THE SORTIE.
In all the countries of Spanish America the heat is so stifling during
midday, that the wise plan has been adopted of only travelling in the
morning and evening; that is to say, from sunrise till about half
past eleven, and from five in the afternoon till midnight. In this
way travelling is rendered far more convenient and less fatiguing for
travellers as well as for animals.
About ten o'clock at night, with the exception of the bivouac fires
lighted by the peons congregated in the yards and gardens, all the
lights were extinguished in turn in the hacienda, and a deep silence
soon reigned in this house, which, however, contained a thousand
persons, while a much larger number were temporarily quartered round
it. All were asleep, or seemed to sleep, with the exception of a few
sentries standing motionless on the walls, and who stood out distinctly
in the bright moonlight. The night, which was calm and starlit, was
only disturbed by that indistinct murmur which is never extinct, either
in city or desert, and is the incessantly ascending flood of life. At
times a distant growl, or a half stifled bark, showed that the wild
beasts had left their hidden dens and were wandering about the forest
in search of prey.
All at once, on the side where the walls were the highest and rose
perpendicularly over the precipice, a door was cautiously opened.
Through its position over the precipice, this door could not be seen by
the sentries, and the three persons who stepped through it one after
the other, ran no risk of being perceived. These persons, who seemed
perfectly acquainted with the dangerous road they were entering on,
carefully closed the gate after them, and clinging to some projections
probably arranged to facilitate the descent, descended the cliff
without any hesitation, stopping at times to draw breath, or look
inquiringly around them. The descent was a long one, for it could not
be performed directly, and the bold adventurers were compelled to keep
to their left, and often to march parallel with the gulf; but at length
they reached the bottom without accident, and took a few minutes' rest
by the side of a stream which ran silently at their feet.
Nearly opposite the spot where the bold adventurers reached the bottom
of the abyss, was the yawning mouth of a natural cavern. After taking
a parting glance above their heads, as if to feel certain that no one
had noticed their departure, and that the same tranquillity continued
to prevail in the hacienda, they disappeared in the grotto. Then the
person who marched last took off his zarapé, which he held before the
opening, while one of his companions struck a light and lit a torch of
ocote wood, a considerable pile of which was collected in a hole of the
rock. By the glare of the torch, which suddenly cast a reddish tinge
over the interior of the grotto, a spy would have easily recognized in
these three persons, Doña Emilia, her daughter, and Don Melchior.
When Doña Emilia, who held the torch, had gone far enough to prevent
the light from being seen from the outside, Don Melchior pulled down
his zarapé, and went off in his turn. The grotto had such numerous
and sudden turns, that any stranger whom chance conducted to it would
have been infallibly lost, and Doña Emilia and her companions must
have known it for a long time when they ventured to enter it. After
walking for about ten minutes, our friends reached a species of hall,
on to which six passages opened, which ran in diametrically opposite
directions probably for a great distance. This hall formed a rather
large room, in which were several clumsily made equipales, a rickety
table, and a sort of rack fastened to the wall, and filled with weapons
of every description, lances, daggers, machetes, pistols, and muskets,
with bullet bags of tapir hide and buffalo horns full of powder.
Three horses with eyes full of fire were lying on thick litter, and
vigorously munching their stock of alfalfa. On seeing their owners,
they gave a neigh of pleasure, and got up as if impatient to leave
their dark stable. Don Melchior fetched the saddles, which were
carefully arranged on a bench, and after rubbing down the noble animals
he began saddling them without a moment's delay. Five minutes later,
each of them, holding their horse by the bridle, left the circular
hall, and after some turnings reached the mouth of the grotto. This
opening, perfectly concealed by shrubs, led to a rarely visited arm
of the Río del Norte; the water flowed up to the very entrance of the
cavern, which in the rainy season it penetrated, which rendered all
investigation impossible on this side at least, and insured the secrecy
of this hiding place.
After parting the branches, the horses were led through, and Don
Melchior again concealed the fissure by which they passed out. The
travellers mounted and entered the river, following the watercourse
till they reached a somewhat distant sandy point on which they landed.
They found themselves in the heart of a dense forest, and all signs of
cultivation had disappeared.
"Now," Doña Emilia said, with a peculiar smile, as she drew up her
reins and leant over her horse's neck, "forward, and in Heaven's name!"
These were the first words uttered since leaving the hacienda; the
horses started at a gallop and disappeared beneath the foliage. We will
leave Doña Emilia for a season and return to the Hacienda del Barrio.
The two Canadians, as we have already stated, lay down on the ground,
where they at once fell asleep. The Sumach could not have stated how
long he had been slumbering, when he felt his shoulder slightly tapped.
Adventurers and wood rangers, owing to the mode of life they lead, have
an excessively light sleep; the adventurer at once opened his eyes and
saw a man leaning over him with a finger laid on his lip as if urging
silence on him.
"Quick," this person whispered; "get up and follow me."
"Well," the Canadian said to himself, "I know that where there is a
mystery there are ounces to be gained; it is a fine time to assure
one's self of the truth of the statement."
Without displaying the slightest surprise, the Sumach or Oliver,
whichever the reader likes to call him, rose from his humble couch,
carefully wrapped himself in his zarapé to guard against the night
dew, and after making certain that his pistols were still in his
girdle, and that his knife moved easily in its sheath, he followed
his mysterious conductor without any hesitation. The latter, to whom
the hacienda appeared familiar, led him through several passages and
apartments feebly lighted by smoking candles fastened to the wall, into
a room of small dimensions, completely devoid of furniture, with the
exception of two equipales and a table. This stranger, who was wrapped
up in a large cloak that completely concealed his features, opened a
dark lantern, took a glance round the room, shut the door, placed the
light on the table, sat down, and made the Canadian a sign to imitate
him.
"Sit down and let us talk," he said.
The adventurer bowed; then, with the utmost coolness he laid his
pistols on the table within reach, seated himself and rested his head
on his hands, looking cunningly the while at the stranger.
"I am quite ready to talk."
"Why do you take this precaution?" the other said, pointing to the
pistols.
"Hang it," he said, "for a very simple reason; it is that I may have an
argument handy to convince you, should our conversation grow warm."
The stranger began laughing.
"You are prudent," he said.
"Prudence is the mother of safety," the Canadian answered,
sententiously.
"I do not blame you," the stranger continued, still laughing. "I am
free to confess, indeed, that I am delighted to see you behave thus."
"In that case, all is for the best."
"As for me, look," he said, as he opened his cloak. "I have not so
much as a pin about me."
"That is easy to comprehend," said the adventurer, "for you are at
home."
"What do you mean?" the stranger asked, in surprise. "What do you know
about it?"
"I mean that you are in your own country, while I am a foreigner; that
is all."
"Ah, very good; but in order to reassure you completely, and prove to
you that I wish to deal above-board with you, look at me," he said, as
he took off the broad-brimmed hat which concealed his face.
"Father Sandoval!" the Canadian exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the
priest.
"Silence!" the latter said quickly. "Not so loud. Have you forgotten
that our interview must be secret?"
The Canadian silently shook his head, and, uncocking his pistols,
returned them to his belt.
"Why do you frown so?" the priest asked him after examining him
attentively. "Are you vexed at recognizing me?"
"Oh no, it is not that," he answered.
"What is it, then?"
"On my word, I confess that I am trying in vain to discover what you, a
person I do not know, have so secret and important to say to me."
"Are you sure of that."
"How, sure of it?" he exclaimed, with surprise.
"Yes," the priest remarked with a smile.
"Hang it," he said, "unless I have seen you in a dream, I am ready to
swear that we meet today for the first time."
"Look at me closely, my friend," he said. "Will you really swear that
you never saw me before?"
The Canadian, more and more surprised at this pressing, leant over
to the singular speaker, and, taking up the lantern, made a careful
inspection of him, which Don Pelagio permitted with the best possible
grace. At the expiration of a moment, the adventurer deposited the
lantern on the table again, and scratched his head with an embarrassed
air.
"It is strange," he said. "I now fancy that you may be in the right.
Certain of your features, to which I did not at first pay attention,
are familiar to me, though it is perfectly impossible for me to
recollect how or when chance brought us together, if, as you insist on
assuring me, we have already met."
"I do not say that we were positively acquainted, but we have met, and
remained together for two hours."
"Listen to me. I do not doubt your word, for I do not see what motive
you could have in trying to make a fool of me. You appear to me too
sober-minded a man for such jokes. Explain yourself frankly, for that
will be the only way to settle the matter."
"I see that I must do so. I should have liked to avoid it, because I
shall now appear to be compelling you to carry out a promise, by asking
of you what I wished to obtain solely from your honour and good heart."
"My worthy father, you are becoming most mysterious, and I really do
not know how all this will end."
"One word will give you the clue."
"Say it, then, at once, for deuce take me if I am not as curious as an
old woman at this moment."
"Have you forgotten the Beaver pond and the sumach to which the Pawnee
Indians fastened you, after smearing you with honey?"
The adventurer smote his forehead violently, and, hurriedly rising,
seized the priest's hand.
"¡Viva Dios!" he exclaimed warmly. "Where could my brains be, that I
should forget the features of the Christian who so generously saved
me from a horrible death? My good father, forgive me; my eyes alone
were guilty, for I have ever remembered you from the moment when you
rendered me this immense service at the risk of your life."
Father Sandoval cordially returned the adventurer's squeeze, but he
remained silent for a moment, with his eyes obstinately fixed on him,
as if trying to read his most secret thoughts.
"What!" the Canadian said hotly, "Could you doubt me? I am only a poor
devil of an adventurer, it is true, but I consider myself a man. We
wood rangers, if we are rather quick at the use of the knife and in
shooting an enemy, know better than town folk, perhaps, how to retain
the recollection of an act of kindness. Speak, father, speak without
fear. Whatever you bid me I will do. I belong to you, body and soul.
I repeat that I am entirely yours; hence, do not be afraid about
explaining yourself frankly, for I shall catch your meaning at a word."
"Indeed!" the priest at length answered. "Why should I doubt you? You
have given me no cause to suspect your loyalty. Moreover, what I wish
to ask of you, Don Oliver, is only conditional. I merely desire to
make sure of your assistance in case of need, that is all."
"Speak, speak; have I not told you that you can count on me?"
"Well, so be it. This is what I expect of you. You are going to start
in the morning. The mission I have intrusted to you is a dangerous
one, though I have strong reasons for believing that you will get out
of it safe and sound; but that is not the point at the present moment.
You are about to start, I repeat; no one knows how long you may remain
absent. For my part, I shall probably be obliged to push forward. Give
me your word that, on whatever day or hour I need you, whatever you
may be doing, when you receive a message from me summoning you, give
me your word to abandon everything instantly, and run to my help, to
aid me to the utmost of your power in the accomplishment of what I have
resolved on, and without asking me for an explanation, however grave or
terrible the matter in which I ask your support may be. Do you promise
me this? Do not answer hastily; reflect before pledging your word,
for the engagement you are going to make is serious, and may entail
consequences which it is impossible to foresee."
The Canadian listened to these words with visible impatience. When
Father Sandoval ended, he shrugged his shoulders carelessly.
"Why so much beating about the bush?" he said. "I am yours. You ask for
my word, and I give it. Now, may heaven grant me the opportunity of
fulfilling my pledge."
"Thanks! I trust, I repeat, that I may not be constrained to have
recourse to you. Still, we are bound to take our precautions. In case
of my being forced to send a messenger to you, take half this ring.
The apparently most faithful man may, at a given moment, become a
traitor; and I have learned the truth of that by sad experience. You
will only follow the man who hands you the other half of this ring,
and says, 'The hour is come--the master waits.' You will ask this man
no questions, for he will be unable to answer you, as he will know
nothing. Have you thoroughly understood me? Is this arranged?"
"All right. I understand you," the Canadian replied, as he carefully
stowed away the half ring the priest gave him. "Have you any further
recommendations to give me?"
"No. We must part now. Follow me."
They rose and left the room. After some time the Canadian found himself
again at the spot where Moonshine was lying. Father Sandoval gave the
adventurer a parting sign to be discreet, and went away.
"Hum!" the Sumach said, as he examined the sky, "I have not much time
to lose, if I want a little rest before starting."
After this reflection, he lay down again by the side of his comrade,
who still slept, and almost directly fell himself into deep slumber.