THE MANHUNT.
So soon as the party had quite disappeared in the forest, Leon turned
to his men, who were carelessly seated round the fire and smoking their
cigarettes.
"Comrades," he said, "our expedition is about to change its course. We
have no longer to escort travellers, but must go manhunting."
"All the better," remarked Wilhelm, "I prefer that; it is a lazy trade
to act as guide to Spaniards."
"It is a trade which is sometimes dangerous, and our brave comrades who
sleep there," Leon said, pointing to one of the tombs, "are a proof of
it."
"That is true," Giacomo remarked; "but no matter; it is better to die
while smuggling a few bottles of aguardiente under the very noses of
the officers."
"However that may be," the captain resumed, "they are dead, and they
were brave fellows. As for you, listen carefully to this;--While
I, Wilhelm, and Giacomo go into the mountains to seek Indian sign,
Harrison will remain here, and await the arrival of the band under
Joaquin's orders."
"The deuce!" Harrison exclaimed; "I would sooner go about the country
with you."
"Yes, but I require that a courageous and resolute man should remain at
the meeting place I have fixed, and I could not apply to a better one
than yourself."
Leon was acquainted with the character of his comrades, and could
always manage, by the clever employment of a bit of flattery, to make
himself obeyed not only punctually but enthusiastically. Harrison, on
hearing the homage rendered by the captain to his martial virtues,
drew up his head proudly, and manifested by a certain movement of the
muscles, how flattered he felt at the good opinion Leon had of him.
"And you have done well, captain," he replied, proudly.
"You must not stir from here. As we know not what road we shall have
to follow, we will leave you our horses, which you will take care of.
Build a hut; hunt; do all that you think proper, but remember that you
must not leave the Parumo of San Juan Bautista without my orders."
"That is settled, captain; and you can start when you please. You may
remain absent six months, and be certain of finding me here on your
return."
Leon rose.
"Very good," he said; "I reckon on you."
Then he whistled to his mustang, which ran up at his call, and laid
its intelligent head on its master's shoulder to be petted. It was a
noble animal, of considerable height, with a small head, but its eyes
sparkled with animation, while its broad chest and fine nervous legs
denoted a blood horse.
Leon seized the lasso which hung from the horse's saddle, and knotted
it round his body; then, lightly tapping the croup of the animal, he
watched it retire. Wilhelm and Giacomo were provided with their weapons
and provisions, such as charqui, queso, and dried beans.
"Come let us be off," said Leon, as he laid his long rifle on his
shoulder.
"We are ready," the two men said.
"Good luck!" Harrison shouted to them, though unable to prevent a sigh
accompanying these words, which proved how vexed he was at not being
allowed to join them.
"Thanks!" his comrades replied.
On leaving the clearing they began marching in Indian file, that is to
say, one after the other, the second placing his feet exactly in the
footsteps of the first, and the third in those of the second. The last
one took the additional precaution of effacing as well as he could the
traces left by his predecessors. Harrison, after looking after them for
some time, sat down again by the fireside.
"No matter," he said, talking to himself. "I shall not have much fun
here, but what must be must."
And after this philosophic reflection he lit a cigarette, and began
quietly smoking, while eagerly following the wreaths which the smoke
produced, and inhaling its fragrance with the methodical phlegm of a
true Indian Sagamore.
In America, when a man is travelling through the Indian regions in war
time, and does not wish to be tracked by the Araucanos, he must go
North if he has business in the South, and vice versa, and behave like
a vessel which, when surprised by a contrary wind, is obliged to make
constant tacks, which gradually bring it to the desired point.
Leon Delbès was too well acquainted with the intelligence and skill of
the Indians not to act in the same way. Assuredly, his adoption by the
Araucanos, which the captain had received in the council of the chief
of the twelve Molucho tribes, rendered him sacred to the latter; but
not knowing what Indian party he might fall in with, he judged it more
prudent to avoid any encounter. Moreover, he had fought the men who had
attacked the caravan, and it would have been ill grace to claim the
benefit of his adoption after the active part which he had taken in the
struggle. Hence he had a twofold reason to act on the defensive, and
only advance with the most extreme prudence.
Fenimore Cooper, the immortal historian of the Indians of North
America, has initiated us in his excellent works into the tricks
employed by the Mohicans and Hurons, when they wish to foil the search
of their enemies; but without offence to those persons who have so
greatly admired the sagacity of young Uncas, that magnificent type of
the Delaware nation, of which he was the last hero, the Indians of the
North are mere children when compared with the Moluchos, who may be
regarded as their masters in every respect.
The reason for this is very simple and easy to understand. The Northern
tribes never really existed as a political power; each of them exercise
a separate government; the Indians composing them rarely intermarry
with their neighbours, and constantly lead a nomadic life. Hence
they have never possessed more than the instincts, highly developed
we allow, of men who incessantly inhabit the woods,--that is to say,
a marvellous agility, a great fineness of hearing, and a miraculous
length of sight, qualities, however, which are found to the same extent
among the Arabs, and generally with all wandering nations, no matter
what corner of the earth they dwell in. As for artfulness and craft,
they learned these from the wild beasts, and merely imitated them.
The South American Indians join to these advantages the remains of an
advanced civilization--a civilization which, since the conquest, has
sought a refuge in inaccessible lurking places, but for all that does
not the less exist. The tribes or families regard themselves as parts
of the same whole--the nation.
Now the aborigines, continually on terms of hostility with the
Spaniards, have felt the necessity of doubling their strength in order
to triumph, and their descendants have gradually modified whatever
might be injurious in their manners, to appropriate those of their
oppressors, and fight them with their own weapons. They have carried
these tactics--which, by the way, have saved them from the yoke up to
the present day--so far that they are thorough masters in roguery and
trickery; their ideas have been enlarged, their intellect is developed,
and they have succeeded in surpassing their enemies in astuteness and
diplomacy, if we may be allowed to employ that expression.
This is so true, that not only have the Spaniards been unable to
subjugate them during the past three hundred years, but have been
actually obliged to pay them, with more or less goodwill, an annual
tribute. Can we really regard as savages these men who, formerly driven
back by their terror of firearms and dogs--animals of whose existence
they were ignorant--to the heart of the Cordilleras, have defended
their territory inch by inch, and in some regions have reconquered a
portion of their native soil?
We know better than anybody that savages exist in America--savages in
the full meaning of the term; but these are daily disappearing from the
surface of the globe, as they have neither the necessary intellect to
understand nor the energy to defend themselves. These are the Indians
who, before being subjected to the Spaniards, were so to the Mexicans
or Moluchos, owing to their intellectual organization, which scarce
raises them above the brute.
These tribes which are but exceptions in the species, must not be
confounded, then, with the great Molucho nations of which we are
speaking, and whose manners we are describing--manners which are
necessarily being modified; for, in spite of the efforts they make to
escape from it, the European civilization, which they despise more
through hereditary hatred of their conquerors than for any other
motive, crushes and invades them on all sides.
Within a hundred years of this time the emancipated Indians, who smile
with pity at the paltry struggles carried on by the phantom republics
that surround them, will take their place in the world again and carry
their heads high. And this will be just, for they are heroic men with
richly endowed characters, and capable of undertaking and successfully
carrying out great things. We will quote in support of this statement
one fact which will speak better than words:--The best history of South
America which has been published in Spanish up to this day was written
by an Inca. Is not this conclusive?
Let us return to Leon and his two comrades Wilhelm and Giacomo. They
were three determined men. Our readers know Leon, so we will say no
more of him; but we will sketch in a few outlines the appearance of
Wilhelm and his comrade Giacomo. These worthy gentlemen, who were bound
together by a hearty friendship, formed the most singular contrast
imaginable.
Giacomo, a native of Naples, whence he escaped one morning under the
excuse that the house he lived in was too near Vesuvius, but in reality
on account of the visits paid him repeatedly by the sbirri, whom he
was not particularly anxious to see, was the real type of a lazzarone,
careless, slothful, thievish, and yet capable of extraordinary bravery,
and bursts of energy and devotion. Well built, with an intelligent and
crafty face, and endowed with far from common muscular strength, he
seemed to be born for the smuggler's trade.
Wilhelm, on the contrary, was one of those cold and systematic Germans
who do nothing save by weights and measures. Only speaking when he was
compelled, he seemed ever to be dreaming though he thought of nothing,
and concealed, under an apparent simplicity and proverbial phlegm, an
excellent disposition, and a certain amount of intelligence. He was
tall, smoke-dried, thin, and angular, and his flat face, disfigured
by the smallpox, was rendered still uglier by gimlet eyes deep set in
their orbits.
His hair, of a flaxen hue, fell in flat curls on his enormous ears,
and gave him one of those countenances which provoke hilarity. His
magnificent teeth, however, and a mouth which had a remarkably clever
expression, formed a happy diversion with the grotesqueness of his
features. He had been a member of the Cuadrilla for two years, and had
entered it, as he said, in consequence of a violent love disappointment.
On leaving the clearing, the three smugglers took the road to Talca,
which they followed the whole day; at nightfall they encamped in the
neighbourhood, and then next morning, after a hasty breakfast on a
piece of queso saturated with pimento, they went down to the bottom
of the quebrada, by clinging with hands and feet to the asperities of
the ground. Here they found themselves in a species of canyon, and
were obliged to march on the bed of a half-dried torrent, where their
footsteps left no imprint.
After two days' journeying which offered no incident worthy of mention,
our adventurers reached the beginning of the llanos of the templada
region, situated on the other watershed of the Cordilleras, which they
had just crossed.
The verdure came back, and the heat began to be felt again. Our men
were perfectly revived by this gentle and balmy atmosphere, the azure
sky and dazzling sun, which took the place of the grey sullen sky of
the Cordilleras, and the narrow horizon covered by mist and fog. On the
third day Leon perceived in the distance the green crest of a forest,
toward which he had directed his march, and gave vent to a cry of
satisfaction.
"Courage, my friends," he said to his comrades, "we shall soon have
the shadow and freshness which we want for here."
"In truth, captain, I confess that I should infinitely prefer the
slightest tree, provided that its branches afforded us means to rest
for a moment in their shadow, to a forced march with this great rogue
of a sun who burns our bones."
It was Giacomo who spoke; the poor lad seemed to be troubled by the
heat, and could scarce succeed in mopping up the perspiration which
poured down his face. It was midday, the time for the siesta, and the
ex-lazzarone, who every day of his life never failed to sacrifice an
hour to this pleasant habit, said to himself with reason, that it was
more than ever advisable to enjoy it now, because, in addition to the
hour which invited them, they were also strongly impelled by the ardent
heat which they could not guard against, and their fatigue.
"And where the deuce do you mean to take your siesta?" Leon asked.
"Don't you see, on the contrary, that we must push on in order to gain
some shelter?"
"Alas!" said Giacomo. And patiently enduring his woes, the smuggler
continued his march without uttering a word.
"Hallo!" Wilhelm suddenly exclaimed, as he stooped down, "what is this?"
And rising, he showed Leon a small gold cross hanging from a narrow
velvet ribbon.
"Maria's cross!" Leon exclaimed; "yes, I recognise it! We are on the
traces of the ravishers!"
"In that case," said Wilhelm, "we must move ahead."
Leon kissed the precious relic, and carefully hid it in his bosom.
"My lads, we must now learn where the Moluchos have sought refuge; we
are on the right track, and the forest which we perceive ahead of us
serves as a retreat for some tribe, I imagine."
Then examining with scrupulous attention the ground they trod on, they
continued to advance, seeking, but in vain, signs corroborating that of
the cross which they had found. At the end of two hours they at length
reached a spot suitable for a halt. Four magnificent royal palms, whose
branches were intertwined and formed a dome of foliage, appeared a
smiling oasis on this denuded prairie, which was burnt up by the beams
of a fiery sun.
Wilhelm and Giacomo fell asleep, but Leon remained awake, and while
inhaling the smoke of his papelito, sought to determine the direction
in which the Indians had proceeded. Suddenly a fresh idea germinated in
his brain. He remembered that, on several occasions, when conversing
with Diego, the latter had spoken of an Indian town which the Araucanos
regarded as sacred, and which no European could enter. This town was
called Garakouaïti, and was about sixty leagues from the Parumo of San
Juan Bautista, hidden in a virgin forest.
It was there, Diego had also told him, that the Moluchos hid all their
most precious articles, as they felt sure that no one would come to
find them. A secret presentiment made Leon suppose that the Indians,
after carrying off the two young ladies, must have conveyed them to
Garakouaïti as an inaccessible spot.
It was to that city, then, that he must proceed. But he remembered
that, as the entrance to the city was interdicted to Europeans, he
could not hope to obtain admission, and he sought for an excuse for
introducing himself by imagining some stratagem. As the advice of his
companions might be useful to him, he woke them, and consulted as to
the way he should contrive to enter Garakouaïti, supposing that he
discovered that city.
The means were not so easy to find, and as the most pressing thing
at present was to march toward the city, the three smugglers set out
again, while reflecting on the plan of conduct which they should
follow. All the rest of the day was passed in this way, and night
surprised them on the banks of a rather wide stream, whose proximity
the branches had hidden from them, though they had heard the murmurs of
its waters for some time past.
As it was quite dark, Leon resolved to wait till the morrow, to look
for a ford by which to cross it. They therefore halted, but through
prudence lit no fire, and the three men were soon lying on the ground,
wrapped in their ponchos. The moon was descending on the horizon, the
stars were glistening in the heavens, and Leon, whose eyes were closed
by fatigue, was on the point of falling asleep, when a strange and
unexpected sound made him start. He listened. A slight tremor agitated
the leaves bordering the stream, whose calm waters looked like a long
silver ribbon. There was not a breath of wind in the air. Leon nudged
his comrades, who opened their eyes.
"The Indians!" the captain whispered to them. "Silence."
Then, crawling on his hands and knees, he went down the bank and
entered the water. He looked round him and saw nothing; all was calm,
and he waited with fixed eye and expanded ear. Half an hour passed
thus, and the sound which had attracted his attention was not repeated.
It was in vain that he tried to pierce the obscurity; the night was so
dark, that at ten yards off he could distinguish nothing; and though he
listened attentively, no sound troubled the silence of the night.
Plunged as he was up to the waist in the water, an icy coldness
gradually spread over his whole body. At length, feeling worn out and
fancying himself mistaken, he was preparing to remount the bank, when,
just at the moment when he was about to beat a retreat, a hard log
slightly grazed his chest.
He looked down and instinctively thrust out his hand. It was the
gunwale of a canoe, which was gliding noiselessly through the reeds,
which it parted in its passage. This canoe, like nearly all Indian
vessels, was simply the stem of a tree hollowed out by the help of
fire. Leon regarded this mysterious canoe, which seemed to be advancing
without the help of any human being, and rather drifting with the
current, than being guided in a straight line. Still, what astonished
him was, that it went straight on without any oscillation. Evidently
some invisible being, an Indian probably, was directing it; but where
was he stationed, and was he alone? These facts it was impossible to
know.
The captain's anxiety was extreme; he dared not make the slightest
movement through fear of being surprised, and yet the canoe was still
there. Desirous, however, of knowing how matters really stood, Leon
softly drew his knife from his boot, and, holding his breath, crouched
down in the river, only leaving his face above water.
All at once he gave a start; he had seen flashing in the dark, like two
live coals, the eyes of a savage, who, swimming behind the canoe, was
pushing it forward with his arm. The Indian held his head above water,
and was looking about him inquiringly.
Suddenly Leon, on whom the eyes had first been fixed, leaped forward
with the activity of a panther, seized the Indian by the throat, and
before he was able to defend himself or utter a cry of alarm, plunged
his knife into his heart.
The Indian's face became black; his eyes were enormously dilated; he
beat the water with his legs and arms, then his limbs stiffened and
he sank, carried away by the current, and leaving behind him a slight
reddish track. He was dead.
Leon, without the loss of a moment, got into the canoe, and holding by
the reeds, looked in the direction where he had left his comrades. Both
had followed him, bringing with them the rifle which Leon had laid on
the ground, and which they were careful to keep above water, as well as
their own.
Then the three men, making as little noise as possible, disengaged the
canoe from the reeds which had barred its progress, and lay down in the
bottom, after placing it in mid-stream, and making it feel the current.
They went on thus for some time, believing themselves already safe from
the invisible enemies who surrounded them, when all at once a terrible
clamour broke out, and awoke the echoes.