IN THE HANDS OP SPANISH GUERILLAS
In addition to his alarm, Ridge was overcome with a guilty knowledge of
having fallen asleep while on guard. Of course, he felt certain that
he had only closed his eyes for a minute; but in that minute something
dreadful, for which he was responsible, had happened. He had no idea
what it was, but imagined the worst, and was greatly relieved to hear
the voice of his prisoner-comrade at his side.
"What on earth--" he began; but just then Señorita dashed up to him in
a state of terror, and for the moment demanded his attention. As he
soothed her he called loudly for Dionysio, but there was no response.
"I am afraid he has escaped," said the young Spaniard, in rather a
faint voice, from the ground, to which he had dropped exhausted by
weakness and the intense strain of the past few hours. "He tried to
kill me, you know."
"Tried to kill you!" exclaimed Ridge, incredulously. "But wait a
moment. We must have a light. This darkness is awful."
Thus saying, he stepped to where a few coals of the camp-fire still
smouldered, and began to throw on sticks, which, after a little
coaxing, sprang into a bright blaze. By its light he detected two dark
forms lying motionless a short distance away, and, with pistol held
ready for action, went to discover their nature.
"Navarro must have been dreaming, or else greatly mistaken," he said to
himself, "for here is Dionysio fast asleep. Come, wake up!" he cried
aloud, at the same time prodding the prostrate form with his toe. As
there was no response, he stooped to give the sleeper a vigorous
shaking; but almost with the first touch he sprang back in horror. The
man lay on his back, but with his head so twisted about that only its
rear portion was visible, and Ridge instinctively knew that he was
dead. The other motionless form was that of a dead horse, the one
recently ridden by Lieutenant Navarro.
Having made this ghastly discovery, Ridge hastily returned to the hut
to gain from his companion an explanation of what had happened,
"I could not sleep," said the young Spaniard, in answer to his
inquiries, "though I lay still and tried hard to do so, until, by your
heavy breathing, I discovered that you were no longer awake."
"I am awfully ashamed of myself," said Ridge.
"It is not to be wondered at," rejoined the other, consolingly. "You
had not so much at stake as I, for only my life was threatened.
Somehow, I felt certain that the black fiend who thirsted for my blood
was also lying awake, and would make an attempt to kill me in my
hammock before morning. So, without disturbing you, I moved to the
back of the hut and waited for him. It must have been an hour before
the horses began to give signs of great uneasiness, and then one of
them fell. I suppose he must have killed it."
"Yes," said Ridge, "I reckon he did, since it now lies dead, and
bleeding from a stab behind the left fore-shoulder."
"I imagined something of the kind," continued the other, "but still
thought it safer for both of us not to disturb you. So I waited, more
keenly alert than before, but heard nothing, until I saw him slowly
rise and stand beside my hammock. The blow that he dealt it would have
cut me in two had I still occupied it; and, with this discovery of his
design, I fired three shots, one of which, I think, must have hit him.
At any rate, he uttered a great cry and staggered away."
"After that," said Ridge, "he must have tried to escape on my horse,
which probably flung him over her head and broke his neck. Didn't you,
old girl?"
Had Señorita possessed the power of speech, she would certainly have
answered "Yes," for that was exactly what had happened.
"At any rate," continued the young trooper, with a sigh of relief, "I
am mighty glad my neglect of duty did not result more seriously. At
the same time we are left in an awkward shape for continuing our
journey."
"How so?" asked the other. "I am not afraid to walk."
"But I have lost my guide."
"You have lost one and gained another, who will serve you with equal
skill, since I know very well the road to Jiguani."
"Of course you must know it," replied Ridge. "How stupid of me not to
remember! and, as we can take turns at riding my horse, we shall
doubtless get along all right."
There was no more sleep for either of the young soldiers that night;
and by earliest dawn, having already eaten their frugal breakfast of
roasted yams--an article of diet of which Ridge was becoming heartily
tired--they set forth on the road to Jiguani.
As they were already on the southern slope of the mountains and
descending into a broad valley, they made such rapid progress, by
alternately riding and walking, that the sun had not passed its
meridian when they reached the Cauto--the longest river in Cuba. There
was formerly a small settlement at the crossing, but it had long since
been destroyed, and now only presented the sight, so common in Cuba, of
charred ruins devoid of human presence. There was neither bridge nor
boat, but Lieutenant Navarro declared the river fordable at this point.
Ridge regarded dubiously the chocolate-colored flood already swollen by
the first of the summer rains, and wished that they had at least two
horses with which to cross it. As they had not, and as nothing was to
be gained by delay, he took his companion up behind him, and Señorita,
thus doubly burdened, plunged bravely into the stream. Until they were
half-way across all went well, the mare cautiously feeling her way, and
the water not reaching more than to her belly, Then, without warning,
she dropped into a hole so deep that the turbid current closed above
the heads of her riders as well as her own.
Reappearing on the surface, the mare struck out for shore, with Ridge
swimming beside her, and the young Spaniard, who was a poor swimmer,
clinging desperately to her tail. Fortunately the channel into which
they had plunged was so narrow that within two minutes they had reached
its farther side in safety, and could once more touch bottom. Wading
up-stream to a point where the road left the river, they emerged from
the water, soaked and dripping, but thankful to have met with no worse
harm than a ducking.
As Ridge turned to laugh at the forlorn appearance presented by his
companion, the latter uttered an exclamation of dismay, and at the same
moment they were surrounded by half a dozen as villainous-looking
ruffians as our troopers had yet seen in Cuba. His heart sank within
him. Again was he a prisoner with the prospect at least of having his
journey seriously delayed. In the confusion of the moment he did not
note that those into whose hands he had fallen wore blouses and
trousers of blue drilling traversed by narrow, vertical stripes of
white, the campaign uniform of the Spanish army in Cuba; but his
companion instantly recognized it, and demanded, with a tone of
authority, "Who commands here?"
"I do," replied the most ill-favored of the crew, stepping forward.
"You are a guerilla, are you not?"
"A captain of irregular cavalry, señor. And you?"
"I," replied the lieutenant, "am a major of regulars, attached to the
staff of General Luis Pando, and on an urgent mission to Jiguani. My
horse was killed by insurgents this morning, and I had a narrow escape,
leaving one of them dead."
"Which is the reason that two of you rode one horse in crossing the
river, and so led me to mistake you for 'mamby?'" [1] said the guerilla
captain.
"Very likely, sir, though I can't be accountable for your mistakes.
Now you may let your men make a fire by which we can dry ourselves, and
you may also have food prepared, for we are hungry."
"But your friend, Major, who is he?" asked the other, scanning Ridge's
brown canvas uniform doubtfully.
"None of your business, sir. Let it be sufficient that he is my
friend, and do as I bid you without further words."
At this Discipline, even though suspicious, yielded to the voice of
Authority, and the guerilla made surly announcement that both fire and
food were close at hand.
This proved true; for, on gaining the face of the bluff, our friends
found themselves in the presence of some twenty more guerillas, who
were gathered about fires, cooking and eating strips of meat from a
recently butchered steer. Their horses were picketed close at hand,
and beyond them grazed a herd of small wild-looking Cuban cattle. For
these this detachment of "beef-riders" had scoured the country-side,
and they were now returning with them to Jiguani. A scout from this
party, patrolling the river-bank, had notified the captain that
strangers were about to cross from the other side, and he had thus been
enabled to prepare for their reception.
He was evidently disappointed that they and their belongings could not
be seized as prizes of war, and manifested this by the envious glances
that he cast at Señorita as well as upon the weapons that Ridge was
drying and cleaning. Especially was the young trooper's rifle an
object of longing admiration, and, after a critical examination, the
captain even went so far as to offer to buy it; but Ridge refused to
part with the gun, whereupon the man turned sulky, and declined to hold
further intercourse with him.
After a while the whole party again took the road, Lieutenant Navarro
riding a spare horse that he had "requisitioned" from the guerilla
leader. The latter rode with his guests at the head of the
advance-guard, and Ridge noticed that, as two scouts were still in
front of them, while others of the guerillas rode on either side, they
were completely surrounded, and practically prisoners. He suggested as
much to his companion, but the latter only smiled, and said:
"What matters it, so long as we are safely escorted to Jiguani?"
"But I don't want to go there."
"True. I had forgotten. You wish to proceed to Enramada, where I am
to join you."
"Yes, on the second day from now."
"With only slight delay we might travel together."
"I have reasons for preferring to go alone."
"You will be in danger from the Cubans."
"Ask your guerilla captain if he thinks so."
The latter said he did not believe there were any insurgents on the
Enramada road just then, since their chief, General Garcia, had
withdrawn from Bayamo, and was understood to be collecting his entire
force near El Cobre, in the Sierra Maestra, or southern coast range.
"Very well, then," said Ridge. "I desire to leave you as soon as we
come to the Enramada road, and I wish that you would inform your
guerilla friend that I propose to do so."
"I will do better; for when we reach the forks, which will be shortly,
I will order you to take the one to the left, while we keep to the
right, and he will not dare attempt to detain you."
But the guerilla, who had determined to possess himself of Ridge's
horse and rifle, did dare do that very thing. Thus, when at the
forking of the roads the order was given as proposed, and Ridge started
to obey it, the captain whipped out a pistol, and declared that the
stranger must accompany him into Jiguani for examination before the
authorities.
At this our young trooper clapped spurs to Señorita, flung himself flat
on her back, and dashed away on his chosen road, followed by a
scattering volley of pistol-shots, and by four of the best mounted
among the guerillas, who, at their captain's command, sprang after him
in hot pursuit.
[1] Derisive term applied by Spaniards to Cuban insurgents.