THE TWO ULMENS.
If we were writing a romance instead of a true history, there are
certain scenes of the recital which we would pass over in silence. The
one which follows would certainly be of this number; and yet, though of
a rather hazardous puerility, it carries with it its lesson, by showing
what is the influence of the early habits of a miserable life, even upon
natures the best endowed, and how difficult it is, at a later period, to
shake them off. We will add, to the praise of Valentine, the man of whom
we are speaking, that his gaminism, if we may be allowed to employ such
a term, was much more feigned than real, and that his aim, in allowing
himself to be sometimes led away by it, was to bring a smile to the lips
of his foster brother, and thus cheat the sorrow that was undermining
his peace.
This necessary preamble being gone through, we will resume the course
of our narrative, and, abandoning for a time Don Tadeo and his friend,
we will request the reader to follow us back to the tribe of the Great
Hare. The looked-for morrow was a great day for the tribe, a day
expected with impatience by all housekeepers, who were about to learn
how to discover, to use Valentine's word, a new dish, which promised
to please the palates of their race. As soon as it was daylight, men,
women, and children assembled on the great Square of the village, and
formed numerous groups, in which the merit of the unknown dish about
to be revealed to them was discussed. Louis, for whom the experiment
his friend was going to make had very little interest, wished to remain
in the toldo; but Valentine insisted upon his being present at the
experiment, and much against his will, he consented.
The Parisian was already at his post, standing in an open spot, in
the middle of the Square, watching with a laughing eye the anxious
or incredulous expression by turn displayed upon the faces directed
towards him. A table, which was to serve for his culinary preparations,
a lighted brasier, upon which boiled an iron pot filled with water, a
kitchen knife, an enormous frying-pan, found I know not where, a sort
of tub, a wooden spoon, some parsley, a bit of bacon, some salt, some
pepper, and a basket full of fresh eggs, had been prepared at his desire
by the cares of Trangoil-Lanec.
All eagerly looked for the arrival of the Apo-Ulmen of the tribe, with
which the exhibition was to commence. A kind of dais had been erected
for him in front of the operator, and when he had taken his lighted
calumet from the hands of his pipe-bearer, he bent a little on one
side and whispered a few words in the ear of Curumilla, who stood
respectfully beside him. The Ulmen bowed, came down from the dais, went
straight to the Parisian to tell him he might begin, and then resumed
his post.
Valentine returned the salutation of this master of the ceremonies,
took off his poncho, which he folded up and laid carefully at his feet,
and turning up his sleeves above his elbows with the studied grace of
a performer, he leant slightly forward, placed his right hand upon the
table, and assuming the tone of a vendor of quack medicines who boasts
of the efficacy of his nostrums to gaping clowns, he thus commenced his
demonstration in a loud voice and with a perfectly clear utterance:--
"Illustrious Ulmens, and you redoubtable warriors of the noble and
sacred tribe of the Great Hare, listen attentively to what I have the
honour of explaining to you. In the beginning of time the world did
not exist; water and clouds, which continually clashed against each
other in space, then formed the universe. When Pillian created the
world, as soon as at his voice man had issued from the bosom of the red
mountain, he took him by the hand, and pointing to all the productions
of the earth, the air, and the water, he said to him,--'Thou art the
king of creation: consequently, animals, plants, and fishes all belong
to thee, and are, each in proportion with its strength, instincts, or
conformation, to minister to thy welfare and thy happiness in the world
in which I have placed thee; thus the horse shall bear thee with fiery
speed across the deserts, fleecy lamas and sheep clothe thee with their
wool, and nourish thee with their succulent flesh.' When Pillian had
analyzed, one after the other, the diverse qualities of the animals,
before proceeding to the plants and fishes, he stopped at the hen, which
was moving carelessly about, and picking up the grains of corn scattered
on the ground. Pillian took her by the wings, and showing her to man,
said, 'Here is one of the most useful animals I have created for thy
service; boiled in a pot, the hen will afford thee an excellent broth
when thou art sick; roasted, its white flesh will acquire a delicious
flavour; of her eggs thou canst make omelettes with herbs, omelettes
with mushrooms, omelettes with ham, and, above all others, with bacon.
If thou art indisposed, and solid food should be too heavy for thy weak
stomach, thou canst boil her eggs in the shell, and then thou wilt say
something, indeed!'
"Thus," continued Valentine, attitudinizing before the Indians, who,
with open mouths and staring eyes, lost not a single word he uttered,
whether they understood it or not, whilst, in spite of his secret
grief, Louis literally writhed with laughter; "thus it was that Pillian
spoke to the first man at the commencement of ages; you were not there,
Araucano warriors, it is therefore not astonishing that you know nothing
about it; neither was I there, it is true; but, thanks to the talent
we white men possess of transmitting our thoughts from age to age, by
means of writing, these words of the Great Spirit have been carefully
collected, and have come down to us in their purity. Without further
prelude, I am going to have the honour of producing before you a boiled
egg! Listen to me; it is as simple as saying good-day, and within the
reach of the most limited capacity. In order to enjoy a boiled egg,
two things are necessary--in the first place, an egg, and then, some
boiling water! You take the egg in your fingers, thus, you uncover your
saucepan, you place the egg in a spoon and deposit it carefully in the
saucepan, where you allow it to boil gently three minutes. Mind, three
minutes, neither more nor less: pay attention to that important detail,
for a longer time would compromise the success of your operation. There
it is!"
The action suited the word; the three minutes were past: Valentine
took out the egg, beheaded it, sprinkled a little salt on it, and
presented it to the Ulmen with some long strips of maize bread. All
this was performed with the most imperturbable seriousness, amidst the
profound silence of the attentive crowd. The Apo-Ulmen proceeded to
taste this wonderful egg with the most deliberate gravity. An air of
doubt appeared for a second on his lips, as he raised the first mouthful
towards them; but, by degrees, the features of his broad face expanded
under the influence of joy and pleasure, and he at last exclaimed
enthusiastically,--
"Wah! It is good! Very good!"
Valentine returned to his brasier with a modest smile, and set about
boiling eggs, which he distributed among the Ulmens and principal
warriors, who quickly mingled their felicitations with those of the
Apo-Ulmen. A delirious joy took possession of the poor Indians, and
Valentine could hardly keep his ground, so eagerly did they press round
him, to examine closely his mysterious mode of cooking the eggs. At
length, calm was re-established, and the curiosity of the majority was
satisfied. The Apo-Ulmen, who had not been able to make his voice heard
in the tumult, was able to restore a little order, and obtain silence.
Valentine looked at his public with an air of satisfaction. From that
moment the Indians were believers--the most incredulous were convinced,
and all awaited with impatience the continuation of his experiments.
"Listen to me!" he continued, striking a sharp blow on the table with
the knife he held in his hand; "listen to me, but, above all, observe
closely how I proceed. A boiled egg was child's play to me, but the
omelette requires to be considered seriously, and executed with care, in
order to obtain that finish, that smoothness, flavour, and perfection
so much prized by real judges. I am about to make a bacon-omelette, and
when I name that, I name the most exquisite dish in the world! Whilst
explaining to you the manner in which you should set about it, I will
produce it: follow my reasonings closely, and observe attentively the
manner in which I mingle the various ingredients which enter into the
composition of this dish. To make a bacon omelette, I must have bacon,
eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and some butter--there they are, as you
see, all on that table. Now I will mix them."
Then, with incredible address, and the greatest quickness, he commenced
a monster bacon-omelette, of at least sixty eggs, while continuing his
explanation with inexpressible freedom and copiousness. The interest of
the Indians was warmly excited, their enthusiasm betraying itself by
shouts, leaps, and laughter; but it was carried to its height, and the
stamping, crying, and screaming became terrific, when the Puelches saw
Valentine seize the long handle of the frying-pan with a firm grasp,
and toss the omelette three different times into the air, without any
apparent effort, and with the style and ease of a finished cook. When
the omelette was done to the moment, the Frenchman placed it upon a
dish, taking care to double it with the talent which _cordons bleus_
alone possess, and was then preparing to carry it smoking to the
Apo-Ulmen, but he, enticed by the flavour of the boiled egg, and with
appetite excited to the highest pitch, spared him that trouble; for
he forgot all decorum, and rushed towards the table, followed by the
principal Ulmens of the tribe. The success of the Parisian was enormous.
Never, in the history of the divine art, did a cook obtain such a
glorious triumph! Valentine, with the modesty peculiar to men of real
talent, stole away from the honours they wished to pay him, and hastened
to conceal himself with his friend in the toldo of Trangoil-Lanec.
On the morrow of this eventful day, at the moment when the young men
were about to leave the quarters they inhabited in common, their host
presented himself, followed by Curumilla. The two chiefs saluted them,
sat down upon the beaten earth which served instead of flooring, and lit
their pipes. Louis, already accustomed to the ceremonious habits of the
Araucanos, and convinced that their friends had something of importance
to say, reseated himself, as did also his foster brother, and awaited
patiently the expected communication. When the chiefs had deliberately
smoked out their pipes, and shaken the last ashes upon their nails,
they replaced them in their belts, and, after exchanging a glance,
Trangoil-Lanec began:--
"Are my pale brothers still resolved to leave us?"
"Yes," replied Louis.
"Has Indian hospitality been wanting towards them?"
"So far from that, chief," the young man said, warmly pressing his
hands, "you have treated us like children of your own tribe."
"Then why leave us?" Trangoil-Lanec asked; "we know not what we lose, do
we ever know what we shall find?"
"You are right, chief; but you know we came into this country for the
purpose of visiting Antinahuel," Louis observed.
"And does my golden-haired brother," for so he called Valentine,
"absolutely wish to see him?"
"Absolutely," replied the young man.
The two chiefs exchanged a second glance.
"He shall see him," replied Trangoil-Lanec; "Antinahuel is at his
village."
"Good!" said Valentine. "In that case we will set out tomorrow."
"My brothers shall not go alone."
"What do you mean by that?" Valentine asked.
"The Indian soil is not safe for palefaces; my brother has saved my
life, I shall follow him."
"My brother has preserved me a friend," said Curumilla, who had till
that time preserved silence; "I shall follow him."
"You cannot think of such a thing, chief," Valentine remarked. "We are
travellers whom chance knocks about at its pleasure; we know not what
destiny has in reserve for us, nor whither it will conduct us, after
having seen the man to whom we are sent."
"What does it signify?" Curumilla replied; "where you go, we will go."
The young men were greatly moved by such frank and noble devotion.
"Oh!" Louis exclaimed, warmly, "it is impossible! your friends, your
wives, and your children."
"Our wives and children will be taken care of by our relations until our
return."
"My friends, my good friends," said Valentine, with emotion, "you are
wrong; we cannot impose such a sacrifice upon you, we will not consent
to it for your sake; I have already told you, we are ignorant of what
awaits us, or what we shall do; allow us to go alone."
"We will follow our pale brothers," Trangoil-Lanec said in a tone that
admitted of no reply; "my brothers are not acquainted with the llanos;
four men are a force in the desert--two men are dead."
The Frenchmen contested the matter no longer, they accepted the offer
of the Ulmens, and did so the more readily, because they plainly
perceived what an immense advantage these men would be to them. They
were accustomed to a life in the woods, they knew all its mysteries,
and had fathomed all its depths. The chiefs took leave of their guests,
to prepare for their departure, which was irrevocably fixed for the
next day. At sunrise, a small party, composed of Louis, Valentine,
Trangoil-Lanec, and Curumilla, all four mounted upon excellent horses of
that mixed Andalusian and Arabian breed, which the Spaniards imported
into America, and Cæsar, who trotted at their side in close file, left
the toldería, escorted by all the members of the tribe shouting: "Come
back again! come back again!--A good journey! a good journey!"
After repeated farewells to these worthy people, the four travellers
directed their course towards the toldería of the Black-Serpents, and
soon disappeared in the numberless defiles formed by the quebradas.