LEONA VICARIO.
El Saltillo, also called Leona Vicario, is situated about 600 miles
to the north of Mexico, in a fine and well cultivated plain. This
town which is now rich, and has a population of about 20,000, was
considerable at the period of the Spanish authority, and enjoyed some
reputation through the salubrity of its climate. But we will say
nothing about the Saltillo of today, which does not concern us; we will
merely try to give a sketch of the town at the time when our story took
place.
Like all the towns founded by the Spaniards, it is crammed with
churches, several of which are very handsome and rich. The streets are
wide, clean, and bordered by houses built of stone, a very rare thing
in Mexico, where a continued apprehension of earthquakes is felt.
Owing to the numerous springs that burst out of the ground in most of
the streets, the ground, which without that would be dry and sterile,
enjoys a certain reputation for fertility. Saltillo was at that period
the general _entrepôt_ of the Spanish trade with the redskins, who
went there to make exchanges, and supply themselves with the various
articles they needed. The population was divided into two classes: the
Spaniards, or persons who called themselves such, though the majority
of them had not probably one-eighth of European blood in their veins;
and the Tzascaltec Indians, the sole really intelligent and industrious
inhabitants of the town.
On the day when accident led the adventurer to Saltillo, the town
festival was being celebrated. In the morning after mass the clergy had
fetched with great pomp the image of the Virgin from the cathedral,
carried it through all the streets with hymns and music, and then put
it to rest in a theatre built by the side of the _acho_, or circus in
which the bullfights are held. After the siesta, several bullfights
came off to the sound of bands stationed on either side the statue of
the Virgin, then the procession continued its promenade, and finally
restored the statue to the cathedral. Immediately afterwards, an open
fair for the sale of cakes, sugarplums, and for gambling began, which
was to last a week. The governor, who generally resided at Coahuila,
the capital of the Intendancy, had come to Saltillo expressly to
witness this festival, whose reputation was great throughout the land,
and which attracted a crowd of strangers.
Our travellers entered the town about two hours after the fair had
been opened, and suddenly found themselves in a crowd of promenaders
and idlers who encumbered the streets and at some points impeded the
circulation. The little party only advanced with great difficulty
through the mob, which pressed round them on all sides, laughing,
shouting, letting off fireworks, and throwing squibs in every
direction. Naturally the further the travellers got into the heart of
the city, the greater the difficulties became, and the less easy was
it for them to advance; at last the crowd grew so compact around the
travellers, that they found it utterly impossible to advance another
step.
"The deuce take the asses with their festival," the Canadian muttered,
as he looked angrily at the living wall that stood before him; "we
cannot remain here, though, till nightfall."
"There is a way of arriving at the governor's house, if you like."
"What is it?" the other asked.
"It is to turn, back, take a side street, leave our horses at a
_mesón_, and then return on foot to mingle with the crowd. What is
impossible for a horseman in such a throng is not so to a pedestrian,
who, if he is strong, can force a passage with his elbows and
shoulders. It is true that we shall run the risk of a knife thrust; but
omelettes cannot be made without breaking the eggs, and if you really
wish to arrive, I fancy you have no other method to employ."
"¡Viva Dios! You are right this time, gossip, even if you were the
greatest liar in the whole of New Spain," the Canadian exclaimed
joyously, "and I will immediately follow your advice."
But this was not so easy to perform as the adventurer imagined. The
forced stoppage they had been constrained to make had rendered the
crowd thicker around them, so that they were literally held in a vice
by the pedestrians. Still they must deliver themselves at all risks
from this pressure, which was momentarily becoming more tremendous.
At an order from Diego López, the two peons in the rear began gently
backing their horses--for it was impossible to turn them--a movement
immediately imitated by the Canadian and his comrade, whose steeds
wheeled to the right and left with an almost imperceptible movement,
which, however, gradually enlarged the circle round them. But then,
a frightful concert of yells, oaths, and threats, began around the
hapless travellers, who in vain apologized to the people whom they
struck or crushed against the walls.
The tumult gradually attained tremendous proportions. Already could
be seen flashing in the sun the bluish blades of the long knives which
Mexicans always carry in the right boot. As Diego López predicted,
knife thrusts would soon be liberally dispensed. The position of the
travellers was becoming difficult, when suddenly a lepero, one of those
scamps such as are always to be found in a crowd, for whom an accident
of any nature is a rejoicing, unsuspectingly and probably involuntarily
freed them from their dilemma. This worthy youth had about him a stock
of squibs and crackers, which he took a delight in letting off between
the legs of women, or in the pockets of men, whom their evil star
brought within his reach. At the moment when the popular fury attained
its paroxysm, the lepero thought it a famous joke to light a squib, and
let it phizz under the nostrils of the Canadian's horse.
The animal, already terrified by the shouts which deafened it, and the
blows craftily dealt it, and now rendered mad by the fire that burned
its nostrils, reared with a snort of pain, laid back its ears, and, in
spite of the desperate efforts its rider made to hold it in, dashed
into the very thickest of the crowd, throwing down everything in its
path, and opening with its chest a wide gap, through which the other
horsemen, who were not at all desirous of being made responsible for
broken heads and women and children injured, galloped at their hardest.
There was for a moment a fearful medley. We must do the lepero the
justice to say that the effort surpassed his expectations, and that he
literally writhed with laughter, so delighted was he with the success
of his invention. He would probably have laughed much longer, had not
the horse of one of the peons, in the midst of his delight, given him
a kick which hurled him to the ground, with cloven skull and chest
trampled in.
Still, Clary was too thorough a horseman to feel afraid of being
thrown; unable to master his horse entirely, and wishing to cause the
least possible misfortune, he contented himself with turning it down
a side street, the entrance to which was about a pistol shot off. He
was lucky enough to succeed, and soon, thanks to the headlong speed
of their horses, the four riders, after whom the mob had begun to run
with yells of fury, found themselves safe from pursuit in a completely
deserted street. So soon as the horses were no longer excited, they
checked their speed, and soon fell into a moderate pace.
"¡Sangre de Cristo!" the adventurer exclaimed, so soon as he found time
to breathe, "That was sharp work; I fancied we should not get out of
it."
"Well!" said Diego López, "Your body and mine were within an ace of
becoming knife sheaths. Oh!" he added, with a shudder of retrospective
terror, "I can still feel the goose flesh."
"In truth, our position was for a moment extremely critical. Confound
the incarnate demon who dared to burn my horse's nostrils. I only hope
we have not smashed twenty of those wretches; I shall never forgive
myself if we have."
"No," the peon answered, "thank heaven, they are more frightened than
hurt. Luckily the house doors were open, and they were able to find
shelter in them; two or three at the most were injured."
"Heaven grant that the mischief is no greater; but what are we to do
now?"
"Proceed to the nearest mesón to get rid of our horses."
"I ask for nothing better; lead me there directly."
"Where are we, in the first place?" the peon said, as he looked
round to discover his whereabouts. "¡Viva Dios!" he continued at the
expiration of a moment, "We are in luck; there is a mesón a few yards
from here; come on."
They started again, and soon reached the mesón Diego López had spoken
of. Mexican hostelries are all alike, and when you know one, you know
a thousand. Travellers who bring with them their beds, provisions, and
forage for their horses are alone certain of being well served, and
wanting for nothing; those who neglect these essential precautions
run a great risk of lying on the bare ground and dying of hunger. The
landlords only supply water and a roof, and it is useless to ask them
for anything beyond that: not even a cigarette could be obtained for
any money. It is true that Mexican landlords possess one precious
quality, or, to speak more logically, four. They are thievish,
insolent, obstinate as mules, and only lodge travellers who have the
good luck to please them.
Fortunate it was that Diego López had long been acquainted with the
landlord to whose house he led his comrades. Had it not been so, they
would have run a great risk of not finding a shelter for the night.
But, thanks to the peon's omnipotent intervention, the landlord
consented to receive the travellers, and allowed them to lead their
horses to the _corral_. When the horses had been unsaddled, and a good
stock of alfalfa and maize had been laid before them, the Canadian
wrapped himself up in his zarapé, and prepared to go out.
"Where are you going?" Diego asked him.
"You know very well," he answered; "I am going to the palace."
"You are quite determined, in spite of what I said to you?"
"More than ever."
"In that case wait for me."
"What to do?"
"¡Caray! To accompany you. How do you expect to find your way through a
town you have entered today for the first time in your life?"
"That is true, and thank you."
The peon, after giving his companions orders to await his return, and
bowing courteously to the landlord, who deigned to return his salute
with a protecting air, left the mesón, accompanied by the Canadian. To
do full justice to Oliver Clary, we will allow that he was anything
but reassured as to the probable results of the step he was about to
take, and the words of the peon buzzed in his ears. He did not make the
slightest mistake as to his position, and in spite of the assurances
the count had given him, he was perfectly well aware that he ran a risk
of being hung, if the man before whom he was about to appear were such
as he had been represented.
But the adventurer was one of those men who never play fast and loose
with what they consider a duty, and who, once they have formed a
resolution, push on to the end, careless of what the consequences
may be. Hence, when Diego López, who, since he had learned that his
companion was a Catholic, felt sincerely attached to him, tried to
return to what he had told him, and counsel himself once again to defer
his visit until his master's arrival, the hunter immediately bade
him be silent, while perfectly understanding the correctness of his
reasoning, and obliged him to talk about indifferent matters.
In spite of the ever increasing crowd in the street, the two men
had no serious difficulty in making their way. It is true that they
were men who created a certain amount of respect by their muscular
appearance. Although they were obliged to advance very slowly, still in
a comparatively short period they reached the Plaza Mayor, where, owing
to its vast dimensions, they were enabled to walk more freely.
We have said that Leona Vicario was a large town, that its squares were
spacious and its streets wide. The Plaza Mayor, the largest of all,
had really a grand aspect. Two sides were lined with portales in the
shape of cloisters, lined with shops where goods of every description
were sold; of the two other sides, one was occupied by the cathedral,
the other by the _Cabildo_, or Town Hall. In the centre of the square
rose a monumental fountain, from which burst a clear and limpid stream
of water. This fountain was surrounded by posts, fastened together by
bronze chains of rather curious workmanship. Attracted by the fair, a
multitude of peddlers had installed themselves in the square, vending
all sorts of rubbish to the mob which pressed around them.
The two men who entered the square by the Calle de la Merced, were
obliged to go to the further extremity in order to reach the cabildo,
which was the temporary residence of the governor general of the
intendancy. The cabildo was at this period (I do not know if it be
still in existence) a building in a heavy and paltry style, built of
stone, and having tall, straight, narrow windows, defended by heavy
iron bars. Two lancers were walking with a most weary air in front of
the principal gate, which was thrown wide open, and gave access to the
interior by a flight of five steps.
"We have arrived," said Diego López, as he stopped in front of the ugly
building we have just described.
"At last!" the adventurer answered, as he looked curiously about him.
"¡Caray! I was beginning to fancy that we should never reach our
journey's end."
"Here we are; as you insisted on my leading you hither, I have done so."
"And I thank you for doing it, gossip; now that you have honourably
performed the far from agreeable task entrusted to you, leave me to my
own business, and go and amuse yourself at the fair."
"Hang me if I do anything of the sort," the peon answered; "I am too
sorrowful."
"Nonsense! Why bother yourself so? All will finish, I feel convinced,
much better than you have supposed."
"That is possible, and I wish it may be so, but I confess that I do not
expect it; I will not attempt to dissuade you anymore; a fool cannot be
prevented from committing folly."
"Thank you," the adventurer said with a laugh. The other shook his head
mournfully.
"I am going to watch for my master," he continued; "he has great
influence over the governor, and, if you are not hanged, I hope he will
save you."
"I hope too that I shall not be hanged."
"_¿Quién sabe?_" the peon muttered.
The Canadian, who was not particularly pleased by these ill-omened
prognostics, hastened to take leave of his croaking companion.
The latter looked after him until he disappeared in the cabildo,
after exchanging a few words with the sentry; then he returned very
thoughtfully to the mesón, muttering--
"I don't care; I will not start till I know whether he is hung; it is
surely the least I can do for a good Catholic like him."