A CONVERSATION BY NIGHT.
The majordomo's fainting fit, caused rather by the moral struggle he
had sustained than by the physical fatigue he had endured, was not of
any duration: when he re-opened his eyes, he was alone on the top of
the hill. He threw off the furs and blankets laid over him, to protect
him, doubtless from the icy cold of the night, and looked curiously
round him. The tempest was still raging, but it had lost a great deal
of its violence. The rain had ceased: the deep blue sky was gradually
becoming studded with twinkling stars, which shed an uncertain light,
and gave the landscape an aspect of strange and desolate wildness.
The wind blew furiously, and formed waves on the seething top of the
waters, which had now almost risen to the spot where the majordomo lay.
A few yards from its master, his horse was quietly grazing; it was
eating the young tree shoots, and the tall close grass that covered the
ground like a thick carpet of verdure. Another horse was browsing close
by.
"Good!" Paredes muttered to himself, "My saviour has not gone away; I
hope he is not far off, and that I shall see him soon. Where can he be?
At his own business, of course, though I cannot guess the nature of his
occupation at such a moment. Well, the best plan will be to wait for
him."
The Mexican had scarce ended his soliloquy, ere a shadow stood out in
the gloom, and the man of whom he was speaking appeared.
"Ah, ah!" he said, gaily, "You are all right again, I see: all the
better; I would sooner have you in that position than the one you were
in just now."
"Thanks," the majordomo cordially answered. "I fancy I must have looked
very pitiable, stretched out like a half-throttled _novillo_. Is it not
disgraceful for a strong man to faint like a child or a feeble woman?"
"Not the least in the world, _compañero_," the other said, frankly.
"Accident decreed that I should be for a long time the involuntary
witness of the contest you waged, though it was impossible to help
you, and _¡Viva Dios!_ I declare that you are a tough combatant; you
sustained the shock bravely, and many others in your place--I the
first, perhaps--would not have got out of the scrape so well."
This answer completely broke the ice, and made the two men
comparatively friends at once.
"I confess," Paredes remarked, as he offered his hand to his new
friend, "that for a moment I believed myself lost, and had it not been
for you I should have been so."
"Nonsense," the other replied, as he pressed the hand offered him.
"You owe me nothing, for, by Jove! You saved yourself all alone. But
let us not dwell on this point any longer. Although we are in relative
safety, as the water cannot reach us here, our position is not the most
agreeable; and I fancy it would be the best for us to try and get out
of it as quickly as possible."
"That is my opinion, too; but, unluckily, the means at our disposal are
very limited."
"Perhaps so; at any rate, with your consent, we will hold an Indian
council."
"That is the best thing we can do at this moment. However," he added,
as he looked up to the sky, "day will not break for three hours."
"We have time before us, in that case."
Daring this short conversation the storm had entirely ceased, and the
wind only blew in gusts.
"Before all," the majordomo said, "let us light a fire; now that the
tempest has ceased, the wild beasts, whose instinct is infallible, will
seek the shelter of this hill, swarm round us, and, if we do not take
care, carry our position by assault."
"Excellently argued; I see that you are a hunter."
"I was one for some time," Paredes replied, with a sigh of regret, "but
now it is all over; my adventures in the desert are ended."
"I pity you sincerely," the stranger said, with an accent of sincerity;
"for no existence is comparable with it."
"The finest years of my life were those I spent in the desert."
While conversing thus, the two men had dug a hole with their machetes
at the foot of an enormous larch tree, to act as a hearth. In this
hole they piled up all the resinous wood they were able to procure,
lit it with some gunpowder rolled up in leaves, and in a few minutes
a long jet of flame sprung up and joyously ascended to the sky, while
the wood crackled and emitted millions of sparks. Fire has an immense
influence upon the human mind; among other benefits, it has the faculty
of restoring joy and hope; and while warming a man with its reviving
heat, it often makes him forget perils incurred and fatigues endured.
The two men, who were as wet as if they had been in a river, dried
themselves for a considerable time, enjoying the pleasant sensations
which the heat made them experience, in proportion as it penetrated
into the pores, causing the blood to circulate with greater vivacity,
and restoring elasticity to their benumbed limbs. It was the majordomo
who was the first to resume the conversation.
"¡Viva Dios!" he said, shaking himself joyously; "I am now quite a
different man. What a fine thing a fire is when you are cold. Suppose
we make use of it, comrade?"
"Do so, pray," the stranger replied, with a laugh; "but in what way?"
"Oh, that is very easy; you shall see. Are you not hungry?"
"_Caray_, it is fourteen hours since I have eaten; but unluckily I have
no provisions."
"Well, I have, and we will share them."
"Very good. I see that you are a first-rate fellow."
The majordomo rose, fetched the alforjas which were fastened to his
saddle, and then seated himself again by the fire.
"There!" he said, displaying his provisions with some degree of
complacency.
"_¡Caramba!_" the other remarked, with a laugh; "Food was never more
welcome."
The provisions which caused such delight to the two men would have
made our European good wives smile with pity. They consisted of some
slices of _tasajo_, _cicuia_, a lump of goat's cheese, and a few
maize tortillas; but the majordomo produced a leather bottle, full
of excellent mezcal, which had the privilege of restoring to the two
adventurers all their merry carelessness.
The _tasajo_ was laid on the coals, where it was soon done to a turn,
and the two friends heartily attacked the supper. The frugal meal
ended, they washed it down with a few sips of mezcal, fraternally
passing the bottle to each other; then they lit their cigarettes, the
_obligado_ supplement of every Mexican repast, and began to smoke,
while attentively surveying the heavy sky, which was already striped
with dark bands under the influence of the early morning hours.
"Now, let us hold a council, if you are agreeable," the stranger said,
as he inhaled an enormous mouthful of smoke, which he sent forth
through his mouth and nostrils.
"As you are my senior on this territory," the majordomo remarked, with
a laugh, "and are better acquainted with its resources than I am, you
have the right to speak first."
"Very good: we are surrounded by water, and though the temporal has
ceased, the streams will not return to their bed for several hours:
moreover, the whole day will pass before the water is entirely absorbed
by the sand."
"That is true," the majordomo said, with a significant shake of the
head: "and yet we must get away from here."
"That is the question. To do so, we can only employ two means."
"Yes, we must either wait till the ground is dry, and that
unfortunately will take a long time, which I cannot afford, as I am in
a hurry: or at sunrise we can mount our horses, and bravely swim off,
and reach the mountains, which cannot be very far distant."
"You forgot another way which is still at our service."
"I do not think so."
"We can get into a canoe, and tow our horses after us, which will tire
them less than carrying us; and enable us to reach the mountains to
which you refer with greater ease; and they are only two leagues at the
most, from this point."
"Your opinion is certainly good, and I approve of it with all my heart;
unluckily we want one very important thing to carry it out."
"What is that?"
"Why, hang it all--the canoe."
"You are mistaken, _compadre_, we have one."
"Nonsense; how can that be possible?"
"While you were in a faint," the stranger continued, with a smile,
"I explored our domain. You know that, in this country, when the
rainy season arrives, the inhabitants are accustomed to hide canoes
in bushes, and even in trees, in order to give travellers who are
surprised by the inundation the means of saving themselves."
"That is true; have you found a canoe?"
"Yes; and hidden behind the very tree against which you are leaning."
"Heaven be praised! In that case we run no risk; but is the canoe in
good condition?"
"I have assured myself of that fact, and even found two pairs of new
paddles."
"Heaven is very certainly on your side. In that case we will start at
sunrise, if that suits you."
"Excellently; though I am not in such a hurry as you appear to be, and
for certain reasons I must remain in these parts for some days longer."
"Shall we employ the few hours left us in having a sleep?"
"You can sleep if you like, but as I am not at all fatigued, I shall
watch over our common safety."
"I accept your proposal as frankly as you make it. Yet, with your
permission, I will not close my eyes till I have become better
acquainted with you."
"How so? Are we not friends already?"
"Certainly, I am your friend, at least; but we do not know one another."
"That is to say--"
"We do not know one another--I mean who we are."
"Oh, when travelling, what value can such formalities possess?"
"A greater value than you suppose; in a few hours we shall part, it is
true, perhaps never to meet again; but perhaps, at some distant period,
we may require each other's assistance; now, how could I summon you, if
I did not know your name?"
"You're right, comrade; as for me, I am only a poor devil of a hunter,
wood ranger, or trapper--whichever you please, and my companions call
me Stronghand, because, as they say, when I hold out my hand to a
friend he can trust to it in perfect confidence."
"_¡Viva Dios_, caballero! you are well named, as I can declare; your
reputation has already reached me, and I am delighted at the chance
that has brought us together, as I had already desired to form your
personal acquaintance."
"I thank you," the hunter replied, with a bow.
"As for me," the Mexican continued, "my name is José Paredes, and I am
majordomo to the Marquis de Moguer."
"What!" Stronghand said, with a surprise he did not try to conceal;
"you are majordomo at the Hacienda del Toro?"
"Yes, what do you find surprising in that?"
"The man whom his master sent two days ago to Hermosillo, to receive
cash for heavy bills drawn on an English banker?"
"How do you know that?" Paredes exclaimed, in his turn overwhelmed with
surprise.
"What matter, so long as I know it?" the hunter replied. "Believe me,"
he added, with an accent that caused the majordomo deep reflection,
"our meeting is truly providential, and Heaven led us toward each
other."
"That is strange," Paredes muttered; "how is it possible that a secret
which my master confided to me alone should be in your possession?"
The hunter smiled. "A secret known to three persons," he said, "does
not long remain a secret."
"But that third person, to whom you refer, has no right to divulge it."
"How do you know that? I will say to you in my turn, Master Paredes.
Sufficient for you, for the present, to learn that I am aware of the
cause of your journey. I think you said you had heard speak of me
before we met?"
"That is true, Señor."
"What terms did the persons who spoke of me employ?"
"The best, I must allow. They represented you to me as a man of
unspotted loyalty and dauntless courage."
"Good! Does that report satisfy you--have you confidence in me?"
"Yes; for I am convinced that you are an honest man."
"I hope that your opinion of me will not alter. I will soon prove to
you that it is fortunate for you and the Marquis that we have met at
the moment when you least expected it; for I was looking for you."
"Looking for me? I do not understand you."
"You do not require to understand me at the present moment; but set
your mind at rest, everything will be explained ere long."
"I hope so."
"And I am certain of it. Are you devoted to your master?"
"My family have lived on the estate for two hundred years."
"That is not a reason; answer distinctly."
"I am devoted to him body and soul, and would willingly lay down my
life for him."
"That is the way to answer; however, I knew it already, and only
desired that your lips should confirm what I have been told."
"My master has no secrets from me."
"I know that also. Well, now, listen to me attentively, Señor Paredes,
for what I have to reveal to you is of the utmost gravity."
"I am listening to you, Señor."
"Your master is at this moment in danger of being utterly ruined. He
is the plaything of villains who have sworn to destroy him. The sum
you are going to fetch they intend to take from you, and everything
is prepared to make you fall into an infamous trap, in which you will
infallibly perish."
"Are you certain of what you assert?" the majordomo exclaimed, in
horror.
"I know all, I repeat to you: the men from whom I obtained your secret,
who little expected that I was listening to them, at the same time
revealed to me the means they intended to employ in assassinating you."
"Why, that is infamous!"
"I am completely of your opinion, and that is why, instead of setting
my traps in the desert, as I ought to be doing, I am now here. I wish
to foil the plots of these villains, and confound them."
"But what interest induces you to act thus?" the majordomo asked, with
a shadow of distrust.
"That question I cannot answer. You must for the present lay aside all
curiosity; you must place entire confidence in me, and give me, in what
I propose doing, as much help as I shall offer you. Does this suit you?
I fancy that the bargain I offer is entirely to your advantage, and
that you will run no risk beyond what I do myself."
There was a lengthened silence. The majordomo was reflecting on what
he had just heard, while the hunter, with his eyes fixed on him, was
patiently waiting till he thought proper to renew the conversation. At
length Paredes raised his head, and held out his hand to the hunter,
who pressed it.
"Listen, Stronghand," he said to him; "all that you have told me
appears extraordinary, and I confess that at once: but there is such
frankness in your voice, and your reputation is so well established
among your brethren, the wood rangers, who all proclaim your loyalty,
that I do not hesitate to confide in you without any reservation, for
I am convinced that you can have no idea of betraying me, up to the
moment when you think proper to reveal to me the names of the villains
into whose hands I should have infallibly fallen, had it not been for
you, and who have sworn the ruin of my beloved master. I will do what
you ask of me--resign my will entirely; you may regard me as a thing
belonging entirely to you. Come, go, act as you think proper, and I
will obey you in everything, without asking any explanation of your
conduct. Now, in your turn, say if it suits you."
"Yes, my worthy friend, that pleases me. You have guessed my thought.
I require this liberty to give me the means of succeeding in what I
wish to do. Believe the word of an honest man. If anything can add
to the confidence you have placed in me, and of which I am proud, I
swear to you, by all that is most sacred in the world, that no one is
more interested than I am in the Marquis de Moguer, or more sincerely
desires to see him happy."
"We shall still start at sunrise, eh?"
"Yes; but not to proceed to Hermosillo. Before going to that town, we
must take certain indispensable precautions. We have to deal with the
most crafty bandits on the border, and must beat them by cunning. They
are on our track, and we must cheat the cheaters."
"Good, good! I will call to mind my old hunter's profession."
"Remember, above all, the prairie proverb, 'The trees have eyes and the
leaves ears.' Fortunately for us, the villains who are watching for you
do not disturb me in any way. I reckon principally on that ignorance to
foil their plots."
"But if we do not go to Hermosillo, where are we going?"
"Tomorrow, when it is daylight," the hunter answered, sententiously,
"when the bright sunbeams permit me to convince myself that no one can
hear us, I will tell you. For the present, sleep, rest yourself, so
that you may be able to support the fatigue that awaits you."
And, as if to avoid fresh questioning, the hunter wrapped himself in
his zarapé, leant his back against the larch tree, stretched out his
legs to the fire, and closed his eyes. The majordomo, in spite of his
lively desire to continue the conversation, imitated him; and a few
minutes later, overcome by the fatigue of every description he had
endured for some days, he was fast asleep.