THE RETURN.
How was it that the tigrero, whom we saw leave the rancho almost as
soon as Doña Marianna, and follow in her track, arrived so late? We
will explain this in a few sentences. The young man, feeling certain
that his foster sister thoroughly knew the road she had to follow,
which was, moreover, properly traced, had not dreamed of the chance of
her missing her way, and not troubling himself to follow the horse's
footmarks, he pushed straight on, fancying Doña Marianna ahead of him,
crossed the forest, and then entered the plain, without perceiving the
person he fancied he was following.
Still, on reaching the cultivated land, he looked carefully ahead of
him, for he was surprised at the advance the young lady had gained on
him in so short a time. But, though he examined the horizon all around,
he saw nothing of her. Mariano was beginning to grow anxious; still,
as there was a chaparral some distance ahead, whose tufted trees might
conceal her whom he sought, he became reassured, and pushed onward,
increasing the already rapid pace of his steed. It took him some time
to pass through the chaparral; when he reached its skirt, and again
entered the plain, the sun had set about half an hour previously, and
darkness was invading the earth; the darkness was, indeed, so thick,
that in spite of all his exertions, he could distinguish nothing a few
paces ahead of him.
The tigrero halted, dismounted, placed his ear on the ground, and
listened. A moment later he heard, or fancied he heard, a distant
sound resembling a horse's gallop; his alarm was at once dissipated.
Convinced that the young lady was in front of him, he mounted again and
pushed on. As he was only two leagues from the Hacienda del Toro, he
soon reached the foot of the rock. Here he stopped, and asked himself
whether he had better go up, or regard his mission as fulfilled, and
turn back. While unable to form any decision, he saw a black outline
gliding along the path, and soon distinguished a horseman coming toward
him.
"_Buena noche, Caballero_," he said, when the latter crossed him.
"_Dios le de a usted buena_," the other politely replied, and he passed
on, but suddenly turned round again. The tigrero rode to meet him.
"Ah!" the horseman said, when they met, "I felt sure that I was not
mistaken. How is No Mariano?"
"Very well, and at your service," the tigrero answered, recognising the
majordomo; "and you, No Paredes?"
"The same, thank you; are you going up to the toro, or returning to the
rancho?"
"Why that question?"
"Because in the former case I would bid you good night, while in the
latter we would ride together."
"Are you going to the rancho?"
"Yes; the Señor Marquis has sent me."
"Tell me, No Paredes, would there be any indiscretion on my part in
asking you what you are going to do at the rancho at so late an hour?"
"Not the slightest, compadre. I am simply going to fetch Doña Marianna,
who has remained today later than usual with her nurse. Her father is
anxious about her long absence, and asked me to go and meet her if she
were on her road home, or if not, push on to the rancho."
This revelation was a thunderclap for the young man, who fancied that
he had misunderstood.
"What!" he exclaimed, anxiously, "Is not Doña Marianna at the hacienda?"
"It seems not," the majordomo answered, "since I am going to fetch her."
"Why, that is impossible!" the other continued, in extreme agitation.
"Why so?" said Paredes, beginning to grow anxious in his turn. "What do
you mean?"
"I mean that Doña Marianna left the rancho full three hours ago; that I
followed her without her knowledge to watch over her safety, and that
she must have been at the hacienda for more than half an hour."
"Are you quite sure of what you assert?"
"¡Caray! I have asserted it."
"In that case, Heaven have pity on the poor girl! For I apprehend a
frightful misfortune."
"But she may have entered the hacienda without your seeing her."
"Nonsense, compadre; that is impossible. But come, we'll convince
ourselves."
Without losing time in longer argument the two men dashed up the
rock at a gallop, and in a few minutes reached the first gate of the
hacienda. No one had seen Doña Marianna. The alarm was instantly
given; Don Hernando wished to ride off at the head of his people, and
beat up the country in search of his daughter; and it was with great
difficulty that he was induced to abandon the project. Don Ruiz and
the majordomo, followed by some twenty peons, provided with ocote wood
torches, started in two different directions.
Mariano had an idea of his own. When he was quite certain that his
foster sister had not returned, he presumed the truth--that she was
lost in the forest. He did not consider for a moment that she had been
carried off by Indian marauders, for he had not noticed any trace of a
party of horsemen; and Bigote, whose nose was infallible, had evinced
no anxiety during the ride. Hence Doña Marianna must be lost in the
forest. The tigrero let Don Ruiz, the majordomo, and the peons pass
him, and then bent his steps towards the rancho, closely followed
by his dog, in spite of the exhortations of his young master and No
Paredes, who wanted him to accompany them. When he was in the forest
he stopped for a moment, as if to look round him; then, after most
carefully examining the spot where he was, he dismounted, fastened his
horse's bridle to the pommel, tied the stirrups together to keep them
from clanking, and gave his horse a friendly smack on the crupper.
"Go along, Moreno," he said to it; "return to the rancho. I shall not
want you again tonight."
The horse turned its fine intelligent head to its master, gave a
neigh of pleasure, and started at a gallop in the direction of the
rancho. The tigrero carefully examined his gun, the priming of which
he renewed, and began inspecting the ground by the light of a torch.
Bigote, gravely seated on its hind legs, followed its master's every
movement, and was evidently much perplexed. After a very lengthened
search, the tigrero probably found what he was looking for, for he rose
with an air of satisfaction, and whistled his dog, which at once ran up.
"Bigote," he said, "smell these marks; they were made by the horse of
your mistress, Marianna; do you recognise them?"
The noble animal did as its master ordered, then fixed its sparkling
eyes upon him with an almost human expression, and wagged its tail with
delight.
"Good, Bigote! Good, my famous dog!" the tigrero continued, as he
patted it; "And now let us follow the trail; forward, Bigote, pick it
up clean."
The dog hesitated for a moment, then it set out with its nose to the
ground, closely followed by its master, who had extinguished his torch,
which would henceforth be useless. But all we have narrated occupied
considerable time; and the tigrero would have arrived too late to save
the maiden, had not Heaven sent the hunter across her path. The dog did
not once check its speed through the numberless windings of the course
Negro had followed; and master and dog together reached the spot where
the horrible drama we recently described occurred.
"When I heard Stronghand's shot," the tigrero added, as he concluded
his narrative, "I experienced a sound of deadly agony, for I understood
that a frightful struggle was going on at the moment, and that the
beast might conquer the man. Well, tocaya, will you now believe in the
jaguars?"
"Oh, silence, Mariano!" the young lady said, with a shudder; "I almost
went mad with terror when I saw the eyes of the horrible animals fixed
upon me. Oh! Had it not been for this brave and honest hunter, I should
have been lost."
"Brave and honest, indeed!" the tigrero, said, with frank affection;
"You are right, señorita, for Stronghand might just as fairly be called
Goodheart, for he is ever so ready to assist strangers, and relieve the
unfortunate."
Doña Marianna listened with lively pleasure to this praise of the man
who had saved her life; but Stronghand felt terribly embarrassed, and
suffered in his heart at a deed which he thought so simple, and which
he was so delighted to have done, being rated so highly.
"Come, come, Mariano," he said, in order to cut short the young man's
compliments, "we cannot remain here any longer; remember that while
we are quietly resting by the fireside and talking nonsense, this
young lady's father and brother are suffering from deadly anxiety, and
scouring the plain without any hope of finding her. We must arrange how
to get away from here as soon as possible, and return to the hacienda."
"Caray, master, you are right, as usual; but what is to be done? Both
you and I are on foot, and we cannot dream for a moment that the
señorita could walk such a distance."
"Oh, I am strong," she said with a smile; "under your escort, my
friends, I fear nothing, and can walk."
"No, señorita," the hunter said, with an accent of gentle authority,
"your strength would betray your courage; on so dark a night, and
in a forest like this, a man accustomed to desert life could hardly
expect to walk without falling at every step. Put yourself in our
hands, for we know better than you do what is best to be done under the
circumstances."
"Very good," she answered; "act as you think proper. I have suffered
enough already today, by refusing to listen to the advice of my tocayo,
to prevent me being obstinate now."
"That is the way to talk," the tigrero said gaily. "What are we going
to do, Stronghand?"
"While you skin the jaguars--for I suppose you do not wish to leave
them as they are--"
"What!" the tigrero interrupted him, "Those skins belong to you, and I
have no claim to them, as you killed the beasts."
"Pooh!" the hunter said with a laugh, "I am not a tigrero, except by
accident; the skins are yours, and fairly so; so you had better take
them."
"Since that is the case I will not decline; but as for my part, I
promised to give my foster sister the skins to make a rug, I will beg
her to accept them."
"Very good," she answered, giving the hunter a look which filled him
with joy; "they will remind me of the fearful danger I incurred, and
the way in which I escaped it."
"That is settled, then," the hunter said; "and I will; cut down with my
machete some branches to form a litter."
"Caray, that is an idea which would not have occurred to me," Mariano
remarked, with a laugh; "but it is very simple. To work."
Hunters and trappers are skilful and most expeditious men; in a
few minutes Mariano had skinned the jaguars, and Stronghand formed
the litter; the skins, after being carefully folded, were securely
fastened on the back of Bigote, who did not at all like the burden
imposed on him; but after a while he made up his mind to put up with
it. Stronghand covered the litter with leaves and grass, over which
he laid the saddlecloth of the horse the jaguars had devoured; then
he requested the young lady to seat herself on this soft divan, which
was so suddenly improvised, and the two men, taking it on their strong
shoulders, started in the direction of the hacienda, joined by Bigote,
who trotted in front with glad barks.
Although the hunters had, from excess of precaution, formed torches
of ocote wood to help them, the darkness was so complete--the trees
were so close together--that it was with extreme difficulty that
they succeeded in advancing in this inextricable labyrinth. Forced
to take continual _detours_--obliged at times to walk in water up to
their waists--deafened by the discordant cries of the birds, which the
flash of the torches aroused--they saw all around them the wild beasts
flying, with hoarse roars and eyes glaring through the darkness. It
was then that Doña Marianna fully comprehended what frightful peril
she had escaped, and how certain her death would have been, had not
the hunter come to her assistance with such noble self-devotion; and
at the remembrance of all that had occurred, and which was now but a
dream, a convulsive tremor passed over her limbs, and she felt as if
she were about to faint. Stronghand, who seemed to guess what was going
on in the maiden's mind, frequently spoke to her, in order to change
the current of her ideas by compelling her to answer him. They had been
marching for a long distance, and the forest seemed as savage as when
they started.
"Do you believe," Doña Marianna asked, "that we are on the right road?"
"Even admitting, señora, what might be possible," the hunter answered,
"that Mariano and myself were capable of falling into an error, we have
with us an infallible guide in Bigote, who, you may be quite certain,
will not lead us astray."
"Within ten minutes, señorita," the tigrero said, "we shall enter the
road that runs from the rancho to the hacienda."
All at once the two men stopped. At the same moment Doña Marianna heard
shouts that seemed to answer each other in various directions.
"Forward! Forward!" said Stronghand; "Let us not leave your relatives
and friends in anxiety longer than we can help."
"Thanks," she answered.
They continued their march; and, as the tigrero had announced, in
scarce ten minutes they reached the road to the hacienda.
"What shall we do now?" Marianna asked.
"I think," Stronghand answered, "that we ought to announce our presence
by a cry for help, and then proceed in the direction of those who
answer us. What is your opinion, señora?"
"Yes," she said, "I think we ought to do so; for otherwise we run a
risk of reaching the hacienda without meeting any of the persons sent
to seek me, and who might continue their search till morning, which
would be ingratitude on my part."
"You are right, niña; for all these worthy people are attached to you,
and besides, your brother and Don Paredes are also seeking you."
"That is a further reason why we should hasten to announce our return,"
the young lady answered.
The two hunters, after consulting for a moment, uttered together that
long shrill yell, which, in the desert as in the mountains, serves as
the rallying cry, and may be heard for an enormous distance. Almost
immediately the whole forest seemed to be aroused; similar cries broke
out in all directions, and the hunters noticed red dots running with
extreme rapidity between the trees, and all converging on the spot
where they stood, as if they radiated from a common centre. Certain
of having been heard, the hunters once again uttered their shout for
help. The reply was not delayed; the galloping of horses soon became
distinct, and then riders, holding torches, appeared from all parts of
the forest coming at full speed, waving their hands, and resembling
the fantastic huntsmen of the old German legends. In a few minutes
all the persons were assembled round the litter on which the young
lady reclined; and Don Ruiz and the majordomo were not long ere they
arrived. We will not describe the joy of brother and sister on seeing
each other again.
"Brother," Doña Marianna said to Don Ruiz, "if you find me still alive,
you owe it to the man who before saved us both from the pirates of the
prairies; had it not been for him, I should have been lost."
"You may safely say that, and no mistake," Marianna said, in
confirmation.
"Where is he?" Don Ruiz asked--"Where is he? that I may express all my
gratitude to him."
But he was sought for in vain. During the first moment of confusion,
Stronghand had summoned a peon to take his place--had glided unnoticed
into the forest and disappeared--no one being able to say in what
direction he had gone.
"Why this flight?" Doña Marianna murmured, with a stifled sigh; "Does
this strange man fear lest our gratitude should prove too warm?"
And she thoughtfully bowed her head on her bosom.