CHAPTER XVIII.
AFTER THE COMBAT.
We left the unhappy relics of the caravan suffering from the impressionwhich the fatal result of their struggle with the Indians produced onthem. At the moment when young Don Juan made his appearance in the campa triple exclamation of joy, interest, and surprise greeted him.
"My son! my Juan!" the general exclaimed, sobs choking his voice.
"My dear colonel," said Don Pedro, "Heaven be praised that you aresafe!"
"Ah!" muttered Leon, whom the arrival of the young man aroused from thedespondency into which the disappearance of the maidens had plungedhim.
The colonel rushed weeping into his father's arms, who showed him thebody of his murdered wife.
"You arrive too late, my son! This is the work of the Indians."
"My mother!" the young man said, as he fell on his knees before thecorpse.
"Yes, your mother! who died beneath their blows, while your sistershave been torn from me for ever."
"What do you say, father?"
"The truth," Don Pedro remarked. "Your sisters have been carried off,in spite of all the efforts we made to oppose it."
"Oh, father! father!" was all that Don Juan could answer, as he gavethe old gentleman a look of painful regret.
The old general's features were frightfully contracted by the crushinggrief that oppressed his heart as a husband and father, and yet,overcoming it by the strength of his will, he seized his son's hand:
"Don Juan, thirty years of happiness have passed since the day whenthe wife whom I lament for the first time laid her hand in mine, andnow Heaven has taken her from me again! Two children, whom I loveas I love you, Juan, were, with you, the fruits of that union, andHeaven has allowed them to be torn from my side! Still, I bow beforeHis omnipotent will, because I am a Christian, and in the midst of myprofound affliction, you are left to me, my son, to punish the cowardswho attack women when they have men to face them. Don Juan, will youavenge your mother and sisters?"
The spectacle offered by this scene was very painful. Old Don Juan,bareheaded, was striving to appear calm, but the heavy tears that fellon his grey moustache were a flagrant contradiction of the resignationwhich he affected. Behind the old man's studied countenance could bediscerned an immense grief, which was betrayed by the very violence ofthe stoicism which he displayed. Choked by sobs, the colonel remaineddumb to his father's exhortations.
"Have you understood what I demand of you?" Don Juan again said to hisson.
"Yes, father," the latter at length replied. "Oh!" he added, "why was Inot here to defend them? but the scoundrels kept me back."
"Who did?" Don Pedro asked; "have you not come from Santiago?"
"No, general; and it was within an ace that I never saw the light ofday again."
"What has happened, then?"
"In the environs of Talca, while I was travelling post haste in thehope of joining you on the road, I was made prisoner by an Indianparty, whose presence I was far from suspecting. My lancero was put todeath after one of their barbarous ceremonies, and I was preparing toundergo the same fate, when this night I was suddenly set at liberty bythe order of an Indian chief of the name of Tahi-Mari, whom I did notsee."
"Tahi-Mari!" the old general immediately interrupted him. "What! thereis still a man bearing that name, and you owe your liberty to him? Oh!he must, in that case, be meditating some treachery, for a Tahi-Mariwould have killed you, in order to enjoy the sight of your agony."
"My father, calm yourself," Don Juan remarked.
"General," Leon said at length, who had paid great attention to theyoung man's words, "whatever may be the motive which caused the man wholiberated the colonel to act so, we must take advantage of the helpwhich he is able to give us, in order to escape from the wood."
"My daughters! my daughters!" the old gentleman exclaimed, "must I thengive up all hope of seeing them again?"
"Oh!" said Don Pedro, "we must follow up the track of these accursedIndians, or--no, we will hasten to Valdivia, and once arrived there, Iwill organize an expedition."
"That is not the way to find them again," Leon remarked, anxiously.
"What do you mean?" Don Pedro asked.
"Nothing--except that you will lose your time in sending an armyagainst the Indians: the two Senoras are at this moment secure amongsome tribe that will sedulously keep them at a distance from the spotwhere your troops are fighting."
"In that case they are lost!" General Soto-Mayor exclaimed, wildly.
"Perhaps not," Leon answered, struck by a sudden inspiration.
"Oh, sir!" the old gentleman continued, "if you suspect the spot wherethey are, speak--fix yourself the sum I am to pay you for such aservice, and I will pay it. Stay, sir; yesterday I was rich, powerful,and honoured; today I am only a poor old man, whose heart is broken;but I swear to you on my honour as a gentleman, that if you restore memy daughters, I will love you as a son, and will bless you with tearsof joy and gratitude."
On seeing the old general so crushed by despair, Leon felt himselfmoved by a pity and compassion which he did not attempt to check.
"I only ask your esteem, general, if I succeed."
"Speak, then, sir," Don Juan de Soto-Mayor and Don Pedro saidtogether; "do you really think that you can place us on the track ofthe ravishers?"
A ray of hope had illumined the old man's heart on hearing Leon speakin such a way as to suggest a possibility of finding the maidens again,and he awaited with feverish anxiety the captain's answer, who keptsilence, and seemed plunged in deep reflection. Still, as Leon seemedto be reflecting on the weight of the words which he was going toutter, and whose meaning might cause those who listened to him eitheran immense consolation or a bitter deception, neither of the twogentlemen dared to interrupt him.
The fact was that Leon was asking himself whether he could undertakethe liberation of the maidens. He had but one resource, that of goingto find Tahi-Mari, and threatening to kill himself in his presence,unless he restored to the father the daughters whom he was bewailing.
Assuredly, after the conversation which had caused the separationbetween the captain and Diego, it was at least a bold step to thinkof imploring the Inca's clemency again; but since the latter hadvoluntarily broken the bonds which held young Don Juan captive, itwas but reasonable to assume that Diego was animated by a differentpurpose. Perhaps he had renounced, if not his vengeance, still thatwhich he had selected in vowing the death of all the Soto-Mayors. Andthen, again, if he thirsted for victims, had not the general's belovedwife been killed by Indians under his orders?
Leon, while revolving all these arguments, did not doubt but that themaidens were in the power of Tahi-Mari, and either that he consideredthem sufficient to feel certain of entire success, or more probablythat the desire he had of saving Maria made him mentally smooth downall difficulties, and he resolved to attempt the adventure with a firmdetermination to die if he failed.
"I cannot put you on the track of the Indians who have carried off theSenoras," he at length answered the generals; "but I pledge myself torestore them to you."
"How?" Don Pedro Sallazar asked.
Don Juan contented himself with raising his hand to Heaven, and callingdown blessings on the young man.
"By starting alone in search of them," Leon said, "while the few menleft me continue to escort you to Valdivia."
"Alone! But why cannot we accompany you?" Don Pedro resumed, in whomthe feeling of distrust which he had already displayed to the captainwas again aroused.
"That is true," Don Juan said, in his turn. "Guide us to thesevillains, since you know where to find them, and although I am old,I will follow you with all the ardour of youth, for I feel within methe strength to overcome all dangers for the sake of tearing my poorchildren from the hands of these cowardly ravishers."
"Do you think, sir," said the young colonel, who had just kissed hismother's icy forehead, "that we would leave to others the duty ofavenging us?"
"In that c
ase, sir, it is impossible; your duty calls you, Don Pedro,to Valdivia, and you would not have time to carry out the expeditionwhich I hope to bring to a successful result. You," the young mancontinued, addressing General Soto-Mayor, "although your heart maybleed at it, must give up all thought of accompanying me, for ere wehad reached the spot where I believe the Senoras to be, fatigue wouldexhaust your strength, and you would find it impossible to follow me."
"But, sir--" the colonel remarked.
"Pray do not insist, sir," said Leon; "for once again I repeat that, ifyou wish me to succeed, you must let me act as I think proper."
"What do you propose doing, Leon, that you are afraid of letting us bewitnesses of it?" Don Pedro observed haughtily.
"The same as I did when the Indians attacked us," the captain answered,who felt anger flush his face on remarking the insolent expressionwhich the speaker's countenance had assumed--"risk my life in theservice of those to whom I have promised assistance and succour."
"Sir!"
"Yes," Leon continued; "for the rude task I am about to undertakedemands utter self-denial; manhunting on the llanos and Pampas requiresmore than courage, for cunning and craft are needed, and if I refuseyour help in this expedition, it is because your presence would impedemy progress. Alone, I am certain of joining Tahi-Mari, but with you weshould all be lost."
A feverish excitement had seized on the young man, who seemed mostanxious to efface the suspicions of which he was the object.
"I have lived among the Indians who attacked us, and know their strangemanners and customs. At this very moment, the forests are full ofinvisible eyes that watch and spy us; if we advance in a body towardthe spot where they are, we may be certain of being all massacred.Believe me, in order to enter their encampment, I must glide likea snake through the lianas that grow in the forest. Such is thereason, gentlemen, why I refuse to let you accompany me, for you areignorant of their infernal skill. And now I am at your disposal: if youabsolutely insist on following me, I am at your orders; but, in thatcase, I answer for nothing, for we shall have every unfavourable chanceagainst us."
These few words, uttered with an accent of conviction and franknesswhich could not be suspected, produced on the mind of the three men afavourable impression; no further objection was raised, and Leon wasleft at liberty to act as he pleased. Once the four gentlemen wereagreed on this point, they had to turn their attention to the burial ofthe dead, and collecting the mules and horses, which the cries of theIndians and the gleam of the flames had terrified and driven from thecamp.
All set to work: while Don Pedro gave orders to his lanceros to restorea little order among the bales and other articles, Leon gave a signalto two of his men, who began digging a grave at the foot of a pine treewith their machetes. It was intended to receive the mortal remains ofthe Senora Soto-Mayor. Another, somewhat larger, was dug a few pacesoff in which to bury pell-mell the bodies of the Spaniards and Indianskilled during the fight. After this melancholy task was completed, Leonwent up to the Senora's corpse, and prepared to wrap it in a ponchobefore laying it in the earth.
"No one must touch that body," old Don Juan exclaimed as he dashed uponit with incredible speed, "for it is mine."
And, thrusting Leon away, he called his son, and both, their facesinundated with tears, commenced the melancholy duty. The old man'schest heaved under the pressure of the sobs which he tried in vain tostifle. Long after the body had disappeared under the woollen ponchothat covered it, the general was unable to depart from the spot wherelay the remains of her who had been dearest to him in the world.
At length Leon made an effort, and breaking off the affecting scene,he with the help of Don Pedro, raised the corpse, which he placed inthe grave in spite of the final convulsions of grief on the part of DonJuan, who clung to the body from which he was unable to separate. Thencame the turn of the dead friends and foes who encumbered the ground.
A deep silence had presided over this mournful ceremony; two branchesof trees formed into a cross were placed over either tomb, and all wasended. During this time Wilhelm the smuggler, whom we have alreadyintroduced to the reader, and who had started with one of his comradesin search of the mustangs and mules, returned to the camp, bringingback the intelligent animals, which had come up of their own accord onhis signal.
All was soon ready for a start, but one thing still troubled Leon--thedifficulty of transporting the wounded. One of the smugglers had hisarm broken by a bullet, and was suffering atrocious pain; a lancero hada contusion on the head, and two peons were wounded in the legs. Thefatigue of the journey might prove most injurious to them.
Don Pedro himself, in spite of the firmness he displayed, was sufferingseverely from the gunshot wound in his chest; and although, thanksto the medical knowledge of Leon, who, accustomed to see blood flowin the frequent fights which he and his men carried on against thecustom-house officers, was enabled to dress a wound, each of the meninjured by the Indians had received the first necessary attention,they could not venture to travel for any length of time without danger.
Still it was absolutely necessary to get out of the difficulty, andafter selecting the horses whose pace was the easiest, a sort of littermade of thongs, skins, and ponchos was laid on their backs, and thewounded were hoisted on them, with exhortations to remain patient tillthey reached Valdivia, where they would find repose and attention.
Once these arrangements were made, Leon counted the hearty men left ofhis comrades, and ordered three to escort the two generals and ColonelDon Juan, along with Don Pedro's lanceros; then turning to the otherfive, he said to them--
"My friends, I shall require you to second me in what I am going toundertake; we are going to rescue from the Indians General Soto-Mayor'stwo daughters."
"What are we to do?" the smugglers asked; "we are ready."
"Wilhelm," said Leon, addressing one of them, "and you, Harrison, willcome with me."
"Very good, captain."
"You others," he continued, pointing to the other men who were awaitinghis instructions, "will return at once to Valparaiso; the road is along one, but you must cover it with the greatest promptitude, and Ireckon on your punctuality."
"You can."
"In eight days we shall be at Valparaiso."
"Very good. So soon as you arrive, you will collect the band, and ifCrevel has at his disposal twenty resolute fellows, you will enrolthem, and I will give you the money for the purpose; but be verycareful only to take bold companions like yourselves, and wood rangersaccustomed to a life on the Pampas. You understand me?"
"Yes, captain," said Hernandez, a tall fellow, with a hangdog face andof herculean stature, "you can feel perfectly assured."
"And where is the band to go?" his comrade Joaquin asked, as he twistedhis black moustache.
"You will return here at full speed."
"Very good, captain," Hernandez again said; "but are you going toencamp here till we come?"
"No. Harrison alone will be here, and lead you to the spot which Ishall inform him of."
"All right."
Hernandez, Joaquin, and Enrique took leave of the party, and soon foundthemselves on the road that led to Valparaiso, while the three men toldoff to serve as an escort to the generals only awaited an order fromthe latter to place themselves at their disposal.
All at once General Soto-Mayor addressed Leon, who was watching allthat went on.
"We are going," the old gentleman said, as he took a parting glance athis wife's tomb; "and I bear with me the assurance which you have givenme that you will start at once in search of my daughters."
"You can reckon on it, general; all that it is humanly possible to do Iwill do, and I hope to have succeeded within two months."
"May Heaven hear you! For my part, so soon as I arrive at Valdivia, Iwill obtain, with the help of General Don Pedro, all the informationthat may serve to discover the spot where they are; for I suspect thatthe Indians are concentrated in the vicinity of that town, the captureof which wou
ld be of such great utility to them."
"I told you, general, that I not only have the means to learn wherethey are, but also to bring them back."
"But, in that case, and if Heaven permit you to find them, how shall Ibe informed of it, and whither will you take them?"
"War is declared," Leon answered, "and possibly within a week thecommunications with Valdivia will be interrupted. It would, therefore,be the height of imprudence to try and join you in that town."
"That is true, great Heavens! But in that case what is to be done?"
"A very simple thing; so soon as I have succeeded in rescuing themfrom the Indians, I will take them both to the convent of the PurisimaConcepcion at Valparaiso."
"Yes, you are right; that is the best place for them."
"In two months, then, they will be there, or I shall be dead."
"Thanks," said the old gentleman, as he held out his hand to the youngman, who pressed it in his.
A quarter of an hour later, the little party was proceeding towardValdivia, and the only persons left in camp were Leon, Harrison,Wilhelm, and Giacomo.
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