A HEARTY WELCOME
Early as Mexican households are awake, in order to enjoy the
comparatively cool hours of the morning, William Harland was the first
up, and, dressing hastily, he started out to fetch his kit-bag. At the
bottom of this he had stowed away, before he went on board, the clothes
that he had worn when he left home, and also the contents of a small
trunk that he had taken with him, buying an outfit for use on board from
a slop-shop. He was back in an hour, for he had hidden the bag in a
clump of bushes but two miles from the town. The servants were moving
about, but, with the exception of Juan, none of the others were yet
down. The latter met him as he entered.
"I have been to your room, and when I found it empty, guessed the errand
on which you were away. Why did you not tell me last night? You could
have had a negro slave to go with you and carry that sack of yours
back."
"Oh, I am not too proud to carry it myself, Don Juan, and I was really
anxious to get it the first thing this morning, for I certainly should
feel very uncomfortable sitting down to breakfast with your friends in
this rough sailor suit. Luckily, I have some decent clothes in my bag,
and half a dozen white jean jackets and trousers, which I bought for
wearing ashore when I was on my last voyage; for then, as an apprentice
and in a ship chiefly belonging to my father, I had a good many
privileges in the way of leave when we were in port."
"You look desperately hot, and if you would like a swim, there is a pond
in that clump of trees at the end of the garden--I have had a dip there
myself this morning."
"Thank you, I should like it extremely, and I can then finish my toilet
there."
The pond was an artificial one, the sides and bottom being lined with
stone; a thick band of trees and undergrowth surrounded it; it had
doubtless been formed for the purpose of a bath, and also, as was shown
by two or three seats placed around it, as a shady retreat during the
heat of the day. In half an hour Will rejoined Juan, looking cool and
comfortable in his white jacket and trousers, and a white flannel shirt,
with turn-down collar and black silk handkerchief around his neck.
"That is a good deal better," Juan said; "you only want a sombrero to
complete your costume. Sit down here; I told the servant to bring
chocolate for us directly I saw you coming out from the trees. Don
Guzman and Christina take their chocolate in their room. I don't suppose
that we shall see them till breakfast, which will not be served for an
hour and a half yet."
"How is your arm, Don Juan?"
"Drop the Don, please; I was always called simply Juan by my English
friends at Valparaiso. It is much more pleasant than our ceremonious way
of addressing each other. So call me Juan, please, and I will call you
Will."
"Now, Juan," Harland said, as they sipped their chocolate, "who do you
believe set those ruffians on to you? I could see plainly enough that
both you and the señorita had suspicions, though you did not choose to
mention them to her father."
"You are a sharp observer," Juan laughed. "Well, yes, I will tell you
frankly upon whom my suspicions fell. I must tell you first that Don
Guzman is a connection of mine, my father having married a first cousin
of his. When my father went out to this new ranch of his, twelve years
ago, he left me behind, under my cousin's charge, and I lived here for
five years, going to the mission to be educated by the fathers. Since
then I have generally spent a month or two here, and not unnaturally, as
you who have seen her will doubtless admit, I have grown to be very fond
of Christina. Of course till lately she has simply looked upon me as her
big cousin, but when I was last here, before going down to Valparaiso,
she was a little changed; she had grown to be shy with me, which she had
never been before, and I hoped that she had begun to return my
affection. Naturally enough, when I returned the other day, I spoke out
to her, and learned, to my delight, that this was so, but of course she
could say nothing until our parents had been consulted--an indispensable
step, as you of course know, for in Mexico, although young people may
have some voice in the matter, the parents' consent has to be obtained,
and the preliminaries are, in fact, settled by them. In this case,
happily, there is no fear of difficulty arising on that score. Don
Guzman and my father are firm friends, and the alliance would be a
suitable one in all respects, as, although my father may be more wealthy
than Don Guzman, Christina is an only child, while I have a sister who
is about her age."
"But I still do not see, Juan, how this explains anyone having an enmity
with you."
"No, I am just coming to that. You must know that the military
commandant of San Diego, Colonel Pedros Melos, has a son Enriques, who
is a captain in the regiment stationed here. Christina told me before I
went down to Chile that Captain Melos was a frequent visitor, and that
he was very attentive to her father, and frequently brought bouquets of
choice flowers. She added that, although he was very civil to her, as
far as the customs of the country permit a caballero to be civil to any
young lady not related to him, she did not like him. Well, it happened
the other day, that, just as Christina and I were coming to an
understanding, exactly where we are sitting now, this Captain Melos
stepped out from the window of the drawing-room. I should imagine that
he had no great difficulty in understanding the situation. A young
couple who have just declared their love for each other are apt to look
a little awkward when suddenly interrupted.
"The sound of his foot, as he stepped out on the veranda, caused us to
look round sharply. As his eye fell on us he turned as pale as if he had
received a blow, and if ever man's face wore for a moment an expression
of intense rage his did then. However, he checked himself, murmured a
word or two about believing that Señor Guzman was in the veranda, and
then turned on his heel and went back into the room. Christina caught my
arm. 'Beware, Juan, that man will be your deadly enemy!' And I felt that
she spoke truly. She said that his attentions of late had been very
marked, and she had been in constant fear that his father would call on
hers to ask for her hand for his son. We agreed that I should, without
loss of time, speak to her father on the subject of my suit, and I did
so on the same day.
"He was good enough to say that when a request from my father reached
him to that effect, he should most willingly accede to it. Colonel Melos
did, in fact, call the day before yesterday, and formally proposed the
alliance, to which Don Guzman replied that his daughter's affections
were already engaged with his perfect consent and approval. The colonel,
of course, had nothing to do but to bow himself out with as good a
grace as he could muster. I fancy from what I have heard that he is a
good officer and an honest man. He has played a part in all the civil
wars that we have had here, but, unlike most others, he always stuck to
the same side, which, fortunately for him, turned out in the end to be
the successful one. His son bears an altogether different character.
Here, indeed, there has been nothing much against him; the fact of his
father being commandant has no doubt acted as a check upon him, and
possibly the hope that he may have entertained of winning Christina's
hand may have helped to render him discreet, but I have heard that in
other places where his regiment has been in garrison, he bore the worst
of characters.
"Thus, you see, as a bitterly-disappointed man and as an unscrupulous
one, he might well have been the author of this attack upon me; and, as
you noticed, the idea occurred to Christina as well as myself,
remembering as we did the expression of his face when he saw us
together. That the affair was his work, however, we have no shadow of
proof, and I should not think of whispering my suspicions to anyone.
Still, I shall take every precaution for the three or four days that I
remain here, and shall not be out in the unfrequented streets after
nightfall. And now about yourself; tell me, frankly, what are you
thinking of doing? Do you intend to continue at sea, or are you thinking
of returning to your home, where, no doubt, you would be gladly received
by your father?"
"I have not thought it fully over yet, but I certainly shall not go back
to my father with the tale that I found my life unbearable and deserted
my ship. When I go it must be with a better record than that. He may
have objected most strongly to my taking to the sea, but I think it
would be an even greater annoyance to him to find that having, in
defiance of his wishes, done so, I had so soon backed out of it. He
himself is a man who carries through anything that he undertakes, no
matter if he incurs loss in so doing. I do not say that if I saw some
other opening and made a success of it, he would mind; but when I do go
back it must not be as a returned prodigal, but as a man who has done
something, who has in one line or another achieved a certain amount of
success. As far as I have thought it over, my ideas have been to take a
passage down to Valparaiso, which seems to me the most go-ahead place on
this coast, and there look round. I have money enough to last for some
little time, for my father, on my return from my last voyage, gave me a
cheque for five hundred dollars, and, beyond twenty or thirty dollars
expended on my sea-kit, I still have it all in my belt."
"But what do you think of doing in Valparaiso?"
"I would take anything that turned up except a clerkship. Then, if in
two or three months I could see nothing that seemed likely to lead to a
good thing, I would ship again."
"Well, you will not embark on any such wild-goose chase for some time,
for I intend to take you off with me to my father's hacienda for a long
visit. You will receive the heartiest of welcomes when I tell them what
you have done for me. I can promise you, I think, a pleasant time there,
and you will see what will be quite a new side of life to you, and learn
something of the ranching business, which, let me tell you, is as good
as another, though I admit that a considerable amount of capital is
required for making a fair start."
"I should like it extremely," Harland said, "but--"
"There are no buts in it, Will," the other broke in. "You don't suppose
that after what has happened you are going your way and I am going mine
in the course of a few days, as if we were but two passengers who had
made a short voyage together. My father would never forgive me if I did
not bring you up with me. I expect to-morrow or next day we shall have
three or four of the men down with horses, blankets, and other
necessities for travel. I sent a messenger off on the day I arrived.
There is generally a wagon or two that comes down every month for
groceries, wine, and other matters, and as I find that it is fully that
time since the last trip, I expect that the carts and men will both
arrive to-morrow. Travelling comfortably, we shall take the best part of
a week to get there; of course, with relays of horses it could be done
in less than half that time. The wagons take ten days, and that is good
travelling, especially as there are three days' heavy work over the
first range of hills. Here the mules will have a few days' rest and then
start again."
"You find mules better than horses for wagons?"
"Beyond all comparison better; the value of a mule is six times that of
a horse, except for exceptionally good and fast animals. Feed a mule
well, and there is no better beast in the world. Of course the mules are
big animals, being bred from the finest donkeys that can be imported
from Spain, and can drag as much as oxen and go half as fast again."
Acting under his friend's advice, Will purchased the necessaries for his
journey, the principal item being a Mexican poncho; this, in
appearance, was like a large blanket made of a long, soft wool that was
practically water-proof. A hole edged with braid was cut in the middle.
This was slipped on over the head, and a long riding-cloak, reaching to
the stirrups, was obtained, while at night it served all the purposes of
an ordinary blanket. Juan presented him with a rifle, a brace of
handsomely mounted double-barrelled pistols, and a sword.
"We always ride armed across the hills; we are on good terms with the
Indians near us, but might fall in with some wandering bands, or
possibly a party of white cut-throats, fugitives from justice. Besides,"
he added significantly, "there may possibly be dangers on this side of
the first range of hills."
"You think--" Will began.
"Yes, I think it possible that the organizer of the first attempt on my
life may try again. It is not probable that he likes me any better for
the failure he then made."
Some high riding-boots, a couple of pairs of fringed Mexican trousers,
and a few other necessaries completed the equipment, most of which was
to be sent up in the wagon with the kit-bag. Will was in high spirits.
Nothing could be more pleasant than the trip promised to be, and he
looked eagerly forward to the start. The wagons had arrived, and with
them four mounted men who had overtaken them on the day before they
reached San Diego. They brought down with them two riding horses,
intended for Juan's use.
"My father always sends two down," Juan said, "so that I can have a
change each day, and be beyond the reach of such accidents as a horse
straining himself or casting a shoe. Besides, on more than one occasion
I have brought back a friend with me, as I am going to do now."
"I suppose you breed a good many up there?"
"We breed enough for the wants of our vaqueros, and a few high-class
animals for our own riding. We don't care about having more than is
necessary, for a good horse is a temptation that an Indian can scarcely
withstand. Cattle they don't care so much for, for up in the mountains
feed would be scarce for them; besides, they have no difficulty in
getting meat--game is plentiful enough, deer and bear, while at times
they go down into the great plains on the other side of the Rockies and
kill as many buffalo as they please, jerk the meat, and bring it up to
their villages. In point of fact, we never refuse half a dozen or a
dozen cattle to any party of Indians who come down and ask for them. It
keeps us on good terms with them, and practically costs us nothing, for
they do not often take the hides, preferring greatly deer-skins for
their hunting-shirts and leggings, for which bullock hide is too heavy,
while for their lariats and heel ropes, and so on, they use buffalo
hide, which is stronger and tougher. So practically, you see, it is only
the value of the fat that we lose."
Three days later Juan and Will said good-bye to Señor Guzman and his
daughter and set out, the four mounted men riding behind them with two
led animals carrying provisions and water-skins.
"How far is it before we get beyond the settled country?"
"The country is cultivated as far as the Chocolate Hills, as there are
several small rivers, whose water is used for irrigating the fields.
Beyond these hills there are scattered villages and haciendas, their
positions being determined by the existence of streams coming down from
a great mountain range, for although rain seldom falls near the coast,
there are heavy showers there occasionally. Except in the rainy season,
the beds of these streams are dry, but wells sunk in them at all times
yield a plentiful supply of water. It is drawn up by the labour of
bullocks, and the ground irrigated; and they grow oranges, bananas,
grapes, melons, and all kinds of fruit, in fact, in abundance. Some of
these irrigated estates are of considerable size. For the last fifty
miles we shall come across no settlements until we reach our own
hacienda, for the country is too much open to Indian forays. Though we
do not suffer as much as they do on the other side of the Colorado;
still the risk is great--too great for men who embark their capital, to
say nothing of risking their lives. We are fortunate in the fact that
the tribe immediately in our neighbourhood is a small one, and far less
warlike than many of their neighbours. The goods they receive from us,
and the cattle, make them comparatively rich, and they have never shown
any signs whatever of enmity against us. We have promised them that if
they are attacked by any of their savage neighbours we will, if they
come down to us, assist them, and as the hacienda is strongly built and
we have a supply of arms sufficient for all our men, we could resist any
attack. I think this understanding has quite as much to do with their
friendly feeling towards us as the benefits they receive from us."
"It must be a large valley to be capable of sustaining so vast a herd as
that of your father?"
"Yes; the valley is not very wide at the lower end near the river, but
the hills open out and form a basin some ten miles wide and twenty miles
long. Beyond that it extends a considerable distance, but narrows fast;
a stream runs down the centre, and during the rainy season and at the
time of the melting of the snows there are innumerable rivulets coming
down from the hills, and in consequence the grass is sweet and long. Our
herds amount to about forty thousand head, and we do not let them exceed
that number. We do not use the upper part of the valley. By our
agreement with the Indians that is to remain untouched as a
hunting-ground for them."
That night they slept at the hacienda of some acquaintances of Señor
Sarasta, where they were most hospitably entertained; the next day they
halted for a few hours at San Felice, and rode on as soon as the sun had
lost its full power. They were now beyond the region of general
cultivation; the plain was, however, fairly green, as a short time
before the unusual circumstance of a heavy rain had occurred, with the
result that in the course of a few days the whole face of the country
was changed. As soon as the horses were unsaddled the men scattered to
collect dead brushwood, and in a short time a fire was blazing, and a
slice from a hindquarter of venison that had been presented to them by
their host of the night before was skewered on a ramrod and placed over
it. They had made sixty-five miles in two days' journey. They had not
been following any beaten track, but the men had all made the journey so
often that no path was needed. In the morning they would begin the
ascent of the lower slopes of the mountains, whose crest rose some
thirty miles ahead of them, although, seen in the clear air, they did
not seem to Will Harland to be more than a fifth of that distance.
Rather to the surprise of the men, Juan ordered that a watch should be
kept, a precaution they had never taken before.
"I have an idea," he said to Will, "that we shall be attacked either
to-night or while mounting the hill to-morrow. It is just as well to
take the precaution to set a guard to-night, but I do not really think
that if a party are out after us they will trouble us to-night. They
could not know exactly the road we should take, but will be sure that we
shall cross the hills and come down on the north side of the Great Dry
Lake, and probably stop at Martinez. From there the country is better
cultivated, as we go along the Chatenezonais Valley, in which there are
several villages. To-morrow's journey is, therefore, the most lonely and
dangerous, and they would have no motive whatever in going farther, so I
think that for to-night we can sleep tranquilly. To-morrow we shall have
to be on our guard."