SOTAVENTO MAKES A MOVE.
We will now go back a little way, and return to one of our characters,
whose part has hitherto been secondary, but whom events suddenly place
almost in the first rank. In one of the preceding chapters we recounted
how Sotavento, concealed in a closet, overheard Count de Melgosa's
conversation with Don Aníbal, and then with Father Pelagio Sandoval.
When these three gentlemen had left the room, the worthy majordomo left
his hiding place, revolving in his brain projects whose result we shall
soon witness.
Sotavento enjoyed his master's entire confidence. His employment as
majordomo frequently compelled his absence from the house at all hours
of the day and night, hence, instead of hiding his departure, it was an
easy matter for him to leave the hacienda openly, and he often remained
absent for days, while nobody dreamed of asking him to account for his
conduct.
At the haciendas, the majordomo is generally entrusted with the
inspection of the _capatases_ and _caporales_, who govern the peons
guarding the horses and cattle on the vast dependencies of the estate;
we say vast, because they frequently extend for a radius of five
and twenty or thirty leagues round the hacienda. This surveillance
is the more necessary because the vaqueros, left almost entirely to
themselves, do not scruple to kill the oxen for the sake of selling
the hides, or allow travellers to carry off the best horses in the
manada for a trifling sum; all which, as may be supposed, is highly
prejudicial to the interests of the owner.
Sotavento, after leaving the closet, went to the corral, lassoed his
horse, saddled and led it into the patio. At the moment when he was
about leaving the hacienda, he found himself face to face with his
master, who, after leading his guest to the apartment prepared for him,
was returning to take part in the conference of the conspirators.
"Are you going out, Sotavento?"
"Yes, mi amo," the latter answered; "I was informed this morning that
several tigers have been seen in the Bajio de los Pinos, and that they
have already caused great ravages among the ganado. I am going myself
to see that the tigreros are about, and why they have not yet freed the
country from these ferocious brutes, which are the more formidable
because shearing time and the matanza del ganado are close at hand."
"That is true. I cannot understand the negligence of our tigreros, and
yet, I think, they are paid handsomely for each jaguar skin?"
"Fifteen piastres, Excellency."
"Pray, Sotavento, do not spare the rascals, but treat them as they
deserve. It is really scandalous that, being paid so well, they display
such negligence in the performance of their duty."
"Your Excellency can trust to me."
"I know, my friend," the hacendero answered kindly, "how thoroughly you
are devoted to me. When do you intend to return, for we shall want you
here?"
"I know that, Excellency, and hence I shall make haste. Still, as I
must pass by the Cerro Azul, on my homeward route, to have a look at
the large wood felling you have ordered, I cannot be back till tomorrow
night, or the next morning at the latest."
"Well, my friend, act for the best. I trust entirely to you."
Sotavento bowed to his master, who entered the house, and immediately
quitted the hacienda. The day was nearly spent, the declining sun only
emitted oblique rays, which were almost devoid of heat. The majordomo
followed for some time and at a moderate pace the route to the Bajio
de los Pinos, but when the hacienda had disappeared behind a thick
belt of trees, and the horseman no longer feared being watched by any
curious person who had remained on the walls to notice his movements,
he stopped, looked suspiciously around to make sure that he was really
alone, bent over his horse's neck to catch the slightest sound that
might strike his ear, and remained motionless for several minutes.
It is especially in the great American forests that our European
proverb, with a slight modification, is perfectly applicable. We may
say that the trees have ears, and the leaves eyes. The wood rangers
are well aware of this; hence, unless they are at an entirely open
spot, they generally speak low in monosyllables, or substitute signs
for language. As for the mode of travelling in the forests, we have
described it too often to require to dwell on it here.
This time Sotavento was alone. He saw nothing suspicious, and no
extraordinary sound reached his ear. We purposely employ the expression
"extraordinary sound," because, to a man accustomed to a forest life,
all sounds have a meaning which he thoroughly knows, and about which
he is never mistaken. Thus he can recognize the sighing of the wind
among the leaves, the motion of the branch touched by a bird, the
murmur of invisible water over pebbles, the rustling of a bush, or the
undulation of the tall grass owing to the passage of wild beast; the
buzzing of the mosquitoes over a pool, as well as many other sounds
too numerous to mention here, such as the rolling of a stone detached
from a mountain, or the footstep of a man on the dry leaves. This
science, which it is difficult to learn thoroughly, requires sustained
attention, lengthened experience, and, above all, well-tried patience,
qualities only possessed by the redskins and white men who have given
up civilized life to lead a desert existence.
The majordomo, certain that he had no espionage to dread, drew himself
up, settled down on his saddle, and whispered to his horse the one
word "Santiago," which, in the Spanish language, serves to excite a
steed. He started at full speed, holding slightly to his right and
insensibly approaching the river, whose yellow waters ran a short
distance off between two low and sandy banks. On reaching the bank,
the majordomo rode along it for two or three leagues, examining the
ground with the most scrupulous attention, and apparently seeking some
sign which he was unable to discover. At length he halted, and, after
a momentary hesitation, entered the river and crossed it obliquely,
having the water only up to his horse's chest in the deepest part.
What the majordomo so long sought, and at length found, was a ford.
Under other circumstances it is probable that Sotavento would not have
hesitated to make his horse swim the river, but this time he had a long
distance to go, and wished to save the animal's strength.
So soon as he reached the opposite bank, he started again at a gallop,
continuing to follow the river, and rapidly proceeding toward a forest
which stood out on the horizon. On crossing the river, Sotavento had
entered the territory of the independent Indians, which fact, however,
did not appear at all to trouble him; on the contrary, his demeanour
became bolder, and his eye was lit up with a savage gleam. The sun
disappeared in a gold and purple mist at the moment when Sotavento
reached the forest, which he entered without checking his horse's pace.
At length, after a ride which went on thus at a tremendous pace for
at least four hours, the majordomo reached the foot of a rock covered
with lichen and green moss, which stood alone in the centre of a
considerable clearing, probably made by the redskins during their
hunting excursions, in order to procure game more rapidly. This burning
must have been recent, for the earth retained a black hue, and traces
of fire were still visible all around.
Sotavento halted. Nothing checked the view for three or four leagues
round, but all was bare and gloomy. Still the majordomo had no
intention of stopping at this place, for, after allowing his horse
to breathe for ten minutes, he whistled to it and started again at a
gallop. This time he did not ride for more than three hours, but his
horse was worn out and stumbled at every step. It was covered with
perspiration, a thick steam escaped from its nostrils which dilated
convulsively, and it panted fearfully. The majordomo was as cool and
calm as when he left the hacienda. This man was of iron; neither
fatigue nor heat had any power over him. For about an hour he had been
riding in the darkness along scarcely traced paths, on which he guided
himself as easily as if walking about the streets of a town in broad
daylight. He at last reached a spacious clearing, where he halted and
dismounted. His horse was scarce able to stand on its trembling limbs.
The majordomo gave it a glance of pity.
"Poor Negro!" he muttered, as he patted it gently, "You are almost
foundered."
He took off the bridle and raised the stirrups, but, before he left the
horse at liberty to seek its forage, he carefully rubbed it down, and
then gave it a gentle blow, saying--
"Go and rest, my good beast."
The animal rubbed its intelligent head against its master's shoulder,
gave a glad neigh, and bounded off. The majordomo remained pensive for
a moment, then crossing the clearing, he entered the forest with a
rapid step, but at the same time so light that the most practised ear
could not have caught the sound he produced in treading the ground.
After walking in this way for a few minutes, the majordomo entered
a thicket, and raising two fingers of each hand to his mouth, he
thrice imitated the cry of the owl with such perfection, that the
birds perched above his head fled away in terror. Almost immediately
a similar cry answered him a short distance off. Sotavento, without
waiting any longer, quitted the thicket that sheltered him. A man rose
before him. This man, as far as was possible to distinguish in the
darkness, was an Indian. Sotavento was not at all surprised by this
sudden apparition, which he probably expected. The Indian stood gloomy,
and silent before him.
"Does not my brother bid me welcome?" Sotavento said to him in the
Comanche dialect.
"The Stag knows," the Indian answered, "that his brothers are delighted
to see him. Why, then say useless things?"
"Where is the tribe encamped at this moment?"
"Does not my brother see the yellow leaves falling? The Red Buffaloes
have withdrawn to their winter village."
"I thought so; that is why I pushed on here, instead of halting at the
burnt clearing."
"My brother acted wisely."
"Are not the chiefs upon an expedition?"
"No, all the warriors and braves are assembled at the village."
"Good."
"Will not my brother accompany me to the chiefs?"
"I will follow my brother."
"The Stag can come then."
Without waiting for the majordomo's answer, the Indian turned away, and
began walking at such a pace that any man but the one who accompanied
him would doubtless have had great difficulty in keeping up with
him. Sotavento soon saw the village watch fires gleaming through the
trees, and a few minutes later found himself with his guide among the
irregular rows of huts. On seeing him, the women and children flocked
up to him with cries of joy, and gave him unequivocal signs of sincere
friendship. The majordomo briefly returned the congratulations offered
him, and, followed by the crowd, proceeded to the council lodge, where
the chiefs were still assembled, in spite of the lateness of the hour.
On setting foot in the village, Sotavento, so to speak, underwent a
complete metamorphosis, all in him suddenly changed; and had it not
been for his clothing, nobody would have taken him for a Mexican.
He walked up to the entrance of the council lodge, where he stood
respectfully waiting till he was addressed. The chiefs were smoking,
gravely seated round a fire, whose flame played on their faces, and lit
them up with fantastic reflections. The Indian who had acted as guide
to the majordomo entered the lodge, and said a few words in a low voice.
"The Stag is the cherished son of the tribe," a grave voice replied;
"the omnipotent Wacondah protects him; his presence among us is always
hailed with joy. We heard the cries of the squaws and children who bade
him welcome. Let him take the seat reserved for him at the council
fire. What do my brothers, the sachems, say?"
The other chiefs bowed their heads in the affirmative, and Sotavento
walked in, sat down, crossed his arms on his chest, and waited silently
till his turn arrived to take part in the discussion.
"My brother White Crow will proceed," the chief who had already spoken
said.
"Yes," White Crow said, doubtless concluding a speech which had been
interrupted by Sotavento's arrival, "the information obtained by our
hunters is positive; the Pawnee Loups have made a great expedition,
and carried off many horses. We are in want of horses. The Pawnees are
encamped two suns' distance at the most from our village; why should we
not go and take from them the horses we require? I have spoken; let my
brothers reflect."
Another chief said--
"Our young men require to be trained; few warriors of our tribe are
reported good horse thieves. White Crow's medicine is good; his
expeditions always succeed. Let him choose among our young men those
whom he considers worthy to accompany him, and carry off the horses of
the Pawnees, which we shall soon need for our great buffalo hunts. I
have spoken."
"What is the opinion of the chiefs?" the sachem continued.
"Let Running Water give his first," White Crow said, "for he is the
oldest sachem of the tribe."
Running Water rose.
"Be it so," he said, "I will speak. The news brought by White Crow is
good; we really want horses for our great winter hunts. At any other
moment I should have said, go and seize the Pawnee horses; ten minutes
ago I should have expressed that opinion, but now I cannot possibly
do so. My brothers do not reflect that my son, the Stag, has just
arrived at the village; the distance is great from the stone lodge of
the white men to the villages of the Red Buffaloes; my son would not
undertake so long a journey without serious motives. Let us suspend our
discussion for a few moments; defer the decision as to the advisability
of the projected expedition; smoke the grand sacred calumet filled with
moriche, and listen to the words of my son. His tongue is not forked,
and, perhaps, he has important news to give us. I have spoken."
The chiefs bowed in silence, and White Crow, answering for all, said
that the sachem's advice was good, and that, before coming to a
decision about the expedition against the Pawnees, the council would
listen to the news which the Stag doubtless had to communicate. The
great sacred calumet was then, brought in with all the usual ceremonies
on such occasions; it was filled with sacred tobacco, and lit by the
help of a medicine rod. When it had gone the round, Running Water
turned to Sotavento--
"The ears of the chiefs of the tribe are open," he said to him; "the
Stag can speak."
The majordomo bowed respectfully to the sachem, and rose in the midst
of a general silence.