Harry and Topsie were awakened the morning following upon that of the
fight, by the sounds of the Araucanians returning from the river’s side,
where they had been to perform their morning ablutions. It must have
been about dawn.
“I say, Harry,” observed his sister, raising herself up from off her
couch of warm skins, “I should uncommonly like a plunge. I caught sight
of a beautiful stream in the forest yesterday which I think I could find
again. I daresay Aunt Ruby and Mary will be glad to be shown it, so I’ll
just stir them up and ask them.”
“Right you are, old girl!” ejaculated Harry, yawning, “and I will pilot
Uncle Francis, Freddy, and Willie. I know the stream you mean. It is not
ten minutes’ stroll from here. Yes, a plunge will be uncommonly
refreshing. I wonder how all the Warriors are, and Queen Aniwee! Does it
not seem like a dream to you, to be back amongst these wild scenes
again?”
“Well, you see, Harry,” remarked Topsie gravely, “these are not exactly
old scenes, because you know although we saw something of the
Araucanians when they joined the Tehuelches in the Patagonian pampas, we
never entered their country. What a lovely one it is, to be sure!”
“Yes, indeed; and you were a brick to get uncle and aunt to come,
Topsie. I am looking forward to a real good time of it after all the
hardships I have gone through on the Pacific station,” continued Harry,
with a sly twinkle in his eye.
“Oh, Harry, you conceited monkey!” laughed Topsie. “To hear you talk one
would think you were martyred day and night, instead of living in
clover, as you have been doing on father’s ship.”
“I say, what _are_ you two jabbering about?” queried a sleepy voice from
under a heap of skins, and Freddy’s head at length appeared in view. His
hair was very much ruffled, and he looked extremely comical.
At the sight of him both his cousins burst into fits of laughter.
“Oh, Freddy, what a guy you look!” exclaimed Topsie.
Now Freddy in reality was a broad-shouldered, fine, handsome youth, with
yellow hair and beautiful blue eyes. I think he just knew that he was
not altogether plain, and therefore resented the description of his
personal appearance given by his good-looking cousin.
“Guy, am I?” he pretended to remark indignantly. “People who live in
glass houses should not throw stones. Look at yourself, Topsie. I never
saw such a scarecrow in my life.”
“I tell you what, Freddy,” put in Harry, struggling to repress his
laughter, “if you insult my charming sister I’ll sit on you, and squash
you as flat as a pancake. Remember who I am, and who you are. Why, you
are a mere fledgeling, aspiring to enter the army, while I am a
full-blown officer in Her Majesty’s service.”
How this passage of arms might have ended I do not pretend to be able to
say, but it was rudely interrupted by the entrance of Willie and Mary.
“Lazies!” cried this latter. “Why, I and Willie have been for ever such
a long ramble, and we had a splendid swim in the Rio Limay far away
below. We have seen the sun rise on those glorious Andes, and come
across all sorts of funny and strange things. Oh, Topsie! I just do call
this Paradise.”
“Well, did I not tell you how nice it was, miss?” put in Harry, “and you
would not believe me. Now you see I am always right. But I say, Freddy,
come on, old chap, and we’ll go and have a plunge. I’ll just ask Uncle
Francis if he will come.”
“And I will ask Aunt Ruby,” put in Topsie, as she made for the tent’s
entrance. “Come on, Shag, old boy.”
For Shag had risen and shaken himself demurely the moment he saw that it
was his beloved mistress’s intention to leave the tent. He was just a
little stiff after his long gallop of the day before, but that was no
reason in Shag’s honest mind for taking him away from his mistress’s
side.
On returning to the toldos about an hour and a half later, our white
friends found a great bustle going on in the camp. Horses were being
caught and saddled, the flock of sheep and herd of cattle were being
driven in, and preparations for departure evidently being indulged in on
an extensive scale.
“Ah! I see it is to be a case of forward to-day,” remarked Topsie in a
pleased voice. “Now for a dash into the unknown.”
“But, Topsie, we must not forget to arrange with Aniwee for an
expedition to the great gold mine of Or, which you know is the principal
object of our presence here,” interposed Sir Francis. “Will you speak to
her, or shall I?”
“Well, I think you had better let me do so, uncle,” answered his niece.
“Aniwee is not superstitious to the same extent as are the Patagonians
and Araucanians, still, you know, she will have to overcome these
latter’s prejudices if she is to accompany us.”
As Topsie spoke the Queen entered. She looked a shade weary, and her
wounded arm was stiff and painful. Her watch all night by the couch of
the youth Graviel, had deprived her of the sleep which is so necessary
to the young, after fatigue and excitement.
“Aniwee salutes the great Caciques,” she said, with an inclination of
her head, and raising her right hand slightly. “Are they willing to
accompany her to-day? A large herd of wild horses has been observed not
an hour’s march from here, and the Caciques may like to join the
Araucanos in attempting the capture of some of them. To-morrow we hunt
the wild bull, and next day a puma fastness is to be stormed. The
Caciques shall not want excitement or feel dull, if Aniwee can prevent
it.”
“We will gladly accompany you, Aniwee, and we thank you much for your
kind thoughts for our pleasure,” answered Topsie. “But, Aniwee, there is
one thing I must tell you. My friends and myself desire to see the great
gold mine of Or again, also the hut far up near the snows of the Andes
peaks, where I, and you and my brother found that old white-haired man,
living all alone. You remember it all, of course—how we went on with him
to the mine of Or, while you went back to fetch Piñone; how, during our
expedition to the mine, the old man died and was buried by the side of
his long dead wife, on the banks of that dark mysterious river up which
we had paddled to reach the mine; but I don’t think I ever told you the
most wonderful thing of that wonderful adventure, how, in that old
hermit of one hundred and thirteen years, I and my brother discovered an
ancient relative, a great-great-uncle, in fact, whom every one thought
had been drowned eighty years before; nor did I tell you, at the time,
of the existence of the great gold mine of Or, which was discovered by
Sir Harry Vane—for such was the name of the hermit—and shown to us. I
did not make known its existence for the reason, that I wished to return
later on and explore it in your company. And it is for this very purpose
that we have sought you. Tell us, Aniwee. Will you come?”
The young Queen looked puzzled for a moment, and then replied:
“You know well that Aniwee has no fear. But she must consult the
warriors of Piñone, and obtain their consent. Is she not pledged to rule
over them for her child, and must she not consult their interests and
those of the young Cacique?”
“You speak rightly and well, Aniwee,” put in Sir Francis; “you wish, in
fact, to consult your people ere giving a definite reply? I am sure we
respect your wishes.”
“The great Cacique understands Aniwee,” she answered in a grateful
voice. “And now will they come to her toldo, and take some refreshment
ere setting out on the trail?”
On entering Aniwee’s tolderia our white friends found a large fire
burning therein. A pot, hanging on a tripod, simmered over the fire.
Some fish on a gridiron stood near, and seven cups of steaming maté,
with silver bombiglias stuck into each, stood round the fire.
To Harry and Topsie, this evidence of thoughtful attention on Aniwee’s
part was all the more pleasing, inasmuch as they knew that it was not
the custom of the Indians to eat before setting out on a journey. It was
plain that she had not forgotten the habits of her white friends.
The baby Queen was rolling about on some skins, playing with her silver
toys, and close by sat Graviel on a low stool. His face, arm, and leg
were all neatly bandaged, the work of Blancha and Aniwee; for the former
loved the handsome youth with tender devotion, and the latter made it
her special care and pleasure to attend on Piñone’s favourite retainer,
and the saviour of her child.
The scene at starting was a busy one. Every man and woman mounted their
own especial horse, the women riding astride like the men—a sensible
custom which white women would do well to imitate—as indeed did Lady
Vane, Topsie, and Mary, who were all dressed in neat, comfortable
knickerbockers, and well-fitting Norfolk jackets and stalking caps, with
strong plain brown leather top riding boots, roomy and waterproof. A
broad leathern belt encircled their waists, to which hung a sharp
hunting knife and a bull-dog revolver in neat cases. Across one shoulder
they carried a belt ribbed all round with rifle cartridges, and over the
other shoulder each had a rifle slung. A similar attire and equipment
composed Sir Francis’s, Harry’s, Freddy’s, and Willie’s rig-out, which
possessed the merit of being comfortable and not too cumbersome.
They had brought two baggage horses with them, carrying a change of
clothing for each, their surplus ammunition, and various presents for
Aniwee and her Caciques, not omitting many a gaudy trinket for the
common people. Aniwee was made intensely happy by the present of a
beautiful rifle, which Sir Francis Vane had brought specially for
presentation to the young Queen. Thus they set out. The cattle and sheep
had preceded them, being driven forward by boys; and now the cavalcade
consisted of about three hundred and fifty warriors, some thirty women
and a few children, a fine troupiglia of mares and horses, and Aniwee,
the baby Queen (or La Guardia Chica, as she was called by her subjects),
attended by the faithful Blancha and Graviel, the latter sitting his
horse stoically, in spite of the pain which he was evidently suffering.
Our white friends completed the imposing-looking party.
The way led through grassy valleys and rock-strewn gorges, which
presently debouched into hillocky plains, whereon guanacos could be
discerned, feeding in small knots of twenty or thirty together. Now and
then an ostrich would start up and scud away in front of the advancing
party, or a small silver fox spring forth from its seat, and gallop
hastily forward in search of safety; for the Indian dogs, although
trained to hunt the ostrich and guanaco only at the word of command,
were always allowed free play with the foxes.
Aniwee explained to her young friends that here ended the limit of the
guanaco, which entirely disappeared as they went more inland, giving
place to the vicuña, an animal greatly resembling him, only with softer
fur, and a habitant of the mountains in contradistinction to the
guanaco, which favoured the plains, and she promised them many an
exciting stalk after the former.
Before long they fell in with vast stretches of shady woods, which
looked cool and inviting from the hot plains; and when at length they
came into close proximity to them, Harry and Topsie, Freddy, Willie, and
Mary, all uttered loud cries of delight as they beheld in this forest a
veritable fairy scene. From the trees in every direction high up the
mountain sides, and stretching along the valleys far and wide, hung
thousands of red-cheeked, yellow-faced apples, tempting to the sight and
pleasant to the palate,—a scene enticing in the highest degree to the
young people, who gazed thereon with rapture.
“Mother, what a lovely sight!” cried Mary, as she dropped her reins on
her horse’s neck, and clasped her hands together. “Oh, mother! I never
dreamt of anything so beautiful. Are we in fairyland, I wonder?”
“It would seem so,” answered Lady Vane, smiling, as they suddenly rode
into a green sunny valley watered by a bright running stream, and hemmed
in on each side by apple groves, for in the valley erected on either
side of the stream stood some hundred or more tolderias, with crowds of
busy Indian men, women, and children moving to and fro. All along the
valley pastured fine herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, and immense
troops of horses. Truly a beautiful scene!
“See!” exclaimed Aniwee, proudly pointing towards it; “of all my great
possessions I love that spot the best, for Piñone loved it.”
[Illustration]
[Illustration]