THE PURSUIT
But few words were spoken until the party arrived at a spot where the
valley began to narrow in near the boundary of the ranch. They were now
considerably beyond the Indian fires.
"There is no fear of our meeting with any of the red devils now," Sancho
said. "They know well enough that our Indians would not venture to
attack them, and that there are no other enemies near. A quarter of a
mile and we shall be at the wigwam where the señorita went this
morning."
"We will stop there for a moment," Will said; "it is not likely that we
shall find anything that will give us useful information, but at any
rate the horses may as well have a short rest there as well as anywhere
else."
They had come fifteen miles now at a smart pace.
The men all dismounted. One of them struck a light with his flint and
steel, and then lit the end of a short coil of cord that had been soaked
in saltpetre, and waved it round his head till it burst into a flame. As
they expected, they found the two Indians lying dead; both had been
tomahawked and then scalped. On the ground lay a broken medicine bottle
and a portion of some soft pudding.
"That does not tell us much," Will said.
Sancho made no answer, but looked all round the wigwam. "The basket is
not here," he said. "I noticed that it was pretty full."
"I suppose the red-skins took it, Sancho?"
"They would not bother about a basket; it is the last thing they would
think of taking. My idea is that the señorita came back here. I expect
she came to warn the Indians. She would, to begin with, if she rode at
full speed, have distanced the 'Paches, who would not be able to get
through the herd, which must have been between them and her when she
first saw them. If she were half-way down the valley she might have been
here some minutes before them. Of course the two old Indians knew that
there was no escape for them, and made no effort to avoid their fate. I
expect they had only taken that pudding and medicine out of the basket
when she got back. Now, seeing that the basket and all that was in it
are gone, it seems to me possible enough that the señorita may have
caught it up and ridden off with it, knowing that she had a long ride
before her, and through a country where there are no posadas."
"I hope, indeed, that it may be so, Sancho, for I have been wondering
what she would do if she were lost in these mountains. What would she
be likely to put in the basket?"
"I handed it up to her, señor, when she had mounted; there were two
bottles of milk, a bottle of wine, and a pile of cakes. There were a few
other things, but I did not notice what they were."
"I only hope that your idea is correct, Sancho; it would be a great
comfort to know that she had enough provisions to last her for two or
three days."
"I expect you will find that it is so, señor; the señorita is
quick-witted and cool. I saw her once when a dozen bulls stampeded when
we were trying to drive them into the yard; she was sitting her horse a
short distance from the gate, and was just in their line. She didn't try
to dash aside across their path, as many would have done, but turned and
started, keeping her horse in at first, and then letting him out
gradually and edging off out of their line, and she came cantering back
laughing as she joined her father, who was looking pale as death at the
danger she had been in. I have very little doubt that it has been as I
said; she galloped at first at full speed, then when she got near this
hut she saw that she was well ahead of the red-skins. She rode up here,
jumped off to warn the Indians, and when she found they would not go she
took the basket, knowing the things could be of no use to them, and
might be worth a hundred times their weight in gold to her. Maybe the
old Indian may have suggested it to her; at any rate, I feel sure she
took them."
"Well, we will ride steadily on. Is there any place where she could have
left the valley?"
"Not beyond this, señor; at least, I know of none; but, as I told you,
we know very little of the valley beyond this point. Certainly she could
have known no path; no doubt she went straight on. Well mounted as she
was, she would feel sure that the red-skins could not overtake her, and
I expect she did not press her horse much, but contented herself with
keeping out of rifle-shot. I don't know whether she knew of the ford
across the river, but she would naturally plunge in at the point where
the track comes down on it, and would, no doubt, be surprised at finding
that the horse was able to cross without swimming."
"She would not be able to turn, after she had crossed, and come down on
the opposite bank?"
"No, señor; that would not be possible; there are high mountains there,
and the river at some places runs through deep gorges."
"How far do you think the Apaches would follow?"
"I think that they would keep on for some distance beyond the river;
when they found at last that they had no chance of catching her, they
might turn and come back and cross the river, and camp on this side. By
that time their horses would be done for; you see, they most likely had
a long ride yesterday; maybe they were travelling all night, and, of
course, it gave the señorita an immense advantage that her horse was
fresh, while theirs had anyhow a great deal taken out of them before
they set out in pursuit. I should recommend that we halt, as soon as it
becomes light, in some clump of trees and wait for them as they come
back. We are pretty well matched in numbers, and with the advantage of a
surprise we ought to be able to wipe them out altogether. We might go as
far as we can up the valley to the point where it becomes a mere ravine,
before daylight breaks, and our horses will be all the better for a rest
of a few hours. They will have gone over forty miles since they left the
river, and we may probably have a very long journey to do again
to-morrow. There is no saying how far the señorita may have gone; she
would not know whether the red-skins might not follow all night, and I
should think that she would keep on till daybreak, though, of course,
she would only go at a walk."
"It is difficult to say what she is most likely to do."
"It is, indeed, señor; if I myself were in her place I should be
puzzled. I should reckon that all in the valley had been wiped out. The
red-skins would assuredly first make a rush for the hacienda, because it
was most important that they should carry that before the men could
rally round and make a defence. I should reckon that the red-skins would
remain there for four or five days before they had jerked as much meat
as they could carry, and that, when they started, a party would like
enough be placed in ambush to catch me as I came back. I should know
that it was next to hopeless to try and find my way down across such
mountains as there are ahead, through which, so far as I know, there are
no tracks, and I am not sure that I should not push on in hopes of
reaching the Moquis, who are peaceful Indians, as I have heard, with
their villages perched on the top of hills, and having flocks and herds,
and being in all ways different from all the other tribes except the
Zunis.
"The red-skins say that these people were here before them, and that
they really belong to the tribes of Central Mexico, and came from there
long before the white man ever set foot in America. From there one could
travel north, strike the Santa Fé trail, and possibly make one's way
through safely, though the Navajoes are pretty nearly as bad there as
the Apaches are here. Whether the señorita has ever heard of the Moquis
I cannot say, but if she finds that she is on a trail she will follow
it, thinking anything better than going back and falling into the hands
of the Apaches."
"Are there any other tribes she would have to pass through on the way?"
"I think not. It is a great mountain track, where even red-skins could
not pick up a living. As far as I have heard, the track from the ford
leads through a series of passes between lofty hills. It is not the
course of a river, and, therefore, there are not likely to be any
villages. I should say that there would be forest on the lower slopes,
and we are sure to meet with enough game to keep us."
They now proceeded at a walk, for the trees in most places grew thickly,
and the ground here and there was broken by boulders that had rolled
down from the hillside. At last they came to a point where the valley
was but a hundred yards wide. Here they halted, took off the horses'
bridles to allow them to pick what grass there was, and threw themselves
down, and most of them were asleep in a few minutes.
"Is it necessary to keep watch?" Will said.
"No, señor, the 'Paches will assuredly not start to come back until
morning. The country is as strange to them as it is to us. I should say,
from what I have heard, it is about ten miles from the river, and in an
hour or an hour and a half after daylight they are likely to be here."
Will took a seat by the trunk of a tree. He had no inclination for
sleep. His thoughts were busy with the girl--alone in these mountains
with an unknown country before her and a band of relentless savages who
might, for aught she knew, be still pressing after her. It was difficult
to conceive a more terrible situation. She might lose the trail,
which was sure to be a faintly-marked one, and in some places
indistinguishable save to an eye accustomed to tracking. If so, her fate
was sealed. She must wander about till she died of hunger and thirst. It
was maddening to be waiting there even for an hour or two and to know
that she was alone. As soon as daylight broke, Sancho sent four of the
men back to hunt for game. If they did not come upon something in the
course of three-quarters of an hour, they were to return. They had been
gone, however, half that time when the crack of a rifle was heard, and
ten minutes later they rode back, bringing with them a stag they had
shot. Already a fire had been lighted one hundred yards behind the
camping-ground. Antonio had collected some perfectly dry wood for the
purpose.
"There will be no smoke to speak of," he said to Will, "and what little
there is will make its way out through the leaves. It is unlikely in the
extreme that the Indians will notice it, and if they do, they will think
that it is a fire made by one of our Indians."
A couple of the hunters at once set about skinning and cutting up the
carcass. They were to go on cooking it until a signal was made to them
that the Indians were approaching. The horses had now been collected,
and the men disposed themselves behind trunks of trees, each with his
horse a few yards behind him. All these were well trained to stand still
when the reins were thrown over their heads. In front of them was a
clear space some thirty yards across. After half an hour's anxious
waiting, Sancho, who was lying with his ear to the ground, raised his
hand as a signal that he could hear the Indians coming. The men from the
fire ran up and took their places with the rest. The rifles were thrown
forward in readiness. All could now hear the dull tread of the horses,
with an occasional sharper sound as the hoofs fell upon rock. As the
Apaches rode out from the wood their leader suddenly checked his horse
with a warning cry, but it was too late.
Sixteen rifles flashed out, half the Apaches fell, and before the
others could recover from their surprise at this unexpected attack the
vaqueros charged down upon them. Hopelessly outnumbered as they were,
the Apaches fought desperately, but the combat was short. The pistols of
Will and Sancho were used with deadly effect, and in a couple of minutes
the fight was over and the last Indian had fallen.
"Now, let us waste no time," Will said. "Ten minutes must do for our
breakfast; then we will be off."
None of the party was seriously hurt, and the wounds were soon bandaged.
The joints hanging above the fire were soon taken down, cut into slices,
and grilled. They were being eaten when four Indians stepped from among
the trees, one of them being evidently a chief.
"You are breaking the rules," he said to Will, whom he recognized as the
leader of the party. "We shall lay a complaint before the great master."
Will did not answer, but Antonio, who spoke their language fairly,
replied, "Have you not heard the news?"
"We have heard no news," the chief said. "We heard a gun fire when we
were hunting two miles down the valley. We came to see what it was. Then
we heard many guns, and, not knowing what it could be, hid our horses
and came on."
"Then do you not know that there are three or four hundred Apaches and
Tejunas in the valley below; that the hacienda has been attacked, all
within it killed, and that the herds have been destroyed? So far as we
know, we alone have escaped."
The Indians uttered deep exclamations of surprise.
"What was the firing?" the chief asked.
"If you go on a hundred yards farther up, you will find the dead bodies
of twenty Apache braves; they have been riding in pursuit of Donna
Clara, the daughter of the señor, who was fortunately at your end of the
valley, having gone there with food and medicine for the old Indian of
your tribe who was too ill to leave with the rest, a fortnight since."
"I saw her often then," the chief said, "and this young brave"--and he
motioned to Will--"he was often in our camp, and the girl visited our
wigwams and gave many little presents to our women. Did she escape
them?"
"She did, but where she is we know not. We are going in search of her.
If you and your warriors will go with us, we shall be glad, for your
eyes are better than ours, and could follow the footmarks of her horse
where we should see nothing."
"Teczuma, with one of his warriors, will go," the chief said. "The other
two must go and carry the news to our people, and, though they are not
strong enough to fight so large a force, yet they will not be idle, and
many of the Apaches and Tejunas will lose their scalps before they cross
the river again."
He spoke a few words to the three men, who at once left, and in ten
minutes one returned with two horses. The chief had already eaten two
slices of deer's flesh, and he mounted and rode on with the others,
while his follower waited for a minute to eat the flesh that had already
been cooked for him. Sancho had chosen the horse that had been ridden
by the Apache chief, and, without stopping, they rode on until they
were, a few minutes later, joined by the other Indian. They now pushed
on rapidly, ascending the ravine, and on reaching the top Will saw with
satisfaction that high hills on both sides bordered what was, in fact, a
pass between them, and that Clara must therefore have kept on straight.
The chief with his follower rode a little ahead of the others, Will,
with Antonio and Sancho, following closely behind him. Once or twice the
chief pointed down to marks on the rocks, with the remark, "A shod
horse".
"That is all right," Antonio said. "The Indians do not shoe their
horses, so we may be sure it was the señorita."
The path soon began to descend again, and in an hour from the time of
starting they emerged from the pass within one hundred yards of the
river; the ground here being soft, a well-marked track was visible.
"Made by our people," the chief said, turning round. "They often cross
ford to hunt on the other side--large forests there, two hours' ride
away--good hunting-ground. Apache not come there. Hills too big to
cross."
Beyond the river the track was for some time perfectly distinct, but it
presently became fainter. However, as the Indians rode on rapidly, Will
had no doubt that, although he could not see the tracks on the ground,
they were plain enough to the eyes of the Indians.
"It is a mighty good job we have the chief with us," Antonio said. "The
trail is plain enough at present, but it is sure to get fainter when we
get into these forests they speak of. Probably it goes straight enough
there, but once among the trees it will break up, as the Indians would
scatter to hunt. We should have lost a lot of time following it. Now we
have got these two red-skin fellows, they will pick it up almost as fast
as we can ride."
The road, indeed, after passing over a rocky plateau, dipped suddenly
down into a deep valley running up from the river, and extending as far
as one could see almost due east among the hills. The track they were
following turned to the right at the foot of the hill. For miles it was
clearly defined, then gradually became fainter, as the Indians who had
followed it turned off in search of game. The footprints of the shod
horse continued straight up the valley, until, ten miles from the point
at which they had entered it, they turned to the left.
"It has been going at a walk for some miles," the chief said, "and the
white girl has been walking beside it. I saw her footprints many times.
We shall find that she halted for the night at the little stream in the
middle of the valley. It must have been getting dark when she arrived
here. She must be a good horsewoman and have a good horse under her, for
it is nearly eighty miles from here to the hacienda."
By the stream, indeed, they found the place where Clara had slept. The
Indian pointed to spots where the horse had cropped the grass by the
edge of the stream, and where it had at last lain down near its
mistress, who had, as a few crumbs showed, eaten some of the cakes.
"I wonder we don't see one of the bottles," Will remarked.
Antonio translated his remarks to the chief, who said, "Girl wise; fill
bottle with water; not know how far stream come. We halt here; cannot
follow trail farther; soon come dark."
This was evident to them all; men and horses alike needed rest. They lit
a fire and sat around it for a short time; all were encouraged by the
success so far, and even the fact that they were supperless did not
affect them.
"Teczuma and Wolf go out and find game in the morning," the chief said
confidently. "Plenty of game here."
Long before the others were awake, indeed, the chief and his follower
were moving. Just as daylight broke, the latter ran into camp.
"Come," he said, "bring gun; grizzly coming down valley. Teczuma watch
him."
The men were on their feet the instant Antonio translated the Indian's
words, and followed the Indian on foot.
"Was the bear too much for the two Indians?" Will asked Sancho.
"If they had been alone they would have fought it, but the chief was
right to send for us. It was like enough they might have got badly hurt,
and that would have been a bad thing for us."
Presently the Indian stopped. It was still twilight under the trees, but
they could make out a great gray form advancing towards them. When
within twenty yards it scented danger, and stopped with an angry growl.
Almost at the same moment a rifle flashed out behind a tree near its
flank. With a furious growl it turned, exposing its flank to the
watchers. Antonio had warned five of these not to fire; the other ten
rifles were fired simultaneously, and the bear rolled over and over. It
scrambled to its feet again, and stood rocking itself, evidently wounded
to death. The other five men ran forward together, and when three yards
distant poured in their fire, and the bear fell dead. The vaqueros lost
no time in skinning it. A portion of the flesh was carried to the fire,
cut up into strips, and at once cooked. As soon as the meal was
finished, the rest of the meat was cut off and divided between the
party, who then mounted and rode on, the two Indians again leading the
way.