The White Chief: A Legend of Northern Mexico

by Mayne Reid

  CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR.

  The man-hunters had not long to wait. They had anticipated this. Therewas a moon which they had also expected. It was a bright moon atintervals, and then obscured--for minutes at a time--by the passage ofdark clouds over the canopy.

  There was no wind, however, and the air was perfectly still. Theslightest noise could have been heard for a long distance in theatmosphere of that elevated region--so pure and light that it vibratedafar with the slightest concussion.

  Sounds were heard, but they were not made by either the dogs or horsesof the hunters--well-trained to silence--nor by the hunters themselves.Both lay stretched in silence; or if they spoke, it was only in whispersand low mutterings.

  The sounds were those of nature--such as it exists in that wild region.The "snort" of the grizzly bear from the rocky ledge--the howling barkof the coyote--the "hoo-hoop" of the burrowing owl, and the shrillperiodical cries of the bull-bat and goatsucker. For a while these werethe only sounds that fell upon the ears of the ambushed hunters.

  Half-an-hour elapsed, and during all that time never permitted theireyes or ears to rest for a moment. They gazed up the ravine, and atintervals glanced outwards upon the plain. There was a probability thattheir victim might be abroad--even in the day--and with such men noprobability was allowed to pass without examination. Should it prove tobe so, and he were to return at that time, it would frustrate the planthey had arranged. But for such a contingency the mulatto had conceivedanother--that was, to steal during the night as near the cave aspossible--within rifle-shot if he could--wait until the guero shouldmake his appearance in the morning, and _wing_ him with a bullet fromhis rifle--in the use of which weapon the yellow hunter was wellskilled. To shoot the horse was another design. The horse once killedor crippled, the cibolero would be captured to a certainty; and both hadmade up their minds, in case a good opportunity offered, to despatch thenoble animal.

  These men knew a certain plan by which their victim could be killed orcaptured--that is, supposing they had been certain he was in the cave--aplan which could scarce have failed. But yet, for reasons of their own,they would not adopt it.

  It would have been simple enough to have conducted a party of dragoonsto the head of the pass, and there have stationed them, while anotherparty entered the canon from below. As the sides of the ravine wereimpassable precipices, the retreat of the cibolero would have been thuscut off at both ends. True, to have reached the upper plain, withoutgoing through the ravine itself--and that, as we have seen would havedefeated such a plan--would have cost a journey to the troop to bestationed above. But neither Vizcarra nor Roblado would have grudgedeither the time or the men to have rendered success thus sure. Themulatto and his dusky camarado knew all this perfectly, but to havecaused such a plan to be put in execution was the last thought in theirminds. Such a course would have been attended with but little peril tothem, but it would have brought as little pay, for every trooper in thewhole band would have claimed equal share in the promised reward. Thatwould not be satisfactory to the hunters, whose heads and knowledge hadfurnished the means and the ways.

  Neither entertained any idea of following such a course. Both wereconfident in their ability to effect their object without aid from anyquarter.

  From the time they had taken their station on the rock, half-an-hour wasall they had to wait. At the end of that period the quick ears of bothcaught the sound of some one coming from the direction of the ravine.They heard a horse's hoof striking upon loose shingle, and the rattlingof the displaced pebbles. A debris of broken fragments filled thebottom of the ravine, brought there during rain-torrents. Over this ranthe path. A horseman was coming down it.

  "The guero!" muttered the mulatto; "be sure, boy Pepe."

  "Trust you for a guess, brother Man'l: you were right about the trackswe first fell in with. The cave's his hiding-place to a certainty.We'll have him sure when he comes back. _Carrai_! yonder he comes!"

  As the zambo spake, a tall dark form was perceived approaching down theravine. By the moon gleaming upon it, they could make out the figure ofa horse and rider. They had no longer any doubt it was their intendedvictim.

  "Brother Man'l," whispered the zambo, "suppose he passes near! why notbring down the horse? you can't miss in this fine light--both of us canaim at the horse; if we stop him we'll easily overtake the guero."

  "Won't do, boy Pepe--not easily overtake guero afoot. Get off amongrocks--hide for days--can't track _him_ afoot--be on his guard after--give us trouble--old plan best--let pass--have him safe when he comeback--have him sure."

  "But Man'l--"

  "Dam! no need for buts--always in a hurry, boy Pepe--have patience--nobuts, no fear. See, now!"

  This last exclamation was intended to point out to Pepe that hissuggestion, even though a wise one, could not have been carried out, asthe horseman was not going to pass within range of either rifle orescopeta.

  It was plain he was heading down the middle of the canon, keepingequally distant from the sides, and this course would carry him out intothe open plain two hundred yards from the ambush of the hunters.

  So did it, for in a few moments he was opposite the spot where they lay,and at full that distance from them. A shot from a hunter's rifle wouldnot have reached him, and the bullet of an escopeta would have been anuncertain messenger. Neither thought of firing, but lay in perfectsilence, firmly holding their dogs down in the crevice of the rocks, andby gestures enjoining them to be still.

  The horseman advanced, guiding his horse at a slow pace, and evidentlyobserving caution as he went. While passing, the moon shone full uponhim, and the bright points of his harness and arms were seen sparklingunder her light. His fair complexion, too, could be distinguishedeasily, as also his fine erect figure, and the noble outlines of hishorse.

  "The guero!" muttered Manuel; "all right, boy Pepe!"

  "What's yon ahead?" inquired the zambo.

  "Ha! didn't notice that. Dam! a dog! dog, sure."

  "It is a dog. _Malraya_!"

  "Devil roast that dog!--heard of him before--splendid dog, boy Pepe.Dam! that dog give us trouble. Lucky, wind t'other way. Safe enoughnow. Dam! see!"

  At this moment the horseman suddenly stopped, looking suspiciously inthe direction of the rocky spur where they lay. The dog had given somesign.

  "Dam!" again muttered the mulatto; "that dog give us trouble yet--thankour luck, wind t'other way."

  There was not much wind either way, but what there was was in the facesof the hunters, and blowing from the horseman. Fortunately for them itwas so, also Cibolo would have scented them to a certainty.

  Even as things stood, their ambush was near enough discovery. Someslight noise from that quarter--perhaps the hoof of one of their horsesagainst the turf--had awakened the dog's suspicions--though nothing hadbeen heard by his master. Neither was the dog sure--for the next momenthe threw down his head and trotted on. The horseman followed and in afew minutes both were out of sight.

  "Now, boy Pepe, for the cave!"

  "_Vamos_!"

  Both descended from the ridge, and, mounting their horses, rode throughamong the scattered rocks. They entered the ravine, and kept up itsedge until the gradual narrowing brought them into the same path bywhich the horseman had lately descended. Up this they rode, keepingtheir eyes bent on the cliff to the right--for on that side was thecave.

  They had no fear of their tracks being discernible, even should theguero return by daylight, for the path lay over hard rock already markedby the hoofs of his own horse. For all that the mulatto was uneasy; andat intervals repeated half to himself, and half in the hearing of hiscompanion--

  "Dam! dog give trouble, sure give trouble--dam!"

  At length the mouth of the cave, like a dark spot upon the rock,appeared on one side. After silently dismounting, and leaving his horsewith Pepe, the mulatto crawled up the ledge and reconnoitred theentrance. Even the probability that some one might have been left
therewas not overlooked by this keen hunter, and every precaution was taken.

  After listening a moment at the entrance he sent in the dogs, and, asneither bark nor howl came out again, he was satisfied that all wassafe. He then crawled in himself, keeping on the shadowy side of therock. When he had got fairly within the cavern, he struck a light, atthe same time shading it so that the gleam might not fall on theoutside. With this he made a hurried examination of the interior; and,now satisfied that the place was untenanted, he came out again, andbeckoned his comrade to bring up the horses.

  These were led into the cave. Another reconnaissance was made, in whichthe few articles used by Carlos for eating and sleeping were discoveredupon a dry ledge. A serape, a small hatchet for cutting firewood, anolla for cooking, two or three cups, some pieces of jerked meat andfragments of bread, were the contents of the cavern.

  The best of these were appropriated by the intruders; and then, afterfastening their horses in a secure corner, and making themselvesthoroughly acquainted with the shape and position of the rocky interior,the light was extinguished, and, like beasts of prey, they placedthemselves in readiness to receive their unsuspecting victim.