TREACHERY.
The return was dull, the general was plunged in profound reflections,
caused by his conversation with the trapper. Doña Luz was thinking of
the warning that had been given her; the guide embarrassed by the two
conversations of Black Elk with the general, had a secret presentiment,
which told him to keep on his guard. The two lanceros alone rode on
carelessly, ignorant of the drama that was being played around them, and
thinking but of one thing--the repose which awaited them on regaining
the camp.
The Babbler incessantly cast anxious looks around him, appearing to
seek for auxiliaries amidst the thickets which the little party passed
silently through.
Day was drawing to a close; it would not be long before the sun
disappeared, and already the mysterious denizens of the forest at
intervals sent forth dull roarings.
"Are we still far from the camp?" the general said, all at once.
"No," the guide replied; "scarcely an hour's ride."
"Let us mend our speed, then; I should not like to be surprised by the
night in this woody country."
The troop fell into a quick trot, which, in less than half an hour,
brought them to the first barricades of the camp.
Captain Aguilar and the doctor came to receive the travellers on their
arrival.
The evening repast was prepared, and had been waiting some time.
They seated themselves at table.
But the sadness which for some time past seemed to have taken possession
of the general and his niece increased instead of diminishing. It had
its effect upon the repast; all swallowed their food hastily, without
exchanging a word. As soon as they had finished, under pretext of the
fatigues of the journey, they separated, ostensibly to seek repose, but,
in reality, for the sake of being alone, and reflecting upon the events
of the day.
On his part, the guide was not more at his ease; a bad conscience, a
sage has said, is the most annoying night companion a man can have; the
Babbler possessed the worst of all bad consciences, therefore he had no
inclination to sleep. He walked about the camp, seeking in vain in his
mind, harassed by anxiety and perhaps remorse, for some means of getting
out of the scrape in which he found himself. But it was in vain for him
to put his imagination to the rack, nothing suggested itself to calm his
apprehensions.
In the meantime, night was advancing, the moon had disappeared, and a
thick darkness hovered over the silent camp.
Everyone was asleep, or appearing to sleep; the guide alone, who had
taken upon himself the first watch, was seated on a bale; with his arms
crossed upon his breast, and his eyes fixed upon vacancy, he became more
and more absorbed in gloomy reveries.
All at once a hand was placed upon his shoulder, and a voice murmured in
his ear the single word,
"Kennedy!"
The guide, with that presence of mind, and that imperturbable phlegm
which never abandons the Indian or the half-breed, cast a suspicious
glance around him, to assure himself that he was really alone; then
he seized the hand which had remained resting upon his shoulder, and
dragged the individual who had spoken to him, and who followed him
without resistance, to a retired spot, where he thought he was certain
of being overheard by nobody.
At the moment when the two men passed by the tent, the curtains opened
softly, and a shadow glided silently after them.
When they were concealed amidst the packages, and standing near enough
to each other to speak in a voice as low as a breath, the guide
muttered:
"God be praised! I have been expecting your visit with impatience,
Kennedy."
"Did you know that I was about to come?" the latter remarked
suspiciously.
"No, but I hoped you would!"
"Is there anything fresh?"
"Yes, and much!"
"Speak, and make haste!"
"That is what I am going to do. All is lost!"
"Hem! what do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean is, that today the general, guided by me, went----"
"Ah! yes, I know all that. I saw you."
"Maldición! why did you not attack us, then?"
"There were but two of us."
"I should have made the third, the party would then have been equal; the
general had but two lanceros."
"That's true; but I did not think of it."
"You were wrong. All would now be ended, instead of which all is now
probably lost."
"How so?"
"Eh! _caray!_ It is clear enough. The general and his niece held long
conversations with that sneaking hound, Black Elk, and you know he has
been acquainted with me a long while. There is no doubt he has made them
suspicious of me."
"Why did you lead them to the beaver pond, then?"
"How could I tell I should meet that cursed trapper there?"
"In our trade we must be awake to everything."
"You are right. I have committed an error. At present I believe the
evil to be without remedy, for I have a presentiment that Black Elk has
completely edified the general with respect to me."
"Hum! that is more than probable. What is to be done, then?"
"Act as soon as possible, without giving them time to put themselves on
their guard."
"For my part, I ask no better than that, you know."
"Yes, but where is the captain? Has he returned?"
"He arrived this evening. All our men are concealed in the grotto; there
are forty of us.
"Bravo! Why did you not come all together, instead of you by yourself?
Only see, what a fine opportunity you have lost? They are all sleeping
like dormice. We could have seized them all in less than ten minutes."
"You are right; but one cannot foresee everything; besides, the affair
was not so agreed upon with the captain."
"That is true. Why did you come then?"
"To warn you that we are ready, and only await your signal to act."
"Let us consider, then, what is best to be done? Advise me."
"How the devil can you expect me to advise you? Can I tell what is going
on here so as to tell you what you must do?"
The guide reflected for a minute, then he raised his head, and surveyed
the heavens attentively.
"Listen," he replied, "it is but two o'clock in the morning."
"About that."
"You are going back to the grotto?"
"Immediately!"
"Yes."
"Very well. What next?"
"You will tell the captain that, if he wishes it, I will deliver the
girl up to him this night."
"Hum! that appears to me rather difficult."
"You are stupid."
"Very possibly, but I don't see how."
"Attend then. The guarding of the camp is thus distributed:--In the
daytime the soldiers guard the intrenchments; but as they are not
accustomed to the life of the prairies, and as in the night their
assistance would do more harm than good, the other guides and I are
charged with the guard whilst the soldiers repose."
"That's cleverly managed," Kennedy said, laughing.
"Is it not?" the Babbler said. "You get on horseback then? when you
arrive at the bottom of the hill, six of the bravest of you must come
and join me with their aid I undertake to bind, while they sleep, all
the soldiers and the general himself."
"There is something in that; that's a good idea."
"Don't you think so?"
"By my faith do I."
"Very well. When once our folks are safely bound, I will whistle, and
the captain will come up with the rest of the troop. Then he may arrange
his matters with the girl as well as he is able; that is his concern; my
task will be accomplished. Now, what do you think of all that?"
"Capital!"
"In this fashion we shall avoid bloodshed and blows, for which I have no
great fancy, when I can do without them."
"We know your prudence in that respect."
"Zounds! my dear fellow, when we have affairs like this on hand, which,
when they succeed, present great advantages, we should always endeavour
so to arrange matters as to have all the chances in our favour.
"Perfectly well reasoned; besides which, your idea pleases me much, and,
without delay, I will put it into execution; but, in the first place,
let us make things clear, to avoid misunderstandings, which are always
disagreeable."
"Very well."
"If, as I believe he will, the captain finds your plan good, and very
likely to succeed, as soon as we are at the foot of the hill, I will
come up with six resolute fellows, whom I will pick out myself. On which
side must we introduce ourselves into the camp?"
"The devil! why on the side you have already entered: you ought to know
it."
"And you, where will you be?"
"At the spot where you enter, ready to assist you."
"That's well. Now all is agreed and understood. You have nothing more to
say to me?"
"Nothing."
"I am off, then."
"The sooner the better."
"You are always right. Guide me to the place I am to go out at; it is
so cursedly dark, that I may lose my way, and tumble over some sleeping
soldier, and that would not help our business at all."
"Give me your hand."
"Here it is."
The two men rose, and prepared to proceed to the place where the
captain's emissary was to leave the camp; but, at the same moment, a
shadow interposed itself between them, and a firm voice said;--
"You are traitors, and shall die!"
In spite of their self-possession, the two men remained for an instant
stupefied. Without giving them time to recover their presence of mind,
the person who had spoken discharged two pistols, point blank at them.
The miserable wretches uttered a loud cry. One fell, but the other,
bounding like a tiger-cat, scrambled over the intrenchments and
disappeared before a second shot could be fired at him.
At the double report and the cry uttered by the bandits, the whole camp
was roused, and all rushed to the barricades.
The general and Captain Aguilar were the first to arrive at the spot
where the scene we have described had taken place.
They found Doña Luz, with two smoking pistols in her hands, whilst, at
her feet, a man was writhing in the agonies of death.
"What does all this mean, niece? What has happened, in the name of
Heaven! Are you wounded?" the terrified general asked.
"Be at ease, dear uncle, on my account, I am not wounded," the young
lady replied. "I have only punished a traitor. Two wretches were
plotting in the dark against our common safety; one of them has escaped,
but I believe the other is at least seriously wounded."
The general eagerly examined the dying man. By the light of the torch
he held in his hand he at once recognized Kennedy, the guide whom the
Babbler pretended had been burnt alive in the conflagration of the
prairie.
"Oh, oh!" he said, "what does all this mean?"
"It means, uncle," the girl replied, "that if God had not come to my
aid, we should have been, this very night, surprised by a troop of
bandits, lying in ambush close to us."
"Let us lose no time, then!"
And the general, assisted by Captain Aguilar, hastened to prepare
everything for a vigorous resistance, in case an attack should be
attempted.
The Babbler had fled, but a large track of blood proved that he was
seriously wounded. If it had been light enough, they would have
attempted to pursue him, and, perhaps, might have taken him; but, in
the midst of darkness, and suspecting that their enemies were in ambush
in the neighbourhood, the general was not willing to risk his soldiers
out of the camp. He preferred leaving the villain that chance of saving
himself.
As to Kennedy, he was dead.
The first moment of excitement past, Doña Luz, no longer sustained by
the danger of her situation, began to be sensible she was a woman. Her
energy disappeared, her eyes closed, a convulsive trembling shook her
whole frame; she fainted, and would have fallen, if the doctor, who was
watching her, had not caught her in his arms.
He carried her in that state into the tent, and lavished upon her all
the remedies usual in such cases.
The young lady gradually recovered: her spirits were calmed, and order
was re-established in her ideas.
The advice given her that very day by Black Elk then naturally recurred
to her mind; she deemed the moment was coming for claiming the execution
of his promise, and she made a sign to the doctor to approach her.
"My dear doctor," she said, in a sweet but weak voice, "are you willing
to render me a great service?"
"Dispose of me as you please, señorita."
"Do you know a trapper named Black Elk?"
"Yes; he has a hut not a great way from us, near a beaver pond."
"That is the person, my good doctor. Well, as soon as it is light, you
must go to him from me."
"For what purpose, señorita?"
"Because I ask you," she said, in a calm tone.
"Oh! then you may be at ease; I will go," he replied.
"Thank you, doctor."
"What shall I say to him?"
"You will give him an account of what has taken place here tonight."
"The deuce!"
"And then you will add--retain my exact words, you must repeat them to
him to the very letter."
"I listen with all my ears, and will engrave them on my memory."
"Black Elk, the hour is come! You understand that, do you not?"
"Perfectly, señorita."
"You swear to do what I ask of you?"
"I swear it," he said, in a solemn voice. "At sunrise, I will go to the
trapper; I will give him an account of the events of the night, and will
add--Black Elk, the hour is come. Is that all you desire of me?"
"Yes, all, my kind doctor."
"Well, then, now endeavour to get a little sleep, señorita; I swear to
you by my honour, that what you wish shall be done."
"Again, thank you!" the young girl murmured, with a sweet smile, and
pressing his hand.
Then, quite broken down by the terrible emotions of the night, she sank
back upon her bed, where she soon fell into a calm, refreshing sleep.
At daybreak, in spite of the observations of the general, who in vain
endeavoured to prevent his leaving the camp, by presenting to him all
the dangers he was needlessly going to expose himself to, the worthy
doctor who had shaken his head at all that his friend said to him,
persisted, without giving any reason, in his project of going out, and
set off down the hill at a sharp trot.
When once in the forest, he put spurs to his horse, and galloped at best
speed towards the hut of Black Elk.