AN INDIAN VENGEANCE.
It was a frightful thing to see Diego's headlong gallop along the road
from Valparaíso to Santiago. In the shadows of the night, the shapeless
group of the horse, and the two human beings it bore, made the sparks
fly out of the pebbles on the road. The animal's powerful hoofs bounded
along, pounding everything that they settled on, while its outstretched
head cleft the air. Its ears were erect, and from its open nostrils
issued jets of steam which traced long white tracks in the darkness.
The horse dashed along, uttering snorts of pain, and biting between
its clenched teeth the bit which was covered with foam, while blood
and perspiration poured from its flanks, which were torn by the spurs
of its impatient rider. And the greater its speed grew, the more Diego
tortured it, and tried to make it go faster. The trees, the houses, and
rocks disappeared with an extraordinary rapidity on either side of the
road.
Inez, half dead at the moment when the half-breed dragged her from
the convent, felt herself recalled to life by the movement which the
horse imparted to her body. Her long hair trailed in the dust, and
her eyes, raised to heaven, were bathed in tears of despair, grief,
and powerlessness. At the risk of dashing out her brains against the
stones, she made extraordinary efforts to escape from her ravisher's
arms.
But the latter, fixing on her a glance whose expression revealed
ferocious joy and lubricity, did not appear to notice the horror which
he caused the maiden; or rather, he appeared to derive from it a source
of indescribable pleasure. His contracted lips remained dumb, and only
at intervals allowed a shrill whistle to pass, destined to redouble the
ardour of his steed, which, exasperated by the pressure of its rider,
hardly touched the ground, as it were, and devoured the space like the
fantastic courser in the German ballad.
"Stay, child," Diego said, suddenly, as he raised Inez on his horse's
neck, and compelled her to look at a country house which they were
passing; "here is your father's house, the haughty General Soto-Mayor,
call him to your assistance."
And a savage grin succeeded these words.
"Father!" the maiden cried, whom he had freed from her
gag--"father!--father!"
This cry died away in hollow echoes, and the house disappeared again
in the dizziness of this mad ride and the horse still galloped on.
Suddenly Inez, collecting all her strength, leaped forward with such
vivacity that her feet were already touching the ground, but Diego was
on his guard, and ere she had regained her balance, he stooped down
without checking his horse, and seizing the maiden by her long hair,
he raised her, and placed her again before him. A sob burst from Inez'
chest, and she fainted.
"Oh! you will not escape me," the half-breed shouted; "I have you, and
no one in the world will be able to tear you from my hands!"
In the meanwhile, day had succeeded darkness; the sun rose in all
its splendour, and myriads of birds saluted the return of the light
by their joyous carols. Nature was awakening gaily, and the sky of a
transparent azure, promised one of those lovely days which the blessed
climate of South America has alone the privilege of offering.
A fertile and deliciously diversified landscape stretched out on either
side of the road, and became blended with the horizon. The maiden's
lifeless body hung on either side of the horse, following all the
joltings which it imparted; with her head thrown back, and covered with
a livid pallor, eyes closed, lips blanched and parted, teeth clenched,
neck bare, and bosom heaving, she palpitated under the large hand of
the Vaquero, which pressed heavily upon her.
At length they reached a devastated hacienda, in which a hundred
Indians, painted for war, were encamped. Tahi-Mari gave a signal,
and a horse was brought him. It was high time, for the one which had
borne him from Valparaíso hardly halted ere it fell, pouring from
mouth, nostrils, and ears a flood of black thick blood. Diego got into
the saddle again, caught up the maiden in his arms, and prepared to
continue his journey.
The Indians, who doubtless only awaited the coming of their chief,
imitated his example, after throwing a few flaming logs upon the roof
of the hacienda, in order to leave a trace of their passage. Ere long
the whole band, at the head of which Diego placed himself, dashed
forward, surrounded by the cloud of dust which they raised.
After a few hours' ride, whose rapidity surpasses all description, the
Indians saw the lofty steeples of the capital of Chili standing out
on the horizon, beneath a cloud of smoke and fog which hung over the
city. The Araucanos turned slightly to the left, galloping through the
fields, and trampling down the rich crops that covered them. In about
half an hour they reached the first Indian sentries, and they soon
found themselves within the camp of the twelve Molucho tribes.
Let us examine for a moment the state in which the war was. As we
have already said, after several sanguinary combats, the Chilians,
suddenly attacked by the Araucanos, who had invaded their territories
on all sides at once, to the number of 200,000, had been, in spite of
prodigies of valour, completely defeated and compelled to retreat.
The Moluchos had surprised their enemies without giving them time
to assemble. The population of Chili was only composed, at that
time, of two million and a half, scattered over a territory of vast
extent, nearly as large as Germany. The towns are very remote from
each other, and the means of transport are almost unknown. We can
therefore understand the difficult position in which the besieged found
themselves.
The Chilian army, which should be composed of 10,000 men, never
consists of more than 7,000, scattered through distant garrisons;
and for that very reason it is very difficult to assemble it under
pressing circumstances. The soldiers, usually recruited by force,
are, as a rule, thorough scamps, whom peaceful people fear as much as
the Indians, for they know that when they pass into a province they
plunder, burn, and violate absolutely as if they were in a conquered
country. Hence the government only quarters a very small number in
the great centres of population, removes them as far as possible, and
subdivides them so as to be able to keep them under more easily, and
never allows a whole regiment to remain in the same province at once.
What became of this organization when the Araucanos declared war? The
Chilian government, attacked simultaneously on all sides, was unable,
in spite of all its efforts, to collect a force sufficiently imposing
to boldly face the Indians and drive them back. Hence, the only chance
was to check their advance by harassing them and having outpost fights,
by means of which it was hoped that they might be discouraged, and
induced to return to their forest fastnesses.
These tactics were certainly good, and had often been employed
successfully. This time again they would have, in all probability,
succeeded, through the military science and discipline of the
Spaniards, if they had not had to contend against this countless mass
of Indians, and above all, if the latter had not been commanded by
Tahi-Mari. The Molucho chief had not indulged in idle boasting when he
told the Ulmens of the twelve nations that he was acquainted with all
the resources of the Spaniards, and was certain of conquering them.
In fact, after dashing on Valdivia like a starving tiger on the prey it
covets, his road as far as Santiago had been one triumphant progress,
in which he overthrew, destroyed, and plundered everything, and left
behind him a long sanguinary track, marked at intervals by numerous
horribly mutilated Spanish corpses. Advancing with a sword in one hand
and a torch in the other, this modern Attila wished to reconquer the
Chilian territory by wading up to his knees in Spanish blood.
Nothing was sacred to him, neither age nor sex; old people, women
and children, were pitilessly tortured. The twenty years which he
had spent in traversing the various countries of America had proved
of service to him, by familiarizing him with strategic ideas and the
mode of employing military forces, through watching the manoeuvres and
exercises of the Spanish armies, whose entire strength consisted in
skilful tactics. Tahi-Mari's first care, therefore, was to employ the
ideas which he had acquired in introducing a species of discipline in
the ranks of the Moluchos.
The Chilians no longer understood the method of fighting the Indians.
They no longer had the skirmishes to which they were accustomed, but
real battles, fought according to all the rules of warfare, whose
observance on the part of Araucanos beyond measure surprised them.
In this way victors and vanquished had arrived beneath the walls of
Santiago. The Indians, after pushing on a reconnoisance even in the
suburbs of the city, had boldly halted a short distance from its gates,
and were bravely preparing for a storm. A frightful terror had seized
on the inhabitants of Santiago. The richer emigrated in crowds, while
the rest prepared, like the troops, to offer a vigorous resistance.
The President of the Republic had smiled disdainfully, when he saw from
the ramparts the enemy getting ready for a serious attack; but when
he had distinguished the perfect concord with which this multitude
acted--with what skill the posts were established--taking advantage
of the slightest accident of ground, and only operating with the most
consummate prudence; selecting with discernment the weakest spots of
the fortress, and holding the river Mapucho above and below the city,
so as to let no succour or provisions reach it--his forehead became
wrinkled with anxiety, and a deadly fear seized upon him; for he
understood that his enemies were guided by an experienced chief, whose
military genius would easily overcome the obstacles opposed to him,
if time were granted him to take his measures and establish himself
securely in the position which he occupied.
It was then that the President of the Republic, no longer doubting
the imminence of the danger which the country was incurring, made an
energetic appeal to the patriotism of the Chilians; an appeal to which
they responded enthusiastically by hurrying up from all sides to range
themselves under his banner. But time was needed for this succour to
arrive, and to come the enormous distances that separated it from the
capital. In order to gain this time, the president feigned a desire to
treat with the Indians, and pave the way for negotiations.
The redskins had established their camp in the smoking ruins of
the charming country houses which surrounded the city, and whose
magnificent gardens, now, alas! devastated, seemed to make Santiago
stand out from a basket of flowers. Nothing could be conceived so
filthy, repulsive, and frightful as the appearance of this camp,
forming a girdle round the city. It was hopeless to look for parallels
or covered ways; not even a sentry could be seen watching over the
common safety.
The camp was open on both sides, and at first sight it might have been
supposed deserted, had not the dense smoke rising from the wigwams,
made of branches and erected without any apparent order, proved that it
was inhabited. A gloomy silence prevailed day and night in this strange
camp, and no human being was visible there.
The Chilians, though thoroughly acquainted with the crafty character of
their enemies, had allowed themselves to be trapped by this semblance
of neglect and carelessness. Two days after the Moluchos sat down
before the city, a strong Chilian patrol, consisting of two hundred
resolute men, left the city about midnight; and, deadening the sound
of their footsteps as far as possible, advanced into the very centre
of the camp without being disquieted. Everybody seemed asleep, and no
sentinel had given the alarm. The leader of the expedition, satisfied
with the result which he fancied he had obtained, was preparing to
return to Santiago to report the result of his reconnoisance to the
besieged, when, on turning back, he found every line of retreat
interrupted, and a countless swarm of Indians surrounding him.
The officer who had fallen into the trap did the only thing that was
left him: he fell bravely at the head of the men whom he commanded. On
the next morning, at sunrise, two hundred heads, scalped and horribly
disfigured, were thrown by the Moluchos over the walls of Santiago. The
Chilian Spaniards took the hint, and did not repeat the experiment.
When Tahi-Mari entered the camp with his band, the Indians flocked up
tumultuously, and received him with loud yells of delight. He made them
a sign of thanks, and without checking his pace, went toward his lodge,
in the doorway of which Shounon-Kouiretzi, crouching on his heels, was
gravely smoking. On seeing the commander he said--
"Tahi-Mari is a great chief; is he contented with his journey?"
"Yes," Diego replied, laconically. "My brother will watch at my door,
and allow no one to enter."
"My brother can trust to me; no one shall enter." And the Indian began
smoking again, impassively. Diego went in, carrying Inez, wrapped up in
a poncho. After removing her bonds, he laid her on some sheepskins,
thrown in a corner of the hut, which served him as a bed. Then he
fetched a calabash of water and dashed the contents in her face, but
Inez still remained motionless.
On seeing this, Diego bent down and devoted to her the greatest
attention, in order to recall her to her senses; anxiously consulting
her pulse, raising her in his arms, tapping her hands, and employing,
in a word, all the means usual for restoring a fainting person. For a
long time his efforts were sterile, and life seemed to have abandoned
the poor girl for ever.
"Can she be dead?" Diego muttered.
And he began attending to her again. At length a sigh burst from Inez's
bosom, she languishingly opened her eyes and uttered a few broken words
in a faint voice. All at once she rose.
"Where am I?" she screamed.
Diego, without answering, fell back into a dark corner of the lodge,
and fixed a serpent glance upon her.
"Where am I?" she repeated. "Maria! sister! how I am suffering! Oh,
Heaven!"
Her memory gradually returned, and everything flooded back to her mind.
Then a shudder of terror agitated all her limbs, her haggard eyes
wandered around, and she perceived Diego.
"Oh, that man!" she said, as she hid her face in her hands. "I am lost!
Great God, I am lost!"
Diego issued from his corner, and with his eyes fixed on her, slowly
advanced toward her. Fascinated by the half-breed's sparkling glance,
she fell back step by step, with her arms stretched out, and displaying
signs of the most violent terror.
"Leave me, leave me!" she murmured. She thus reached the walls of the
hut, clung to the intertwined branches, and stood motionless, while
still looking at her persecutor, who walked toward her with an ironical
smile.
"Leave me!" she repeated, unable to offer Diego any other resistance
but her tears and her despair. But he was not the man to be affected.
"Leave you!" he answered; "do you fancy that I brought you all this
distance to restore you innocent and pure to those who are dear to you?
Undeceive yourself; henceforth you belong to me, and you will not leave
this spot till you have nothing left to refuse me."
"Oh, mother, mother!"
"Your mother is dead, and no one can come to your assistance--do you
hear; no one?"
"In that case, kill me," Inez cried, as she threw herself at the
half-breed's feet.
"No! it is your honour, not your life, that I must have."
"But what have I done to you? Great Heaven, I am only a poor girl, and
you cannot be so cruel to me without a motive."
"No, you have done nothing to me, and I feel for you neither hatred
nor love; but you are the daughter of General Soto-Mayor. Your family
dishonoured mine, and you will be dishonoured to expiate the crimes of
your relatives."
"Oh, that is frightful; you will not act thus, because you know very
well that I am innocent."
"Your ancestor dishonoured the wife of my grandfather, and she has
still to be avenged."
"Mercy, mercy!"
"No! eye for eye, and tooth for tooth!--for you the shame, for me the
vengeance!"
"In your mother's name, pity!"
"My mother!"
This word produced such an impression on the half-breed that he bounded
with rage, and his face assumed a fresh expression of rage and fury.
"Ah, you speak to me of my mother! Mad girl! you do not know, then,
that she found herself one day in the path of a Soto-Mayor, and that he
brutally and cowardly plunged her into ignominy in order to satisfy a
moment of brutal desire?"
"Oh, Heavens!" Inez sobbed.
"You do not know that while the poor woman was grovelling in despair at
his feet, and imploring him, in the name of her God, to spare her, the
villain laughed and caught her in his arms. Do you now understand why I
forbid you invoking my mother's name?"
"Oh, I am lost!" Inez said, broken-hearted. "For the man who avenges
himself on the child of his enemy has no heart."
"Yes, you are lost! But if you fancy that my revenge, in seizing you,
has spared your father, you are mistaken, for he died by my hand."
"Woe! woe!" the girl shrieked, mad with grief.
"Yes, crushed by my blows, as I will crush all those of your race! No,
you will not escape me! It is now your turn to cry and groan--your turn
to implore in vain."
And, with the howl of a wild beast, the Indian, whose eyes were
bloodshot, and his mouth foaming, rushed frenziedly at Inez and hurled
her back on the sheepskins. Then ensued a horrible and nameless
struggle, in which the groans of the victim were mingled with the wild
panting of the savage. Inez resisted with the violence of despair, but
soon, crushed by the half-breed's grasp, she lay helpless, left to the
mercy of the man who had sworn her dishonour.
* * * *
"Brother," said Long-Scalp, appearing in the doorway, "two Spanish
chiefs, followed by several lanceros have come to offer propositions of
peace to the toqui of the twelve nations."
"Who are the chiefs?" Diego asked.
"General Don Pedro and Colonel Don Juan de Soto-Mayor," the Indian
replied.
A smile of triumph played round the half-breed's lips.
"Let them come! let them come!" he said.
"Does my brother, Tahi-Mari, consent to receive them?"
"Yes," Diego continued, assuming his Indian stoicism. "My brother will
assemble the great chiefs around the council-fire, and I will come
thither."
Shounon-Kouiretzi bowed and retired.
"The betrothed and the brother. They have arrived too late," Diego
said, so soon as he was alone.
And he left the hut, in order to preside at the council. Inez was
motionless on the couch of Tahi-Mari, the great chief of the Araucanos.