged groups of 
 Indians on horseback and on foot, who dispersed in all direc- 
 
Fresh Characters 79 
 
 tions with shouts of joy and shriller bursts of laughter. 
 Numerous canoes traversed the stream, the fields were 
 populated with flocks of vicunas, and horses led by Indians, 
 armed with long goads, who were proceeding toward the 
 city. Women quaintly attired, and bearing on their heads 
 long wicker baskets filled with meat, fruit, and vegetables, 
 walked along conversing together, and accompanying each 
 phrase with that continual, sharp, and metallic laugh, of 
 which the Indian nation possess the secret, and the noise of 
 which resembles very closely that produced by the fall of a 
 quantity of pebbles on a copper dish. 
 
 The maidens and their guide were soon mixed up in this 
 motley crowd, in the midst of which they disappeared. 
 
 Don Miguel sighed. 
 
 " Let us go," he said in a deep voice. 
 
 They returned to the forest. A few moments later, they 
 set out again. 
 
 " We must separate," Don Miguel said when they had 
 crossed the forest; " I shall return to Tubar." 
 
 " And I am going to try to render a small service to an 
 Indian chief, a friend of mine." 
 
 " You are always thinking of others, and never of your- 
 self, my worthy Marksman; you are ever anxious to be of 
 use to some one." 
 
 " What would you have, Don Miguel? It seems to be my 
 mission you know that every man has one." 
 
 "Yes!" the young man answered in a hollow voice. 
 " Good-bye ! " he added presently, " do not forget our 
 meeting." 
 
 " All right ! In a fortnight, at the ford of the Rubio ; that 
 is settled." 
 
 " Forgive me my chariness of speech during the few days 
 we have spent together; the secret is not mine alone, Marks- 
 man; I am not at liberty to divulge it, even to so kind a 
 friend as yourself." 
 
 " Keep your secret, my friend; I am in no way curious to 
 know it; still, it is understood that we do not know one 
 another." 
 
 " Yes; that is very important." 
 
 " Then, good-bye." 
 
 "Good-bye!" 
 
 The two horsemen shook hands, one turned to the right, 
 the other to the left, and they set off at full speed. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE FORD OF THE RUBIO 
 
 THE night was gloomy, not a star shone in the sky; the 
 wind blew violently through the heavy boughs of the virgin 
 forest, with that sad and monotonous soughing which re- 
 sembles the sound of great waters when the tempest menaces ; 
 the clouds were low, black, and charged with electricity; 
 they coursed rapidly through the sky, incessantly veiling the 
 wan disk of the moon, whose cold rays only rendered the 
 gloom denser; the atmosphere was oppressive, and those 
 nameless noises, dashed back by the echoes like the rolling 
 of distant thunder, rose from the quebradas and unknown 
 barrancas of the prairies; the beasts howled sadly all the 
 notes of the human register, and the night birds, troubled 
 in their sleep by this strange uneasiness of nature, uttered 
 hoarse and discordant cries. 
 
 In the camp of the Gambusinos all was calm ; the sentries 
 were watching, leaning on their rifles, and crouching near 
 the expiring fire. In the centre of the camp two men were 
 smoking their Indian pipes, and talking in a low voice. They 
 were Brighteye and Marksman. 
 
 At length, Brighteye knocked the ashes out of his pipe, 
 thrust it into his girdle, stifled a yawn, and rose, throwing 
 out his legs and arms to restore the circulation. 
 
 "What are you going to do?" Marksman asked him, 
 turning cautiously round. 
 
 " Sleep," the hunter answered. 
 
 "Sleep!" 
 
 "Why not? the night is advanced; we are the only 
 persons watching, I feel convinced ; it is more than probable 
 that we shall not see Don Miguel before sunrise. Hum ! the 
 best plan for the moment, at least, is to sleep, at any rate, 
 if you have not decided otherwise." 
 
 Marksman laid his finger on his lip, as if to recommend 
 silence to his friend. 
 
 "The night is advanced," he said, in a low voice; "a 
 terrible storm is rising. Where can Don Miguel be gone? 
 
 80 
 
The Ford of the Rubio 8 1 
 
 This prolonged absence alarms me more than I can express: 
 he is not the man to leave his friends thus, without some 
 
 powerful reason, or perhaps " 
 
 The hunter stopped, and shook his head sorrowfully. 
 " Go on," Brighteye said; " tell me your whole thought." 
 " Well, I am afraid lest some misfortune has happened to 
 him." 
 
 " Oh, oh, do you think so? Still, this Don Miguel, from 
 what I have heard you say, is a man of well-tried courage and 
 uncommon strength." 
 
 " All that is true," Marksman replied, with a preoccupied 
 air. 
 
 " Well ! do you think that such a man, well armed, and 
 acquainted with prairie life, is not able to draw himself out 
 of a difficulty, whatever the danger which threatens him? " 
 " Yes, if he has to deal with a loyal foe, who stands 
 resolutely before him, and fights with equal weapons." 
 " What other danger can he fear? " 
 
 " Brighteye, Brighteye ! " the hunter continued, sadly, 
 " you have lived too long among the Missouri fur traders." 
 
 " Which means ? " the Canadian asked, somewhat 
 
 piqued. 
 
 " Come, my friend, do not feel vexed at my remarks; but 
 it is evident to me, that you have, in a great measure, for- 
 gotten prairie habits." 
 
 " Hum ! that is a serious charge against a hunter, Marks- 
 man; and in what, if you please, have I forgotten desert 
 manners? " 
 
 " By Jove ! in seeming no longer to remember that, in the 
 country where we now are, every weapon is good to get rid 
 of an enemy." 
 
 " Eh ! I know that as well as you, my friend; I know, too, 
 that the most dangerous weapon is that which is concealed." 
 " That is to say, treachery." 
 
 The Canadian started. " Do you fear treachery, then? " 
 he asked. 
 
 "What else can I fear?" 
 
 "That is true," the hunter said, with a drooping head; 
 ' ' but," he added, a moment after, " what is to be done? " 
 
 " That is the very thing that embarrasses me. Still I 
 cannot remain much longer in this state; the uncertainty is 
 killing me; at all risks I must know what has happened." 
 " But in what way ? " 
 
 F 
 
82 The Indian Scout 
 
 " I know not, Heaven will inspire me." 
 
 " Still, you have an idea? " 
 
 " Of course, I have." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " This and I count on you to help me in carrying it out." 
 
 Brighteye affectionately pressed his friend's hand. " You 
 are right," he said: " now for your idea." 
 
 " It is very simple; we will leave the camp directly, and 
 go along the river side." 
 
 " Yes, I would merely draw your attention to the fact, 
 that the storm will soon break out, and the rain is already 
 falling in large drops." 
 
 " The greater reason to make haste. ' r 
 
 " That is true." 
 
 " Then you will accompany me? " 
 
 " By Jove ! did you doubt it, perchance? " 
 
 " I am a goose; forgive me, brother, and thank you." 
 
 " Why so? on the contrary, I ought to thank you." 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 " Why, thanks to you, I am going to take a delightful 
 walk." 
 
 Marksman did not answer; the hunters saddled and 
 bridled their horses, and after inspecting their arms with all 
 the care of men who are convinced that they will soon have 
 occasion to use them, they mounted and rode toward the 
 gate of the camp. Two sentries were standing motionless 
 and upright at the gate; they placed themselves before the 
 woodrangers. The latter had no intention of going out 
 unseen, as they had no reason for hiding their departure. 
 
 " You are going away? " one of the sentries asked. 
 
 "No; we are merely going to make a survey of the 
 country." 
 
 "At this hour?" 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Hang it ! I think it pleasanter to sleep in such weather, 
 than ride about the prairie." 
 
 " You think wrong, comrade," Marksman answered, in a 
 peremptory tone; " and, in the first place, bear this in mind, 
 I am not accountable for my actions to any one; if I go out 
 at this hour in the storm which is threatening, I have possibly 
 powerful motives for my conduct ; now, will you or no let us 
 pass ? Remember, however, that I shall hold you responsible 
 for any delay you occasion in the execution of my plans." 
 
The Ford of the Rubio 83 
 
 The tone employed by the hunter is addressing them 
 struck the two sentries; they consulted together in a low 
 voice ; after which, the man who had hitherto spoken turned 
 to the two hunters, who were quietly awaiting the result of 
 this deliberation. "You can pass/' he said; "you are at 
 liberty to go wherever you think proper. I have done my 
 duty in questioning you, and may Heaven grant you are 
 doing yours in going out thus." 
 
 " You will soon know. One word more." 
 
 " I am listening." 
 
 " Our absence will probably be short; if not, we shall 
 return by sunrise; still, pay great attention to this recom- 
 mendation: should you hear the cry of the jaguar repeated 
 thrice, at equal intervals, mount at full speed, and come, not 
 you alone, but followed by a dozen of your comrades, for, 
 when you hear that cry, a great danger will menace the 
 Cuadrilla. Now, you understand me? " 
 
 " Perfectly." 
 
 " And will you do what I advise? " 
 
 " I will do so, because you are the friends we expected, 
 and treachery could not be feared from you." 
 
 " Good." 
 
 " I wish you luck." 
 
 The hunters went on, and the gate was immediately closed 
 after them. 
 
 The woodrangers had scarce entered the prairie, ere the 
 hurricane, which had threatened since sunset, broke out 
 furiously. A brilliant flash of lightning crossed the sky, 
 followed almost instantaneously by a startling clap of thunder. 
 The trees bowed beneath the fury of the blast, and the rain 
 began falling in torrents. The adventurers advanced with 
 extreme difficulty, amid the chaos of the infuriated elements; 
 their horses, startled by the howling of the tempest, reared 
 and shied at every step. The darkness had become so dense, 
 that, although walking side by side, the two men could scarce 
 see each other. The trees, twisted by the omnipotent blast, 
 uttered almost human cries, answered by the mournful 
 howling of the terrified wild beasts, while the stream, swollen 
 by the rain, rose into waves, whose foaming crests broke with 
 a crash against the sandy banks. 
 
 Brighteye and Marksman, case-hardened against, the 
 desert temporales, shook their heads contemptuously at 
 every effort of the gust, which passed over them like an 
 
84 The Indian Scout 
 
 ardent simoom, and continued to advance, searching with 
 the eye the gloom that enveloped them like a heavy shroud, 
 and listening to the noises which the echoes bandied about. 
 
 In this way they reached the ford of the Rubio, without 
 exchanging a syllable. Then they stopped, as if by mutual 
 agreement. 
 
 The Rubio, a lost and unknown affluent of the Great Rio 
 Colorado del Norte, into which it falls after a winding course 
 of hardly twenty leagues, is in ordinary times a narrow stream, 
 on which Indian canoes have a difficulty in floating, and which 
 horses can ford almost anywhere, with the water scarce up 
 to their girths; but at this hour the placid stream had 
 suddenly become a mad and impetuous torrent, noisily rolling 
 along, in its deep and muddy waters, uprooted trees, and 
 even masses of rock. 
 
 To dream of crossing the Rubio at this moment would have 
 been signal folly ; a man so rash as to attempt the enterprise 
 would have been carried off in a few seconds by its furious 
 waves, whose yellow surface grew wider every moment. 
 
 The hunters remained for a moment motionless beneath the 
 torrents of rain that inundated them, regarding with thought- 
 ful eye the water that still rose and rose, and holding in with 
 great difficulty their startled horses, which reared with hoarse 
 snorts of fear. 
 
 These men, with their hearts of bronze, stood stoically 
 amid the frightful uproar of the unchained elements, not 
 seeming to notice the awful tempest that howled around 
 them, and as calm and easy-minded as if they were com- 
 fortably seated in some snug cave, near a merry fire of twigs. 
 They had only one idea, that of assisting the man whom 
 they suspected of running a terrible danger at this moment. 
 
 Suddenly they started, and quickly raised their heads, 
 while looking fixedly and eagerly in front of them. But 
 the darkness was too thick; they could distinguish nothing. 
 
 In the midst of the thousand sounds of the tempest, 
 a cry had struck their ear. This cry was a last appeal, 
 a harsh and prolonged cry of agony, such as the strong 
 man conquered by fatality utters, when he is forced to 
 confess his impotence, when everything fails him at once, 
 and he has no other resource than Heaven. The two men 
 leaned forward quickly, and placing their hands to their 
 mouth funnelwise, uttered in their turn a shrill and lengthened 
 cry. 
 
The Ford of the Rubio 85 
 
 Then they listened. At the end of a moment a second cry, 
 more piercing and desperate than the first, reached their ears. 
 
 "Oh!" Marksman shouted, as he rose in his stimips 
 and closed his fists in fury, " that man is in danger of death." 
 
 " Whoever he is, we must save him," Brighteye answered, 
 boldly. 
 
 They had understood each other. But how to save 
 this man? Where was he? What danger menaced him? 
 Who could answer these questions which they mentally 
 asked themselves? 
 
 At the risk of being carried off by the torrent, the hunters 
 forced their horses to enter the river, and lying almost on 
 the necks of the noble animals, they investigated the waters. 
 But, as we have said, the darkness was too thick, they could 
 see nothing. 
 
 " The demon interferes," Marksman said, in despair. 
 "Oh, heavens! shall we let this man die without going 
 to his aid? " 
 
 At this moment a flash of lightning crossed the sky, with 
 a dazzling zigzag. By its fugitive gleam, the hunters saw 
 a horseman struggling furiously against the efforts of the 
 waves. 
 
 " Courage ! courage ! " they shouted. 
 
 " Help ! " the stranger replied, in a shaking voice. 
 
 There was no time for hesitation, for every second was 
 an age. 
 
 The man and horse struggled courageously against the 
 torrent that bore them away, and the hunters' resolution 
 was formed in a second. They silently shook hands, and 
 at the same moment dug their spurs into their horses' 
 flanks; the animals reared with a shriek of pain, but, com- 
 pelled to obey the iron hands that held them, they bounded 
 in terror into the middle of the stream. 
 
 Suddenly two shots were heard; a bullet passed with 
 a whistle between our two friends, and a cry of pain was 
 heard from the water. The man they had come to help 
 was wounded. The storm was still increasing; the flashes 
 succeeded each other with extraordinary rapidity. The 
 hunters noticed the stranger clinging to his saddle, and letting 
 his horse carry him where it liked ; then, on the other bank, 
 a man with his body bent forward, and his rifle shouldered, 
 in readiness to fire. 
 
 " Each man his own," Marksman said, laconically. 
 
86 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Good ! " Brighteye said, with equal brevity. 
 
 The Canadian took the reata hanging at the saddle bow, 
 and swinging it round his head, awaited the gleam of the 
 next flash. It did not last long, but though it was so rapid, 
 Brighteye had taken advantage of the transient gleam to 
 hurl his reata. The leather cord whizzed out, and the running 
 knot at the end fell on the neck of the horse which wrestled 
 so bravely with the torrent. 
 
 " Courage! courage! " Brighteye shouted; " help, Marks- 
 man, help!" And giving a smart shake to his horse, he 
 made it rise on its hind legs just as it was losing its footing, 
 and forced it toward the river. 
 
 " Here I am," Marksman said, who was watching for the 
 opportunity to fire: " patience, I am coming." 
 
 Suddenly he pulled the trigger, the bullet went forth, 
 and from the other bank a cry of pain and rage reached 
 the hunters. 
 
 "He is hit," Marksman said; " to-morrow I shall know 
 who the scamp is; " and throwing his rifle behind him, he 
 hurried forward to join Brighteye. 
 
 The horse the Canadian has lassoed, feeling itself supported 
 and dragged toward the bank, seconded, with that intel- 
 ligence possessed by these noble animals, the efforts made 
 to save it. 
 
 The two hunters held on the reata. The united strength 
 of their steeds, helped by the lassoed horse, succeeded in 
 breasting the current, and after a minute's struggle, they 
 at length reached the bank. So soon as they were compara- 
 tively in safety, the Canadians leaped from their saddles, 
 and rushed towards the stranger's horse. 
 
 So soon as it felt terra firma under its feet, the noble 
 animal had stopped, apparently comprehensive that, if 
 it advanced, it would cast its master against the rocks that 
 covered the ground, for, although insensible, he still held the 
 bridle firmly clasped in his clenched hand. The hunters cut 
 the bridle, raised the man they had so miraculously saved 
 in their arms, and carried him a few paces further to the 
 foot of a tree, where they gently laid him ; then, both eagerly 
 bending over his body, awaited a flash which woulol enable 
 them to see him. 
 
 " Oh! " Marksman said, as he drew himself up, with an 
 expression of grief, mingled with terror, " Don Miguel 
 Ortega!" 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 DON STEFANO COHECHO 
 
 As we related a short time back, after leaving Brighteye, 
 Don Stefano had returned to the camp of the Gambusinos, 
 into which he had managed to enter again unseen. 
 
 Once inside the camp, the Mexican had nothing more 
 to fear; he went back to the fire, near which his horse 
 was picketed, patted the noble brute, which turned toward 
 him, and pricked up its ears at his approach, and then lay 
 down calmly, rolled himself in his wraps, and fell asleep 
 with that placidity peculiar to consciences at rest. 
 
 Several hours elapsed, and no sound arose to disturb the 
 calmness that brooded over the camp. Suddenly Don 
 Stefano opened his eyes, for a hand had been gently laid on 
 his right shoulder. 
 
 The Mexican looked at the man who interrupted his 
 sleep; by the light of the paling stars he recognised Domingo. 
 Don Stefano rose, and silently followed the Gambusino. 
 The latter led him to the entrenchments, probably with the 
 design of speaking without fearing indiscreet ears. 
 
 " Well? " Don Stefano asked him, when the Gambusino 
 had made a sign that he could speak. 
 
 Domingo, obeying the order he had received from Bright- 
 eye, concisely related to him all that had happened in the 
 prairie. On learning that the Canadian had succeeded in 
 meeting Marksman, Don Stefano gave a start of joy, and 
 began listening to the Gambusino's story with increasing 
 interest. When the latter at last finished, or at any rate 
 remained silent, he asked him " Is that all? " 
 
 " All," the other answered. 
 
 Don Stefano drew out his purse, and took from it several 
 gold pieces, which he handed to Domingo; the latter took 
 them with a gesture of pleasure. 
 
 " Did Brighteye give you no message for me? " the 
 Mexican asked again. 
 
 The other seemed to reflect for a moment. " Ah! " he 
 said, " I forgot; the hunter bade me tell you, Excellency, not 
 to leave the camp." 
 
 87 
 
88 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Do you know the reason of this recommendation? " 
 
 " Certainly; he intends to join the Cuadrilla this evening 
 at the ford of the Rubio." 
 
 The Mexican's brow grew dark. " You are sure of that? " 
 he said. 
 
 " That is what he said to me." 
 
 There was a few moments' silence. " Good ! " he then 
 continued; " the hunter added nothing further? " 
 
 "Nothing." 
 
 " Hum! " Don Stefano muttered, " after all, it is of no 
 consequence; " then, leaning heavily on the Gambusino's 
 shoulder, he looked him fiercely in the face. " Now," he 
 added, laying a stress upon every word, " remember this 
 carefully ; you do not know me, whatever happens ; you will 
 not breathe a syllable of the way in which we met on the 
 prairie." 
 
 " You may be assured of it, Excellency." 
 
 " I am assured," the Mexican replied, with an accent 
 which made Domingo tremble, brave as he was: " remember 
 the oath you took, and the pledge you gave me." 
 
 " I shall remember." 
 
 " If you keep your promise, and are faithful to me, it 
 will be mine to keep you from want for life, if not, look out." 
 
 The Gambusino shook his shoulders with disdain, and 
 answered ill-temperedly " It is unnecessary to threaten 
 me, Excellency; what is said is said; what is promised is 
 promised." 
 
 " We shall see." 
 
 " If you have nothing else to recommend to me, I believe 
 we had better separate. The day is beginning to break; 
 my comrades will soon awake, and I fancy you are no more 
 anxious than I am to be surprised together." 
 
 " You are right." They then parted. Don Stefano 
 returned to his place, while the Gambusino laid himself 
 down where he was, and both slept, or seemed to do so. 
 
 With the first beams of the sun, Don Miguel raised the 
 curtain of the tent, and walked toward his guest; the latter 
 was soundly asleep. Don Miguel felt unwilling to trouble 
 this peaceful sleep; he sat down at the fire, brought together 
 the logs, blew them up, rolled one maize cigarette, and 
 smoked philosophically, while awaiting his guest's awakening. 
 
 By this time all was movement in the camp; the Gam- 
 businos were attending to their morning duties, some leading 
 
Don Stefano Cohecho 89 
 
 the horses to water, others lighting the fires, in order to 
 prepare breakfast for the Cuadrilla; in short, everybody 
 was engaged in his own way on the general behalf. 
 
 At length Don Stefano, on whose face a sunbeam had been 
 playing for some minutes, thought it advisable to wake; 
 he turned round, stretched his limbs, and opened his eyes, 
 while yawning several times. 
 
 " Caramba I " he said, as he drew himself up, " it is day 
 already; how quickly a night is passed; I feel as if I had 
 been hardly an hour asleep." 
 
 " I see with pleasure that you have slept soundly, Cabal- 
 lero," Don Miguel said politely to him. 
 
 " What! is that you, my host? " Don Stefano exclaimed, 
 with perfectly well-acted surprise; " the day will be a happy 
 oneffor me, since the first face I notice, on opening my eyes, 
 is that of a friend." 
 
 " I accept the compliment as politeness on your part." 
 
 " On my word, no: I assure you that what I say to you 
 is the sincere expression of my thought," the Mexican said, 
 simply; " it is impossible to do the honours of the desert 
 better, or comprehend the holy laws of hospitality more 
 thoroughly." 
 
 " I thank you for the good opinion you are kind enough 
 to have of me. I trust that you will not leave us yet, but 
 consent to remain several days with us." 
 
 " Would I could, Don Miguel Heaven is my witness, 
 that I should be delighted to enjoy your charming company 
 for a short time; unfortunately, that is utterly impossible." 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " Alas! an imperious duty compels me to leave you this 
 very day ; I am really in despair at this vexatious mischance." 
 
 " What motive can be so powerful as to force you to leave 
 us so suddenly? " 
 
 " A very trivial motive, and which will probably make 
 you smile. I am a merchant of Santa Fe; a few days back, 
 the successive failures of several houses at Monterey, with 
 which I am extensively connected, obliged me to leave my 
 house suddenly, in order to try and save, by my presence, a 
 few waifs from the shipwreck with which I am threatened; 
 I set out without asking anybody's advice, and here I am." 
 
 " But," Don Miguel objected, " you are still a long way 
 from Monterey." 
 
 " I know it; and it is that which drives me to despair. 
 
90 The Indian Scout 
 
 I have a frightful fear of arriving too late; the more so, as 
 I have been warned that the people with whom I have to do 
 are rogues: the sums they owe me are large, and form, I am 
 sorry to say, the largest part of my fortune." 
 
 " Caspita I if that is the case, I can understand that you 
 are anxious to get there. I could not suspect that you had 
 so serious a motive for pressing on." 
 
 " You see how it is; so pity me, Don Miguel." 
 
 All this conversation was carried on by the two men with 
 a charming ease, and a simplicity perfectly well-assumed on 
 both sides; still neither was duped: Don Stefano, as so 
 often happens, had committed the enormous fault of being 
 too clever, and advancing beyond the limits of prudence, 
 while trying to persuade this man of the sincerity of his 
 words. This feigned sincerity had aroused Don Miguel's 
 suspicions for two reasons : in the first place, if Don Stefano 
 were going from Santa Fe to Monterey, he was not only off 
 the road he ought to have followed, but was completely 
 turning his back on those two towns an error which his 
 ignorance of the topography of the country made him commit 
 without suspecting it. The second instance was equally 
 premature: no merchant would have ever attempted, how- 
 ever grave the motive of such a journey, to cross the desert 
 alone, for fear of the Indian bravos, the pirates, the wild 
 beasts, and countless other dangers no less great, to which he 
 would be exposed, without possible hope of escaping them. 
 
 Still, Don Miguel pretended to admit, without discussion, 
 the reasons his guest offered him, and it was with an air of 
 the utmost conviction that he answered, " In spite of the 
 earnest desire I may have of enjoying your agreeable society 
 longer, I will not detain you, friend, for I understand how 
 urgent it must be for you to hurry on." 
 
 Don Stefano bowed with an almost imperceptible smile of 
 triumph. 
 
 " In short," Don Miguel added, " I wish that you may 
 succeed in saving your fortune from the claws of those 
 rogues; but at any rate, I hope, Caballero, that we shall not 
 separate before breakfasting. I confess that your refusal to 
 accept a share of my scanty supper last night pained me." 
 
 " Oh," Don Stefano interrupted him, " believe me, 
 Caballero " 
 
 " You gave me a very admirable excuse," Don Miguel 
 continued, " but," he added, significantly, " we Gambusinos 
 
Don Stefano Cohecho 91 
 
 and adventurers are singular fellows we fancy, rightly or 
 wrongly, that the guest who refuses to eat with us is our 
 enemy, or will become so." 
 
 Don Stefano gave a slight start at this unforeseen attack. 
 " How can you imagine such a thing, Caballero ? " he said, 
 evasively. 
 
 " It is not I who suppose, but all of us; it is a prejudice, 
 a foolish superstition; call it as you like, but so it is," he 
 said, with a smile as sharp as a dagger's point, " and nothing 
 will change our nature; so that is settled, we will breakfast 
 together, then I will wish you a prosperous journey, and we 
 shall part." 
 
 Don Stefano's face assumed an expression of despair. 
 
 " Really, I am the plaything of ill luck," he said, with a 
 toss of the head. 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 " Good gracious, I know not how to explain it to you; it 
 is so absurd, that I really dare not " 
 
 " Pray speak, Caballero; although I am only an illiterate 
 adventurer, I may possibly manage to understand you." 
 
 " The truth is, I shall hurt your feelings." 
 
 " Not the least in the world: are you not my guest? a 
 guest is sent by heaven, that is to say, is sacred." 
 
 Don Stefano hesitated. 
 
 " Well," Don Miguel said, with a laugh, " I will have 
 breakfast served; perhaps that will undo your tongue." 
 
 " That is the embarrassing point ! " the Mexican exclaimed, 
 quickly, with an accent of chagrin; " the fact is, that, in 
 spite of my great desire to be agreeable to you, I cannot 
 accept your kind invitation." 
 
 The young man frowned. "Ah, ah!" he said, fixing a 
 suspicious glance on the speaker, " why so? " 
 
 " That is the very thing I dare not confess to you." 
 
 " You can, Caballero; have I not told you that you had 
 the right to say anything? " 
 
 " Good heavens, you force me to it," he continued, in a 
 voice that grew even more melancholy; " first imagine, 
 then, that I have made a vow to Neustra Senora de los 
 Angeles, never to take food before sunset, so long as this 
 accursed journey lasts." 
 
 "Ah!" Don Miguel said, with an accent of but slight 
 conversion, " but last evening, when I offered you supper, 
 the sun had set a long time, I fancy." 
 
92 The Indian Scout 
 
 "Listen; I have not finished." 
 
 " Go on." 
 
 " And even then," the Mexican continued, " only to eat 
 one of the maize tortillas I carry with me in my alforjos, 
 and which I had blessed by a priest, prior to my departure 
 from Santa F6; you see, all this must seem to you very 
 ridiculous, but we are fellow-countrymen, we have Spanish 
 blood in our veins, and instead of laughing at my foolish 
 superstition, you will pity me." 
 
 " Caspita t the more so, because you have a rude penance 
 to undergo. I will not attempt to make you give up your 
 superstition, for I too have mine; I believe that it is best 
 not to return to the subject." 
 
 " You are not angry with me, at least? " 
 
 " I why should I be angry? " 
 
 " Then we are still good friends? " 
 
 " More than ever," Don Miguel remarked, with a laugh. 
 Still, the way in which these words were pronounced, but 
 slightly reassured the Mexican he took a side glance at the 
 speaker, and then rose. 
 
 " Are you going? " the young man asked him. 
 
 " If you will permit me, I shall start." 
 
 " Do so, my guest." 
 
 Don Stefano, without further reply, immediately began 
 saddling his horse. 
 
 " You have a noble brute there," Don Miguel observed. 
 
 *' Yes, he is a purely bred barb." 
 
 " That is the first time I ever saw one of that precious 
 race." 
 
 " Pray have a good look at him." 
 
 " I thank you, but I should be afraid of delaying you ; 
 hola! my horse," he added, addressing Domingo. 
 
 The latter brought up a mustang full of fire, on the back 
 of which Don Miguel leaped at a bound, while Don Stefano 
 also mounted. 
 
 " If you have no objection, I will have the honour of accom- 
 panying you a little way, unless," he added, with a sarcastic 
 smile, " you have made a vow which prevents it." 
 
 " Come," Don Stefano said, reproachfully, " you are angry 
 with me." 
 
 " On my faith, no; I swear it." 
 
 " Very good: we will start when you please." 
 
 " I am at your orders." 
 
Don Stefano Cohecho 93 
 
 They spurred their horses, and went out of the camp. 
 They had scarce gone twenty yards, ere Don Miguel pulled 
 up his horse and stopped. 
 
 " Are you going to leave me already? " Don Stefano asked 
 him. 
 
 " I shall not go a step further," the young man answered, 
 and drawing himself up fiercely and frowning, he said in a 
 haughty tone, " Here you are no longer my guest; we are 
 out of my camp in the desert; I can, therefore, explain 
 myself clearly and plainly, and voto a brios, I will do so." 
 
 The Mexican regarded him with surprise. "I do not 
 understand you," he said. 
 
 " Perhaps so : I hope it is so, but I do not believe it. So 
 long as you were my guest, I pretended to believe the false- 
 hoods you told me ; but now that you are to me no more than 
 the first comer, a stranger, I wish to tell you my thoughts 
 frankly. I do not know by what name to address you to 
 your livid face, but I am certain that you are my enemy, or, 
 at any rate, a spy of my enemies." 
 
 " Caballero ! these words " Don Stefano exclaimed. 
 
 " Do not interrupt me," the young man continued, 
 violently. " I care little who you are; it is sufficient to have 
 asked you : I thank you for having entered my camp, at any 
 rate; if ever I meet you again, I shall recognise you : but let 
 me give you one piece of advice on parting: shake the dust 
 off your boots on leaving me, and do not come across me 
 again, for it might bring you misfortune." 
 
 " Threats! " the Mexican interrupted, pale with rage. 
 
 " Take my words as you please, but remember them in the 
 interest of your safety; although I am only an adventurer, 
 I give you at this moment a lesson in honesty you will do 
 well to profit by; nothing would be easier for me than to 
 acquire proofs of your treachery; I have with me twenty 
 devoted comrades, who, at a sign, would treat you very 
 scurvily; and who, by searching your clothes and alforjos, 
 would doubtless find among your blessed tortillas" he said, 
 with a sardonic smile, " the reasons for the conduct you have 
 employed toward me ever since we met; but you have been 
 my guest, and that title is your safeguard: go in peace, but 
 do not cross my path again." 
 
 While uttering the last words, he raised his arm and dealt 
 a vigorous blow with his chicote on the rear of Don Stefano's 
 horse. The barb, but little used to such treatment, started 
 
94 The Indian Scout 
 
 off like an arrow from a bow, in spite of all his rider's efforts 
 to hold him in. 
 
 Don Miguel looked after him for a moment, and then 
 returned to the camp, laughing heartily at the way in which 
 he had ended the interview. 
 
 " Come, lads," he said to the Gambusinos, " let us be off at 
 once; we must reach the ford of the Rubio before sunset, 
 where the guide is awaiting us." 
 
 And half an hour later the caravan set out. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE AMBUSCADE 
 
 No incident worthy of description troubled the journey 
 during the day. The Cuadrilla traversed an undulating 
 country, intersected by streams of slight depth, on the banks 
 of which grew tall bushes, and clumps of cotton-wood trees, 
 peopled by an infinity of birds, of every description and 
 variety of plumage: on the horizon a long yellowish line, 
 above which hung a dense cloud which indicated the Rio 
 Colorado Grande del Norte. 
 
 As Don Miguel had announced, the ford of the Rubio was 
 reached a few minutes before sunset. We will explain here 
 in a few words the mode in which caravans camp in the 
 desert; this description is indispensable, in order that the 
 reader may understand how it is easy to leave or return to 
 the camp unnoticed. 
 
 The Cuadrilla, in addition to the baggage mules, had with 
 it fifteen waggons, loaded with merchandise. When the spot 
 for camping was selected, the waggons were arranged in a 
 square, with a distance of thirty-five feet between each: 
 between the intervals were stationed six or eight men, who 
 lit a fire, round which they assembled to cook, eat, smoke, 
 and sleep. The horses were placed in the middle of the square, 
 not far from the mysterious tent, which occupied exactly the 
 centre. Each horse had the two off legs hobbled with a cord 
 twenty inches long. We may remark that, although a horse 
 thus hobbled feels very awkward at first, it soon accustoms 
 itself to it sufficiently to be able to walk slowly. Besides, this 
 prudential measure is taken in order that the horses may not 
 stray, or be carried off by the Indians. Two horses are also 
 put together, one with its feet tied, and the other only held 
 by a picket rope, so that, in case of an alarm, it may gallop 
 round its companion, which thus serves, as it were, as a pivot. 
 
 The space left free between the waggons was filled up with 
 fascines, trees piled up on top of one another, and the mule 
 bales. 
 
 Nothing is more singular than the appearance of one of 
 
 95 
 
96 The Indian Scout 
 
 these camps on the prairie. The fires are surrounded by 
 picturesque groups, seated or standing; some cooking, others 
 mending their clothes or their horses' trappings, others fur- 
 bishing their weapons; at intervals, bursts of laughter rise 
 from the midst of the groups, which announce that merry 
 stories are going the rounds, and that they are trying to for- 
 get the fatigues of the day, and preparing for those of the 
 morrow. Then, to complete the picture, from distance to 
 distance behind the entrenchments sentinels, calm and 
 motionless, lean on their rifles. 
 
 From the description we have given, it is easy to under- 
 stand that the waggons form a species of embrasures, by 
 means of which an active man crawling under the carts can 
 easily go out without being noticed by the sentries, and 
 return whenever he pleases, without attracting the attention 
 of his comrades, whose glances, usually directed on the 
 prairie, have no reason to watch what goes on inside the camp. 
 
 So soon as all was in order, and each installed as comfort- 
 ably as circumstances permitted, Don Miguel had a fresh 
 horse brought him, which he mounted, and addressed his 
 comrades collected around him. " Senores," he said, " busi- 
 ness of a pressing nature obliges me to go out for a few hours. 
 Watch carefully over the camp during my absence ; above all, 
 let no one enter. We are now in regions where the greatest 
 caution is necessary to guard against the treachery which 
 incessantly menaces, and assumes every shape in order to 
 deceive those whom negligence prevents being on their guard. 
 The guide we are expecting so impatiently will, doubtless, 
 arrive in a few moments. All know him by repute ; perhaps 
 he may come alone, or he may have somebody with him. 
 This man, in whom we must place the greatest confidence, 
 must, during my absence, be entirely free in his actionsgo 
 and come without the slightest obstacle being offered him. 
 You have understood me; so follow my instructions point 
 by point. Besides, I repeat, I shall soon return." 
 
 After making a farewell signal to his comrades, Don 
 Miguel left the camp, and proceeded to the Rubio, the ford 
 of which, being nearly dry at the moment, he easily crossed. 
 
 What the chief of the adventurers had said to his com- 
 rades with reference to Marksman, was an inspiration of 
 Heaven; for, if he had not peremptorily ordered that the 
 hunter should be allowed to act as he pleased, it is probable 
 that the sentinels would have barred his passage; and, in 
 
The Ambuscade 97 
 
 that case, the young man, deprived of the providential aid 
 of the two backwoodsmen, would have been hopelessly lost. 
 
 After crossing the ford, Don Miguel urged his horse at full 
 speed straight ahead. This furious race lasted nearly two 
 hours, through thickets, which at every moment grew more 
 closely together, and gradually were metamorphosed into a 
 forest. 
 
 After crossing a deep gorge, whose perpendicular sides 
 were covered with impenetrable thickets, the young man 
 arrived at a species of narrow lane, into which the paths of 
 wild beasts opened, and in the centre of which an Indian, 
 dressed in his war costume, and smoking gravely, crouched 
 over a fire of boys de vache ; while his horse, hobbled a short 
 distance off, was busily browsing on the young tree-shots. 
 So soon as he saw the Indian, Don Miguel pushed on even at 
 greater speed. "Good evening, Chief!" he said, as he 
 leaped lightly to the ground, and amicably pressed the hand 
 the warrior held out to him. 
 
 " Wah! " the Chief said to him, " I no longer expected 
 my pale brother." 
 
 " Why so, as I had promised to come? " 
 
 " Perhaps it would have been better for the Paleface 
 to remain in his camp. Addick is a warrior; he has dis- 
 covered a trail." 
 
 " Good; but trails are not wanting on the prairie." 
 
 "Och! this is wide, and incautiously trodden; it is a 
 Paleface trail." 
 
 "Bah! what do I care?" the young man remarked, 
 carelessly. " Do you fancy my band the only one crossing 
 the prairie at this moment? " 
 
 The Redskin shook his head. " An Indian warrior is 
 not mistaken on the war trail. It is the trail of an enemy 
 of my brother's." 
 
 " What makes you suppose that? " 
 
 The Indian did not seem willing to explain himself more 
 clearly; he turned his head, and, after a moment, said, " My 
 brother will see." 
 
 " I am strong well-armed. I care very little for those 
 who would try to surprise us." 
 
 " One man is not worth ten," the Indian remarked, senten- 
 tiously. 
 
 "Who knows?" the young man answered, lightly. 
 " But," he continued, " that is not the question of the 
 
 G 
 
98 The Indian Scout 
 
 moment. I have come here to seek the news the Chief 
 promised me." 
 
 " The promise of Addick is sacred." 
 
 " I know it, Chief, and that is why I did not hesitate 
 to come. But time is slipping away. I have a long journey 
 to go, to join my comrades again. A storm is getting up; 
 and I confess that I should like very little to be exposed to 
 it during my return. Be kind enough to be brief." 
 
 The Chief bowed in assent, and pointed to a place by his 
 side. 
 
 " Good. Now begin, Chief; I am all attention," Don 
 Miguel said, as he threw himself on the ground. " And, 
 in the first place, how comes it that I have not seen you 
 till to-day? " 
 
 " Because," the Indian answered, phlegmatically, " as 
 my brother knows, it is far from here to Queche Pitao (the 
 City of God). A warrior is but a man; Addick has accom- 
 plished impossibilities to join his Paleface brother sooner." 
 
 " Be it so, Chief; I thank you. Now let us come to facts. 
 What has happened to you since our parting? " 
 
 " Quiepaa Tani opened its gates wide before the two 
 young pale virgins. They are in safety, in the Queclie, far 
 from the eyes of their enemies." 
 
 " And did they give you no message for me? " 
 
 The Indian hesitated for a second. 
 
 " No," he said at length; " they are happy, and they 
 wait." 
 
 Don Miguel sighed. " That's strange," he muttered. 
 
 The Chief took a stealthy look at him. " What will my 
 brother do? " he asked. 
 
 " I shall soon be near them." 
 
 " My brother is wrong. No one knows where they are. 
 For what good reveal their refuge? " 
 
 " Soon, I hope, I shall be free to act without fearing in- 
 discreet eyes." 
 
 A gloomy flame sparkled in the Indian's eye. 
 
 " Wacondah alone is master of to-morrow," he said. 
 
 Don Miguel looked at him. 
 
 " What does the Chief mean? " 
 
 " Nothing but what I say." 
 
 " Good. Will my brother accompany me to my camp? " 
 
 " Addick will return to Quiepaa Tani, that he may watch 
 over those whom his brother has confided to him." 
 
The Ambuscade 99 
 
 " Shall I see you again soon? " 
 
 " Perhaps so/' he answered evasively: " but," he added, 
 " did not my brother say that he expected soon to go to 
 theQueche?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " When will my brother come? " 
 
 " At the latest, on the first day of next month. Why 
 this question? " 
 
 "My brother is a Paleface: if Addick himself does not 
 introduce him into the Queche, the white Chief cannot 
 enter it." 
 
 " That is true; at the period I stated, I will meet you at 
 the foot of the mound where we parted." 
 
 " Addick will be there." 
 
 " Good! I count upon you; but now I must leave you: 
 night is rapidly falling; the wind is beginning to blow 
 furiously. I must be off." 
 
 " Farewell," the Chief said laconically, making no attempt 
 to stop him. 
 
 " Good-bye. " 
 
 The young man leapt into the saddle, and started at full 
 speed. Addick watched him depart with a pensive air; 
 then, when he had disappeared behind a clump of trees, 
 he leaned slightly forward, and imitated twice the hiss 
 of a cobra capello. At this signal the branches of a thicket 
 a short distance from the fire parted cautiously, and a man 
 appeared. After looking suspiciously around him, he walked 
 toward the Chief, in front of whom he stopped. 
 
 The man was Don Stefano Cohecho. " Well? " he said. 
 
 " Has my father heard? " the Indian asked, in an equivocal 
 tone. 
 
 " All." 
 
 ' Then I have nothing to tell my father." 
 ' Nothing." 
 
 ' The storm is beginning: what will my father do? " 
 ' What is agreed on. Are the Chief's warriors ready? " 
 ' Yes." 
 
 'Where are they?" 
 ' At the appointed spot." 
 
 "Good; let us start." 
 
 " I am ready." 
 
 These two men, who had evidently known each other for 
 a long while, came to an understanding in a few words. 
 
ioo The Indian Scout 
 
 " Come ! " Don Stefano said in a loud voice. 
 
 A dozen Mexican horsemen appeared. 
 
 " Here is a reinforcement, in case the warriors are not 
 sufficient," he said, turning to the Chief. 
 
 The latter checked a movement of ill-temper, and replied, 
 as he shrugged his shoulders disdainfully, " What need of 
 twenty warriors against a single man? " 
 
 " Because the man is worth a hundred," Don Stefano 
 said, with an accent of conviction which caused the Chief 
 to reflect. 
 
 They started. In the meantime, Don Miguel had galloped 
 on: still, he was far from suspecting the plot that was at 
 this moment being formed against him; and, if he hurried 
 on, it was not through any apprehension, but because the 
 wind, whose violence increased every minute, and the heavy 
 drops of rain, which began falling, warned him to seek 
 shelter as speedily as possible. While galloping, he reflected 
 on the short interview he had had with the Redskin warrior. 
 While turning over in his mind the words exchanged between 
 them, he felt a vague alarm, a secret fear, invade his heart, 
 though it was impossible to account for the emotion he 
 experienced; he fancied he could read treachery behind the 
 Chief's studied reticence; he now remembered that he at 
 times seemed embarrassed while talking with him. Trembling 
 lest a misfortune had happened to the young ladies, or a 
 peril menaced them, he felt his anxiety heightened ; the more 
 so, as he knew not what means he should employ to insure 
 the fidelity of the man whom he suspected of perfidious- 
 ness. 
 
 Suddenly, a dazzling flash shot across the open, his horse 
 suddenly bounded aside, and two or three bullets whistled 
 past him. The young man sat up in his saddle. He was 
 in the middle of the gorge he had traversed a few hours 
 previously; a profound obscurity enveloped him on all 
 sides, and in the shadow all around him, he fancied he could 
 detect the outlines of human forms. At this moment, other 
 shots were fired at him, his hat was carried off by a bullet, 
 and several arrows passed close to his face. 
 
 Don Miguel raised his head boldly. "Ah! traitors!" 
 he shouted in a loud voice. And, lifting his horse with his 
 knees, he rushed forward at headlong speed, holding the 
 bridle between his teeth, half bending over his steed's neck, 
 and with a revolver in each hand 
 
The Ambuscade 
 
 A frightful war yell was hearo, mingled -with piercing 
 imprecations uttered in Spanish. 
 
 Don Miguel passed like a tornado through the body of 
 men moving round him, and discharged his revolvers in 
 the thickest of his unknown enemies. Cries of pain and 
 rage, bullets and arrows pursued him, but did not check 
 the headlong speed of his horse, which seemed no longer 
 to touch the earth, and rapidly did it course along. 
 
 Behind him the young man heard the galloping of several 
 horses, hastening in pursuit. "Treachery, treachery!" he 
 shouted, brandishing his sabre, making his horse rear, and 
 bounding like a jackal in the midst of the throng which 
 incessantly closed in upon him. 
 
 Suddenly, at the height of the contest, at the superior 
 moment when he felt his strength was deserting him, three 
 shots came from the darkness, and his assailants, attacked 
 in the rear, were compelled in their turn to defend themselves 
 against invisible foes. 
 
 " We are coming! " a stout voice shouted, whose energetic 
 accent made the assailants tremble. " Hold your own ! 
 hold your own ! " 
 
 Don Miguel responded by a terrific yell, and threw himself 
 into the thick of the fight with redoubled efforts: now that 
 he knew himself to be supported, he felt he was saved. The 
 crowd gave way in the shadow, like ripe corn beneath the 
 reaper's scythe; the compact mass of assailants parted 
 asunder, and three men, or three demons, rushed into the 
 hole they had made, and bounded forward to the side of 
 the adventurer. 
 
 " Ah, ah ! " the latter exclaimed, with a bitter burst of 
 laughter, "the first is now equal; forward, comrades, for- 
 ward ! " And he threw himself once more into the medley, 
 followed by these intrepid allies. 
 
 Who were these men? Whence did they come? he did 
 not know or dream of asking them. Besides, this was not 
 the moment for explanations : they must conquer or die. 
 
 " Kill him, kill him! " a man yelled, who rushed upon him 
 every moment with uplifted sabre, and in all the ferocious 
 ardour of an inveterate hatred. 
 
 "Ah! it is you, Don Stefano Cohecho!" Don Miguel 
 shouted; "I felt sure we should meet; your voice has 
 denounced you." 
 
 " Death to him ! " the latter answered. 
 
iO2 The Indian Scout 
 
 The two 'men rushed upon each other, their horses met 
 with 'a' terrible 'shock, and the man whom the adventurer 
 took for Don Stefano rolled on the ground. 
 
 " Victory ! " Don Miguel shouted, as he cut down with his 
 machete all within his reach. 
 
 His unknown friends, who were still by his side, rushed 
 after him. In spite of all their efforts, the attacking party 
 were unable to keep their position, and began flying in every 
 direction. The gorge was free; no obstacle longer opposed 
 Don Miguel's flight: he pressed his horse, and the noble 
 beast redoubled its ardour. When so far free, the young 
 man looked around him. His unknown defenders had 
 suddenly disappeared, as if by enchantment. 
 
 " What is the meaning of this? " he murmured. 
 
 At this moment he felt on his left arm something resembling 
 a blow from a whip : a bullet had struck him. This wound 
 recalled him to a sense of his present position. 
 
 His enemies had rallied, and recommenced their pursuit. 
 Before him he heard the yellow waters of the Rubio growling ; 
 the wrath of heaven and of man seemed leagued together to 
 overwhelm him; it was then that a mad terror seized upon 
 him; he fancied himself lost, and uttered that first cry of 
 agony heard by the hunters. 
 
 Still, his pursuers gained rapidly upon him; without 
 hesitation or reflection, he plunged into the Rubio with his 
 horse ; some twenty bullets dashed up the water round him ; 
 he turned bravely on his steed, and fired the last shots from 
 his revolvers, uttering that cry to which the hunters had 
 replied with the word, " Courage ! " 
 
 But human nature has limits which it cannot pass. This 
 last effort exhausted the little strength left him, and, fran- 
 tically clutching the bridle of his horse, he rolled into the 
 river and fainted, while saying, in a stifled voice, " Laura, 
 Laura!" 
 
 Two shots crossed each other above his head, one fired by 
 the man who was aiming at him from the bank, the other 
 by Marksman. The stranger uttered a yell like a wild 
 beast, turned away staggering like a drunken man, and 
 disappeared. 
 
 Who was this man ? was he dead or merely wounded ? 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE TRAVELLERS 
 
 THE events we have undertaken to narrate are so mingled 
 with incidents intertwined in each other by that fatality of 
 accident which governs human life that we are compelled 
 once more, to our great regret, to interrupt our story, and 
 let the reader be present at a scene which took place not far 
 from the Rubio ford, on the same day that the events occurred 
 which we have described in preceding chapters. 
 
 At about one o'clock of the tarde, that is to say, at the 
 moment when the beams of the sun, which has reached its 
 zenith, pour down on the prairie such an intense heat, that 
 everything which lives and breathes seeks shelter in the 
 deepest part of the woods, three horsemen passed over the 
 ford, and boldly entered the path Don Miguel Ortega was 
 destined to follow a few hours later. 
 
 These horsemen were white men, and what is more, 
 Mexicans; it was easy to perceive, at the first glance, that 
 they had not the slightest connection with any class of the 
 adventurers who, under various names, such as Gambusinos, 
 hunters, trappers, woodrangers, or pirates, swarm on the 
 Western Prairies, which they incessantly cross in every 
 direction. 
 
 The dress of these horsemen was that usually worn by the 
 Mexican hacienderos on the frontiers: The wide brimmed 
 hat, gallooned, and decorated with the toquilla, the manga; 
 the short calzoneras, open at the knee; the zarape; the 
 botas vaqueras, and the armas de agua, without which no one 
 ventures on the desert. They were armed with rifles, 
 revolvers, navajas, and machetes. Their horses, at this 
 moment oppressed by the heat, but slightly refreshed by 
 passing the ford, held their heads up proudly, and showed 
 that, if necessary, they could have gone a long journey, in 
 spite of their apparent fatigue. 
 
 Of the three horsemen, one seemed to be the master, or at 
 least the superior, of the other two. He was a man of fifty 
 years of age, with hard, energetic features, imprinted, how- 
 
 103 
 
IOJ. The Indian Scout 
 
 ever, with rare frankness, and great resolution; he was tall, 
 well built, and robust; and he sat upright and stiff on his 
 saddle, with that confidence which denotes the old soldier. 
 His companions belonged to the class of Indies Manzos, a 
 bastard race, in which Spanish blood and Indian blood are so 
 mixed that it is impossible to assign them any characteristic 
 type. Still, the richness of their dress, and the way in which 
 they rode by the first horseman's side, rendered it easy to 
 guess that they were confidential servants, men whose fidelity 
 had been long proved almost friends, in short, and not 
 domestics, in the vulgar acceptation of the term. As far as 
 it is possible to recognise the age of an Indian, in whose face 
 traces of decrepitude are nearly always invisible, these two 
 men must have reached middle age, that is, from forty to 
 forty-five years. 
 
 These three horsemen rode a short distance behind each 
 other, with a thoughtful and sorrowful air: at times they 
 turned a glance of discouragement around, stifled a sigh, and 
 continued their journey with drooping heads, like men con- 
 vinced they have undertaken a task beyond their strength, 
 but whom their will and, before all, their devotion urge 
 onwards at all risks. 
 
 The presence of these strangers on the banks of the Rubio 
 was, indeed, one of those unusual facts which no one would 
 have been able to explain, and which would certainly have 
 greatly surprised the hunters or Indians who might have 
 seen them. 
 
 In the country where they now were, animals were rare; 
 hence they were not hunting. These regions, remote from 
 all civilised zones, fatally bordered unexplored countries, the 
 last refuge of the Indians ; these men were, therefore, neither 
 traders nor ordinary travellers. 
 
 What reason could have been so powerful as to urge them 
 to bury themselves in the desert, so few in number, where 
 every human face must be to them that of an enemy? 
 Where were they going? what were they seeking? This 
 question none but the men themselves could have answered. 
 
 The ford had been passed; before them lay extended a 
 barren and sandy plain, opening on the gorge to which we 
 have already alluded. On this plain not a blade of grass 
 glistened: the burning beams of the sun descended per- 
 pendicularly on the parched sand, which rendered the heat, 
 if possible, more oppressive and stifling. The eldest of the 
 
The Travellers 105 
 
 travellers turned to his companions: " Courage, Muchacos ! " 
 he said, in a gentle voice and a sad smile, as he pointed to 
 the edge of the forest, not more than three miles from them, 
 whose close and thick vegetation promised them a refreshing 
 shade. "Courage! we shall soon rest." 
 
 " Your Excellency need not trouble yourself about us," 
 one of the criados answered ; " what your Excellency endures 
 without complaining, we can also endure." 
 
 " The heat is stifling : hence, like yourselves, I feel the 
 want of a few hours' rest." 
 
 " If absolutely necessary, we could go on a long time yet," 
 the man who had already spoken said, " but our horses can 
 hardly drag themselves along. The poor beasts are almost 
 foundered." 
 
 " Yes, men and beasts want rest. However strong our 
 will may be, there are limits before which the human organi- 
 sation must yield. Courage! in an hour we shall have 
 arrived." 
 
 " Come, come, Excellency, do not think of us any 
 more." 
 
 The first traveller made no answer, and they continued 
 their journey in silence. 
 
 They soon reached the gorge, which they passed through, 
 and found themselves among thickets, which, gently ap- 
 proaching, began to offer them a scanty shade, but, just as 
 they reached the spot the first traveller had pointed out for 
 their halt, he suddenly stopped and turned to his com- 
 panions, " Look there," he said, " do you not see a slight 
 pillar of smoke rising in the thicket, down there in front of 
 us, a little on the left of the skirt of the forest? " 
 
 They looked. " In truth," the elder answered, " there 
 can be no mistake about it, although from here it might be 
 taken for a mist; still, the way in which the spiral rises, 
 and its blue tinge, prove that it is smoke." 
 
 " After the ten mortal days we have been wandering about 
 these immense solitudes without meeting a living soul, that 
 fire must be welcome to us, for it indicates man, that is, 
 friends; let us go straight up to them, then; perhaps we 
 shall obtain from them some valuable information about the 
 object of our journey." 
 
 " Pardon me, Excellency," the creado answered, quickly, 
 " when we quitted the Presidio, you promised to place your- 
 self in my hands, so excuse my giving you some advice, 
 
106 The Indian Scout 
 
 which, under present circumstances, will be very useful to 
 you." 
 
 " Speak, my excellent Bermudez, I place the most perfect 
 confidence in your experience and fidelity ; your advice will 
 be well received by me." 
 
 " Thanks, Excellency," the man answered, whom he had 
 called Bermudez, " I have been a long time your vaquero, 
 and in that capacity have been frequently mixed up both 
 with hunters and Indians, which has given me certain notions 
 of desert life, by which I have profited, although I never 
 before went so far on to the prairie as to-day. Hence, in 
 the spot where we are, we must above all avoid a meeting 
 with our fellow-men, and only accost them prudently, while 
 employing the greatest precautions; the more so, as we do 
 not know whom we have before us, and if we have to deal 
 with friend or foe." 
 
 " It is true; your remark is correct; but, unfortunately, 
 it is a little late." 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " Because, if we have seen the smoke of their fire, it is 
 probable the people down there saw us long ago, and are 
 spying all our movements, especially as we made no attempt 
 at concealment." 
 
 " That is certain, Don Mariano, that is certain," Bermudez 
 continued, with a shake of his head. " Hear, then, what, 
 with your permission, Excellency, I propose, in order to 
 avoid any misunderstanding, which is always unpleasant; 
 you will remain here with Juanito, while I go on alone, and 
 push on my reconnoissance up to the fire." 
 
 Don Mariano hesitated to reply, for it seemed to him hard 
 to refuse his old servant thus. 
 
 " Decide, Excellency," the latter said, quickly; " I know 
 the Redskin way of talking; they will salute me either with 
 a shower of arrows, or a bullet; but, as they are generally 
 very bad shots, they are almost certain not to hit me, and 
 then I will easily enter into negotiations with them. You 
 see that the risk I have to run is not tremendous." 
 
 " Bermudez is right, Excellency," Juanito answered, 
 sententiously ; being a methodical and silent man, who 
 never took the word save under grave circumstances; " you 
 must let him act as he thinks proper." 
 
 " No ! " Don Mariano said, resolutely, " I will never con- 
 sent to that. God is master of our existence ; He alone can 
 
The Travellers 107 
 
 dispose of it at His will: if any accident happened to you, 
 my poor Bermudez, I should never pardon myself; we will 
 continue to advance together; at any rate, if they are 
 enemies before us, we shall be able to defend ourselves." 
 
 Bermudez and Juanito were preparing to answer their 
 master's objections, and the discussion would have probably 
 lasted a long while, but at this moment the galloping of a 
 horse was heard, the grass parted, and a rider appeared 
 about a dozen paces from the group. It was a white man, 
 and dressed in the garb of the prairie hunters. " Hold, 
 Caballeros," he cried, as he made a friendly sign with his 
 hand, and checked his horse; " advance without fear, you 
 are welcome: I noticed your indecision, and am come to 
 put an end to it." 
 
 The three men exchanged glances. 
 
 " I thank you for your cordial invitation," Don Mariano 
 at length answered, " and accept it gladly." 
 
 All suspicion being done away with, the four persons 
 walked together toward the fire, which they reached a few 
 moments later. Near this fire were two Indians, man and wife. 
 
 The travellers dismounted, took off saddle and bridle, and 
 after giving their horses food, seated themselves with a sign 
 of satisfaction by their new friends, who did the honour of 
 their provisions and bivouac with all the cordial simplicity 
 of the desert. 
 
 The reader has doubtless recognised Ruperto, Flying 
 Eagle, and Eglantine, whom we left proceeding toward the 
 Chief's village, whither Ruperto had received orders from 
 Marksman to accompany the Chief. 
 
 Don Mariano and his companions were not only fatigued, 
 but also excessively hungry; the hunter and the Indians 
 left them at full liberty to assuage their appetites, and when 
 they saw them light their papelitos, they imitated them, and 
 the conversation began. Turning at first on the ordinary 
 topics of the desert, the weather, the heat, and the abundance 
 of game, it soon grew more intricate, and assumed even a 
 serious character. 
 
 "Now that the meal is ended, Chief," Ruperto said, "put out 
 the fire ; it is unnecessary for us to reveal our presence to the 
 vagabonds who are doubtless prowling about the prairie." 
 
 Eglantine, at a sign from Flying Eagle, put out the fire. 
 
 " It was, indeed, your smoke which betrayed you," Don 
 Mariano remarked. 
 
io8 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Oh! " Ruperto said, with a laugh, " because we wished 
 it; had we not, we should have made our fire so as to 
 remain unseen." 
 
 " You wish, then, to be discovered? " 
 
 " Yes; it was a throw of the dice." 
 
 " I do not understand you." 
 
 " What I say to you seems an enigma, but you will soon 
 be able to understand it. Look," the hunter added, stretch- 
 ing out his arm in the direction of the gorge, " do you see 
 that horseman going at full speed ? in a quarter of an hour, 
 at the most, he will be up with us: owing to the precaution 
 I have taken, he will pass without noticing us." 
 
 " Do you fear anything from that horseman? " 
 
 " Nothing; on the contrary, the Chief and myself are here 
 to help him." 
 
 " You know him then? " 
 
 " Not the least in the world." 
 
 " Hum ! you are becoming more and more incompre- 
 hensible, Caballero." 
 
 " Patience," the hunter said, with a laugh, " did I not 
 tell you you should soon have a solution of the enigma? " 
 
 " Yes, and I confess that my curiosity is so excited, that 
 I am impatiently waiting it." 
 
 In the meanwhile, the horseman Ruperto had pointed out 
 to Don Mariano came up rapidly, and soon passed, as the 
 hunter had foreseen, a few paces from the bivouac, without 
 noticing it. So soon as he had disappeared in the forest, 
 Ruperto began again: " A few hours ago," he said, " not 
 far from the spot where we now are, the Chief and I, without 
 wishing it, overheard a conversation of which this horseman 
 was the object, a conversation in which the question was 
 simply to make him fall into an odious snare. I do not 
 know who this horseman is, nor do I wish to know it, but 
 I have an instinctive repulsion to all that in the slightest 
 degree resembles treachery. This Indian Chief, like myself, 
 immediately resolved on saving this Caballero, if it were 
 possible ; we knew that he must pass by here, as he had an 
 appointment with one of the men whom accident, or rather 
 Providence, had made us so singularly listen to. Two men, 
 however brave they may be, are very weak against some 
 twenty bandits, still we did not lose courage, but resolved, if 
 Heaven sent us no allies, bravely to attempt the adventure 
 by ourselves ; the more so, as the persons whose bloodthirsty 
 
The Travellers r 09 
 
 plans we had surprised seemed to us to be atrocious villains; 
 still, by the Chief's advice, I lit this fire, certain that if any 
 traveller came this way the smoke would serve him as a 
 beacon, and assuredly lead him here; you see, Caballero, 
 that I was not mistaken, as you have come." 
 
 " And I am glad I have," Don Mariano warmly replied; 
 " I most readily join in your plan, which appears to be 
 suggested in every respect by an honest and good heart." 
 
 " Do not make me out better than I am, Caballero," the 
 hunter made answer; " I am only a poor devil of a wood- 
 ranger, very ignorant of city matters ; but under all circum- 
 stances, I obey the inspirations of my heart." 
 
 " And you are right, for they are sound and just." 
 "Thanks; now we are in force, I assure you that the 
 picaros, however numerous they may be, will see some fun; 
 but we have still time before us; rest yourselves, sleep a 
 few hours; when the moment arrives, we will arrange what 
 to do." 
 
 Don Mariano was too tired to need a repetition of this 
 invitation ; a few moments later he and his companions were 
 plunged in a deep and restorative sleep. At sunset Ruperto 
 woke them. " It is time," he said. 
 
 They rose; for the few hours' rest had restored them 
 all their strength. The arrangements to be made were 
 simple, and soon decided on. 
 
 We have seen what took place ; Addick and Don Stefano, 
 themselves surprised, when they expected to surprise Don 
 Miguel, not knowing how many enemies they had to contend 
 with, fled after an obstinate struggle. Don Mariano and 
 Ruperto, satisfied with having saved Don Miguel, retired 
 so soon as the issue of the combat appeared no longer dubious. 
 Recalled, however, to the banks of the Rubio by the 
 shots fired at the last moment by Don Miguel, they saw 
 a man and rushed toward him, possibly more with the hope 
 of helping him than taking him prisoner. The man had 
 fainted. Don Mariano and Ruperto raised him in their 
 arms, and transported him beneath the covert of the forest, 
 where Eglantine had contrived with great difficulty to light 
 a fire; but when they were enabled to see the wounded 
 man's face by the glare, both uttered a cry of stupefaction, 
 " Don Stefano Cohecho! " Ruperto exclaimed. 
 "My brother!" Don Mariano said, with mingled grief 
 and horror. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 RECALLED TO LIFE 
 
 WITH the first gleam of day, the terrible hurricane, which 
 had raged so cruelly through nearly the whole night, gradually 
 calmed; the wind had swept the sky, and borne far away 
 the gloomy clouds which studded the blue heavens with 
 black spots; the sun rose majestically in floods of light; 
 the trees, refreshed by the tempests, had reassumed that 
 pale green hue, sullied on the previous day by the dusty 
 sand of the desert; and the birds, hid in countless myriads 
 beneath the dense foliage, poured forth that harmonious 
 concert which they offer every morning at sunrise to the All 
 High a sublime and grand hymn, a ravishing hymn, whose 
 rhythm, full of simple melodies, causes the man buried in 
 this ocean of verdure to indulge in sweet dreams, and plunges 
 him unconsciously into a melancholy reverie of the hope, 
 whose realisation is in heaven. 
 
 As we have said, Don Miguel Ortega, saved by the tried 
 courage and presence of mind of the two wood-rangers, was 
 carried by them to the foot of a tree, beneath which they 
 laid him. 
 
 The young man had fainted. The hunters' first care was 
 to examine his wounds: he had two, one on the right arm, 
 the other on the head, but neither of them was dangerous. 
 The wound in the arm bled profusely, a bullet had torn the 
 flesh, but had produced no fracture of the bone, or any grave 
 accident; as for the wound in the head, evidently produced 
 by a sharp instrument, the hair had already matted over it, 
 and checked the haemorrhage. 
 
 Don Miguel's faintness was produced by the loss of blood 
 in the first place, and next by the nervous excitement of 
 a long and obstinate struggle, and the immense amount of 
 strength .he had been compelled to expend to resist the 
 numerous enemies who had treacherously attacked him. 
 
 The woodrangers, owing to the life they led, and the 
 innumerable accidents to which they are constantly exposed, 
 are obliged to possess some practical knowledge of medicine, 
 and particularly of surgery. Pupils of the Redskins, simples 
 
 no 
 
Recalled to Life i i i 
 
 play a great part in their medical system. Brighteye and 
 Marksman were masters of the art of treating wounds 
 summarily, after the Indian fashion. After carefully wash- 
 ing the wounds, and removing the hair from that on the 
 head, they plucked oregano leaves, formed them into a species 
 of cataplasm, by slightly moistening them with spirits diluted 
 in water, and applied this primitive remedy to the wounds, 
 fastening it on with leaves of the abanigo, cut into strips, 
 round which they wound aloe threads. Then, with the 
 blade of a knife, they slightly opened the wounded man's 
 tightly closed jaws, and poured a few drops of spirits into his 
 mouth. In a few moments Don Miguel half opened his eyes, 
 and a fugitive glow coloured his pallid cheeks. 
 
 The hunters, with their hands crossed on the muzzles 
 of their rifles, carefully inspected the wounded man's face, 
 trying to read on his features the probable results of the 
 means they had thought it necessary to employ, in order to 
 relieve him. 
 
 The man who recovers from a deep fainting-fit is not 
 at the first moment conscious of external objects, nor does 
 he remember what has happened: the equilibrium of his 
 faculties, suddenly interrupted by the successive blows they 
 have experienced, is only re-established slowly and gradually, 
 in proportion as the eye grows brighter, the memory clearer. 
 Don Miguel looked around him with a glance that contained 
 no warmth or expression, and almost immediately closed 
 his eyes again, as if already wearied by the effort he had been 
 forced to make in opening them. 
 
 " In a few hours his strength will be restored, and before 
 three days there will not be a trace of it," Brighteye said, 
 tossing his head sententiously. "By Jove! he is one of 
 those sturdy fellows I like." 
 
 "Is he not?" Marksman answered, "so young and so 
 valiant? What a rude attack he sustained." 
 
 "Yes, and bravely, we must say; still, for all that, if 
 we had not been there, he would have found it difficult to 
 get out of the scrape." 
 
 " He would have perished, there is not the least doubt 
 of it, and that would have been unfortunate." 
 
 " Very unfortunate ! however, he is well out of it. By- 
 the-way, what are we going to do with him now? We 
 cannot stay here for ever; on the other hand, he is unable 
 to make a movement; but we must take him back to the 
 
1 1 2 The Indian Scout 
 
 camp, his men will feel alarmed at his absence, and who 
 knows what would happen if it were prolonged? " 
 
 "That is true; we cannot think of putting him on his 
 horse, so we must hit on some other expedient." 
 
 "By Jove! that will not trouble us; the torpor into 
 which he has fallen will last about two hours; in the mean- 
 time, he will be hardly capable of uttering a few words, and 
 vaguely recalling what has happened to him; it is not, 
 therefore, necessary for both of us to remain by him, one 
 will be enough say myself: you will go to the camp, state 
 what has occurred, tell the Gambusinos in what condition 
 their Chief is, ask for help, and bring it here as speedily as 
 possible." 
 
 " You are right, Brighteye, on my word; your advice 
 is excellent, and I will set about it at once. I shall not be 
 gone more than two hours, so keep good watch, for we do 
 not know who may be prowling round us, and spying our 
 movements." 
 
 " Don't be frightened, Marksman, I am not one of those 
 men who let themselves be surprised; stay, I remember 
 an adventure that occurred to me in every respect similar 
 to this. It was a long time ago, in 1824, I was very young, 
 and 
 
 But Marksman, who heard with secret terror his comrade 
 beginning one of his interminable stories, hastily interrupted 
 him without ceremony, saying "By Jove! I have been 
 acquainted with you for a long time, Brighteye, and know 
 what manner of man you are, so I go perfectly easy in mind." 
 
 " No matter," the hunter replied, " if you would let me 
 explain " 
 
 " Useless, useless, my friend; explanations are uncalled 
 for from a man of your stamp and experience," Marksman 
 said, as he leaped into his saddle, and started at full speed. 
 
 Brighteye looked after him for a long time. " Hum ! " 
 he said, thoughtfully; " the Lord is my witness that that man 
 is one of the most excellent creatures in existence; I love 
 him as a brother, and regret that I can never make him under- 
 stand how useful and precious it is to keep up a recollection 
 of past events, so as not to feel embarrassed when any of 
 those difficulties so common in desert life suddenly spring up : 
 well, I cannot help it. ' ' And he began once more examin ing 
 the wounded man, with that intelligent attention he had not 
 once ceased testifying toward him. 
 
Recalled to Life 1 1 3 
 
 Don Miguel had not made a movement; more than an 
 hour had elapsed, and when the effects of the fainting-fit 
 wore off, he instantaneously fell into that heavy, agitated 
 sleep, from which nothing could arouse him for a long time. 
 Brighteye, seated by his side, with his rifle betwixt his legs, 
 philosophically smoked his Indian pipe, waiting, with the 
 patience peculiar to hunters, till some symptom told him 
 that the wounded man had succeeded in shaking off that 
 torpor of evil augury which had seized upon him. 
 
 The old Canadian would have desired, even at the risk 
 of an intense fever setting in, that a sudden commotion should 
 recall the young man roughly to life ; he built on the arrival 
 of the Gambusinos to obtain this result, and he frequently 
 consulted the desert with anxiety to try and perceive them, 
 but he saw and heard nothing : all was silent around him. 
 
 " Come," he muttered at times, bending a dissatisfied 
 glance at Don Miguel, who lay stretched at his feet, " the 
 shock has been too rude, and nothing will happen to restore 
 him to a consciousness of life; on my soul, I am most un- 
 lucky." 
 
 At the moment when, perhaps for the hundredth time, he 
 repeated this sentence with ever-increasing annoyance, he 
 heard at a short distance off a rather loud rustling, and the 
 breaking of some dead branches. 
 
 " Eh, eh ! " the hunter said, " what is the meaning of this? " 
 
 He raised his head smartly, and looked carefully around; 
 suddenly he broke into a concentrated burst of laughter, and 
 his eyes sparkled with joy. 
 
 " By Jove! " he said, gaily, " this is exactly what I want. 
 Heaven has sent that young gentleman to draw me from my 
 dilemma, and he is right welcome." 
 
 At about twenty paces from the hunter, a magnificent 
 jaguar, crouching on the largest branch of an enormous 
 cochineal tree, fixed a glaring look upon him, while at 
 intervals passing one of its fore-claws over its ears, with the 
 airs and purring sound peculiar to the feline race. This wild 
 beast, probably terrified by the hurricane of the past night, 
 had not been able to regain its den, toward which it was pro- 
 ceeding, when it found the two men in its path. 
 
 The jaguar, or American tiger, far from attacking men, 
 carefully avoids a meeting with them, and only accepts a 
 combat when compelled and driven to bay, but then it 
 becomes terrible, and a contest with it is frequently mortal, 
 
 H 
 
1 14 The Indian Scout 
 
 unless its opponent is accustomed to the numerous tricks it 
 employs to insure the victory. At the moment the tiger per- 
 ceived the hunter, the latter saw the tiger, hence the combat 
 was imminent. The two enemies remained for several 
 minutes in an attitude of observation; their glances crossed 
 like sword blades. 
 
 " Come, make up your mind, sluggard," Brighteye 
 muttered. 
 
 The jaguar uttered a hoarse yell, sharpened its formidable 
 claws for a few seconds on the branch which served it for a 
 pedestal, and then, drawing itself up, bounded on the hunter. 
 The latter did not stir; with his rifle to his shoulder, his feet 
 well apart and firmly fixed, and his body bent slightly forward, 
 he followed with a careful eye all the movements of the wild 
 beast; at the moment the latter made its spring, the hunter 
 pulled the trigger. 
 
 The tiger turned a somersault with a ferocious yell, and 
 fell at Brighteye's feet. The Canadian bent down to it, but 
 the jaguar was dead; the hunter's bullet had entered its 
 brain through the right eye, and killed it on the spot. At 
 the howl of the brute, and the sound of Brighteye's rifle, Don 
 Miguel opened his eyes, and suddenly raised himself on his 
 elbow, with a terrified look, and features contracted by a 
 strange and terrible emotion, which reddened his face. 
 
 " Help ! help ! " he shouted in a thundering voice. 
 
 " Here I am! " Brighteye exclaimed, as he rose up, and 
 forced him to lie down again. 
 
 Don Miguel looked at him. 
 
 " Who are you? " he said, at the expiration of a minute; 
 " what do you want with me? I do not know you." 
 
 " That is true," the hunter said, imperturbably, and 
 addressing him like a child, " but you will soon know me: 
 do not be alarmed ; for the moment, it is enough for you to 
 know that I am a friend." 
 
 " A friend ! " the wounded man repeated, trying to restore 
 order to his ideas, which were still confused, " what friend? " 
 
 " By Jove! " the hunter said, " you do not count them by 
 thousands, I suppose; I have been your friend for some 
 hours past. I saved you at the moment when you were 
 dying." 
 
 " But all that tells me nothing teaches me nothing. 
 How am I here? how are you here? " 
 
 " Those are a good many questions all at once, and it is 
 
Recalled to Life 1 1 5 
 
 impossible for me to answer them: you are wounded, and 
 your state forbids any conversation. Will you drink? " 
 
 " Yes," Don Miguel answered, mechanically. 
 
 Brighteye held his gourd to him. 
 
 " Still," he continued, after a moment, " I have not been 
 dreaming." 
 
 " Who knows?" 
 
 " Those shots, the shouts I heard? " 
 
 " Quite a trifle; a jaguar I killed, and which you can see 
 a few yards off." 
 
 There was silence for a few minutes: Don Miguel was 
 thinking deeply ; light was beginning to dawn on his mind, his 
 memory was returning. The hunter anxiously followed on 
 the young man's face the incessant progress of returning 
 thought. At length a flash of intelligence lit up the young 
 man's eye, and fixing his feverish glance on the old hunter, 
 he asked him, " How long is it since you saved me? " 
 
 " Scarce three hours." 
 
 " Then, since the events that brought me here there has 
 only passed ? " 
 
 " One night." 
 
 " Yes ! " the young man continued in a deep voice, a 
 terrible voice, " I fancied I was dead." 
 
 " You only escaped by a miracle." 
 
 " Thanks." 
 
 " I was not alone." 
 
 " Who else came to my assistance? tell me his name, that 
 I may preserve it preciously in my memory." 
 
 " Marksman." 
 
 "Marksman!" the wounded man exclaimed, tenderly, 
 " always he. Oh ! I ought to have expected that name, for 
 he loves me." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " And what is your name? " 
 
 " Brighteye." 
 
 The young man trembled, and held out his arm. " Your 
 hand," he said; "you were right just now in saying you 
 were a friend, you have been so for a long time, Marksman 
 has often spoken to me about you." 
 
 " We have been connected for thirty years." 
 
 " I know it: but where is he, that I do not see him? " 
 
 " He went, about two hours back, to the camp of the 
 Cuadrilla, to bring help." 
 
116 The Indian Scout 
 
 " He thinks of everything." 
 
 " I remained here to watch over and take care of you 
 during his absence; but he will soon return." 
 
 " Do you believe that I shall be long helpless? " 
 
 " No; your wounds are not serious. What floors you at 
 this moment is the moral shock you received, and chiefly the 
 blood you lost when you fell in a fainting state into the 
 Rubio." 
 
 " Then that river 
 
 " Is the Rubio." 
 
 " I am, then, on the spot where the struggle ended? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " How many days do you think I shall remain in this state ? " 
 
 " Four of five at the most." 
 
 There was silence for several minutes. 
 
 " You told me that it is the weakness of my senses, pro- 
 duced by the moral shock I received, which overpowers me, 
 I think? " Don Miguel began again. 
 
 " Yes, I said so." 
 
 " Do you believe that a firm and powerful will could pro- 
 duce a favourable reaction ? " 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " Give me your hand." 
 
 " There it is." 
 
 "Good: now help me." 
 
 " What are you going to do? " 
 
 " Get up." 
 
 " By Jove! I was right in saying you were a man. Come, 
 I consent: have a try." 
 
 After a few minutes spent in fruitless efforts, Don Miguel 
 at length succeeded in standing upright. 
 
 " At last! " he said, triumphantly. 
 
 At the first step he took, he lost his balance, and rolled on 
 the ground. Brighteye rushed toward him. 
 
 " Leave me," he shouted to him, " leave me; I wish to 
 get up by myself." 
 
 He succeeded: this time he took his precautions better, 
 and succeeded in walking a few steps. Brighteye regarded 
 him with admiration. 
 
 " Oh ! the will must subdue the matter," Don Miguel 
 continued, with frowning brow and swollen veins, " I will 
 succeed." 
 
 " You will kill yourself." 
 
Recalled to Life 1 1 7 
 
 " No, for I must live; give me something to drink." 
 
 For the second time Brighteye handed him the gourd; 
 the young man eagerly raised it to his lips. "Now! " he 
 exclaimed, with a feverish accent, as he returned the gourd 
 to the hunter, " to horse." 
 
 " What, to horse? " Brighteye said, with stupefaction. 
 
 " Yes, I must be moving." 
 
 " Why, that is madness." 
 
 " Let me alone, I tell you, I will hold on; but as the 
 wound in the left arm prevents my getting into the saddle, 
 I must claim your assistance." 
 
 " You wish it." 
 
 " I insist on it." 
 
 " Be it so; and may God be merciful to us." 
 
 " HE will protect us, be assured." 
 
 Brighteye helped the young man into the saddle; against 
 the hunter's previsions, he kept firm and upright. " Now," 
 he said, " take up your jaguar's skin, and let us be off." 
 
 " Where are we going? " 
 
 " To the camp; Marksman will be greatly astonished to 
 see me, when he believes me to be half dead." 
 
 Brighteye silently followed the young man; he gave up 
 any further attempts to understand this strange character. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE SEARCH AFTER TRUTH 
 
 IN spite of Don Miguel's firm will to overcome the pain, the 
 horse's movement occasioned him a degree of suffering which 
 made his features quiver, and drops of cold perspiration 
 stand on his face, which was pale as that of a corpse; at 
 times his sight troubled him, he found everything turning 
 around him, he tottered in his saddle, and held on convul- 
 sively to his horse's mane through fear of falling. 
 
 " Stupid matter," he muttered in a hoarse voice, " shall I 
 not succeed in conquering you? " 
 
 Then he redoubled his efforts to seem apathetic, smiled on 
 Brighteye, and gaily addressed him. 
 
 For the first time in his life, the old hunter felt himself 
 nonplussed: though he ransacked his memory to try and 
 find an analogous circumstance to this in the course of his 
 varied life, to his great regret he was forced to confess to 
 himself that he had never witnessed anything like it. This 
 annoyed him, and he therefore walked with a dissatisfied air 
 by the young man's side. 
 
 Still they advanced. Suddenly, however, they heard the 
 sound of horses near them on the trail they were following. 
 
 " Here is Marksman," Don Miguel said. 
 
 " That is probable." 
 
 " He will be greatly astonished to meet me coming toward 
 the help he is bringing." 
 
 " That is certain." 
 
 " Let us hurry our horses on a little." 
 
 Brighteye looked at him. " You have sworn, then, to 
 bring on a congestion of the brain? " he said to him plainly. 
 
 " How so? " the young man asked in surprise. 
 
 " By Jove ! that is easy to see," the hunter went on, 
 hastily; " for an hour you have been committing one act 
 of madness after the other; but do not deceive yourself, 
 Caballero, what you take for strength is only fever. It is 
 that alone which sustains you, so take care, do not obstinately 
 continue an impossible struggle, from which, I warn you, 
 
 118 
 
The Search After Truth i 1 9 
 
 you will not emerge the victor. I let you act as you pleased, 
 because I saw no harm in doing so up to the present; but, 
 believe me, you have done enough. You have measured 
 your strength, and know what you are capable of doing 
 under urgent circumstances. That is all you want; so now 
 let us stop and wait." 
 
 " Thank you," Don Miguel said, cordially squeezing his 
 hand; " you are really my friend, your rude words prove it 
 tome. Yes, I am a madman ; but what would you ? lam 
 in a strange position, when every hour I lose may entail 
 extreme dangers on myself and other persons, and I am 
 afraid of succumbing before I have accomplished the task 
 which misfortune has imposed on me." 
 
 " You will succumb much sooner if you will not be reason- 
 able. Four or five days are soon passed; and, besides, 
 what you cannot do, your friends will accomplish." 
 
 " That is true. You make me blush for myself. I am 
 not only mad, but also ungrateful." 
 
 " Come, do not talk about that any more. The noise is 
 approaching. They are probably your companions; still 
 they might be enemies, for everything must be expected in 
 the desert. Let us enter this thicket, where we shall be 
 perfectly concealed from the eyes of the comers. If it be 
 Marksman, we will show ourselves; if not, we will keep 
 close." 
 
 Don Miguel warmly approved of the idea, for he under- 
 stood that, in case of a fight, he should be but slight help 
 to his companion in his present condition. The two men 
 disappeared in the thicket, which closed on them, and they 
 awaited, pistol in hand, the arrival of the persons. 
 
 Brighteye was not mistaken. It was really Marksman, 
 returning with some fifteen Gambusinos. When they were 
 only a few paces off, the two horsemen showed themselves. 
 Marksman could not believe his eyes. He did not under- 
 stand how the man he had left deprived of consciousness, 
 stretched out on the ground like an inert and almost lifeless 
 body, had possessed the strength to come and meet him, 
 and to sit so upright and firm in his saddle. 
 
 Don Miguel enjoyed for a little while his triumph, and the 
 admiration he inspired in these men, with whom the sole 
 supremacy is that of strength, and then bent down with a 
 smile to Marksman. 
 
 " You are not the less welcome with the help you bring 
 
120 The Indian Scout 
 
 me," he said in a low voice ; " this help has become, at this 
 moment, very necessary, if not indispensable; for my 
 resolution alone keeps me in the saddle." 
 
 " You must make haste to return to the camp, and, for 
 fear of accident, lie down on a litter." 
 
 " A litter? " Don Miguel objected. 
 
 " You must, believe me. It is urgent that you should 
 reassume, as soon as possible, the command of your Cuad- 
 rilla, so do not waste your strength in useless bravado." 
 
 Don Miguel bowed without replying, for he understood 
 the truth of the hunter's remark. So, after getting off his 
 horse with the aid of the two Canadians, he himself ordered 
 his companions to make the litter in which he should be 
 carried to the camp. 
 
 Marksman passed his arm through the young man's, and, 
 making a sign to Brighteye to follow them, led him a few 
 paces from the party, and made him sit down on the grass. 
 
 " Now that you are in a condition to answer me, profit by 
 the time during which your litter is being made. You have 
 plenty to tell me." 
 
 The young man sighed. " Question me," he said. 
 
 " Yes, that will be better. How and by whom were you 
 attacked?" 
 
 " I cannot tell you. It is a strange history; so confused 
 that it is impossible for me, in spite of all my efforts, to 
 disentangle it." 
 
 :< No matter. Tell me what happened to you; perhaps 
 we, who are better accustomed to the prairies than yourself, 
 will find a thread which will guide us through this apparently 
 inextricable labyrinth." 
 
 Don Miguel then told all the facts that had occurred, in 
 all their detail. At the name of Addick, Marksman frowned ; 
 when the Mexican spoke of Don Stefano, the hunters ex- 
 changed an intelligent glance; but when the young man 
 reached that singular turn in the combat, when, on the 
 point of succumbing, he had been suddenly surrounded by 
 strangers, who disappeared as if by enchantment, after dis- 
 engaging him, the hunters displayed marks of the greatest 
 surprise. 
 
 " Such," Don Miguel concluded, " was the odious ambush 
 into which I fell ; and to which I should have been a victim, 
 if you had not arrived so opportunely to save me. Now 
 that you know all as well as I do, what is your opinion? " 
 
The Search After Truth 121 
 
 " Hum! " the hunter said; " all that is really very extra- 
 ordinary. There is at the bottom of the affair a dark 
 machination, carried out with a diabolical skill and per- 
 versity which startles me. I have certain suspicions which 
 I wish first to clear up ; hence, I cannot give you my opinion 
 at once. Before all, I must investigate certain matters; but 
 trust to me for that. But these men who came so fortunately 
 to your help did you not see them? did you not speak 
 to them? " 
 
 " You forget," Don Miguel said, with a smile, " that they 
 appeared in the thick of the fight; brought as it were by the 
 hurricane, that raged so furiously. The time would have 
 been badly chosen for conversation." 
 
 " That is true; I did not know what I was saying. But," 
 the hunter added, striking the ground with the butt of his 
 rifle, " I will not be beaten. I swear to you that I shall 
 soon have discovered who your enemies are, whatever care 
 they may take, and precautions employ, to conceal them- 
 selves." 
 
 " Oh ! I intend to go in pursuit of them, so soon as I have 
 got back my strength." 
 
 " You, Caballero," Marksman remarked drily, " have first 
 to get well. On reaching your camp, you will have to shut 
 yourself up, as in a citadel, and not take a step till you 
 have seen me again." 
 
 " What! do you intend to leave me, then? " 
 
 " Brighteye and myself are going to start directly. We 
 should be of no use near you, while we may be of service 
 elsewhere." 
 
 " What do you intend to do ? " 
 
 " On our return, you shall know all." 
 
 " I cannot remain in such a state of uncertainty. Be- 
 sides, I do not understand you." 
 
 " Yet it is clear enough. I intend, aided by Brighteye, 
 to tear the mask from this Don Stefano a mask which, in 
 my opinion, hides a very ugly countenance to know who 
 this man is, and why he is such an obstinate enemy to 
 you." 
 
 " Thanks, Marksman; now I am easy in my mind. Go; 
 do all that seems proper to you. I am convinced that you 
 will accomplish everything that can be humanly accomplished. 
 But, before separating, promise me one thing." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
122 The Indian Scout 
 
 11 Promise me, that so soon as you have obtained all the 
 information you are going to seek, you will bring it to me, 
 without undertaking anything against this man, on whom 
 I intend to take personally you understand me, Marksman, 
 personally exemplary vengeance." 
 
 " That is your affair. I shall not interfere with you. 
 Every man has his task in this world; the man is your 
 enemy, and not mine. So soon as I have succeeded in 
 bringing you face to face, or at least putting you opposite 
 each other in an equal position, you will do as you please. 
 I shall wash my hands of it." 
 
 " Good, good! " Don Miguel muttered. " If any day I 
 hold that demon in my clutches, as he held me in his, he 
 shall not escape, I swear ! " 
 
 " So it is settled, we can start? " 
 
 "When you please?" 
 
 Brighteye had hitherto listened calmly to the conversa- 
 tion; but at this remark he stepped forward, and laid his 
 hand on Marksman's arm. " One moment," he said. 
 
 " What, more last words? " the hunter answered. 
 
 " Only a word; but one which, I fancy, possesses some 
 value in the present state of affairs." 
 
 "Make haste, then!" 
 
 " You wish to discover who this Don Stefano is, as he 
 thinks proper to call himself, and I approve it; but there is 
 another matter, I fancy, quite as serious, which we ought 
 to try and make out first." 
 
 " What is it? " 
 
 Brighteye turned his head to the right, and then to the 
 left, bent his body slightly forward, and lowering his voice 
 so that the persons he addressed could hardly hear him, 
 he continued in a severe tone, " Desert life in no way 
 resembles that in the towns. Down there people know each 
 other slightly or intimately, either by name or through 
 personal relations ; they are frequently connected by interests 
 more or less direct; in a word, socialities exist between all 
 the inhabitants of towns, attaching them one to the other, 
 and forming them, as it were, into one family. In the desert 
 this is no longer the case; egotism and personality are the 
 masters ; the ' I ' is the supreme law ; each man only thinks 
 of himself, only acts for himself, and I will say, further, only 
 loves himself." 
 
 " Cut it short, for goodness sake, Brighteye ; cut it short ! " 
 
The Search After Truth 123 
 
 Marksman said impatiently. " What the deuce are you 
 driving at? " 
 
 " Patience ! " the imperturbable Canadian said ; " patience ! 
 and you shall know. In short, then, in the desert, unless 
 a man has lived for years side by side with another sharing 
 pain and pleasure, good fortune and ill, with him he lives 
 alone, without friends, only counting indifferent persons as 
 enemies. In the trap to which Don Miguel almost fell a 
 victim last night, two sorts of people revealed themselves 
 spontaneously to him. These were, first, inveterate enemies, 
 and then equally staunch friends. Do not fancy," the 
 hunter continued, growing warm, " that I have not calculated 
 the range of the words I have just made use of; you would 
 be greatly mistaken. Does it not seem strange to you, as 
 it does to me, now that you are cool, and reason in all the 
 plenitude of your faculties, does it not seem strange to you, 
 I repeat, that, at a given moment, without it being possible 
 to know how or why these men suddenly emerged, as it 
 were, from the ground, to lend you a hand; then, when the 
 danger was past, or nearly so, they disappeared as suddenly 
 as they came, leaving no trace of their passage, and not 
 breaking the incognito which covered them, is not this 
 strange ? answer ! " 
 
 " In truth," Marksman muttered, " I did not think of 
 that till now; the conduct of those men is inexplicable." 
 
 "That is exactly what must be explained!" Brighteye 
 exclaimed violently. " The prairie is not so densely popu- 
 lated that, at a given moment, and amid a frightful hurricane, 
 there should be men ready to defend you for the mere satis- 
 faction of doing so ; those people must have had secret motives 
 for doing so, and that object it is urgent for us to discover. 
 Who tells us that they did not form part of the band which 
 attacked you? that it was not a trick to seize you more 
 easily a part of the game, the execution of which our un- 
 foreseen presence destroyed? I repeat to you, we must, 
 before all, find these men, know who they are, and what they 
 want; in a word, whether they are friends or enemies." 
 
 "It is very late now to undertake such a search," Don 
 Miguel observed. 
 
 The two hunters smiled, as they exchanged a significant 
 glance. " Very late for you, certainly, who do not possess 
 the key of the desert," Brighteye replied; " but with us it 
 is different." 
 
124 The Indian Scout 
 
 "Yes," Marksman supported him: "let us only find a 
 trace of their passage, however light it may be a footstep 
 on the damp sand, so as to hold one end of their trail that 
 will be enough to reach the other, and we shall give a good 
 account of these strangers, whose conduct, as Brighteye 
 observed very truly, is too strange and too fine to be honest." 
 
 " Oh ! why cannot I follow you ? " Don Miguel exclaimed, 
 regretfully. 
 
 " Get well first; then, I am certain, your part will begin; 
 for, before three days, we shall bring you all the information 
 you want to-day, and without which you can effect nothing." 
 
 " So you promise me that in three days 
 
 " Yes, in three days we shall return from our expedition. 
 Trust to our promise, and nurse yourself, so as to be able 
 to begin the campaign at once." 
 
 " I shall be ready." 
 
 " So, now, good-bye ! the sun is already high in the 
 heavens; we have not a moment to lose." 
 
 " Good-bye, and good luck! " 
 
 The hunters cordially pressed Don Miguel's hand, re- 
 mounted their horses, and went off rapidly in the direction 
 of the Rubio ford. The chief of the Gambusinos, laid on a 
 litter, went quickly back to his camp, which he reached a 
 little before sunset. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 DON MARIANO 
 
 WE will now return to Don Stefano Cohecho, whom we 
 left in a fainting state between Ruperto and Don Mariano. 
 
 The double exclamation drawn from the hunter and the 
 Mexican traveller, on recognising the man they had picked 
 up on the river bank, had plunged all three of them into a 
 profound state of stupefaction. Bermudez was the first 
 to recover his coolness, and he walked up to his master. 
 " Come, Don Mariano," he said to him, " do not stay here. 
 Perhaps it will be as well that, when your brother opens his 
 eyes, he should not see you." 
 
 Don Mariano fixed a burning glance on the wounded 
 man. " How is it that I find him here? " he said, as if 
 speaking to himself. " What is he doing in these savage 
 regions ? It was false, then, what he wrote about important 
 business calling him to the United States, and that he had 
 started for New Orleans? " 
 
 " Senor Don Estevan, your brother," Bermudez replied 
 gravely, " is one of those darkly-intriguing men with whom 
 it is impossible to know their thoughts, or guess their motives 
 or action. You see the hunter gives him a name which does 
 not belong to him. For what purpose does he conceal him- 
 self, then? Believe me, Don Mariano, there is a mystery 
 beneath this which we will clear up, with the aid of Heaven ; 
 but let us be prudent; let us not reveal our presence to 
 Don Estevan; there will always be time to do so when we 
 discover that we have been deceived." 
 
 " That is true, Bermudez; your advice is good, and I 
 will follow it; but, before retiring, let me assure myself as 
 to his present condition. That man is my brother; and, 
 however great the injuries he has done me may be, I should 
 not like to see him die without assistance." 
 
 " Perhaps it would be better," Bermudez muttered. 
 
 Don Mariano looked at him angrily, and bent over the 
 wounded man. The latter was still in a fainting state. 
 Eglantine lavished on him those delicate and intelligent 
 
 125 
 
126 The Indian Scout 
 
 attentions, of which women of all nations and every colour 
 possess the secret, but yet could not recall him to life. 
 
 " Pray, Excellency, take my advice," Bermudez urged, 
 " and retire." 
 
 Don Mariano took a last look at his brother, and seemed 
 to hesitate; then turning away, with an effort, he said 
 " Let us go." The old servant's face brightened. 
 
 " I recommend this man to you," Don Mariano added, 
 addressing Ruperto. " Pay him all the attention his con- 
 dition demands and humanity orders." 
 
 The hunter bowed. The Mexican gentleman walked a 
 few steps toward his horse, which, with those of his com- 
 panions, was fastened to a young ebony tree. Don Mariano 
 retired with regret: a secret voice seemed to warn him to 
 remain. At the moment he placed his foot in the stirrup, 
 a hand was laid on his arm, and he turned sharply. A man 
 was standing by his side. It was Flying Eagle. 
 
 The chief had left to the whites the care of transporting 
 the wounded. With the instinct peculiar to his race, he had 
 examined with the utmost attention the scene of the ambush 
 and all the spots whither the accidents of the combat had 
 led the fighters. His object in thus acting had been to dis- 
 cover some trace, some sign, which, in case of need, might be 
 useful to those who had an interest in discovering the causes 
 of the snare laid for Don Miguel. Accident had aided him 
 admirably, by supplying him with a proof whose value must 
 be immense, and which, doubtlessly, Don Stefano would 
 have bought back with his best blood, in order to destroy it. 
 Unfortunately, this proof, interesting as it was, was a sealed 
 letter for the Indian, and in his hands possessed no value. 
 
 Flying Eagle immediately thought of Don Mariano, who 
 would probably explain to him the importance of the mys- 
 terious find he had made. After turning it over several 
 times, he hid it in his bosom, and with the characteristic 
 decision of his race, walked rapidly back to the camp, where 
 he was certain of finding the Mexican. 
 
 " Is my father going away? " the Redskin asked. 
 
 " Yes," Don Mariano answered; " but I am glad to see 
 you, Chief, before my departure, that I may thank you for 
 your cordial hospitality." 
 
 The Indian bowed. " My father can decipher the ' collars ' 
 of the Palefaces. I think," he continued, " the whites have 
 great knowledge. My father must be a chief of his nation." 
 
Don Mariano 127 
 
 Don Mariano looked at the Comanche in surprise. " What 
 do you mean? " he asked him. 
 
 " Our Indian fathers taught us to preserve, on all skins of 
 animals, prepared for the purpose, the interesting events 
 that happened in our tribe in the old ages of the world. The 
 Palefaces know all; they possess the great medicine; they 
 also have collars." 
 
 " Certainly, we have books, in which, by means of recog- 
 nised signs, the history of nations, and even the thoughts of 
 men, can be traced." 
 
 The Indian made a gesture of joy. 
 
 "Good!" he said; "my father must know these signs, 
 for his head is grey." 
 
 " I do know them. Can the simple knowledge I possess 
 be of any service to you ? " 
 
 Flying Eagle shook his head negatively. 
 
 " No," he said; " not to me, but perhaps to others." 
 
 " I do not understand you, Chief; be good enough, there- 
 fore, to explain yourself more clearly, for I wish to go away 
 before that man regains his consciousness." 
 
 The Indian took a side glance at the injured man. 
 
 " He will not open his eyes for an hour," he said. " Flying 
 Eagle can talk to his father." 
 
 In spite of himself, Don Mariano felt interested in knowing 
 what the Indian wished to tell him; so he resolved to wait, 
 and made him a sign to speak. The chief continued in a low 
 voice, " Let my father listen," he said. " Flying Eagle is 
 not an old gossiping woman; he is a renowned chief. The 
 words his breast breathes are all inspired by the Wacondah. 
 Flying Eagle loves the Palefaces, because they have been 
 good to him, and have, in certain circumstances, rendered 
 him great services. After the fight, the Chief went over the 
 field of battle; near the spot where the man fell whom my 
 father brought here, Flying Eagle found a medicine bag, 
 containing several collars. The Indian looked at them on all 
 sides, but could not understand them, because the Wacondah 
 had spread over his eyes the thick bandage which prevents 
 the Redskins equalling the Whites. Still the Chief, suspect- 
 ing that perhaps this mysterious bag, useless to him, might 
 be important to my father, or some of his friends, previously 
 concealed it in his breast, and ran in all haste to hand it to 
 my father. Here it is," he added, drawing a portfolio from 
 his bosom, and handing it to Don Mariano; " let my father 
 
iz8 The Indian Scout 
 
 take it; perhaps he will be able to discover what it con- 
 tains." 
 
 Though the Redskin's action was perfectly natural on his 
 part, and the portfolio and its contents might be matters of 
 indifference to the gentleman, he only took it from the Chief's 
 hands with reluctance. The Indian folded his arms and 
 waited, perfectly satisfied with what he had done. 
 
 Don Mariano absently examined the portfolio he held in 
 his hand. It was made of very ordinary shagreen, with no 
 ornaments or gilding; it could be seen that it was more for 
 use than luxury; and it was crammed with papers, and 
 fastened with a small silver clasp. The examination, begun 
 absently, suddenly assumed a great importance for Don 
 Mariano, for his eyes had fallen on these words, half effaced, 
 engraved in letters of gold on one of the sides of the portfolio, 
 " Don Estevan de Real del Monte." 
 
 At the sight of these words, which revealed to him the 
 name of the owner of the object he held, he gave a start of 
 surprise. While turning and speaking, he came on his 
 brother, who still lay unconscious, and by a movement inde- 
 pendent of his will, his hand squeezed it forcibly. This 
 pressure opened the hasp, and several papers fell out. 
 
 Bermudez stooped quickly, and handed them to his master. 
 The latter mechanically held out his hand to receive them, and 
 return them to the portfolio; but Bermudez checked him 
 resolutely. 
 
 " Heaven gives you the means to know the truth at last," 
 he said; " do not neglect the opportunity it affords you, or 
 you may repent it when too late." 
 
 " Violate my brother's secrets! " Don Mariano muttered, 
 with a movement of repulsion. 
 
 " No," Bermudez retorted drily, " but learn how he 
 became master of your's. Excellency, remember the object 
 of our journey." 
 
 " But if I were discovered if he were not guilty? " 
 
 " All the better. In that way you will acquire cer- 
 tainty." 
 
 " What you urge me to do is wrong. I have no right to 
 act so." 
 
 " Well, I, who am only a wretched Creado, Excellency, 
 whose actions have no serious import, will assume that 
 right for your sake, Excellency." And by a gesture swift 
 as thought, he seized the portfolio. 
 
Don Mariano 129 
 
 " Wretch ! " Don Mariano shouted. " Stay, what are you 
 going to do ? " 
 
 " Save, perhaps, her you love, as you dare not do it your- 
 self." 
 
 " My father will leave his slave free," the Indian inter- 
 posed, " the Wacondah inspires him." 
 
 Don Mariano had not the courage to resist longer, for 
 involuntarily an unknown feeling he could not explain, told 
 him that he was wrong, and Bermudez did well to act so. 
 The half-caste had, with the greatest coolness, opened the 
 papers, not appearing to care for any seeming impropriety 
 in his conduct. 
 
 "Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed, "did I not tell you, 
 Excellency, that Heaven placed in your hands the proofs 
 you had so long been seeking in vain ? Read ! read ! and 
 if it be possible, still doubt the testimony of your eyes, and 
 refuse longer to believe in your brother's perfidy, and odious 
 treason." 
 
 Don Mariano seized the papers with a feverish gesture, and 
 hurriedly read them. After reading them two or three 
 times, he stopped, raised his eyes to heaven, and then let 
 his head fall in his hands with an expression of the utmost 
 pain. "Oh, oh!" he muttered, in despair, "my brother! 
 my brother! " 
 
 " Courage ! " Bermudez said, softly. 
 
 " I will have it," he answered; " the hour of justice has 
 arrived." 
 
 A strange change had suddenly taken place in him. This 
 man, a few moments previously so timid, and whose hesita- 
 tion was extreme, was metamorphosed. He seemed to have 
 grown; his features had assumed an imposing rigidity, and 
 his eyes flashed fire. 
 
 " No more childish fears," he said; " no further tergiversa- 
 tion. We must act." 
 
 Then turning to Flying Eagle, he asked him, 
 
 " Is that man seriously wounded? " 
 
 The Indian carefully examined Don Stefano. 
 
 During the whole period of the examination, no one 
 uttered a word. Every one understood that Don Mariano 
 had at length formed an energetic resolution, and that he 
 would accomplish it remorselessly, and without hesitation, 
 no matter what the consequences might be to him hereafter. 
 
 Flying Eagle returned in a few minutes. 
 
 I 
 
130 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Well? " the gentleman asked him. 
 
 " That man is not really wounded," the Indian answered; 
 " he has only received a serious contusion on the head, which 
 has plunged him into a sort of lethargic faint, from which he 
 will not recover for an hour." 
 
 " Very well; and on waking, in what state will he be? " 
 
 " Very weak; but that weakness will soon wear off, and 
 to-morrow he will be as right as before he received the blow." 
 
 A bitter smile played round Don Mariano's lips. " Tell 
 that hunter, your friend, to come here ; I must speak to you 
 both/' he said. " I have a service to ask of you." 
 
 The Chief obeyed. 
 
 " I am at your service, Excellency," Ruperto remarked. 
 
 " We will hold a council," Don Mariano then said. " Is 
 not that the term you employ in the desert when you have 
 to discuss important business? " 
 
 The hunter and the Indian made a sign of assent. 
 
 " Listen to me attentively," the gentleman continued, in 
 a firm and impressive voice. " The man there is my brother, 
 and he must die. I do not wish to kill him, but to try him. 
 All you now present will be his judges; I his accuser. Will 
 you aid me to accomplish an act of vengeance, but a deed of 
 the most rigorous justice? I repeat to you, I will accuse 
 him before you all, and documents in hand. He will be at 
 liberty to defend himself; your conscience will be clear; he 
 will have entire freedom to do so ; and, moreover, you will 
 condemn or acquit him, according to the opinion you form 
 on the evidence. You have heard me; reflect; I await 
 your reply." 
 
 There was a supreme silence. After a few moments, 
 Ruperto took the word. " In the desert, where human 
 justice does not penetrate," he said, " the law of God must 
 prevail. If we have a right to kill the noxious and male- 
 volent brutes, why should we not the right to punish a 
 villain? I accept the office you offer me, because in my 
 heart I am persuaded that in doing so I am doing my duty, 
 and am useful to society, of which I make myself the 
 avenger." 
 
 " Good! " Don Mariano answered. " 1 thank you. And 
 you, Chief? " 
 
 " I accept," the Comanche said distinctly. " Traitors 
 must be punished, no matter to what race they belong. 
 Flying Eagle is a chief; he has the right to sit at the council 
 
Don Mariano i 31 
 
 fire, in the first rank of the Sachems, and condemn or 
 acquit." 
 
 " It is now your turn," Don Mariano continued, addressing 
 his servant; " answer." 
 
 Bermudez stepped forward a pace, and bowed respectfully 
 to Don Mariano. " Excellency," he said, " we knew this 
 man when he was a child; we dandled him on our knees* 
 At a later date he became our master; our hearts would not 
 be free in his presence. We cannot judge him; we ought 
 not to condemn him. We are only fit to execute the sentence, 
 whatever it may be, which is dealt out to him, if we receive 
 the order. Old slaves, liberated by the kindness of their 
 master, are never equal to him." 
 
 " Those feelings are what I expected from you. I thank 
 you for your frankness, my children. In truth, you should 
 not interfere in this matter. Heaven, I hope, will send us 
 two men with loyal hearts and firm will to take your places, 
 and fulfil the duty of judges impartially." 
 
 " Heaven has heard you, Caballero," a rough voice said; 
 " we are here at your disposal." 
 
 The branches of the thicket near which our characters 
 were, were then torn boldly asunder, and two men appeared. 
 They walked a few steps forward, rested their rifles on the 
 ground, and waited. 
 
 " Who are you? " Don Mariano asked. 
 
 " Hunters." 
 
 "Your name?" 
 
 " Marksman." 
 
 "And yours?" 
 
 " Brighteye. For about half-an-hour we have been hidden 
 behind this bush. We heard all you said, and hence it is 
 useless to repeat your statement. But there is another man 
 who must be present at the trial." 
 
 "Another man! Who?" 
 
 " The one he attacked so traitorously, whom you drew 
 from his hand, and whom we saved." 
 
 "Ha! who knows where to find that man at present? " 
 
 " We do," Marksman said, "as we only left him an hour 
 ago, to take up your trail." 
 
 " Oh, if that is the case, you are right; that man must 
 come." 
 
 " Unfortunately, he is seriously wounded; but if he cannot 
 come of himself, he can be carried: and I know not why r 
 
132 The Indian Scout 
 
 but his presence seems to me not only necessary, but even 
 indispensable, in order to clear up certain facts which it is 
 our duty to fathom." 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " Patience, Caballero; you will soon understand. This 
 man's camp is not far off, and he can be here before sunset." 
 
 " But who will warn him? " 
 
 " Myself," Brighteye answered. 
 
 " I thank you for the hearty offer." 
 
 " We are possibly more interested than yourself in clearing 
 up this mysterious machination," Marksman answered. 
 
 At a sign from his friend, Brighteye remounted his horse, 
 which he had left in the thicket, and rode off at full speed, 
 while Don Mariano followed him with a glance at once 
 curious and puzzled. " You speak to me in riddles," he 
 said to Marksman, who was still leaning on his rifle. 
 
 The latter shook his head. 
 
 " The history, whose odious incidents will be unrolled 
 before you, is a sad one, Excellency, and you have not the 
 key, in spite of the proofs you believe you possess." 
 
 Don Mariano sighed, and two burning tears ran down his 
 cheeks, which were furrowed by grief. 
 
 " Courage, mi amo 1 " Bermudez said. " Heaven is at 
 length on your side." 
 
 The gentleman pressed the hand of his faithful servant, 
 and turned his head away to conceal the emotion he felt. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 BEFORE THE TRIAL 
 
 WHEN Brighteye went off, Marksman, the Indian, and 
 Ruperto approached the wounded man, who was still plunged 
 in the same state of lethargy, and collected around him, in 
 order to await his recovery. 
 
 Don Mariano, whose scruples were now extinguished, and 
 who was anxious to know all the windings of his brother's 
 dark machinations, in order to have solid arguments for the 
 accusations he was about to bring against him before that 
 supreme tribunal he had so unexpectedly found, withdrew 
 from his servants into a dense coppice, where, free from all 
 glances, he opened the portfolio with feverish impatience, 
 and began reading the papers it contained, with a horror 
 that increased with every fresh letter he unfolded. 
 
 Don Mariano did not wish his brother to be aware of his 
 presence before being confronted with his judges, for he 
 counted on his unexpected apparition to foil his perspicacity 
 and presence of mind, by making him lose his coolness. 
 Hence he concealed himself in a spot invisible to the most 
 searching glance, reserving the right of appearing at the 
 decisive moment. 
 
 More than an hour elapsed, ere Don Stefano, in spite of 
 Eglantine's incessant care, made a movement indicating his 
 return to life. Still the three men, crouched silently round 
 him, did not for a moment relax in their watchfulness ; they 
 understood the full extent of the act they were about to 
 accomplish, and desired, with that intuitive mistrusting pos- 
 sessed by loyal souls, that the man they were about to try 
 should be sufficiently collected, and so far in possession of 
 his faculties, as to defend his life bravely. 
 
 At the moment when the sun, rapidly declining on the 
 horizon, lengthened the shadows of the trees, and only 
 appeared through the lower branches like a huge ball of fire, 
 the evening breeze passed like a fresh breath over the pale 
 brow of the wounded man, who uttered a deep sigh at the 
 feeling of comfort this beneficial freshness caused him to 
 experience, after the stifling heat of the day. 
 
 133 
 
134 The Indian Scout 
 
 " He is going to open his eyes," Marksman muttered. 
 
 Flying Eagle laid his finger on his lips as he pointed to 
 the wounded man. 
 
 Low as the hunter had spoken, Don Stefano had heard 
 him; though not, perhaps, understanding the meaning of 
 the words that had struck his ears, but sufficiently so to 
 recall him to a sense of existence. 
 
 Don Stefano was no common man, and a worthy son of 
 the bastard race of Mexico. Cunning was the most prominent 
 point in his eminently dissimulating character; accustomed 
 ever to judge men and things badly, distrust seemed innate 
 in his heart. Marksman's words warned him to keep on his 
 guard, without stirring, without opening his eyes, lest he 
 should reveal his return to life; he made a supreme effort to 
 recall the events that preceded his accident, so as to arrive, 
 from deduction to deduction, at the position in which he 
 now was, and guess, if that were possible, into whose hands 
 chance, or his ill fortune, had made him fall. 
 
 The task Don Stefano imposed on himself was not easy, 
 for, by the force of circumstances, he was deprived of his 
 most potent auxiliary, sight, which would have enabled him 
 to recognise the persons who surrounded him, or, at any 
 rate, perceive were they friends or enemies. Thus, though 
 he listened with the utmost attention, in order to catch a 
 word or a phrase to guide him in his suppositions, and show 
 hjm how to base his calculations on probable, if not positive, 
 data, as the hunters, warned by the Chief, and suspecting a 
 trick, abstained for their part from making a gesture or 
 uttering a word, all his previsions were foiled, and he remained 
 in the most utter ignorance. 
 
 ^his prolonged silence further heightened Don Stefano's 
 anxiety, and presently threw him into such a state of alarm 
 that he resolved, at all risks, on removing his doubts. 
 Putting his plans almost at once into execution, he made a 
 movement as if to rise, and suddenly opened his eyes, and 
 took an inquiring and searching glance around. 
 
 " How do you feel?" Marksman asked, as he bent over 
 him. 
 
 " Very weak," Don Stefano answered, in a suffering voice. 
 " I feel a general heaviness, and frightful buzzing in my ears." 
 
 " Good," the hunter continued, " that is not dangerous. 
 It is always so after a fall." 
 
 " I have had a fall, then? " the wounded man continued, 
 
Before the Trial 135 
 
 whom the sight of Ruperto, an old acquaintance, began to 
 reassure. 
 
 " Hang it! it is probable, as we found you lying on the 
 banks of the Rubio." 
 
 " Ah, you found me, then? " 
 
 " Yes, about three hours back." 
 
 " Thanks for the aid you gave me; had it not been for 
 that, I should probably be dead." 
 
 " Very possibly; but do not be in a hurry to thank 
 us." 
 
 " Why not? " Don Stefano suddenly said, as he cocked his 
 ears at this ambiguous answer, which seemed to him a dis- 
 guised threat. 
 
 "Eh, who knows?" Marksman retorted, simply; "no 
 one can answer for the future." 
 
 Don Stefano, whose strength was rapidly returning, and 
 who had already gained all his lucidity of mind, rose quickly, 
 and fixed on the Canadian a glance which seemed meant to 
 read his most intricate thoughts. " I am not your prisoner, 
 though? " 
 
 " Hum! " was all the hunter replied. 
 
 This interjection made the wounded man thoughtful, and 
 disturbed him more than a long phrase. " Let us speak 
 frankly," he said, after a few moments' reflection. 
 
 " I wish for nothing better." 
 
 " Of you, then, there is one I know," he continued, point- 
 ing to Ruperto, who gave a silent nod of assent. " I never, to 
 my knowledge, injured that man; on the contrary " 
 
 " That is true," Ruperto answered. 
 
 " I never saw you, so you can have no feelings of animosity 
 against me." 
 
 " That is correct. This is the first time Providence has 
 brought us face to face." 
 
 " There remains this Indian warrior, who, like yourself, 
 is a perfect stranger to me." 
 
 " All that is correct." 
 
 " For what reason, then, can I be your prisoner? Unless, 
 as I cannot believe, you belong to those birds of prey, called 
 pirates, who swarm in the desert? " 
 
 " We are not pirates, but frank and honest hunters." 
 
 " A further reason why I should address my question to 
 you again, and ask you if I am your prisoner or no? " 
 
 " The question is not so simple as you suppose, although we 
 
136 The Indian Scout 
 
 have no reproaches to bring against you personally. Have 
 you not insulted or offended other persons since you have 
 been on the prairie? " 
 
 "I?" 
 
 " Who else but you? Did you not try, no later than last 
 night, to assassinate a man in an ambuscade you laid for 
 him?" 
 
 " Yes; but that man is my enemy." 
 
 "Well! Suppose, for a moment, we are friends of that 
 man!" 
 
 " But it is not so. It cannot be." 
 
 " Why not? What makes you suppose so? " 
 
 Don Stefano shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. 
 " You must think me very foolish," he said, " if you would 
 try to make me believe that quibble." 
 
 " It is not so much one as you imagine." 
 
 " Nonsense! If I had fallen into the hands of that man, he 
 would have had me conveyed to his camp, in order to revenge 
 himself on me in the presence of the bandits he commands, 
 and to whom the sight of my punishment would, doubtlessly, 
 have been too agreeable for him to have tried to deprive them 
 of the delightful sight." 
 
 The old hunter, whose language had hitherto been ironical 
 and face malicious, suddenly changed his tone, and became 
 as serious and stern as he had previously been sarcastic. 
 " Listen," he said, " and profit by what you are going to 
 hear. We are not the dupes of your feigned weakness. We 
 know very well that your strength has nearly returned. The 
 advice I give you is frank, and intended to guard you against 
 yourself; you are not our prisoner, it is true, and yet you are 
 not free."' 
 
 " I do not understand you," Don Stefano interrupted him, 
 the last words clouding over his face, which had suddenly 
 grown brighter. 
 
 " Not one of the persons present," Marksman continued, 
 " has any charge to bring against you. We do not know 
 who you are; and before to-day, I, at least, was entirely 
 ignorant of your existence ; but there is a man who asserts that 
 he has against you not feelings of hatred, for that would be 
 a matter to settle between yourselves in a fair fight but 
 motives of complaint sufficiently great to justify your im- 
 mediate trial." 
 
 " My trial ! " Don Stefano repeated, in the utmost astonish- 
 
Before the Trial 137 
 
 ment; " but before what tribunal does that man intend to 
 try me? We are here in the desert." 
 
 " Yes; and you seem to forget it. In the desert, where 
 the laws of cities are powerless to punish the guilty, there is 
 a terrible, summary, implacable legislature, to which, in the 
 common welfare, every aggrieved person has a right to appeal, 
 when suspicious circumstances demand it." 
 
 " And what is this law? " Don Stefano asked, whose pale 
 face had already assumed a cadaverous hue. 
 
 " It is Lynch law." 
 
 " Lynch law? " 
 
 " Yes; and in the name of that law we, who, as you say, 
 you do not know, have been assembled to try you." 
 
 "Try me! but that is impossible. What crime have I 
 committed? Who is the man that accuses me? " 
 
 " I cannot answer these questions. I do not know the 
 crime of which you are accused, nor the name of your accuser; 
 but believe me, we have no hatred or prejudice against you, 
 and we shall, therefore, be impartial. Prepare your defence 
 during the few moments left you, and when the moment 
 arrives, try to prove your innocence, by confounding your 
 accuser a thing which I ardently desire." 
 
 Don Stefano let his head fall in his hands with an expression 
 of despair. " But how would you have me prepare my 
 defence, when I am ignorant of the nature of the crimes 
 imputed to me? Give me a light through the darkness, a 
 flash, however slight, that I may be able to guide myself, 
 and know where I am." 
 
 " In speaking as I did, Caballero, I obeyed my conscience, 
 which ordered me to warn you of the danger that threatened 
 you. It would be impossible for me to tell you more, for I 
 am as ignorant as yourself." 
 
 " Oh ! it is enough to drive a man mad," Don Stefano 
 exclaimed. 
 
 At a sign from Marksman, Ruperto and Flying Eagle rose. 
 The hunter nodded to Eglantine to imitate their example. 
 All four withdrew, and Don Stefano was left alone. 
 
 The Mexican rolled on the ground with the insensate fury 
 of a man before whom an insurmountable obstacle suddenly 
 rises, and who, driven into a desperate position, is forced to 
 confess himself vanquished. A prey to the deepest anxiety, 
 ignorant whither to turn in order to dispel the tempest growl- 
 ing over his head, he sought in vain in his mind for the means 
 
138 The Indian Scout 
 
 to escape from the hands that held him. His inventive 
 genius, so fertile in schemes of every description, furnished 
 him with no subterfuge, no stratagem, that would aid him 
 advantageously in supporting this supreme contest with the 
 unknown. In vain he racked his brains: he found nothing. 
 Suddenly he. drew himself up, and by a movement rapid as 
 thought, thrust his hand into his chest. "Ah!" he ex- 
 claimed, sorrowfully, and let his hand fall again by his side, 
 "" what has become of my portfolio? " He searched eagerly 
 around him, but found nothing. " I am lost," he added, 
 " if those men have found it. What shall I do ? What will 
 become of me? " 
 
 A sound of horses was heard in the distance, gradually 
 approaching the spot where the hunters were encamped. 
 The sound soon became more distinct, and it was easy to 
 recognise the advent of a numerous party of horsemen. In 
 fact, within a quarter of an hour, some thirty mounted men, 
 led by Brighteye, entered the clearing. " Brighteye among 
 these bandits! " Don Stefano muttered. " What can be the 
 meaning of it? " 
 
 His uncertainty did not last long. The new arrivals 
 escorted a man whom Don Stefano recognised at once. " Don 
 Miguel Ortega ! oh, oh!" Then he added, with one of those 
 cunning smiles habitual to him, " Now I know my accuser. 
 Come, come," he said to himself, " the position is not so 
 desperate as I supposed. It is evident these men know 
 nothing, and my precious papers have not fallen into their 
 hands. Hum! I fancy that this terrible Lynch law will be 
 wrong this time, and I shall escape from this peril, as I have 
 done from so many others." 
 
 Don Miguel had passed without seeing Don Stefano, or 
 perhaps, as was more likely, without appearing to notice 
 him. As for the prisoner, interested as he was in observing 
 everything, and not allowing the slightest detail to escape 
 his notice, he followed with watchful eye, while feigning the 
 most indifferent behaviour, all the movements of the hunters. 
 After gently depositing the litter at the side of the clearing 
 opposite to that where Don Stefano lay, the Gambusinos, 
 instead of dismounting, formed a large circle, and remained 
 motionless, rifle on thigh, thus rendering any attempt at 
 flight impossible. 
 
 Buffalo skulls, intended to act as seats, were arranged in a 
 semi-circle round a fire of dry branches. On these skulls, 
 
Before the Trial 139 
 
 five in number, five men immediately took their seats, 
 arranged in the following order: Don Miguel Ortega, per- 
 forming the duties of president, in the centre, having on his 
 right Marksman, on his left Brighteye, and then the Indian 
 Chief and a Gambusino. This tribunal in the open air, in 
 the heart of the virgin forest, surrounded by these horsemen, 
 in their strange costume, motionless as bronze statues, pro- 
 duced an effect at once imposing and striking. These five 
 men, with stern looks and frowning eyebrows, calm and 
 apathetic, bore a marvellous resemblance to that Holy 
 Vehm, which in old times, on the banks of the Rhine, took 
 the place of legal justice, no longer able to repress crime, 
 and gave its judgments in the open air, to the hoarse growling 
 of the winds, and the mysterious murmurs of the waters. 
 
 In spite of his daring, Don Stefano felt a shudder of terror 
 all over him, as he looked round the clearing, and saw all 
 eyes fatally fixed upon him, with the implacable rigidity 
 of desert force and justice. " Hum! " he muttered to him- 
 self, " I believe I shall have a difficulty to get out of the 
 scrape, and was too hasty in claiming victory." 
 
 At this moment, two hunters, at a sign from Don Miguel, 
 quitted the ranks, dismounted, and approached the wounded 
 man. The latter made an effort, and succeeded in gaining 
 his feet. The hunters took him by the arms, and led him 
 before the tribunal. Don Stefano drew himself up, crossed 
 his arms on his chest, and bent a sardonic glance on the men 
 before whom he was led. " Oh, oh ! " he said, with a mocking 
 accent, addressing Don Miguel, "it is you, then, Caballero, 
 who are my accuser? " 
 
 The captain shrugged his shoulders slightly. " No," he 
 replied; " I am not your accuser, but your judge." 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 FACE TO FACE 
 
 AFTER these words, there was a moment of expectation 
 almost of hesitation. A leaden silence seemed to brood 
 over the forest. 
 
 Don Stefano was the first to overcome the feeling of terror 
 which involuntarily pervaded him. " Well! " he said, with 
 a contemptuous tone, and a clear, cutting voice; " if it be 
 not you, where is this accuser? Will he hide himself, now 
 that the hour has arrived ? Will he recoil before the responsi- 
 bility he has assumed? Let him appear I am ready for 
 him!" 
 
 Don Miguel shook his head. "When he does appear, 
 you may, perhaps, find that he has come too soon," he 
 answered. 
 
 " What do you want with me, then? " 
 
 " You shall hear." 
 
 Don Miguel was pale and sombre; a sad smile played 
 round his discoloured lips ; it was evident that he was making 
 extraordinary exertions to overcome his weakness and keep 
 his seat. After a few moments' consideration, he raised his 
 head. " What is your name ? " he asked. 
 
 " Don Stefano Cohecho," the accused answered without 
 hesitation. 
 
 The judges exchanged a glance. 
 
 " Where were you born? " 
 
 " At Mazatlan, in 1808." 
 
 " What is your profession? " 
 
 " Merchant, at Santa FeY' 
 
 " What motive brought you into the desert? " 
 
 " I have told you already." 
 
 " Repeat it! " Don Miguel said, with perfect coldness. 
 
 " I would remark that these questions, perfectly unneces- 
 sary for you, are beginning to grow tiresome." 
 
 " I ask you what motive brought you into the desert? " 
 
 " The failure of several of my correspondents compelled 
 me to take a journey, in the hope of saving some fragments 
 
 140 
 
Face to Face 141 
 
 of my endangered fortune. I am in the desert, because there 
 is no other road to the town I wish to reach." 
 
 " Where are you going? " 
 
 " To Monterey. You see the docility with which I answer 
 all your questions," he said, with the impertinent tone he 
 had assumed ever since he was led before his judges. 
 
 " Yes," Don Miguel replied, slowly, and laying a stress 
 on each word, " you display great docility. I wish, for your 
 own sake, you were equally truthful." 
 
 "What do you mean by that remark?" Don Stefano 
 asked, haughtily. 
 
 " I mean that you have answered each of my questions 
 with a falsehood," Don Miguel said, coolly and drily. 
 
 Don Stefano frowned, and his tawny eye emitted a flash. 
 " Caballero ! " he said, violently, " such an insult " 
 
 " It is no insult," the adventurer answered, in his old 
 tone; " it is the truth, and you know it as well as I." 
 
 " I should be curious to know the meaning of this," the 
 Mexican tried to say. 
 
 Don Miguel looked at him fixedly; and, in spite of his 
 impudence, Don Stefano could not endure the glance. 
 
 " I will satisfy you," the adventurer said. 
 
 " I am listening." 
 
 " To my first question you answered that your name was 
 Don Stefano Cohecho? " 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " That is false; for your name is Don Estevan de Real 
 del Monte." 
 
 The accused gave a slight start. Don Miguel continued: 
 "To my second question, you replied that you were born 
 at Mazatlan, in 1808. That is false; you were born at 
 Guana-juato, in 1805." 
 
 The adventurer waited a moment, to give the man he 
 addressed time to reply. But Don Estevan, whose right 
 name we will in future adhere to, did not think it advisable 
 to do so. He remained cold and gloomy. Don Miguel 
 smiled contemptuously, and continued: 
 
 " To my third question, you answered that you carried 
 on the business of a merchant, and were established at 
 Santa Fe. That is all false. You never were a merchant. 
 You are a senator, and reside in Mexico. Lastly You said 
 you were only crossing the desert on your road to Monterey, 
 where the interests of your pretended business called you. 
 
142 The Indian Scout 
 
 As for the latter assertion, I need hardly, I believe, prove 
 its falsehood to you, for that is palpable from the other 
 answers you made. Now I await your reply, if you have one 
 to make which I doubt." 
 
 Don Estevan had had time enough to recover from the 
 rude blow he had received ; hence he did not feel alarmed, 
 as he believed he could guess whence the attack came, and 
 by what means those in whose presence he now was had 
 obtained this information about him. Hence he replied 
 in a sarcastic tone, and drawing in his lips spitefully, " Why 
 do you fancy I cannot answer you, Caballero? Nothing is 
 more easy; on the contrary, caspita ! because, during my 
 fainting fit, you shall I say robbed me ? No, I am polite ; 
 I will therefore say adroitly carried off my portfolio; and 
 because, after opening it, you obtained certain information, 
 you throw it in my face, convinced that I shall feel disarmed 
 by your being so conversant with my affairs. Nonsense! 
 you are mad, on my soul. All these things are absurdities, 
 which will not bear analysis. Yes, it is true that my name 
 is Don Estevan. I was born at Guana-juato, in 1805, and 
 am a senator what next? Those are strong motives on 
 which to base an accusation against a Caballero! Cuerpo 
 de Cristo I am I the only man in the desert who assumes 
 a name other than his own? By what right do you, who 
 only call each other by your surnames, wish to prevent me 
 from following your example ? It is the height of absurdity ; 
 and if you have no better reason to allege, I must ask you 
 to let me go and attend to my affairs in peace." 
 
 " We have others," Don Miguel answered, in an icy tone. 
 
 " I know your reasons. You, Don Miguel, who are also 
 called Don Torribio, and sometimes Don Jose, accuse me 
 of having laid a trap for you, from which you were only 
 saved by a miracle. But that is a matter between ourselves, 
 in which Heaven alone must be the arbiter." 
 
 " Do not bring that name forward. I have already told 
 you that I was not your accuser, but your judge." 
 
 " Very good. Restore me my portfolio, and let us stop 
 here, believe me, for in all this there is no advantage for you, 
 unless you have resolved to assassinate me, which is very 
 possible; and in that case I am at your service. I do not 
 pretend to contend against the thirty or forty bandits who 
 surround me. So kill me if you think proper, and let us have 
 an end of it." 
 
Face to Face 143 
 
 Don Stefano uttered these words with a tone of sovereign 
 contempt, which his judges, like men whose mind is made 
 up beforehand, did not appear to notice. 
 
 " We have not stolen your portfolio," Don Miguel answered ; 
 " not one of us has seen it, much less opened it. We are not 
 bandits, and have no design to assassinate you. We are 
 assembled to try you according to the regulations of Lynch 
 Law ; and we perform this duty with all the impartiality of 
 which we are capable." 
 
 " If that be the case, let my accuser appear, and I will 
 confound him. Why does he hide himself so obstinately? 
 Justice must be done in the sight of all. Let this man 
 come, who asserts that he has such heavy crimes to bring 
 against me let him come, and I will prove him a vile 
 calumniator." 
 
 Don Estevan had scarcely uttered these words, ere the 
 branches of a neighbouring bush were drawn back, and a 
 man appeared. He walked hastily toward the Mexican,, 
 and laid his hand boldly on his shoulder. 
 
 " Prove to me, then, that I am a vile calumniator, Don 
 Estevan," he said, in a low and concentrated voice, as he 
 regarded him with an expression of implacable hatred. 
 
 "Oh," Don Estevan exclaimed, "my brother!" and 
 lolling like a drunken man, he recoiled a few paces, his face 
 covered with a deadly pallor, his eyes suffused with blood,, 
 and immeasurably dilated. Don Mariano held him with a 
 firm hand, to prevent him falling on the ground, and placed 
 his face almost close to his. 
 
 " I am your accuser, Estevan," he said. " Accursed one r 
 what have you done with my daughter? " 
 
 The other made no reply. Don Mariano regarded him for 
 a moment with an expression impossible to describe, and 
 disdainfully threw him off with a gesture of sovereign con- 
 tempt. The wretch tottered, and stretched out his arms, 
 trying instinctively to keep up ; but his strength failed him ; 
 he fell on his knees, and buried his face in his hand, with an 
 expression of despair and baffled rage, the hideousness of 
 which no pencil could render. 
 
 The spectators remained calm and stoical. They had 
 not uttered a word or made a sign ; but a secret terror had 
 seized upon them, and they exchanged looks which, if the 
 accused had seen them, would have revealed to him the fate 
 which in their minds they reserved for him. 
 
144 The Indian Scout 
 
 Don Mariano gave his two servants a signal to follow 
 him, and, with one on either side, he took his place in the 
 centre of the clearing, in front of the improvised tribunal, 
 and began speaking in a powerful, clear, and accented voice. 
 " Listen to me, Caballeros, and when I have told you all 
 I have to say about the man you see there crushed and con- 
 founded, before I had even uttered a word, you will judge 
 him according to your conscience, without hatred or anger. 
 That man is my brother. When young, for a reason it is 
 unnecessary to explain here, my father wished to drive him 
 from his presence. I interceded for him, and though I did 
 not obtain his entire pardon, still he was tolerated beneath 
 the paternal roof. Days passed, years slipped away; the 
 boy became a man; my father, at his death, gave me his 
 whole fortune, to the prejudice of his other son, whom he 
 had cursed. I tore up the will, summoned that man to my 
 side, and restored him, a beggar and a wretch, that share 
 of the wealth and comfort of which his father, in my opinion, 
 had not the right to deprive him." 
 
 Don Mariano stopped, and turned to his servants. The 
 two men stretched out their right hands together, took off 
 their hats, and said, in one voice, as if replying to their 
 master's dumb questioning, " We affirm that all this is 
 strictly true." 
 
 " Hence this man owed me everything fortune, position, 
 future; for, owing to my influence, I succeeded in having 
 him elected a senator. Let us now see how he rewarded 
 me for so many kindnesses, and the extent of his gratitude. 
 He had succeeded in making me forget what I regarded as 
 errors of youth, and persuade myself that he was entirely 
 reformed : his conduct was ostensibly irreproachable ; under 
 certain circumstances, he had even displayed a rigour of 
 principle, for which I was obliged to reprove him; in a word, 
 he had succeeded in making me his dupe. Married, and 
 father of two children, he brought them up with a strictness 
 which, in my eyes, was a proof of his reformation; and he 
 carefully repeated to me often ' I do not wish my children 
 to become what I have been.' Owing to one of those number- 
 less pronunciamentos which undermine and dismember our 
 fine country, I was an object of suspicion to the new govern- 
 ment, through some dark machination, and compelled to 
 fly at once to save my threatened life, I knew not to whom 
 to confide my wife and daughter, who, in spite of their desire, 
 
Face to Face 145 
 
 could not follow me. My brother offered to watch over them. 
 A secret presentiment, a voice from heaven, which I did wrong 
 to despise, warned my heart not to put faith in this man, 
 nor accept his proposition. Time pressed; I must depart; 
 the soldiers sent to arrest me were thundering at the door 
 of my house ; I confided what was dearest to me in the world 
 to that coward there, and fled. During the two years my 
 absence lasted, I wrote letter after letter to my brother, and 
 received no reply. I was suffering from mortal alarm, and 
 was almost resolved, at all risks, to return to Mexico, when, 
 thanks to certain friends who were indefatigable in my 
 behalf, my name was erased from the list of postscripts, and 
 I was permitted to return to my country. Scarcely two hours 
 after receiving the news, I set out. I arrived at Vera Cruz 
 four days later. Without taking time to rest, I mounted a 
 horse, and galloped off, only leaving my wearied steed to 
 take another, along the seventy leagues of road separating 
 the capital from the port, and dismounted at my brother's 
 door. He was away, but a letter from him informed me that, 
 compelled by urgent business to proceed to New Orleans, he 
 would return in a month, and begged me to await him. But 
 not a word about my wife and daughter ; not a syllable about 
 the fortune I had entrusted to him. My alarm was changed 
 into terror, and I presaged a misfortune. I left my brother's 
 house, half mad, remounted the almost foundered horse that 
 had brought me there, and proceeded as rapidly as possible 
 to my own house. Windows and doors were closed; the 
 house I had left so gay and animated was silent and gloomy 
 as a tomb. I stood for a moment, not daring to rap at the 
 door. At length I made up my mind, preferring the reality, 
 however horrible it might be, to the uncertainty which drove 
 me mad." 
 
 At this point in his story, Don Mariano stopped. His 
 voice was broken by the internal emotion he experienced, 
 and which it was impossible for him to master any longer. 
 
 There was a solemn silence. Don Estevan had not changed 
 his position. Since the beginning of his brother's narrative, 
 he appeared to be plunged in profound grief, and crushed 
 by remorse. 
 
 Presently, Bermudez, seeing that his master was incapable 
 
 of continuing his narrative, took the word in his turn, 
 
 ' It was I who opened the door. Heaven is my witness 
 
 that I love my master, and unhesitatingly would lay down 
 
 K 
 
146 The Indian Scout 
 
 my life for him. Alas ! I was fated to cause him the greatest 
 grief it is possible for a man to suffer forced to answer the 
 questions he pressed on me. I told him of the decease of his 
 wife and daughter, who had died a few weeks after each other 
 in the convent of the Bernardines. The blow was terrible; 
 Don Mariano fell as if struck by lightning. One evening, 
 when, as was his custom since his return, Don Mariano was 
 alone in his bedroom, with his face buried in his hands, giving 
 way to sorrowful reflections, while regarding, with eyes full 
 of tears, the portrait of the dear beings he was never to see 
 again, a man wrapped up in a large cloak, and with a sombrero 
 pulled down over his eyes, demanded speech of Senor de Real 
 del Monte. On my remarking that his Excellency saw 
 nobody, this man insisted with strange tenacity, declaring 
 he had to hand to my master a letter, the contents of which 
 were of the utmost importance. I know not how it was, but 
 the man's tone appeared to me so sincere, that, in spite of 
 myself, I infringed the positive orders I had received, and 
 led him to Don Mariano." 
 
 That gentleman at this moment raised his head, and laid 
 his hand on the old servant's arm. " Let me continue now, 
 Bermudez," he said. " What I have to add is not much." 
 
 Then, turning to the hunters, who still appeared cold and 
 apathetic, he went on, " When this man was in my presence, 
 he said, without any introductory remarks, ' Excellency, 
 you weep for two persons who were very dear to you, and 
 whose fate is unknown to you.' * They are dead,' I replied. 
 ' Perhaps so,' he said. ' What will you give the man 
 who brings you, I will not say good news, but a slight hope ? ' 
 
 " Without replying, I rose, and \vent to a cabinet, in which 
 I kept my gold and jewels. ' Hold out your hat,' I said to 
 him. In a second the hat was full of gold and diamonds. 
 The stranger put them all out of sight, and said, with a low 
 bow, ' My name is Pepito ; I am a little of all trades. A 
 man, whose name you need not know, gave me this strip 
 of paper, with orders to hand it to you immediately on your 
 arrival in Mexico. I only learned your return this morning, 
 and have now come to carry out the order I received.' 
 
 " I tore the paper from his hands, and read it, while Pepito 
 deluged me with thanks, to which I did not listen, and then 
 retired. This was what the paper contained." 
 
 Don Miguel stretched out his arm toward Don Mariano. 
 
 " * A friend of the Real del Monte family,' the Gambusino 
 
Face to Face 147 
 
 said, in a loud voice, * warns Don Mariano that he has been 
 shamelessly deceived by the man in whom he placed entire 
 confidence, and who owed everything to him. That man 
 poisoned Dona Serafina de Real del Monte. Don Mariano's 
 daughter was buried alive in the In pace of the Bernardine 
 convent. If Senor del Monte desires to examine thoroughly 
 the frightful machinations of which he has been the victim, 
 and perchance see again one of the two persons whom the 
 man who deceived fancied had disappeared for ever, let Don 
 Mariano keep the contents of this letter the most profound 
 secret, feign the same ignorance, but quietly make prepara- 
 tions for a long journey, which no one must suspect. On 
 the next 5th November, at sunset, a man will be at the 
 Teocali do Quinametzin (the Giant). This man will accost 
 Don Mariano by pronouncing two names, those of his wife 
 and daughter. Then he will tell him all that he is ignorant 
 of, and perhaps be able to restore him a little of the happiness 
 he has lost.' The note ended here, and was not signed." 
 
 " That is true," Don Mariano said, utterly astounded; 
 " but how did you learn these details? It was doubtlessly 
 yourself who " 
 
 " When the time arrives, I will answer you," Don Miguel 
 said, in a peremptory tone. " Go on." 
 
 " What more shall I say? I started for the strange 
 meeting promised me, nourishing in my heart I know not 
 what mad hopes. Alas! man is so constituted that he 
 clings to everything which can aid him in doubting a mis- 
 fortune. This day, GOD, who has probably taken pity on 
 me, made me meet the man who is my brother; the sight of 
 him caused me an astonishment I cannot express. How could 
 it be him, when he had written me he was gone to New 
 Orleans ? A vague suspicion, which I had hitherto repulsed, 
 gnawed at my heart with such force, that I began to believe, 
 though it appeared to me very horrible, that my brother 
 was the traitor to whom I owed all my misfortunes. Still I 
 doubted, I was undecided, when this portfolio, lost by the 
 wretch and found by the Indian Chief, Flying Eagle, suddenly 
 tore off the thick bandage that covered my eyes, by giving 
 me all the proofs of the odious machinations and crimes 
 committed by this wretch, this cruel fratricide, for the ignoble 
 object of robbing me of my fortune to enrich his children. 
 Here is the portfolio. Read the papers it contains, and 
 decide between my villainous brother and myself." 
 
148 The Indian Scout 
 
 While saying this, Don Mariano offered the portfolio to 
 Don Miguel, who, however, declined it. 
 
 " Those proofs are unnecessary for us, Don Mariano," he 
 said; " we possess others more convincing still." 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " You shall understand." And Don Miguel rose. 
 
 Without being able to explain why it was so, Don Estevan 
 felt a shiver all over his body, for he guessed, by a species 
 of intuition, that his brother's accusation contained nothing 
 so terrible as the facts Don Miguel was preparing to reveal. 
 He threw up his head slightly, bent forward, and with 
 panting chest and dilated nostrils, fascinated, as it were, by 
 the chief of the adventurers, he awaited, with constantly 
 increasing anxiety, what Don Miguel was going to say. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE JUDGMENT 
 
 THE sun had disappeared on the horizon; shadows had 
 assumed the place of light; the darkness falling from the 
 sky had covered the forest with an impenetrable brown 
 shroud. The Gambusinos lighted branches of ocote, and then 
 the clearing, in which the events we are describing took place, 
 was fantastically lighted by torches, whose flickering, ensan- 
 guined glare played on the trees and the persons collected 
 under their dense foliage, and gave the whole scene a strange 
 and sinister stamp. 
 
 Don Miguel, after looking around to demand attention, 
 began speaking: " As you have found that portfolio," he 
 said, " I have nothing more to tell you. It was really your 
 brother who committed the fearful crime with which you 
 charge him. Fortunately, his object could not be completely 
 attained. Your wife is dead, it is true, Don Mariano; but 
 your daughter still lives. She is in safety, and it was I who 
 was fortunate enough to tear her from her tortures, and from 
 that In pace in which she was thrust alive. I will restore 
 your daughter to you, Don Mariano, pure and uncontami- 
 nated as when I took her from her tomb." 
 
 Don Mariano, so fierce in grief, was unable to bear joy. 
 The commotion the news produced was so violent, that he 
 rolled unconsciously on the ground; clasping his hands 
 fervently with a last effort to thank Heaven for having 
 granted him so much joy, after visiting him with so much 
 suffering. The gentleman's servants, aided by several Gam- 
 businos, hastened round him, and paid him all the attention 
 his condition demanded. 
 
 Don Miguel allowed time for the emotion produced by 
 Don Mariano's fall to calm, and then made a sign for silence. 
 " It is now our turn, Don Estevan," he said. " Furious at 
 seeing one of your victims escape you, you did not fear to 
 pursue her even to this spot. Knowing that it was I who 
 saved her, you laid a snare for me, in which you hoped I 
 should perish. The hour has arrived to settle our accounts." 
 
 On seeing that he no longer had his brother as his adversary 
 Don Estevan regained all his boldness and impudence. At 
 
 149 
 
150 The Indian Scout 
 
 this address he drew himself up coldly, and fixed a sarcastic 
 glance on the young man. " Oh! oh! " he said ironically; 
 " my good gentleman, you would not be sorry to assassinate 
 me, eh? so as to make me hold my tongue. Do you fancy 
 me the dupe of the fine sentiments you utter so complacently ? 
 Yes, you saved my niece, that is true; and I should thank 
 you for it, did I not know you so thoroughly." 
 
 At these singular words, his hearers made a movement of 
 surprise, which did not escape Don Estevan's notice. Satisfied 
 with the effect he found he had produced, he went on. 
 
 The scoundrel had judged the question at the first glance. 
 Unable completely to exonerate himself, he resolved to turn 
 the difficulty, which he expected to do the more easily, 
 because the only person capable of contradicting him was 
 unable to hear him and put matters in the right light. He 
 assumed a placid countenance, and said, with affected 
 honesty: " Good heavens ! not one of us is infallible. Who 
 does not commit an error at least once in his life ? Far from 
 me be the thought of lessening the opprobrium of the deed 
 I am accused of. Yes, I broke my pledged faith ; I deceived 
 my brother, the man to whom I owed all. You see, Cabal- 
 leros, that I do not attempt to exculpate myself; but 
 between that fault and the committal of a crime, there is a 
 vast difference, and, thanks to Heaven, I cannot be accused 
 of an assassination; and I throw back the responsibility of 
 this shameful deed on the right person." 
 
 "Who is that man?" Don Miguel asked, involuntarily 
 astonished and terrified by the fellow's cunning. 
 
 " Oh," he said, with imperturbable coolness, " I will throw 
 the responsibility on those too zealous people who ever 
 understand much more than they should understand, and 
 who, either through covetousness or some other motive, 
 always go further than they ought. I confess that I cer- 
 tainly desired to get hold of my brother's fortune; but I 
 intended to do so legally." 
 
 The Gambusinos, all scoundrels gifted with a marvellously 
 elastic conscience, which naturally rendered them very 
 unscrupulous as to deeds more or less reprehensible, were, 
 however, terrified on hearing such a theory. They asked 
 each other, in a low voice, with the simple credulity of semi- 
 savages, if the man before them, who spoke thus, were really 
 their fellow-being, or whether the Evil Spirit had not assumed 
 this shape in order to deceive them? 
 
The Judgment 151 
 
 " Understand me clearly, Caballeros," Don Estevan con- 
 tinued, in a voice growing every moment firmer, " the 
 Mother Superior of the Bernardines is my relative, and has 
 an unbounded affection for me. When I let her see through 
 my plans, she urged me to persevere, assuring me that she 
 knew an infallible means to make my projects succeed. I 
 believed her words the more easily, because these means 
 were very simple, and consisted in compelling my niece to 
 take the veil. I looked no further, I swear to you. Poor 
 child, I loved her too dearly to desire her death ! All went 
 on as I desired, though I in no way interfered; my sister- 
 in-law died ; that death seemed to me perfectly natural, after 
 the numberless sorrows that had overpowered her. I am 
 accused of having poisoned her. It is false! Perhaps she 
 was so; I will not affirm the contrary; but in that case my 
 relative must be accused of the crime, whose object it was, 
 evidently, to bring the fortune I coveted nearer to my grasp. 
 I wrote at once to my brother, telling him of this death, 
 which really grieved me; but he did not receive the letter. 
 I see nothing astonishing in that, because he was continually 
 going from town to town, as his fancy led him. I frequently 
 went to the convent to visit my niece; she seemed to me 
 determined to take the veil. The Mother Superior, for her 
 part, incessantly told me not to trouble myself about any- 
 thing ; hence I let matters go on without any interference on 
 my part. On the day my niece was to take the veil, I went 
 to the convent; then, something unusual and scandalous 
 occurred. At the moment of professing, the girl refused 
 distinctly to become a nun, and I retired in despair at this 
 misadventure. In the evening, a nun come to my house 
 and told me that my niece, after a very violent scene with 
 the Mother Superior, had been attacked by congestion of the 
 brain, and died suddenly. This news caused me considerable 
 grief. All night I walked about my room, deploring the 
 irreparable misfortune which overwhelmed my unhappy 
 brother. On reflection, a suspicion sprung up in my mind. 
 This death appeared to me peculiar, and I dreaded a crime. 
 In order to clear up my doubts, I hurried to the convent at 
 daybreak; there a fresh surprise awaited me. The com- 
 munity were upset terror was visible on every face. During 
 the night a band of armed men entered the convent; my 
 niece was torn from her tomb and carried off by these men, 
 who at the same time took away a young novice. Then, 
 
152 The Indian Scout 
 
 convinced that I was not deceived, and that a crime had 
 been committed, I shut myself up with the Mother Superior 
 in her cell, and, by menaces and entreaties, succeeded in 
 dragging the truth from her. My horror was extreme on 
 learning that my unfortunate niece had really been interred 
 alive. One thing was left me to do ; one duty to fulfil. I 
 must discover traces of her, rescue her, and restore her to 
 her father's arms. I did not hesitate, but set out two days 
 later. That is the entire truth; my conduct has been 
 reprehensible, eyen culpable; but, I swear it, it has not 
 been criminal." 
 
 The audience had listened to this daring justification with 
 icy silence. When Don Estevan stopped speaking, not a 
 sign of approval gave him a hope of having convinced his 
 hearers. 
 
 '* Supposing though I do not admit it, for there are too 
 many proofs to the contrary that what you assert be true,' 1 ' 
 Don Miguel answered him, " for what reason did you wish 
 to assassinate me, when I had saved her whom you had 
 wished to restore to her father's arms? " 
 
 " Do you not understand that? " Don Estevan exclaimed, 
 in feigned surprise. " Must I tell you everything? " 
 
 " Yes, everything," the young man answered, coldly. 
 
 " Well, yes, I did wish to assassinate you, because at the 
 Presidio de Tubar I was assured that you had only carried 
 off my niece for the purpose of dishonouring her. I wished 
 to avenge on you the outrage I believed you had done her." 
 
 Don Miguel turned pale at this insult. "Villain I" he 
 shouted, in a voice of thunder, " do you dare to utter such 
 an atrocious calumny? " 
 
 The auditors had started in horror at Don Estevan's 
 words, and, feeling himself conquered, in spite of all his 
 audacity, he was compelled to bow his head beneath the 
 weight of the general reprobation. 
 
 Marksman then rose. " Caballeros," he said, " you have 
 heard the accusation brought against this man by his brother. 
 During the whole time that accusation lasted, you remarked 
 his countenance; now you have heard his defence. We 
 have allowed him to say what he pleased, without trying to 
 interrupt or intimidate him: the hour has now arrived to 
 pronounce judgment. It is always a serious thing to con- 
 demn a man, even the worst of malefactors. Lynch law, 
 you know as well as I, admits no compromises; it kills or it 
 
The Judgment 153 
 
 acquits. Although chosen to try this man, we will not alone 
 assume the responsibility of the act. Reflect, then, seriously 
 before answering the questions I shall address to you, and, 
 before all, remember that on your answer depends the life or 
 death of this wretched man. Caballeros, on your soul and 
 conscience, is this man guilty? " 
 
 There was a moment of supreme silence; all the faces were 
 grave, all hearts beat forcibly. Don Estevan, with frowning 
 brow, pale face, but firm look for he was brave waited, 
 a prey to an anxiety which he could only conceal by the 
 firmness of his will. 
 
 Marksman, after waiting several minutes, went on in a 
 slow and solemn voice, " Caballeros, is this man guilty? " 
 
 " Yes! " all exclaimed, unanimously. 
 
 At this moment, Don Mariano, through the care of his 
 servants, was beginning to give signs of life, precursors of 
 his return to consciousness. Brighteye bent over to Marks- 
 man. "Is it right," he whispered, " that Don Mariano 
 should be present at his brother's condemnation? " 
 
 " Certainly not," the old hunter said, quickly; " the more 
 so, as now that the first outbreak of wrath has passed, he 
 would probably intercede in his favour. But how shall we 
 get him away? " 
 
 " I'll manage that, and take him to the Gambusinos' 
 camp." 
 
 "Make haste!" 
 
 Brighteye rose, and walked to Bermudez, in whose ear 
 he whispered a few words; then the two servants, taking 
 their master under the arms, disappeared with him in the 
 thickets, followed by the hunter and Eglantine, to whom the 
 Canadian had made a sign to come. In the state of agitation 
 and excitement the Gambusinos were in, no one noticed this 
 departure, and not even the sound of several horses going 
 away was heard. 
 
 Don Estevan alone noticed this removal, the purpose of 
 which he understood. " I am lost," he muttered. 
 
 Marksman made a sign, and silence was restored, as if by 
 enchantment. " What penalty does the culprit deserve? " 
 he asked. 
 
 " Death! " the audience replied, like a funeral echo. 
 
 Then, turning to the condemned man, Marksman con- 
 tinued " Don Estevan de Real del Monte, you, who came 
 into the desert with criminal intentions, have fallen beneath 
 
154 The Indian Scout 
 
 the stroke of Lynch law; it is the law of God; eye for eye, 
 tooth for tooth; it admits of only one punishment, that of 
 retaliation; it is the primitive law of old times restored to 
 humanity. You condemned a hapless maiden to be buried 
 alive, and perish of hunger. You will also be buried alive, 
 to die of hunger; but as you might long call on death ere it 
 came to your aid, we will give you the means to put an end 
 to your sufferings when the courage to endure them longer 
 fails you. We are more merciful than you were to your 
 unhappy victim: for you will be only interred up to the 
 arm-pits, your left arm will remain at liberty, and we will 
 place within your reach a pistol, with which you can blow 
 out your brains when you have suffered sufficiently. I have 
 spoken. Is this sentence just? " he added, addressing his 
 audience. 
 
 " Yes," they said, in a low and concentrated voice. " Eye 
 for eye, tooth for tooth! " 
 
 Don Estevan had listened with horror to the old hunter's 
 words; the fearful punishment to which he was condemned 
 had struck him with stupor; for though he expected death, 
 that prepared for him seemed so frightful, that at first he 
 could not believe it; still, when he saw, at a sign from 
 Marksman, two Gambusinos set to work digging a hole, his 
 hair stood upright with terror, an icy perspiration beaded on 
 his temples, and he cried, in a hoarse voice, as he clasped 
 his hands, " Oh, not that atrocious death, I implore you; 
 kill me at once! " 
 
 " You are condemned, and must endure your punishment, 
 such as it was pronounced," the old hunter answered. 
 
 " Oh, give me the pistol you promised me, that I may 
 blow out my brains on the spot. You will be avenged." 
 
 " We are not taking vengeance; the pistol will be left you 
 when we depart." 
 
 " Oh, you are implacable!" he said, as he fell to the 
 ground, where he writhed in impotent rage. 
 
 " We are just," Marksman merely answered. 
 
 Don Estevan, having arrived at the height of fury, leaped 
 up suddenly, and, bounding like a jaguar, rushed head down, 
 against a tree, with the intention of dashing out his brains. 
 But the Gambusinos watched his movements too closely to 
 let him carry out his desperate resolve; they seized, and, 
 despite his obstinate resistance and wild ravings, they bound 
 him, and rendered it impossible for him to make a movement. 
 
The Judgment 155 
 
 His wrath then changed to despair. "Oh!" he shouted, 
 "were my brother here, he would save me. Oh, heavens! 
 Mariano, help me, help me! " 
 
 Marksman walked up to him. 
 
 " You are about to be placed in your grave," he said to 
 him. " Have you any final arrangements to make? " 
 ' Then this horrible punishment is true? " he said wildly. 
 
 ' It is true." 
 
 ' You must be wild beasts, then." 
 
 ' We are your judges." 
 
 ' Oh, let me live, be it only for a day ! " 
 
 ' You are condemned." 
 
 ' Malediction on you, demons with human faces ! 
 Assassins, who gives you the right to kill me? " 
 
 " By the right every man possesses to crush a serpent. 
 For the last time, have you any arrangements to make? " 
 
 Don Estevan, crushed by this fearful contest, kept silence 
 for an instant; then two tears slowly dropped from his 
 fever-burned eyes, and he murmured in a gentle, almost 
 child-like voice, " Oh, my sons, my poor darlings! what 
 will become of you when I am no longer here ? " 
 
 " Make haste," the hunter said. 
 
 Don Estevan fixed a haggard eye upon him. " I have 
 two sons," he said, speaking as in a dream; " they have only 
 me left, alas ! and I am about to die ! Listen, if you are not 
 utterly a wild beast. Swear to perform what I ask of you? " 
 
 The hunter felt moved by this poignant grief. 
 
 " I swear it," he said. 
 
 The condemned seemed to be collecting his ideas. " Paper 
 and a pencil," he said. 
 
 Marksman still held the portfolio ; he tore a leaf from it, 
 and gave it to him, with the pencil, 
 
 Don Estevan smiled bitterly at the sight of his portfolio. 
 He clutched the paper, and hurriedly wrote a few lines, which 
 he gave to the hunter. An extraordinary change had taken 
 place in the prisoner's face; his features were calm, his 
 glance gentle and suppliant. " Here," he said, " I count 
 on your word. Take this letter; it is for my brother. I 
 recommend my children to him; it is for their sake I am 
 dying. No matter ! if they are happy, I shall have attained 
 my object that is all I want. My brother is good; he will 
 not abandon the unhappy orphans I leave as a heritage to 
 him. I implore you, give him that paper." 
 
i S 6 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Within an hour it shall be in his hands; I swear it! " 
 
 " Thanks. Now do with me what you please; I care 
 little. I have insured the welfare of my children; that was 
 all I wished for." 
 
 The hole had been dug. Two Gambusinos seized Don 
 Estevan, and lowered him into it. When he was standing 
 upright in the hole, the ground was just on a level with his 
 armpits ; his right arm was fastened along his side, the other 
 left free. Then the earth was piled up around this living 
 man, who was already no more than a corpse. When the 
 hole was filled up, a Gambusino approached the condemned 
 man with a scarf. 
 
 " What are you going to do? " he asked in terror, though 
 he guessed the man's purpose. 
 , "To gag you," the Gambusino said, brutally. 
 
 "Oh! "he remarked. 
 
 He allowed himself to be gagged without resistance, and 
 was, indeed, hardly conscious of what was being done to him. 
 Marksman then placed a pistol under the wretch's quivering 
 hand, and took off his hat. " Don Estevan," he said, in a 
 grave and solemn voice, " men have condemned you. Pray 
 to God that He may be merciful to you, for you have no hope 
 but in Him." 
 
 The hunters and Gambusinos then remounted their horses, 
 extinguished the torches, and disappeared in the darkness, 
 like a legion of black phantoms. The culprit was left alone 
 in the gloom, which his remorse peopled with hideous spectres. 
 With neck stretched out, eyes widely dilated, and ears on 
 the watch, he looked and listened. So long as he heard the 
 echo of the horses' footfalls in the distance, a wild hope still 
 filled his soul ; he waited he expected. What did he await 
 what expect? He could not have said, himself; but man is 
 so constituted. Gradually every sound died out, and Don 
 Estevan at length found himself alone, in the heart of an 
 unknown desert, with no hope of help from any one. Then 
 he uttered a profound sigh, closed his hand on the pistol, and 
 placed the icy muzzle against his temple, muttering for the 
 last time the name of his children. 
 
 In the meantime the Gambusinos withdrew, a prey to 
 that feeling of undefinable uneasiness which involuntarily 
 contracts the heart of every man, when he has accomplished 
 an act in which he knows that he had, perhaps, no right to 
 
The Judgment 157 
 
 take the initiative even when recognising its necessity and 
 even strict justice. No one spoke; all heads were bowed. 
 They rode along, gloomy and thoughtful, by each other's 
 side, not daring to interchange their reflections, and listening 
 to the mysterious sounds of the solitude. They had just 
 reached the last limits of the forest covert: before them the 
 waters of the Rubio glistened like a long silver ribbon in the 
 pale moonlight. They had gained the ford, when suddenly 
 the distant explosion of a fire-arm resounded hoarsely, driven 
 back by the echoes of the Quebradas. Instinctively these 
 men, for all they were so brave and well-tried, shuddered, 
 and stopped with a movement of stupor almost of terror. 
 There was a minute of ghostly silence. Marksman under- 
 stood that he must break the gloomy dream which weighed 
 like remorse on all these men. Hence, masking with some 
 difficulty the emotion that almost choked him, he said, in a 
 grave voice: "Brothers! the vengeance of the desert is 
 satisfied. The scoundrel we condemned has at length done 
 justice on himself." 
 
 There is in the human voice a strange and incomprehensible 
 power. The few words uttered by the Scout sufficed to 
 restore to all these men their pristine energy. 
 
 "May heaven be merciful to him!" Don Miguel re- 
 sponded. 
 
 "Amen!" the Gambusinos said, crossing themselves 
 piously. 
 
 From this moment the heavy weight that oppressed them 
 was removed; the culprit was dead. The unpleasant logic 
 of an accomplished fact once again justified Lynch Law, and 
 at the same time stifled regret and remorse, by putting an end 
 to the cruel uncertainty which had hitherto oppressed them. 
 
 Don Stefano once dead, the girl he had so pitilessly pursued 
 was saved, in the eyes of these iron-hearted men: this reason 
 alone was sufficient to extinguish in them all pity for the 
 criminal. A sudden reaction took place in them, and their 
 rebel natures, momentarily subdued, rose again stronger and 
 more implacable than ever. 
 
 At a signal from the Canadian, the party recommenced 
 their march, and soon disappeared among the sand-hills 
 which cover the banks of the Rubio ford. The desert, for 
 an instant troubled by the sound of the horses' feet on the 
 pebbles, fell back into its calm and majestic silence. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 BRIGHTEYE 
 
 BRIGHTEYE, as we mentioned, aided by the two servants, 
 had succeeded in carrying off Don Mariano, who was still in a 
 half-fainting state, in order to spare him the atrocious sight 
 of his brother's execution. The motion and the night air 
 rapidly restored the old gentleman to life. On opening his 
 eyes, his first word, after looking around him to see where 
 he was, was to ask about his brother. No one answered; 
 the people who led him along redoubled their speed. 
 
 " Stay! " Don Mariano then shouted, as he rose with an 
 effort, and tore the bridle from the hands of his leader. 
 "Stop I insist!" 
 
 14 Are you in a condition to manage your own horse? " 
 Brighteye asked him. 
 
 ' Yes," he replied. 
 
 ' Then we will let loose; but on one condition." 
 
 1 What is it?" 
 
 ' That you will promise to follow us." 
 Am I your prisoner, then? " 
 Oh, no! far from that !" 
 
 ' Why, then, is this attempt to force my will? " 
 
 * We are merely acting on your behalf." 
 How am I here? " 
 
 ' Cannot you guess? " 
 
 ' I am waiting for your explanation." 
 
 ' We did not wish that, after accusing your brother, you 
 should witness his execution." 
 
 Don Mariano, overpowered, let his head droop, sadly. 
 " Is he dead? " he asked, with a shudder. 
 
 " Not yet," Brighteye answered. 
 
 The hunter's accent was so gloomy, his face so mournful, 
 that the Mexican gentleman was struck with terror. " Oh, 
 you have killed him ! " he muttered. 
 
 " No," Brighteye answered drily, " he must die by his 
 own hand. He will kill himself." 
 
 "Oh! that is horrible! In Heaven's name tell me all; 
 
 158 
 
Brighteye 159 
 
 I prefer the truth, however fearful it may be, to this frightful 
 uncertainty." 
 
 " Why describe the same to you? You will know all the 
 details only too well presently." 
 
 " Very good," Don Mariano answered, resolutely, as he 
 stopped his horse; " I know what is left me to do." 
 
 Brighteye looked at him in a very peculiar manner, and 
 laid his hand on his bridle. " Take care," he said drily, 
 " not to let yourself be carried away by the first impulse, 
 which is always unreflecting, and regret presently what you 
 have done to-night." 
 
 "Still, I cannot let my brother perish," he exclaimed; 
 " I should be a fratricide." 
 
 " No ! for he has been justly condemned. You were 
 only the instrument Divine Justice employed to punish a 
 criminal." 
 
 " Oh ! your spurious arguments will not convince me, my 
 master. If, in a moment of passion and senseless hatred, 
 I forgot the ties that attached me to that unhappy man, now 
 that I see and understand all the horror of my action, I will 
 repair the evil I have done." 
 
 Brighteye pressed his arm forcibly, leaned over to his 
 ear, and said: " Silence ! you will destroy him by trying to 
 save him. It is not your place to try it; leave that to others." 
 
 Don Mariano tried to read in the hunter's eye the determina- 
 tion he seemed to have formed, and, letting go of the bridle, 
 he went on with a thoughtful air. A quarter of an hour later, 
 they reached the Rubio ford. They stopped on the bank 
 of the river, which, having fallen back into its narrow bed, 
 flowed on calmly and gently at this moment. 
 
 "Go to the camp," Brighteye said; "it is useless for 
 me to accompany you further. I am going," he added, with 
 a significant glance at Don Mariano, " to join the Gambusinos. 
 Continue your road gently, and you will arrive at the camp 
 only a few minutes before us." 
 
 " Then you return? " Don Mariano asked. 
 
 " Yes ! " Brighteye answered; " good-bye for the present." 
 
 " For the present! " the old gentleman said, as he held 
 out his hand. The hunter took it, and pressed it cordially s 
 Don Mariano urged his horse into the water, and his servants 
 silently imitated him. Brighteye remained motionless on 
 the bank, and watched them cross. Don Mariano turned, 
 waved his hand to him, and the three men disappeared in the 
 
160 The Indian Scout 
 
 tall grass. So soon as they were out of sight, Brighteye 
 turned his horse round, and regained the covert of the virgin 
 forest. The hunter seemed to be sadly troubled with thought. 
 At length, on reaching a certain spot, he halted and looked 
 around, inquiringly and suspiciously. The deepest silence 
 and most complete tranquillity prevailed all round him. 
 
 " It must be ! " the hunter muttered. " Not to do it 
 would be worse than a crime, for it would be cowardice. 
 Well, Heaven will judge between us." 
 
 After again carefully examining the neighbourhood, prob- 
 ably reassured by the silence and solitude, he dismounted, 
 took off his horse's bridle to let it graze at its ease, hobbled it 
 lest it should stray too far, threw his rifle over his shoulder, 
 and cautiously entered the forest. 
 
 The hunter was doubtlessly ruminating on one of those 
 schemes whose execution demands the continual tension 
 of a man's faculties, for his progress was slow and calculated, 
 his eye constantly peered into the gloom. With head out- 
 stretched, he listened to the nameless sounds of the desert, 
 stopping at times when an unusual rustling in the brambles 
 struck his ear, and revealed to him the presence of some un- 
 known being. Suddenly he stopped, remained for a second 
 motionless, and then disappeared in an inextricable medley 
 of leaves, brambles, and creepers, in which his presence could 
 not possibly be suspected. Scarcely was he hidden, ere the 
 hoofs of several horses re-echoed in the distance, beneath 
 the dense dome of forest verdure. Gradually the sound came 
 nearer, the steps grew more distinct, and a band of horsemen 
 at length appeared, marching in close column. They were 
 the hunters and Gambusinos. 
 
 Marksman was conversing in a low voice with Don Miguel, 
 carried on a litter on the shoulders of two Mexicans, for he was 
 still too weak to sit a horse. The little party advanced 
 gently, owing to the wounded man they had in their midst, 
 and were proceeding toward the Rubio ford. 
 
 Brighteye watched his comrades pass, without making a 
 movement to reveal his presence. It was evident that he 
 wished them to remain ignorant of the fact that he had 
 turned back, and that the motives which impelled him to 
 act must remain a secret between him and Heaven. It was 
 in vain that he looked for Flying Eagle and Eglantine among 
 the Gambusinos; the two Redskins had separated from the 
 band. This absence appeared greatly to vex the hunter. 
 
Brighteye 161 
 
 Still, after a minute, his face resumed its serenity, and he 
 shrugged his shoulders with that careless air which indicates 
 that a man has put up with an annoyance against which he 
 connot contend. When the Gambusinos had disappeared, 
 the hunter emerged from his hiding-place : he listened for a 
 moment to the sound of the horses' hoofs, which grew every 
 moment weaker, and soon died out in the distance. Bright- 
 eye drew himself up. " Good ! " he muttered, with an air 
 of satisfaction; " I can now act as I please, without fear of 
 being disturbed, unless Flying Eagle and his squaw have 
 remained prowling about the place. Bah ! we shall soon see; 
 besides, that is not probable, for the Chief is too anxious 
 to rejoin his tribe to amuse himself by losing his time here. 
 I will go on, at any rate." 
 
 With this, he threw his rifle on his shoulder, and set out 
 again with a light and deliberate step, though not neglecting 
 the precautions usual in the desert on any march; for, by 
 night, the woodrangers know that they are ever watched 
 by invisible foes, be they men or beasts. Brighteye thus 
 reached the skirt of the clearing, in which the dramatic 
 events we have described took place, and in which there 
 only remained at this moment a man buried alive, face to 
 face with his crimes, with no hope of possible help, and 
 abandoned by all nature, if not by Heaven. The hunter 
 stopped, lay down on the ground, and looked. A funeral 
 silence, the silence of the tomb, brooded over the clearing. 
 Don Estevan, with eyes dilated by fear, his chest oppressed 
 by the earth, which collected round his body, with a slow 
 and continuous movement, felt the breath gradually depart- 
 ing from his lungs, his temples beat ready to burst, the blood 
 boiled in his veins, drops of icy perspiration beaded at the 
 roots of his hair, a bloodstained veil was stretched over his 
 eyes, and he felt himself dying. 
 
 At this supreme moment, when all deserted him at once, 
 the wretched man uttered a hoarse and piercing cry; tears 
 burst from his proud eyes; his hand, as we have stated, 
 nervously clutched the butt of the pistol left to abridge his 
 punishment, and he raised the barrel of his temples, mutter- 
 ing, with an accent of indescribable despair " Heaven ! 
 Heaven ! pardon me ! " 
 
 He pulled the trigger. Suddenly a hand was laid on his 
 arm, the bullet whizzed into the air, and a severe yet gentle 
 voice replied " God has heard you. He pardons you! " 
 
 L 
 
1 62 The Indian Scout 
 
 The wretch turned his head wildly, looked, with an air of 
 terror, at the man who spoke thus, and, too weak to resist the 
 terrible emotion that agitated him, he uttered a cry resembling 
 a sob, and fainted. 
 
 As the reader will doubtlessly have guessed, the man who 
 arrived so opprotunely for Don Estevan was Brighteye. 
 " Hum ! " he said, with a shake of his head, " it was time for 
 me to interfere." | i 
 
 Then, without losing a moment, the worthy fellow busied 
 himself with drawing from his tomb the man he wished to save. 
 It was a rude task, especially as he lacked the necessary tools. 
 The Gambusinos had laboured conscientiously, and filled up 
 the hole in such a way that the man they were burying was 
 solidly blocked in. 
 
 Brighteye was competed to dig with his knife, while using 
 the utmost precautions not to wound Don Estevan. At 
 times the hunter stopped, wiped his perspiring brow, and 
 looked at the pale face of the Mexican, who was still in a 
 faint; then, after a few moments of this silent contemplation, 
 he shook his head two or three times, and set to work again 
 with redoubled ardour. 
 
 These two men in the desert, surrounded by dense gloom, 
 offered a strange spectacle. Certainly, had a wayfarer been 
 able to see what was taking place in this unknown clearing, 
 in the heart of the virgin forest, peopled by wild beasts, whose 
 hoarse roars rose at intervals in the darkness, as if protesting 
 against this invasion of their domain he would have 
 fancied himself witness of some diabolical incantation, and 
 have fled at full speed, a prey to the wildest terror. Still 
 Brighteye went on digging. His task progressed but slowly, 
 because, in proportion as he went deeper, his difficulties 
 grew greater. 
 
 For a moment the hunter stopped, in despair of succeed- 
 ing in saving the condemned man; but this moment of 
 discouragement lasted a very short time. The Canadian, 
 ashamed of the thought, began digging again with that 
 feverish energy which the reaction of a powerful will upon 
 a passing weakness imparts to a man of resolution. At 
 length, after extraordinary difficulties, the task, twenty 
 times interrupted and twenty times recommenced, was com- 
 pleted. The hunter uttered a shout of triumph and pleasure ; 
 he then seized Don Estevan under the armpits, drew him 
 vigorously towards him, and, with some trouble, succeeded 
 
Brighteye 163 
 
 in laying him on the ground. His first task was to cut 
 asunder the bonds that formed an inextricable network 
 round the wretch's body; he opened his clothes, to give 
 his lungs the necessary freedom to inhale the external air, 
 then half filled a calabash of water from his gourd, and threw 
 the contents over Don Estevan's face. The fainting fit had 
 been produced by the emotion he felt on seeing a saviour 
 arrive at the moment when he believed that he had nought 
 left but to die. The sudden shock of the cold water effected a 
 favourable reaction; he gave out a sigh, and opened his eyes. 
 
 His first movement, on regaining consciousness, was to 
 look defiantly up to heaven; then he held out his hand to 
 Brighteye. " Thanks! " he said to him. 
 
 The hunter fell back, and declined to take the proffered 
 hand. " You must not thank me," he said. 
 
 "Who then?" 
 
 "GOD!" 
 
 Don Estevan drew in his pale lips contemptuously; but 
 soon understanding that he must deceive his saviour, if he 
 wished for a continuance of that protection which he cared 
 not yet to do without, he said, with feigned humility " That 
 is true. GOD first, and you next." 
 
 " I," Brighteye continued, " have only performed a duty 
 paid a debt; now we are quits. Ten years ago you 
 rendered me an important service ; to-day I have saved your 
 life. I discharge you from all gratitude, and you must do 
 the same with me. From this hour we no longer know each 
 other our ways are different." 
 
 " Will you abandon me thus? " he said, with a movement 
 of terror, which he could not overcome. 
 
 " What more can I do? " 
 
 "All!" 
 
 " I do not understand you." 
 
 " It would have been better to leave me to die in the hole, 
 into which you helped to place me, than save me to die of 
 hunger in the desert, become the prey of wild beasts, or fall 
 into the hands of the Indians. You know, Brighteye, that 
 on the prairies a disarmed man is a dead man; you do not 
 save me at this moment, but render my agony longer and 
 more painful, since the weapon which, in their cruel generosity, 
 your friends left me to put an end to my misfortunes, when 
 courage and hope failed me, can no longer serve me at 
 present." 
 
164 The Indian Scout 
 
 " That is true," Brighteye muttered. 
 
 The hunter let his head sink on his chest, and reflected 
 deeply for several seconds. Don Estevan anxiously followed 
 in the loyal and characteristic face of the hunter all the 
 emotions by turns reflected there. The Canadian continued 
 " You are right in asking me for weapons. If you are 
 deprived of them, you run the risk of being, in a few hours, 
 in a similar position to that from which I took you." 
 
 " You allow it." 
 
 " By Jove! there is no doubt about it." 
 
 " Then be generous to the end. Give me the means of 
 defending myself." The hunter shook his head. 
 
 " I did not think of that," he said. 
 
 " Which means, that had you thought of it, you would 
 have let me die." 
 
 " Perhaps so." 
 
 This word fell like the blow of a sledge hammer on Don 
 Estevan's heart. He gave the hunter a suspicious glance. 
 " What you say, then, is not well," he remarked. 
 
 "What would you have me answer you?" the other 
 retorted. " In my eyes you were justly condemned. I 
 ought to have let justice follow its course. I did not do so. 
 Perhaps I was wrong. Now that I regard the matter in cool 
 blood, while allowing that you are right in asking me for 
 arms, and that it is indispensable for you to have them, in 
 the first place for your personal safety, and next to provide 
 for your wants, I am afraid to give them to you." 
 
 Don Estevan had sat down by the hunter's side; he was 
 playing carelessly with the discharged pistol, and appearing 
 to listen very attentively to what Brighteye was saying. 
 " Why so? " he answered. 
 
 " Well, for a very simple reason. I have known you for a 
 long time, as you are well aware, Don Estevan. I know 
 that you are not the man to forget an insult. I am con- 
 vinced that, if I give you arms, you will only think of 
 vengeance, and it is that I wish to avoid." 
 
 " As for that," the Mexican exclaimed, with a fiendish 
 laugh, " you can only think of one method leaving me to 
 die of hunger. Oh, oh, yours is singular philanthropy, 
 companiro I You have rather a brutal way of arranging 
 matters for a man who piques himself on his honour and 
 loyalty." 
 
 " You do not understand me. I will not give you arms 
 
Brighteye 165 
 
 that is true; but, at the same time, I will not leave the 
 service I have done you incomplete." 
 
 "Hum! and what will you do to effect that result? I 
 am curious to know it," Don Estevan said, with a grin. 
 
 " I will escort you to the frontiers of the prairie, guarding 
 you from all danger during the journey, defending you, and 
 hunting for you. That is simple enough, I believe." 
 
 " Very simple, indeed ; and, on getting there, I will 
 purchase arms, and return to seek my revenge." 
 
 " Not so." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Because you will swear to me on the spot, by your 
 honour, to forget every feeling of hatred toward your enemy, 
 and never to return to the prairie." 
 
 " And if I will not swear? " 
 
 " Then it will be different. I shall leave you to your fate ; 
 and as that will have happened by your own fault, I shall 
 consider myself entirely quits with you." 
 
 " Oh! oh! but assuming that I accept the harsh condi- 
 tions you force on me, I must know how we are to travel. 
 The road is long from here to the establishments, and I am 
 not in a condition to go a-foot." 
 
 " That is true, but need not trouble you. I have left my 
 horse in a thicket, a few paces from the Rubio. You will 
 ride it till I can procure another." 
 
 "And you?" 
 
 " I will follow on foot. We hunters are as good walkers 
 as riders. Come, make up your mind." 
 
 " Well, I must do what you desire." 
 
 " Yes; I believe that is the best for you. Then you 
 consent to take the oath I demand? " 
 
 ' ' I see no way of getting out of the scrape otherwise. But," 
 he suddenly said, "what is the matter behind that tree? " 
 
 " Where? " the hunter asked. 
 
 " Over there," Don Estevan continued, pointing in the 
 direction of a dense clump of trees. 
 
 The hunter turned his head quickly towards the spot 
 indicated by the Mexican. The latter lost no time in seizing 
 the pistol he had been playing with by the end. He raised 
 it quickly, and dealt a blow with the butt on the hunter's 
 head. The blow was given with such force and precision, 
 that Brighteye stretched out his arms, closed his eyes, and 
 rolled on the ground with a heavy sigh. 
 
1 66 The Indian Scout 
 
 Don Estevan regarded him for a moment with an ex- 
 pression of contempt and satisfied hatred. "Idiot!" he 
 muttered, kicking him aside, " you ought to have made those 
 absurd conditions before saving me; but for the present it 
 is too late. I am free. Cuerpo de Cristo I I will avenge 
 myself." 
 
 After uttering these words, and looking up to heaven 
 defiantly, he bent over the hunter, stripped him of his 
 weapons without the slightest shame, and left him, not even 
 stopping to see were he dead or only wounded. " It is you, 
 accursed dog! " he went on, " who will die of hunger, or be 
 devoured by wild beasts. As for myself, I no longer fear 
 anything, for I have in my hands the means to accomplish 
 my vengeance." 
 
 And the wretch walked hurriedly from the clearing to 
 look for Brighteye's horse, which he intended to mount. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE CAMP 
 
 THE Gambusinos reached their camp a little before sunrise. 
 During their absence, the few men left in charge of the 
 entrenchments had not been disturbed. 
 
 Don Mariano awaited the return of the Mexican with 
 lively impatience. So soon as he saw them, he went to 
 meet them. 
 
 Marksman was gloomy. The reception he gave the 
 gentleman, though cordial, was still rather dry. The hunter, 
 although convinced he had accomplished a duty in condemn- 
 ing Don Estevan, was for all that sad, when thinking of the 
 responsibility he had taken on himself in the affair. 
 
 It is one thing to kill a man in action while defending 
 one's life, in the midst of the intoxication of battle, another 
 to try and coldly execute an individual against whom no 
 personal motive of hatred or anger is felt. The old Canadian, 
 in his heart, feared Don Mariano's reproaches. He knew the 
 human heart too well not to be assured that the gentleman, 
 when he regarded in cold blood the action he had excited 
 the Gambusinos to commit, would detest it, and curse the 
 docile instruments he had found. However great Don Este- 
 van's crimes against Don Mariano might be, however cruel 
 his conduct, it was not his brother's place to accuse him, or 
 to demand his death at the hands of these implacable men, 
 in whom all feelings of clemency are extinguished through 
 the rough life they are forced to lead. 
 
 Now that some hours had elapsed since Don Estevan's 
 condemnation, Marksman, who had begun to reflect again, 
 and was able to regard that action under a different light, 
 had asked himself if he really had the right to act as he had 
 done, and if what he took for a deed of stern and strict 
 justice were not an assassination and disguised vengeance. 
 Hence he expected that Don Mariano, on seeing him, would 
 reproach him, and ask his brother's life at his hands. 
 
 The hunter prepared to answer the questions Don Mariano 
 was doubtless going to address to him; and so soon as he 
 
 167 
 
1 68 The Indian Scout 
 
 perceived him, his brow, already troubled by sad thoughts, 
 grew even more overcast. But Marksman was mistaken, 
 not a reproach, not a word having reference to the judgment 
 passed Don Mariano's lips ; not an allusion, however remote, 
 caused the hunter to suspect that the gentleman intended to 
 attack that delicate subject. 
 
 The Canadian breathed again ; but during the few moments 
 they occupied in returning to the camp side by side, he took 
 a side glance at Don Mariano's face. The old gentleman 
 was pale and sad, but his countenance was calm, and his 
 features apathetic. 
 
 The hunter shook his head. " He is turning over some 
 scheme in his mind," he muttered, in a low voice. 
 
 So soon as the camp was entered, and the barriers were 
 closed again behind the Gambusinos, Don Miguel, after 
 placing sentries at the entrenchments, turned to Marksman 
 and Don Mariano. " The sun will rise in about two hours," 
 he said to them; " deign to accept my hospitality, and 
 accompany me to my tent." 
 
 The two men bowed. Don Miguel made his bearers a 
 sign to place the litter on the ground. He rose, helped by 
 Marksman, and leaning on the hunter's arm, entered the 
 tent, followed by Don Mariano. The curtain fell behind them. 
 The Gambusinos, wearied with their night march, had 
 hastened to unsaddle their horses and give them food. Then, 
 after throwing some handfuls of dried wood on the fires, in 
 order to revive the flame, they wrapped themselves in their 
 fressadas and zarapes, and lay down on the ground, where 
 they speedily fell asleep. Ten minutes after the adventurers' 
 return, they were all in the deepest sleep. Three men alone 
 were awake, and they were assembled in the tent, and holding 
 a conversation, at which we will invite the reader to be 
 present. 
 
 The interior of the tent into which Don Miguel had intro- 
 duced his two companions was furnished in the most simple 
 fashion. In one corner was the hermetically closed palan- 
 quin; in the opposite one, several furs stretched on the 
 ground marked the place of a bed ; four or five buffalo skulls 
 served as chairs; it was impossible to meet with anything 
 so simple and less comfortable than this. 
 
 Don Miguel threw himself on the bed, bidding his com- 
 rades, by a graceful bow, to sit down on the buffalo skulls. 
 Marksman and Don Mariano drew them up by their host's 
 
The Camp 169 
 
 side, and sat down silently. Don Miguel then took the word. 
 " Caballeros," he said, " the events which have occurred this 
 night, to which I shall not further allude, require to be 
 clearly explained, especially in the provision of the probable 
 complications which may result from them in the affairs 
 which, I hope, we shall undertake ere long. What I have 
 to say regards and interests you peculiarly, Don Mariano. 
 Hence I address myself principally to you. As for Marks- 
 man, he knows pretty nearly all the connecting links of what 
 I am about to tell you. If I beg him to be present at the 
 interview I wish to have with you, it is first owing to the 
 old friendship that unites us, and secondly, because his 
 advice will be of great help to us in the further resolutions 
 we shall have to take." 
 
 Don Mariano looked at the adventurer in a way which 
 made him comprehend that he understood not a syllable of 
 this long prelude. 
 
 " Do you not remember, Don Mariano," the Canadian 
 then said, " that before sending Brighteye to the camp to 
 fetch Don Miguel, I told you that you were ignorant of the 
 most interesting portion of the history? " 
 
 " Yes; I remember it, although, at the moment, I did not 
 attach to the statement all the value it deserved." 
 
 " Well, if I am not mistaken, Don Miguel is about to 
 explain these frightful machinations to you in a few words." 
 Then he added, as if on reflection, " There is one man I 
 should like to see here. It is important that he should know 
 the whole truth also; but since our return to the camp I 
 have not seen him." 
 
 " Whom do you mean? " 
 
 " Brighteye, whom I asked to accompany you here." 
 
 " He did so; but on reaching the camp, as he doubtlessly 
 supposed that I had no further need of his protection, he 
 left me." 
 
 " Did he not tell you for what object? " the hunter asked, 
 looking firmly at the old gentleman. 
 
 Don Mariano, in his heart, was troubled by this inquiry; 
 but wishing to leave to Brighteye the care of explaining his 
 absence, and not at all desirous of avowing his wish to save 
 his brother, he replied, with a degree of hesitation he could 
 not entirely conceal, " No; he told me nothing. I fancied 
 that he had joined you again, and am as much surprised as 
 yourself at his absence." 
 
170 The Indian Scout 
 
 Marksman frowned slightly. " That is strange," he said. 
 " However/' he added, " he will not fail to return soon, and 
 then we shall know what he has been about." 
 
 " Yes. Now, Don Miguel, I am at your orders. Speak; 
 I am listening to you attentively," Don Mariano said, not at 
 all wishful to see the conversation continued on that subject. 
 
 " Give me my real name, Don Mariano," the young man 
 answered, " for it will perhaps inspire you with some con- 
 fidence in me. I am neither Don Torribio Carvajal, nor Don 
 Miguel Ortega. My right name is Don Leo de Torres." 
 
 "Leo de Torres!" Don Mariano exclaimed, rising with 
 stupefaction. " The son of my dearest friend." 
 
 " It is so," the young man answered, simply. 
 
 " But no; that is not possible. Basilio de Torres was 
 massacred, with his entire family, by the Apache Indians, 
 amid the smoking ruins of his hacienda, twenty years ago." 
 
 " I am the son of Don Basilio de Torres," the adventurer 
 continued. " Look at me carefully, Don Mariano. Do not 
 my features remind you of any one? " 
 
 The gentleman approached, laid his hand on the adven- 
 turer's shoulder, and examined him for a few moments with 
 the profoundest attention. " It is true," he then said, with 
 tears in his eyes, " the resemblance is extraordinary. Yes, 
 yes," he exclaimed, impetuously; " I now recognise you." 
 
 " Oh! " the young man continued, with a smile, " I have 
 in my possession the documents that guarantee my identity. 
 But," he said, " that is not the question. Let us return to 
 what I wished to say to you." 
 
 " How is it that since the fearful catastrophe which made 
 you an orphan, I never heard any mention of you? I, the 
 best friend, almost the brother of your father, I should have 
 been so happy to provide for you." 
 
 Don Leo, to whom we will henceforth give his real name, 
 frowned; his brow was furrowed with deep wrinkles. He 
 answered, with a sorrowful accent and trembling voice, 
 " Thank you, Don Mariano, for the friendship you evince for 
 me. Believe that I am worthy of it; but, I implore you, 
 let me keep in my heart the secret of my silence. One day, 
 I trust, I shall be permitted to speak, and then I will tell 
 you all." 
 
 Don Mariano pressed his hand. " Act as you think 
 proper," he said, with deep emotion; " only remember one 
 thing that you have found in me the father you lost." 
 
The Camp 171 
 
 The young man turned his head away to conceal the tears 
 he felt rising in his eyes. There was a lengthened silence 
 without; the barking of the coyotes alone disturbed at 
 intervals the imposing solitude of the desert. The interior 
 of the tent was only lighted by a torch of ocote wood fixed 
 in the ground, whose flickering flame played on the faces of 
 the three men with shadows and lights which imprinted on 
 their countenances a strange and fantastic expression. 
 
 " The sky is beginning to be studded with broad white 
 bands," Don Leo continued: " the owls hidden beneath the 
 leaves are saluting the return of day; the sun is about to 
 rise ; permit me, in a few words, to explain to you the facts 
 with which you are unacquainted; for if I believe my pre- 
 sentiments, we shall soon have to act vigorously, in order to 
 repair the ill deeds committed by Don Estevan." 
 
 The two men bowed in affirmation. Don Leo went on: 
 " Certain reasons, unnecessary to give here, led me to Mexico 
 a few months ago. Owing to those reasons, I led rather a 
 singular life, frequenting the worst society, and mingling, 
 when the occasion offered, in society more or less corrupt, 
 according as you understand my words. Do not believe, 
 from what I have said, that I was engaged in any criminal 
 operations, for you would commit a grave error. I merely, 
 like a goodly number of my countrymen, carried on certain 
 contraband trade; perhaps regarded with an evil eye by 
 government officials, but which had nothing very reprehen- 
 sible about it." 
 
 Marksman and Don Mariano exchanged a glance; they 
 understood, or fancied they did. Don Leo feigned not to 
 notice this glance. 
 
 " One of the places I frequented most assiduously," he 
 said, " was the Plaza Mayor. There I visited an evangelista, 
 a man of about fifty, half Jew, half pawnbroker, who, under 
 a venerable appearance, concealed the most venal soul and 
 most corrupt mind. This thorough scamp, through the 
 thousand secret negotiations he carried on, and his duties of 
 evangelista, was thoroughly acquainted with the secrets of an 
 infinite number of families, and all the infamies daily com- 
 mitted in that immense capital. One day, when I happened 
 to be in his shop at the Oracion, a young girl entered. She 
 was lovely, and seemed respectable. She trembled like a 
 leaf on entering the scoundrel's den; the latter put on his 
 most captivating smile, and obsequiously asked how he 
 
172 The Indian Scout 
 
 could serve her. She turned a timid glance around, and 
 noticed me. I know not why, I scented a mystery. I pre- 
 tended to be asleep, with my head on the table, and my fore- 
 head resting on my crossed arms. 
 
 ' That man ! ' she said, pointing to me. 
 
 " * Oh ! ' the evangelista answered, ' he is intoxicated 
 with pulque; he is a poor sergeant, of no importance; 
 besides, he is asleep.' 
 
 " She hesitated; then, seeming suddenly to form a resolu- 
 tion, she drew a small paper from her bosom. 
 
 ' * Copy that,' she said to the evangelista, ' and I will give 
 you two ounces.' 
 
 " The old villain seized the paper, and looked at it. 
 ' But it is not Castilian,' he said. 
 
 " * It is French,' she answered. * But what consequence 
 is it to you ? ' 
 
 " ' To me, none.' 
 
 " He prepared his paper and pens, and copied the note 
 without further observation. When it was finished, the girl 
 compared the two notes, gave a smile of satisfaction, tore up 
 the original, folded the note, and dictated a short address to 
 the evangelista. Then she placed the letter in her bosom, 
 and went out, after paying the agreed on price, which the 
 evangelista seized gaily, for he had gained more in a few 
 minutes than he usually did in a month. The girl had scarce 
 departed, ere I raised my head: but the evangelista made 
 me a sign to re-assume my position. He had heard the key 
 turning in his door. I obeyed, and lucky it was I did so, for 
 a man entered almost immediately. This man evidently 
 desired not to be known. He was carefully wrapped up in 
 a large rebozo, and the brim of his sombrero was pulled down 
 over his eyes. On entering, he gave an angry start. 
 ' Who is that man? ' he asked, pointing to me. 
 
 " ' A poor drunkard asleep.' 
 ' ' A young girl has just left here.' 
 
 " ' It is possible,' the evangelista answered, put on his 
 guard by the question. 
 
 ' No ambiguous phrases, scoundrel,' the stranger 
 answered haughtily. ' I know you, and pay you,' he added, 
 as he threw a heavy purse on the table. ' Answer ! ' 
 
 " The evangelista quivered. All his scruples disappeared 
 at the sight of the gold sparkling through the meshes of the 
 purse. 
 
The Camp 173 
 
 " * A young girl has just left here ? ' the stranger continued. 
 
 " ' Yes.' 
 
 " ' What did she want of you ? ' 
 
 " * To copy a letter written in French.' 
 
 " * Very good. Show me the letter.' 
 
 " ' She folded it up, wrote an address, and took it away.' 
 
 " ' I know all that.' 
 
 "'Well?' 
 
 " ' W T ell! ' the stranger retorted, with a grin, * as you are 
 no fool, you kept a copy of the note, and that copy I must 
 have.' 
 
 " The man's voice had struck me. I could not tell why. 
 As his back was almost turned to me, I made the evangelista 
 a sign, which he understood. 
 
 " ' I did not think of that,' he answered. 
 
 " He assumed such a simple face as he said this, that the 
 stranger was deceived. He made a move of annoyance. 
 At length he said, * She will return.' 
 
 " ' I do not know.' 
 
 " The stranger shrugged his shoulders. ' I know it though. 
 Every time she comes, you. will keep a copy of what she makes 
 you write. The answers will come here? ' 
 
 " ' Not to my knowledge.' 
 
 " ' You will not deliver them till you have shown them to 
 me. I shall return to-morrow; and do not be such a fool 
 as you have been to-day, if you wish me to make your 
 fortune.' 
 
 " The evangelista grinned a smile. The stranger turned 
 to go away. At this moment the corner of his cloak caught 
 in the table, and I saw his face. I needed all my self- 
 command not to utter a cry on recognising him, for it was 
 Don Estevan, your brother. He drew his cloak over his 
 face again with a stifled curse, and went away. He had 
 scarce gone ere I leaped up. I bolted the door, and placed 
 myself in front of the evangelista. ' It is now our turn,' 1 
 said to him. 
 
 " He made a movement of terror. My face had a terrible 
 expression, which made him fall back against the wall, 
 clutching the purse he had just received, and which he doubt- 
 less supposed I wished to take from him. 
 
 " ' I am a poor old man,' he said to me. 
 
 "'Where is the copy you refused that man?' I said 
 sharply. 
 
174 The Indian Scout 
 
 " He bent down to his desk, took the copy, and handed it 
 to me, trembling. I read it with a shudder, for I understood. 
 
 " ' Stay,' I said, giving him an ounce; ' every time you 
 will hand me the young lady's note, I allow you to show it 
 also to that man. But remember this carefully; not one of 
 the answers written by the person who has just left will be 
 handed by you to the lady until I have read it. I am not so 
 rich as that stranger, still I can pay you properly. You know 
 me. I have only one thing more to say. If you betray me, 
 I will kill you like a dog.' 
 
 " I went out, and, as I closed the door, I heard the evan- 
 gelista mutter to himself, ' Santa Viring, into what wasp's 
 nest have I got? ' 
 
 " This is the key of the mystery. The young lady I saw 
 at the evangelista's was a novice in the convent of the 
 Bernard ines, where your daughter was. Dona Laura, not 
 knowing in whom to confide, had begged her to let Don 
 Francisco de Paulo Serrano know 
 
 "My brother-in-law! her godfather!" Don Mariano 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " The same," Don Leo continued. " She had, I said, 
 desired her friend, Dona Luisa, to let Senor Serrano receive 
 the note, in which she revealed to him her uncle's criminal 
 machinations, and the persecutions to which she was exposed, 
 while imploring him, as her father's best friend to come to 
 her aid, and take her under his protection.' 
 
 "Oh, my poor child ! " Don Mariano murmured. 
 
 " Don Estevan," Don Leo continued, " had by some 
 means learned your daughter's intentions. In order to be 
 thoroughly acquainted with her plans, and be able to over- 
 throw them at the right moment, he pretended to be entirely 
 ignorant of them ; let the young girl carry the letters to the 
 evangelista, reading the copies, and answering them himself, 
 for the simple reason that Senor Serrano did not receive your 
 daughter's letters, because Don Estevan had bought his 
 valet, who gave them to him with seals unbroken. This 
 skilful perfidy would doubtless have succeeded, had not 
 accident, or rather providence, placed me so fortunately in 
 the evangelista's shop." 
 
 " Oh ! " Don Mariano muttered, " the man was a monster." 
 
 "No," Don Leo remarked; "circumstances compelled 
 him to go much further than he perhaps intended. Nothing 
 proves that he meditated the death of your daughter." 
 
The Camp 175 
 
 "What would he then?" 
 
 " Your fortune. By forcing Dona Laura to take the veil, 
 he gained his object. Unfortunately, as always happens 
 when a man enters on that thorny path which fatally leads 
 to crime, although he had coldly calculated all the chances 
 of success, he could not foresee my intervention in the 
 execution of his plans an intervention which must make 
 them fail, and compel him to commit a crime, in order to 
 ensure success. Dona Laura, persuaded that Don Fran- 
 cesco's protection would not fail her, scrupulously followed 
 the advice I sent her by means of letters I myself wrote in 
 the name of the friend she addressed. For my own part, I 
 held myself in readiness to act when the moment arrived. I 
 will enter into no details on this subject. Dona Laura 
 refused to take the vows in the church itself. The scandal 
 was extreme, and the abbess, in her fury, resolved to put an 
 end to matters. The hapless young lady, sent to sleep by 
 means of a powerful narcotic, was buried alive in the in 
 pace, where she must die of hunger." 
 
 " Oh! " the two men exclaimed, shuddering with horror. 
 
 " I repeat to you," Don Leo continued, " that I do not 
 believe Don Estevan capable of this barbarity. He was 
 probably the indirect accomplice, but nothing more; the 
 abbess was the sole culprit. Don Estevan accepted accom- 
 plished facts ; he profited by them, nothing more. We must 
 suppose so, for the honour of humanity : otherwise, this man 
 would be a monster. Warned on the same day of what had 
 occurred in the convent, I collected a band of banditti and 
 adventurers. Then, at nightfall, I entered the building by 
 stratagem, and, pistol in hand, carried off your daughter." 
 
 " You ! " Don Mariano exclaimed, with a movement of 
 surprise, mingled with joy. " Oh, heavens! then she is 
 saved she is in safety! " 
 
 " Yes; at a place where I, aided by Marksman, concealed 
 her." 
 
 " Don Estevan would never have found her," the hunter 
 added, with a crafty smile. 
 
 The gentleman was fearfully agitated. " WTiere is she? " 
 he exclaimed. " I will see her. Tell me where my poor 
 darling child is." 
 
 " You can understand," the young man answered, " that 
 I did not keep her near me. I know that Don Estevan's 
 spies and your brother himself were pursuing me, and fol- 
 
176 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 lowing my every step. After placing Dona Laura in safety, 
 I enticed all the pursuers on to my trail. In this way, this 
 palanquin/' he said, pointing to it, " contained Dona Laura 
 till we reached the Presidio de Tubar. I was careful to let 
 her be seen once or twice; no more was needed to make it 
 supposed that she was still with me. By the care I took to 
 keep the palanquin constantly closed, and let no one approach 
 it, I hoped to lead my enemies after me, and once I had 
 them in the desert, punish them. My calculations were more 
 correct than Don Estevan's, for Heaven helped me. Now 
 that the criminal has been punished, and Dona Laura has 
 no more to fear, I am ready to make known her place of 
 concealment, and lead you to her." 
 
 " Oh, my God ! Thou art just and merciful," Don 
 Mariano exclaimed, with an expression of ineffable joy. " I 
 shall see my child again. She is saved." 
 
 " She is lost, if you do not make haste," a sepulchral voice 
 replied. 
 
 The three men turned in terror. Brighteye, with a pale 
 and bleeding face, his clothes torn and bloodstained, was 
 standing upright and motionless in the entrance of the tent, 
 holding the curtain back. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 FLYING EAGLE 
 
 THE Indians, owing to the life they are compelled to lead, 
 and the education they receive, are of an essentially sus- 
 picious character. Accustomed to be constantly on their 
 guard against everything that surrounds them, to regard 
 intentions ostensibly the most honest as concealing treachery 
 and perfidy, they have acquired an uncommon skill in guess- 
 ing the projects of persons with whom accident brings them 
 in contact, and foiling the snares set for them by their 
 enemies. 
 
 Machsi Karehde, we have already said, was an experienced 
 warrior, as wise in council as he was valiant in war, and, 
 though still very young, he justly enjoyed a great reputation 
 in his tribe. 
 
 So soon as Marksman had, in the name of Lynch law, 
 pronounced Don Estevan's sentence, there was a species of 
 disorder among the hunters, who broke their ranks, and began 
 eagerly conversing together, as generally happens in such a 
 case. Flying Eagle took advantage of the general attention 
 being diverted, and no one noticing him, to give Eglantine, 
 whose eyes were incessantly fixed on him, a signal, which 
 the young woman understood, and he silently stepped into 
 a thicket, where he disappeared before any one noticed his 
 absence. 
 
 After walking for about twenty minutes in the forest, the 
 Chief, probably supposing he was far enough off, stopped, 
 and turned to his squaw, who had remained a little distance 
 behind the whole time. " Let the Palefaces," he said, 
 " accomplish their work. Flying Eagle is a Comanche 
 warrior; he must no longer interfere between them." 
 
 " The Chief will return to his village? " Eglantine asked 
 timidly. 
 
 The Indian smiled craftily. " All is not over yet," he 
 replied. " Flying Eagle will watch over his friends." 
 
 The young woman let her head fall, and, seeing that the 
 Indian had seated himself, prepared to light the camp-fire; 
 
 177 M 
 
i 7 8 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 but the Chief stopped her by a sign. " Flying Eagle does 
 not wish to be discovered," he said. " Let my sister take 
 her place by his side, and wait; a friend is in danger at 
 this time." 
 
 At this moment a great noise of breaking branches could 
 be heard not far from the spot where the Redskins had 
 halted. The Indian listened attentively for a few moments, 
 with his head on the ground. " Flying Eagle will return," 
 he said, as he rose. 
 
 " Eglantine will wait for him," the squaw said, looking at 
 him tenderly. 
 
 The Chief laid by her side the weapons that might have 
 impeded him in the project he meditated; he only kept his 
 reata, which he carefully coiled round his right hand, and 
 crept in the direction of the sound he had heard, which 
 every moment grew louder. He had scarce advanced twenty 
 yards, by forcing his way through the intertwined creepers 
 and tall grass that barred his passage, ere he perceived, a 
 few paces off, a magnificent black horse, which, with ears 
 laid back, head extended, and all four feet fixed on the 
 ground, was snorting in alarm; its nostrils covered with 
 foam, and its mouth bleeding. 
 
 " Wah! " the Chief muttered, stopping short, and admiring 
 the splendid animal. He drew a few steps nearer, being 
 careful not to startle the animal more, which followed all his 
 movements with a restless eye; and, at the instant he saw 
 it bound to escape, he made his reata whistle round his neck, 
 and threw it with such skill, that the running knot fell on 
 the horse's shoulders. The latter tried, for three or four 
 minutes, to regain the liberty so suddenly snatched from it; 
 but soon recognising the futility of its efforts, it yielded once 
 again to slavery, and allowed the Indian to approach, with 
 no further attempts to maintain the struggle. The animal 
 was not a wild horse, but Don Estevan's magnificent barb, 
 which he had probably lost during the fight, when he was 
 wounded. The horse's trappings were partly broken and 
 torn by the branches; but still they were in a good state of 
 service. 
 
 The Chief, delighted with the windfall accident procured 
 him, mounted the horse, and returned to Eglantine, who, 
 submissive and obedient as a true Indian woman, had not 
 stirred since his departure. 
 
 " Flying Eagle will return to his village mounted on a 
 
Flying Eagle i 79 
 
 horse worthy of so great a Chief," she said, on noticing 
 him. 
 
 The Indian smiled haughtily. " Yes," he answered, " the 
 sachems will be proud of him." 
 
 And with the simple childishness so well suited to the 
 primitive roughness of these men of iron, he amused himself, 
 for some time, with making the horse perform the most 
 difficult passes and curvets, happy at the terrified admiration 
 of the woman he loved, and who could not refrain from 
 trembling on perceiving him manage this magnificent animal 
 with such ease. The Chief at length dismounted, and, while 
 still holding the bridle in his hand, sat down by the young 
 woman's side. 
 
 They remained thus for a long time, without exchanging 
 a word. Flying Eagle seemed to be reflecting deeply; his 
 eyes wandered about in the darkness, as if wishing to pene- 
 trate it, and distinguish some distant object in the distance. 
 He listened eagerly to the sounds of the solitude, while play- 
 ing mechanically with his scalping knife. " There they are," 
 he suddenly cried, as he rose, as if moved by a spring. 
 
 Eglantine looked at him with astonishment. 
 
 " Does my sister hear? " he asked her. 
 
 " Yes," she replied in a moment, " I hear the sound of 
 horses in the forest." 
 
 " They are the Palefaces returning to their camp." 
 
 "Shall we follow them?" 
 
 " Flying Eagle never leaves, without a reason, the path 
 made by his mocassins. Eglantine will accompany the 
 warrior." 
 
 " Does my father doubt it? " 
 
 " No; Eglantine is a worthy daughter of the Comanches; 
 she will come without a murmur. A Paleface, a friend of 
 Machsi Karehde, is in danger at this moment." 
 
 "The Chief will save him?" 
 
 The Indian smiled. " Yes," he said; " or, if I arrive too 
 late for that, I will at least avenge him, and his soul will 
 quiver with joy in the blessed prairies, on learning from his 
 people that his friend has not forgotten him." 
 
 " I am ready to follow the Chief." 
 
 " Let us go, then; it is time." 
 
 The Indian leaped into his saddle at a bound, and Eglantine 
 prepared to follow on foot. Indian squaws never mount the 
 war-horse of their husbands or brothers. Condemned, by 
 
180 The Indian Scout 
 
 the laws that govern their tribe, to remain constantly bowed 
 beneath a yoke of iron, to be reduced to the most complete 
 abjectness, and devote themselves to the harshest and most 
 painful tasks, they endure everything without complaining, 
 persuaded that it must be so, and that nothing can save 
 them from the implacable tyranny that weighs on them from 
 their birth to their death. In compelling his wife to follow 
 him on foot, through a virgin forest, by impracticable roads, 
 rendered more difficult through the darkness, Flying Eagle 
 was convinced that he was only doing a very simple and 
 natural thing. Eglantine, for her part, understood it so, 
 for she did not make the slightest remark. 
 
 They set out, then, turning their back on the noise, and 
 proceeding towards the clearing. For what object did the 
 Chief retrace his steps, and return to the spot he had left an 
 hour previously, in order to get rid of the Gambusinos? 
 We shall probably soon learn. 
 
 When about a hundred yards from the clearing, they 
 heard a shot. Flying Eagle stopped. "Wah!" he said, 
 " what has happened? Can I be mistaken? " 
 
 Immediately dismounting, he gave his wife his horse to 
 hold, bidding her follow him at a distance; and, gliding 
 through the grass, he advanced hurriedly toward the clearing, 
 feeling much alarmed by the shot, which he could not account 
 for, as the idea did not for a moment occur to him that Don 
 Estevan had fired it with the intention of killing himself. 
 The Chief was convinced that a man of that stamp would 
 never give the game up, however desperate it was. His 
 appreciation was not entirely false. 
 
 Persuaded of this, Flying Eagle, fearing a mishap, the 
 possibility of which he seemed to have foreseen, hastened to 
 reach the clearing, in order to settle his doubts, and trembling 
 to see them converted into a certainty. 
 
 On reaching the skirt of the clearing, he stopped, removed 
 the branches cautiously, and looked out. The darkness was 
 so dense, that he could distinguish nothing; a funereal 
 silence prevailed over this portion of the forest. Suddenly 
 the bushes parted, a man, or rather a demon, bounded out 
 like a jackal, passed him with extreme velocity, and was 
 soon lost in the darkness. 
 
 A sad presentiment contracted the Redskin's heart; he 
 made a movement to rush after the stranger, but altered his 
 mind almost in the same moment. " Let us look here first," 
 
Flying Eagle 181 
 
 he muttered, " I am certain of finding that man again when 
 I please." 
 
 He entered the clearing. The deserted fires no longer 
 gave out any light. All was shadow and silence. The Chief 
 walked rapidly toward the spot where the grave had been 
 dug. It was empty, Don Estevan had disappeared. On 
 the slope formed of the earth thrown out of the hole, a man 
 lay, motionless. 
 
 Flying Eagle bent over him, and examined him atten- 
 tively for some seconds. " I knew it," he muttered, as he 
 drew himself up with a smile of disdain; " that must happen, 
 the Palefaces are gossiping old women. Ingratitude is a 
 white vice vengeance a red virtue." 
 
 -|The Chief stood thoughtfully, with his eyes fixed on the 
 wounded man. "Shall I save him?" he at length said. 
 " For what good? It is almost better to let the coyotes tear 
 him limb from limb; the red warriors laugh at their fury. 
 This man," he added, " was, yet, one of the best of those 
 plundering Palefaces who come to drive us from our last 
 refuge. j|Wah! what do I care? our races are hostile, the 
 wild beasts will finish him to each his prey." 
 
 And he made a move to withdraw. Suddenly he felt a 
 hand laid on his shoulder, and a soft voice muttered gently 
 in his ear, " This Paleface is the friend of the grey head 
 who delivered Eglantine. Is my father ignorant of it? " 
 
 The Chief started at this question, which answered so 
 truly his innermost thoughts ; for, while speaking to himself, 
 and trying to prove that he did right in abandoning the 
 wounded man, the Indian knew very well that the deed he 
 premeditated was reprehensible, and that honour commanded 
 him to help the man stretched out at his feet. " Does 
 Eglantine know this hunter? " he answered evasively. 
 
 " Eglantine saw him for the first time two days ago, when 
 he so courageously saved the friend of the Chief." 
 
 " Wah! " the Indian muttered, " my sister speaks true. 
 This warrior is brave, his heart is large, he is the friend of 
 the Redskins. Flying Eagle is a Chief renowned for his 
 goodness of soul, he will not abandon the Paleface to the 
 hideous coyotes." 
 
 " Machsi Karehde is the greatest warrior of his nation, his 
 head is full of wisdom. What he does is well." 
 
 Flying Eagle smiled with satisfaction at this compliment. 
 " Let us examine this man's wounds." 
 
i8a The Indian Scout 
 
 Eglantine lighted a branch of ocota, which she made into 
 a torch. The two Indians bent down over the wounded 
 man, who still lay motionless, and by the oscillating light of 
 the torch examined him more attentively. 
 
 Brighteye had only a slight wound, produced by the butt 
 of the pistol by which he had been struck; the force of the 
 blow, by producing an abundant hemorrhage, had caused a 
 stunning sensation, followed by a syncope. The wound was 
 narrow, of no great depth, and on the upper part of the 
 forehead between the eyebrows. Don Estevan had tried to 
 kill the worthy hunter in the same way as the bulls in the 
 corridas. The experienced Espadas often amuse themselves 
 by killing the animals in this fashion, in order to display their 
 skill before the assembled spectators. This blow, though 
 dealt with a firm hand, was too hurried, and had not been 
 calculated with sufficient precision to be mortal. Still it is 
 evident that if the Indian Chief had not succoured him 
 before daybreak, the hunter would have been devoured alive 
 by the wild beasts prowling about in quest of prey. 
 
 All Indians, when travelling, carry by a sling a parchment 
 bag, which they call the medicine bag. It contains the 
 simples these primitive men employ to cure the wounds they 
 receive in combat, their surgical instruments, and the powders 
 intended to get rid of fevers. 
 
 After examining Brighteye's wound, the Chief tossed his 
 head with pleasure, and immediately set about dressing. 
 With a sharp instrument, made of an onyx, and with the 
 edge of a razor, he first cleared off the hair round the wound ; 
 then he felt in his medicine bag, pulled out a handful of 
 oregano leaves, which he carefully pounded and mixed up with 
 Catalonian refino. We will remark here, that in all Indian 
 medicaments spirits play a great part. He added to this 
 mixture a little water and salt, formed the whole into a thick 
 paste, and, after washing the wound twice with spirits and 
 water, he applied this species of cataplasm to it, fastening it 
 on with abanigo leaves. This simple remedy produced an 
 almost instantaneous effect; within ten minutes the hunter 
 gave a sigh, opened his eyes, and sat up, looking round him 
 like a man suddenly roused from a deep sleep, and who does 
 not completely recognise external objects. 
 
 Brighteye, however, was a man endowed with far too 
 powerful an organisation for this state to last long; he soon 
 managed to restore order in his ideas, recalled what had 
 
Flying Eagle 183 
 
 passed, and the treachery dealt him by the man he had 
 saved. " Thanks, Redskin," he said, in a still weak voice, 
 and holding out his hand to the Indian, who pressed it 
 cordially. 
 
 " My brother feels better? " he asked, with solicitude. 
 
 " I feel as well as if nothing had happened to me." 
 
 "Wah! my brother will then avenge himself on his 
 enemy." 
 
 " Trust me for that; the traitor shall not escape me, so 
 truly as my name is Brighteye," the hunter answered 
 energetically. 
 
 " Good! my brother will kill his enemy, and hang up his 
 scalp at the entrance of his wigwam." 
 
 " No, no, Chief; that revenge may suit a Redskin, but it 
 is not that of a man of my race and colour." 
 
 " What will my brother do, then? " 
 
 The hunter smiled cleverly, but after a few moments con- 
 tinued the conversation, though not in answer to the Indian's 
 questions. " How long have I been here? " he said. 
 
 " About an hour." 
 
 " No longer? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Heaven be praised. My assassin cannot be gone far." 
 
 " Och! an evil conscience is a powerful spur," the Indian 
 observed, sententiously. 
 
 " That is true." 
 
 " What will my brother do? " 
 
 " I do not know yet; the position I am in is very delicate," 
 Brighteye answered, thoughtfully. " Urged by my heart, 
 and the memory of a service done me long ago, I committed 
 an action which may be interpreted in various ways. I now 
 perceive that I was wrong; still, I confess to you, Redskin, 
 that I do not at all wish to be exposed to the reproaches of 
 my friends. It is hard for a man of my age, whose hair is 
 white, and who must possess experience, to have it said that 
 he has acted like a child, and is an old fool." 
 
 " Still, you must make up your mind." 
 
 " I know it. That is the thing which torments me, the 
 more so as it is urgent that Don Miguel and Don Mariano 
 should be warned as speedily as possible of what has happened, 
 in order to remedy the consequences of my folly." 
 
 " Listen," the Chief remarked. " I understand how 
 repugnant the confession you have to make will be to you. 
 
184 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 It is excessively painful for an old man to bow his head under 
 reproaches, however well deserved they may be." 
 
 "Well!" 
 
 " If you consent, I will do what you have so much 
 difficulty in resolving on. While you accompany Eglantine, 
 I will go to your friends, the Palefaces ; I will tell them what 
 has happened. I will put them on their guard against their 
 enemy, and you will have nothing to fear from their anger." 
 
 At this proposition, an indignant flush suffused the hunter's 
 face. " No," he exclaimed, " I will not add cowardice to my 
 fault. I will endure the consequences of my deed, all the 
 worse for myself. I thank you, Chief; your proposition 
 comes from a good heart, but I cannot accept it." 
 
 " My brother is the master." 
 
 " Let us make haste," the hunter continued; " we have 
 lost too much time already. Heaven alone knows what may 
 be the consequences of my deed, and the misfortunes that 
 will probably spring from it. It is impossible for me to pre- 
 vent them, it is my duty to do everything to lessen their 
 effect. Come, Chief, follow me; let us proceed to the camp 
 without further delay." 
 
 While uttering these words, the hunter rose with feverish 
 impatience. 
 
 " I am unarmed," he said; " the villain has stripped me." 
 
 " Let my brother not feel vexed at that," the Indian 
 answered; " he will find the needful arms at the camp." 
 
 " That is true. Let us go and look for my horse, which I 
 left a few yards off." 
 
 The Indian stopped him. " It is useless," he said. 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " That man has taken it." 
 
 The hunter struck his brow in his discouragement. " What 
 shall I do? "he muttered. 
 
 " My brother will take my horse." 
 
 "And you, Chief?" 
 
 " I have another." 
 
 At a sign from Flying Eagle, Eglantine led up the horse. 
 The two men mounted ; the Chief took his squaw up behind 
 him, and leaning over the necks of their horses, they started 
 at full gallop in the direction of the Gambusino camp, which 
 they reached about an hour later without any fresh incident. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 QUIEPAA TANI 
 
 WE must return to the two chiefs characters of our story, 
 whom we have neglected too long. For that purpose we 
 will go back a little way, and take up our narrative at the 
 moment when Addick, followed by the two young ladies 
 Don Miguel confided to him, set out for Quiepaa Tani. 
 
 A quiver of extraordinary voluptuousness passed over the 
 Indian so soon as he saw himself in the plains with the 
 maidens, free from the inquisitive glances of Don Miguel, 
 and those even more clear-sighted of Marksman. His eye, 
 sparkling with pleasure, passed from Dona Laura to Dona 
 Luisa, unable to rest longer on one than the other. He 
 found them both so lovely, that he was never satiated with 
 gazing on them with the frenzied admiration Indians experi- 
 ence at the sight of Spanish women, whom they infinitely 
 prefer to their own squaws. 
 
 While mentioning this peculiarity to the reader, we must 
 add that for their part the Spaniards eagerly seek the good 
 graces of the Indian women, in whom they find irresistible 
 charms. Is this the effect of a wise combination of Provi- 
 dence, wishing to effect the complete fusion of the two people ? 
 No one knows ; but what cannot be doubted is, that there are 
 few Spaniards in America who have not sundry drops of 
 Indian blood in their veins. 
 
 The young Indian chief, in possession of his two captives 
 for it was thus he regarded them so soon as they were 
 placed in his charge had at first thought of conducting 
 them to his tribe, to decide presently which he would select; 
 but several reasons made him abandon this plan almost as 
 soon as he formed it. In the first place, the distance to 
 traverse, before reaching his village, was immense, and it 
 was not very probable he could manage it in the company of 
 two frail and delicate girls, who could not endure the number- 
 less fatigues of a desert journey. On the other hand, the 
 city was only a couple of miles before him; the crowd, 
 momentarily increasing, hampered his movements; and the 
 dark outlines of the two hunters, standing out blackly on 
 the top of the mound, warned him that, at the slightest sus- 
 
 185 
 
1 86 The Indian Scout 
 
 picious movement, he would see two formidable adversaries 
 rise before him. 
 
 Making a virtue of necessity, then, he shut up in the depths 
 of his heart the emotions that agitated him, and resolved, 
 ostensibly, to accomplish his mission, by entering the city; 
 but he intended to confide the maidens to his foster-brother, 
 Chicukcoatl (Eight Serpents), Amantzin of Quiepaa Tani, who, 
 in his functions as High Priest of the Temple of the Sun, 
 would be able to hide them from the sight of all, until the day 
 when, all obstacles being removed, Addick would be free to 
 act as he pleased, and take back his captives. 
 
 The two unhappy girls, violently separated from the only 
 friends left to them, had fallen into a state of prostration, 
 which prevented them from noticing the hesitations and 
 tergiversations of the perfidious guide in whose hands they 
 found themselves. Surrendered defencelessly to the will of 
 a savage, who could, if he thought proper, treat them with the 
 utmost violence, although he had guaranteed their safety, 
 they knew that they had no human succour to expect. They 
 were compelled to leave their fate in the hands of Heaven, 
 and resigned themselves with a Christian spirit to the hard 
 trials they would doubtless have to endure during their 
 residence among the Indians. 
 
 The three travellers, mixed up in the dense crowd of 
 persons proceeding like themselves to the city, soon reached 
 the edge of the fosse, followed by the inquisitive glances of 
 those who surrounded them, for the Indians speedily recog- 
 nised the young girls as Spaniards. 
 
 Addick having, by a glance, bidden his companions be 
 prudent, assumed the most careless air he could well effect, 
 although his heart beat as if ready to burst, and presented 
 himself at the gateway. 
 
 After crossing the wooden bridge, he stood in apparent 
 apathy before the gate; a lance was lowered before the 
 strangers, and barred their passage. A man, whom it was 
 easy to recognise, by his rich costume, as an influential chief 
 of the city, rose from a butacca, on which he was carelessly 
 seated, smoking his pipe, advanced with measured steps, 
 and stopped, carefully examining the group formed by 
 Addick and his companions. 
 
 The Indian, at first surprised and almost frightened by 
 this hostile demonstration, recovered almost immediately; 
 a flash of joy burst from his savage eye; he bent over to the 
 
Quiepaa Tani 187 
 
 sentry, and whispered a few words in his ear. The Redskin 
 immediately raised his lance with a respectful gesture, fell 
 back a step, and made room for them to pass. They entered. 
 Addick walked hastily toward the Temple of the Sun, con- 
 gratulating himself on having so easily escaped the danger 
 which had been suspended for several minutes over his head. 
 The maidens followed him with that resignation of despair 
 which bears so striking a likeness to docility and deference, 
 but which is, in reality, only the recognised impossibility of 
 escaping a fate one fears. While our friends are crossing the 
 streets of the city to reach their destination, we will describe, 
 in a few words, Quiepaa Tani, the exterior of which the 
 reader is only acquainted with. The narrow streets, running 
 at right angles, open on an immense square, situated exactly 
 in the centre of the city, and which bears the name of Cona- 
 ciuhtzin. 1 It is probable that it was in compliment to the 
 sun that the Indians conceived this square, from which the 
 streets of the city radiate; for it is impossible to imagine a 
 more correct representation of the planet they adore than 
 this mysteriously and emblematically significant arrange- 
 ment. Four magnificent palaces rise in the direction of the 
 four cardinal points. On the western side is the great temple, 
 called Amantzin-expan, surrounded by an infinite number of 
 chiselled columns of gold and silver. The appearance of this 
 edifice is most imposing. You reach it by a flight of twenty 
 steps, each made of a single stone, thirty feet in length; the 
 walls are excessively lofty, and the roof, like that of all the 
 other buildings, is terraced. The Indians, though perfectly 
 acquainted with the art of building subterranean arches, are 
 completely ignorant of the way of raising domes in the air. 
 The interior of the temple is relatively very simple. Long 
 tapestries, embroidered with feathers of a thousand different 
 hues, and representing, in hieroglyphic writing, the entire 
 history of the Indian religion, cover the walls. In the 
 centre of the temple stands the teocali, or isolated altar, 
 surmounted by a brilliant sun, made of gold and precious 
 stones, supported on the great ayotl, or sacred tortoise. By 
 an ingenious artifice, each morning the first beams of the 
 rising sun fall on this splendid idol, and make it sparkle with 
 such brilliant fire, that it really seems to be animated, and 
 lights up the surrounding scene. Before the altar is the 
 sacrificial table, an immense block of marble, representing 
 1 Square of the Sun. 
 
1 88 The Indian Scout 
 
 one of those Druidic menhies so common in old Armorica. It 
 is a species of stone table, supported by four blocks of rock. 
 The table, slightly hollowed in the centre, is supplied with a 
 conduit, intended to carry off the blood of the victims. We 
 must remark that human sacrifices are growing daily rarer. 
 We are, fortunately, far from an epoch when, in order to 
 dedicate a temple, sixty thousand human victims were 
 immolated in one day at Mexico. At present these sacrifices 
 only take place under the most exceptional circumstances; 
 and, in that case, the victims are selected from the prisoners 
 condemned to death. At the back of the temple is a space 
 closed in with heavy curtains, entrance to which is interdicted 
 to the people. These curtains conceal the top of a staircase 
 leading to vast cellars, which extend under the whole temple, 
 and which the priests alone have the right to enter. It is in 
 the most secret and retired spot of these vaults that the 
 sacred fire of Moctecuzoma burns uninterruptedly. The 
 floor of the temple is covered with leaves and flowers, renewed 
 every morning. 
 
 On the southern side of the square is the Tanamitec, or 
 Palace of the Chief. This palace, whose name, literally trans- 
 lated, signifies " a spot surrounded by water," is merely a 
 succession of reception rooms and immense courts, employed 
 by the warriors entrusted with the defence of the city for 
 their military exercises. A separate building, to which 
 visitors are not admitted, is set apart for the residence of the 
 chief's family. Another building serves as arsenal, and con- 
 tains all the arms of the city, such as arrows, saoaies, lances, 
 bows, and Indian shields from the most remote period; 
 European sabres, swords, and guns, which, after fearing for 
 so long, the Indians have learned to employ as well as our- 
 selves, if not better. The greatest curiosity, undoubtedly, 
 contained in this arsenal is a small cannon which belonged to 
 Cortez, and which that conqueror was compelled to abandon 
 on the high road, during his precipitate retreat from Mexico 
 on the noche triste. This cannon is still an object of fear and 
 veneration to the Indians ; for many recollections of the con- 
 quest have remained in their hearts after so many years and 
 vicissitudes of every description. 
 
 On the same square stands the famous Ciuatl-expan, or 
 Palace of the Vestals. It is here that, far from the glance of 
 men, the Virgins of the Sun live and die. No man, the High 
 Priest excepted, can penetrate to the interior of this building, 
 
Quiepaa Tani 189 
 
 reserved for the women dedicated to the sun. A fearful death 
 would immediately punish the daring man who attempted to 
 transgress this law. The life of the Indian vestals bears con- 
 siderable resemblance to that of the nuns peopling the 
 European convents. They are shut up, take a vow of per- 
 petual chastity, and pledge themselves never to speak to a 
 man, unless it be their father or brother, and in that case they 
 can only converse through a grating and in the presence of a 
 third party, while careful to veil their faces. When, during 
 the ceremonies, they appear in public, or assist in the 
 religious festivals in the temple, they are completely veiled. 
 A vestal convicted of letting a man see her face is condemned 
 to death. 
 
 In the interior of their abode they amuse themselves with 
 feminine occupations, and privately perform the rites of their 
 religion. Their vows are voluntary. A young girl cannot 
 be admitted into the ranks of the Virgins of the Sun until the 
 High Priest has acquired the certainty that no one has forced 
 her to this determination, and that she is really following her 
 vocation. 
 
 Lastly, the fourth palace, situated on the eastern side of 
 the square, is the most splendid, and at the same time the 
 most gloomy of all. It is called the Iztlacat-expan, or Palace 
 of the Prophets. It is the residence of the priests. It 
 would be impossible to describe the mysterious, sad, and cold 
 appearance of this residence; the windows of which are 
 covered with a wicker frame, so closely interwoven as almost 
 to entirely exclude the light of day. A gloomy silence per- 
 petually prevails in this building; but at times, in the middle 
 of the night, when all are reposing in the city, the Indians 
 awake in terror at the strange sounds that appear to issue 
 from the Iztlacat-expan. What is the life of men who 
 inhabit it? In what do they spend their time? No one 
 knows . Woe to the imprudent man, who, curious for informa- 
 tion on this point, would try to surprise the secrets of which 
 he should remain in ignorance; for the vengeance of the 
 insulted priests would be implacable. 
 
 If the vow of chastity be imposed on the vestals, it is not so 
 with regard to the High Priest and his assistants; still we 
 must remark, that very few of them marry, and all abstain, at 
 least openly, from any connection with the other sex. The 
 noviciate of the priests lasts ten years, and it is only at the 
 expiration of that period, and after undergoing numberless 
 
190 The Indian Scout 
 
 trials, that the novices assume the title of Chalchiuh. Until 
 then they can alter their minds, and embrace another career; 
 but the case is extremely rare. It is true, that if they took 
 advantage of the law's permission, they would be infallibly 
 assassinated by their brothers, who would fear seeing a 
 portion of their secrets unveiled to the public. In other 
 respects the priests are highly respected by the Indians, 
 whose love they contrive to acquire; and we may say, that 
 next to the chief, the Amanani is the most powerful man in 
 the tribe. 
 
 Among peoples with whom religion is so powerful a lever, 
 it may be observed that the temporal and spiritual power 
 never come into collision; each knows how far his attributes 
 extend, and follows the line traced for him, without trying to 
 infringe on the rights of the other. Owing to this intelligent 
 diplomacy, priests and chiefs act in concert, and double their 
 strength. 
 
 The European, habituated to the tumult, noise, and move- 
 ment of the cities of the old world, whose streets are con- 
 stantly encumbered by vehicles of every description, and 
 with the passers by, who come into collision at each step, 
 would be strangely surprised at the sight of the interior of an 
 Indian city. There, there are no noisy ways of communica- 
 tion, bordered by magnificent shops, offering to the curiosity 
 or greed of the purchasers and rogues the superb and dazzling 
 specimens of European industry; there are no carriages, not 
 even carts; the silence is only disturbed by the step of the 
 few passers hastening back to their dwellings, and who walk 
 with the imposing gravity of professors or magistrates of all 
 nations. 
 
 The houses, which are all hermetically closed, allow none 
 of the internal noises to be heard from the street. Indian 
 life is concentrated in the family, and closed against the 
 stranger; the manners are patriarchal, and the public way 
 never becomes, as is too often the case amongst our civilised 
 peoples, the disgraceful scene of the disputes, quarrels, or 
 fights of the citizen. 
 
 The vendors collect in immense bazaars, where, until mid- 
 day, they sell their merchandise; that is to say, fruits, 
 vegetables, and meat; for all other trade is unknown to the 
 Indians, each family weaving or making for itself the 
 garments, furniture, or household articles it requires. Then, 
 when the sun has run half its course, the bazaars are closed, 
 
Quiepaa Tani 191 
 
 and the Indian traders, who all inhabit the country, quit the 
 city, to return next morning with fresh vegetables. Each 
 family lays in its stock for the day. 
 
 Among the Indians the men never work; the women are 
 entrusted with the purchases, the household cares, and the 
 preparation of all that is indispensable for existence. The 
 men, too proud to do any domestic work, hunt or go on the 
 war-path. 
 
 The payment for what is purchased is not effected, as in 
 Europe, by means of coins, which are generally only known to, 
 or accepted by, the coast Indians, who traffic with the whites ; 
 but by means of a free exchange, which is practised by all the 
 tribes residing in the interior. The plan is most simple. 
 The purchaser exchanges some article for that he wishes to 
 acquire, and all is settled. 
 
 Now that we have made Quiepaa-Tani known to the reader, 
 let us terminate this chapter by saying that Addick and his 
 companions, after wandering for some time through the 
 streets, at length reached the Iztlacat-expan. 
 
 The Indian Chief had, as he desired, found a complaisant 
 auxiliary in the Amanani, who swore, on his head, to guard, 
 with scrupulous attention, the prisoners entrusted to him. 
 
 We may as well add, that Addick told the High Priest 
 that the ladies he confided to his care were the daughters of 
 one of the most powerful men in Mexico, and that, in order 
 to compel him to grant his protection to the Indians, he had 
 resolved on taking one of them to wife; still, as the two 
 girls pleased him equally and for that reason it had been 
 impossible for him, up to that moment, to make a choice 
 between them he prudently abstained from pointing out 
 the object of his purpose. Then he added, in order com- 
 pletely to conquer the good graces of the man he took as his 
 accomplice, and whose sordid avarice had long been known 
 to him, that a magnificent present would amply reward him 
 for the guardianship he begged him to accept. 
 
 Tranquil for the future about the fate of the two maidens, 
 and the first part of the plot he had formed having com- 
 pletely succeeded, Addick purposed to carry out the second 
 in the same way; he consequently took leave of those he 
 had sworn to protect, and whom he betrayed so shamefully: 
 and, mounting his horse again, he left the city, and pro- 
 ceeded, at full speed, towards the ford of the Rubio, where 
 he knew he should meet Don Miguel. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 A TRIO OF VILLAINS 
 
 LEAVING Addick to depart at full gallop from Quiepaa Tani, 
 let us turn for a little while to the maidens whom, prior to 
 his departure, he confided to the Amantzin. The latter shut 
 the maidens up in the Ciuatl-expan, inhabited by the Virgins 
 of the Sun. Although prisoners, they were treated with the 
 utmost respect, after the orders Addick had given, and they 
 would have probably endured the annoyance of their unjust 
 captivity with patience, had not a deep alarm as to the fate 
 reserved for them, and an invincible sorrow, resulting from 
 the events to which they had been victims, and the terrrible 
 circumstances which had led them to their present condition, 
 by suddenly separating them from their last defender, seized 
 upon them. 
 
 It was now that the difference of character between the 
 two friends was clearly shown. Dona Laura, accustomed to 
 the eager homage of the brilliant cavaliers who visited her 
 father's house, and the enjoyments of a slothful and luxurious 
 life, as is that of all rich Mexican families, suffered on feeling 
 herself so roughly deprived of the delights and caresses by 
 which her childhood had been surrounded; forgetting the 
 tortures of the convent only to remember the joys of the 
 paternal mansion, and incapable of resisting the sorrow that 
 preyed upon her, she fell into a state of discouragement and 
 torpor which she did not even attempt to combat. 
 
 Dona Luisa, on the contrary, who found in her present 
 condition but little change from her noviciate, while de- 
 ploring the blow that struck her, endured it with courage 
 and resignation : her well- tempered soul accepted misfortune 
 as the consequence of her devotion to her friend. Uncon- 
 sciously, perhaps, another feeling had for some time past 
 glided into the maiden's heart a feeling which she did not 
 attempt to explain, whose strength she did not thoroughly 
 know; but which doubled her courage, and made her hope 
 for a deliverance, if not prompt, at least possible, executed 
 by the man who had already risked everything for her 
 
 192 
 
A Trio of Villains 193 
 
 friend and herself, and would not abandon them in the fresh 
 tribulations by which they were assailed, owing to the 
 odious treachery of their guide. 
 
 When the two friends conversed together at times about 
 any probability of deliverance, Laura did not dare to pro- 
 nounce the name of Don Miguel, and through a reserve, the 
 reason of which may be easily divined, she pretended to rely 
 on the name and power of her father. Luisa, more frank, 
 contented herself with answering that the bravery and devo- 
 tion that Don Miguel had displayed were a sure guarantee 
 that he would, ere long, come to their assistance. 
 
 Laura, whom her companion had not thought it advisable 
 to inform of the numberless obligations which she owed the 
 young man, could not understand the connection that could 
 possibly exist between him and the future, and cross-ques- 
 tioned Luisa. But the latter remained dumb, or eluded 
 the question. 
 
 " In truth, my friend," Laura said to her, " you speak 
 incessantly of Don Miguel. We certainly owe him great 
 gratitude for the service he has rendered us; but now his 
 part is almost played out; my father, warned by him of the 
 position in which we are, will come, ere long, to deliver us." 
 
 " Querida de mi corazon" l Luisa answered her, with a 
 toss of her head; " who knows where your father is at this 
 moment? / trust in help from Don Miguel, because he 
 alone saved us from his own impulse, without hope of reward 
 of any sort, and he is too loyal and too much of a gentleman 
 not to finish an enterprise he has begun so well." 
 
 This last sentence was uttered by the young lady with 
 such an air of conviction, that Laura felt surprised at it, and 
 raised her eyes to her friend, who felt herself instinctively 
 blush beneath the weight of this inquiring glance. 
 
 Laura added nothing; but she asked herself what could 
 be the nature of the feeling which urged her friend to defend 
 a man whom no one attacked, and to whom she, Luisa, only 
 owed such slight obligations, and, indeed, scarce knew ? 
 
 From that day, as if by a tacit agreement, they never 
 spoke of Don Miguel, and his name was never mentioned by 
 the maidens. 
 
 It is a strange fact, and yet undoubtedly true, that priests, 
 no matter of what country they are, or the religion to which 
 they belong, are continually devoured by a desire to make 
 1 Cherished one of my heart. 
 
 N 
 
194 The Indian Scout 
 
 proselytes at any price. The Amantzin of Quiepaa Tani, in 
 this respect, resembled all his brethren; he would not allow 
 the opportunity to slip which was apparently afforded him 
 of converting two Spanish girls to the religion of the Sun. 
 Gifted with a great intellect, thoroughly convinced of the 
 excellence of the religious principles he professed, and, 
 besides, an obstinate enemy of the Spaniards, he conceived 
 the plan, so soon as Addick intrusted him with the care of 
 the maidens, of making them priestesses of the Sun. In 
 America, there is no lack of instances of conversions of this 
 nature, for what may seem monstrous to us is regarded as 
 perfectly natural in that country. 
 
 The Amantzin planted his batteries in consequence. The 
 maidens did not speak Indian; on his side, he did not know 
 a word of Spanish ; but this difficulty, apparently enormous, 
 was quickly removed by the High Priest. He was related 
 to a renowned Indian warrior, of the name of Atoyac, the 
 very man, indeed, who was sentry at the gate of the city 
 upon Addick's arrival. This man had married a civilised 
 Indian girl, who, brought up not far from Monterey, spoke 
 Spanish sufficiently well to make herself understood. She 
 was a woman of about thirty years of age, although she 
 appeared at least fifty. In these regions, where growth is so 
 rapid, a woman is usually married at the age of twelve or 
 thirteen. Continually forced to those hard tasks which, in 
 other countries, fall to the lot of men, their freshness speedily 
 disappears; on reaching the age of twenty-five, they are 
 attacked by a precocious decrepitude, which, ten years later, 
 converts into hideous and repulsive beings women who, in 
 their youth, were endowed with great beauty and exquisite 
 grace, of which many European women would be justly proud. 
 
 Atoyac's wife was named Huitlotl, or the Pigeon. She 
 was a gentle and simple creature, who, having herself suffered 
 much, was instinctively urged to sympathise with the suffer- 
 ings of others. Hence, in spite of the law which forbade 
 the introduction of strangers into the Palace of the Virgins 
 of the Sun, the High Priest took on himself to let the Pigeon 
 enter the presence of the maidens. 
 
 A person must have been a prisoner himself among indi- 
 viduals whose language he does not understand, in order to 
 imagine the satisfaction which the prisoners must have felt 
 on at length receiving a visit from somebody who could 
 converse with them, and help them to subdue the utter 
 
A Trio of Villains 195 
 
 weariness in which they passed their time. The Indian was 
 hence accosted as a friend, and her presence regarded as a 
 most agreeable interlude. 
 
 In the second interview, however, the Spaniards guessed 
 with what an interested design these visits were permitted, 
 and then a real tyranny succeeded on the short joyous con- 
 versation of the first day. It was a permanent punishment 
 to the maidens. As Spaniards, and attached to the religion 
 of their fathers, they could not fulfil the High Priest's hopes, 
 while the Indian woman, incapable of playing the false and 
 roguish part to which she was condemned, did not hide from 
 them that, in spite of the honied words and insinuating 
 manner of the Amanani, they must expect to suffer the most 
 frightful tortures, if they refused to devote themselves to the 
 worship of the Sun. The prospect was far from being re- 
 assuring. The maidens knew the Indians to be capable of 
 putting their odious threats in execution without the slightest 
 remorse; hence, while promising in their hearts to remain 
 staunch in the faith of their fathers, the poor creatures were 
 devoured by mortal alarm. 
 
 Time passed away, and the High Priest began to grow 
 impatient at the slowness of the conversion. The little hope 
 the two maidens had kept up of escaping from the sacrifice 
 demanded of them was gradually deserting them. This 
 painful situation, which was further aggravated by the 
 absence of all news from without, at length produced an 
 illness whose progress was so rapid, that the High Priest 
 considered it prudent to suspend the execution of his ardent 
 project of proselytism. 
 
 Let us leave the wretched prisoners for a few moments, 
 almost felicitating themselves on the change that had taken 
 place in their health, as it for a time at least almost freed 
 them from the odious presence to which they were exposed, 
 and take up the course of events which happened to other 
 persons who figure in this story. 
 
 So soon as Don Estevan found himself at liberty, he dug 
 his spurs into the flanks of Brighteye's horse, and began a 
 furious race across the forest, whose evident object was to 
 remove him as speedily as possible from the clearing which 
 had all but proved so fearfully fatal to him. A prey to a 
 mad terror which every moment that passed doubled, the 
 wretched man galloped haphazard, without object or idea, 
 following no direction, but flying straight before him, pursued 
 
196 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 by the hideous phantom of the death which, for an hour 
 that was as long as an age, had bent over his shoulders, and 
 had already stretched forth its skeleton hand to seize him, 
 when a miraculous accident sent a liberator. 
 
 Don Estevan, in proportion as lucidity re-entered his 
 brain, and calmness sprung up again in his thoughts, became 
 once more the man he had ever been; that is to say, the 
 implacable villain so justly condemned and executed by 
 Lynch law. Instead of recognising in his deliverance the 
 omnipotent finger of Providence wishing thus to show him 
 the path of repentance, he only saw a naturally accidental 
 fact, and entertained but one thought that of avenging 
 himself on the men who prostrated him and set their feet 
 on his chest. 
 
 No one could say how many hours he thus galloped in the 
 darkness, revolving schemes of vengeance, and casting 
 ironical looks of defiance at Heaven. The whole night was 
 passed in this mad race, and sunrise surprised him at a 
 long distance from the spot where he had undergone his 
 sentence. 
 
 He stopped for a moment in order to restore a little con- 
 nection in his ideas and look around him. The trees, rather 
 scattered at the spot where he halted, enabled him to see 
 between their trunks a plain in front of him, terminating in 
 the distance in tall mountains, whose blue-grey summits 
 mingled in the horizon with the sky: a rather wide river 
 flowed silently between two scarped banks, denuded of 
 vegetation. Don Estevan gave a sigh of relief. Supposing, 
 as was not at all probable, that any one had started in 
 pursuit, the rapidity of his flight, and the innumerable turns 
 he had taken, must have completely hidden his trail. He 
 advanced slowly to the edge of the forest, resolved to stop 
 for an hour or two to rest his panting steed, and himself take 
 that repose so absolutely necessary after so much fatigue and 
 agony. So soon as he reached the first trees of the wood, he 
 stopped again. Assured himself by a glance round that no 
 human being was in the vicinity, and reassured by the calm- 
 ness and silence that reigned around him, he dismounted, 
 unsaddled and hobbled his horse, and, lying down on the 
 ground, he began reflecting. His position was far from 
 agreeable. He was alone, almost unarmed, in a strange 
 country, compelled to fly from men of his own colour, and 
 obliged to depend on himself alone to face all the events 
 
A Trio of Villains 197 
 
 which might occur, and the dangers that surrounded him 
 on every side. 
 
 Assuredly, a man more resolute than was Don Estevan, 
 and gifted by nature with a more powerful organisation than 
 he possessed, would, in his place, have felt greatly embar- 
 rassed, and would have given way, if not to despair, at least 
 to discouragement. The Mexican, overcome by the atrocious 
 emotions and extraordinary fatigue he had endured during 
 the fatal night which had just passed, fell involuntarily into 
 such a state of prostration and insensibility, that gradually 
 external objects disappeared from his sight, and he only 
 existed in his mind, that ever-shining beacon in the human 
 brain, and which GOD in his infinite goodness allows to shine 
 there in the darkest gloom, in order to restore to the creature, 
 in extreme situations, the feeling of his strength and the 
 will to struggle. 
 
 For a long time Don Estevan had been seated, with his 
 elbow on his knee and his head on his hand, looking without 
 seeing, listening without hearing, when he suddenly started, 
 and drew himself up sharply. A hand had been gently laid 
 on his shoulder. Slight as the touch was, it was enough to 
 arouse the Mexican, and restore him to a sense of his present 
 situation. He looked up: two men, two Indians, were by 
 his side ; they were Addick and Red Wolf. 
 
 A gleam of joy shone in Don Estevan's eye: these two 
 men, he had a presentiment, were two allies. He wanted 
 them without hoping ever to meet them. In fact, in the 
 desert, who can be certain of meeting those he seeks ? 
 
 Addick fixed a sardonic glance on him. " Och! " he said, 
 " my pale brother sleeps with his eyes open; his fatigue, it 
 seems, is great." 
 
 " Yes," Don Estevan answered. 
 
 There was a moment of silence. " I did not hope to find 
 my brother again so soon, and in such an agreeable position," 
 the Indian continued. 
 
 " Ah! " Don Estevan said again. 
 
 " Yes, aided by my brother Red Wolf and his warriors, I 
 had set out to bring help, if it were possible, to the 
 Paleface." 
 
 The Mexican looked at him suspiciously. " Thanks," he 
 at length said, with piercing irony; " I required help from 
 nobody." 
 
 " All the better that does not astonish me : my brother 
 
198 The Indian Scout 
 
 is a great warrior in his nation; but perhaps the help now 
 useless to him will be of service to him later." 
 
 " Listen, Redskin/' Don Estevan said; " take my advice, 
 let us not deal in repartees, but be frank towards each other. 
 You know a great deal more of my affairs than I should have 
 wished any one to discover. How you learned it is of little 
 consequence ; still, if I understand you, you have a proposal 
 to make to me, a proposal you doubtless think I shall accept, 
 because of the position in which you find me. Make it, then, 
 frankly, briefly, as a man ought to do, and let us come to an 
 end, instead of wasting precious time in idle discourse and 
 useless beating about the bush." 
 
 Addick smiled craftily. " My brother speaks well," he 
 said, in a honied voice; "his wisdom is great. I will be 
 frank with him; he wants me; I will serve him." 
 
 " Vote a brios ! that is talking like a man; that pleases 
 me. Go on, Chief; if the end of your speech resembles the 
 beginning, I do not doubt we shall come to an understanding." 
 
 " Wah! I am convinced of it; but, before sitting down to 
 the council fire, my brother needs to regain his strength, 
 weakened by a long fast and heavy fatigue. Red Wolf's 
 warriors are encamped close by. Let my brother follow me. 
 When he has taken a little nourishment, we will settle our 
 business." 
 
 " Be it so. Go on; I follow you," Don Estevan answered. 
 
 The three men then went off in the direction of the Redskin 
 camp, which was not more than a hundred paces from the 
 spot they left. 
 
 The Indians understand hospitality better than any other 
 people, excepting the Arabs that virtue ignored in cities, 
 where, to the disgrace of civilised peoples, a cold egotism 
 and shameful distrust is substituted for it. Don Estevan 
 was treated by the Indians as well as it was possible for 
 them to do. After he had eaten and drank as much as he 
 wanted, Addick returned to the charge. " Will my Paleface 
 brother hear me at present? " he said. " Are his ears 
 open?" 
 
 " My ears are open, Chief. I am listening to you with all 
 the attention of which I am capable." 
 
 " Does my brother wish to avenge himself on his enemies?" 
 
 " Yes," Don Estevan exclaimed, passionately. 
 
 "But those enemies are powerful; they are numerous. 
 My brother has already succumbed in the contest he tried 
 
A Trio of Villains 199 
 
 to wage with them. A man, when he is alone, is weaker 
 than a child." 
 
 " That is true," the Mexican muttered. 
 
 " If my brother consents to grant to Red Wolf and Addick 
 what they will ask of him, the Red Chiefs will help my 
 brother to avenge himself, and ensure him success." 
 
 A feverish flush covered Don Estevan's face ; a convulsive 
 tremor flew over his limbs. " Voto a brios I " he muttered, 
 gloomily; "whatever be the condition you lay down, I 
 accept it, if you serve me as you say." 
 
 " My brother must not pledge himself lightly," the Indian 
 retorted, with a grin. " He does not know the condition 
 yet; perhaps he will regret having been so hasty." 
 
 " I repeat to you," Don Estevan repeated firmly, " that I 
 accept the condition, whatever it be. Let me know it, then, 
 without further delay." 
 
 The cautious Indian hesitated, or appeared to hesitate, for 
 two or three minutes, which seemed an age to the Mexican. 
 At length he went on, in a perfidiously gentle voice. " I 
 know where the two Pale-faced maidens are whom my 
 brother seeks in vain." 
 
 Don Estevan, at these words, bounded as if he had been 
 stung by a serpent. "You know it!" he shouted, as he 
 squeezed his arm violently, and looked fixedly at him. 
 
 " I know it," Addick answered, still with perfect calmness. 
 
 " It is not possible." 
 
 The Indian smiled contemptuously. " It was under my 
 guardianship," he said, " and guided by me, that they 
 reached their present abode." 
 
 " And you can lead me to it? " 
 
 " I can." 
 
 " On the instant? " 
 
 " Yes, if you accept my conditions." 
 
 " That is true; tell me them." 
 
 " Which does my brother prefer, these young girls, or 
 vengeance? " 
 
 " Vengeance! " 
 
 " Good; the young pale girls will remain where they are. 
 Addick and Red Wolf are alone; their cabins are desolate; 
 they each need a wife. The warriors hunt; the ciuatls 
 prepare the food, and nurse the papooses. Does my brother 
 understand me? " 
 
 These words were pronounced with so strange an intona- 
 
200 The Indian Scout 
 
 tion, that the Mexican shuddered involuntarily, but he 
 recovered almost immediately. " And if I accept? " he said. 
 
 " Red Wolf has two hundred warriors. They are at my 
 brother's service, to aid him in accomplishing his vengeance." 
 
 Don Estevan let his head fall in his hands. For a few 
 moments he remained motionless. This man, who had so 
 coolly resolved on his niece's death, hesitated at the odious 
 proposition now made him. This condition seemed to him 
 more horrible than death. 
 
 The Indians waited, apparently apathetic witnesses of the 
 contest that was going on in the heart of the man they 
 wished to seduce. They watched this conflict of good and 
 evil inclinations, coldly calculating the chances of success 
 offered them by the evil instincts of the wretch they held 
 beneath their eye. However, the struggle was not long. 
 Don Estevan raised his head, and said, with a calm voice, 
 cold face, and no sign of emotion, " Well, be it so, the die is 
 cast. I accept, and will keep my word ; but first keep yours." 
 
 " We will keep it," the Indians answered. 
 
 " Before the eighth sun," Addick added, " my brother's 
 enemies will be in his power; he will deal with them as he 
 thinks proper." 
 
 " And now, what must I do? " Don Estevan asked. 
 
 " Here is our plan," Addick replied. 
 
 The three men then discussed the plan of campaign they 
 intended to follow, in order to gain the object they proposed. 
 But, as we shall soon see it work out, we will leave it, to 
 return to our other characters. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 A HUNT ON THE PRAIRIE 
 
 THE persons collected in Don Miguel's tent could not repress 
 a movement of surprise, almost of terror, at the sudden 
 appearance of Brighteye, pale, bleeding, and with disordered 
 garments. The hunter had stopped in the entrance of the 
 tent, tottering, and looking around with haggard eyes, while 
 his face gradually assumed an expression of sorrow and 
 profound discouragement. All these men, accustomed to 
 the incessantly changing life of the desert, whose courage, 
 incessantly put to the rudest trials, was surprised at nothing, 
 felt themselves, however, shudder, and a foreboding of 
 misfortune. 
 
 Brighteye still remained motionless and dumb. Don 
 Miguel was the first to recall his presence of mind, and suc- 
 ceeded in regaining sufficient mastery over himself to address 
 the new comer. "What is the matter, Brighteye?" he 
 asked him in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm; 
 " of what sad news are you the bearer? " 
 
 The Canadian passed his hand several times over his damp 
 forehead, and, after casting a last suspicious glance around 
 him, he at length found courage to reply in a low and 
 inarticulate voice " I have terrible news to announce." 
 
 The adventurer's heart beat audibly; still, he mastered 
 his emotion, and said in a calm voice, with a sigh of resigna- 
 tion " It will be welcome, for we can hear nothing from 
 you which is not so. Speak, then, my friend, we are listening 
 to you." 
 
 Brighteye hesitated, a feverish flush mounted over his 
 face ; but, making a supreme effort, he said, " I have betrayed 
 you betrayed you like a coward." 
 
 " You! " they all exclaimed, unanimously, in denial, and 
 shrugging their shoulders. 
 
 "Yes, I!" 
 
 These two words were uttered in the tone of a man whose 
 resolution is definitely formed, and who loyally accepts the 
 
 201 
 
202 The Indian Scout 
 
 responsibility of an act which he recognises in his heart 
 as culpable. 
 
 His hearers regarded him in stupor. " Hum ! " Marksman 
 muttered, shaking his head sorrowfully; " there is some- 
 thing incomprehensible in all this. Leave it to me to find it 
 out," he continued, addressing Don Miguel, who seemed 
 preparing to address fresh questions to the hunter. " I 
 know how to make him speak." 
 
 The adventurer consented with a mute sign, and then fell 
 back on his bed, while bending an interrogatory glance on 
 the Canadian. 
 
 Marksman quitted the spot he had hitherto occupied, and 
 walking up to Brighteye, laid his hand on his shoulder. The 
 Canadian quivered at this friendly touch, and looked sorrow- 
 fully at the old hunter. " By Jove ! " the latter said, with 
 a smile, " deuce take me if our ears were not tingling just 
 now! Come, Brighteye, old comrade, what is the matter? 
 Why this terrified look, as if the sky was on the point of 
 falling on our heads ! What means this pretended treachery 
 of which you accuse yourself, and whose flagrant impossi- 
 bility I guarantee; I, who have known you these forty 
 years?" 
 
 " Do not pledge yourself so for me, brother," Brighteye 
 answered, in a hollow voice; " I have broken the law of the 
 prairies. I have betrayed you, I tell you." 
 
 " But, in the devil's name, explain yourself! You cannot 
 have bargained to our injury with those Apache dogs, our 
 enemies? Such a supposition would be ridiculous." 
 
 " I have done worse." 
 
 "Oh! oh! What, then?" 
 
 " I have " Brighteye hesitated. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 Don Mariano suddenly interposed. " Silence ! " he said, 
 in a firm voice, " I guess what you have done, and thank 
 you for it. To me it belongs to justify you in the sight of 
 our friends, so let me do so." 
 
 All eyes were curiously turned on the gentleman. 
 
 " Caballeros," he continued, " this worthy man accuses 
 himself of treachery towards you, because he consented to 
 do me an immense service. In a word, he has saved my 
 brother." 
 
 " Can it be possible? " Don Miguel passionately exclaimed. 
 
 Brighteye bowed in affirmation. 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 203 
 
 " Oh! " the adventurer said, " wretched man, what have 
 you done? " 
 
 " I would not be a fratricide," Don Mariano nobly answered. 
 
 This word burst like a bomb-shell amid these lion-hearted 
 men. They let their heads sink instinctively, and quivered 
 involuntarily. 
 
 " Do not reproach this honest hunter," Don Mariano con- 
 tinued, " with having saved that wretch. Has he not been 
 sufficiently punished ? 'The lesson has been too rude for him 
 not to profit by it. Forced to allow his defeat, bowed beneath 
 shame and remorse, he is now wandering alone and without 
 help beneath the omnipotent eye of God, who, when his hour 
 arrives, will inflict on him the chastisement for his crimes. 
 Now, Don Esteven is no longer an object of alarm to us; we 
 shall never meet him again on our path." 
 
 "Stop!" Brighteye shouted, vehemently; "were it as 
 you state, I should not reproach myself so greatly for having 
 consented to obey you. No, no, Don Mariano, I ought to 
 have refused. When the serpent is dead, the venom is dead 
 also ! Do you know what this man did ? So soon as he was 
 free, thanks to me, immediately forgetting that I was his 
 saviour, he treacherously tried to deprive me of the life I 
 had just restored him. Look at the gaping wound on my 
 skull," he added, suddenly raising the bandage that sur- 
 rounded his head, " here is the proof of his gratitude he 
 left me on separating from me." 
 
 All present uttered an exclamation of horror. 
 
 Brighteye then narrated, in their fullest detail, the events 
 which had occurred. The hunters listened attentively. 
 When his story was ended, there was a moment of silence. 
 
 "What is to be done?" Don Miguel muttered, sorrow- 
 fully. " All must be begun afresh. There is no lack of 
 villains on the prairie with whom this man can come to an 
 understanding." 
 
 Don Mariano, overwhelmed by what he had just heard, 
 remained gloomy and silent, taking no part in the discussion, 
 recognising in his heart the fault he had committed, but not 
 feeling the courage to avow it, and thus assume the immense 
 responsibility of the sentence passed by the wood-rangers. 
 
 " We must come to an end of this," Marksman said, 
 " moments are precious. Who knows what that villain is 
 doing while we are consulting? Let us raise the camp as 
 speedily as possible, and proceed to those maidens, for they 
 
204 The Indian Scout 
 
 must be saved in the first place. As for ourselves, we shall 
 be able to foil the scoundrel's machinations, when aimed 
 directly at ourselves." 
 
 " Yes," Don Miguel exclaimed, " let us start. Heaven 
 grant that we arrive in time." 
 
 And forgetting his weakness and wounds, the adventurer 
 rose boldly. Brighteye stopped him. The old hunter, freed 
 from the burthen that weighed so heavily on his conscience, 
 had regained all his boldness and freedom of mind. 
 
 " Permit me," he said, " to have to deal with a powerful 
 foe. Let us not act lightly, or let ourselves be deceived this 
 time. Hear what I propose." 
 
 " Speak," Don Leo answered. 
 
 " From what I know of this unhappy story, you, Don 
 Miguel, aided by my old companion, Marksman, have hidden 
 these young girls in a place where you suppose them safe 
 from the attack of your enemy." 
 
 " Yes," the adventurer answered, " except by treachery." 
 
 " We must always suspect treachery as possible in the 
 desert," the hunter went on, roughly; " you have a proof of 
 it before you; hence redouble your prudence. Don Miguel 
 and his Cuadrilla will, guided by us, set out immediately in 
 pursuit of Don Stefano. Believe me, the most important 
 thing for us is to secure the person of our enemy, and, by 
 heavens, I swear to do all humanly possible to catch him. 
 I have a terrible account to settle with him now," he added, 
 with an expression of concentrated hatred which no one 
 misunderstood. 
 
 " But the young ladies? " Don Leo exclaimed. 
 
 "Patience! Don Miguel; if you possessed as much 
 strength as good will, I should have reserved for you the 
 honour of going to seek them in the asylum you so judiciously 
 selected for them; but that task will be too rude for you; 
 leave to Marksman, then, the care of carrying it out, and be 
 assured he will give you a good account of it." 
 
 Don Leo de Torres remained for a moment gloomy and 
 thoughtful. Marksman took his hand, and pressed it 
 warmly. " Brighteye's advice is good," he said; "under 
 the present circumstances, it is the only plan we can follow; 
 we must play a game of trickery with our adversaries, in order 
 to foil their villainy. Leave that to me; I have not been 
 christened * The Scout ' in vain. I swear to you, on my life, 
 that I will bring the two maidens back to you." 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 205 
 
 The adventurer breathed a sigh. " Do as you think 
 proper," he said, in a sorrowful voice, " as I am quite power- 
 less." 
 
 " Good, Don Leo! " Don Mariano exclaimed; " I perceive 
 that your intentions are truly honourable, and I thank you 
 for your self-denial. As for you, my worthy friend," he said, 
 turning to Marksman, " though I am old, and but little 
 accustomed to desert life, I will accompany you." 
 
 " Your desire is just, senor, and I have no right to oppose 
 it, as it is your daughter I am going to try andjsave, the 
 fatigue you will endure, and the perils you incur during this 
 expedition, will add to the happiness you experience in 
 embracing your daughter, when I have succeeded in restoring 
 her to you." 
 
 " Now," Brighteye said, " do you, Marksman, who know 
 the direction you are about to follow, give us a place of 
 meeting, where we can assemble again when each of us has 
 accomplished his allotted task." 
 
 " That is important," the Canadian answered; " it would 
 be even as well if a detachment from Don Miguel's Cuadrilla 
 were to proceed directly to the meeting-place we select, in 
 order that, in the event of a mishap, each band can find 
 succour or support there." 
 
 " Fifteen of my most resolute men shall go at once to en- 
 camp at the spot you select, Marksman," Don Miguel said, 
 " in order to be ready to go wherever their presence is 
 necessary." 
 
 " We are carrying on regular warfare; do not forget that; 
 hence we must neglect no precaution. Ruperto, who is an 
 old buffalo-hunter, will, with your permission, Don Miguel, 
 take the command of this party, and proceed to Amaxtlan." 1 
 
 " Oh, I know the spot well," Ruperto interrupted; " I 
 have often hunted beaver and otter there." 
 
 " That is all right," Marksman continued. " Now, what- 
 ever happens, we must all be at the appointed place this day 
 month, except through a grave impediment, and, in that 
 case, the detachment missing will send a scout to Ruperto, 
 in order to inform him of the cause of its delay. Is that 
 agreed?" 
 
 " Yes," his auditors answered. 
 
 " But," Don Miguel added, " I suppose that you will not 
 go alone with Don Mariano? " 
 
 1 The spot where a river divides into several branches. 
 
206 The Indian Scout 
 
 " No; I shall also take Domingo, who, for certain reasons 
 known to myself, I shall not be sorry to have constantly under 
 my hand. Don Mariano's two servants will also follow me; 
 they are brave and devoted. I need no more people." 
 
 " They are very few," Don Leo remarked. 
 
 The old hunter smiled in a peculiar way. " The less we are, 
 the better it will be," he said, " for the dangerous enterprise 
 we meditate ; our little band will pass invisible, where a larger 
 party would be stopped; trust to me for that." 
 
 " I have one more word to add." 
 
 " Say it." 
 
 " Succeed ! " 
 
 The Canadian smiled again, but this time with an expres- 
 sion of tender pity. " I shall succeed," he answered simply, 
 as he forcibly pressed the hand his friend offered him. 
 
 The two men understood one another. Don Leo then 
 left the tent. 
 
 Soon all was bustle in the camp. The Gambusinos were 
 busily engaged in destroying the entrenchments, loading the 
 waggons, and saddling the horses ; in short, everybody made 
 preparations for a hurried departure. 
 
 " Did you not tell me, Marksman," asked Brighteye, 
 " that you were picked up by Flying Eagle? " 
 
 " Yes," the other answered. 
 
 " Did the Chief leave you at once, then? " 
 
 "No; he followed me to the camp, and so did Eglantine." 
 
 "Heaven be praised! He will accompany me on my 
 expedition; he is a brave and experienced warrior; his help, 
 I believe, will be very necessary to the success of my plans. 
 Where is he?" 
 
 " A few steps off; let us go and find him, for I have also 
 something to say to him." 
 
 The two hunters left the camp together. They soon per- 
 ceived Flying Eagle, squatting by a fire, and calmly smoking 
 his Indian calumet; his wife sat motionless by his side, 
 anxious to satisfy his slightest wish. On seeing the hunters, 
 the Chief took the pipe from his mouth, and saluted them 
 courteously. 
 
 Brighteye knew that the Comanche had taken several 
 measurements of the footsteps left by Don Estevan on his 
 flight, and he wished to ask the Chief for them, as he hoped 
 to employ them in following his enemy's trail. The Indian 
 gave them to him without the slightest hesitation. The 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 207 
 
 hunter placed them carefully in his bosom, with a nod of 
 satisfaction. "Eh!" he muttered to himself. "This will 
 enable me to find one end of the trail; with the help of 
 heaven, I hope that I shall soon hold the other." 
 
 In the meanwhile, Marksman had seated himself by Flying 
 Eagle's side. 
 
 " Does my red brother still intend to return to his tribe? " 
 he asked him. 
 
 " The Sachem has been absent for a long time," the Indian 
 answered; " his sons are anxious to see him." 
 
 "Good!" the hunter said; "it should be so. Flying 
 Eagle is a renowned Chief; his sons have need of him." 
 
 " The Comanches are too wise to notice the absence of a 
 warrior." 
 
 " My brother is modest; but his heart flies toward the 
 village of his fathers." 
 
 " Are not all men the same? " 
 
 " That is true; the feeling of one's country is innate in 
 the heart of man." 
 
 " The Palefaces are raising their camp." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Are they returning to the side of the great Salt Lake, 
 into their stone villages? " 
 
 " No; they are starting for a great buffalo hunt in the 
 prairies, down by the endless river with the golden waves." 
 
 " Wah! " the Chief said, with a certain degree of emotion; 
 " then many moons will pass ere I see my brother again." 
 
 "Why so, Chief?" 
 
 " Does not the great Pale hunter accompany his brothers?" 
 
 " No ! " Marksman answered, laconically. 
 
 "Och! my brother must be laughing. What will the 
 Palefaces do, if he does not accompany them? " 
 
 " I am going in the direction of the sun! " 
 
 The Indian started, and fixed a piercing glance on the 
 speaker. " The direction of the sun," he said, as if speaking 
 to himself. 
 
 " Yes," Marksman continued; " to the evergreen prairies 
 of the country of Acatlan, 1 on the banks of the fair streams 
 of Atonatiah." 2 
 
 The Chief started violently. Marksman remained calm, 
 and apparently indifferent, although he attentively followed 
 the various emotions which contracted the Chief's features, 
 1 The country of reeds. * Sun of the water. 
 
208 The Indian Scout 
 
 in spite of the mask he tried to draw over them. " My 
 brother is wrong," he said presently. 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " My brother is ignorant that this land of which he speaks 
 is sacred. Never has the foot of a white man trodden it 
 with impunity." 
 
 " I know it," the hunter answered carelessly. 
 " My brother knows it, and persists in going there? " 
 " Yes." 
 
 There was a silence of several moments' duration between 
 the two men, the Indian hastily puffing the smoke from his 
 calumet, a prey to an emotion he could not master. At 
 length he spoke again. " Every man has his destiny," he 
 said, in that sententious tone peculiar to the Indians. " My 
 brother doubtless attaches a great importance to this 
 journey." 
 
 " An immense importance, Chief; I am going to that 
 country, though perfectly aware of the perils that await us, 
 for interests of value, and impelled by a will more powerful 
 than my own." 
 
 "Good! I do not ask my brother's secrets. The heart of 
 a man is his own; he alone must read in it. Flying Eagle 
 is a powerful Sachem; he also follows that road; he will 
 protect his Pale brother, if the hunter's intentions are 
 pure." 
 
 " They are so." 
 
 "Wan! my brother has the word of a Chief; I have 
 spoken." After uttering these words, the Indian took up 
 his calumet again, and began smoking silently. Marksman 
 was too conversant with the Indian manners to press him 
 further. He rose, with joy in his heart at having succeeded 
 in obtaining an ally so powerful as the Comanche Chief, and 
 he went in all haste to make the preparations for departure. 
 For their part, during the conversation we have reported, 
 the Gambusinos had not remained inactive. Don Miguel or 
 Don Leo, whichever it pleases the reader to call him, had so 
 urged on his men, that everything was ready, waggons 
 loaded and horsed, and the riders mounted, with rifle on 
 thigh, only awaited the signal for setting out. Don Miguel 
 selected from his band fifteen old Gambusinos, practised in 
 Indian tricks, and in whom he believed he could trust. He 
 said a few words to them, explanatory of his intentions, and 
 placed them under Ruperto's command, with orders to obey 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 209 
 
 him as they would himself. The Gambusinos swore to do 
 so. This duty accomplished, he summoned Domingo. The 
 Gambusino came up to his Chief with that cunningly indolent 
 manner familiar to him, and waited respectfully for his 
 orders. When Domingo learned what was expected from 
 him, he was in no way flattered by the confidential com- 
 mission his Chief gave him, especially as he was not at all 
 anxious to be under the immediate supervision of Marksman, 
 whose peering glance incessantly occasioned him a nervous 
 tremor, and whose assiduous watchfulness was most dis- 
 agreeable to him. Still, as it was impossible openly to 
 disobey Don Miguel, the worthy Gambusino made up his 
 mind for the worst, making himself a secret promise to keep 
 on his guard, and double his prudence. 
 
 When Don Miguel had completed all the duties of a wise 
 and intelligent Chief, he mounted his horse, though with 
 difficulty, owing to the weakness occasioned by his wounds. 
 He placed himself at the head of his band, to the right of 
 Brighteye, and after giving a parting salutation to Don 
 Mariano and Marksman, he ordered his men to start. The 
 two parties set out immediately, that led by Ruperto turning 
 to the left, and proceeding toward the mountains, and 
 Brighteye, with his men, temporarily following the course of 
 the Rubio. All now left in the deserted camp were Marks- 
 man, Don Mariano, Flying Eagle, Eglantine, the two servants, 
 and Domingo, who followed with a look of envy his gradually 
 disappearing comrades. The old hunter, for reasons he kept 
 secret, did not wish to set out before sunset. Scarcely had 
 that planet disappeared on the horizon, amid floods of 
 vapours, ere the night set in, and the landscape was almost 
 immediately plunged in dense gloom. We have already 
 several times remarked that, in high American latitudes, 
 there is no twilight, or, at least, it is so weak, that night 
 arrives almost without any transition. 
 
 Marksman, since the departure of the two first detach- 
 ments, had not uttered a syllable, or made a movement; his 
 comrades, doubtless for motives resembling his own, respected 
 their Chief's silence; but night had scarcely set in, ere the 
 hunter rose sharply. " Start! " he said, in a quick voice. 
 
 All rose. Marksman took an inquiring glance around. 
 " Leave the horses," he said; " they are useless to us. We 
 are not going to begin a journey, but a man-hunt. We must 
 be unimpeded in our movements, for the trail we shall follow 
 
 o 
 
21 o The Indian Scout 
 
 is difficult. Juanito, you will remain here with the animals, 
 until you hear from us." 
 
 The Creole made a sign of discontent. " I should have 
 preferred to follow you, and not quit my master," he said. 
 
 " I understand that, but I want a courageous and resolute 
 man to guard our horses, and I cannot select a better one 
 than you; besides, I trust that you will not remain alone 
 long. Still, as we do not know what route we shall have to 
 follow, or what obstacles may arise, build yourself a tent. 
 Hunt, do what you think proper, but remember that you 
 must not stir from this place without my orders." 
 
 "That is agreed, compadre," Juanito answered; "you 
 can start when you please. If your journey were to last six 
 months, you will be certain to find me here on your return." 
 
 " Good," Marksman said; " I reckon on you." 
 
 Then he whistled his mustang, which ran up at the 
 summons, and laid its intelligent head on its master's 
 shoulder. It was a noble animal, rather tall, with a small 
 head, but its eyes flashed with ardour; its wide chest, its 
 firm and nervous legs, all denoted the blood-horse. Marks- 
 man seized the reata which hung from a ring fixed to the 
 saddle, unfastened it, rolled it round his body, and then, 
 giving the mustang a light tap on the croup, watched it 
 depart with a sigh of regret. 
 
 The hunter's comrades were provided with their arms and 
 provisions, consisting of pemmican, or buffalo meat, dried 
 and pounded, and maize tortillas. 
 
 " Come, let us start," the Canadian said, throwing his rifle 
 over his shoulder. 
 
 " A pleasant journey, and happy return," Juanito said, 
 unable to prevent himself accompanying that adieu by a 
 sigh, in which it could be easily read how vexed he felt at 
 being thus left behind. 
 
 " Thanks," the adventurers answered. 
 
 So soon as they left the camp, they walked in Indian file, 
 that is to say, one behind the other, the second placing his 
 foot exactly in the steps of the first, and the third in those 
 of the second, and so on to the last. The latter, however, as 
 closing the march, was careful to efface, as far as was possible, 
 the traces left by himself and those who preceded him. 
 
 Juanito, after looking after them for some minutes, as they 
 descended the mound, at the top of which the camp was, 
 cautiously returned, and seated himself by the fire. " Hum ! " 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 21 1 
 
 he muttered, " I shall not have much fun here, but what 
 must be must be." And with this philosophical reflection, 
 the worthy Mexican lit his cigarette, and began smoking 
 peacefully, while following with interest the blue wreaths 
 fantastically entwined by the evening breeze that rose from 
 the smoke of his Havanah tobacco, whose perfume he inhaled 
 with all the methodic phlegm of a true Indian Sagamore. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 A HUNT ON THE PRAIRIE (concluded) 
 
 IN the new world, when people are travelling in Indian 
 regions, and do not desire to be tracked by the Redskins, 
 they must be careful to go to the east, if their business lies 
 in<he west, and vice versa ; in a word, imitate the manoeuvres 
 of a ship, which, if surprised by a contrary wind, is obliged 
 to tack, and thus gradually approaches the point it wishes 
 to reach. Marksman was too conversant with the cleverness 
 and craft of the Indians not to act in a similar fashion. 
 Although the presence of Flying Eagle was, to a certain point, 
 a guarantee of security, still, not knowing with what Indian 
 tribe accident might bring him in contact, Marksman resolved 
 not to be discovered by anybody, were that possible. 
 
 Fenimore Cooper, the immortal historian of the North 
 American Indians, has, in his excellent works, initiated us 
 into the tricks employed by the Tuscaroras, Mohicans, and 
 Hurons, when they wish to foil the researches of their enemies ; 
 but, no offence to the numerous admirers of the sagacity of 
 young Uncas, a magnificent type of the Delaware nation (of 
 which he was not, however, the last hero, for it still exists, 
 though sadly diminished), the Indians of the United States 
 are only children, when compared with the Comanches, 
 Apaches, Pawnees, and other nations of the great western 
 prairies, who may justly be regarded as their masters in 
 every respect. The reason is very simple, and easy of com- 
 prehension. The northern tribes never existed in the con- 
 dition of political powers. Each of them governs itself 
 separately, and, to some extent, according to its fancy. 
 The Indians composing them rarely ally themselves with their 
 neighbours, and have, from time immemorial, constantly 
 led a nomadic life. Hence they have only possessed the 
 instincts (though highly developed, we grant) of men con- 
 stantly inhabiting the forests; that is to say, a marvellous 
 agility, a great fineness of hearing, and a miraculous length 
 of sight qualities, by the way, which may be also found in 
 the Arabs, and generally in all wandering tribes, whatever 
 
 212 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 2 1 3 
 
 be the nook of earth that shelters them. As for their 
 sagacity and skill, the wild beasts taught them, and they 
 only had the trouble of imitating them. 
 
 The Mexican Indians join to the advantages we have men- 
 tioned the remains of an advanced civilisation & civilisation 
 which, since the Conquest, has taken refuge in inaccessible 
 lurking-places, but, for all that, no less exists. The families, 
 or tribes, regard themselves as the members of one great 
 whole the nation. Now, the American nations, continually 
 fighting with the Spaniards on one side, and the North 
 Americans on the other, have felt the necessity of doubling 
 their strength, in order to triumph over the two formidable 
 enemies who incessantly harass them, and their descendants 
 have gradually modified what was injurious in their manners, 
 to appropriate those of their oppressors, and combat them 
 with their own weapons. They have carried these tactics so 
 far which have hitherto saved them, not only from serfdom, 
 but also from extermination that they are perfect masters 
 in trickery and cunning ; their ideas have grown larger, their 
 intelligence has been developed, and they have ended by 
 surpassing their enemies in craft and diplomacy, if we may 
 employ the expression. And this is so true, that for the last 
 three hundred years the latter have not only failed in sub- 
 duing, but in preventing their periodical incursions, which 
 the Comanches proudly call the Mexican Moon, and during 
 which they destroy everything they come across with 
 impunity. 
 
 Can we really regard as savages these men, who, formerly 
 driven back by the dread of fire-arms, and the sight of 
 horses, animals of whose existence they were ignorant, and 
 compelled to conceal themselves in inaccessible ravines, have 
 yet defended their territory inch by inch, and, in certain 
 districts, have actually reconquered a portion of their old 
 estates? Better than any one, we know that there are 
 savages in America, savages in the fullest sense of the term; 
 but they have proved a cheap conquest, and they daily 
 disappear from the earth, for they possess neither the neces- 
 sary intelligence to understand, nor the energy to defend 
 themselves. These savages to whom we allude, before being 
 subject to the Spaniards or Anglo-Americans, were so to the 
 Mexicans, the Peruvians, and the Araucanos of Chili, owing 
 to their intellectual organisation, which scarce elevates them 
 above the brutes. We must not confound this race of helots, 
 
214 The Indian Scout 
 
 who are an exception in the genus, with the great untamed 
 nations whose manners, necessarily alluring, we are attempt- 
 ing to portray here; for in spite of the efforts they make 
 to withdraw themselves from its influence, that European 
 civilisation they despise rather through the hereditary hatred 
 of their conquerors and the whole race generally, than from 
 any other motive, surrounds, crushes, and invades them on 
 all sides. Perhaps, before a hundred years are past, the 
 emancipated Indians, who smile with pity at the paltry 
 contests going on between the phantom republic that sur- 
 rounds them, and the colossal pigmy of the United States 
 which menaces them, will take their rank again in the world, 
 and raise their heads proudly; and that will be just, for they 
 are heroic natures, richly endowed, and capable, under good 
 direction, of undertaking or carrying out great things. In 
 Mexico itself, since the period when that country proclaimed 
 its so-called independence, all the eminent men who have 
 risen either in arts, diplomacy, or war, belong to the pure 
 Indian race. In support of our statement, we will cite a 
 fact of immense significance: The best history of southern 
 America, published up to this day, was written by an Inca, 
 Garcillasso de la Vega. Is not this conclusive? is it not 
 time to condemn all those systematically absurd theories 
 which insist on representing the red family as a bastard race, 
 incapable of amelioration, and fatally destined to disappear ? 
 
 Ending here this digression, which is, perhaps, too lengthy, 
 but is indispensable for the due comprehension of the facts 
 that follow, we will take up our narrative again, at the point 
 where we broke it off. 
 
 After a march of three hours, rendered fatiguing and diffi- 
 cult by the lofty grass, the adventurers reached the skirt of 
 the forest. About midnight, Marksman, after allowing his 
 comrades two hours' rest, started again. At sunrise they 
 reached a species of canon, or narrow gorge, formed by two 
 walls of perpendicular rocks, and were constrained to march 
 for four hours in the bed of a half dried-up torrent, in which 
 their footsteps fortunately left no mark. During several 
 days their journey over abrupt and desolate mountains was 
 effected with great toil, but did not offer any incident worthy 
 of narration. At length they found themselves again in the 
 region of the tierras calientes ; the verdure reappeared, and 
 the heat became sensible. Hence the adventurers, who had 
 suffered extremely from the cold in the lofty regions of the 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 215 
 
 Serrania, experienced a feeling of marked comfort on inhaling 
 the gentle and perfumed atmosphere, in contemplating the 
 azure sky and dazzling sun which had now taken the place 
 of a grey and leaden sky, and the limited, fog-laden horizon, 
 which they had left behind them. Toward the end of the 
 fourth day after leaving the mountains, Marksman uttered a 
 shout of satisfaction, on noticing the skirt of the immense 
 virgin forest, toward which he was marching, rise in the 
 distant azure of the prairie. " Courage, my friends ! " he 
 said; " we shall soon obtain the shadow and freshness 
 lacking here." 
 
 The adventurers, without replying, hurried their steps, like 
 men who perfectly appreciated the value of the promise 
 made them. Night had completely set in, when they reached 
 the banks of a rather high river, whose vicinity the tall grass 
 had concealed from them, although for some minutes they 
 had heard the continued rustling of the water over the 
 pebbles. Marksman resolved to wait till the next day, 
 and look for a ford. The party camped, but the fire was 
 prudently not lighted. The adventurers wrapped them- 
 selves in their zarapes, after taking a scanty meal, and soon 
 fell asleep. Marksman alone watched. Gradually the moon 
 sunk on the horizon: the stars began to dim and go out 
 in the depths of the sky. The hunter, whose eyes fatigue 
 closed against his will, was about to yield to sleep, when 
 suddenly a strange and unexpected sound made him start. 
 He drew himself up, as if he had received an electric shock, 
 and listened. A slight rustling agitated the reeds that 
 bordered the river, whose calm and motionless waters re- 
 sembled a long silvery ribbon. There was not a breath of 
 air. The hunter laid his hand on Flying Eagle's shoulder; 
 the latter opened his eyes, and gazed at him. " The In- 
 dians," Marksman muttered in the Chief's ear. Then, crawl- 
 ing on his hands and knees, he glided down the slope, and 
 entered the water. Then he looked around him. The moon 
 shed sufficient light to let him survey the country for a long 
 distance, but, in spite of the attention he devoted, he could 
 see nothing. All was calm; but he waited with eye fixed, 
 and ear on the watch. Half-an-hour passed, and the sound 
 which had aroused him was not repeated. However closely 
 he listened, no sound arose to disturb the silence of night. 
 Still Marksman felt certain he was not mistaken. In the 
 desert all sounds have a cause, a reason; the hunters know 
 
21 6 The Indian Scout 
 
 them, and can distinguish them, being never deceived as to 
 their nature. The hunter was immersed, however, in the 
 water up to his waistbelt. In America, if the heat of the 
 day is stifling, the nights, to make up for it, are excessively 
 fresh, and Marksman felt an icy coldness invading his whole 
 body. Tired of waiting, and believing that he was deceived, 
 he was at length preparing to return to the bank, when, at 
 the moment he was preparing to carry out his design, a hard 
 body struck his chest. 
 
 He looked down, and instinctively thrust out his hands. 
 He stifled a cry of surprise; what had touched him was the 
 side of a canoe, gliding noiselessly through the reeds, which 
 it parted in its passage. This canoe, like all the Indian boats 
 in these parts, was made of birch bark, detached from the 
 tree by means of boiling water. Marksman examined the 
 canoe, which seemed to be moving without the assistance of 
 any human being, and rather drifting with the current than 
 proceeding in a straight line. Still one thing astonished the 
 Canadian: the canoe was moving without the slightest 
 oscillation. Evidently an invisible being, probably an Indian, 
 was directing it, but where was he? Was he alone? This 
 it was impossible to guess. The Canadian's anxiety was 
 extreme; he did not dare make the slightest move, through 
 fear of imprudently revealing his presence. And yet the 
 canoe was moving on. Resolved to know how it was, Marks- 
 man gently drew his knife, and, holding his breath, bent 
 down in the river, and only let the top of his face emerge 
 from the water. What he expected happened : in a moment 
 he saw the eyes of an Indian, who was swimming behind the 
 canoe, and pushing it with his arm, sparkle in the gloom like 
 two live coals. The Redskin held his face on a level with 
 the water, and was looking searchingly around him. The 
 Canadian recognised an Apache. Suddenly the stranger's 
 eyes were fixed on the hunter. The latter judged that the 
 time had arrived, and bounding with the suppleness and 
 speed of a jaguar, he seized his enemy by the throat; giving 
 him no time to utter a cry of alarm, he buried his knife in 
 his heart. The Apach6's face turned black; his eyes were 
 dilated ; he struck the water for a moment with his legs and 
 arms ; but soon his limbs stiffened, a convulsion passed over 
 his body, and the current bore him away, leaving behind a 
 slight reddish trace. He was dead. The Canadian, without 
 the loss of a moment, clambered into the canoe, and, holding 
 
A Hunt on the Prairie 217 
 
 on to the reeds, looked across to the spot where he had left 
 his comrades. The latter, warned by Flying Eagle, had 
 cautiously come up, bringing with them the rifle left by the 
 hunter on the bank. 
 
 So soon as they were together again, they freed the canoe 
 from the reeds that barred its passage, and, by Marksman's 
 advice, after embarking, and turning the canoe into the 
 current, they lay down in the bottom. For some time they 
 had been gliding along gently, believing themselves hidden 
 from the invisible enemies they supposed to be concealed 
 around them, when suddenly a terrible clamour broke out, 
 like a thunder-clap. The body of the Apache killed by 
 Marksman, after following the current for some distance, 
 had stopped in some grass and dead leaves, exactly opposite 
 an Indian camp, near which the adventurers had passed a 
 few hours previously, not suspecting its presence. At the 
 sight of their brother's corpse, the Redskins uttered the 
 formidable howl of grief we mentioned, and rushed tumul- 
 tuously toward the bank, pointing to the canoe. 
 
 Marksman, seeing himself discovered, seized the paddles, 
 and, aided by Flying Eagle and Domingo, he was in a few 
 minutes out of range. The Apaches, furious at this flight, 
 and not knowing with whom they had to deal, overwhelmed 
 their enemies with all the insults the Indian tongue could 
 supply, calling them hares, ducks, dogs, owls, and other 
 epithets, borrowed from the nomenclature of the animals they 
 hate or despise. The hunter and his companions did not 
 trouble themselves about these impotent insults ; they began 
 paddling vigorously, which soon restored the circulation in 
 their limbs. 
 
 The Indians then changed their tactics; several long- 
 barbed arrows were shot at the canoe, and several shots were 
 even discharged; but the distance was too great, and the 
 water was only dashed up by the bullets. 
 
 Thus the night passed. 
 
 The adventurers paddled eagerly; for they had noticed 
 that the river, owing to its countless bends, was visibly 
 drawing nearer to the forest they had so much interest in 
 reaching. Still, believing that they no longer had anything 
 to fear from their enemies, they laid down the paddles for a 
 few moments, to rest, and take a little food. 
 
 The day rose while they were thus engaged, and a magnifi- 
 cent landscape was unfolded before the dazzled eyes of the 
 
21 8 The Indian Scout 
 
 adventurers. "Oh!" Flying Eagle exclaimed, with an 
 expression of surprise. 
 
 " What is the matter? " Marksman answered at once, who 
 understood that the Chief had noticed something out of the 
 common. 
 
 "Look!" the Comanche said, emphatically, holding his 
 arm out in the direction they had come during the night. 
 
 " Virtudieu 1 " the Canadian shouted. " Two canoes in 
 pursuit of us. Oh, oh! we must make a fight of it." 
 
 " Cuerpo del Cristo ! " Domingo said, in his turn, with a 
 bound, which almost upset the frail boat. 
 
 " What is the matter now? " 
 
 "Look!" 
 
 " A thousand demons ! " the hunter exclaimed. " W T e 
 are beset." 
 
 In fact, two canoes were rapidly coming up in the rear of 
 the adventurers, while two others, starting from the opposite 
 sides of the river, were pulling ahead of them, with the 
 evident intention of barring their passage, and cutting off 
 their retreat. 
 
 " Voto a Dios 1 these Redskins want to make us dance a 
 singular jaleo" Domingo muttered. " What do you say, 
 old hunter? " 
 
 " Good, good! " Marksman replied gaily; " we'll find the 
 music. Attention, comrades, and redouble your energy." 
 
 At a sign from him, all the men took up paddles, and gave 
 such an impetus to their canoe, that it seemed to fly over the 
 water. The situation was becoming critical for the whites. 
 Marksman, upright, and leaning on his rifle, coldly calculated 
 the chances of this inevitable rencontre. He did not fear the 
 boats in pursuit, for they were at too great a distance behind 
 to hope to catch him ; all his attention was concentrated on 
 those in front, between which he must pass. Each stroke 
 of the paddle diminished the distance which separated the 
 white men from the Redskins. The hostile canoes, as far as 
 could be judged from a distance, seemed overloaded, and 
 only advanced with some difficulty. Marksman had judged 
 the situation with an infallible glance, and formed one of 
 those daring resolutions, to which he owed the reputation he 
 enjoyed, and which resolution could alone save him and his 
 friends, in these critical circumstances. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 RED SKINS AND WHITE 
 
 MARKSMAN, as we have said, had formed a final resolution. 
 Instead of trying to escape by passing between the two 
 canoes, which would have entailed a risk of being run down, 
 he turned slightly to the left, and paddled straight toward 
 the canoe nearest his own. 
 
 The Indians, who did not at first comprehend the meaning 
 of this manoeuvre, greeted him with shouts of joy and 
 triumph. The adventurers kept silence, but they redoubled 
 their efforts, and continued to advance. A sarcastic smile 
 played round the lips of the Canadian hunter. As his canoe 
 drew nearer to that of the Apaches, he noticed that the left 
 bank of the river was indented, and at this moment perceived 
 that this was caused by an islet very near the land, but 
 leaving a sufficient passage for his boat, which would thus 
 avoid a bend again on the pursuing foe. The main point 
 was in reaching the point of the islet before the Indians in the 
 first canoe did so. The latter had at length begun to suspect, 
 if they did not completely guess, the intentions of their 
 intrepid adversary ; hence they, for their part, changed their 
 tactics, and altered their steering. Instead of going to meet 
 the Whites, as they had done up to this moment, they 
 suddenly tacked, and paddled vigorously in the direction of 
 the island. 
 
 Marksman understood that he must stop their progress at 
 all risks. Till then, not a shot or an arrow had been fired on 
 either side. The Apaches were so persuaded that they would 
 succeed in capturing the adventurers, that they thought it 
 useless to proceed to those extremities. The Whites, on 
 their part, who also felt the necessity of saving their powder 
 in a hostile country, where it would be impossible to renew 
 their stock, had hitherto imitated them through prudence, 
 however much they might have desired to come to blows. 
 Still, the Indian canoe was now not more than fifty yards 
 from the isle. The hunter, after taking a final glance around, 
 
 219 
 
22O The Indian Scout 
 
 bent down to his comrades, and said a few words in a low 
 voice. They immediately laid down their paddles, and, 
 seizing their rifles, rested them on the gunwales of the boat, 
 after putting in a second bullet. Marksman had done the 
 same. " Are you ready? " he asked, a moment after. 
 
 " Yes! " the adventurers answered. 
 
 " Fire, then, and aim low." 
 
 The five shots sounded like one. 
 
 " Now to you paddles, and quick! " the hunter said, giving 
 the example, as usual. 
 
 Eight arms took up the paddles again, and the light canoe 
 began bounding once more over the water. The hunter 
 alone reloaded his rifle, and waited on his knee, ready to 
 fire. 
 
 The effect of the volley was soon visible, the five shots, 
 all aimed at the same spot, had opened an enormous breach 
 in the side of the Indian boat, just on a level with the water 
 line. Cries of terror and pain rose from the group of Apaches, 
 who leapt into the water one after the other, swimming in 
 every direction. As for the canoe, left to itself, it floated 
 a little way, gradually filled with water, and at length 
 sunk. 
 
 The adventurers, believing themselves freed from their 
 enemies, relaxed their efforts for a moment. Suddenly, 
 Flying Eagle raised his paddle, while Marksman clubbed his 
 rifle. Two Apaches, with athletic limbs and ferocious 
 glances, were trying to fasten on the canoe and upset it. 
 But they soon fell back with fractured skulls, and floated 
 down the stream. A few moments later the hunters reached 
 the passage. 
 
 Several Apaches, however, had managed to swim to the 
 island : so soon as they emerged from the water, they set out 
 in pursuit of the whites, running along the bank; for want 
 of better instruments, they hurled stones at them, for they 
 could not use their damp rifles, and they had lost their bows 
 and arrows through their sudden plunge in the river. 
 
 Though the weapons employed by the Apache's for the 
 moment were so primitive, Marksman recommended his 
 companions to redouble their efforts, in order to escape as 
 soon as possible from these immense projectiles, which, from 
 behind every tuft of grass and elevation of the ground, fell 
 sharp as hail round the canoe, for the Redskins, according 
 to their habit, took care not to let themselves be seen, through 
 
Red Skins and White 221 
 
 fear of bullets. Still, this situation was growing unbearable, 
 and they must emerge from it. The hunter, who was 
 eagerly watching an opportunity to give his obstinate foes 
 a severe lesson, at length fancied he had found it. He saw, a 
 few yards from him, a tuft of floripondios moving slightly; 
 quickly shouldering his rifle, he aimed, and pulled the 
 trigger. 
 
 A terrible yell burst from the medley of floripondios, 
 canaverales, creepers, and aquatic plants which formed this 
 hedge, and an Apache, bounding like a wounded tiger, rushed 
 forward with the intention of seeking shelter behind the tree 
 that grew a short distance from him in the centre of the 
 islet. Marksman, who had reloaded his rifle, pointed it at 
 the fugitive, but raised it again directly. The Apache fell 
 on the ground, and was rolling in the last convulsions. 
 At the same instant a dozen Indians rushed from behind the 
 shrubs, raised the corpse in their arms, and disappeared with 
 the speed of a legion of phantoms. 
 
 A sudden calm, an extraordinary tranquillity, succeeded 
 the extreme agitation and irregular cries which had aroused 
 the echoes a few moments previously. 
 
 " Poor wretch! " Marksman muttered, as he laid his rifle 
 again in the bottom of the canoe, and seized a pair of paddles ; 
 " I am vexed at what has happened to him. I believe they 
 have enough; now that they know the range of my rifle, 
 they will leave us in peace." 
 
 The hunter had calculated correctly: in truth, the Red- 
 skins gave no further signs of life. 
 
 What we say here must not in any way surprise the reader : 
 every Indian understands honour in its own fashion. The 
 Indians hold it as a principle never to expose themselves 
 uselessly to any danger. With them, success alone can 
 justify their actions; hence, when they no longer consider 
 themselves the stronger, they renounce, without shame, 
 projects they have conceived and prepared for many 
 weeks. 
 
 The adventurers at length doubled the point of the island. 
 The second canoe was already a very long way behind them, 
 as for those they had just perceived behind them, they only 
 looked like dots on the horizon. When the Redskins in the 
 second canoe saw that the adventurers had gained a start 
 which it was impossible for them to pick up, and that they 
 were escaping, they made a general discharge of their weapons, 
 
222 The Indian Scout 
 
 a powerless demonstration, which injured nobody, for the 
 bullets and arrows fell a considerable distance short of the 
 White men; then they turned back to join their comrades, 
 who had sought shelter on the island. 
 
 Marksman and his companions were saved. After paddling 
 for about an hour longer, in order to place sufficient distance 
 between themselves and their enemies, they took a moment's 
 rest, and washed the contusions they had received from 
 several stones that had struck them with fresh water. In 
 the ardour of the engagement, they had not noticed the blows, 
 but now that the danger was past, they were beginning to 
 suffer from them. The forest which, in the morning, owing 
 to the constant meanderings of the river, was so far from 
 them, was now much nearer, and they hoped to reach it 
 before night, after a short interruption. They, therefore, 
 took to their paddles again with renewed ardour, and con- 
 tinued their voyage. At sunset, the canoe disappeared 
 beneath an immense dome of foliage belonging to the virgin 
 forest, which the river crossed at an angle. So soon as the 
 darkness began to fall, the desert woke up, and the howling 
 of wild beasts proceeding to the watering places were heard 
 hoarsely echoing in the unexplored depths of the forest. 
 Marksman did not consider it prudent at this hour to enter 
 a strange country, which doubtless contained dangers of every 
 description. Consequently, after pulling for some time, to 
 find a suitable landing-place, the hunter gave the order to 
 pull into a point of rock, which jutted out in the water, and 
 formed a species of promontory, on which it was easy to 
 land. 
 
 So soon as he stepped ashore, the Canadian walked round 
 the rock, in order to look at the vicinity, and know in what 
 part of the forest they were. This time chance had served 
 them better than they could have dared to hope. After 
 removing, with great pains and minute precautions, the 
 creepers and brambles that choked the path, the hunter 
 suddenly found himself at the entrance of a natural path, 
 probably formed by one of those volcanic convulsions so 
 frequent in this country. On seeing it, he stopped, and 
 lighting an ocote branch, with which he had been careful to 
 provide himself, he boldly entered the grotto, followed by 
 his companions. The sudden appearance of the light 
 startled a swarm of night-birds and bats, which began flying 
 heavily, and escaping in every direction. Marksman con 
 
Red Skins and White 223 
 
 tinued his progress, not troubling himself about these gloomy 
 hosts, whose lugubrious sports he interrupted so unexpectedly. 
 This grotto was high, spacious, and airy. It was, under the 
 present circumstances, a precious discovery for the ad- 
 venturers; for it offered them an almost secure shelter for 
 the night against the researches of the Apaches, who assuredly 
 had not given up the pursuit. The adventurers, after ex- 
 ploring the cavern on all sides, and assuring themselves that 
 it had two exits, which secured the means of flight, if they 
 were attacked by too numerous enemies, returned to their 
 boat, drew it from the water, and carried it on their shoulders 
 to the extremity of the grotto. Then, with that patience of 
 which Indians and woodrangers are alone capable, they 
 effaced the least traces, the slightest imprints, which might 
 have allowed their place of debarcation to be discovered, or 
 the retreat they had chosen guessed. The bent blades of 
 grass were raised, the creepers and brambles they had moved 
 drawn together, and after the task was accomplished, no one 
 could have suspected that several persons had passed through 
 them. After this, collecting an ample stock of dead wood and 
 ocote branches, for torches, they re-entered the grotto, with the 
 manifest intention of at last taking a little of that rest they 
 needed so greatly. All these preparations took time ; hence, 
 the night was already far advanced when the adventurers, 
 after swallowing a hasty meal, at length wrapped themselves 
 in their zarapes, and lay down, with their feet to the fire, and 
 their rifles in their hands. Nothing disturbed their sleep, 
 which was continuing when the first sunbeams purpled the 
 horizon with their joyous tints. It was Marksman who 
 aroused his companions. 
 
 Flying Eagle was not in the grotto. This absence in no 
 way alarmed the hunter; he was too well acquainted with 
 the Comanche sachem to fear any treachery on his part. 
 
 "Up!" he cried to the sleepers. "The sun has risen; 
 we have rested enough; it is time to think of our business." 
 
 In an instant all were afoot. 
 
 The hunter was not mistaken: the fire was scarce kindled, 
 ere Flying Eagle made his appearance. The Chief bore on 
 his shoulders a magnificent elk, which he threw silently on 
 the ground, and then seated himself by Eglantine's side. 
 
 " On my word, Chief," Marksman said, gaily, " you are a 
 man of precaution; your hunt is welcome; our provisions 
 were beginning to dimmish furiously." 
 
224 The Indian Scout 
 
 The Comanche smiled with pleasure at this remark, but 
 he made no other reply : like all his fellows, the Indian only 
 spoke when it was absolutely necessary. 
 
 At a sign from the Canadian, Domingo, who was a first- 
 rate hunter, immediately set to work breaking up the elk. 
 The pemmican, queso, and Indian corn remained in. the 
 adventurer's alforjas, thanks to the succulent steaks cut 
 adroitly from the animal by Domingo, and which, roasted on 
 the ashes, procured them a delicious breakfast; the festival 
 was crowned with a few drops of pulque, from which the two 
 Comanches abstained, according to the custom of their 
 nation. Pipes and cigarettes were then lighted, and each 
 began smoking silently. 
 
 Marksman reflected on the steps he must take, while 
 Domingo and Bermudez prepared everything for departure; 
 at length, he decided on speaking. " Caballeros," he said, 
 " we have arrived at the spot where our journey really com- 
 mences; it is time for me to tell you where we are going. 
 So soon as we have crossed this forest, which will not take 
 long, we shall have before us an immense plain, in the midst 
 of which stands a city; this city is called by the Indians 
 Quiepaa-Tani ; it is one of those mysterious cities in which, 
 since the conquest, the Mexican civilisation of the Incas has 
 taken refuge ; to that city we are proceeding, for the maidens 
 we wish to save have sought shelter there. That city is 
 sacred ; woe to the European or white man who is discovered 
 in its vicinity! I confess to you that the perils we have 
 hitherto incurred are as nothing to be compared with those 
 that probably await us, ere we gain the end we have proposed 
 to ourselves. It is impossible for all of us to dream of 
 entering that city ; the attempt would be madness, and only 
 result in our being massacred for no good. On the other 
 hand, we might find it necessary to meet there those devoted 
 companions, who, in the hour of danger, would come to our 
 aid. I have, therefore, resolved on this: Bermudez will 
 proceed to the spot where we left Juanita ; then both, lead- 
 ing the horses with them, will join Brighteye's and Ruperto's 
 detachments at the agreed on spot, and guide them here. 
 What is your opinion, Caballeros? Do you approve my 
 plan?" 
 
 " In every point," Don Mariano answered, with a bow. 
 
 "And you, Chief?" 
 
 '' My brother is prudent; what he does is well." 
 
Red Skins and White 225 
 
 "What? I am going to leave you!" poor Bermudez 
 muttered, addressing his master. 
 
 " It must be, my friend," the latter answered; " but not 
 for long, I hope." 
 
 " Try to remember the road we have followed, so as not 
 to make a mistake in returning," the hunter remarked. 
 
 " I will try." 
 
 " Eh, old hunter? " Domingo said with a grin. " Why 
 the deuce do you not send me, who am a woodranger, and 
 have the desert at my fingers' ends, instead of this poor man, 
 who, I feel sure, will leave his bones on the way? " 
 
 Marksman gave the Gambusino a piercing glance, which 
 made him blush and look down. " Because," he answered, 
 laying a stress on each word, " friend Domingo, I feel such 
 a powerful inclination toward you, that I cannot consent to 
 let you out of my sight for a moment. You understand 
 me, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Perfectly, perfectly," the Gambusino stammered; " you 
 need not get in a passion, old hunter. I will stay. What I 
 said was in your behalf; that was all." 
 
 " I appreciate your offer, as it deserves," the Canadian 
 answered, sarcastically; " so let us say no more about it." 
 Then he continued, addressing Bermudez, " As we may pos- 
 sibly soon require help, try, on your return, to take a shorter 
 and more direct road. You hear? " 
 
 " And understand; be at rest. I am too satisfied of the 
 recommendations you give me, to neglect them." 
 
 " A last word. I have told you that it was absolutely 
 necessary, for the success of the difficult expedition we are 
 attempting, that we should find here, in case of need, a 
 strong detachment of resolute men; warn Ruperto to be 
 doubly prudent, and avoid, as far as possible, any meeting, 
 and, of course, any quarrel with the Indians." 
 
 " I will tell him." 
 
 " Now put the canoe in the water; and good luck." 
 
 " Heaven grant you may succeed in saving my poor 
 Nina," the old servant said, with an emotion he could not 
 overcome. " I would joyfully give my life for her." 
 
 " Go in peace, my friend," Marksman answered, affec- 
 tionately. " You have already sacrificed much." 
 
 The adventurers then left the grotto, not without first 
 looking round to see there was no danger. A profound 
 silence prevailed beneath the impenetrable forest covert. 
 
 p 
 
226 The Indian Scout 
 
 They then raised on their shoulders the canoe, in which they 
 had placed provisions for the comrade who was about to 
 leave them, and it soon floated lightly on the water. Ber- 
 mudez took his parting farewell, and then turning away, 
 with an effort, leaped into the canoe, seized the paddles, 
 and went off. 
 
 " We shall meet again soon," Don Mariano said, with 
 emotion. 
 
 " Soon, if Heaven decree it! " Bermudez answered. 
 " Amen! " the adventurers piously murmured. 
 Marksman followed, for a long time, the course of the 
 canoe, and then turned hastily to his comrades. " His is 
 a devoted heart," he muttered, as if speaking to himself. 
 "Will he get there?" 
 
 " GOD will protect him ! " Don Mariano answered. 
 " That is true," the hunter said, passing his hand over his 
 forehead. " I am mad, on my word, to have such thoughts, 
 and, what is more, ungrateful to Providence, which has 
 hitherto watched over us with such solicitude." 
 
 " Well spoken, my friend," Don Mariano remarked. " I 
 feel a presentiment that we shall succeed." 
 
 " Well, would you have me speak frankly to you? " the 
 hunter said, gaily. " I feel the same presentiment; so 
 forwards! " 
 
 Flying Eagle at this moment laid his hand on the hunter's 
 shoulder. " Before starting, I should like to hold a council 
 with my brother," he said; " the case is grave." 
 
 " You are right, Chief; let us return to the grotto; our 
 movements must be combined with the utmost prudence, so 
 that when the moment arrives, we may not commit an 
 irreparable mistake which would hopelessly compromise the 
 success of our expedition." 
 
 The Comanche made a sign of assent, and preceding his 
 friends, returned to the cavern. The fire was not yet com- 
 pletely out, but smouldered in the ashes; in a second it 
 blazed up again, and the four men seated themselves gravely 
 round it. The Chief then took his calumet from his girdle, 
 filled it with sacred tobacco, lit it, and after slowly drawing 
 two or three mouthfuls of smoke, passed it to Marksman. 
 The calumet then passed round, without a word being 
 uttered, until the tobacco contained in the bowl was con- 
 sumed. When nothing remained but the ash, the Chief 
 shook it out in the fire, returned the calumet to his girdle, 
 
Red Skins and White 227 
 
 and addressed Marksman. " A Chief would speak," he 
 said. 
 
 " My brother can speak," the hunter answered, with a 
 bow: " our ears are open." 
 
 The Sachem, after making his wife a sign to retire cut 
 of range of voice, which, according to the Indian custom, 
 Eglantine did immediately, bowed reverently to the members 
 of the council, spoke, as follows. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 THE COUNCIL 
 
 FLYING EAGLE, since the commencement of the expedition, 
 in which he had consented to take a share, had constantly 
 played a passive part, accepting, without discussion, the 
 combinations proposed by Marksman, executing frankly and 
 faithfully the orders he received from the hunter; in a word, 
 entirely performing the part of a warrior subordinate to a 
 chief whose duty it is to think for him: hence the new 
 attitude suddenly assumed by the Sachem filled the Canadian 
 with surprise, for he had no notion on what subject the 
 debate was about to turn, and he feared in his heart lest, in 
 the critical situation he was in at the moment, the Comanche 
 intended to leave him to his own resources, or, perhaps, raise 
 obstacles to the execution of his plans. Hence he impatiently 
 awaited the explanation of his ally's strange conduct. 
 
 The Chief, still apathetic, rose, and bowing once again, 
 began to speak: " Palefaces, my brothers," he said, in his 
 guttural and sympathetic voice, " for more than a moon we 
 have been together on the same path, sharing the same 
 fatigue, sleeping side by side, eating the produce of the same 
 chase ; but the chief you admitted to share your labour and 
 perils has not, till this day, been allowed to advance so far 
 in your confidence as a friend should do. Your heart has 
 even remained to him closed and covered with a thick cloud. 
 Your projects are as unknown to him as on the first day. 
 The words your chest breathes are and remain to him inex- 
 plicable riddles. Is this right? is it just? No! Why did 
 you summon me? why did you beg me to accompany you, 
 if I am ever to remain a stranger to you ? Up to the present 
 I have shut up in my heart the bitterness which your sus- 
 picious conduct caused me. Not a complaint rose from my 
 heart to my lips, on seeing myself treated in a manner so ill 
 suited to my rank and the relations I have maintained with 
 you. Even at this moment I would continue to maintain 
 silence if my friendship for you was not stronger than the 
 resentment caused by your ungenerous conduct toward me. 
 
 228 
 
The Council 229 
 
 We are on the holy land of the Indians ; the ground we tread 
 on is sacred; perils surround us, numberless snares are laid 
 for our steps on all sides. Why should I teach you to avoid 
 them, if your plans are not at length revealed to me, and 
 unless I know whether the path we are following is that of 
 war or of hunting? Speak with frankness take the skin 
 from your heart, as I have done from mine. Enlighten me 
 as to the conduct you intend to pursue, and the object you 
 propose, so that I may aid you by my counsels should that 
 be necessary, and that, being your ally, I should no longer 
 be kept aloof from your deliberations, which is a disgrace to 
 the nation of which I have the honour to be a member, and 
 unworthy of a warrior like myself. I have spoken, brothers. 
 I await your answer, which I am convinced will be such as 
 warriors so wise and experienced as yourselves ought to give." 
 
 During the long speech of the Comanche Chief, Marksman 
 had repeatedly given signs of impatience, and, had he not 
 feared making a breach in the rules of Indian etiquette by 
 interrupting him, he would certainly have done so; it was 
 with great difficulty he succeeded in restraining himself and 
 maintaining that apathetic appearance absolutely demanded 
 in such circumstances. So soon as the Chief took his place 
 again, the hunter rose, and after bowing to the audience, he 
 spoke in a firm voice, with these words: " The Wacondah 
 is great. He holds in his right hand the hearts of all men, 
 whatever their colour may be. He alone can know their 
 intentions and read their souls. The reproaches you address 
 to me, Chief, have an appearance of justice which I will not 
 discuss with you. You may have supposed, from the conduct 
 which circumstances have hitherto constrained me to hold 
 toward you, that I did not grant you all the confidence you 
 so justly desired; but it is not so; I waited till the hour for 
 speaking arrived, not only to explain to you my intentions, 
 but also to claim your assistance and intervention. As you 
 wish me to explain myself at once, I will do so ; but, perhaps, 
 it would have been better for you to wait till the forest in 
 which we now are was traversed." 
 
 " I will remark to my brother that I demand nothing of 
 him. I thought it my duty to make certain observations to 
 him; if he does not find them just, his heart is good. He 
 will pardon me when he remembers that I am only a poor 
 Indian, whose intellect is obscured by a cloud, and that I 
 had no intention to wound him." 
 
230 The Indian Scout 
 
 " No, no, Chief," the hunter said quickly; " as we are on 
 this question, it is better to clear it up at once, in order not 
 to have to return to it again, and that nothing may arise 
 between us for the future." 
 
 " I am at my brother's orders, ready to hear, if it pleases 
 him, and willing still to wait, if he considers it necessary." 
 
 " I thank you, Chief; but I adhere to my first resolution. 
 I prefer to tell you all." 
 
 The Comanche smiled cunningly. " Is my brother really 
 resolved to speak? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Good. Then my brother has nothing to add. All that 
 he has to say to me I know. He can tell me nothing more 
 than I have guessed myself." 
 
 The hunter could not repress a start of surprise. " Oh, 
 oh," he muttered, "what is the meaning of that, Chief? 
 Why, then, the reproaches you addressed to me ? " 
 
 " Because I wished to make my brother understand that 
 a friend must hold nothing concealed from another, especially 
 when that friend has been proved for long years, when his 
 fidelity is staunch, and he can be depended on like a second 
 self." " 
 
 The hunter smiled slightly, but at once regained his gravity. 
 " Thanks for the lesson you give me, Chief," he said, holding 
 out his hand cordially. " I deserve it, for I really failed in 
 my confidence to you. The service I expect from you is so 
 important for us that I put off daily asking it of you, and, 
 in spite of myself, I confess I should probably not have 
 made up my mind till the very last moment." 
 
 " I know it," the Comanche said, his good temper entirely 
 restored. 
 
 " Still," the hunter continued, " in spite of the assurance 
 that you know my plans, it would be, perhaps, as well 
 for me to enter into certain details of which you are 
 ignorant." 
 
 " I repeat to my brother that I know all. Flying Eagle is 
 one of the first Chiefs of his nation; he has a quick ear and 
 a piercing sight. For nearly two moons he has not left the 
 great Pale warrior; during that period many events have 
 happened, many words have been spoken before him. The 
 Chief has seen, he has heard, and all is as clear in his mind 
 as if these things had been drawn for him on one of those 
 collars which the white men know so well how to make, and 
 
The Council 231 
 
 some of which he has seen in the hands of the Chief of the 
 Praver." 
 
 " However great your penetration may be, Chief/' the 
 hunter objected, " I can scarcely imagine you are so well 
 acquainted with my intentions as you suppose." 
 
 " Not only do I know my brother's intentions, but I am 
 also aware of the service he expects from me." 
 
 " By Jove ! Chief, you will cause me enormous pleasure 
 by telling it to me; not that I doubt your penetration, for 
 the red men are renowned for their cleverness. Still, all this 
 seems to me so extraordinary that I should like to be con- 
 vinced, were it only for my personal satisfaction, and to 
 prove to the persons who hear us how wrong we white men 
 are in imagining that we are so superior in intellect, when, 
 on the contrary, you Indians leave us far behind." 
 
 "Hum!" Domingo muttered, "what you say there is 
 rather strong, old hunter. It is notorious that the Indians 
 are brute beasts." 
 
 " That is not my opinion," Don Mariano remarked, 
 " though I know very little of the Redskins, with whom I 
 never entered into any connection before this occasion. 
 Still, since my arrival in these regions, I have seen them 
 accomplish acts so astonishing, that I should not feel at all 
 surprised if this Chief had completely read our plans, as he 
 assures us." 
 
 " I think so too," the hunter added. " However, we shall 
 judge. Speak, Chief, that we may know as soon as possible 
 what opinion to form of the penetration you flatter yourself 
 with possessing." 
 
 " Flying Eagle is not a chattering old woman, who boasts 
 rightly and wrongly; he is a Sachem, whose deeds and 
 words are ripely meditated. He does not pretend to know 
 more than his brothers, the Palefaces; still, the experience 
 he has acquired serves him in the place of wisdom, and 
 helps him to explain what he sees and hears." 
 
 " That is well, Chief. I know that you are a valiant and 
 renowned warrior. Our ears are open; we are listening to 
 you with all the attention you deserve." 
 
 " My brother, the great hunter, wishes to enter Quiepaa 
 Tani, where the two white maidens are sheltered, one of 
 whom is the daughter of the Chief with the grey beard. 
 These two women were confided to an Apache Sachem, called 
 Addick. My brother, the hunter, is anxious to arrive at 
 
232 The Indian Scout 
 
 Quiepaa Tani, because he fears treachery from the Apache 
 Chief, whom he suspects of having allied himself with the 
 white man who was hired by the Palefaces to carry off the 
 two women, and make them disappear. I have spoken. 
 Have I truly understood the intentions of my brother, or 
 am I deceived? " 
 
 His auditors regarded each other with amazement. The 
 Chief enjoyed his triumph for a moment, and then continued 
 
 -" Now, this is the service the hunter wishes to ask of the 
 Comanche Sachem " 
 
 "By heavens, Chief!" Marksman exclaimed, "I must 
 confess that all you have said is true. How did you learn 
 it? I know not how to explain it, although I grant we have 
 said enough on the subject in your presence to enable you 
 to guess it; but as for the service I expect from you, if you 
 can tell me that, I will allow you to be the greatest 
 
 " Let my brother not be rash," the Chief interrupted him, 
 with a proud smile, " lest he should soon take me for an 
 adept of the great medicine" 
 
 " Hum! " the hunter said, gravely, " I should not like to 
 swear you are not." 
 
 " Och! my brother shall judge. No Paleface has, till this 
 day, succeeded in entering Quiepaa Tani; still my brother 
 wishes, at all hazards, to visit the city, in order to obtain 
 certain information about the two pale virgins. Unfor- 
 tunately, my brother does not know how to set about his 
 plan, nor how he would succeed in saving the maidens, if he 
 found them in danger. That is why he thought of Flying 
 Eagle. He said to himself that his red brother was a Chief, 
 and must have friends or relations in Quiepaa Tani; that the 
 entrance to the city, forbidden him through his colour, was 
 not so to the Chief, and that Flying Eagle would obtain for 
 him the information he could not obtain himself." 
 
 " Yes, that is what I thought, Chief. Why should I con- 
 ceal it? Am I mistaken? Will you not do that for me ?" 
 
 " I will do better," the Indian answered. " Let my 
 brother listen. Eglantine is a woman; no one will notice 
 her; she will enter the city unperceived, and obtain the 
 information the hunter needs better than the Chief can. 
 When the moment for action arrives, Flying Eagle will help 
 the hunter." 
 
 "By Jove! you are right, Sachem; your idea is better 
 than mine. It is preferable in every respect that Eglantine 
 
The Council 233 
 
 should go on the discovery. A woman cannot inspire sus- 
 picions, and she can learn news better than any one. Let 
 us start, then, without any further delay. So soon as we 
 have crossed the forest, we will send her to the Tzinco." 
 
 Flying Eagle shook his head, and kept his hold of the 
 hunter's arm, who had already risen to set out. " My 
 brother is quick," he said; " let me say one word more." 
 
 " Let us see." 
 
 "Eglantine will go ahead; my brother will have news 
 sooner." 
 
 Don Mariano rose, and pressed the Comanche's hand 
 with emotion. " Thanks for the good thought that has 
 occurred to you, Chief," he said to him. " You have delicate 
 feelings; your heart is noble; it can sympathise with a 
 father's sorrow. Once again I thank you." 
 
 The Indian turned away, to conceal the trace of agitation 
 on his face, which, in his idea, was unworthy a Chief, who, 
 under all circumstances, must remain stoical." 
 
 " In truth," Marksman said, " the Chief's proposal will 
 make us gain precious time; his idea is excellent." 
 
 Flying Eagle made Eglantine a sign to approach him, 
 which she at once obeyed. The Chief then explained to 
 her in his tongue what she was to do, to which she listened 
 with charming grace, standing timidly before him. When 
 Flying Eagle had given her his instructions most fully, and 
 she perfectly understood what was wanted of her, she turned 
 gracefully to Don Mariano and Marksman, and said, with a 
 smile almost prophetic " Eglantine will learn." 
 
 These two words filled the poor father's heart with joy 
 and hope. " Bless you, young woman! " he said; " bless 
 you, for the kindness you show me at this moment, and that 
 you intend to show me." 
 
 The separation between husband and wife was as it should 
 be with Indians; that is to say, grave and cold. Whatever 
 love Flying Eagle felt for his companion, he would have 
 been ashamed, in the presence of strangers, and above all 
 of whites, to display the slightest emotion, or allow the 
 feelings of his heart towards her to be guessed. After bowing 
 once more to Don Mariano and Marksman in farewell, 
 Eglantine hastened away, with that quick and high step 
 which renders the Indians the first walkers in the world. 
 Though the Chief's stoicism was so great, still he looked 
 after his young wife, until she disappeared among the trees. 
 
234 The Indian Scout 
 
 As nothing pressed them at the moment, the adventurers 
 allowed the great heat of the day to pass, and only set out 
 when the declining sun appeared like a ball of fire, almost 
 on a level with the ground. Their march was slow, owing 
 to the countless difficulties they had to surmount, in forcing 
 their way through the intertwined creepers and brambles, 
 which they had to cut down with axes at every step. At 
 length, after a four day's march, during which they had to 
 endure extraordinary fatigue, they saw the trees growing 
 more sparsely, the scrub become less dense, and between 
 the trees they perceived a deep and open horizon. Although 
 the adventurers were in the heart of a virgin forest, where, 
 according to all probability, they could not expect to meet 
 anybody of their own species, they neglected no precaution, 
 and advanced very prudently in Indian file, with the finger 
 on the trigger, eye and ear on the watch; for being so near 
 one of the sacred Indian cities, they might expect, especially 
 after the smart skirmish a few days previous, to be tracked 
 by scouts sent in search of them. Toward the evening of 
 the fourth day, at the moment they were preparing to camp 
 for the night in a vast clearing on the banks of a nameless 
 stream, so many of which are met with in the virgin forests, 
 Marksman, who was marching at the head of the little party, 
 suddenly stopped, and looked down on the ground, with signs 
 of the utmost astonishment. 
 
 " What is it? " Don Mariano anxiously asked him. 
 
 Marksman did not answer him ; but he turned to the Indian 
 Chief, and said, with a certain degree of alarm, " Look your- 
 self, Chief; this seems to me inconceivable." 
 
 Flying Eagle stooped down in his turn, and remained a 
 long time examining the marks which seemed to trouble 
 the hunter so greatly. At length he rose. 
 
 " Well? " Marksman asked him. 
 
 " A band of horsemen has passed by here this very day," 
 he replied. 
 
 " Yes," the hunter said; " but who are the horsemen? 
 where do they come from? that is what I want to 
 know." 
 
 The Indian resumed his inspection, with an attention more 
 minute than before. " They are Palefaces," after a pause, 
 he said. 
 
 " What! Palefaces! " Marksman exclaimed, with a voice 
 prudently suppressed; "it is impossible! Think where we 
 
The Council 235 
 
 are. Never has a white man, excepting myself, penetrated 
 into these regions." 
 
 " They are Palefaces," the Chief insisted. " Look, one 
 of them stopped here and dismounted; here is the mark 
 of his steps; his foot crushed that tuft of grass; one of his 
 nails in his shoe left a black line on that stone." 
 
 "That is true," Marksman muttered; "the Indian 
 mocassins do not leave such marks. But who can these 
 men be ? how did they get here ? what direction have they 
 followed?" 
 
 While Marksman was asking himself these questions, and 
 hopelessly seeking the solution of the problem, Flying Eagle 
 had walked some paces, attentively following the marks, 
 which were perfectly plain on the ground. 
 
 " Well, Chief," the hunter asked, as he saw him returning, 
 " have you found anything which can put us on the right 
 scent? " 
 
 " Wah ! " the Indian said, with a toss of his head. " The 
 trail is fresh; the horsemen are not far off." 
 
 " Are you sure of it, Chief? Remember how important it 
 is for us to know who the people are we have for neigh- 
 bours." 
 
 The Comanche remained silent for a moment, plunged in 
 serious thought. Then he raised his head. " Flying Eagle," 
 he said, " will try to satisfy his brother. Let the Palefaces 
 remain here till his return; the Chief will take up the trail; 
 he will soon tell the hunter if the men are friends or 
 enemies." 
 
 " By Jove ! I will go with you, Chief," Marksman sharply 
 replied. " It shall not be said that, in order to be useful 
 to us, you exposed yourself to a serious danger, without 
 having a friend near to back you up." 
 
 " No," the Indian went on; "my brother must remain 
 here; one warrior is sufficient." 
 
 Marksman knew that, when once the Chief had formed 
 a resolution, nothing could make him alter it. Hence he 
 no longer urged it. " Go then," he said, " and act as you 
 please. I know that what you do will be right." 
 
 The Comanche threw his rifle over his shoulder, lay down 
 on the ground, and crawled like a serpent amid the under- 
 wood. 
 
 " And what are we to do? " Don Mariano asked. 
 
 " Await the Chief's return," Marksman answered; " and 
 
236 The Indian Scout 
 
 while doing so, prepare supper, the need of which I am certain 
 you are beginning to feel, like myself." 
 
 The adventurers installed themselves, as well as they could, 
 in the clearing, following Marksman's advice, and awaiting 
 the return of the scout, whose absence, however, was much 
 longer than they expected; for night had fallen long before 
 he made his appearance. 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 THE SECOND DETACHMENT 
 
 As we have said in our previous chapter, Flying Eagle 
 started on the trail of the horsemen whose footsteps had 
 been perceived by Marksman. The Indian was really one 
 of the finest sleuth-hounds of his nation ; for, although night 
 fell rapidly, and soon prevented him from distinguishing 
 the traces -which served to guide him in his search, he con- 
 tinued not a bit the less to advance with a sure and certain 
 step. About ten minutes after leaving his companions, 
 the Chief rose to his feet, and not appearing to attach great 
 importance to the marks on the ground, he continued his 
 search, satisfying himself with looking, from time to time, 
 peeringly at the trees and shrubs that surrounded him. 
 Flying Eagle continued walking thus for an hour without 
 hesitation or checking his speed. On reaching a spot where 
 the trees fell back on both sides, thus forming an open space 
 into which several wild beast tracks opened, the Chief 
 stopped for a moment, cast an investigating and suspicious 
 glance around, clutched his rifle, which he had hitherto carried 
 on his back, inspected the priming carefully, and bending his 
 body to a level with the tall grass, he advanced with measured 
 steps toward a thicket, the branches of which he drew aside, 
 and in which he speedily disappeared. So soon as he was 
 completely concealed, the Comanche knelt down, gradually 
 opened the leafy curtain that hid him, and looked out. 
 Suddenly Flying Eagle rose, uncocked his rifle, which he 
 threw back again on his shoulder, and stepped forth with 
 head erect, and a smile on his lips. 
 
 In the centre of a large clearing, illumined by three or four 
 fires, some twenty men were encamped, picturesquely grouped 
 round the fires, and joyously preparing their evening meal, 
 while their horses grazed a short distance off. These horse- 
 men, whom Flying Eagle recognised at the first glance, were 
 Don Leo de Torris, Brighteye, and the Gambusinos detached 
 in pursuit of Don Estevan. The Indian approached the 
 
 237 
 
2 3 8 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 fire near which Don Leo and the hunters were seated, and 
 stopped in front of them. 
 
 " May the Wacondah watch over my brothers! " he said, 
 in salutation; " a friend has come to visit them." 
 
 " He is welcome," Don Leo answered gracefully, as he 
 held out his hand. 
 
 " Yes," Brighteye went on, "a thousand times welcome; 
 though there's reason that his presence should surprise us." 
 
 The Chief bowed, and took his place between the two 
 whites. 
 
 " How is it we meet you here? " the hunter asked. 
 
 " The question my brother asks me at this moment is 
 exactly what I was preparing to ask myself." 
 
 " How so? " Don Miguel asked. 
 
 " Does not my brother, the Paleface, know where he is 
 at this moment? " 
 
 " Not at all. Since our separation, we have constantly 
 followed the trail of an enemy, though we could not catch 
 him up; that trail has led us to parts strange to Brighteye 
 himself." 
 
 " I am bound to confess it. This is the second time such 
 a thing has occurred to me, and under exactly similar cir- 
 cumstances. The first time, I remember, it was in 1843. 
 I was on the " 
 
 " But if the hunter does not know these regions," Flying 
 Eagle interrupted him unceremoniously, " my brother, the 
 warrior knows them." 
 
 " I? " Don Leo said. " Not the least in the world, Chief. 
 I assure you it is the first time I have come this way." 
 
 " My brother is mistaken, he has been here already ; 
 but, like all the Palefaces, my brother's memory is short, 
 he has forgotten." 
 
 " No, Chief. I am too well acquainted with the desert 
 not to recognise, at the first glance, any spot which I have 
 once visited." 
 
 The Indian smiled at this pretension, which was so poorly 
 justified. " Yes, that has happened to my brother to-day," 
 he said, " though only three moons, at the most, have passed 
 since he visited these parts in company with the Pale hunter, 
 to whom he gave the name of Marksman." 
 
 The adventurer started, and a lively emotion could be seen 
 on his face. " What do you mean, Redskin, in Heaven's 
 name? " he said quickly. 
 
The Second Detachment 239 
 
 " I mean that Quiepaa Tani is there," the Indian answered, 
 stretching out his arm in a south-western direction; " that 
 we are but a half-day's journey distant from it at the most." 
 
 "Can it be possible? " 
 
 "Oh!" the young man exclaimed, energetically, as he 
 suddenly rose; " thanks for these good news, Chief! " 
 
 " What are you going to do? " Brighteye asked him. 
 
 " What am I going to do? Cannot you guess it? Those 
 we wish to save are only a few leagues from us, and you ask 
 me that question ! " 
 
 " I ask it of you because I fear, through your impetuosity 
 and imprudence, lest you might compromise the success of 
 our expedition." 
 
 " Your words are harsh, old hunter; but I pardon them, 
 because you cannot understand my feelings." 
 
 " Perhaps I can, perhaps I cannot, Don Miguel; but, 
 believe me, in an expedition like ours, stratagem alone 
 can lead to success." 
 
 " Deuce take stratagem, and he who recommends it/' 
 the young man exclaimed passionately. " I wish to deliver 
 the girls whom, through my mad confidence, I led into this 
 snare." 
 
 " And whom you lose for ever by another act of madness. 
 Trust in the experience of a man who has lived in the desert 
 more years than you count months in your life. Since we 
 have been following Don Estevan's trail, you have seen 
 that a strong party of Indian horsemen has joined him, 
 I think? At two paces from a holy city, whose population 
 is immense, do you intend to contend with your fifteen 
 Gambusinos against several thousand brave and experienced 
 Redskin warriors? That would be committing suicide with 
 your eyes open. If Don Estevan is proceeding in this 
 direction, it is because he also knows that the maidens are 
 in Quiepaa Tani. Do not let us hurry, but watch our enemy's 
 movements, without revealing our presence, or letting him 
 suspect we are so near him. In that way I answer for our 
 success on my head." 
 
 The young man had listened to these remarks with the 
 greatest attention. When Brighteye ceased, he pressed his 
 hand affectionately, and sat down at once by his side. 
 " Thanks, my old friend," he said, " thanks for the rough 
 way in which you have spoken to me. You have brought 
 me back to my senses. I was mad. But," he added a 
 
240 The Indian Scout 
 
 moment after, "what is to be done? How to save these 
 unhappy maidens? " 
 
 Flying Eagle, during the preceding conversation, had 
 remained calm and silent, apathetically smoking his Indian 
 calumet; on hearing Don Leo speak thus, he understood 
 it was time for him to interfere. " The Pale warrior can 
 regain his courage," he said; " Eglantine is in Quiepaa Tani; 
 to-morrow at sunrise we shall have news of the pale virgins." 
 
 "Oh! oh!" the young man said joyously. "So soon 
 as your wife returns from that nest of demons, I promise 
 her, Chief, the handsomest pair of bracelets, and the prettiest 
 earrings an Indian cithautl ever yet wore." 
 
 " Eglantine needs no reward for serving her friends." 
 
 " I know it, Chief; but you will not refuse me the satis- 
 faction of giving her this slight token of my gratitude, 
 Chief? " 
 
 " My brother is at liberty to do so." 
 
 "Halloh!" Brighteye suddenly remarked, "by what 
 chance did you come to our camp this night? " 
 
 " Have you not understood? " 
 
 " On my word, no. We were far from suspecting you 
 to be so near us." 
 
 "That is true," Don Miguel remarked: "but now that 
 I know where we are, all is explained." 
 
 " Yes; but that does not tell us why the Chief came to 
 find us here." 
 
 " Because," Flying Eagle replied, " we discovered your 
 footsteps crossing the trail we followed." 
 
 " That is true; and you came to reconnoitre." 
 
 The Chief nodded an assent. 
 
 " Have our friends stopped far from here? " 
 
 " No," the Indian said, " I am going to rejoin them, in 
 order to tell them who are the men I have seen. My absence 
 has been long; the Palefaces are soon alarmed. I am going." 
 
 " One moment," Brighteye observed. " As chance has 
 brought us together again, perhaps it will be better not 
 to separate again; we shall, possibly, need one another." 
 
 " What is your advice, Chief? Will it be better for us 
 to accompany you to your bivouac, or will you join us? " 
 
 " We will come hither." 
 
 " Make haste, then; for I am curious to know what has 
 happened to you since our separation at the ford of the 
 Rubio." 
 
The Second Detachment 241 
 
 " Flying Eagle is a good runner," the Chief answered, 
 " but he has only the feet of a man." 
 
 " By the way, why did you not come on horseback? " 
 
 " Our horses were left at the camp of the great river. A 
 trail is better followed afoot." 
 
 " That is easily remedied. How many are you? " 
 
 " Four." 
 
 " What, four? I fancied you were more." 
 
 " Yes, but the Pale hunter will explain to you why two 
 of our comrades have left us." 
 
 " Good. I will accompany you." 
 
 Don Leo immediately gave orders to have four horses 
 got ready, and recommended Brighteye to watch over 
 the camp during his absence, then, mounting his horse, 
 in which he was imitated by the Chief, the two set off, 
 leading the horses intended for the men they were going to 
 find. The two men only took twenty minutes in covering 
 the ground which Flying Eagle had spent more than an 
 hour in crossing, owing to the precautions he was compelled 
 to take when following an unknown trail, which might 
 belong to enemies. They found Marksman and Don Mariano 
 with loaded rifles, and keeping good watch. While awaiting 
 Flying Eagle's return, they had fallen asleep; but the steps 
 of the horses awoke them, and they stood on their defence 
 in case of the worst. On their awakening, however, a very 
 disagreeable surprise awaited them. They found only two 
 instead of three. Domingo, the Gambusino, had disappeared. 
 So soon as he recognised Don Miguel, the Canadian said, with 
 extreme agitation " Dismount, dismount, Caballero 1 we 
 must all go beating." 
 
 "What humbug at this hour, Marksman!" Don Miguel 
 answered. " Why, you must be mad ! " 
 
 " I am not mad," the Canadian said, hurriedly; " but I 
 repeat, dismount and hunt; we are betrayed 1 " 
 
 " Betrayed ! " Don Miguel exclaimed, starting with 
 surprise; " by whom? in Heaven's name !" 
 
 "By Domingo! The traitor has fled during our sleep! 
 Oh! I was right to distrust his coppery face! " 
 
 " Domingo fled ! a traitor ! You are mistaken ! " 
 
 " I am not. Hunt after him, I tell you, in the name of 
 those you have sworn to save." 
 
 No more was needed to exasperate the young man; he 
 
 Q 
 
242 The Indian Scout 
 
 bounded from his steed, and seized his rifle. " What is to 
 be done? " he asked. 
 
 " Scatter over the ground/' the hunter rapidly answered. 
 "Each go a different way; and may Heaven bless our 
 search! We have lost too much time already." 
 
 Without any further exchange of words, the four men 
 buried themselves in the forest in four different directions. 
 But the darkness was dense. Beneath the cover, where, 
 even by day, the sunbeams penetrated with difficulty, on 
 this black and moonless night they could distinguish nothing 
 two steps ahead of them ; and if, instead of flying, the Gam- 
 busino had contented himself with hiding in the vicinity, the 
 hunters would evidently have passed without noticing him. 
 The search lasted a long time, for the hunters comprehended 
 the importance of finding the fugitive again ; but, in spite of 
 all their skill, they could discover nothing. Marksman, Don 
 Mariano, and Don Miguel had been back by the fire several 
 minutes; they were communicating to each other the close- 
 ness of their pursuit, when, suddenly, a dazzling flash crossed 
 the forest, and a shot was heard, almost immediately fol- 
 lowed by a second. " Let us run up," Marksman shouted. 
 " Flying Eagle has found the vermin. Never was a better 
 sleuth-hound after game." 
 
 The three men ran at full speed in the direction of the 
 shots they had heard. On approaching, they found that an 
 obstinate contest was going on. The war-yell of the Co- 
 manches, uttered in Flying Eagle's powerful voice, permitted 
 them no doubt on that head. At length they debouched on 
 the scene of action. Flying Eagle, with his foot on the chest 
 of a man thrown down before him, and who writhed like a 
 serpent to escape the fearful pressure, leant his back against 
 a black oak, and, tomahawk in hand, was defending himself 
 like a lion against half-a-dozen Indians who attacked him 
 together. The three white men clubbed their rifles, and 
 rushed into the medley with a terrible cry of defiance. The 
 effect of this diversion was instantaneous. The Redskins 
 dispersed in all directions, and fled like a legion of phantoms. 
 "After them!" Don Miguel howled, as he rushed for- 
 ward. 
 
 " Stop ! " Marksman shouted, as he seized him by the arm; 
 " you might as well pursue the cloud carried off by the wind. 
 Let the scoundrels escape, we shall find them again, I 
 warrant." 
 
The Second Detachment 243 
 
 The adventuier perceived that a pursuit in the dark would 
 be giving an enormous advantage to his enemy, who was 
 better acquainted with the country, and probably very 
 numerous; hence he stopped with a sigh of regret. The 
 Chief was then surrounded, and complimented on his glorious 
 resistance. The Sachem received the remarks with his 
 habitual modesty. 
 
 " Wah! " he merely answered, " the Apaches are cowardly 
 old women. One Comanche warrior is sufficient to kill six 
 times ten of them, and twenty more." 
 
 By a miraculous hazard, the brave Indian had only 
 received a few insignificant wounds, to which, in spite of his 
 friend's earnest intreaties, he paid no further attention than 
 washing them with cold water. ^ 
 
 " But," Marksman suddenly said, stooping down, " whom 
 have we here ? Eh ! if I am not mistaken, it is our fugitive ! " 
 
 It was really Domingo. The poor wretch had his thigh 
 broken; doubtlessly foreseeing the fate that awaited him, 
 he howled with pain, but would give no other answer. 
 
 " It would be a good deed," Don Mariano said, " to dash 
 out this poor fellow's brains, to terminate his sufferings." 
 
 " Let us be in no hurry," the implacable hunter remarked. 
 " Everything will have its season. Let Flying Eagle explain 
 to us how he found him." 
 
 " Yes, that is important," Don Miguel said. 
 
 "It is the Wacondah who delivered this man into my 
 hands," the Chief answered, sententiously. " I had ran- 
 sacked the forest with as much care as the darkness permitted 
 me, and was returning to you, wearied with nearly two 
 hours' fruitless search, when, at the moment I least thought 
 of it, I was attacked by more than ten Apaches, who rushed 
 on me from all side? at once. This man was at the head of 
 the assailants. He fired his gun at me, but did not hit me. 
 I answered in the same way ; but more successfully, for he 
 fell. I immediately set my foot on his chest, for fear he 
 should escape me, and defended myself to my best against 
 my enemies, in order to give you time to come to my assist- 
 ance. I have spoken." 
 
 " By heavens, Chief! " the hunter exclaimed, enthusiasti- 
 cally, " you are a brave warrior! What you have done is 
 grand. This villain, on leaving us, found a party of these 
 birds of prey, and was, doubtlessly, returning with the 
 intention of attacking us during our sleep." 
 
244 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Well! " Don Mariano remarked, " he is found again: so 
 all is for the best." 
 
 The wounded man made a great effort, and, leaning on 
 his right hand, he drew himself up and gave a ghastly grin. 
 " Yes, yes," he answered, " I know I am about to die; but 
 it will not be without vengeance." 
 
 " What do you say, villain? " Don Mariano exclaimed. 
 
 " I say that your brother knows all, my fine gentleman, 
 and will succeed in foiling your plans." 
 
 "Viper! what have I done to make you act thus to- 
 wards me ? " 
 
 "You did nothing," he replied, with a demoniac grin; 
 " but," he added, pointing to Don Miguel, " I have hated 
 that man for a long time." 
 
 " Die, then, villain! " the exasperated young man shouted, 
 as he set the cold muzzle of his rifle on his forehead. 
 
 Flying Eagle turned the weapon aside. 
 
 " This man is mine, brother," he said. 
 
 Don Miguel slowly removed his rifle, and turned to the Chief. 
 " I consent; but on condition that he dies." 
 
 A sinister smile played for a second round the Indian's 
 thin lips. "Yes," he said, "and by an Apache death." 
 Then, unfastening the bow he wore by the side of his panther- 
 skin quiver, he placed the string round the Gambusino's 
 skull, and, forming a tourniquet, by means of an arrow 
 passed through the string, while, with his knee buried between 
 the wretch's shoulders, he seized his hair in his right hand, 
 and drew it to him. He scalped in this manner, inflicting 
 on him the most abominable torture that can be imagined, 
 since, instead of cutting the skin with his knife, he literally 
 tore it off by means of the string. The bandit, with his face 
 inundated with blood, and disfigured features, clasped his 
 hands by a supreme effort, exclaiming, with an expression 
 impossible to describe " Kill me ! oh, for pity's sake, 
 kill me!" 
 
 The Comanche placed his furious face close to the bandit's. 
 " Traitors are not killed," he said, in a hollow voice. And 
 then, seizing him by the neck, he thrust the blade of his 
 knife between the clenched teeth, forced the mouth open, 
 and tore out his tongue, which he threw from him in disgust. 
 " Die like a dog ! " he yelled ; " thy lying tongue shall betray 
 never more." 
 
The Second Detachment 245 
 
 Domingo uttered a cry of pain so horrible that the hearers 
 started with terror, and rolled senseless on the ground. 1 
 
 Flying Eagle contemptuously kicked the bandit's body 
 aside, and turned to his companions. " Let us go/' he said. 
 
 They followed him in silence, terrified by the scene of 
 which they had been witnesses. An hour later, they found 
 Brighteye at the bivouac. 
 
 At sunrise, Flying Eagle approached Marksman and gently 
 touched him on the shoulder. " What do you want? " the 
 hunter asked, as he woke. 
 
 " The Sachem is going to meet Eglantine," the Chief 
 answered, simply. And he went away. 
 
 " There is something human in those savage fellows after 
 all," the hunter muttered, as he watched him depart. 
 
 1 The author saw this punishment inflicted on a North American 
 by an Apache. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 THE TLACATEOTZIN l 
 
 Two hours after sunrise, Flying Eagle returned to the camp, 
 followed by Eglantine: the council immediately assembled 
 to hear the news. The young Indian woman had not learned 
 much: it was contained in one sentence. 
 
 The two Mexican girls were still in the city. Addick was 
 absent, but expected at any moment. These news, slight as 
 they were, were, however, good ; for, though the details were 
 wanting, the hunters knew that their enemies had not yet had 
 time to act. The point was now to get before them and carry 
 off the girls, ere they had time to prevent it. But to do so, 
 they must enter the city, and there lay the difficulty. A 
 difficulty which, at the first blush, appeared insurmountable. 
 
 In this moment of distress, all eyes were turned to Flying 
 Eagle. The Chief smiled. Through the expression of agony 
 depicted on every countenance, the Indian guessed what was 
 expected of him. " The hour has arrived," he said. " My 
 Pale brothers demand of me the greatest racrifice they can 
 demand of a Sachem that is to say, to open to them the 
 gates of one of the last refuges of the Indian religion, the 
 principal sanctuary where still is preserved intact the law of 
 Tlhuicamina, 2 the greatest, the most powerful, and most 
 unhappy of all the sovereigns who have governed the country 
 of Hauahuac: still, in order to prove to my Pale brothers 
 how red the blood is that flows in my veins, and how pure 
 and cloudless my heart is, I will do it for them, as I have 
 promised." 
 
 At the assurance given by Flying Eagle, whose word could 
 not be doubted, every face brightened. The Chief con- 
 tinued "Flying Eagle has no forked tongue; what he 
 says, he does; he will introduce the great Pale hunter into 
 Quiepaa Tani; but my brothers must forget that they are 
 
 1 Literally, the " Man-God," a name given by certain Comanche 
 tribes to those who practise the healing art. 
 
 * Surname of Moctecuzoma I., " He who shoots arrows up to the 
 sky." The hieroglyphic of this king is, in fact, an arrow striking 
 heaven. 
 
The Tlacateotzin 247 
 
 warriors and brave : cunning alone can make them triumph. 
 Has the great hunter of the Palefaces understood the words 
 of the Chief? Is he resolved to trust to his prudence and 
 sagacity? " 
 
 " I will act as you point out, Chief," Marksman replied, 
 for he knew that the Comanche was addressing him. " I 
 promise to let myself be entirely guided by you." 
 
 "Wah!" the Indian continued, with a smile. "All is 
 well, then : before two hours, my brother will be in Quiepaa- 
 Tani." 
 
 " May Heaven grant it be so, and my poor child be saved ! " 
 Don Mariano muttered. 
 
 " I have been long used to contend in cunning with 
 Indians," the hunter answered. " Up to the present, 
 thanks to Heaven! I have always come off pretty well 
 from my meetings with them. I have good hopes of success 
 this time." 
 
 " We will hold ourselves in readiness to come to your aid, 
 if needed," Don Miguel observed. 
 
 " Above all, take care not to be tracked; you know that 
 traitor of a Domingo has put them on your scent." 
 
 "Trust to me for that, Marksman," Brighteye eagerly 
 interposed; " I know what it is to play at hide and seek with 
 the Indians. It is not the first time this happens to me; 
 and I remember, in 1845, at the hour I was 
 
 " I know," the Canadian cut him short, " that you are not 
 the man to let yourself be surprised, my friend, and that is 
 enough for me ; but keep a good look-out, so as to be ready 
 at the first signal." 
 
 " And what will that signal be? for we must understand 
 one another thoroughly, in order to avoid any misunder- 
 standing, which, annoying at all times, would, in our present 
 circumstances, be utter ruin." 
 
 " You are right. When you hear the cry of the hawk 
 repeated thrice, at equal intervals, then you must act 
 vigorously." 
 
 " That is understood," Brighteye said; " trust to me for 
 that." 
 
 " I am ready," Marksman said to the Chief. " What 
 must I do." 
 
 " In the first place, dress yourself," Flying Eagle answered. 
 
 "What! dress myself? " the hunter said, surveying his 
 person with surprise. 
 
248 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Wah ! does my brother fancy he will enter Quiepaa 
 Tani in his Paleface clothes? " 
 
 " That is true; an Indian disguise is absolutely necessary. 
 Wait a minute." 
 
 The travestissement did not take long to effect. Eglantine 
 modestly retired into the forest, so as not to be present at 
 the hunter's toilet. In a few minutes Marksman took from 
 his alforgas a razor, with which he removed beard and 
 moustache. During this time the Chief had plucked a plant, 
 which grew abundantly in the forest. After extracting the 
 juice, Flying Eagle helped the Canadian, who had removed 
 all his garments, to stain his body and face. Then the Chief 
 drew on his chest an ayott, or sacred tortoise, accompanied by 
 several fantastic ornaments that had nothing warlike about 
 them, and which he reproduced on his face. After that, he 
 gave the hunter's black hair a white tinge, intended to make 
 him look very aged; for among the Indians the hair retains 
 its colour for a long period. He knotted his curls on the top 
 of his head, after the fashion of the Yumas the most 
 travelled of the Redskins and to the left of this tuft, to 
 show that it adorned the head of a pacific Chief, he fixed a 
 passagallo feather, instead of a scalp lock, as is the custom 
 with the warriors. 
 
 When these preparations were completed, Flying Eagle 
 asked the Europeans, who had curiously followed the meta- 
 morphosis, how they liked their comrade. 
 
 " My word," Brighteye answered, simply, " if I had not 
 been present at the transformation, I should not recognise 
 him ; and, by the way, I remember a singular adventure that 
 occurred to me in 1836. Just imagine 
 
 "Well, and what do you say?" the Indian continued, 
 pitilessly cutting the Canadian short, and turning to Don 
 Miguel. 
 
 The latter could not refrain from laughing on looking at 
 the hunter. "I consider him hideous; he bears such a 
 resemblance to a Redskin, that I feel sure he can risk it 
 boldly." 
 
 " Och! the Indians are very clever," the Chief muttered. 
 " Still, I believe that, disguised thus, if my brother is 
 willing thoroughly to represent the character he has assumed, 
 he has nothing to fear." 
 
 " I mean to do it. Still, I would remark, Chief, that I do 
 not yet know what part you mean me to play." 
 
The Tlacateotzin 249 
 
 " My brother is a Tlacateotzin a great medicine man of 
 the Yumas." 
 
 " By Jove ! the idea is a good one. In that way I can get 
 in anywhere." 
 
 The Comanche bowed with a smile. 
 
 " I shall be very clumsy, if I do not succeed," the hunter 
 continued. " But as I am a doctor, I must not forget to 
 furnish myself with medicaments." 
 
 Thereupon Marksman rummaged his alforgas, took out of 
 them all that might have compromised him, and only left in 
 them a little box of specifics, which he always carried about 
 him, a precious store he had employed on many an occasion. 
 He closed the alforgas, threw them on his back, and turned 
 to the Chief. 
 
 " I am ready," he said to him. 
 
 " Good. Myself and Eglantine will go in front, in order 
 to make the road easy for my brother." 
 
 The hunter gave a sign of assent. The Indian called his 
 wife, and both, after taking leave of the adventurers, went 
 off. 
 
 So soon as the Chief was out of sight, the hunter in his turn 
 said good-bye to his comrades. It was, perhaps, the last time 
 he would see them; for who could foresee the fate reserved 
 for him among these ferocious Indians, into whose hands he 
 was about defencelessly to surrender himself? 
 
 " I will accompany you to the edge of the forest," Don 
 Miguel said, " in order fully to understand the means I must 
 employ to be able to run up at the first signal." 
 
 " Come," the hunter said, laconically. 
 
 They went away, followed by the eyes of all their comrades, 
 who saw Marksman depart with an indescribable feeling of 
 anxiety and sorrow. The two men walked side by side, 
 without exchanging a word. The Canadian was plunged in 
 deep thought; Don Miguel seemed a prey to an emotion 
 which he could not succeed in overcoming. In this way 
 they reached the last trees of the forest. The hunter stopped. 
 " It is here we must part," he said to his companion. 
 
 " That is true," the young man muttered, as he looked 
 sadly around. Then he was silent. The Canadian waited 
 a moment. Seeing, at length, that Don Miguel would not 
 speak, he asked him, " Have you anything to say to me? " 
 
 " Why do you ask me that question? " the young man 
 asked him, with a start. 
 
250 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Because," the hunter answered, " you have not come 
 so far, Don Leo, merely to enjoy my company a little longer. 
 You must, I repeat, have something to say to me." 
 
 " Yes, it is true," he said, with an effort; " you have 
 guessed it. I wish to speak with you ; but I know not how 
 it is, my throat rises. I cannot find words to express my 
 feelings. Oh, if I possessed your experience, and your know- 
 ledge of Indian language, no other than myself, I assure you, 
 Marksman, would have gone to Quiepaa Tani." 
 
 " Yes, it must be so," the hunter muttered, speaking to 
 himself, rather than answering his friend; " and why should 
 it not be so? Love is the sun of youth. All love in this 
 world. Why should two handsome and well-made beings 
 alone remain insensible to each other and not love? What 
 do you wish me to say to them for you?" he added 
 quickly. 
 
 " Oh! " the young man exclaimed, " you perceived, then, 
 that I loved her? You are master, then, of the secret which 
 I did not dare to confess to myself! " 
 
 " Do not be alarmed about that, my friend. The secret 
 is as safe in my heart as in yours." 
 
 " Alas, my friend; the words I should wish to say to her 
 my mouth alone could utter with the hope of making them 
 reach her heart. Say nothing to her, that will be best; but 
 you can tell her I am here, and watching over her, and that 
 I shall die or she will be free soon in her father's arms." 
 
 " I will tell her all that, my friend." 
 
 " And then," he added, breaking, by a feverish movement, 
 a little steel chain round his neck, which held a small bag of 
 black velvet, " take this amulet. It is all that is left to me 
 of my mother," he said, with a sigh; " she hung it round my 
 neck on the day of my birth. It is a sacred relic a piece of 
 the true cross, blessed by the pope ; give it to her, and let her 
 guard it preciously, for it has preserved me from many perils. 
 That is all I can do for her at this moment. Go, my friend, 
 save her, as I am compelled to form silent vows for her de- 
 liverance. You love me, Marksman. I will only add one 
 word, from the attempt you make at this moment my life 
 or death will result. Farewell! farewell!" 
 
 Seizing the hunter's hand with a nervous movement, he 
 pressed it forcibly several times, and, turning quickly away, 
 not to let his tears be seen, he rushed into the forest, where 
 he disappeared, after making a last sign with his hand to his 
 
The Tlacateotzin 251 
 
 friend, who was watching his departure. After Don Miguel's 
 departure, the Canadian stood for a moment a prey to extra- 
 ordinary sorrow. " Poor young man! " he muttered, with 
 a profound sigh, " is that the state people are in when they 
 love? " In a moment he overcame the strange emotion 
 which contracted his heart, and boldly raised his head. 
 " The die is cast! " he said. " Forward! " Then assuming 
 the easy, careless step of an Indian, he proceeded slowly to 
 the plain, while looking inquiringly around him. 
 
 In the brilliant beams of the sun, which had risen radiantly, 
 the green plain the hunter was crossing assumed a really 
 enchanting appearance. As on the first occasion when he 
 came to this country, all was in motion around him. 
 
 The Canadian, who, by the help of his new exterior, was 
 able to examine at his leisure all that went on around him, 
 curiously examined the animated scene he had before his 
 eyes : but what most fixed his attention was a band of horse- 
 men in their war costume, or rather paint, armed with those 
 long javelins and barbed spears which they wield with such 
 dexterity, and whose wounds are so dangerous. Most of 
 them also carried a strong rifle and a reata at their girdle, and, 
 marching in good order, they advanced at a trot towards the 
 city, seeming to come from the opposite direction to that 
 which the hunter was following. 
 
 The numerous persons spread over the plain had stopped 
 to examine them. Marksman, profiting by this circumstance, 
 hurried on to mingle with the crowd, among whom, as he 
 hoped, he was speedily lost, no one thinking of paying the 
 slightest attention to him. The horsemen continued to 
 advance at the same pace, not appearing to notice the 
 curiosity they excited. They were soon about forty yards 
 from the principal gateway. On arriving there they were 
 stopped. At the same moment, three horsemen galloped 
 out of the city, bounded over the drawbridge, and went to 
 meet them. Three warriors then left the first party and 
 approached them. After a few hastily exchanged words, the 
 six horsemen rejoined the detachment, which had remained 
 motionless in the rear, and entered the city with it. Marks- 
 man, who followed the party closely, neared the gate at the 
 very moment the last horseman disappeared in the city. 
 The hunter understood that the moment for boldness had 
 arrived. Assuming the most careless air he could put on, 
 although his heart was ready to burst, he presented himself in 
 
252 The Indian Scout 
 
 his turn for admission. He noticed Flying Eagle and his 
 squaw standing some distance off, and conversing with an 
 Indian who seemed to hold a certain rank. This doubled 
 the bold Canadian's courage; he crossed the bridge un- 
 dauntedly, and arrived with apparent stoicism at the gate- 
 way. A lance was then levelled before him, and barred his 
 passage. At a sign from Flying Eagle, the Indian with 
 whom he had been speaking left him and proceeded toward 
 the gate. He was a tall warrior, to whom his iron-grey hair 
 and the numerous wrinkles in his face imparted a certain 
 character of gentleness, intelligence, and majesty. He said 
 a word to the sentry, who was barring the hunter's passage; 
 he raised his lance at once, and fell back a few paces with a 
 respectful bow. The old Indian made the Canadian a sign 
 to enter. " My brother is welcome in Quiepaa Tani," he 
 said gracefully, as he saluted the hunter; " my brother has 
 friends here." 
 
 Marksman, owing to the life he had so long led on the 
 prairies, spoke several Indian dialects with as much fluency 
 as his mother- tongue. From the question the Redskin 
 addressed to him, he felt that he was backed up ; he therefore 
 assumed the necessary coolness to play his part properly, and 
 answered, " Is my brother a Chief? " 
 
 " I am a Chief." 
 
 "Och! let my brother question me. Ometochtli will 
 answer." 
 
 In thus changing his personality, as it were, the hunter 
 had been careful to change his name also. After a long and 
 barren research, he at length selected that of Ometochtli, 
 as best adapted to the person he wished to represent; for, 
 despite its apparently formidable look, it simply means " two 
 rabbits," a most inoffensive name, and perfectly coinciding 
 with the hunter's new character. 
 
 " I shall not question my brother," the Chief said, 
 cautiously. " I know who he is and whence he comes. My 
 brother is one of the adepts of the great medicine, of the wise 
 nation of the Yumas." 
 
 " The Chief is well informed," the hunter remarked. " I 
 see that he has spoken with Flying Eagle." 
 
 " Has my brother left his nation for long? " 
 
 " It will be seven moons at the first leaves since I put on 
 the mocassins of a hunter." 
 
 " Wah ! " the Chief continued, with a certain appearance 
 
The Tlacateotzin 253 
 
 of respect; " where are the hunting grounds of my brother's 
 nation situated? " 
 
 " Near the great shoreless lake." 
 
 " Does my brother intend to practise medicine at Quiepaa 
 Tani?" 
 
 " I have only come here for that purpose, and to worship 
 the Wacondah in the magnificent temple which the piety of 
 the Indians has raised to him in the holy city." 
 
 " Very good. My brother is a wise man; his nation is 
 peaceful," he said, as he raised his head, and drew up his tall 
 form proudly. " I am a warrior, and my name is Atozac." 
 
 By a strange accident, the first Indian with whom Marks- 
 man conversed was the same who received Addick, and 
 whose wife was selected by the High Priest to serve as his 
 interpreter with the maidens. 
 
 " My brother is a great Chief," he replied to the Indian's 
 words. 
 
 The latter bowed with superb modesty on receiving this 
 flattering remark. " I am a son of the sacred tribe to whom 
 the guardianship of the temple is confided," he said. 
 
 " May the Wacondah bless the race of my brother." 
 
 The Chief was completely under the charm; the hunter's 
 compliments had intoxicated him. " My brother, Two 
 Rabbits, will follow me. We will join the friends who are 
 awaiting us, and then proceed to my cold, which will be his 
 during the whole period of his stay in Quiepaa Tani." 
 
 Marksman bowed respectfully. " I am not worthy to 
 shake the dust off my mocassins on the threshold of his door." 
 
 " The Wacondah blesses those who practise hospitality, 
 my brother. Two Rabbits is the guest of a Chief; let him 
 follow me, then." 
 
 " I will follow my brother, since such is his will." 
 
 And, without further resistance, he began walking behind 
 the old Chief, charmed in his heart at having emerged so well 
 from the first trial. As we said, Flying Eagle and Eglantine 
 had stopped a few paces off, and they soon found them. All 
 four, without uttering a word, proceeded toward the house 
 inhabited by the Chief, which was situated at the other 
 extremity of the city. This long walk allowed the hunter to 
 take a look at the streets which he crossed, and obtain a 
 superficial acquaintance with Quiepaa Tani. They at length 
 reached the Chief's house. Heutotl the Pigeon Atozac's 
 wife, seated cross-legged on a mat of maize straw, was making 
 
254 The Indian Scout 
 
 tortillas, probably intended for her husband's dinner. Not 
 far from her were three or four female slaves, belonging to 
 that bastard race of Indians to which we have already alluded, 
 and to which the title of savages may be justly applied. 
 When the Chief and his guests entered the cabin, the Pigeon 
 and her slaves raised their eyes in curiosity. 
 
 " Heutotl," the Chief said, with dignity, " I bring you 
 strangers. The first is a great and renowned Comanche 
 Sachem. You know him already, as well as his squaw." 
 
 " Flying Eagle and Eglantine are welcome in the cold of 
 Atozac," she answered. 
 
 The Comanche bowed slightly, but did not utter a word. 
 
 " This one," the Chief continued, pointing toward the 
 hunter, " is a celebrated Tlacateotzin of the Yumas. His 
 name is Two Rabbits; he will also dwell with us." 
 
 " The words I addressed to the Sachem of the Comanches, 
 I repeat for the great medicine man of the Yumas," she said 
 with a gentle smile; " the Pigeon is his slave." 
 
 " My mother will permit me to kiss her feet," the Canadian 
 said politely. 
 
 " My brother will kiss my face," the Chief's wife responded, 
 holding up her cheek to Marksman, who respectfully touched 
 it with his lips. 
 
 " My brothers will take a draught of pulque," the Pigeon 
 continued; " the roads are long and dusty, and the sunbeams 
 hot." 
 
 " Pulque refreshes the parched throat of travellers," 
 Marksman answered. 
 
 The presentation was concluded. The slaves drew up 
 butaccas, on which the travellers reclined. Vessels of red 
 earth, greatly resembling the Spanish alcaforas, filled with 
 pulque, were brought in, and the liquor, poured out by the 
 mistress of the house in horn cups, was presented by her to 
 the strangers with that charming and attentive hospitality 
 of which the Indians alone possess the secret. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 THE FIRST WALK IN THE CITY 
 
 WHILE pretending to be absorbed in eagerness to respond to 
 the eager politeness of his host, the Canadian attentively 
 examined the interior of the house in which he was, in order 
 to form an idea of the other residences in the city; for he 
 justly assumed that all mu$t be built almost after the same 
 plan. 
 
 The room in which Atoyac received his guests was a large, 
 square apartment, whose whitewashed walls were decorated 
 with human scalps, and a row of weapons, kept in a state of 
 extreme cleanliness. Jaguar and ocelot skins, zarape, and 
 fressadas were piled up on a* sort of large chests, in all pro- 
 bability intended to serve as beds. Butaccas and other 
 wooden seats, excessively low, composed the furniture of the 
 room, in the centre of which stood a table rising not more 
 than ten inches from the ground. These simple arrange- 
 ments are found almost identical, by-the-way, in almost all 
 Indian edits, which are usually composed of six rooms. The 
 first is the one we have just described; it is the ordinary 
 living room of the family. The second is intended for the 
 children; the third is the sleeping room. The fourth con- 
 tains the looms for weaving zarapes, which the Indians work 
 with inimitable skill. These looms, made of bamboo, are 
 admirable for the simplicity of their mechanism. The fifth 
 contains provisions for the rainy season, the period when 
 hunting becomes impossible; while the sixth, or last, is set 
 aside for the slaves. As for the kitchen, there is really none, 
 for the food is prepared in the corral, that is to say, in the 
 open air. Chimneys are equally unknown, and each room is 
 warmed by means of large earthen brasiers. The internal 
 arrangements of the calli are entrusted to the slaves, who 
 work under the immediate superintendence of the mistress 
 of the house. These slaves are not all savages. The Indians 
 completely requite the whites for the misfortunes they deal 
 them. Many wretched Spaniards, captured in war, or victims 
 to the ambuscades the Redskins incessantly lay for them, 
 
 255 
 
256 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 are condemned to the hardest servitude. The fate of these 
 unhappy beings is even more sad than that of their com- 
 panions in slavery, for they have no prospect of being set at 
 liberty some day; they must, on the contrary, expect to 
 perish sooner or later, the victims of the hatred of their cruel 
 masters, who pitilessly avenge on them the numberless 
 annoyances they have themselves endured under the tyran- 
 nical and brutalising system of the Spanish Government. 
 Hence, under the pressure of this hard captivity a man may 
 truly apply to himself the despairing words writ up by the 
 divine Dante Alighieri over the gates of his Inferno, Lasciate 
 ogni speranza. 
 
 Atoyac, to whom chance had so providentially guided the 
 Canadian, was one of the most respected Sachems of the 
 warriors of Quiepaa Tani. In his youth he had lived long 
 among the Europeans, and the great experience he had 
 acquired while traversing countries remote from his tribe had 
 expanded his intellect, extinguished in him certain caste 
 prejudices, and rendered him more sociable and civil than 
 the majority of his countrymen. While drinking his pulque 
 in small sips, as the gourmand should do who appreciates at 
 its just value the beverage he is imbibing, he conversed with 
 the hunter, and gradually, either through the influence of the 
 pulque, or the instinctive confidence the Canadian inspired 
 him with, he became more communicative. As always 
 happens under such circumstances, he began with his own 
 affairs, and narrated them in their fullest detail to the hunter. 
 He told him he was father of four sons, renowned warriors, 
 whose greatest delight it was to invade the Spanish territory, 
 burn the haciendas, and destroy the crops, and carry off 
 prisoners; next he related to him the travels he had made, 
 and seemed anxious to prove to Two Rabbits that his courage 
 as a warrior, his experience, and military virtues, did not 
 forbid him recognising all there was noble and respectable in 
 science ; he even insinuated that, although a Sachem, he did 
 not disdain, at times, to study simples and investigate the 
 secrets of the great medicine, with which the Wacondah, in 
 his supreme goodness, had endowed certain chosen men for 
 the relief of the whole of humanity. 
 
 Marksman affected to be deeply touched by the considera- 
 tion the powerful Sachem, Atoyac, evinced for the sacred 
 character with which he was invested, and resolved in his 
 heart to profit by his host's good feeling toward him to sound 
 
The First Walk in the City 257 
 
 him adroitly about what he was so anxious to know, that is, 
 the state in which the maidens were, and in what part of the 
 city they were shut up. As, however, Indian suspicions can 
 be very easily aroused, and it was necessary to employ the 
 greatest patience, the hunter did not allow his intentions to 
 be in any way divined, and waited patiently. 
 
 The conversation had gradually become general; still, 
 more than an hour had already elapsed, and in spite of all 
 his efforts, aided by those of Flying Eagle, the hunter had 
 not yet succeeded in approaching the subject he had at heart, 
 when an Indian presented himself in the doorway. 
 
 " The Wacondah rejoices," the new comer said, with a 
 respectful bow. " I have a message for my father." 
 
 " My son is welcome," the Chief answered; " my ears are 
 open." 
 
 " The great council of the Sachems of the nation is 
 assembled," the Indian said; " they only await my father 
 Atoyac." 
 
 " What is there new, then? " 
 
 " Red Wolf has arrived with his warriors. His heart is 
 filled with bitterness. He wishes to speak to the council. 
 Addick accompanies him." 
 
 Flying Eagle and the hunter exchanged a glance. 
 
 " Red Wolf and Addick returned ! " Atoyac exclaimed, 
 with amazement. " That is strange ! What can have 
 brought them back so soon, and together, too? " 
 
 " I know not; but they entered the city hardly an hour 
 ago." 
 
 " Did Red Wolf command the warriors who arrived this 
 morning? " 
 
 " Himself. My father could not have seen him when he 
 passed by here. What shall I answer the Chief? " 
 
 " That I am coming to the council." 
 
 The Indian bowed and went away. The old man rose 
 with ill-concealed agitation, and prepared to go out. Flying 
 Eagle stopped him. " My father is affected," he said; 
 " there is a cloud on his mind." 
 
 " Yes," the Chief answered, frankly; " I am sad." 
 
 " What can trouble my father, then? " 
 
 " Brother," the old Chief said, bitterly, " many moons 
 have passed since the last visit paid by you to Quiepaa Tani." 
 
 " Man is only the plaything of circumstances; he can 
 never do what he has projected." 
 
 R 
 
258 The Indian Scout 
 
 " That is true. Perhaps it would have been better for 
 you and for us had you not remained away so long." 
 
 " Often, often I had the desire to come, but a fatality 
 always prevented me." 
 
 " Yes, it must be so; were it not for that, we should have 
 seen you. Many things that have happened, would not 
 have occurred." 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " It would be too long to explain to you, and I have no 
 time to do so at this moment; I must proceed to the council, 
 where I am awaited. Suffice it for you to know, that for 
 some time an evil genius has breathed a spirit of discord 
 among the Sachems of the great council. Two men have 
 succeeded in obtaining a dangerous influence over the 
 deliberations, and forcing their ideas and wishes upon all 
 the chiefs." 
 
 " And these men, who are they? " 
 " You know them only too well." 
 " But what are their names? " 
 " Red Wolf and Addick." 
 
 " Wah! " Flying Eagle said. " Take care; the ambition 
 of those men may, if you do not pay attention, bring great 
 misfortunes on your heads." 
 
 " I know it; but can I prevent it? am I, alone, strong 
 enough to combat their influence, and cause the propositions 
 to be rejected which they impose on the council? " 
 
 "That is true," the Comanche answered, thoughtfully; 
 " but how to prevent it? " 
 
 " There would be a way, perhaps," Atoyac said, in an 
 insinuating voice, after a short silence. 
 "What?" 
 
 " It is very simple. Flying Eagle is one of the first and 
 most renowned Sachems of his nation." 
 "Well?" 
 
 " As such, he has a right, I believe, to sit in the 
 council ? " 
 " He has." 
 
 " Why does not he go there, then? " 
 Flying Eagle turned an inquiring glance on the hunter, 
 who was listening to this conversation with an apathetic 
 face, though his heart was ready to burst; for he guessed, 
 by a species of presentiment, that in this council questions 
 of the highest importance to him would be discussed. From 
 
The First Walk in the City 259 
 
 the Chief's dumb inquiry he understood that if he remained 
 longer a stranger to the discussion, he would appear, in his 
 host's eyes, to display an indifference toward the welfare of 
 the city, which the latter might take in ill part. " Were I 
 so great a Chief as Flying Eagle," he said, " I should not 
 hesitate to present myself at the council. Here, the interests 
 of one nation or the other are not discussed ; but vital ques- 
 tions often arise, affecting the welfare of the red race generally. 
 To abstain, under such circumstances, would, in my opinion, 
 be giving the enemies of order and tranquillity in the city a 
 proof of weakness, by which they would, doubtless, profit to 
 insure the success of their anarchical projects." 
 
 " Do you believe so ? " Flying Eagle remarked, with 
 feigned hesitation. 
 
 " My brother, Two Rabbits, has spoken well," Atoyac 
 said eagerly. " He is a wise man. My brother must 
 follow his advice, and with the more reason, because his 
 presence here is known to everybody, and his absence from 
 the council would certainly produce a very evil effect." 
 
 "As it is so," the Comanche answered, " I can no longer 
 resist your wish; I am ready to follow you." 
 
 " Yes," the hunter added meaningly, " go to the council; 
 perhaps your unexpected presence will suffice to overthrow 
 certain projects, and prevent great misfortunes." 
 
 " I will behave in such a manner as to overawe our 
 enemies," the Comanche answered evasively, who, while 
 feigning to address these words to his host, really intended 
 them for the hunter 
 
 " Let us go," said Atoyac. 
 Flying Eagle bowed silently, and went forth. 
 The hunter remained alone in the calli with the two 
 women. The Pigeon, during the previous conversation, 
 had been busy talking in a low voice with Eglantine. 
 Almost immediately after the departure of the two warriors, 
 the women rose and prepared to go out. Eglantine, without 
 saying a word, laid her finger on her lip, and looked at the 
 hunter. He wrapped himself in his buffalo robe, and 
 addressed Atoyac's wife. 
 
 " I do not wish to trouble my sister," he said. " While 
 the chiefs are in council, I will take a walk, and examine, 
 with greater attention, the magnificent Temple, of which I 
 only had a glimpse on coming here." 
 
 "My father is right," she answered; "the more so, as 
 
260 The Indian Scout 
 
 Eglantine and myself have also to go out, and we should have 
 been compelled to leave my father alone in the calli" 
 Eglantine smiled softly as she nodded to the hunter. 
 The latter, suspecting that Flying Eagle's squaw had 
 discovered the retreat of the maidens during the conversation 
 with her friend, and that the desire she evinced to get rid of 
 him had no other design but to obtain more ample informa- 
 tion about them, made not the slightest objection, and 
 walked slowly out of the calli, with all the majesty and 
 importance of the wise personage he represented. Besides, 
 the Canadian was not sorry to be alone for a little while, 
 that he might reflect on the means he should employ to 
 approach the two maidens, which it seemed to him by no 
 means easy to manage. On the other hand, he intended to 
 employ the liberty left him in taking a turn round the city, 
 and obtaining all the topographical knowledge he needed. 
 Not knowing in what way his stay in the city would terminate, 
 and how he should leave it again, he, at all risks, carefully 
 studied the plan of the streets and buildings, from the double 
 point of view of an attack or an escape. 
 
 The hunter had assumed such a mask of placidity and 
 indifference ; his questions were asked with so nonchalant an 
 air, that not one of those he addressed dreamed for a moment 
 of suspecting him; and, as always happens, he succeeded in 
 obtaining thanks to his skill remarkably precious details 
 about the weak points in the city, how it was possible to 
 enter and leave it after the closing of the gates, and other 
 equally valuable information, which the hunter carefully 
 classified in his mind, and which he resolved to put to good 
 use when the moment arrived. 
 
 In Quiepaa Tani there are a good many unoccupied 
 persons, who spend their lives in wandering about, a prey 
 to an incurable ennui. It was with these people that the 
 hunter formed an acquaintance during his lengthened walk 
 round the city, listening with the greatest patience to their 
 prolix and tedious narrations, when, certain of having drawn 
 from them all he could, he left them, to begin the same 
 scheme a little further on with others. 
 
 Marksman remained away for three hours. When he re- 
 turned to the calli, Atoyac and Flying Eagle had not come 
 back; but the two women, seated on mats, were conversing 
 with a certain degree of animation. 
 
 On seeing him, Eglantine gave him an intelligent glance. 
 
The First Walk in the City 261 
 
 The hunter fell back on a butacca, drew out his pipe, and 
 began smoking. After exchanging a dumb bow with the 
 pretended medicine man, the women again resumed their 
 palaver. 
 
 " So," Eglantine said, " the prisoners taken from the 
 whites are brought here! " 
 
 " Yes," the Pigeon answered. 
 
 " That surprises me," the young woman continued; " for 
 it would be only necessary for one of them to escape, and the 
 exact situation of the city would be revealed to the Gachu- 
 pinos, who would soon appear in the place." 
 
 " That is true; but my sister is ignorant that no one 
 escapes from Quiepaa Tani." 
 
 Eglantine bowed her head with an air of doubt. 
 
 " Och! " she said, " the whites are very crafty; still, it is 
 certain that the two young Pale maidens we have just seen 
 will not escape, they are too well guarded for that. I do 
 not know why, but I feel a great pity for them." 
 
 "It is the same with me, poor children! So young, so 
 gentle, so pretty ; separated eternally from all those who are 
 dear to them. Their fate is frightful ! " 
 
 "Oh, very frightful! But what is to be done? They 
 belong to Addick; that Chief will never consent to restore 
 them to liberty." 
 
 " We will go and see them again, shall we not, my sister? " 
 
 " To-morrow, if you will." 
 
 " Thanks; that will render us very happy, I assure you." 
 
 The last words especially struck the hunter. At the sudden 
 revelation made to him, Marksman felt such an emotion, that 
 he needed all his strength and self-command to prevent the 
 Pigeon noticing his confusion. 
 
 At this moment Atoyac and Flying Eagle appeared. Their 
 features were animated, and they seemed in a state of rage, 
 the more terrible, because it was suppressed. 
 
 Atoyac walked straight to the hunter, who had risen to 
 receive him. On noticing the animation depicted on the 
 Indian's face, Marksman thought that he had plainly dis- 
 covered something concerning himself, and it was not without 
 some supicion that he awaited the communication his host 
 seemed anxious to make to him. 
 
 "Is my father really an adept of the great medicine? " 
 Atoyac asked, fixing a searching glance on him. 
 
 " Did I not tell my brother so? " the hunter answered, 
 
262 The Indian Scout 
 
 who began to feel himself seriously threatened, and looked 
 inquiringly at Flying Eagle. The latter smiled. 
 
 The Canadian reassured himself a little ; it was plain that, 
 if he saw any danger, the Comanche would not be so calm. 
 
 " Let my brother come with me, then, and bring with him 
 the instruments of his art," Atoyac exclaimed. 
 
 It would not have been prudent to decline this invitation, 
 though rather roughly given; besides, nothing proved to 
 him that his host entertained evil designs against him. The 
 hunter, therefore, accepted. " Let my brother walk in front; 
 I will follow him," he contented himself with answering. 
 
 " Does my brother speak the tongue of the barbarous 
 Gachupinos? " 
 
 " My nation lives near the boundless Salt Lake. The 
 Palefaces are our neighbours; I understand, and speak 
 slightly, the tongue they employ." 
 
 " All the better." 
 
 "Have I to cure a Paleface?" the Canadian inquired, 
 anxious to know what was wanted of him. 
 
 " No," Atoyac replied. " One of the great Apache chiefs 
 brought hither, some moons back, two women of the Pale- 
 faces. They are ill; the evil spirit has entered into them, 
 and at this moment Death is spreading his wings over the 
 couch on which they repose." 
 
 Marksman shuddered at these unexpected news; his 
 heart almost broke; an involuntary tremor passed over his 
 limbs ; he required a superhuman effort to overcome the deep 
 emotion he felt, and to reply to Atoyac, in a calm voice " I 
 am at my brother's orders, as my duty commands." 
 
 " Let us go, then," the Indian answered. 
 
 Marksman took his box of medicaments, placed it 
 cautiously under his arm, left the calli at the heels of the 
 Sachem, and both proceeded hastily towards the palace of 
 the Vestals, accompanied, or, more correctly speaking, 
 watched at a distance, by Flying Eagle, who followed in 
 their footsteps, not once letting them out of sight. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 EXPLANATORY 
 
 WE are now compelled to go back a little way, in order to 
 clear up certain facts which necessarily remained in the shade, 
 and which it is urgent for the reader to know. 
 
 We have related how Don Estevan, Addick, and Red Wolf 
 easily came to an understanding, in order to obtain a common 
 vengeance. But, as generally happens in all treaties, each 
 having begun by stipulating for his private advantage, it fell 
 out that Don Estevan was about to reap the least profit from 
 the partnership. 
 
 Few whites can rival the Redskins in craft and diplomacy. 
 The Indians, like all conquered peoples, bowed so long 
 beneath a brutalising yoke, retained only one weapon, which 
 is often deadly, however, by means of which they contend 
 most with success against their fortunate adversaries. This 
 weapon is cunning the arm of cowards and the weak, the 
 defence of slaves against their masters. 
 
 The conditions offered by the two Indian Chiefs to Don 
 Estevan were clear and precise. The Chiefs, by means of 
 the warriors they had at their disposal, would help the 
 Mexican in seizing and avenging himself on his enemies, 
 inflicting on them any punishment he thought proper; in 
 return, Don Estevan would make over his niece and the 
 other maiden, now prisoners at Quiepaa Tani, to the Chiefs, 
 who would do to them what they pleased, Don Estevan 
 giving up all right of interference with them. These condi- 
 tions being well and duly defined, the Indian Chiefs set to 
 work in fulfilling the clauses of the treaty as quickly as 
 possible. 
 
 Red Wolf had a hatred for the two hunters and Don 
 Miguel, which was the more inveterate, because he had 
 been conquered in the various encounters he had with the 
 three men. He, therefore, eagerly seized the opportunity 
 that offered to take his revenge, believing certain this time 
 of repaying his abhorred enemies all the humiliation they 
 had inflicted on him, and the ill they had done him. 
 
 263 
 
264 The Indian Scout 
 
 In less than four days, Addick and Red Wolf succeeded in 
 collecting a band of nearly one hundred and fifty picked 
 warriors obstinate enemies of the whites, and to whom the 
 coming expedition was a real party of pleasure. When Don 
 Estevan saw himself at the head of so large and resolute a 
 band, his heart dilated with joy, and he felt himself ensured 
 of success; for what could Don Miguel attempt with the 
 few men he had at his disposal? 
 
 The road was long, almost impracticable. To reach 
 Quiepaa Tani, it was necessary to cross abrupt mountains, 
 virgin forests, and immense deserts; and even supposing the 
 Gambusinos succeeded in overcoming these seemingly insur- 
 mountable difficulties, when they arrived before the city, 
 what could they do? Would they, scarce thirty at most, 
 attempt to take by assault a city of nearly 20,000 souls, 
 defended by strong walls, surrounded by a wide moat, and 
 containing 3000 picked men, the most renowned warriors of 
 all the Indian nations, specially entrusted with the defence 
 of the sacred city, and who would, without any hesitation, 
 fall to the last man, sooner than surrender? Such a sup- 
 position was absurd; hence Don Estevan dismissed it so 
 soon as it occurred to him. 
 
 The first care of the Indian Chiefs was to learn in what 
 direction their enemies were. Unfortunately for the Red- 
 skins, the arrangements made by the hunters were so adroit, 
 that they were compelled to follow their enemy on three 
 different trails, and break up their war party, if they wished 
 to watch the Gambusinos on all sides. This was the first 
 occasion of a dissension between the three associates. 
 Addick and Red Wolf, when the question of a separation 
 arose, naturally wished each to take the command of a body, 
 an arrangement which displeased Don Estevan, and to which 
 he would not at all consent, remarking, with some degree of 
 justice, that in the affair they had in hand everything 
 depended on the Chiefs; that the warriors had nothing to 
 do but watch the movements of their enemy, while they, the 
 Chiefs, must remain together, in order to arrange the neces- 
 sary combinations in their plans, and be enabled to act with 
 vigour when the occasion presented itself. The truth was, 
 that Don Estevan, forced by circumstances into an alliance 
 with the two Sachems, had not the slightest confidence in 
 his honourable associates. He despised them as much as he 
 was despised by them, and felt certain that, if he allowed 
 
Explanatory 265 
 
 them to leave him, under any pretence, he should never see 
 them again; that they would desert him on the prairie, 
 remorselessly leaving him to get out of the dilemma in the 
 best way he could. The Indians perfectly understood their 
 partner's thoughts, but, far too cunning to let him see they 
 had read them, they pretended to admit the reasons he gave 
 them, and recognise their correctness. The Chiefs, therefore, 
 remained together and pushed on, only accompanied by 
 twenty men, and having divided the others into two bands, 
 to watch the Gambusinos. 
 
 Don Estevan was eager to reach Quiepaa Tani, in order to 
 remove the maidens from the city, and have them in his 
 hands, in order, by their presence, to stimulate the ardour 
 of his allies. They set out. A singular thing then happened. 
 Six detachments of warriors were following each other's trail 
 for more than a month, each marching in the footsteps of 
 the previous one, and not suspecting that it was in its turn 
 followed by another. Matters went on thus without leading 
 to any encounter until the night when Domingo disappeared 
 in the virgin forest. This is how it happened. Marksman 
 had well judged the Gambusino, when suspecting him to be 
 capable of treachery. That is why he requested he should 
 be left with him, that he might watch him with greater care. 
 Unfortunately, since the departure from the ford of the 
 Rubio, in spite of the incessant watchfulness kept up by 
 Marksman, he had never detected in the Gambusino the 
 slightest doubtful movement which would corroborate his 
 suspicions, or convert them into certainty. Domingo did 
 his duty with apparent honesty and frankness. When they 
 reached the bivouac, the little arrangements for the night 
 were made; and the meal over, the Gambusino was one of 
 the first to roll himself in his zarape, lie down, and go to 
 sleep from alleged weariness. In short, the bandit managed 
 to behave so cleverly, and to mask his baseness, that the 
 hunter, clever as he was, was taken in. Gradually his 
 vigilance relaxed, his distrust went to sleep, and, though not 
 reckoning greatly on the Gambusino's fidelity, he ceased 
 looking after him incessantly, as he did during the first days. 
 And then they had covered a great deal of ground during the 
 past month; the hunters were in a completely unknown 
 country : hence it was not presumable that the Gambusino, 
 almost new to desert life, would venture to desert the people 
 with whom he was, and risk wandering alone in the desert, 
 
266 The Indian Scout 
 
 where he would have every chance of dying of hunger in a 
 few days. This merely proved one fact, that Marksman, in 
 spite of all his cleverness, did not know the man with whom 
 he had to deal, and did not suspect the tenacity of purpose 
 which forms the backbone of the Mexican character. 
 
 Domingo hated the hunter because he had unmasked him, 
 and with the patience that characterises the race to which 
 he belonged, he awaited the opportunity for vengeance, 
 feeling certain, by the force of events, that it must present 
 itself from one day to the other. In the meanwhile, he 
 looked and listened. The hunters did not hesitate to speak 
 before him, for the reason that Marksman would, in that 
 case, have been obliged to tell his companions the suspicions 
 he entertained of the Gambusino, a thing that his innate 
 loyalty prevented him doing. Thus Domingo had profited 
 by the opportunity to learn all the details of the expedition 
 of which he was an involuntary member details he intended 
 to tell as clearly as possible to the person they interested 
 most, so soon as chance brought them together. 
 
 On the evening when Marksman discovered that trail 
 which troubled him so greatly, Domingo, while foraging 
 about on his own account, found something which he care- 
 fully avoided showing his comrades. It was no other than 
 a tobacco pouch of small dimensions, richly ornamented 
 with gold embroideiy, such as rich Mexicans usually carry. 
 Domingo very well recollected having seen it in Don Estevan's 
 hand. The pouch must, then, have been lost by him. For 
 the present he hid it in his bosom, intending to examine it 
 more at his leisure, when he did not fear any surprise from 
 his companions. 
 
 Flying Eagle followed the trail, as we have seen, and his 
 friends, after lighting the fire, preparing the meal, and eating 
 a few mouthfuls, waited his return. 
 
 The day had been fatiguing; the Indian's return was 
 deferred; Marksman and Don Mariano, after conversing for 
 a long time, felt their eyelids weighed down and gently close ; 
 in short, they yielded to their fatigue, lay down, and were 
 soon buried in a deep sleep. As for Domingo, he had been 
 sleeping for an hour, as if he never intended to wake again. 
 A singular thing happened, however. Don Mariano and 
 Marksman had scarce closed their eyes, ere the Gambusino 
 opened his eyes, and that so freshly, that everything led to 
 the belief that he had not been to sleep at all, and never felt 
 
Explanatory 267 
 
 more wakeful than at the present moment. He looked sus- 
 piciously around, and remained for some time motionless; 
 but, after a few moments, reassured by the gentle and regular 
 breathing of his companions, he sat up gently. He hesitated 
 for several moments, but then took the tobacco pouch from 
 the place where he had concealed it, and examined it with 
 the closest attention. This pouch had scarcely anything to 
 distinguish it from others; but one circumstance struck the 
 hunter: the pouch was nearly half full of tobacco, and that 
 tobacco was fresh. Hence it could not have been long lost by 
 Don Estevan a few hours, at the most. If that were so, as 
 there was every reason to assume, Don Estevan could not be 
 far off, and must be a league, or at the most two, from their 
 bivouac. This reasoning was logical; hence the Gambusino 
 drew from it the conclusion that the opportunity he had 
 been waiting for so long had at length arrived, and he must 
 seize it at all risks. This conclusion once admitted, the rest 
 can be easily understood. The Gambusino rose, glided like 
 a snake into the underwood, and went off in search of Don 
 Estevan. 
 
 Accident is the master cf the world; it regulates matters 
 at its will; its combinations are at times so strange, that 
 it seems to take a malignant pleasure in making the most 
 odious plans succeed, contrary to all expectations. This is 
 what happened in the present case. The Gambusino had 
 not been wandering about the forest for more than hour, 
 groping his way as well as he could in the dark, which 
 enwrapped him like a shroud, when he arrived, at the 
 moment he least expected it, in sight of a fire lighted on the 
 extreme verge of the forest. He walked at once towards the 
 brilliant flame he had noticed, instinctively persuaded that 
 near the brasero which served him as a beacon he should find 
 the man he was looking for. His presentiments had not 
 deceived him. The camp, towards which he was proceeding, 
 was really that of Don Estevan and his allies, who, we must 
 allow, did not believe themselves so near their enemies. Had 
 they done so, they would have indubitably employed all the 
 precautions usual in the desert to conceal their presence. 
 
 The sudden appearance of the Gambusino in the circle 
 illumined by the fire was a perfect tableau. The Indians and 
 Don Estevan himself were so far from expecting the man's 
 arrival, that there was a moment of fearful confusion, during 
 which the Gambusino was seized, thrown down, and bound, 
 
268 The Indian Scout 
 
 ere he had time to utter a syllable in his defence. The warriors 
 seized their arms, and scattered about the neighbourhood, in 
 order to assure themselves that the man who had so sudden y 
 come among them was alone, and they had nothing to fear. 
 
 At length the alarm gradually cooled down; they felt 
 easier, and thought about questioning the prisoner. This 
 was what the latter desired, and which he earnestly requested, 
 ever since he had been so roughly pounced on. He was led 
 into the presence of the three Chiefs, and at once recognised 
 by Don Estevan. " Eh ! " the latter said, with a grin. " It 
 is my worthy friend, Domingo. What on earth brings you 
 here, my fine fellow? " 
 
 " You shall learn, for I have merely come to do you a 
 service," the bandit answered, with his usual effrontery. " I 
 should be obliged, though, by your having me untied if it is 
 possible. These cords cut into my flesh, and cause me such 
 suffering, that I shall be unable to utter a word until I have 
 got rid of them." 
 
 When the bandit's request had been accomplished, he told 
 all he had heard in the fullest detail, without any pressing. 
 The revelations of the Gambusino caused his hearers con- 
 siderable reflection, and they next asked how he knew that 
 they were so near ? Domingo completed his story by stating 
 how he had found the tobacco pouch, and how, after his 
 two companions, Marksman and Don Mariano, fell asleep, he 
 left them to go in search of Don Estevan. 
 
 In the Gambusino 's story one thing especially struck Don 
 Estevan, and that was, that two of his greatest enemies were 
 a few paces from him, and alone. He at once leaned over 
 to Red Wolf, and whispered a few words, to which the other 
 responded by a sinister smile. Ten minutes later, the fire 
 was extinguished. The Apaches, armed to the teeth, under 
 the guidance of Domingo, glided into the forest, and pro- 
 ceeded toward the spot where the hunter and the gentleman 
 were tranquilly reposing, not suspecting the terrible danger 
 that menaced them, and the treachery to which they were 
 the victims. 
 
 We have seen how the Indian's enterprise failed, and in 
 what way the wretched Domingo received the chastisement 
 for his crime. Unfortunately, he had found time to speak, 
 and his words had been carefully garnered. When the 
 Apaches recognised that they had to do with a stronger 
 party than they expected, and the men they wished to 
 
Explanatory 269 
 
 surprise were on their guard, they withdrew in all haste, 
 in order to deliberate on the measures they must take to get 
 before their enemies, and foil their plans. The discussion, 
 contrary to Indian habit, was not long. In spite of the 
 night, whose dense mantle still covered the ground, they 
 mounted their horses, and proceeded as speedily as possible 
 toward Quiepaa Tani, in order to enter the city first, and 
 have time to call on their friends to help them in the 
 impending contest. 
 
 In spite of all his objections, Don Estevan was left behind, 
 concealed with some warriors on the outskirts of the forest. 
 The Chiefs, with all their influence, not daring openly to 
 infringe the Indian laws by introducing into the city a Pale- 
 face other than a prisoner, Don Estevan was compelled to 
 await their return with resignation. But if the Indians had 
 lost no time, the hunters, on their side, had so well profited 
 by it, that, as we have seen, Marksman, disguised as a Yuma 
 medicine man, entered Quiepaa Tani simultaneously with 
 them. 
 
 While Red Wolf made all the preparations for convening 
 the great council of the Chiefs, Addick left him, and 
 proceeded to the house of his friend, Cheuch Coatl (Eight 
 Serpents), the Amantzin, or High Priest. But the latter, on 
 hearing of the young Chief's return, had shut himself up 
 with the Pigeon, who, accompanied by Eglantine, had come 
 to pay him a visit. The Amantzin advised her of Addick's 
 return which she knew already and recommended her to 
 maintain silence as to the active part she had played in the 
 attempted conversion of the maidens. The Pigeon, whom 
 Eglantine had taught her lesson, promised to remain dumb. 
 She had told the High Priest of the presence in Quiepaa 
 Tani of a great Yuma medicine man, whose knowledge might 
 be useful in restoring the health of Addick's prisoners. The 
 Amantzin thanked the Indian woman, telling her he should 
 probably see Atoyac at the council, and would not fail to 
 ask him to lead Two Rabbits to him. Feeling considerably 
 calmer, the Amantzin dismissed the women, and proceeded 
 to Addick, being well prepared to receive him. At the first 
 words the young Chief uttered, referring to his great desire 
 to see his two prisoners as soon as possible, the old man 
 replied that, in order to be able to watch over them more 
 effectually, and remove them from the oppressive curiosity 
 of the idlers of the city, who troubled him with their con- 
 
270 The Indian Scout 
 
 tinual visits, he had been compelled to transfer them to the 
 Palace of the Virgins of the Sun, until they could be returned 
 to their legitimate owner. Addick thanked his friend most 
 warmly for the care he had taken in performing the com- 
 mission entrusted to him thanks which the Chief Priest 
 received with hypocritical modesty, while regarding the 
 young Chief with a crafty look, which caused him to feel 
 uncomfortable. Hence, without further beating round the 
 bush, he resolved on settling the matter at once. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 CONVERSATIONAL 
 
 THE two men stood for a moment silently face to face, 
 devouring each other with their glances, with frowning brows 
 and compressed lips, like two duellists on the point of 
 crossing swords; and, in truth, they were about to engage 
 in a duel, the more terrible because the only weapons they 
 could employ were cunning and dissimulation. 
 
 The power of the Indian priests is immense ; it is the more 
 terrible, because it is uncontrolled, and only depends on the 
 deity they invoke, and whom they compel to interfere in all 
 circumstances when they have need of his support. No 
 people are so superstitious as the Redskins. With them 
 religion is entirely physical, they are completely ignorant of 
 dogmas, and prefer blindly believing the absurdities their 
 diviners lay before them, rather than give themselves the 
 trouble of reflecting on mysteries which they do not under- 
 stand, and which, in their hearts, they care little for. 
 
 We have said that the High Priest of Quiepaa Tani was 
 a man of lofty intellect, constantly residing in the city, 
 possessing the secrets, and, consequently, the confidence of 
 most families ; he had built up his popularity on a solid and 
 almost immovable basis. Addick was aware of this. On 
 several occasions he had been obliged to have recourse to 
 the occult powers of the sooth-sayer, and, therefore, per- 
 fectly comprehended the unpleasant consequences which 
 would result to him from a rupture with such a man. Chiuch- 
 coatl stood with his arms folded on his chest, and with 
 apathetic face, before the young Chief, whose eyes flashed, 
 and features expressed the most violent indignation. Still, 
 at the expiration of a few moments, Addick, by an extra- 
 ordinary effort of his will, subdued the fire of his glance, 
 smoothed down the expression of his face, and offered his 
 hand to the Priest, saying to him in a soft and conciliatory 
 voice, in which no trace of his internal agitation was per- 
 ceptible, " My father loves me. What he has done is well, 
 and I thank him for it." 
 
 271 
 
272 The Indian Scout 
 
 The Amantzin bowed deferentially, while slightly touching, 
 with the end of his three ringers, the hand held out to him. 
 " The Wacondah inspired me," he said, with a hypocritical 
 voice. 
 
 " The holy name of the Wacondah be blessed," the Chief 
 replied. " Will not my father allow me to see the prisoners ?" 
 
 " I should like it. Unfortunately, that is impossible." 
 
 "What?" the young man exclaimed, with a shade of 
 impatience, he could not completely hide. 
 
 " The law is positive. Entrance to the Palace of the 
 Virgins of the Sun is prohibited to men." 
 
 " That is true; but these young girls are not priestesses. 
 They are Paleface women whom I brought here." 
 
 " I know it. What my brother says is just." 
 
 " Well, my father sees that nothing prevents my prisoners 
 being restored to me." 
 
 " My son is mistaken. Their presence among the Virgins 
 of the Sun has placed them beneath the effect of the law. 
 Forced by imperious circumstances, I did not reflect on this 
 when I made them enter the Palace. In order to carry out 
 my son's wishes, I wished to save them at any price. Now 
 I regret what I have done; but it is too late." 
 
 Addick felt an enormous temptation to dash out the brains 
 of the wretched juggler, who deluded him so impudently with 
 his hypocritical accent and gentle manner; but, fortunately 
 foi the Priest, and probably for himself, as such a deed, 
 just as it was, would not have gone unpunished, he succeeded 
 in mastering himself. " Come," he continued, in a moment, 
 " my father is kind, he would not wish to reduce me to 
 despair. Are there no means to remove this apparently 
 insurmountable difficulty? " 
 
 The Priest seemed to hesitate. Addick looked earnestly 
 at him, while awaiting his answer. " Yes," he continued 
 presently, " there is, perhaps, one way." 
 
 "What?" the young man exclaimed joyfully. "Let 
 my father speak! " 
 
 " It would be," the old man answered, laying a stress on 
 every word, and, as it were, unwillingly, " it would be by 
 obtaining authority from the Great Council to remove them 
 from the Palace." 
 
 " Wah ! I did not think of that. In truth, the Great 
 Council may authorise that. I thank my father. Oh! I 
 shall obtain the permission." 
 
Conversational 273 
 
 " I hope so," the Priest answered, in a tone which staggered 
 the young man. 
 
 " Does my father suppose that the Great Council would 
 wish to insult me by refusing so slight a favour? " he asked. 
 
 " I suppose nothing, my son. The Wacondah holds in his 
 right hand the hearts of the Chiefs. He can alone dispose 
 them in your favour." 
 
 " My father is right. I will go immediately to the Council. 
 It must be assembled at this moment." 
 
 " In truth," the Amantzin answered, " the first hachesto 
 of the powerful Sachems came to summon me a few moments 
 before I had the pleasure of seeing my son." 
 
 " Then my father is proceeding to the Council? " 
 
 " I will accompany my son, if he consents." 
 
 " It will be an honour for me. I can, I trust, count on the 
 support of my father? " 
 
 " When has that support failed Addick? " 
 
 " Never. Still, to-day, above all, I should like to be 
 certain that my father will grant it to me." 
 
 " My son knows that I love him. I will act as my duty 
 ordains," the Priest replied evasively. Addick, to his great 
 regret, was forced to put up with this ambiguous answer. 
 
 The two men then went out, and crossed the square, to 
 enter the palace of the Sachems, where the Council assembled. 
 A crowd of Indians, attracted by curiosity, thronged this 
 usually deserted spot, and greeted with shouts the passage of 
 renowned sachems. When the High Priest appeared, accom- 
 panied by the young Chief, the Indians fell back before them 
 with a respect mingled with fear, and bowed silently to them. 
 The Amantzin was more feared than loved by the people, 
 as generally happens with all men who hold great power. 
 Chiuchcoatl did not seem to notice the emotion his presence 
 produced, and the hurried whispers that were audible on his 
 passing. With eyes sunk, and modest even humble steps, 
 he entered the palace at the heels of the young Chief, whose 
 assured countenance and haughty glance formed a striking 
 contrast with the demeanour his comrade affected. 
 
 The place reserved for the meeting of the Great Council 
 was an immense square hall, extremely simple, and facing 
 north and south; at one end was fastened to the white- 
 washed wall a tapestry made of the feathers and down of 
 rare birds, on which was reproduced, in brilliantly coloured 
 feathers, the revered image of the sun, resting on the great 
 
 s 
 
274 The Indian Scout 
 
 sacred tortoise, the emblem of the world. Beneath this 
 tapestry, and sustained by four crossed spears planted in the 
 ground, was the sacred calumet, which must never be sullied 
 by contact with the earth. This calumet, whose red bowl 
 was made of a precious clay, only found in a certain region of 
 the Upper Missouri, had a tube ten feet in length, adorned 
 with feathers and gold bells, and from its extremity hung a 
 small medicine-bag of elk skin, studded with hieroglyphics. 
 In the centre of the hall, in an oval hole, hollowed for the 
 purpose, was piled, with a certain degree of symmetry, the 
 wood destined for the council fire, and which could only be 
 lighted by the High Priest. The hall was lighted by twelve 
 lofty windows, hung with long curtains of vicuna skin, 
 through which a gloomy and uncertain light filtered, perfectly 
 harmonising with the imposing aspect of the vast apartment. 
 At the moment the Amantzin and Addick entered the place 
 of meeting, all the Chiefs comprising the Council had arrived ; 
 they were walking about in groups, conversing and waiting. 
 So soon as the High Priest entered, each took his place by the 
 fire, at a sign from the eldest Sachem. This Sachem was an 
 old man, whom two warriors held under the arms to support. 
 A long beard, white as silver a singular fact among Indians 
 fell on his chest; his features were stamped with extra- 
 ordinary majesty; and, indeed, the other Chiefs showed him 
 profound respect and veneration. This Chief was called 
 Axayacatl, that is to say, " the face of the water." He 
 claimed descent from the ancient Incas, who governed the 
 country of the Ahanuac before the Spanish conquest, and, 
 like his namesake, the eighth king of Mexico, his totem was a 
 face, before which he placed the symbol for water. We may 
 remark, in support of his claim, that his skin had not that 
 reddish hue of new copper which distinguishes the Indian 
 race, but, on the contrary, approached the European type. 
 Whatever his descent might be, though, one thing certain 
 was, that in his youth he had been one of the bravest and 
 most renowned chiefs of the Comanches, that haughty and 
 untameable nation, which calls itself the Queen of the 
 Prairies. When Axayacatl's great age and numerous wounds 
 prevented him waging war longer, the Indians, by whom he 
 was generally revered, had unanimously elected him supreme 
 Chief of Quiepaa Tani, and he had performed his duties for 
 more than twenty years, to the satisfaction of all the Indian 
 nations. After assuring himself that all the Chiefs were 
 
Conversational 275 
 
 assembled round the fire, the Sachem took from the hands 
 of the hachesto, who stood by his side, a lighted log, which 
 he placed in the centre of the wood prepared for the Council, 
 saying, in a weak, though perfectly distinct voice, " Wacon- 
 dah! thy children are assembling to discuss grave matters; 
 may the flame, which is thy Spirit, breathe in their hearts, 
 and raise to their lips words wise and worthy of thee." 
 
 The wood probably covered with resinous matter 
 caught fire almost immediately, and a brilliant flame soon 
 mounted, with a whirl, toward the roof. 
 
 While the Sachem was pronouncing the words we have 
 just written, two subaltern priests had taken the sacred 
 calumet from the spot where it was placed, and, after filling 
 it with tobacco expressly reserved for extraordinary cere- 
 monies, they lifted it on their shoulders, and presented it 
 respectfully to the Amantzin. The latter took, with a 
 medicine-rod, in order to confound evil omens, a burning coal 
 from the hearth, and lit the calumet, while pronouncing the 
 following invocation : " Wacondah ! sublime and mys- 
 terious being. Thou, whom the world cannot contain, and 
 whose powerful eye perceives the smallest insect timidly 
 concealed beneath the grass, we invoke thee, thee whom no 
 man can comprehend. Grant that the sun, thy visible repre- 
 sentative, may be favourable to us, and not drive far away the 
 holy smoke of the great calumet which we send toward him." 
 
 The Amantzin, still holding the bowl of the calumet in the 
 palm of his hand, presented the tube in turn to each Chief, 
 beginning with the eldest. The Sachems each inhaled a few 
 puffs of smoke, with the decorum and reverence required by 
 etiquette, with their eyes fixed on the ground, and the right 
 arm laid on the heart. When the tube of the calumet at 
 length reached the High Priest, he had the bowl held by one 
 of his acolytes, and smoked till all the tobacco was reduced to 
 ashes. Then the hachesto approached, emptied the ash into 
 a little elkskin pouch, which he closed, and threw into the fire, 
 saying in a loud and impressive voice, "Wacondah! the 
 descendants of the sons of Aztlan implore thy clemency. 
 Suffer thy luminous rays to descend into their hearts, that 
 their words may be those of wise men." 
 
 Then the two priests took the calumet again, and placed it 
 beneath the image of the sun. The old Sachem took the 
 word again. " The council has assembled," he said, " two 
 renowned Chiefs, who only arrived this morning at Quiepaa 
 
276 The Indian Scout 
 
 Tani, on their return from a long journey, have, they say, 
 important communications to make to the Sachems. Let 
 them speak; our ears are open." 
 
 We will enter into no details of the discussion that took 
 place in the Council ; we will not even quote the speeches 
 uttered by Red Wolf and Addick, for that would carry us 
 too far,, and probably only weary the reader. We need only 
 say, that though the passions of the Sachems were cleverly 
 played on by the two Chiefs who had called the meeting, and 
 that sharp attacks were sharply returned, all passed with the 
 decorum and decency characteristic of Indian assemblies; 
 that, although each defended his opinion inch by inch, no 
 one went beyond the limits of good taste ; and we will sum 
 up the debate by stating that Red Wolf and Addick com- 
 pletely failed in their schemes, and that the good sense, or 
 rather the ill-will, of their colleagues prevented them attaining 
 the object of their desires. 
 
 The High Priest, while pretending to support Addick, 
 managed to embroil the question so cleverly, that the 
 Council declared unanimously that the two young Palefaces 
 shut up in the Palace of the Virgins of the Sun must be 
 considered, not as the property of the Chief who brought 
 them to the city, but as prisoners of the entire confederation, 
 and as such remain under the guardianship of the Amantzin, 
 to whom the order was intimated to watch them with the 
 greatest care, and under no pretext allow the young Chief to 
 approach them. Chiuchcoatl, when he insinuated to Addick 
 that he should apply to the Council, knew perfectly well 
 what the result would be ; but not wishing to make an enemy 
 of the young man by refusing his request, he adroitly thrust 
 the responsibility of the refusal on the whole Council, and 
 thus rendered it impossible for Addick to call him to account 
 for his dishonourable conduct towards him. 
 
 Red Wolf had been more fortunate, from the simple reason 
 that his communication concerned the city. The Apache* 
 Chief demanded that a party of five hundred warriors, com- 
 manded by a renowned Chief, should be called under arms, 
 to watch over the common safety, gravely compromised by 
 the appearance, in the vicinity of Quiepaa Tani, of some 
 forty Palefaces, whose evident intention it was to attack and 
 carry the city by storm. 
 
 The Chiefs granted Red Wolf what he asked, and even 
 much more than he had ventured to hope. Instead of five 
 
Conversational 277 
 
 hundred warriors, it was settled that a thousand should be 
 called ; one-half of them, under the orders of Atoyac, would 
 traverse the country in every direction, in order to watch 
 the approach of the enemy, while the other half, under the 
 immediate orders of the governor, would guard the interior. 
 After this, the Council broke up. 
 
 The High Priest then approached Atoyac, and asked him 
 if he really had a renowned Tlacateotzin at his house. The 
 other replied, that, on the same day, a great Yuma medicine^ 
 man had arrived at Quiepaa Tani, and done him the honour 
 of entering his calli. Flying Eagle then joined Atoyac in 
 assuring the High Priest that this medicine-man, whom he 
 had known for a long time, justly enjoyed a very extensive 
 reputation among the Indians, and that he had himself seen 
 him effect marvellous cures. The Amantzin had no reason 
 to distrust Flying Eagle ; he therefore put the greatest con- 
 fidence in his words, and, on the spot, begged Atoyac to 
 bring this Tlacateotzin as speedily as possible to the Palace 
 of the Virgins of the Sun, that he might devote his attention 
 to the two Paleface maidens placed under his ward by the 
 Council-General of the nation, and whose health had inspired 
 him with great fears for some time past. 
 
 Addick heard these words, and rapidly approached the 
 High Priest. " What does my father say, then? " he ex- 
 claimed, in great agitation. 
 
 " I say," the Amantzin replied, in his most honeyed voice, 
 " that the two maidens my son entrusted to my care have 
 been tried by the Wacondah, who sent them the scourge 
 of illness." 
 
 " Is their life in danger? " the young man continued, with 
 ill-suppressed agony. 
 
 " The Wacondah alone holds in his power the existence of 
 his creatures; still I believe that the danger may be con- 
 quered ; besides, as my son has heard, I expect an illustrious 
 Tlacateotzin of the Yuma race, just come from the shore of 
 the boundless Salt Lake, who, by the aid of his science, can, 
 I doubt not, restore strength and health to the slaves whom 
 my son took from the Spanish barbarians." 
 
 Addick, at this unpleasant news, could not suppress a 
 movement of anger, which proved to the High Priest that he 
 was not entirely his dupe, but suspected what had happened ; 
 but, either through respect, or fear lest he might be mistaken 
 in his supposition, though more probably because the place 
 
2 7 8 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 where Addick was did not appear to him propitious for an 
 explanation like that he wished to have with the Amantzin, 
 he contented himself with begging the old man not to neglect 
 anything to save the captives, adding, that he would be 
 grateful to him for any attention he might pay them. Then, 
 suddenly breaking off the conversation, he bowed slightly 
 to the High Priest, turned his back on him, and left the 
 hall, talking eagerly in a low voice with Red Wolf, who had 
 waited for him a few paces off. 
 
 The Amantzin looked after the young man with a most 
 peculiar expression in his eyes; then, resuming his conversa- 
 tion with Atoyac and Flying Eagle, he begged them to send 
 the Yuma medicine-man to them that evening, if possible. 
 The latter promised this, and then left him to return to the 
 calli, where the physician was doubtless waiting for them. 
 
 Still, what had passed at the council afforded Flying Eagle 
 serious matter for reflection, by letting him see that the two 
 Apache Chiefs knew the greater part of Marksman's secret, 
 and if the latter wished to succeed, he must waste no time, 
 but set to work at once. After ten minutes' walking, the 
 Chiefs reached the calli, where they found Marksman awaiting 
 them. The hunter, as we have seen, offered no objections 
 to Atoyac's request, but, on the contrary, after taking up 
 his medicine-box, followed him eagerly. 
 
CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 THE INTERVIEW 
 
 MARKSMAN followed Atoyac to the Palace of the Virgins of 
 the Sun. In spite of himself, the intrepid hunter felt his 
 heart contract when he thought of the perilous situation in 
 which he was about to place himself, and the terrible conse- 
 quences discovery would entail. Still, he stood up against 
 this emotion, and succeeded in regaining sufficient power ovei 
 himself to affect a tranquillity and indifference which were 
 far from real. The two men walked silently side by side. 
 The hunter, fearing this prolonged dumbness might inspire 
 his pride with doubts, resolved to make him talk, in order 
 to give his thoughts a different direction from that he feared 
 to see them take. " My brother has travelled much? " he 
 asked him. 
 
 " Where is the warrior of our race whose life has not been 
 spent in long journeys? " the Indian answered sententiously. 
 " The Palefaces my brothers knows it better than I chase 
 us like wild beasts, and compel us incessantly to retire 
 before their successive encroachments." 
 
 " That is true," the hunter said, shaking his head with a 
 melancholy air. " What desert is so obscure in which we 
 are now permitted to hide the bones of our fathers, with the 
 certainty that the plough of the whites will not come to 
 crush them in tracing its interminable furrow, and scatter 
 them in every direction? " 
 
 "Alas!" Atoyac observed, "the red race is accursed. 
 The day will come when it will be sought in vain on the 
 immense plains where it was formerly more numerous than 
 the brilliant stars which stud the vault of heaven; for it is 
 fatally condemned to disappear from the surface of the 
 world. The Palefaces are only the terrible implements of 
 the implacable wrath of the Wacondah against the children 
 of the red family." 
 
 " My father only speaks too well. Formerly our race was 
 all-powerful; now it has fallen lower than the vilest slave, 
 and has no hope left it of ever rising again." 
 279 
 
280 The Indian Scout 
 
 " What has become of the powerful emperors of Ahamiac, ' 
 who commanded the whole earth ? Of the numberless cities 
 they founded, but five compose to-day the territory of 
 Tlapalean. 1 They are the last refuges of the children of 
 Quetyalcoalt, 2 who are forced to hide themselves there like 
 timid deer, instead of boldly treading the countries possessed 
 in old times by their ancestors." 
 
 " But, thanks be rendered to the Wacondah, whose power 
 is infinite, these five cities are completely sheltered from the 
 insults of the Gachupinos." 
 
 Atoyac shook his head sadly. " My father is mistaken," 
 he said. " Where is the hidden spot to which Palefaces do 
 not penetrate ? " 
 
 " That is possible. They effect every thing ; but up to the 
 present no Paleface has gazed on Quiepaa Tani. They have 
 not been able to cross the mountains and traverse the deserts, 
 behind which the sacred city rises calm and peaceful, deriding 
 the vain efforts of its enemies to discover it." 
 
 " Scarce two suns ago, I should have spoken like my 
 brother. I should have rejoiced with him at this ignorance 
 of the Palefaces; but to-day this is no longer possible." 
 
 " How so? What can have happened in so short a space 
 of time, that compels my brother to alter his opinion so 
 suddenly? " the hunter asked, growing all at once interested, 
 and fearful of hearing bad news. 
 
 " The Palefaces are in the vicinity of the city. They have 
 been seen; they are numerous and well armed." 
 
 " It is not so; my father is mistaken. Cowards or old 
 women were frightened by their shadow, and spread this 
 report," the Canadian answered, shivering all over. 
 
 " Those who brought the news are neither cowards, 
 afraid of their shadow, nor chattering old women they 
 are renowned chiefs. To-day, at the Great Council, they 
 announced the presence of a strong party of Palefaces, 
 concealed in the forest, whose trees have so long spread out 
 their protecting branches before us, to conceal us from the 
 piercing glances of our enemies." 
 
 " These men, however numerous they may be, unless they 
 form a real army, will not venture to attack a city so strong 
 as this, defended by thick walls, and containing a considerable 
 number of chosen warriors." 
 
 1 Literally, " red country." 
 
 Curlyce of Mexico: literally, it means the " serpent covered with 
 feathers." 
 
The Interview 281 
 
 "Perhaps. Who can know? At any rate, if the Pale- 
 faces do not attack us, we shall attack them. Not one of 
 them must see again the land of the Palefaces. Our future 
 security demands it." 
 
 " Yes, it must be so ; but are you sure that the Chiefs of 
 whom you speak, and whose names I do not know, may not 
 deceive you, and be traitors? " 
 
 Atoyac stopped and fixed a piercing glance on the Canadian, 
 who endured it with a calm air and unmoved countenance. 
 " No," he said, a moment after, " Red Wolf and Addick are 
 no traitors." 
 
 The hunter seemed to reflect for a moment, and then 
 exclaimed, with a resolute air, which imposed on the Indian, 
 '' No, indeed, those two chiefs are not traitors; but they are 
 on the road to become so ere long. The dangers which 
 menace us they heaped up on our heads to satisfy their 
 passions and thirst for vengeance." 
 
 " Let my brother explain," the Chief said, at the height 
 of astonishment. " His words are plain." 
 
 " I did wrong to utter them," the hunter continued, with 
 feigned humility. " I am only a man of peace, to whom the 
 omnipotent Wacondah has given the mission of relieving, 
 according to the knowledge granted him, the ills of humanity. 
 I, a poor being, ought not to try and uproot the powerful oak, 
 whose weight in falling would crush me. Let my brother 
 pardon me. I imprudently allowed my indignation to carry 
 me away." 
 
 " No, no," the Chief exclaimed, pressing his arm forcibly; 
 ' ' it cannot be so. My father has begun, and he must tell 
 me all." 
 
 With that quickness of thought that distinguished him, 
 the hunter had conceived a plan founded on the distrust 
 which forms the basis of the Indian character. He pretended 
 resistance to the Chief's instructions, and was unwilling to 
 enter into details of what he had let him have a glimpse of; 
 but the more the pretended medicine-man declined to speak, 
 the more did the Chief press him to do so. At length the 
 hunter feigned to be intimidated by his host's mingled 
 prayers and threats, and still alleging the fear he felt of 
 drawing on himself the hatred of two renowned chiefs, he at 
 length consented to give the information for which Atoyac 
 pressed him so urgently. " Here are the facts," he said. " I 
 will relate them to my brother exactly as they came to my 
 
282 The Indian Scout 
 
 knowledge. Still, my brother will pledge me his word, that 
 whatever be the resolution he forms after hearing my words, 
 he will in no way mix up a peaceful and timid man in this 
 affair. That my name shall not be even mentioned, and that 
 the chiefs whose conduct I am now about to unveil, will not 
 be aware of my presence at Quiepaa Tani? " 
 
 " My brother can speak in all confidence. I swear to him 
 by the sacred name of the Wacondah, and by the great Ayotl, 
 that whatever happens, his name shall not be mixed up in 
 this affair. No one shall know in what way I obtained the 
 information he will give me. Atoyac is one of the first 
 sachems in Quiepaa Tani. When it pleases him to say a 
 thing, his words do not require to be confirmed by any other 
 testimony than his own." 
 
 As so often happens, under present circumstances, apart 
 from the discomfort produced by the hunter's reticence, the 
 Chief was not sorry at the importance the details he was 
 about to learn would assuredly give him, and the part he 
 would be indubitably called on to play in the events which 
 would result from them. 
 
 " Och! " the hunter said, with a sigh of satisfaction, " if 
 that is the case, I will speak." Then the Canadian told his 
 complaisant and credulous hearer a long and wonderfully 
 confused story, in which truth was so artfully mixed up with 
 falsehood, that it would have been impossible for the acutest 
 man to distinguish one from the other; but the result of 
 which was, that, if the whites had reached the vicinity of the 
 city, Addick and Red Wolf had lured them after them, only 
 connecting their trail sufficiently for their pursuers not to 
 lose it. The whole of the facts recounted by the hunter were 
 so skilfully grouped, that the two chiefs, enveloped in this 
 network of truth and falsehood, must be inevitably convicted 
 of treason if closely cross-questioned, which the worthy 
 hunter hoped most sincerely. " I will allow myself no 
 reflections," he added, in conclusion; " my brother is a wise 
 chief and experienced warrior: he will judge far better than I, 
 a poor worm, can of the gravity of the things he has just heard ; 
 still, I implore him to remember what he has promised." 
 
 " Atoyac has only one word," the Chief answered. " My 
 father can reassure himself; but what I have heard is ex- 
 tremely serious. Let us lose no more time ; I must go to the 
 first Chief of the city." 
 
 " Perhaps the two Sachems have drawn the Palefaces 
 
The Interview 283 
 
 so near us with a good intention," the hunter insinuated; 
 " they hope, possibly, to pounce upon them with greater 
 
 " No," Atoyac answered, with a gloomy air; " their 
 intentions can only be perfidious; their machinations must 
 be foiled as speedily as possible ; if not, great misfortunes will 
 occur, especially after the decision of the Council, which gives 
 the command of the warriors destined to act in the city ta 
 Red Wolf, under the orders of the governor." 
 
 Fortunately for the hunter, Atoyac was a personal enemy 
 of Red Wolf, and Addick, which prevented him noticing with 
 what cunning skill the Canadian had led him to listen to his 
 narrative. 
 
 The two men hastily continued their walk, and in a few 
 minutes reached the Palace of the Vestals. After a few 
 words with the warrior who had charge of the gate, the Chief 
 and the medicine-man were introduced into the interior. 
 The High Priest came eagerly toward the new comers, whom 
 he had been eagerly expecting. The Amantzin regarded the 
 hunter with suspicious attention, and made him undergo an 
 interrogatory like Atoyac's in the morning. 
 
 His answers, prepared long before, pleased the High Priest; 
 for, a few moments after, he led him to the reserved apart- 
 ments of the Palace, in order to examine the state of the 
 maidens. The Canadian's heart trembled with the most 
 violent emotion, and large drops of perspiration beaded in 
 his face. Indeed, the critical position in which he found 
 himself, was really of a nature to inspire him with serious 
 alarm. What he feared most of all was the effect his presence 
 might produce on the maidens, if, in spite of his perfect dis- 
 guise, they recognised him at once, or when he made himself 
 known to them ; for it was indispensable for the success of the 
 trick he intended to play, that those he was going to see 
 should know with whom they had to deal, and enter fully 
 into the spirit of the characters he meant them to play in 
 the farce. These reflections, and many others which rushed 
 on the hunter, imparted to his face a look of sternness, which 
 was far from injuring him in the minds of those who accom- 
 panied him. They at length reached the entrance of the 
 secret apartments, whose door, at a sign from the High 
 Priest, was widely opened before them. But so soon as 
 they entered a large hall, which, through the absence of all 
 furniture, might be regarded as a vestibule, the Amantzin 
 
284 The Indian Scout 
 
 turned to Atoyac, and gave him the order to wait there, 
 while he led the medicine-man to the captives. 
 
 As we have already said, the abode of the Virgins of the 
 Sun was interdicted to all men, excepting the High Priest. 
 Under certain circumstances, one person might be an excep- 
 tion to this rule, and that was the doctor. Atoyac was too 
 well acquainted wth the severe law of the palace to offer the 
 slightest remark; still, when the High Priest prepared to 
 leave him, he caught him respectfully by the robe, and bent 
 to his ear. " My brother will return promptly," he said to 
 him in a low voice; " I have important news to communicate 
 to him." 
 
 " Important news," the Amantzin repeated, as he stared 
 at him. 
 
 " Yes," the Chief said. 
 
 "And they concern me?" the High Priest continued 
 slowly. 
 
 Atoyac smiled confidentially. " I think so," he said, 
 <{ for they relate to Red Wolf and Addick." 
 
 The High Priest gave a slight start. " I will return in a 
 moment," he said, with a gracious nod; then turning to the 
 hunter, who stood motionless a few steps off, apparently 
 indifferent to what passed between the two men, he said to 
 him, " Come." 
 
 The hunter bowed, and followed the High Priest. The 
 latter led him across a long court-yard paved with bricks, 
 and ascending ten steps of blue and green-veined marble, he 
 conducted him into a small isolated pavilion, completely 
 separate from the building in which the Virgins of the Sun 
 were secluded. The High Priest closed the door behind him, 
 which gave them admission to the pavilion; they crossed a 
 species of ante-chamber, and the Amantzin, raising a drapery 
 which hung over a narrow doorway, introduced the pretended 
 physician into a room splendidly furnished in the Indian 
 style. The High Priest, wishing, if possible, to make the 
 maidens forget they were captives, had gilded their cage 
 with the utmost care, by decorating it with all the articles of 
 luxury and comfort which he supposed would please them. 
 In an ejegant hammock of cocoa-fibre, overrun with feathers, 
 and hanging from golden rings, about eighteen inches from 
 the floor, there reclined a young woman, whose face of 
 excessive pallor bore the imprint of profound sorrow, and the 
 evident traces of a serious illness. It was Dona Laura de 
 
The Interview 285 
 
 Real del Monti. By her side, with folded arms and tear- 
 laden eyes, stood Dona Luisa, her friend, or rather her sister,, 
 through suffering and devotion. The state of prostration 
 into which Dona Luisa was plunged, proved that, in spite 
 of her strength of character, she had also, for some time 
 past, given up all hope of ever leaving the prison in which 
 she was confined. This room, receiving no light from 
 without, was illuminated by four torches of ocote wood, 
 passed through gold rings in the wall, whose vacillating 
 flame dimly lighted up the scene. 
 
 On seeing the two men, Dona Laura made a sign of terror,, 
 and buried her face in her hands. The hunter saw that he 
 must precipitate events, so he turned to his guide. " The 
 Wacondah is powerful," he said, in an imposing voice; " the 
 sacred tortoise supports the world on its shell. His spirit 
 eye is on me; it inspires me. I must remain alone with the 
 patients, that I may read in their faces the nature of the 
 illness that torments them." 
 
 The High Priest hesitated; he fixed on the pretended 
 physician a glance which seemed to try and read his most 
 secret thoughts. But, although accustomed for many years 
 to deceive his countrymen by his mystic juggling, he was, 
 after all, an Indian, and, as such, as accessible to superstitious 
 fears as those he deluded. He therefore hesitated. " I am 
 the Amantzin," he said, with a respectful accent. " The 
 Wacondah can only view with satisfaction my presence here 
 at this moment." 
 
 " My father can remain, if such is his pleasure; I do not 
 compel him to retire," the Canadian answered boldly, as he 
 was determined to gain his point at all hazards. " Now I 
 warn him that I am in no way responsible for the terrible 
 consequences his disobedience will entail. The Spirit that 
 possesses me will be obeyed, for it is jealous. Let my father 
 reflect." 
 
 The High Priest bowed his head humbly. " I will retire,"" 
 he said; " my brother will pardon my pressing." And he 
 left the apartment. 
 
 The Canadian silently accompanied him to the door of the 
 vestibule, closed it carefully after him, and ran back to the 
 young ladies, who recoiled with terror. " Fear nothing," he 
 whispered; " I am a friend." 
 
 " A friend ! " Dona Laura exclaimed, who had fled, all 
 trembling, into a corner of the room. 
 
286 The Indian Scout 
 
 " Yes," he continued hastily; " I am Marksman, the 
 Canadian hunter, the friend, the companion of Don 
 Miguel." 
 
 Dona Laura sat up in her hammock, and a cry of surprise 
 and joy burst from her chest. 
 
 " Silence ! " the hunter said; " they may be listening." 
 
 Dona Luisa gazed with dilated eyes on this scene, whose 
 meaning escaped her. 
 
 " You, Marksman! " Dona Laura at length said, with an 
 accent impossible to describe. "Oh! we may be saved, 
 then; we are not abandoned by all." 
 
 And, sliding to the ground, she knelt piously, and, with 
 clasped hands, murmured a fervent prayer, while her eyes 
 filled with tears. Then, rising suddenly, she seized the 
 Tiunter's hands, and pressed them passionately. " Don 
 Miguel," she said; " where is he? " 
 
 " He is close by, and waiting for you. But, for Heaven's 
 ;sake, listen to me; moments are precious." 
 
 "Oh, Caballero! take us away, take us away quickly," 
 Dona Laura at length said, completely recovered from her 
 emotion. 
 
 " Soon." 
 
 " Yes, yes, save us ! " Dona Laura exclaimed; " my father 
 ^vvill reward you." 
 
 Marksman smiled. " Your father will be very glad to see 
 you again," he said softly. 
 
 Dona Laura raised to him her lovely eyes, radiant with 
 joy. "Where is my father?" she asked him; but then 
 added, " no, I cannot see him. He is far, very far from 
 here." 
 
 " He is with Don Miguel, in the forest. Set your mind at 
 rest." 
 
 " Oh, Heaven! " the maiden exclaimed, " it is too much 
 happiness." 
 
 At this moment some one could be heard ascending the 
 marble steps. " Hist! " the hunter said sharply; " be on 
 your guard." 
 
 " But what must we do? " Dona Laura asked, in a low 
 voice. 
 
 " Wait, and have confidence." 
 
 " What, are you going? " 
 
 " Leave us already? " they exclaimed together, with a 
 movement of terror. 
 
The Interview 287 
 
 " I will return. Leave me to act. Once again, hope and 
 patience." 
 
 " Oh, if you were to abandon us; if you did not save us," 
 Laura said, in despair, " we should have nothing left but 
 to die." 
 
 " Oh, have pity on us ! " Dona Luisa murmured. 
 
 " Trust to me, poor children," the hunter answered, more 
 affected than he liked to seem by this simple and profound 
 sorrow. "Remember this carefully whatever happens, 
 whatever may be told you, whatever sound you hear, trust 
 to me to me alone for I am watching over you. I have 
 sworn to save you, and I will succeed." 
 
 " Thanks ! " they replied. 
 
 The steps had stopped at the door. 
 
 Marksman, after making the maidens a last sign to recom- 
 mend them prudence, composed his features, sharply opened 
 the door, and, without uttering a word, passed by the High 
 Priest, whom he did not seem to notice, but evinced great 
 marks of agitation, and, making incomprehensible signs, ran 
 toward the spot where Atoyac was awaiting him. The 
 Amantzin was dumb with surprise. After a moment, he 
 closed the doors the hunter had left open, and followed him, 
 but as if he did not dare to draw towards him. 
 
 The maidens did not know whether they were not the 
 sport of a dream. So soon as they were alone, they fell into 
 each other's arms, sobbing violently. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 A MEETING 
 
 THE Indian Chief could not restrain a cry of terror, and 
 recoiled a few paces at the sudden apparition of the hunter. 
 The latter stopped in the centre of the room, and letting his 
 head sink on his chest, appeared plunged in profound thought. 
 The High Priest, on rejoining Atoyac, told him, in a few 
 words, in what fashion the medicine-man had quitted the 
 sick chamber, and the Indians, filled with superstitious fear, 
 stood motionless a few paces from him, respectfully waiting 
 till he addressed them. The hunter appeared gradually to 
 regain possession of his faculties ; his agitation calmed down ; 
 he passed his hand over his forehead, and sighed like a man 
 at length relieved from a terrible oppression. The Indians 
 considered the moment favourable to approach him, and ask 
 him the questions they burned to address to him. " Well, 
 my father? " they said. 
 
 " Speak," the High Priest added. " What is the matter 
 with you? " 
 
 The hunter rolled his eyes, uttered a fresh sigh, and 
 muttered, in a low, choking voice " The spirit possesses me; 
 it presses the marrow of my bones." 
 
 The Indians exchanged a timid glance, and fell back in 
 terror. 
 
 "Wacondah! Wacondah!" the Canadian continued; 
 " why hast thou gifted thy wretched servant with this 
 unhappy knowledge? " 
 
 The Redskins really felt the blood curdle in their veins by 
 these sinister words; a shudder of terror ran over their 
 limbs, and their teeth chattered. Marksman walked slowly 
 toward them; they saw him approaching without daring to 
 make a movement to avoid him. The hunter laid his right 
 hand on the High Priest's shoulder, fixed a piercing glance 
 on him, and said, in a hollow voice " The sons of the 
 sacred Ayotl must arm themselves with courage." 
 
 " What does my brother mean? " the old man muttered, 
 in a tremor. 
 
 " A wicked spirit," the hunter continued coldly, " has 
 entered these daughters of the Palefaces. This spirit will 
 
 288 
 
A Meeting 289 
 
 smite with death, from this day forth, those who approach 
 them; for the dread knowledge with which the Wacondah 
 has gifted me has enabled me to convince myself of the 
 malign influence that weighs upon them." 
 
 The two Indians, credulous like all of their race, fell back 
 a step. Then the hunter, as if to confirm his words, feigned 
 to be attacked by a fresh crisis and struggle with the spirit 
 that dwelt in him. 
 
 " But what must be done to deliver them from his evil 
 influence? " Atoyac asked timidly. 
 
 " All strength and all wisdom come from the Wacondah," 
 the Canadian answered. " I will ask my father, the 
 Amantzin's leave to spend this night in prayer in the Temple 
 of the Sun." 
 
 The Indians exchanged a glance of admiration. 
 
 " Be it so, according to my father's wish," the High Priest 
 said, with a bow; " his wishes are orders' to us." 
 
 " Above all," the hunter continued, " let no ono approach 
 the daughters of the Palefaces till to-morrow; then, perhaps, 
 the Wacondah will grant my prayers, by indicating the 
 medicines I must employ." 
 
 The High Priest gave a sign of assent. 
 
 " It shall be so," he said; " let my father follow me; I 
 will conduct him to the temple." 
 
 "No," Marksman objected; "that is not possible. I 
 must enter the sanctuary alone. My father will tell me the 
 way to open the door." 
 
 The Amantzin obeyed, and explained to him in what way 
 the bars and bolts were arranged, and how he must set to 
 work to undo them. 
 
 " Good," the hunter said; " to-morrow, at sunrise, I will 
 let my father know the will of the Wacondah, and if there be 
 any hope left of saving the patients." 
 
 " I will wait, my son," the old man replied. 
 
 The two Indians bowed respectfully to the medicine man, 
 and retired together. The hunter was surprised at seeing 
 them go away thus, and asked himself where they could be 
 proceeding at such an hour. The departure of the Indians 
 was the only consequence of the confidential information 
 given to Atoyac by Marksman, and the High Priest and the 
 Chief were proceeding in all haste to the principal Sachem of 
 the city, to impart to him all they had learned of the supposed 
 intentions of Addick and Red Wolf. 
 
290 The Indian Scout 
 
 We will here return to what we have already told the 
 reader, in order to make him thoroughly understand the 
 motive of the confidence with which the Indians accepted the 
 hunter's words. In these countries soothsayers are, as it 
 were, favourites of fortune, and enjoy an unbounded super- 
 natural power. As among the Redskins, the practice of 
 medicine is, properly speaking, only an affectation of religious 
 rites mingled with ridiculous juggling. The physicians are 
 naturally considered to be Acyars, and respected as such. 
 And let it not be supposed that the vulgar alone are imbued 
 with this belief. The chiefs, warriors, priests even, as we 
 have shown, recognise in them a marked superiority, even 
 if they do not grant them equally absolute power. 
 
 During the latest events we have described, night had set 
 in, but one of those American nights, so calm and soft, full of 
 intoxicating perfumes; a weak and delicate light poured 
 from the stars, whose innumerable army studded the pro- 
 foundly azure sky with their flashing light; the moon was 
 standing high in the heavens, and poured down on the sleep- 
 ing city its silvery rays, which imparted to objects a fantastic 
 appearance; a religious silence brooded over the landscape. 
 The hunter looked after the two men so long as they remained 
 in sight, and then began crossing the square to reach the 
 palace. 
 
 The day had been a trying one to the Canadian. He had 
 been compelled at every moment to display presence of 
 mind, and struggle in craft with men whose clear-sighted 
 eyes had been incessantly on the point of discovering the 
 wolf hidden beneath the sheepskin. Still, he had valiantly 
 supported his trials, and, from the way affairs had turned, 
 he had every reason to believe that he should succeed in 
 delivering the two maidens; hence the worthy hunter's 
 laughter to himself at the way in which he had played his 
 part, and determined to brave it out boldly to the end. On 
 reaching the temple, he unfastened the bolts and bars, and 
 entered the interior, only leaving the doors to behind, for he 
 felt certain that no one would dare to trouble him, through 
 the sanctity of the spot in the first place, and then through 
 the superstitious fears he had succeeded in inspiring the 
 Indians with. In asking the High Priest's permission to 
 spend the night in the sanctuary, the hunter had no other 
 design but to cover with the cloak of religion the means he 
 intended to employ for the escape of the maidens, and, at 
 
A Meeting 291 
 
 the same time, have a few hours' liberty, during which he 
 could arrange his plans fully, without being disturbed by 
 the hospitality and curiosity of his host. 
 
 The interior of the temple was gloomy. Only one lamp 
 burned before the sacrificing table, spreading a weak and 
 trembling light, insufficient to dispel the gloom. Marksman 
 retired to a dark corner, sat down on the ground, drew his 
 pistols from his bosom, placed them by his side for fear of a 
 sudden attack, and, after trying with a piercing glance to 
 sound the dense gloom that surrounded him, feeling reassured 
 by the deadly silence, he began thinking deeply. Still, by 
 degrees, either through weariness or the influence of the spot 
 where he was, in spite of his violent efforts to keep awake, he 
 felt his eyelids grow heavy, and at length he gave way to the 
 invisible sleep that overpowered him. He could not say how 
 long he had slept, when a slight noise he heard, no great dis- 
 tance off, suddenly made him open his eyes. Like all men 
 accustomed to the active and perilous life of the desert, 
 where a man must be constantly on his guard, the hunter had 
 acquired such an exquisite delicacy of sense, that, however 
 great his lassitude might be, whenever he knew himself to be 
 in a dangerous position, his sleep was lighter than a child's. 
 Marksman, when hardly awake, looked around, while careful 
 not to make the slightest movement indicating that his 
 slumbers were interrupted. He could see nothing; it was 
 still night, and what was more, the lamp was extinguished. 
 He understood that some one had entered the temple, and 
 was spying him. But who could have dared to cross the 
 sacred threshold ? Two sorts of persons alone would venture 
 to do it. A friend or an enemy. As for friends, he had only 
 one in the city, Flying Eagle. It was evident that the 
 warrior, if he wished to come to him, would have come openly, 
 and not hiding himself, which might draw a bullet at his 
 head. Hence it was an enemy ; but who? Those he might 
 have suspected, namely, Addick or Red Wolf, did not know 
 him, and hence could not have discovered him under his 
 disguise, as he had deceived sharper eyes than theirs. 
 Besides, during the whole course of the day, he had not been 
 face to face with the two Chiefs, hence it could not be they. 
 But who was it, then ? This was what the hunter could not 
 discover, in spite of all his cleverness. In his doubt, and 
 through fear of being taken unawares, he stretched out his 
 hands till they touched the pistols, and, with his head up,. 
 
292 The Indian Scout 
 
 his eyes open, and ears on the watch for the slightest sound, 
 he prepared to bravely face the foe, whoever he might be. 
 The noise, however, which had disturbed him was not re- 
 peated, all remained calm and silent. In vain did the 
 hunter strive to detect a shadow, even the slightest, or the 
 least sound. Nothing disturbed the majesty of the sanctuary. 
 Still, Marksman was not mistaken. He had distinctly heard 
 a footstep timidly pacing the stones of the temple. A man 
 must have been once in his life in the same position as the 
 hunter was now in, to understand its agony and terror. To 
 feel close to you, scarce two yards off, an enemy watching you, 
 whose furious eye is unpleasantly fixed on you to know he 
 is there; to guess it by that species of intuition God has 
 bestowed on him to foresee a danger, and not dare to stir, 
 fear making the least movement which might warn him that 
 you were expecting the attack this position, comparable 
 with that of the bird fascinated by the snake, is most cruel, 
 and, in a few minutes, becomes a punishment so intolerable 
 that death itself is preferable. 
 
 Assuredly, Marksman was a man of tried courage. The 
 enterprise he was now attempting proved in him a rashness, 
 we will not say pushed to the verge of death, for that is 
 nothing, but to a contempt of those tortures the Redskins 
 are so ingenious in inventing and varying, so that they can 
 extract the life from their victim, as it were, drop by drop. 
 Well, after a quarter of an hour of this expectation, he felt 
 an involuntary shudder, his hair stood erect, and a cold 
 perspiration beaded on his temples. " A million demons," 
 he muttered to himself, " I cannot stand this any longer. I 
 must know what I have to expect, whatever happens." 
 
 At the same moment he leaped to his feet as if moved by 
 a spring, a pistol in either hand. All at once, a shadow 
 bounded from behind a pillar with a tiger's leap, and the 
 hunter, seized by the throat, rolled on the ground, before he 
 could utter a cry. A foot was rested on his chest, and he 
 saw a hideous face grinning at him, as if through a cloud. 
 Marksman was alone, abandoned, without help; it was all 
 over with him, nothing could save him. He gave vent to a 
 stifled sigh, and closed his eyes, resigned to the fate that 
 awaited him. But, at the moment he felt he was about to 
 receive the mortal blow, the grasp on his throat relaxed, and 
 a sarcastic voice said to him, " Get up, powerful Tlacateotzin, 
 I only wished to prove to you that you were in my hands." 
 
A Meeting 293 
 
 The hunter rose all bruised, and still troubled by this 
 sudden attack. The other continued " What would you 
 give to escape the peril that menaces you, and be free to 
 return peacefully to the calli of your host Atoyac? " 
 
 But Marksman had had time to recover from his flurry; 
 he had picked up his pistols; all fear had fled his heart, 
 for he had only to defend himself against one enemy. This 
 enemy, after for a moment holding him prostrate, committed 
 the fault of restoring him liberty to move; their position 
 had suddenly become equal. " I will give you nothing, Red 
 Wolf," he said resolutely. " Why did you not kill me when 
 I lay defenceless at your feet? " 
 
 The Indian Chief for he it was recoiled, with surprise, 
 on finding himself so easily recognised. " Why did I not 
 kill you, dog? " he answered. " Because I had pity on you." 
 
 " Because you were afraid, Sachem," the hunter said 
 firmly; " it is a different thing to kill an enemy in fighting, 
 from assassinating an adept of the great medicine in the 
 temple of Wacondah, when protected by his omnipotent hand. 
 I say again, you were afraid." 
 
 The hunter guessed rightly; it was his superstitious fear 
 which suddenly arrested the arm of the Chief, already up- 
 lifted to strike. " I will not discuss matters with you," 
 he said ; " but tell me how you so speedily guessed my name ; 
 for I do not know you." 
 
 " But I know you; the Wacondah announced your 
 presence to me ; I expected you ; if I did not prevent your 
 attack, it was because I wished to see if you would carry your 
 impiety so far as to sully the reverend sanctuary of the 
 temple'." 
 
 The Indian grinned. " You are going too far, sorcerer,^ 
 he said ironically. " Had it not been for a moment of 
 weakness I now regret, you would be dead." 
 
 " Perhaps. so. What do you want of me? " 
 
 " Do you not know, as you say nothing is hidden from 
 you?" 
 
 " I know what reason brings you here. You will try in 
 vain to dissimulate; if I ask you that question, it is because 
 I would know if you dare to tell a falsehood." 
 
 Red Wolf reflected for a moment, and then continued,, 
 with a resolute accent, " Listen, sorcerer," he said; " either 
 you are a rogue, as I believe, or else you are really what 
 you pretend to be a great medicine man, inspired by the 
 
294 The Indian Scout 
 
 Wacondah, and beloved by him; in either case, I wish to 
 clear up my doubts. Woe to you if you try to deceive me, 
 for I will kill you like a dog, and of your accursed hide, cut 
 into strips on your quivering body, I will make trappings for 
 my horse; if, on the contrary, you speak the truth, you will 
 not have a more devoted friend, or a more faithful servant 
 than myself." 
 
 " I despise your hatred, and do not want your friendship, 
 Red Wolf," the hunter answered, in an imposing tone; 
 " your powerless menaces do not terrify me; but, in order 
 to make you fully understand the extent of my knowledge, 
 I consent to do what you ask, and tell you what reason 
 urged you to come to me." 
 
 " Do so, sorcerer, and whatever may happen, Red Wolf 
 will be yours." 
 
 The hunter smiled contemptuously, and shrugged his 
 shoulders. "It is difficult, then, to divine what a man of 
 blood wants? You and Addick, your worthy accomplice, 
 are leagued with a miserable dog, an outcast of the Pale- 
 faces, to carry off from here two poor young girls confided 
 to the honour of your accomplice. To-day you would like 
 to cheat those with whom you are allied, and keep the prisoner 
 for yourself. Denounced to the great Sachem by Atoyac, 
 to whom all your designs are known, who is also aware that 
 you meditate seizing the supreme power, and becoming 
 Governor of Quiepaa Tani, you felt that you were lost; then 
 you came to me with the intention of corrupting me, and 
 inducing me, by the power I have at my disposal, to help 
 you in carrying off the maidens whom you covet, so that 
 you may fly with them before the necessary steps have 
 been taken to arrest you. Is that all? Have I forgot any 
 trifling detail? Or have I really read your whole thoughts? 
 Answer, Chief, and contradict me if you dare ! " 
 
 The Sachem listened to the hunter's long tirade with 
 increasing trouble; the successive changes of his face while 
 listening to the sorcerer, would have been a curious study 
 for an observer; and when Marksman at length concluded, 
 Red Wolf let his head sink in confusion, and stammered, 
 in an almost indistinct voice, " My father is truly a Tlaca- 
 teotzin; the Wacondah inspires him; his knowledge is 
 immense. Who is the man who would dare to hide anything 
 from him ? His eye, more piercing than the eagle's, reads all 
 hearts." 
 
A Meeting 295 
 
 " Now you have my answer, Red Wolf," the hunter con- 
 tinued, " retire in peace, and no longer disturb the meditations 
 in which I am plunged." 
 
 " Then," the Chief remarked, with hesitation, " my father 
 will not do anything for me? " 
 
 " Yes, I do much." 
 
 " What does my father? " 
 
 " I allow you to retire in peace, when, by one sign, it would 
 be easy for me to lay you dead at my feet." 
 
 The Indian drew two or three steps nearer the sorcerer, 
 so as almost to touch him; the latter, whose watchful ear 
 had just heard the sound of gentle footsteps coming toward 
 him, did not notice this movement, for all attention was 
 directed to another quarter. Suddenly his frowning brow 
 grew smooth, and a smile played on his lips; he had dis- 
 covered the cause of this new mystery. " Well," he said to 
 the Chief, " why does Red Wolf remain here, when I gave 
 him the order to withdraw? " 
 
 " Because I hope to induce my father to have better feelings 
 toward me." 
 
 ' ' My feelings toward the hunter are as they should be ; 
 I cannot change them." 
 
 ' Yes, my father is kind; he will help Red Wolf." 
 
 ' No, I tell you." 
 
 * My father will not serve me." 
 
 1 1 will not." 
 
 ' Is that my father's last word ! " 
 
 1 Yes." 
 
 ' Then die like the dog you are ! " the Redskin howled 
 furiously, as he rushed with uplifted knife on the hunter. 
 
 The latter had, for a few moments, attentively watched 
 all the Chief's movements. Being thoroughly acquainted 
 with the treacherous and roguish character of the Apaches, 
 on seeing Red Wolf assume a gentle manner, he perfectly 
 foresaw what he meditated, and the termination he meant 
 to give the scene; but, for all that, he did not make the 
 slightest movement to escape the blow intended for him: 
 he looked his assassin full in the face, with folded arms and 
 unruffled face. Still, the arm raised against the hunter did 
 not descend. A man suddenly emerged from the shade 
 that concealed him, appeared behind Red Wolf, seized his 
 arm, and twisted it with such force that the knife dropped, 
 and disappeared again so rapidly, that the terrified Chief had 
 
296 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 not even the time to see whether he had to deal with a man 
 or a spirit. 
 
 Red Wolf uttered no cry, did not even attempt to avenge 
 himself, but his eyes rolled in their sockets, a convulsive 
 tremor shook his whole body, and he fell on his knees, mur- 
 muring, in a horrified voice, " Pardon, pardon, my father." 
 
 The hunter fell back a step, as if to avoid the unclean 
 contact of the wretch prostrate before him, kicked the knife 
 away with disgust, and said, in a tone of supreme contempt, 
 "Pick up your weapon, assassin!" In reply the Chief 
 showed him his dislocated arm, which hung inert by his side. 
 
 " You wished it," the hunter continued. " Did I not 
 warn you that the Wacondah protected me? Go, retire 
 to your calli ; keep silence about all that has happened here. 
 At sunset be with your canoe at the river bank below the 
 bridge; I will meet you there, and perhaps cure you, if you 
 strictly follow the order I give you; above all, forget not 
 that you must be alone. Go ! " 
 
 " I will obey my father; my lips will not utter a word 
 without his order. But how can I leave here, unless you 
 aid me? The spirits that watch over my father will come 
 to me with death, when I am no longer in his presence." 
 
 " That is true : you have been sufficiently punished. Rise, 
 and lean on my shoulder; I will help you to walk to the 
 entrance of the temple." 
 
 Red Wolf rose without reply; his rebellious spirit was 
 subdued. The rude lesson he had received at length inspired 
 him with a superstitious dread of the medicine man, which 
 nothing could overcome. 
 
 The hunter gently led him to the outer gate. On arriving 
 there, he carefully examined his arm, assured himself that 
 nothing was broken, and dismissed him, saying in a tone in 
 which kindness was mingled with severity, " Thank the 
 Wacondah, who had pity on you. In a few days your 
 wound will be cured ; but profit by this lesson, wretch. You 
 will see me again this evening. Go ; now my help is no longer 
 requisite, you can reach your calli alone." 
 
 " I will try," the Chief answered humbly. 
 
 At a bow and sign from the hunter, he began walking 
 slowly. Marksman looked after him for some time, and then 
 returned to the temple, being careful to bolt the gate after 
 him this time. At the moment the hunter disappeared in 
 the temple, the cry of the owl rose in the air, announcing that 
 the sun would speedily make its appearance. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 COMPLICATIONS 
 
 WHILE these events were taking place in Quiepaa Tani, 
 others we must narrate were occurring in the camp of the 
 Gambusinos. Don Miguel, after parting from Marksman at 
 the outskirts of the forest, returned thoughtfully to the spot 
 where his comrades awaited him. It was evident that the 
 bold adventurer, dissatisfied in his heart at the turn affairs 
 had taken, was meditating some desperate project to get 
 near the maidens. He had spent several hours on the top 
 of the isolated mound which commanded the whole plain,, 
 and which we have before visited, and thence carefully 
 studied the position of the city. Clearly this young man, 
 with his ardent character and impetuous passions, consented 
 very unwillingly to play a second part in an expedition in 
 which he had been hitherto the leader; his pride revolted at 
 being compelled to obey another, even though he were his 
 devoted friend, and he could count on him as on himself. 
 He reproached himself for allowing Marksman to expose 
 himself thus alone to terrible dangers, for a cause which was 
 his own. The true reason, however, which he did not dare 
 confess to himself, that, in short, would have gladly made 
 him brave the greatest perils, and evidently that instinct 
 which impelled him to revolt secretly against Marksman's 
 prudence, and to take his place at all risks, was his love for 
 Dona Laura de Real del Monte. He loved her with that 
 powerful and invincible love which only chosen natures are 
 capable of experiencing a love which grows with obstacles, 
 and which, when it has once taken possession of the heart of 
 a man like Don Leo, makes him accomplish the most daring 
 and extraordinary deeds. This love was the more deeply 
 rooted in the young man's heart, because he was completely 
 ignorant of its existence, and believed he merely acted 
 through the affection he felt for the young girls, and the 
 pity their unhappy position inspired him with. If it were 
 so at the outset, as is true, for he did not know Dona Laura, 
 matters had completely changed since. A young man does 
 
 297 
 
298 The Indian Scout 
 
 not travel with impunity side by side with a maiden for 
 more than a month, seeing her incessantly, talking with her 
 at every moment of the day, and not fall in love with her. 
 There is in woman a certain charm, which we do not attempt 
 to account for, which seems to emanate from their being, to 
 be impregnated in all that surrounds them, which seduces 
 and subjugates the strongest men involuntarily. The silky 
 rustling of their dress, the soft and airy turn of the waist, 
 the intoxicating perfume of their floating tresses, the pure 
 limpidness of their dreamy glance, which is turned toward 
 heaven, and tries to guess the secrets of which they are 
 ignorant; all, in short, in these incomprehensible and volup- 
 tuously simple beings seems to command adoration and 
 appeal to love. 
 
 Dona Laura especially possessed that fascinating mag- 
 netism of the eye, that slightly infantile gentleness of smile, 
 which annihilate the will. When her large blue eyes, veiled 
 by long black lashes, kindly settled on the young man, and 
 were pensively fixed on him, he felt a quiver over his body, 
 a chill at his heart, and internally affected by a sensation of 
 immense and unknown pleasure, he wished to die then at the 
 feet of her who to him was no longer a creature of the earth, 
 but an angel. During the irregular course of his life, all the 
 adventurer's acquaintance with the other sex was what the 
 corrupt society of Mexico could offer; that is, the hideous 
 and repulsive side. Accident, by suddenly bringing him in 
 contact with a poor and innocent girl like her he had saved, 
 produced a complete revolution in his ideas, by making him 
 understand that, until that day, woman, such as Heaven 
 created her for man, had remained an utter stranger to him. 
 Hence, without noticing it, and quite naturally, he yielded 
 to the charm that unconsciously acted on him, and had 
 learned to love Dona Laura with all the active strength of 
 his mind, not attempting to explain the new feeling which 
 had seized on him; happy in the present, and not wishing 
 to think of the future, which would probably never exist for 
 him. Disregard of the future is generally the character of 
 all lovers; they only see, and cannot see beyond, the present, 
 by which they feel, through which they suffer, or are happy ; 
 in which, in a word, they have their being. 
 
 Possibly Don Leo, hidden in the heart of the desert with 
 the girl he had so miraculously saved, had for a few days 
 caressed in his heart the hope of eternal happiness with her 
 
Complications 299 
 
 he loved, far from cities and their dangerous intoxication; 
 but that thought, if ever he entertained it, had irrevocably 
 faded away upon the fortuitous appearance of Don Mariano ; 
 the meeting with Dona Laura's father must eternally anni- 
 hilate the plans formed by the young man. The blow was 
 a heavy one; still, thanks to his iron will, he endured it 
 bravely, believing that it would be easy for him to forget 
 the girl in the vortex of the adventurer's life to which he 
 was condemned. Unfortunately for Don Leo, he was obliged 
 to undergo the common lot; that is to say, his love grew in 
 an inverse ratio to the immovable obstacles that had suddenly 
 arisen; and it was precisely when he recognised that she 
 could never be his, owing to reasons of family and fortune, 
 which raised an insurmountable barrier between them, that 
 he understood it was impossible for him to live without her. 
 Then, no longer striving to cure the wound in his heart, he 
 yielded completely to that love which was his life, and only 
 dreamed of one thing to die in saving her he loved, so as 
 to draw a word of gratitude from her in his final hour, and 
 perhaps leave a soft and sad memory in her soul. We can 
 understand that, under such feelings, Don Leo absolutely 
 insisted on delivering the maidens himself; hence, from the 
 moment he parted from his friend, he thought of nothing 
 but the means to enter the city and see her. It was in this 
 temper that he returned to the camp. Don Mariano was 
 sad; Brighteye himself seemed to be in a bad temper; in 
 short, all conspired to plunge him deeper and deeper in his 
 gloom. Several hours passed and the adventurers did not 
 interchange a word; but at about two in the afternoon, the 
 hour of the greatest heat, the sentries signalled the approach 
 of a party of horsemen. All ran to their arms, but soon saw 
 that the new comers were Ruperto and his Cuadrilla, whom 
 Don Mariano's servants had found and brought with them. 
 
 Bermudez, following the injunctions he had received from 
 Marksman, had wished Ruperto to shut himself up with his 
 men in the iron cavern; but the hunter would listen to 
 nothing, saying that his comrades had gone further on the 
 sacred soil of the Redskins than they had ever done before; 
 that they ran the risk at any moment of being crushed by 
 numbers, massacred, or made prisoners; that he would not 
 abandon them in such a critical position without trying to 
 go to their help ; and so, in spite of all the creado's observa- 
 tions, the worthy hunter, who possessed a tolerably strong 
 
300 The Indian Scout 
 
 share of obstinacy, pushed on, until he at length found the 
 encampment of his friends. Twice or thrice during his 
 journey he had come to blows with the Indians; but these 
 slight skirmishes, far from moderating his ardour, had no 
 other result than to urge him to haste; for now that the 
 Redskins knew that detachments of Palefaces were wander- 
 ing in the vicinity of the city, they would not fail to assemble 
 in large numbers, in order to deal a great blow, and free 
 themselves from all their daring enemies at once. 
 
 The arrival of the Gambusinos was greeted with shouts; 
 Ruperto especially was heartily welcomed by Don Miguel, 
 who was delighted at this reinforcement of resolute men at 
 the moment he least expected it. 
 
 The apathy which had fallen on the adventurers gave 
 place to the greatest activity. When the new comers had 
 performed their various duties, groups were formed, and con- 
 versation commenced with the vivacity and loquaciousness 
 peculiar to Southern races. 
 
 Ruperto was the more pleased at his happy idea of pushing 
 on, when he learned that there were not only Redskin en- 
 campments in the vicinity, but that one of their most sacred 
 cities was close at hand. " Canaries / " he said, " we shall 
 have to keep sharp watch, if we do not wish to lose our 
 scalps ere long. These incarnate demons will not let us 
 tread their soil in peace." 
 
 " Yes," Don Leo remarked, carelessly; " I believe we had 
 better not let ourselves be surprised." 
 
 " Hum ! " Brighteye remarked, " it would be a disagreeable 
 surprise that brought a swarm of Redskins on our backs. 
 You cannot imagine how these devils fight, when they are in 
 large bodies. I remember that, in 1836, when I was 
 
 " And the most exposed of us all is Marksman," Don Leo 
 said, cutting Brighteye short, who sat open-mouthed. " I 
 am sorry that I let him go alone." 
 
 " He was not alone," the Canadian answered. " You 
 know very well, Don Miguel, that Flying Eagle and his 
 cihuatl, as their call their wives, accompanied him." 
 
 Don Miguel looked at the hunter. " Do you put great 
 faith in the Redskins, Brighteye? " he asked him. 
 
 "Hum!" the latter remarked, scratching his head; 
 " that is according; and if I must tell the truth, I will say 
 that I do not trust them at all." 
 
 " You see, then, that he was really alone. Who knows 
 
Complications 301 
 
 what has happened to him in that accursed city, in the 
 midst of those incarnate demons ? I confess to you that my 
 alarm is great, and that I am fearfully afraid of a catastrophe." 
 
 " Yet, his disguise was perfect." 
 
 " Possibly. Marksman is thoroughly acquainted with 
 Indian manners, and speaks their language like his mother- 
 tongue. But what will that avail him, if he has been 
 denounced by a traitor? " 
 
 " Holloa! " Brighteye said; " a traitor? Whom are you 
 alluding to? " 
 
 " Why, to Flying Eagle, caramba, or his wife, for only 
 those two know him." 
 
 " Listen, Don Miguel," Brighteye remarked, seriously; 
 " permit me to tell you my way of thinking frankly; you 
 do wrong in speaking as you now do." 
 
 " I? " the young man exclaimed, sharply. " And why so, 
 if you please? " 
 
 " Because you only know very slightly and what you 
 know of them is good the people you are dishonouring by 
 that epithet. I have known Flying Eagle for many a long 
 year; he was quite a child when I saw him for the first 
 time, and I have always found in him the staunchest good 
 faith and honour. All the time he remained in our com- 
 pany, he rendered us services, or, at any rate, tried to render 
 them to us; and, to settle matters, all of us generally, and 
 yourself in particular, are under great obligations to him. 
 It would be more than ingratitude to forget them." 
 
 The worthy hunter uttered this defence of his friend 
 with an ardour and firm tone which confused Don Miguel. 
 " Pardon me, my old friend," he said, in a conciliatory 
 voice; " I was wrong, I allow; but, surrounded by enemies 
 as we are, threatened at each moment with becoming victims 
 to a traitor, and Domingo's example is there to corroborate 
 my statement, I allowed myself to be carried away by the 
 idea " 
 
 " Any idea attacking the honour of Flying Eagle," Bright- 
 eye sharply interrupted, " is necessarily false. Who knows 
 whether, at this moment, while we are discussing his good 
 faith, he may not be risking his life on our behalf? " 
 
 These words produced a sensation on the hearers; there 
 was a momentary silence, which the Canadian soon broke, 
 by continuing: " But I am not angry with you. You are 
 young, and, from that very fact, your tongue often goes 
 
302 The Indian Scout 
 
 faster than your thoughts ; but, I entreat you, pay attention 
 to it, for it might entail dire consequences. But enough 
 on the subject. I remember a singular adventure which 
 occurred to me in 1851. I was coming from 
 
 " Now that I reflect more seriously," Don Miguel inter- 
 rupted, " I fully allow that I was in the wrong." 
 
 " I am happy that you allow it so frankly. Then we will 
 say no more about it." 
 
 "Very good; and now, returning to the old subject, I 
 confess to you that I also feel anxious about Marksman." 
 
 " There, you see." 
 
 " Yes, but for other reasons than those you brought 
 forward." 
 
 " Tell me them." 
 
 " Oh ! they are very simple. Marksman is a brave and 
 honest hunter, thoroughly up to Indian roguery ; but he has 
 no one to back him up. Flying Eagle would prove of but 
 slight assistance to him ; if he were detected, the brave Chief 
 could only be killed by his side; and he would do so, I am 
 convinced." 
 
 " And I too ; but what good would that do them ? How, 
 after that catastrophe, should we succeed in saving the 
 maidens? " 
 
 Brighteye shook his head. " Yes," he said, " there is the 
 difficulty; that is the knot of the matter. Unfortunately, 
 it is by no means easy to remedy that eventuality, which, I 
 trust, will not present itself." 
 
 " We must trust so; but if it did, what should we do? " 
 
 " What should we do?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Hum ! You ask me a question, Don Miguel, which it is 
 by no means easy to answer." 
 
 " Well, supposing it to be so, we must still find means of 
 escaping from the false position in which we shall find 
 ourselves." 
 
 " That is quite certain." 
 
 " Well, then?" 
 
 " Then, on my word, I do not know what I should do. 
 Look you, I am not a man who looks so far ahead. When 
 a misfortune occurs, it is time to remedy it, without bother- 
 ing your brains so long beforehand. All that I can say to 
 you, Caballero, is that, for the moment, instead of remaining 
 here, stupidly planted like a flamingo that has lost a wing, 
 
Complications 303 
 
 I would give a good deal to be in that accursed city, in a 
 position to watch over my old comrade." 
 
 " Is that the truth ? Are you really the man to attempt 
 such an enterprise ? " Don Miguel exclaimed joyously. 
 
 The hunter looked at him in surprise. " Do you doubt 
 it? " he said. " When did you ever hear me boast of things 
 which I was not capable of doing? " 
 
 " Do not be angry, my old friend," Don Miguel answered, 
 quickly; " your words caused me so much pleasure that, at 
 the first blush, I did not dare to believe them." 
 
 " You must always put faith in my words, young man,"" 
 Brighteye remarked, sententiously. 
 
 " Do not be afraid," Don Miguel said, with a laugh, " in 
 future I will not doubt them." 
 
 " All right, then." 
 
 " Listen to me. If you like, we will attempt the affair 
 together." 
 
 "Enter the city?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " By Jove! that is an idea," Brighteye answered, quite 
 delighted. 
 
 " Is it not? " 
 
 " Yes; but how shall we manage to get in? " 
 
 " Leave that all to me." 
 
 " Good. Then I will not trouble myself about it further;; 
 but there is another matter." 
 
 "What now?" 
 
 " We are not presentable in this state," the hunter said,, 
 pointing, with a laugh, to his attire; " by painting my face 
 and hands, I might pass at a push; but you cannot." 
 
 " That is true. Well, let me alone, I will prepare an 
 Indian dress with which you can find no fault. During that 
 time, do you disguise yourself in your way." 
 
 " It will soon be done." 
 
 " And mine too." 
 
 The two men rose, delighted, though probably from 
 different reasons. Brighteye was happy at going to his 
 friend's assistance, while Don Miguel only thought of Dona 
 Laura, whom he hoped to see again. At the moment they 
 rose, Don Mariano stopped them. " Are you speaking 
 seriously, Caballeros? " he asked them. 
 
 " Certainly," they answered, " most seriously." 
 " Very good, then. I shall go with you." 
 
304 The Indian Scout 
 
 "What!" Don Miguel exclaimed, falling back in stupe- 
 faction. " Are you mad, Don Mariano? You, who do not 
 know the Indians, and cannot speak a word of their language, 
 to venture into this wasp's nest. It would be suicide." 
 
 " No ! " the old man answered resolutely. " I wish to see 
 my child again." 
 
 Don Miguel had not the courage to combat a resolution so 
 clearly announced, so he let his head sink without answering; 
 but Brighteye did not regard the matter from that light. 
 Perfectly cool, and consequently seeing far and correctly, he 
 understood the disastrous consequences Don Mariano's 
 presence would have for them. 
 
 " Pardon me," he said, " but with your permission, Cabal- 
 lero, I fancy you have not carefully considered the resolution 
 you have just formed." 
 
 " Caballeros, a father does not reflect when he wishes to 
 see a child whom he never hoped to hold to his heart again." 
 
 " That is true. Still I would remark that what you 
 propose doing, far from helping you to see your daughter 
 again, will, on the contrary, sever her from you for ever." 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " A very simple thing. Don Miguel and myself are going 
 to mix among Indians, whom we shall have great difficulty 
 in discovering, though we know them. If you accompany 
 us, the following will inevitably happen : At the first glance, 
 the Redskins will see you are a white man, and then, you 
 understand, nothing can save you, or us either. Now, if 
 you insist, we will be off. I am ready to follow you. A 
 man can only die once; so as well to-day as to-morrow." 
 
 Don Mariano sighed. " I was mad," he muttered. " I 
 knew not what I said. Pardon me; but I so longed to see 
 my daughter again." 
 
 " Have faith in us, poor father," Don Miguel said, nobly; 
 "" by what we have already done, judge what we are still 
 able to do. We will attempt impossibilities to restore her 
 who is so dear to you." 
 
 Don Mariano, succumbing to the emotion which over- 
 powered him, had not the strength to reply. With eyes 
 filled with tears, he pressed the young man's hand, and sat 
 down again. The two adventurers then prepared for the 
 dangerous expedition they meditated, by disguising them- 
 selves. Owing to their acquaintance with Indian habits, 
 they succeeded in producing costumes harmonising with the 
 
Complications 305 
 
 characters they wished to assume, and in giving themselves 
 a thorough Indian look. When all the preparations were 
 completed, Don Miguel confided the command of the cuad- 
 rilla to Ruperto, recommending him to exercise the utmost 
 vigilance, and telling him the signal agreed on with Marks- 
 man. Then, after a final pressure of Don Mariano's hand, 
 who was still plunged in the deepest grief, the two daring 
 adventurers took leave of their comrades, threw their rifles 
 on their shoulders, and set out in the direction of Quiepaa 
 Tani, accompanied by several Gambusinos and by Ruperto, 
 who was glad to learn the situation of the city, so as to 
 know how to post his men so that they could run up at 
 the first signal. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 A WALK IN THE DARK 
 
 THE sun was setting as the Gambusinos reached the skirt of 
 the forest and the limit of the covert. Before them, at a 
 distance of about four miles, rose the city, amid the verdure of 
 the plain, which formed a girdle of flowers and grass. The 
 night fell rapidly, the darkness grew momentarily heavier, 
 mingling all the varieties of the scenery in a sombre mass; 
 the hour, in short, was most propitious for trying the bold 
 experiment on which they were resolved. They whispered 
 a last farewell to their comrades, and boldly entered the tall 
 grass, in the centre of which they speedily disappeared. 
 Fortunately for the adventurers, who would have found it 
 impossible to find their way in the darkness, the tracks of 
 horsemen and foot-passengers proceeding to the city, or 
 coming from it, had traced long paths, all leading direct to 
 one of the gates. The two men walked along, side by side, 
 for a long time in silence; each was thinking deeply on the 
 probable results of this desperate tentative. In the first 
 moment of enthusiasm, they had dreamed but slightly of the 
 countless difficulties they must meet on their path, and the 
 obstacles which would doubtlessly at every moment rise 
 before them; they had only regarded the object they wished 
 to attain. But now that they were cool, many things to 
 which they had not paid attention, or which they would not 
 allow to check them, presented themselves to their thoughts, 
 and, as so frequently happens, made them regard their 
 expedition under a very different light. Their object now 
 appeared to them almost impossible to gain, and obstacles 
 grew up, as it were, under their feet. Unfortunately, these 
 judicious reflections arrived too late ; there was no chance of 
 withdrawal, and they must advance at all risks. All was 
 calm and tranquil, however; there was not a breath in the 
 air, not a sound on the prairie, and, as the stars gradually 
 appeared in the sky, a pale and trembling gleam slightly 
 modified the darkness, and rendered it less intense, and they 
 began to see sufficiently well to be able to proceed without 
 
 306 
 
A Walk in the Dark 307 
 
 hesitation, and reconnoitre the plain for some distance. 
 Brighteye was not particularly satisfied with his comrade's 
 obstinate silence; the worthy hunter was rather fond of 
 talking, especially under circumstances like those he found 
 himself in at present; hence he resolved to make his com- 
 panion talk, in the first place, to hear a human voice a 
 reason which, fortunately for themselves, the sedentary, 
 who are exempt from those great heart storms which yet 
 endow existence with such charms, will not understand; but 
 the hunter's second reason was still more peremptory than 
 the first ; now that he had embarked on this desperate enter- 
 prise, he wished to obtain certain information from Don 
 Miguel as to the mode in which he intended acting, and the 
 plan he meant to adopt. So near the city, and in an entirely 
 uncovered plain, there was very slight risk of the adventurers 
 meeting with Indians; the only men they were exposed to- 
 meet were scouts, sent out to reconnoitre, in the extremely 
 improbable event, that the Indians, contrary to their usual 
 habit of not making any movement during the night, had 
 considered it necessary to send out a few men to survey the 
 environs. The two men could therefore talk together without 
 danger, save from some extraordinary accident, though, of 
 course, careful not to speak above their breath, and to keep 
 eyes and ears constantly on the watch, so as to notice a. 
 danger so soon as it arose. Brighteye, after coughing gently 
 to attract his comrade's attention, said, looking around him 
 somewhat impatiently, " Eh, eh ! the sky has grown 
 enormously bright in the last few minutes, and the night is not 
 so black; I hope the moon will not rise ere we reach our 
 destination." 
 
 " We have two hours before us ere the moon rises," Don 
 Miguel answered; " that is more than we want." 
 
 " You believe two hours will be sufficient? " 
 
 " I am sure of it." 
 
 " All the better then, for I am not particularly fond of 
 night walks." 
 
 " It is not usual to take them." 
 
 " Indeed, during the forty years I have traversed the 
 desert in every direction, this is only the second occasion of 
 my indulging in a night walk." 
 
 " Nonsense! " 
 
 " It is a fact; the first time deserves mentioning." 
 
 " How so? " Don Miguel asked absently. 
 
3 o8 
 
 The Indian Scout 
 
 " The circumstances were almost similar; I wanted to save 
 a young girl, who had been carried off by the Indians. It 
 was in 1835. I was then in the service of the Fur Company. 
 The Blackfoot Indians, to avenge a trick played on them by 
 a scamp of an employe, hit on nothing better than surprising 
 Mackenzie fort; then " 
 
 " Listen! " Don Miguel said, seizing his arm. " Do you 
 hear nothing? " 
 
 The Canadian, so suddenly interrupted in his story, which 
 he believed this time he should really finish, did not, however, 
 display any ill-temper, for he was accustomed to such mishaps ; 
 he stopped, lay down on the ground, and listened attentively 
 for two or three minutes, with the most sustained attention, 
 and then rose, shaking his head contemptuously. " They 
 are coyotes sharing a deer," he said. 
 " You are certain of it? " 
 
 " You will soon hear them give tongue." In fact, the 
 hunter had scarce finished speaking ere the repeated barking 
 of the coyotes could be heard a short distance off. 
 " You hear," the Canadian said simply. 
 " It is true," Don Miguel answered. 
 They resumed their march. 
 
 " Is this the way ? " Brighteye said. " You remember what 
 we agreed on, Don Miguel? I trust entirely to you to get 
 into the city, and I do not exactly see what we shall do." 
 
 " I do not know much more myself," the young man 
 responded. " I spent several hours to-day in carefully 
 examining the walls, and fancied I noticed a spot where it 
 would be rather easy for us to pass." 
 
 "Hum!" Brighteye remarked. "Your plan does not 
 seem to me very good; it will probably result in broken 
 bones." 
 
 ' That is a chance to run." 
 
 ' Of course, but, without offence, I should prefer some- 
 th ng else, if it be possible." 
 
 1 That prospect does not frighten you, I hope? " 
 ' Not the least in the world. It is plain that the Indians 
 cannot kill me; if they could, they would have done so long 
 ago, seeing the time I have been in the desert." 
 
 The young man could not refrain from laughing at the 
 coolness with which his comrade emitted this singular opinion. 
 " Well, then," he said, " what reason have you to find fault 
 with my plan? " 
 
A Walk in the Dark 309 
 
 " Because it is bad. If the Indians cannot kill me, that 
 does not prove they will not wound me. Believe me. Don 
 Miguel, let us be prudent: if one of us is disabled at the 
 start, what will become of the other? " 
 
 " That is true; but have you any other plan to propose 
 tome?" 
 
 " I think so." 
 
 " Well, let me know it. If it be good, I will adopt it; I 
 am not at all sweet on myself." 
 
 " Good; can you swim? " 
 
 "Why ask?" 
 
 " Answer first, and then I'll tell you." 
 
 " I swim like a sturgeon." 
 
 " And I like an otter; we are well paired. Now, pay 
 attention to what I am going to say." 
 
 " Move ahead." 
 
 " You see that river a little to my right, I suppose? " 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 " Very good. That river intersects the city, I rather 
 think." ' 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Supposing that the Redskins are acquainted with our 
 arrival in these parts, on which side will they apprehend an 
 attack? " 
 
 " From the plain, evidently. That is common sense." 
 
 " All the better. So the walls will be furnished with 
 sentries, watching the plain, while the river, whence they 
 fear no danger, will be perfectly deserted." 
 
 " That is true," Don Miguel said, striking his forehead; 
 " I did not think of that." 
 
 " People cannot think of everything," Brighteye observed 
 philosophically. 
 
 " My worthy friend, I thank you for that idea. Now we 
 are certain of entering the city." 
 
 " You had better not holloa till you are out But you 
 
 know the proverb. Still, nothing will prevent us trying." 
 
 They at once diverged to the left, in the direction of the 
 river, which they reached after a quarter of an hour's march. 
 The banks were deserted. The river, calm as a mirror, 
 looked like a wide silver ribbon. " Now," Brighteye con- 
 tinued, " we need not hurry; although we can swim, we will 
 reserve that expedient till others fail us. Examine all the 
 shrubs on one side, while I do so on the other. I am greatly 
 
310 The Indian Scout 
 
 mistaken, or we shall find a canoe somewhere." The 
 hunter's previsions did not deceive him. After a few 
 minutes' search, they found a canoe hidden beneath a 
 quantity of leaves in the midst of a thicket of lentises and 
 floripondios ; the paddles were concealed a short distance 
 away. 
 
 We have already described to the reader the mode adopted 
 by the Indians in building their boats, which, among other 
 advantages, possesses that of lightness. Brighteye took the 
 paddles. Don Miguel put the canoe on his back, and in a 
 few minutes it was afloat. " Now let us get in," Brighteye 
 said. 
 
 " A moment," Don Miguel observed; " let us muffle the 
 paddles, to prevent noise." 
 
 Brighteye shrugged his shoulders. " Do not let us be 
 too clever," he said, " for that would injure us. If there 
 are Indians about, they will see the canoe; if they do not 
 at the same time hear the sound of paddles, they will suspect 
 a trap, and try to detect the trick. No, no, let me alone ; lay 
 yourself in the bottom of the canoe: fortunately for us it is 
 small, and the Redskins will never suppose that so small a 
 boat, pulled by one man, would have the pretension of sur- 
 prising them. That which relatively makes the security of 
 our expedition, you must not forget, is its rashness, even 
 madness. Only Palefaces can hit on such crack-brained 
 schemes. I remember, in 1835, as I was telling you 
 
 " Let us be off," Don Miguel interrupted, as he jumped 
 into the canoe, in the middle of which he laid himself down, 
 in accordance with his comrade's instructions. The latter 
 followed him with a toss of the head, and took up the paddles, 
 which he only employed, however, with an affected careless- 
 ness, which gave the boat a slow and measured movement. 
 
 " Look you," the hunter continued, " with the way we 
 are moving, if there are any of those red devils on the watch, 
 they will certainly take me for one of their comrades out 
 fishing late, and returning to his catti." 
 
 Still, by degrees, and almost imperceptibly, the hunter 
 increased his speed, so that within half an hour they attained 
 a certain degree of speed, not great enough, however, to 
 arouse suspicions. They then went on for about an hour, and 
 at length entered the city. But if they had expected to land 
 unnoticed, they were mistaken. Near the bridge, the place 
 where a number of pulled-up canoes showed that the Indians 
 
A Walk in the Dark 3 1 1 
 
 were in the habit of stopping, Brighteye perceived a sentry 
 leaning on his long lance and watching them. The Canadian 
 took a glance around, and assured himself that the sentry 
 was alone. " Good! " he muttered to himself; " if there's 
 only one, it will not be a long matter." 
 
 Then he explained to Don Miguel what the matter was, to 
 which the latter answered a few words. 
 
 " Listen," the hunter said, drawing himself up, " that is 
 the only way." 
 
 And he steered the canoe straight toward the sentry. So 
 soon as the Canadian was within hail " Wah! " the Indian 
 said, " my brother returns very late to Quiepaa Tani; every- 
 body is asleep." 
 
 " That is true," Brighteye answered, in the language 
 employed by the sentry; "but I have brought in some 
 splendid fish." 
 
 "Eh?" the warrior remarked seriously; "can I see 
 them?" 
 
 " Not only can my brother see them," the Canadian 
 answered graciously, " but I authorise him to select any one 
 he pleases." 
 
 "Och! my brother has an open hand. The Wacondah 
 will never allow it to be empty. I accept my brother's 
 offering." 
 
 "Hum!" Brighteye muttered, "it is astonishing how 
 the poor devil takes the bait. He does not at all suspect 
 that he is the fish." 
 
 And with this philosophical reflection he continued his 
 progress. Soon after, the canoe grated on the sand. The 
 Indian, affected by the Canadian's deceptive offer, would not 
 be beaten by him in politeness, so he seized the side of the 
 boat and began pulling it up. " Wah ! " he said, " my brother 
 has had a fine fishing, for the canoe is very heavy." 
 
 While saying this, he bent down to get a better hold, and . 
 began trying anew. But he had no time ; Don Miguel bounded 
 from the boat, and, clubbing his rifle, dealt a terrible blow of \ 
 the butt on the wretched Indian's skull. The poor sentry 
 was killed at once, and rolled on the sand without uttering 
 a cry. 
 
 " There ! " Brighteye cried, as he got out in his turn, 
 " that man, at any rate, will not denounce us." 
 
 " We must get rid of him now," Don Miguel observed. 
 
 " That will not take long." 
 
312 The Indian Scout 
 
 The implacable hunter then selected a heavy stone, placed 
 it in the Redskin's fressado, and let him glide softly into the 
 water. So soon as this was effected, and every trace of the 
 murder was removed, they drew the canoe on land by the 
 side of the others, and prepared to start. At this moment 
 the real difficulties of the enterprise began for them. How 
 should they find their way in a strange city in the dark? 
 When and how to find Marksman? These two questions 
 seemed equally impossible of solution. 
 
 " Wah! " Brighteye at length said, " it must be no more 
 difficult to follow a trail in a city than on a plain. Let 
 us try." 
 
 " The first thing is to get away from here as soon as 
 possible." 
 
 " Yes, the place is not healthy for us; but suppose we try 
 to find the great square. There people generally expect to 
 get useful information." 
 
 " At this hour? That seems to me rather difficult." 
 
 " On the contrary. We will hide till daybreak. The 
 first Redskin who passes within reach we will oblige to give 
 us news of our friend. A great physician, like him, must be 
 well known, hang it all," he added, with a laugh, a gaiety 
 which Don Miguel shared with all his heart. 
 
 Singular was the carelessness and recklessness of these 
 two men; in the centre of a city they had entered by killing 
 one of its inhabitants, where they knew they would meet only 
 enemies, and where dangers were, on all sides, hanging over 
 their heads, they still found themselves as much at their ease 
 as if they had been among friends, and laughed and jested 
 together, just as if their position was the most agreeable in 
 the world. 
 
 " Well," Brighteye continued, " we are in a very tidy 
 labyrinth. Do you not think with me that there is a frightful 
 smell of broken bones about here ? '' 
 
 " Who knows? Perhaps we shall get out of it better than 
 we fancy." 
 
 " One thing is certain, we shall soon know all about it." 
 
 " Let us take that street in front of us. It is wide and well 
 laid. Something tells me it will lead us right." 
 
 " Heaven's mercy ! that is as good as another." 
 
 The hunters entered the street a-head of them. Accident 
 had served them well. After ten minutes' walk, they found 
 themselves at the entrance of the great square. " There/' 
 
A Walk in the Dark 3 1 3 
 
 Brighteye said, in a tone of delight, " luck is with us. We 
 cannot complain; besides, it must be so. Accident always 
 favours madmen, and in that character we can claim its 
 entire sympathy." 
 
 " Silence ! " Don Miguel said sharply, " there is some 
 one." 
 
 ''Where?" 
 
 The young man extended his arm in the direction of the 
 Temple of the Sun. " Look ! " he cried. 
 
 " So there is," Brighteye muttered, a moment later, " but 
 that appears to be doing like us. He is evidently on the 
 watch. What reason can he have for being up so late? " 
 
 After arranging, in a few words, the two adventurers 
 separated, and crept, from different sides, toward the night 
 watcher, hiding themselves, as well as they could, in the 
 shadow, which was not an easy task. The moon had risen 
 some time previously, and spread a weak light, it is true, 
 but sufficient to let objects be distinguished for a considerable 
 distance. The man on whom the adventurers were advancing 
 still remained motionless at the spot where they had seen him ; 
 his body bent forward, his ear leant against the door of the 
 temple, he seemed to be listening carefully. Don Miguel 
 and Brighteye were not more than six paces off, and were 
 preparing to rush on him, when he suddenly threw himself up. 
 They with difficulty suppressed a cry of surprise. " Flying 
 Eagle ! " they muttered. But although they spoke so low, 
 the other heard them, and immediately sounded the darkness 
 with a piercing glance. 
 
 " Wah ! " he said, on perceiving the two men, and resolutely 
 advanced. 
 
 The adventurers left the shadow that protected them, and 
 waited. When Flying Eagle had arrived almost close to 
 them " It is I," Don Miguel said to him. 
 
 " And I," Brighteye added. 
 
 The Comanche Chief fell back in a state of stupefaction 
 impossible to describe. " The grey-head here ! " he exclaimed. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 THE GREAT MEDICINE 
 
 As we have stated, Marksman, after leading Red Wolf to 
 the door of the temple, and seeing him retire, re-entered the 
 sanctuary, closing the door after him. The Comanche Chief 
 was awaiting him, with shoulder leaning against the wall, 
 and folded arms. " Thanks for your help, Chief," he said; 
 " without you I was lost." 
 
 " For a long time," the Indian replied, " Flying Eagle was 
 hearing, though invisible, his brother's conversation with 
 Red Wolf." 
 
 " Well, we have got rid of him for a long time ; I hope, now, 
 nothing will occur to mar our plans or prevent their success/' 
 
 The warrior shook his head in contradiction. 
 
 " Do you doubt it, Chief? " the hunter asked. 
 
 " I doubt it more than ever." 
 
 " Why so, when everything is going on as well as we can 
 desire, when all obstacles are levelled before us? " 
 
 " Och! obstacles are levelled, but others greater and more 
 difficult to overcome arise immediately." 
 
 " I do not understand you, Chief. Have you any ill news 
 to tell me? If so, speak quickly, for time is precious." 
 
 " My brother shall judge," the Chief said simply. Then 
 turning half away, he clapped his hand thrice. As if this 
 inoffensive signal had the power to call up phantoms, two 
 men instantaneously emerged from the shadow, and appeared 
 before the hunter's astonished eyes. Marksman looked at 
 them for a moment, and then clasped his hand with surprise, 
 muttering, " Brighteye and Don Miguel here! Mercy! what 
 will become of us? " 
 
 " Is that the way you receive us, my friend? " Don Miguel 
 asked affectionately. 
 
 " In Heaven's name what have you come here for? What 
 evil inspiration urged you to join me when all was going on 
 so well, and success, I may say, was insured? " 
 
 " We have not come to cross your plans; on the contrary, 
 
The Great Medicine 315 
 
 alarmed by the thought of your being among these demons, 
 we wished to see you and help you, were that possible." 
 
 " I thank you for your good intentions. Unfortunately, 
 they are more injurious than useful, under present circum- 
 stances. But how did you manage to enter the city? " 
 
 " Oh, very easily," Brighteye answered, and he told in a 
 few words how they had found them. The hunter shook 
 his head. 
 
 " It was a bold action," he said, " and I must allow that 
 it was well carried out. But how does it profit you to have 
 incurred such perils ? greater ones await you here profitless, 
 and of no advantage to us." 
 
 "Perhaps so; but whatever happens," Don Miguel 
 answered firmly, " you understand that I have not blindly 
 exposed myself to all these dangers without a very powerful 
 motive." 
 
 " I suppose so; but I try in vain to discover the motive." 
 
 " You need not search long. I will tell you." 
 
 "Speak!" 
 
 " I must you understand, I hope, old fellow," he said, 
 laying a stress on each syllable " I must see Dona Laura." 
 
 " See Dona Laura ! it is impossible," Marksman exclaimed. 
 
 " I know nothing about impossibility; but this I know, 
 that I will see her." 
 
 " You are mad, on my soul, Don Miguel; it is impossible, 
 I tell you." 
 
 The adventurer shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. " I 
 repeat that I will see her," he said, with resolution; " even 
 if, to reach her, I were compelled to wade in blood up to 
 my waist; I insist on it, and it shall be so." 
 
 " But what will you do? " 
 
 " I do not know, and care little. If you refuse to help 
 me, well, Brighteye and I will find means, will we not, old 
 comrade? " 
 
 " It is certain, Don Miguel," the latter answered, in the 
 placid tone habitual to him, " that I shall not leave you in 
 the lurch. As to finding a plan of reaching the captives, we 
 shall find it, but I will not answer that it is a good one 
 though." 
 
 There was a lengthened silence. Marksman was startled 
 at Don Miguel's resolution, which he knew to be unbinding; 
 he calculated mentally the chances, good and bad, which the 
 young man's untoward arrival offered for the success of his 
 
316 The Indian Scout 
 
 schemes. At last he took the word. " I will not try," he 
 said to Don Miguel, " any longer to dissuade you from 
 attempting to see the maidens; I have known you long 
 enough to feel that it would be useless, and that my argu- 
 ments would, probably, only urge you to commit an act of 
 irremediable insanity. I therefore take upon myself to lead 
 you to Dona Laura." 
 
 " You promise it? " the young man exclaimed quickly. 
 
 " Yes; but on one condition." 
 
 " Speak! whatever it be I accept it." 
 
 " Good; when the moment arrives, I will let you know it; 
 but take my advice, and ask Flying Eagle to perfect your 
 disguise; in the way you and Brighteye are dressed at this 
 moment, you could not take a step in the city without being 
 recognised. Now I leave you, for day has broken, and I 
 must go to the High Priest; I leave you in charge of Flying 
 Eagle; follow his instructions carefully, for you stake the 
 life, not only of yourself, but of those you desire to 
 save." 
 
 The young man shivered at the thought. " I will obey 
 you," he said, " but you will keep your promise? " 
 
 " I will keep it this very day." 
 
 After whispering a few words to Flying Eagle, Marksman 
 left the three men in the temple and went out. 
 
 The Amantzin was preparing to go to the temple at the 
 moment the hunter entered his palace. Atoyac, curious like 
 the true Indian he was, had not left the High Priest since 
 the previous evening, in order to be present at the medicine 
 man's second visit, which, judging from the first, he assumed 
 would be very interesting. The hunter returned, accom- 
 panied by the Amantzin, who was his shadow, to the maidens' 
 apartment. He then attained the certainty that Dona 
 Laura could without inconvenience support the fatigue of 
 being carried out of the Palace of the Virgins of the Sun. 
 The girl had, with the hope of a speedy deliverance, regained 
 her strength, and the disease which undermined her had 
 disappeared, as if by enchantment. As for Luisa, more 
 dubious, when the High Priest retired (for the hunter de- 
 manded to be left alone with his patients), she said to the 
 Canadian " We shall be ready to follow you when you 
 order, Marksman, but on one condition." 
 
 "How a condition?" the hunter exclaimed. Then he 
 added, mentally, " What is the meaning of this? Am I to 
 
The Great Medicine 317 
 
 meet obstacles on all sides? Speak, Nina," he continued, 
 " I am listening to you." 
 
 " Pardon any apparent harshness in my words, we do not 
 doubt your loyalty. Heaven guard us from it still." 
 
 " You do distrust me," the hunter interrupted, in a tone 
 of chagrin. " However, I ought to expect it, for you both 
 know me too little to put faith in me." 
 
 " Alas! " Dona Laura said. " Such is the misfortune of 
 our position, that, in spite of ourselves, we tremble to meet 
 traitors on all sides." 
 
 " That miserable Addick, to whom Don Miguel trusted," 
 Dona Luisa added, " how has he behaved to us! " 
 
 " That is true; you are obliged to speak so! What can I 
 do to prove to you certainly that you can place full and 
 entire confidence in me ? " The maidens blushed, and looked 
 at each other with hesitation. " Come," the hunter said, 
 simply, " I will remove all your doubts. This evening I 
 will see you again, and a man will accompany me who, I 
 believe, will be able to convince you." 
 
 " Whom do you mean? " Dona Laura asked quickly. 
 "Don Miguel?" 
 
 " He will come? " the maidens exclaimed simultaneously. 
 
 " This evening, I promise you." 
 
 The girls threw themselves into each other's arms to hide 
 their blushes and confusion. The hunter, after admiring 
 the graceful group for a moment, went out, saying in a soft 
 and sympathetic voice, " This evening." 
 
 The Amantzin and Atoyac were impatiently awaiting the 
 result of the visit in the vestibule of the palace. When the 
 hunter joined them, and the High Priest began questioning 
 him as to the condition of the patients, he seemed to reflect 
 for a moment, then answered in a grave voice " My father 
 is a wise man ; nothing equals his knowledge ; his heart can 
 repose, for his captives will soon be delivered from the evil 
 spirit that possesses them." 
 
 "My father speaks the truth?" the Amantzin asked, 
 trying to read in the medicine man's face the degree of credit 
 he should give him. 
 
 But the latter was impenetrable. " Listen," he answered, 
 " to what the Great Spirit revealed to me during the night; 
 at this moment a Tlacateotzin from a remote hut has arrived 
 at the city; I do not know him, I never heard his name 
 before this day; it is this divine man who must aid us in 
 
318 The Indian Scout 
 
 saving the sick maidens. He alone knows what remedies 
 must be administered to them." 
 
 " Still," the High Priest said, with an accent of ill-boded 
 suspicion, " my father has given us proofs of his immense 
 learning, why does he not finish alone what he has so well 
 begun?" 
 
 " I am a simple man, whose strength resides in the pro- 
 tection the Wacondah grants me. He has revealed to me 
 the means to restore health to the sufferers; I must obey." 
 
 The High Priest bowed submissively, and requested the 
 hunter to confide to him what he proposed doing. 
 
 " The unknown Tlacateotzin will tell that to my father 
 when he has seen the captives," Marksman answered, " but 
 he will not have long to wait. I feel the approach of the 
 divine man. Let my father admit him without delay." 
 
 Exactly at this moment several blows were struck on the 
 outer door. The High Priest, subdued by the hunter's 
 assurance, hastened to open it. Don Miguel appeared; 
 thanks to Flying Eagle, he was unrecognisable. It is almost 
 unnecessary to state that this scene had been arranged by 
 the hunter and the Comanche Chief during the short conversa- 
 tion they had before separating. Don Miguel took a scruti- 
 nising look around. " Where are the sick persons I am 
 ordered by the Wacondah to deliver from the evil spirit? " 
 he said, in a stern voice. 
 
 The High Priest and the hunter exchanged a glance of 
 intelligence. The two Indians were confounded. The 
 arrival of this man, so clearly predicted by Marksman, 
 appeared to them a prodigy. We will not describe the con- 
 versation that took place between Don Miguel and the 
 maidens when they at length met ; we will restrict ourselves 
 to saying that, after an hour's visit, which elapsed to the 
 young folks with the rapidity of a moment, Marksman suc- 
 ceeded, with great difficulty, in separating them, and returned 
 with the adventurer to the High Priest, whose suspicions he 
 feared to arouse. 
 
 " Courage! " the hunter whispered during the walk, " all 
 is going on well; leave me to manage the rest." 
 
 " Well? " the High Priest asked, so soon as they appeared. 
 
 Marksman drew himself up majestically, and assuming a 
 stern and imposing accent, said, " Listen to the words which 
 the great Wacondah breathes in my chest and sends up to my 
 lips; this is what the divine man here present says: the two 
 
The Great Medicine 319 
 
 suns that follow this are of evil augury; but on the evening of 
 the third, when the moon spreads its beneficent light, my son, 
 the Sachem Atoyac, will take the skin of a vicuna, which my 
 father, the venerated Amantzin, of Quiepaa Tani, will kill in 
 the arena, which he will bless in the name of Teotl ; l he will 
 spread this skin on the top of a hillock, which is a little way 
 out of the city, in order that the evil spirit, on issuing from 
 the maidens, may not enter any of the inhabitants, and then 
 lead the captives to the spot where the skin is stretched out." 
 
 " One of them, though," the High Priest remarked, 
 " is incapable of leaving the hammock on which her body 
 reposes." 
 
 " The wisdom of my son dwells in each of his words; but 
 he may reassure himself that Wacondah will give the neces- 
 sary strength to those he wishes to save." 
 
 The Amantzin was constrained to bow before this un- 
 answerable argument. 
 
 " When what I have explained to my father is done," the 
 Canadian continued, imperturbably, " he will choose four 
 of the bravest warriors of his nation to help him in guarding 
 his captives during the night. And after I have given the 
 Amantzin and the men who accompany him a liquor to drink, 
 which will protect them from all evil influences, my brother,, 
 the divine Tlacateotzin, will expel the wicked spirit that 
 torments the Pale women." 
 
 The High Priest and the Sachem listened silently, and 
 seemed to be reflecting. The Canadian perceived it, and 
 hastened to add, " Although the Wacondah assists us, and 
 gives us the necessary power to conquer, still it is necessary 
 that my brother, the Amantzin, and the four warriors he 
 selects, should pass the night preceding the great medicine 
 with us in the sanctuary. Atoyac will give, as an offering to 
 the Wacondah, twenty full cavales to the wise Amantzin. 
 Will my brother do so? " 
 
 " Hum! " the Indian said, but little flattered by the pre- 
 ference, " if I do so, what shall I gain by it? " 
 
 Marksman looked at him fixedly. " The accomplishment 
 before the second moon," he answered, " of the project which 
 Atoyac has ripened so long in his mind." 
 
 The hunter spoke haphazard ; still, it seemed that the blow 
 had told, for the Sachem answered, with considerable agita- 
 tion, " I will do it." 
 
 1 The great unknown God. 
 
320 The Indian Scout 
 
 " My father is a wise man/' the High Priest said, his brow 
 having brightened when the hunter spoke of the offering of 
 the twenty cavales; " may the Wacondah protect him." 
 
 " My son is kind," the Canadian contented himself with 
 answering, and took leave of the two men. 
 
 On the square, Flying Eagle and Brighteye were awaiting 
 the coming out of the two adventurers. While proceeding 
 towards their host's cdlli, Marksman explained his plan in its 
 fullest details to his comrades. Nothing could be more simple, 
 though, than his scheme, for it consisted in carrying off the 
 maidens so soon as they were placed on the mound. This 
 was the only possible chance of success, for they could not 
 dream of employing force to get them out of the palace of the 
 Virgins of the Sun. The delay of three days, fixed by Marks- 
 man before attempting his plan, was necessary, in order to 
 send Flying Eagle off to his tribe, to fetch the reinforcements 
 they would doubtless greatly need during the pursuit that 
 must ensue on the rape. Brighteye, at the same time, would 
 leave the city to warn the Gambusinos of the day selected, so 
 as to avoid any misunderstanding, and place the hunters in 
 good positions. 
 
 The same evening, Flying Eagle, Eglantine, and Brighteye, 
 as had been arranged, got into Red Wolf's canoe, who was 
 waiting near the hedge. After the orders he received from 
 Marksman, Eglantine was to remain in the Gambusino's 
 camp, while Flying Eagle, mounted on the famous barb he 
 had fortunately inherited from Don Estevan, would proceed 
 with all speed to his tribe. When Don Miguel and Marks- 
 man had seen their comrades safely off, they returned to 
 Atoyac's cabin. The worthy Sachem, though he felt very 
 angry at the tax of twenty cavales they had put on him, 
 received them most cordially, not daring to infringe the laws 
 of hospitality when dealing with men so powerful as the two 
 physicians. While conversing, he told them that Addick 
 and Red Wolf had disappeared from the city, no one knowing 
 what had become of them. As for Red Wolf, the hunters 
 knew all about it, so his departure did not trouble them ; but 
 it was not the same with Addick, who, as their host told 
 them, set out at the head of a powerful war party. They 
 suspected that the young Chief had gone to join Don Estevan, 
 which urged them to double their prudence, for they expected 
 some perfidious machinations from these two men. 
 The three days passed away in visits to the maidens and 
 
The Great Medicine 321 
 
 prayers in the Temple of the Sun. Still, the time seemed very 
 long to Don Miguel and the ladies, who constantly trembled 
 lest a fortuitous accident should disturb the well-arranged 
 plan for their deliverance. The last day, Marksman and 
 Don Miguel were conversing, as they had grown accustomed 
 to do, with Dona Laura and Dona Luisa, while recommend- 
 ing a passive obedience to all their injunctions, when they 
 fancied they heard a rustling at the door of the apartment 
 preceding that in which the prisoners were confined. Marks- 
 man, at once reassuming his borrowed face, opened the door, 
 and found himself face to face with the High Priest, who 
 stepped away with the embarrassed air of a man detected in 
 the satisfaction of his curiosity. Had he heard what the 
 young people and the hunter had been saying in Spanish? 
 Marksman, after reflection, did not think so : still, he thought 
 it prudent to recommend his comrades to be on their guard. 
 This long day at length terminated, the sun set, and night 
 arrived. All was ready for departure; the captives, each 
 placed in a hammock, suspended from the shoulders of four 
 vigorous slaves, were transported to the top of the mound 
 chosen for the operation, and gently deposited in the vicuna 
 skin. The High Priest, by Marksman's orders, stationed 
 his warriors at the four cardinal points. He then uttered a 
 few mysterious words, to which Don Miguel replied in a low 
 voice, burnt some odoriferous grass, and bade the Indians and 
 the High Priest kneel down to implore the unknown deity. 
 
 Don Miguel, during this period, gazed on the city, trying 
 to distinguish if anything extraordinary were occurring. All 
 was calm. The deepest silence reigned over the place. The 
 two hunters, who had also knelt, rose up. 
 
 " Let my brothers redouble their prayers," Don Miguel 
 said, in a hollow voice, " I am about to compel the evil spirit 
 to retire from the captives." 
 
 In spite of themselves, the maidens gave a start of terror 
 at these words. Don Miguel did not seem to notice it, but 
 made a sign to Marksman. " Let my brothers approach," 
 the latter said. The sentinels had a hesitation that threatened 
 to degenerate into terror on the slightest suspicious move- 
 ment of the medicine-men. Don Miguel then proceeded: 
 " My brother and I," he said, " are about to return to prayer; 
 but to prevent the evil spirits seizing on you after leaving the 
 captives, my brother Two Rabbits will pour out for each a 
 horn of fire-water, prepared and gifted by the Wacondah with 
 
 x 
 
322 The Indian Scout 
 
 the virtue of saving those who drink it from the attacks of 
 the evil spirit." 
 
 The sentries were Apaches. At the word " fire-water," 
 their eyes sparkled with covetousness. Marksman then 
 poured them out a large calabash of spirits, mixed with a 
 strong dose of opium, which they swallowed at a draught, 
 with unequivocal signs of pleasure. The High Priest alone 
 seemed to hesitate, but at length made up his mind, and 
 boldly emptied the cup, to the great relief of the hunters, 
 whom his hesitation was beginning to alarm. 
 
 "Now!" the Canadian shouted, in a rough voice, "on 
 your knees, all of you." 
 
 The Apaches obeyed, Don Miguel imitating them. Marks- 
 man alone remained standing, while Don Miguel, with his 
 arms stretched to the north, seemed ordering the evil spirit 
 to retire ; the Canadian began turning rapidly, while mutter- 
 ing incoherent words, which the adventurer repeated after 
 him. After this, Don Miguel rose, and made an invocation. 
 Twenty minutes had passed. During this period, an Indian 
 fell, with his face to the ground, as if humbly prostrating 
 himself. Soon a second did the same, then a third, then a 
 fourth, and, lastly, the High Priest fell in his turn. The five 
 Indians gave no signs of life. Marksman, to make sure, 
 let the nearest man taste the point of his knife. The poor 
 wretch did not stir; the opium had produced in him and his 
 comrades such an effect that their necks might have been 
 twisted before they woke. 
 
 Don Miguel then turned to the ladies, who were awaiting 
 with ever-increasing perplexity the end of this scene. " Fly," 
 he said, " if you wish to save your lives." 
 
 He then seized Dona Laura in his arms, threw her over 
 his shoulders, took a pistol in his left hand, and dashed 
 down the hill. Marksman, calmer than the young man, 
 began by imitating thrice the signal agreed on with his com- 
 panions. At the expiration of a moment, which seemed to 
 to him an age, the same cry answered him. " Heaven be 
 praised! " he exclaimed, " we are saved." 
 
 He went towards Dona Luisa, and wished to take her in 
 his arms. 
 
 " No," she said, with a smile, " I thank you, but I am 
 strong, and can walk." 
 
 " Come on, then, for heaven's sake." 
 
 The girl rose. " Go on," she said, " I will follow you; 
 
The Great Medicine 323 
 
 think of your own safety, I can defend myself." And she 
 showed the hunter the pistols he gave her two months 
 previously. 
 
 " Brave girl! " the hunter said; " but for all that, do not 
 leave me." 
 
 He made her go down in front of him, and both soon 
 reached the foot of the mound. When about half-way to 
 the forest, the hunters were obliged to stop, for the ladies, 
 exhausted by fatigue and emotion, felt they could not go 
 further. Suddenly a large party of horsemen, with Don 
 Mariano, Brighteye, and Ruperto at their head, dashed at a 
 gallop from the forest, and hurried towards them. 
 
 " Ah! " Don Miguel said, with maddening joy, " I have 
 really saved her, then ! " 
 
 The maidens mounted the horses prepared for them 
 beforehand, and were placed in the middle of the detachment. 
 
 " My child ! my darling daughter ! " Don Mariano repeated, 
 as he covered her with kisses. 
 
 The adventurer respected for a few minutes the gentle 
 affection of the father and daughter, who had so long been 
 separated, and never hoped to meet again. Two briny tears 
 he could not check ran down his bronzed cheeks, and in the 
 presence of happiness so perfect, he forgot for a minute that 
 henceforth an insurmountable barrier was raised between him- 
 self and her he loved so much; but soon regaining his spirits, 
 and comprehending the necessity of haste, he ordered 
 
 " Forward, forward! we must not be surprised." 
 
 All at once a sinister flash crossed the horizon; a sharp 
 whizz was heard, and a bullet crushed in the skull of a 
 Gambusino, scarce a yard from Don Miguel. Then a horrible 
 yell, the war-cry of the Apaches, burst forth. 
 
 "Back, back!" Marksman exclaimed, "the Redskins 
 are on us." 
 
 The Gambusinos, burying their spurs in their horses' 
 flanks, started at headlong speed. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE FINAL STRUGGLE 
 
 MARKSMAN was not mistaken. Two parties of Redskins, 
 one led by Addick and Don Estevan, the other by Atoyac, 
 were pursuing the Gambusinos. We will explain to the reader, 
 in a few words, this apparent alliance between Addick and 
 Atoyac. In the last chapter we stated that Marksman sur- 
 prised the Amantzin, listening at the door, and though the 
 High Priest did not understand a word of Spanish, and con- 
 sequently could not follow the conversation, still he evidenced 
 a certain degree of animation which appeared to him sus- 
 picious. Still, as he did not dare openly to oppose the 
 ceremony of the great medicine, which was to take place in 
 the same evening, he imparted his suspicions to Atoyac. The 
 latter, already badly disposed towards the two men, feigned, 
 however, to be astonished at the sudden doubts of the 
 Amantzin, and treated them as visionary. But at length, as 
 the old man pressed him, and seemed strongly persuaded 
 that there was some machination hidden behind the jugglery 
 of the self-called medicine-men, he consented to watch 
 what occurred on the hillock, and be ready to hurry to the 
 Amantzin's assistance, should he be the dupe of any trickery. 
 This being properly arranged, so soon as the procession with 
 the captives left Quiepaa Tani, Atoyac followed it with a 
 band of warriors picked from his relatives and friends, and, 
 on arriving at the foot of the mound, he clambered up it 
 through the grass, prepared to see and hear all that occurred. 
 On hearing the prayers of the few men, the Chief was on 
 the point of regretting his coming. The noise of voices soon 
 ceased, and Atoyac, supposing that muttered prayers were 
 now going on, waited. Still, as the silence was prolonged, 
 Atoyac determined to climb to the top of the mound, and 
 was utterly astounded at rinding only the Amantzin and the 
 warriors lying on the ground. At first he believed they were 
 dead, and summoned his comrades, who had remained at 
 the bottom of the hill. The latter ran up at full speed, and 
 lifted up the sleepers, whom they shook violently, without 
 
 324 
 
The Final Struggle 325 
 
 being able to arouse them. Atoyac then guessed a portion 
 of the truth; he called to mind the signal he had heard, 
 and not doubting that the fugitives had gone towards the 
 forest, he rushed after them with a yell. Atoyac was the 
 first to perceive the party, and he it was who fired the shot 
 which killed the Gambusino. But the position of the whites 
 was becoming critical; for, on arriving at the edge of the 
 forest, they found themselves suddenly stopped by Addick's 
 party, which charged furiously. The ladies were in the centre 
 of the Gambusinos, protected by Don Mariano and Brighteye, 
 and hence were in comparative safety. While Marksman and 
 Ruperto wheeled round to repulse the attack of Atoyac's 
 warriors, and cover the retreat, Don Miguel, wielding a club, 
 which he took from a wounded Apache, rushed into the thick 
 of the fight with the leap of a tiger at bay. The combatants, 
 who were too close together to employ their fire-arms, 
 murdered each other with knives and lances, or with fearful 
 blows of clubs and rifle butts. The fearful carnage lasted 
 twenty minutes, excited by the savage yells of the Indians, 
 and the no less savage shouts of the Gambusinos. At length, 
 by a desperate effort, Don Miguel succeeded in bursting the 
 human dyke that barred his progress, and rushed, followed 
 by his comrades, through the wide and bloody gap he had 
 opened, at the loss of ten of his most resolute men, leaving 
 Marksman to oppose the last efforts of the Redskins. Don 
 Miguel collected his men around him, and all hurried into the 
 depths of the forest, when they speedily disappeared. 
 
 At sunrise, the adventurers reached the grotto where they 
 had once before sought shelter, and Don Miguel gave the 
 order to halt. It was time. The horses, panting with 
 fatigue, could scarce stand; besides, whatever diligence the 
 Apaches might display, the adventurers were a whole night 
 in advance of them, hence they could take a few hours of 
 indispensable rest. 
 
 Marksman, who soon arrived with the rear-guard, con- 
 firmed Don Miguel's views. The Redskins, according to 
 his report, had suddenly returned towards the city. These 
 news redoubled the serenity of the adventurers. While the 
 Gambusinos, in different groups, were preparing a meal, and 
 attending to their wounds, and the maidens, who had retired 
 into the grotto, were sleeping on a pile of furs and zarapes, 
 Don Miguel and the two Canadians were bathing, in order to 
 remove the traces of Indian paint, and, after dressing in their 
 
326 The Indian Scout 
 
 proper clothes, they went to get a few minutes' necessary rest. 
 Don Miguel alone entered the grotto. Eglantine, seated 
 at the feet of the sleeping girls, lulled them gently with the 
 plaintive melody of an Indian song. Don Mariano was 
 asleep not far from his daughter. The young man thanked 
 the Chief's wife with a grateful smile, lay down across the 
 entrance of the grotto, and fell asleep too, after assuring him- 
 self that sentries were watching the common safety. 
 
 The first words of the maidens on awaking, were to thank 
 their liberators. Don Mariano was never wearied of caressing 
 his daughter, who was at length restored to him; and he 
 knew not how to express his gratitude to Don Miguel. Dona 
 Laura, with all the naive frankness of a young heart, to 
 which evasion is unknown, could not find words sufficiently 
 strong to express to Don Miguel the happiness with which 
 her heart overflowed. Dona Luisa alone remained gloomy 
 and thoughtful. On seeing with what devotion and readi- 
 ness Don Miguel, with no other interest than that of serving 
 them, had so frequently risked his life, the maiden discovered 
 the greatness and nobility of the adventurer's character; 
 hence love entered her heart, the more violent because the 
 object yet did not seem to perceive it. Love renders persons 
 clear-sighted. Dona Luisa soon understood why her com- 
 panion continually boasted to her of the young man's 
 generous qualities, and she guessed the secret passion they 
 felt for each other. A cruel pang gnawed her heart at this 
 discovery; in vain did she struggle against the. horrible 
 tortures of an unbridled jealousy, for she felt that Don Miguel 
 would never love her. Still, the young girl yielded hopelessly 
 to the chance of seeing and hearing the man for whom she 
 would have gladly laid down her life. As for Don Miguel, 
 he heard nothing, saw nothing; he was intoxicated with joy, 
 and indulged in the voluptuous felicity with which Dona 
 Laura's presence inundated him, as she sat, lovely and care- 
 less, between himself and her father. Fortunately, Marks- 
 man was not in love, and he saw clearly the dangers of the 
 position. He summoned a council, in which it was resolved 
 that they should proceed in all haste toward the nearest 
 Mexican frontier, in order to place the ladies in safety, and 
 escape from any pursuit on the part of the Indians. They 
 must hasten, however, for, owing to an unlucky coincidence, 
 it was that period of the year called by the Redskins the 
 " Moon of Mexico," and which they had selected for their 
 
The Final Struggle 327 
 
 periodical depredations on the frontiers of that hapless 
 country. Marksman promised to reach the clearings in four 
 days, by roads known to himself alone. 
 
 They set out. The adventurers were not disturbed in 
 their rapid flight, and, as Marksman had announced, on the 
 afternoon of the fourth day the party crossed a ford of the 
 Rio Gila and entered Sonora. As they advanced, however, 
 on the Mexican territory, the hunter's brow grew gloomier, 
 and the glances he turned in every direction denoted an 
 anxious mind. The fact was, that the country, which should 
 have appeared at this season so luxuriant in vegetation, 
 looked so strange and desolate as to chill the heart. The 
 fields turned up and trampled by horses' hoofs; the ruins of 
 burnt jacals, scattered here and there; ashes piled up at 
 places where mills must once have stood, evidenced that war 
 had passed along the road, with all the horrors that march 
 after it. About two leagues off, the houses of a fortified 
 pueblo, an old presidio, could be seen glistening in the last 
 beams of the sun. All was calm in the vicinity; but the 
 calmness was that of death. Not a human being was visible ; 
 no manada appeared on the desolated prairie; the recuas of 
 the mules, the calls of the nena, could neither be seen nor 
 heard. On all sides, a leaden silence, a mournful tranquillity, 
 brooded over the scene, and imparted to it, in the gay light 
 of the sun, a crushing aspect. Suddenly Brighteye, who rode 
 a little a-head of the party, pulled up his horse, which had 
 shied so violently as nearly to throw him, and looked down 
 with a cry of surprise. Don Miguel and Marksman hurried 
 up to him. A frightful spectacle offered itself to the three 
 men. At the bottom of a ditch that ran along the road, a 
 pile of Spanish corpses lay pell-mell, horribly disfigured and 
 stripped of their scalps. Don Miguel ordered a halt, not 
 knowing whether to advance or retire; it was permissible to 
 doubt under such circumstances. If they pushed on to the 
 presidio, it was probably deserted, or perhaps the Redskins 
 had seized on it. Still some determination must be formed 
 within an hour. Don Miguel at length noticed a ruined 
 hacienda about five miles to their right; though precarious, 
 the shelter it afforded was better than bivouacking on the 
 plain. The adventurers pushed on, and soon reached the 
 farm. The hacienda bore traces of fire and devastation ; the 
 cracked walls were blackened with smoke, the windows and 
 doors broken in, and several male and* female bodies, half 
 
328 The Indian Scout 
 
 consumed, were piled up in the patio. Don Miguel led the 
 trembling girls to a room, after the ruins choking the entrance 
 had been removed; then, after urging them not to leave it, 
 he joined his companions, who, under Brighteye's directions, 
 were settling themselves as well as they could in the hacienda. 
 Marksman had gone out scouting with Ruperto. Don 
 Mariano, excited by paternal love, had turned engineer, and 
 with the help of a dozen adventurers, was putting the house 
 in the best state of defence possible. 
 
 Like all Mexican frontier haciendas, this one was sur- 
 rounded by a tall crenelated wall. Don Miguel had the gate 
 blocked up; then, returning to the house, he ordered the 
 doors and windows to be put in, had loopholes pierced, and 
 placed sentries round the wall and on the azotia. After this, 
 he gave Brighteye the command of twelve resolute men, and 
 ordered them to ambush behind a wood-covered mound, 
 which rose about two hundred yards from the hacienda. He 
 then counted his forces ; including Don Mariano and his two 
 servants, he had but twenty-one men with him; but they 
 were adventurers, determined to die to the last man rather 
 than surrender. Don Miguel did not lose all hope, and when 
 these precautions were taken, he waited. Ruperto soon 
 arrived, and his report was not reassuringt 
 
 The Redskins had seized the presidio by surprise. The 
 town had been plundered, then abandoned; it was com- 
 pletely deserted. Numerous parties of Apaches were visible 
 in all directions, and it seemed certain that the adventurers 
 could not proceed a league from the hacienda without falling 
 into an ambuscade. 
 
 Marksman at length arrived. He brought with him forty 
 Mexican soldiers and peasants, who had been wandering 
 about at hazard for two days, at the risk of being surprised 
 by the Redskins, who pitilessly massacred every white man 
 who fell into their hands. Don Miguel gladly received this 
 unexpected help a reinforcement of forty men was not to 
 be despised, especially as they were all armed, and capable 
 of doing good service. Marksman, as a good forager, also 
 brought with him several mules laden with provisions. The 
 worthy Canadian thought of everything, and nothing escaped 
 him. When the men had been stationed at the spots most 
 exposed to a surprise, Don Miguel and Marksman ascended 
 the azotia, to have a look at the neighbourhood. 
 
 Nothing had changed; the plain was still deserted. The 
 
The Final Struggle 329 
 
 calm was of evil augury. The sun set in a mass of red 
 vapour; the light suddenly lessened, and night arrived, with 
 its darkness and its mysteries. Don Miguel, leaving the 
 Canadian alone, went down to the apartment which served 
 as a refuge to the three females. The ladies were seated, 
 sad and silent. 
 
 Eglantine walked up to him. 
 
 " What does my sister want? " the young man asked. 
 
 " Eglantine wishes to go," she answered, in her soft voice. 
 
 " What, go ! " he exclaimed, in surprise; " it is impossible. 
 The night is dark; my sister would run too much danger on 
 the plain; the calcis of her tribe are far away on the prairie." 
 
 Eglantine assumed her usual pout as she shook her head. 
 " Eglantine will go," she said, impatiently. " My brother 
 will give her a horse; she must join Flying Eagle." 
 
 " Alas ! my poor girl, Flying Eagle is far away at this 
 moment, I am afraid; you will not find him." 
 
 The girl raised her head quickly. " Flying Eagle does 
 not desert his friends," she said; "he is a great chief. 
 Eglantine is proud to be his squaw. Let my brother suffer 
 her to go. Eglantine has in her heart a little bird, that 
 sings softly, and tells her where the Sachem is." 
 
 Don Miguel suffered from considerable perplexity; he 
 could not consent to what the Indian girl asked him ; he felt 
 a repugnance to abandon the woman who had given them 
 so many proofs of devotion since she had been among them. 
 At this moment he felt a tap on his shoulder: he turned, 
 and saw Marksman. " Let her go," he said; " she knows 
 better than we do why she acts thus. The Redskins never 
 do anything without a reason. Come, dear child, I will 
 accompany you to the gate, and give you a horse." 
 
 " Go, then," Don Miguel said; " but remember that you 
 leave us against my wish." 
 
 Eglantine smiled, and kissed the two ladies, merely whis- 
 pering one word to them " Courage! " 
 
 Then she followed Marksman. 
 
 "Poor, good creature!" Don Miguel muttered; "she 
 wants to try and be of use to us again, I feel convinced." 
 Then he turned to the ladies. " Ninas," he said to them, 
 " regain your courage. We are numerous. To-morrow, at 
 sunrise, we shall start again, with no fear of being disturbed 
 by the Indian marauders." 
 
 " Don Miguel," Dona Laura answered, with a sad smile, 
 
330 The Indian Scout 
 
 " you will try in vain to reassure us. We heard what the 
 men said to each other: they are expecting an attack." 
 
 " Why not be frank with us, Don Miguel? " Dona Luisa 
 added. " It is better to tell us openly in what position we 
 are, and to what we are exposed." 
 
 " Good heavens! do I know it myself? " he replied. " I 
 have taken all the necessary precautions to defend the 
 hacienda to the last extremity, but I trust that our trail 
 will not be discovered." 
 
 " You are deceiving us again," Dona Laura said, in a 
 reproachful voice, so gentle that it went straight to the 
 young man's heart. 
 
 " Besides," the adventurer continued, not wishing to 
 answer the interruption, " be certain, senoritas, that, in case 
 of an attack, we shall all die, my comrades and myself, ere 
 an Apache can cross the threshold of this door." 
 
 " The Apaches! " the maidens exclaimed, for the recollec- 
 tion of their captivity was still quivering in their heart, and 
 they trembled at the mere thought of falling into their hands 
 again. Still, this movement of terror did not last an instant. 
 Dona Laura's face immediately assumed the angelic expres- 
 sion habitual to it, and she answered Don Miguel with the 
 softest possible intonation in her voice. 
 
 " We have faith in you; we know that you will do all that 
 is humanly possible to save us. We thank you for your 
 devotion ; we know that our fate is in the hands of God, and 
 we place confidence in Him. Act like a man, Don Miguel. 
 Do not trouble about us further, but, I implore you, watch 
 over my father." 
 
 " Yes," Dona Luisa added, "do your duty bravely; for 
 our part, we will do ours." 
 
 Don Miguel looked without understanding her. She 
 smiled and blushed, but said no more. The young man 
 seemed desirous to say a few words, but, after a moment's 
 hesitation, he bowed respectfully and left the room. Laura 
 and Luisa then threw themselves in each other's arms, and 
 embraced tenderly. 
 
 When Don Miguel entered the patio, Marksman walked up 
 to him, and pointed to several rows of black dots, apparently 
 crawling in the direction of the hacienda. "Look!" he 
 said drily. 
 
 " They are Redskins! " Don Miguel exclaimed. 
 
 " I have seen them for the last ten minutes," the hunter 
 
The Final Struggle 331 
 
 continued; " but we have time yet to prepare for their 
 reception. They will not be here for an hour." 
 
 In truth, an hour passed away in this state of horrible 
 expectation. Suddenly the hideous head of an Apache 
 appeared over the door of the court, and looked furiously 
 down into the patio. 
 
 " No one can form an idea how impudent these Indians 
 are/' Marksman said, with a grin; and, raising his axe, 
 the body of the Apache rolled outside, while his head fell, 
 with grinning teeth, almost at Don Miguel's feet. 
 
 Several attempts of the same nature, made at various 
 spots, were repulsed with equal success. Then the Apaches, 
 who had flattered themselves with the idea of finding the 
 whites asleep, seeing, on the contrary, how badly they were 
 received, uttered their war-yell, and rising tumultuously 
 from the ground, where they had been hitherto crawling, 
 rushed toward the wall, which they tried to escalade on all 
 sides at once. 
 
 A ball of fire flashed from the hacienda, and a shower 
 of bullets greeted them. Many fell; but the impetus of 
 the charge was not felt. A fresh discharge at point-blank 
 range was impotent to repulse them, although it caused them 
 enormous losses. The attackers and attacked were soon 
 fighting hand to hand. It was an atrocious medley, a horrible 
 carnage, in which the hands were only unclutched by death, 
 and in which the conquered, after dragging his conqueror 
 down with him, strangled him in a last convulsion. For more 
 than half-an-hour it was impossible to recognise each other; 
 the rifles, the lances, the arrows, and machete strokes were 
 interchanged with prodigious rapidity. At length the Indians 
 fell back; the wall was not yet escaladed. It was but a 
 short time; the Redskins returned almost immediately to 
 the charge, and the struggle recommenced with heightened 
 fury. This time, in spite of the prodigies of valour per- 
 formed by the adventurers, they were driven in by the mass 
 of enemies that surrounded them, and compelled to fall 
 back on the house, contending every inch of ground; but 
 now the resistance could not last long. 
 
 All at once shouts were heard in the rear of the Indians, 
 and Brighteye poured on them like an avalanche at the head 
 of his party. The Redskins, surprised and alarmed at this 
 unforeseen attack, gave way in disorder, and dispersed over 
 the plain. Don Miguel rushed forward, at the head of twenty 
 
332 The Indian Scout 
 
 men, to support Brighteye, and complete the defeat of the 
 Indians. The adventurers pursued the Apaches, whom they 
 furiously massacred; but all at once Don Miguel uttered a 
 cry of surprise and rage. While he had been led away in 
 pursuit of the Apaches, other Indians, suddenly springing up 
 in the space left free, rushed at the hacienda. The Gam- 
 businos turned their horses round, and retraced their steps 
 at full gallop. It was too late. The hacienda was invaded. 
 The combat then became a horrible carnage a nameless 
 butchery. In the midst of the Apaches, Atoyac, Addick, 
 and Don Estevan seemed to be multiplied, so rapid were 
 their blows, so aroused was their fury. On the highest step 
 of the flight leading into the interior of the house, Don 
 Mariano and some Gambusinos he had rallied were desperately 
 resisting the repeated attacks of a swarm of Indians. Suddenly 
 a bloody veil was spread before Don Miguel's eyes; a cold 
 perspiration poured down his face; the Apaches had forced 
 the entrance, and were inundating the house. 
 
 " Forward ! Forward! " Don Leo howled, throwing himself 
 headlong into the medley. 
 
 " Forward! " Brighteye and Marksman repeated. 
 
 At this moment the two maidens appeared at the windows, 
 closely pursued by the Redskins, who seized them in their 
 arms, and carried them off, in spite of their shrieks and re- 
 sistance. All was lost ! At this supreme moment, the war- 
 cry of the Comanches burst on the air, and a cloud of warriors, 
 at the head of whom Flying Eagle galloped, fell like a thunder- 
 bolt on the Apaches, who believed themselves the victors. 
 Surrounded on all sides at once, after a heroic resistance, the 
 latter were compelled to give ground, and seek safety in 
 flight. The adventurers were saved at the moment when 
 they believed nothing was left them but to die, not to fall 
 alive into the hands of their ferocious enemies. 
 
THE EPILOGUE 
 
 Two hours later, the sun as it rose shone on a touching scene 
 in that hacienda which had been the scene of so obstinate a 
 contest. 
 
 The adventurers and the Comanche warriors, who arrived 
 so fortunately for them, hastily removed, as far as was 
 possible, the traces of the combat. The bodies of those who 
 had fallen were piled up in a retired corner of the patio, 
 and covered with straw. Comanche sentries guarded some 
 twenty Apache prisoners, and the adventurers were busy, 
 some bandaging their wounds, others digging wide trenches 
 to inter the dead. 
 
 Under the saguon of the horses, two men and a woman 
 had been laid on trusses of straw, covered with zarapes. The 
 woman was dead; it was Dona Luisa. The poor child, 
 whose life had only been one long self-denial and continued 
 devotion, was killed by Don Estevan, at the moment she 
 blew out the brains of Addick, who was carrying off Dona 
 Laura. The two men were Don Mariano and Brighteye. 
 Don Miguel and Laura were standing on either side of the 
 old gentleman, anxiously watching for the moment when 
 he should open his eyes. 
 
 Marksman, sad, and with a pale brow, was bending over 
 his old comrade, who was on the point of death. 
 
 "Courage!" he said to him; "courage, brother, it is 
 nothing." 
 
 The Canadian tried to smile. " Hum ! I know what it is," 
 he said in a broken voice; " I have ten minutes left at the 
 most, and after that " 
 
 He was silent for a moment, and seemed to be reflecting. 
 " Tell me, Marksman," he went on, " do you believe GOD will 
 pardon me? " 
 
 " Yes, my worthy friend; for you were a brave and good 
 creature." 
 
 " I have always acted in accordance with my heart. Well, 
 it is said that the mercy of God is infinite; I put my trust 
 in Him." 
 
 " Hope, my friend, hope! " 
 
 333 
 
334 The Indian Scout 
 
 " No matter. I was sure the Indians would never kill 
 me; it was Don Estevan, look ye, who wounded me, but I 
 split his skull open. The villain! I ought to have let him 
 die in his pit, like a trapped wolf." 
 
 His voice grew momentarily weaker; his eye was more 
 glassy ; his life was ebbing fast. 
 
 " Pardon him ! Now he is dead, he is no longer dangerous." 
 
 " Heaven be praised, I crushed the viper at last ! Good-bye, 
 Marksman, my old comrade. We shall never again hunt 
 buffalo and elk together on the prairie; we shall no longer 
 sound our war-cry against the Apaches. Where is Flying 
 Eagle?" 
 
 " Pursuing the Redskins." 
 
 " Oh, he is a fine fellow. He was very young when I first 
 knew him; it was in 1845. I remember that I was returning 
 
 from He stopped. Marksman, who had bent as close 
 
 as possible over him, to hear the words he uttered in a voice 
 that grew momentarily weaker, looked at him. He was 
 dead. The worthy hunter had surrendered his soul to God, 
 without feeling the cruel agonies of death. His friend 
 piously closed his eyes, knelt down by his side, and binding 
 his pale forehead, prayed fervently for his old comrade. 
 
 Don Mariano, in the meanwhile, had remained in the same 
 state of apparent insensibility. Don Miguel and Dona 
 Laura each held a hand, and anxiously questioned his pulse. 
 His two old servants were kneeling in a corner of the room, 
 and weeping silently. 
 
 Suddenly Don Mariano uttered a deep sigh, a bright flush 
 covered his face, his eyes opened, and for some minutes he 
 seemed trying to recall his ideas, troubled by the approach 
 of death. At length he made a supreme effort, sat up, and 
 looking by turns with an expression of ineffable gentleness at 
 the young people, who had fallen on their knees, he drew 
 their hands towards him and forced them on his heart. 
 
 " Don Miguel," he said, in a powerful voice, " guard her! 
 Laura, you love him, so be happy! My children, I bless 
 you. Oh, GOD! In thy mercy pardon the wretched man 
 who is the cause of all our misfortunes. Lord, receive me 
 into thy bosom! My children, my children, we shall meet 
 again ! " His body was suddenly agitated by a convulsive 
 tremor, his features were contracted, and he fell back 
 breathing his last sigh. He was dead ! 
 
 After performing the last duties to his old comrade, Marks- 
 
The Epilogue 335 
 
 man followed Flying Eagle and his warriors. From that 
 moment he was never heard of again ; the death of Brighteye 
 had broken all the energy and will in this powerful man. 
 Perhaps he is still dragging out the last days of a wretched 
 existence among those Indians with whom he formed the 
 resolve of living. 
 
 The minute researches made by Don Leo de Torres, after 
 his marriage with Dona Laura de Real del Monte, led to no 
 result; hence the young man, to his great regret, was com- 
 pelled to resign all hopes of ever paying this simple and yet 
 great-hearted man the debt of gratitude he owed him. 
 
 THE END 
 
 THE TEMPLE PRESS, PRINTERS, LETCHWORTH 
 
RETURNTO: 
 
 LOAN PERIOD 
 Home Use 
 
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