COLONEL WARLOW'S STORY.
"When a boy of twenty I joined the army that soon invaded Mexico, and
carried victory with its banners into the Aztec capital--the
world-renowned halls of the Montezumas.
"It was before Vera Cruz--when our ranks were swept by the iron hail,
rained upon our storming columns by scores of cannon from San Juan de
Ulloa--that I first saw Bruce Walraven, whom I was thenceforth to regard
as a brother.
"An exploding shell had killed my horse, which had fallen upon me in
such a way that made it impossible for me to rise without assistance;
and while I was yet vainly struggling to extricate myself from the
dangerous position, a squadron of cavalry rushed by, charging a company
of Mexican infantry intrenched behind a light breastwork of sand-bags. I
held up my hand with an imploring gesture--a human voice was lost in the
wild thunder and roar of artillery--and the leader of the cavalry saw my
sad plight. He wavered a moment as though struggling with discipline;
but the sight of a fellow-soldier in distress seemed to outweigh all
else, even the pride of leading his men, for he dashed to my side and
helped me to rise; then, as a riderless horse galloped by, he caught its
dangling rein, and by his help, in a moment more I was again in the
saddle.
"By rapid riding we soon overtook the command, and were greeted by a
ringing cheer from the soldiers, who quickly showed their appreciation
of his humanity. Later in the war I would not have been so fortunate;
but we were new, as yet, to scenes of bloodshed and carnage, which
accounted for the laxity of discipline, but evidence of humanity, shown
in this incident.
"After the successful storming of the enemy's slight earthworks, which,
with their usual lack of military science, had been but half manned and
illy constructed, I had a long talk with young Lieutenant Walraven, and
in a short time I had managed to be exchanged into his company; and we
soon became inseparable companions, sharing the same blanket at night
and rude fare during the day, or riding side by side through the battles
of that glorious campaign, and finally reaching the valley of Mexico
safely.
"Here, while engaged in a slight skirmish with the enemy, Walraven was
wounded in the arm, and was immediately conveyed to the old hacienda of
Monteluma, near by. At his urgent request I was detailed to stay with
him as a guard. In the courts of that princely villa he rapidly
convalesced; and one day, while seated by the great fountain, where
myrtle and jasmine, oleander and roses, mingled their fragrance, he saw
two beautiful Spanish ladies loitering near, and being concealed by the
luxuriant foliage himself, he could see and hear all that passed
without being discovered.
"He always afterward declared to me that at first he had no intention of
playing the eavesdropper; but when he learned from their talk that it
was himself they were discussing, then the temptation became too great
to resist, so he sat very still while the following dialogue took place,
and which, with his usual boyish frankness, he related to me an hour
later. This was in Spanish; but Bruce was now quite proficient in that
language, and readily understood all that was said:--
"'But, Ivarene, my dear, it does not become Don Rozarro's daughter and
heiress--last, alas! of the proud line of Monteluma--to become
infatuated with the blue eyes and golden hair of this wounded soldier;
and if he is as handsome as a Norse king, to which you so foolishly
compare him, he still is no less our country's enemy,' said the elder
lady, who seemed to be a duenna, whose sole care consisted in keeping
the younger and more beautiful lady hidden from the eyes of her
unwelcome guests, but with what success you may readily perceive.
"'But, Labella, cousin dear, he is alone, wounded and ill in a foreign
land--no mother, sister, or sweetheart near to soothe his long days of
pain! (I wonder if he has a sweetheart in that cold Northland!) And
then, Labella, does not the good Book command us to do good to those who
hate us, and to love our enemies?' she replied with a mischievous
smile.
"'Oh, the command, my darling, does not apply to every sunny-haired
trooper who, invades our country--'
"'No--no; not every one, true!' retorted Ivarene, archly, to which the
duenna quickly replied:--
"'I fear, Ivarene, that your English education, and your much reading of
those Northern books, have turned your head.'
"Here the ladies passed on through a latticed arcade, and their voices
were lost in the distance; but my friend had seen and heard enough to
lose his heart completely, and in the evening, as we sat on the balcony
without, he was so quiet and thoughtful that I began to realize the fact
that he was deeply entangled in the meshes of love at first sight.
"Leaving him to his reflections, I walked to the edge of the balcony to
gaze out over the matchless landscape which the lofty mansion commanded.
"The tropic moon poured a flood of silvery radiance over the Vale of
Mexico, while low down on the horizon burned the fiery Southern Cross.
The bubbling domes of the great capital seemed to float upon the lakes
which environ its walls, and her myriad lights twinkled and flashed back
from their waters like stars on a frosty night.
"Old Chapultepec, with its castellated walls, towered out on the lofty
headland; and the dark forests of cypress, that had witnessed the
tragedies and pageants of Aztec splendor for a thousand years past,
clothed the base of the hill in a sombre mantle, peopled by the
spectres, I thought, of long dead princes and Montezumas that in the
dim past had lived their lives of inconceivable luxury in those ancient
groves.
"Over all loomed the old volcanoes, white and ghostly, with their
mantles of eternal snow and hearts of hidden fire. Shrouded in mystery,
they seemed a fit emblem of the Aztec past, whose buried histories still
haunt this ancient land.
"Near by, at the foot of the lofty terrace, the groves of olive and
orange were sombre in shade. In the soft wind the myrtle rustled
faintly, and on the roses at our feet the dew-drops glinted in fitful
splendor.
"In an angle of the old wall, where the murky shadows were deepest, the
glow-worms burned in the damp grass, and the fire-flies glimmered
incessantly. There I half fancied that I could see strange forms
hovering; and when a figure flitted out into the moonlight, then was
quickly lost again in the black shade of an aloe, I was startled for a
moment; but concluding it was one of the peons belonging to the estate,
I turned my eyes to again feast on the glorious view.
"There were numberless fountains pouring down their sheen of waters,
that, after flashing a moment in the moonlight, rippled away in
rivulets, which gurgled and sang as they leaped over the terraces in
mimic cascades, where they joined the waters of the fairy-like lakes
that slumbered in the grounds below. These tranquil sheets of water were
the reservoirs which served to irrigate the vast estate, and were decked
with floating gardens, on which were gilded arbors or lattices of
white, with beds of bright-hued tropic flowers.
"On every hand lay league upon league of land, all owned by the young
mistress of Monteluma. The long avenue of cypress only ending close to
the walls of the capital, the villages of peons, the pasturages where
the numerous flocks grazed, groves of orange and lemon, and the fields
of wheat,--all these I knew were the undisputed estate of our hostess,
of whom Bruce was now dreaming.
"I was aroused from my reverie by an exclamation from my companion, who
had now sprung up excitedly and was pointing down toward the entrance,
while he grasped the pistols that hung in his belt--weapons that were
never lost sight of in this turbulent country. As I looked toward the
spot where he was pointing I could see the long line of a hundred
steps--which led up to the only entrance to the hacienda--lined and
thronging with armed men:
"In a moment the situation flashed upon us: they were banditti or
marauders, emboldened by the unprotected state of the rich villa, and
were now attacking the great iron-studded door. If they effected an
entrance, I shuddered with apprehension to think of the fate of its
inmates; but we lost no time while we were thus speculating, but quickly
barring the door on the balcony we rushed down into the court, and while
I grasped the bell-rope and sent forth a wild alarm from the brazen bell
that hung in the lofty tower, Bruce hurried on through the long hall
toward the door of entrance.
"As he was fastening the chains and bars across the entrance a crowd of
frightened peons came flocking into the hall, and while we were hastily
arming them with the guns that hung upon the wall and directing them to
guard the upper windows and doors that opened out upon the lofty
balconies, the door of the great saloon was hurriedly thrown open, and
Senora Labella asked in a trembling voice the reason of the commotion.
"When she learned that the bandits were at the door she fled back into
the room, and as we followed, assuring her of our protection, we saw her
fly to where the young heiress stood, her arm yet resting upon the
gilded harp which she had but just that moment ceased playing, and the
light from the silver chandelier falling softly upon her raven hair and
the lustrous white silk that fell in graceful folds about her slender
form.
"While the excited duenna clung to the more youthful lady, and gave way
to incoherent cries of fear and moans of distress, we begged them to
retire to a tower of great strength, and we would surely repel the
attack; but Ivarene declared she would stay and help defend her
home--saying she would not have it said that the last Rozarro was the
first to flee from danger.
"After the senora had been given over to the care of a bevy of badly
frightened maids, Ivarene hurried fearlessly out into the hall and
showed Bruce where several loop-holes were concealed by slides of iron.
These commanded the entrance, and while we rained a galling fire upon
the enemy, she stood in an angle of the thick wall and reloaded the
guns for us, which we as rapidly discharged again with telling effect.
The blows upon the door soon ceased, and we could see the marauders
retreating down the steps; then, as a parting salute followed them, they
could be heard galloping swiftly away.
"When all was still again, we accompanied the brave young heiress back
to the saloon, where she thanked us earnestly for the rescue of her home
from the hands of the marauders. Of course, we quickly assured her that
the honors and glory of the occasion rested in her bravery and
resolution. When she gave her hand to my handsome, sunny-haired friend,
I think something stronger than admiration shone in his deep-blue eyes
as he gazed upon the beautiful creole face, now suffused with blushes
and lit by eyes of midnight blackness.
"The senora had now recovered from her agitation, and was voluble and
profuse in her thanks and compliments. At a sign from her the servants
brought great silver trays, loaded with cake of white and gold, with
decanters of ruby wine, glittering in the flasks of cut glass like
liquid fire. For an hour or more the dark-eyed young heiress sang songs
of Spain in a voice of cultured melody, while her white fingers swept
the gilded harp, that vibrated in tones of sweetest harmony under her
skillful touch.
"As a compliment to us she also sang several Scotch and English ballads,
and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that she had received an
education in England, and spoke our own tongue with remarkable fluency.
"From that night we were accorded all the privileges of honored guests
in the great hacienda."
Here the colonel paused, remarking that as the hour was growing late his
hearers would excuse him, which they promised to do providing he would
continue his narrative on the morrow. As the party arose from about the
camp-fire, Robbie said he felt heroic enough to eat several Mexicans,
not to mention such relishes as wine, cake, and peons, at which very
broad hint the tea-kettle was soon humming on the embers; and when the
cups of the soothing beverage were handed around, Grace passed a basket,
which, if not filled with such luxuries as those which had graced the
Mexican saloon, were at least very acceptable to our friends.
Scott, whose attention was divided between a chicken-bone and reverie,
suddenly inquired if they thought there would ever be another war with
Mexico. As the party broke up with a laugh at his expense, the quiet of
nature once more reigned over the valley, broken only by the hoarse
croak of the frogs in the dark pools and the shrill cry of the cicada in
the grass.
The moon threw a pale, silvery light upon the row of white tents, where
our friends were soon dreaming of the new homes that they would build in
this tranquil valley; yet no vision of the strange events which fate
held in store for them came to prepare them for the life of trial and
adventure which they were now entering upon.
One day more of quiet rest, then would begin a life new and strange for
them all. They had left their old selves forever behind; their past was
a blank; new faces and new friends awaited them here in their future
home, which had never been even claimed as the property of any man since
the dawn of creation.
Yes, fate is both unkind and compassionate in withholding a knowledge of
the blessings and trials that await them here; so they slumber on, while
unseen destiny begins to weave her web, checkered and mysterious as the
veil of moonlight that wavers through the willows.