THE MEETING.
We must now go back two months in our narrative, and leaving the deserts
of Upper Arkansas for the banks of the Rio Trinidad, return to Cerro
Pardo, in the vicinity of Galveston, on the very day of the battle so
fatal to the Texans, in order to clear up certain points of our
narrative, by telling the reader the fate of certain important
personages, whom we have, perhaps, neglected too long.
We have said that the Jaguar, when he saw the battle irretrievably lost,
rushed at full speed to the spot where he had left the cart, in which
were Tranquil and Carmela; that, on reaching it, a frightful spectacle
struck his sight; the cart, half broken, was lying on the ground,
surrounded by the majority of his friends, who had bravely fallen in its
defence; but it was empty, and the two persons to whose safety he
attached such, importance had disappeared. The Jaguar, crushed by this
horrible catastrophe, which he was so far from anticipating, after the
precautions he had taken, fell senseless to the ground, uttering a loud
cry of despair.
The young man remained unconscious for several hours; but his was a
nature which a blow, however terrible it might be, could not destroy
thus. At the moment when the sun was disappearing on the horizon in the
ocean, and making way for night, the Jaguar opened his eyes. He looked
round haggardly, not being yet able to comprehend the position in which
he found himself, and the circumstances owing to which he had fallen in
such a strange state of prostration. However strong a man may be,
however great the energy with which nature has endowed him, when life
has been suspended in him for several hours, the recollection of past
facts completely fails him for a period, more or less long, and he
requires some minutes to restore order in his ideas. This was what
happened to the young man; he was alone, a sorrowful silence prevailed
around him, gloom was gradually invading the landscape, and the objects
by which he was surrounded became with each moment less distinct.
Still, the atmosphere was impregnated by a warm, sickly odour of
carnage, and corpses covered the ground here and there. He saw the dark
outline of the wild beasts, which darkness drew from their lairs, and
which, guided by their sanguinary instinct, were already prowling about
the battlefield, preparing to commence their horrible repast.
"Oh!" the young man suddenly exclaimed, leaping up, "I remember!"
We have said that the plain was deserted: nothing remained but corpses
and wild beasts.
"What is to be done?" the Jaguar muttered;
"Whither shall I go? What has become of my brothers? In what direction
have they fled? Where shall I find Carmela and Tranquil again?"
And the young man, crushed by the flood of desperate thoughts that rose
from his heart to his brain, sank on a block of rock, and, paying no
further attention to the wild beasts, whose roars increased at each
second, and grew more menacing with the darkness, he buried his head in
his hands, and violently pressing his temples as if to retain that
reason which was ready to abandon him, he reflected.
Two hours passed thus--two hours, during which he was a prey to a
desperation which was the more terrible, as it was silent. This man, who
had set all his hopes on an idea, who had for several years fought,
without truce or mercy, for the realization of his dream, whose life had
been, so to speak, one long self-denial--at the moment when he was
about at last to attain that object, pursued with such tenacity, had
seen, by a sudden change of fortune, his projects annihilated for ever
perhaps, in a few hours; he had lost everything, and found himself alone
on a battlefield, seated amid corpses, and surrounded by wild beasts
that watched him. For a moment he had thought of finishing with life,
plunging his dagger into his heart, and not surviving the downfall of
his hopes of love and ambition. But this cowardly thought did not endure
longer than a flash of lightning; a sudden reaction took place in the
young man's mind, and he rose again, stronger than before, for his soul,
purified in the crucible of suffering, had resumed all its audacious
energy.
"No," he said, casting a glance of defiance around, "I will not let
myself be any longer crushed, God will not permit that a cause so
sacred as that to which I have devoted myself should fail; it is a trial
He has wished to impose on us, and I will endure it without complaint;
though conquered today, tomorrow we will be victors. To work! Liberty is
the daughter of Heaven: she is holy, and cannot die."
After uttering these words in a loud voice, with an accent of
inspiration, as if desirous of giving those who had fallen a last and
supreme consolation, the young man picked up his rifle, which had fallen
by his side, and went off with the firm and assured step of a strong
man, who has really faith in the cause he defends, and to whom
obstacles, however great they may be, are incitements to persevere in
the path he has traced. The Jaguar then crossed the battlefield,
striding over the corpses, and putting to flight the wild beasts, which
eagerly got out of his way.
The young man thus passed alone and in the darkness along the road he
had traversed by the dazzling sunlight, in the midst of an enthusiastic
army, which marched gaily into action, and believed itself sure of
victory. His resolution did not break down for a moment, he no longer
allowed the attacks of those sad thoughts which had so nearly crushed
him: he had clutched his sorrow, struggled with it and conquered it;
now, nothing more could overpower him.
On reaching the end of the plain where the battle had been fought, the
Jaguar halted. The moon had risen, and its sickly rays sadly illumined
the landscape, to which it imparted a sinister hue. The young man looked
around him: in his utter ignorance of the road followed by the fugitives
of his party, he hesitated about going along a path where he ran a risk
of falling in with a party of Mexican scouts or plunderers, who must at
this moment be scouring the plain in every direction, in pursuit of
those Texans who had been so lucky as to escape from the battlefield.
It was a long and difficult journey to the Fort of the Point, and in all
probability the victors, if they were not already masters of the
fortress, would have invested it, so as to intercept all communications
of the garrison with their friends outside, and force it to surrender.
Nor could he dream of entering Galveston, for that would be delivering
himself into the hands of his enemies. The Jaguar's perplexity was
great; he remained thus for a long time hesitating as to what road he
should follow. By a mechanical movement habitual enough to men when
embarrassed, he looked vaguely around him, though not fixing his eyes
more on one spot than another, when he gave a sudden start. He had seen,
some distance off, a faint, almost imperceptible light gleaming among
the trees. The young man tried in vain to determine the direction in
which the light was; but at length, he felt certain that it came from
the side where was the rancho, which, on the previous evening, had been
the headquarters of the staff of the Texan army.
This rancho, situated on the sea shore, at a considerable distance from
the battlefield, could not have been visited by the Mexicans, for their
horses were too tired to carry them so far: the Jaguar therefore
persuaded himself that the light he perceived was kindled by fugitives
of his party; he believed it the more easily because he desired it, for
night was advancing, and he had neither eaten nor drunk during the past
day, in which he had been so actively occupied; he began to feel not
only exhausted with fatigue, but his physical wants regaining the
mastery over his moral apprehension, he felt a degree of hunger and
thirst, that reminded him imperiously that he had been fasting for more
than fourteen hours; hence he was anxious to find a place where it would
be possible for him to rest and refresh himself.
It is only in romances that the heroes, more or less problematical,
brought on the scene, cover great distances without suffering from any
of the weaknesses incidental to poor humanity. Never stopping to eat or
drink, they are always as fresh and well disposed as when they set out;
but, unfortunately, in real life it is not, and men must, whether they
like it or no, yield to the imperious claims inherent in their imperfect
nature. The partisans and wood rangers, men in whom the physical
instincts are extremely developed, whatever moral agony they may
undergo, never forget the hours for their meals and rest. And the reason
is very simple; as their life is one continual struggle to defend
themselves against enemies of every description, their vigour must be
equal to the obstacles they have to overcome.
The Jaguar, without further hesitation, marched resolutely in the
direction of the light, which he continued to see gleaming among the
trees like a beacon. The nearer he drew to the rancho, the firmer became
his conviction that he had not deceived himself; after deep reflection
it seemed to him impossible that the Mexicans could have pushed on so
far; still, when he was but a short distance from the house, he judged
it prudent to double his precautions, not to let himself be surprised,
if, contrary to his expectations, he had to deal with an enemy.
On coming within five hundred paces of the rancho, he began to grow
restless and have less confidence in the opinion he had formed. Several
dead horses, two or three corpses lying pell-mell among pieces of
weapons and broken carts, led to the evident supposition that a fight
had taken place near the rancho. But with whom had the advantage
remained? With the Mexicans or the Texans? Who were the persons at this
moment in the house--were they friends or foes? These questions were
very difficult to solve, and the Jaguar felt extremely embarrassed.
Still he was not discouraged. The young man had too long carried on the
profession of partisan and scout, not to be thoroughly acquainted with
all the tricks of the wood ranger's difficult life. After reflecting for
a few moments, his mind was made up.
Several times, while the rancho had served as headquarters of the Texan
army, the Jaguar had gone there either to be present at councils of war,
or to take the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. As the approach to the
house was thus familiar to him, he resolved to slip up to a window, and
assure himself with his own eyes of what was going on in the rancho.
This enterprise was not so difficult as it appeared at the first glance;
for we have already seen, in a previous chapter, another of our
characters employing the same plan for a similar purpose. The young man
was quick, sharp, and strong--three reasons for succeeding.
The light still gleamed, though no sound was heard from the interior, or
troubled the deep silence of the night; the Jaguar, without quitting his
rifle, which he supposed he might require at any moment, lay down on the
ground, and crawling on his hands and knees, advanced towards the house,
being careful to keep in the shadow thrown by the thick branches of the
trees, in order not to reveal his presence, if, as it was probable, the
inhabitants, whoever they might be, of the house had placed a sentry to
watch over their safety. The reasoning of the young man, like all
reasoning based on experience, was correct; he had scarce gone fifteen
yards ere he saw, standing out from the white wall of the house, the
shadow of a man leaning on a rifle, and motionless as a statue. This man
was evidently a sentry placed there to watch the approaches to the
rancho.
The situation was growing complicated for the Jaguar; the difficulties
increased in such proportions, that they threatened soon to become
insupportable; for in order to reach the window he wanted, he would be
compelled to leave the shadow which had hitherto so fortunately
protected him, and enter the white light cast by the moon with a
profusion that did not at all please the young man. He mechanically
raised his head, hoping, perhaps, that a cloud would pass over the face
of the planet, and intercept its too brilliant light, were it but for a
moment; but the sky was of a deep azure, without the smallest cloud, and
studded with stars.
The Jaguar felt an enormous inclination to leap on the sentry and
throttle him; but supposing it were a friend? It was a knotty point. The
young man really did not know what to resolve on, and sought in vain how
to get out of the scrape, when the sentry suddenly levelled his rifle in
his direction, and aimed at him with the saucy remark:--
"Halloh! My friend, when you have crawled far enough like a snake, I
suppose you will get up?"
At the sound of this voice, which he believed he recognised, the young
man eagerly leapt to his feet.
"Caramba!" he answered with a laugh. "You are right, John Davis; I have
had enough of that crawling."
"What!" the latter replied, in surprise; "Who are you that you know me
so well?"
"A friend, _Cuerpo de Cristo!_ So raise your rifle."
"A friend, a friend!" the American replied, without changing his
position, "That is possible, and the sound of your voice is not unknown
to me; but, no matter, whether friend or foe, tell me your name, for if
you don't, I will keep you on the spot, as this is not the time for
fishing."
"Viva Dios!" the young man said with a laugh, "That dear John is always
prudent."
"I should hope so, but enough talking; your name, that I may know with
whom I have to deal."
"What, do you not recognise the Jaguar?"
The American lowered his rifle, and the butt echoed on the ground.
"By Heaven!" he said joyously, "I suspected it was you, but did not dare
believe it."
"Why not?" the young man asked as he approached.
"Hang it! Because I was assured that you were dead."
"I?"
"Yes, you."
"Who the deuce could have told you that nonsense?"
"It is not nonsense. Fray Antonio assured me that he leapt his horse
over your body."
The Jaguar reflected for a moment.
"Well," he answered, "he told you the truth."
"What?" the American exclaimed as he gave a start of terror, "Are you
dead?"
"Oh, oh! Make your mind easy," the young man answered with a laugh; "I
am as good a living man as yourself."
"Are you quite sure of it?" the superstitious American said dubiously.
"_Rayo de Dios!_ I am certain of it, though it is possible that Fray
Antonio leaped his horse over my body, for I lay for several hours
senseless on the battlefield."
"That is all right, then."
"Thanks; but what are you doing there?"
"As you see, I am on guard."
"Yes, but why are you so? Are there more of you inside?"
"There are about a dozen of us."
"All the better; and who are your comrades?"
The American looked at him for some moments fixedly, and then took his
hand, which he squeezed.
"My friend," he said with emotion, "thank heaven, for it has shown you a
great mercy this day."
"What do you mean?" the young man exclaimed, anxiously.
"I mean that those you confided to us are safe and sound, in spite of
the dangers innumerable they incurred during the terrible day we have
passed through."
"Can it be true?" he said, laying his hand on his chest, to check the
beating of his heart.
"I assure you."
"Then, they are both here?"
"Yes."
"Oh! I must see them!" he exclaimed, as he prepared to rush into the
rancho.
"Wait a moment."
"Why so?" he asked in alarm.
"For two reasons: the first being that before you enter, I must warn
them of your arrival."
"That is true; go, my friend, I will await you here."
"I have not yet told you the second reason."
"What do I care?"
"More than you fancy; do you not wish me to tell you the name of the man
who protected and eventually saved Doña Carmela?"
"I do not understand you, my friend. I entrusted the guardianship of
Tranquil and Doña Carmela to you."
"You did so."
"Then, was it not you who saved them?"
The American shook his head in denial.
"No," he said, "it was not I, I could only have died with them."
"But who saved them, then? Whoever the man may be, I swear----"
"This man," John Davis interrupted him, "is one of your dearest and most
devoted friends."
"His name? My friend, tell me his name."
"Colonel Melendez."
"Oh! I could have sworn it," the young man said impetuously; "why cannot
I thank him?"
"You will soon see him."
"How so?"
"At this moment he is busy seeking a safe retreat for the old hunter and
his daughter. For the present we shall remain at this rancho, from which
he will be able to keep the Mexican soldiers off; and so soon as he has
found another shelter, he will himself come to tell us."
"Always kind and devoted! I shall never be able to pay my debt to him."
"Who knows?" the American said philosophically; "luck will, perhaps,
turn for us, and then it will be our turn to protect our protectors of
today."
"You are right, my friend; may Heaven grant that it is so; but how did
it all happen?"
"The Colonel, who seemed, from what he said to me, to have foreboded the
danger that Doña Carmela ran, arrived just at the moment, when attacked
on all sides at once, and too weak to resist the enemies who overwhelmed
us, we were preparing, as we had promised, to die at our post; you can
guess the rest. By threats and entreaties, he drove back the soldiers
who were attacking us: then, not satisfied with having freed us from our
enemies, he desired to secure us against all danger, and accompanied us
thus far, recommending us to wait for him here, which I believe we shall
be wise in doing."
"Certainly, acting otherwise would be ungrateful. Go, now, my friend, I
will wait for you."
John Davis, understanding the anxiety from which the young man was
suffering, did not let the invitation be repeated, but entered the
rancho. The Jaguar remained alone, and was not sorry for it, for he
wished to restore some order in his ideas. He felt himself inundated
with immense joy at finding again, safe and sound, those whom he had
believed dead, and whom he so bitterly lamented; he could scarce dare
believe in such happiness, and fancied he must be dreaming, so
impossible did all this appear to him. In less than ten minutes John
Davis returned.
"Well?" the young man asked.
"Come," he answered laconically.
The American led him forward through a room in which were about a dozen
Texans, among them being Fray Antonio, Lanzi, and Quoniam, who were
sleeping on trusses of straw laid on the boards. He then pushed open a
door and the two men entered a second room not quite so large, and
lighted by a smoky candle, standing on a table, which diffused but a dim
light. Tranquil was lying on a bed of furs piled on each other, while
Doña Carmela was sitting on an equipal by his side. On seeing the young
man, she rose quickly and ran to meet him.
"Oh!" she cried, as she offered him her hand; "Heaven be praised, you
have come at last!" And bending down, she offered him her pale forehead,
on which the Jaguar imprinted a respectful kiss, the only answer he
could find, as he was suffering from such emotion. Tranquil rose with an
effort on his couch, and held out his hand to the young man, who hurried
up to him.
"Now, whatever may happen," he said timorously, "I am assured as to the
fate of my poor child, since you are near me. We have been terribly
alarmed, my friend."
"Alas!" he answered, "I have suffered more than you."
"But what is the matter?" Carmela exclaimed; "you turn pale and totter:
are you wounded?"
"No," he answered feebly; "it is the happiness, the emotion, the joy of
seeing you again. It is nothing more, so reassure yourself."
And while saying this, he fell back into a butaca half fainting.
Carmela, suffering from the most lively alarm, hurriedly attended to
him, but John Davis, knowing better than the maiden what the sick man
wanted, seized his gourd, and made him drink a long draught of its
contents. The emotion the Jaguar was suffering from, combined with the
want of food and the fatigue that oppressed him, had caused him this
momentary weakness. Tranquil was not deceived; so soon as he saw the
young man return to consciousness, he ordered his daughter to get him
food, and, as she did not seem to understand, he said with a laugh to
the Jaguar:
"I fancy, my friend, that a good meal is the only remedy you need."
The young man tried to smile as he confessed that, in truth, he was
obliged to confess, in spite of the bad opinion Doña Carmela would form
of him, that he was literally dying of hunger. The maiden, reassured by
this prosaic confession, immediately began getting him a supper of some
sort, for provisions were scanty in the rancho, and it was not an easy
matter to procure them. However, in a few minutes, Carmela returned with
some maize tortillas and a little roast meat, a more than sufficient
meal, to which the young man did the greatest honour after apologising
to his charming hostess, who now completely reassured, had resumed her
petulant character, and did not fail to tease the young Chief, who
bravely endured it.
The rest of the night was passed in pleasant conversation by these three
persons, who had believed they would never meet again, and now felt so
delighted at being together once more. The sun had risen but an hour
when the sentry suddenly challenged, and several horsemen stopped at the
gate of the rancho.