The Pirates of the Prairies: Adventures in the American Desert

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER XV.

  ON THE ISLAND.

  The sun had descended on the horizon, and darkness was invading the sky;ere long a dense veil of gloom was spread over the entire face ofnature. The Indians seemed to have given up all idea of attacking thewhites, but did not leave the riverbank; on the contrary, their numbermomentarily increased. On either bank of the Gila they had lit largefires, and put up their tents.

  The situation of the fugitives was far from reassuring; sheltered on anisland, whence they could not escape without being seen by theirvigilant enemies, their provisions were reduced to a few handfuls ofmaize boiled in water, and a little pemmican. Their ammunition consistedof twenty charges of powder at the most.

  The hunters lit no fire, for fear of letting the Apaches know the exactspot where they were; collected in the middle of the island in a densethicket, they watched over Dona Clara, who, overwhelmed by the terribleemotions of the day, had yielded to sleep, and was lying on a bed of dryleaves.

  Valentine and his friends watched the movements of the enemy by thelight of their bivouac fires. Opposite the island, and round a firelarger than the rest, several chiefs, among whom Black Cat could beclearly distinguished, appeared engaged in a lively discussion. Atlength, two men rose and advanced slowly to the water's edge; onreaching it, they took off their buffalo robes, raised them above theirheads, and let them float in the breeze.

  "Do you see that?" Don Pablo said to Valentine. "The redskins wish toparley with us."

  "What the deuce can they have to say to us?" the hunter answered; "thedemons must know in what extremities we are."

  "No matter. I fancy we shall do well by receiving them.

  "What does Eagle-wing think of it?" Valentine asked the Coras, who,crouched near them with his head resting on the palms of his hands, wasreflecting deeply.

  "The Apaches are foxes without courage," the sachem answered; "let ushear what they want."

  "And you, _penni_, what is your opinion?" the hunter said, turning toCurumilla.

  "My brother is prudent," the Aucas Ulmen replied; "we can hear thepropositions of the Apaches."

  "Well, as you all wish it, I consent; but I feel certain that no goodwill come of this interview."

  "Perhaps so," Shaw remarked.

  "That is not my opinion," Don Pablo said.

  "Koutonepi must not receive them here," Curumilla went on. "The Apacheare very crafty; they have an extremely forked tongue, and the eyes oftiger cats."

  "That is true," said Valentine; "let us go and see what they want."

  He rose, making Curumilla a sign to follow him; and after assuringhimself that his arms were in good condition, he walked to the end ofthe island. The Indians were still continuing their signals, andValentine raised his hands to his mouth in the shape of a speakingtrumpet.

  "What do the Buffalo Apaches want?" he shouted.

  "The chiefs have to speak with the palefaces, but they cannot hear themat such a distance. Will the palefaces promise them safety if thewarriors come to them?"

  "Come," Valentine replied, "but mind, only two of you."

  "Good," the chief said, "two warriors will come."

  The Apaches consulted for an instant together, and then took from amongthe lofty grass in which it was concealed a light raft, which thehunters had not noticed, and prepared to gain the island.

  The whites awaited them, resting on their rifles, apparently careless,but anxiously watching the shrubs on the bank, behind which the Apachewarriors were doubtless hidden, and watching them in their turn.

  The Indians landed and walked toward the hunters with all the etiquetteprescribed by the law of the prairies. On seeing that the Indians wereunarmed, Valentine handed his rifle to Don Pablo, who laid it a fewpaces behind him.

  "Good," Black Cat muttered, with a smile; "my brother acts loyally. Iexpected that from him."

  "Hum, chief!" Valentine answered, sharply; "Enough of compliments--whathave you to say to me?"

  "My pale brother does not like to lose time in vain words," the Indiansaid; "he is a wise man. I bring him the propositions of the principalchiefs of the tribe."

  "Let us hear them, chief. If they are just, although we are not in sobad a position as you may suppose, we may possibly accept them, merelyfor the sake of saving bloodshed."

  "There are at this moment more than two hundred warriors assembled onthe riverbank; tomorrow there will be five hundred. Now, as thepalefaces have no canoes, as they are not otters to plunge unseen intothe 'endless river,' or birds to soar in the air--"

  "What next?" Valentine interrupted him impertinently.

  "How will my brothers eat, when the little provision they have isexhausted? With what will my brothers defend themselves when they haveburnt all their powder?"

  "I presume that is of little consequence to you, chief," the hunteranswered, with ill-concealed impatience. "You did not ask the interviewI have granted to talk nonsense, so I must ask you to come to facts."

  "I only wished to prove to my brother that we are well-informed, andknow that the palefaces have no means of flight or safety. If, then, mybrothers are willing, they can rejoin their nations, without beingimpeded by us in their retreat."

  "Ah, ah! And in what way, chief, if you please?"

  "By delivering to us immediately two persons who are here."

  "Only think of that! And who may these two persons be?"

  "The White Lily and the Coras Chief."

  "Listen, chief: if you took the trouble to come here in order to make mesuch a proposal, you were wrong to leave your comrades," Valentine said,with a grin.

  "My brother will reflect," the Apache said, with perfect calmness.

  "I never reflect when the question is the commission of an act ofcowardice, chief," Valentine answered sharply. "We have known eachother for a long time; many of your warriors have been sent by me to thehappy hunting grounds. I have often fought against you, and never on thedesert have you or your brothers had to reproach me with an actionunworthy of an honest hunter."

  "That is true," the two chiefs answered, with a deferential bow; "mybrother is beloved and esteemed by all the Apaches."

  "Thanks. Now listen to me: the maiden you call White Lily, and whom youmade prisoner, is free by right and in fact, and you know very well thatyou have no right to ask her of me."

  "Several of our brothers, the most valiant warriors of our tribe, havegone to the happy hunting grounds before their hour marked by theWacondah: their blood cries for vengeance."

  "That does not concern me; these were killed fighting like brave men,and those are the chances of war."

  "My brother has spoken well," Black Cat said. "The Lily is free; she canremain with the warriors of her nation. I consent to it. But my brothercannot refuse to give up to me the Indian hidden in his camp."

  "That Indian is my friend," the hunter answered nobly; "he is not myprisoner, that I can deliver him up. I have no right to compel him toleave me. If he prefers to remain with us, the chief knows thathospitality is sacred on the prairie; if Moukapec wishes to return tohis brothers, he is free. But what interest have the Apaches in mygiving this man into their hands?"

  "He has betrayed his nation, and must be punished."

  "Do you imagine, chief, that I should deliberately, and stifling everyfeeling of gratitude within me, place in your hands a man I love, whosedevotion is known to me, in order that you may kill him with horribletorture? On my soul, chief, you must be mad."

  "You must do it, or woe to you!" Black Cat said with a degree of heat hecould not repress.

  "It shall not be," Valentine answered coldly.

  "It shall be!" a calm and haughty voice said.

  And Eagle-wing suddenly appeared in the midst of the group.

  "What!" Valentine exclaimed with amazement, "you would give yourself upto torture? I will not suffer it, chief: remain with your friends, wewill save you, or perish together."

  The Coras shook his head sadly.

  "No!" he said, "I ca
nnot do that, it would be cowardly. The White Lilyof the Valley must be saved. I have sworn to her father to devote myselfto her, and my brother Koutonepi must let me accomplish my promise."

  "But these men," Valentine continued to urge, "have no claim on you."

  Moukapec let his head sink.

  "By Nuestra Senora del Pilar," Don Pablo interrupted him with emotion,"we cannot thus abandon a man who has done us many services."

  Valentine, with his eyes fixed on the ground, was reflecting.

  "Good," Black Cat went on; "Eagle-wing is here, the palefaces are free:they will return to their great lodges whenever they please: they willfind the roads open. The Apaches have only one word; let the warriorfollow me."

  The Indian took a parting glance at his friends, and a sigh escaped fromhis chest; but with a superior effort he overcame the sorrow that chokedhim, his face assumed its usual mask of stoicism, and turning to the twoApache chiefs, he said in a firm voice--

  "I am ready: let us go."

  The hunters exchanged a glance of discouragement, but they made noattempt to oppose the Coras' resolution, for they knew that it would befutile. But at this moment Dona Clara suddenly appeared, walked boldlyup to the Indian, and touched him lightly on the shoulder.

  "Stay!" she exclaimed. "I will not have you go, chief."

  Eagle-wing turned as if he had received an electric shock, and gave themaiden a glance of undefinable expression; but he overcame this emotion,and reassumed his apparent coolness.

  "I must go," he said softly, "the Lily must not restrain me; she isdoubtless ignorant that her safety depends on my departure."

  "I have heard everything," she quickly retorted. "I know the odiouspropositions these men have dared to make, and the condition they hadaudacity to insist on."

  "Well, why then does my sister wish to stop me?"

  "Because," the maiden energetically exclaimed, "I will not accept thatcondition."

  "By Heavens! That is fine," Valentine said joyfully; "that is what Icall speaking."

  "Yes," the young lady continued, "in my father's name I order you not toleave this island, chief--in my father's name, who, were he here, wouldorder you as I do."

  "I answer for that," Don Pablo said; "my father has too noble a heart toassent to an act of cowardice."

  The maiden turned to the Indian chief, who had been stoically witnessingthe scene.

  "Begone, redskins," she went on with a majestic accent, impossible torender, "you see that all your victims escape you."

  "Honour bids me go," the warrior murmured feebly.

  Dona Clara took his hand between hers, and looked at him softly.

  "Moukapec!" she said to him, in her melodious and pure voice, "do younot know that yours would be a useless sacrifice? The Apaches are onlystriving to deprive us of our most devoted defender, that they may makean easier conquest of us. They are very treacherous Indians; remain withus."

  Eagle-wing hesitated for a moment, and the two chiefs tried in vain toread on his face the feelings that affected him. During several seconds,a leaden silence weighed on this group of men, whose hearts could beheard beating. At length the Coras raised his head, and answered with aneffort--

  "You insist; I remain here."

  Then he turned to the chief, who was waiting anxiously.

  "Go," he said to them in a firm voice, "return to the tents of yourtribe. Tell your brothers, who were never mine, but who at times havegranted me a cordial hospitality, that Moukapec, the great Sachem of theCoras of the lakes, takes back his liberty: he gives up all claim tofire and water in their villages; he wishes to have nothing more incommon with them; and if the Apache dogs prowl round him, and seek him,they will find him ever ready to meet them face to face on the warpath.I have spoken."

  The Buffalo chiefs had listened to these words with that calmness whichnever abandons the Indians; not a feature on their faces had quivered.When the Coras warrior finished speaking, Black Cat looked at himfixedly, and replied to him with a cold and cutting accent--

  "I have heard a crow, the Coras are cowardly squaws, to whom the Apachewarriors will give petticoats. Moukapec is a prairie dog, the sunbeamshurt his eyes, he will make his lair with the paleface hares, my nationno longer knows him."

  "Much good may it do him," Valentine remarked with a smile, whileEagle-wing shrugged his shoulders at this outburst of insults.

  "I retire," Black Cat continued; "ere the owl has twice saluted the sun,the scalps of the palefaces will be fastened to my girdle."

  "And," the second chief added, "the young men of my tribe will make warwhistles of the white thieves' bones."

  "Very good," Valentine replied, with a crafty smile; "try it, we areready to receive you, and our rifles carry a long distance."

  "The palefaces are boasting and yelping dogs," Black Cat said again. "Ishall soon return."

  "All the better," said Valentine; "but in the meanwhile, as I supposeyou have nothing more to say to us, I fancy it is time for you to rejoinyour friends, who must be growing impatient at your absence."

  Black Cat gave a start of anger at this parting sarcasm; but repressingthe passion that inflamed him, he folded himself haughtily in hisbuffalo robe, remounted the raft with his comrade, and they rapidlyretired from the island.