The Border Rifles: A Tale of the Texan War

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER VII.

  MONKEY-FACE.

  We have seen in what summary manner the Captain seized on the territoryconceded to him. We will now explain how he established himself there,and the precautions he took not to be disturbed by the Indians he had sobrutally dispossessed, and who, he judged from his knowledge of theirvindictive character, would probably not yet consider themselves beaten,but might begin at any moment the attempt to take a sanguinary andterrible vengeance for the insults put upon them.

  The fight with the Indians had been rude and obstinate, but, thanks toMonkey-face, who revealed to the Captain the weakest points of thevillage, and especially the superiority of the American fire-arms, theIndians were at length compelled to take to flight, and abandon all theypossessed to the conquerors.

  It was a wretched booty, consisting only of animal skins, and a fewvessels made of coarse clay.

  The Captain, no sooner master of the place, began his work, and laid thefoundation stone of the new colony; for he understood the necessity ofprotecting himself as quickly as possible against a _coup-de-main_.

  The site of the village was completely freed from the ruins thatencumbered it; the labourers then began levelling the ground, anddigging a ditch six yards wide, and four deep, which was connected onone side by means of a drain with the affluent of the Missouri, on theother with the river itself; behind this ditch, and on the wall formedof the earth dug out of it, a line of stakes was planted, twelve feethigh, and fastened together by iron bands, almost invisible intersticesbeing left, through which a rifle barrel could be thrust and dischargedunder covert. In this entrenchment a gate was made large enough for awaggon to pass, and which communicated with the exterior by adrawbridge, which was pulled up at sunset.

  These preliminary precautions taken, an extent of about four thousandsquare yards was thus surrounded by water, and defended by palisades onall sides, excepting on the face turned to the Missouri, for the widthand depth of that river offered a sufficient guarantee of security.

  It was in the free space to which we have just alluded, that the Captainbegan building the houses and offices for the colony.

  At the outset these buildings were to be made of wood, as is usually thecase in all clearings, that is to say, of trees with the bark left onthem; and there was no lack of wood, for the forest was scarce a hundredyards from the colony.

  The works were pushed on with such activity, that two months after theCaptain's arrival at the spot all the buildings were finished, and theinterior arrangements almost completed.

  In the centre of the colony, on an elevation made for the purpose, aspecies of octagonal tower, about seventy feet in height, was erected,of which the roof was flat, and which was divided into three storeys. Atthe bottom were the kitchen and offices, while the upper rooms wereallotted to the members of the family, that is to say, the Captain andhis lady, the two nursemaids, young and hearty Kentuckians, with rosyand plump cheeks, called Betsy and Emma; Mistress Margaret, the cook, arespectable matron entering on her ninth lustre, though she onlyconfessed to five-and-thirty, and still had some pretence to beauty,and, lastly, to Sergeant Bothrel. This tower was closed with a stoutiron-lined door, and in the centre was a wicket to reconnoitre visitors.

  About ten yards from the tower, and communicating with it by asubterraneous passage, were the log huts of the hunters, the workmen,the neatherds, and labourers.

  After these, again came the stables and cow houses.

  In addition, scattered here and there, were large barns and granariesintended to receive the produce of the colony.

  But all these different buildings were arranged so as to be isolated,and so far from each other, that in the event of fire, the loss of onebuilding need not absolutely entail that of the rest; several wells werealso dug at regular distances, so as to have abundance of water, withoutthe necessity of fetching it from the river.

  In a word, we may say that the Captain, as an old experienced soldier,accustomed to all the tricks of border warfare, had taken the minutestprecautions to avoid not merely an attack, but a surprise.

  Three months had elapsed since the settlement of the Americans; thisvalley, hitherto uncultivated, and covered with forests, was now ingreat part ploughed up; clearings effected on a large scale had removedthe forest more than a mile from the colony; all offered the image ofprosperity and comfort at a spot where, so shortly before, thecarelessness of the Redskins allowed nature to produce at liberty thesmall stock of fodder needed for their beasts.

  Inside the colony, all offered the most lively and busy sight; whileoutside, the cattle pastured under the care of mounted and well-armedherds, and the trees fell beneath the blows of the axemen; inside, allthe workshops were in full activity, long columns of smoke rose from theforges, the noise of hammers was mingled with the whirring of the saw;on the river bank, enormous piles of planks stood near others composedof fire-wood; several boats were tied up, and from time to time theshots of the hunters could be heard, who were carrying out a battue inthe woods in order to stock the colony with deer-meat.

  It was about four in the afternoon, and the Captain, mounted on amagnificent black horse, with four white stockings, was ambling across afreshly-cleared prairie.

  A smile of quiet satisfaction played over the old soldier's stern faceat the sight of the prodigious change his will and feverish activity hadeffected in so short a time on this unknown corner of earth, which must,however, in no remote future, acquire a great commercial importance,owing to its position; he was approaching the colony, when a man,hitherto hidden behind a pile of roots and bushes heaped up to dry,suddenly appeared at his side.

  The Captain repressed a start of anger on perceiving this man, in whomhe recognised Monkey-face.

  We will say here a few words about this man, who is destined to play arather important part in the course of our narrative.

  Itsichaiche was a man of forty, tall, and well proportioned; he had acrafty face, lit up by two little gimlet eyes; his vulture-beaked nose,his wide mouth, with its thin and retiring lips, gave him a cunning andugly look, which, in spite of the cautious and cat-like obsequiousnessof his manner, and the calculated gentleness of his voice, inspiredthose whom accident brought in contact with him with an impulsiverepugnance which nothing could overcome.

  Contrary to the usual state of things, the habit of seeing him, insteadof diminishing, and causing this unpleasant feeling to disappear, onlyincreased it.

  He had conscientiously and honestly performed his contract in leadingthe Americans, without any obstacle, to the spot they wished to reach;but, since that period, he had remained with them, and had, so to speak,foisted himself on the colony, when he came and went as he pleased, andno one paid any attention to his actions.

  At times, without saying anything, he would disappear for several days,then suddenly return, and it was impossible to obtain any informationfrom him as to where he had been and what he had been doing during hisabsence.

  Still, there was one person to whom the Indian's gloomy face constantlycaused a vague terror, and who had been unable to overcome the repulsionwith which he inspired her, although she could give no explanation ofthe feeling: this person was Mrs. Watt. Maternal love producesclearsightedness: the young lady adored her children, and when at timesthe Redskin by chance let a careless glance fall on the innocentcreatures, the poor mother shivered in all her limbs, and she hastilywithdrew from the sight of the man the two beings who were all in all toher.

  At times she tried to make her husband share her fears, but to all herremarks the Captain merely replied by a significant shrug of hisshoulders, supposing that with time this feeling would wear off anddisappear. Still, as Mrs. Watt constantly returned to the charge withthe obstinacy and perseverance of a person whose ideas are positivelyformed and cannot change, the Captain, who had no cause or plausiblereason to defend against the wife he loved and respected, a man for whomhe did not profess the slightest esteem, at length promised to get ridof him. As, moreover, the Indian
had been absent from the colony forseveral days, he determined immediately on his return to ask for anexplanation of his mysterious conduct, and if the other did not reply ina plain and satisfactory manner, to tell him that he would not have himany longer about the settlement, and the sooner he took himself off thebetter for all parties.

  Such was the state of the Captain's feelings toward Monkey-face, whenaccident brought him across his path at the moment he least expectedhim.

  On seeing the Indian, the Captain checked his horse.

  "Is my father visiting the valley?" the Pawnee asked.

  "Yes," was the answer.

  "Oh!" the Indian went on as he looked around him, "All has greatlychanged since the beasts of the Long Knives of the West have beengrazing peacefully on the territories of which they dispossessed theSnake Pawnees."

  The Indian uttered these words in a sad and melancholy voice, whichcaused the Captain some mental anxiety.

  "Is that a regret you are giving vent to, Chief?" he asked him. "If so,it seems to me very unsuitable from your lips, since it was you who soldme the territory I occupy."

  "That is true," the Indian said with a shake of his head. "Monkey-facehas no right to complain, for it was he who sold to the Palefaces of theWest the ground where his fathers repose, and where he and his brothersso often hunted the elk and the jaguar."

  "Hum, Chief, I find you very sad to-day; what is the matter with you?Did you, on waking this morning find yourself lying on your left side?"he said, alluding to one of the most accredited superstitions among theIndians.

  "No," he continued, "the sleep of Monkey-face was exempt from evilomens, nothing arrived to alter the calmness of his mind."

  "I congratulate you, Chief."

  "My father will give tobacco to his son, in order that he may smoke thecalumet of friendship on his return."

  "Perhaps so, but first I have a question to ask of you."

  "My father can speak, his son's ears are open."

  "It is now a long time, Chief," the Captain continued, "since we havebeen established here."

  "Yes, the fourth moon is beginning."

  "Since our arrival, you have left us a great many times without warningus."

  "Why should I do so? Air and space do not belong to the Palefaces, Isuppose; the Pawnee warrior is at liberty to go where he thinks proper;he was a renowned Chief in his tribe."

  "All that may be true, Chief, and I do not care about it; but what I docare about is the safety of my family and the men who accompanied mehere."

  "Well," the Redskin said, "in what way can Monkey-face injure thatsafety?'

  "I will tell you, Chief; listen to me attentively, for what you have tohear is serious."

  "Monkey-face is only a poor Indian," the Redskin answered, ironically;"the Great Spirit has not given him the clear and subtle mind of thePalefaces, still he will try to understand my father."

  "You are not so simple as you choose to appear at this moment, Chief; Iam certain you will perfectly understand me, if you only take thetrouble."

  "The Chief will try."

  The Captain repressed a movement of impatience.

  "We are not here in one of the great cities of the American Union, wherethe law protects the citizens and guarantees their safety; we are, onthe contrary, on the Redskin territory, far from any other protectionthan our own; we have no help to expect from anyone, and are surroundedby vigilant enemies watching a favourable moment to attack us andmassacre us if they can; it is therefore our duty to watch over our ownsafety with the utmost vigilance, for the slightest imprudence wouldgravely compromise us. Do you understand me, Chief?"

  "Yes, my father has spoken well; his head is grey; his wisdom is great."

  "I must therefore carefully watch," the Captain continued, "themovements of all the persons who belong nearly or remotely to thecolony; and when their movements appear to me suspicious, to ask thoseexplanations which they have no right to refuse me. Now, I am compelledto confess to you, Chief, with extreme regret, that the life you havebeen leading for some time past seems to me more than suspicious. Ithas, therefore, attracted my attention, and I expect a satisfactoryanswer from you."

  The Redskin had stood unmoved; not a muscle of his face moved; and theCaptain, who watched him closely, could not notice the slightest traceof emotion on his features. The Indian had expected the question askedhim, and was prepared to answer it.

  "Monkey-face led my father and his children from the great stonevillages of the Long-knives of the West to the spot. Has my father hadany cause to reproach the Chief?"

  "None, I am bound to allow," the Captain answered, frankly; "you didyour duty honestly."

  "Why, then, does a skin now cover my father's heart? and why hassuspicion crept into his mind about a man against whom, as he sayshimself, he has not the slightest reproach to bring? Is that the justiceof the Palefaces?"

  "Let us not drift from the question, Chief, or change it, if you please.I could not follow you through all your Indian circumlocution; I will,therefore, confine myself to saying that, unless you consent to tell mefrankly the cause of your repeated absences, and give me assured proofof your innocence, I will have you turned out of the colony, and youshall never set foot again on the territory I occupy."

  A gleam of hatred flashed from the Redskin's eye; but, immediatelyrecalling it, he replied, in his softest voice--

  "Monkey-face is a poor Indian; his brothers have rejected him on accountof his friendship with the Palefaces. He hoped to find among theLong-knives of the west, in the absence of friendship, gratitude forservice rendered. He is mistaken."

  "That is not the question," the Captain continued impatiently; "will youanswer Yes or No?"

  The Indian drew himself in, and walked up to the speaker close enough totouch him.

  "And if I refuse?" he said, as he gave him a glance of defiance andfury.

  "If you refuse, scoundrel! I forbid you ever appearing again before me;and if you disobey me, I will chastise you with my dog-whip!"

  The Captain had hardly uttered these insulting words ere he repented ofthem. He was alone, and unarmed, with a man whom he had mortallyinsulted; hence he tried to arrange matters.

  "But Monkey-face," he went on, "is a chief; he is wise; he will answerme--for he knows that I love him."

  "You lie, dog of the Palefaces!" the Indian yelled, as he ground histeeth in fury; "you hate me almost as much as I hate you!"

  The Captain, in his exasperation, raised the switch he carried in hishand; but, at the same moment, the Indian, with a panther-leap, boundedon to his horse's croup, dragged the Captain out of his stirrups, andrudely hurled him to the ground.

  "The Palefaces are cowardly old women," he said; "the Pawnee warriorsdespise them, and will send them petticoats."

  After uttering these words with a sarcastic accent impossible todescribe, the Indian bent over the horse's neck, let loose the rein,uttered a fierce yell, and started at full speed, not troubling himselffurther about the Captain, whom he left severely bruised by his fall.

  James Watt was not the man to endure such treatment without trying torevenge himself; he got up as quickly as he could, and shouted, in orderto get together the hunters and wood-cutters scattered over the plain.

  Some of them had seen what had happened, and started at full speed tohelp their Captain; but before they reached him, and he could give themhis orders to pursue the fugitive, the latter had disappeared in theheart of the forest, toward which he had directed his rapid course.

  The hunters, however, at the head of them being Sergeant Bothrel, rushedin pursuit of the Indian, swearing they would bring him in either deador alive.

  The Captain looked after them till he saw them disappear one after theother in the forest, and then returned slowly to the colony, reflectingon what had taken place between himself and the Redskin, and his heartcontracted by a gloomy presentiment.

  Something whispered to him that, for Monkey-face, generally so prudentand circumspect, to have acted as
he had done, he must have fanciedhimself very strong, and quite certain of impunity.