THE ATEPETL.
Texas is intersected by two lines of continuous forests, which run from
the north, near the sources of the Rio Trinidad to the Arkansas river.
These forests are called the "Cross Timbers;" behind them commence the
immense prairies of Apacheria, on which countless herds of buffaloes and
wild horses wander about at liberty.
In the centre of a narrow valley, enclosed on three sides by the denuded
and serrated crests of the mountains--and on the banks of the Rio
Sabina, a little above its confluence with the Vermejo, where it still
flows wide and transparent between undulating banks, bordered by clumps
of cotton-wood trees and dwarf palms--an Indian village was deliciously
scattered among the trees. The latter formed a dense dome of foliage
over the callis, which they sheltered from the hot beams of the southern
sun, and protected from the cold gusts which at times descend from the
mountains in the winter season. This village was a winter atepetl of the
Comanche Indians, belonging to the Antelope tribe. We will describe in a
few words this village, where several important scenes connected with
our narrative will take place.
Although, built to the fancy of the Redskins, the callis affected a
certain regularity of construction, as they all converged on a common
point, which formed a species of grand square in the heart of the
village. In the centre of this square could be seen a large unhooped
barrel, deeply buried in the ground, and covered with lichens and
stonecrop. It was the "ark of the first man." It was here that the war
stake was planted before the great medicine lodge; and here, under grave
circumstances, the Sachems lit the council fire, and smoked the sacred
calumet ordinarily placed before the entrance of the calli of the chief
Sachem, and supported on two forked sticks, as it must never touch the
ground.
The Indian callis are generally constructed in a spherical shape, built
on piles covered with mud, over which buffalo hides sewn together, and
displaying numerous pictures of animals painted in vermilion, are
thrown. On a scaffolding standing in front of the calli, Indian corn,
forage for the horses, and the winter provisions of each inhabitant were
stored. At intervals could be seen tall poles, from which waved, at the
slightest breath of air, blankets, harness, and fragments of stuffs of
every description, the homage raised by the superstitious Redskins to
the Master of Life, a species of _ex voto_ torn from them by their
fears, and named the "Medicine of Hope."
The village, excepting on the side turned to the Sabina river, was
surrounded by a strong palisade about fifteen feet high, made of
enormous trunks of trees, fastened together with strips of bark and
wooden cramp hooks. At about five or, six hundred yards from the atepetl
was the cemetery, the exhalations from which, by disagreeably affecting
the traveller's sense of smell, advised him that he was approaching an
Indian tribe. The natives of America, like most of those in Polynesia,
have a very singular mode of burial. As a general rule, they do not
inter their dead, but suspend them between earth and sky. After wrapping
them carefully in blankets and buffalo robes, they place them on
platforms supported on four poles some fifty feet high, and leave them
exposed to the rain and sun to decompose gradually. The birds of prey
incessantly hover over these strange tombs, uttering shrill and
discordant cries, while making a disgusting meal on the putrefying
flesh.
Two months after the battle of the Cerro Pardo, on the day when we
resume our narrative, and about an hour before sunset, on a delicious
afternoon of September,--which the Indians call the Moon of the Wild
Oats--several riders, mounted on fiery mustangs, harnessed in the desert
fashion, that is to say, painted of several colours, and adorned with
plumes and bells, were following, while conversing together rather
eagerly, a winding path, which runs for several leagues along the
winding course of the Rio Sabina, and terminates at the winter atepetl
of the Antelope Comanches, which we described at the beginning of this
chapter.
These horsemen, five in number, were armed with rifles, tomahawks, and
machetes. They wore the cotton hunting shirt of the wood rangers
fastened round the waist, _mitasses_, or trousers, in two pieces tied at
the ankles, fur caps, and Indian mocassins. Still, although this costume
was almost identical with that worn by the majority of the Indian
tribes, in whom constant contact with the Americans has produced a sort
of bastard civilization, it was easy to recognise these riders as white
men, not only through the ease of their manners, but also through the
clearness of their complexion, which the hot sunbeams had been impotent
to render so dusky as that of the aboriginals.
About two hundred yards behind the horsemen, came a sixth, mounted and
dressed like them, but who was assuredly a Redskin. His head, instead of
being covered by a fur cap, was bare; his hair, pulled up at the top of
his head, and stained with red ochre, was fastened with strips of
snakeskin; a falcon feather stuck in above his right ear, near his
war-scalp lock, indicated his claim to high rank among his countrymen,
while the numerous wolf tails fastened to his heels, proved that he was
a renowned warrior; in his right hand he held a fan made of the entire
wing of an eagle, and in his left he waved the short-handled and
long-lashed whip, peculiar to the Comanche and Sioux Indians.
These riders employed none of the precautions usual on the prairie to
avoid surprises, or foil the enemies generally ambushed in the track of
hunters. From the way in which they conversed together, and the absent
glances they at times took across the country, rather through habit than
any prudential motive, it might easily be guessed that these men were
reaching a spot perfectly well known to them, and where they felt
certain of not falling into a trap. Still, had they not been absorbed in
their conversation, and could their glances have pierced the dense
curtain of verdure that formed a fragrant wall on their right, they
would have seen amid the shrubs and lower branches of the trees an
agitation not at all natural, and doubtless produced by the passage of a
wild beast; at times, too, they might have noticed two eyes flashing
among the leaves, which were fixed upon them with a savage expression
of passion and hatred.
But, we repeat, these men, who, however, were wood rangers, renowned in
these parts for their almost miraculous sagacity and skill, were so
completely absorbed in their conversation; they felt so sure of having
no snare to apprehend, their eyes and ears were so thoroughly closed,
that they appeared blind and deaf, although ordinarily not the slightest
noise, or the most futile object escaped their notice, but was analyzed
with the searching and investigating spirit of individuals whose life
may hang on a false step or a badly calculated movement.
On coming within pistol shot of the village, the horsemen stopped to
give the Indian behind them time to rejoin them. So soon as the latter
perceived this halt, he whipped his horse, and almost immediately ranged
up alongside his comrades. He stopped his horse, and waited silently and
calmly till he should be addressed.
"What are we to do now, Chief?" one of the travellers asked. "So soon as
we have passed that projecting point we shall be at the valley."
"Our Pale brothers are brave; the Antelope Comanches will be happy to
receive them and burn powder in their honour. A Chief will go alone to
the village to announce their arrival to the Sachems."
"Go then, Chief, we will await you here."
"Wah! My brother has spoken well."
The Indian vigorously lashed his horse, which bounded ahead and speedily
disappeared behind the peak to which the hunter had pointed. The
horsemen drew up in line and waited motionless with their hands on their
weapons. In a very few minutes a noise was heard resembling the rolling
of thunder, and suddenly a crowd of mounted Indians appeared, coming up
at full speed, brandishing their weapons, discharging their guns,
howling and whistling in the long _iskochéttas_ made of human thigh
bones, which they wore hanging from their necks.
On their side, the hunters, at a sign from the man who appeared to be
their leader, made their horses curvet, and discharged their weapons
with repeated shouts and demonstrations of joy. For half an hour there
was a deafening noise, augmented by the yells of the squaws and children
who flocked up, blowing shells and rattling _chichikouès_, and the
barking of the thousands of savage and half-tamed dogs which the Indians
constantly take about with them. It was plain that the strangers to whom
the Redskins, generally so haughty and retiring, offered so warm and
friendly a reception, were great friends of the tribe; for, had it been
otherwise, a deputation of Chiefs would have met them at the entrance of
the village to do them the honours of the atepetl, but the brave and
renowned warriors would not have thought it requisite to get under arms.
All at once the noise ceased as if by enchantment, and the Indian
horsemen ranged themselves in a semicircle in front of the white
hunters. A few paces before the line, four principal Chiefs, mounted on
magnificent mustangs, formed a separate group. These warriors,
completely armed and painted for war, wore the great cap of feathers
which only renowned warriors who have raised many scalps are entitled to
assume; their shoulders were decked with superb necklaces of grizzly
bears' claws, five inches long and white at the tips; behind them
floated the wide white buffalo robe, painted red inside, and on which
their exploits were designed; in one hand they held their guns, in the
other a fan made of the wing of a white-headed eagle. These Indian
warriors, clothed in such a magnificent costume, had something majestic
and imposing about them that inspired respect.
For some ten minutes the Indians and hunters stood thus, motionless and
silent, in presence of each other, when suddenly a fresh horseman
appeared, coming at full speed from the village. He was evidently a
white man; he was dressed in the garb of a wood ranger, and two
magnificent _rastreros_, or greyhounds, leaped up playfully on either
side of his horse. At the appearance of the newcomer the Indians burst
into yells of joy, and shouted--
"The great brave of the Antelope Comanches! Loyal Heart, Loyal Heart!"
The warrior was really the Mexican hunter, who has already made his
appearance several times during the course of our narrative. He saluted
the warriors by a wave of the hand, and took his place among the Chiefs,
who respectfully made way for him.
"My brother Black-deer has informed me of the arrival of great friends
of our nation," he said, "and I have hurried up in all haste to witness
their reception and bid them welcome."
"Why has not the Black-deer accompanied our brother the great Brave of
the tribe?" one of the Chiefs asked.
"The Sachem wished to remain in the village and watch the preparation of
the medicine lodge."
The Chief bowed, but said nothing further. Loyal Heart then put his
horse at a gallop and advanced toward the hunters, who, on their sides,
made a move to meet him.
"You are welcome here, Tranquil," Loyal Heart said; "yourself and your
comrades were impatiently expected."
"Thank you," Tranquil answered, pressing the hand the hunter offered
him; "many events have happened since our separation, and it certainly
did not depend on us that we did not arrive sooner."
The five white hunters were all old acquaintances--Tranquil, Lanzi,
Quoniam, John Davis, and Fray Antonio. How was it that the American and
the Monk had joined the three wood rangers! We shall explain that to the
reader in the proper place. Loyal Heart took Tranquil's right hand, and
both advanced at an amble towards the Chiefs.
"Sachems of the Antelope tribe," he said, "this Pale hunter is my
brother; his heart is good, his arm strong, and his tongue is not
forked; he loves the red men; he is renowned as a great brave in his
nation, he is wise at the council fire; love him, for the Master of Life
sustains him and has removed the skin from his heart, in order that his
blood may be pure and the words he utters such as a wise warrior ought
to pronounce."
"Wah!" one of the Sachems answered, with a graceful bow to the hunter;
"the Comanches are great warriors; who can tell the extent of the
hunting grounds the great spirit has given them? They are the masters of
the red man because they are all great braves, whose heels are adorned
with numerous wolf tails. My Pale brother and his warriors will enter
the atepetl; they will receive callis, horses, and squaws to clean their
arms and prepare their food, and the tribe of Antelope Comanches will
count five braves more. I have spoken; have I said right, powerful
Chiefs?"
"Chief," Tranquil replied, "I thank you for the hearty reception you are
pleased to offer me. My brother, Loyal Heart, has told you the truth
about my feelings towards your nation. I love the Red men, and
especially the Comanches, who, of all the nations dwelling on the
prairies, are the noblest and most courageous, and rightly call
themselves the Queen Nation of the prairies, because their war horses
and braves traverse it in all directions, and no one dares to oppose
them. In my own name and that of my comrades I accept your frank and
cordial hospitality, and we shall requite so great a favour by our wise
and moderate conduct."
The principal Sachem then took off his buffalo robe, with a gesture full
of dignity, and placed it on the shoulders of the hunter, while the
other Chiefs did the same to his comrades.
"Warriors and braves of the powerful Antelope tribe," he said, turning
to the Indians, who were still motionless and silent, "these Palefaces
are henceforth our brothers. Woe to the man who insults them!"
At these words the shouts and yells recommenced with fresh vigour, and
the Indians displayed signs of the liveliest joy. Possibly this joy was
not so real as it appeared, and was not equally shared by all present.
But those who might feel annoyed at the admission of the wood rangers
into the tribe, carefully concealed their displeasure, and were,
perhaps, the very men whose demonstrations of delight were the most
vociferous.
Indian policy, very logical in this as in many other things, orders the
natives to seek at any price an alliance with the whites, whose
recognized skill in the management of arms, and profound knowledge of
the manners of their countrymen, may at a given moment be of great
service to the Indians, either in the interminable wars they wage
against each other, or to defend them against the soldiers, _civicos_,
and armed colonists, whom the civilized governments surrounding them
frequently send to take vengeance for incursions on the territories of
the White men, incursions in which the Indians indulge only too
frequently, and during which they are guilty of deeds of unheard-of
cruelty, and cause irreparable misfortunes.
After the final ceremony we have described, the Indian Sachems took the
White hunters in their midst, and placing themselves at the head of
their warriors, started at a gallop for the village, which they reached
in less than a quarter of an hour. At the entrance Black-deer was
waiting for them, surrounded by the most important and wisest Sachems of
the tribe. Without uttering a syllable, he took the head of the column
and led it to the centre of the village, near the Ark of the first man.
On reaching it the Indians suddenly halted, as if the feet of their
horses were imbedded in the ground. Black-deer then stationed himself at
the doorway of the medicine lodge, between the hachesto, who held in his
hand the totem of the tribe, and the pipe bearer, who supported the
sacred calumet.
"Who are the Pale men who thus enter as friends the atepetl of the
Antelope Comanches?" he asked, addressing Loyal Heart.
"They are brothers, who ask leave to sit by the hearth of the Red men,"
the latter answered.
"It is well," Black-deer continued; "these men are our brothers. The
Council fire is lighted; they will enter with us the lodge of the Great
Medicine, sit down by the fire and smoke _morichee_ from the sacred
calumet with the Sachems of the nation."
"Let it be as my brother has decided," Loyal Heart responded.
Black-deer gave a wave of the hand, upon which the hachesto raised the
curtained door of the lodge, and the Chiefs entered, followed by the
hunters. The medicine lodge, much larger than the other callis of the
village, was also built with greater care. The buffalo skins that
covered it entirely were painted red with a profusion of black designs,
a species of sacred hieroglyphics, only understood by the medicine men
and the most renowned Sachems of the tribe, who possessed the scent of
the war trail. The interior of the lodge was perfectly empty. In the
centre was a round hole dug in the earth to a depth of about two feet;
in this hole the requisite wood and charcoal were prepared.
When all the Chiefs had entered the lodge, the hachesto let the curtain
fall again that formed the entrance. A band of picked warriors
immediately surrounded the lodge to keep off the curious, and insure the
secrecy of the deliberations. The Indians are excessively strict about
the laws of etiquette; with them everything is regulated with a
minuteness we should be far from expecting among a semi-barbarous
nation; and each is bound by the severest penalties to conform to the
ceremonial. In order to make our readers thoroughly understand their
strange manners, we thought it best to give them in their fullest
detail.
Thus Black-deer was perfectly well aware who the Palefaces were that
reached the village, since he had acted as their guide. But etiquette
demanded that he should receive them as he had done, for otherwise the
other Chiefs might have been scandalized by such a breach of custom, and
the strangers would, in all probability, have questions to discuss. In
the first place, it was proposed to organise a great expedition against
the Buffalo Apaches, a plundering tribe, who had several times stolen
horses from the very villages of the Comanches, and on whom the Sachems
desired to take exemplary revenge. Secondly, Tranquil, through the
medium of Loyal Heart, whose influence was great with the tribe,
requested that a band of picked braves, amounting to fifty, and placed
under the command of Loyal Heart, should be entrusted to him for an
expedition, the object of which he could not divulge at the moment, but
its success would benefit his allies as much as himself.
The first question was, after several speeches, unanimously resolved in
the affirmative. The council was proceeding to discuss the second, when
a loud noise was heard outside, the curtain of the medicine lodge was
raised, and the hachesto walked in. Let us shortly explain what the
hachesto of an Indian village is, and the nature of his duties. The
hachesto is a man who must be gifted with a loud and powerful voice. He
represents among the Redskins the town crier, and his duty is to make
news public, and convene the Chiefs to council. When he made his
appearance in the lodge, Black-deer gave him an angry glance.
"When the Chiefs are assembled in the Medicine lodge, they must not be
disturbed," he said to him.
"My father, Wah-Rush-a-Menec, speaks well," the Indian answered with a
respectful bow; "his son knows it."
"Then, why has my son entered without the orders of the Sachems?"
"Because five warriors of the Buffalo Apaches have arrived at the
village."
"Wah! And who is the brave that has made them prisoners? Why has he not
taken their scalps? Does he prefer fastening them to the stake of
torture?"
The hachesto shook his head.
"My father is mistaken," he said; "these warriors have not been made
prisoners by any of our braves, they are free."
"Ooehst!" said Black-deer with a degree of surprise he could not
entirely conceal; "How then did they enter the village?"
"Openly, in the sight of all; they call themselves ambassadors."
"Ambassadors! And who is the Chief that marches at their head?"
"Blue-fox."
"Blue-fox is a great brave. He is a terrible warrior in fight; his arm
has raised many scalps belonging to my sons; his hand has robbed them of
many horses. But his presence is disagreeable to the Comanches. What
does he want?"
"To enter the Medicine lodge, and explain to the Sachems the mission
with which he is entrusted."
"It is well," said Black-deer, giving an enquiring glance to the members
of the council.
The latter replied by a nod of assent. Loyal Heart rose--
"My Pale brothers, I must not be present at the deliberation that is
about to take place," he remarked; "will the Chief permit me to retire?"
"Loyal Heart is a son of the Comanches," Black-deer answered; "his place
is among us, for, if he be young in years, his experience and wisdom are
great. But he can do as he pleases--the Pale hunters can retire. If the
Chiefs require Loyal Heart, they will request his return."
The young man bowed ceremoniously, and withdrew, followed by the
hunters, who, we must confess, were delighted at getting away from the
Medicine lodge, for they felt the need of rest after the fatigue they
had undergone in making a long journey by almost impracticable roads.