transcriber's note obvious typographical errors have been corrected. a list of corrections is found at the end of the text. inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been maintained. a list of inconsistently spelled and hyphenated words is found at the end of the text. oe ligatures have been expanded. memoir of an eventful expedition in central america; resulting in the discovery of the idolatrous city of iximaya, in an unexplored region; and the possession of two remarkable aztec children, descendants and specimens of the sacerdotal caste, (now nearly extinct,) of the ancient aztec founders of the ruined temples of that country, described by john l. stevens, esq., and other travellers. translated from the spanish of pedro velasquez, of san salvador. new york: e. f. applegate, printer, 111 nassau street. 1850. profile illustrations from central american ruins, of ancient races still existing in iximaya. [illustration] the above three figures, sketched from engravings in "stevens's central america," will be found, on personal comparison, to bear a remarkable and convincing resemblance, both in the general features and the position of the head, to the two living aztec children, now exhibiting in the united states, of the ancient sacerdotal caste of _kaanas_, or pagan mimes, of which a few individuals remain in the newly discovered city of iximaya. see, the following _memoir_, page 31. [illustration] these two figures, sketched from the same work, are said, by senor velasquez, in the unpublished portion of his narrative, to be "irresistible likenesses" of the equally exclusive but somewhat more numerous priestly caste of _mahaboons_, still existing in that city, and to which belonged vaalpeor, an official guardian of those children, as mentioned in this memoir. velasquez states that the likeness of vaalpeor to the right hand figure in the frontispiece of stevens' second volume, which is here also the one on the right hand, was as exact, in outline, as if the latter had been a daguerreotype miniature. while writing his "narrative" after his return to san salvador, in the spring of the present year, (1850,) senor velasquez was favored, by an american gentleman of that city, with a copy of "layard's nineveh," and was forcibly struck with the close characteristic resemblance of the faces in many of its engravings to those of the inhabitants in general, as a peculiar family of mankind, both of iximaya and its surrounding region. the following are sketches, (somewhat imperfect,) of two of the male faces to which he refers: [illustration] and the following profile, from the same work, is pronounced by velasquez to be equally characteristic of the female faces of that region, making due allowance for the superb head dresses of tropical plumage, with which he describes the latter as being adorned, instead of the male galea, or close cap, retained in the engraving. [illustration] these illustrations, slight as they are, are deemed interesting, because the iximayans assert their descent from a very ancient assyrian colony nearly co-temporary with nineveh itself--a claim which receives strong confirmation, not only from the hieroglyphics and monuments of iximaya, but from the engravings in stevens' volumes of several remarkable objects, (the inverted winged globe especially,) at palenque--once a kindred colony. it should have been stated in the following memoir, that senor velasquez, on his return to san salvador, caused the two kaana children to be baptized into the catholic church, by the bishop of the diocese, under the names of maximo and bartola velasquez. memoir of a recent eventful expedition in central america. in the second volume of his travels in central america--than which no work ever published in this country, has created and maintained a higher degree of interest, both at home and abroad--mr. stevens speaks with enthusiasm of the conversations he had held with an intelligent and hospitable padre, or catholic priest, of santa cruz del quiche, formerly of the village of chajul; and of the exciting information he had received from him, concerning immense and marvellous antiquities in the surrounding country, which, to the present hour, remain entirely unknown to the world. the padre told him of vast ruins, in a deserted and desolate region, but four leagues from vera paz, more extensive than quiche itself; and of another ruined city, on the other side of the great traversing range of the cordilleras, of which no account has been given. but the most stimulating story of all, was the existence of a _living_ city, far on the other side of the great sierra, large and populous, occupied by indians of the same character, and in precisely the same state, as those of the country in general, before the discovery of the continent and the desolating conquests of its invaders. the padre averred that, in younger days, he had climbed to the topmost ridge of the sierra, a height of 10 or 12,000 feet, and from its naked summit, looking over an immense plain, extending to yucatan and the gulf of mexico, had seen, with his own eyes, in the remote distance, "a large city, spread over a great space, with turrets white and glittering in the sun." his account of the prevalent indian report concerning it was, that no white man had ever reached that city; that the inhabitants, who speak the maya language, are aware that a race of white strangers has conquered the whole country around them, and have hence murdered every white man that has since attempted to penetrate their territory. he added that they have no coin or other circulating medium; no horses, mules, or other domestic animals, except fowls, "and keep the cocks under ground to prevent their crowing being heard." this report of their slender resources for animal food, and of their perpetual apprehension of discovery, as indicated in this inadequate and childish expedient to prevent it, is, in most respects, contradicted by that of the adventurous expedition about to be described, and which, having passed the walls of their city, obtained better information of their internal economy and condition than could have been acquired by any indians at all likely to hold communication with places so very remote from the territory as quiche or chajul. the effects of these extraordinary averments and recitals of the padre, upon the mind of mr. stevens, together with the deliberate conclusions which he finally drew from them, is best expressed in his own language. "the interest awakened in us, was the most thrilling i ever experienced. one look at that city, was worth ten years of an every day life. if he is right, a place is left where indians and a city exist, as cortez and alvarado found them; there are living men who can solve the mystery that hangs over the ruined cities of america; who can, perhaps, go to copan and read the inscriptions on its monuments. no subject more exciting and attractive presents itself to any mind, and the deep impression in my mind, will never be effaced. "can it be true? being now in my sober senses, i do verily believe there is much ground to suppose that what the padre told us is authentic. that the region referred to does not acknowledge the government of guatimala, and has never been explored, and that no white man has ever pretended to have entered it; i am satisfied. from other sources we heard that a large _ruined_ city was visible; and we were told of another person who had climbed to the top of the sierra, but on account of the dense clouds raising upon it, he had not been able to see anything. at all events, the belief at the village of chajul is general, and a curiosity is aroused that burns to be satisfied. we had a craving desire to reach the mysterious city. no man if ever so willing to peril his life, could undertake the enterprise, with any hope of success, without hovering for one or two years on the borders of the country studying the language and character of the adjoining indians, and making acquaintance with some of the natives. five hundred men could probably march directly to the city, and the invasion would be more justifiable than any made by spaniards; but the government is too much occupied with its own wars, and the knowledge could not be procured except at the price of blood. two young men of good constitution, and who could afford to spend five years, might succeed. if the object of search prove a phantom, in the wild scenes of a new and unexplored country, there are other objects of interest; but, if real, besides the glorious excitement of such a novelty, they will have something to look back upon through life. as to the dangers, they are always magnified, and, in general, peril is discovered soon enough for escape. but, in all probability, if any discovery is made, it will be made by the padres. as for ourselves, to attempt it alone, ignorant of the language and with the mozos who were a constant annoyance to us, was out of the question. the most we thought of, was to climb to the top of the sierra, thence to look down upon the mysterious city; but we had difficulties enough in the road before us; it would add ten days to a journey already almost appalling in the perspective; for days the sierra might be covered with clouds; in attempting too much, we might lose all; palenque was our great point, and we determined not to be diverted from the course we had marked out." vol. ii, p. 193-196. it is now known that two intrepid young men, incited probably by this identical passage in mr. stevens's popular work--one a mr. huertis, of baltimore, an american of spanish parents, from cuba, possessing an ample fortune, and who had travelled much in egypt, persia, and syria, for the personal inspection of ancient monuments; and the other, a mr. hammond, a civil-engineer from canada, who had been engaged for some years on surveys in the united states, agreed to undertake the perilous and romantic enterprise thus cautiously suggested and chivalrously portrayed. amply equipped with every desirable appointment, including daguerreotype apparatuses, mathematical instruments, and withal fifty repeating rifles, lest it should become necessary to resort to an armed expedition, these gentlemen sailed from new-orleans and arrived at belize, in the fall of 1848. here they procured horses, mules, and a party of ten experienced indians and mestitzos; and after pursuing a route, through a wild, broken, and heavily wooded region, for about 150 miles, on the gulf of amatique, they struck off more to the south-west, for coban, where they arrived on the morning of christmas day, in time to partake of the substantial enjoyments, as well as to observe the peculiar religious ceremonies, of the great catholic festival, in that intensely interior city. at this place, while loitering to procure information and guides for their future journey to santa cruz del quiche, they got acquainted with sr. pedro velasquez, of san salvador, who describes himself as a man of family and education, although a trader in indigo; and his intermediate destination, prior to his return to the capital, happening also to be the same city, he kindly proffered to the two americans his superior knowledge of the country, or any other useful service he could render them; and he was accordingly very gladly received as their friend and companion on the way. it is from a copy of a manuscript journal of this gentleman, that the translator has obtained the only information as yet brought to the united states concerning the remarkable results of the exploring expedition which he will proceed to describe, or of the fate of messrs. huertis and hammond, its unfortunate originators and conductors, or of those extraordinary living specimens of a _sui generis_ race of beings, hitherto supposed to be either fabulous or extinct, which are at once its melancholy trophies and its physiological attesters. and it is from senor velasquez alone that the public can receive any further intelligence upon this ardently interesting subject, beyond that which his manuscript imperfectly affords. in order, however, to avoid an anticipatory trespass upon the natural sequence of the narrative, it may be proper to state, that prior to his departure in their company from coban, senor velasquez had received from his fellow travellers no intimation whatever concerning the ulterior object of their journey, and had neither seen nor heard of those volumes describing the stupendous vestiges of ancient empire, in his native land, which had so strongly excited the emulous passion of discovery in their minds. frequently called by his mercantile speculations, which he seems to have conducted upon an extensive scale, to perform long journeys from san salvador, on the pacific side of the cordilleras, to comyagua in the mid-interior, and thence to truxillo, omoa, and ysabal, on the bay and gulf of honduras, he had traversed a large portion of the country, and had often been surprised with sudden views of mouldering temples, pyramids, and cities of vast magnitude and marvellous mythology. and being, as it evidently appears, a man of unusual intelligence and scholastic acquirements, he had doubtless felt, as he states, a profound but hopeless curiosity concerning their origin and history. he had even seen and consecutively examined the numerous and ornate monuments of copan; but it was not until he had proceeded to the second stage of the journey from coban to quiche, that he was shown the engravings in the first volume of stevens's central america, in which they are so faithfully depicted. he recognized many of them as old acquaintances, and still more as new ones, which had escaped his more cursory inspection; and in all he could trace curious details which, on the spot, he regretted the want of time to examine. he, moreover, knew the surly don gregorio, by whom mr. stevens had been treated so inhospitably, and several other persons in the vicinity of the ruins whom he had named, and was delighted with the _vraisemblance_ of his descriptions. the senor confesses that these circumstances inspired him with unlimited confidence in that traveller's statements upon other subjects; and when mr. huertis read to him the further account of the information given to mr. stevens by the jolly and merry, but intelligent old padre of quiche, respecting other ruined cities beyond the sierra madre, and especially of the living city of independent candones, or unchristianized indians, supposed to have been seen from the lofty summit of that mountain range, and was told by messrs. huertis and hammond that the exploration of this city was the chief object of their perilous expedition, the senor adds, that his enthusiasm became enkindled to at least as high a fervor as theirs, and that, "with more precipitancy than prudence, in a man of his maturer years and important business pursuits, he resolved to unite in the enterprise, to aid the heroic young men with his experience in travel and knowledge of the wild indians of the region referred to, and to see the end of the adventure, result as it may." he was confirmed in this resolution by several concurring facts of which his companions were now told for the first time. he intimately knew and had several times been the guest of the worthy cura of quiche, from whom mr. stevens received assurances of the existence of the ruined city of the ancient aztecs, as well as the living city of the candones, in the unsubjugated territory beyond the mountains. and he was induced to yield credence to the padre's confident report of the latter, because his account of the former had already been verified, and become a matter of fact and of record. he, senor velasquez, himself, during the preceding summer, joined a party of several foreigners and natives in exploring an ancient ruined city, of prodigious grandeur and extent, in the province of vera paz, but little more than 150 miles to the east of guatimala, (instead of nearly 200, as the padre had supposed,) which far surpassed in magnificence every other ruin, as yet discovered, either in central america or mexico. it lay overgrown with huge timber in the midst of a dense forest, far remote from any settlement, and near the crater of a long extinct volcano, on whose perpendicular walls, 300 or 400 feet high, were aboriginal paintings of warlike and idolatrous processions, dances, and other ceremonies, exhibiting like the architectural sculptures on the temples, a state of advancement in the arts incomparably superior to all previous examples. and as the good padre had proved veracious and accurate on this matter, which he knew from personal observation, the senor would not uncharitably doubt his veracity on a subject in which he again professed to speak from the evidence of his own eye-sight. the party thus re-assured, and more exhilarated than ever with the prospect of success, proceeded on their journey with renewed vigor. although the senor modestly abstains from any allusion to the subject, in the mss. which have reached us, it cannot be doubted that messrs. huertis and hammond considered him an invaluable accession to their party. he was a guide on whom they could rely; he was acquainted with the dialects of many of the indian tribes through which they would have to pass; was familiar with the principal stages and villages on their route, and knew both the places and persons from whence the best information, if any, concerning the paramount object of their journey, could be obtained. it appears, also, from an incidental remark in his journal, that senor velasquez would have been at their right hand in a fight, in the event of any hostile obstruction on their way. as a volunteer, he had held a command under morazan, during the sanguinary conflicts of the republic, and had been a soldier through several of the most arduous campaigns, in the fierce struggle between the general and carrera. he was thus, apparently, in all respects, precisely such an auxiliary as they would have besought providence to afford them, to accomplish the hazardous enterprise they had so daringly projected and commenced. unfortunately for the public, the senor's journal, fragmentary throughout, is especially meagre concerning the incidents of travel between the capital of vera paz and santa cruz del quiche. at this period he appears to have left the task of recording them almost entirely to his two friends, whose memoranda, in all probability, are forever lost. some of those incidents appear, even from his brief minutes of them, to have been of the most imminent and critical importance. thus under the date of february 2nd, 1849, he says, "on the bank of a branch of the salamo, attacked in the night by about thirty indian robbers, several of whom had fire-arms. sr. hammond, sitting within the light of the fire, was severely wounded through the left shoulder; they had followed us from the hacienda, six leagues, passed us to the north and lay in ambush; killed four, wounded three; of the rest saw no more; poor juan, shot through the body, died this morning; lost two mules." after this, there is nothing written until the 16th, when they had arrived at a place called san jose, where he says, "good beef and fowls; sr. huertis much better; sr. hammond very low in intermittent fever; fresh mules and good ones." next on the 5th of march, at the indian village of axitzel, is written, "detained here five days; hammond, strong and headstrong. agree with huertis that, to be safe, we must wait with patience the return of the good cura." slight and tantalizing memoranda of this kind occur, irregularly, until april 3rd, when we find the party safely arrived at quiche, and comfortably accommodated in a convent. the jovial padre, already often mentioned, who maybe regarded as the unconscious father of the expedition, had become helplessly, if not hopelessly, dropsical, and lost much of his wanted jocosity. he declared, however, that senor velasquez's description of the ruins explored the previous summer, recalling as it did his own profoundly impressed recollection of them, when he walked through their desolate avenues and deserted palaces; and corroborating as it did, in every particular, his own reiterated account of them, which he had often bestowed upon incredulous and unworthy ears, would "act like _cannabis_ upon his bladder," as it already had upon his eyes; and if he could but live to see the description in print, so as to silence all gainsayers, he had no doubt it would completely cure him, and add many years to his life. he persisted in his story of the unknown city in the candone wilderness, as seen by himself, nearly forty years ago, from the summit of the sierra; and promised the travellers a letter to his friend, the cura of gueguetenango, requesting him to procure them a guide to the very spot from whence they could behold it for themselves. this promise, in the course of a few days, the senor says, he faithfully performed, describing from recollection, by the hand of an amanuensis to whom he dictated, not only the more striking but even minute and peculiar landmarks for the guidance of the guide. on the 10th of april, the party, fully recruited in health and energy, set out for totonicapan; and thence we trace them by the journal through a succession of small places to quezaltenango, where they remained but two days; and thence through the places called aguas calientes, and san sebastiano, to gueguetenango; this portion of their route being described as one of unprecedented toil, danger, and exhaustion, from its mountainous character, accidents to men and mules, terrific weather and loss of provisions. arrived, however, at length, at the town last named, which they justly regarded as an eminently critical stage of their destiny, they found the cura, and presented him with the letter of introduction from his friend, the padre of quiche. they were somewhat discouraged on perceiving that the cura indicated but little confidence in the accuracy of his old friend's memory, and asked them rather abruptly, if they thought him really serious in his belief in his distant vision of an unknown city from the sierra, because, for his own part, he had always regarded the story as one of padre's broadest jokes, and especially since he had never heard of any other person possessing equal visual powers. "the mountain was high, it is true, but not much more than half as high as the hyperbolous memory of his reverend friend had made it, and he much feared that the padre, in the course of forty years, had so frequently repeated a picture of his early imagination as to have, at length, cherished it as a reality." this was said in smooth and elegant spanish, but says the senor, "with an air of dignified sarcasm upon our credulity, which was far from being agreeable to men broken down and dispirited, by almost incredible toil, in pursuit of an object thus loftily pronounced a ridiculous phantom of the brain." this part of senor velasquez's journal being interesting and carefully written, we give the following translation without abridgement:- "the cura, nevertheless, on finding that his supercilious scepticism had not proved so infectious among us as he expected and that we were rather vexed than vacillating, offered to procure us guides in the course of a day or two, who were familiar with many parts of the sierra, and who, for good pay, he doubted not, would flatter our expectations to the utmost extent we could desire. he advised us, however, in the same style of caustic dissuasion, to take with us both a barometer and a telescope, if we were provided with those instruments, because the latter, especially, might be found useful in discovering the unknown city, and the former would not only inform us of the height of the mountain, but of the weather in prospect most favorable to a distant view. senor huertis replied that such precautions would be adopted, as a matter of course, and would, moreover, furnish him, on our return to gueguetenango, with the exact latitude and longitude of the spot from which the discovery might be made. he laughed very heartily and rejoined that he thought this operation would be much easier than to furnish the same interesting particulars concerning the location of the spots at which the discovery might fail to be made; and saying this he robed himself for mass, which we all, rather sullenly, attended. "next morning, two good looking meztitzos, brothers, waited on us with a strong letter of recommendation from the cura, as guides to that region of the sierra which the padre's letter had so particularly described, and which description, the cura added, he had taken much pains to make them understand. on being questioned concerning it, they startled and somewhat disconcerted us by calm assurances, in very fair spanish, that they were not only familiar with all the land-marks, great and small, which the cura had read to them, but had several times seen the very city of which we were in search, although none but full-blooded indians had ever ventured on a journey to it. this was rather too much, even for us, sanguine and confiding as we were. we shared a common suspicion that the cura had changed his tactics, and resolved to play a practical joke upon our credulity--to send us on a fool's errand and laugh at us for our pains. that he had been tampering with the two guides for this purpose, struck us forcibly; for while he professed never to have known any man who had seen the distant city, he recommended these meztitzos, as brothers, whom he had known from their boyhood, they declared they had beheld it from the sierra on various occasions. nevertheless, senor huertis believed that the young men spoke the truth, while the cura, probably, did not; and hoping to catch him in his own snare, if such had been laid, asked the guides their terms, which, though high, he agreed to at once, without cavil. they said it would take us eight days to reach the part of the sierra described in the letter, and that we might have to wait on the summit several days more, before the weather would afford a clear view. they would be ready in two days; they had just returned across the mountains from san antonia de guista, and needed rest and repairs. there was a frankness and simplicity about these fine fellows which would bear the severest scrutiny, and we could only admit the bare possibility of our being mistaken. "it took us three days, however, to procure a full supply of the proper kind of provisions for a fortnight's abode in the sky, and on the fourth, (may 5th,) we paid our formal respects to the cura, and started for the ascent--he not forgetting to remind us of the promise to report to him the precise geographical locality of our discovery." the journal is again blank until may 9th, when the writer says, "our altitude, by barometer, this morning, is over 6000 feet above the valley which we crossed three days ago; the view of it and its surrounding mountains, sublime with chasms, yet grotesque in outline, and all heavily gilded with the setting sun, is one of the most oppressively gorgeous i ever beheld. the guides inform us that we have but 3000 feet more to ascend, and point to the gigantic pinnacle before us, at the apparent distance of seven or eight leagues; but that, before we can reach it, we have to descend and ascend an immense barranca, (ravine,) nearly a thousand feet deep from our present level, and of so difficult a passage that it will cost us several days. the side of the mountain towards the north-west, is perfectly flat and perpendicular for more than half its entire height, as if the prodigious section had been riven down by the sword of the san miguel, and hurled with his foot among the struggling multitude of summits below. so far, the old padre is accurate in every particular." in a note opposite this extract, written perpendicularly on the margin of the manuscript, the writer says, "the average breadth of the plain on this ridge of the sierra, (that is the ridge on which they were then encamped for the night,) is nearly half a mile, and exhibits before us a fine rolling track as far as we can see. neither birds, beasts, nor insects--i would there were no such barranca!" on the tenth he says, "on the brink of the abyss--the heaviest crags we can hurl down, return no sound from the bottom." the next entry in the journal is dated may 15th.--"recovered the body of sebastiano and the load of his mule; his brother is building a cross for his grave, and will not leave it until famished with thirst and hunger. all too exhausted to think of leaving this our first encampment since we descended. present elevation but little above that of the opposite ridge which we left on the 11th, still, at least 3000 feet to climb." on the 19th, 4 o'clock, p. m., he records, "myself, sr. hammond and antonio, on the highest summit, an inclined plain of bare rock, of about fifteen acres. the padre again right. sr. huertis and others just discernable, but bravely coming on. elevation, 9,500 feet. completely in the clouds, and all the country below invisible. senor hammond already bleeding at the nose, and no cigar to stop it." at 10 o'clock, the same night, he writes, "all comfortably asleep but myself and sr. hammond, who is going to take the latitude." then follows, "he finds the latitude 15 degrees and 48 minutes _north_." opposite this, in the margin is written, "the mean result of three observations of different stars. intend to take the longitude to-morrow." next day, the 20th, he says, "a bright and most auspicious morning, and all, but poor antonio, in fine health and feeling. the wind by compass, n. e., and rolling away a billowy ocean of mist, toward, i suppose, the bay of honduras. antonio says the pacific will be visible within an hour; (present time not given) more and more of the lower mountains becoming clear every moment. fancy we already see the pacific, a faint yellow plain, almost as elevated as ourselves. can see part of the state of chiapas pretty distinctly." at 12 o'clock, meridian, he says, "sr. hammond is taking the longitude, but finds a difference of several minutes between his excellent watch and chronometer, and fears the latter has been shaken. both the watch and its owner, however, have been a great deal more shaken, for the chronometer has been all the time in the midst of a thick blanket, and has had no falls. sr. huertis, with the glass, sees whole lines and groups of pyramids, in chiapas." at 1 o'clock, p. m. he records, "sr. hammond reports the longitude, 92 degrees 15 minutes _west_. brave huertis is in ecstacy with some discovery, but will not part with the glass for a moment. no doubt it is the padre's city, for it is precisely in the direction he indicated. antonio says he can see it with his naked eye, although less distinctly than heretofore. i can only see a white straight line, like a ledge of limestone rock, on an elevated plain, at least twenty leagues distant, in the midst of a vast amphitheatre of hills, to the north east of our position, toward the state of yucatan. still, it is no doubt the place the padre saw, and it may be a great city." at 2 o'clock p. m., he says "all doubt is at an end! we have all seen it through the glass, as distinctly as though it were but a few leagues off, and it is now clear and bright to the unaided eye. it is unquestionably a richly monumented city, of vast dimensions, within lofty parapeted walls, three or four miles square, inclined inward in the egyptian style, and its interior domes and turrets have an emphatically oriental aspect. i should judge it to be not more than twenty-five leagues from ocosingo, to the eastward, and nearly in the same latitude; and this would probably be the best point from which to reach it, travelling due east, although the course of the river legartos seems to lead directly to it. that it is still an inhabited place, is evident from the domes of its temples, or churches. christian churches they cannot be, for such a city would have an archbishop and be well known to the civilized world. it must be a pagan strong-hold that escaped the conquest by its remote position, and the general retreat, retirement, and centralizing seclusion of its surrounding population. it may now be opened to the light of the true faith." they commenced their descent the same day, and rested at night on the place of their previous encampment, a narrow shelf of the sierra. here, on the brink of the terrible ravine, which they had again to encounter, they consulted upon a plan for their future operations; and it was finally agreed that messrs. huertis and hammond, with antonio, and such of the indian muleteers as could be induced to proceed with the expedition, should follow the bottom of the ravine, in its north-east course, in which, according to antonio, the river legartos took its principal supply of water, and remain at a large village, adjacent to its banks, which they had seen, about five leagues distant; while senor velasquez was to trace their late route, by way of gueguetenango, to quezaltenango, where all the surplus arms and ammunition had been deposited, and recruit a strong party of indians, to serve as a guard, in the event of an attack from the people of the unexplored region, whither they were resolutely bound. in the meantime, antonio was to return home to gueguetenango, await the return of velasquez, with his armed party, from quezaltenango, and conduct them over the mountains to the village on the plains, where messrs. huertis and hammond were to remain until they should arrive. it appears that senor velasquez was abundantly supplied with solid funds for the recruiting service, and that mr. huertis also furnished antonio with a liberal sum, in addition to his stipulated pay, wherewith to procure masses for the repose of his unfortunate brother. of the adventures of messrs. huertis and hammond, in the long interval prior to the return of velasquez, we have no account whatever; nor does the journal of the latter contain any remarks relative to his own operations, during the same period. the next date is july the 8th, when we find him safely arrived with "nearly all the men he had engaged," at an indian village called aguamasinta, where his anxious companions were overjoyed to receive him, and where "they had obtained inestimable information regarding the proper arrangement of the final purpose." after this we trace them, by brief memoranda, for a few days, on the devious course of the legartos, when the journal abruptly and finally closes. the remaining narrative of the expedition was written by senor velasquez from memory, after his return to san salvador, while all the exciting events and scenes which it describes were vividly sustained by the feelings which they originally inspired. as this excessively interesting document will be translated for the public press as soon as the necessary consent of its present proprietor can be obtained, the writer of this pamphlet the less regrets the very limited use of it to which he is now restricted--which is but little more than that of making a mere abridgement and connexion of such incidents as may serve to explain the origin and possession of those _sui generis_ specimens of humanity, the aztec brother and sister, now exhibiting to the public, in the united states. from the introductory paragraphs, we take the liberty to quote the following without abridgement:- "our latitude and longitude were now 16â° 42' n. and 91â° 35' w; so that the grand amphitheatre of hills, forming three fourths of an oval outline of jagged summits, a few leagues before us, most probably inclosed the mysterious object of our anxious and uncertain labors. the small groups of indians through which we had passed, in the course of the day, had evidently been startled by sheer astonishment, into a sort of passive and involuntary hospitality, but maintained a stark apprehensive reserve in most of their answers to our questions. they spoke a peculiar dialect of the maya, which i had never heard before, and had great difficulty in comprehending, although several of the maya indians of our party understood it familiarly and spoke it fluently. from them we learned that they had never seen men of our race before, but that a man of the same race as senor hammond, who was of a bright-florid complexion, with light hair and red whiskers, had been sacrificed and eaten by the macbenachs, or priests of iximaya, the great city among the hills, about thirty moons ago. our interpreters stated that the word "iximaya" meant the "great centre," and that "macbenach" meant the "great son of the sun." i at once resolved to make the most of my time in learning as much as possible of this dialect from these men, because they said it was the tongue spoken by the people of iximaya and the surrounding region. it appeared to me to be merely a provincial corruption, or local peculiarism, of the great body of the maya language, with which i was already acquainted; and, in the course of the next day's conversation, i found that i could acquire it with much facility." to this circumstance the writer is probably indebted for his life. in another day, the determined explorers had come within the circuit of the alpine district in which iximaya is situated, and found it reposing, in massive grandeur, in the centre of a perfectly level plain, about five leagues in diameter, at a distance of scarcely two from the spot they had reached. at the base of all the mountains, rising upon their sides, and extending nearly a mile inward upon the plain, was a dark green forest of colossal trees and florid shrubbery, girding it around; while the even valley itself exhibited large tracts of uncultivated fields, fenced in with palisades, and regular, even to monotony, both in size and form. "large herds of deer, cattle, and horses, were seen in the openings of the forest, and dispersed over the plain, which was also studded with low flat-roofed dwellings of stone, in small detached clusters, or hamlets. rich patches of forest, of irregular forms, bordered with gigantic aloes, diversified the landscape in effective contrast with bright lakes of water which glowed among them." while the whole party, with their cavalcade of mules and baggage were gazing upon the scene, two horsemen, in bright blue and yellow tunics, and wearing turbans decorated with three large plumes of the quezal, dashed by them from the forest, at the distance of about two hundred yards, on steeds of the highest spanish mould, followed by a long retinue of athletic indians, equally well mounted, clothed in brilliant red tunics, with coronals of gay feathers, closely arranged within a band of blue cloth. each horseman carried a long spear, pointed with a polished metal; and each held, in a leash, a brace of powerful blood-hounds, which were also of the purest spanish breed. the two leaders of this troop, who were indians of commanding air and stature, suddenly wheeled their horses and glared upon the large party of intruders with fixed amazement. their followers evinced equal surprise, but forgot not to draw up in good military array, while the blood-hounds leapt and raged in their thongs. "while the leaders," says senor velasquez, "seemed to be intently scrutinizing every individual of our company, as if silently debating the policy of an immediate attack, one of the maya indians, of whom i had been learning the dialect, stepped forward and informed us that they were a detachment of rural guards, a very numerous military force, which had been appointed from time immemorial, or, at least from the time of the spanish invasion, to hunt down and capture all strangers of a foreign race that should be found within a circle of twelve leagues of the city; and he repeated the statement made to us from the beginning, that no white man had hitherto eluded their vigilance or left their city alive. he said there was a tradition that many of the pioneers of alvarado's army had been cut off in this manner, and never heard of more, while their skulls and weapons are to this day suspended round the altars of the pagan gods. he added, finally, that if we wished to escape the same fate, now was our only chance; that as we numbered thirty-five, all armed with repeating rifles, we could easily destroy the present detachment, which amounted to but fifty, and secure our retreat before another could come up; but that, in order to do this, it was necessary first to shoot the dogs, which all our indians regarded with the utmost dread and horror. "i instantly felt the force of this advice, in which, also, i was sustained by senor hammond; but senor huertis, whom, as the leader of the expedition, we were all bound and solemnly pledged to obey; utterly rejected the proposition. he had come so far to see the city and see it he would, whether taken thither as a captive or not, and whether he ever returned from it or not, that this was the contract originally proposed, and to which i had assented; that the fine troop before us was evidently not a gang of savages, but a body of civilized men and good soldiers; and as to the dogs, they were noble animals of the highest blood he ever saw. if, however, i and his friend hammond, who seemed afraid of being eaten, in preference to the fine beef and venison which we had seen in such profusion on the plain, really felt alarmed at the bugbear legends of our vagabond indians, before any demonstration of hostility had been made, we were welcome to take two-thirds of the men and mules and make our retreat as best we could, while he would advance with antonio and the remainder of the party, to the gates of the city, and demand a peaceable admission. i could not but admire the romantic intrepidity of this resolve, though i doubted its discretion; and assured him i was ready to follow his example and share his fate. "while this conversation was passing among us, the indian commanders held a conference apparently as grave and important. but just as senor huertis and myself had agreed to advance towards them for a parley, they separated without deigning a reply to our salutation--the elder and more highly decorated, galloped off towards the city with a small escort, while the other briskly crossed our front at the head of his squadron and entered the forest nearer the entrance of the valley. this opening in the hills, was scarcely a quarter of a mile wide, and but a few minutes elapsed before we saw a single horseman cross it toward the wood on the opposite side. presently, another troop of horse of the same uniform appearance as the first, were seen passing a glade of the wood which the single horseman had penetrated, and it thus became evident that a manoeuvre had already been effected to cut off our retreat. the mountains surrounding the whole area of the plain, were absolutely perpendicular for three-fourths of their altitude, which was no where less than a thousand feet; and from many parts of their wildly piled outline, huge crags projected in monstrous mammoth forms, as if to plunge to the billows of forest beneath. at no point of this vast impassible boundary was there a chasm or declivity discernable by which we could make our exit, except the one thus formidably intercepted. "to retire into the forest and water our mules at a copious stream which rushed forth from its recesses, and recruit our own exhausted strength with food and rest, was our first necessary resource. in tracing the rocky course of the current for a convenient watering place, antonio discovered that it issued from a cavern, which, though a mere fissure exteriorly, was, within, of cathedral dimensions and solemnity; we all entered it and drank eagerly from a foaming basin, which it immediately presented to our fevered lips. our first sensations were those of freedom and independence, and of that perfect security which is the basis of both. it was long since we had slept under a roof of any kind, while here a few men could defend our repose against an assault from thousands; but it was horribly evident, to my mind, that a few watchful assailants would suffice to reduce us to starvation, or destroy us in detail. our security was that of a prison, and our freedom was limited to its walls. happily, however, for the present hour, this reflection seemed to trouble no one. objects of wonder and veneration grew numerous to our gaze. gigantic statues of ancient warriors, with round shields, arched helmets, and square breast-plates, curiously latticed and adorned, stood sculptured in high relief, with grave faces and massive limbs, and in the regular order of columns around the walls of this grand mausoleum. many of them stood arrayed in the crimson of the setting sun, which then flamed through the tall fissure into the cavern; and the deep gloom into which long rows of others utterly retired from our view, presented a scene at once of mingled mystery and splendor. it was evidently a place of great and recent resort, both for men and horses, for plentiful supplies of fresh fodder for the latter were heaped in stone recesses; while the ashes of numerous fires, mingled with discarded moccasins and broken pipes and pottery, attested a domiciliary occupation by the former. farther into the interior, were found seats and sleeping-couches of fine cane work; and in a spacious recess, near the entrance, a large collection of the bones, both of the ox and the deer, with hides, also, of both, but newly flayed and suspended on pegs by the horns. these last evidences of good living had more effect upon our hungry indians than all the rest, and within an hour after dark, while we were seeking our first sleep, four fine deer were brought in by about a dozen of our party, whom we supposed to have been faithfully guarding our citadel. it is unnecessary to say that we gladly arose to the rich repast that ensued, for we had eaten nothing but our scant allowance of tortillas for many days, and were in the lassitude of famine." tempting as such extracts are, we must avoid them, and hasten through a summary of subsequent events. there is one singular incident, however, mentioned in the passage immediately following the above, possessing too important a connexion with the final catastrophe to be pretermitted at this place. mr. hammond, the canadian engineer, fearing that the peculiarity of his appearance, as a man of fair and ruddy complexion, among a swarthy race, would subject him to great annoyance, and perhaps involve him in the horrible fate of a similar person, reported by the indians, resolved to stain his skin of a darker hue, by means of some chemical preparation which he had precautionarily provided for this purpose, before he left the united states. with the friendly assistance of antonio, this metamorphosis was completed over his whole person before he retired to rest; his red whiskers were shaved off, and his light hair died of a jet black; and so perfect was the disguise, that not one of the party who went foraging for venison recognized him on their return, but marvelled, as he sat at supper, whence so singular a stranger could have come. velasquez states, however, that his new complexion was unlike that of any human being on the face of the earth, and scarcely diminished the certainty of his becoming an object of curiosity, among an indian population. in the morning, about the break of day, the infernal yells of a pack of blood-hounds suddenly rang through the cavern, and the party could scarcely seize their rifles before many of the dogs, who had driven in the affrighted indians on guard, were springing at their throats. mr. huertis, however, the american leader of the expedition, with that presence of mind which seems always to have distinguished him, told the men that rifles were useless in such a contest, and that the hounds must be dispatched with their long knives as fast as they came in, while the fire-arms were to be reserved for their masters. this canine butchery was accomplished with but little difficulty; none of the party received any serious injury from their fangs; and the indians were exhilarated with a victory which was chiefly a conquest of their fears. these unfortunate dogs, it appears, were the advanced van of a pack, or perhaps merely a few unleashed as scouts to others held in reserve; for no more were seen or heard for sometime. meanwhile, mr. huertis seems to have struck out a brilliant scheme. he collected his whole party into that obscure branch of the cavern, near its entrance, which has been described as a depository of animal bones, and ordering them to sling their rifles at their backs, bade them stand ready with their knives. almost instantly, they observed a party of ten dismounted natives, in scarlet tunics, and armed with spears, enter the cavern in single file; and, it would seem, from seeing the dogs slain and no enemy in sight, they rushed out again, without venturing on farther search. in a few minutes, however, they returned with forty or fifty more, in the same uniform, headed by the younger of the two personages whom they had seen in command the previous evening. as soon as they were well advanced into the cavern, and heard disturbing the tired mules, mr. huertis and his party marched quietly out and seized their horses, which were picketed close by, in charge of two or three men, whom they disarmed. at a short distance, however, drawn up in good order, was another squadron of horses, which mr. huertis determined instantly to charge. ordering his whole party to mount the noble stallions they had captured, and reserve their fire until he gave the word, he, velasquez, and hammond, drew the short sabres they had worn on their march, and led the attack. the uniformed natives, however, did not wait the encounter, but scattered in wonderment and consternation; doubtless under the impression that all their comrades had been slain. but the rapid approach of a much larger force--which is found, eventually, to have consisted of two detachments of fifty each, being just twice their number--speedily reassured them, and falling in line with this powerful reinforcement, the whole hundred and fifty charged upon our comparative handful of travellers, at a rapid pace. huertis promptly ordered his little party to halt, and form in line, two deep, with presented arms; and doubtless feeling that, notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, the enemy, armed only with spears and small side-hatchets, held but a slender chance of victory over a party of thirty-eight--most of them old campaigners in the sanguinary expeditions of the terrible carrera--armed with new "six-shooting" rifles and long knives, generously commanded them to keep aim upon the horses only, until further orders. in the meantime, most of their plumed opponents, instead of using their long spears as in lance practice, threw them through the air from so great a distance that nearly all fell short of the mark--an infallible indication both of timidity and inexperience in action. the unfortunate mr. hammond, however, was pierced through the right breast, and another of the party was killed by being transfixed through the bowels. at this instant huertis gave the word to fire; and, at the next, no small number of the enemy were rolling upon the sod, amid their plunging horses. a second rapid, but well delivered volley, brought down as many more, when the rest, in attitudes of frantic wonder and terror, unconsciously dropped their weapons and fled like affrighted fowls under the sudden swoop of the kite. their dispersion was so outrageously wild and complete that no two of them could be seen together as they radiated over the plain. the men and horses seemed impelled alike by a preternatural panic; and neither cortez in mexico, nor pizarro in peru, ever witnessed greater consternation at fire-arms among a people, who, for the first time, beheld their phenomena and effects--when mere hundreds of invaders easily subjugated millions of natives chiefly by this appalling influence--than was manifested by these iximayans on this occasion. indeed, it appears that these primitive and isolated people, holding no intercourse whatever with the rest of mankind, were as ignorant as their ancestors even of the existence of this kind of weapons; and although their modern hieroglyphical annals were found to contain vague allusions to the use of them in the conquest of the surrounding country, by means of a peculiar kind of thunder and lightning, and several old spanish muskets and pistols were found in their scant collection of foreign curiosities, yet, not even the most learned of their priests had retained the slightest notion of the uses for which they were designed. while this summary conflict was enacted on the open lawn of the forest, the dismounted company in the cavern having completed their fruitless search for the fugitives, emerged from its portal with all the mules and baggage, just in time to see and hear the fiery explosions of the rifles and their effect upon the whole body of scarlet cavalry. the entire scene, including the mounted possession of their horses by uncouthly attired strangers, previously invisible, must have appeared to these terror-stricken natives an achievement of supernatural beings. and when mr. huertis wheeled his obstreperously laughing party to recover his mules, he found most of the astounded men prostrated upon their faces, while others, more self-possessed, knelt upon the bended knee, and, with drooping heads, crossed their hands behind them to receive the bonds of captives. their gallant and gaily accoutred young chieftain, however, though equally astonished and dismayed, merely surrendered his javelin as an officer would his sword, under the like circumstances, in civilized warfare. but, with admirable tact and forethought, huertis declined to accept it, immediately returning it with the most profound and deferential cordiality of manner. he at the same time informed him, through velasquez, that, though strangers, his party were not enemies but friendly visitors, who, after a long and painful journey, again to be pursued, desired the temporary hospitality of his countrymen in their magnificent city. the young chief replied, with evident discomposure and concern, that his countrymen showed no hospitality to strangers, it being interdicted by their laws and punishable with death; that the inhabitants of their city held intercourse only with the population of the surrounding valley, who were restricted alike by law and by patriotism from ever leaving its confines; he and his fellow soldiers alone being privileged to visit the neighboring regions for the purpose of arresting intruders, (_cowana_,) and escorting certain kind of merchandize which they exchanged with a people of their own race in an adjoining district. he added, with much eloquence of manner, and as velasquez believed, of language, which he but partially understood, that the independence and peace of his nation, who were a peaceful and happy people, depended upon these severe restrictions, which indeed had been the only means of preserving it, while all the country besides, from sea to sea, had bowed to a foreign yoke, and seen their ancient cities, once the seats and centres of mighty empires, overgrown with forest, and the temples of their gods demolished. he further added, says velasquez, in a very subdued but significant tone, that some few strangers, it was true, had been taken to the city by its guards in the course of many generations, but that none of them had been allowed an opportunity of betraying its existence and locality to the cruel rapacity of the foreign race. he concluded by earnestly entreating them, since he could not compel them as prisoners, to enter the city as friends, with the view of residing there for life; promising them wives, and dwellings, and honors; for even now, if they attempted to retreat, they would be overtaken by thousands of armed men on fleet horses, that would overpower them by their numbers and subject them to a very different fate. mr. huertis rejoined, through the same interpreter, that he could destroy any number of armed men, on the swiftest horses, before they could approach him, as the chief had already seen; and since he could enforce his exit from the city whenever he thought proper, he would enter it upon his own terms, either as a conqueror, or as a friend, according to the reception he met with; that there was now no race of conquerors to whom the city could be betrayed, even if he were disposed to do so, as the people of the whole country, of all races, were now living in a state of perfect freedom and equality; and that, therefore, there was no necessity for those unsocial and sanguinary laws which secluded the iximayans from friendly intercourse with their fellow-men. saying which, and without waiting for further colloquy, he ordered his party to dismount, restore the horses to their owners, and march with the train of mules toward the city, in the usual style of travel. with this order, his indians complied very reluctantly, but on assuring them that it was a matter of the highest policy, they evinced their wonted confidence in his judgment and ability. to the young chief he restored his own richly caparisoned steed, which had fallen to the lot of the unfortunate mr. hammond, who was now lying desperately wounded, in the care of the faithful antonio. for himself and senor velasquez, mr. huertis retained the horses they had first seized, and placing themselves on each side of the iximayan commander, with their friend hammond borne immediately behind them, in one of the cane couches of the cavern, on the backs of two mules yoked together, they advanced to the head of their party, while the red troopers, followed by the surviving bloodhounds leashed in couples, brought up the rear. huertis, however, had taken the precaution to add the spears and hatchets of these men to the burdens of the forward mules, to abide the event of his reception at the city gates. the appearance of the whole cavalcade must have been unique and picturesque; for velasquez informs us, that while he wore the uniform of a military company to which he belonged in san salvador, much enhanced in effect by some brilliant additions, and crowned with a broad sombrero and plume, huertis wore that of an american naval commander, with gold epaulettes; his riflemen and muleteers generally were clothed in blue cotton and grass hats, while the native cavalry, in the brilliant tunics and feathered coronals, already described, must have completed the diversity of the variegated cortege. had poor hammond been mounted among them, his costume would have been as equivocal as his new complexion, for he had attired himself in the scarlet coat of a british officer of rank, with several blazing stars of glass jewels, surmounted by a white panama hat, in which clustered an airy profusion of ladies' ostrich feathers, dyed blue at the edges. in passing the spot of the recent skirmish, they found that nine horses and two men had been killed, the latter unintentionally, besides the rifleman of their own party. many other horses were lying wounded, in the struggles of death, and several of their riders were seated on the ground, disabled by bruises or dislocations. huertis' men buried their comrades in a grave hastily dug with the spears which lay around him, while the iximayans laid their dead and wounded upon horses, to be conveyed to a village on the plain. the former, it was found, were consumed there the next day, in funereal fires, with idolatrous rites; and it was observed by the travellers that the native soldiers regarded their dead with emotions of extreme sensibility, and almost feminine grief, like men wholly unaccustomed to scenes of violent death. but velasquez remarks, that the strongest emotion evinced by the young chief, throughout their intercourse, was when he heard the word "iximaya," in interpreting for huertis. he then seemed to be smitten and subdued, by blank despair, as if he felt that the city and its location were already familiarly known to the foreign world. as already intimated, the distance to the city was about six miles. the expedition found the road to it bordered, on either side, as far as the eye could reach, with a profuse and valuable vegetation, the result of evidently assiduous and skilful culture. indigo, corn, oats, a curious five-eared wheat, gourds, pine-apples, esculent roots, pulse, flax, and hemp, the white as well as the crimson cotton, vineyards, and fruit orchards, grew luxuriantly in large, regularly divided fields, which were now ripe for the harvest. the villages, large and populous, were mostly composed of flat-roofed dwellings with broad overhanging eaves or architraves, supported by heavy columns, often filletted over spiral flutings, in the egyptian style, and generally terminating in foliaged capitals, of the same character. none of the houses were mean, while many were superb; and of the mosque-like larger buildings, which occasionally appeared, and which were supposed to be rural temples, some were grand and imposing. a profusion of bold sculpture, was the prevailing characteristic, and perhaps defect, of all. the inhabitants, who thronged the wayside in great numbers, appeared excited with surprise and exultation, on beholding the large company of strangers apparently in the custody of their military, while the disarmed condition of the latter, and the bodies of the slain, were a mystery they could not explain. many of the husbandmen were observed to be in possession of bows and arrows, and some of the women held rusty spears. the predominant costume of both sexes was a pale blue tunic, gathered in at the breast and descending to the knee, with reticulated buskins, of red cord, covering the calf of the leg. the women, with few exceptions, were of fine form, and the highest order of indian beauty, with an extraordinary affluence of black hair, tastefully disposed, and decorated with plumes and flowers. at the village where the dead and wounded were left, with their relatives and friends, doleful lamentations were heard, until the expedition approached the city. the walls of this metropolis were sixty feet high, sloping inward from the foundation, surmounted by a parapet which overhung in a concave curve and rested upon a plain moulding. they were evidently a massive work of a remote period, for although constructed of large blocks of granitic stone, white and glittering in the sun, passing ages had corroded rough crevices between the layers, and the once perfect cornices had become indented by the tooth of time. the sculptured annals of the city recorded them an antiquity of four thousand years. they formed a parallelogram four miles long and three in width, thus inclosing an area of nearly twelve square miles, and they breasted the cardinal points of the horizon with a single gate, or propylon, midway on every side. on approaching the eastern gate, the travellers discovered that the foundations of the walls were laid in a deep foss or moat a hundred feet wide, nearly full to its brink and abounding with water-fowl. it was replenished from the mountains, and discharged its surplus waters into the lakes of the valley. it was to be crossed by a draw-bridge now raised over the gate, and the parapet was thronged with the populace to behold the entrance of so large a number of strangers for whom there was no return. at a signal from the young chief, the bridge slowly descended and the cavalcade passed over; but the folding gates, which were composed of blocks of stone curiously dovetailed together, and which revolved upon hinges of the same material by a ball and socket contrivance above and below, were not yet opened, and the party were detained on the bridge. a small oval orifice only appeared, less than a human face, and an ear was applied there to receive an expected word in a whisper. this complied with, the ponderous gates unfolded, and a vista of solemn magnificence was presented to the view. it was a vista at once of colossal statues and trees, interminable in perspective and extending, as it was found, the whole length of the city to its western gate. incredible as it may be, until we reflect upon the ancient statuary of the eastern world, velasquez reports each and all of these monuments as being exactly of the height of the city wall, that is, sixty feet, and all possessing the proportions of the human figure. he adds, what is equally marvelous, that no two of them were precisely alike in countenance, and very few in their sculptural costume. there was some distinctive emblem upon each, and he was informed that they were statues of the ancient kings of assyria, from before the foundation of babylon, and of their descendants in the aztec empires of this continent. they stood sixty feet apart, with a smaller monument of some mythological animal between each, and were said to number one hundred and fifteen, on each side of the avenue they formed, which was one hundred and twenty feet in width. a similar but shorter avenue, it appears, crossed the city from north to south, having a proportional number of such monuments through its entire extent; and these two grand avenues ran through wide areas of green sward richly grouped with lofty trees. but the translator finds himself trespassing upon forbidden ground and must forbear. as the cavalcade advanced through this highway to the centre of the city, they found it crowded on each side with the masses of the population assembled to behold a spectacle so unprecedented and mysterious; but the utmost order prevailed and even the silence was profound. the news of the slaughter and dispersion of their military guardians, by an army of strangers, wielding deadly weapons of fire and smoke, had already run through every quarter of the city with increasing exaggeration and terror; but the people wisely left its investigation to their constituted authorities, and were rendered comparatively tranquil by their personal observation of its actual results. arrived at the quadrated point, where the two great avenues we have described intersect, mr. huertis boldly demanded of his guide the further course and character of his destination. he was answered by his dignified companion, that he would be conducted to the building immediately before him, which is described as one of majestic dimensions and style, where the monarch of the nation daily assembled with his councillors, at the hour of noon, to administer justice and listen to complaints. in the meantime, his wounded friend could be placed in a state of greater ease and repose, in one of the apartments of the edifice, while the mules and baggage could be disposed of in its basement vaults. when this was accomplished the hours of audience had arrived. the entire party of strangers, with the young chief and several of his subordinates, were then led into a large and lofty hall, surrounded by columns, and displaying three raised seats covered with canopies of rich drapery and design. on the one of these, which stood at the eastern end, sat the monarch himself, a personage of grave but benignant aspect, about sixty years of age, arrayed in scarlet and gold, and having a golden image of the rising sun, of extraordinary splendor, displayed on the back of his throne. on the seat on the southern side, sat a venerable man of advanced age, not less gorgeously attired; and the seat at the western end was occupied by a functionary of similar years and costume. around the apartment, and especially around the steps of the throne, sat other grave looking men, in scarlet robes. huertis, velasquez, and their indians, still carrying their loaded rifles, of which he had not suffered them to be deprived, stood on the left side of the monarch, and the young chief and his soldiers on the right. the latter gave his statement with truth and manly candour, although the facts which he averred seemed to fill the whole council with amazement, and left a settled gloom upon the imperial brow. the whole proceeding possesses great interest in velasquez's narrative, but we can only briefly state that it resulted in the decision, which was concurred in by the associate councillors, that the strangers having magnanimously released and restored the company of guards, after they had surrendered themselves prisoners; and having voluntarily entered the city in a peaceable manner, when they might possibly have effected their escape, were entitled to their personal freedom, within the limits of the city, and might eventually, under voluntary but indispensable obligations, become eligible to all the privileges of citizenship, within the same limits. in the mean time, they were to be maintained as pensioners of state, on condition that they made no use of their dangerous weapons, nor exhibited them to terrify the people. with this decision, huertis and his companions were perfectly satisfied, for the latter had undiminished confidence in his ability and determination to achieve their escape, as soon as he should have accomplished the scientific objects of his expedition. on leaving the hall of justice, they observed the elder military chief, of whom a slight mention has been made, brought in with two others of inferior rank; and it was afterwards currently reported that they had been sentenced to close imprisonment. it was, also, ascertained by velasquez, that the four companies of rangers, already noticed, composing a regiment of two hundred men, constituted the whole military force of this timid and peaceful people. from this point, our abstract of the narrative must be chiefly a brief catalogue of the most important of the concluding events. the place of residence assigned to our travellers, was the vacant wing of a spacious and sumptuous structure, at the western extremity of the city, which had been appropriated, from time immemorial, to the surviving remnant of an ancient and singular order of priesthood called kaanas, which, it was distinctly asserted in their annals and traditions, had accompanied the first migration of this people from the assyrian plains. their peculiar and strongly distinctive lineaments, it is now perfectly well ascertained are to be traced in many of the sculptured monuments of the central american ruins, and were found still more abundantly on those of iximaya. forbidden, by inviolably sacred laws, from intermarrying with any persons but those of their own caste, they had here dwindled down, in the course of many centuries, to a few insignificant individuals, diminutive in stature, and imbecile in intellect. they were, nevertheless, held in high veneration and affection by the whole iximayan community, probably as living specimens of an antique race so nearly extinct. their position, as an order of priesthood, it is now known, had not been higher, for many ages, if ever, than that of religious mimes and bacchanals, in a certain class of pagan ceremonies, highly popular with the multitude. this, indeed, is evident from their characteristics in the sculptures. their ancient college, or hospital, otherwise vacant and forlorn, was now chiefly occupied by a much higher order of priests, called mahaboons, who were their legal and sacerdotal guardians. with a yachin, one of the junior brethren of this order, named vaalpeor, a young man of superior intellect and attainments, velasquez soon cultivated a friendly and confidential acquaintance, which proved reciprocal and faithful. and while huertis was devoting all his time and energies to the antiquities, hieroglyphics, ethnology, science, pantheism, theogony, arts, manufactures, and social institutions of this unknown city and people, the ear of this young pagan priest was as eagerly imbibing, from the wiley lips of velasquez, a similar knowledge of the world at large, to him equally new and enchanting. if huertis had toiled so severely, and hazarded so much, both as to himself and companions, to acquire a knowledge of this one city and people, it soon became clear to the penetrating mind of velasquez, that vaalpeor possessed enough both of mental ambition and personal energy to incur equal toil and risk to learn the wonders of the cities and races of the greater nations of mankind. indeed, this desire evidently glowed in his breast with a consuming fervor, and when velasquez, after due observation proposed the liberation of the whole expedition, with vaalpeor himself, as its protected companion, the now consciously imprisoned pagan, horror-stricken at first, regarded the proposition with complacency, and finally, with a degree of delight, regardless of consequences. it was, however, mutually agreed that the design should be kept secret from huertis, until ripe for success. a serious obstacle existed in his plighted guardianship of the kaana children, whom he could abandon only with his life; but even this was not deemed insurmountable. in the meantime, huertis, to facilitate his own objects, had prevailed upon his entire party to conform in dress and habits with the community in which they lived. the city was surrounded on all sides by a lofty colonade, sustaining the upper esplanade of the city walls, and forming a broad covered walk beneath, in which the population could promenade, sheltered from sun and shower. in these places of general resort, the new citizens appeared daily, until they had become familiarly known to the greater part of the eighty-five thousand inhabitants of the city. huertis, moreover, had formed domestic and social connexions; was the welcome guest of families of the highest rank, who were fascinated with the information he afforded them of the external world; had made tacit converts to liberty of many influential persons; had visited each of the four grand temples which stood in the centre of the several quadrangular divisions of the city, and externally conformed to their idolatrous worship. he had even been admitted into some of the most sacred mysteries of these temples, while velasquez, more retired, and avowedly more scrupulous, was content to receive the knowledge thus acquired, in long conversations by the sick couch of poor hammond, now rapidly declining to the grave. mr. hammond's dreadful wound had but partially healed in the course of several months; his constitution was exhausted, and he was dying of remittent fever and debility. his chief regret was that he could not assist his friend huertis in his researches and drawings, and determine the place of the city by astronomical observations which his friends were unable to take. the day before he died, he was visited by some of the medical priesthood, who, on seeing numerous light spots upon his skin, where the preparation with which he had stained it had disappeared, they pronounced him _a leper_, and ordered that all intercourse with the building should be suspended. no explanation would convince them to the contrary, and his death confirmed them in their opinion. availing himself of this opportunity, and under the plea that it was important to their safety, vaalpeor removed the two orphan children in his charge to one of the country temples in the plain, and the idle mules of the strangers were employed to carry tents, couches, and other bulky requisites for an unprovided rural residence. it may be added that he included among them much of the baggage of his new friends, with the greater part of their rifles and ammunition. in the mean time huertis, velasquez, and about half of their party, were closely confined to the part of the edifice assigned for their occupation. their friend hammond had been interred without the walls, in a field appropriated to lepers by the civic authorities. huertis, was now informed of the plan of escape, but was not ready; he had more daguerreotype views to take, and many curiosities to collect. the interdicted period of nine days having expired, the young priest, who had free access to the city at all times, again appeared at their abode and urged an early retreat, as the return of the orphan children would soon be required. but huertis was abroad in the city and could not be consulted. he remained absent all the day, and did not return to his apartments at night. it was so all the next day and night, and velasquez was deeply alarmed. on searching his rooms for his papers, drawings and instruments, for secret transmittal into the country, he found them all removed, including those of mr. hammond which were among them. it was then vainly hoped that he had effected his escape with all his treasures, but his indians knew nothing of the matter. shortly after this discovery, vaalpeor arrived with its explanation. huertis had made a confidant of his intended flight whom he idly hoped would accompany it, and she had betrayed him. his offence, after his voluntary vows, and his initiation into the sacred mysteries, was unpardonable, and his fate could not be doubted. indeed, the trembling priest at length admitted that he had been sacrificed in due form upon the high altar of the sun, and that he himself had beheld the fatal ceremony. huertis, however, had implicated none of his associates, and there was yet a chance of escape. to pass the gates was impossible; but the wall might be descended in the night by ropes, and to swim the moat was easy. this was effected by velasquez and fifteen of his party the same night; the rest either did not make the attempt or failed, and the faithful antonio was among them. the fugitives had scarcely reached the secluded retreat of vaalpeor, and mounted their mules, before the low yelp of blood-hounds was heard upon their trail and soon burst into full cry. but the dogs were somewhat confused by the scent of so many footsteps on the spot at which the party mounted, and did not follow the mules until the horsemen led the way. this afforded time for the fugitives, racing their swift mules at full speed, to reach the opening of the valley, when velasquez wheeled and halted, for the pursuers were close at hand. a conflict ensued in which many of the horsemen were slain, and the young kaana received an accidental wound of which he retains the scar. it must suffice to say, that the party eventually secured their retreat without loss of life; and by break of day they were on a mountainous ridge many leagues from iximaya. in about fourteen days, they reached ocosingo, after great suffering. here velasquez reluctantly parted with most of his faithful indians, and here also died vaalpeor, from the unaccustomed toil and deprivations of the journey. velasquez, with the two aztec children, did not reach san salvador until the middle of february, when they became objects of the highest interest to the most intellectual classes of that city. as the greatest ethnological curiosities in living form, that ever appeared among civilised men, he was advised to send them to europe for exhibition. with this view they were taken to grenada where they remained the objects of much local curiosity, until it was deemed proper and advisable first to exhibit them to the people of the united states. the parties whom senor velasquez first appointed as their temporary guardians brought them to new york via jamaica, and they will no doubt attract and reward universal attention. they are supposed to be eight and ten years of age, and both are lively, playful and affectionate. but it is as specimens of an _absolutely unique_ and nearly extinct race of mankind that they claim the attention of physiologists and all men of science. transcriber's note the following errors were corrected. page error 4 vaalpeor, in changed to vaalpeor, an 4 diocess changed to diocese 5 scirra changed to sierra 6 attemped changed to attempted 6 gautamala changed to guatimala 6 seirra changed to sierra 6 rasing changed to raising 7 seirra changed to sierra 7 balize changed to belize 8 way changed to way. 8 hammand changed to hammond 8 attestors changed to attesters 9 proceded changed to proceeded 9 regreted changed to regretted 9 repecting changed to respecting 9 experince changed to experience 10 idolitrous changed to idolatrous 10 invaluble changed to invaluable 11 joval changed to jovial 11 mentined changed to mentioned 13 realitily changed to reality 13 rediculous changed to ridiculous 14 guilded changed to gilded 14 pinacle changed to pinnacle 15 mountians changed to mountains 15 chiapas. changed to chiapas." 16 limbstone changed to limestone 16 parapetted changed to parapeted 16 aarchbishop changed to archbishop 17 amunition changed to ammunition 17 orign changed to origin 18 mayua changed to maya 18 interpeters changed to interpreters 18 provinical changed to provincial 19 pewerful changed to powerful 19 i changed to "i 19 solemly changed to solemnly 21 mocassins changed to moccasins 21 states changed to states. 24 defferential changed to deferential 27 pine-apples changed to pine-apples, 29 a ear changed to an ear 29 disperson changed to dispersion 29 ran through changed to run through 30 appartments changed to apartments 30 indispensible changed to indispensable 31 destinctive changed to distinctive 33 amunition changed to ammunition 33 apropriated changed to appropriated 33 appartments changed to apartments 34 valasquez changed to velasquez 34 transmital changed to transmittal the following words were inconsistently spelled or hyphenated. blood-hounds / bloodhounds land-marks / landmarks meztitzos / mestitzos re-assured / reassured montezuma. an epic on the origin and fate of the aztec nation. by hiram hoyt richmond. san francisco: golden era co 1885. entered according to act of congress in the year 1883, by h. h. richmond, at the office of the librarian of congress. all rights reserved. dedicated to hubert howe bancroft, the pains-taking historian and the one of all others who induced to a final effort this book, by his grateful friend and ardent partisan, the author. contents. egypt. page. the dispersal at shinar 1 sojourn in egypt 4 sun worship 7 expulsion from egypt 36 mizraim and lud 37 the mourning shepherds 41 the journey 43 aztlan. the valley of the mississippi 53 the morning song of the mound builders 59 the evening thanksgiving and prayer 61 the prophet's death 63 departure of wabun 72 return and strife 79 prehistoric rendezvous of the aztecs 84 the toltecs journey south 88 the aztecs--aztlan 92 anahuac. the aztec's journey and settlement south 102 the empire of montezuma 105 the landing of the spaniards 116 arrival of the spaniards at mexico 125 death of montezuma 134 conclusion 142 malinche 151 the harp of the west 181 argument of the poem. from the moment of my earliest acquaintance with colonial history, i have felt all the pressure of a task laid upon me, tightening its grasp as i reached maturer years; that of an attempt to rescue the aztecs from their letterless and mythical position in history, to the position which their possibilities at least argue for them; and this feeling has been far less the outgrowth of the enthusiasm awakened for the aztecs, as the indignation felt at the whole conduct of the spanish conquest. realizing the gravity of the task, i have been led to carefully weigh and investigate the different theories advanced as to the origin of the aztecs, and to adopt the argument of the poem as the best ground on which to unite the sun worship of the east with the mythology of of the west. reverently, and with a full realization of how great must ever be the distance between the actual work and the ideal of my early inspiration, i lay the gathered chaplet at the shrine of old chapultepec, and only regret that the fruiting should have fallen so far short of the promise of its blooming. to hubert howe bancroft the living, and w. h. prescott the dead, differing as they do in some very material respects, yet essentially the same in spirit, i wish to record my indebtedness for their admirable and exhaustive works that have induced to a final effort the poem of which this is prefatory. some years since, i found in an abridged history of the united states, a brief outline that led me back to the dispersal at shinar (certainly a safe location for a speculative beginning) for the origin of the aztec race. it occurs to me now, with a shade of the ludicrous, that if safety were the all-important thing in the premises, i might have gone back a step farther to the figs and pomegranites of eden, and prayed for the shade of adam to cover the exotic which i have humbly tried to rescue from what seems to me to be an undeserved obscurity. the careful analogies drawn between egypt and the aztecs by both prescott and bancroft could be better met by locating the origin at shinar than at any other point, as it takes us back to a date where we may consistently locate the shepherd kings and the overrunning of mizraim by them, a part of egypt's early history which is outlined (more or less briefly) by nearly all early historians. as to the initial period of sun worship and its origin, i could of necessity have but little aid, and if i have seemed a little too speculative, i have only this apology: the prodigy of egypt's prehistoric development, and the manufacture of glass, antedating historic research. it needs no great imaginative tension to crown some incipient philosopher not only with the discovery of glass, but, that in its proper shape, it could be made to concentrate the solar rays, and produce fire; and at that day and age, what possible superstitions might result from these discoveries! after the re-establishment of the mizraim descent, and the consequent expulsion of the "sons of lud," the line of their journey is the natural outgrowth of their religious fanaticism. they know that india and the far east are inhabited, and they seek the uninhabited track for their exit. the mound builders seem to be historic cousins of the aztecs, certainly the superiors of the aborigines of the north and middle atlantic. the expulsion of the mound builders will admit of many theories, and i have simply adopted the one that occurred to me as consistent with the christian inspiration of all great events. the settlement of mexico by the aztecs, (as a branch of the mound builders) follows naturally in the wake of previous events, and the chain is thus made complete, with no serious hazard to its consistency as merely speculative drama, leading up to what is plainly historical. i have striven to be historically consistent, following the letter of events closely, taking conjectural ground in but few instances. if i have seemed to be censorious, even to rancor at times, i have only given vent to the repressed indignation of prescott and other authors on the subject of the spanish conquest. the only possible justification for the excesses of cortez and his adherents, is the age in which the conquest took place; and those who seek to justify it in this way, point to the opening of the present century, and to napoleon, decoying the imbecile king and the weak asturias into abdication and banishment to make room for his brother joseph. this is a plague-mark upon the present century, and though a plain case of retributive justice through the visiting of the sins of the fathers upon the children, still the fact remains that the attempt to bring _right_ of any multiple of wrongs, must always record a failure. a sufficient answer to the latitude of the age, is the fact that a corresponding age gave us plymouth, and not long after penn's colony; nor can the spaniards claim the same justification for excesses as these coincident colonists, all of whom had felt the lash of religious intolerance. the spanish conquest, antedating the divisions that followed the reformation, has no such covert for their lustful excrescences. any system of religious ethics that severs human responsibility from the domain of conscience, and furnishes a market for the indulgences that cover all the excesses of the body politic, cannot be expected to bring forth the best of fruit from a bloom so blighted by human lust, and so blackened by human selfishness. if, amid all of their intolerance and deceit, they had respected the homely records and the grotesque landmarks of the nation they destroyed, the cavaliers might have shown them as a slight palliation, and at once furnished the historian the shadow of justification for their abuses; but the mental caste that could adopt any, and every device of deception and treachery to accomplish its ends, threw itself at once into the arms of a priestcraft, if possible more implacable than themselves; and obedient to their demands, tore down their landmarks, and ground their records to powder. surely, there is no fanaticism like religious fanaticism, and no licentiousness like that of the unbridled devotee of the church. finally, as a whole, i feel confident that my effort will not fail to create food for thought, and eventually justify the effort which called it forth. to a nature partially huguenot in its origin, and more so in sympathy and inclination, i have tried to add the temperate element that would impart freedom from undue prejudice and passion; but as the work is of necessity vindicatory on the one hand, and repressive on the other, i have been compelled to use good, plain saxon words in the closing pages, justified only by the verity of their signification. the body of the work is given in decimeters, varying in only a few cases where the expression seemed to require a different form. i would rather not close these already extended remarks without recording my testimony, with that of others, of the positive pleasure experienced both in the progress and completion of a work of this character; and if i shall have been as fortunate in securing and retaining an auditory, i shall be twice blessed; for our highest ambition should ever be that of contributing to the happiness of others. the reward of earnest labor, conscientiously performed, is the prize only _once_ exceeded in the economy of things, and that _once_ beyond the ken of our divulgence; yet, may we not hope that there is no actual severance between the earthly type and the heavenly reality, that the crown honestly won, and the prize worthily gained on earth, may both, retaining their semblance, the more perfectly glow in the clearer atmosphere of heaven. h. h. r. montezuma. part first. egypt. the dispersal at shinar. as mariner upon the rocky sea, without a compass, helm, or heavenly hope, a part of earth's great ancestry to be upon the plains of shinar; and they grope in nature's darkness; they have lost the way that leadeth to the father, and can find no clue of that great presence, once their stay, and still as near; but sin doth make us blind, and when it fastens on the soul, the father fades away. how wholly lost, when man cannot descry one token of his maker in the soul- one step remains, the animal must die; but death has superseded its control, since the immortal "ego" is no more, the spirit gone from its companion, dust- the ashes are but animate in vain when love, and light, have given place to lust and conscience gives no puncture for its pain. thus were they gathered, in this day far gone, so near the causeway of the almighty past, that retrospect brings close, the thought of god- we wonder that a cloud could overcast, so primitive a people, that the shepherd's voice should leave no lingering echo, for the ear, so tokened and so choice. and they would build a city, and a tower whose top would reach the very verge of heaven;- the puniest arm, is puissent in power, when to its grasp supernal aid is given; but muscles may, like cordage, swell the arm, and arteries, like rills of mountains flow. weak is the blood that breakers them to harm,- the fires of passion but a moment glow. they, as the infants play upon the rim of ancient ocean, had been rocked to sleep in the bare arms of nature; she would trim her lamps for them, and patient vigil keep upon their slumbers; and heaven, to them, was but a brilliant, close-spread canopy, or crystal dome, a sort of diadem just out of easy reach, and they could see no reason why they might not build a tower would intercept it; and their foolish pride supposed this little caprice of the hour, through all the after age, would witness of their power. they made them bricks, and steadily they reared the spiral column heavenward; the great eye bent vigilantly on them, as they neared the upper ether, silent as the sky draws round its garniture; into each soul crept the first rootlets of an unknown tongue; each household head placed under his control the elements of intercourse, first flung together by the great teacher; just before when they had dropped from their exulting hands the rough-made tools; they closed forevermore their mutual labor, though in other lands they could resume their use, this was the last of the poor monument that they had reared- the workmen stand in wonderment aghast, though they had wrought together, and had cheered each other in their task, each quivering lip breathed but confusion to the other's ears, no more from common cup of thought they sip, but forced to strangerhood for many, many years. in what a school was fashioned our first thought. how the poor soul is dumbed, and quivering, when we conceive what the great master wrought. how are we littled, what a nameless thing "is man, that thou art mindful" thus "of him." thou settest up, and pullest down, and we- our hearts are hushed, our vision is made dim- mites in the balance of imponderate destiny. a camp in central india, 'neath the palms, and where the lap of nature is so full, that all the world may beggar it of alms and drink of its repletion; a mere tool of hungry kingdoms, thirsty dynasties- the finger-tips of alexander's arm- the plethorite of the augustan age- the gilt that margins all the tapestries down through middle ages; and the charm that lends a mellow fragrance to the page of her, the island queen, whose arm meets arm in the embrace of earth, her borders refuge from avenging harm. a journey into egypt, with their flocks before, and peaceful conquests back, an opening door to vast historic truths, a niobe moaning her children's travail in advance, a restless nomad people, like the sea, stirred by involuntary force, whose billows dance to music of the spheres, stern autocrat, and yet a slave to its own mastery. sojourn in egypt. o egypt! how shall we approach thy face? how steal from thy dumb lips one scrap of song? thou stand'st alone, and sendest from thy place one word, that human lips have shaped for thee, to seal thy mighty arch with "mystery." time calls his children 'round him, and they each give answer to their names; gray troy and greece pour out the lesson their dumb lips would teach, carthage, phoenicia, parthia and rome clothe death with all the eloquence of speech; and each form linklets of an unbroke chain. but they are youthful; in perspective dim as if unmoved with either joy or pain. with arms enfolded, and with eye all fixed, a silent portal in the track of time. in the rough surge of nations still unmixed, where the great fathers left thee in the sphinx, and heaped the sands upon thy broken links, thou dost look down the ages to defy tradition, inspiration, and all future progeny. she sleeps as they advance; their lowing kine and noisy herds before them, and with the flute and siren song, they win, as with old wine, their way into the slumbering and the mute endormir of old nile; but egypt wakes, and breast to breast, opposes their advance. in vain against the shepherd crew, she breaks her ill-spent arrows, shattered every lance, and mizraim's sons the rod of empire yield to sons of lud; they spread their many tents on nile's unequaled garniture of field, the one discordant note in her great eloquence. how nature heals what man has thus laid waste, the stoic songsters of the worlds orchaste sing the same song, for friend and foe alike, they lift no arm upon a world defaced with war's stern tread, but with one voice they strike the note of conquest or the requiem of some o'ertoppled realm, nature moves on to shame the bugle blare, or sound of drum, and sets her thousand nestlings in the dust of the unnumbered nations that are gone. one after one, in stately march of time, kings pass, like common people, to the dust; unless by over-reaching, and the crime of too much selfhood, they are rudely thrust a little sooner to their maker's hands, and their succession made accelerate by that potention, which each scepter mans, to fix each calendar, with human date. no mortal is a law unto himself, and much less, he who holds the reins of power; for wisdom seldom is concentrated so, that one weak soul is master of the hour, unquestioned arbiter of human fate, free to subdue, to persecute, to kill the soul that reaches this enlarged estate, meets with a giant in the human will, that soon or late, will crush him with its skill. sun worship. dread guard! whose portal is another world, thy mandate never can be circumscribed; only that hand thy car to being whirled, and set thy lips, forevermore unbribed, can break the seal of silence; we look out, and over both eternities, and waste our energies, to find some well-tried route out of life's labyrinth, where we may taste the true nepenthe that disarms all doubt. beyond all human ken the key is kept; our prison is too strong, and will not break, our keeper's eyes are those that never slept, yet never slept for love and our dear sake; touched by god's hand, the bolts will always yield; we rule him; in our weakness, if we ask, our asking turns the desert to a field, and shapes a coronal of every task. a pestilence has struck this favored land- religion pleads in health; it now must take command. the gods of egypt, all are impotent, the people beat the empty air in vain; no orgie gains the purchase of content, their altars only mock the nation's pain. the king has called a council to discuss the best-laid methods of religious thought. of counselors, there is an overplus, and many are the schemes that they have brought, all conjured since they lost their way. the years had slowly passed, since god himself had spoke, and hearts are human things, and their hot tears, melting their souls to harmony, in echoing murmur broke: o soul! that is all song, o heart! that is all love, o right! that knows no wrong, o arm! that is all strong, upon our bosoms move. o eye! that is all sight, o voice! that is all sound, o life! that is all might, o wing! that is all flight, where, where can you be found? o ear! that only hears, o voice! that only sings, o eye! that knows no tears, o time! that counts no years, lend us thy gift of wings. o faith! that wants no form, o hope! all unafraid, o sun! without a storm, o summer! always warm, where shall our hearts be stayed? o spirit! infinite, o thou unchanging word! whose echoes round us flit, with all the past enlit, o make thee to be heard! so sang the gathered choral of the king, and so, with saddened hearts, responded all the gathered multitude; with what a spring is set the chords of nature; and the call from any searching soul a unit is of universal and insatiate thirst. the longing story one may sing as his, responsive hearts all echo with the first, which shows how deep are all of our desires; how earnestly we peer out in the dark! how are we freighted, all, with latent fires! how, on our souls and in our hearts, the master leaves his mark! there rose, from on the outskirts of the crowd, one bowed with lengthened years, yet nobly bent with the more potent weight of earnest thought; his massive brain and princely bearing lent a more than common strength to his clear eye, as, on his shepherd's staff, his form was bent; near to the king, with faltering step he came, and spake, as if a master spake, with all his soul aflame. "oh king, and sons of lud! no pardon asks old kohen for the words that leap his lips; no earthly throne gives warrant to my voice; but he, the god, of whom our fathers told, the god of noah; he, at whose command the patriarch bent to labor; and till twice a hundred harvest moons had waned, wrought on the ark, and saved the seed of man to earth, he, he, has spoken! and his words have sunk so deeply in my heart i must be heard.- "thus saith the lord: 'o truant sons of lud, why grope ye in the dark, why not return to the great father's house? how have i called and waited for an answer to my suit! o sons of men, return! repent! believe! where have ye wandered, that ye have not heard the voice of your jehovah in the wind, and on the storm and tempest, when in wrath he thunders in the ears of men; repent! and on the desert in the hot simoom writ fervent words to warn you of your way. "'i am the god, of whom your fathers spake; out of all chaos did i call the earth, and out of dust, your great ancestor made; and hardly his clay swaddlings put on, ere from his rib i called his helpmeet forth, "'your mother eve; i have bespoken wrath; yet, on the threshold of your life i placed the ministry of love, and with my lips i kissed the clay to life. how have i longed to hold the race as i their fathers held, encircled in the everlasting arms; but ye would not; ye are yourselves, a law, to your own beings in my image made, and ye must choose to live, to love, to learn. how great is my compassion, and how long i have kept watch, and waited for my lost! "'my very anger is the throne of love.- because i could not lose the multitudes, the myriads of millions yet unborn, i spoke your father noah into work, and set afloat the remnant of his loins, and oped the gates of heaven to flood the earth. i saw the race go down to watery graves, in sorrow; and i saw a deeper wound had i but spared; i struck the seedling off, rather than smite the tree; i move in storms to purify; and in the tempest smite only to save. i saw the impious hands your fathers raised in shinar, and i came and in the night, gave each another tongue, and scattered their device, and smote their lips that they raised not to mine. how could i see their folly and not smite? i loved them so; ye, who have children, look within your hearts, and in them see the miniatures of mine; more of the parent than your soul can feel. "'behold in me the source and spring of love; i followed with paternal care to ind, i saw, and i stood guard upon your steps; more than a father's love was in my soul, more than a mother's tenderness inurned. the mountains are the mole-hills of my strength; yet am i weak in love; i would not send one single child to the eternal world all unprepared; but ye have gone astray; ye are my flock, and i would turn you back before the wolves shall fatten of your flesh. "'bring offerings from your herds, the choicest bring, (are they not also mine?) and altars build and offer them thereon, but further bring the contrite heart, and the unsullied hand, bring, as your fathers told you, abel brought, and i will meet you on the altar's brink, with fire from heaven, and consume it all. ask not again to look upon my face; ye cannot look, and live; i only speak, as i now speak, through kohen; he it is, out from among you i have set apart "'to be my sponsor; listen to my words: build up your altars, offer from your best; am i not better than the best you have? when ye have builded, pray; pour out your hearts as ye pour out the blood; prayer is the key to my most inner soul; the voice of love is prayer. it is the angel's wing that fell never yet short of paradise. the voice that trembles on the lips of infancy, when reaching out to reason, and the last that passes with the shadow of the sun when life's last slope is reached, and never yet has the repentant spirit left unalmsed. "'have ye not heard how "enoch walked with god, and he was not," because i drew him up? he kept so closely locked in my embrace, that there was nothing left of him to die. so would i have you walk, and learn the way; for i am very near each human soul, and ye may blend your being into mine, and, losing self, be only found of me. ye all through adam sinned; but there will come a time when, in the second adam, will the first transgression be atoned; your altars then may all be turned to ashes; for i send my best beloved, my ever blessed son, the prince of peace, to save the sin-cursed earth "'from the first great offense, and to prepare the creature for creation's judgment day; himself, upon the altar will be placed, a final offering for the sins of men. "'thus is our justice smothered o'er with love; the law is satisfied, when love, made king, bends down the neck to bear the ills of earth. therefore return: and i will warm you back to perfect life, if you but follow me. come in, and rest, i am your husbandman, and all i have is on my table; feast, and fill yourselves. i am your vintner; here is wine, and here is honey; satisfy your wants, i am your garden, eden is restored in me. o children that are lost! be found again; i am your shepherd, and my arms shall bear the weak ones of the flock. do any thirst? i am your spring, your parched lips to cool; come and be one with me! and i will be more than your souls could ever frame to ask. come to my open arms, o sons of men! they are not full without you; in my heart is loneliness, though from itself it draw companionship. had i but called to life the pliant clay of adam, and not breathed my spirit in his nostrils, then could he "'filled out his measure with a lesser life, without the test of law; but how much more to live as he could lived, divinely great in mastery of earth, and only on the single test, obedience to our will; yet, he fell short, and i foresaw it all and suffered it, that human eyes might see the glories of redemption, and behold the one incarnate son, the soul of love, the second self of me. "'o sons of men, fall down! behold his coming in a glass; behold and see him, in the fire i send from heaven upon your altars, and repent; and when the time is fully ripe, behold he cometh in the flesh! and ye shall see the very son and sanction of my heart. oh! is it not enough? can even i do more? your children shall behold my words grown to fulfillment, and they all shall see the son of god become the son of man; and ye may see, by faith, if ye implant the tree of your redemption, so its leaves may cover egypt and the rest of earth. "'the pestilence that darkens at your door came as a cry, from mizraim in bonds; "'strike off his chains! and i will lift you up. love ye your neighbor, as ye love yourselves; his bruises and your pestilence shall pass together from the land. live ye pure lives, and all your blackness shall become as snow. make room for me among you; in the morn let rise your incense to the throne of grace; bring me your noon oblation; in your thanks let evening have its holicaust of love. when spring puts forth her promise, offer up; when summer comes, enladen with its growth, and when the harvest moon, with ripened sheaves, measures the fullness of my great regard; yea! when the winter brings the time of rest, forget-me-not! forget-me-not! but pour into each crevice, of the well filled year, the overflow of all your thankfulness. "'come in the spring and summer of your lives, and in the yellow leaves of autumn come, and in the snow and winter of your age; come any time, but come! stay not away! and i will give you rest; and ye shall not go out again forever; but shall shine bright as the brightest stars, and ye shall sing, as never angels sang; and every soul be swallowed up in sunshine evermore." he ceased; and there arose from out the crowd the murmuring voice of question on the air; some thought him moved of god, and long and loud gave acclamation in his favor; "where," cried they, "can such authority be found? whence come those gracious words, if not from god?- power, wisdom, love, entripled in the sound a mother's tenderness, a father's rod." then spake the unctious king; and through the king, the man; for he was but a tattered rag of royalty: "what is this wondrous thing, old kohen, you propose? make haste, let lag your purpose; why is it, we cannot speak face unto face with your great deity?- our fathers say old noah did--what leak has sprung between us, that we cannot see the father as he is? as others did? am i not greater than all earthly kings? he spake our fathers, wherefore is he hid that i cannot behold him? let his wings be folded for a while, as he comes down, that we may see him as he is; we came to choose a god, whom we, indeed, can see; or, if his face be burnished with a flame too great for our uncovered eyes, then we are satisfied to close them in the smile of one so radiant; so we feel him near, "but we must know his presence for the while; speak kohen! why can ye not bring him here?" then answered kohen: "urge me not, o king! ye know not what ye ask, if ye do seek to see him as he is. a nameless thing, a brow-bedabbled man, upon whose cheek, sheds everyday god's sunshine; shall he ask that a decree be broken, and presume to lift unhallowed voice? though in a mask jehovah hides his presence, yet, the bloom of every flower, is but the blush he brings upon the face of nature, as he looks abroad upon his creatures; and she sings from her ten thousand voices in his praise. wake to his chorus! 'ancient of the days,' wake children! and your faith shall blossom into wings." "prate ye to fools," the incensed monarch cries, "nor gabble longer of your hidden lord; who follows in his wake, this moment dies, and isis and eternal keep my word. we have a score of hidden deities and yet, they leave us, without aid or thought, and pestilence comes in and blocks our ways and where can our deliverance be bought? show the bare hand of infinite decree, show us a present help in each distress, show us the master, we will bend the knee, "and we will follow on, in righteousness. strike! strike the chords! while we invoke the gods, and with the music let our souls be blended, that we may find the one, before whom nods 'all stripling deities, and thus our strife be ended.'" then rose a blast of sound upon the air and blended with it was the voice of song, the chime of music with the moan of prayer- a nation's thirst; deep, earnest and impassionately strong: o god of gods! be with us when we pray, and give us rest; list our entreaty, be not far away, be near each breast. the gods of mizraim, we have sought in vain,- they answer not; our prayers are but an empty, aching pain,- we are forgot. though isis bless our fields and flocks with growth, and thoth be heard; upon the tongues of wisemen, yet, is wroth some mighty lord. some hidden power without us; in the dark we grope our way; from thine own glory, lend to us a spark, be thou our day. o, make thee to be known, from thy unchanging throne, god of the trusting heart; come take us by the hand, and be our sole command, and form with us a part. give us, to look upon thy form without a frown, our doubts and fears displace; god of the universe, remove from us, thy curse, give us to see thy face. "behold! behold, his face!" a hand is pointed to the sun; "behold! and be ye not afraid, to-day, be life, once more begun; look ye upon his face, and learn to live, look ye upon his face and learn to die; his hand alone deliverance can give, his light, alone, can frame the soul's reply. 'hear me! ye sons of men'; all eyes were turned; a stranger in their midst, whose dark eye burned with an unearthly gleam, yet black as night. it had no heavenly radiance, yet, was bright with a mysterious blaze, that pierced the soul as with an arrow to its inmost part, his form, in keeping with his face, made whole "a man well fitted to command; a heart that seemed to throb with some great passion; pent and seething into purpose; his black face shone like a mirror-hood of his design. his words, and his strange presence in the place gave him enraptured audience, that no one dared decline. "hear me, ye sons of men: i am not come to woe ye to destruction; but, to save; the color of my face betrays my birth, i am mizraim's race; but of mankind a brother, and i speak in soberness. because our fathers wandered from the way, and left the shining pathway of the sun, because they fell to seeking other gods, he suffered them to fall into your hands. i will not speak, as he has feigned to speak, who claimed before me, sponsorship from god; but i will make it plain that he deceived. our fathers tell of noah and the ark, and also tell of shinar, and the time of the dispersal. it is not enough to come with empty declamation, come with platitudes of love, and softened terms of parenthood, and then to dash it all- the yearning love of children, to the earth, by words that are icicled up from death: 'ask not to look upon my face again, ye cannot look and live.' "shame! shame on the pretender thus to bring your expectations to the pitch of pain, the summit of your hope, where, to move on is only to descent and sorrow; thus to multiply his attributes of good, and to describe a god so like the true, the ever shining sun, and then deny the precious boon of sight; what mockery! when there he stands, (eternity, as young,) the broad, full shining orb, to look upon; the ever radiant arbiter of earth, the great 'i am' of love; the very soul of tenderness; rising every morn to kiss his sleeping children from their beds, enwrapping them, with all his piercing warmth; wooing the fragrant flowers from the earth, and warming all existences to life. "how can the soul be blind, when such a pledge stands in eternal witness of its love? the very rocks would break their raptured trance, if man find not his voice in fervent praise. how do the waters mirror up his face! and tremble into waves at his advance. the universe goes laughing into life each morn at his approach, and all the world forgets its wakefulness, when the tired wing of day is folded, and himself withdraws "to teach us faith in him till he return; thus every night his promise, and each morn his gracious fulfillment, filling the year with ripened sheaves of his remembrances. "we measure power by our necessities; let him forget the dawning of one day, or leave us through the circle of one moon, (which were the same to him but for his love,) by what conception would we feel our loss? while yet the year is young, we scatter seed, and wait his fervid rays to fructify. the trees put forth their bloom, that his embrace may ripen into fruit; and not a growth but climbs his rays to full development. when nature points with her ten thousand hands to him, the almighty framer of it all, shall man forget his duty and fly off on the unnumbered tangents of the brain? rather let break our voices in his praise, and let each human soul, be safely borne, back to his many-chambered paradise. "down on his rays man rode into the world, and if we wander not, the same broad path is open for our exit; there is room in his broad campus for the royal race. our bodies are of dust, and will return; only the vital spark, the shining way "ere traversed; and that alone goes back to join the maker in the increate, the golden chambers of eternal light. look on these eyes! have they not more than earth in their deep glance? i know whereof i speak; for i was led, in trancehood to the sun, and in his very chambers have i walked, and at his very throne have i bent down to praise him; multitudes were there, who knelt as i did kneel, in rapturehood and prayer. "high in the midst, sole source of life and light, the glowing center of the shining orb sat the unchanging god; his face was that of manhood magnified; upon his cheek was more than woman's beauty deified. o! once to look and live, is all the soul, though it be triply strengthened, can endure, till it do pass from this clay tenement into the morrow of the upper world; but we may now and always climb the rays that spring from his own countenance, and see the reflex of his face; but of his form, but little can be printed on our sight. enough, to know he lives, and is our life, and every morning he doth search us out, and lift the burden from our heavy lids, that we may rise with him and to our tasks! "shall we be hushed, when every bird and flower doth herald his approach? convolvulus waits for his coming with its lips apart, and philomela will not close his note, till he do answer with his smiling face; thus the whole earth resolvent into song waits for his footsteps--how can we be dumb! "there was a song which flowed, untutored, from the lips of love, the ransomed ones that knelt before his throne, no earthly tongues its echo could repeat, so much there was of love, so much of joy, so much of tenderness and innocence; for they were without guile, and not a word but breathed of faith, dependency and peace. it praised him for his sufference of earth, that he did bear its sin, yet did not smite; and only once, in anger, hid his face, and oped the heavens, to wash out its filth; yet, with his fervent rays, drank up the flood, and set his bow a witness that again never should earth be flooded, while the years melt into centuries, till the whole race, with aching hearts and scalding eyes shall come back to his all-embracing fatherhood. "they thanked him for his witness-watch of man, that time and time, his face was partly hid, "to show the hazard of our wandering steps, that in the early, and the latter rain, he wept for our refreshment, till his tears shut out his fervent glances from our eyes; and though he mourned our strangerhood of him, yet would he teach us that in smiles and tears are we begotten, and our lives are lost if we find not the blessings that are hid beneath the rainbow tints of sorrowing. "thus much, and more, that i will not essay; but i was led through fields and garden walks, and ornate grandeur, which the earth affords nor pattern nor approach; and though the mind be forced to utmost tension, it cannot encompass the bewilderment of sight. since my return, i cannot cast it off, it lingers with me like some raptured dream, and in my eyes and on my face is drawn the print of its unspeakable surmount; and i would call it dream, if i had not a talisman, that tells me of its truth. an angel led me to the central throne, an angel led me back to consciousness; but ere he passed the confines of the sun, he handed me a clear, transparent gem, and called me: 'uri, thus it shall be said: the very god commands that it be done; "'uri, my light, my fire upon the earth, shall build again my altars and restore with his own hand, the priesthood of the sun. i will a hundredfold return the scorn of mizraim on himself, for his neglect; and from the sons of lud i will raise up a kingdom that shall shine in righteousness.' "this said, he handed me the talisman; which, when our altars shall have been prepared, and laden with the choicest of our flock, shall claim the pledge of the eternal one, with fire from his own courts to burn it up. "i can not say how long, or short a time, i lingered thus entranced; i only know i waked to find it real. the precious gem is proof of disenchantment; it is here. i lay no claim on priesthood, but have told the plain, uncumbered truth; when i did fall, prone to the earth in trance, i had no thought, of what would come of it; you have it all. i have the stone, and we will test its power. if yonder priest, with his enshrouded myth, desires to measure lances with the sun, then we will each build altars to our gods, and he that first draws fire from any source, not of the earth, shall claim the forfeiture of all the other's tenantry to teach. "i may have said too much; i can not more than leave the rest with god, the changeless one, the bright, all-shining universe of love, the unfailing source, the broad, unvarying stream, the very oceanhood of deity." he ceased; and kohen, rising to his feet, gave back the challenge eagerly; as might the athlete spring his ready foe to meet; his, was the conscious power of fearless right: "let him lift up his altars to the sun, and i will call upon the uncreate, the hand, that shaped it from chaotic void, the face, whose look first taught it how to smile. he may call first, that it may vantage him; but other than the earth can no man bring, fire from the distant realms, except it be from god, creator of the sun, the moon and stars. i am content that he do cry his god, till he be hoarse with hardihood of prayer, this day shall judge between us and the right, and ye shall see the bare arm of the lord." the crowd, impatient of his words, did shout in uri's acclamation; as the sun, full-faced and warm, gave back his witnesshood; his ready conquest had been well begun. how few there be, who see beyond their sight! even in our day of peculence and power, the horizon of man has been his might, beyond his ready reach he passes into night; the world is bounded by its present hour. no marvel that old uri swept the field; his snare was baited for their ready sense, no effort theirs, a pleasure but to yield; theirs but the open book, to them unsealed; they felt no weight of future recompense; and so they shouted, high and loud, his praise, 'till he recalled them, with his magic voice: "old kohen seems in earnest; let us raise our altars quickly, that we may rejoice this day, in our great father's warm embrace, that we may look unblushing in his face and call his fervent rays to their full test ere he shall draw the curtain in the west." so said, so done; two altars were soon reared, both prophets, in full confidence appeared; the offerings have been brought; and now they wait only the word; the king must give command. against gray kohen, was the leveled fate of his unsolaced anger; yet, his hand was stayed by counsel, and he only said, "uri calls first, let every breath be hushed upon his calling. let the dead from out their cerements beneath bear witness with our spirits that we seek "a true solution to the psalm of life. slay thou the offering, uri, and then speak, speak the charmed word, and close the strife." uri comes forth and in one hand he brings the talisman with leathern circlet stayed, enclosing surfaces convex; to this he clings as though the whole earth in the balance laid, were mean in weight compared to such a gem. the other holds a knife, and with a stroke the offering is prepared; he looked at them, the thirsting, hungry eyes that watch, then broke the silence, turning full upon the sun: "thy will, most radiant god! thy will be done. o shining face! of the unchanging one, look, in the pity thou alone canst feel and lead us back to life, we claim thy pledge. a nation, lifts to thee their centered prayer; they see thy smile, they know thy heart of hearts. they hush them here, upon their altar's brink, for they can go no nearer; meet, thou, them, and, as we look upon thy face, may we behold thy very presence in our midst; come as a flame, to lick this offering up, and all our hearts shall melt into thy smile." he raised the gem before the flaming sun; the rays concentered, and the flames burst forth as leaping to their master. 'twas enough. the multitude, in thought, became as one. and all, save kohen, sank upon their knees; and whispers of relief, fell on the breeze. they were as pliant clay in uri's hands, and hung upon the breath of his commands: "pour forth your homage, chosen of the sun, once more his warmth encloses; and we feel responsive throbbings of his fatherhood. rise and rejoice!" their ready voices raise from lips, new touched in unison of praise. old kohen was confounded at the first. he had not thought it possible, to bring fire from the sun, or any mortal thing; no shadow of its secret on him burst; but he had heard of sorcery and arts among the sons of mizraim, and not long before the lion of his nature starts, in cold defiance of the clamorous throng, to slay his offering; and his lips poured out the very thunder-throe of earnest prayer; a fervency that would not harbor doubt, that ever is a stranger to despair. long, earnest, loud and fervently, he prayed; and his gray locks ensilvering the breeze, gave pathos, to the torrent thus unstayed; yet, not for self, did he the angel seize; but wrestled for his people thus misled. "unscale their eyes, o father!" so he pled. "unstop their ears, o thou, all powerful one that they may hear thy footfall on the wind. come in thy flame, and purge them with thy fire. strike off the fetters from their prisoned souls! make me an offering for their flagrant sins, and i will bare my bosom to the knife, and bend my neck in cheerfulness to thee, so thou wilt save my people from the hand of this misguided witch of mizraim!" his prayer had hardly ceased, ere shot the flame, from upper zenith, down, and in one glow, pierced the whole altar with impetuous claim, and lapped the other with its overflow. the crowd, transfixed with wonder at the scene, could hardly trust the witness of their eyes, and held divided counsels, till the king quenching the current of their late surprise, poured his recruited anger on kohen. "why longer parley, with a thing so plain? old kohen had no warrant for this deed; the palm was uri's who did rightly gain fire from the sun, to him alone, we plead; he drew it first, old kohen must admit, and he should paid due homage to our god; and from what source did his become enlit? "we serve no phantom, with its hidden nod, but look upon the face of him we serve; the sun has kept his fire for us these years, and we, his children, never can deserve his untold blessings; though our prayers and tears, should mingle with each altar that we raise in all the future ages, still our debt will always be uncancelled by our praise and all our past be covered with regret. we want no juggling on this sacred day, that gives us back the father, we had lost. bind old kohen, and hasten him away, he shall repay his treachery with cost. to-morrow shall another altar grace this precious grove, made sacred to the sun, and kohen shall be offered in this place, to pay the sacrilege he had begun." in thy own way our father; we must wait so many times, because we cannot see; yet thou alone canst bring us to the gate, how slowly do we learn to trust in thee! yet, in withholding, are the blessings hid, as frequent as in giving; all our prayers if they result in doing but thy bid, will scatter diamond dust above our cares. the gray old prophet murmured: "let god's will be done, and in abeyance i will bare my breast, "i will not doubt him though indeed he kill, his chosen way must surely be the best." the morrow came and at the king's command the multitude assembled, and the guard brought forth the prophet, looking proudly grand as some great warrior claiming his reward of beys and laurels, wreathed into a crown; they rear the pile and he awaits his doom without a menace, and without a frown. then turning to the press: "i will assume your hearts are mine, my sons, i know it well; your eyes beheld the witness of our god, and greatly were ye moved; but 'tis his will that i should join my fathers in that land, where canker and corruption never comes, the why, and wherefore of it, is his own; i bow my head in thankfulness to him, that he has deemed me worthy to exchange a life of sorrow for a crown of love. "ye are the servants of an earthly king, and god has suffered him to lead you off, his will be done; but i must tell you now your future as i read it in the glass of my illumined death: "i see the black of mizraim, sweep the brown of lud from off the face of egypt; and i also see a wandering race, go northward, and to east; i see a bitter wintering of snow; i see the sun hide back his face from them; i see a boisterous buffeting at sea; i see a journey southward--a new world." "and centuries flow swiftly on my sight. a people proudly resting in their wealth; the son of god, in the full flight of years; the conquest of the nations in his name. a proud and prosperous people cross the sea and swoop upon this nation of the sun; their temples crumble in the hand of god and he takes back his own. all this i see as what cannot avert; it is god's way, and wisdom is the wastage of his throne. he cannot order wrongly; i submit my wasting image to his waiting hands: "come father! i am ready." he raised him to the pile; with look divine, he prone himself upon it; at the sign the prophet uri raised the crystal stone; the sun threw down its rays, and shot the flame full to the center; as the altar shone, each eye was turned, and every voice was tame, as down the chancel of the deep blue sky, a flaming chariot sped, and came a cry: "it is enough, come higher up; thou shalt not suffer death." a hand, not human, caught the grand old prophet; his recumbent form rose on their dazzled sight as rainbow in the storm. thus was the error fixed; and it is well we leave them to their blindness for a while. misguided worship, left alone, will tell its own pathetic story: there is guile to underlie each sorrow of the race. fruit comes alone from seed; somewhere is sown the germ of every grief, and nature on its face bears no repentant feature; as we plant, so shall the tree be grown. expulsion from egypt. the seasons pass, till on their hands they count four palms, and to the third, a score and three in life's meridian how the circles mount that measure our existence, if there be no canker worm that clogs the ready wheel; if care hangs not upon the skirts of time; and if, like most mankind, we only feel its gentle passing, by the hills we climb in ambling, easy way, and retrospect surprises into thought, and we wake up to feel how swift we journey. we reflect after reflection barrens of its fruit, the cup which we have mixed we drink; if it be gall we gulp it down the same; we cannot change the current of our lives, and useless is the call on any but the hand of god. 'tis strange the miracle of life should ever pass and print no letters deep into the soul! the years go by, and, but the tuft of grass more reverent than we, tells o'er our dust its rosary, in deep green scroll. mizraim and lud. near the rim of karoun, where the pyramids drink the dew that should dampen the soil; and the nilus pours over its green level banks, its annual freightage of spoil; where the date ripens dark to the child of the sun, and the pomegranate colors for fruit; the ibis is sounding the damps of the land, and earth in its plethory mute. the fat of the fields husks the voice of the morn, while demeter is weighing her sheaves; the lotus has honied its lips for the kiss, "and the turtle in mockery grieves." what is that, where the orient gathers her gold, and the eye wanders back to the sea? what cloud on the horizon's breach can be seen? what wakens the vulture's rude glee? 'tis the shock of the battle that burdens the air, and the armies that burden the eye; they have met (could elysian give landscape more fair?), have met to embrace and to die. the prophet still lives, and has led to the sun all egypt; and gathered as one the people to hallow the harvest-moon feast, ere the work of the year is done. but mizraim outnumbers the children of lud, and the shepherd kings, crafty and weak, have laid tasks on their shoulders too heavy to bear, till the voice of their burden must speak. in vain the gray prophet lifts up to his god his winglet of prayer for peace; the tempest of war has broke over the plain, and his altars can bring no surcease. the black and the bronze, the iron and brass; how they struggle and grip for the field! the spear and the arrow, the halbert and lance, and who shall be first to yield? not the iron; it is strong and resistless in weight. not the brass; it is beaten and firm. what a hecate of agony burdens the plain! what a banquet for vulture and worm! but the iron is too heavy, the brass is too thin, and under the weight it gives way, as a wall, that is breached and toppled by time; and mizraim gains the day. oppression, when reversed, is double weight; the slave pours lead into the lash he bore; and, as the master adds recruited hate to blows, that he has learned to feel before, the soul its letters of forgiveness learns from only one great master, in all time; revenge is human, and forever burns upon the trackway of retreating crime. the text and testwork of their lives was lost; and when the king was slain, and they o'erthrown, his people paid their tyranny with cost. only the prophet, with his magic stone, could purchase their withdrawal; they must leave (they were the early jewels of the sun) and uri pledged their fortunes to retrieve, if they would journey, where the day begun, and seek the closer presence of their god, in paths where human feet had never trod. they must divide with egypt; but go out well laden for the journey; should they dare to turn, the heavy hand of mizraim would not spare. ã�gyptus! thou above thy gates hath writ so many times the monosylbic "when." we, weary of conjecture; round us flit the phantoms of the past; and we again pass in review thy pages, black with mold; intemporate within a crumbling earth, against the char of empires thou dost hold the charms that emulate immortal birth. we write mutation on the brow of time; thou art the changeless one of all the world- thou hast no brotherhood in any clime; all mortal barbets have in vain been hurled. "time conquers all things?" thou giv'st back the lie; above its ruins, thou dost stand, serene- eternity!--must thou, perforce, then die? what tragedy hast thou, indeed, not seen? must thou, too, look on death? thou wilt not dim; but in impassive slumber, thou wilt fall as sinks the sun, beneath the horizon's rim, and answer only the archangel's call. we leave thee loathely, for our souls are wed to thy enchanted gardenhood of lore. "the morning stars sang joy" above thy bed, the nations, in their cerements, shall pass thy door, and earth be wrapped in ashes ere thy brow shall bear the fatal legend, "nevermore." the mourning shepherds the tambour' is silent, o god of the nile! the harp has been hung in acacian shade. we are bowed to the earth, we are broken and bent, and the blade of our fathers in dust has been laid. we came, as the simoom creeps over the plain; we came, as the tiger its covert forsakes; as the hurricane brushes the dust from the brakes; as the lightning leaps out and the thunder-god shakes. we are shorn of our strength as with plague we are smote; the axe has been wrenched from the hands that are brawn, and the arms whose strong sinews till now were unbent have been broken as brittles; our prowess is gone. o! thou bright shining god! with thy scintles of gold; if thy children have gathered the glow of thy face, if thy kisses, ere warmed to the lips that are cold, o we pray! let us feel thy impassioned embrace. we are journeying forth to the cradle of morn, where thy lids feel the weight of their slumbering still; we would kneel at thy bed where the seasons are born, and learn from thy lips the whole law of thy will. have we sinned in thy sight? have we slackened our pace? are we paying the forfeit in wormwood of shame? we draw nearer to thee, and our lives we would place in the hands of the maker, that out of thy flame we may gather that fire that shall glow with thy love; and will never grow dim through the future of years, that shall make us like thee, and our fealty prove 'till we learn to forget this dark trackhood of tears. as we turn to the east, wilt thou smile on our way? wilt thou lessen the distance between us and thee? or our hearts remain hungry, the shadow still stay with its wizard arm lifted to smite as we flee. we doubt thee no longer--we know thou wilt aid; we turn to the path where thy morning rays shine; we will seek thy first footfall, and all unafraid, we feel thee, we love thee, we know we are thine. we leave the old life, with the graves of our kin, we turn from the sunset of dampness and death, we turn where the light with its god doth begin, and the praise of the day-king embalms every breath; where the sun slakes his thirst with the dew of the flowers, where the night flees before him far into the west, where the honey-dew clings to the fruit-laden hours, where the soul sets its table, with joy as its guest. so does our faith stand out against our grief; so does our hope grow up into belief. one god? yes, father, thou! and only one. we praise thee; yet, our praise is only done, when we extol thee for the gift of faith. not every one can name thee; but each breath may be enladen with the thought of praise and all adore thy attributes--the ways that they adore thee are not always thine; yet, do they bend to thy great thoroughfare and shine with light from the eternal throne; 'tis well, nor otherwise than good--it can but swell the choral of thy praise; and in the end these thousand thoughts of deity, in thee, not fail to blend. the journey. o thou! who charmed the demons in the breast of saul, and set the universal voice of all the earth to thy unflagging song; thou royal shepherd! bend for us across the bridge of ages thy leant lips, and pour the echo of thy music on our souls. and thou of nazareth! whose very life was as the cadence of a well-strung harp, thyself the instrument, upon whose strings, ten thousand symphonies are left entranced; pour in the empty vial of our verse, some of thy soul of music, and let shine through every darkened crevice of the heart, rays of celestial sunshine. not in vain our humble dalliance, if thou set the charm of thine approval. let our song be praise and devotate our hands, that there be left no tissue, but is animate of thee! the seas reach out to clasp each other's hands, the greater and the less, and leap the sands that tear in two their waters; but not so she of the nile; her rights will not forego. the hand that rocks the crib of empire holds a charm, that locks the east and west in one the track of nations is her beaten path, and undisputed, till the earth be done. man may disturb it, but the hand of god has placed a thousand tokens on this sod. the flocks are gathered, and the flight began, old uri and attendants in the van; the portents were of good as far as seen, each breast a shrine of hope; thus early man gave little time to sorrow--after years were left for its fruition; light of heart, these early-planted germlets of the earth, took their reverses in the better part of hardihood; they had thus early learned, that in the chafe of fortune there is gain; that scars are coronets, though they be burned deep in the brow of care; each gem a pain. our philosophic age with heavy draught, drinks deep in phantasies, but fails to learn the wiser lesson of this early craft, to catch the wheel of fortune with each turn. east over syria they bent their steps, meeting euphrates many leagues above where babylon since molded into form her mystical proportions; and so strove persistently the mastery of earth. crossing the tigris but a span below, where taurus from his fountains feeds the stream, they traverse persia with its after-glow of conquest; where ispahan gave touch, to chords that deify the voice of song, and mellow through the ages, if so much as but an echo would inspire the tongue, with that enchantment, that rolls down the course of her great history. we seek in vain another cyrus, or another force of scripture fulfillment, with lesser pain, and time's repleted garner has no riper grain. still east they cross the amoo, and above where now, bokhara's languor and repose invites the sclavic hordes in summer quest of forage. and belor, giant like, still throws its shadow o'er the landscape; and the koosh shortens the noon of summer, from the south; a thousand sparkling torrents downward rush, and pour their waste of waters in the mouth of indus. they cross where belor melts its snow, to placid cashgar's arms, sending below a current to the waste of farther nor. they stand on cobis' southern girt, and drink the final retrospective of the west; and keep the gloomy borders to the brink of far-off koulon, where the argoon lends its mite of wastage to the vast amour; and the impetuous shilka, swiftly sends its tribute to the master of mantchoor. one winter they had spent upon the way, within the vale of cashgar, where the flocks found generous herbage; but they could not stay longer than opening spring, when from the rocks and passes of the koosh, a savage tribe came fiercely on them; and again the fire from uri's sacred pebble, as a bribe saved them from ruin, and the warlike ire of lama's devotees, for even then on upper ind, his worship had begun; but superstition, ranks us all as men, and mystery doth mold us into one. the argoon and the shilka passed; they keep their steady march, down armour's limpid tide. yet summer wastes to autumn. seasons creep so noiselessly, that our souls are open wide, if we set watch upon them; unaware they find us napping, in our wakeful age; and how much more, in the unrisen sun of ancient man! we wonder that the page is not more blurred and blotted in the years that are far gone, when knowledge only bubbled up through tears. a winter on the amour near the sea; the frost king strokes his heavy beard in glee, in surfeit of his triumph, o'er the foe that dares invade his borders; and the snow scatters its fleecy fullness o'er the land, hiding the face of nature with its hand so cold and clasping. o 'tis very hard! to see familiar faces pass the ward of our immediate contact, and the earth draw back into its arms, with tightening girth our loved ones. but 'tis a heavier lot to see our mother earth, whose faithful breast has never failed to aid; so chilled in death that it cannot respond, though it be rest, recuperent and needful; still the same when we are starving for its warm caress, and cannot spare its nursing, when our claim is mortal, and we feel the strong hand press our vitals; and we labor for our breath; and famine lends its wizard hand, to fill the tooth of death. old uri vainly calls the shining god; though it may light his altar, still the flame is but a weakling; and the weary host were wrangling at his impotence, and tame his efforts to assuage them. he had taught his followers of a near approach; the sun seemed coy of his endeavors, for the thought of zone or solstice, had not then begun, and winter was their time of penance, when their god rode low, and frowned him out of sight. they offered for his anger many gifts, and set their watchmen to outwake the night. in question of his rising. why should he keep so much closer the horizon's rim when they were in his quest, and sought the verge of farthest empire, in their reach of him? o empty arms! and ever reaching out, fold in the blessings that your hands enclose. there is nor reason, nor excuse for doubt, the river of god's love so near you flows. your very feet are on the water's brink, his very arms are all around you thrown, you touch him in your timidness, and shrink to his embraces; no human soul was ever yet alone. they settle down to winter, and their flocks must furnish sustenance, until the sun shall break their penance, and embrown the locks of the o'ergristled seasons; and this won, they counsel further movement. uri speaks: "sons of the summer god, i little thought when we set out from egypt, that our feet would be thus bruised and bled; but it is well. we learn the lesson of our latent sin; this trial of our faith will make us whole, if we but draw the diamond out of it. we have not vainly trod the heavy press of our affliction, if we firmly breast the waters. i have kept faithful watch- we are but self-styled lords, and forfeit much of our asserted masterhood; the birds make many less mistakes--we used to note the flight of waterfowl in egypt. why should we not learn their wisdom in this clime? before the sun sank low, and winter came (led by a providence that makes all things to minister our wants), i watched the birds, and many, turned to east, across the sea. we lose our way sometimes, they never do; they are much closer children to the sun than we, by their dependence--we need help as much as any feathered wingster does- and yet we push it back, when we might reach and find a steady hand. let us go to and make us ships; that when the spring shall beckon back to life the dormant earth, and all the birds turn back in countermarch, we fly against their flight, and reach the clime from whence the sun has warned them to return to this cold country of the nether earth. "behold! these rugged trees stand stout for us, and ready for our architrave; and we were better wont to labor than to dole our time in murmurs at our fate. up! up! and do! and though we suffer overmuch, our labor shall not vainly mock at us. even old kohen saw a journey south, when he did burn our eyes, as he went up, and he saw fat and plenty in the land where his prophetic eye did cast our lot; and we will not mistrust what leads to light, though it be lifted in a demon's hand." the forests gave to them their virgin palms, and they did rudely shape them into crafts; made ready for the flood, when the warm sun should waken nature with enlivening draughts; but spring wore into summer, ere the birds gave the unspoken pledge of their return. the sun, still coy, refused to climb as high as it had done in egypt; still they burn with new-born hope, as they float down to sea, and, moving counter to their winged friends, cross to lopatka, where they only wait replenishment, which nature always sends, where faith is instinct as in lower life, (the birds teach providence, without a chance,) and so they wander on, to the aleutes; passing and calling, as they still advance, they reach to where alaska strikes the sea, in severance to meet them. they kept on, feeding on eggs of seabirds, and the meats that everywhere supplied them. they have gone so far on nature's very track, and now a narrow river beckons their research, and they pass upward, till a mountain range confronts their passage, like a royal perch from which the gods might frown their hardihood, for this intrusion of another world. but they have battled with the plague and flood; and though olympus all his thunders hurled, they had not turned; they saw the earnest need of pushing forward ere the sun turned back, and so they crossed to where the eastern slope, feeds the mckenzie. here an easy track leads down and cuts the stronger range in two, a little while among its shadows grope, when the broad prospect opened to their view. they follow the receding sun in hope, still bearing to the east their steady trend, hoping to win their god to close embrace; and morn and eve around their altars bend in thankfulness, that they still see his face. through many valleys, virgin to their sight, and many lakes, whose bosoms never stirred to man, the weak pretender of god's might; but nature spreads her happy hearth with beast and flower and bird. part second. aztlan. the valley of the mississippi. father of waters! nilus of the west! thou holdst thy secrets from the sons of men; a knowledge of the past which none would wrest or wish to circumscribe with tongue or pen to the weak bonds of history; but rather stand with old de soto on thy banks, and reverence the hand that drew the fetters from thy limbs, and set thee first at birth, on thy unmuzzled pilgrimage, without a peer on earth. better thy unbroke seal, if it would teach the ponderous worm of destiny, called man; how great things may be hidden from his reach, and mighty things be silent, that his span is but a hand-breadth to the great unknown, a thistle-down, before the breezes blown, that silent and unseen god turns the mighty mill, and on the brow of giant force he writes his words, "be still." the possibles of time, are all thine own. thou hast not reared thy monuments of stone to overtop the pyramids, yet wrought in shapely mounds, thy sculpturehood, and caught from flying time, the lustre of his wing, which gives the semblance of perpetual spring to thy vast lap of luxuries; in thee (since man first pinioned thee to history) is found the acme of a world's desire. thy unknown crucial test, has passed the fire of many fading centuries; let none inquire the secrets of thy conquest: be thou shut up with god, the master molding of his hand--the jewel of his rod! yet in the book of nature there is writ, without exception, all her energies, as line by line, her page becomes enlit; yielding to man some new and glad surprise, as agassiz, together works with her, to make the earth, her own interpreter; and such a giant, must not hope to hide the unfading sanscrit, written on its side. thy brow wast glistered with the frost of years, ere man's first rapture, at the sight of thee; yet, were thy banks unswelled, by falling tears till he tore back thy splendid tapestry- the bison and the deer unfrighted came to lave upon thy borders, all were tame, in their untoilsome frolics; and the beasts and birds made rolic at thy feet, in songs not marred with words. but sorrow comes with knowledge; 'tis the tree, that bears the samest fruit in every zone- the tale of eden is no mystery, the tree will verify wherever grown. and yet, in god's own providence 'tis best, that eden be repeated east and west; if knowledge in the first, brought sorrowhood to earth, the power to laugh and cry, were purchased at one birth. they stand upon thy borders: mighty stream! we will not pry thy silent lips apart, to ask thee when, and how, the prophet's dream reached its fulfillment; treasured in thy heart, let it remain as many other things are left; our language lessens their effect, and makes them small in words,--the very springs of our existence, are not shown correct, when crowded into verbage,--so we lay our beys upon thee, and we feel 'tis thine; thine every secret, of the grand emprise, with only one unlicensed hand, the hand of the divine. it is enough that after waste and want and weariness of spirit they have found a rest upon thy margin, that thy arms are opened to enclose them, and the sound of human voices mingle with the notes of myriad waterfowl. the thousand throats of thy unmeasured pasture, blend in praise to the all father for the countless ways that point his providence. the raven's cry strikes never vainly, thy omniscient ear, no effort, but is answered "here am i," no prayer but finds the parent very near. the unconscious hallelujahs of the plain, the untaught praises of the lofty trees, the waving upward palms of laden grain, the mellow notes upon the evening breeze, the "reveillies" from off the mountain tops, the nightingale's "tattoo," the many lips touched only once by god, the faithful drops that wear unceasing at the granite mine, the praise that never sinks to prayer, the finger tips that span the universal zone of life; all, all incline to adoration. if we lose our way (as these poor souls had done) we need but turn to catch the choral of the passing day. behold on every branch and beam the altars burn! and all things beckon us of god, if we but bend the enquiring ear, and catch the keynote of the mighty song that swells from all the universe; we too may blend in the vast concord, happiest of the throng. the rhythmal of the angels, is not far from the first prattle of the infant's tongue both caught the glitter of the eastern star; the harps were both, by the same master strung; the glory of the one, glows from the face; the other lifts, to meet its parent's kiss. not very far, the border land of bliss, from every infant of the human race. the sacred fane of childhood, when first reared, how like a prophecy it should be read- a thing to be adored, and sometimes feared! so many unseen hands, smooth down the bed of infancy; we can but jostle with our utmost care against angelic presences that bend and print their unseen kisses on the brow, and with the infant earth, the heavenly essence blend. the wheel that never tires, and ever turns, crushing the neck of nations in its round, before whose tread, the star of empire burns, behind whose trend, the ridged and furrowed ground gives mute quiescence, to the master hand; this wheel rolls on; and now upon thy banks great river of the west the infant's cry is mingled with the forest din; thy ranks are opened to admit the "lullaby" of earth's last entity; thou did'st not groan when buffalo and beaver found thy side, nor when thy trees, first echoed to the moan of the despondent turtle, to his bride; and thou did'st smile on this invading race, and open thy broad prairies, as the palm of some great hearted giant, to embrace the sea-tossed wanderers, the healing balm of thy great heaving breast, rubbed almost out the wrinkles from the faces of these sires of early egypt; they forgot the drought and mildew of their wanderings, and the fires of their thanksgiving altars, gave a zest they never yet had felt; an empire spread around them, in the flush of its full growth a bride, inviting the espousal bed. their ranks had been depleted; yet a few still lingered with the prophet, who had stood at the first altar; when the fervent sun first answered their entreaty, and the blood was lapped by solar flame; and now, that peace enshrines their hearts, and plenty spreads their board, they warm towards their leader, and return to their old-fashioned loyalty; his word is sacred as the smiling of the sun whose burnished mirror likenesses their forms, and in whose bosom after life is done, the weary find a shelter from all storms. nor do they want a psalmist for his praise, but he is found with ready harp and voice, to turn the multitude, with rapturous gaze, upon the god of their unshaken choice. their morning song is mingled with the mirth, that rolics from the sycamore and oak, the song that swells the green and fruent earth, that needs no trumpet's blare, nor kettle stroke. the morning song of the mound builders. once more do we turn on thy face our glad eyes, great god of the summer! and sing, with the lark and the linnet we gladly arise to welcome the smile of our king. our hearts are made glad when we feel thee advance on thy mission of mercy and might, for we know that the stroke of thy conquering lance, has shattered the bulwarks of night. we look on thy face, and our doubts are dispelled by the glance of thy mellowing eye; for we feel that the rains by our master are held, and we fear not to do or to die. we felt thy embrace, many long weary years, yet the scales were not torn from our eyes; we sought for a father, with prayers and with tears till we woke with a welcome surprise. and beheld from thy face, _all_ the fatherhood shine, and thy great glowing heart _all_ ablaze with the love, that had lingered and grown more divine, in the yearn of our wandering days. how we leaped to thy arms, when we saw them extend! how we drank of thy fervent embrace! with its love like thyself, glowing on without end, in the gold of thy deified face. for our eyes were unscaled, and our hearts were unsealed; we were melted to tears at the thought, of the blessings so near, that had stood unrevealed, of the providence waiting unsought. how could we have lost the firm grasp of thy hand, with its daily improvise of love, with its unsounded depths, like the count of the sand, as an index, to point us above? and now hover o'er us, great god of the day! let us never escape from thy wing, for ever and ever, drive famine away, give wealth to our summer and spring. give us harvests of fruit, give us winters of rest- let thy provident hand never cease; grant the aged a home, on thy great shining breast, when their labors shall purchase release. be more than we ask, give us more than our prayer- all our wants, let thy wisdom disclose, till our souls shall be ripe with thy fostering care, and made white for our future repose. evening thanksgiving and prayer. sinking down to thy rest, in the deep crimson west, great god! thou hast taught us repose; with thy promised return, without doubting, we learn, to wait for thy further disclose. in thy tenement high, blazing over the sky, are thy sentinels, pledge of the night; and we know by their shine, that thy care is divine, and we rest without fear, till the light springs again from the east with its glory increased by the wakening pulse of the day; and we never will doubt, that thy naked arm, stout, will drive all the shadows away. yet we cannot forebear, to lift up our prayer, for we know we are wanton and weak; and if once thou shouldst fail, or thy face shouldst grow pale, where else in the world should we seek? for a father so kind, to a people so blind, in our weakness, thy strength we may trace. then fail not to return, leave us never to mourn, the wealth of thy daily embrace. o continue, we pray, to bring back the glad day; give us always, to look on thy face! the trembling lisp of every human soul, of names more potent, then their own can be, breathes the same lesson through, from pole to pole to prove the certitude of deity. not every eye turned upward can behold the face that faith alone shapes into form; not every hand can touch the gates of gold that outward swing in welcome from the storm. yet is the "abba father" pendant from each tongue, and every soul a furnace for its fires; and sacred is each song in earnest sung, when creature to creator thus aspires. we blindly grope in this, our broad of day, the two eternities to thus unite; the silk of infancy is turned to gray ere we have learned to tread the path aright. we force our providences out of reach, throw back the hand our father doth extend, and shut our ears that he may vainly teach, and all the wealth of heaven may expend to warm us to reliance,--shall we dare to sneer at those who grope? we grapple air when it is all refulgent with our god, and we may touch his garment's hem in prayer. the prophet's death. groping in undiscovered realms their way, the prophet and his people give the day to finding safest lodgement, till they press well down the grand old river, to the mouth of the great western confluent--the south seems to add summer to the wilderness. they cross the river, and then settle down to love and labor on its grassy banks; and fortune seems to have forgot its frown. years of repletion fill their shattered ranks, and youth and vigor take the place of age; the story of their journey is retold by only few in number; and the sage, who turned their faces on their god of gold, was bent with the plethoric weight of years, and summoned them to worship 'mid the tears of many, who misgave his failing strength; he saw their apprehensions and at length called them together for a final word: "sons of the summer god! it is but wise that we look out beyond the brace of years, and question of the future. all the way the shining surface of our god has led our toilsome footsteps; we must not forget his daily nurture, nor the cloth of gold with which he covers us--wakeful with the day, how has he touched our eyelids with his hands, and warmed us with his hovering! the night has never failed his promise of the morn. how has his parenthood outwatched the stars; how has the winter melted at his glance; how has his armor battled with the snows! with what a tenderness he decks the fields, and wooes the grasses from the dormant earth, and clothes the forest with its robes of green, as covert for the bison and the deer, that we may find replenishment of food! his providence has never failed our steps, our homage cannot cancel his regard. "our father! in this failing cup of years, help us to be re-sanctified to thee- thou hast not measured to our helplessness, but with unstinted hand filled up our lives with blessings. fill thou alike our hearts, that we may have no room to cherish doubt, but answer thy embraces, as the fields leap up to kiss thy first recumbent rays! let all our dross become thy burnished gold, shine through each crevice of our stubbornness, till in transparent purity, we reach the very essence of thy godliness! "brethren of the sun! this altar is my last: you see the fire leap as an answer to my late request, and it shall bear my spirit to the sun, and cursed the hand that stays its homeward flight!" fresh nerved he reached the altar with a bound, and sank without a murmur in the flame; his followers an instant gather round, but he had passed out almost as he came. they did not dare to drag him from the pile, his life and effort had together ceased, he passed into the future with a smile- a smile, that he had been so quick released. yet, there was one (clear-sighted from the rest), who said she saw the essence of his form, in brighter effigy, more richly dressed, fly out into the sunset; and the charm of her enchanted parable found faith in many of the multitude; his death, so like his life, had challenged all their thought and they were ready to quiesce his fate, and sought some shadowed miracle to wrap his shade. they gathered up the ashes, and forbade unsanctioned hands to touch them; and they reared a rugged mound above the garnered dust, and left him (one whom they loved less than feared). to that sole arbiter, whose name is just, our common parent, time, whose busy hands rear many a sacred fane above our faults, flings over our excressences his sands, and leaves no human stain to blot the sacred marble of our vaults. how grand is the economy of time and death! we whet the knife for deep incision on the name of some misguided leader, but he fails his breath, and all our better angels give him back to fame; death carries off the husk, we keep the ripened wheat, and time refines the kernel into choicest flour; the atmosphere of anger is at last made sweet; our charity immortal glows; our passion, but an hour. god keep us always so! it is the chosen link that binds us to the race, and bids the christ come in; that holds our hands to near the eternal brink; it saves us from ourselves, and breaks the tooth of sin. the whitened garments at the eternal gate, must cover those, who have not stained another, or there will come that awful sentence: "wait! "blood crieth from the ground! where is thy brother?" if thus upon the living god doth set the seal of condemnation for the false witnessing how will he smite the lips of those who steal his covering from the dead, and fill the sacred spring of memory, with the debris of their lives; mixing, what god has kindly torn apart, and making null, the severence he strives, between the naked soul, and sin encumbered heart! the gem was melted, and his life went out in unobtrusive secrecy, and all that he brought with him, passed the silent way into eternity, beyond recall. he chose no sponsor to renew his place but gave them back to nature, as he found; yet was his impress fastened on the race, and every morn they gathered at the mound, for many after years, till they had grown a nation strong in numbers, and had thrown the seeds of generation far and wide, and found the latent valleys without guide. the lakes are made a tribute to their spoil, and all the riches of the virgin soil were tested by those hardy argonauts of old; and though they sought no fleece of shining gold, they penetrated all the wilderness that lay unclaimed before them to possess. god drops no nobler anchorage on earth, than those who mold a nation, and a name; whose travail in the wilderness gives birth to some great epoch, without thought of fame. the pioneers of empire, for all time, are gold-dust, from the placers of our homes- the surface croppings from a nation's prime, the mellow acre of the richest loams. they overgrow the boundaries of life, and push the horizon far out in space. with lethargy they wage a ceaseless strife, and with the whirling earth, they keep their pace. all honor to the soul who sets his stake where human kind have never trenched before; where only god his thunders o'er it shake, and solitude shall murmur, "nevermore." such men are sovereigns, though they grasp no crown, and raise no jewelled scepter in the hand; yet are they princes, in their bronze and brown, and demonstrate their fitness to command. the norsemen, on the north atlantic wave; columbus, passing out in unknown seas; de soto, gaining but an unknown grave; the hardy pilgrims, on their bended knees; the argonauts, upon the western slope- these are the souls no human praise can reach. each, in their turn, gave empire back to hope, and all are greater than the gift of speech. no pen can lustre their unfading claim; no cenotaph do honor to their dust- these are crown jewels on the brow of fame; their conquest is supreme, their laurels ever just. yet, in the van of empire, still is left the noiseless print of ancestry more grand; indentures chiseled in the highest cleft, by giants of a long forgotten land,- the nameless graves of centuries untold; the ashes of the prehistoric age; the self-forgetting litany of gold- how vast their monuments, how broad their page! in what a grand democracy of death they lift their silent fingers to our years, melt our memorials with a single breath in mute companionship of life and tears! we are but pygmies to the almighty past, the names we honor but the surface-mould; beneath must lie an empire far more vast, whose fundaments alone deserve the name of "old." not many years, till they had found the bed of copper ore upon superior's rim; and hither many of the hardy ones were led by orchas, quick in architrave, and fleet of limb; and many the fantastic implements he shaped for husbandry; no want of theirs escaped his eager scrutiny--the axe and blade, the rough-made pick, and the encumbered spade, the vessels for the housewife, and the spear, and other weaponry for bison and for deer. all these were fashioned in an uncouth way, and yet they filled the purpose of the day. they had not reached the iron age of thought, and what they made, necessity had taught; but riper years must ope the "sampson mine," and wake the rugged giant, in the shine of a meridian sunlight; they little thought of what a hercules remained unsought, so near missouri's border; yet, not strange is their indicted ignorance--their range was circumscribed; and iron was left to rest, till man had long been cradled on the breast of patient mother earth--not all at once did she give up her treasures; and the dunce must grow into philosopher with years. experience with its battlehood of tears, is nature's great interpreter; we learn but slowly, till the lessons fervid burn their impress into action; then awakes the slow-taught pupil into higher life- invention is the furnace-spark of strife; necessity, the hand that wields the sledge upon the patient anvil of our needs, and providence makes good its wakeful pledge with plenteous harvest; from the dormant seeds that lie unconed beneath our very feet we stumble on to marvels, and awake to find some giant force, in what we meet; and in the insects of our path, leviathans, we greet. time's wheels, though shaken, never fail to track the rut of empire, without turning back; they, ceaseless whirl, with lubricate of blood, drawn from a thousand channels on the way, unrusting, through the oxydizing flood, to measure centuries, or mark a day. and thus, the primal pioneers move on to unaccustomed progress, on the banks of the confluent streams that scar the face of the great western basin; and their ranks are filled with happy husbandry; the land gives back its tillage, with a lavish hand. the forests and the streams were over-full with fish, and flesh to feed them, and they pass one conquest, to another, in the lull of untamed nature. garnered as a mass to fill their open hands, the native corn soon covered the rich valleys, and the plant, so dalliant to the race, was early born, tobacco. they were not adamant against the weaknesses so close allied to human nature; and there was excess, and envy, emulence, and pride, and all the ills that left their first impress; and yet god gave them peace. no brother's hand was raised against a brother, and the years spread fruit and plenty over a fair land destined to futurehood of bitter, bitter tears. departure of wabun. "most governed is most wayward." very true; repeating history doth verify that law from malefaction always grew, and with its ceasing, rulership must die, except the common sway of deity, when love and service shall together blend, and man, from every earthly master free, shall recognize his father and his friend. these ancient prairie dwellers, had no need of stringent government; a few to lead in seeding and in harvest; some to guide in matters of religion, and of form; the rustic swain, and his compliant bride, to join in wedlock; and in time of storm, to smooth the little intricates of life with counsel, sage, and thus avoiding strife, to guide their budding nation into bloom. all claiming unction from the prophet's shade, still gave their worship to the god of day, and their oblations on the altar laid. yet, the responsive accident of fire could never be recalled--they little knew the secret of its coming; and they shaped no other pebbles like the one so true to uri's pleadings; still they kept their faith and reared their shapely mounds to meet the sun with his first glance, and from the morning's breath retain their fervency, till day was done. from out their number, some were set apart for game and chase. the buffalo and deer and wild fowl, all, paid tribute to their skill, and vale and forest echoed with their cheer. but one of these, young wabun, shunned the group, and wandered by the forest streams alone. some called him "dreamer"; others tried to win his mooding back to mirth; but there was none that seemed to reach the center of his soul; he joined not in the worship of his race, and seemed to be so distant in his thought, that one might search the pleiad's in his face. there shone a star upon the eastern rim- so suddenly it shot upon their view, so brilliant and so placid, never dim through storm and starlight, always lit anew. they marveled much, and some were sore dismayed to seek the portents of this stranger star; but not so, wabun; he, all unafraid, hailed it as answer from the dim afar, and showed unwonted pleasure at its sight; his distance seemed to shorten, and his mind seemed mellowed by a new-born love to man- a quickened tenderness to help his kind. "i wander in the forest; by the stream"; (they gave earnest audience as he spake) "and underneath the stars--and they all tell the story of a great, forgotten god. i listen to the murmuring of the rain, and to the mighty thunder of the clouds; and see the forked lightning, in its gleam, strike the great oak to shivers, in its path; i see the maize upon a thousand fields; i see the goodly carpet on the earth- and every grassy thread a miracle- i see the sun upon his track of light, the moon upon her pathway in the sky- and all do tell of this forgotten god. for god is of the living, not the dead: the tree, the sun, the moon, the stars, and all, all fill their places; but are not alive "as we, with thought, and purpose, and design; but each doth turn upon a steady crank held by a mighty and imperious hand. the bison, and the deer, and all the birds, have life, and voice, and action, such as we; and yet they have no thought, except to live. they build no houses, lay no harvests up- we are their masters, with the right to kill. "all things pay tribute to our prowent hands; all things we see are provident of us: the sun to ripen, and the moon to watch, the birds and flocks for us to gather flesh, the forests and the prairies for our use, the mines for metal, and the streams for fish- all, all, pay tribute to our wasting hands. yet we are not a law unto ourselves: though masters, yet not gods, for we all die and fall back into dust; yet are we great, and greatest of earth's creatures; but for death, we might claim highest unction; but our power is limited; wherefore, if we are highest type of creature earth, then must it surely be that god is man, but of a higher mold; not subject unto death, but lord of life. and, if all earthly forces must conserve our being (highest born of all the earth), then back of us the great creator stands "unseen, as is eternity unseen, but felt, as is each ripple of her waves, upon the shores of our unstable life. the greater is not seen. we do not see the very thought that holds us in control. "thus have i doled, and pondered on it well, until, upon my vision dawned that star; and as upon some errand quickly sent (i know not how i went, i felt so light), i sped upon its rays, o'er vale, and hill, and o'er a vaster water than the lakes- a grand expanse of green and surging waves. and, on, still on, till just before my face a mother, and an infant at her breast, and many seeming wise and stately men bending in homage and with offerings choice, of sweetly-scented vintage; then i sought to find the wherefore of this sweet emprize; and i was told this was the son of god- the one that was to come, the mighty one, redeemer of the world; that man had sinned and he was come to set at one the race with the all-father; that we had been made in god's own image; that the sun and moon were but his handiwork. to him alone (invisible, yet always looking on) "should homage be ascribed. all this was short yet was it printed on my pliant breast, and cannot be erased. i seek no name and claim no higher homage for the gleam vouchsafed my vision of the mighty past and prescience of the future; tis enough to know my steps directed, and to feel that in my darkness i have found out god. no more the unknown god, but evermore the ripened type of the diviner man; and as we reap the tokens of his love, remember him as father man of men- the infinite perfection of our race." much more he said which made a deep impress upon the hardy hunters, and the less were those who gave no sanction to his word; the greater portion followed him in thought, and soon in deed. the votaries of the sun made most malignant onslaught, and they sought to drive the thoughtful wabun from his "dream." the strife was vain. they in their fervent hope turn to the east, into the wilderness- the grand druidic of the eastern slope, and, hid to all but god, they penetrate the deep recesses of their broad estate. the gentle wabun held for many years his hand upon the pulses of their thought; sometimes upon their love, sometimes their fears, his fervent purity, its impress wrought. he led them to the thousand untold charms that sparkle on the rugged eastern slope. he bared to them the great creator's arms, and, in god's grandest alphabet, he read their highest hope. niagara was but a giant scroll, whereon god writ a token of his strength; the muttering voice of its unceasing roll was but a cadence of the mighty length that measures the eternities of life. its grandeur but one glitter of the gold that played upon his vesture; that the strife of waters was the stream so cold, down which humanity as rudely rushed; without a thought for their eternal good, with all the semblance of the father crushed, they pass down in the surge of death's unceasing flood. the broad atlantic lashing at the shore, was human passion--with the balance gone; endeafening the graces with its roar, and blindly lashing the eternal throne. into these miniatures, god thrust himself, that every wave might glitter with his name, that every rock might hold upon its shelf some semblance that their reverence might claim. the kindlier tokens of paternal care, on nature's face, were beaming everywhere. and yet, how few of us, can truly blend the creature with creator, in our sight; and from the father, grasp the hand of friend, whose stars of providence outshine the night! our eyes are fettered with an earthly bound, our narrow horizon will not enlarge; our gaze, star fixed, will drop back to the ground, and will not with the infinite surcharge. only god's hand can push the barriers back, and give our vision unimpeded range; and with each respite, on the weary track, fix the unchangeable, where all is change. return and strife. no wonder, that when wabun passed away, their torpid natures should have lost the charm that held so perfect, with its gentle sway, yet slacked so quickly, with the palsied arm. infirmities are easy to impart, and through the generations, they come down; but god must place his hand upon each heart, and press each brow where he would drop a crown. long brotherhood of forest, storm and flood, had schooled them for the turbulence of life. the wraith of nature made them men of blood; the war of elements, the ocean's strife, the thunder of niagara now heard, the lashing of atlantic on the beach, the slogan of the forest--in a word the carnival, at rife, within their reach, all served to spur their natures into storm. how many catch the key-note of their song from the surrounding elements, and warm their frozen energies, and make them strong in earth's unceasing alchemy! much more the untutored savage; he has lost the key, and must from nature's chalice find the door, through which to penetrate life's mystery. and many generations passed away, since these stern foresters had dwelt apart from their ancestral brethren; till the day when in their higher prowess, from the heart of the great forest fastnesses, they spring as panthers, on their unsuspecting prey. they have grown strong in weaponry, yet cling to deity, in their untutored way. the "happy hunting ground" to them is heaven; and the "great spirit" still to them is god; yet, from their hearts, all tender passions driven, they smite their brethren with a heavy rod. a long and ceaseless struggle, many years, alternately, invasion and defense, till they are driven southward; and the fears, that kohen's prophecy would be fullfilled and back of this, the agony intense of impotence in prayer so deeply chilled the hearts of these poor children of the sun, that they gave easy conquest to their foes; and thus the struggle stubbornly begun, so unresisting now, was finished without blows. when man is shorn of strength, and there is left only omnipotence, we kiss the rod- the very rod that smites us. in the cleft we would attempt to hide from deity, yet in his anger is an answered prayer- the consciousness of presence; though we flee, the wrath of love, is proof of constant care. but when we beat against the empty air, and every echo sends us back despair, and even superstition, fails to foil our souls with the deceptive glow of spoil, then are we bittered, and our path made black; we grope in mists, cimmerian, on the wrack of constant and interminable doubt, a natural prey, and easy put to rout. to south, and west, they turn their fateful way beyond the mississippi; and their day seemed lighted with a new influx of hope. the sun embraced them with a warmer smile; the mellow fragrance of the southern slope added entrancement each succeeding mile. not all at once the exodus took place, for they were many, and had scattered wide; yet to the southward all had set their face to seek in other fields a place to hide from cruel persecutions. when our kin lends its consanguined arder to the dart, how more intent, with vengeful purposes, how heavier is the load upon the heart! they scatter into fragmentary clans, and in the earnest of their added woe, give birth to new religious phantasies. the unclogged streams of superstition flow, when down the mountains, and across the moors, the heavy, swollen torrents sweep along, throwing their scattered wrecks upon the shores, and breaking barriers, however strong. baal was great, when baalbec reared her crest and column after column gave her grace and all the east upon her beauty smiled; but when the "owls and bats" usurped her place, the god had fallen. in the temple dust, where man, with his immortal, had so strove to make the marble animate (in vain, like other myriad phantoms of the brain) time fashions into ghostly hands, that sternly point above. and so, god reaps involuntary praise, from every fashioning of man's design; his ways, indeed, cannot be called our ways; yet his hozannas, from each crumbling shrine, teach us the servitude of all the past; that human hands but fashion heavenly aids; that every sculptured mythmark only fades into eternal sunshine, at the last. some crossed the mountain ramparts of the west; some lingered still upon the eastern slope; the empire yet was open to their zest, and all were buoyant with a new-born hope. but war, like pestilence, doth warp our lives, and like contagion, it infects the air. peace comes in measure, but it never thrives directly after conflict, till grows fair the flesh so lately scarred. intestine war made ravage of their ranks; they ill could spare their bravest, yet the first to fall in fratricidal jar. the lines, by conflict, soon were closely drawn, and from the night of struggle nations dawn, whose chiefs assume the king's prerogative. clans fall, and clansmen perish; nations live that pass chaotic conflict, and ensphere their crude material, as a new-born world, to individual phalanxes, and rear their rude escutcheon. as in ether whirled, the new born planet tracks its trial course; so must this human query find its way, and failure is its fashion; but still worse are those who fail to grapple with the day, but look supinely on while vested rights are trampled under foot, and raise no hand in deprecating gesture; from the heights of grim impartial history will stand unfading letters, written to the shame of those whose scourges fail to make a name. prehistoric rendezvous of the aztecs. on either side the crest of the madre, where mountains kiss their hands to either sea, one slope to blush upon the opening day, the other, to drop down its tapestry and hold the hand for promise of return, three nations, as three stars, to being burn. the toltecs, purest of the primal race, the chichamecs, devoted to the chase, and aztecs, strongest in the arts of war- all, seeming thrown beneath one fateful star. no painter limnes upon his labored scroll, be it fantastic, feast, or forest shades, as war upon its victims; from the soul (plastic as new damped clay) it never fades till time has ironed out the furrowed past; and peace, by laying fevered brows to rest, over the present has its mantle cast; then nature folds its wardling to its breast. so on these nations had been writ, in brief, the deep-burned liturgy of hardened strife, and through the furnace of their pungent grief, they learn to plant the rootlets of their life. one thing is never lacking, at the time, when in their nascent passions, nations rise: the craft of priests, in every age and clime, to "point a moral," or portend the skies. and so, from cast-off altars to the sun, new pleadings to new conjured gods arose; the selfish passions since the world begun, all seek supernal outlet on their foes. one thing, not far from truth, grew into form: the thought of one great, universal heart, that beat against the window pane of thought, and formed of all existences a part. how near the passions of mankind will verge, sometimes, upon the borderland of bliss! and all the race is bettered if they urge continuous march; nor turn their steps amiss; a little light would lead them on to god, and lacking, it the race for ages plod. o that the infant eye of every race might recognize at once the master's face! all brought their tribute to tonatiuh's shrine, still burnishing the sun with rays divine. true worship strengthens in the wake of years; its song grows rhythmal with repeated chant; its beauty lingers, though it disappears; rekindle, and it melts the adamant. but worship on a purely human base, though it may work its legends into song and deify the noblest of its race, can never be unquestionably strong. the happenings of nature clog its wheels; the elements brush down its cobweb foils; and from its mimicry the heart appeals, and heavenly souls are not for human toils. it is impossible to still the brain by merely human fiat at it thrust; man journeys out, and he returns again- the father's voice alone can call him from the dust. and yet, each effort of the human soul, to force existence for its latent wings, is of an energy that leaps control, whose germ from our immortal nature springs. the very latch-key of the eternal realm, though touched in ignorance, commands the door. a more than human wisdom guides the helm, as we approach the palm-extending shore. the hungry arms that reach out after god, are as the infants for the parent's breast; the soul is weary of its fruitless plod, and nature beckons it to perfect rest. what though the stream be poisoned, if its flow seeks only the great ocean to be lost; not long upon its bosom is it tossed, ere it recovers its old healthful glow. the old-time sparkle of the mountain spring, gleams in the dew-drop that returns to earth. no poison lurks within the second birth, it ever carries healing on its wing. thus, howsoe'er the soul may find its way, over the wilderness to jordan's plain, it shall not fail of its eternal gain, the night so trackless shall break into day. the saint, whom angels ushered through the gate, with pã¦ans of rejoicing, once did grope and lose his way, and loose his hold on hope- no soul that reaches it is told to wait. god waits upon the effort to reply, and seeing human hands stretch out for aid, his stronger palm is soon upon them laid- our weakness is the signet he cannot deny. the toltecs journey south. the toltecs were the first to break the way toward the vertex of the summer sun; to catch the fervor of his ripest ray, and talismise the pilgrimage begun. and after many days their fasting eyes are feasted with mexitli's[a] lovely plain- so like a newly-fashioned paradise, an almost eden, sprung to life again. her placid lakes gave back her deep blue sky in rivalry of nature--nature's charms do cast reflected multiples, and try to fold us in with her unnumbered arms. not all we see, but all we feel, invites, together with our seeing, to secure an unrestricted homage; all unite in this uncovered world, so rich and pure and lade with sunshine, ripened into form, concentered rays to leaves and blossoms grown, the larch impendent with its verdant cone, the oak's historic battlement of storm, the cypress mourning and exultant palms, the provident maguey, whose offered alms found ready acceptation at their hands, the maize, which they had known in northern lands, were native to her rich and virgin soil and gave the husbandman unstinted spoil. and thus, with nature and themselves at rest, fresh inspiration from the god of peace expands and energizes every breast, and fettered manhood labors for release. invention is emancipation: time doth loosen nature's fetters; man invents not one of those discoveries sublime that couples his poor name with consequence. the world had moved a million years or so ere galileo blundered into prison for telling how we are compelled to go. the fog of superstition had not risen; and he whose brain peered up above the cloud, to widen the horizon of his thought, must be content to leave the gnarlish crowd of puppets and of priestcraft who have fought the van of progress, immemorial time, in fear some newly loosened truth might break some preconcerted dogma, deeming crime the impulsive movement of the soul to slake the thirst that god implanted there, to burn its way into the hidden and unseen, and find new thoroughfares for its return, and on creation's outer verge new entities to glean. so did these primal pioneers look out beyond the compass of their husbandry, and challenge their surroundings; manly, stout, and earnest did they seek the mystic tree of knowledge in this eden of the west, not interdicted by divine decree, but always open to the manly quest and the unflagging purpose to be free. the zodiac gave up its lettered scroll to their inquiries; and the measured year unsealed the clasp that held it from control, and truths that had seemed very far, revealed themselves quite near. their rudely fashioned lodges soon gave way to buildings of a more pretentious form; the forests and the quarries and the clay were forced to human vassalage. the charm that held the forest templary from spoil was not entirely broken; after years and christian conquest must consume the toil and travail of the centuries. our tears, are but a poor atonement for the brand our westward march has made on nature's back. we mourn our forest fastnesses too late; with hand unbridled we have torn their face, and given legal sanction to their fate- but what companionship can take their place? nearest to nature's very heart of hearts, the verdant monarchs beckon us to god; their benison with life alone departs; they testify of eden from the sod. o man! that thy perfection should be lost, when so much perfectness is left on earth! how much of bitterness! with what a cost didst thou forget the sacred touch that hallowed thee at birth! the worship of hurakin, "heart of heaven," spoke of a healthier, higher growth of soul, the consciousness of sins to be forgiven; a god, whom weakness could at once control; a prophecy, of fatherhood to come; a ray that pencils from the "great white throne;" a voice to energies, that had been dumb for many centuries--prophetic groan of man's insatiate thirst for betterment, not all in vain. the white-winged dove of peace for many years was theirs; they came and went beyond their borders, without let or lease; found sunnier climes to south; and, as a charm was laid upon their footsteps, they advance to hover closer to their ancient god. they still were pliant to his fateful glance, and scanned his burnished surface to inquire his potency in human destiny. they had forgot the legend of his fire, yet, from his searching, steadfast eye, not one of them were free. so pass they out from the historic ken- theirs, no aggressive way-mark on the earth. we linger on their passage, and the pen would gladly pour regret upon the dearth of the indentures they have left to mark their peaceful, noiseless tread upon the shore; but it is vain; yet out of all this dark, one lesson may we glean: that evermore the souls that move with nature on her march are those who drop, as she drops down her leaves; they fill the earth with fruitfulness, and arch the highway of the nations with their sheaves; they sleep to history, but wake to god; theirs is the pass-key through eternal gates; they write no vengeful sanscrit on the sod; they linger at no earthly court, but the recording seraph waits to write them blessed of the lord, the jewels of the fates. the aztecs--aztlan. the silver current of the upper grande, and where the gila penetrates the east, the zuni lines its rocky bed with sand, new ground from granite that has been released from mountain base. the vertebrate madre breaks into several center-stays of spine, which form the watershed that feeds the sea, on either side the sunny slopes recline. where coronado laid in after years the scepter of his sovereign, and bespoke the unbroke silence, as the cycle nears the bending of the neck to hispagniola's yoke. here was the fabled aztlan; and the race, whose ancestry had circled half the globe, have now their latest destiny to face. o! could they peer the darkness through, and probe the deep recesses of impending time! look for one moment on what was to be! how would they cling to this rude mountain clime, and bar the door of their futurity! the aztecs were a proud and prowent race; in the dispersal at the far northeast, now many years, they held the leading place; yet, in their husbandry, they were the least. their hands were skilled to turbulence and strife; the bow, the lance, and the rude hunter's knife- such were their ready implements; but peace found them all unacquainted; her surcease requires a range of weaponry diverse. the hands that hew down others, lips that curse, both must be newly christened; and the arts that unify the race with nature's ways must hard their hands and reimburse their hearts, and time their lips with sunnier kinds of lays. as if to fill the interim, there grew from their own ranks, the fittest kind of guide, a pastoral leader; who by instinct knew the flowery paths that lead on either side the verdant fields of husbandry and thrift; the worthy moctheuzoma[b] had this gift, and led them to the conquest of the soil- that easy conquering that seeks its spoil only where god intended it for man, the fruits of his own labor. thus began an era of self-discipline, that led the aztecs on to greatness; and that shed a tender halo over after years, when memory will mingle with our tears. he turned their eyes upon the talcite ledge, and said: "behold, this is tonatuah's pledge of providence against the summer's heat and the cold frosts of winter; quarry it, and fashion it for framework to your homes. for centuries it has withstood the storm, "to wait upon your coming; let your feet be busy with its treasures." then he turned to where the clay, for years, had been inurned, and said: "make use of this; 'tis thaloc's[c] gift. the mighty thunderer hath torn it down, and ground it into ashes, for your use; mold it in shapely fragments, and the sun, the warm-faced tonatuah, will pour out his warmest rays to bake it back to stone. and more, this pliant clay has aptitudes for vessels of all kinds, and yours are rude; so in a hundred ways you may improve." then, pointing to the forest, thus he spoke: "there tonatu' and thaloc both did shake their well-filled branches to the earth for us, that we might gather fruit, for any taste. these noble trees have swelled the turf for years, and now will bend the neck for our support. we must be provident; for they do point their myriad fingers to the hands that gave, mute monitors, to beckon us of heaven. "the fish and fowl, and all the vast menage that track our mountain slopes, are all our own. but look out on the earth, whose grassy turf lifts up its thousand homages to heaven; "whence must we gather fruit of our own toil. the maize will grow if planted; the legume will ripen; and our hands will surely fill, if we but ask the earth and gods to help and second our endeavors. we must work. the river, from the mountain, rushes on; the mountain shakes its thousand plumes at her; the stars do not keep quiet in the skies; all nature is alert and on the watch; and man must bear his burden at the mill." thus, did he lead them to their better selves, and ravel out the intricates of life in wisdom's stern and simple litany; gave trenchent lessons to the man and wife, and scattered homes upon new harvest fields. and he, who sets a household altar up, and sanctifies it with the name of home, fresh sprinkled from the sacred nuptial cup, is heaven's ambassador in human form. the hearthstone is the herald of advance; the hanging of each homely crane, like one of god's unnumbered irridescent plants, sheds rainbow hues on all it shines upon, and blessings bend each limb upon its tree. thrice happy is the nation thus begun, for it has found the track of destiny. the mines he opened, and laid bare the beds of precious minerals that underlie the bases of our mountain chains. "for all our wants, we have a full supply," thus spake the seer. "we shall not beat in vain against the bars that keep our souls from flight. our birth is built around by providence; our wants are wickets to unmeasured wealth. if we but find the turnstile to the field, we have but half the hill of life to climb; the other half fades out as we advance; when we have toiled out half-way distance up, lo! we have found the summit, and descend. "thus do we work together with the gods; if we but do our best, it is enough; when we put out our arms, they reach to us, though they do span the universe, to meet and draw us up, the shining heights of life. so in our daily plodding; if we sow, the gods will furnish harvest; if we build, the gods have made the quarry and the clay; whatever purposes we have in life, if they be only for our betterment, the crude material is at our hands; we only fashion it to suit our wants; nor is the measure stinted to our needs, but all our vessels fill to overflow "look over the green fields! great is our want, but greater the supply; on every hand the wild flowers lift their heads, and what are these but kisses thrown from heaven to win us back? our appetites are but our weaker parts, and easy satisfied; not so our souls; they have external longings to supply; and all that beautifies and brightens earth are forecasts of a kingdom yet to come. as on earth's surface may be found the flowers, so, underneath the shining metals are the surplus of a generous providence. our fathers, on the borders of the lakes, did fashion implements of husbandry from inexhaustive mines; but here we have in lesser quantities, much brighter ores, fit mostly for adornment and exchange. "man is not satisfied with 'hand to mouth.' the beasts roam through the forests and are filled, and therewith are content; not so with man. two worlds break on his vision; and the one must interlock the other in his life, or he goes blindly out into the night. and it is well earth gives no perfect rest, or the hereafter would fall out of sight. man is the one ambitious animal who seeks for empire, as the brute seeks food; the tame necessities are not enough, but all the precious under flowers of earth must fill the measure of his discontent. all men are not alike, and some must hold the fullest measure of life's luxuries; these pay their surplus for the others' toil; with them the shining metals will be held as medium for barter and for trade. and as earth decks her bosom with the flowers, so will the human race adorn themselves and blossom out with variance of gems." though, still encumbered with their ancient myths, he pointed out the harmony of heaven; gave why and wherefore to the dread eclipse. not his to tell them how the earth is driven upon its swinging orbit over space; and yet he measured out the perfect year; he looked stern nature bravely in the face, and seemed to question her without a fear. transcendent genius; thus to grapple truth across the path still covered from his sight, yet is she merciful; her name is ruth; she never perches on so grand a height, but she will answer to her children's call, and spread her wings to fly to their embrace- this link was never broken by our fall, and writes evangel on our troubled race. with his own hand he led them to the field, with his own hand he taught them how to build; he showed them what true husbandry would yield, how all their empty measures could be filled by wakeful industry. "well pointed toil is touchstone to earth's treasure-box," said he. "our fathers may enrich us with their spoil, and we may thus evade the beaten path; yet, lying dormant on our fathers' beds, our waste brings want upon our children's heads. far better that each hand be labor-marked, that all may know the purchase of their lives; he loses half the journey who goes out to the incertitudes of other worlds, who has not tasted what his hands have won on this, his trial sphere." thus in well-chosen words, and earnest deeds, he planted fruit that crowded out the weeds. ruled by divinest right of master-mind, by wisdom and humility combined, by heart, as well as head and hand, he wrought; for there be many who can ne'er be taught by any else than throbbing 'gainst their own, of some great royal heart; this is their throne; and he who sways in scepterhood of love, gets his vicegerent from the throne above. through many years did moctheuzoma reign; and aztlan prospered, and the race grew strong; and when his body passed to earth again, his spirit, with its wisdom, lingered long. thus, with a twilight halo pass the great across the threshold with a noiseless tread; we linger but a moment at the gate to pay our homage to the honored dead; then turn to find them still inurned with us. their silence is more eloquent than words, their passing out is but life's overplus, their tongues are tempered into two-edged swords. they speak across the chasm of their graves, in weightier words, in thoughts far more intense; in life they mingled with its thousand waves- it is god's way; death ripens eloquence. time trolls along with its unceasing march, and aztlan has outgrown her former bounds; she holds the center of the ancient arch, on the historic ladder's highest rounds. she sways the queenly scepter of the past above the waymarks of a hundred realms; yet leaves but hints of the grand overcast, through which she burns her way, and overwhelms our thoughts with all the possibles of time. we can but poorly comprehend, yet write her most sublime. footnotes: [a] mexitli, toltec for mexico, also the god of war. [b] moctheuzoma, the original aztec name for montezuma, commonly spoken of as the elder montezuma, a pastoral leader still remembered in their legends. [c] thaloc, the aztec god of the lightning. part third. anahuac.[d] the aztec's journey and settlement south. another turn of fortune's fickle wheel. they journey to the south, and cast their lot upon mexitli's lovely plain; the heel of other nations has forestalled the spot, and they must win their way through turbulence to reach the border of the placid lake, where conquest waits their hardly purchased chance; and all of anahuac shall feel the shake of their unconquered tread. not many years ere nation follows nation to their thrall; and many are the hot, convulsive tears, through which we read of any people's fall. our homes and hearthstones are so near the same, or column-capped, or made of homely clay- marble and gold can make no higher claim than thatch or brushwood, so they bear the name of household, hallowed for centuries or held but for a day. as if to track a thousand similes of thorn and rose, of laughter and of tears, war strikes its hand upon all sacristies; (religion must be bent to its decrees) holding our destinies--our hopes and fears are all within its baleful balance thrown. it beats upon the organ of our lives, and history repeats the wild, discordant moan. so nations, whose lost anchorage must pay the penalty of their forgetfulness, seek out phantasmal deities to prey upon their vitals in their sore distress. mars, or mexitli[e]: though the one be crowned with all the glory that bedecks old rome, the idols of the other, fiercely ground to powdered pulp by spain's invading host. how much of agony they both have cost ask of the millions lost to life and home! ambition makes a cã¦sar: it is well it gives some recompense for all its crime; for it has made the earth an endless hell, crowding its woes upon the lap of time- and yet, religion spurs it to the test, and priests have been the primates of its throne, chanting their auguries to fire its breast, braying all history with their undertone. nor is the "manger," with its cradled christ, free from the misinterpreting of priest. the cross where god and man have kept their tryst, been changed to leaven for inglorious feast- god! must future draw its cadence from the past, and plow its furrow through the same red mould? must nations be in the same furnace cast, and man, the master, bought, and scourged, and sold? then is creation but a lie accursed, and better that the doom upon it burst. no. though experience may slowly turn, and man may learn as slowly, yet we learn. the risen christ did break the grasp of death, and empire, dead in trespasses, will yet receive its breath. aztlan must pass through all the fated field of mythologic peculence and lore, and to their sturdy priestcraft blindly yield, to cipher out the destinies in store. they must propitiate the gods with blood, especially their war-god must be fed, and to supply their deities with food their fated subjects must be freely bled. so superstition whets the fatal blade, which culminates in human sacrifice. the maw of huitzilopotchli[f] must be stayed, and altars with their thousand victims rise. sad proof of imperfection in the race, nay, more, the very demon in the breast; their ignorance alone is plea for grace, when in their filthiness they stand confessed. "ye must be born again," the savior said; and history, through time, has craved this birth. man and his maker must indeed be wed, if we would bring redemption to the earth. the empty riddle of the crucifix, the shallow rattle of the christian creeds, will leaven nothing if we fail to mix the ripened grain of soul-inspiring deeds. the past accuses us with bony hands; we cannot shun its cold and cruel eyes; the glass is turning with our future sands- we face eternal destinies. god grant we be more wise! the empire of montezuma. the star looked down at the mountain; and the mountain looked down at the sea; and there was no malice in either one's breast, each was called by the deity to fill its place in the region of space of the fathomless yet-to-be. the star didn't fall on the mountain, nor the mountain smite the sea; but each gave cheer in the other's ear, and they dwelt in harmony. why didn't the mountain say to the star: "begone, with your impudent stare!" or the sea to the mountain: "how dare you intrude, you presumptuous imp of the air?" why didn't they? they were not human; they couldn't talk, as we talk; they were not born of a woman; they never had learned to walk. they had learned the language of patience; they had learned to bear, and be dumb; they had learned to hold, through heat and cold, their load, till the master should come. o infinite language of silence! o eloquent, voiceless speech! help us to bear the ills that are, and fetter us each to each, till all our envy goes out with the sea, and our malice goes out with the star, and we silently bear what is to be- like the mountain--gazing afar to the infinite depths of an endless world, where eternity spreads its zone, where planets, countless as grains of sand, gaze out on the "great white throne." the pale-faced prophet quetzalcoatl[g] had gone to the rising sun; in his wizard boat he was seen to float, to where the day was begun, without a sail on the wings of the gale, for the land of tlappalan[h] he waved back his followers from the sea, saying he would certainly come again, in the golden future, yet to be, and the gods should dwell on the earth as men. they had made him a god, because he was good- not always the case in the mystic love- they had carved his image in stone and wood, and his shrines were built on the pyramid's floor. they called him the god of the earth and air, and his legends were many, and often told; and the priests, with sacrifice and prayer, reaped a heavy harvest of fruit and gold. and oft were their faces turned to the east, to claim _his_ promise, who _was_ to come; and they watched the surge of the gulf's green yeast, and yet the years had continued dumb. nezahualcoyotl sleeps with his fathers,[i] and his son now reigns in his stead; his _goodness_ succeeds to the living, but his _wisdom_ goes out with the dead, for both in the lord of tezcuco had been richly and happily wed. two nations, strike hands o'er the waters, tezcuco and aztlan are one, by the league that their fathers had plighted, since they entered this land of the sun. so, the king of their neighbor, tezcuco, has come to the aztec court, to assist them in crowning the monarch, a prince of much goodly report. he is found on the steps of the temple; he has served, both as warrior and priest; he has brought many victims to slaughter- the realm has been greatly increased by the sturdy sway of his conquering arm. and now, he is called to reign, the last of his race, to fill the place, whose honor shall prove but a life-long pain. montezuma[j] was young, but his sword was old, and the war-god was glutted with victims and gold. a pledge of his prowess: a promise to fate, that the nation would prosper, the king prove great. some men are great in sorrow--there be tears that crystalize to diamonds at the last. they need the weight of carbonizing years; yet, how they glitter after these have past! life needs the tempering at such a forge, or it would brittle at the lightest touch; but when the burden is but one vast gorge, the weary soul must cry, "it is too much." nezahualpilli[k] places the crown on his head, and the victims bleed, and the altars burn; the words of admonishment all are said, and the buoyant crowd to their homes return. "the king is dead!" "long live the king!" "hail!" and "farewell!" how closely tread the steps of the living upon the dead! how are both touched with a single spring! nezahualpilli soon passes away, and the rival king, he so lately crowned, divides his kingdom, and makes a prey, a figment, with empire's empty sound. and montezuma outleaps the king; but is lord of an empire reaching the sea; and many nations their tribute bring, and some of the weak to the southward flee, to pass the reach of his powerful arm, and lift new prodigies to the sky, to meet earth's sunshine, shadow, and storm, to finish the race, to falter and die. he gathers his treasures from myriad mines. the cotton and aloe are wove into cloth. the banana and maize and wild forest vines, while they load to repletion, are proof against sloth. his palace is burnished with every hue of the rainbow tints of his fabulous land, where nature entravails on every hand to bring new beauties of life to view. there are drapes of feather-cloth deftly made, there were plumes and plushes of richest craft, there were broidered robes where the colors played, like the hands that made them, dainty and daft. his harem equaled his ottoman peer, there was beauty of every hue and mold- the shy and the gay, the demure and bold- that his provinces furnished from far and near. as fine a collection of beauty and grace, of the flashing eye and the beaming face, as is seen on the gates of the euxine sea at the present day, where the "powers that be," with the union jack floating above the rest, secures to that ill-omened bird its nest. their teocallas[l] rose on every hand, and half a hundred gods their worship claim; their priestcraft is a strong and haughty band; their beckets and their woolseys are the same as those that cling upon the neck of time through all the feudal ages; we may choose the leeches of the christian church as best- they sucked the blood the state could not refuse, and so did these bedizzened, of the west. _these_ led their victims to the altars black, _those_ wasted theirs by torturing and pain, the fatal "itztli," gave the parting shock to aztec's victims; but a blacker stain rests on thy skirts, thou bloody-mantled spain! thou the avenger of a human wrong? as well might lucifer enrobe as saint, an earthquake key the carol of a song, or old caligula[m] bring a complaint! "they slew their thousands!" yes; and what did'st thou? thy thousands in the shadow of the cross; they took not on their perjured lips thy vow; thy gold they did not mingle with their dross. through all the dark of ages did they grope; through all the light of empire did'st thou graze; they pinioned superstition to their hope; the monody of hell was mingled with thy praise. go back! and scour the oxyd from the gem thy lips have turned to ebony, and paint humiliation on thy doorsteps. stem! stem the black pool of styx! and find a saint whose blood shall gain forgiveness for thy past; but count no beads upon the path of time- earth's execration is too justly cast- thy very name, a synonym of crime! they had their courts where justice was dispensed with what would shame the janus-faced machine we call our jurisprudence. they commenced what christian polity was left to glean, to her advantage in the after time. we write "anathema" above the gates of what we choose to call "barbaric clime;" and yet, the blinded goddess often waits to gather wisdom at _her_ bare, black feet which, bruised and blistered, tread the narrow way to where the graces uninspired meet and superstition's night breaks into day. they held the bond of family and home as firmly as more favored nations hold; their homes were castles, where no man could come without the potent ses-a-me of gold. the wealthy pluralized the name of wife (as many bible patriarchs once did), their virtue was the average of life- there were excrescences not easy hid. yet woman was more near her half of earth than she had reached in most of christendom. she held her value and could claim her worth; not bartered with the readiness of some self-styled enlightened. much is to be learned in corners of the earth that we call "dark," where jewels are for centuries inurned that torches of enlightenment may tarnish with a spark. we lay rude hands on temples not our own, nor little heed the human souls enshrined; the sacred crevice of each hard-marked stone but coldly cover with the virdict, "blind." god help us, that we point a hand more pure, and raise the casement with a grander trust; the hands that lift it must indeed be clean, or comes the humbling challenge, "is it just?" one "great white throne" shall judge us, one and all; one great white hand shall hold the scales of fate, or clothed in light, or covered with a pall, we tread the way through one eternal gate. god grant the temples we so rudely spoil, may not accuse us when we stand alone! but hearts are human things, and they do coil the infinite in blindness. not a groan escapes the index of the father son. a child in blindness still is but a child, and held with greater yearning to be won. our cold, hard hands cannot be reconciled to one warm heart that throbs for all mankind, and covers, with a common love, the race; and leads, with greater tenderness, the blind, that they more closely feel his clasp, who cannot see his face. the arts of husbandry were well advanced: they sowed and reaped unstinted from the soil; the sun, with ripening fervor, on them glanced, and gave them back, a hundred fold, their toil. they had not lost their ancient faith in him, though other gods their scattered homage claim his breast was their elysian; never dim the ancient hope that hung upon his name. their maize and maguey shone upon the plain, their chocolate gave nourishment and zest, the corn gave recompense for sugar-cane, their banquets were provided with the best; fish from the ocean, fruits from every clime, so diverse, yet within such easy reach; the tropics and the temperates enchime with all their plumaged babblings of speech; and they interpreted the varied whims that nature holds embryoed in her breast. they climbed the boughs and shook her heaviest limbs, too burdened for the garner to be missed. this ancient mother never yet has failed her children in their earnest search for food; she may be panoplied and heavy mailed, yet does her larder furnish all when fully understood. take all in all, and measure by the test- the stern, hard test of history--and we find that aztlan, very far from being best, still was a prodigy. that she was blind in her religious ethics, none deny; that she had faults, no champion gainsays; she lifted bloody hands against the sky; she filled the avenging measure of her days. but god is god, and man is always man; and earthly judgment is at best a snare. and never, since the human race began, has turned to heaven more piteous despair than her sad eyes, burnt out with agony; moaning above her nation, and her name, the bitter monody of "not to be," the deep humiliation, and the shame that sent her crouching at the foot of spain; (the fairest daughter of the wilderness) without a hand to solace in her pain, or ray of hope to lighten her distress. could she been gently led, and tenderly, to higher life and holier resolve, had charity bent forth her noble sway, the christian graces that with earth revolve without the wasting friction, paid their suit to win her back to wakefulness from sin- how would she compensate the victor's hand, and kiss the rod that smote with its regard! but to be "drawn and quartered" like the brute, and made the sport of passion; to begin a life of vassalage, with such a slave yclept as master, claiming from above the license that jehovah never gave except the iron hand was woven o'er with love- it is too much! god's justice is not lame. hypocrisy may steal and wear the cloak, and don the ermine, with its fair, false claim; with crucifix and litany may croak; but time o'ertakes it and it falls to earth like judas on its immolating sword, and it must learn to curse its hour of birth. it is the pledge of destiny--the stern, unwritten word. the landing of the spaniards. the courier[n], new laden from the coast, has hastened to the council of the king with most portentious tidings: picture-prints that tell of boats that float upon the wing; and pale-faced warriors, clad in shining scales. the monarch hears with trembling; he has long looked for the coming of great quetzalcoatl, and, though he felt his nation to be strong, yet had he feared his reign would be the last. the oracles had read him overcast, with some impending destiny--the ruse which priests have always found to compass their abuse. the chiefs of church and state are all convened to canvas, and compare their theories, and much of wisdom surely can be gleaned from these firm-visaged counsellors of his; and montezuma[o] is the first to speak- his dark, sad eyes are beautifully bright; he was not philosophic like the greek, and yet his words made glitter of the night: "we swing upon the hinges of our fate, most reverend priests and worthy counsellors, and it is well we counsel and conform our future to the fashion of events. the rising sun has sent inquiring rays for many years, to greet our coming god, and lo! he now turns back from tlapalan; "and what must we, but welcome his advance? ye long have held me kindred of the gods; yet i deny me what your partial eyes have kenned upon my unassuming face. i am as other men, though more advanced; and if great quetzalcoatl takes back my crown, i bow in humble vassalage to him. for what am i, to question his advance? a moth, upon the torches' fervent ray; an anthill, at the foot of 'catapetl. and i have sometimes thought most worthy priests, that we have drawn the lightning from the cloud by a mistaken worship of the gods. no one will question my religious zeal, for i brought many victims to the block; but human blood doth have a subtile voice that reaches ears our eyes have never seen; and though the itztli opens to the heart, some heart may beat far out in open space that whispers its avengement on the air. our gods have brought us victory, 'tis true; and yet, great nezahualcoyotl did spurn the shedding of all human blood, to gods; and when great quetzalcoatl was on the earth, our gods were satisfied with other blood. the angels of the mighty past cry out against the damning practice. why not now, "for once and all, wash off our bloody hands? these human cries pierce farther than we know; these human souls may ride into the sun; we cannot claim his broad, uncumbered breast, to the exclusion of the rest of earth. the god of earth and air may come to judge at this dark moment for this very sin; then let us look him boldly in the face, and if we have offended, make amends; if our mistaken zeal has overdone, surely his heart will cover up our faults, and we may thus propitiate his wrath." then rose the ancient high priest, tlalocan,[p] and in his sternest manner, thus he spake: "great montezuma! king, of earthly kings! the heart of tlalocan is bruised and broke to hear the words his monarch has vouchsafed such sacrilege belongeth not to kings; great huitzilopotchli must, indeed, be strayed, or, he will shake his thunders on the earth, and, strike the aztecs from the face of him. war is the wastage of all human flesh, and whether man be stricken on the field, or, with the sacred itztli, offered up, the measure must be met with human blood. "thy empire has been purchased at this price, and cannot otherwise perpetuate. the earth and heaven, both have set their mark upon the bosom of the placid lake; and by the coming of those fiery stars, that flashed their baleful faces in the sky, all omenous that anger brooded o'er, the gods have read the purpose of your soul; and thus forwarn you that you must retract. they cry for victims and must be appeased; they gave you conquest without stay or stint, when you did furnish, full to their desire; but there are few within the shambles now, and they must be replenished, or the doom, that has forshadowed on the eastern sky, will flash and fall upon your naked head. great quetzalcoatl will come and strike you down, and grind you into ashes in his wrath." then spoke the sturdy counselor teuhtlile[q]: "tlalocan holds the nearest place to heaven, and in his zeal, doth sound the ready key that rhythms with your empire. we must suit our action with his words, or we are lost. these pale-faced warriors must be met with alms; the gods must be appeased with fresh supplies. "let me, myself, go down upon the coast, and with our ready painters bring you back a full account of what we look upon. and if, perchance, these be the van of him whose coming we have watched these many years, then will we counsel further the emprise, and in the watch and wake of all events, be not o'ertaken, but forestall the time." "your counsel has the sanction it desires; i would not measure lances with the gods," the monarch answered: "in the dust i bend, and plead the weakness of a human heart. the south shall furnish victims for the block; and teuhtlile shall repair him to the coast; the dread monition of the flaming stars may be evaded with our ready zest. our gold and precious stones, with lavish hand, shall be poured out to coy them from our track; for what are all the earth's indulgences, against the smiling favor of the gods?" "repair thou to the coast, my good teuhtlile, with plenteous retinue, and goodly stores; with cotton fabrics of the latest cast; with shields and cuirasses inlaid with gold; the burnished mirror of the fervent sun; the silver shining circlet of the moon; "with robes of feather-cloth made rich with pearls; and other trophies that your tact shall find. receive them kindly, as becomes their state; and let thy wisdom gather in the full, their purpose and intent upon our land; it may fall out they are as other men, unsanctioned at the chambers of the gods, yet must our moderation pave the way, till we have fully compassed their intent." so said, so done; the embassy went forth to meet the wily spaniard on the coast; they little dreamed of what a forest fox they had to meet; they little knew the boast that hung upon the challenge of their fate. their superstitions made them ready prey; they opened wide their hospitable gate, and gave the jewel of their life away. it mattered little how they forced it back, and tried to parley with their destiny; the hungry lion was upon their track, and they were lost forever and for aye. done in the name of christ? oh, spare the word! let not the nazarene be buffeted; gold was the souvenir; the pitying lord was, with this nation, just as deeply bled. their superstitions were the ready springs the spaniards played upon to break their hearts; deceit, as damnable as serpents' stings, barbed with its cruel spines their poisoned darts. the embassy returned, and others went; still could they not force back this coming cloud- the steady purpose and the black intent, that wove with cunning fingers at their shroud. had spain come as the pilgrims at cape cod, or penn upon the delaware, to lead the aztec back to fatherhood and god, and let their sturdy manhood for them plead, how ready could their faces been upturned, and hearts been melted into christian mold!- the brand of hell was on their bare backs burned, and they were ground to ashes for their gold! did christ e'er suffer such supreme disgrace? or on the cross; or in gethsemane? did heavier drops of blood stand on his face than there were forced by this foul treachery? oh! how the patient nazarene must bend and break beneath fresh crosses every day- fresh judases betraying him as friend, and scorpions to sting him in the way! thank god! the time is coming when, as judge, the man of sorrows, ermined and supreme, no longer as a packhorse or a drudge, shall hold the scales and watch the balance beam! how heavy did he make the widow's mite; how do the tears of men bend down the scale; how ponderous is a pennyweight of right; how do the little things of life prevail! the spanish conquest, sometime, will be tried against the heart malinche[r] threw away, and aztec's tears be placed against your pride. o hispagniola! you will rue the day- a feather and a mountain to be weighed- how shall the beam fly up at your disgrace, how shall your curse, a hundred fold, be paid, and what a glory light up aztlan's face! you came, like tender shepherds to the fold, yet, like a wolf, you tore the frighted flock; you kissed but to decoy them from their gold; your seeming calm was but the earthquake's shock. your empty babble of the cross and christ, was but the mask to cover your deceit; your hearts were canker, but your words enticed, and _never_ did a fouler scheme make conquest more complete. not aztlan, with her bare and bleeding breast, alone, hath felt thy treachery too late; columbus, in his chains and sorely pressed, bends to thy penalty for being great. a thousand white-robed saints with bony palms shake their accusing fingers in thy face; their bodies burned, their souls changed into psalms. to chant in mournful cadence thy disgrace. arrival of the spaniards at mexico. november comes as autumn's requiem, to sigh and sough the harvest, and the field, the winged ecstatics mourn, and then are dumb, and life and growth in full submission yield. mexitli is not altogether clad in nature's winding sheet of yellow leaves; and yet her year is getting old and sad, and youth and fruitage at his bedside grieves. as on the lingering footsteps of the year- a stranger and the winter, hand in hand, both on the threshold as two ghosts appear. one strikes the orbit with its wasting sand, the other coils around the nation's throat; the nation and the year together die; both on the waste of time are set afloat, and sound alike death's mighty mystery. in all the glitter at his vast command, went montezuma to receive his guests; if gold be great, then was it truly grand. the royal plume upon his forehead rests; his feet pressed soles of heavy beaten gold; his cloak and anklets sprinkled o'er with pearls, and only noble hands are left to hold the blazing palanquin. like titled earls, they guard the skirts of royalty from stain against the common people; all the same as in our ripened age. 'tis hard to gain much on the sodden march of royalty, where accident supplants all other claim. the monarch in the easy prime of life, but lightly bronzed. the glowing, mellow hue that lit his cheek, seemed borrowed from the sun, and shadowing a heart that beat as true to god and country as he knew their names,- as any monarch that e'er wore a crown. his open-hearted welcome, like himself, was, as the hardy yeoman, bare and brown. he felt that he was meeting destiny, yet, to its solving, he would bend the knee with dignity and grace; not turn away, but face it with a ready, cheerful glance, and meeting night, surcharge it with the day; and grasping, break, if possible, the lance that he felt sure was leveled at his breast. he did not know the inquisition stood, with rack and torture at his very gate; that it had traveled half the world for blood to whet its throat for st. bartholomew and came with ravening appetite for him. those wary messengers he little knew, or those brown eyes would suddenly grown dim, and the warm heart would furnaced up its heat; and he would grappled at its very throat; and man to man, and blood to blood, would meet, and not a plume above one corselet float to bear the story back of it to spain. they were not schooled in all the arts of war, nor were they wise in all the world's deceit; yet would they fought beneath their fated star, and challenged every stubborn step, though it had proven vain. but in this fleecy covering, the wolf so hid its teeth that it was at the door before they dreamed of treachery. the gulf lay many leagues behind their foes; its shore and all the distance had been gained by stealth. tlascala had been humbled on the march, and promised spoils from montezuma's wealth; but they had reached the keystone of the arch, at superstition's beck. the aztec's gods had chained their valor, or their greater odds would crushed the viper, as it should have been, and left it to a purer age, to seek a common kin. the monarch gave them hostelry and cheer, food of the rarest and the sparkling pulque, and quarters for their troopers, all quite near to his own palace gates. the very bulk of his well-laden markets was thrown down to their repletion, for their loaded board. they fared as princes favored of the crown, of all the best the kingdom could afford. the fair malinche was interpreter, and montezuma spoke to them through her. he told them of the mighty quetzalcoatl, and how he recognized them as his kin; he thought he had their history, the whole vast riddle of their ancient origin. "i rule a mighty nation," quoth the king. "all anahuac is subject to my sway; and yet, i recognize that you have come from the strong palace of a mightier lord, to whom i bend as subject; and with you we now will sway the scepter of his will. we long have watched his coming from the east, and now that he has sent his messengers, our hearts are ready for his wise commands. we would have urged your coming on before, but that we heard of tales of cruelty, which, haply we may now believe as false, we welcome you with all our open hearts, "and hope you may enjoy our humble fare. we are not wise, as you are, for our lives have not caught wisdom from the fountain head, and hung upon the lips of quetzalcoatl; yet are we cousins in the faded past, and welcome you as brothers and as friends." how caught the spanish chieftain at the words! how did he gloat upon this artifice! how useless hung their heavy-hilted swords that they should win a nation at this price! with what a care he turned the dusty past, to cover up the semblance of disguise; and fix their superstition still more fast, that he might clutch and carry home the prize. "there _is_ grandeur in the tented field; the bivouac and the smoldering camp-fires." the human soul unconsciously must yield to its supremest charm, where man aspires to meet his fellow-man at one great bar; and "valor speaks to valor" of its claim, in all the panoply of stubborn war, and drops the gauntlet in a nation's name. it may be terrible, but it is grand to see the banners flaunting in the breeze; to hear the bugle blare and stern command; and see opposing forces strive to seize from nature's stern arbitrament of force the laurel that shall deck the victor's brow; and turn the stream of nations from its course. the cutting of new sod by such a plow may tear up all the tender ties of life; and hearts be turned to ashes in its path; these are the ponderous incidents of strife, and made legitimate when wrath meets wrath; but when the assassin creeps into our hearts, and draws around him all their sanctities, and he becomes a parcel of our parts, and all we have or claim are made as his, what human brush can paint the upraised hand that smites our confidence at such an hour? what simile can human tongue command? it is, indeed, beyond our mortal power. we talk of devil, but the word is tame; it cannot reach the climax we have sought; it only frets us into hotter flame, and beggars all the litany of thought. i do not claim that cortez was not brave; nor would i tear one laurel from his brow. i only claim he stole the devil's glaive; he held it then, and let him hold it now. the issues of their lives are both with god, the brown-eyed monarch and the dark-eyed knight. the flowers of charity should strew the sod above them both; yet, cosmos! was it right? o world of human hearts and human lives! was montezuma worthy of this fate? o world of husbands! world of tender wives! behold your aztlan! bleeding, desolate, and say, if all their multiple of sins, though they be blacker than the blackest night, were worthy of the end that now begins to grind them down to powder? was it right for spain to steal the scepter from the hand that held it out in welcome to their doors, and poured their treasures out as free as sand, and oped with lavish all their loaded stores; to steal the key of superstition's gate, and break the lock upon their hard-earned gold, and, fattening at their table, steal their plate, and feasting on their lambs to steal their fold; to make a prison of the room he gave in which to hold the monarch as a slave? o pitying god! thy thunderbolts were scarce. why crushed they not this hell-begotten farce? and when the aztecs, goaded to the quick by the proud insolence of such a horde, could bear no longer parley, but were sick of such a visitor at such a board, and rose en masse to crush the viper's fang, they bring the monarch out to face the crowd, and plead for their immunity; the pang that wrung his breast (for he, indeed, was proud) was like an arrow in his royal heart; and yet he prayed for their forgiveness then, and like a martyr bravely bore their part- search history; and find out greater men, and they are less forgiving. there he stood, his nation thronged before him, in its wrath; yet did he plead, before this multitude, to spare the serpent, now across their path; he could not name a promise not unbroke, he could not offer one excuse for time, he could not tell them why to hold their stroke, he plead for hands scarred over with their crime. did ever charity reach loftier height? can christian spain outshine this sad, brown face? how many souls in christiandom, as white, would faced his countrymen, from such a place? great montezuma! where shall we find room! when spain has such a multitude of saints to save your enemies, you courted doom, yet would not kiss the cross with your complaints; therefore, anathema!--it will not do, to pass a heretic at heaven's gate; you held no mumbled crucifix to view- the infallible has said it, you must wait. wait for a riper age to touch the chord that quivers, all unconsciously, your praise; when justice, _only_, draws the tardy sword, and earth's abhorrence covers those old days with its repentant ashes, then my king may rest his memory upon stubborn facts nor minstrels falter when they fain would sing their elegies implanted with _his_ acts. the holy inquisition, from old spain, and st. bartholomew, from "ma belle france," the hissing fagots of sweet mary's reign- these million martyrs, with their melting glance, look at _his_ agony, across the sea, _who_, blind in superstition, groped his way o'er harmless victims and much misery to where the rays were slanting into day. in europe's face the star of bethlehem, with its benignant splendor, shed its light; _these_ but the groping nomads of old shem, lost in the meshes, of a rayless night. _those_, neath the palm of earth's philosophy; _these_ on the torchless desert, not a star to guide them through life's potent mystery; _those_ bringing all the wisdom from afar, though montezuma's sins had cried to heaven in a far greater stress; yet what were they, paling his cruelties, and still forgiven, to pour out greater vials the next day? o spain! you lent the sanction of your name, to cover up the foulest deed of time; upon your skirt is fastened this great shame, and nation never wore the brand of a more causeless crime. death of montezuma. one sad, sad task, awaits my faltering pen, and i have done. one flower upon _his_ grave, who in his dying could, alas! not save his country from the vulturous maw of men. they played upon the monarch with their arts, till he became a captive in their hands; it was consistent with their _christian_ hearts that their good host should follow their commands. they said their _christian_ lord across the sea must have his treasure for their _christian_ use. all this was bitter, yet, he did agree, and bent a patient knee to their abuse. they struck their temples, and the red, right hand of aztlan rose upon them. they could bear to see their monarch littled, and their land made tribute to a stranger; but, beware stern warriors of castile! touch not their gods. the hearts of aztlan are but human hearts, and at some shrine the whole creation nods; invade the sanctum, and the whole man starts. las casas[s] would have won them with his love- the potent key that opens every gate. let not deceit claim sanction from above; it may assist upon the wheels of fate, but what spain offered through such legatees was worse than powder on the bated flame. to gather fruit from such ill-freighted trees, was worse than stealing nightmare from a dream. in christ's good name they stole the monarch's gold; they changed the name of christ to treachery; they gathered all the spoils their hands could hold, and pointed to their master on the tree. their master? no! since lucifer was hurled down from the shining chambers of the just to vent his spleen upon a new-made world, he never had a worthier task in trust, than that he gave to spain's inglorious knights, to rob this people of their vested rights. the people gather at the palace gates, and vengeance writes itself upon each face; their generosity no longer waits, they spit upon, and spurn the outraged place. it harbors those who wrote themselves as knaves upon the pliant tablets of their lives, and now the incensed nation only craves deliverance for their children and their wives. they know the belching cannon of the knights will make sad havoc in their stately host; they know that spain and fate to-day unite; they know, if fortune fails them, all is lost; but they can bear no longer to be torn, and swear by all the gods to pluck this thorn. the spaniards see their perfidy, too late; and call great montezuma to the gate. "why are my people here to-day in arms? these stranger friends are still my welcome guests; they soon will turn them backward to their homes. shall we raise hands against great quetzalcoatl? we fight against the gods? lay down your arms! go to your homes, and all shall yet be well, and peace shall reign in all tenochtitlan[t]!" they bent before him reverently at first. it was a moment--then their anger burst: "base aztec! woman! coward! sneaking slave! the whites have made a puppet of your name! talk not of fighting 'gainst our honored gods; we soil their sacred robes if we submit!" a cloud of stones and arrows flew the air; and montezuma fell a victim of _their_ rage and _his_ despair. his heart had broke when he beheld the throng, for he was burning with his country's wrong; and when the missiles smote his fevered crest, his very soul was reaching out for rest. _they_ only helped to roll the burden off, so long imprinted on his saddened face- it was _too_ much to hear his people scoff- he fell; and they removed him from the place. he never rose again, nor wished to rise; he made no effort to outlive his land; he felt _his_ weakness, and he heard _her_ cries; he saw _her_ sinking with _his_ wasting sand. he knew his enemies had stole the garb of gods to fasten on him their deceit; that they had stung the nation with their barb, and he would not survive its sore defeat. he felt their scoffings were deserved of him, for he should gathered wisdom with his years; he saw his weakness when his sight was dim, and poured his wasting moments out in tears. they called the priest to shrive him for his death- the worthy monk olmedo[u] takes his palms; it is in vain; his very latest breath repulses all their uninvited alms. he dies an aztec--honor to his name! and spurns the symbols that have crushed him down. what mockery when he is all aflame with their abuses! give him back his crown, his country's honor, and its hard-earned gold. but force no wormwood to his fevered lips; his hand is pulseless, and will soon be cold; his life was shadow; and his death--eclipse. great are the consolations of the cross- the father-son of calvary, and time. their glory compensates a kingdom's loss; but piety must not be wed to crime. did all the roses blossom from the cross, and all the thorns grow out upon the waste? then were the metal guarded from the dross, and every crust be suited to our taste; but bitter-sweet is all the book of life, and thorns and roses crowd the tangled way; and good and evil, always, are at strife- night always dogs the footsteps of the day. yet "figs cannot be gathered from the thorn," nor "grapes from thistles," says the patient lord- one great, good life, like a new angel born, is the most potent sermon ever heard. the hands that smote the monarch in the face did honor to his ashes, cold and dead. their anger was rubbed out, and not a trace was left, as with their slow and measured tread they bore his sacred ashes to the tomb within the walls of old chapultepec, where stately trees, and flowers perennial bloom, and, all the pulses of their lives in check, bow down to kiss the shrine of memory. the sacred hush of death comes none too oft to still the fevered brain and make us free- it is a gentle hand, and moves so soft that it compensates all our misery by chaining all the lions of our life and placing durance on the throbbing drum that marshals us to earth's unpitying strife. how should we reverence the hand that strikes our passions dumb! cortez and montezuma; aztlan, spain- the very mingling of these words is pain. the one, bold, cold, unscrupulous and brave, and making of each obstacle a slave; seeking _his_ glory in the name of christ, to gain his ends unfaithful to each tryst.- the fault is with the ethics of his race, which justify the means for _any_ end, and leave the moral aspect without place, and to the foulest acts their ready sanction lend. the thought of holding man to his account, and throwing merit against circumstance, of cleansing souls at one great common fount, of holding out to man an equal chance- these things were not considered in the least. the glory of himself and spain were first; all the excesses pardoned by the priest weaned the poor soul from any moral thirst. a golden apple trembled on the limb, and he must pluck it, at whatever cost. what matter whose?--it should belong to him; it was too tempting, and must not be lost: the wall that lay before it must be scaled, the owner of the field must be destroyed, and if his _prowess_, in the effort failed, _deceit_ and _treachery_ must be employed. the unbridled passions of the human soul linked with the crucifix in his emprise. the lion, loosened and in full control- the semblance of the lamb to aztlan's eyes: a faithful offspring of the papish loins, the features of the church in duplicate, though baser metals pass for golden coins, only earth's charity can make brave cortez great. but montezuma conquers all our thought- tenochtitlan and old chapultepec. no greener shrine for memory can be sought; the heart and conscience both alike bedeck the unfading spectre of a soul sincere, who tugged at destiny against the dark- the hand, unconscious, drops its laurels here. his brown hands could not helm the fateful bark against the baleful breakers of old spain; yet, who _is_ proof against the foils of men. his life is but a psalmody of pain. what soul unmoved can touch it with the pen? the link that bound the old world with the new, with pure and patient hands, might been upturned, and every missing chapter brought to view by clio gathered, and again inurned in history's cloister; egypt and aztlan strike palms upon the bridges of the years; but spain denies the privilege to man, and fills the vacuum with a nation's tears. o monarch of the fading, mighty past! great montezuma! we are wed to thee. back of thy name the ocean is so vast that we can only write--eternity, and leave the secret in thy broken breast. we would that we could taken thy warm palm, held out in welcome from the mellow west, and poured upon thy stricken life the balm of real enlightenment; and point thee back, over the ridges of the years, to god; to where your people lost the beaten track, and ever afterward were left to plod. those great sad eyes, once filled with light from heaven, would shone like diamonds when they found the way, and every fibre of thy nature striven to turn thy nation's darkness into day. alas! 'tis vain! we beat the empty air. our tears are mingled with thy wasting breath; we _all_ are torn with thy warm heart's despair, and mourn with aztlan at thy fateful death. conclusion. from sire to son the stern bequeathment falls of some misguided action in the past, and, though our nature with the victim calls and we are smitten with his overcast, still are we weak against the wheels of fate, which leaves the pensioner thus desolate. the by-ways of the father must turn back sometime upon the highway that he left; though dark and sinuous may be the track, and life of all its luster be bereft, still hangs the heavy impulse on the soul, unsatisfied, till it shall reach its goal. the destiny was hard that brought proud spain upon the fading summerland of gold; its retribution is no less a pain; the grip of fate, so pulseless and so cold, brings back the shudder to the human heart; humanity is wounded with _each_ part that feels the puncture of her cruel blade. nor is the censure less upon the hand that strikes _so_ hard to force the debt thus paid. the tender conquest of some heathen land the brightest jewel is, of any crown- god never licensed human hand to strike a foe when down. when spain's recruited army turned them back to glut their ire on guatamozin's head, there never was a deeper furrowed track, more thickly cindered with the myriad dead; and when at last his bloody sceptre fell, tenochtitlan was likest to a hell. the brave barbarian was put to rack to force divulgence of his scattered gold.- is there a garment of a deeper black, to cover up the fingers that could hold such hellish orgies after all the past? the palm is thine, o spain! and hold it to the last! yet one more turn upon the screw of time: thy red, right hand must slay this waif of fate; and thou must put the climax to the crime, and crush the heart thou has made desolate. enough! thou art the acme of the earth- may god's great pity ever spare thy duplicated birth! no, no, not spain! _her_ better angel waits, and _has_ been waiting all these weary years for castellar to open wide her gates, that she may wash her garments with her tears; but priestcraft, rome, or demon, all the same- that makes a desert of her rich champaign; and sends her forth through history, so tame. it is, her evil genius; but it is not spain. * * * * * as kohen prophesied, their race was run- their error cleaved upon them as a curse; the fading phalanx of the summer sun has crossed the borders of the universe. we only catch the shadow of their flight; they pass out with the sunset into night. footnotes: [d] anahuac, the country dominated by the aztecs at the time of the conquest. [e] "mars or mexitli." i have taken the easier of the names given to the war-god. huitzilopotchli or mexitli both were used, the former more in general use than the latter, at the time of the conquest. [f] huit-zilo-potch-li, the aztec war-god. [g] quetzalcoatl, the god of the harvest, probably some ancient leader deified. see prescott. [h] tlappalan, the elysian to which quetzalcoatl passed, probably referred to the chambers of the sun. [i] nez-a-hual-co-yotl, one of the famous kings of tezcuco (a nation allied to that of the aztecs). prescott enlarges on his character, truly a wonderful one for the time and age. [j] montezuma, a corruption from the original aztec, which was moctheuzoma. [k] nez-a-hual-pil-li, successor to neza-hual-co-yotl, and a worthy one, though not so gifted. [l] tecollas, temples of worship. [m] caligula, a roman emperor whose name has become a synonym of crime. [n] courier, a courier came daily from the coast, and couriers from different parts of the empire; their only script was the picture prints; rude, it is true, and yet wonderful in conveying the different shades of meaning. [o] montezuma's protest against human sacrifice though not literally fact, so far as the historic record is concerned, is hazarded as not inconsistent with his historic character. [p] tlalocan, prescott has not left on record the name of the high priest, and the name given, i have thought in keeping with the aztec language. [q] teuhtlile, the embassador sent to meet cortez. he was high in the councils of the king. [r] malinche, interpreter and mistress of cortez. [s] las casas, a worthy spanish padre, who was constantly protesting against the villanous conduct of the cavaliers. prescott pays him a glowing tribute. [t] te-noch-ti-tlan, the aztec for the city of mexico. [u] olmedo, a priest of that easy piety that characterized the cavalier, ready to grant absolution in case of all excesses. malinche. introduction. i may properly place "malinche" as supplementary to "montezuma," as dealing with characters coincident to, and cotemporaneous with those concerned in the "conquest," and also as covering a period subsequent to, and immediately succeeding the conquest. to the student of history, malinche (in her position of interpreter during the entire period of the conquest) presents at once so much that is unique and charming, and yet such a sad commentary on the criminal practices of the sixteenth as well as the nineteenth centuries, that i have often wondered that a stronger and more practiced hand has not ere this claimed the privilege of championship. according to prescott, she was born in the town of painnalla, province of coatzacualco, in the southeastern extremity of what is now mexico; that she was the daughter of a cacique (a sort of provincial governor) and prospective heiress to large estates; that after the death of her father, her mother, with indecent haste, forms another union, and in time presents the stepfather with a son; that they jointly combine to be rid of malinche, whom they sell to itinerant traders; and, to cover their device, they pretend that she is sick and use the child of a servant for their criminal pantomime; the child dies, thus completing the deception, except the hypocritical mourning to which this unnatural mother is said to have been equal. malinche is sold by the traders to the cacique of tabasco, and reaches maturity about the time of the conquest. she seems to have been a favorite in the house of the cacique, which would indicate that he had become acquainted with her origin, and after the surrender of the town to cortez, she is one of the twenty female slaves presented to the conqueror and his allies. either from enlarged opportunities or her natural aptness, and probably both, she is found by cortez to be just the person he needs for interpreter. mutual attraction leads them into the closest relations, and it is but just to malinche to state that there is no indication of her knowledge of the conqueror's wife in cuba, until she arrives at the capitol. there is also nothing to indicate more than a momentary estrangement between malinche and catalina. catalina lived but about three months after her arrival at mexico; and it seems that malinche assumes the same relations as before, when cortez journeys south, where in time they reach the precincts of the maiden's nativity, and she meets her mother, after all the years of their cruel separation. here the beautiful sincerity of the christianity she had espoused, shines forth as she quiets her mother's fears, and professes to doubt her mother's original intent to sell her. she loads her mother with jewels and seems to cherish no feeling not consistent with the warmest relations of daughter and mother. the statement soon after is, that cortez presents her to don xamarillo with all the sanction of marriage, and he enriches her with some of the largest estates in her native province; and there the historic account closes. incidentally, it is mentioned that a son was born during the period of this _affaire du coeur_. i stated that the historic account closes here, but m. charny and others enlarge on the traditionary feeling of south eastern mexico, and if we may credit his statements (and many times tradition carries more heart and more of the essential elements of truth in it than the cold pencil of history), malinche is so woven into the social structure as to become almost the patron saint of that part of the country. and prescott (rather inclined to the fruit than the blossom of history) speaks of malinche as being reverently held by the aztec descendants as the guardian angel of chapultepec. i have endeavored thus to present the salient features of this part of the historic drama, adding and enlarging only as it became necessary to connect the events and do justice to the fair subject of the endeavor; and whatever criticism may be offered, i can, without hesitancy, claim the credit of candor and a desire to eliminate from all the facts of the case the plain, unvarnished truth. i began at first to write the idyl in nine-syllabic measure, but soon found myself cramped in expression, and in recopying i have thrown off restraint and used the double terminal with both nine and ten syllables, having no desire and finding no occasion to use the eight syllable measure which longfellow has so immortalized in the "song of hiawatha." the sacred relations of man and wife, like those of any other _sacrament_ entered into voluntarily, are no less binding in the _spirit_ than in the _letter_ of the law; and it is a gratifying truth that the statutes of many of the states of the union are being so remodeled as to recognize the _fact_, rather than the _form_ of marriage; and the tendency is, certainly toward the correction of many abuses, as leading to a more enlarged knowledge of social responsibilities. as long as the sad story of malinche has a present application, and may be said to be the perspective of the grossly distorted foreground of our social structure, so long will its rehearsal have its use in the world; and i only regret that a stronger hand and a more perfect pen might not have been loaned to its portrayal. h. h. richmond. malinche. old painnalla of coat-za-cual-co, passing down the road of the "conquest," through the silent portals of lethe, was greatest of mexican hamlets; the birthplace of brown-eyed malinche, whom the spaniards call dona marina; and the noble cacique, great tezpitla, with his shrew of a wife, zunaga- all are names deserving of story, for they cling to the garment of greatness. a daughter is born to zunaga, and the worthy cacique tezpitla, though he warms to the little stranger, had hoped that the gods would have given a son and cacique for the province. they named their young daughter malinche; the priest called the gods to protect her, and sprinkled her brow and her bosom with water, the purest of emblems; commends her to tez-cat-li-po-ca, the soul of the earth and the heavens; to quet-zal-coatl, god of the harvest; and at all the shrines with their homage, they offered the richest of jewels. tezpitla soon sleeps with his fathers, and malinche, too young to have known him, has hardly begun with her prattle, ere he passes away to the sunset, to the palace of gold tonatu', where his warriors had gone on before him to their rest, in the dazzling chambers that shine from the face of the day god. zunaga a little while murmurs, and mourns at the chieftain's departure, when mohotzin, a friend of tezpitla (who had shared oft times in his battles and sat many times at his table), in sympathy visits the widow; and his sympathy turns to wooing, his wooing and winning are easy. for zunaga (the name of the faithless) yields a ready ear to his sighing, and pity is parent of loving. the bride takes the place of the widow, and the funeral leads to the wedding. a son is soon born to mohotzin, and the sire with the faithless zunaga, bend their heads to the hurt of the helpless, to disherit the artless daughter; she sends up inquisitive glances, to the guilty eyes of her parents. thus the perfect faith of our childhood, stands to smite at the evil endeavor, yet how is it cruelly wounded by the cunning hand of its kindred! she is sold as a slave to the merchants, whose itinerant traffic encounters this cruel and conscienceless couple. scarcely five years the miniature maiden, when decoyed from her favorite pastimes, under guise of a frolicsome journey; she is hurried away into bondage, to gain the estate for her brother. and all this is done under shadow to cover the basest of actions. malinche is said to be dying, the mother is bent at the bedside, where is laid the child of a servant; it dies, to complete the deception, and zunaga bewails, as is fitting in well painted actions, the daughter. the funeral pageant is greater than the one attending tezpitla; and thus, did the misnomered mother strive to hide the print of her sinning. how fares it with bonnie malinche, thus stung in the morn of her childhood? the merchants have gone to tabasco, the slaves are the bearers of burden, the maid is thus borne from her kindred. she, too young to plead for ransom, little heeds the force of her venture; and in time, they have traversed the river, and have reached the town of tabasco. the merchants immured in their traffic, sell the maid to a wealthy landlord, the worthy cacique of the province. thus cruelly shorn of her birthright, malinche grows up as a servant in the house of this wealthy master, the playmate and charm of his children. she gathers the boon of contentment with the easy faith of her childhood. her mother is almost forgotten, when a former nurse of zunaga, having served the time of her ransom, has sought the cacique for employment. she knows the whole piteous story, of the maid and her heartless mother; her soul is drawn back to the maiden, and she knows, with the whole of her nature, that this is her old master's daughter. and malinche, across the threshold, calls back all the thoughts of her childhood, and each feels the grasp of the other, and the past is all plain to malinche. the noble cacique of tabasco heard all of the pitiful story, and swore, by the gods, to avenge her "of her cruel and faithless mother, with her heart as hard as the itztli, the sanctified blade of the prophet." he would seek the king, moctheuzoma, that ruled in the city of temples, tenochtitlan, greatest of cities, and tell him the tale of malinche, that all of her wrongs might be righted and the maiden restored to her birthright. but, in the white heat of his anger, a stranger appears at the river- 'tis the pale-faced chief, and his army, with his soldiers clad like the fishes, with the shining scales for their frontlets, with their weapons charged with the lightning, like the thunderbolts of great thaloc, with their four-legged gods, like the bison, with the head of a man in the center, and the flaming nostril distended, breathing fire, like the front of a dragon, when they shake the earth with their tramping. surely these were the legates of heaven, great quetzalcoatl, surely fought with them. and in vain was the chieftain's endeavor, tabasco soon fell to their prowess, and they must now purchase appeasement. and the worthy cacique of tabasco forgets all his pledges of ransom, and malinche is one of the twenty, of the maids that he gives to cortez. as pure as the bright water lily that shines from the rim of tezcuco; as bright as the rays of tonatu', rising out of the gulf of mexitli; as chaste as the moon in its glances, at the mirroring face of chalco; as fresh as the breezes that banquet the morn in the isles of the spices- even such was the maid of painnalla, the beautiful brown-eyed malinche. cortez has been seeking a sponsor to ravel the intricate language, when he is informed of the maiden, and she is first brought to his presence. a favorite child of the household, she is robed in the neatest of vestures. the feather-cloth covers her shoulders, her waist is enclosed with a girdle holding skirt of the finest of cotton, her feet on the daintiest sandals, her face, veiled with gossamer pita, lends the highest charm to her blushes. with aguilar first she converses (he had lived some years with the natives, borne ashore where his vessel had stranded). she had learned all the various shadings, the many and quaint dialections, of the several anahuac nations; and not long till the noble castilian yields its palm to her ready conquest. the mighty commander, brave cortez, with his piercing dark eyes, was her teacher; for love is the aptest of pupils, and the heart is your ready translator. the words of the chief were no longer the meaningless voice of the stranger, but the language of spain and of heaven. cortez, cast a thought to the island; to his early love, catalina; to the prison of fierce velasquez; his reluctant marriage in cuba. yet, how faithful had been the dona! and never yet had been broken _his_ pledges of perfect devotion; but the morals of hispagniola are subject to easiest bending. the priest giving ready indulgence to sins that are nearest to nature, and malinche, robbed of her birthright and denied the boon of a mother, had only her love to direct her, which led her unerring to cortez; he opened his arms to receive her, (she, the purest jewel of aztlan) and, as moth falls into the torchlight, she fell to his brilliant alluring. if purest of wifely devotion, with its love that is _all_ of woman, if the absence of wrong intention in the innocent glow of nature, uninspired by the shadow of evil, made her wife, she was wife of cortez. not a whisper of catalina, his beautiful wife on the island, had the chieftain given the maiden; and she felt as free as the water on the rugged brink of 'morenci; as the bee to gather the honey from the nectaries on the mountains and the multiple bloom of the valleys. she thought there was naught to prevent her from her lavish of love on the chieftain. o the faith that is always faultless, that ever grows up toward heaven, (to the center of love returning) whence it sprang as seed from the godhead! how its track is hounded by evil! how its purity pants in the darkness! how it flutters into the pitfalls! and how its white wings are broken and its plumage stained and bedraggled! but 'tis only the earth that despoils it, to teach it more earnest endeavor, to lift the wing higher in ether, and fix the eye firmer on heaven. but alas! for bonnie malinche; her faith had no heavenly fragrance, except in its helpless dependence. it knew not the way of the angels, but groped like the vine in the cavern, always reaching out for the sunlight, always tender and white of fiber. and the worthy father, olmedo, taught the maid the lore of the ages; taught of life, and death, and the savior, and the beautiful boon, resurrection, and the story of magdalene, of much loving, and much forgiving; yet he whispered naught of the chieftain, and the maiden lived on in blindness, though "credos" and "ave marias" fell as pearls from the lips thus laden with the story of jesu' and mary. and as christ touched the lips of childhood and made them the text of his sermon, (the innocent sponsors of heaven) malinche, enrapt at the story, shined out through her every action, translating the life of the god-son, to speak in behalf of her people. she plead for the chiefs of tlascala- las casas had no abler ally when he struck the stone heart of cortez- and the stonier heart of castile, in his earnest prayer for the aztecs and the ill-starred king moctheuzoma. her blood gave its ardent petition in behalf of her race and her people, her bronzed hand pressing the balance on the side of mercy and manhood. when the light first shines in the cavern damp and dark with moldering ages, it gathers each gleam of the crystals that cycles have hoarded in brilliance; so the heart, groping back to the sunlight, over graves of its superstitions, throws its shoots through every crevice that promises health to its fibers. thus the virgin soul of malinche (the image of god on its tablet) made the glow of her first impressions the heart and the soul of the gospel. but how cunningly clasp the fetters that fate has unconsciously molded; and yet, how they pinion our passport on the trend of further indulgence- the conquest was hardly completed, and the maid in the fullest enjoyment of the treasure she aided to purchase when the island divulges its secret, and the wife of his early loving, and the wife of his after loathing, appears at the door of the chieftain. o malinche! brown-eyed malinche! the finger of fate is upon you; the wrongs of your conscienceless mother were the scar and bane of your _childhood_. the years with their velveted footfalls have forced them far back in the shadows,- but here comes a heart that is bleeding for the touch of its earliest treasure. with an even right you have won it; upon your warm bosom have worn it. but another, unknown, has possessed it, and puts forth her hand to recover. will you strike at her just petition? love is love; but hers is the older, and it has grown sharp with its longing; the hunger of years is upon it, and pleads all the patience of loving. they met, the brown maid of painnalla and the pale, blushing rose of the island,- malinche and sad catalina. the dona gave voice to her murmur in words that were pungent and bitter, reproaching the maid for the beauty that had stolen the heart of her husband. but malinche returned no reproaches when she heard the whole truth from the dona; but her tears, as the dew of the morning, which like diamonds filled her dark lashes, smote the tender heart of the maiden: "o maiden, most hard and unconscious!" cried malinche, out of her sobbing, "hear the bitter tale of my lifetime; and the heavenly melting of pity will fill all the place of your loathing." then she told her the whole sad story- how her cruel mother betrayed her, how she fell a slave to the chieftain, and was called upon to interpret. "but the heart is easily broken, fair maiden!" malinche continued. "and before i knew, i had fallen; and i hung on his matchless features, the wonderful glow of his prowess, and the liquid flow of his language, till i could no longer resist him. i thought i was free to embrace him, and i gave my whole life to his keeping. how i thrilled to his first caressing, and panted to gather his kisses! how i hung on the lips of the morning that shadowed his life with new danger! could i die for the love i bore him, i would pity the weight of the casket that gave such a featherlike measure; could i stand in the breach of danger to shelter his form from the missile, i could mourn that the father had given but only one heart for the arrow. i loved him! i loved him! i loved him! and this is my furtherest pleading." and long ere malinche had finished the dona had mingled her weeping, and each held the hand of the other in truce of their worthless repining; and malinche, as magdalene, would have washed the feet of her master, but the dona rather preferred her as companion and friend in pastime; so they passed their time in the solace of a friendship closely cemented. but the beautiful flower of the island fell a prey to the varying climate and the dormant love of the chieftain. she pointed her white hands to heaven, and she gave back to mary mother her tired soul as white as the snowdrift. the busy brown hands of malinche had never once tired of their office in smoothing her feverish pillows. her fresh, perfect faith pointing upward, helped to pinion the soul for its passage. "farewell to thee, fair catalina! though you tore my heart with your coming, you have torn it worse with your going. may the angels, shrouding your sorrow, pour their multiple bliss in your welcome, and paradise pant with your beauty, and heaven, as white as your goodness, shine out through the doors for malinche; for i envy your early passage, and would gladly have gone before you. i have found earth's love but a fetter to cripple the wing of our exit." and after he humbled the aztecs, the chieftain soon turned to the southward, still holding the hand of malinche, as if the cold palm of the dona had never intruded its presence; his memory, cold as her pulses, gave hardly a throb at departure, but malinche wept o'er her ashes, and prayed that the blessing of heaven might comfort the soul of the dona; yet she held not her hand from the chieftain, though she chid with the love of the turtle; yet her heart could not harrow its fallow though a hundred-fold lay in the effort. the ill-fated chief guatamozin (who succeeded the great moctheuzoma, and so stubbornly fought for his people) had fared the same fate of the monarch, except that he gazed on the ashes, and saw the cold ghost of his nation pass out through the gates of the sunset, and all just a little before him. he attended cortez on his journey, with other great men of his people; never man was more loyal to master than the throneless king to his chieftain- to the cavalcade came a rumor, that the life of cortez was endangered by a plot of the aztec attendants (cortez was the stoniest master, to the knights as well as the natives, and no wonder his life should be threatened. the scar of a crime on our nature, with remembrance of wrong we inflicted, puts a double watch on our victim; we are prone to measure in manner, each soul in the pitiful bushel that holds the shrunk grains of _our_ manhood.) and cortez turned his eyes for an answer, to the plot that was laid for his footsteps, on the staunch aztec king, guatamozin; he had fought a brave battle for aztlan, and the spaniards had felt his prowess in the hardly wrenched sword of their triumph; but when the despair of his nation settled down on his heart as a mountain, no treachery lingered to poison the flow of his deeply drawn sadness. yet, the wrongs he had laid on the people, stalked out as a ghost on the chieftain. and the sad eyes of poor guatamozin, were his guilty conscience' accuser; and though not a stain was upon him, yet the chief was condemned by cortez. then malinche's warm heart overflowing, when she saw how unjust was the sentence, gave its plea with the beautiful pathos of the life that is simple and loving. though she was baptized as a christian, and was charmed with the life of the god-son, yet the water the priest sprinkled on her purged not from her veins the warm aztec which, charged with a just indignation, poured out on her chieftain its measure: "as a faithful god is my witness- not a throb of my heart has wasted its pulse on the suit of another, since you glittered my life with its purchase, i have loved you too well for my worship, which has hardly a god, but my chieftain; but i plead for my country and people- you showed me a christ that was loving, whose life was a psalm of forgiveness, who touched the hot lips of our anger with the tender finger of patience. i was won by his great example, it warmed the cold stone of the aztec with the radiant beams of the morning; it loosened the chains from the ankles that were swift on errands of mercy; it tore off the scales from the eyelids that were blinded with superstition; gave freedom to innocent victims, from the fearful death of the itztli; and winged back the soul to its manor, from the desert and dust of the ages. "but where is the christ you were pleading- the merciful god of your banner? the nails of the cross are your sword points, and his pleadings the parent of carnage. his merciful words are but margods, to hurl on your host to the slaughter. as i pleaded for moctheuzoma that you spare him the shame of his prison, so i plead for the brave guatamozin, though he fought so hard for the aztecs, i would balance my life on his honor. the traitor is not of such metal, at your front--in your face--he may strike you; but he takes not the night for his helmlet, nor is treachery ever his weapon. then spare him, my noble hernando!" but her prayers were in vain for the victim, the heart of cortez was relentless; and another brave soul winged its passage, to try if the gates of the city still turn for the broken in spirit. in time they drew near to painnalla, and the tale of her childhood confronts her, though she hardly can call up one feature to gaze on the face of another, and each say to each, "we are brothers"; yet the story has lived with her living, and been fanned by the fervor of gossip; and malinche's warm heart has been shaken, o'er the bitterest brink of a trial. her chieftain, grown great with his conquest, thrusts the knife of his pride to her heartstrings, in search of some noble alliance; and she must be weaned from his wooing. as only _one_ god lighteth heaven, she has held the _one_ place in his household, than which has the earth none more sacred. yet the shade of the poor catalina has shown her how weak is the chieftain, and the bolt is thus broken in falling; still her whole heart presses the balance, and a sacred thing was her loving, for love is the latch-key to heaven. but she tries to force back her sorrow at the sacred shrine of her birthplace; and the angels are gentle that hover at the rustic shade of the hearthstone. all the sorrow comes out of the shadow, all the bitterness bathes in the sunshine, the stubbornest pangs of resentment are cooled to the calm of forgiveness; and charity cradles the armor that was harnessed in bristling anger. her mother is summoned with others at the call of cortez to assemble, and malinche sees mother and brother through the soul of an earnest hunger. she (young in all things but her sorrow, and with only her nature to prompt her) beholds, with the heart of a daughter, the mother that cruelly spurned her, in the fading spring of her lifetime. the mother, as ready responding to the tie that her crime would have broken, sees her child, like the face of a spectre, rising out of the grave to accuse her, and in terror would fly from her presence; but malinche sprang forward to grasp her, and, forgetting all else but her mother, poured out her full heart in caresses, saying, "surely, my mother, you knew not when you sold me away to the traders; surely, not with your voice could you sanction, your words would have frozen together, and not with your heart you consented. the blood would have whited to marble; some artifice surely was practiced. my mother was _always_ my mother; and though you unwittingly sold me, malinche is free to forgive you. take back to your bosom your daughter, it is all for the best that we parted, for it gave me my sweet mary mother with her child, the immaculate god-son; and better a slave and a christian, than a priest in the pay of the temple. and, yet, how i longed for a mother, to show the clear trail for my footsteps, and to hold the white hand of my childhood! with no other mother but mary (sweet mary, the soul of compassion), i have tried to grow up towards heaven; but a mother on earth is the blessing that can never be held by another. our flesh will not float on the pinions that bear to elysian our spirits; our hearts are too warm for the angels, to hush with their transparent fingers; our lips are too ready for kisses to be cooled to the calm of devotion; our hands are too warm in another's to be folded in supplication; too much of the earth is about us to be lost in the halo of heaven- so we need the cool heart of the mother that has passed the hot chaos of passion, to temper the pulse that is wayward. "yet i cannot have wandered so greatly, when love was the only impulsion, such a distance away from the master whose name is the essence of loving; but he sees the bare heart in its throbbing, and the crystallized faith of my footsteps that were only too quick in their choosing. surely, love, the benificent master, springing forth from the bosom of mary, to smother the earth with caresses, will drop a light hand on the shoulder that shadows a heart that has wandered by only its warm overflowing." she loaded her mother with jewels, and left not the shadow of malice to stain the fair skirts of her mercy, but canceled her wrongs with caresses, and covered the past with forgiveness. thus she bore the whole soul of the gospel to the hungry hearts of her people; and the heart is not hard to the sermon that carries a life for its background as perfectly pure as the precept. the heathen is waiting the harvest- only hallowed hands for the sickle; when the life and the lip move together millennium waits on the morning. the trial that sometimes had shadowed comes at last in its fullness upon her, and the pride of cortez seeks another for the place that is only malinche's. and he offers to don xamarillo the tremulous hand of the maiden, as if it was his to bestow her as a chattel--a token of friendship- on his friend and bosom companion. the anger of love was upon her, and all of her beauty shone brightest, as she flashed on her recreant lover the flaming scourge of her protest: "i came as a slave to your camp-ground; you lifted me out of my bondage, for you knew i was free in my birthright. you wooed me, and won me as lover, and only as wife could have worn it; i have drawn on your love as a garment. you first sought me out as a sponsor, but the language of spain is a magnet that drew me all out of malinche and made me a part of her chieftain; and now you would sunder the tendrils and force back the vine from the branches where they learn't all of life in reclining, and never can unlearn the lesson. "o, hernando, you know not malinche! if you think she can cherish another in the heart she too willingly gave you; were you priest of the aztec temple, and should raise in your hand the itztli, to open the breast of your victim; my heart would leap out at your calling, e're the word of your summons was spoken. ask me to anticipate heaven, and my life would be swift in its forfeit. but to learn the love of another, and to wean me from your caresses, is beyond the wisdom of granting. the logic of love hath a limit, only god can re-tension our heart-strings. "oh, hernando! my prince and my primate, my husband on earth and in heaven! let me cling to your feet as a hand-maid, and wash with my tears, as another did moisten the feet of our savior, but drive me not hence from your presence. i can never love xamarillo- he can fetter the hand of malinche, but her heart will go over the ocean and will smite at your breast when you proffer your hand to some delicate dona. "not alone is the voice of my pleading, but an angel in heaven confronts you; the white wings of sweet catalina, shall flutter the breath of your wooing: you sent her too early to heaven to quiet the shade of her anguish. two wives--one on earth, one in heaven- throw their _love_ and _your_ pride in the balance; and another whose innocent glances should burn all the dross from your nature, your child is a witness against you; god has sent him a pledge of my wifehood, to nail the black lie of denying. "though no priest gave the mystical signet, surely god heard the vows that were spoken when our hearts took their place at the wedding; and who shall say nay to a union, when love gives our souls to each other? god is love, and no higher can speak it. o, hernando! be father and husband, be angel and saint to malinche! she kneels, as she would at god's altar, to plead for the heart you have broken. o, turn from your pride, and but touch it, and it will bloom over with blessing, and will hallow the hand that shall heal it!" all in vain did she plead with the chieftain; his pride was the bane of his footsteps. the angel of love would have held him, but the blood of old spain was too purple, and smothered her tender endeavor. the grip of his purpose still held him, and malinche, now passive with anguish, was given to don xamarillo with all the sanction of marriage. he was kind, indulgent and loving, and she was made wealthy by cortez giving back the estate of her mother and much of the wealth of the province, as if he would purchase appeasement. the chieftain made lavish atonement, as far as the world could atone her; but her heart was impossible healing. though her charities gave her some solace, and she strove with the earnest of pathos to lose in the anguish of others the shadow of self and of sorrow, yet she wended her way, broken-hearted; and, as if like the spirit of aztlan, with the mark of perpetual sadness, with the head bending over and brooding- as groping her way to the sunset, peering out for the light that was passing for ever and aye with the shadows- she fell asleep with her people, and an angel was born in heaven. and a guardian angel descended, and gathered thy ashes, dead aztlan! and spread her white wings o'er the casket, to wait for the sound of the trumpet that called thee to life and to freedom. it rode on the wing of the north wind, and shook the whole earth when it sounded. and no plainer hozanna gave echo, than arose from thy halls, montezuma, when the shade of malinche gave battle, and the armies of spain were dismembered, as mexitli arose from her ashes, and a star was replanted in heaven! and now, in the dusk of the evening, when lovers await at the casement, the tokened response of their ladies, when chapultepec garlands her tablets with the beautiful plumage of springtime, and a thousand sprays of the sunlight give her walls all the charm of enchantment, malinche is seen through the shadows, the unsummoned guest at each wedding; the unspoken tryst of all lovers; wherever two hands are united, the hand of a third presses o'er them. the troth of two hearts is cemented by the one that was cruelly broken. no symbol of faith can be stronger, than "the love that is true as malinche's." and she watches the fate of the nation with the jealous eye of a mother,- a mother, whose voice more than others taught their lips the first lisp of the gospel, and tendered their steps toward heaven. a saint, at whose shrine they all gather when the shadow of war hovers o'er them, and the eagle swoops down from the mountain to cover the snake with his talons. and they pledge anew to the banner that arose again with the nation, when the three hundred years of their bondage forged their broken links into missiles to drive spain into the ocean. thus she holds the warm palm of her people with a memory stronger than shadow,- she lives; and the spirit of aztlan, "the beautiful sphinx of the ages," with its foot at the threshold of empire, and its hand on the pulse of the sunrise, and its crown of all possible setting, has no brighter gem than malinche. * * * * * blest mary! the mother of god, and tenderest daughter of heaven! thou, too, hast passed under the rod, and with thy great sorrow hast striven! shall a child of misfortune e'er wait on this side the beautiful city, when thy hand is the turn of the gate, and thy voice hath the magic of pity? no; the word shall be spoken ere thought, and the prayer be granted ere spoken, and the gate shall swing open unsought to the heart that is bleeding and broken. the devils that tore magdalene may gnash at the sorrow of others; since a pitying christ uttered "peace," mankind become sisters and brothers. our faith hangs not on the morrow, but is instant and on the wing; with the common signet of sorrow, we pass to the court of the king. the harp of the west. fair clime of the sunset! more richly endowed than hispan' the knightly, or gallia the proud- where the lakes of old scotia are lost in the maze of thy thousand that mirror their heavy fringed banks of mountain and crag, and the stateliest ranks that ever stood sentinel-watch to the gaze of a sky bending closer, and breathing more near than the heart ever throbbed to the fall of a tear. though the soul be as barren as gobi's bleak heath and the spirit of song in the cold throes of death, can humanity throttle the play of the breeze o'er the harp that old nature unwittingly strung, when the windows of heaven wide open were flung, for a thousand years to thy masterful trees? can the ear fail to hear, or the eye fail to see thy rich crown! thy sweet song! great yo semite? though the brow of olympus be crowded with thrones, and the cliffs of parnassus resound with the tones of the muses that sang at the foot of their god, not apollo's great steeds, nor the flame of his car, nor mars, with the terrible glitter of war, can dazzle the face of thy sun and thy sod, bright star of the west! thou art empire's own idol, the steed of the lightning, untamed to the bridle! what is history's wreath but a record of death! time breathes on the tablet, it fades with his breath; but nature has written in language so strong that eternity's finger alone can displace, and write its own letters to fill up the space. our castles are mountains--our history, long,- so long that we simply write god on the page, and leave other nations to guess at our age. our song is the present; god fills up the past, with his rock-written letters; a volume so vast no hand may transcribe what he leaves as his own. from sinai we came with his prophet of old, to the valley where glitters the altar of gold- shall we break, in our frenzy, the tables of stone? no! the letters are fresh, and deep graven the hand. far too sacred our charge! as he writ, let them stand! when these tablets of nature shall yield to the brain, and some bard shall interpret the words they contain, what a song shall burst forth from the prison of thought! as his hand shall pass over the magical strings, and each chord at his touch into unison springs, as the wing of his impulse is hastily caught, no harp more divine in the turn of the earth shall throb to the measures of sorrow and mirth! * * * * * transcriber's notes. many stanzas do not end with any punctuation. as author's intent could not be divined, this was retained. at times, a continued quotation was given a new opening quotation mark at the start of a new page. as, again, author's intent was not obvious this was left as printed. stanzas across pages were difficult to place. page vi, "underserved" changed to "undeserved" (to be an undeserved) page vi, period added at end of paragraph (all early historians.) page vii, "aborgines" changed to "aborigines" (superiors of the aborigines) page vii, "occured" changed to "occurred" (occurred to me) page ix, "intolerence" changed to "intolerance" (intolerance and deceit) page ix, space added after comma (palliation, and) page 10, opening double quotation mark replaced single quotation mark ("thus saith the lord: 'o truant) page 10, opening double quotation mark replaced single quotation mark ("'i am the god, of whom) page 11, word "i" added to text to replace smudged text (i kissed the clay to life) page 18, "deliverence" changed to "deliverance" (where can our deliverance) page 21, "yonr" changed to "your" (into your hands) page 32, "warrent" changed to "warrant" (had no warrant) page 37, space added between words (is weighing) page 42, space added between words (clings to) page 59, "they" changed to "thy" (on thy face) page 60, space added after comma (ask, give) page 77, "recessess" changed to "recesses" (deep recesses of) page 81, "ominpotence" changed to "omnipotence" (only omnipotence, we) page 81, "dispair" changed to "despair" (us back despair) page 83, "fraticidal" changed to "fratricidal" (fall in fratricidal jar) page 86, "tribue" changed to "tribute" (brought their tribute to) page 89, "emanciapation" changed to "emancipation" (is emancipation: time) page 91, "pefectness" changed to "perfectness" (so much perfectness) page 104, "slowy" changed to "slowly" (learn as slowly) page 117, footnote, "sacrafice" changed to "sacrifice" (protest against human sacrifice) page 118, "quetzalcoalt" changed to "quetzalcoatl" (quetzalcoatl takes back) page 118, "nezahualcoyolt" changed to "nezahualcoyotl" (great nezahualcoyotl did spurn) page 119, footnote, "aztic" changed to "aztec" (with the aztec language) page 126, "yoeman" changed to "yeoman" (the hardy yeoman) page 132, "crusifix" changed to "crucifix" (no mumbled crucifix) page 133, "repentent" changed to "repentant" (its repentant ashes) page 133, "bethleham" changed to "bethlehem" (the star of bethlehem) page 141, "veiw" changed to "view" (brought to view) page 156, "appeasment" changed to "appeasement" (now purchase appeasement) page 164, "compainon" changed to "companion" (as companion and) page 168, "warned" changed to "warmed" (it warmed the cold) page 168, "radient" changed to "radiant" (the radiant beams) page 172, "anothers" changed to "another's" (arm in another's) page 175, "comfronts" changed to "confronts" (heaven confronts you) page 179, "tought" changed to "taught" (taught their lips) page 181, "statliest" changed to "stateliest" (the stateliest ranks) images of public domain material from the google print project.) the aztec treasure-house by thomas allibone janvier copyright, 1890, by harper & brothers. _all rights reserved._ to c. a. j. departimiento y ha entre los engaños. catales y ha que son buenos, e tales que malos, e buenos son aquellos que los omnes fazen a buena fe e a buena intencion.--alonzo el sabio, setena partida, titulo xvi., ley ii. [illustration: the dying cacique.] contents. prologue i. fray antonio ii. the cacique's secret iii. the monk's manuscript iv. montezuma's messenger v. the engineer and the lost-freight man vi. the king's symbol vii. the fight in the cañon viii. after the fight ix. the cave of the dead x. the swinging statue xi. the submerged city xii. in the valley of death xiii. up the chac-mool stair xiv. the hanging chain xv. the temple in the clouds xvi. at the barred pass xvii. of our coming into the vally of aztlan xviii. the striking of a match xix. the seeds of revolt xx. the priest captain's summons xxi. the walled city of culhuacon xxii. the outbreak of revolution xxiii. a rescue xxiv. the affair at the water-gate xxv. the gold-miners of huitzilan xxvi. the gathering for war xxvii. an offer of terms xxviii. the surrender of a life xxix. the assault in the night xxx. the fall of the citadel xxxi. defeat xxxii. el sabio's defiance xxxiii. in the aztec treasure-house xxxiv. a martyrdom xxxv. the treasure-chamber xxxvi. the vengeance of the gods xxxvii. through darkness to light xxxviii. king chaltzantzin's treasure epilogue list of illustrations. the dying cacique the letter from the dead packing in the corral the fight in the cañon the cave of the dead afloat on the lake el sabio's predicament making the peace-sign the fulfilment of the prophecy the striking of a match checking young's outbreak the leap from above the water-gate the tlahuicos and their guards in the gate-way of the citadel the last rally el sabio's defiance fray antonio's appeal young's struggle with the priest captain in the library before the open fire _who'd hear great marvels told- come listen now! who longs for hidden gold- come listen now! who joys in well-fought fights, who yearns for wondrous sights, who pants for strange delights- come listen now!_ _for here are marvels told to listen to! here tales of hidden gold to listen to! here gallant men wage fights, here pass most wondrous sights, here's that which ear delights to listen to!_ the aztec treasure-house prologue. "god sends nuts to them who have no teeth:" which ancient spanish proverb of contrariety comes strongly to mind as i set myself to this writing. by nature am i a studious, book-loving man, having a strong liking for quiet and orderliness. yet in me also is a strain that urges me, even along ways which are both rough and dangerous, to get beyond book-knowledge, and to examine for myself the abstractions of thought and the concretions of men and things out of the consideration whereof books are made. and i hold that it is because i have thus sought for truth in its original sources, instead of resting content with what passes for truth, being detached fragments of fact which other men have found and have cut and polished to suit themselves, that i have gathered to myself more of it, and in its rude yet perfect native crystals, than has come into the possession of any other modern investigator. in making which strong assertion i am not moved by idle vanity, but by a just and reasonable conception of the intrinsic merit of my own achievement: as will be universally admitted when i publish the great work, now almost ready for the press, upon which, in preparatory study and in convincing discovery, i have been for the past ten years engaged. for i speak well within bounds when i declare that a complete revolution in all existing conceptions of american archæology and ethnology will be wrought when _pre-columbian conditions on the continent of north america_, by professor thomas palgrave, ph.d. (leipsic), is given to the world. upon this work i say that i have been engaged for ten years. rather should i say that i have been engaged upon it for forty years; for its germs were implanted in me when i was a child of but six years old. before my intelligence at all could grasp the meaning of what i read, my imagination was fired by reading in the pages of stephens of the wonders which that eminent explorer discovered in yucatan; and my mind then was made up that i would follow in his footsteps, and in the end go far beyond him, until i should reveal the whole history of the marvellous race whose mighty works he found, but of whose genesis he could only feebly surmise. and this resolve of the child became the dominant purpose of the man. in my college life at harvard, and in my university life at leipsic, my studies were directed chiefly to this end. especially did i devote myself to the acquisition of languages, and to gaining a sound knowledge of the principles of those departments of archæology and ethnology which related to the great work that i had in view. later, during the ten years that i occupied (as i believe usefully and acceptably) the chair of topical linguistics in the university of michigan, all the time that i properly could take from my professorial duties was given exclusively to the study of the languages of the indigenous races of mexico, and to what little was to be found in books concerning their social organization and mode of life, and to the broad subject of mexican antiquities. by correspondence i became acquainted with the most eminent mexican archæologists--the lamented orozco y berra, icazbalceta, chavero, and the philologists pimentel and peñafiel; and i had the honor to know personally the american archæologist bandelier, the surpassing scientific value of whose researches among the primitive peoples of mexico places his work above all praise. and by the study of the writings of these great scholars, and of all writings thereto cognate, my own knowledge steadily grew; until at last i felt myself strong enough to begin the investigations on my own account for which i had sought by all these years of patient preparation fittingly to pave the way. but inasmuch as my life until a short time since has been wholly that of a scholar, and wholly has been passed in quiet ways, i truly have had no teeth at all for the proper cracking of the nuts which have come to me in the course of the surprising adventures that i have now set myself to narrate. for in the course of these adventures (necessarily, yet sorely against my will) i have been thrust by force of circumstances into many imminent and prodigious perils; much time that i gladly would have devoted to peaceful, fruitful study i have been compelled to employ in rude and profitless (except that my life was saved by it) battling with savages; and--what most of all has pained me--many curious and interesting skulls that i gladly would have added entire to my collection of crania, i have been driven in self-defence to ruin irreparably with my own hands. all of which diversities of my likings and my happenings will appear in due order, as i tell in the following pages of the strange and wonderful things which befell me--in company with rayburn and young and fray antonio and the boy pablo--in our search after and finding of the great treasure that was hidden, in a curiously secret place among the mexican mountains more than a thousand years ago, by chaltzantzin, the third of the aztec kings. i. fray antonio. my heart was light within me as i stood on the steamer's deck in the cool gray of an october morning and saw out across the dark green sea and the dusky, brownish stretch of coast country the snow-crowned peak of orizaba glinting in the first rays of the rising sun. and presently, as the sun rose higher, all the tropic region of the coast and the brown walls of vera cruz and of its outpost fort of san juan de ulua were flooded with brilliant light--which sudden and glorious outburst of radiant splendor seemed to me to be charged with a bright promise of my own success. and still lighter was my heart, a week later, when i found myself established in the beautiful city of morelia, and ready to begin actively the work for which i had been preparing myself--at first unconsciously, but for ten years past consciously and carefully--almost all my life long. morelia, i had decided, was the best base for the operations that i was about to undertake. my main purpose was to search for the remnants of primitive civilization among the more isolated of the native indian tribes; and out of the fragments thus found, pieced together with what more i could glean from the early ecclesiastical and civil records, to recreate, so far as this was possible, the fabric that was destroyed by the spanish conquerors. nowhere could my investigations be conducted to better advantage than in the state of michoacan (of which state the city of morelia is the capital) and in the adjacent state of jalisco; for in this region tribes still exist which never have been reduced to more than nominal subjection, and which maintain to a great extent their primitive customs and their primitive faith, though curiously mingling with this latter many christian observances. indeed, the independence of the indians of these parts is so notable that the proverb "free as jalisco" is current throughout mexico. moreover, morelia is a city rich in ancient records. the archives of the franciscan province, that has its centre here extend back to the year 1531; those of the bishopric of michoacan to the year 1538; and those of the colegio de san nicolás to the year 1540; while in the recently founded museo michoacano already has been collected a rich store of archæological material. in a word, there was no place in all mexico where my studies and my investigations could be pursued to such advantage as they could be pursued here. from a fellow-archæologist in the city of mexico i brought a letter of introduction to the director of the museo, the learned dr. nicolás leon; and so cordially was this letter worded, and so cordially was it received, that within the day of my coming into that strange city i found myself in the midst of friends. at once their hearts and their houses were opened to me, and they gave me with a warm enthusiasm the benefit of their knowledge and of their active assistance forwarding the work that i had in hand. in the quiet retirement of the museo i opened to that one of its members to whom the director especially had commended me, don rafael moreno, the purposes which i had in view, and the means by which i hoped to accomplish them. "surely," i said, "among the free indians in the mountains hereabouts much may be found--in customs, in tone of thought, in religion--that has remained unchanged since the time of the conquest." don rafael nodded. "fray antonio has said as much," he observed, thoughtfully. "and as your own distinguished countryman, señor orozco y berra, has pointed out," i continued, "many dark places in primitive history may be made clear, many illusions may be dispelled, and many deeply interesting truths may be gathered by one who will go among these indians, lending himself to their mode of life, and will note accurately what he thus learns from sources wholly original." "fray antonio has professed the same belief," don rafael answered. "but that his love is greater for the saving of heathen souls than for the advancement of antiquarian knowledge, he long ago would have done what you now propose to do. he has done much towards gathering a portion of the information that you seek, even as it is." "and who is this fray antonio, señor?" "he is the man who of all men can give you the wisest help in your present need. we see but little of him here at the museo, though he is one of our most honored members, for his time is devoted so wholly to the godly work to which he has given himself that but little remains to him to use in other ways. he is a monk, vowed to the rule of st. francis. as you know, since the promulgation of the laws of the reform, monks are not permitted in our country to live in communities; but, with only a few exceptions, the conventual churches which have not been secularized still are administered by members of the religious orders to which they formerly belonged. fray antonio has the charge of the church of san francisco--over by the market-place, you know--and virtually is a parish priest. he is a religious enthusiast. in god's service he gives himself no rest. the common people here, since his loving labors are among them while the pestilence of small-pox raged, reverently believe him to be a saint; and those of a higher class, who know what heroic work he did in that dreadful time, and who see how perfectly his life conforms to the principles which he professes, and how like is the spirit of holiness that animates him to that of the sainted men who founded the order to which he belongs, are disposed to hold a like opinion. truly, it is by the especial grace of god that men like fray antonio are permitted at times to dwell upon this sinful earth." don rafael spoke with a depth of feeling and a reverence of tone that gave his strong words still greater strength and deeper meaning. after that moment's pause he resumed: "but that which is of most interest to you, señor, is the knowledge that fray antonio has gained of our native indians during his ministrations among them. it is the dearest wish of his heart to carry to these heathen souls the saving grace of christianity, and for the accomplishment of this good purpose he makes many journeys into the mountains; ministering in the chapels which his zeal has founded in the indian towns, and striving earnestly by his preaching of god's word to bring these far-wandered sheep into the christian fold. very often his life has been in most imminent peril, for the idolatrous priests of the mountain tribes hate him with a most bitter hatred because of the inroads which his mild creed is making upon the cruel creed which they uphold. yet is he careless of the danger to which he exposes himself; and there be those who believe, such is the temerity with which he manifests his zeal, that he rather seeks than shuns a martyr's crown." again don rafael paused, and again was it evident that deep feelings moved him as he spoke of the holy life of this most holy man. "you will thus understand, señor," he went on, "that fray antonio of all men is best fitted by his knowledge of the ways of these mountain indians to advise you touching your going among them and studying them. you cannot do better than confer with him at once. it is but a step to the church of san francisco. let us go." what don rafael had said had opened new horizons to me, and i was stirred by strange feelings as we passed out together from the shady silence of the museo into the bright silence of the streets: for morelia is a quiet city, wherein at all times is gentleness and rest. for priests in general, and for mexican priests in particular, i had entertained always a profound contempt; but now, from an impartial source, i had heard of a mexican priest whose life-springs seemed to be the soul-stirring impulses of the thirteenth century; who was devoted in soul and in body to the service of god and of his fellow-men; in whom, in a word, the seraphic spirit of st. francis of assisi seemed to live again. but by this way coming to such tangible evidence of the survival in the present time of forces which were born into the world six hundred years ago, my thoughts took a natural turn to my own especial interests; and, by perhaps not over-strong analogy, i reasoned that if this monk still lived so closely to the letter and to the spirit of the rule that st. francis, six centuries back, gave to his order, most reasonably might i hope to find still quick something of the life that was in full vigor in mexico only a little more than half that many centuries ago. we turned off from the calle principal by the little old church of la cruz, and passed onward across the market-place, where buying and selling went on languidly, and where a drowsy hum of talk made a rhythmic setting to a scene that seemed to my unaccustomed eyes less a bit of real life than a bit lifted bodily from an opera. facing the market-place was the ancient church; and the change was a pleasant one, from the vivid sunlight and warmth of the streets to its cool, shadowy interior: where the only sign of life was a single old woman, her head muffled in her _rebozo_, praying her way along the stations of the cross. for more than two hundred and fifty years had prayer been made and praise been offered here; and as i thought of the many generations who here had ministered and worshipped--though evil hearts in plenty, no doubt, both within and without the chancel there had been--it seemed to me that some portion of the subtle essence of all the soul-longings for heavenly help and guidance that here had been breathed forth, by men and women truly struggling against the sinful forces at work in the world, had entered into the very fabric of that ancient church, and so had sanctified it. we crossed to the eastern end of the church, where was a low door-way, closed by a heavy wooden door that was studded with rough iron nails and ornamented with rudely finished iron-work; pushing which door open briskly, as one having the assured right of entry there, don rafael courteously stood aside and motioned to me to enter the sacristy. from the shadowy church i passed at a step into a small vaulted room brilliant with the sunlight that poured into it through a broad window that faced the south. just where this flood of sunshine fell upon the flagged floor, rising from a base of stone steps built up in a pyramidal form, was a large cross of some dark wood, on which was the life-size figure of the crucified christ; and there, on the bare stone pavement before this emblem of his faith, his face, on which the sunlight fell full, turned upward towards the holy image, and his arms raised in supplication, clad in his franciscan habit, of which the hood had fallen back, knelt fray antonio; and upon his pale, holy face, that the rich sunlight glorified, was an expression so seraphic, so entranced, that it seemed as though to his fervent gaze the very gates of heaven must be open, and all the splendors and glories and majesties of paradise revealed. it is as i thus first saw fray antonio--verily a saint kneeling before the cross--that i strive to think of him always. yet even when that other and darker, but surely more glorious, picture of him rises before my mind i am not disconsolate; for at such times the thought possesses me--coming to me clearly and vehemently, as though from a strongly impelled force without myself--that what he prayed for at the moment when i beheld him was that which god granted to him in the end. some men being thus broken in upon while in the very act of communing with heaven would have been distressed and ill at ease--as i assuredly was because i had so interrupted him. but to fray antonio, as i truly believe, communion with heaven was so entirely a part of his daily life that our sudden entry in nowise ruffled him. after a moment, that he might recall his thoughts within himself and so to earth again, he arose from his knees, and with a grave, simple grace came forward to greet us. he was not more than eight-and-twenty years old, and he was slightly built and thin--not emaciated, but lean with the wholesome leanness of one who strove to keep his body in the careful order of a machine of which much work was required. his face still had in it the soft roundness and tenderness of youth, that accorded well with its expression of gracious sweetness; but there was a firmness about the fine, strong chin, and in the set of the delicate lips, that showed a reserve of masterful strength. and most of all did this strength shine forth from his eyes; which, truly, though at this first sight of him i did not perceive it fully, were the most wonderful eyes that ever i have seen. as i then beheld them i thought them black; but they really were a dark blue, and so were in keeping with his fair skin and hair. yet that which gave them so strong an individuality was less their changing color than the marvellous way in which their expression changed with every change of feeling of the soul that animated them. when i first saw them, turned up towards heaven, they seemed to speak a heavenly language full of love; and when i saw them last, stern, but shining with the exultant light of joy triumphant, they fairly hurled the wrath of outraged heaven against the conquered powers of hell. and i can give no adequate conception of the love that shone forth from them when pitying sympathy for human sorrow, or even for the pain which brute beasts suffered, touched that most tender heart for which they spoke in tones richer and fuller than the tones of words. don rafael, standing without the door that he had opened in order that i might precede him, did not perceive that we had interrupted fray antonio in his prayers; and began, therefore, in the lively manner natural to him, when i had been in due form presented as an american archæologist come to mexico to pursue my studies of its primitive inhabitants, to commend the undertaking that i had in hand, and to ask of fray antonio the aid in prosecuting it that he so well could give. perhaps it was that fray antonio understood how wholly my heart already had gone out to him--assuredly, later, there was such close sympathy between us that our thoughts would go and come to each other without need for words--and so was disposed in some instinctive way to join his purposes with mine; but, be this as it may, before don rafael well could finish the explanation of my wishes, fray antonio had comprehended what i desired, and had promised to give me his aid. "the señor already has a book-knowledge of our native tongues. that is well. the speaking knowledge will come easily. he shall have the boy pablo for his servant. a good boy is pablo. with him he can talk in the nahua dialect--which is the most important, for it is sprung most directly from the ancient stock. and i will arrange that the señor shall live for a time in the mountains--it will be a hard life, i fear--at santa maría and at san andrés, in which villages he can gain a mouth-mastery of both otomí and tarascan. a little time must be given to all this--some months, no doubt. but the señor, who already has studied through ten years, will understand the needfulness of this short discipline. to a true student study in itself is a delight--still more that study which makes the realization of a long-cherished purpose possible. the señor, i know, reads spanish, since so perfectly he speaks it"--this with a gracious movement of the hands and a courteous inclination of the body that enhanced the value of the compliment--"but does the señor read with ease our ancient spanish script?" "i have never attempted it," i answered. "but as i can read easily the old printed spanish, i suppose," i added, a little airily, "that i shall have no great difficulty in reading the old script also." fray antonio smiled a little as he glanced at don rafael, who smiled also, and as he turned out his hands, answered: "perhaps. but it is not quite the same as print, as the señor will know when he tries. but it makes no difference; for what is most interesting in our archives i shall be glad--and so also will be don rafael--to aid him in reading. "you must know, señor," he went on, dropping his formal mode of address as his interest in the subject augmented, and as his feeling towards me grew warmer, "that many precious documents are here preserved. so early as the year 1536 this western region was erected into a custodia, distinct from the province of the santo evangelio of mexico; and from that time onward letters and reports relating to the work done by the missionaries of our order among the heathen have been here received. in truth, i doubt not that many historic treasures are hidden here. in modern times, during the last hundred years or more, but little thought has been given to the care of these old papers--which are so precious to such as don rafael and yourself because of their antiquarian value, and which are still more precious to me because they tell of the sowing among the heathen of the seed of god's own word. it is probable that they have not been at all examined into since our learned brothers pablo de beaumont and alonzo de la rea were busy with the writing of their chronicles of this province--and the labors of these brothers ended more than two hundred and fifty years ago. in the little time that i myself can give to such matters i already have found many manuscripts which cast new and curious light upon the strange people who dwelt here in mexico before the spaniards came. some of these i will send for your examination, for they will prepare you for the work you have in contemplation by giving you useful knowledge of primitive modes of life and tones of faith and phases of thought. and while you are in the mountains, at santa maría and san andrés, i will make further searches in our archives, and what i find you shall see upon your return. "with your permission, señores, i must now go about my work. don rafael knows that i am much too ready to forget my work in talk of ancient matters. it is a weakness with me--this love for the study of antiquity--that i struggle against, but that seems rather to increase upon me than to be overcome. this afternoon, señor, i will send a few of the ancient manuscripts to you. and so--until we meet again." ii. the cacique's secret. fray antonio punctually fulfilled his promise in regard to the manuscripts, and i had but to glance at them in order to understand the smile that he had interchanged with don rafael when i so airily had expressed my confidence in my ability to read them. to say that i more easily could read hebrew is not to the purpose, for i can read hebrew very well; but it is precisely to the purpose to say that i could not read them at all! what with the curious, involved formation of the several letters, the extraordinary abbreviations, the antique spelling, the strange forms of expression, and the use of obsolete words i could not make sense of so much as a single line. yet when, being forced into inglorious surrender, i carried the manuscripts to the museo, and appealed to don rafael for assistance, he read to me in fluent spanish all that i had found so utterly incomprehensible. "it is only a knack," he explained. "a little time and patience are required at first, but then all comes easily." but don rafael did here injustice to his own scholarship. more than a little time and patience have i since given to the study of ancient spanish script, and i am even yet very far from being an expert in the reading of it. in regard to the other promise that fray antonio made me--that he would send me a servant who also would serve as a practical instructor in the nahua, or aztec, dialect--he was equally punctual. while i was taking, in my bedroom, my first breakfast of bread and coffee the morning following my visit to the church of san francisco, i heard a faint sound of music; but whether it was loud music at a distance or very soft music near at hand i could not tell. presently i perceived that the musician was feeling about among the notes for the sabre song from _la grande duchesse_--selections from which semi-obsolete opera, as i then remembered, had been played by the military band on the plaza the evening before. gradually the playing grew more assured; until it ended in an accurate and spirited rendering of the air. with this triumph, the volume of the sound increased greatly; and from its tones i inferred that the instrument was a concertina, and that whoever played it was in the inner court-yard of the hotel. suddenly, in the midst of the music, there sounded--and this sound unmistakably came from the hotel court-yard--the prodigious braying of an ass; and accompanying this came the soft sound of bare feet hurrying away down the passage from near my door. i opened the door and looked out, but the passage was empty. the gallery overlooked the court-yard, and stepping to the edge of the low stone railing, i beheld a sight that i never recall without a feeling of warm tenderness. almost directly beneath me stood a small gray ass, a very delicately shaped and perfect little animal, with a coat of most extraordinary length and fuzziness, and with ears of a truly prodigious size. his head was raised, and his great ears were pricked forward in a fashion which indicated that he was most intently listening; and upon his face was an expression of such benevolent sweetness, joined to such thoughtfulness and meditative wisdom, that in my heart (which is very open to affection for his gentle kind) there sprung up in a moment a real love for him. suddenly he lowered his head, and turned eagerly his regard towards the corner of the court-yard where descended the stair-way from the gallery on which i stood; and from this quarter came towards him a smiling, pleasant-faced indian lad of eighteen or twenty years old, whose dress was a cotton shirt and cotton trousers, whose feet were bare, and on whose head was a battered hat of straw. and as the ass saw the boy, he strained at the cord that tethered him and gave another mighty bray. "dost thou call me, wise one?" said the boy, speaking in spanish. "truly this señor americano is a lazy señor, that he rises so late, and keeps us waiting for his coming so long. but patience, wise one. the padre says that he is a good gentleman, in whose service we shall be treated as though we were kings. no doubt i now can buy my rain-coat. and thou, wise one--thou shalt have beans!" and being by this time come to the ass, the boy enfolded in his arms the creature's fuzzy head and gently stroked its preternaturally long ears. and the ass, for its part, responded to the caress by rubbing its head against the boy's breast and by most energetically twitching its scrag of a tail. thus for a little time these friends manifested for each other their affection; and then the boy seated himself on the pavement beside the ass and drew forth from his pocket a large mouth-organ--on which he went to work with such a will that all the court-yard rang with the strains of offenbach's music. it was plain from what he had said that this was the boy whom fray antonio had promised to send to me; and notwithstanding his uncomplimentary comments upon my laziness, i had taken already a strong liking to him. i waited until he had played through the sabre song again--to which, as it seemed to me, the ass listened with a slightly critical yet pleased attention--and then i hailed him. "the lazy señor americano is awake at last, pablo," i called. "come up hither, and we will talk about the buying of thy rain-coat, and about the buying of the wise one's beans." the boy jumped up as though a spring had been let loose beneath him, and his shame and confusion were so great that i was sorry enough that i had made my little joke upon him. "it is all right, my child," i said, quickly, and with all the kindness that i could put into my tones. "thou wert talking to the wise one, not to me--and i have forgotten all that i heard. thou art come from fray antonio?" "yes, señor," he answered; and as he saw by my smiling that no harm had been done, he also smiled; and so honest and kindly was the lad's face that i liked him more and more. "patience for yet a little longer, wise one," he said, turning to the ass, who gravely wagged his ears in answer. and then the boy came up the stair to the gallery, and so we went to my room that i might have talk with him. it was not much that pablo had to tell about himself. he was a guadalajara lad, born in the indian suburb of mexicalcingo--as his musical taste might have told me had i known more of mexico--who had drifted out into the world to seek his fortune. his capital was the ass--so wise an ass that he had named him el sabio. "he knows each word that i speak to him, señor," said pablo, earnestly. "and when he hears, even a long way off, the music that i make upon the little instrument, he knows that it is from me that the music comes, and calls to me. and he loves me, señor, as though he were my brother; and he knows that with the same tenderness i also love him. it was the good padre who gave him to me. god rest and bless him always!" this pious wish, i inferred, related not to the ass but to fray antonio. "and how dost thou live, pablo?" i asked. "by bringing water from the spring of the holy children, señor. it is two leagues away, the ojo de los santos niños, and el sabio and i make thither two journeys daily. we bring back each time four jars of water, which we sell here in the city--for it is very good, sweet water--at three _tlacos_ the jar. you see, i make a great deal of money, señor--three _reales_ a day! if it were not for one single thing, i should soon be rich." that riches could be acquired rapidly on a basis of about twenty-seven cents, in our currency, a day struck me as a novel notion. but i inquired, gravely: "and this one thing that hinders thee from getting rich, pablo, what is it?" "it is that i eat so much, señor," pablo answered, ruefully. "truly it seems as though this belly of mine never could be filled. i try valiantly to eat little and so to save my money; but my belly cries out for more and yet more food--and so my money goes. although i make so much, i can scarcely save a _medio_ in a whole week, when what el sabio must have and what i must have is paid for. and i am trying so hard to save just now, for before the next rainy season comes i want to own a rain-coat. but for a good one i must pay seven _reales_. the price is vast." "what is a rain-coat, pablo?" "the señor does not know? that is strange. it is a coat woven of palm leaves, so that all over one it is as a thatch that the rain cannot come through. what i was saying just now to el sabio--" pablo stopped suddenly, and turned aside from me in a shamefaced way, as he remembered what he also had said to el sabio about my laziness. "--was that out of the wages i am to pay thee thou canst save enough money to buy thy coat with," i said, quickly, wishing to rid him of his confusion. and then we fell to talking of what these wages should be, and of how he was to help me to gain a speaking knowledge of his native tongue--for so far we had spoken spanish together--and of what in general would be his duties as my servant. that el sabio could be anything but a part of the contract seemed never to cross pablo's mind; and so presently our terms were concluded, and i found myself occupying the responsible relation of master to a mouth-organ playing boy and an extraordinarily wise ass. it was arranged that both of these dependants of mine should accompany me in my expedition to the indian villages; and to clinch our bargain i gave pablo the seven _reales_ wherewith to buy his rain-coat on the spot. i was a little surprised, two days later, when we started from morelia on our journey into the mountains to the westward, to find that pablo had not bought his much-desired garment; though, to be sure, as the rainy season still was a long way off, there was no need for it. he hesitated a little when i questioned him about it, and then, in a very apologetic tone, said: "perhaps the señor will forgive me for doing so ill with his money. but indeed i could not help it. there is an old man, his name is juan, señor, who has been very good to me many times. he has given me things to put into this wretchedly big belly of mine; and when i broke one of my jars he lent me the money to buy another with, and would take from me again only what the jar cost and no more. just now this old man is sick--it is rheumatism, señor--and he has no money at all, and he and his wife have not much to eat, and i know what pain that is. and so--and so--will the señor forgive me? i do not need the rain-coat now, the señor understands. and so i gave juan the seven _reales_, which he will pay me when he gets well and works again; and should he die and not pay me--does the señor know what i have been thinking? it is that rain-coats really are not very needful things, after all. without them one gets wet, it is true; but then one soon gets dry again. but truly"--and there was a sudden catching in pablo's throat that was very like a sob--"truly i did want one." when pablo had told this little story i did not wonder at the esteem in which fray antonio held him, and from that time onward he had a very warm place in my heart. and i may say that but for his too great devotion to his mouth-organ--for that boy never could hear a new tune but that he needs must go at once to practising it upon his beloved "instrumentito" until he had mastered it--he was the best servant that man ever had. and within his gentle nature was a core of very gallant fearlessness. in the times of danger which we shared together later, excepting only rayburn, not one of us stood face to face and foot to foot with death with a steadier or a calmer bravery; for in all his composition there did not seem to be one single fibre that could be made to thrill in unison with fear. of his qualities as a servant i had a good trial during the two months that we were together in the mountains--in which time i got enough working knowledge of the indian dialects to make effective the knowledge that i had gained from books--and i was amazed by the quickness that he manifested in apprehending and in supplying my wants and in understanding my ways. as to making any serious study of indian customs--save only those of the most open and well-known sort--in this short time, i soon perceived that the case was quite hopeless. coming from fray antonio, whose benevolent ministrations among them had won their friendship, the indians treated me with a great respect and showed me every kindness. but i presently began to suspect, and this later grew to be conviction, that because my credentials came from a christian priest i was thrust away all the more resolutely from knowledge of their inner life. what i then began to learn, and what i learned more fully later, convinced me that these indians curiously veneered with christian practices their native heathen faith; manifesting a certain superstitious reverence for the christian rites and ceremonies, yet giving sincere worship only to their heathen gods. it was something to have arrived at this odd discovery, but it tended only to show me how difficult was the task that i had set myself of prying into the secrets of the indians' inner life. indeed, but for an accident, i should have returned to morelia no wiser, practically, than when i left it; but by that turn of chance fortune most wonderfully favored me, and with far-reaching consequences. it was on the last afternoon of my stay in the village of santa maría; and the beginning of my good-luck was that i succeeded in walking out upon the mountain-side alone. my walk had a decided purpose in it, for each time that i had tried to go in this direction one or another of the indians had been quickly upon my heels with some civil excuse about the danger of falling among the rocks for leading me another way. how i thus succeeded at last in escaping from so many watchful eyes i cannot say, but luck was with me, and i went on undisturbed. the sharply sloping mountain-side, very wild and rugged, was strewn with great fragments of rock which had fallen from the heights above, and which, lying there for ages beneath the trees, had come to be moss-grown and half hidden by bushes and fallen leaves. in the dim light that filtered through the branches, walking in so uncertain a place was attended with a good deal of danger; for not only was there a likelihood of falls leading to broken legs, but broken necks also were an easy possibility by the chance of a slip upon the mossy edge of one or another of the many ledges, followed by a spin through the air ending suddenly upon the jagged rocks below. indeed, so ticklish did i find my way that i began to think that the indians had spoken no more than the simple truth in warning me against such dangers, and that i had better turn again while light remained to bring me back in safety; and just as i had reached this wise conclusion my feet slid suddenly from under me on the very edge of one of the ledges, and over i went into the depth below. fortunately i fell not more than a dozen feet or so, and my fall was broken by a friendly bed of leaves and moss. when i got to my feet again, in a moment, i found myself in a narrow cleft in the rocks, and i was surprised to see that through this cleft ran a well-worn path. all thought of the danger that i had just escaped from so narrowly was banished form my mind instantly as i made this discovery; and full of the exciting hope that i was about to find something which the indians most earnestly desired to conceal, i went rapidly and easily onward in the direction that i had been pressing towards with so much difficulty along the rocky mountain-side. the course of this sunken path, i soon perceived, was partly natural and partly artificial. it went on through clefts such as the one that i had fallen into, and through devious ways where the fragments of fallen rock, some of them great masses weighing many tons, had been piled upon each other in most natural confusion, so as to leave a narrow passage in their depths. and all this had been done in a long-past time, for the rocks were thickly coated with moss; and in one place, where a watercourse crossed the path, were smoothed by water in a way that only centuries could have accomplished. so cleverly was the concealment effected, the way so narrow and so irregular, that i verily believe an army might have scoured that mountain-side and never found the path at all, save by such accident as had brought me into it. for half a mile or more i went on in the waning light, my heart throbbing with the excitement of it all, and so came out at last upon a vast jutting promontory of rock that was thrust forth from the mountain's face eastwardly. here was an open space of an acre or more, in the centre of which was a low, altar-like structure of stone. at the end of the narrow path, being still within its shelter, i stopped to make a careful survey of the ground before me; for i realized that in what i was doing death stood close at my elbow, and that, unless i acted warily, he surely would have me in his grasp. coming out of the shadows of the woods and the deeper shadows of the sunken path to this wide open space, where the light of the brilliant sunset was reflected strongly from masses of rosy clouds over all the eastern sky, i could see clearly. in the midst of the opening, not far from the edge of the stupendous precipice, where the bare rock dropped sheer down a thousand feet or more, was a huge bowlder that had been cut and squared with ineffective tools into the rude semblance of a mighty altar. the well-worn path along which i had come told the rest of the story. here was the temple, having for its roof the great arch of heaven, in which the indians, whom the gentle fray antonio believed to be such good christians, truly worshipped their true gods; even as here their fathers had worshipped before them in the very dawning of the ancient past. a tremor of joy went through me as i realized what i had found. here was positive proof of what i had strongly but not surely hoped for. the aztec faith truly was still a living faith; and it followed almost certainly that, could i but penetrate the mystery with which it was hedged about so carefully by them still faithful to it, i would find all that i sought--of living customs, of coherent traditions--wherewith to exhibit clearly to the world of the nineteenth century the wonderful social and religious structure that the spaniards of the sixteenth century had blotted out, but had not destroyed. what my fellow-archæologists had accomplished in syria, in egypt, in greece, was nothing to what i could thus accomplish in mexico. at the best, smith, rawlinson, schliemann, had done no more than stir the dust above the surface of dead antiquity; but i was about to bring the past freshly and brightly into the very midst of the present, and to make antiquity once more alive! as i stood there in the dusk of the narrow pathway, while the joy that was in my heart swelled it almost to bursting, there came to my ears the low moaning of one in pain. the faint, uncertain sound seemed to come from the direction of the great stone altar. to discover myself in that place to any of the indians, i knew would end my archæological ambition very summarily; yet was i moved by a natural desire to aid whoever thus was hurting and suffering. i stood irresolute a moment, and then, as the moaning came to me again, i went out boldly into the open space, and crossed it to where the altar was. as i rounded the great stone i saw a very grievous sight: an old man lying upon the bare rock, a great gash in his forehead from which the blood had flowed down over his face and breast, making him a most ghastly object to look upon; and there was about him a certain limpness that told of many broken bones. he turned his head at the sound of my footsteps, but it was plain that the blood flowing into his eyes had blinded him, and that he could not see me. he made a feeble motion to clear his eyes, but dropped his partly raised arm suddenly and with a moan of pain. i recognized him at a glance. he was the cacique, the chief, and also, as i had shrewdly guessed, the priest of the village--the very last person whom i would have desired to meet in that place. "ah, thou art come to me at last, benito!" he said, speaking in a low and broken voice. "i have been praying to our gods that they would send thee to me--for my death has come, and it is needful that the one secret still hidden from thee, my successor, should be told. i was on the altar's top, and thence i fell." i perceived in what the cacique said that there was hope for me. he could not see me, and he evidently believed that i was the second chief of the village, benito--an indian who had talked much with me, and the tones of whose voice i knew well. doubtless my clumsy attempt to simulate the indian's speech would have been detected quickly under other circumstances, but the cacique believed that no other man could have come to him in that place; and his whole body was wrung with torturing pains, and he was in the very article of death. and so it was, my prudence leading me to speak few and simple words, and my good-luck still standing by me, he never guessed whose hands in his last moments ministered to him. as i raised his head a little and rested it upon my knee, he spoke again, very feebly and brokenly: "on my breast is the bag of skin. in it is the priest-captain's token, and the paper that shows the way to where the stronghold of our race remains. only with me abides this secret, for i am of the ancient house, as thou art also, whence sprung of old our priests and kings. only when the sign that i have told thee of--but telling thee not its meaning--comes from heaven, is the token to be sent, and with it the call for aid. once, as thou knowest, that sign came, and the messenger, our own ancestor, departed. but there was anger then against us among the gods, and they suffered not his message to be delivered, and he himself was slain. yet was the token preserved to us, and yet again the sign from heaven will come. and then--thou knowest--" but here a shiver of pain went through him, and his speech gave place to agonizing moans. when he spoke again his words were but a whisper. "lay me--in front of--the altar," he said. "now is the end." "but the sign? what is it? and where is the stronghold?" i cried eagerly; forgetting in the intense excitement of this strange disclosure my need for reticence, and forgetting even to disguise my voice. but my imprudence cost me nothing. even as i spoke another shiver went through the cacique's body; and as there came from his lips, thereafter forever to be silent, a sound, half moan, half gasp, his soul went out from him, and he was at rest. when a little calmness had returned to me, i took from his breast the bag of skin--stained darkly where his blood had flowed upon it--and then tenderly and reverently lifted his poor mangled body and laid it before the altar. and so i came back along the hidden path, safely and unperceived, to the village: leaving the dead cacique there in the solemn solitude of that great mountain-top, whereon the dusk of night was gathering, alone in death before the altar of his gods. iii. the monk's manuscript. when pablo and i started, the day following, upon our return to morelia, the village of santa maría was overcast with mourning. the cacique was dead, they told us; had fallen among the rocks on the mountain-side, being an old man and feeble, and so was killed. and i was expressly charged with a message to the good padre, begging him to hasten to santa maría that the dead man might have christian burial. i confess that i found this request, though i promised faithfully to comply with it, highly amusing; for i knew beyond the possibility of a doubt that if ever a man died a most earnest and devout heathen it was this same cacique for whom christian burial was sought; and i felt an assured conviction that when the services of the church over him were ended--and whatever good was to be had for him from them secured--he would be buried fittingly with all the fulness of his own heathen rites. but this matter, lying in what i already perceived to be the very wide region between the avowed faith and the hidden faith of the indians, was no concern of mine; yet i longed, as only a thoroughly earnest archæologist could long, to be a witness of the funeral ceremony in which fray antonio most conspicuously would not take part. as this was hopelessly impossible--for only by very slow advances, if ever, could i reach again by considerate investigation the point that in a moment i had reached by chance--i came away from santa maría reluctantly, yet greatly elated by the discovery that i had made. so jealous was i in guarding the strange legacy that the cacique had bequeathed to me that not until i was safe back in morelia, in my room at the hotel, with the door locked behind me, did i venture to examine it. the bag, about six inches square, tightly sewed on all four of its sides, was made of snake-skin, and was provided with a loop of snake-skin so that it might be hung from the neck upon the breast like a scapulary. my hands trembled as i cut the delicate stitching of maguey fibre, and then drew forth a mass of several thicknesses of coarse gray-brown paper, also made of the maguey, such as the ancient aztecs used. being unfolded, i had before me a sheet nearly two feet square, on which was painted in dull colors a curious winding procession of figures and symbols. my knowledge of such matters being then but scant, i could tell only that this was a record, at once historical and geographical, of a tribal migration; and i saw at a glance that it was unlike either of the famous picture-writings which record the migration of the aztecs from culhuacan to the valley of mexico, and then about that valley until their final settlement in tenochtitlan. i was reasonably confident, indeed, that this record differed from all existing codices; and i was filled with what i hope will be looked upon as a pardonable pride at having discovered, within three months of my coming to mexico, this unique and inestimable treasure. my natural desire was to carry my precious codex at once to don rafael, that i might have the benefit of his superior knowledge in studying it (for he had continued very intelligently the investigation of aztec picture-writing that was so well begun by the late señor ramirez), and also that i might enjoy his sympathetic enjoyment of my discovery. as i raised the bag, that i might replace in it the refolded paper--which i already saw heralded to the world as the codex palgravius, and reproduced in fac-simile in _pre-columbian conditions on the continent of north america_--some glittering object dropped out of it and fell with a jingling sound upon the stone floor. when i examined eagerly this fresh treasure i found that it was a disk of gold, about the size and thickness of a mexican silver dollar, on which a curious figure was rudely engraved. the engraving obviously represented an aztec name-device, the like of which, in the ancient picture-writings, distinguish one from another the several generations of a line of kings. this name-device was strange to me; but, as i have said, i had not at that time studied carefully the aztec picture-writings, and there were many names of kings which i would not then have recognized. but that the gold disk was the token concerning the meaning of which the dying cacique had given so strange a hint, i felt assured. being still further gladdened by this fresh discovery, i carried my treasures at once to the museo; and don rafael's enthusiasm over them was as hearty as i could desire. being so deeply learned in such matters, he was able in the course of a single afternoon to arrive at much of the meaning of my codex; and his rendering of it showed that it possessed a very extraordinary historical value. in the codex boturini, as is well known, are several important lapses that neither that eminent scholar, nor any other archæologist whose conclusions can be considered trustworthy, has been able to supply. all that reasonably can be imagined concerning these breaks is that the historian of the aztec migration deliberately omitted certain facts from his pictured history. the astonishing discovery that don rafael made in regard to my codex was that it unquestionably supplied the facts concealed in one of the longest of these unaccountable blanks. this was not a mere guess on his part, but a demonstrable certainty. on a fac-simile of the codex boturini he bade me observe attentively the pictures which preceded and which followed the break in question; and then he showed me that these same pictures were the beginning and the ending of my own codex--obviously put there so that this secret record might be inserted accurately into the public record of the wanderings of the aztec tribe. further, the geographical facts set forth in the codex boturini having been very solidly established, it was easy to determine approximately the part of mexico to which the beginning and the end of my codex referred. but the migration here recorded was a very long one, and all that don rafael could say with certainty concerning it was that it told of far journeyings into the west and north. he was much puzzled, moreover, by a picture that occurred about the middle of the codex, and that seemed to be intended to represent a walled city among mountains. to my mind this picture tallied well with what the dying cacique had told me touching the hidden stronghold of his race. but don rafael attached very little importance to the cacique's words; and on archæological grounds maintained that a walled city was an impossibility in primitive mexico--for while walls were built in plenty by the primitive mexicans, and still are to be found in many places, no mention of a walled city is made by the early chroniclers, and of such a city there never has been found the slightest trace. in regard to the engraved disk of gold, don rafael said at once and positively that it represented a name-device which never had been figured in any known aztec writing; and he was of the opinion--being led thereto by consideration of certain delicate peculiarities of the figure which were too subtle for my uninstructed apprehension to grasp--that the name here symbolized was that of a ruler who was both priest and king. that the piece of gold was found associated with picture-writing unquestionably belonging to the theocratic period lent additional color to this assumption. the sum of our conclusions, therefore, was that we had here the name-device of a priest-king who had ruled the aztec tribe during some portion of the first migration. and, assuming that he had lived during the period to which my codex referred, and accepting the system of dates tentatively adopted by señor ramirez, we even fixed the ninth century of our era as the period in which he had lived and ruled. during two whole days don rafael and i worked together over these matters in the museo; and it was not until our investigations were ended--so far, at least, as investigations could be said to be ended while yet no definite conclusions were reached--that my thoughts reverted to fray antonio, and to the requirement of courtesy that i should report to him the result of my course of study in the indian tongues. it is but justice to myself to add that, knowing him to be gone to santa maría to attend to the cacique's burial, i had temporarily dismissed this matter from my mind. but when i was come to the church of san francisco--carrying with me the codex palgravius and the engraved disk of gold, in both of which i knew that he would take a keen interest--i had no immediate opportunity of exhibiting to him my treasures. as i pushed open the sacristy door, when i had knocked upon it and he had called me to enter, he came towards me at once in excitement so eager that his face was all lit up by it; and almost before i could greet him he exclaimed: "you are most happily come, my friend. at this very moment i was about to send for you; for i have found that which will stir your heart even as it has stirred mine. yet perhaps," and he spoke more gravely, "it will not stir your heart in the same way that mine is stirred by it--for if i can but find the key that will unlock the whole of the mystery that here partly is revealed, i see before me such opportunity to garner the lord's vintage as comes but seldom to his servants in these later ages of the world." so strange was fray antonio's manner, and so wayward seemed his speech, that i was half inclined to think his religious enthusiasm fairly had landed him in religious madness; which thought must have found utterance in my look of doubtfulness, for he smiled kindly at me, and in a quieter tone went on: "my wits still are with me, don tomas; though i do not wonder at your thinking that i have lost them. sit down here and listen to the story of my discovery; and when it is ended you will perceive that i very well may be excited by it and still be sane." being assured by this calmer speech that fray antonio had not taken leave of his senses, i made a weak disclaimer, that he smilingly accepted, of my too clearly expressed doubts in that direction; and so seated myself to listen. "you know, señor," he began, "that common report has declared that beneath this church of san francisco is a secret passage that extends under the city and has its exit in the outlying meadow-lands. i may confide in you frankly that this passage does exist, and that i, in common with all members of my order who have dwelt here, know precisely where its entrance is and where its outlet. these matters need not be exposed, for they are not essential to my purpose. but you must know that in the midst of this passage i found on the day preceding your return from the mountains a little room of which the door was so well concealed that my finding it was the merest accident. and in the room, with other things which need not here be named, i found a chest in which are certain ancient papers of which i have been long in search. in the archives are frequent references to these papers--they are of much importance to our order--but as with all my search i never could discover them, i had decided in my mind that in one or another of the troublous periods that our church has passed through they had been destroyed. it is plain to me now that in one of these periods of danger they were hidden in this safe place. "some of these papers, dealing with mere matters of history, you will have pleasure in examining in due time. but that which i shall show you now, and which has so excited me that you not unnaturally thought that i had gone mad over it, has got among the rest, as i verily believe, by simple accident. among the books and papers in the chest was a parchment case on which was written 'mission of santa marta,' and the date '1531.' within it were some loose sheets of paper on which were records of indian baptisms, as is evident by the strange mixing of christian and of heathen names. plainly, this was the register of some mission station of our order in that far-back time. but as i pried into the case more closely, i found, within a double fold of the parchment--yet not as though intentionally hidden, but rather as though there placed for temporary safety--a sealed letter directed to the blessed fray juan de zumárraga, who was of our order, and who, as you know, was the first bishop of our holy church in this new spain. as i drew forth the letter, the seal, that time had loosened, fell away and left it open in my hand. that this letter never until now has been read i am altogether confident, for the prodigy of which it tells would have made so great a stir that ample record of it would have been preserved. nor is it difficult to account for the way in which it missed coming to the eye for which it was intended. in that early time many and many of our order, going out to preach god's word among the barbarians, came happily to that end which is the happiest end attainable in god's service: a blessed martyrdom." fray antonio's voice trembled with deep feeling as he spoke, and i remembered that don rafael had told me that this good brother, it was believed, himself longed for a death so glorious. "and being thus slain," fray antonio in a moment continued, "the mission stations which they had established were left desolate, with what they held--save such few things as might be cared for by the savage murderers--remaining there within them. in later times, as the conquering spaniards overspread the land, many of these stations were found, with nothing to tell save nameless bones of those who had died there that god's will might be done. "it is my conjecture, therefore, that this parchment case was found--how many years after the death of him who owned it, who can tell?--in one of the many stations that the savages thus ravaged; that the soldiers, or whoever may have found it, brought it hither, the nearest important abiding-place of our order; and that, being carelessly examined, it was carelessly thrown aside when found to contain, apparently, only the little record of the work which our dead brother accomplished before god granted him his crown of earthly martyrdom and so made quick his way to heaven. had the letter ever reached that 'first hand' for which the writer says he waits to send it by, it assuredly would have come to the knowledge of the gold-loving spanish conquerors, and armies would have gone forth to answer it. but our dead brother, having written it and placed it in this fold of the parchment for safety until the chance to send it southward should come, was cut off from life suddenly; and so, of the prodigious marvel of which knowledge had so strangely come to him, only this mute and hidden record remained." "but the letter itself?" i asked, with more energy than politeness. "what _is_ the story that it contains? what is this mystery? tell me of it first, and then explain as much as you please afterwards." fray antonio smiled at me kindly. "ah, you too are becoming excited," he said. "but, truly, it is not fair that i should thus have kept you waiting. indeed, i am so full of it all that i forgot that as yet you know nothing. come out with me into the court-yard, where the light is stronger--for the writing is very faint and pale--and i will read you this letter in which so wonderful a story is set forth." together we passed out through a little door in the rear of the sacristy into what had been the inner and smaller cloister court-yard of the old convent--a lovely place in which a fountain set in a quaint stone basin sparkled, and where warm sunshine fell upon the rippling water and upon beds of sweet-smelling flowers. and here it was, standing among the flowers in the sunshine, beside the quaint fountain, that fray antonio read to me the letter--that in this strange fashion had come to us from a hand dead for much more than three centuries, and that yet brought to us two a vital message that wholly was to shape our destinies. iv. montezuma's messenger. the letter was without date, but, being addressed to the bishop zumárraga, the phrase that occurred in it--"this new spain, wherein, very reverend father, you have labored in god's service this year and more past"--showed that 1530 was the year in which it was written. as to place, there practically was no clew at all. the writer referred repeatedly to "this mission of santa marta, in the chichimeca country"--but the mission had perished utterly but a little while after it was founded; and at that period the term chichimeca country was used by the spaniards in speaking of any part of mexico where wild indians were. being shorn of a portion of its pious verbiage, and somewhat modernized in style, the ancient spanish of this letter contained in effect these english words: [illustration: the letter from the dead.] "very reverend father,--this present letter will be sent forward to you by the first hand by which it may be hence transmitted; and in your wisdom, with god's grace also guiding you, i doubt not that you will take measures for sending missionaries of our order to the great company of the heathen whose whereabouts i am to disclose to you. and also, no doubt--keeping the matter secret from the pestilent oidores of the audiencia--you will communicate this strange matter through safe channels to our lord the king: that with our missionaries an army may go forth, and that so the great treasure of which i give tidings may be wrested from the heathen to be used for god's glory and the enriching of our lord the king. "know, very reverend father, that a month since, i being then abroad from this mission of santa marta, preaching god's word in a certain village of the chichimecas that is five leagues to the northward, was so strengthened by god's grace that many of the heathen professed our holy faith and were baptized. and of these was one who among that tribe was held a captive. which captive, as i found, was of the nation that dwelt in tenochtitlan before our great captain, don fernando cortés, reduced that city to submission. but little of earthly life remained to this poor captive when i, unworthily but happily, opened to him the way to life glorious and eternal; for in the fight that happened when he was captured--of which fight he alone of all his companions had survived--he was sorely wounded; and though in time his wounds had healed he remained but a weakly man, and the service to which his captors forced him was hard. so it was that i had but little more than time to put him in the way leading to heaven before his spirit gladly forsook its weary body and went thence from earth. "that he truly was a convert to our holy faith i am well assured, by the signs of a spirit meet for repentance which he showed in his own person; and still more by his strong longing, most earnestly expressed, that this same glorious faith of freedom should be preached to a certain great company of his people, whereof he most secretly told me, who still remain bound in the bondage of idolatry. and it is what he told me of these, very reverend father, and of the marvellous hidden city wherein they dwell, and of the mighty treasure which there they guard, that i desire now to bring to your private knowledge, before it shall be known of by the oidores, and through you to our lord the king. here now is the whole of the mystery that he recited: "in very ancient times, he said, his people came forth from seven caves which are in the western region of this continent, and wandered long in search of an abiding-place. and in the course of ages it came to pass that a certain wise king ruled over them to whom was given the gift of prophecy. which king, by name chaltzantzin, foretold that in the later ages there should come an army of fair and bearded men from the eastward, who would prevail over the people of his race: slaying many, and making of the remainder slaves. being sorely troubled by thought of what he thus foresaw, he set himself to provide a source of strength whereon his descendants in that later time might draw in the hour of their peril--and so save themselves from cruel death and from yet crueler slavery. to which end, in a certain great valley that lies securely hidden among the mountains of this continent, he caused to be built a walled city; and this city he then peopled with the very bravest and strongest of his race. and he made for those dwelling there a perpetual law that commanded that all such as showed themselves when come to maturity to be weak or malformed in body, or coward of heart, then should be put to death; to the end that their natural increase ever should be of the same stout stuff as themselves, and also that there might be no lack of victims for the sacrifices which are acceptable to their barbarous gods. and thus he provided that in the time of need there should be here a strong army of valiant warriors, ready to come forth to fight against the fair-faced bearded men, and by conquering them to save safe the land. "and yet more provision did king chaltzantzin make for the strengthening and the saving of his race in the later ages. within this walled city of culhuacan he caused to be builded a great treasure-house, wherein he garnered such store of riches as never was gathered together in one place since the beginning of the world. and his order was that if even the power of the army which should go forth from that city sufficed not to conquer the foreign foemen, then should this vast treasure be used to buy his people's ransom, that they might not perish nor be enslaved. "having set all which great matters in order, king chaltzantzin came forth from the valley of aztlan, leaving behind him the noble colony that he had there founded; and so with his people wandered vagrant--even as their gods had commanded that they should go until by a sign from heaven they should be shown where was to be their lasting home. and that the fulfilling of his purpose might be made the more sure, he brought his people forth from that valley by most perilous passes and through strait ways so that they might not return thither; and that they who remained might not follow, he closed the way behind him with mighty bars. "in the fulness of time this wise king died, and others reigned in his stead; and at last the ages of wandering of the aztec tribe were ended by the sign coming from heaven whereby they knew that the valley of anahuac was to be their abiding home. there built they the city of tenochtitlan: which city the valiant captain, don fernando cortés, conquered this short time since--and by conquest of it verified precisely the prophecy that king chaltzantzin uttered in very ancient times. "but the captive indian told me, further, that before the coming of the spaniards there was seen the sign of warning that king chaltzantzin had promised should tell when the danger that he had so well prepared for should be near; which sign was the going out of the sacred fire that the priests guarded on a certain high hill. meantime, all knowledge of their brethren hidden in the valley of aztlan for their help in time of peril was lost to the aztec tribe in dim tradition; for the king had commanded, in order that his people might not fall into weakness through trusting in the strength of others for protection, that no open record of the colony that he had founded should be preserved. therefore was this matter a secret known only to a few priests whose blood was of the royal line; in whose keeping, also, was the token that king chaltzantzin had commanded should be sent to the walled city of culhuacan when its warriors were to be called forth, and a map whereby the way thither was made plain. and so it was that, when the sacred fire ceased burning, the priests were alert for the threatened danger; and when the landing of the spaniards--'fair-faced and bearded men, coming from the eastward'--was known to them, they warned their king, montezuma, that the prophecy was fulfilled, and that the time for sending for the army and the treasure had come. "for the bearer of this message was chosen a priest of the blood royal, with whom went also a younger priest, his son. and with these went a guard, whereof the captive indian was one, that they might be carried in safety through the region where the wild indians were. but the valor of the guard was useless, for the wild indians set upon them in such prodigious numbers--in a place not far from where is this present mission of santa marta--that all of the company, save only this single indian who was wounded and made captive, was overpowered and slain. yet among the slain, the indian said, was not found the body of the priest's son; nor was there found on the priest's body the token that he had been the bearer of, nor the map that showed the way. for a time the indian had hoped that the younger priest had escaped out of the fight alive, and had carried to them who dwelt in the walled city of culhuacan the message of summons; but as the years went onward and nothing came of it, this hope had died within his heart. "this, very reverend father, is the strange story told me by this indian; who spoke with the urgent sincerity of one devout in the christian faith who knew by sensible perception that his death was near at hand. eagerly he begged that to these gentiles, his brethren by blood, might be sent in their secret fastnesses the blessed word whereby they would be delivered from the chains of their idolatry into the freedom of christian grace. and, surely, the treasure that they ward very well may be wrested from these heathen that it may be used in part in this land in god's service, and that in part it may go to the just enriching of our lord the king. "nor is the matter one that is difficult of accomplishment. for a token which shall give us the right of entry into this walled city of culhuacan we need only the word of god and a sufficient force of men well armed with swords and matchlocks. nor is it any bar to our quest that the map showing the way thither has been lost. the indian told me that this way is so plainly marked that one who had found it could not lose it again. for at spaces of not more than a league or two apart, upon flat places of the rock convenient for such purpose, was cut the same figure that the token of summons had engraved upon it; and, with this, an arrow pointing towards where the next carving would be found: and so these signs went onward, the heathen priest had told him, even to the very entrance of the valley of aztlan. and that this matter might be made sure to me, he led me to a spot but a league to the westward of this mission of santa marta and there showed me one of these signs, with the pointing arrow carved also on the rock beside it--of all of which the drawing here made is an indifferent good copy. and by that guiding arrow we went onward to another like carving at a little less than two leagues away to the northward. therefore, very reverend father, i, of my own knowledge, am a witness to a part, at least, of the truth of what that indian told. and with all my heart do i add mine own entreaty to his simple pleadings for the salvation of the souls of his brethren; and also do i venture to entreat that among those who go to carry the word of god to this hidden heathen host i may be one; so that i, though all unworthy of such honor, shall have a part in rendering to god so glorious a service. "the more urgently do i ask this favor because here, in this mission of santa marta, it is but too clear to me that i am laboring in a barren field. some hundreds of the heathen i have indeed baptized; but among all these who have professed our christian faith scarce a score show outward and visible signs of a true regeneration. many, i am sadly sure, still practise in secret their old idolatry--and find little more than mere amusement in the rites of our most holy church. when they tire of this novelty, which, in the case of folk of such light natures no doubt will be in a little while, they will return openly to their idolatry; and it probably may happen that they then will sacrifice me to their heathen gods. that, in one way or another, they do intend to kill me, and that soon, i feel quite sure. i am but twenty-three years old, very reverend father; and that is an early time in life to end it. no doubt, also, in killing me they will use torture. and i long fervently to live, not only for the pleasure of it, but also that i may do good service to god, and to our father saint francis, by saving many heathen souls. therefore i beg that when the army marches to the reduction of this hidden city that i may be one of our brethren who will go with it, to hold by tender preaching of god's goodness and mercy such heathen as may remain alive after our soldiers shall have conquered that city with the sword. "i commend you, very reverend father, to the care of our lord in all things, and pray that he may guard your most illustrious and very reverend person, and protect you in all matters of your temporal and spiritual estate. and i am the least worthy of your servants, francisco de los angeles." "of a truth," said fray antonio, as he ceased reading, "this brother of mine adhered closely to the truth when he subscribed himself the least worthy of the bishop's servants. were it not here in his own hand, i should refuse to believe that one of our order at that time in new spain had any thought of saving his own life when god's work was to be done." for myself, i must own that my heart was deeply touched by the very humanity of this poor brother francisco's cry for help that came up out of the dead depths of the past; and that was the more keen and pitiful because the cruel death at the hands of the barbarous indians that he so dreaded assuredly had overtaken him. his could not have been a strong nature, and it was the weaker because of his youth; but, after all, it was the nature that god had given him, and there must have been a strain of strength in it, else he never would have braved the dangers which overcame him in the end. and he was "but twenty-three years old"! yet when i sought to lead fray antonio's mind to such consideration of the matter he replied, sternly: "this weak brother failed in his duty. to him god gave an opportunity to die gloriously for the faith; but, instead of accepting that noble reward joyfully, his strongest wish was that he might find a way by which he might escape alive. had all professors of the christian creed so conducted themselves, that creed long since would have perished from off the earth. _semen est sanguis christianorum_ is well said of tertullian the carthaginian, and, later, of the blessed saint jerome." as fray antonio thus spoke he so drew up his slight figure, and in his sweet voice was a ring of such commanding sternness, that he was for the moment transformed. here was a man wholly different from the gentle scholar whom i had already learned to love. in the glimpse that i thus had of his underlying character i saw vivified again the spirit of the early christian church; and i understood, as i never had understood before, of what stuff they were made who heard pronounced upon them the sentence, "to the lions!" and joyfully accepted their cruel fate, defiant of what man might do to them because of the perfection of their faith in the merciful forgiveness and upholding steadfastness of their christian god. but in a moment a look of sadness and regret came into fray antonio's face, and he added, sorrowfully: "god forgive me for thus judging my brother, who long since was judged! who can say that when the hour of trial came he did not meet his death as bravely as any martyr of them all? and who can say," he went on, but speaking softly, as one communing with his own soul, "how i myself--but god gives strength." and then he ceased to speak aloud, but his lips moved silently as though in prayer. as i close my eyes i see him again as clearly as i saw him then--standing beside the old stone fountain, amid the flowers, in the gladness of the bright sunshine; in his eyes a strange, far-away look, as though the future for a moment had been opened to him; and on his strong, fine face a sternly resolute expression, which yet was softened by the traits which were so strong within him of holiness and gentleness and love. i cannot know what fray antonio prayed for, there in the old convent garden; but i can guess, and i am well persuaded that his prayer was heard. truly, i think that it was something more than chance that led us thus at first to talk, not of the wonder that was in brother francisco's letter, but of brother francisco himself and of his end. and then the subject-matter in chief of the letter claimed our attention. in itself this was sufficiently marvellous; but what increased the marvel of it was the conviction, strong within us both, that if the hidden city of culhuacan ever had existed at all it existed still. our belief was so entirely logical that, assuming the truth of the story told by the indian captive, it admitted nowhere of a doubt. that the city had been hidden for a long period, through at least several hundreds of years, from the aztecs themselves, and that no knowledge of it had been conveyed to them by wild indians who had come by chance upon the valley wherein it was, was evidence enough of the security of its concealment. there was nothing surprising, consequently, in the fact that the spaniards had not discovered it when they first overran mexico, nor that it had remained unknown to the mexicans of modern times. as is well known, there are to this day prodigious areas in mexico which remain utterly unexplored. in the region west of tampico; in the north-western states of sinaloa, durango, and sonora; or in the far southern states of oajaca and chiapas, a valley as great as that in which the city of mexico now stands might lie utterly hidden and unknown. and if, as the indian's narrative implied, this particular valley had been selected deliberately because it was so hidden and so inaccessible, and if the described precautions had been taken to isolate its inhabitants, it very well might have continued to be lost in its deep concealment through an almost infinite range of years. that it never had been found since the spaniards came into mexico we were absolutely certain, for the outcry over so great a wonder would have echoed throughout the whole of the civilized world. finally, in the name of the city, culhuacan, we had a substantial fact which connected the extraordinary story that had come to us so strangely with matters within our own knowledge. for this name not only is given in the aztec traditions as that of the sacred spot in which their god huitzilopochtli spoke to them, but survives until this present day in the name of the village that lies at the foot of the sacred mountain, in the valley of mexico, called by the aztecs the hill of huitzachtla, and by the spaniards the hill of the star--on which, at the end of each cycle of fifty-two years, the sacred fire was renewed. surely it was no accident that had caused the name culhuacan to be given to this village on this sacred spot; rather must it have been so named by the elect few to whom the secret was known as a perpetual reminder to them of the reserve of men and treasure upon which they could draw should danger threaten their country and their gods. "no doubt," said fray antonio, "what is here told of a secret record, known only to the priests, supplies one of the lapses in the pictured history of the aztec migration; but as we know not which break in the history is thus filled in, we have no clew whatever as to the whereabouts of this hidden place. nor have we any clew as to the whereabouts of the mission of santa marta, whence we might go onward, guided by the carvings upon the rocks, until we found at last the place we sought. the mission of santa marta, where my brother francisco long ago ministered, might have been anywhere in all mexico; and being so small a mission, and enduring for so short a period, it is not likely that any record of it anywhere has been preserved. had we but the map and the token of which my brother writes, our way would be clear; without these guides it well may be a toilsome way and long. yet do i know," fray antonio continued, earnestly, "that i shall find this hidden city. in my soul is a strong and glad conviction that god has called me to the most glorious work of carrying to the heathen dwelling there the message of his saving love. he has worked one miracle already to call me to this duty; in his own good time and way i doubt not that he will work another miracle by which i may be set in the way of its accomplishment." as fray antonio spoke of the map of the aztec migration, a hope came into my heart that, as i considered it, seemed surely to be a certainty. in the excitement of listening to this strange letter--concerning which not the least strange matter was, that between the writing and the reading of it had passed three hundred and fifty years--i had forgotten my own discoveries, and that my purpose was to show him the pictured paper and the curious piece of gold. but as he spoke of the migration this matter was called to my mind suddenly; and then in an instant the conviction thrilled through me that the clew which would lead us to the hidden city was in my possession. "god already has worked that other miracle," i cried, joyfully. "here is the token, and here is the map that shows the way!" and, so speaking, i opened the snake-skin bag that i had taken from the breast of the dead cacique and drew forth its precious contents. for myself, i needed no additional proof that here was all that was needful to guide us to the hidden city. yet was i glad that in so grave a matter we should have added to absolute conviction the weight of absolute proof. and this we had most clearly; for fray antonio, cooler than i, compared the drawing in the letter with the engraving upon the piece of gold, and found the two to be essentially identical, save that the engraving lacked the sign of the arrow pointing the way. "and now," i cried, enthusiastically, "for such discoveries in archæology as the world has never known!" "and now," said fray antonio, speaking slowly and reverently, "for such glorious work in god's service as has been granted but rarely to man to do!" v. the engineer and the lost-freight man. that the weight of a strange destiny was pressing upon us, neither fray antonio nor i for a moment doubted. it was something more than chance, we believed, that had brought us together, and that thereafter, by such extraordinary means, had put into our hands, in places far asunder, yet at almost precisely the same moment, these two ancient papers; either of which, alone, would have been meaningless; but the two of which, together, pointed clearly the way to a discovery so wonderful that the like of it was not to be found in all the history of the world. at the moment that i comprehended how great an adventure was before me, and what honorable fame i was like to get out of it, i determined that i would keep the whole matter secret from my fellow-archæologists until i could tell them, not what i intended doing, but what i actually had done--for i had no desire to divide with any one the honors that fairly would be mine when i published to the world the result of my investigation of this hidden community that had survived, uncontaminated, from prehistoric times. having this strong desire within me, it was with great pleasure that i acceded to fray antonio's request that our project of discovery should not be published abroad. his motive for secrecy, as i presently perceived, was bred of the one single strain of human weakness that ever i found in him. even as i was determined that no other archæologist should share with me the honor of discovering this primitive community, so was fray antonio determined that to him alone should belong the glory of carrying into that region of dense heathen darkness the radiant splendor of the christian faith. if this were sin on his part, it certainly was a sin that he shared with many saints long since in paradise. even the blessed saint francis himself, when, at the council of mats, he portioned out among his followers the heathen world that they might preach everywhere christianity, reserved for himself syria and egypt; in the hope that in one or the other of those countries he might crown his labors by suffering a glorious martyrdom. and perhaps in this matter fray antonio was not unmindful of the example set him by the great founder of the order to which he belonged. but while we were thus firmly decided to keep to ourselves the honors that so great an archæological discovery and so great a christian conquest must bring to us severally, we perceived that it would not be the part of prudence to essay our adventure without any companions at all. some portion of the country through which we were to pass we knew to be frequented by very dangerous tribes of indians, against the assaults of which two lonely men--neither of whom had any knowledge whatever of the art of war--could make but a poor stand. and even should we escape the wild indians, we knew that we might get into many evil straits in which our lives might be ended, yet through which a larger company might pass in safety. and for my own part, i must confess that i had a strong desire to have with me some of my own countrymen. for the gallantry of the mexicans, which gallantry has been proved a thousand times, i have the highest respect; yet is it a natural feeling among anglo-saxons that when it comes to facing dangers in which death looms largely, and especially when it comes to a few men against a company of savages, and standing back to back and fighting to the very last, anglo-saxon hearts are found to be the stanchest, and anglo-saxon backs to be the stoutest which can be thus ranged together. but in our own case i did not at all see whence such an anglo-saxon contingent was to be obtained. we had been talking over this matter of a fighting force one afternoon in fray antonio's sacristy--where our many colloquies were held, for we moved with a thoughtful deliberation in setting agoing our adventure--and we had come almost to the determination of organizing a little force of otomí indians, and calling upon two brave young gentlemen of fray antonio's acquaintance to join us as lieutenants. although i was willing to adopt this plan, since no other was open to us, i was far from fancying it; both for the reason which i have already named, and also for the reason--and this fray antonio admitted was not without foundation in probability--that our young allies would be more than likely, by their indiscreet disclosures, to make our purpose fully known. therefore, it was in no very pleasant frame of mind, our conference being ended, that i returned to my hotel. as i entered the hotel court-yard i heard the sound of pablo's mouth-organ, and with this much laughter and some talk in english; and as i fairly caught sight of the merrymakers, i heard said, in most execrable spanish, "here's a _medio_ for another tune, my boy; and if you'll make the donkey dance again to it, i'll give you a _real_." that i might see what was going forward without interrupting it, i stepped behind one of the stone pillars that upheld the gallery; and for all that my mind was in no mood for laughter just then, i could not but fall to laughing at what i saw. over on the far side of the court-yard, with pablo and el sabio, were two men whose type was so unmistakable that i should have known them for americans had i met them in the moon. one was a tall, wiry fellow, with a vast reach of arm, and a depth of chest and width of shoulders which allowed what powerful engines those long arms of his were when he set them in motion. his face was nearly covered by a heavy black beard, and his projecting forehead and his resolute black eyes under it gave him a look of great energy and force. the other was short and thick-set, with a big round head stockily upheld on a thick neck, and with a good-humored face, which, being clean-shaven, was chiefly notable for the breadth and the squareness of the jaws. he had merry blue eyes, and his crown--he was holding his battered derby hat in his hand--was as bare as a billiard ball. below timber-line, as he himself expressed it, he had a brush of close-cut sandy-red hair. i had encountered both of these men when i first came to morelia, and during two or three weeks i had seen a good deal of them, for we had met daily at our meals; and the more that i had seen of them the better was i disposed to like them. the tall man was rayburn, a civil engineer in charge of construction on the advanced line of the new railway; the other was young, the lost-freight agent of the railroad company--whose duty, for which his keen quickness peculiarly well fitted him, was that of looking up freight which had gone astray in transit. both of those men had lived long in rough and dangerous regions, and both--as i then instinctively believed, and as i came later to know fully--were as true and as stanch and as brave as ever men could be. what they were laughing at, there in the court-yard, was an extraordinary performance in which the performers were pablo and el sabio. with a grin all over the parts of his face not engaged in the operation of his mouth-organ, pablo was rendering on that instrument a highly mexicanized version of one of the airs from _pinafore_ that he had just acquired from hearing young whistle it. to this music, with a most pained yet determined expression, the wise one was lifting his feet and swaying his body and nodding his head in a sort of accompaniment, his movements being directed by the waving of pablo's disengaged hand. the long ears of this unfortunate little donkey wagged in remonstrance against the unreasonable motions demanded of his unlucky legs, and every now and then he would twitch viciously his fuzzy scrap of a tail; but his master was inexorable, and it was not until pablo's own desire to laugh became so strong that he no longer could play the mouth-organ that el sabio was given rest. as he ended his dancing i must say that there was on el sabio's face as fine an expression of contempt as the face of a donkey ever wore. "hello, professor!" young called out, as he caught sight of me, "have you given up antiquities an' gone into th' circus business? this outfit that you've got here will make your fortune when you get it back into th' states. if you don't want to run it yourself, i'll run it for you on th' shares; an' i guess rayburn'll be glad t' go along as clown. he'd make a good clown, rayburn would. you see, we're both of us out of work, an' both lookin' for a job." "what do you mean by being out of work?" i asked, when i had shaken hands with them. "what's become of the railroad?" "oh, th' railroad's got into one of its periodical bust-ups," young answered. "a row among the bondholders, an' construction stopped, an' working expenses reduced, an' pretty much all hands bounced, from th' president down. i guess rayburn an' i can stand th' racket, though, if th' company can. i've been wantin' t' get out of this d----d greaser country for a good while, an' i guess now i've got my chance. i must say, though, i wish it had come a little less sudden, for i haven't anything in particular in sight over in god's country, an' rayburn hasn't either. so if you want to start your circus we're ready for you right away. where did you get that boy-an'-donkey outfit from, anyway? they're just daisies, both of 'em an' no mistake!" "i don't know that you can count on me for a clown, professor," rayburn said, "but i might go along as door-keeper, or something of that sort. but i don't believe that young and i will need to go into the circus business. we are out of work, that's a fact; but the company has done the square thing by us--paid us up in full to the end of next month and fitted us out with passes to st. louis. we're all right. young is heading straight for home, but i rather think that i'll take a turn around the country and see what the civilized parts of it look like. ever since i came down here, nearly, i've been at work in the wilds. i want to see some of the old temples and things too. you can put me up to that, professor. where's a good ruin to begin on?" from the moment that i laid eyes on these two men, as i came into the court-yard, my mind was made up that i would do my best to induce them to join with fray antonio and me in our search for the hidden city; and i had listened very gladly to what they told me, for it showed me that i should not have to ask them to abandon profitable work in order to join in our doubtful enterprise. so we talked lightly about the circus and other indifferent matters for a while; and then we had a lively supper together at la soledad (which always seemed to me a very original name for a restaurant), and then i brought them to my room to smoke their cigars. it was while they were in the comfortable frame of mind that is begotten of a good meal and subsequent good tobacco--over there in morelia we smoked the tepic cigars, which are excellent--that i opened to them the great project that i had in hand. i told them frankly the whole story: of my strange adventure in the indian village, of the paper and the gold token which the cacique unwittingly had given me, of the letter that fray antonio had found, and of how our joint discoveries set us clearly in the way of finding an aztec community that certainly had existed unchanged, save for such changes as had been developed within itself, since a time long anterior to the spanish conquest of mexico. i dwelt with enthusiasm, and i think forcibly, upon the inestimable gain to the science of archæology that would result from the investigations that we intended to make; and i touched also upon the scientific value that would attach to a careful and accurate description of the effect produced upon this primitive community by fray antonio's preaching; for this would be, as i pointed out, the first occasion in the history of the world when a record would be made, from the stand-point of the unprejudiced ethnologist, of the reception accorded by a heathen people to the doctrine of christianity. in a word, i presented the case most glowingly--so glowingly, in fact, that my own heart was quite fired by it--and ended by urging them earnestly to join us in a work that promised so greatly to increase the sum of human knowledge touching the most interesting subjects that can be presented to the consideration of the human mind. and i am pained to state that i discovered, when i finished my appeal, that young was sound asleep! rayburn did not go to sleep, and he did take a certain amount of interest in what i said, but i was discouraged by his very obvious failure to respond to my enthusiasm. "you see, professor," he said, "the fact of the matter is that i can't spare the time. i might take a month or two, but you seem to think that a year is the least time in which any substantial results can he accomplished. i can't give a year, or anything like a year, to what, so far as i am concerned, will be sheer idleness. i've got a mother and sister at home on cape cod who depend on me for a living, and i must get to work again. you see, there is glory enough in all this, and glory that i should like to have a share in; but glory is a luxury that i can't afford. i've got to go to work at something that has money in it." the sound of rayburn's voice had the effect on young of waking him up. he listened, in a sleepily approving way, to rayburn's practical comment, and then, giving a prodigious yawn, added, on his own account: "yes, that's about the size of it. we're neither of us here for our health, professor; what we're after is spot cash. if there was any money in your scheme i'd take a hand in it quick enough; but as there isn't--well, not this evening, professor; some other evening." "no money in it!" i answered. "why, haven't i told you that there is stored in this hidden city the greatest treasure that ever was brought into one place since the world began?" "no, i'll be d----d if you have!" young replied, with great energy and promptness. "not a word, unless it was while i was asleep. what's he said about a treasure, rayburn? i'm awake now, an' i'll keep awake if there's anything like that to be talked about." "you certainly haven't said anything about a treasure so far, professor," rayburn said. "i'd like to hear about it myself. if there is a treasure-hunting expedition mixed up with this scientific expedition of yours, that puts a new face on the whole matter. i can't afford the luxury of scientific investigation pure and simple, but if there is money in it too, that is quite another thing. so tell us about your prospect, professor, and if the surface indications are good you can count on me to go in." i confess that i was a trifle disappointed upon finding how eagerly these young men sought information in regard to a matter that i considered so unimportant that i had forgotten even to mention it. but i reflected that, after all, the motive by which they were induced to join in our adventure was immaterial, while our need for the strength that their joining in it would give us was so pressing that upon gaining them for allies very likely depended our eventual success. being moved by which considerations, i dilated upon the magnitude of the hidden treasure with such vehemence that presently their eyes were flashing, and the blood had so mounted into their brains that their very foreheads were ruddy and their breath came short. and i must confess that my own pulses beat quicker and harder as i talked on. of this treasure i had not before thought at all, being so thoroughly taken up with the scientific side of the discovery that i hoped to accomplish; but now i was moved profoundly by thoughts of what i could do for the advancement of science had i practically limitless wealth at my command. and especially was i thrilled by the thought of the magnificent form in which my own magnificent discoveries could be given to the world. compared with my _pre-columbian conditions on the continent of north america_, lord kingsborough's great work, both in form and in substance, would sink into hopeless insignificance. and in all that i said of the vastness of the hidden treasure i felt certain that i was keeping well within the bounds of truth, for i had the positive assurance that in the aztec treasure-house in that hidden valley the ransom of a nation was stored. "will you go with us?" i asked, when i had brought my glowing description to an end. "well, i should smile, professor," was young's characteristic answer. "you can count me in now, and no mistake!" said rayburn, and added, "by jove, palgrave, i mean to take a part of my share and buy the whole of cape cod!" and so the make-up of our party was decided upon. fray antonio joined it for the love of god; i joined it for the love of science; and young and rayburn joined it for the love of gold. in regard to the boy pablo, he could not strictly be said to have joined it at all. he simply went along. vi. the king's symbol. fray antonio was well pleased when i told him of the stout contingent that i had secured; and when he had seen rayburn and young, and had talked with them--though his talk with young did not amount to much, for young's spanish was abominable--he was as thoroughly satisfied as i was that for our purposes we could not possibly have found two better men. in the course of this conference we made short work of our preparations for departure. rayburn's experience in fitting out engineering parties had given him precisely the knowledge required for putting our own little party promptly and effectively in the field; and in this matter, and in all practical matters connected with the expedition, he took the lead. he and young already possessed the regulation frontier outfit of arms--a winchester rifle and a big revolver--which they increased by another big revolver apiece; and i armed myself similarly with a pair of revolvers and a winchester: concerning the use that i should make of which, in case need for using them arose, i had very grave doubts indeed. fray antonio declined to carry any arms at all; and after he had accidentally discharged one of my pistols, which he had picked up to examine, so that the ball went singing by my ear and actually cut through the brim of young's hat, there was a general disposition to admit that the less this godly man had to do with carnal weapons the safer would it be for all the rest of us. young's hat was a battered derby, and about as unsuitable a hat for wear in mexico as possibly could be found; but for some unknown reason he was very much attached to that hat, and he was so wroth over having a hole shot through it in that unprovoked sort of way that he manifested a decided coolness towards fray antonio for several days. in the matter of armament, the happiest member of our party was pablo. he was a handy boy, and when he had demonstrated his ability to manage a revolver by doing some very creditable shooting with mine (at mark that i had stuck up in the corral, in order that i might gain ease in the use of this unknown weapon), i delighted him inexpressibly by buying him a pistol for his very own. i think that pablo, upon becoming the possessor of that revolver, at once grew two inches taller. the way that he strutted as he wore it, and his eager thrusting forward of his left hip, so that this gallant piece of warlike furniture might be the most conspicuous part of him, were a joy to witness. for a time his mouth-organ was entirely neglected; and coming quietly into the corral one day, i found him engaged in exhibiting the revolver to el sabio; who regarded it with a slightly bored expression that i do not think pablo took in good part. rayburn decided that our expedition could be made more effectively with a small force than with a large one. he argued that unless we took into the indian country a really powerful body of men, we would be safer with a very few: for a few of us would feel keenly the necessity of keeping constantly on guard; could be more easily managed and held together in running away; and in case a fight was forced upon us we would fight more steadily because each of us would know surely that he could rely upon the support of all the rest. which reasoning we perceived to be so sound that we promptly accepted it. rayburn added to our company, therefore, only three men: two otomí indians of whom fray antonio gave a good account, and dennis kearney, who had served as axeman on the recently disbanded engineering corps. he was a merry soul, this dennis, with a stock of irish melodies in his head that would have made the fortune of an old-time minstrel. he and pablo took to each other at once--though, since neither of them spoke a word of the other's language, music was their only channel of communication--and pablo presently presented us with a rendering on his mouth-organ, from a strictly mexican stand-point, of "rory o'more" that quite took our breaths away. while pablo played, dennis would stand by with his head cocked on one side, and with an air of attention as closely critical as that which el sabio himself exhibited; and when pablo went wrong, as he invariably did in his attempted _bravura_ passages, dennis would stop him with a wave of his hand, and an "aisy now, me darlint! that's good enough mexican, but it ain't good irish at all, at all," and then would show him what good irish was by singing "rory o'more" in a fashion which made the old stone arches ring with a volume of music that could have given odds to an entire brass band. poor dennis! only the other day i heard an organ-grinder grinding forth "rory o'more," and the memory of the last time i heard dennis sing that song, and of what heroic stuff that merry-hearted rough fellow then showed himself to be made, came suddenly over me, and there was a choking in my throat, and my eyes were full of tears. well, it was a good thing--or a bad thing, as you please to put it--that we could not see far into the future that morning when we packed our mules in the corral of the hotel, and set out upon the march that was to lead us through such perilous passages before we reached its end. [illustration: packing in the corral] that i might fill to the brim the cup of pablo's happiness--for my conscience pricked me a little that i suffered him to go with us--i had bought him the rain-coat of palm leaves for which his heart so long had pined. what with this and his revolver, and the delight of going upon a journey (for he had very fully developed that love of travel which is so strong in his race), his wits seemed to be completely addled with joy. he insisted upon putting on his absurd rain-coat at once; and he did so many foolish things that even el sabio looked at him reproachfully--this was when he tried to place on that small donkey's back some of the heavy pack-stuff destined for the back of one of the big mules--and we got along much better with his room, as he presently enabled us to do, than we did with his company. when the time for starting came, we had quite a hunt for him; and we might not have found him at all had we not been guided by the sound of music to the sequestered spot to which he had retired in order to give vent to his pent-up feelings by playing on his mouth-organ "pop goes the weasel"--an air that young had been whistling that morning and that had mightily taken pablo's fancy. we made rather an imposing cavalcade as we filed forth from the great gate of the hotel, and took our way along the calle nacional, the principal street of the city, towards the garita del poniente. fray antonio and i rode first; then came rayburn and young, followed by dennis kearney; then the two pack-mules, beside which walked the two otomí indians; and closing the procession came pablo, wearing his rain-coat, with his revolver strapped outside of it, and riding el sabio with a dignity that would have done honor to the viceroy himself. pablo certainly was in the nature of an anti-climax; but i would not have told him so for the world. fray antonio wore the habit of his order, this privilege having been specially granted to him by the governor of the state as a safeguard for all his expeditions among the indians. it was understood, indeed, that he now was going forth on one of his missionary visits among the mountain tribes, and simply rode with us, so far as our ways should lie together, for greater security. i had announced that i was going among the indians again in order to increase my knowledge of their manners and customs; and rayburn--to whom the rest of the party was supposed to belong--had stated that he was taking the field in order to make a new reconnaissance along the line of the projected railway. it was in order to maintain these several fictions that we went out by the western gate, and that we continued for two days our march westward before turning to our true course. of our progress during the ensuing fortnight it is not necessary that i should speak, for beyond the ordinary incidents of travel no adventures befell us. during this period we went forward steadily and rapidly; and at the end of it we had covered more than three hundred miles, and had come close to where--supposing our rendering of the aztec map to be correct, and that we had rightly collated it with the dead monk's letter--the mission of santa marta had stood three centuries and a half before. there was no possibility that any trace of this mission would be found; but every rock that we came to was most eagerly scrutinized, for on any one of them might we find the king's symbol engraved. for two or three days we had been travelling through a region very wild and desolate. far away along the western horizon rose a range of mountains whose bare peaks cut a jagged line along the sky. the country between us and these far-away mountains was made up of many parallel ranges of rocky hills; which ranges were separated by broad, shallow valleys, where cactus and sage-brush covered the dry ground thickly; and the only trees that broke this dreary monotony were pita-palms, the most dismal thing in all created nature to which the name of a tree ever has been given by man. there was no trail, and travelling through this tangle of briers was very difficult. all of rayburn's skill, which long practice had developed to a high degree, was required to enable us to pick a way through so thorny a wilderness. at times the indians with their _machetes_, and dennis with his axe, had to cut a path for us; and despite all our care, our own hands were cut and torn, and the legs of our poor beasts were red with blood. the deadly dryness of this arid waste added to our discomfort. a strong dry wind blew steadily from the north, building up out of fine dust which was over all the surface of the baked ground little whirl-winds--_remolinos_, as the mexicans call them--which went dancing down the valleys as though they were ghostly things; and occasionally, when one of these struck us, we were covered with a prickly dust that fairly burned our skins. what water we got was to be had only by digging in the _arroyos_ which traversed the centre of each valley longitudinally; and although this water always was muddy, and had a strongly alkaline taste, it is the only thing that i remember with pleasure in all that weary land. of animal life there was nothing to be seen, save a-plenty of rattlesnakes; and a few great buzzards which wheeled above us from time to time as though with the intention of keeping track of us until we should fall down and die of thirst and weariness, and they should be able to feast upon us at their ease. at the end of the third day of this dreary travelling we had come close to the great western range of mountains, and our camp that night was made in the mouth of a little valley that opened from among the foot-hills. the night before we had made a dry camp, and for the whole of the twenty-four hours we had had but a pint of water apiece. pablo, i am sure, had given half of his own scant allowance to el sabio. the other animals--it was all that we could do for them--had only their dusty mouths and nostrils wiped out with a wet sponge. they were pitiable objects, with their bleeding legs, their haggard eyes, their out-hanging tongues, and their quivering flanks. as fray antonio unsaddled his horse i saw that there were tears in his eyes; but the rest of us, i fear, were too thoughtful of our own misery to feel much sorrow for the misery of our beasts. i suppose that a man must suffer the lack of it, as we then did, in order to know how precious a thing water is. and to give some notion of its preciousness to those who not only are free at any time to drink their fill of it, but even can fill bath-tubs with it, and feel the joy of it on their bare bodies whenever they are so minded, i will say that when a little digging gave us that night as much water as we wanted, our joy was far greater than it would have been had we there found the hidden city of which we were in search. our well was sunk in the broad sandy bottom of the _arroyo_, in the midst of a narrow and delectably grassy valley between two foot-hills. and the abundance and the sweetness of the water, as well as the presence of grass, showed us that but a little way up this valley there must be an open stream. we drank, and our beasts drank, until all of our skins were nigh to bursting; and the abundance of water was so great that we even could wash the dust at last from our parched faces and necks and arms; and much like raw beef our skins looked when our washing was ended, and the stinging of them was as though we had been whipped with nettles. it was our intention now to leave the plains and to march along the edge of the foot-hills parallel with the main range, otherwise we should not have ventured thus to wash ourselves. in a region where alkali dust is in the air, washing is to be shunned; for each time that the skin is cleaned the new deposit of dust takes a deeper biting hold. it was rather that we might escape the misery of further travel on the arid plains than because we had any strong hopes of thus finding the way of which we were in search that we had decided to change our line of march. young had begun openly to express his contempt for the aztec map, and in the hearts of all of us had sprung up some doubts as to its trustworthiness as a guide. after all, it was not in the least a map in the true meaning of the word; and that it should show us rightly our way depended not only upon our having interpreted correctly its curious symbolism, but also upon the correctness of the interpretation that mexican archæologists had given to the map of the first aztec migration--of which map, as we believed, our map was a reserved and secret part. if either interpretation were wrong, then we might be hundreds of miles distant from the region in which the way marked by gravings of the king's symbol should be sought. four or five hours of daylight still remained to us after we had dug our well, and with the delicious water flowing into it had satisfied our thirst; but we had no intention of going farther that day. we had no need to hobble the animals, for they could be trusted to stay near the water-hole while they feasted on the grass, and we needed food and rest quite as much as they did. young and dennis together got us up a famous meal, and when it was ended we lighted our pipes and held a sort of council of war. that we might talk the more freely, in both english and spanish, we drew away a little from where the two otomí indians and pablo were stretched out upon the grass together; and we bade dennis take a look around the shoulder of the first hill, so that we might know something of what our way would be like when we started in the morning; for we were not as yet ready that the minor members of the expedition should know the purpose that we had in mind. we had decided that when, by the finding of the course indicated by the gravings of the king's symbol, our quest fairly had a beginning, being no longer a matter of mere hope and conjecture, we then would give dennis and pablo and the two indians some notion of what we intended doing; with the option of deciding for themselves whether or not they would have a part in it. and the thought never once occurred to our minds that circumstances might arise of such a nature that neither they nor we would have any choice in the matter at all. as we consulted together we had spread out before us a map of mexico, and with this the map that the cacique had given me, and a copy of the map showing the great aztec march. yet the more that we councilled the less could we come to any reasonable conclusion as to what was best for us to do. as nearly as we could tell from the strange guides that we needs must be led by, we had beaten thoroughly the region where once the mission of santa marta was; and not a trace of the gravings on the rocks had we found. to go over this region again, searching still more minutely, was too great an undertaking even to be thought of; and yet the only alternative to this painful course seemed to be that we should abandon our search altogether; in short, we were completely at sea. "what _i_ think," said young, "is that that old dead monk, an' that old dead cacique, have set up a job on us. they're both of 'em lyin' like fiddlers; that's what's th' matter with _them_. there ain't any hidden city, or hidden treasure, or hidden d----n anything; it's all a fraud from beginnin' t' end. i vote t' pull up stakes an' go home." a cool refreshing wind was beginning to sweep down to us from the mountains; but it was blowing only in puffs as yet, for the night would not be upon us for several hours. borne faintly and fitfully upon this uncertain wind came to us the strains of "rory o'more"; with which melody, as we inferred, dennis was beguiling his solitude while he explored the route that we were to take the next day. pablo, sitting comfortably on the grass, his back propped against the back of el sabio, also caught the sound; and straightway began to play an accompaniment on his mouth-organ to dennis's distant singing. the strains gradually grew louder, showing that dennis was returning; but when they stopped suddenly we thought that he had only tired of the sound of his own voice, or, perhaps, did not think anything about the matter at all. but when a sound of hurried, irregular steps came down the wind to us, we all were on our feet in a moment and had our arms ready, for it was evident that dennis was running from something; and the danger was likely to be a serious one, for running was not at all in dennis's line. we wondered why he did not call out; but the explanation of his silence was plain enough, ten seconds later, as he came around the shoulder of the hill, staggered in among us, and fell on the grass at our feet--with the blood streaming from his mouth and nostrils, and with an arrow clear through his breast. "indians!" he gasped, with an effort that brought a torrent of blood spurting from his mouth; and he added, faintly, "but i've bate 'em, th' divvils, in their hopes of a soorprise!" these triumphant words were the last that dennis kearney uttered on earth. as he spoke, a fresh outburst of blood came from his nostrils and mouth, a quiver went over him--and then he was dead. i do not believe that many men would have done what dennis did: run a good quarter of a mile with an arrow through his lungs, and then die exulting because he had succeeded in warning the camp. rayburn had the situation instantly in hand. "get the packs and saddles on quick!" he cried. "the indians 'll come around that hill and try to scoop us here in the open. they won't close in; they'll keep off, and just lie around for a week till we're played out, and then they'll step in and finish us; they'll do that, likely enough, anyway. but our one chance is to get to a place up the valley here, where they can tackle us only from in front. there's water up there, so we'll be all right, and we may be able to shoot enough of them to make the rest give it up, or they'll close in, and we'll have the comfort of getting the whole thing ended without any useless fooling over it." all the while that he spoke he was working away, and so were we all, at saddling and packing; and, luckily, the animals, although the water and the food and the rest had put new strength into them, still were too tired to give us the trouble that animals give at such times when they are fresh. in a surprisingly short time we were ready to start; and yet not a sign had we had, save the warning that dennis had brought us, that there was an indian within a hundred miles of us. indeed, but for his dead body on the ground beside our camp-fire, we might have imagined that our scare was only a bad dream. that it was a very bad reality was shown just as the last pack went on, when one of our otomí indians gave a howl as an arrow went through his leg, and i felt a sharp little nip on my forehead where an arrow just grazed it, and there was that queer, faint whirring sound in the air that only a flight of a good many arrows together will produce. rayburn took the body of poor dennis before him on his own horse; he'd be d----d if the indians should get dennis yet, he said; and away we went up the sandy bed of the _arroyo_, driving the mules before us, and the otomí indians pelting along on a dead-run. the indian who had been hit coolly broke the arrow off short, and then pulled it out through the wound. suddenly we saw young, who was riding a little ahead of the rest of us, half pull up his horse and look earnestly at a great shoulder of rock that jutted out from the mountain-side. "there's your king's symbol, and be d----d to it!" he shouted; and added, "what's the good of a king's symbol when we're all goin' to lose our hair?" he was under full head-way again in a moment. as we shot past the rock we all turned to look; and there, sure enough, was the long-sought-for sign. vii. the fight in the cañon. as we fled along the valley, and in a few moments heard the sound of the indians pursuing us, my mind was chiefly occupied with considerations of the quality which we denominate fear. i perceived that this purely occasional passion had a very direct bearing upon my own especial science of archæology. i reflected that had i been engaged in building a city at the moment when that irritating flight of arrows fell among us----the sting of one of which i still felt smarting upon my forehead----i should assuredly have ceased at once the building of that city, and should have moved rapidly away. and thus an excellently well-built city, that would have delighted archæologists of the future, would have been lost to the world. putting the matter yet more closely: here i had just found the sign for which i and my companions had been toilsomely searching for a considerable time; the sign which unquestionably would lead us to the most interesting archæological discovery that ever had been made. and yet, instead of stopping to study this sign earnestly, that i might understand all the meaning of it, i was hastening away from it with all possible speed; and for no better reason than that certain barbarians, whose knowledge of archæology was not even rudimentary, were pursuing me that they might take my life--an imperfectly expressed concept, by-the-way; for life can be taken only in the limited sense of depriving another of it; it cannot be taken in the full sense of deprivation and acquisition combined. these several reflections so stirred my bile against the indians in pursuit of us that i began to have a curiously blood-thirsty longing for our actual battling with them to begin; for i was possessed by a most unscientific desire to balance our account by killing several of them. and i confess that this desire was increased as i looked at the dead body of poor dennis, lying limply across the fore-shoulders of rayburn's horse. it was with real satisfaction, therefore, that i obeyed rayburn's order to halt, that we might make ready for the fight to begin. the valley up which we had been riding had narrowed by this time into a strait way shut in between high and nearly perpendicular walls; and the place that rayburn had chosen for us to make our stand in was the mouth of a cañon setting off from the valley nearly at right angles. the walls of this cañon came almost together above, far overhanging their bases, so that assault from overhead was impossible; some fragments of fallen rock made a natural breastwork for us to fight behind; and a little stream of pure, sweet water flowed at our feet. had this place been made for us expressly it could not better have suited our purposes; and finding it so opportunely put fresh heart into us. there was not, of course, a shadow of resemblance between the two, but, somehow, i fancied that the place where we stood resembled my old class-room at ann arbor; and i actually found myself repeating the opening sentence of the address that i delivered when i was formally inducted into the chair of topical linguistics. i mention this fact not because it is of the slightest importance in this present narrative, but because i think that it well illustrates the tendency towards illogical association that is so curious a characteristic of the human mind. i was not able to observe this phenomenon attentively, for rayburn hustled us all about so sharply that i had no available time just then for abstract thought. the mules and the horses and el sabio were driven into the cañon, and we were ranged behind the fragments of rock almost in a moment. each man had his winchester and revolvers in readiness, and a couple of cases of cartridges had been broken out from the packs and put where we all had easy access to them. while this work was going forward we could hear the indians coming hotly up the valley, and we were barely ready for them when the foremost of their party came in sight. "wait a little," said rayburn, quietly. "they don't know which turn we've taken, and they'll probably get into a bunch to do some talking, and then we can whack away right into the flock." while we were thus making ready i could see that fray antonio was in great distress of mind. he was a very brave man, and i know that his strong desire was to fight with the rest of us. and yet, just as the indians showed themselves, he deliberately turned his back upon them and walked away into the cañon's depths. his very lips were white, and there were beads of sweat upon his brow, and i saw that his fingers twitched convulsively. i know what he wanted to do, and i saw what he did. if ever a man showed the high bravery of moral courage, fray antonio showed it then. even young, in whom i did not look for appreciation of bravery of that sort, said afterwards that it was the pluckiest thing he ever saw. as rayburn had expected, the indians halted--but keeping more under cover than he had counted upon--and held some sort of a council. but it did not seem, from what we could see of their gestures, to relate to the way that we might have taken so much as to the cañon in which we actually were concealed. they pointed towards the mouth of the cañon repeatedly, and it struck me that in their motions there was a curious indication of dread or awe. one old man was especially vehement in gestures of this unaccountable nature; and when at last the younger men in the council seemed to revolt against his orders, this man, and all the older men with him, retired down the valley whence they had come. [illustration: the fight in the cañon] the young men, left to themselves, hesitated for a moment, and then with a cry--as though for their own encouragement--came charging towards us in a body. as we got a full view of them we perceived with much satisfaction that their only arms were bows and arrows and long spears, and that there were not more than twenty men in the lot. and then rayburn gave the order to fire. i confess that my hand so trembled as i pulled the trigger of my rifle that i was not at all surprised to find that the man whom i had fired at--a very tall, powerful young fellow, who seemed to be in command--was not hit; but a man just behind him dropped, and i had a queer feeling in my throat, and certain odd sensations in my stomach, as i realized that i had shot him. indeed, i was so engrossed with meditations upon the curious ease with which a man's life is let out of him, that i quite forgot for some seconds to continue firing. the others, luckily, conducted themselves in a more practical manner; and the little whirlwind of balls which sped from the winchesters made it wonderful, not that so many of the indians fell dead or wounded, as that any of them remained alive and unhurt. but eight of them did survive their charge in the face of the storm of bullets that we pelted at them; and these--headed by the tall fellow, who seemed bullet-proof--came rushing at us over our breastwork of rocks, shouting and flourishing their long spears. i cannot say very accurately what happened during the next five minutes or so, for one of the indians came directly at me, and before i could at all stop him--for i found that shooting at him with my revolver did him no harm at all; and this struck me as odd, for i had repeatedly hit the mark while practising in the corral--he had prodded his spear through the fleshy part of my left arm. it hurt severely. he had aimed his thrust, doubtless, at my heart, and he certainly would have penetrated that vital organ had i not at that moment slipped, and so disarranged his aim. he pulled the spear out of my arm, which action also gave me great pain, and his manner indicated that he was about to thrust it into some other part of me; which he surely could have done, for i was wholly at a loss as to what measures should be taken to assure my own safety. indeed, i was very well convinced that my life was as good as ended, and a curious flash of thought went through me that i cannot coherently remember, but that was in the nature of a query as to whether or not in a future state the many scientific truths which as yet are but imperfectly understood will be wholly revealed to us. however, the opportunity that i confidently expected would be given to me in a moment to obtain an answer to this interesting question did not then occur. just as the indian was lunging at me--i can see his ugly face now, as i close my eyes and let my thoughts turn backward to that critical moment--there was a flash of some bright object before me, and then the indian's entire head seemed to shut up suddenly, something like an opera-glass, and he went down to the ground like a stone. as i turned, i saw that my deliverance had come from pablo, and even in that very exciting moment i observed with astonishment that the weapon with which he had slain the indian was a great jagged sword--if the _maccuahuitl_ can be called a sword--such as the aztecs used in ancient times. i could not then conveniently stop to question him whence he had obtained that very interesting weapon, for there was another indian already close upon me; and i am pleased to say--for i do not wish the belief to go abroad that scientific men are worse than useless in practical emergencies--that, without assistance from pablo or from anybody else, i managed to pick up my rifle, and with the heavy iron barrel of that weapon, used clubwise, i mashed the head of that indian into a perfect pulp. i know positively that i mashed it into a pulp, for i tried afterwards to measure it, and found that for craniological purposes it was utterly valueless. even had i required pablo's aid in this encounter he could not possibly have given it to me, for he was himself just then very hotly engaged. indeed, but for assistance that come to him from an unexpected quarter his life assuredly would have been lost. he was in the act of hauling back to strike at the fellow facing him, and he did not at all know that he was in imminent danger of a thrust in the back from a wounded wretch who, having struggled upon his knees, was using what little life was left in him to deliver yet another blow. just at this critical instant it was that fray antonio dashed into the thick of the fighting, and covered pablo's body with his own against this assault in the rear; so that, as the indian struck, the knife only cut through the monk's habit and slightly scratched his arm, instead of making a hole between pablo's shoulder-blades that would have let the life out of him. young, who was close beside pablo, saw what was going on, and checked it before further harm was done by turning quickly and shooting off the top of the wounded indian's head; and then fray antonio retired out of the fighting in which, without himself striking a blow, he had taken so gallant a part. so far as i was concerned, the fight was at an end when i had so cleverly mashed the head of my second assailant. no more indians came at me, and as i looked around i perceived that this was for the excellent reason that there were no more to come. two were just advancing on young; who had them covered with his revolver, and dropped them, one after the other, in less time than is required to tell about it. the only other survivor among the enemy--at least the only one able to keep his feet--was the tall young chief, and he and rayburn were just finishing the last round of what probably was as fine a fight as ever was fought. they were well matched in size and in weight; and if the indian was any stronger than rayburn, i can only say that he must have been a most wonderfully strong man. they were fighting on even terms; for the indian was armed only with a short club, that he held in his left hand--and this left-handed method made him all the more awkward to deal with--while rayburn, having emptied his revolver, was using as a club its heavy barrel. as i caught sight of them, the indian was in the act of springing forward and delivering a tremendous blow; but rayburn most skilfully parried this blow by throwing out his rifle, still retained in his left hand, in such a manner and with such force that the indian's arm--at the same time striking and being struck with the iron barrel--was broken just above the wrist. he gave a yell of pain, as he well might; but he was a plucky fellow, and instead of dropping his club he only shifted it to his right hand. he never had a chance to strike again with it; for in that same instant rayburn swung his revolver at arm's-length through the air and brought it down on his head with a sound so muffled and so hollow that i can liken it only to the staving-in of the head of a full cask. for a moment, while rayburn drew back to strike again, the indian's body swayed heavily; and then all his muscles relaxed, and he fell heavily and limply to the ground--while his brains spurted out from the ghastly trench made by that mighty blow from back to front across the entire top of his skull. viii. after the fight. rayburn stood panting for a moment over the indian's body; and then, having satisfied himself by a look around among our fallen enemies that every one of them was either dead or dying, he stooped down beside the stream to drink from it, and then to bathe an ugly gash in his forehead made by a spear thrust that luckily had glanced aside. indeed, we all had wounds or bruises by which we were likely to remember our fight for a good many days to come. in addition to the cut on his forehead, rayburn had an arm badly bruised by a crack from a club; young had a cut in the calf of his leg that must have been made by one of the indians after he had fallen wounded; fray antonio had the slight cut in his arm that he received in rescuing pablo; a blow from a club on my shoulder had completely disabled my left arm, and my head was beginning to ache from the wound in my forehead where the arrow had nipped me; and pablo, by a square knock-down blow on the head that tumbled him among the rocks, had a bad gash in his cheek and was bruised all over. and yet the very first thing that boy did when the fight was ended--being still dazed, no doubt, by the blow on his head--was to play a bit of "rory o'more" on his mouth-organ in order to make sure that his beloved "instrumentito" had not been injured by his fall. the sound of this air gave my heart a wrench, as i thought of poor dennis; whose gallant race with death assuredly had saved all of us from dying without a chance to strike a blow. and both of our otomí indians were dead too. but while we had suffered thus severely we had the satisfaction of knowing that we had inflicted a most signal punishment upon our enemies. of the whole company that had attacked us--eighteen in number, as we found by counting their bodies--only two remained alive when the fight ended; and these two speedily relieved us of all responsibility concerning them by dying of their wounds. as young tersely expressed it, we had "given the whole outfit a through bill of lading to kingdom come!" notwithstanding the pain that i was in, the first thought that came to me after we had achieved peace (by the effective yet somewhat radical process of killing all of our enemies) was concerning the strange weapon with which pablo had been fighting; and by his prompt use of which in my defence my life had been saved. he had laid it upon a rock--while testing the integrity of his mouth-organ--and as i now carefully examined it i found that my glimpse of it as pablo had mashed the indian's head had not deceived me. it truly was a maccuahuitl, the primitive aztec sword, but very unlike any description of that weapon that i had ever seen. the maccuahuitl, as described by the spaniards at the time of the conquest and as shown by the aztec pictures of it preserved in various museums, was a wooden blade from three and a half to four feet long and from four to five inches wide. along its two edges, like great saw teeth, fragments of obsidian, about three inches long and two inches wide, were inserted; and as these were keenly sharp the weapon was a most ferocious one. the sword that i held in my hand was identical in its essential features with this primitive design; but it was shorter, narrower, and thinner. what was still more extraordinary about it was that, while it seemed to be made of brass, it had the bright glitter of gold and the temper and the elasticity of steel. being tested by bending, it instantly sprung straight again; and notwithstanding the vigorous use that pablo had been making of it on the bones of several indians, the thin edges of the projecting teeth were only nicked a little--as the edge of a steel sword would have been nicked under like circumstances--and not one of these teeth was bent out of place, as assuredly would have been the case had the metal been ordinary brass. fray antonio, by this time, had returned to us again--looking rather shamefaced because of the part that he had taken in the fight--and i eagerly showed him this strange weapon that had been so strangely found; for pablo's account of it was simply that, just as his revolver was emptied upon the indians charging towards us, when there was no time to reload, his eyes were caught by the glitter of the sword as it stuck in a cleft in a rock; whereupon he most gladly seized it--and instantly used it to good purpose upon the indian who was so close to ending me with his spear, and subsequently contrived with it to send two more indians to their account. fray antonio's knowledge of the matter having a wider practical range than mine, for he knew well the contents of the several mexican museums in which specimens of the primitive weapons are preserved, i thought it possible that he might be able to match this curious maccuahuitl with an account of another like it which he somewhere had seen. that there was no record in the books of this weapon made of metal i knew very well. but fray antonio's surprise over it was greater than my own; and he certainly found more in it to please him than i did; for this metal maccuahuitl, supposing it to belong to ancient times, settled in his favor a controversy that for some time past we had been amicably but earnestly carrying on. i had adopted the ingenious theory of my friend bandelier that the serrated edge of the aztec sword was accidental; resulting from the breaking away in use of portions of what at first was a continuous edge of obsidian. fray antonio, on the other hand, had held firmly to the ordinarily accepted opinion that the sword was such as i have described above (i must confess regretfully) the primitive weapon to have been. my contention therefore was that the sword that pablo had found was not an antique; and i fortified my position, as i considered impregnably, by the fact that while aztecs, before the spanish conquest, did make some slight use of copper and gold, they assuredly had no knowledge whatever of either brass or steel. and my natural irritation very well may be imagined, by any one familiar with controversies of this nature, when i add that fray antonio endeavored to cut the ground from under me by asserting that, inasmuch as the weapon obviously was not made of brass or steel, my argument was based upon false premises and consequently led to illogical conclusions. i am afraid that i showed a little temper on this occasion; for fray antonio manifested a persistence in his defence of what i regarded as his wholly untenable position that amounted to what i held to be downright pig-headedness. and so, for a considerable length of time, we stood there, among the bodies of the dead indians, and first one of us and then the other handled the sword, and expressed with increasing warmth our views respecting it and each other; and we might have stood there much longer had not young--with the best of intentions, no doubt, but in a way the certainly was not agreeable--taken upon himself to bring our controversy for the time being to an end. "i don't exactly know what you and the padre are jawing about at such a rate, professor," he struck in; "but as well as i can catch on, it's about things which happened three or four hundred years ago. i don't want to interrupt you, of course; but i do want the padre--he knows something about surgery, as i saw the other day when he took that cactus thorn out of pablo--to do something to plug up this hole in my leg. it's bleeding a good deal, and it hurts like the very devil. and i guess rayburn'd be glad to have that slit in his forehead tied up too." to do fray antonio justice, he took this interruption in better part than i did; for i was deeply interested in the argument in which we were engaged, and wished to continue it. but when i explained what young wanted, he turned to him at once, and very tenderly as well as very skilfully dressed his wound; and then bandaged the gash in rayburn's forehead, and the cut in pablo's cheek. pablo decidedly objected to this bandaging, for it put a peremptory stop for a while to his playing on his mouth-organ. for me no surgery was required. fray antonio carefully felt my shoulder while he moved my arm--thereby hurting me most horribly--and as the result of his investigations he assured me that the bones were neither broken nor out of place. rayburn also examined the maccuahuitl with much interest. "of course it is not brass," he said, "and of course it cannot possibly be phosphor-bronze. but, if such a thing were a metallurgical possibility, i should say that it was gold--treated in some manner that gives it as great a hardness as bronze receives when treated with phosphorus, but with some chemical change wrought in its constitution that gives it also the tempered quality of steel. nothing but gold, you see," he added, "could lie around out-of-doors this way and not get tarnished by oxidization." "what's the reason that it's not some queer thing belonging to the folks we're looking for?" young asked; and his question expressed a thought that already had found a lodging in my own mind. for such good-luck as this would be i was quite willing to concede that fray antonio was right in his unpleasantly positive views in regard to the shape of the aztec swords. and what young said also put me sharply in mind of the graving on the rock of the king's symbol, that we had found only in the same moment to lose it again. to this matter i now adverted; and i said some very unpleasant things about the indians who had prevented us from following the trail, that we had sought for so laboriously, when we did find it at last--and who still, for we doubted not that the main body was in wait for us lower down the valley, prevented us from returning to the spot where we had seen the sign and thence systematically continuing our search. "if i was you, professor," said young as i ceased speaking, "i wouldn't be so everlastin'ly down on these poor devils of indians for what they've done. they killed dennis, an' that's a pretty bad business; an' they got away with our two _mozos_, too; an' they've pretty well battered th' rest of us. but i take it that we've about evened things up by killin' eighteen of 'em--or six of their crowd dead for each one dead in ours. i guess we can call that part of th' business about square. but what i'm gettin' at is, if it hadn't been for the indians we'd never have come up this valley; an' so we'd never have struck th' king's symbol trail at all." "but what good did it do us to find it, when we could not follow it?" i asked. "we cannot go back to examine the sign without risking our lives; and unless we do examine it we cannot know where the next one is, and so the trail is lost." "i've just been waitin'," said young, "t' see if i was th' only man in this party that god-a-mighty'd given a pair of eyes to. i guess i am. suppose you just get up, professor, an' turn around, an' take a look at that place where there's a brown mark on th' side of th' rock; an' suppose th' rest of you look there too. if that isn't th' king's symbol, just as plain as th' noses in all your faces, i'll eat every dead indian in this cañon." and young spoke the truth. just above the cleft whence pablo had taken the sword, graven so deeply in the rock that after all the weathering of centuries it still remained distinct and clear, was identically the same figure that fray francisco in the far past time had represented in his letter, and that was repeated also on the far more ancient piece of gold. above it was cut an arrow that pointed directly up the cañon. it was a good thing that something came to cheer us just then; for what with the death of dennis and of our two poor indians, and our own hurts, and the melancholy feeling that must oppress men always--save those of cruel and hardened natures--when a fight is ended in which they have spilled freely human blood, we all were oppressed sensibly by a consuming sadness. but here was cheer indeed. not only had we surely found the trail at last, but we found it leading in precisely the direction that at that moment we desired to go. for us to return down the valley to the open country, we knew was full of most signal danger; for the indians who so unaccountably had declined to take part in attacking us assuredly were lying in wait for us by the way. our only chance to escape them was to strike into the mountains; and the sign that we now had gave promise that we should find some sort of a path along which we might go. therefore it was with good heart that we set about getting as far into the depths of the cañon as possible before night should be wholly upon us; trusting, in regard to possible pursuit, somewhat to the superstition of the indians which so unaccountably yet so obviously had been aroused, and also to the wholesome dread that they must have of us upon finding that every one of their companions had been slain. the bodies of our poor otomís we placed in a deep fissure in the rock, and there heaped stones upon them, while fray antonio said over them the briefer office; but the body of dennis we carried with us, that we might give him a more tender and reverent burial in gratitude for his brave struggle to save our lives when he knew that his own life was lost. as for the eighteen dead indians--who had invited the death that so promptly had come to them--we did not bother ourselves about them at all. we left them to the coyotes. ix. the cave of the dead. very dismal was our procession of faintly seen figures moving cautiously through that wild solitude. at its head went rayburn, leading his horse, on which was dennis's dead body; all of us, being bruised and cut and bleeding, walked slowly and painfully; and behind us, ghastly forms torn by bullets and crushed by blows, lay the slain indians in all manner of unnatural attitudes, made yet more hideous and fantastical by the gathering gloom of night. indeed, night now was so close upon us that had not the cañon in which we were run east and west, we would have been for some time past in darkness. as it was, though shut off from the west by the great range of mountains, a faint light came down into its depths from the still bright eastern sky, where lingered ruddy reflections of the sunset: and so we could see to pick our way, along the edge of the little stream, among the rough masses of rock and trunks of trees which had fallen from above. our march ended sooner than we had counted on. before we had accomplished more than half a mile of this rough travelling, there loomed before us a wall of rock which shut in the end of the cañon, and which rose as high and as sheer as did the cañon's sides. our hearts sank within us, for we perceived that we were in a cul-de-sac; whence escape was possible only along the way by which we had come--and so to return, with the indians still in wait for us, was to walk straight into the jaws of death. and, further, if our course in this direction was cut off, it was evident that the king's symbol graved upon the rock at the entrance of the cañon was a useless and misleading sign. in the hope that we might find a sharp turn, not to be perceived until we were close upon it, we pressed on through the dusk until we came to the very end of the cañon, and the dark wall of rock that barred our way rose directly above our heads. and then we found, not a turn in the cañon, but a narrow opening (through which came forth the little stream) into the body of the mountain itself. yet we hesitated about entering this black gap--for who could tell what depths, unseen in that dense darkness, we might not plunge into headlong? much dry pine wood, branches and whole trees, lay about us in the cañon; and of this apt material rayburn presently constructed a great torch. lighting this in the open cañon was not to be thought of, for while we felt tolerably certain that the main body of our enemies had not followed us, we could not be wholly certain that they were not close upon our heels and ready to open upon us with a volley of arrows and spears. rayburn therefore struck a wax-match--with which excellent article of mexican manufacture we were supplied plentifully--and with this to light his way, entered the narrow pass; and in his wake the rest of us followed. almost in a moment the walls on each side of us spread out beyond the reach of the narrow circle of light, and we perceived that we were come into a cave. but before we could at all discern our surroundings the match was blown out by a sudden suck of wind setting in from the entrance, and we were in thick darkness. the air around us was so sweet and so fresh that we knew that the cave must be large, and with more than one opening--as, indeed, the suck of wind inward through the passage by which we entered clearly showed. while rayburn struck another match, wherewith to light the torch, we all stood still in our places; and certain tremors went through our breasts because of the eeriness of our surroundings. [illustration: the cave of the dead] when the great torch blazed up, and threw everywhere save towards the high roof a flood of light, a real and rational fear took possession of us. the cave was nearly circular, and at its back, directly facing the entrance, was a roughly hewn mass of stone on which rested a huge stone figure--identical with the figures in the mexican national museum to which le plongeon, the discoverer of one of them, at chichen-itza, has given the name of chac-mool. but what filled us with dread was not this impassive stone image. our alarm came from a much more natural cause, as we beheld, squatted on their haunches in long semicircular rows, facing the great stone idol, more than a hundred indians. truly, considering that our rifles were outside the cave and that we had with us only our revolvers, our momentary thrill of terror was highly natural. yet it was only momentary. the indians, undisturbed by our presence and by the sudden blaze of light, remained unmoved in silent worship of their god; and rayburn, the first of us to recover equanimity, set all our fears to flight as he exclaimed: "these are not the fighting kind. every man jack of 'em is as dead as julius cæsar. we've struck an indian bone-yard." here, then, was the reason why a part of the force that had attacked us had drawn off when we made our stand at the mouth of the cañon that led to this home of the dead. yet when, by the light of the torch, we examined our silent fellow-tenants of the cave, it did not seem that they had been placed there in recent times. indeed, the more that fray antonio and i looked closely at their wrappings and noted the way in which their mummied forms had been ranged before this idol--that certainly belonged to a primitive time--the more were we inclined to believe that this weird sepulchre belonged to the very far back past. but for the moment it mattered not to us whence these dead forms came: the essential matter was that while we remained in the cave with them we were in absolute safety. "well," said young, when we had reached this comforting conclusion, "since it's a sure thing that we're all right here, i move that we make ourselves comfortable. let's bring in th' stock, an' get th' packs off; an' then we'll build a fire an' eat another supper. fightin' indians is hungry work, an' i feel as if i hadn't had anything to eat for a week"--which suggestions were so reasonable that we at once proceeded to act upon them. it was hard work for us, wounded and sore and tired as we were, to unfasten the pack-cords; and still harder work to collect the wood for our fire. but we managed to accomplish it all at last; and most comforting and refreshing was our supper amid those extraordinary surroundings. there was even cheerfulness about our meal--and yet over in the shadows at the back of the cave, touched now and then by a brighter flash of firelight, lay before the heathen altar of old the body of our poor dennis; and close beside us were the long rows of dead indians. i sometimes have thought that it was strange that we then had any heart to eat at all, surrounded by so desolate a company. but there is that about killing one's fellow-creatures, and being in imminent peril of being killed one's self, i have found, that blunts for a while the souls of those who survive and makes them careless of death's awful mystery. as the fire crackled and blazed, giving out a plentiful warmth that in that chill place was most grateful to our aching bodies, our spirits seemed to brighten with its brightness; and when the rich smell of strong coffee mingled with the smell of stewing meats told that young's cooking was nearly ended, we sniffed hungrily and eagerly; and when we actually fell to upon our meal i remember that we even laughed over it. yet it is but just to fray antonio to say that his fine spirit did not fall to the level of grossness that ours were brought to by what, as it seems to me, was an instinctive gladness on the part of our fleshly bodies that, for a while longer, they would not return to the dust whereof they were made. through our meal he sat gravely silent, yet with so sweet and so tender an expression upon his gentle face that in his silence there was no suggestion of reproof. and when our meal was ended, and we were for stretching out upon our blankets before the fire and smoking our pipes comfortably, he reminded us, with no touch of harshness in his voice, that a last duty was claimed of us by our dead companion. and, truly, the funeral ceremonies over dennis in that strange place of burial made the most curious ending of a man that ever i saw. in the fine dry sand wherewith the cave was bedded, directly in front of the altar on which was the heathen idol, we dug his grave--toilsomely and with pain, for all of our bodies were hurt and sore. while we labored, two great torches flared upon the altar, propped against the idol; and long, flickering rays of light shot out to us across the mummied bodies of the dead indians--striking across their gleaming teeth, so that they seemed to smile at us--from the huge blaze of the fire. from our stores fray antonio took out a little salt, and from the clear spring that bubbled up within the cave a cup of water, which elements he blessed and mingled as the rites of his church prescribed; and with the water thus consecrated he sprinkled the body lying before the heathen altar, while his strong, sweet voice chanted the _de profundis_ so that all the cave rang with the rich melody of the holy strain, and our own breasts were thrilled by it. gently we bore the body of poor dennis from its resting-place before the altar to its last resting-place in the grave that we had dug there, while fray antonio said the _miserere_; and as with our pack-ropes we lowered the body into the earth, the priest sang the _benedictus_, with its promise of a better life to come; and then a prayer ended all, and we filled in the grave. "i'm congregational, myself," young said, when our work was finished; "at least i was brought up that way; an' i'm down on th' scarlet woman from first t' last. but i go in for lettin' folks believe what they've got a mind to; an' when it comes t' buryin' 'em it's only square t' give 'em th' sort of send-off that they'd really like. for a catholic, i guess dennis was a pretty good one; an' i must say i think it would 'a' done him good to see th' way we've given him a first-class funeral, just in th' shape he'd 'a' fixed things up for himself. but i guess what we've been at would have everlastin'ly shook up these dead fellows here, if they could have come t' life for about five minutes while it was goin' on!" there was an element of grim humor in this suggestion of young's that tickled my fancy; and it was, indeed, allowing for the quaintness of his phrasing of it, but an expression of my own thoughts. but my reflection was upon the curious incongruity of it all, and upon the way in which religious faiths supplant each other; even as the different races of men who formulate them and believe in them supplant each other upon the face of the earth. together in this same cave were now the dead of two faiths and two races. who could tell what dead of other faiths and races yet unborn would lie here also before the end of time should come? when all was ended we were glad enough to lie down to give our battered bodies rest in sleep. we felt sure that no attack would be made upon us; yet we rolled some fragments of rock into the narrow entrance to the cave, arranging them in such a way that they would fall with a crash should any attempt be made to move them from outside. and, this precaution having been taken, we lay down upon our blankets thankfully, and never troubled ourselves to keep any watch at all. it was brilliantly light when we awoke, for the rays of the just-risen sun were striking strongly into the cave through its entrance-way; and much light came also through a crevice higher up, and through a great hole in the vastly high roof. viewed in this clearer light, there was a horrible ghastliness about the mummies ranged in their orderly rows, and presided over by the coarsely carved, coarsely conceived stone figure that in life they had worshipped as their god. on this image the sunshine fell full, and we perceived that its position evidently had been chosen carefully, so that the very first ray of light from the rising sun would strike upon it. no doubt, in ancient times, this cave had been a temple as well as a place of sepulchre. we were well rested by our long and sound sleep; but the pain which was everywhere in our bodies, from our many bruises, and from our wounds, and from the aching stiffness of our muscles, made life for a time almost intolerable. moreover, the languorous reaction following the undue exaltation that came of our battling and escape was upon us; so that our pain of body was accompanied by a most sombre and melancholy cast of mind. yet, again, did the more balanced and delicate temperament of fray antonio shine out by contrast with our coarser make; for while he also suffered pains of the body, his mind was filled with a serene cheerfulness that found expression in kindly, comforting words, by which our flagging spirits were strengthened and upheld. there was in fray antonio's nature, surely, a fund of gentle lovingness the like of which i never knew in any other man. and, in truth, our plight was such that we stood in much need of comforting. not only were we sick with our many hurts, but we were also prisoners. by the full light of day we examined carefully the cave, and found no outlet to it; and we examined carefully, also, the walls of the cañon throughout its full length, and made sure that there was no path leading upward whereby a man could go. and escape down the valley was cut off, for the indians--who knew, no doubt, the manner of place we were caught in--were on guard and watching for us; which fact came sharply to our knowledge with a half-dozen arrows that dropped among us as we went out a little way beyond the mouth of the cañon to see if the way was open to us. had we been whole, we might have made a dash and fought our way through; but even this poor plan was not possible when our bodies were stiff and sore. our one comforting thought was that, as we had an abundance of provisions and an ample supply of water, we could hold out for so long a time that the indians at last would get tired of waiting for us. if they ventured to attack us in the cave, we knew that we could defend ourselves against any number of them successfully. if they simply abandoned the siege, then we would be free without fighting at all. but it was dismal work waiting in that dismal place for one or the other of these two ends to come. and the fact that the king's symbol had proved a false guide also was a source of deep concern to us. by the full strength of daylight we again examined the graving at the entrance to the cañon, and there was no mistaking the way in which the arrow pointed. and, what was even more perplexing and disheartening, we found the graving repeated at the entrance to the cave, and the arrow pointing directly towards the statue of chac-mool. it was impossible that this cave, with mummies only for inhabitants, could be the walled city wherein the reserve force of men and treasure had been hid; and yet here, obviously, was the end of the trail. of this we convinced ourselves by searching the cave exhaustively for another outlet--even sounding the walls in the hope that we might find a passage that had been artificially concealed. as rayburn tersely put it, we were no better than so many rats in a trap with terriers waiting for us outside. x. the swinging statue. four more days went by very wearily. our wounds were healing--for we all were in good condition as the result of our vigorous life in the open air--but they still kept us in constant pain, and so tended to increase our melancholy. out in the valley, beyond the mouth of the cañon, the indians maintained their watchful guard. rayburn tried the experiment of holding a hat and coat out on a pole, standing himself under cover of the rock, and in an instant a pair of arrows went through the dummy; and as one of these came from the right and the other from the left, it was evident that in both directions the valley was picketed. we were safe enough for the time being, of course. even should the indians overcome their superstitious dread and enter the cañon--which was not probable, for they had not even ventured to remove their dead--they could not possibly make a successful attack upon us in the cave. behind the breastwork that we had built in the narrow entrance, and armed with our repeating rifles and revolvers, we were absolutely secure. "it's not a bad thing that we're safe," said young, "an' that we've got plenty of grub an' water, an' even lots of firewood; if we've got t' be shut up here we might as well be comfortable. but what i want is a through ticket for home. this treasure business has gone back on us th' worst kind. that old fray francisco had his eye shut up by th' tall talk of th' fellow who pretended to be converted; and th' cacique just promiscuously lied. that's about the size of it. an' for bein' fools enough to swallow their stuff, here we are, as rayburn says, like rats in a cage." there was so much probability in what young said that i did not attempt to argue with him; yet was i convinced that in what fray francisco had written, and still more in what the dying cacique had said to me, there was a substantial element of truth. finding that nobody replied to him, for all of us were sore at heart and so disposed to silence, young turned to the statue of chac-mool and proceeded to abuse it vigorously, on the ground that it was an idolatrous product of the aztec race that was at the root of all our troubles. for, as he truly said, had there been no aztecs to begin with, our departure on a wild-goose chase after an aztec treasure-house would have been an impossibility. his attention having been thus fixed upon the idol, his habit of investigation got the better of his ill-will towards it, and he mounted the altar to examine it more closely--continuing the while to address it in language that was eminently unparliamentary. "a pretty-looking sort a specimen _you_ are!" he said, in a tone of vast contempt. "but you're about what i'd expect folks like that friend of th' professor's, th' cacique, t' worship. it takes a low sort of a heathen, even in his blindness, t' bow down to a stone like you--with your twisted head, an' your stubby legs, an' your little fryin'-pan over your stomach. why, where i come from they wouldn't have you even for a stone settee in a park. no, you're not fit even t' sit on--unless, maybe, it's on th' flat top of your crooked head;" and by way of testing this possibility, young seated himself on the head of chac-mool. and then a very extraordinary thing happened. the idol, and the great slab of stone on which it rested and of which it was a part, slowly moved; the head sinking, and the other end of the slab, on which the legs were carved, rising in the air! young sprang up with a cry as he felt the stone sinking beneath him; and the figure, relieved of his weight, settled back into its former position with a slight jar. in a moment that the slab was in the air there had come from under it a gleam of light. in the excitement wrought by this strange accident our hurts were forgotten; and we eagerly clambered upon the altar to investigate the matter further, while hope and wonder thrilled our hearts. "now, then, young," said rayburn, "try it again. it looks as though this idol wasn't all the blackguard things you've been calling it, by a long shot." "no, i'll be hanged if i'll try it again," young answered. "try it yourself, if you want to. how do i know what's goin' t' happen with a stone thing that goes tippin' around that way? i don't mind sayin' that i'm a good deal jolted, an' don't feel like foolin' with it any more. try it yourself, if you want to, i say." "all right," rayburn answered. "you and the professor stand here where you can grab me if anything goes wrong. it looks to me as though there was a chance for us of some sort here, and i mean to see what it is." young and i stood on each side of rayburn and held him by the arms as he seated himself on the idol's head. borne down by his weight, the head slowly sank, the whole fore-end of the stone slab falling away into the rock, and the after-end correspondingly rising and disclosing a squared opening, through which came a strong burst of light. when the head was down to the level of the rock, and the slab stood up at an angle of nearly fifty degrees, the movement ceased. looking into the opening we saw a flight of a dozen stone steps. on the bottom step the sun shone brightly, and in our faces blew a draught of fresh, sweet air. on the rock, beside the stair-way was carved the king's symbol, with the arrow pointing downward. "hurrah!" cried young. "here's a way out--an' it looks as if that old monk an' th' cacique weren't such a pair of blasted liars after all!" rayburn jumped up to have a look with the rest of us; but before he could see anything the statue had fallen into place again and the opening was closed. "no matter, we know how to work it, now," he said. "we must prop it up somehow; that's all. i want to have a look at this thing. there's some mighty good engineering shown in the way the centre of gravity of that stone has been calculated; and there's a good mechanism in the way it's hung. here she goes again. just chock it with a bit of rock when i swing it open." "well, what i'm interested in," said young, "is findin' out what sort of a place it'll get us into. it looks to me as if we might be goin' to strike the treasure right smack here." much the same notion was in all of our heads by this time, and we were full of eagerness--the statue having been swung again, and propped in place with a fragment of rock--as we went down the little stair. but what we found was only a continuation of the cañon--as though, by some curious freak of nature, the thin walls of rock enclosing the cave had been left thus in the very middle of it. rayburn drew our attention to the fact that we were on the crest of a divide, for a spring that bubbled up here flowed away from us; and this also was a cheering sign that the cañon had an outlet. how far away the outlet might be we could not tell; for the cañon, half a mile or so from where we stood, bent sharply to the right. but being thus assured that a way of some sort out of our prison was open to us, we turned to examine the work of the skilled mechanics who in some far past time had set this swinging statue in its place. from below, the simple apparatus, that yet for its fitting required so high a grade of scientific knowledge, was plainly disclosed to us. into the great slab of stone, presumably running through it from side to side, was set a round bar of metal--the same bright metal of which the sword was made--more than a foot in diameter; and this worked in two concave metal sockets in much the same manner that the sockets of a gun-carriage hold the trunnions of a gun. what struck rayburn as especially remarkable was the trueness to a circle of both the sockets and the bar; both showing, as he declared, that they had been worked upon a lathe. and he was puzzled, as in the case of the sword, as to the composition of the metal that thus defied oxidization through long periods of time. "gold is the only thing that fills the bill," he said; "but a bar of gold, even of that size, would bend double under such a strain. i'd give ten dollars for a chance to analyze it--for there's a bigger fortune in putting a metal like that on the market than there is in finding this treasure that we're hunting for: especially if it turns out that there isn't any treasure to find." "now, don't you go t' runnin' down that treasure," young struck in. "just now treasure stock is up. me an' that idol have just boomed th' market. i'm sorry i called jack mullins, or whatever his name is, such a lot of cuss-word names. i take 'em all back. he isn't just th' sort of an idol that i'd pick out t' worship myself, at least not as a steady thing; but there are good points about him--especially th' way he tips up. i always did like an idol that tipped up. he's done th' square thing by us in gettin' us out all right from th' worst sort of a hole; an' i guess th' best thing we can do is t' yank our traps out of that cave an' get started again. why, for all we know, th' treasure may be right around that corner." there was no doubt as to the soundness of young's suggestion in regard to resuming our march; but the very serious fact confronted us that we now must do our marching on foot. to get the horses and mules down through the narrow opening was simply impossible, and there was nothing for us but to leave them behind. rayburn looked very grave over this phase of the matter, for leaving the mules meant also that we must leave the greater part of our ammunition and stores. that these things would be abundantly safe in the cave, for any length of time, was not to the purpose; the essential matter was that we would be deprived of them. it was hard, too, to think that our animals would fall into the hands of the indians--for our only course with them must be to turn them loose in the cañon, whence they certainly would go out in search of pasture into the valley, and so be captured; but it was still harder to think that we must go ourselves on foot and with a scant outfit of supplies. it was not very cheerfully, therefore, that we went back into the cave and began to sort out from our packs the articles which would be absolutely necessary to our preservation in the rough work among the mountains that probably was before us; and our shoulders already ached a little in anticipation of the heavy loads which they must bear. it was while we were thus engaged that pablo begged that i would step aside with him for a moment that he might speak to my ear alone. i saw that there were tears upon his cheeks, and as he spoke he scarcely could restrain his sobs. "señor," he said, "you know el sabio?" "surely, pablo." "you know, señor, that he is a very small ass." "it is true." "and you know--you know, señor, how very tenderly we love each other. since i came away from my father and my mother, in guadalajara, and from my little brother and sister there, el sabio is everything in the world to me, señor. i--i cannot leave him, señor. i should die if we were parted; and el sabio would die also. and you say that you have perceived that he is a very small ass. do not ask me to leave him, señor." "but we cannot take him with us, pablo. what would you have?" "that is it, señor; truly, i think that we can take him with us. you see, he is so little; and it is quite wonderful through how small a place el sabio can crawl. he can creep like a kitten, señor, and he can make himself into a very little bunch. and so i think that he can--if we help him, you know, señor--and speak to him so that he will not be alarmed, and will try to do his very best to make a small bunch of himself--i think that we can get him down through the hole, and so take him with us. but if we cannot, señor, then--you must forgive me, señor--i love him so very dearly, you know--then i will stay with him here. it would be better so than that el sabio should think i no longer loved him. and he would think that, señor, were i to go with you and leave him here among these dreadful dead gentlemen alone." it had not occurred to any of us that el sabio might be condensed sufficiently to go through the narrow way; but if he truly were the collapsable donkey that pablo declared him to be, we had a good deal to be thankful for. he was a sturdy little creature, and his small back could bear easily twice as much as any two of ours. with his assistance we certainly would be able to carry with us all of our ammunition and arms--of which defensive stuff we could not well afford to spare the smallest part. and el sabio, after pablo had made a long explanation of the case to him, and had told him precisely what we expected him to do--to all of which he listened gravely and with an astonishing air of comprehending what was said to him--seemed to enter into the spirit of the situation, and to try his very best to meet its requirements. it is a puzzle to me to this day how el sabio managed to shrink himself so that we got him through that narrow hole; but he certainly did manage it--and then went down the stone stair-way backward, as though he had been trained to be a trick donkey from his youth up. when the feat was accomplished, and he stood safely out in the cañon, the expressions of love, and of congratulation upon his cleverness, which pablo lavished upon him were enough to have turned completely a less serious-minded donkey's head. such of our stores as we were compelled to leave behind us, including our saddles, and the pack-saddles, and all the heavier portion of our camp equipage, we heaped in one corner of the cave and piled rocks over; and then we turned our poor horses and the mules loose in the cañon, feeling certain that their instinct would lead them out to the valley in search of food. it went to our hearts to know that these good beasts of ours were doomed to hard service under indian masters to the end of their days. all being thus in readiness for our advance, we went down the stair-way beneath the swinging statue, and from beneath pulled out the piece of rock which propped up the great mass of stone. with a heavy jar it fell and closed the passage-way, and we prepared to start. just then fray antonio remembered that he had left on a ledge in the cave--that we had used as a shelf for the storage of various small matters during our sojourn there--a little volume that he dearly loved: the _meditations of thomas à kempis_. he was full of remorse for his forgetfulness, and did not ask that we should turn back to get his book for him; yet his distress over the loss of it was so evident that we had not the heart to go on. "it will take only ten minutes to go back," said rayburn, and as he spoke he ran up the stair-way and set his shoulders to sway up the stone. in a moment he called: "just come here, young, and help, will you? it don't work as easily from this side." but even with young's help the stone did not move. then the rest of us joined these two, and all five of us together pushed with all our strength--and the stone did not yield by so much as the breadth of a hair! and then rather a queer look came into rayburn's face, and he said: "i think that i understand what is the matter. the point of leverage falls beyond the edge of the hole. from where we have a chance to push, we are working against the whole weight of the stone. we might as well try to lift the mountain itself!" and then he added, "i guess we'd better give this thing up and start." very curious feelings were in our breasts as we picked up our packs and set off along the cañon; for we knew that by that way only could we go, and that, no matter what was ahead of us, our retreat was cut off. xi. the submerged city. a sweet, warm wind blew in our faces as we set off along the cañon; the sun shone joyously upon us, and there was that fresh, tingling quality in the air that is peculiar to regions high above the level of the sea. in spite of the fact that the way behind us was irrevocably barred, and that no matter what dangers were ahead of us we had no option but to face them, our spirits were strong within us, and we went blithely on our way. young, who was in advance, began to whistle "yankee doodle"; and presently, from the rear of our procession, where pablo walked beside the heavily laden el sabio, there broke forth a mouth-organ accompaniment to this spirited melody. the bed of the cañon, through which a little stream ran, fell away before us along a slight down grade; which descent, since we found also a good foot-way beside the stream, made walking comparatively easy notwithstanding our heavy back-loads. now and then our way would be barred by masses of rock fallen from above, and by whole trees blown down from their insecure roothold on the rocky cliffs; and twice we came to steep descents which would have given us trouble had we not brought along the ropes wherewith our packs had been bound. shifting el sabio down these places was our hardest task; but with the ropes, and the intelligent part that he took in the performance, we managed it successfully. so we went on for half a dozen miles or more through the windings of the cañon, but keeping all the while a sharp lookout ahead--for in the mouth of this end of the cañon, supposing it to open as at the other end upon a grassy valley, we well enough might come upon an indian camp. and that we had come upon such a camp we felt quite sure when, late in the afternoon, rayburn signalled us from his advanced position--he having gone to the head of the line in young's place--to stand still until he should reconnoitre a little. being thus halted, we unslung our rifles and loosed our pistols in their holsters, so that we might be ready in case fighting suddenly should begin; and rayburn went on around a turn in the cañon, and for a while we lost sight of him. presently he returned and signalled us to join him, but to move cautiously. when we came up with him he led us to the bend in the cañon, and there a broad view opened to us; for the cañon suddenly widened into a great valley, that was everywhere, so far as we could see, surrounded by walls of rock almost perpendicular and vastly high. in the bottom of the valley was a broad expanse of delectably green meadow-land, broken here and there by groves of trees; and in the valley's middle part, reaching from side to side of it, was a lovely lake, whereof the blue was flecked by white reflections of certain little idly drifting clouds: the sight of all which greenness and fair water and broad range of sky--after being for so long a season pent up in rocky fastnesses and wandering over brown, sun-baked plains--fairly brought tears into my eyes because of its fresh and open loveliness. and in the tender feeling that thus stirred my heart, as i could see in the quick glance that he gave me, fray antonio also keenly sympathized; for his nature was very open at all times to such gentle influences. but rayburn and young, as was evident from their anxious looks, were thinking only of the dangers which this lovely valley might hold in store for us; for the shore of the lake nearest to us had many houses built upon it, and we could see faintly, for the width of the lake was nearly two miles, that there were other houses upon its farther shore. standing hidden behind a rock, rayburn examined the valley carefully through a field-glass for a long while. "i must say this place beats me," he said at last, as he put the glass down from his eyes. "there's no doubt about there being a town down there; but i can't make out a sign of a single living thing. and what is still queerer, the houses seem to go right down into the lake. if you'll take the glass, professor, you'll see that a few of them, on this side, stand all right on dry ground; and then, farther down the sloping bank, are a lot in the water; and beyond these there seem to be some roofs just showing above the level of the lake. and as far as i can make out, things are just the same over on the far shore. it looks as if the lake had risen after the town was built." as i looked through the glass i saw that what rayburn had said was true; and i observed with much interest that many of the houses were large, and that all seemed to be well built of stone. their construction reminded me of the buildings which m. charnay examined at tula, and i was eager to get down to them and examine them closely. young and fray antonio took the glass, in turn, and as none of us saw any signs of life in the valley, we decided to go on. and we were mightily stimulated in this resolve by finding, just at the end of the cañon, where the sharp descent began, a graving of the king's symbol on the rock, with the arrow pointing directly down the steep path. "here's a walled city, for sure," said young; "and if this is where th' treasure-house is, we won't raise a row because th' folks have gone off an' left it. just whoop up that burro of yours, pablo, an' let's be gettin' along. it's a pity we had t' leave th' mules behind. if th' treasure's in silver, we can't get away with much of it with nothin' but el sabio t' pack it on." pablo did not understand this speech, of course, but he recognized his own name and the name of el sabio, and young's gestures helped out the meaning of his words. therefore pablo grinned, and "whooped up" el sabio; and we all set off briskly down the steep decline. presently we found our way much easier than we had been led to expect by its rough beginning. as we advanced along it there was ample evidence that the path had been graded and smoothed by the hand of man. in several places it was carried on a terrace supported by a well-laid retaining wall; a deep crevice was spanned by long slabs of stone, so placed as to form a bridge; and where it turned sharply around a high shoulder of rock, the face of the cliff had been quarried away. yet that this all had been done in a very remote time was shown by the fragments of rock which had fallen into it here and there, and which were blackened by age. "the same fellow who set that statue in place probably was in charge here," was rayburn's comment, "and he was a first-rate engineer. i wish i knew how he managed to swing those stone slabs over that crevice. there's no room there to set up a derrick, and it would puzzle me to set blocks like that without one." and rayburn's admiration for the professional skill of this engineer of a long past age was still further excited when the path came fairly into the valley, and thence was carried downward along the gentle slope towards the lake, by a perfectly even two-per-cent. grade, over a broad way paved smoothly with squared blocks of stone. and fray antonio and i were much interested in this work also, for we both perceived the identity of its structure with the paved way that is found on the east coast of yucatan, and that is continued on the island of cozumel. by this paved avenue we entered the city--for, as we presently found, it was entitled to this more dignified name. the first houses that we came to were but small buildings enclosing a single room--such as are found, inhabited by working-people, on the outskirts of any mexican city at the present day. they were silent and deserted; but they gave, at first sight, the impression of being but momentarily abandoned, for the belongings of their owners still remained in them as though the every-day affairs of life still went on within their walls. in the first that we entered we found an earthen pot still standing on a sort of fireplace, and beside the fireplace a little pile of charcoal. there was a fragment of bone in the pot, and beneath it were some scraps of charcoal which remained unconsumed. it was as though cooking had been going on here but an hour before. rayburn even put his hand into the ashes to feel if they still were warm. but closer investigation gave us a juster notion of the long lapse of time that must have occurred since any fire had burned upon this hearth. in one corner of the room we found a pile of mats, but on touching these they crumbled into fragments in our hands; and the bone in the pot was so dry and so porous that it was light as cork. as in this first house that we examined, so was it in all of them. all, at the first glance, seemed to have been but a moment before deserted; but all had signs about them which showed that they had been abandoned for a very long time. in one we found a loom--in construction very like that which the navajo indians use at the present day--on which hung, partly completed, a sheer filament that once had been some sort of heavy woollen cloth. in another, a cotton garment was lying carelessly upon a shelf, as though but a moment before cast aside; yet, as i tried to pick it up, it crumbled between my fingers into a fine powder. of humanity, the only sign that we found anywhere about this grim and desert place was the dried, shrivelled remnant of a woman that we came upon in an upper room of one of the larger houses farther on. she was lying upon a bed of mats, partly turned upon her side, and one arm was stretched out towards an earthen cup that stood just beyond her reach upon the floor. there was strong pathos in the action of the figure, for it told of the keen thirst of fever--of weakness so extreme that the inch or two between the hand and the cup was a gulf impassable--of a moaning struggle after the water so longed for--and then, at last, of death in that utter and desolate loneliness. and what added to the ghastliness of it all was that a thin ray of sunlight, coming through a crevice in the wall, struck upon the woman's teeth--whence the lips had dried away--and by its gleaming there made on her face a smile. as we came close to the lake, we perceived, as rayburn already had discerned by the aid of the glass, that houses, partially submerged, actually rose from the water, and that houses of which only the roofs were visible were farther on. that this whole valley was the crater of an extinct volcano was sufficiently evident; and we could only surmise that in later times some fresh cataclysm of nature had poured suddenly into it a vast body of water, and so had submerged the city that had been builded here. whatever had brought about the catastrophe, it evidently had come with a most appalling suddenness. everywhere the condition of the houses showed how hastily they had been abandoned; and the wild hurry of flight was shown still more clearly in the case of the woman--whose surroundings gave evidence that she had been a person of consequence--deserted in her age or infirmity and left lonely to die. young's face wore a melancholy expression as we stood upon the shore of the lake, and looked out across it towards the faintly seen western shore. "if this is th' place we're huntin' for," he said, "i guess our treasure stock is pretty badly watered, unless somebody's had th' sense t' keep th' treasure dry over on th' other side. we'd better move over there, i reckon, an' take a look for it, especially as we've got t' go that way anyhow in order t' get out. there ought t' be some sort of a path around th' lake, between th' edge of th' water and th' cliffs." but when we came to examine into this matter we found that there was no path at all. on each side of the valley the walls of rock rose directly from the water, sharp and sheer. "well," said rayburn, when we had finished our inspection, "we've got to get across somehow. i guess we'll have to sail in, the first thing to-morrow morning, and build a raft. these pine-trees down here by the water will cut easy and float well, and there's some comfort in that, anyway. but what i'm after right now is my supper." pablo already had started a fire, having first unpacked el sabio, that he might refresh himself by rolling on the soft, green grass and by eating his fill of it, and young presently had some ham fried and some coffee boiled. we had counted upon having fresh meat for supper that night, for there was everything in the look of the valley to promise that we would find game there; but, so far, not a four-footed thing nor a bird had we seen, nor even signs of fish in the lake. in the morning we got out the axes and went to work at the building of the raft; and, notwithstanding what rayburn had said in regard to the ease of cutting them, i must confess that for my part i found the cutting of pine-trees very wearying and painful. my hands were blistered by it, and the muscles of my back were made extremely sore by it for several days. indeed, the construction of a raft big enough to float us all, and our heavy packs, and el sabio, was a serious undertaking. we spent two days and a half over it, and i never in my life was more thankful for anything than i was when at last that wretched raft was done. as young observed, as he regarded our finished work critically, there was no style about it--for it was only a lot of rough logs, of which the upper and lower layers ran fore and aft and the middle layer transversely, the whole bound together by our pack-ropes--but it was large enough for our purposes, and it was solid and strong. in the late afternoon we carried our belongings on board of it, and pablo succeeded by dint of much entreaty in inducing el sabio to board it also, and we pushed off from shore. for driving the clumsy thing forward we had made four rough paddles, which well enough served our purposes, for there was no current whatever in the lake and the air was still. [illustration: afloat on the lake] as we went onward we discovered how considerable the city was that here lay submerged. through the perfectly clear water we could see to a great depth, and beneath us in every direction were paved streets, lined with houses well built of stone. near the centre of the valley the size of the houses greatly increased, and the fashion of their building was more stately; and fronting upon a great open square in the very centre of the city was a building of such extraordinary size that we took it to be the palace of a king; but here the water was so deep that we could make out but faintly the looming far below us of its mighty walls. never have i been more pained than i then was; for in that place i found myself close to making discoveries of surpassing archæological value, and yet i was as completely cut off from them as though they had no existence. just beyond the palace, as we went onward, our raft almost touched the roof of a noble building that stood upon the top of a vast pyramidal mound, the base of which we could see but dimly far down through the waters of the lake. this, evidently, had been the chief temple of the city; and as we passed over it and came to its eastern side, we had ghastly and certain proof of the terrible suddenness with which the city had been overwhelmed. on the broad terrace before the temple was the sacrificial stone, and upon this dark mass we saw distinctly the gleaming of human bones; and as we peered down into the water we perceived that all the terrace was strewn thickly with human bones also, showing that when the rush of water came many thousands of human beings had here perished miserably. for a little while, no doubt, all the surface of the water round about where we were had been dotted thickly with the bodies of the drowned which had floated upward; and then, one by one, they had sunk again to the place where death first found them--where their flesh wasted away from them until only their gleaming bones remained. i pictured to myself the dreadful scene that once had passed, down there below us, where now was only the calm serenity of ancient death: the great crowd collected to witness the sacrifice, and then the sudden coming of the waters--possibly so quickly that the victim, held down by the neck-yoke upon the sacrificial stone, was drowned ere there was time to slay him. this great mound would be the last of all to be covered, and the wretched people gathered there must have seen their city disappear beneath the waters before death came to them. no doubt they thought themselves safe in that high place, made sacred by the presence of their gods. and when the water did reach them, what a writhing and struggling there must have been for a little while; what a crushing of the weak by the strong in mad efforts to gain even a moment's safety upon some higher standing-place! and then, at last, the water rose triumphant in its swelling majesty over all--and beneath its placid surface were hid the silenced terrors of all that commotion of mortal agony, whereof the outcome was the peaceful and eternal calm of death. xii. in the valley of death. as the raft approached the western shore of the lake we perceived beneath us no longer houses, but large walled enclosures which plainly had been gardens of pleasure--for gaunt trees, symmetrically planted in groves and beside stone-paved path-ways, yet stood in them; and seats of carved stone were placed in what once had been shaded nooks; and in many of the gardens were carved stone fountains of elegant design. between the city and what once had been its charming suburb extended a broad paved way, like that which we had found upon the eastern shore; and this paved way was continued on the dry ground above the present level of the lake towards the cliffs westward. on the high western shore were a few houses, large and handsome, and having walled gardens around them, which evidently had belonged to persons of great wealth and consequence. in these we found shadowy remnants of a past magnificence. on many of the walls were hangings, once rich and heavy, that now were mere films of ghostly stuff held together by the many gold threads which had been woven into their fabric. pottery, wrought into beautiful shapes, yet ornamented with designs that told of but half-redeemed barbarism, was scattered about everywhere, and scarcely a piece was broken. some very handsome weapons we found also--swords and spears and knives--of the same curious metal as the sword which pablo so opportunely had laid hands upon in the cañon, but far more finely finished and more delicate in design. and of this same metal was made a great throne, as it seemed to us to be, that was in the largest room of the finest of all the houses; a house that we believed was once the pleasure palace of the king. the audience-chamber in which this throne stood was of finely wrought stone-work, whereof the whole surface was covered with low-reliefs of men and animals--scenes of battle, of council, and of the chase--surrounded by curious tracery of such orderly design that fray antonio agreed with me in the belief that it was some sort of hieroglyphic writing. but this matter is treated of so fully in my _pre-columbian conditions on the continent of north america_ that i need not enter upon discussion of it here. but in none of these houses, much to the disappointment of rayburn and young, did we find any scrap of the treasure for which they so earnestly longed. and, truly, if treasure remained in this wrecked city, it was less likely to be in these outlying country houses than in some strong building in the city's heart; and so beyond their reach in the depths of the lake. if this were indeed the walled city for which we were searching--as well it might be, for never was a city surrounded by grander walls than the mighty cliffs wherewith the valley was encompassed--our search was like to be a vain one so far as mere treasure was concerned; though i, for my part, felt myself well repaid for all that i had thus far suffered by the discovery of so much that was of archæological value. in this purer pleasure fray antonio shared; yet was he also dissatisfied--for he had come with us that he might preach christianity to living souls: and here were only the bones of countless dead. the paved way still led westward, and we followed it--for to the westward must be the valley's outlet. as it rose to a higher level the way widened; and on each side of it was a stone statue of the god chac-mool. as we came to these statues young proceeded, in a most business-like way, and with no apparent appreciation of the queer figure that he cut, to sit down in turn on each of their heads. and he was mightily disappointed when he found that neither of them stirred. "they're not th' tippin' kind," he said, ruefully, as he got down from the head of the second one and looked at it with an expression of reproach. but his countenance brightened, when we had gone a little farther, as he caught sight of another and much larger statue of the god that was set in a great niche cut in the cliff at the end of the paved way. to prepare here the god's abiding-place very arduous labor had been undertaken. for a space fully one hundred feet high and as many broad the whole face of the cliff had been quarried into; making a deep recess that was rounded above, and that from beneath was approached by a long flight of steps cut from the solid rock. in the centre of the recess, upon the terraced space above the stairs, was a huge squared mass of stone, on which the great stone figure of chac-mool rested. the opening faced directly eastward, and as we approached it the stone figure was seen but indistinctly in the duskiness of the recess, over which, and far beyond which into the valley, fell the shadow of the mighty cliff. from in front of this great altar all the valley was open to us; and hence, before the lake swallowed it, every part of the city must have been clearly visible in ancient times. as we mounted the steps and approached the idol i observed that pablo hung back a little; as though in the depths of his nature some chord had been touched, some ancient instinct in his blood aroused, that filled his soul with awe. certainly there was no suggestion of awe in young's demeanor towards the statue. with a monkey-like quickness, that i would not have given his stout legs and heavy body credit for, he climbed upon the altar and plumped himself down on the head of the figure almost in a moment. but again he was disappointed, for the idol did not stir. as we examined it closely we perceived that its fixedness was not unreasonable; for the figure, and the altar on which it rested, were one solid mass of rock that itself was a part of the cliff--left standing here when the niche around it was hollowed out. a very prodigious piece of stone-cutting all this was, and as i contemplated it i was filled with admiration of the skill of them who had achieved it. but young came down from the idol moodily; and he said that the way these people had of playing tricks on travellers, by making mullinses that didn't tip when they ought to tip, was quite of a piece with their putting their treasure where it couldn't be got at without a diving-bell. behind the altar the niche was cut into the cliff so far that the depths of it in the waning daylight were dusky with heavy shadows; indeed, so dense were these that young came near to breaking his bones by falling into a little hole in the floor, that was the less easily seen because it was hidden behind a jutting mass of rock. but he caught the rock in time to save himself from falling, and eagerly struck a wax-match that he might see if here were a passage-way for us. descending into the rock was a stair-way, the steps whereof were smoothed as though many feet had trodden them; and down these steps he promptly went, holding the lighted match before him--these mexican wax-matches are as good as tapers--and having with him the full box of matches should further light be required. a minute later we heard his voice calling to us, but where it came from we could not tell--for he had descended into the rock below us, and the sound that we heard seemed to come from the air above. while we listened we saw the gleam of the light in the darkness below, and then he came up the stair laughing. "well, that's just th' boss trick," he said. "i guess th' old priests who used t' run this place would be everlastin'ly down on me if they knew that i'd tumbled to it. there's a hole right up into th' idol an' room inside of him for half a dozen men, an' there's a crack in his head that you can see out through while you're lettin' off prophecies an' that sort o' thing. why, if you had a crowd t' work with who really believed in jack mullins, you could set 'em up for almost anything with a rig like that!" but this curious discovery, in which fray antonio and i were deeply interested, did not forward our immediate purpose, which was to find a way out of the valley. we still cherished a faint hope, indeed, that we might find the king's symbol with the arrow pointing the way onward, and so be assured that the city buried in the depths of the lake was not the city of which we were in search. but in any event the need for getting out of the valley pressed upon us; and that we might accomplish our deliverance from this shut-in place, we examined closely the whole circuit of the cliffs at the western end. not an inch of this great expanse of rock, for as far up the wall as our eyes could see clearly, escaped our attentive observation; yet nowhere was there, even by bold climbing, a place where the cliff might be scaled, still less an open path. and so, having walked slowly along the bottom of the cliffs to the edge of the lake on the north, and there turned upon our steps and come slowly back again to where we started from, and having made a like double journey of inspection to and from the edge of the lake to the south, we came at last to our first point of departure, and rested before the statue of chac-mool, disconsolate. one discovery we had made in the course of our explorations which enabled us to understand how the fate that had overtaken the drowned city had fallen upon it. close by the northern border of the valley we saw, high up above us, a vast rift more than a thousand feet wide in the face of the cliff; and below this the ground was torn into a deep wild channel, and everywhere huge fragments of rock were scattered over the ground. here it was, then, that the water had poured in--bursting forth from a lake above--by which the city at one stroke had been overwhelmed. some little notice, by the mighty roaring that must have accompanied so great a crash of rocks and so vast a rush of water, the dwellers in the city must have had; and the gleam of the pouring waters would have shown them the nature of the ruin that was upon them. there would have been time, before the water was waist-deep in the city streets, for them to make their way to the high mound on which their temple stood; and in the appalling horror of it all they might have clamored to their priests that a victim should be sacrificed to stay this terrible outburst of anger on the part of their gods. but it was more than likely that before the sacrifice could be completed they all--people, priests, and he who was to be sacrificed--perished together beneath the flood. "why," said young, "th' mill river disaster wasn't anything to it, an' that was pretty bad. i was runnin' th' way-freight on th' old colony road when that happened, an' i took a day off an' went up an' had a look at it. but this just lays that little horror out cold. it's as big as lettin' loose on boston the whole of massachusetts bay." that we should be prisoners in a place where death had wrought so swiftly such tremendous havoc was quite enough to fill our souls with a brooding melancholy. but in addition to the sombre thoughts which thus were forced upon us, bred of sorrow for the thousands who had here untimely perished, the gloomy dread of a more practical sort assailed us that we also in a little while would join the silent company of the thousands who had died here in a long past time. and the death that seemed to be in store for us was less merciful than that which had come to them. theirs had been a short struggle, and then a gentle ending as the waters closed over them. but our ending was like to be a lingering one and miserable--by starvation. with the loss of our mules and horses we had been compelled to leave behind us the greater portion of our stores; and for our protection against savages, and in the belief that in the mountains we should meet with an abundance of game, we had left almost all of our provisions, and made our lading mainly of ammunition and arms. but in this valley, so smiling and so beautiful, there was no live thing except ourselves. not a beast, not a bird had we seen since we entered it; and in the lake, as we found presently, there were no fish; the only sign that animal life ever had existed here was that dried and withered remnant of a woman that we had found in the deserted house, and the bones which we had seen gleaming below us in the lake. this was, in truth, as we came thus to call it, the valley of death. while we worked at building the raft we had not thought to be sparing in our eating--for building that raft was hungry work--and now that consideration of the matter was forced upon us, we found that we had with us food barely sufficient for three days. we could, of course, eat el sabio--though such was our feeling towards that excellent animal that eating him would be almost like eating one of ourselves; and pablo, we knew, would regard eating this dear friend of his as neither more nor less than sheer cannibalism. and even if we did eat el sabio, the meat of his little body would but prolong our lives for a week, or possibly for two weeks more. and what then? had there been room in our souls for yet more sorrow, we could have had it in the thought that in all that we had set out to do we had completely failed. if this valley of death were indeed the place that we had been seeking, little good came to us from finding it. of the souls which fray antonio had come forth to save, here there were none. of archæological discovery, truly, i had something to make me glad; yet little compared to what was hidden beneath the waters; and even this little, since knowledge of what i had found soon must die with me, was of no avail. as for rayburn and young, the treasure which they sought might or might not be near at hand; but they certainly could no more come at it than, were it heaped up before them, they could carry it away. and most of all was my heart troubled by the fate that was like to overtake pablo because of his love for me. bitterly i blamed myself for permitting the boy to come with me; for i should have foreseen that a hundred chances might intervene to render impossible my intention to give him his free choice to go or to stay when the decisive turning-point in our adventure came. in point of fact, one of these chances had intervened; and the attack upon us that the indians had made, and the closing of the passage in the rock behind us that rendered return impossible, had forced him to remain with us without voice of his own in the matter; and now would bring him, as it would bring the rest of us, to the most horrible death of which a man can die. night was falling as we ended our search along the cliffs for a way of escape, and found none, and so came again in front of the great idol--where our packs had been left heaped up, and where the wise one, happily unmindful of the fate that might soon be in store for him, was energetically cropping the rich grass. we built a fire, for the air in that deep valley, mingling with the mists rising from the lake, was damp and chill; and beside the fire we made our evening meal. there was no good in talking about what was so apparent to all of us; but young, who was our cook, showed his appreciation of the situation practically by serving only half rations and by making our coffee very thin and poor. silently we ate our short allowance of food; and thereafter we smoked our pipes with but little talk for seasoning, and that little of a melancholy sort. of our own plight we did not speak at all, but in what we said there was constantly a reflection of the bitter sorrow with which all our hearts were charged. i remember that young, who truly was as merry a man naturally as ever i knew, told us that night only of dreadful railroad accidents--of wrecks in which men lay crushed among the heaped-up cars, shrieking with the agony of their hurts; and then shrieking with dread, and with yet greater pain as the fire that seized upon the ruin around them came nearer and nearer until they fairly were roasted alive. and rayburn told of a prospecting party besieged by indians upon a mountain peak in colorado; how, one by one, they slowly died in a raving horror of thirst until one man alone was left; and how this one man prolonged his life until rescue came by drinking the blood of his own body, and yet died in raging madness almost at the moment that he was saved. for myself, i had nothing to add to these horrors; yet such was my frame of mind that i found a certain bitter gladness in listening to the telling of them, and in tracing between them and our own case the ghastly parallel. in our talk, which wont on in english, fray antonio took no part; but he could follow well enough the meaning of it in our tones. on his face was an expression of tender melancholy that seemed to me to tell of sorrow for us rather than of dread of what might be in store for himself; and that this truly was his mood was shown when the others paused, sated and appalled by the horrors which they had conjured up, and he spoke at last. it was not a sermon that fray antonio gave us; but out of the abundant store of faith by which he himself was sustained he strove to comfort us with thoughts of better things than life can give. and with the promise of hope that he held out to us with the solemn authority that was vested in him by reason of the service to which he was vowed, he mingled a certain yearning for us, very moving, that came of the love and the tender gentleness that were in his own heart. and yet, though he knew that, excepting pablo, we all were heretics according to his own creed, there was no word of doctrine in all of his discourse. rather was what he said a simple setting forth of that primitive christianity which has its beginning and its ending in a simple faith in an all-pervading, all-protecting love. and of this love, as it seemed to me, he himself was the human embodiment. looking in his gentle face, which yet had such high courage, such noble resolution in it, i felt that in him the spirit of the saints and martyrs of long past ages lived again. with our souls soothed and strengthened by what fray antonio had spoken to us, we lay down at last to sleep; yet was it impossible for us to drive out from our hearts that natural sadness which men must feel who know that they have failed in a strong effort to accomplish a project very dear to them, and who know also that they are standing upon the very threshold of a most tormenting death. xiii. up the chac-mool stair. we awoke the next morning at the very moment that the sun rose above the mountain peaks to the eastward; and our waking was due in part to the sunshine striking upon our faces, but more to the prodigious braying, that echoed thunderously from the cliffs around us, with which el sabio welcomed the advent of the god of day. "it is a good sign, señor," said pablo, "when el sabio brays thus nobly at sunrise. he does not do it often, but when he does i know beyond a doubt that i am to have a lucky day." "an' i must say," young struck in, "that for a man who expects t' have t' eat his boots in th' course of a day or two i'm feelin' this mornin' most uncommonly chipper myself. for one thing, i mean t' have another look around that idol. i'm not at all sure that he's not th' tippin'-up kind. maybe we didn't put enough weight on him yesterday; or he may do his tippin' up from th' other end. anyhow, i'm goin' t' have another whack at him as soon as i've eat my breakfast; an' that's a performance that won't take long t' get through with, considerin' how thunderin' little there is t' eat." truly, the eating of our breakfast did not consume much time; and, so short did young make our rations, i am not sure that we were not hungrier at the end of it than we were at its beginning. when we finished, the sun was still low in the east; and the bright rays struck full upon the statue of chac-mool, on the great stone altar, and into the depths of the niche that had been hollowed behind it in the face of the cliff. we observed that the idol was so placed that the very first rays of the sun, coming through a cleft between two great peaks to the eastward, shone brightly upon it, while yet all the rest of the valley save the cliff above the niche remained in shade. with the strong sunlight deeply penetrating it, the recess behind the altar no longer was filled with the black shadows that had obscured it on the previous afternoon; and even the hole into which young so nearly had fallen was plainly visible. taking advantage of the better light, the lost-freight agent--who certainly had found a fitting berth in that department of railway service, for such a man for hunting for things, and for finding them, i never came across--made a more careful examination of the deeper portion of the recess, and presently he gave a shout that told of a discovery. as we gathered around him he pointed in great excitement to a row of metal pegs, which were fixed in the rock one above the other, diagonally; and then to the point in the roof of the recess towards which these pegs tended. even with the strong light that now aided us it was some time before i could make out among the black shadows of the roof a small opening; but the longer that i looked at it the more distinct it grew. "we've struck th' trail once more," young cried. "we've struck it sure. it don't look promisin', but here it is--for if this ain't th' king's symbol carved right by th' first of these pegs, then you're all at liberty t' kick me right smack over th' top of that idol for a d----n fool! hurrah!" pablo could not understand what young was saying, but it was easy to perceive from his gestures the nature of the happy discovery that he had made. in a tone in which deference and triumph were curiously blended, pablo said to me: "did i not tell you, señor, that a good thing always happens when el sabio brays at the rising sun?" before pablo had ended this short but exultant deliverance, young was half-way up to the roof of the cave, treading gingerly upon the metal bolts and testing each one before he trusted his weight to it. in a couple of minutes he reached the roof and disappeared through the hole; and almost instantly he called down to us: "we're solid--here's a regular staircase. come along!" we followed him promptly enough; while our hearts thrilled, and all our bodies trembled, with the gladness that possessed us as we found this way opening to us from the valley wherein we had thought that surely we must die. in a little chamber, cut in the rock above the opening into which the ladder of bolts led us, young was waiting for us; and from this chamber a spiral stair-way ascended that was dimly lighted by crevices cut from it out to the face of the cliff. with young leading us, up this we went; at first rapidly, but, later, slowly and wearily, for it seemed as though the stair would never end. yet though our bodies were heavy our spirits were very light; for we knew by the wearisome length of it that the stair must lead to the very top of the towering cliffs by which we had believed ourselves to be irrevocably shut in. and at last there was a gleaming of light above us; and this grew stronger and stronger until we came out with a shout of joy into the glad sunlight--and saw far below us the valley that we once more thought beautiful, now that it no longer held us fast. in the depth below us we could discern el sabio, looking no bigger then a rabbit; and he must have caught the sound of our shouting with those long ears of his, for there came up to us faintly from him an answering bray. "it's pretty hard lines on that jackass," said young, "leaving him behind down there. but he might be left in a worse place, after all." i could perceive that pablo was stirred by uneasy thoughts of the separation that now so clearly must take place between him and his dear friend; and he looked wistfully along the path across the mountain to the westward--cut and smoothed so that it was an easy path to go on--and evidently thought how simple a matter it would be for el sabio to travel on with us if only once he were up the stair. but he did not speak, and i hoped that he was nerving himself to bear manfully this sore trial. for the rest of us, we had but one thought: to get our packs up the stair-way as quickly as possible--and at its quickest this work would be slowly and painfully done--and then once more go forward. just as we turned to descend again an eagle came sailing slowly towards us--evidently without fear of us--and rayburn was so fortunate as to bring him down with a pistol-shot. we tossed him over the edge of the cliff; and a famous breakfast we made on him when we returned into the valley again. i can't say that i would have much stomach for so dirty a bird now, but i certainly did think that eagle most delicious eating then. the hearty meal that we made on him strengthened us mightily, and we went to work with a will at getting our traps up the stair. with our pack-ropes we hauled the various articles first into the little room at the stair-foot, and then toilsomely carried them to the heights above. saving only that this work did not blister my hands, it was worse than the building of the raft had been; and all of us, using in climbing and in descending the stair certain muscles which normally are not brought often into play, found our legs so stiff and sore for the next day or two that walking gave us very lively pain. it was as this heavy work went slowly forward that pablo said to me, speaking in an insinuating and deprecating tone: "up a stair such as this is, señior, the wise one would bound like a deer." i did not call in question pablo's simile, for i knew that the boy's heart must be very sad. laying my hand kindly upon his shoulder, i answered in a way to show that i was truly sorry for him: "the wise one will lead a happy life, pablo, in this beautiful valley--where nothing can do him harm, and where he will have an abundance of water and of rich fresh grass. up the stair no doubt he could climb, for he knows wonderfully well how to use those dainty little feet of his; but even the wise one could not climb up the ladder of metal bolts. therefore must thou strengthen thy heart against the bitterness of this parting from him; for even if thou wouldst stay behind with him it is not possible--for thou canst not live, like the wise one, on water and grass." "but he is so little and so light an ass, señor," pablo urged, "that surely, all of us pulling together, we could pull him up by the ropes, even as the other things have been pulled up; surely, surely, señor, that would be an easy thing for four men to do--and i also can pull at the ropes, señor, almost as well as any man." it did not seem to me that even all of us pulling together could sway el sabio up a hundred feet through the air; but pablo was so pitiful in his entreaties, and seemed so resolutely bent upon remaining behind in the valley and dying there with his dear friend rather than go on without him, that i opened the matter to rayburn and joined my plea to pablo's that this curious effort should be made. and in addition to the sentimental reason for taking the ass with us, i pointed out to rayburn--as, indeed, he understood without my telling him--how practically valuable el sabio was to us in helping us to bear our heavy loads. rayburn thought with me that the dead lift of so considerable a weight to such a height, without tackle of any sort to help us, was impossible. but young, who had an inventive strain in his composition, was of the opinion that he could set up such rough tackle as would answer our purpose; upon understanding which, pablo at once embraced el sabio and danced for joy. young was, i think, the handiest man i ever knew. he had a natural genius for mechanics; and in the many years of his railroad life he had gained a knowledge of all manner of expedients by which the work of complicated machinery could be accomplished by very simple means. "when you have a freight smash-up right in the middle of the section," he said, "with nobody to help you inside of forty miles, and the express due to come bouncing down on you inside of two hours, you've just _got_ to get things out of the way whether you've got anything to do it with or not. if i had the equipment of a first-class freight-cab here i'd yank that burro up inside of twenty minutes; and if i don't do it, anyway, inside of two hours i'll promise to eat him." i did not translate the whole of this speech to pablo, for talk even in fun about eating el sabio was rather a delicate matter, considering how close a shave that worthy animal had had to being eaten in dead earnest; but i did tell him that the señor young felt sure that he could swing el sabio up through the air to where the stair began. and with pablo--who also could use his hands well--most willingly helping, young contrived in a surprisingly short time to make a rough windlass, that was effective enough for the work to be done with it, and to pull it up bit by bit into the chamber in the rock and there fit it together over the hole. el sabio, being brought into the recess behind the idol, regarded us all with a doubting expression that even pablo's repeated assurances that we meant well by him could not change into a look of trustfulness. pablo declared, however, that in his heart of hearts the wise one knew that we all were his friends, and that even though we should hurt him a little he would understand that it was for his good. and the conduct of the ass during the exceedingly bad half-hour that he then went through seemed fully to bear out pablo's words. around his small body, with stays running forward around his neck and aft to his tail, we rigged looped ropes--which ropes were gathered together above his back and there made fast to the line that was pendent from the windlass above. from time to time, as this operation was going forward, el sabio turned his head upon one shoulder or the other and gazed with a wistful expression at what we were doing to him; and the slow shake that he gave his head, whereby his great ears were set to wagging mournfully, as he finished each of these inspections, betrayed the grave wonder that was within him as to what it all could mean, together with a not unnatural apprehension of what might be its ultimate outcome. by a good chance, the effect upon the wise one of finding the solid earth drop suddenly from beneath his feet--when at last all was in readiness, and young and rayburn began to hoist away at the windlass--was to render him quite rigid with terror; and there was a most agonized look upon his face as he went sailing up through the air. pablo, standing below with me, that we might steady the ass with a guy-rope during his ascent, addressed to him all manner of tender and comforting words; but for once the wise one seemed to be insensible to his master's voice. neither with his eyes nor his ears did he respond; and he well enough might have been taken for a dead ass going heavenward, but for the sharp twitchings of his tail. and when at last he was safely within the upper chamber, he fairly fell down upon the rocky floor of it in sheer exhaustion begot of fright. it was not until we had passed up a bucket of water to him, whereof he drank the very last drop, and had been soothed by pablo's fondling of him and by pablo's gentle words, that his broken spirit revived. and so limp and weak was he that it was a long while before we could in conscience urge him to ascend the stair. when at last he set himself to this undertaking, he was far from accomplishing it in the bounding and deer-like manner that pablo had promised for him; but he certainly did at last get to the top--which was all that was required of him--and there drank gratefully the bucketful of water that pablo had carried up that great height for his comforting when his toilsome climbing should end. and pablo went down into the valley once more that night in order to bring back to his friend a hearty supper of rich grass. [illustration: el sabio's predicament] by the time that all this hard work was accomplished the day was nearly at an end; and even had there been light for us to see our way by we were too tired to go on--for every bone and muscle in our bodies was weary and sore. therefore we made our camp for the night on the flat expanse of rock where the stair ended; and we were thankful that enough of the eagle remained to us for our supper--and, indeed, we made our breakfast on him also, for he was a prodigiously large bird. very different were our feelings as we wrapped ourselves in our blankets and settled ourselves to sleep on that open mountain-top--with the path clear before us, and with the cheering hope in our hearts that among the mountains we should find a plenty of wild creatures suitable for food--from the dull despairing languor that had possessed us as we sank to sleep the night before. and with our joy was also a reverent thankfulness--that was more strongly stimulated by certain words which fray antonio spoke ere we lay down to rest--that our deliverance was accomplished from that death-stricken valley wherein we ourselves so surely had expected that we must die. xiv. the hanging chain. by the winding way which we followed along the mountain-top (and that this was the way we wished to follow the king's symbol and the pointing arrow plainly showed), we came presently close beside the rift in the cliffs through which the waters of the upper lake had been discharged upon the city in the valley below and so had buried it. and here we made a very surprising discovery--which was no less than that the great rift in the rocks through which the water had been let loose was not, as we had supposed, the result of some fierce convulsion of nature, but very plainly was the fiercer work of man. along the face of the opening whence the water had poured forth the rock was grooved, showing that drill-holes had been made, close together, from the edge of the cliff backward to the lake that once had filled all the valley now lying bare and empty before us; and with the field-glass we could see that there was a like channelling of the rock upon the farther side of the break. and all doubt in our minds in regard to this matter was removed by our finding a vastly long drill--made of the bright, hard metal that we now were familiar with, yet could not at all understand its composition--lying close beside the chasm upon the bare rock. "there has been the devil's own work here!" said rayburn, as he fully took in this extraordinary situation. "whoever did this must have spent months over it, perhaps years, working with such tools as these. they evidently went at it systematically, with the deliberate intention of drowning the whole crowd down below. from an engineering stand-point i must say that it's a good piece of work. see how cleverly they've picked out this particular spot, where the wall of rock went down almost perpendicularly into the lake, and so got the full value of the thrust of the water when their cuts were finished. if i'm not mistaken, there was a third line of drill-holes sunk in the middle of the mass that they meant to cut loose. that's the way i should have done it: then there would have been a little giving in the centre that would have helped to loosen the sides. but what a lot of incarnate devils they must have been to go at such a job!" truly, there was something chilling to the blood in the thought of the slow labor of them who had toiled here, day after day and month after month, until their ghastly purpose was accomplished, and they had slain a whole city without striking a single honest blow. such vengeance upon an enemy as here was taken never had its equal for cold, malignant cruelty since the world began. down in the valley below we had seen gleaming beneath the calm surface of the lake the bones of the thousands who had perished when this diabolical work was completed, and the waters bounded forth, shining and sparkling in the sunlight, on their mission of death. and whoever let them loose must have stood just where we now were standing; and at sight of what came of their long labor there must have been such joy as no hell could adequately punish in their black hearts. our bodies shuddered as we turned and left the scene of this tremendous tragedy; that was the more appalling to us because of the profound mystery in which was buried everything related to it save the fact that it had been. for a long distance our way went onward beside the bare, deep valley that had been the basin of the lake, and so the thought of the horror which had been wrought so devilishly with its innocent waters lingered gloomily in our minds. involuntarily we associated the unknown people of a long past time who had perpetrated this hideous wholesale murder with the people for whom we now were searching, and an uncertain dread filled our souls as to what might be our own fate should we end by finding what we sought. from the tender mercies of a race in which stealthy craft and cold, malignant cruelty evidently were such conspicuous characteristics, little was to be expected. therefore, it was in a sombre mood, and with but little talk among us, that we went forward upon our way. the path that we followed showed the same care in the making of it that we had found in the path leading down from the cañon into the valley where the drowned city was. throughout the length of it, by carrying it skilfully along the windings of the mountain-sides, an equable, easy grade was maintained; where it led across open spaces the loose stones had been cleared away and stood heaped along each side of it; where it skirted precipices the solid rock had been cut out in order to give a wider and a surer foothold; and here and there in its course crevices which traversed it were bridged with great slabs of stone. rayburn was lost in admiration of the engineering skill that was shown in its construction, and declared that a very little extra work put on it would fit it for the laying of a line of rails. the valley on our right, in which the lake had been, narrowed as we advanced; and as the path that we followed had a steadily rising grade (according to rayburn's estimate, of a trifle more than three per cent.), the bottom of it fell away rapidly. as we reached what had been, as we found, the foot of the lake, we discovered fresh evidence of the enormous amount of labor that had been expended in order to make its waters an effective engine of destruction. far in the depths beneath us, extending across the whole width of the valley--but here the valley had so narrowed that it was less a valley than a cañon--we saw a high and vastly broad stone wall. it was then that we perceived fully the whole of the devilish design, and realized the years that must have been given to its execution. by the building of the wall the level of the lake had been raised fully three hundred feet, and so a head of water had been obtained strong enough to thrust out the mass of rock that had been loosened by drilling through its centre and at its sides. it would have been possible, also, for the rock that was to be broken away to be greatly thinned by quarrying its open face while the water was rising slowly after the great dam was built. clearly, the whole work had been planned with a calm, diabolical ingenuity that assured with absolute certainty the accomplishment of the horrible purpose that those who labored at it had in view. it seemed impossible, but for the proof that we here had of it, that human hearts could have in them enough of purely devilish cruelty to spend years in thus working out to perfection so hideous a vengeance; and to me it seemed all the more dreadful because of the time that had passed since this most evil deed was done. centuries had vanished, and the slayers--living out the few years of their lifetime--had perished from off the earth as utterly as had the slain; yet here the whole proof of the great crime that had been wrought lived on in enduring stone that was like to last until the very end of the world should come. thus had these sinners left behind them, raised by their own hands, a monument telling of their sin; which sin had not even the redeeming quality of passionateness, but was slow and subtle and cruelly cold. we were glad to turn from sight of this place and press onward into the cañon, for such the valley now had become; and we found in the dark shadows which enveloped us in this deep cleft between the mountains a sombreness in keeping with the feelings in our hearts. so high above us towered the cliffs that at their top they seemed almost to meet, showing between them only a narrow ribbon of bright blue sky, and below us the chasm went down sheer for a thousand feet; a gloomy depth that our eyes could not have penetrated had there not gleamed at the bottom of it the foam and sparkle of a little stream. here the path was hewn almost continuously out of the solid rock; and we could see that a like path was cut in the rock on the other side. that so prodigious a piece of work should be thus duplicated seemed to us a very astonishing waste of energy; for even young did not have much faith in his own suggestion that two prehistoric railway companies had secured rights of way along the opposite sides of the cañon, and had begun the building there of rival lines. but the matter was explained, presently, by our finding that this other path was but a doubling of the path that we were on. as we rounded a turn in the cañon we came suddenly to a broad natural ledge in the rock, over which hung a great projection of the cliff so that the sky above was hid from us. here our path went off into the air, and began again on the other side of the vastly deep chasm, a good sixty feet away. "rather long for a jump," was rayburn's curt comment as we pulled up on the edge of the precipice and looked at each other blankly. yet it was evident that those who had made with such great expense of toil and time these path-ways on the opposite sides of the cañon had crossed in some way from the one to the other at this point, and the only surmise that seemed to fit the facts of the case was that there had been stretched across the chasm a swinging bridge of _lianas_--such as still are to be found spanning streams in the hot lands of mexico--and that in the course of ages this had rotted entirely away. but as this bridge, if ever there had been one here, was absolutely gone, we found ourselves in as shrewdly strait a place as men well could be in. to go ahead was as clearly impossible as was the hopelessness of turning back upon our path. at the most, we could only return to the valley out of which we had climbed with such thankfulness; and rather than go back to die of starvation in that place, so beautiful and so desolate, there was not one of us but would have chosen to end all quickly by springing into the gulf above which we stood. but while we thus stood in dreary contemplation of the miserable prospect before us, young, as his habit was, was spying about him sharply, and so spied out a way of deliverance for us. the announcement of his discovery was made in a very characteristic way. "you set up to be some punkins of an engineer, now don't you?" he said, addressing rayburn. "but did you ever happen to hear of a bridge that was hung up at one end an' that was operated by swingin' it backward an' forward like a pendulum?" "no," rayburn answered, promptly and decisively, "i never did." "so i thought," young went on. "well, you've admitted that in sev'ral things th' man who was in charge of construction on this line could have given you points, an' this swingin' bridge notion is one of 'em. i can't say that i think much of it. it wouldn't do in railroads, for sure; but there is a good deal to be said in favor of it when it helps folks out of such a hole as we're in now--an' if it still is in workin' order, that is just what it's going to do. there it is. do you catch on?" we all looked in the direction in which young pointed, for his gesture was so earnest that even fray antonio and pablo caught the meaning of it, and so saw--pendent from a point far up on the overhang of rock, and but indistinctly showing in the shadow--a great chain that at its lower end was caught in a metal hook set in the face of the cliff at the extreme back of the ledge on which we stood. for my part, i did not at once catch the meaning of young's words even when i saw the chain, but rayburn understood it all in a moment. "by jove!" he exclaimed, "that _is_ a notion! you grab the end of it and just swing across to the other side!" young already had loosened the chain from the hook and was testing its strength by putting his weight on it. at the end of it was a crossbar big enough to get a good grip upon; and this, and the chain itself, were wrought of the bright, hard metal of which we had encountered so many specimens. the upper end was made fast high above us in the out-jut of rock, very nearly over the centre of the cañon; so that no great force was required to carry whoever grasped the crossbar, and so swung out boldly, clear across the chasm to the ledge on the other side. but i confess that the thought of such a passage made me feel a little dizzy and sick; and never did i long to be safely back in my class-room at ann arbor as i did just then! "it seems t' be all right," said young, "but i guess you may as well take a pull on it with me, rayburn. there'd be no fun in havin' it fetch away when a man was about half across, an' we may as well make th' thing sure." and then, as the chain still held firm under the double strain, he added, "well, here goes;" and, so speaking, took a running start and went swinging out over the abyss. my heart was in my mouth as he leaped forth and shot out from and far below us; but in a moment he rose along the curve that he was traversing and was safely landed on the other side. "it's a boss invention. workin' it is just as easy as rollin' off a log," he called across to us; and to show how easily the passage was made, he instantly swung himself back again. pablo had manifested signs of strong uneasiness while this talk and action were in progress, and in a very anxious tone he now inquired: "but how will it be with the wise one, señor?" "why, gettin' _him_ across will be as easy as open an' shut," young answered, speaking in english to rayburn and to me. "we'll just rig him in th' rope slings again, an' make him fast to th' chain, an' give him a good boost to start him, and over he'll go before he fairly knows he's started." but when we came to apply this brisk statement of the case practically, we found it by no means easy of execution. el sabio grew restive as we arranged the slings of rope about his body, evidently remembering, fearfully, the strange journey that he had made in the air when we had rigged him in a like manner in order to trice him up to where the stair began; and he grew yet more restive as we fastened the rope slings to the end of the chain. rayburn had crossed to the other side--passing the chain back by weighting it with a rock--and stood ready to receive el sabio when he was swung across. but partly owing to a want of skill in our management of him, yet more to his own unruliness--for just as we started him, with a strong push, he clapped down his fore-feet upon the edge of the cliff and so checked his swing outward--he did not swing within reach of rayburn's hands. and so he came back towards us again, and then out once more towards rayburn; and so swung slowly and yet more slowly until at last he hung motionless over the very middle of the gulf, with nothing between him and the rocks below but a thousand feet of air. and then el sabio began to kick with a vigor that set to rattling every link in the chain! pablo was cast by this mischance into a veritable frenzy of fright; and we were most seriously frightened also--not only because the destruction of the poor ass was imminent, but because of the danger which menaced ourselves. our party was divided, and should the chain give way, under stress of el sabio's kicks and plunges, all possibility of our coming together again was at an end. rayburn might leave us and go on; and so, perhaps, save his own life. but for the rest of us there would be no hope. behind us was death by starvation. in front of us was this impassable gulf. from pablo, who was quite wild with dreadful anticipations of the parting of the chain and the loss to him forever of his friend, least was to be expected in the strait wherein we were; yet it was from pablo that our rescue came. with a quick apprehension of the needs of the case, he rove a running-knot in the end of one of the pack-ropes, and with a dexterous cast of this improvised lasso set the loop of it about el sabio's neck as that unfortunate animal for a moment ceased his strugglings and hung still. and then we all strained on the rope together, and in a minute had el sabio safely with us again; but in such a state of terror that pity for him wrung our hearts. but the limpness which the reaction from such deadly fear threw him into made handling him easy; and this time, when we launched him forth (taking the precaution, however, to fasten one end of a rope to the chain), he went sailing across the full width of the chasm, and rayburn in a moment had him landed in safety. the instant that the chain was loosened pablo hauled it back, and an instant later swung lightly across the cañon, and straightway fell to fondling the terrified creature and comforting him with all manner of tender words. and he so piteously besought us to give el sabio one good drink that we passed the water-keg and the bucket across, and permitted the poor ass to drink half of our stock of water without debate of the sacrifice. indeed, this refreshment was so necessary to him that without it i doubt if he could have gone on. while el sabio thus gathered courage and strength again, young swung over to the other side, and we passed our stores across from ledge to ledge--having ropes made fast to the chain, and so steadying each load from the one side while we hauled from the other. this was easy work, and we quickly finished it. when it was ended i braced myself for the flying journey through the air across that gulf so deep that the bottom of it was lost in black shadows, through which the sparkling water faintly gleamed; and my heart so throbbed within me as i took the bar in my hands, with the knowledge that should i lose hold of it death waited for me below in those dark shadows, that my breath came irregularly and i heard a dismal ringing in my ears. yet i had less to fear than either of the others who had crossed before me, for the ropes still were fast to the chain; and should i not swing far enough i would be helped to safety by my companions. but for shame, i should have made my body fast to the chain by a rope sling, and so have gone across as our stores had gone rather than as a man. but my pride forbade my surrender in this fashion to my fears; and it was a lucky thing for me that it did. holding the bar in my hands, i ran briskly across the ledge, and, with a strong kick on the edge of the cliff to give me additional impetus, i went spinning out into space. for an age, as it seemed to me, i sank rapidly; while that horrible feeling possessed me--the like of which people subject to sea-sickness feel as the ship drops away beneath them into the trough of the sea--of falling away from my own stomach. and then, just as my strength seemed to be failing, and my hold on the bar loosing, i perceived that i was rising again; and this put a little fresh heart in me, and i tightened my grip on the bar. ten seconds, no doubt, was the full extent of the time that my passage consumed; but it seemed to me then, and it seems to me still as i think of it, a long ten years. and a thrill of terror goes through me as i think also of how near i then came to a horrible death; for at the very moment that i reached the farther side of the cañon there was a little tinkling sound in the air above me, and the bar that i held was twitched out of my hands, and then came a loud jingling of metal on rock, and as i turned quickly i saw a gleam of sunlight catch the great chain as it went twisting downward into the black gulf below. xv. the temple in the clouds. doubtless the violent strain to which the chain had been subjected by el sabio's kicking and plunging had loosened the fastenings, centuries old, which held it to the rock; for the chain had not broken, but had come away entire. i sank down on the rock as weak with terror as the poor ass had been; and like him i drank greedily of water, and panted for a while, and at last found my courage coming back to me. yet my case was a happy one compared with that of fray antonio. howsoever narrow my escape had been, the fact remained that i had come out from my encounter with death safe and unharmed; but on fray antonio's shoulder we could but dread that death already had laid his hand. and that he knew how close to him death was standing we could see by a certain elate and confident air of courage in his bearing, and by the wonderful tenderness and sweetness of his smile. truly, never did i know a man so ready at all times as this man was to lay down the life that god had given him; holding it but as a trust that might at any moment be called back to the source whence it came. yet because it was a trust, meant to be put to useful purposes, fray antonio valued his life and cared for it. and at this time it was he himself who devised a plan by which it might be saved. the ropes which were fastened to the chain, being held stoutly on the one side by fray antonio and on the other by young, fortunately had broken as the great weight of the chain suddenly had come upon them, and had broken so close to the knots which held them that nearly the whole of their length remained. the plan that the monk now devised for coming across to us--and a bold heart was required even to think of this daring enterprise--was that with the two ropes fastened about his body at one end, and held by all of us at the other, he should swing down into the chasm and far under the promontory of rock on which we stood, and then that we should haul him up to us. the great difficulty in the way of executing this plan was in getting the line across between us; its great danger lay in the probability--notwithstanding the depth of the recess beneath us--that he would be dashed against the rocks with such force as to kill him outright. but young, who usually was ready for any emergency that might arise, roused out a ball of twine that was a part of our stores, and one end of this he made fast to a fragment of rock, and by a strong heave of it landed it safe on the other side; whereafter the rigging of the double rope across was an easy matter. very carefully, testing the knots as he made them, fray antonio fastened the double line about his body, beneath his shoulders, and so stood ready on the edge of the chasm; while we four stood holding the line, with all our muscles braced for the strain that would come upon it as he swung downward. for a moment he paused, with his face turned upward while his lips moved. then he waved his hand, and smiled as he called across to us, "it is as god wills!" and so dropped away from the ledge, and like a flash went down beyond our range of sight. we felt the jar on the ropes as his body struck against the face of the cliff far below us, and the reflex action as he swung out again, and thereafter the slower motion of the ropes as he swayed back and forth dangling over that black and awful chasm. and as the ropes settled into steadiness we drew him up towards us; yet dreaded, because of the dull weight of it, and because no assuring cry came up to us, that what we lifted was a corpse. and, in truth, as we raised the body of fray antonio over the edge of the cliff it seemed as though this dread were realized; for a great bloody gash was upon his temple, and his limbs were limp and lifeless, and his face was deathly pale. at sight of which there came into my heart a bursting pain, as though some one had stabbed me there; and there were tears in young's eyes; and rayburn gave vent to his sorrow in a great curse that was half a groan. as for pablo, whom no danger could daunt, and who would bear without flinching any hurt of his own, this dreadful sight so moved him that he fainted dead away. yet even in the moment that such deep sorrow seemed to be settling down upon us, fray antonio slightly moved his lips, and there came forth from them a low faint sigh--whereupon young jumped up with a shout and relieved his mind by administering to pablo a hearty kick, which he accompanied with the remark: "you infernal fool of a greaser indian, what do you mean by swoundin'? he ain't dead at all!" as tenderly as i could for the trembling of my hands, i washed away the blood from about the cut and bathed fray antonio's pale face, while rayburn gave him a sup of whiskey from his flask. and then, presently, his eyes opened and energy came into his body once more. in a little while he was on his feet again, and as well as ever, save for the smarting of his cut, and in his head a dizziness and a dull throbbing pain. just what had happened he could not tell. he knew that he had struck against the rock with his feet, as he had planned to do; but he must have swung around, when the force of the impact had been thus partly broken, and struck his head against some sharp projection, and so have been cut and stunned. but it made no great difference how his hurt had come to him, since it had not proved to be a deadly one; therefore we forbore to question him further concerning it, and sought by quiet talk, that led softly into silence, to take his thoughts away from the peril that he had been in. indeed, we all were glad to rest quietly where we were for the night, for our bodies were tired and our nerves were racked and strained. we should have been most thankful for a big potful of coffee, but there was no wood with which we could make a fire. the best that we could do, and there was not much comfort in it, was to chew some coffee grains after we had made a supper upon one of our few remaining tins of meat; and then we rolled ourselves in our blankets and lay down upon the bare rock. and i must say that if anybody had asked me at that moment if archæology was a study that paid for the trouble that it cost, i should have said most unhesitatingly that it was not. even sleep, which i greatly needed, and for which i earnestly longed, did not come to me easily; for each time that i seemed to be dropping gently away into unconsciousness i would be roused by the feeling that i was holding fast to the chain again, and so was sliding down the long curve among the shadows, with the great walls of the cañon towering infinitely above me, and with the black depth below. and in my sleep i made again the dreadful passage, and heard the clinking of the chain as it parted, and the rattle of it as it struck the rocks, and felt the grasp of rayburn as he caught me, just as the bar was twitched out of my hands--and so woke to find young shaking me, and to hear him say: "there's no earthly sense in your kickin' around that way, professor; an', anyhow, it's time t' get up. it's just a wonder how these mexican mornin's put life into a man. why, there's a freshness in th' air that's goin' t' waste in this cañon that's fit t' make a coffin stand right up on end an' dance a jig!" even fray antonio, but for the soreness of his hurt, felt strong and well; and we ate another tin of meat--which was much less than we wanted to eat--and so started along the path hewn out of the side of the cliff; and what with the brightness and joyfulness of the morning, we certainly were in much higher spirits than was at all reasonable in the case of men who had had such close companionship with death so short a time before, and who still stood a very fair chance of dying dismally of starvation. the knowledge that, by the falling of the chain, our retreat had been again cut off did not at all trouble us. even could we have crossed the cañon, and so have retraced our steps, we could have gone no farther than the valley of the lake; and we could as well die here as there. and we were stayed by the reasonable conviction that the path which we were travelling upon certainly would lead us out of the mountains at last--even if it did not lead us to the hidden city that we sought. for five or six miles we doubled on our course of the day before, going back along the cañon and seeing the path that we had followed a little below us on the other side; then, by a very easy grade, our course began to ascend, and went on rising until the other path was so far below us that it ceased to be distinguishable. thus we came to within a few hundred feet of the top of the cliffs, when a sudden turn to the left carried us into a narrow cleft in the rock. here the path was very sharply inclined upward for a little way; and for the remainder of the distance to the top we ascended a long series of rudely cut steps, so steep that our legs fairly cracked under us as we neared the end of them. but we forgot our weariness as we came out upon the summit at last, and a great view of clouds and mountain peaks burst upon us; the like of which i never have seen approached save by the view out over the gunnison country from the crest of the marshall pass. but here we saw all around us what there is seen only in one direction; for we were on a vastly high, square crest--very like that called the gigante, which the traveller by the mexican central railroad sees to the left as he nears silao--and clouds and mountain peaks rose up about us on every side. but we did not long contemplate this heroic landscape, for a cloud, which almost enveloped us as we finished our ascent of the stair, was swept still farther away by the brisk wind then blowing; so that suddenly a vast building loomed largely through the flying vapor, and in a moment was clear and distinct before our eyes. to find upon this bare mountain-top, among cloud solitudes so profound as these, such overpowering evidence of the labor and strength of man, sent thrilling through our breasts a wonder that was akin to awe. it seemed unreal, impossible, that in such a place such work could be accomplished; and the very tangible reality of it made it seem to me one of those prodigies of man's creation which old stories tell of as having been wrought by a league with the devil and at the cost of a human soul. had there been any signs at all of human life about this solemn and majestic building, or upon the mountain-top whereon it stood, the chilling hold that it took upon our imaginations would have been less strong. what wrought upon us was the deadly silence, and the absolute stillness of everything save the drifting clouds. it seemed to us as though we had come out from the living world and our own time into a dead region belonging to a long dead past; and i remembered with a shudder that we had entered this region through that gloomy cavern, where hundreds of the ancient dead were clustered in silent worship about the great silent idol carved in everlasting stone. it seemed as though some evil spell hung over us, that doomed us forever to wander in wild solitudes--which were the more appalling because constantly uprose before us tangible evidence of the strong current of eager human life that had pulsed through them in former times. young but put into his own rough language the thought that was in all our hearts when he declared, with a great oath, that for the sake of getting safe out of this lonely hole he'd contract to fight indians three days in every week for the rest of his life, and be glad to do it for the comfort of having somebody around who was alive. xvi. at the barred pass. the whole top of the mountain, near a mile square, had been so levelled by nature that little remained to be done for its further smoothing by the hand of man. but the amount of work that had gone into the mere preparation for the building of the great temple was almost incredible. in the centre of the plateau a pyramidal mass of rock near a thousand feet square, of a piece with the mountain itself, had been so shaped and hewn that it rose in three great terraces to the square apex on which the temple stood. these terraces slanted upward, surrounding the pyramid by a continuously ascending way that had its beginning and its ending in the centre of the eastern front--so that, allowing for the diminishing size of the pyramid, the distance by this way from the bottom to the top of it was more than a mile and a half. "it just took a slow-goin', lazy heathen greaser t' think out a thing like this," young observed as we went up the path. "now, if th' congregationalists that i was brought up among had put a church on a place like this--an' they wouldn't have been likely t' be fools enough t' do anything of th' sort--they'd 'a' had a set of steps runnin' smack from th' bottom t' th' top, an' folks would have got up in no time. it's just th' greaser fashion all over t' spend a hundred years or so in makin' a path five miles long around a hill about as high as th' boston state-house, so's they can get up it easy an' save their wind. but i wish they'd put in drinkin' fountains along th' road. i'm as thirsty as a salt cod--an' there's so precious little water left in th' keg that i'm afraid t' begin at it for fear of suckin' it all up." "drinking fountains?" rayburn, who was a little in advance, called back to us. "well, so they did. come along and drink as much as you want to." "cut that, rayburn," young answered. "i'm too dead in earnest about my being thirsty to stand any foolin'." "i'm not fooling"--we had caught up with him by this time--"look for yourself." to which young's only reply was to spring forward eagerly and drink a long deep draught from a stone basin beside the path into which trickled a tiny stream from above. finding water in this unlikely place was as great a surprise as it was a joy to us; for we all longed for it, yet dared not drink freely because our supply was nearly gone. it was touching to hear the long sigh of happiness that el sabio gave when at last he lifted his dripping snout out of the basin; and then to see the look that he gave pablo, as though to thank him for so blessedly plentiful a drink. in truth, the wise one had not tasted a drop of water for nearly twenty-four hours--not since his perilous passage of the cañon--and his throat, and his poor little inside generally, must have been very dry. when we came out on the top of the pyramid at last, which at that moment was wrapped in clouds almost as dense as london fog, we perceived the ingenious plan that had been adopted in order to secure water plentifully on this mountain-top. by careful scoring of the rock with many little channels, all leading to a cistern that seemed to be of great dimensions, the warm vapor of the clouds as it condensed into water on touching the chill stone surface was captured and safely stored away. and from the overflow of the cistern the fountain below was fed. but we did not stop to examine very carefully into this matter, so eager were we to press on to the temple close before us. this stood upon a terraced platform, cut from the living rock, and was a perfectly plain structure--with walls slightly receding inward as they rose, and wholly destitute of ornamentation. for its majestic effect it depended upon its great size and upon its admirable proportions; and being built of the dark rock of which the mountain was formed, and having about it much of the sombre feeling that characterizes egyptian architecture, it had an air of great solemnity and gloom. in silence we ascended the short flight of steps that led to the broad, doorless entrance--the only opening through the massive walls--and so came into the vast shadowy hall that these great walls enclosed. from front to back of this hall extended many rows of stone pillars--like the single row found in the great chamber among the ruins of mitla--and by these were upheld the huge slabs of stone of which the roof was made. far away from where we stood, down at the end of a long vista of pillars, was a stone altar on which was carved in stone a colossal figure of the god chac-mool. looking back through the open entrance, i saw a break in the mountain peaks to the eastward; and so perceived that the first rays of the rising sun must needs enter here and strike full upon the disk that was poised in the figure's hands. as pablo caught sight of the great idol recumbent there, a momentary shudder went through him and he made certain motions with his hand before his eyes that were strange to me. as we drew near to the altar we found that in front of it was a sacrificial stone, still darkly stained where blood had flowed upon it; and beneath the stone neck-yoke, still resting there, was a withered remnant of human vertebræ. there was something very ghastly in finding--preserved by the very stone that had held him down while life was let out of him--this mere scrap of the last human victim who had perished here. as in the desolate valley, so also on this desolate mountain-top, the only proof that human life ever had been here was found in proof of human death. save that our curiosity was gratified, and the blessing of the water which we found, our ascent of the great pyramid and our examination of the temple bore no fruit. young, who still seemed to think that tilting up and disclosing secret passages was an attribute of all statues of the god chac-mool, was here again convinced that his generalization from a single case was not a sound one. in a serious way--that in itself would have been laughable but for the gloom of our surroundings--he climbed upon the altar and sat first on the head of the god, and then on his feet, and even tried the effect of seating himself upon the stone disk that the god upheld above his navel. but through all of these experiments the stone figure remained solidly immovable. "i guess there was only one o' that tippin' kind," young said, at last, "an' he sort o' flocked by himself. let's get out of here, anyway. if this ever was the aztec bank that we're lookin' for, there must have been a prehistoric run on it that cleaned it out. they must have done that sort o' thing in old times, eh, professor? but it don't make much difference to us now what they did or what they didn't; an' we'd better fill up with water an' get out--that is, if there is any way of gettin' out except along the way we came. there's no good in goin' back that way. it would be better t' settle down here an' starve comfortably without wearin' out shoe-leather doin' it. but i don't mean t' do that until i've had a look all around th' top of this god-forsaken mountain, an' made sure that there's only one way down." my own thoughts had been dwelling on the possibility that young's words expressed; for at this definite point to which we had come, the path that we had come by very reasonably might end--so leaving us in this lonely region among the clouds to die slowly for lack of food. and there was a certain fitness in our having made our way so far among the dead only ourselves to die that added sombre fancies to our environment of sombre realities. yet there was a heartiness in young's resolutely expressed determination to search for a way out of our difficulties before at all yielding to them that insensibly cheered me. his words had a plucky ring to them; and bravery is as catching as is fear. our empty water-kegs were at the bottom of the pyramid, and when we reached the fountain on our downward way we waited there while pablo went on with el sabio and fetched them up to us. there was at least solid comfort in knowing, as we went on downward with the kegs all filled, that, whatever other death might come to us, at least we could not die of thirst. at the bottom of the pyramid we left fray antonio and pablo, with el sabio and the packs, and the three of us set out to explore the three sides of the mountain-top that were unknown to us in search of a downward path. a heavy mass of clouds had drifted over the mountain again, so thick that at a rod away all was white mist around us; and the light was growing faint, for the day had come nearly to an end. indeed, had we been upon the lower levels of the earth night would have been already upon us. making my way along the edge of the precipice, where the plateau broke sheer off, was ticklish work; and half humorous, half melancholy thoughts went through my mind touching the absurdity of an ex-professor of topical linguistics in the university of michigan being thus employed in path-hunting upon a lonely mountain-top in mexico. truly, adversity brings us strange bedfellows; but far stranger are the straits into which a man comes who takes up with the study of archæology at first-hand. but my path-hunting was without result, for nowhere along the edge of the plateau was there a break fit for the descent of any creature save such as had wings. at the end of near an hour the clouds once more lifted; and then i saw rayburn coming towards me, but with a serious look upon his face that told that he also had been unsuccessful in his search. "it has rather a bad look, professor," he said, briefly, when i had told him that along all the face of the mountain that i had examined the rock went down sheer. he filled his pipe and lighted it, and we walked back to the base of the pyramid in silence, while he smoked. young had not returned; but presently we heard a shout that had so hopeful a sound in it as to start us both to our feet and forth to meet him. "have you found a way down?" rayburn called, as he came nearer to us. "you bet i have," he called back; "and, what's more, i've seen somethin' to eat." "_seen_ something!" rayburn answered, as he joined us. "why the dickens didn't you _get_ it?" "well, because it was better'n a mile away from me. it looked like a mountain sheep, as well as i could make out; but there it was for sure; an' thinkin' how good that critter will taste roasted has given me a regular twistin' pain all through my empty inside! but th' point is that down on that side o' th' mountain there's game; i saw birds, too, but i couldn't make out what they were; an', somehow, it looks different down there. it don't look like these d--n dead places we've been prowlin' through for more'n a coon's age. it looks as if god remembered it, an' it was _alive_! why, th' very smell that came up had somethin' good about it; an' there was a different taste to th' air. i tell you, rayburn, i didn't know what a lonely an' mis'rable an' lost chump sort of a way i was in until i looked over there into that place where th' whole business ain't run by dead folks. an' what's more, professor, that's the trail for us; for, right where it starts down, there's th' king's symbol an' th' arrow, all reg'lar, blazed on th' rock." "is the trail good enough to make a start on now?" rayburn asked; "we won't have more than half an hour more light, but i'd give a lot to get off this mountain before dark, and every foot down that we go we'll be that much warmer. we'd stand a pretty fair chance of freezing up here to-night without any fire." "th' trail's all right for a good half-mile, anyway," young answered; "an' i guess it's good all th' way. it's pretty much th' same as th' one we come up by, an' that's good enough, where it don't jump cañons, t' go along in th' dark; but we must rustle if we mean t' do much by daylight." we were back at the pyramid by this time, and we found fray antonio very willing to be off with us that we might try to get well down the mountain before night set in; for at that great elevation the quick beating of his heart added very sensibly to the throbbing pain of his wound. therefore we lost no time in getting our packs upon our backs, and upon the back of el sabio, and briskly started downward; and the keen cold that came into the air, as the sun sunk away behind the mountain peaks at last, warned us that it was safer to take the risks of a descent almost in darkness than to stay for the night upon that bleak mountain-top without a fire. in twenty minutes we perceived a comforting change in the temperature; and at the end of an hour--during the last half of which we walked slowly and cautiously through the fast-thickening darkness--there was enough warmth in the air about us to make camping for the night endurable. but we still were at a great elevation, and the thin air was bitingly keen, and all the more so because of the scant meal that we had to comfort us and to put strength into us before we wrapped ourselves in our blankets for sleep. "what's a mis'rable two pounds of corned-beef among five of us," young exclaimed, in a tone of angry contempt, "when every man in th' lot is hungry enough t' eat th' whole of it, an' th' tin box it comes in, an' then go huntin' for a square meal? an' t' think o' that sheep i saw! i say, rayburn, did you ever eat a roast fore-shoulder of mutton, with onions an' potatoes baked under it, an' a thick gra--" "if you don't hold your jaw about things like that," rayburn struck in, "i'll murder you!"--and there was such fierceness in his voice, and he truly was such a savage fellow when his anger was up, that young was half frightened by his outburst, and so was silent. i must say that i wish that he had altogether held his tongue; for, somehow, the smell of mutton and onions and potatoes, all cooking together, was so strong in my nostrils, and this smell so set to yearning my very hollow inside, that it was a long while before i could sleep at all; and when i did sleep, it was to be pursued by dreams of painful hungriness which were but too surely founded in painful fact. certainly, it was very indiscreet in young, to say the least of it, to make a remark of that nature at that untoward time. however, that was the last day that we suffered for want of food. i was awakened in the very early morning by the sound of a rifle-shot, and sprang to my feet, brandishing my revolver, with a confused belief in my sleepy mind that we were attacked by indians again; and, truly, my first feeling was one of pleasure at the thought of meeting, even in deadly combat, with men who were alive. "it's all right, professor," rayburn said. "we're not fighting anybody. but i've killed a mountain sheep, and if we only can get him we'll have a solid breakfast, even if we have to eat him raw. he was over on that point of rock, and he's tumbled down clear into the valley, and the sooner we get down there and hunt for him the better." in the bright light of the early morning we could see below us a glad little valley, in which trees and grass grew, and in the centre of which was a tiny lake. but what gave us most joy was seeing birds flying over the face of the water, and half a dozen mountain sheep scampering away at the sound of rayburn's shot. truly, the sight of these live creatures was the most cheery that ever came to my eyes; and as i beheld them, and realized that at last we had emerged from the dreary, death-stricken region in which as it seemed to me we had spent years, a great wave of happiness rolled in upon and filled my heart. as it was with me, so was it with the others: who gave sighs of gladness as thus they found themselves no longer wanderers among the chill shades of ancient death, but once more moving in the warm living world. the path, cut out along the mountain-side, went downward by a sharper grade than that by which we had ascended; and we descended it joyfully at a swinging trot, with a new life in us that made us break out into lively talk and laughter that set the echoes to ringing. and presently, in a very jerky fashion because of his rapid motion, pablo piped away on his mouth-organ with "yankee doodle"--and this was the first time that he had had the heart to play upon his beloved "instrumentito" since our passage of the lake beneath which lay the city of the dead. in an hour we came fairly down into that bright and lovely valley, where was the sweet sound of birds calling to each other, and the glad sight of these live creatures flying through the air. as for the sheep that rayburn had killed, he was knocked pretty well into a jelly by his half-mile or so of tumble down the mountain-side. but we were not disposed to be over-fastidious, and we quickly had his ribs roasting over a brisk fire: that yet was not so brisk as was our hunger, for we began to eat before the meat was much more than warmed through. when our ravening appetite was appeased a little, young got out the coffee-pot and set to making coffee. and then, with meat well cooked and coffee in abundance, we made such a meal as can be made only by half-starved men who suddenly have come forth from the dark shadows of threatening death into the glad sunshine of safety. of what further perils might be in store for us we neither cared nor thought. our one strong feeling was the purely animal joy bred of deliverance from gloom and danger, and the packing of our bellies with hearty food. when, at last, our huge meal was ended, we settled back upon our blankets, and fell to smoking. presently rayburn gave a prodigious yawn and laid aside his pipe. "i think i'll take a nap," he said. i saw that young already was nodding and that pablo had sunk down into slumber; while el sabio, who had come even closer to starving than we had come, most thankfully rummaged among the rich grass. my eyes were heavy, and i stretched myself out on my blankets, with the warm sunshine comforting my stiffened body, and presently sunk softly into delicious sleep. i partly woke a few minutes later, as fray antonio rose, thinking that we all were lost in slumber, and walked a little apart from us. he alone had made a meal in reasonable moderation, and i saw now that he had gone aside to pray. for a moment the thought stirred in me that i would join him in what i knew was his thanksgiving for our deliverance; but sleep had too strong a hold upon me, and my body slowly fell back upon the blankets and my eyes slowly closed, carrying into my slumber the sight on which they last had rested: the monk kneeling upon the grass beside a great gray rock, with clasped hands and face turned upward, pouring his soul out in grateful prayer. it was well on in the afternoon when we all woke again; and young's first remark was that it must be about supper-time. rayburn fell in with this notion promptly, and so did i myself--rather to my astonishment, for it seemed unreasonable that after such a stuffing i should desire to eat so soon again. but we did make a supper almost as hearty as our breakfast had been, and in a little while wrapped ourselves in our blankets, with our feet towards the heaped-up fire, and went off once more to sleep, and slept through until sunrise of the following day. in truth, the mental strain, bred of our gloomy surroundings and of the dread of starvation that had possessed us, had taxed our physical strength more severely than our mountain climbing and our lack of nourishment. the great amount of strong food that we ate, and our long slumber, showed nature's demand upon us that our waste of tissue should be made good. when we woke again on the second morning, we all were fresh and strong and eager to press onward. there was little left of the sheep to carry with us; but rayburn shot half a dozen birds, some species of duck, as we skirted the lake in our passage across the valley, so there was no fear that we should lack for food. at its western end the valley narrowed into a cañon. there was no choice of paths, for this was the sole outlet, and we were assured that we were on the right path by finding the king's symbol and the pointing arrow carved upon the rook. the cañon descended very rapidly, and by noon we were so far below the level of the mexican plateau that the air had a tropical warmth in it; and so warm was the night--for all the afternoon we continued to descend--that we had no need for blankets when we settled ourselves for sleep. rayburn was of the opinion that we were close upon the tierra caliente, the hot lands of the coast; and when we resumed our march in the morning he went on in advance of the rest of us, that he might maintain a cautious outlook. if he were right in his conjecture as to our whereabouts, we might at any moment come upon hostile indians. it was towards noon that he came softly back to us and bade us lay down our packs and advance silently with him, carrying only our arms. "there's something queer ahead; and i thought that i heard voices," he explained. "but there must be no shooting unless we are shot at. some of these indians are friendly, and we don't want to start a row with them if they are willing not to row with us." the cañon was very narrow at this point, and high above us its walls drew so closely together that the shadows about us were deep. as we rounded a bend in it, the rock closed above our heads in a great arch, so that we were in a sort of natural tunnel; at the far end of which was a bright spot showing that a wide and sunny open space was beyond. but over this opening were bars which cut sharply against the light, as though a gigantic spider had spun there a massive web; and as we drew nearer to this curious barrier we saw beyond it a broad and glorious valley, rich with all manner of luxuriant tropical growth and flooded everywhere with the warm light of the sun. we approached the strange barrier cautiously, and our wonder at it was increased as we found that it was made of the bright metal of which we had found so many specimens; and still more we wondered as we found that the bars were fastened on the side from which we approached, so that we could remove them easily, while from the side of the valley they presented an impassable barrier. in strong excitement we drew out the metal pins which dropped into slots cut in the rock and so held the bars fast, and in a few minutes we had cleared the way for our advance. just as we were making ready to pass through the opening we heard the sound of voices; and as we quickly drew back into the shadows two men sprang up suddenly before us, and cried in wonder as they saw that the lower bars across the opening were gone. yet the expression upon their faces was not that of anger; rather did they seem to be stirred by a strong feeling of joy with which was also awe. both men were accoutred in the fashion which the pictured records show was usual with the aztec warriors, and one of them--as was indicated by his head-dress and by the metal corselet that he wore--was a chief; and they challenged us sharply, yet with gladness in their tones, in the aztec tongue. so sudden and so ringing was this challenge, and so startling was the uprising of the men before us, that as we sprang back into the shadow we instinctively stood ready with our arms. but fray antonio, not having any intent to join in the fight, was cooler than the rest of us, and instantly perceived that fighting was not necessary. therefore he it was who first spoke to these strangers; and his first word to them was, "friends!" then the watchmen, for such they seemed to be, spoke eagerly together for a moment, and pressed to the opening to look upon us; yet seeing us but dimly because of the dark shadows which surrounded us. pablo was closest to them, and i marvelled to see how like them he was in look and in air. him they first caught sight of, and as they saw him they both turned from the opening, and, as though calling to some one at a distance, gave both together a great glad shout. instantly, at some little distance, the cry was repeated; and so again farther on and yet farther, with ever more voices joining in it; so that it swelled and strengthened into a great roar of rejoicing that seemed to sweep over the whole of the valley before us, and to fill it everywhere with tumultuous sounds of joy. as though the duty that they were charged with had been thus accomplished, the men turned again to us, and he of the higher rank, speaking the aztec language, yet with turns and changes in that tongue which were strange to me, eagerly called to us: "come forth to us! come forth to us!" he cried. "now is the prophecy of old fulfilled and the watch rewarded that our people have maintained from generation to generation through twenty cycles here at the grated way! come forth to us, our brothers--who bring the promised message from our lord and king!" i turned to fray antonio as these words were spoken, and i saw in his face that which made me confident in my own glad conviction that here at last was the secret place for which so long, and through such perils, we had sought. here indeed had we found the hidden people of whom the dying cacique had spoken and of whom the monk's letter had told; the strong contingent of the ancient aztec tribe that ages since the wise king chaltzantzin had saved apart, that when their strength was needed they might come forth to ward their weaker brethren against conquest by a foreign foe. and the great happiness begotten of this glad discovery filled all my body with a throbbing joy. yet as we went out through the opening that we had made between the bars, and the watchers saw us fairly in the sunlight, they sprang back as though in alarm. rayburn met this demonstration promptly by making the peace-sign--raising aloft the right arm--that is common to all north american indians; and after a moment of hesitation the chief answered to this in kind. so there was peace between us as we advanced; but it seemed to me that their regard of us now had in it more of wonder and less of awe. [illustration: making the peace-sign] xvii. of our coming into the valley of aztlan. so unexpectedly had we come upon these strangers, and so marvellous was the finding thus of the hidden tribe for which we had sought so long, that i could not but dread, as we advanced towards the aztec warriors, lest i should wake suddenly and find that it all was a dream. and they, also, as it seemed to me, looked upon us doubtingly, and with somewhat of dread in their regard, as though uncertain whether we were beings from another world, or men of flesh and blood like themselves. not until we were close upon them did further words--after that first challenge and answer--pass between us; and then the elder of the two, still making the peace-sign with his raised right hand, and speaking with a trembling in his voice, as though deep emotion moved him, called to us: "have our brothers need of our strength? bring ye the token that summons us to their aid?" i should have been glad just then for opportunity to consult with my companions as to what answer i should make to these questions, for i perceived that our position was a very critical one, and that even our lives might depend upon the wisdom of my reply. for a moment i waited in the hope that fray antonio would make answer; but as he remained silent, there was nothing for it but that i should take the hazard upon myself. therefore, bringing forth the ancient piece of gold from the snake-skin bag--for so i had carried it constantly, even as the cacique had done before me, and others before him, for more than three hundred years--i held it towards the man who had spoken, and said, firmly: "here is the token of summons left behind him by chaltzantzin; but we come not to call you forth to battle, but to bring tidings that the fate which that wise king and prophet foresaw for his people, long since was fulfilled. in the time appointed, the stranger foemen overcame and enslaved your brethren, bringing to pass that which chaltzantzin foretold; and the message that then was sent to call you forth to their aid reached you not, because even the wisdom of chaltzantzin was powerless against the will of the gods. yet the gods desired not to destroy your brethren, but to punish them; and their punishment now is at an end. once more are they free, and once more is their ruler a wise and valiant man of their own race. therefore, the news which we bring you is not sorrowful, but glad." while i was thus speaking, the ringing cries which at the first alarm had sounded over all the valley grew louder and stronger; but as yet we saw only the two men who at the first had confronted us--for we were in a deep recess in the mountain, whence the ground dropped away in front, so that the immediate foreground was hid from us, and we saw only some distant meadows, and then a broad lake, and over this more meadows and a sweep of heavy timber, and back of all great mountains rising against the clear blue sky. but as my speech ended, and before those to whom it was addressed at all had digested the wonder of it, and so hesitated in their reply, a half-dozen men and a woman or two came in sight in the narrow way before us, panting after their rapid ascent of the acclivity; and the calls of others pressing up the slope behind them sounded loudly, and in a very little while a crowd of a hundred or more pressed about us, all gazing at us and questioning us with a most eager surprise. for the most part these seemed to be laborers from the near-by fields; for many of them carried agricultural implements, and their bare legs and arms were splashed with mud and were grimy of the soil. as for the look of them, save that the flowing garments of cotton cloth which the women wore were embroidered in a fanciful fashion, i could not have distinguished these people from the tallest and strongest of the indians dwelling in the hot lands of the coast about vera cruz. the men, who wore only a cloth twisted about their loins, were as magnificent fellows as i ever saw. every one of them was tall and straight, with broad shoulders and narrow hips, and the muscles of their arms and legs stood out like cords. from pablo, who was an unusually tall and well-formed lad, they differed only in the color of their skins--which were decidedly darker than his, as was to be expected in the case of men dwelling in this tropical region at the level of the sea. towards pablo these people manifested a familiar curiosity quite unlike their reverential manner towards the rest of us, who so obviously were not of their own race. and pablo was as much perplexed by their questions as they were by his answers; for never was a conversation carried on so hopelessly at cross-purposes. our boy, being spoken to by folk who obviously were as entirely mexicans as he was himself, and in a tongue that practically was that which he had been born to--for the indians dwelling in the guadalajara suburb of mexicalcingo, being the direct descendants of a pure aztec stock, speak the nahua language very correctly--could not at all realize that he was at last among the ancient race for which we had searched so long. it was his belief that we had come out, in accordance with rayburn's forecast, into the coast country, and that the people around him were the ordinary dwellers in the hot lands. and the aztecs, knowing him to be one of themselves, no doubt believed that he knew of the purpose for which they had been left to dwell apart, and so plied him with questions concerning their brethren from whom through long ages they had been separated. as their talk went on, getting the more involved with every question and reply, a tendency towards ill-temper began to develop itself on each side; for pablo considered that these people, who professed to be ignorant of so important a city as guadalajara, were making game of him; and they were not less disposed to believe that he either was answering them falsely or that he was a fool. fortunately, before any harm came of these misunderstandings, an interruption brought a temporary end to their talk. there was a stir among the crowd, and then an opening was made in it, through which came an elderly man wearing military trappings similar to, but much handsomer than those worn by the two warriors whom we had first encountered; and it was obvious, from the air of deference with which these saluted him, that he was their superior officer. in spite of the dignity of his demeanor it was evident that he was greatly excited by our advent, and his voice quivered and broke a little as he asked us who we were and whence we came. as i repeated what i had already told the guard, and showed the gold token, the expression upon his face was that of extreme perplexity. that the gold token gave us a strong claim upon his respect, almost upon his reverence, was apparent in his manner as i showed it to him; but the conditions under which it was presented obviously rendered him very uncertain as to what action was proper for him to take. when i had finished my statement, and had returned the token to its place in the snake-skin bag (for the wisdom of carefully retaining this potent talisman in our possession was evident), the officer turned to the two warriors, and they conversed for a while in low tones apart from us. of their talk i could catch only a few words, but several times i heard repeated the name itzacoatl, and frequent reference was made to the twenty lords. i gathered, too, that the name of the officer was tizoc, and that the name of the elder of the two warriors, a swarthy man, was ixtlilton. in the mean time, out of respect to the officer, the crowd had drawn away from us--being now swelled to very considerable numbers--but those composing it gazed at us in wonder, and among them was a steady murmur of low talk, like the buzzing of a hive of bees. when his conference with the warriors was ended, tizoc approached us, and with him came a younger man, who carried a roll of paper in his hand. the face of the officer still wore a troubled, doubting expression, and these feelings were expressed also in the tones of his voice as he spoke to us. "for the coming of the token from our lord chaltzantzin we who dwell in this valley of aztlan have waited through many ages," he said; "but the promise was given that the token should come to us from our brethren in the time of their need, and should be brought by those of our own race. but you tell us that the time of need long since is past, and ye who bring the token are of a race that is strange to us; and even this one among you who seems to be of our brethren speaks strangely of strange things. had ye come in the way that long past was promised, there would have been no room for questioning your right of entry here nor your authority over us; and i, who am the warden of the pass--being in right succession from him whom our lord chaltzantzin appointed to this high office--would have been the first to do you reverence and honor. but in this strange case that has arisen i hold it to be my duty to send news of your coming to the priest captain, itzacoatl, that he and his council of the twenty lords may decide what now is right to do. in this i mean no disrespect and no unkindness; and while we await the priest captain's orders i shall have the pleasure to offer you that rest and refreshment of which you stand in need." to this firm but courteous speech i was in the act of replying in fit terms of equal courtesy--for all that tizoc had said was so reasonable that no exception could be taken to it--when an outburst on young's part interrupted me. "hold on there, young fellow!" he cried. "i'll be shot if i'm goin' t' stand bein' made a fool of that way! if you can't make a better likeness of me than that, you'd better shut up shop an' go out of th' business." i turned quickly, and saw young standing beside tizoc's attendant, and looking half angrily and half laughingly at the sheet of paper that he held in his hand. fearful that some harm might come from young's maladroitness, i joined them quickly; and only a strong sense of the gravity of our situation restrained me from laughing outright as i behold the cause of his wrath. for the secretary, as i now perceived him to be, had made sketches in color of each member of our party; and while they all did violence to our vanity, that of young--with a bald head out of all proportion to the size of his body, and with most aggressively red hair--was so outrageous a caricature that there really was some justice in his resentment of it. but this was not a time when resentment could be safely manifested, and i hurriedly explained to young that these pictures, no doubt, were to be transmitted as a part of the report that tizoc was about to make to the king concerning us, and that he must find no fault with them. "he's goin' t' send that thing t' th' king an' say it's me, is he? no, he's not--not by a jugful! see here, professor! here's a photograph that i had taken last spring in boston. i meant t' give it to a girl before i came away, but she went back on me an' i didn't. it's not much of a photograph, but it don't look like a squash trimmed with red clover. if they want to send anything, let 'em send that." and before i could stop him, young had taken the photograph out of his pocket-book and had handed it to the secretary, with the remark, "just say t' him, professor, that he is t' give that t' th' king, an' tell him t' tell th' king that mr. seth young, of boston, sends it with his compliments." after all, no harm came of this absurd performance, but rather good; for the secretary exhibited the photograph to tizoc, and both of them, and the two warriors also, were lost in wonder at its marvellous likeness to the original, and evidently held us in increasingly great respect because we were the possessors of such an extraordinary work of art. young was a good deal chagrined, however, because the picture of him that the secretary had drawn was forwarded as a part of tizoc's despatches. he said that since he had set up a good likeness of himself, it wasn't the square thing to send the king a bad one. when the secretary, bearing the despatches, had departed, tizoc requested us to accompany him to the near-by guard-house, where we could refresh ourselves by bathing, and where food and drink would be provided for us. this order, for such it was, we obeyed gladly; for we were both weary and hungry, and the prospect of what young described as a good wash and a square meal after it, was very pleasing to us. a detachment of men from the guard-house, accoutred in the same handsome fashion as ixtlilton and his companion, had arrived while the secretary's portrait-work was in progress; and i observed that all of these guardsmen (excepting only ixtlilton, whose skin was dark,) were much lighter in color and more gracious in bearing than the men in the crowd around us. so marked, indeed, was this difference that they seemed scarcely to belong to the same race. as we moved away through the opening that the crowd made for us, with a platoon of guardsmen in advance, and another in our rear, pablo touched my arm and was about to speak to me; but before his mouth could open there sounded suddenly from the hollow way in the mountain behind us a mighty bray. "ah, the little angel!" pablo cried. "hearken to him, señor, calling to me." and so moved was pablo by this evidence of el sabio's affection that only my firm grasp upon his arm restrained him from attempting a dash through the guards to where the creature was penned in by the metal bars. truly, there is no sound more terrifying to those who are strangers to it than the braying of an ass; therefore, i was not at all surprised that a very considerable part of the crowd incontinently took to its heels; and i needed no better evidence of the bravery of the guardsmen who composed our escort than the steadiness with which they faced about in readiness to meet whatever danger might come forth from the gap in the mountain in the wake of this great roaring. yet what they saw there was only the mild face of the wise one extended towards us through the opening in the bars. to tizoc, who was standing beside me, and who had not displayed even the slightest tremor of alarm as the appalling noise had broken upon us, i explained that the roaring creature was not harmful, but gentle and biddable; and i begged that other of the bars might be removed, so that it might come forth and join us. that he acceded instantly to my request gave me a good opinion of his own faithfulness and honesty; for a man of a suspicious and crafty nature assuredly would have believed that my request was but a trap laid for his destruction; and thereupon the bars were removed. and the truth of my words was made manifest, as el sabio came instantly to pablo and received his caresses with every sign of gentleness and affection. but even tizoc did not disguise his wonder upon beholding this strange beast, for the largest four-footed creature in all that valley, as he told me, was a little animal of the deer species, that was not much bigger than a hare. and when i bade pablo mount upon el sabio's back, the look of surprise in tizoc's face changed suddenly to an expression of troubled doubt, in which was also alarm. under his breath i heard him mutter, "can it be that the prophecy will be fulfilled?" but whatever the cause of his inward disturbance was, he spoke not of it, but turned once more forward, and gave the order to march. [illustration: the fulfilment of the prophecy] the crowd, seeing that no harm was like to come to them, pressed forward once more, and gazed with open-mouthed wonder--and also, as it seemed to me, with awe--at the prodigious spectacle which pablo, gravely riding upon the ass's back, presented to them. and so, with the guards before and behind us, we marched onward into the valley of aztlan. xviii. the striking of a match. as we emerged from the nook in the mountain-side the whole of the valley lay open before us, and never was a more lovely spot beheld by the eyes of man. a half-dozen leagues in front of us rose the great mountain wall which shut in its farther side, and about as far away to the right and to the left these walls swept around in vast curves and joined the cliffs through which we had come by the hollow way that tunnelled beneath them. a noble lake extended nearly the whole length of the valley, and covered near a third of its width, and so seemed less like a lake than like a calm and majestic river. from the water-side the land rose in broad terraces, broken by belts of timber and by many groups of smaller trees, which, because of the regularity of their growth, i took to be fruit plantations. all the open country seemed to be one vast garden, most carefully tended, and everywhere cut up by little canals, whence water for irrigation was drawn. scattered everywhere about the valley were single houses embowered in trees, and from where we stood we could see also four or five little towns, which also were plentifully shaded. and on the lake many boats were passing, of which several were of a considerable size, and were fitted with curiously shaped sails. and all this exquisite tropical beauty of ample water and luxuriant foliage shone richly beneath the bright splendor of a deep blue tropical sky. yet that which most strongly attracted our attention was not this charming display of the manifold excellencies of god's handiwork, but rather a wonderful manifestation of the handiwork of man. over against us, on the far side of the lake, slantingwise from where we stood, rose a mass of buildings of such vastness and such majestic design that at the first glance we took it to be one of the square-topped mountains which are found not uncommonly in this portion of the world, and around the bases of which are sloping heaps of the fragments of rock which have broken away through countless ages from their weather-worn sides. yet in a moment we perceived that what we saw was a walled city built upon a great promontory, that jutted out from the mountain-side; and in the same breath fray antonio and i called out together, "it is the city of culhuacan!" as we uttered this name tizoc turned towards us quickly, and with a startled, troubled look upon his face. "they are not of our race," he said, as though speaking his thoughts aloud; "yet the sacred name, that among us only a few know, is known to them!" and the troubled look upon his face deepened as we went onward. the way by which we descended was a narrow road carried zigzag down the cliff--for the pass by which we had entered the valley was fully six hundred feet above the level of the lake--and at short intervals along its course this road was defended by walls of very solid masonry, pierced with openings so narrow that only one man at a time could pass through them. that the walls were for defence was shown by the piles of metal bars on the inner side of each opening--the side towards the mountain--so arranged that in a moment they could be slipped into sockets in the stone-work, thus closing effectually the way. perceiving that we regarded with surprise this curious system of fortification, tizoc explained: "these are the barriers set up against the tlahuicos, who, heeding not the order given of old by our lord chaltzantzin, have striven many times to break forth from the valley--for among these men there are many of perverse natures and evil minds." in _tlahuico_ i recognized a nahua word that means "men turned towards the earth," but what its meaning might be in the sense in which tizoc employed it i did not know. i should have asked for further explanation--for the manner of this man was so frank and so friendly that it invited a cordial familiarity--but as i was about to speak we passed through the narrow opening in a wall of unusual height and strength, and so came into a charming garden, in the midst of which stood a large house well built of stone. for the making of this garden a natural nook on the side of the mountain had been enlarged by filling in along its outer edge against a great retaining-wall, built up from a depth of a hundred feet from the slope below; and on the farther side of the plateau thus created, where the path down into the valley went on again, were heavy defensive walls. near this exit, also, was a long low building that i took to be a guard-house. the crowd that had followed behind us from the height above went on across the plateau, and out through the gate beside the guard-house--its members casting many curious looks at us as they departed--and the guardsmen who had formed our escort, at an order from tizoc, went on to their quarters. but tizoc led us across the garden to the large house that stood in the midst of it, and there, with a formal courtesy, bade us enter. this was his home, he said, and we were his welcome guests. the house was so like the houses ordinarily found in mexico that we had no feeling of strangeness in entering it. it was built of stone neatly laid in cement; was but a single story in height, and enclosed a large central court, in the midst of which a fountain sparkled, surrounded by small trees and shrubs and beds of flowers. all of the rooms opened upon this central court, and in the outer wall the only opening was the narrow way by which we had entered--for the prompt closing of which there lay in readiness a pile of metal bars. the flat roof, also of stone, was reached by a stone stair-way from the court, and had about it a heavy stone parapet that was pierced with narrow slits through which javelins and arrows could be discharged. but these arrangements for defence did not by any means produce a gloomy effect, as they would had we encountered them in a country-house in our own part of the world--for similar defence arrangements are found in every hacienda in mexico at the present day, and even i, though my stay in the country had been so short, already had become accustomed to them. a buzzing chatter of talk, in which women's voices predominated, ceased suddenly as we entered the court; and from the swaying and twitching of the curtains hanging in the front of the openings leading into several of the rooms, we inferred that we were undergoing a keen inspection. in response to a call from tizoc, some men-servants came out from one of the rooms and received his order to prepare food for us; and he then led us to a large room in a corner of the court that was arranged very delightfully as a bath. here was a great stone tank, twenty feet or so square, and with a slanting bottom, so that the depth of it ranged from two feet to nearly five, in which was fresh running water; and over the portion of the room that the tank occupied there was no roof but the bright blue sky. on the stone floor were beautifully woven mats, and towels of cotton cloth hung upon pegs driven into the walls, and in earthen bowls were fresh pieces of a saponaceous root that i have seen the like of in use among the indians of new mexico. it seemed to strike tizoc as odd that we preferred to make use of the bath successively rather than all together; but he was too polite a man to interpose any objections to our eccentricities. pablo only--coming last of all of us--had a companion in his bathing in the person of el sabio; and the sleekness of that excellent animal, when pablo had brushed carefully his long coat when his bath was ended, was a wonder to behold. being thus refreshed, we heartily welcomed the excellent meal that was served to us in the cool shade of the veranda by which the court-yard was surrounded. our eating was somewhat in the roman fashion, for the table was a broad slab of stone, raised but a little from the ground, and around it we reclined upon mats, with cushions woven of rushes to lean upon. the food was excellent--a small animal of the deer species, but no larger than a hare, roasted whole; birds very like quails, delicately broiled; little cakes made of maize, which were rather like the hoe-cakes of our southern negroes than _tortillas_; some sort of sweet marmalade; and a great abundance of oranges, mangoes, bananas, and other fruits common to the hot lands of mexico; all of which fruits were much more delicate in flavor than mexican fruits usually are; the result, as we found later, of the great care bestowed upon their culture. only water was served with the meal, but at the end of it a small jar of some sort of potent liquor was brought, very cool, and with an excellent spicy taste, that tizoc warned us must be taken but sparingly; and truly he was right, as i found from the warm and mellow feeling of benevolent friendliness that but half a cup of it infused into me. tizoc himself did not follow very rigidly the advice that he had given us; and to this fact, probably, was due the exceeding frankness with which he subsequently spoke with us concerning grave matters, of which he surely would have been reticent had he been in a less genial mood. "just ask th' colonel if he minds my smokin' a pipe, won't you, professor?" young said, when our meal was ended; and as i myself wanted to smoke, and as i was sure that rayburn did also, i made the request general. tizoc, to my surprise--for i believed smoking to be common to all the indigenous races--evidently did not at all understand my meaning; but perceiving that i asked to have some favor granted, he courteously gave the permission that i desired. as we filled our pipes he watched us curiously; but when we drew out our matches and struck fire by what seemed to him but the turn of our hands, he started to his feet and manifested a strange excitement, in which there seemed to be less of alarm than of awe. his voice shook, and his whole person trembled, as he asked, "are ye the children of chac-mool, the god of fire, and therefore the chosen servants of huitzilopochtli the terrible, that ye thus can do what among us is done only by our priest captain itzacoatl?" [illustration: the striking of a match] both fray antonio and i heard with delight this utterance, that in a moment settled the long-disputed question as to whether or not chac-mool was an idol, and settled it, also, in favor of the ingenious hypothesis presented by the learned señor chavero. the moment was not a favorable one, however, for pursuing the matter in its archæological bearings, for all of our tact and skill just then were required to restore tizoc to calmness. as well as this was possible in the language common to us--we suddenly realized how difficult it was to express in the nahua tongue more than rudimentary concepts of the ideas that we sought to convey--we explained to him how matches were made; and illustrated our words by showing him how fire was induced by friction, even as the rubbing of two pieces of wood together produced fire also. this explanation was less exact than ingenious; but it was one that he could understand, and it had the effect of allaying his alarm sufficiently to permit him to resume his seat, when he at once drank off a whole bowlful of the strong, spicy liquor at a draught. added to what he already had inside of him, this draught set his tongue to wagging in the free way that i have already referred to, and he grew bold enough to take a match in his hand. but even in his cups he manifested a certain reverence in his handling of it; and presently, from a little bag that was hung about his neck, he produced the burnt remnant of a match that he compared with it critically. "they are the same?" he asked, as he extended the whole match and the fragment together towards us that we might examine them. "they are the same," fray antonio answered. "whence comes the one that you guard so carefully?" "from the priest captain--from itzacoatl. with such things does he miraculously set burning the fire of sacrifice; but he does not speak of them lightly, as you do; he tells us that they are the handiwork of the fire god, chac-mool; and when the fire of sacrifice is kindled he gives what remains of them as high rewards to those who have served well the state by brave acts or honorable deeds. this which i cherish was my reward for crushing a revolt among the tlahuicos." fray antonio and i exchanged curious glances, for the conviction was forced upon us both that the priest captain of whom tizoc spoke must either have invented friction matches, or that he must have some secret channel of communication with the outside world. in either case it was evident that he must be a man of unusual shrewdness; and it also was evident that his feeling towards us--since we also could perform a miracle that he obviously made use of as a means of manifesting his divine right to rule--must be that of strong hostility. to rayburn and young, who had observed wonderingly tizoc's extraordinary conduct, i rapidly translated what he had said; and explained how serious our situation appeared in the light of this new development. "well, it certainly _is_ cold weather for this priest captain fellow," young commented, "if we've got hold of his boss miracle; and i guess you're about right, professor--he'll want t' take it out of our hides. just poke up th' colonel t' telling all he knows about this old dodger. th' colonel's got his tongue pretty well greased just now with his own prime old bourbon--pass me that jar, rayburn, i don't mind if i have another whack at it myself--and we may get something out of him that will be useful. try it on, professor, any way. here's luck, gentlemen." that young's tongue also was a little greased, as he put it, by this very agreeable beverage was quite evident; but his wits were sharpened rather than dulled by the drink, and his present suggestion evidently was a very good one. as for tizoc, his disposition towards us obviously was most soft and friendly; and as his mind slowly absorbed the fact that, somehow or another, the priest captain had made a fool of him with a miracle that was not really a miracle at all, his choler rose in a manner most favorable to our purposes. yet this very feeling of resentful anger--showing a growing irreverence of one to whom all the traditions of his people gave reverence second only to that due to the gods themselves--was startling evidence of the menace that our presence was to the theocratic ruler's temporal and spiritual power. therefore it was with a keen curiosity that we listened--and tizoc needed, to induce him to talk freely, but little of the poking-up that young had suggested--to what was told us concerning the strange people among whom we had come by ways so perilous, and of their chieftain, the priest captain itzacoatl--with whom, as no spirit of prophecy was needed to tell us, we were destined soon to engage in a conflict that must be fought out to the very death. xix. the seeds of revolt. for the sake of brevity i shall summarize here the statement that tizoc made to us, and for the sake of clearness i shall add to it some facts of minor importance which came to our knowledge later--thus at once exhibiting the whole of the troublous condition of affairs that stirred dangerously the people dwelling in the valley of aztlan at the time of our coming among them. at this period the political situation, as i may term it, was exceedingly critical. three powerful factions were in existence; and peace was preserved only by the generally diffused belief that open revolt, on the part of either one, would be crushed instantly by a temporary coalition of the other two. the beginning of this unpleasantly volcanic condition of affairs dated back six cycles--that is to say, a little more than three hundred years--and was the direct result of a violation of the law set forth by the wise king chaltzantzin when the colony was founded, by which it was ordained that all among the aztlanecas who, on coming to maturity, were weaklings or cripples, should be put to death. being once suggested, the repeal or the modification of this law found many advocates. naturally, the change was urged most strongly by all those whose sons and daughters were sickly or malformed, and so were doomed to die in the very blossom of their years. it was urged by the nobles because the more astute among them perceived the possibility of so manipulating it that it would result in the creation of a distinctively servile class; and the priests urged it because they also perceived a way by which it might be made to provide more victims for sacrifice to the gods. and so it came to pass, through the influence of these diverse elements operating together towards a common end, that the law which chaltzantzin had promulgated was set aside, and a law was made that embodied the provisions demanded by the nobles and the priests, whereby should be created a new social class; which class, because of the infirmities of those composing it, received the name of tlahuicos--"men turned towards the earth." thereafter, the sickly and the crippled were not slain upon reaching maturity, but then passed out from the class into which they were born and became servitors. and when the first cycle was ended after the making of this new law, and thenceforward every year, one in every ten among the tlahuicos was taken by lot to be sacrificed to the gods--for the priests craftily had gained the barbarous concession that they demanded by placing the first fulfilment of it at a time so far in the future that all concerned in the granting of it would be dead in the course of nature before it became operative. yet to the end that those of noble birth might be saved from the ignominy of servitude, it was provided that children which by reason of natural infirmity were doomed to become slaves, might be saved from that fate upon coming to maturity by being then surrendered by their parents to the priests for sacrifice. other grace there was none. excepting between death and slavery, there was no choice for the weak or the malformed. as time passed on, the tlahuicos, marrying among themselves, had greatly increased in numbers; and so far from remaining a weakling race, they had become, by reason of their frugal mode of living and of the wholesome, hearty labor in which they constantly were engaged, exceptionally hale and strong; the weak and crippled among them being mainly those who each year, because of such infirmities, were added to their number from the higher ranks of the community. and thus was collected together material as dangerous as it was inflammable; for the fresh additions to the tlahuicos kept constantly alive in the whole body a spirit of moody discontent, that time and again, at the season when the lots were cast by which one in every ten was doomed to death, was fanned into armed mutiny. these revolts ever had as their single object escape from the valley; which fact made evident enough the need for the elaborate system of defensive works by which the outlet of the valley was barred. from the tlahuicos were drawn the house-servants of the rich; and by those of this wretched class who were stout of body all the heavy labor of the community was carried on--the tilling of the fields, the quarrying of stone, the building of houses and bridges and roads, the felling of timber, the carriage of all burdens, and the working of the great gold-mine, concerning which i shall hereafter have more to tell. and all of these people were held in absolute bondage, either as the serfs of individual owners or as the property of the state; for each year the new accessions to the class were sold publicly at an auction to whoever would bid the most for them; and those which none would buy, being too infirm to be useful as laborers, the state laid claim to--but only that they might be kept alive until such time as they should be needed by the priests for sacrifice. yet out of this custom of sale, that on the face of it was harsh and barbarous, some slight mitigation of the cruelty of the system had come; for the practice had grown up of permitting parents to buy back their own children--nominally thereafter holding them as slaves--and so to save them at a single stroke from both death and servitude. one strong cause of the hatred of the priest captain itzacoatl, tizoc said (and we wondered then at the trembling in his voice, and at the evidently deep emotion that overcame him as he spoke), was that he had but lately forbidden the continuance of this practice, by which only the letter of the law was obeyed. until the promulgation by the priest captain of this decree, the priesthood, the military aristocracy, and the mass of the army had constituted, politically, one single class. the civil government was vested in a body styled the council of the twenty lords, the members of which originally had been chosen by chaltzantzin, and from him had received authority, in perpetuity, to fill the vacancies which death would cause among them by selecting the wisest of each new generation to be councillors. while the composition of this body was distinctively aristocratic--for its members were either military nobles or priests of a high grade--there was in it also an element of democracy; for both the priesthood and the army were recruited from all classes of society (saving only the servile class), and among the twenty lords there were always men who had risen from obscurity to distinction solely by their own merit. over this body the priest captain presided; yet was his will superior to that of the council, for he was the visible representative of the gods, and so centred in his own person their high authority and dreadful power. until the time of itzacoatl, each successive priest captain, in the long line that here had ruled, had exercised so discreetly his theocratic rights, and in all ways had shown such wisdom in his government, that no conflict had arisen between the temporal and the spiritual powers. and thus wisely had itzacoatl governed in the early years of his reign. but as age stole upon him--and he now was a very old man--his rule had grown more and more tyrannical. he had drawn about him certain priests for intimate advisers, and these constantly led him to run counter to the will of the twenty lords, not only in matters about which divergent opinions reasonably might be held, but in matters wherein the will of the whole people was at one with the advice that the council gave. thus, gradually, two parties were built up within the state: that of the priests, which strongly seconded the disposition that itzacoatl manifested to make the spiritual power absolutely supreme, and that of the nobles and people of the higher class, which sought to maintain the council's ancient rights in matters temporal. in regard to these two factions, the affiliations of the army were so nicely balanced that neither side ventured to resort to open violence--for each dreaded that the other would turn the scale against it by invoking the aid of the servile class. thus it was that the despised tlahuicos actually held the balance of power. yet of this fact, tizoc declared--but i noticed that just here there was a curious hesitancy about his speech, as though he knew more than he was willing to disclose--the tlahuicos were but dimly conscious; while they did know certainly that in the present state of affairs any attempt on their part to rise in mutiny would be met, as it had been met many times in the past, by all the forces of both factions of their superiors overwhelmingly united against them. but the bond that was stronger than all others in holding together this community, in which, beneath the surface, were working such potent elements of disintegration, was the loyal resolve pervading it to execute the mission to which its members were destined when they were set apart from the remainder of their race a thousand years before. excepting only among the tlahuicos--who, in the nature of things, could have no share in it--there had ever been among all classes a fervent longing for the summons that should call them forth to aid their brethren in the battling with a foreign foe that chaltzantzin had prophesied. and by reason of this loyalty to a lofty purpose the open rupture that assuredly otherwise would have come had been thus far restrained. honor forbade, tizoc declared, that by falling to warring among themselves they should put in jeopardy their power to respond instantly to the summons that might at any instant come. it was therefore with a profound and solemn interest--for the grave import of it was plain to him--that tizoc, having ended his own statement, questioned us as to the full meaning of the words which we had spoken when first we entered the valley: that the prophecy of chaltzantzin long since had been fulfilled, and that now, having in its appointed time miscarried, the summons would never come. with awe, and in sorrowful silence, he listened as fray antonio and i told him how exactly the prophecy had been verified by the coming of the spaniards, and by their conquest and enslavement of the mexicans; yet was he cheered again as our narrative continued, and he learned of the brave fight for freedom that his brethren had made, and of the happy success that had crowned it in the end. of the period between the achievement of independence and recent years we said but little--it is not a period of which those whose feeling towards the mexicans is friendly have much desire to talk--contenting ourselves with emphasizing the fact that the race so long oppressed, having risen successfully against its oppressors, remained independent under a ruler of its own blood. to that part of our narrative in which we told how we had gained knowledge of the hidden city of colhuacan, and possession of the token of summons, tizoc gave but little heed. it was evident that his mind was engrossed with consideration of the more important matters of which we had told him, and of the direct bearing that they had upon the troubled condition of affairs in which his own people were involved. seeing which, we left him to his own thoughts while we talked of these same matters among ourselves. rayburn, in his quick, clear-headed way, grasped the situation promptly and accurately. "about the size of it is," he said, "that we've knocked the false work right from under everything that these folks have been building for the whole thousand years that they have been living here; and what they've built isn't strong enough to stand alone. as young says, it's a cold day for the priest captain because we have got hold of his boss miracle; but it's still colder weather for him because the news that we have brought makes it all right for the crowd that wants to fight him to go right ahead and do it; and i guess they will do it, too, as soon as they get the fact fairly into their heads that there no longer is a chance of their being called off in the middle of their row. unless i am very much mistaken, we shall see some pretty lively times in this valley inside of the next thirty days." "and unless _i'm_ mistaken," young struck in, "th' colonel here will be about th' first man t' take off his coat--that is, th' thing that i suppose he thinks is a coat--an' sail in. i don't know just what he's got against th' priest captain, except that he seems t' be a sort of pill on gen'ral principles, but i'm sure that he's down on him from th' word go. from what th' colonel says, i judge that his crowd has a pretty good chance of comin' out on top--for th' other crowd seems t' be made up for th' most part of parsons; an' parsons, as a rule, haven't much fight in 'em. what we'd better do it t' tie t' th' colonel, an' when we've helped him an' his friends t' wallop th' other fellows they'll be so much obliged to us that they'll let us bag all th' treasure we want an' clear out. an' that reminds me, professor--we haven't heard anything about any treasure so far. just ask th' colonel if there really is one. if there isn't, i vote for pullin' out before th' row begins. it's as true of a fight as it is of a railroad--that runnin' it just for th' operatin' expenses don't pay." tizoc answered my question on this head somewhat absently, for he evidently was debating within himself some very serious matter; but his answer was of a sort that young found entirely satisfactory. in the heart of the city, he said, was the treasure-house that chaltzantzin had builded there; and within it the treasure remained that chaltzantzin had stored away. what it consisted of, nor the value of it, he could not tell. the treasure-house was also the great temple; and of the treasure only the priest captain had accurate knowledge. in the treasure-house, tizoc added, was stored the tribute that the people paid annually, and the metal that was taken from the great mine. this metal was the most precious of all their possessions, he said, for from it their arms were made, and also their tools for tilling the earth, and for working wood and stone. it had not always been of such value, for it naturally was too soft to serve these useful purposes; but at a remote period, until which time their implements had been made of stone, a wise man among them had discovered a way by which it could be hardened, and from that time onward the people dwelling in the valley had prospered greatly, because they thus were enabled to practise all manner of useful arts. "and what is this metal like?" i asked, with much interest, for my archæological instinct instantly was aroused by hearing summed in these few words a matter of such momentous importance as the transition of a people to the age of metal from the age of stone. "it is like this," tizoc answered, simply, disengaging as he spoke a heavy bracelet from his arm, "only this remains in its natural state of softness. to be of great value it first must be made hard." i had no doubt in my own mind as to what this metal was, but i knew that rayburn, who was an excellent metallurgist, could pronounce upon it authoritatively. "is this gold?" i asked, handing him the bracelet. "certainly it is," he answered, in a moment--"and it seems to be entirely without alloy." "then your guess about the bright, hard metal that has been such a puzzle to us," i continued, "was the right one; it is hardened gold:" and i repeated to him what tizoc had told me. rayburn was deeply interested. "scientifically, this is a big thing, professor," he said. "these fellows can give points to our metallurgists. but for our purposes, of course, what they've caught on to here has no practical value. gold has got to come down a good deal, or phosphor-bronze has got to go up a good deal, before it will pay us to turn gold dollars into axle-bearings and cogs and pinions. but it's mighty interesting, all the same. fusing with silicium would give a gold-silicide that might fill the bill for hardness; but i can't even make a guess as to how they do the tempering. ask the colonel what the whole process is, professor. it will make a capital paper to read before the institute of mining engineers at their next meeting." as i turned to tizoc to ask this question, i perceived that his regard was fixed upon something on the other side of the court-yard, and in his look most tender love was blended with a deep melancholy. following the direction of his gaze, i saw that its object was a beautiful boy, a lad of twelve or fourteen years old, who was half hidden behind some flowering shrubs, and from this cover was peering at us curiously. "it is my maza--my little son," tizoc said, as he turned and saw the direction in which i looked. and then he called to the boy to come to him. for a moment maza hesitated, but when the call was repeated he came out from behind the screen of flowers and so towards us across the court-yard; and as he advanced i perceived that he was lame. in his face was the look of wistfulness which cripples so often have, and there was a rare sweetness and intelligence in the expression of his large brown eyes. in a moment i understood why it was that tizoc resented so bitterly the abrogation by the priest captain of the custom that had permitted parents to buy back their crippled children, and so to save them from slavery; and a selfish feeling of gladness came into my heart as this light dawned upon me--for i knew that when we faced the danger that threatened us (a most real danger, for our coming into the valley was nothing less than a deadly blow at itzacoatl's supremacy) we surely would find in tizoc an ally and a friend. xx. the priest captain's summons. there was so much meaning in my look as i turned towards tizoc that i had no need to speak; he knew that i had comprehended the situation, and so answered my look in words. "do you wonder that i rejoice over your coming, and over the news which you bring? the will of the gods no longer is that we shall do the work for which our lord chaltzantzin destined us; therefore are we free to set aside the custom that he decreed by which our weak ones are condemned to death, and with it the custom, yet more cruel, of our own devising, by which they are saved from death only that they may be made slaves. to my boy neither slavery nor death shall come. through you the gods have spoken, and he is saved. and now also is fulfilled the prophecy that of ancient times was spoken, that with the coming into the valley of aztlan of a four-footed beast, bearing upon its back a man, the power of the priest captain should end." much more, doubtless, tizoc would have said to us, for an exalted emotion stirred him; but at that moment there was the sound of hurrying feet in the outer enclosure, and then tizoc's secretary came through the narrow entrance into the court-yard, followed closely by a detachment of the guards. the secretary spoke hurriedly to his master, apart from us, and from his excited manner in speaking, and from the anxious look upon his master's face as he listened, we inferred that some very stirring matter was involved in the communication that he brought. for a few moments tizoc stood in silence, his head bowed, as though engaged in earnest thought. then he turned to us and spoke. "the priest captain has sent his order that you shall be brought before him," he said, "and that you must go hence without delay." and then he added, taking me aside and speaking in a low voice: "there is great commotion already in the city, for the soldiers have noised abroad the news which you bring. the council of the twenty lords has been called together, and i am told that a messenger from the council is on his way hither. that my order to take you to the city in such haste, and directly to the priest captain, is so stringent, i cannot but think is caused by his desire to get you hence before the messenger from the council shall arrive. his purpose towards you surely is an evil one; but fear not--you bring a message of freedom and deliverance that has only to be published to raise around you a host of friends. and now we must go." in a few moments we had quitted tizoc's house, passed out through the fortified gate-way in the heavy wall by which the little plateau on the mountain side was defended; and so, by a broad road that descended sharply, went downward towards the border of the lake. our order of march was the same as that adopted in bringing us from the barred pass: before us and behind us were detachments of the guards, and tizoc walked with us. in accordance with his desire, that he expressed to me in a cautious whisper, pablo rode upon el sabio's back. there was no need for him to explain his motive in making this suggestion. it was his purpose, evidently, to exhibit the fulfilment of the prophecy as conspicuously as possible, and so to prepare the ground for the sowing of the seeds of revolt. i had an opportunity now to tell rayburn and young of what tizoc had been speaking at the moment when the summons from the priest captain came; and also of the strong personal reason that he had for protecting us, even to the extent of forwarding the outbreak of revolution, in his desire to save from death or slavery the son whom he so well loved. "i'm not at all surprised to hear that what we've told 'em is going to start a revolution," rayburn said. "that's just the way i sized the matter up, you know, as soon as i got down to the first facts. if they'd had a decent sort of a fellow at the head of things, they might have worked along so as to take a fresh start without fighting over it. but this priest captain chap isn't that kind. he goes in for boss management and machine politics, i should judge from what the colonel says, as straight as if he was a new york alderman or the chairman of a state campaign committee in ohio. no doubt he's got a pretty big crowd back of him; but that kind of a crowd don't amount to much in a fight, when there's any sort of a show for the other side to win. it sort of gets out of the way, and stands around with water on both shoulders, and then, when one side begins to get pretty well on top--it don't matter which--it says that that's the side it's been fighting with all along, and begins to kick the fellows that are down. where our chance comes in is in having the respectable element, the solid men who pay taxes and have an interest in decent government, to tie to. they may not pay taxes here, but that's the kind i mean. and that kind, when it takes to fighting, fights hard. then there must be a lot of fathers with crippled children, like the colonel here, who are down on the priest captain the worst kind, and will be only too glad of a chance to go for him; and they can be counted on to stand in with us, and to fight harder than anybody. i'll admit, professor, that we're in a pretty tight place; but it might be a good deal tighter, and i do honestly believe that we'll get out of it." "and so do i," said young, "'specially now that i know that that burro of pablo's is part of a prophecy. i always did think that there was style about el sabio, any way, an' now i know what it comes from. when i was a boy, th' one thing that used t' keep me quiet in church was hearin' our minister read that story about balaam and _his_ burro; but i never thought then that i'd actually ketch up with a live ass that was in the prophesyin' line of business for itself--or had prophecies made about it, which is pretty much the same thing. t' be sure, this prophecy don't come down t' dots quite as much as i'd like it to; but i s'pose that that's th' way with 'em always--eh, professor? th' prophets sort o' leave things at loose ends on purpose; so's they can run 'wild' on a clear track, without any bother about schedule time or connections." "well, our burro lays over balaam's," rayburn struck in. "in that case it took the combined arguments of an ass and an angel to convince balaam that he was off about his location, and was running his lines all wrong; but, unless we count in pablo, el sabio is playing a lone hand; and i'm sure that the colonel's not fooling us about this prophecy business, either. it's rubbish, of course; but that don't matter, so long as the people here swallow it for the genuine thing. just look at that old fellow there. he's tumbled to it, and he's regularly knocked out." we were close to the shore of the lake by this time, and as rayburn spoke we were passing a small house, in front of which was gathered a group of indians. in the midst of the group was a very old man, who with out-stretched arm was pointing towards pablo and el sabio, and who at the same time was talking to his companions in grave and earnest tones. there was a look of awe upon his age-worn face, and as we fairly came abreast of him he dropped upon his knees and raised his arms above his head, as though in supplication to some higher power. the action, truly, was a most impressive one; and even more strongly than we were affected by it did it affect those who were clustered around him. in a moment all in the group had fallen upon their knees and had raised their arms upward; and then a low moaning, that presently grew louder and more thrilling, broke forth among them as they gave vent to the feeling of awful dread that was in their hearts. "that's business, that is," young said, in tones of great satisfaction. "those fellows do believe in th' prophecy, for a fact; and if th' folks once get it fairly into their heads that th' time has come for their rascally priest captain t' have an upset, that's a good long start for our side towards upsettin' him. it was just everlastin'ly level-headed in th' colonel t' make pablo ride el sabio, and so regularly cram th' thing down these critters' throats. i don't know how much of th' prophecy he believes himself, but he's workin' it for all it's worth, any way. there don't seem t' be any flies worth speakin' of on th' colonel--eh, professor? and i guess that anybody who wants t' get up earlier 'n th' mornin' than he does 'll have to make a start overnight." by this time the road that we followed had come down to the lake-level, and presently we reached the end of it, which was a well-built pier that extended out from the shelving shore into deep water. here a boat was in waiting for us--a barge of near forty feet in length, with twenty men to row it, and carrying also a mast, stepped well forward, so rigged as to spread a sail that was a compromise between a lug and a lateen. there was some little talk between the officer in charge of the barge and tizoc, and then the latter motioned us to go on board. the barge-master gave the order to the guard to follow us, as though the command of the party now had devolved upon him; and it seemed to us, from the close group that the guard made around us in the boat, and from the anxious looks which the barge-master cast upon us, that very strict orders must have been given concerning keeping us closely in ward. under these circumstances, it caused us some little wonder that we were permitted to retain our arms, until the thought occurred to me that these people, having no knowledge of such things, did not at all realize that our rifles and revolvers were arms at all. to test which theory i drew one of my pistols--not violently, but as though this were something that i was doing for my own convenience--and so held it in my hands that the muzzle was pointed directly at the heart of the soldier who sat beside me; yet beyond the interest that its odd shape, and the strange metal that it was made of aroused in him, it was evident that the man regarded my action entirely without concern. i drew the attention of rayburn and young to what i was doing, and to how evident it was that fire-arms were unknown to this people; and in their ignorance we found much cause for satisfaction. [illustration: checking young's outbreak] "if they don't know enough to corral our guns," young said, "we've got a pretty good-sized piece of dead-wood on 'em. th' way things are goin', we may have a rumpus a'most any time, i s'pose; and if it does come to a rumpus, they'll be a badly struck lot when we open on 'em. robinson crusoe cleaned out a whole outfit of indians with just an old flint-lock musket; and i should say that we'd simply paralyze this crowd when we all get goin' at once with our revolvers an' winchesters. isn't that your idea of it, rayburn?" but rayburn did not answer, for while young was speaking he had taken out his field-glass and was examining the city, to within three or four miles of which we now were come. "well, that _is_ a walled city, and no mistake!" he said, as he lowered the glass from his eyes. "take a look, professor. these people may be easy to fool when it comes to prophecies, but when it comes to engineering and architecture they're sound all the way through. just look at the straightness of that wall running up the hill, and how exact the alignment is of the two parts above and below that ledge of rocks. they had to get that alignment, you know, by taking fore-sights and back-sights from the top of the ledge; and i must say that for people who haven't got far enough along in civilization to wear trousers, it's an uncommonly pretty piece of work." as i looked through the glass i was less impressed by this technical detail, involving the overcoming of engineering difficulties which i did not very thoroughly understand, than i was by the majestic effect produced by the city as a whole, in conjunction with the site on which it was reared. at this point the lake came close up to the vastly high cliffs by which the valley everywhere was girt in, and here jutted out from the cliff a great promontory of rock, whereof the highest part was fully two hundred feet above the lake-level. for the accommodation of the houses which everywhere were built upon it, the sloping face of this promontory had been cut into broad terraces, of which the facings were massive walls of stone; and the whole was enclosed by a wall of great height and enormous thickness that swept out in an immense semicircle from the face of the cliff, and thus shut in the terraced promontory and also a considerable area of level land at the base of it between the lowest terrace and the margin of the lake. on the highest terrace, crowning and dominating the whole, was a majestic building that seemed to be half temple and half fort--a square structure, resting solidly against the face of the cliff, and thence projecting a long way outward to where its façade was flanked by two low, heavy, square towers. architecturally, this building, unlike any other of which i had knowledge in mexico, saving only the temple that we had found upon the lonely mountain-top, was pervaded by a distinctly egyptian sentiment. its walls sloped inward from their bases, and no trivial nor fretful lines weakened the effect of their massive dignity; for the whole of the decoration upon them was a broad panelling that was gained by a combination of heavy pilasters and a heavy cornice; and with the exception of a central entrance, the front was unbroken by openings of any kind. possessing these characteristics, the building had about it an air of solemnity that bordered closely upon gloom; and the obvious solidity of its construction was such that it seemed destined to last on through all coming ages in defiance of the assaults of time. there was no need for me to question tizoc; for i knew that what i beheld before me, crowning with sombre grandeur this strange city, girded with such prodigious walls, was the treasure-house that chaltzantzin, the aztec king, had builded in the dim dawning of a most ancient past. young took his turn in looking through the glass, and as he handed it to fray antonio he said: "if at any time in th' course o' th' past few weeks, professor, you've got th' notion from any o' my talk that i thought that dead friend o' yours, th' old monk, was a liar, i want t' take it all back; and i want t' take back all that i've said about that other dead friend o' yours, th' cacique, havin' set up a job on us. it's clear enough now that both o' your friends played an entirely square game. they said that there was a walled city, an' there it is; they said that there was a big treasure-house, an' there _that_ is. they were perfect gentlemen, professor, and i want t' set myself right on th' record by sayin' so. if one of 'em hadn't been dead for more than three months, and if th' other one hadn't been dead for more than three hundred years, and if they both were here, i'd knuckle under and ask 'em t' take my hat." xxi. the walled city of culhuacan. our use in turn of the field-glass was a mysterious performance that aroused keenly the barge-master's curiosity. i heard him ask tizoc for an explanation of it; and tizoc, who also was much interested, referred his question to me. had i been dealing with tizoc alone i should have tried to make the matter clear to him; but in the case of the barge-master, whose feeling towards us, i was convinced, was anything but friendly, i thought it wiser to be less frank. therefore, covering the action with a negligent motion of my hand, i screwed the glasses close together, so that in looking through them there was to be seen only a mass of indistinct objects looming up in a blurred cloud of light, and so handed them to him. naturally, neither he nor tizoc arrived at any very satisfactory conclusion in regard to the real use of them; and from their talk it was evident that they conceived the ceremony in which we had engaged in turn so earnestly to be in the nature of a prayer to our gods. fray antonio was both shocked and pained by their taking this view of the matter, and was for making a true explanation to them; but at my urgent request he held his peace. yet it was evident that he brooded over the matter in his mind, and so was led to earnest thoughts of the mission that had brought him hither into the valley of aztlan. therefore was i not surprised--though i certainly was alarmed by the thought of what might be its consequences--when presently, in low and gentle tones, he began to speak to those about him of the free and glorious christian faith, which in all ways was more excellent than the cruel idolatry in which they were bound. naturally, he was not permitted long to speak in this strain, for the barge-master speedily ordered him in most peremptory tones to keep silence; which order doubtless would have been still more quickly given had not the officer been fairly surprised by fray antonio's temerity into momentary forgetfulness of the dangerous outcome of this gentle talk. and fray antonio, knowing the value of the word in season that is dropped to fructify in soil ready for it, did not attempt argument with the barge-master--by which the thoughts of those who listened would have been diverted from the hopeful promise of a better faith that he had offered to them--but obeyed the order meekly and so held his peace. that what he had spoken had taken hold upon the hearts of some at least among his hearers i was well assured by their grave look of thoughtfulness, and especially did tizoc seem to be deeply moved; but--as i supposed for fear of the barge-master--there was no open comment upon what had passed. by this time, the barge being all the while urged rapidly forward by the steady strokes of the twenty oarsmen, the city rose so broadly and so openly before us that we could see the whole of it distinctly with our naked eyes. and what at this nearer view seemed most impressive about it was its gloominess; that was due not less to the prison-like effect of its heavily built houses and its massive walls than to the dull blackness of the stone whereof these same were made. nowhere was there sparkle, or glitter, or bright color, or brightness of any sort to be seen; and it seemed to me, as i gazed upon this sombre stronghold, that dwelling always within it well enough might wear a man's heart out with a consuming melancholy begotten of its cold and cheerless tones. that it was indeed a stronghold was the more apparent to us the nearer that we came to it. the plan of it was that of a great fan, spread open upon the hillside, and extending also across the broad sweep of level land between the base of the promontory and the lake. the promontory had been so cut and shaped that its gentle slope had been transformed into six broad semicircular terraces, above the highest of which was a semicircular plateau of very considerable size, on which stood the treasure-house, that also was the great temple. along the face of each terrace, and around the face also of the plateau, a heavy defensive wall rose to a height of twenty feet or more; and from the base of the crowning plateau, thence accessible by a single broad flight of stairs--being led through openings in the rampart walls of the terraces, and down each terrace face by means of stair-ways--twelve streets descended, of which the central six ended at the water-side and the remainder against the great outer wall. it was this outer line of strong defence that gave the city--which otherwise would have corresponded curiously closely with the fortified city of quetzaltepec, described by the mexican chronicler tezozomoc--its most distinctive characteristic. such a vastly thick wall, for the great length of it, as this was i never have seen in any other place; and so solid was the building of it that it would have been proof against any ordinary train of siege artillery. for defence against a foe whose only missile weapons would be javelins and slings and bows, this great wall made the city absolutely impregnable. and that the protection that it gave might be still more complete--and also, as tizoc explained to us, that in the case of siege the water supply might be assured, together with a supply of fish for food--the wall was carried out into the lake so far as to enclose a basin of more than four acres in extent; within which, should an enemy gain access to the valley, all the boats upon the lake could be brought together and held in safety. and finally, the one entrance to the city was by way of a tunnel-like canal cut in the wall thus rising from the water; the outer end of which canal was closed in ordinary times by a heavy grating, while in war time the inner end also could be closed by means of great metal bars. it was towards this entrance that the barge that carried us was heading. presently we reached it, and the grating was raised for our admission by means of chains which were operated from the top of the wall. so low and so narrow was the passage that our heads were within a few inches of the huge slabs of stone of which its roof was formed; and the rowers had need to unstep the mast and then to lay their oars inboard, while they brought the barge through by pushing with their hands against the roof and sides. the canal was fully forty feet long, and thus the enormous thickness of the wall was made apparent to us. it truly was, as i observed to rayburn, a work that well might be attributed to the cyclops. "i never met a live cyclop, professor," rayburn answered, "and i don't believe that these fellows ever did either; but it bothers me to know how they managed to do work like this without a steam-derrick. if we get out of here with whole skins and our hair on our heads, i hope it won't be until i've had a chance to talk to some of their engineers, and so get down to the facts." a moment later we emerged from the tunnel through the wall, and so entered the enclosed basin that extended along the whole of the city's front. within the basin were lying many canoes, and also boats of a larger sort that carried oars and that were rigged with a sort of lug-sail; but these all kept away from us, even as all the boats which we had seen during our passage of the lake had given us a wide berth. that our barge--one of those employed exclusively in the priest captain's service--was thus shunned was due, as i found later, to the wholesome dread in which the special servitors of the temple and of its head universally were held; for these very frequently abused the authority acquired through their semi-sacerdotal functions by using it as a cloak to cover acts of purely personal oppression, while at all times they were feared as the executors of their master's wrath. there was, indeed (though i did not mention this fact to fray antonio), a curiously close resemblance between the officials of this class and the familiars of the inquisition, both in the duties which they performed and in the fear and hatred which they everywhere inspired. but even dread of entanglement with the priest captain's servants could not restrain the curiosity of the crowd that pressed towards us on the broad pier upon which we disembarked. it was evident that this crowd was not made up of the common folk of the city, and also that it was moved by a purpose far higher than that of a mere idle longing to see something that was strange. from their dress, and still more from the beauty of their ornaments and the elegance of the arms which many of them carried, it was obvious that for the most part these men were citizens of the highest rank; and this fact was still further attested by the dignity of their demeanor and by the reverent age to which the majority of them had attained. so far from manifesting any vulgar excitement, the crowd maintained an absolute silence; and with this an exterior air of calm that was the more impressive because the eager, almost awe-struck expression upon every face showed how strong was the emotion that thus strongly was restrained. but when el sabio, after much coaxing, crossed the gang-plank between the boat and the pier, and so came to where he could be seen of all plainly, there was a curious low sound in the air as though all at once every man in the crowd had heaved a sigh; and the sound swelled into a loud murmur as pablo, in obedience to a quick order that i gave him in spanish, briskly mounted upon the ass's back. in this murmur only one word was intelligible, and that i caught again and again: the prophecy! but pablo was no more than fairly seated upon el sabio's back than the officer in command of our guard took him roughly by the shoulders and snatched him thence to the ground again; which act led tizoc and me to a quick exchange of startled glances, for it showed very plainly that the priest captain--to whom the messenger telling of our coming into the valley had been sent before any of these people had seen pablo mounted upon el sabio's back--had anticipated this sign of the fulfilment of the prophecy and had given orders to prevent it. luckily, the celerity with which pablo had executed my quick order to mount had saved the day for us; and even more than saved it, for as we passed through the crowd, on our way from the water-side into the city, i caught here and there fragments of comment upon what had just passed which showed that not only was the sign told of in the prophecy recognized, but that the effort on the part of the officer to neutralize it was understood. but before our going into the city there was a stirring conflict of authority concerning us between the temporal and the spiritual powers. we were no more than fairly landed, indeed, when an officer addressed the barge-master, who continued in charge of our party, and gave him a formal order to bring the strangers directly before the council of the twenty lords. and to this the barge-master replied that he already was under orders to bring the prisoners, immediately upon their landing, before the priest captain--and there was something both curious and ominous, it struck me, in the marked manner in which the term "strangers" was employed by one of these men and the term "prisoners" by the other. at this juncture we had further proof of the foresight of the priest captain, and of the determined stand that he was prepared to make rather than to suffer the miscarriage of big plans. while the barge-master and the messenger from the council still were engaged in hot talk as to which of the two conflicting orders should be recognised, there was the sound of tramping feet and of arms clanking; and then a body of fully one hundred soldiers came quickly from behind a house that was near by the water-side and swept down on a double-quick to where we were standing at the end of the pier. the crowd, jostled aside to make way for the passage of the soldiers, evidently regarded them with astonishment; and this astonishment rapidly changed to anger as the purpose that brought them thither was made plain. in a moment they had closed in around us, separating us from the council's messenger and from tizoc; the barge-master placed himself at the head of them, and in sharp, quick tones gave the order to march; and the whole force, with ourselves in the centre of it, went off the pier at a round pace, and thence along a street that led towards the city's heart. evidently acting under orders, the men broke their platoons and closed in around us; and i was well convinced that this unsoldierly marching was adopted to the end that el sabio might not be seen. fray antonio agreed with me that the priest captain was carrying matters with a dangerously high hand in thus opposing the will of the council with armed force. this act of his, if tizoc had correctly represented to us the excited condition of popular feeling, was quite sufficient in itself to stir into violent activity the slumbering fires of mutiny. but whether the revolt that we now believed must surely come would come in time to be of service to ourselves, we could not but look upon as a very open question. "if this old scoundrel is as sharp as he seems to be," rayburn said, "and if he keeps things up in the way he's begun, it's about all day with us. his play should be to get rid of us as quick as he can manage it; and i should judge, from the cards that he's put down, that that's precisely the way he means to manage the game. it's not much comfort to us to know that after he's cleaned us out somebody else will rake his pile." as we talked, we went on rapidly through the city; and even the danger that we were in, and the excitement that attended this sudden shifting of our fortunes, could not prevent me from studying with a lively curiosity the many evidences of an advanced civilization that i beheld. the plan of the city, as i had discerned while we were approaching it, was that of a wide-open fan. from the treasure-house, on the height in the centre, twelve broad streets radiated outward, of which three on the northern side and three on the southern ended against the great enclosing wall, and six came down through openings in the walls along the several terraces directly to the water-front. all of these streets were well paved with large smooth blocks of stone, and were led up the faces of the terraces by wide and easy stairs. the transverse streets were true semicircles, starting from and ending at the face of the cliff, and were carried along the outer edges of the terraces, just inside their facing walls. rayburn was even more astonished than i was by the exactness with which these great semicircles were laid off; for he apprehended, as i did not, the difficulty attendant upon running a line in a true and regular curve. but i am not prepared to say that this work could not have been accomplished by mere rule of thumb. my friend bandelier, in the course of his admirable analysis of the ruins at mitla, has made clear to me how easy it is to attribute to scientific knowledge work that is the result only of manual skill. as i have pointed out in my discussion of this matter in my _pre-columbian conditions on the continent of north america_, the plateau at the top of this range of terraces easily might have been laid off in a true semicircle by the simple means of a pointed stick at the end of a long rope; and from the true line thus established the line of the terrace below it could have been had--and so on down to the lowest terrace of all. there could be no doubt, however, that engineering skill of a high order--howsoever crude might have been the actual method of its application--was exhibited both in the preparation of the site, and then in the city's building. on the site alone an almost incredible amount of labor had been expended; for the rocky promontory--that primitively, as the result showed, had been broken and irregular--had been so cut away in some places, and so filled in in others, and the whole of it had been so carefully trimmed and smoothed, that in the end it became a huge mass of rock-work, in the regularity of which there was not perceptible the smallest flaw. and in this preliminary work, as well as in the building of the houses afterwards, fragments of stone were used of such enormous size that the moving of them, rayburn declared, would be wellnigh impossible even with the most powerful engineering appliances of our own time. nor was the use of these huge pieces of stone confined to the foundations of the houses. some of them were high above the ground; indeed, the very largest that we observed--the weight of which rayburn estimated at not less than twenty tons--was a single block that made the entire top course of a high wall. all of the stone-work was well smoothed and squared; and while the exteriors of the houses were entirely plain, we could see through the open door-ways that the interiors of many of them were enriched with carvings. all were destitute of windows opening upon the street; and their dull, black walls, and the dull black of the stones with which the streets were paved, gave a dark and melancholy air to the city that oppressed us even more heavily when thus seen closely than it had when we beheld it from afar off. yet the interior court-yards, so far as we could tell from the glimpses that we had of them through open door-ways, were bright with sunshine and gay with flowers; thus showing that the gloom of these dwellings did not extend beyond their outer walls. i observed with much interest that the provision for closing the entrances from the street was not swinging doors of wood, but either metal bars, such as we had seen in tizoc's house, or else a metal grating, that was arranged like a portcullis to slide up and down in a groove; and i attributed the absence of wooden doors less to a desire for stronger barriers than to the comparative recentness of the acquisition of the knowledge of wood-working tools. here, i thought, was a curious instance of development along the lines of greatest resistance; for in itself the invention and the making of a swinging door of wood was a much easier matter than was the invention and the making of these finely wrought sliding doors of hardened gold. as for young, the sight of all this gold-work quite took his breath away. "it regularly jolts me, professor," he said, "t' see th' genuine stuff, that's good t' make gold dollars out of, slung around this way. a front door of solid gold is a huckleberry above jay gould's biggest persimmon; an' as t' solomon, these fellows just lay solomon out cold--regularly down th' old man an' sit on him. why, for just that one front door of th' big house ahead of us i'd sell out all my shares in this treasure-hunt, an' be glad t' do it. but i guess i'd have to hire samson--who was in that line of business--t' carry it off for me. it must weigh a solid ton!" by this time we had mounted all of the terraces, and the house towards which young pointed as he spoke was built directly beneath the crowning plateau on which the great temple stood. it was the largest and by far the most elegant house that we yet had seen, and the sliding grating of gold that closed the entrance was unusually heavy, and very beautifully wrought. sentinels were stationed here, wearing the same uniform as that of the soldiers who formed our guard; and this further indication of the importance of the building gave us the impression that it was the dwelling of some great dignitary. close by the portal we were halted, while the commander of our guard spoke through the grating to some one inside. a moment later the grating was slowly raised, and we were marched through the narrow entrance, and so along a short passage-way into a long, narrow chamber that obviously was a guard-room; for spears and javelins were ranged in orderly fashion upon racks, and swords and shields and bows and quivers of arrows were hung upon the walls. here we were halted again; and while we stood silent together, wondering what might be in store for us in this place, we heard the heavy grating behind us close with a dull clang. xxii. the outbreak of revolution. so dismal was this sound, and so many were the dismal possibilities that it suggested, that as i heard it a cold chill went down into my heart; and i was glad enough that we at once were led forth from the guard-room, and that in consideration of matters of immediate moment my mind was diverted from dwelling drearily upon a future that seemed full of gloom. for all the brilliant blaze of sunlight that brightened the large court-yard into which we were conducted, there was about it curious coldness and cheerlessness. as in the case of all the other houses which we had observed, the stone-work of the walls and of the pavement was a dull black; but here there were no flowers, nor bright-colored hangings over the inner doors, nor brightness of any sort or kind. the carving of the stone was extraordinarily rich, to be sure; but the bass-reliefs which covered the walls were wholly of a gloomy sort--being for the most part representations of the slaughter of men in sacrifice, and the tearing of hearts out--so that the eight of them made me shiver, notwithstanding the warmth of the sun. from the centre of the court-yard a broad stair-way ascended to the plateau above on which the temple stood; and this direct way of communicating with it led me to the conclusion that the building was a dependency of the temple, and that very likely the higher members of the priesthood were housed here. however, little time was given for looking around us, for our guard hurried us--el sabio following close at pablo's heels--across the court-yard to a door-way at its farther side, before which hung in heavy folds a curtain of some sort of thick black cloth. across this entrance the guard was drawn up in orderly ranks behind us; and then the barge-master, who had preserved absolute silence towards us since our march through the city began, held aside the curtain and silently motioned to us to enter. from the bright sunshine we passed at a step into a chamber so shadowy that we involuntarily stopped on the threshold, in order that our eyes might become accustomed to the semi-darkness before we advanced. the only light that entered it came through two narrow slits in the thick wall above the portal that we had just passed; and the glimmer diffused by the thin rays thus admitted was in great part absorbed by the black draperies with which everywhere the room was hung. as our eyes adjusted themselves to these gloomy conditions we perceived that we were in a hall of great size; and presently we were able to distinguish objects clearly enough to see that at the far end of it was a raised dais, having a sort of throne upon it; but not until, being urged forward by the officer, we had traversed more than half the length of the hall did we discern upon the throne the shadowy figure of a man. being come close to the dais, the officer halted us by a gesture; but no word was spoken, and for several minutes we stood in the semi-darkness of that strange place in absolute silence. for myself, i must confess that i was somewhat awed by my surroundings, and by the impassive silence and stillness that the dimly seen figure upon the throne maintained, and i am sure that fray antonio's imaginative nature was similarly impressed; as for pablo, i distinctly heard his teeth chattering in the dark. but neither rayburn nor young, as the latter would have expressed it, awed easily, and it was rayburn who presently spoke. "this fellow in the big chair would be a good hand at private theatricals. he's got a first-rate notion of stage effect. hadn't i better stick a pin in him and wake him up?" "there's no good in stickin' pins into _him_," said young, in a tone of great contempt. "what's the matter with him is, he's not real at all--he's stuffed!" there was something so absurdly incongruous in these comments that they acted instantly upon my overstrained nerves, and i burst into a laugh, in which the other two immediately joined. evidently, this was not at all the effect that this carefully arranged reception was intended to have upon us; for the seated figure started suddenly and uttered an angry exclamation, and at the same time gave a quick order to the officer. "i take it all back," said young; "he ain't stuffed. i guess he was only asleep." as young spoke there was a slight rustle of draperies, and in a moment the curtains which had veiled four great windows in the four sides of the hall were pulled aside, and the darkness vanished in a sudden blaze of light. while we shaded our eyes for some seconds, rayburn said, with great decision: "this settles it. he must have been in the show business all his life." but the man whom we now saw clearly did not look like a showman. he was a very old man, lean and shrivelled; his brown skin so wrinkled that his face looked like some sort of curiously withered nut. yet there was a wonderful sinewiness about him, and a most extraordinary brightness in his eyes. his face was of the strong, heavy type that is found in the figures carved on the ruins in yucatan; a much stronger type than i have observed anywhere among the mexican indians of the present day. his dress was a long, flowing robe of white cotton cloth, caught over his left shoulder with a broad gold clasp, and richly embroidered with shining green feathers; and shining green feathers were bound into his hair and rose above his head in a tall plume. his sandal-moccasins (for the covering of his feet was between these two) repeated the sacred combination of colors, green and white; and on his breast, falling from his neck, were several richly wrought gold chains. even apart from his stately surroundings, his dress--and especially the shining green feathers which were so conspicuous a part of it--would have informed me that this man was a priest of very exalted rank; and the conditions of our presentation to him assured me that he was none other than the priest captain, itzacoatl. and i may add that if ever a high dignitary of a heathen religion was in a rage, itzacoatl was in a rage at that particular moment. young's comment lacked reverence, but it was to the point: "well, he _has_ got his back up, for sure!" with an alertness that was astonishing in one of his years, itzacoatl rose quietly from the throne; and as he pointed to us with a commanding gesture, he asked, sharply, why we had been allowed to retain our arms, and ordered them to be taken away from us; which order troubled us greatly, and also occasioned us a very lively surprise. as for the barge-master, he evidently was vastly puzzled by it; for, according to his notions, we were not armed. he did not venture to reply, but his uncertainty was to the duty that was expected of him was apparent in his hopeless look of entire bewilderment. it seemed to me that for a moment the priest captain was slightly confused, as though he recognized the incongruity between his own knowledge in this matter and his officer's ignorance; and in explaining his order he took occasion to refer to the superior knowledge with which he was endowed by the gods. fray antonio and i glanced at each other doubtingly as he spoke, for this explanation struck us as being decidedly forced. the gods of the ancient mexicans pre-eminently were war gods; but they certainly were not likely to have any very extended knowledge of winchester rifles and self-cocking revolvers. however, when the officer comprehended what was required of him, he was prompt enough in his actions. without any ceremony at all he laid hands on young's rifle, that was hanging by its strap on his shoulder, and endeavored to take it away from him. this was a line of action that the lost-freight agent by no means was inclined to submit to. without any assistance he unslung the rifle, cocked it as he jumped back half a dozen steps, and then raised it to his shoulder, with his finger on the trigger and the muzzle fairly levelled at the officer's heart. "shall i down him?" he asked. "don't shoot!" rayburn cried, quickly; and in obedience to this order young slowly dropped the rifle from his shoulder, yet held it ready for action in his hands. the perfect calmness of the officer through this exciting episode afforded the most convincing proof that fire-arms were wholly unknown to him. and the conduct of the priest captain afforded equally convincing proof that he not only understood the nature of fire-arms, but that he was very much afraid of them; for, at the moment that young made his offensive demonstration, he very precipitately sheltered himself by crouching behind the throne. "don't shoot!" rayburn repeated. "we may have a chance to pull through if we don't rile these follows; but if we go killing any of them now it's all day with us, for sure. we'd better let 'em have our guns; but there's something mighty odd in their having found out all of a sudden what a gun is." very reluctantly young surrendered his rifle to the officer, who looked at it contemptuously, as though he considered it but a poor sort of weapon in case real fighting was to be done. in turn, the rest of us gave up our rifles also; and we were mightily pleased because the officer did not attempt to take our revolvers away from us. but in this our satisfaction was short-lived, for the priest captain quickly ordered the officer to relieve us of them, and of our cartridge-belts as well; nor was it until we had been thus entirely disarmed that he arose from his undignified position and resumed his seat upon the throne. while the disagreeable process of disarming us was going on i spoke to fray antonio of the curious possibilities suggested by the knowledge of fire-arms which the priest captain, alone among all the aztlanecas, so obviously possessed; and he, in reply, bade me remember what tizoc had told us of the use that itzacoatl made of wax-matches in lighting the sacred fire. "can it possibly be, then, that he is in communication with the outside world?" i exclaimed. as i uttered these words i glanced at itzacoatl, and the expression on his face was that of one who listens intently, and who is greatly enraged by what he hears. at the same moment rayburn cried: "that man understands spanish. he is listening to you." doubtless, some sort of an explanation would have followed this strange discovery, for that we had made it was very obvious, but at that moment a man--seemingly, from his dress, a priest of high rank--came into the hall hurriedly, and very earnestly delivered a communication to itzacoatl in low, excited tones. that the substance of this communication was highly disagreeable to him was shown by his manner of receiving it; and for a moment he slightly hesitated, as though very grave consequences might attend upon the decision that he then made. but it was for a moment only that he stood in doubt. then he called the barge-master to him, and gave some order in a low voice; and then, accompanied by the priest, went out rapidly from the hall. evidently in obedience to the order that he had received, the barge-master bade us follow him, and so led us into the court-yard again. young proposed, since we had only this one man to deal with, that we should make short work of him, and so get back our arms--which remained where he had placed them in a pile beside the throne. but rayburn's more prudent counsel overcame this tempting proposition. as he pointed out, the promptness with which the curtains had been pulled back showed that attendants of some sort were close at hand; and, in addition to these, we knew that the guard of soldiers was just outside of the entrance to the hall. it was certain, therefore, that we could not regain our arms without immediately using them in very active fighting; and no matter how well we fought, under these conditions we must certainly be defeated in the end. all of which was so just and so reasonable that young could not in anywise gainsay its propriety; but he was in a very ill humor at being restrained from the pleasure of having it out with them, as he grumblingly declared; and as we passed out into the court-yard he relieved his mind by swearing most vigorously. for my part, even the peril that we were in did not suffice to distract my mind from curious consideration of the strange state of affairs that existed among the folk dwelling in this hidden valley if our surmise in regard to the priest captain's knowledge of the outer matches, his acquaintance with fire-arms, and his knowledge of the spanish tongue. the implication was unavoidable that this extraordinary man actually had a more or less complete knowledge of the powers and appliances of the nineteenth century, and that he was using his nineteenth century knowledge to maintain his supremacy over a people whose civilization was about on a par with that of european communities of a thousand years ago. from the stand-point of the ethnologist, a more interesting situation than the one time developed could not possibly be devised. what i most longed for was the establishment of such friendly relations with itzacoatl that i could carry out a systematized series of scientific investigations among the aztlanecas before the impending crash of discovery came; and my keenest regret at that moment was caused by the conviction that the incapacity of itzacoatl to understand the value of scientific inquiry into such curious ethnologic facts would result in his mere vulgar killing of me, whereby a precious store of knowledge would be withheld from the world at large. as we came out into the court-yard we heard the sound of voices, which seemed to be raised in angry altercation, coming from the direction of the main entrance, with which there was also a slight clinking sound as of arms being got in readiness; and, much farther away, the sound seemingly coming from distant quarter of the city, the tapping of a drum. when we first had crossed the court-yard it had been entirely deserted; but now many priests and soldiers were standing in groups about it, and more were coming down the stair from the temple; and all of these men had a look of eager alertness, as though some decisive event were imminent in which they expected to have a part. but we had only a moment in which to observe all this, for we were hurried away towards the corner of the building that was most remote from the street, and here, before i well could understand what was being done with me, i was thrust so suddenly and so violently through a narrow door-way that i fell heavily upon the floor. before i could regain my feet young had tumbled down on top of me, and then the others tumbled on top of us both--they having been in the same rude fashion injected into the apartment; and while we thus were lying in a heap together--my own body, being undermost, having the breath wellnigh squeezed out of it--we heard the rattle of metal upon stone as the door-way was quickly closed with heavy bars. we struggled to our feet in wellnigh total darkness--for outside the bars a curtain had been dropped that shut off almost wholly the light of day--and i am confident that no one room ever contained two angrier people than rayburn and young were then; for their very strength and hardihood made them the more ragingly resent being thus tumbled about as though they were bales or boxes rather than men. rayburn's language was not open to the charge of weakness; but the words in which young gave vent to his feelings were so startlingly vigorous that even a wyoming cow-boy would have been surprised by them; yet i must confess that at the moment--so greatly was my own anger aroused--i thought his observations exceedingly appropriate to the occasion that called them forth, and i even was disposed to envy him the command of a technical vocabulary that enabled him to express so adequately his righteous wrath. however, i was for once well pleased that fray antonio did not understand english. but our anger quickly was swallowed up in anxious grief as we discovered, when our eyes had become somewhat accustomed to the very faint light, that only we four were in the room together; and a great dread fell upon us because of the imminent peril to pablo which this separation of him from the rest of us implied. assuredly there was strong reason why he should be an especial object of itzacoatl's fear and hatred. he and el sabio together were the visible sign which told that the prophecy touching the priest captain's downfall was about to be fulfilled; and, more than this, pablo's simple statement of the condition of affairs among the modern mexicans--showing that the crisis in their fate that chaltzantzin had foretold, and for which he had so well prepared, long since had come and gone--would be far more convincing to the masses of the aztlanecas than would be any exhibition of these same facts that we could make to them; for we were aliens among them, while pablo was of their own race and class. that we all were like to be done to death by this barbarous theocrat we did not for a moment doubt; but it was plain enough that every motive of self-interest must prompt him to put pablo and the poor ass most summarily out of the way. and as the logic of these facts irresistibly presented itself in my mind a keen and heavy sorrow overcame me, for i could not shirk the conviction that, whoever might strike the blow that killed him, i myself was the cause of this poor boy's death. fray antonio could not see my face in that shadowy prison, yet his fine nature divined the pain that i suffered and the cause of it, and he sought to comfort me with his sympathy. he did not speak, but he came close beside me and tenderly laid his hand upon my shoulder; and his loving touch, telling of his sorrow for me and with me, did bring a little cheer into my heavy heart. meanwhile the commotion outside increased greatly, and even through the thick folds of the curtain we could hear plainly the clanking of arms, and the heavy tread of men, and sharply given words of command. we pressed close to the bars and tried to push, the curtain aside that we might see out into the court-yard; but the bars were so near together that our hands would not pass between them, and we therefore could gather only from the sounds which we heard what was going on outside. but the sounds were unmistakable. there could be no doubt whatever that a vigorous assault upon the building was in progress, and those within it vigorously were defending it; and we knew that the cause of the fighting certainly must be ourselves. already, it would seem, the prophecy of the priest captain's downfall was assuming a tangible reality; for this rising in arms against him could mean nothing less than that his high-handed refusal to permit us to be carried before the council of the twenty lords had fairly brought matters to a crisis, and that the long-threatened revolution actually had been begun. xxiii. a rescue. that the two parties should be thus battling for possession of us gave us a gleam of hope for the saving of our lives. while we remained prisoners, in the ward of the priest captain, we knew that our death was inevitable; inasmuch as the witness which we bore against him, if suffered to be published, must of necessity bring his authority to an end. but should we pass into the ward of the council, there was every reason why we should be cherished and protected; because, in their behalf, we would be witnesses to the justice of their rebellion against itzacoatl's rule. nor would this feeling of amity towards us be confined to the leaders of the revolt; for we had perceived the substantial nature of the reasons which tizoc had given us in support of his assurance that the hope of deliverance from oppression which our coming brought would raise up around us a host of friends. therefore we knew that upon the issue of the battling that we heard the sounds of so loudly, and yet that might as well have been a thousand miles away for all that we could see of it, our fate must depend. and knowing this, it was a hard trial of our nerves and tempers to be forced to remain there idle in the dark, without the chance to strike in our own behalf a single blow. young strode backward and forward in such a fashion, and the mutterings beneath his breath were so like growls, that the likening of him to a wild beast in a cage, while trite, is strictly accurate. rayburn, not less resolute, but more self-contained, pressed close against the bars and never stirred, save that now and then he cracked his thumbs and fingers together with such vigor that the sound was like a pistol-shot. and even i, who am not naturally of a blood-thirsty disposition, found the need of walking briskly about our prison in order to quiet a little my strong longing to be outside with a weapon in my hands wherewith i could crack some skulls open. indeed, among us all, only fray antonio maintained an outward show of calm. thus far, all the sounds which we had heard had come to us from the direction of the front of the house, whence we inferred that the fight was being waged, greatly to the disadvantage of the assailants, through the grating by which the entrance was closed. but suddenly there was an outcry of alarm close by us in the court-yard, and then the sound of hurrying feet there, and then a roar of shouting mingled with the fierce clash of arms--so that we knew that the assailants, either by beating in the grating or by scaling the roof, had got inside. they and the defenders were engaged, hand to hand, almost within arm's-length of us. we could hear loudly the yells with which every stroke was accompanied, and the clang of metal striking upon metal, and the dull, crushing sound of the blows which went home truly and carved through flesh and bone--and we could see no more of it all than if we were dreaming, and these sounds of savage warfare were but the imaginings of our brains! one man, being, as we supposed, pursued by another from the central part of the court-yard--where, as it seemed, the fight raged most hotly--made a stand just outside the curtain that overhung the bars whereby we were pent in; and we could hear him panting as he struck and parried there, and then the splitting of his flesh and the crash of his bones as a tremendous blow overcame his guard, and the soft, deep groan that he gave as his life left him. his body fell against the curtain and dragged it a little; and presently, as i stood there by the bars, i found that my feet were in a pool of blood. it was only a moment or two after this that the sounds of conflict very sensibly diminished, and we heard a rush made, and the confused tread of feet upon the stairs that led upward to the temple, and then came so jubilant a shouting that we knew that to one side or the other had come victory. "if th' priest captain's outfit's on top," young said, grimly, "i guess we've about got t' th' end of a division; an' there's not much chance of our changin' engines an' keepin' on with th' run." to which figurative suggestion rayburn gave an immediate grunt of assent. but at that very instant there was a lull in the tumult outside, and we heard a voice that i recognized as tizoc's loudly calling to us; and to his hail, that carried such joyful meaning with it, i joyfully and loudly answered. to rayburn and young, of course, the call was unintelligible, nor did they recognize the voice of him who called; and they therefore were disposed to think, when i fell to shouting, that my brain was addled. however, they changed their views a minute or two later--the dead body resting against the curtain having been thrown aside, and the curtain itself torn down--when they saw tizoc's friendly face outside the bars, and then saw the bars rapidly removed. "colonel," said young, very seriously, as we stepped forth thankfully once more into the sunshine, "you may not know what a brick is, but you are one. shake!" and very much to tizoc's astonishment, though he perceived that the act was meant to express great friendliness, young most vigorously shook his hand. under more favorable circumstances tizoc, no doubt, would have asked for an explanation of this curious ceremony, but just then his whole mind was given to making good his retreat and so securing us against recapture. there was not a moment to lose, he said; throughout the city the priests everywhere were rallying forces to itzacoatl's support, and at any instant we might be attacked. as he spoke he drew us away with him towards the street, where the main body of his men still remained--for only a small part of them had joined in scaling the roof, and so taking the enemy by surprise in the rear. "but what of pablo, our young companion?" i asked, stopping short as i spoke. "my men are looking for him; they will find him in a moment; he surely is safe; he may be already outside. come." the possibility that pablo truly might be outside of the building was the only argument that could have induced us to leave it without him; and that possibility was so reasonable a one that we made no more delay. indeed, we fully realized the necessity for promptness. from all parts of the city came a humming, angry sound, which assured us that everywhere the people were aroused; and tizoc bade us arm ourselves with what weapons we could use most effectively among those which were scattered about the pavement of the court-yard, as we surely would have need of weapons soon. a sword was the only instrument of warfare of which i had knowledge--which knowledge was acquired during my german student days--and i took, therefore, one of the heavy maccuahuitls; and the others also, excepting fray antonio, similarly armed themselves, each with a sword that they found lying beside the dead hand that never would wield it more. it was as we obeyed tizoc's order that we saw how fierce and how bloody the fight had been; for the court-yard was red with blood, like a slaughter-house, and over the stones everywhere dead bodies were lying, all cut and gashed with ghastly wounds. excepting a few of tizoc's men, who had bound up their hurts, and who staggered along with us, not a wounded man remained alive; whence we inferred that the fight had been waged on strictly barbarous principles, and that no quarter had been given. and of this we had proof; for as we passed through the guard-room we found there a moaning wretch, belonging to the priest captain's party, in whose chest was a great hole made by a spear-thrust--and at a sign from tizoc one of our men stepped aside, and with a blow of his heavy sword coolly mashed in the wounded man's skull, and so finished him. the metal grating that closed the entrance had been raised by tizoc's people from the inside, and we passed out beneath it to where the main body of his men was drawn up in readiness to march. but of pablo and el sabio there was no sign. tizoc was not less distressed by the loss of the lad than we were, for he had counted upon the moral effect which the exhibition of pablo and el sabio most certainly would produce to aid powerfully in fomenting the spirit of revolt. when, therefore, we refused to go forward until further search had been made, he did not oppose us; but he told us plainly that further looking for him in that place was useless, for already every room in the building had been examined without the finding of a trace of him. there could be no doubt, he said, that when we had been made prisoners pablo, and el sabio with him, had been taken up the stair to the temple for greater security; in which place, if they were not both by this time dead, they still remained. whereupon young was for making an attack upon the temple instantly, and in this project rayburn and i warmly seconded him; and even fray antonio said that this was a case in which he felt justified in using carnal weapons, since the fighting would be to rescue from among infidels a christian soul. but tizoc hurriedly explained to us the hopelessness, at that time, of such an assault. the success that had attended his bold rescue of us had been due to the suddenness of it; for the majority of the people in the city, including the large force of soldiery there, assuredly was on the priest captain's side. it was outside the city that the strength of the revolution must be gathered; and his orders were, when his rescue of us should be accomplished, to carry us safely out beyond the walls with all possible speed. such of the council of the twenty lords as had decided to take the chances of revolt--being all the members of that body save the five priests that had belonged to it--already had gone down to the water-side, together with the small force that they had gathered, that they might seize the water-gate and hold it until we should join them. even now it was certain that in going down through the city we should have to fight our way, and each moment that we delayed our retreat increased our danger. capturing the temple now was a sheer impossibility. our only hope of saving pablo's life lay in our getting away promptly, and so beginning the preparations that would lead to ultimate victory. all the while that tizoc spoke he was edging us away towards the outer face of the terrace, where steps led downward; and when the men who had been searching the building once more for pablo returned without him, he resolutely gave the order to march. to the arguments that he had advanced we were compelled to yield; but our hearts were heavy with sorrow for the boy whom we were leaving behind us, and little hope was in our breasts that we ever again should see him alive. the truth of tizoc's words about the great danger that we ourselves were in became apparent as we crossed the terrace next below that on which our march began. where the street passed through the rampart by a narrow portal, and so by a flight of stone steps descended to the next level, soldiers were clustered together with the evident intention of disputing the way with us. their number was so much less than ours that we made short work of them; killing a few, and driving the remainder down the steps before us. but those who escaped ran on ahead of us to where the next rampart was, and there joined themselves to a much larger body that lay in wait for us. here our work was less easy; for the force that confronted us was nearly our equal, and some resolute fighting was required before we could drive it before us and so pass on. some of our men were killed there, and more of the enemy; and i got a trifling hurt in my arm from the point of a javelin, that, luckily, did little more than graze the skin. i do not think that i killed anybody there, but i remember very plainly the look of pain and of anger on the face of that fellow who poked his javelin at me when i gashed his arm, and broke the bone of it, with a blow from my sword. i was glad, at the moment, that i had succeeded in giving him a worse hurt than he had given me; and then the absurdity occurred to me of my thus fighting with a total stranger, against whom i had no personal ill-will; and i could not but feel sorrow for him as i thought of the long time that he must suffer severe pain and great inconvenience because i had chanced to strike him that blow. however, from the way in which they went cutting and slashing about them, it was evident that neither rayburn nor young were troubled with any compunctions of this nature. they were only too glad, apparently, to get a chance to whack away at any of the priest captain's representatives; and they made such use of their opportunity that the aztlanecas fighting with us cried out in admiration of their prowess and their strength. fray antonio was more sorely tried than any of us during this passage, for i knew that his flesh greatly longed to take part in the fighting, and that only the strong spirit which was within him subdued the flesh and so held his hands. with a final rush we succeeded in forcing the enemy through the narrow opening in the rampart, and so down the steps beyond; but as we pursued them across the next terrace, keeping close at their heels so that they might not have time to form again, many of our wounded fell out from the ranks and dropped by the way--and we had left behind us a dozen or more of our dead on the ground where the fight had been. our tactics of rapid pursuit of the force that we had defeated served us well at the next rampart; for the men whom we pursued and we ourselves came to it almost in one body, and thus threw into such confusion the fresh force that was waiting for us that, without any long fighting about it, we drove right through them and went on downward; and in the same dashing fashion we carried the rampart beyond. however, when those men whom we had pushed aside from our path so easily got over their surprise at being so lightly handled, they formed in our rear and came hurrying after us; the result of which was that as we approached the last of the ramparts that we had to pass through, where was gathered the largest body of men that we had yet encountered, we found ourselves fairly wedged in between two bodies of the enemy and outnumbered four to one. here, too, the passage through the rampart had been closed by the metal bars that were in readiness for that purpose. setting these in place was no real barrier to our passage, for, being intended to close the portal against assailants from below, the fastenings which held them were on the side nearest to us. but to remove them it was necessary that we should fight our way through the crowd--with no possibility of driving the enemy before us, as we had done upon the upper terraces, since here the way was closed. what we did was literally to cut a path through the throng; and over the men who fell dead or wounded beneath our blows we made our advance. there was a curious creeping, uneasy sensation in the region of my stomach as i trod thus on the bodies of wounded men who were not dead yet, and felt them moving, and heard their groaning; and i was conscious of a feeling of relief when a body that i trod upon did not squirm beneath my foot, and so by its stillness assured me that i was standing only on dead flesh that had no feeling in it. very slowly did we go forward, for while the living barrier that we had to deal with was not at the outset more than twenty feet, or thereabouts, in thickness, hacking it down took us a tediously long time. while still we faced a dozen or more very desperate fighters, who held us off most resolutely from the metal bars which closed the way, a pang of dread and sorrow went through me as i perceived that fray antonio, who a moment before had been close beside me, had disappeared. that he might the better restrain his longing to take part in the fighting he had remained in the centre of our men; and it was hard to understand how, in that position, harm could have come to him, for missiles had no share in the work that was going forward, which was a fiery struggle hand to hand. as i looked for him in the throng--so far as i could do this and at the same time keep up my guard against the man whom at that moment i was fighting with--i saw some signs of uneasy movement among the enemy in advance of us, and several of them evidently made an effort to reach down as though to get at something that was on the ground; which effort was wholly futile, for they were wedged so tightly together by our pressure upon them that reaching downward was impossible. by a lucky blow, i just then finished the man with whom i was contending, and so had a moment's breathing spell; and at that instant i saw one of the enemy, whose back was ranged against the bars, rise up in the air as though a strong spring had been loosed beneath him, and then fall sidewise upon the heads and shoulders of his fellows. and then, in the place thus made vacant, the cowled head of fray antonio instantly appeared--whereby i guessed, what afterwards i knew certainly, that he had crawled along the ground through the press until he reached the place that he aimed at, and then had risen up beneath one of the enemy with such sudden violence that he fairly had sent the man spinning upward into the air. what his purpose was i saw in a moment, for no sooner did he stand upright than he had his hands upon the metal bars, and then i heard the clinking together of stone and metal as he lifted them bodily away. xxiv. the affair at the water-gate rayburn gave a great roar of gladness as the clinking sound made him turn and he saw what was going forward; and young and i joined him in lusty anglo-saxon cheering, while our allies, in the savage fashion natural to them, vented their joy in shrill yells. in the midst of which cheering and yelling we pushed forward so hotly that the enemy, disconcerted by this sudden shifting of fortune in our favor, and the men directly in front of us being most seriously incommoded by their comrade lying sprawled out and kicking upon their heads and shoulders, seemed suddenly to lose heart so completely that we had no difficulty in cutting them down. even had they not been too closely wedged in to turn upon fray antonio, our strong dashing upon them would have compelled them to leave him unharmed in order to defend themselves; and so it was that, by the time we had cut a path to the portal, the monk had released the whole tier of bars from their fastenings, and the way was free. as we sprang down the steps--with fray antonio, once more in the guise of a non-combatant, safe in the midst of our company--we heard a great outcry from below, and saw a considerable body of men marching up towards us steadily from the water-side; but the alarm that sight of them gave us was only momentary, for their shouts, and the shouts of our men in answer, showed us that these were friends come to our support. however we had no great need of them, for those of the enemy whom we left alive behind us seemed suddenly to have grown sick of fighting, and made no attempt to follow after us down the stairs. yet the coming of this supporting force, to be just in the matter, no doubt was the saving of us; for more than half of the men who had been with us when we started on our march down through the city had been slain by the way, and nearly all in our company were more or less disabled by wounds. tizoc and young and rayburn had come through it all without as much as a scratch, and because of their extraordinary strength these three were almost as fresh as when the fighting began; but the rest of us were sorely weary, and our breathing was so heavy and so tremulous that each breath was like a long-drawn sob. truly, then, we were glad to fall in in advance of the supporting column and so make our way, with a strong rear-guard for our protection, across the bit of level land that lay between us and the lake. at the water-side boats were in readiness for us, and here we found also the members of the council who had ordered, and who were the recognized leaders of, the revolt. there was still more fighting ahead of us, for the necessity of sending back the relief party had prevented the seizing of the water-gate; and this was a matter that had to be attended to quickly, for we could see bodies of men coming down several of the streets in pursuit of us, and unless we escaped outside the wall before they overtook us there was a strong and dismal probability that our whole plan would fail. therefore, we tumbled aboard the boats with all possible rapidity, and while the pursuing parties still were far in our rear we shoved off from the shore. two minutes' quick rowing sufficed to carry our flotilla of boats across the basin, and so brought us to the long pier that extended landward from beside the water-gate, and from which an open stair-way ascended to the top of the wall. on the pier there was no one at all to oppose our landing; and the force on the wall was not likely to be a large one, for the outbreak had come so suddenly that there had been no time to increase the small detail maintained in this position in times of peace. only a few of our men, therefore--thirty or forty, perhaps--were ordered out of the boats to the attack, of which the leader was tizoc, and with which rayburn and young went as volunteers. i also would have joined the party; but rayburn, knowing that i was slightly wounded, begged me to stay where i was; and young, as he ran up the stairs, called back to me: "you just see that they keep steam up, professor. we'll attend t' takin' off th' brakes." what went on above us, on top of the wall, we could not see; but the work done there was done quickly. there was a little shouting, a sound of arms clashing, and then four or five men--as though this were the easiest way of getting rid of them--were thrown over the parapet, and fell near us in the water. to these short shrift was given. as they came to the surface, our fellows instantly finished them with a spear-thrust or two. then we heard the sound of a windlass creaking, and the clanking of chains; and as we looked through the opening in the wall we saw the grating that closed its farther end rise slowly until the way before us was free. two of our boats already were in the passage, so that no time might be lost; and as these passed out into the lake, the others followed after them rapidly. one boat remained to bring off the attacking party, and we wondered a little because its coming was a good while delayed. but we wondered still more when it joined us at last, and we found that tizoc and young and rayburn were not in it; indeed, at that moment i saw the three of them standing together on top of the wall. in answer to the shout that i gave, rayburn leaned over the wall and motioned to me to keep silence; and so i knew that they had not been left behind through treachery, but were staying there because they had some plan against the enemy that they thus could execute. and for knowledge of what their plan was we did not have to wait long. as we lay on our oars, off the outer end of the water-gate, we could see through it into the basin that lay before the city, and in a very few minutes the pursuing boats of the enemy came into view. as they neared us, we saw standing in the bow of the leading boat the same officer who had commanded the guard that had brought us as prisoners before the priest captain; the man of whom i have spoken, for what his real title was i do not know, as the barge-master. he was calling to his men savagely to row faster; for our boats were so scattered that he only could see the one in which we happened to be, and he doubtless imagined that the others had gone forward, and that this one waited to carry off some of our men who yet remained on the wall. he evidently hoped to be able to cut us off from the rest of our party, and his eagerness had so communicated itself to his oarsmen that his boat led the others by nearly a hundred yards. so far as this one boat was concerned, we felt no alarm, for the moment that it came out through the wall our whole force was ready to dash upon it; yet we wondered why tizoc permitted even a single boat to come out to the attack, when, by dropping the grating, they all could be penned in so effectually as to give us the advantage of a long start. as the boat neared the water-gate the barge-master went back from his place in the bow to the middle part of it, and there crouched down; and some soldiers who were standing crouched down also; and almost as the bow entered the low, narrow passage the oars were unshipped and taken aboard. so cleverly was the unshipping of the oars managed, and so good was the steering, that the boat shot into the passage under full speed, and so came nearly through it before losing head-way. and we who were nearest to it got our arms in readiness--for we were convinced that in another minute the barge-master would lay us aboard. but this was not destined to be, nor were the men in that boat destined ever to do any more fighting in this world. all this while rayburn had stood close by the parapet, bending over it and intently watching the outside of the water-gate; above which the heavy metal grating had been hauled up, in the metal grooves that it ran in, almost to the top of the wall. at the moment that the bow of the boat showed outside the opening he raised his hand, as though signalling to young and tizoc behind him; and in that same instant we heard the shrieking of the windlass and the quick clanking of the unwinding chains, and saw the metal grating rushing down the face of the wall. with all the force generated by the fall from so great height of so ponderous a body, the grating came crashing into the boat just amidships, fairly dividing its heavy timbers and forcing the fragments of it, together with all the men that it carried, down into the water's depths. but the barge-master died by a quicker death than drowning. he still was crouched in the middle of the boat, and the sharp angle of the lower bar of the grating struck him just on the nape of his neck so keenly that his head was cut off and seemed of itself to spring forward and away from him; while the broad flat bar, coming down upon his bowed shoulders, crushed his body into a mere quivering mass of flesh. a great yell of delight went up from our boats as this brilliant stroke so brilliantly was delivered; and an answering cry of triumph--that was one-third a yell and two-thirds a cheer--came back from tizoc and the others on top of the wall. however, they had no time to waste in shouting over their success, for the remaining boats of the enemy had come by this time to the pier inside the wall, and it seemed highly probable that in a minute or two more our three men would be prisoners. but for all their danger they coolly finished the work that they had in hand. as they explained to me afterwards, rayburn stood at the head of the stair to hold the enemy in check should they come before the work was finished--and very strong as well as very brave men must the man have been who would have ventured to attack him as he occupied that position of overpowering advantage--while the other two cast off from the windlass the chains by which the water-gate was operated, and dropped them over the wall into the lake; and as the gate itself was jammed and wedged fast by the fragments of the boat, this throwing down of the chains made the raising of it a serious undertaking that well might require a day or more to accomplish. as the chains fell with a splash, and we comprehended the thoroughness of the work that these three were doing, our people burst forth into yells again; and a perfect roar went up from them when, the gate being closed and the apparatus for raising it being entirely disabled, rayburn sprang from the outer edge of the parapet into the lake, and tizoc and young instantly followed him. in truth, a more gallant feat of arms had not been essayed, nor carried to a more triumphant conclusion, since the roman gate was held by horatius; and in my admiration of it i shouted until the muscles of my throat were strained and aching. our boat already was near the wall--having pulled in that the soldiers aboard of it might spear such of the enemy as came up to the surface alive--and we had the three out of the water and safe among us in very short order; and then we pulled away towards the other boats with all possible speed--for the wall now was manned by the enemy, and they were beginning to make things unpleasantly hot for us with the heavy stones which they heaved over the parapet, that our boat might be sunk by them, and by a rapid discharge of darts. luckily, none of the stones struck us, and because of the rapid way that we were making, only two of our men were struck with the darts. so, on the whole, we came out of this encounter very well; for these two men killed in our boat were all that we lost, while of the enemy at least forty were drowned or speared. however, we owed our light escape mainly to the fact that the enemy, having armed hurriedly, and expecting only to fight with us at close quarters, had with them neither bows nor slings--but for which fortunate fact it scarcely is possible that a single man in our boat would have come off alive. [illustration: the leap from above the water-gate] dripping wet though they were, i fairly hugged rayburn and young when they were safe aboard with us, as did also fray antonio, whose daring spirit was mightily aroused by witnessing their splendid bravery. and in giving them hearty words of praise for what they had done--which yet fell far short of their deserts--i naturally likened them to the roman hero. indeed, i may say that the parallel that i there drew was an apt one, and in some of its turns was not devoid of grace. "i can't say, professor," young answered, when i had finished, "that i ever heard o' th' party you refer to, but if this horace--what did you say his last name was?--pinched his fingers in th' drawbridge chains as damnably as i pinched mine in th' chains of that infernal grating, i'll bet a hat he was sorry that he hadn't run away!" and i truly believe that young thought more about his pinched fingers than he did about the resolute bravery that he had shown in finishing his work upon the wall in the very face of the advancing enemy. being once out of range of the darts, we pulled towards the other boats leisurely; for now we were entirely safe against pursuit, and were free to go upon the lake in whatsoever direction we pleased. that some positive line of action had been determined upon was evident, for the flotilla already was in motion as we came up in the rear of it--the boat containing the members of the council leading--and the order was passed back to us that we should follow with the rest. from the direction in which we were heading, tizoc inferred that we were bound for the only other considerable town in the valley, that which had grown up around the shafts leading to the great mine whence the aztlanecas drew their supply of gold. there was a very grave look upon his face as he told us of our probable destination; and presently added that the population of this town--save the few freemen who were in charge of the workings, and the large guard of soldiers that always was maintained there--was made up wholly of tlahuicos who had been selected from their fellows to be miners because of their exceptional hardiness and strength. it was among these men, he went on to tell us speaking in a low, guarded voice, that the most dangerous of the revolts of the tlahuicos invariably had their origin; for the miners were fierce, half-savage creatures, naturally turbulent and rebellious, and were stirred constantly to resentful anger because of the life of crushing toil that they were condemned to lead. so dangerous were they that the only effective means of keeping them in subjection was to hold the major part of them continually prisoners underground in the mine, with a guard stationed at the mouth of each shaft under orders to kill instantly any man who attempted to come forth from the mine without authority. in order that their labor, a thing of positive value, might not be lost through their dying of being thus imprisoned in the bowels of the earth, they were divided into ten great companies, each one of which, in regular order, was employed in the surface work under the constant supervision of a strong guard. yet even these stern measures were not wholly effective in preventing mutiny. many times great revolts had broken out here that had set all the valley in an uproar, and that had been crushed only after pitched battles had been fought between the rebels and the entire military force of the state. the town was a veritable volcano, tizoc declared; and because of the dread of it that universally obtained, by reason of the frequent outbursts there of lawless violence, it had received the name of huitzilan: the town of war. and there could be no doubt, he added--while the tones of his voice and the look upon his face showed how great he believed to be the risk involved in this line of policy--that in now directing our course towards the mining town the deliberate purpose of the council was to incite these semi-savage, wholly desperate miners to join forces with us in our rising against the priest captain's power. xxv. the gold-miners of huitzilan. as we rounded a mountain spur that extended a long way out into the lake, a deep bay opened to us; which bay ran close in to the cliffs whereby the valley was surrounded, and was at no great distance from the barred pass, through which we had made our entry. at the foot of the bay, built partly upon the level land near the water-side, and partly upon the steep ascent beyond, was the town of huitzilan--whereof the most curious feature that at first was noticeable was a tall chimney, whence thick black smoke was pouring forth, that rose above a stone building of great solidity and of a very considerable size. on archæological grounds, the sight of this chimney greatly astonished me; and rayburn, who was a very well-read man in all matters connected with his profession, was greatly astonished by it also; for the chimney obviously was a part of extensive reduction-works, and we both knew that such complete appliances for the smelting of metal, as seemed from this sign to exist here, were supposed to be the product of a high state of civilization in comparatively modern times. as for young, he declared that the chimney gave him a regular jolt of homesickness; for, excepting that it was built of stone instead of brick, it might have been, for the look of it, transplanted hither directly from the region of the back bay. "i s'pose we'll be hearin' th' noon whistle next," he said, mournfully; and presently he added: "do you know, professor, i b'lieve i'm beginnin' t' see daylight in all this tall talk you say th' colonel has been givin' us about th' 'rebellions,' as he calls 'em, that go on here. he don't mean t' close our eyes up, th' colonel don't, for he's a first-class gentleman; but, bein' born an' bred a heathen, he don't know any better. what he's tryin' t' tell us about, an' can't, because he don't know th' english for it, is _strikes_. that's what's th' matter. miners are bound t' go on strikes. it's their nature, an' they can't help it. that chimbly gives th' whole thing away. you just tell th' colonel that we've got down t' th' hard-pan an' really know what he's been drivin' at. an' t' think of there bein' strikes in mexico! i didn't b'lieve that a greaser had backbone enough, or ambition enough, t' strike at anything!" however, as i had no great amount of faith in young's theory, i did not attempt to translate to tizoc what he had said to me; nor was there any opportunity for further talk at that time. already the foremost boats of the flotilla had made a landing at a well-built pier that extended from the shore into deep water; and a minute or two later our boat also pulled in to the pier, and we disembarked. the general view of the town that i then had showed me that it was closely built over an area rather more than half a mile square; that the houses for the most part were mere hovels, of which the largest could not contain more than two small rooms; and that the few houses of a better sort were within the strong stone wall by which the reduction-works also were enclosed. at the pier where we landed a boat was in process of lading with bars of gold for transport to the treasure-house in the city; and i thought that i never had seen anywhere more savage-looking fellows than the almost naked laborers by whom the work of lading was carried on. physically these men were magnificent creatures--tall and well-shaped and vigorous, and the ease with which they handled the great bars of gold showed how enormous must be their strength. but so full of venomous hate were the sullen looks which they cast upon us, and so savage was the effect of their coarse, dishevelled hair falling down over and partly veiling their great glittering eyes, whence these angry glances were shot forth at us like poisoned darts, that i was thankful to see that, all told, there were not more than a dozen of them, and that three times as many heavily armed soldiers served as their guard. and looking at these creatures, who were truly less like men than dangerous wild beasts, i could not wonder at the grave concern which tizoc had manifested at thought of the risk which we ran in taking them for allies. "it's as easy t' start 'em," young said, when he came to an understanding of the situation, "as 'tis t' start a freight-train down a three per cent. grade. but what i want to know is, when we want 'em t' stop, how in th' h--ll are we ever goin' t' set th' brakes?" [illustration: the tlahuicos and their guards] yet, dangerous to ourselves though the use of it must be, our hopes of success rested mainly upon our ability to control and to employ effectively this savage material. fortunately, it was not the whole of our reliance; and it was our intention to leaven this dangerous lump with the very considerable number of trained and trustworthy soldiers that we had available as the substantial nucleus of our fighting force, and also with the larger body of both slaves and freemen--not regularly drilled soldiers, to be sure, yet many of them trained in the ways of war--that we counted upon to join us from among the people at large. this outline of the plan of action that the council had determined upon was exhibited to us by tizoc during our passage down the lake; and i was glad to find that rayburn--for whose judgment i had much respect in such matters--was disposed to think well of it. "if i expected to stay here, professor, after the row was over," he said, "i mightn't be quite as well satisfied with this plan of theirs for running things. the war part of the programme is all right. they won't have any difficulty in getting their tlahuicos to fight anything in the way of an army that the priest captain shows up with. fighting is just what will please them more than anything else. where the trouble is going to come in is when the fighting is over and they go in for reconstruction. it's one thing to make fighters out of this sort of stuff, but it's quite another thing to make respectable citizens out of it. that's where the hitch will be. but as we don't intend to settle down in this valley--unless we find that there's no way out of it--we needn't bother about that part of the performance at all. that's their funeral, not ours. so, for my part, the sooner they get their army in shape, and get the fighting part settled, the better i'll be satisfied." to do the members of the council justice, they seemed to be even more eager than rayburn was to forward the work that they had in hand. from the pier they went directly to the enclosure in the centre of the town, within which was the building ordinarily occupied by the commandant of the post and by the officials of the civil government; and in this place, tizoc informed us, they intended immediately to organize the new government, and then to proceed with all possible despatch to make arrangements for placing an army in the field. in tizoc's company, but more leisurely, we also went on to the citadel--as we found the enclosure about the smelting-works was called--where comfortable quarters had been provided for us in the same building wherein the council was housed. here we waited, in somewhat strained idleness, while the council carried on, in a chamber not far removed from us, its exciting work of destroying a government that had endured for more than a thousand years; and we were mightily surprised, knowing how prodigious was the change that then was being wrought in ancient institutions, by observing how quietly it all went on. the murmur of talk that came to us, unchecked by any intervening doors, had no sound of excitement or of anger or of violent emotion of any sort; and i could not but hold in admiration the calm, self-contained natures of these men who thus equably and rationally could deal with such vastly weighty affairs. while this great matter--which could end only in wild commotion and fierce battling--went forward in this quiet way, tizoc opened to us much that was of curious interest touching the near-by gold-mine and they who mined the gold. of the existence of the mine, he said, the aztlanecas had remained ignorant for many generations after their coming into the valley; and for many more generations but little gold had been taken from it, because the metal was of no value to his people save for the making of ornaments. but when the process had been discovered by which this metal could be hardened, and so made serviceable for all manner of useful purposes--and this the more because, by the manufacture that then ensued of tools wherewith the rock could be easily worked, mining in a large way became possible--the development of the mine upon a great scale had been begun, and had been continued upon a constantly increasing scale from that time onward. all the earth beneath where we then were, he said, was honey-combed with passages which followed the several veins; and of these there seemed to be no end at all, for ever as each vein was exhausted another not less rich was found--and thus it seemed as though all the substructure of that great mountain range were one huge mass of gold. what the measures of weight were with which he estimated the annual output of the mine, i could not clearly understand, but the matter was made approximately plain to us by his statement that the daily product of the mine never was less than one of the great bars of gold that we had seen upon the pier in process of carriage to the treasure-house; and that sometimes, when veins of extraordinary richness were encountered, even so much as four of these bars had been smelted from the ore that the mine yielded in a single day. "those bars don't weigh an ounce less than two hundred pounds apiece," rayburn said, when i had translated to him what tizoc had told me. "that makes the output of the mine not less than three tons a month, and, in a rough way, a ton of gold is worth just about half a million of dollars. if the colonel isn't mixed in his figures, and if you've translated him straight, professor, these fellows are taking out somewheres in the neighborhood of twenty millions a year." young gave a long whistle. "great scott!" he exclaimed, "that just is an all-fired big pile of money t' be wasted on a lot of barelegged heathen critters like these, who don't know th' ten commandments by sight, an' who've never even heard of a cocktail! d' you know what i'm goin' t' do, rayburn, when i realize on this investment? i'm goin' t' buy th' old colony railroad, just for th' sake of bein' able t' bounce th' superintendent. he bounced me after that freight smash-up--and it wasn't my fault that th' operator got mixed an' gave me th' wrong orders--and i'll give him a taste o' th' same kind. won't it just paralyze him when he gets his orders t' quit, signed 'seth young, president,' an' finds out it's th' same old seth young who used t' run thirty-two on th' fall river division?" "hadn't you better let him down easy by telegraphing him right now to begin to look out for a new place?" rayburn asked. "we'll wait for you here, while you step over to the western union office"--which cool comment upon young's enthusiastic discounting of a bright future brought the gloomy present so clearly before his mind that his castle-building ended suddenly, and he lapsed into silence. but great though our wonder was at the prodigious quantity of precious metal that this mine yielded in each year, and amazed though we were by thought of the vast store of treasure that the valley now must hold, i, for my part, felt a far deeper interest in what tizoc went on to tell us concerning the men by whose toil the treasure had been accumulated. and, truly, so bitter and so dreary was the life of the tlahuicos who were forced to labor here unceasingly, and through so long a period had they been thus cruelly dealt with, that it seemed to me there must rest upon all the valley of aztlan a heavy curse that only some signal act of expiation could remove. and the coincidence struck me as most curious that here among the aztecs, wrought by themselves upon the men of their own race, should be found identically the same cruelties which the spaniards practised upon the indians whom they enslaved as miners in new mexico: whereof came that fierce outburst of revolt two hundred years ago, when the pueblos ravaged with sword and flame the whole valley of the rio grande from taos to the pass of the north. there was small ground for wonder that the tlahuicos, thus crushed by over-heavy labor, and dealt with as though they were not men, but fierce and dangerous brutes, should cherish at all times in their breasts a sullen fire of mutiny; nor that on every occasion at all favorable to their purposes there should spring forth from the glowing embers of their hatred a vivid and consuming flame. only by the strength and the vigilance of the guard that constantly was maintained over them was their tendency to rebellion held in check; and even the guards could not prevent frequent outbreaks--which ended only in the cruel slaughter of all concerned in them--so passionately eager was the longing of these desperate creatures for revenge. only once, a vastly long while past, tizoc said, had success attended an effort on the part of the tlahuicos to release themselves from their cruel slavery, and that they then eluded the vigilance of their masters was due to their employment of strategy against force. the whole matter, he continued, was now but a half-remembered tradition, yet the main details of it were clear. in that far-back time a vein of extraordinary richness had been followed for a very long distance in the direction of the barred pass; and, as the event proved, the gallery was carried beyond the bars, passing far beneath them, and so went onward, steadily rising, until an outlet was had into the cañon. that the secret of this outlet might be kept among the men who had opened it, these slew the guard that watched over them and thrust his body out into the cañon, thus most effectually placing it beyond the reach of the search that would be made for it; and the opening that they had made they closed carefully, and continued a little way onward into the rock the gallery in which they were working: so that the superintendent of the mine might see clearly (what, indeed, was the truth) that the vein of ore had been followed to its end. tizoc knew not how long a time passed before the tlahuicos made use of the way of escape thus opened to them; but their flight could not have been taken hastily, because it included a very great number of them, and included also carrying with them large quantities of arms for warfare, and of useful household stores. he could say certainly no more than that when all their well-laid plan was ready to be executed, they rose against the soldiers which guarded them with such suddenness and brave violence that they succeeded in seizing and in holding the citadel; which gave no chance for grave uneasiness, for the officers of the force thus for a moment driven off thought that because of their retiring within so narrow a place they speedily must surrender for dread of being starved there; and it was held to be but a sign of their still greater simplicity--since thus would there be more hungry mouths to fill--that they carried their women and children with them into the stronghold where they lay besieged. but so strange was the desolate silence that hung over the place into which so great a multitude had retired, that the besiegers presently were moved by it to a wonder wherein was a strong feeling of awe; and still greater was the marvel that they had to ponder upon when, at last, meeting with no opposition, they broke in the grating that barred the entrance to the citadel, and found within the enclosure not one single living soul! and so cleverly had the fugitives closed the way behind them that a long while passed before it was known certainly what had become of this living host that, as it seemed, in a moment had vanished from off the face of the earth. more than half a lifetime went by without the shedding of light upon this mystery; and it seemed as though a ghost had risen when one day a very aged man came forth from that long-abandoned passage in the mine and surrendered himself to the first of the guards whom he encountered--and then told that he was a priest whom the fleeing rebels had carried captive with them, and whom they had held a prisoner through all these many years. and he told also how the rebels had made their home in a certain fair valley that was shut in and hidden among the mountains; and how that they had built a great city--resting fearless in the conviction that they were safe from harm. by the heavy toil that had been needful to open anew the way into the mine from the cañon, the little remnant of strength in this old man's body had been exhausted; and presently, having told his story, he died. then it was that the priest captain and the council who ruled in that ancient time, having assured themselves by the sending out of spies that all which the old man had told them was true, planned to bring upon the rebels a very terrible vengeance; which was to drown them all in their city by letting loose upon them the waters of a mighty lake. and this plan, though its accomplishment was not arrived at until two full cycles had passed away, so mighty was the labor that it involved, at last was executed: and in one single day every living creature in all that valley was overwhelmed by the flood let loose into it; and where so great a mass of teeming life had been there remained thereafter only the desolate silence and stillness of universal death. it was with long-drawn breaths that fray antonio and i listened to tizoc's telling of this tradition, which in many ways was far more real to us than it possibly could be to him; for we but lately had passed through that death-stricken valley--and ourselves had been like to die there--and every feature of the scene, that he could but vaguely describe to us, we had clearly in our minds. and thus we came to know the full meaning of the great catastrophe whereof we had seen the outworking, both in the destruction wrought by it and the way of its accomplishment, but of which we had divined no more concerning its cause than that in some way it must have resulted from a slowly worked-out vengeance prompted by a most malignant hate. xxvi. the gathering for war. although the whole of the discussion of their plan of revolt was carried on by the council with so calm a gravity, there was enough of energy and of quick movement when their deliberations came to an end; and we augured well of the result because they thus had delayed their action until their plan for making it effective had been fully matured. the whole of that first day in huitzilan, and much of the following night also, was given to arranging clearly what must be done in order to set up a temporary government and to get an army together; and how well this preliminary work was accomplished was shown by the precision and celerity with which the plans then made were executed during the immediately ensuing days. during this period we had ample time to look around us; and, being now upon a most friendly footing with the strange people among whom we thus strangely found ourselves, we were heartily aided--so far as this was possible because of the exigencies of that stirring time--in investigating the manner of their lives. the material then was obtained for my chapter on the "house life and domestic customs of the aztecs"; and the knowledge which rayburn gathered (also embodied in his own paper, that attracted so much attention when read before the american institute of mining engineers) he has permitted me to use in my chapter on "mining and metal-working among the aztecs"; which two chapters are among the most note worthy _pre-columbian conditions on the continent of north america_. rayburn, indeed, was lost in wonder as he came to understand how far scientific investigation had been carried among this isolated people, and how well they had learned to apply their scientific knowledge to their practical affairs. in many matters, to be sure, they fell far behind the remainder of the civilized world; but a large part of the useful knowledge that has been gained by study under civilized conditions elsewhere we found here also as the fruit of independent discovery. in many cases the discovery was identical in every respect with our own. thus, their process (the adding of hydrochloric acid to a neutral solution of auric-chloride) for producing from gold a rich purple stain, that was employed in the coloring of hard-wood and bone, was precisely that which boyle mentioned in 1663; and, as nearly as i could determine the date, it was about that very time that they, also, first effected this combination. in the matter of hardening gold, and thereafter giving it all the qualities of tempered steel, they had made a step that was distinctly in advance of anything which our metallurgists had accomplished; and i am strongly inclined to the belief that--at least among the priests--knowledge had been gained of a process quite unlike that known to us for producing a gold fulminate. i was not so fortunate as to gain more knowledge of this matter than could be learned from hearsay, but from several sources i heard of the splitting asunder of a certain great rock by the priest captain--which wonder was accompanied by a thunderous noise and a gleam of flame and a bursting forth of smoke--whereby he was considered to have proved that the aid of the gods was at his command. but to my mind, and also to rayburn's, the proof was, rather, that he had at his command--in some way that as yet our chemists have not fathomed--the aid of a gold fulminate that could be controlled in use as readily as we control gunpowder. that this agent, whatever it might be, was not easily available, was indicated by the fact that the priest captain never had given more than this single exhibition of the wonders which he could accomplish with it; and that it then had served his purpose well was shown by the obvious awe with which all who told me of it spoke of the dreadful havoc that thus visibly was wrought by what they termed the thunder of the gods. indeed, a very serious difficulty that the leaders of the revolution had to overcome was the unwillingness on the part of the people at large to defy the power of their spiritual chief; which feeling among the upper classes was mainly because disobedience to the priest captain was, in effect, heresy; while among the lower classes there was joined to a like horror of heresy a very lively dread of the punishment, both temporal and spiritual, that the priest captain could bring upon them because of his intimate relations with the supernatural beings by which the forces of the world were controlled. yet out of this condition of affairs arose an opportunity that fray antonio was not slow to make the most of. our coming into the valley with news of the outside world that directly controverted the priest captain's claim to infallibility gave a great shock to the religious faith of the community, and so induced a willingness to listen to the preaching of a new and purer creed. and on the part of those of the council who were organizing the revolution--among whom religion seemed to be regarded less as a vital fact than as a matter of political expediency--there was a strong disposition to encourage the spread of doctrines which obviously, by weakening the priest captain's hold upon the people, would increase their own strength. therefore, fray antonio found himself free to preach to this heathen multitude the glorious christian faith; and that he was granted this most rare and signal opportunity, the like of which was not given even to the blessed saint francis himself, so filled and exalted his soul with a radiantly joyful thankfulness that he was as one transformed. and his holy enthusiasm, that thus made every fibre of his being vibrate with a grateful gladness, gave him also so eloquent a command of beseeching language that it was a living wonder to perceive how his inspired words penetrated into the minds, darkened by superstitious doctrines, of those to whom he spoke, and so sunk into their hearts and brought the restful happiness of the faith christian to those who had known only the restless terror of idolatry throughout all their lives. like a pure flame, the doctrine that he preached ran through that host of the heathen, burning out from among them the impure creed whereby their souls had been held in a most cruel and desolate bondage, and giving in the place thereof the tender comfort of a saving christian grace. yet the very fervor of fray antonio's preaching, and the strong hold that the gentle doctrine which he set forth took upon the hearts of the multitude, tended also to stir up against him a lively enmity among those who, refusing to hearken to him, remained steadfast in the ancient faith. many such there were among us at that time in huitzilan; but because of the firm grasp that fray antonio had upon so many hearts, and also because of the countenance which the council gave him, these did not venture to assail either him or his doctrine openly; yet, as i noted at times the evil glances which they shot forth at him--which surely would have killed him could he thus have been slain--i was filled with dread that hate so malignant as here was shown must surely find expression in a direct attempt upon his life. fortunately, there no longer were any priests among us. of these there had been a considerable number in huitzilan upon our first coming there, but silently, one by one, they had disappeared--going, as we well knew, to join themselves to the force which the priest captain was gathering against the time when the issue between us would be settled by the arbitration of arms. and those who went from our camp to his must have carried with them news of the peril that menaced the ancient faith through the new faith that fray antonio preached so zealously in such burning words; for of his knowledge of what fray antonio was doing, and of his dread of what might therefrom result, we presently had proof in a way that filled our hearts with a very dismal fear. all the while that this curious, and to me most interesting, conflict between a primitive and a highly developed religion went on, the more practical work went on also of establishing a new government and of organizing an army whereby it might be maintained. so far as the setting up of a government was concerned, the matter was comparatively easy; for the majority of the council had come out with us from culhuacan, and these had but to adapt to the requirements of the new situation the governmental machinery that already was established and at their command. and they were surprised pleasurably by finding how readily this transformation was effected; for among the higher classes--from which classes the officials of the government exclusively were drawn--the feeling of hatred against the priest captain, begotten of his many acts of cruelty and oppression, was so strong that the opportunity now offered to turn against him was seized upon most gladly. in every town throughout the valley the emissaries of the council were warmly welcomed; and presently the new government was established everywhere save in the capital city and in certain villages upon the lake border lying close beneath its walls. the work of organizing an army, however, was a more difficult matter; for very serious obstacles, both moral and material, had to be overcome before we of the revolutionary faction could place an effective fighting force in the field. of what i may term regular troops, that is to say, thoroughly drilled and disciplined soldiers, we could count upon but few; for, practically, the whole body of the army had remained faithful to the priest captain and was with him in culhuacan. for the most part, also, the regular troops scattered through the garrisons of the various towns had betaken themselves immediately to culhuacan upon the acknowledgment by the civil officers of these towns of the authority of the new government; and at the same time had departed with them nearly all the priests, and such few persons of the upper classes as desired the maintenance of the ancient order of things. the result of which general movement at least gave us the advantage of carrying on unmolested our own work of concentrating and organizing; and, so far, was a positive service to us. as the nucleus of our army we had the corps that tizoc commanded, the highly organized body of troops charged with the important duty of guarding the barred pass; and we had also the few hundreds of men who had come out with us from culhuacan. from these sources we were able to draw officers to command the irregular force, largely made up of tlahuicos, that the council rapidly got together; while for the organizing of the main body of our troops, the savages who worked in the mine, the bold stroke was made of mingling them with the men who, until then, had been their most relentless enemies--the soldiers who had served as their guards. that it was possible to put in operation this daring plan was due, i think, in great part to the fact that both guards and miners were led to accept the extraordinary fellowship that it created by a genuine shock of surprise; and before they had at all recovered from their astonishment their interests became identical, through their common need of defending themselves against a common enemy. and, further, i am well convinced that the tlahuicos had been in part prepared, before our coming into the valley, to join in the revolt that under any circumstances could not have been much longer delayed. in regard to this matter, tizoc persistently evaded my questions; but i remembered very distinctly his curious hesitancy when he had told me of the effective part that the servile class could be made to take in the event of a rebellion; and i perceived many evidences of a secret understanding between him and certain of the miners during the time that the gathering for war was going on in huitzilan. therefore, i inferred that the seeds of revolt which germinated so readily had been long since sown. of all the disabilities under which we then labored, the most serious was the lack of an adequate supply of arms. the great arsenal of the aztlanecas was in culhuacan; and thus nearly the whole of the supply of munitions of war in the valley was in the priest captain's hands. fortunately, the shipment of hardened gold that we had intercepted--by landing at the pier whence in a few hours it would have been despatched to the treasure-house--gave us a good supply of raw material out of which spear-heads, and the heads of darts, and swords could be made; and night and day the forges blazed in huitzilan while the manufacture of these weapons went on. of bows and arrows it was not possible to make many in that short time, but of slings there was no difficulty in making enough to supply our entire force--and among these people, who are wonderfully skilful in the use of it, the sling is a most deadly implement of war. we lacked time, also, to make any large number of shields, and our deficiency in this respect was regarded by tizoc, and by all the military officers who were with us, as a most serious matter; for not only would our men without shields be the more easily slain in battle, but their fighting value would be lessened by their consciousness that they were without this piece of furniture that all savage races hold to be so necessary in war. however, of defensive armor we had a good supply, for it chanced that in the citadel there was a great store of cotton cloth, suitable for making long kirtles of many thicknesses of cloth quilted together; which kirtles were arrow proof, and well protected a man from his neck downward almost to his knees. young was disposed to think but lightly of this curious armor, but when tizoc, to convince him of its utility, demonstrated its power to resist a well-pointed arrow shot at very short range he was forced to confess its entire applicability to the purpose for which it was designed. "tell th' colonel that i give in, an' think it a first-rate notion, professor," he said. "but if you can get it into his head, an' i'm afraid you can't, just tell him that when this barelegged army of ours gets fitted out with those little night-shirts they'll look for all th' world like a lot o' fellows who've scrambled out of a hotel that's caught fire in th' middle o' th' night. all that'll be wanted t' make th' thing perfect 'll be a couple o' steam fire-engines, an' a crowd with all their clothes on, an' a line of policemen. i guess it's goin' t' be one o' th' funniest lookin' armies that was ever seen outside of a lunatic asylum. what i'd like to do, professor, instead o' tryin' t' do any fightin' with it, is just t' take th' whole outfit back t' th' states an' make a show of it. i'd get benito nichols t' go in with me--he's a first-class man, benito is, an' he's a boss hand as a show manager--an' we'd call it 'th' aztec warrior army an' circus combination,' an' we'd just rake in th' dollars quicker'n we could count 'em. that makes me think o' that show we were talkin' about makin' with pablo an' his burro." young's voice changed as he spoke, and there was a huskiness in it as he added: "i s'pose by this time there ain't much left for show-makin' purposes of either of 'em. no, i guess i'll stay around an' take a hand in any fightin' that's goin' on; for i'd pretty near be willin' t' be killed right away after it myself for th' chance t' square things with that old devil for killin' our boy. he was a good boy, professor, an'--how this devilish dust does get into my eyes an' make 'em water." with which highly irrelevant remark--for there was no dust blowing just then--young suddenly ceased speaking and walked away. this was the only time that we spoke of pablo while we lay at huitzilan, for talk about the boy only increased the bitter sorrow for him that was in all our hearts. as for my own heart, it was wellnigh broken as i thought that but for me his gentle life would still be flowing on smoothly--as i had found it flowing when, in an evil hour, i joined his fortunes with mine, and so had brought him to so untimely and to so cruel a death. and i, too, longed for the fighting to begin that i might avenge him; for the accomplishment of which vengeance i was not merely in part, but altogether ready to yield up my own life. indeed, excepting only fray antonio, who saw in warfare only the wickedness and the cruelty of it, we all were most eager for our inaction to end, and for the battling to begin that would give us opportunity to let the life out of some of those by whom pablo had been slain. it was with delight, therefore, that we noted the rapidity with which the preparations for the impending campaign were carried forward, and saw how each day the disorderly host that had been gathered at huitzilan was changing from a confused mass of good fighting material into a body fairly well adapted to the needs of war. it was, in truth, astonishing to us--for we could not well comprehend how essentially warlike were the instincts of this people, and how quick, therefore, they must be in military matters--to observe the promptness that was shown in getting our army in readiness for the field. and with our astonishment came also a comforting conviction that the force that could be so quickly, and, as it seemed, so effectively organized, must surely hold well together, and fight well together, when the hour for fighting came. xxvii. an offer of terms. during the time that our various preparations thus went forward we had no direct news from the stronghold of the enemy; yet many vague rumors reached us of the army that was being set in order there to take the field against us. on the other hand, the constant departure from among us of those who were loyal to the ancient government kept the priest captain well informed of all that was in progress in our camp. no effort was made by the council to prevent these departures, for all of our plans were working so well, and our forces were increasing so prodigiously, that it was to our advantage that the enemy should have news of our rapidly augmenting strength; and especially was it hoped that the news thus carried to the city might incline many there who wavered in their allegiance to take open part with us--or, at the least, to refuse to take part against us--and that in this way there might be stirred up a very dangerous spirit of mutiny within the enemy's lines. the plan of campaign that the council had adopted struck me as being an exceedingly prudent one. this was that we should not attempt an attack upon the city--for, indeed, to assail such fortifications without artillery would have been utterly hopeless--but should wait until the enemy came out to assail us, and then meet him on our own chosen ground. in every way this plan was in our favor. it most obviously was to our advantage to delay as long as possible the battle that was inevitable, and that, when it did come, must decide the fate of the rebellion finally. every day that this was deferred was a substantial gain to us, in that the organization of our army was thereby rendered the more complete, and also in that the effective hold of the new government upon the people throughout the valley was thereby strengthened. on the side of the enemy, delay would produce no corresponding gain, rather would it tend to weaken the hold of the priest captain upon those who remained faithful to him; and, being shut up with his whole army and a multitude of non-combatants within those great stone walls, a very terrible foe, against which stone walls are no defence, presently would attack him in the shape of hunger. therefore we had only to wait--maintaining the while a vigilant patrol of guard-boats on the lake, so that no fresh supplies might reach the garrison in the city--in the sure conviction that our foe would of his own accord come forth to give us battle, and that we then would have the advantage of standing wholly on the defensive until some happy turn of chance should so favor us that we would risk nothing in making an assault. it was a very fortunate thing for us that matters stood in this way; for wellnigh the whole of the trained army of the aztlanecas was with the priest captain, and against this well-disciplined body of men our own hastily assembled and imperfectly organized army would have made but a poor showing had we met on equal terms. even under the existing circumstances, so favorable in many ways to our success, tizoc and the other military officers who were with us did not at all disguise their anxiety as to what might be the outcome of the battle so soon to be fought; and especially did they dread some well-planned stealthy movement of the enemy, by which our camp might be suddenly set upon and fairly carried before our own untrained forces could be rallied from the bewilderment and confusion into which they would be thrown by the shock of such surprise. rayburn, who had seen a good deal of indian fighting in his time, fully shared in this feeling of anxiety. "indian fights, you see," he said, "are not like any other kind of fights. the side that wins has got to do it with a whoop and a hurrah. indians haven't got any staying power in them. they can't hold out against anybody who stands up against them squarely, and won't be scared by a howling rush into running away. that's the reason why our little bit of an army at home is strong enough to police our whole indian frontier. a single troop of our boys--if the fighting's square, and they haven't been corralled in an ambush--can stand off a whole tribe; and they can do it because they just get their backs together and won't give in. what bothers me about the fight that we're going to have is that the regulars are on the other side. of course, being indians too, regulars like these don't amount to much; but they are bound to be a long chalk better than this rowdy crowd of ours. we've got a pretty fair chance to win, because we're in a strong position, and because our people mean to wait until the other fellows come at 'em; but i tell you what it is, if ever they manage to get inside here, or if ever we go outside after them--that is, while they're fresh and full of fight--it's bound to be all day with us. these miners, and the rest of this tlahuico outfit, will fight like wild-cats as long as they're on top, but every bit of fight will go right out of them the minute they find that they're beginning to get underneath. that's the indian way. i'm trying hard to believe that our crowd will whip the other crowd; but i must say, professor, that i'm not betting on it." "well, i'm bettin' on it, and bettin' on it high," said young. "i don't pretend t' know as much about this sort o' thing as rayburn does; but i do think i know a live devil when i see one--an' these miners are about as lively an' about as devilly as anything that ever broke loose from hell. they're just as full o' th' wickedest sort o' fight as they can stick in their ugly skins, an' they're just sick for a chance t' let it get out of 'em. all we've got t' do is t' worry th' other crowd for a while by lettin' 'em monkey around tryin' t' bag us; an' then, when they've been pretty well shot off, an' are gettin' tired, just make a rush for 'em an' scoop 'em in. regulars or no regulars, these miners 'll go through 'em like a limited express; an' the' first thing th' priest captain knows we'll have walloped him right smack out o' th' baggy things he wears on his feet an' thinks are boots. that's th' size of it, rayburn. that's what's goin' t' happen right here--an' don't you forget it! an' then, if there's any way out o' this d--n valley, we'll load up with dollars an' pull out for home." for my own part, i was not disposed to be either so doubtful as rayburn or so sanguine as young. in what each of them said there was much truth, and my inference from such of the facts in the case as were within my knowledge and my comprehension was that the chances for and against our success were very evenly divided. had i listened only to the promptings of my hopes, i should have entertained no doubt whatever touching the certainty of our victory; for i was at that time so elated by the knowledge that i had acquired, and that each day was increased by the acquisition of new and most precious facts, whereby a flood of light was let in upon what hitherto had been hopelessly dark places in aztec archæology, that i was disposed to believe as firmly as ever did the first napoleon in the assured ascendency of my lucky star. however, i did not wholly permit my wits to be run away with by the joy begotten of my truly wonderful discoveries; and i strove even to contemplate calmly the possibility that i might myself be slain in the battle that was so close upon us; and that thus the exceedingly valuable information which i had acquired would be lost to the world, and to myself would be lost the honorable fame due me for having gathered it. yet i regret to state--for until that time i had entertained unreservedly the belief that i truly was a philosopher--my attempt at calm contemplation of this dismal and far from improbable combination of evil circumstances had no other effect upon me than to throw me into a most violent rage. it seemed to me so stupidly unreasonable that some mere common brute of an indian, by the crude process of splitting my skull open, might deprive me, and through me the scientific world, of the priceless knowledge that with much effort i had stored within my brain. but all thought of my own fortunes, and of this possible sudden cutting of my life-strings, presently was thrust aside by the inroad of another matter that was of far more serious moment to me, inasmuch as there was involved in it a menace against the life of one of my companions; and, indeed, this matter was one which startled our whole camp, for it was nothing less than a formal offer on the part of the priest captain to condone the rebellion, and to compromise with the rebels, on certain far from exacting terms. the envoy sent to treat with us came in a manner befitting his dignity and the importance of his mission, having a considerable retinue with him in his barge, and being himself a grave and dignified man well advanced in years. two of our guard-boats accompanied his barge across the lake, and he alone was permitted to land in huitzilan. being led before the council, he delivered himself briefly of his message, and added to it neither argument nor comment of his own. the priest captain, he said, desiring to avoid the shedding of blood among brethren, was willing to forgive the wrong already committed, and was willing even to concede in part the demands made by the rebels, in consideration of the acceptance by those now in arms against him of certain very easy terms. for his part, he would yield in so far as to restore the custom of permitting parents to buy back their own children, and so to save them from being sacrificed or from becoming slaves; and he would withdraw also his claim to the exercise of certain rights (which need not here be specified) in civil matters, to which a counter-claim was set up by the council. in return for these concessions, he demanded that the army raised by the rebels should be immediately disbanded; that order should be restored in huitzilan by returning the miners to their work, and the tlahuicos generally to their masters throughout the valley; and that the arms which had been manufactured should be turned over to the keeper of the arsenal in culhuacan. the final demand made by the priest captain related to ourselves; and the council was given to understand that upon its punctual and exact fulfilment the whole of the negotiation must depend. young and rayburn and i, the envoy said, must be thrust out through the barred pass, whence we came, and there left to shift for ourselves; fray antonio must be without delay surrendered--that the dreadful sin that he had committed by preaching vile doctrines, subversive of the true faith, might be punished in so signal a manner that the gods whom he had outraged would be appeased. both fray antonio and i were present in the council chamber when the envoy delivered his message; and when this final demand was made--hearing which made me grow sick and faint, so keen was the pang of sorrow that it caused me--i turned towards him quickly, expecting that he also would feel the hurt of the blow which through him, because of my great love for him, had stricken me so grievously. but so far from being at all cast down by the knowledge thus rudely conveyed that a very cruel death menaced him, there was upon his face a look of such joyful elation, of such rejoicing triumph, that it seemed as though the very greatest happiness that life could hold for him had been thrust suddenly within his grasp. within the council, and outside of it also, when the terms which the envoy offered were spread abroad, there was at once aroused a very hot antagonism between contending factions in regard to the wisdom of placing trust in the priest captain's promises, and to the justice of yielding to his demands. so far as the council was concerned, its members having no especial regard for our welfare now that we had served their purpose, the slaying of fray antonio, and the expulsion from the valley of the rest of us, were trifling matters which well enough might be conceded if thereby peace might be secured. the matter of importance that this body had to consider was how far the priest captain could be trusted to fulfil promises made to rebels in arms, when these same rebels voluntarily had submitted to disarmament and were at his mercy; and on this essential point the whole debate that followed turned. the faction that favored disarmament insisted that such yielding was not surrender, inasmuch as the priest captain had conceded all that the rebels had asked; while those of the faction that favored war rested their case on the ground that the promises of concession were made only to be broken, and that this sudden willingness on the part of the priest captain to grant what he had heretofore so persistently refused was proof that he recognized the hopelessness of his position, and so was seeking to retain by craft the power that he no longer could hold by force. these latter, therefore, urged that his false promises should not be heeded; and that the matter at issue should be settled surely and finally by carrying to a triumphant conclusion the war, for the waging of which all needful preparations had been made. the debate upon this matter continued throughout the whole day without any conclusion being arrived at, and we listened to it--fray antonio and i translating to the others--with a very earnest interest, inasmuch as the outcome of it all might be the instant slaying of one of us, and for the rest of us an imprisonment in wild fastnesses among bleak mountains for what was like to be the whole remainder of our lives. when night came, and the council, being still unresolved, broke off its session until the day following, we came back to our quarters and there talked over the situation, and not cheerfully, among ourselves. "even if these fellows understood algebra," said rayburn, "i don't see how they could get an answer to the problem that they're trying to work. all the _x_'s that ever were made are not enough to represent an unknown quantity like the priest captain; and it simply is not in the conditions of the case that they possibly can know what allowance to make for the factor of error. for the last three hours, as far as i can make out, they've just been talking in a circle, and going over and over the same ground. the size of the business is that half of them believe the priest captain is telling the truth, and the other half believe that he is lying. this is a matter of conviction; it is not a thing that they can argue about. as far as i can see, there is nothing to prevent them from keeping on talking without getting anywhere for the next twenty years." "well, all i can say," said young, "is that if they'll put me in th' cab, an' let me run their train for 'em, i'll get it up this grade in no time; an' what's more, i'll just take it down th' other side o' th' divide a-kitin'! what's th' matter with th' priest captain, an' only half of 'em have th' sense t' see 't, is that he's just solidly lyin'. he's been lyin' to 'em from away back, i reckon; an' he's lyin' to 'em now; an' he'll keep on lyin' to 'em right smack along till he gets t' th' end of his run. if they're fools enough t' believe him they're bound t' get left th' worst kind. they've got him in a hole now, an' he knows it--an' that's more'n they do, t' judge from th' way they're goin' on. i did have some respect for that council. so far, they've managed things first-rate. they've run in advance o' their schedule right along, an' they've kep' up a rattlin' head o' steam with mighty d----n bad coal. but if they really mean t' draw their fires, just when they ought t' put on th' forced draught an' let her go for all she's worth, i must say i haven't any more use for 'em. seein' 'em shilly-shallyin' around like they're doin' now, when they ought t' be takin' their coats off an' sailin' in, just makes me sick!" fray antonio--whose habit of quiet was such that he rarely sought to take part in the talks that we had in english among ourselves--somewhat surprised me by asking me to translate to him what young and rayburn had been saying; and when he had heard it all he was silent for a while, and evidently was engaged in earnest thought. at last, speaking very gravely, he asked us if we greatly feared being thrust out from the valley in case the council decided to accept the priest captain's terms; and without giving us a chance to answer, he bade us remember that we had not at all explored the last valley that we had passed through before we entered the cañon that ended at the barred pass, and that from it there well might be some outlet through which we could return to the civilized world; and even were we forced to end our days in it, he continued, speaking quickly and urgently, a much worse fate might come to us; for the valley was a bright and beautiful one, as we had seen, and had in it an abundant supply of food. would living there, he asked, be any worse for us than living where we then were--where we were equally shut in? and even supposing that the war ended in victory for us, and that our allies gave us entire freedom of action, what more could we do than end our days in the valley of aztlan, or else go back to that other valley and search for an outlet thence whereby we could get into an open way among the mountains, and so once more to our homes? and then, still denying us opportunity to answer, he went on to speak of the pain and misery and despairing sorrow that the threatened war would bring; and then, more gently, of the duty that pressed upon us of averting this calamity, that was also a crime, even though to do so we must sacrifice hopes and wishes very dear to our hearts. "what th' dickens is th' padre drivin' at, anyway?" young exclaimed; "i don't ketch on at all." "no more do i," said rayburn. "it's a first-rate sermon that he's giving us, but i don't see where he means the moral of it to fetch up." for myself, so closely were fray antonio and i bound together by bonds of sympathy, i saw but too plainly what he meant should be the outcome of his discourse; and i was not surprised, therefore--though hearing thus plainly expressed in words what i had been dreading, sent a dull, cold pain into the very depths of my heart--when he unfolded to us the whole of the plan that he had been forming within his mind. what he said was said very simply, and with a loving sorrow for the pain that might come to us through shaping our actions in accordance with his strong desire; and this desire was: that, of our own free-will, we should retire from the valley by the way that we came thither, and so leave the council free to accept unhesitatingly the priest captain's terms. "and what of yourself?" i asked; for i felt within me a strong conviction that for himself he had in view a very different fate. he hesitated for a moment before answering me, and his color changed a little; and then an unwonted ruddiness gave animation to his face, and a light of glad and strong resolve shone in his eyes as he replied, in a voice that was very low, and at the same time very clear and firm: "i shall go to the priest captain, in culhuacan!" "and so go to your death," i said, speaking brokenly, for the pain that his words caused me went through me like a knife-thrust. "say, rather," fray antonio answered, "that i go to win the life, glorious and eternal, into which neither death nor sin nor sorrow evermore can come!" xxviii. the surrender of a life. knowing as i did fray antonio's resolute nature, and understanding far more clearly than it was possible for the others to understand the heroic impulses which stirred within him, i took no part in the attempt that they then made to oppose the purpose which he had declared. but when they somewhat shifted their position--perceiving how hopeless was their effort to shake by argument his firm resolve--and sought to win him to their way of thinking by consenting to leave the valley if only he would accompany them, then i most earnestly joined my entreaties to theirs. but no more by entreaty than by argument was fray antonio to be moved. and, in truth, there was a logical consistency in what he urged in answer to us that, much though we might resent it, we yet were compelled to respect. he had come with us, he said, for the single purpose of preaching the saving grace of christianity to heathen souls which otherwise would perish utterly in their idolatry. and this was not a matter wherein he had any right of election, but was a solemn duty that the vows by which he was bound compelled him to fulfil. he was not free, therefore, as we were free, to consider side issues relating to his personal well-being or to mere expediency; his sole endeavor must be to accomplish by the most efficient means the duty wherewith he was charged. it was evident, he urged, that should there be war in the valley the chance for the further spread of christian doctrine would he scant; for the seed that he had sown, and that already was well rooted in many hearts, would die quickly and be utterly lost in the foul growth of evil passions which would spring up rankly amid this bloody strife. but if the war could be averted, not only would these people be spared the misery that war must bring upon them, and the crime also of slaying each other, but their hearts would remain open to the gentle doctrine that he had taught; and his willingness--should such sacrifice be necessary--to yield his life that peace might be preserved, would force upon them strongly the conviction, tending thus to their own strengthening, of his faithful trust in the creed which he avowed. and it well might happen, he said, that such grace would be given him that even within the very stronghold of the heathen faith he might win souls to the purer faith which it was his glorious privilege to preach and still remain unharmed; in proof of which possibility he cited the case of the blessed st. januarius, whom the lions refused to devour. but whatever might be the outcome of thus yielding himself into the priest captain's hands, his duty was so clear, he declared firmly, that no evasion of it was possible. and what he purposed doing, he said, finally, was but what countless of his brethren had done in the course of the six centuries since the founding in assisi of the order to which they and he belonged--and precisely was it what was done by the glorious proto-martyr of mexico, san felipe de jesus, who boldly carried the christian faith among the heathen, and so died for that faith upon the cross in japan. rayburn was far from willing to yield to this line of argument; yet he understood it, as i did also, and perceived that it was the only logical outcome of the only premises which fray antonio would recognize. young, on the other hand, did not in the least understand it, and fray antonio's reasoning simply threw him into a rage. "it's all d----n nonsense," he said, "for th' padre t' talk about his duty towards a set o' critters like th' priest captain's crowd. what's th' life o' that whole outfit worth compared t' one life like his? he might just as well sit down an' chop his own head off as go in among those fellows; an' he knows it, too. i never heard o' th' man he's talkin' about who didn't get eat up by th' lions--somebody in th' show business, i s'pose--but if he thinks there'll he anything worth speakin' of left of him two hours after he gets back into that city, he's makin' a pretty d--n big mistake. oh, i say, professor, we've _got_ t' stop this. th' padre's off his head, that's all there is to it; an' we've got t' look after him till he braces up an' gets sensible again. i'll do anything reasonable that he wants, but i'll be d----d if i'm goin' t' stand by doin' nothin' while he cuts his own throat!" young was quite ready, i am sure, to resort to the radical measure of clapping fray antonio into a strait-jacket; and had the opportunity arisen for bringing their difference of opinion to a practical issue i am confident that we should have witnessed an exceedingly curious conflict, in which heroic self-devotion would have struggled with a rough but very honest love. and that fray antonio anticipated such a conflict was shown by his taking effective measures to render it impossible. during the remainder of that day he steadfastly refused to discuss the matter further; not harshly, but by shifting away into other channels our earnest talk. only at night, before we lay down to sleep, of his own motion he turned once more to the matter; and when he briefly had exhibited to us again the motives which urged him forward upon a way so perilous, he begged that we would not think ill of his insisting upon traversing our wishes, but that once more we would clasp hands with him in sign of our forgiveness and continued love. so tender was the mood that came upon us with his gentle words that none of us well could answer him; and this he understood as in turn we took his hand and strove to utter that which was in our hearts, and only could say huskily a word or two, of which the meaning was conveyed for the most part by the sorrow and the longing that were in our tones. young's natural instincts were wholly opposed to any display of the softer emotions, and for shame of the weakness that in this case he could not help but show, his face and neck flushed red, and he declared that he had the toothache. and then, as a vent for his overwrought feelings--of all things in the world--he fell to cursing the superintendent of the old colony railroad: on the ground that but for this functionary, who most unjustifiably had discharged him, he never would have come to mexico at all! for my own part, i was well convinced that fray antonio meant then to say good-bye to us; and for a long while, as i lay awake that night, my thoughts went backward over the time that we had been companions together, and so dwelt upon the faithfulness of his friendship, and upon his gallant bearing in all times of peril, and upon the pure and perfect holiness which characterized his every act and word. into the future i dared not let my thoughts wander, for i could foresee no outcome to the purpose which he had planned so resolutely but a dreary sorrow that would rest heavily upon me through all the remainder of my days. and at last, worn out by my own grief, i fell into a troubled sleep. the faint gray light of early morning shone dimly in the room as rayburn awakened me by shaking my arm; and the first words which he spoke to me were, "the padre is not here!" as i roused myself fully, and sat up and looked into his face, i saw by the look that he gave me how fully he shared the dread that was in my heart. young still was sleeping, and we waited to rouse him until we should make sure that what we feared must be the truth really was true. together we went out quietly into the court-yard and so to the main entrance of the building, where a guard was stationed. but this man was asleep; and when i wakened him, and questioned him as to whether the monk had gone forth, he could give me no answer. therefore we went on to the gate of the citadel--which gate, being a vastly heavy grating, raised and lowered by chains, was not usually closed even at night--in the hope that there we might gain some certain knowledge. and here also we found all of the half-dozen men on guard slumbering, saving only one man, who seemed to have been aroused by the sound of our footsteps, and who raised himself on one elbow and looked at us with a sleepy curiosity. [illustration: in the gate-way of the citadel] even the urgency of the quest that we were upon did not suffice to distract our attention from the peril that we all were in because of the slumbering of these sentries. "if this is a specimen of the way all the watches are kept," rayburn said, angrily, "we stand a pretty good chance of being murdered in our beds. it all comes of trying to make soldiers out of savages. these tlahuicos will fight well enough, i never doubted that, but to put such men on guard is simple idiocy. they have been slaves all their lives, and they haven't the least notion in the world of personal responsibility. it's a lucky thing that we have found out their methods, for i shall give the colonel a talking to about putting on guard some of his own men who can be trusted. it's clear that these fellows cannot tell us anything. we'd better keep on down to the landing; if the padre has gone"--there was a sudden break in rayburn's voice as he said these words--"it's pretty certain that he has gone by water, and we may come across somebody down there who happened to be awake and saw him start." there were slight signs of wakefulness beginning to show themselves as we went down towards the water-side; a few doors already were open; here and there thin threads of smoke curled upward through the still air; around a fountain a half-dozen women were clustered, drawing water in great earthen pots, and chattering together softly in half-drowsy talk. at the pier, however, we found some people who really were wide-awake: fishermen just returned with a boat-load of fish that they had caught in the lake. and these, when i questioned them, in a moment resolved all of our troubled doubts into a sad certainty. only an hour before, as they lay out on the lake, a canoe had passed them paddled by a single indian, and in the canoe they had plainly recognized fray antonio. it was impossible that they should be mistaken, they declared, for the habit which the monk wore made him very plainly recognizable; and they had observed him with a particular care, for they had been greatly surprised by perceiving that the canoe was heading directly for "the great city"--by which name all save the priests were accustomed to speak of culhuacan. neither rayburn nor i spoke, as we walked back together through the town to the citadel. our hearts were altogether too full for words. even i, who had been in part prepared for fray antonio's departure by the tenor of his speech with us the night before, had not anticipated his going from us so suddenly to what surely must be his death; and to rayburn his departure came with the startling force of a heavy and unexpected blow. young was awake when we returned, and was in much anxiety concerning us; for our custom at all times was to hold closely together, and he knew that something out of the common must have happened to make us break through this very necessary rule; and his fears were further aroused when he perceived the sad gravity of our faces, and that fray antonio was not in our company. yet, though thus prepared to learn that evil of some sort had overtaken us, he was not at all prepared to learn how great that evil was. when, therefore, we told him of what we had discovered, which gave absolute assurance that fray antonio had carried out his purpose of surrendering himself into the priest captain's hands, young stared at us for a moment in a dazed sort of way, as though by no means grasping the meaning which our words conveyed. and then the whole meaning of them seemed to come to him suddenly, and he burst forth into such a raving volley of curses that it seemed as though he were fairly maddened by his ungoverned rage. i envied young, as i am sure rayburn did also, the relief that must come to him with this rough but frank and natural expression of his bitter grief. for ourselves, we stood sad and silent, yet with our hearts almost breaking within us, as we thought how small was the chance that ever in this world should we see the face of fray antonio again. xxix. the assault in the night. neither the council, in its irresolute parleyings, nor fray antonio, in his resolute action, had at all considered certain factors which they themselves had interjected into the problem that they then were dealing with from such widely different stand-points and in such widely different ways. the council, at a stroke, had transformed the tlahuicos into soldiers, and had given the promise that in reward for their faithfulness and valor these slaves thenceforward should be freemen. fray antonio had preached to all those assembled at huitzilan a creed that had taken strong hold upon many hearts, and that especially had won the hearts of those of the long-oppressed servile class--to whom its doctrine of equality seemed to hold out an absolute assurance that their life of slavery was at an end. when, therefore, the terms which the priest captain offered were spread abroad through the town, and through the camp close beside the town in which the army lay--being there in readiness instantly to occupy the citadel should the enemy appear--a very lively anger was aroused because such terms should even be listened to. for what the priest captain demanded was that the apostle of the new religion should be relinquished to him to be slain as a sacrifice to the aztec gods, and that once more the tlahuicos should be thrust back into slavery; while what he conceded--in that it affected only the higher classes--made the lot of the tlahuicos but the more unjustly cruel and hard to bear. and those who resented the delay on the part of the council in sending back the priest captain's envoy with a sharp denial, presently went on from hot words to violent deeds; being directly led from mutinous talk to mutinous action by the knowledge that the council had so far accepted the offered terms as to send fray antonio to the great city to be slain--for not one among them could be led for a moment to believe, so impossible from their stand-point did such an act appear, that the monk truly had gone thither of his own free-will. practically, the whole army was involved in the movement that then took place; for even its officers, while not of the servile class, dreaded the punishment that their revolt might bring upon them, and so preferred to take the chances of the war rather than to yield themselves to be dealt with as the priest captain might dispose. therefore it was, on the day that fray antonio departed from us, that all the soldiers together marched in from their camp and massed themselves compactly about the council chamber within the citadel, and then with loud cries demanded that the envoy should be sent back to the great city with an absolute refusal of the offered terms. thus was there created a rebellion within a rebellion; and one that the council was powerless to put down, for the reason that practically the whole of the force which it had created to serve against the enemy was now risen against its own authority with a most masterful strength. in the case that thus was presented there was no opportunity to temporize. the fierce, wild creatures of whom soldiers suddenly had been made stood there before the council chamber, shouting and waving their spears angrily and clashing together their arms. and so they continued, without one moment of quiet, until their will was obeyed. through the savage and tumultuous throng the envoy was led forth--his looks showing plainly his very natural expectation that his life would be let out of him amid that ferocious company--and so down to the water-side; and thence was sent back again to culhuacan with the firm assurance--which message of defiance the soldiers themselves dictated--that the terms offered by the priest captain would be accepted only when all the tlahuicos then risen together in arms against him had been slain! "bully for th' tlahuicos!" cried young, as i translated to him these ringing words. "just tell 'em, professor, that i've volunteered for three years or th' war, an' that they can count on me t' keep up a full head o' steam as long as there's any fightin' t' be done. accordin' t' my notions, now that th' padre's over there in th' city--t' say nothin' o' what we owe 'em on pablo's account--th' row can't begin one minute too soon. these tlahuicos are th' boys for me! didn't i tell you that nobody could stop 'em when they once got fairly started? they're a tough lot; but they're just everlastin' rustlers--an' their style suits me right now all th' way down t' th' ground floor!" the sharp excitement attendant upon this vigorous action gave place, as the day wore on, to a dull heavy pain as our thoughts dwelt upon the fate that fray antonio had gone forth to meet, and upon our present powerlessness to defend him in any way against it. although the envoy had been sent back, and war was now resolutely determined upon, the situation remained unchanged in so far as concerned the necessity of our waiting for the priest captain to take the initiative. to attack that great walled city was so hopeless a task that even the tlahuicos--flushed though they were by their victory over the council--did not venture to propose it; for they knew, as we all did, that our only chance of carrying the enemy's stronghold lay in first defeating its garrison in a battle in the open field. yet this dull inaction of waiting was a scarce of grave danger to us, in that it tended to wear out the spirits of our men and to make them still more careless of their guard. what rayburn and i had seen that morning had shown how little trust could be placed in them, in so far as the soldierly attribute of watchfulness was concerned; and tizoc, with whom we conferred in regard to this important matter, had little to say that we found comforting. being himself a thorough soldier, he perceived the danger to which the unsoldierly lack of vigilance on the part of the tlahuicos exposed our camp; but the situation was such that he was powerless to take effective measures for our protection. the few regular troops in our little army were not enough to do sentry duty everywhere, and the best that could be done would be to dispose them at the points most open to attack--"and then trust to luck," rayburn put in, rather bitterly, "that the enemy will be polite enough to try to surprise only the part of the camp where the sentries are awake!" partly that we might see for ourselves how our pickets were disposed, but more that by action of any sort we might divert our thoughts from the sorrow that was gnawing at our hearts, we walked out together in the late afternoon to the rocky heights of the promontory that on the western side of the town extended far into the lake. from a military stand-point this position was of great importance to us, inasmuch as bowmen or slingmen gaining access to it could command a considerable part of the town, and even could annoy very seriously the garrison of the citadel; and it also was of value to us as a place of lookout whence an attacking party coming by way of the lake from the city could be perceived while yet it was a long way off. we were surprised, therefore, when we had come well out upon the promontory, that no sentinel challenged us; but our surprise vanished a moment or two later as we perceived one of our men curled up comfortably against a sunny rock and apparently sound asleep. however, as we got close to the man it was clear to us that his sleep was one that he never would waken from, for a pool of blood stained the rock beside him, and an arrow was shot fairly through his heart. we made but a short stop beside this fellow--who plainly had been shot in his sleep, and so deserved the fate that had overtaken him--and then went forward anxiously that we might see how the other sentinels stationed hereabouts had fared. the result of our quest was as bad as it could be; for in one place or another among the rocks we found all five of the men who had been posted upon the promontory, and all of them were dead. three more of them certainly had been shot while asleep or wholly off their guard, as was shown by the easy attitudes in which we found them sitting or lying among the rocks. the fifth had not been instantly killed; as we inferred from finding a broken arrow sticking in his left arm, and some signs of a struggle about where he lay, and a great split in his skull, as from a sword stroke, that finally had let the life out of him. it struck us as strange that this man had not aroused the camp with his shouts; but his post was at the extreme end of the promontory, so that he must have called very loudly in order to be heard; and it was possible that in the suddenness of his danger he never thought to call at all. however, the important matter, so far as we were concerned, was that these five sentinels had been slain close beside the town and in broad daylight, and that but for the chance of our coming out upon the promontory the most important of our outposts would have remained unguarded until the night relief should have come on. it was rayburn's theory that the plan of the enemy was to place his own men on the vacant posts--trusting to the reasonable certainty that in the dusk of evening one naked indian would look much like another--and so despatch the relief, one by one, as the guard was changed. of those of the enemy who had accomplished this piece of work so skilfully we could see no sign--unless it were a boat that we dimly saw a long way off on the lake, and that presently wholly disappeared in a bank of haze; and despite the hot sunshine basking upon us a chill went through me at thought of the stealthy daring and truly devilish cunning of the men who thus could do their evil work in the full light of day, and close to the encampment of an army, and yet could get safely away without leaving a trace of their presence save the dead bodies of their foes. having made sure by carefully searching among the rocks throughout the length of the promontory that none of the enemy was hidden there, we hastened back to the town to tell what we had come upon, and to provide for mounting fresh sentinels in the place of those who had been relieved by death. we had expected that the news which we brought would stir up a great commotion; and we were not a little troubled, therefore, knowing how serious the matter was in its exhibition of the carelessness of our guards, by finding that only tizoc and a few other tried soldiers were more than lightly discomposed by what we had to tell. the general feeling seemed to be--inasmuch as our lucky discovery had dispelled the danger--that there was no need to worry about a calamity which had not occurred; and what after all was the most essential consideration--the constant danger that threatened us by reason of the criminal laxity of the watch maintained by our pickets--practically was lost sight of. apparently neither the council nor the higher officers of the army had the power to remedy this dangerous condition of affairs. at no time had any very strong authority been exercised over the tlahuicos--for all the orders which until now had been given to them had been directed only towards urging them along a way that they were glad enough to follow of their own accord--and since their assertion of their will that morning, what little control had restrained their waywardness seemed to have been wholly lost. however, as there was a chance in it of fighting, and as fighting was what they longed for earnestly, our unruly soldiers were willing enough that a strong detachment should be placed in ambush on the promontory, to the end that the force which the enemy probably would land there that night might be summarily dealt with. and the better to carry out our plan of a counter-surprise the dead sentinels were left where we found them. tizoc was given the command of the ambushed force, and he willingly granted our request that we might accompany him; which request was prompted by the desire that we fully shared with the tlahuicos to get at close quarters with the enemy, and also by the conviction that in tizoc's company--though in his company we were like to have hot fighting and plenty of it--we would have better chances of safety than anywhere else in all our camp. for this expedition we put on for the first time our armor of quilted cotton cloth; and the look of these garments certainly did justify young's comments upon them. "it's a pity we can't get photographed now," he said, "so's t' send our likenesses in this rig home t' our folks. you'd just jolt the cap cod folks, rayburn, with that pair o' telegraph poles you call your legs stickin' out from under th' tails o' that thing that looks like a cross between a badly made frock-coat and an undersized night-shirt. and i guess your college boys 'd be jolted, too, professor, if they could get a squint at you. and i s'pose that if some o' th' hands on th' old colony happened t' ketch up with me dressed this way they'd think i'd gone crazy. but i haven't got anything t' say against these little night-shirts except about their looks. when you get right down t' th' hard-pan with 'em, they're a first-rate thing." for three american citizens, belonging to the nineteenth century, we certainly presented a strange appearance, and appeared also in very strange company, as we marched out from the town late that afternoon with tizoc and his men. each of us carried half a dozen darts, and strapped around our waists, outside our cotton-cloth armor, we each wore a maccahuitl--the heavy sword with a jagged double edge that we knew from experience was an excellent weapon when wielded by a strong hand. indeed, young and i carried the darts rather to satisfy tizoc than because we expected to make any very effective use of them, and all of our reliance both for assault and defence was upon what we could do with our swords at close quarters. rayburn, however, had been practising dart-throwing very diligently, and as he naturally was an extraordinarily dextrous man he had made rapid progress in this savage art. the soldiers in our company, naked creatures, lithe and sinewy, were armed for the most part with spears and slings; and the officers wore each a sword and carried each a handful of darts. as we all stepped out briskly together i could not but think how amazed would be the president of the university of michigan, and my fellow-members of the faculty of that institution of learning, should they happen to encounter me in that barbarous company, and arrayed in that most barbarous garb! [illustration: the last rally] it was a little before sunset when we reached the place that tizoc had selected for our ambush upon the promontory; and an hour later, just as the shadows of evening were beginning to fall, one of our lookout men reported that a large boat--of which the oars must be muffled, for no sound came from it--was pulling around a point just beyond where we lay. there was a little stir among our men when this news was received, and a shifting and arranging of weapons, so that all might be in readiness when the moment for opening the ambush came; but we had a picked force with us, each man of which fully understood how necessary was silence to the success of our plans, and the quick thrill of movement was so guarded that it scarcely ruffled the deep stillness of the night. but the moments lengthened out into minutes, and the minutes slowly slipped by until a full hour had passed, and the thick darkness of tropical night was upon us, and still there was no sign of a foe. tizoc grew uneasy, for it was evident that we were in error in our conception of the enemy's plan. had he intend-to mount his own men as sentinels in place of our men whom he had slain, and then get save possession of the promontory by killing the relief as it came on, we should have been long since engaged with him; but here the night was wearing on, and, excepting only the boat that our scouts had seen, there had been nothing to show that the attack which we had expected so confidently was anything more than a creation of our own fears. yet our only course was to remain where we were until morning; for some accident might have delayed the attack, and the necessity of holding the promontory was so urgent that we could not take the risk of withdrawing our force. it was weary work sitting there in the darkness, after all the weariness of so exciting a day, and as the hours dragged on i found myself now and then sinking into a doze, for which i reproached myself; yet also excused myself by the reflection that i did not at all profess to have either the training or the instincts of a soldier, but had been brought up, as a man of peace and as a scholar, in accordance with the sound principle that night rationally is the time set apart for sleep. it was from a most agreeable nap--in which i was dreaming pleasantly of my old life in ann arbor--that i was roused suddenly by rayburn's quick grip upon my shoulder, and by his sharp whisper, "what's that?" in an instant i was thoroughly awake, and as i bent forward and listened intently i heard very distinctly a faint cry of alarm, that seemed to come from a long way off. tizoc, i perceived--for he had risen to his feet--also was most eagerly listening; and i heard a slight sound of movement and of arms clinking as our men roused themselves, showing that they also had heard that warning cry. but in a moment there was no need to strain our ears to catch the sounds which came to us. the cry that a single throat had uttered was taken up by a thousand; and so grew into a dull, distant roar, that pierced the black and sullen stillness of the night. and with this came also the higher notes of savage yells, and then we heard the clash of arms--which evidence that fighting was going on, no less than the direction whence, as we now perceived clearly, the sounds came, assured us that while we had maintained our watchful guard on the promontory the enemy had surprised our camp. rayburn sprang up with a growl like that of a savage beast. "by g----d!" he cried, "they meant us to do just what we've done, and we've walked into their trap like so many d----n fools!" xxx. the fall of the citadel. tizoc, i was glad to see, had his men well under his command, as was shown by the orderly manner in which they waited, despite their eager impatience to be off, until he gave the command to march. and hard marching we found it, as we floundered about that rough, rocky place, tripping and stumbling, and now and then hearing a crash in the darkness as one of our men went down. but, somehow or other, we certainly managed to get over the ground very rapidly; and all the while the sounds of the fight that was raging hotly struck with a constantly increasing clearness upon our ears. the whole width of the town lay between our camp and the foot of the rugged path that led down from the promontory; but when we were fairly in the streets, and no longer had rough rocks to stumble over in the darkness, we went forward at a very slashing pace. and we were further helped now by the fact that day was breaking, so that we could see clearly where we were going; and we had also within us that feeling of cheer and encouragement that ever is given to man by the return of the sun. in but a few minutes more, in that tropical region, a flood of daylight would be about us; and tizoc's hope was that when the horror of darkness, ever appalling to barbarians, should be lifted, and when our coming should afford a firm centre to rally around, our army might regain the courage and steadiness which it had lost in the terror and bewilderment of a night surprise. but he quickly found that this hope was doomed to disappointment. only a little beyond the gate of the citadel we came upon a flying body of tlahuicos--though no pursuers were in sight beyond them--and these were so completely demoralized that they took our company for a detachment of the enemy, and with wild cries fled away from us down a side street and so disappeared. "what do you think of your friends now?" rayburn asked young, grimly. but young's only answer was to curse the vanished tlahuicos for cowards. a moment later the whole street in front of us was filled with a howling mob of our men, and these came surging towards us with the evident intention of seeking safety in the citadel. tizoc saw at a glance the hopelessness of trying to rally a rout like this until the terrified creatures, fleeing like sheep from a pack of wolves, had been given rest for a while in some safe place where their courage might return to them. being once within the citadel they would be for a time wholly out of danger; for even should the enemy try to set scaling-ladders in place, and so break in upon us there, it would be an easy matter for a few determined men to hold the walls until some sort of order had been restored among our broken forces. tizoc therefore promptly wheeled our little force aside into an open space, and so made a way for the struggling crowd to sweep past us. we noted, as the stream of terror-stricken men flowed by, that their officers were not with them; from which tizoc drew the hopeful augury that the officers, being all trained soldiers, had drawn together into a rear-guard that sought to cover this wild retreat. and presently we found that tizoc was right in his inference, for soon the crowd began very perceptibly to grow thinner, and the sound of loud cries and the rattle and clashing of arms rang out above the tumult, and then there came around a turn in the street, a little beyond where we had halted, a compact body of men who were falling back slowly, and who were laying about them most valiantly with their swords. our party gave a yell, by way of putting fresh heart into these gallant fellows, and tizoc quickly disposed our company in such a manner that the retreating force fell back through our midst; and then we promptly closed in, and so took the fighting to ourselves. i cannot tell very clearly how our retreat to the citadel was managed, nor even of my own part in it; for fighting is but rough, wild work, which defies all attempts at scientific accuracy in describing it--and for the reason, i fancy, that it engenders a wholly unscientific frame of mind. reduced to its lowest terms, fighting is mere barbarity; a most illogical method of settling some disputed question by brute force instead of by the refined reasoning processes of the intelligent human mind; and by the anger that it inevitably begets, the habit of accurate observation, out of which alone can come accurate description, is hopelessly confused. therefore i can say only that foot by foot we yielded the ground to the enemy that pressed upon us; that wild shouts rang out--in which i myself joined, though why i should have shouted i am sure i do not know--together with the sharp rattle of clashing swords; and that through the roar of this outburst of fierce sounds there ran an undertone of groans and sobs from the poor wretches who had fallen wounded to the ground. the one thing that i remember clearly is a set-to with swords that i had with a big fellow, just as we had come close to the citadel, that ended in a way (that would have surprised him mightily had he lived long enough to comprehend it) by my finishing him by means of a stop-thrust followed by a beautiful draw-cut that was a famous stroke with my old sabre-master at leipsic. and i well remember thinking, at the moment that i made this stroke--and so saved my life by it, for the fellow was pressing me very closely--how happy it would have made the old rittmeister could he have seen me deliver it. as we made a rush for the gate of the citadel, that we might get inside this place of safety and drop the grating before the enemy could follow us, we were surprised by finding many of our own men lying dead about the entrance; and what was far worse for us, we found that unskilled hands had been at work with the machinery whereby the gate was lowered and by their bungling had managed to start it downward in such a way that it had jammed in the grooves. what actually had happened there, as we knew afterwards, was that the first of the cowardly wretches who had entered the citadel had tried to drop the gate in the faces of their companions and so secure their own safety; whence a fight among themselves had sprung up, in course of which many of them very deservedly were slain, and, most unhappily for us, their frantic efforts to lower the gate had resulted in thus disabling it. we had a moment of breathing space before the enemy came up with us, and in this time rayburn and young and i had a grip of each other's hands, in which, without any words over it, we said good-bye to each other; for we neither of us for one moment doubted that our last hour had come. tizoc stood a little distance from us, as steady and as gallant in his bearing as ever i saw a man; but that he also counted surely upon dying there was shown by the glance of grave friendliness that he gave us, and by his making the gesture that among his people is significant of farewell. then we ranged ourselves across the gate-way, holding our swords in hand firmly, and rayburn, who had caught up a javelin, stood with it poised above his shoulder in readiness to discharge it as the enemy came on. the sight of his splendid figure towering defiantly in that heroic attitude set my mind to running upon the homeric legend of the glorious battling of the greeks before the gates of troy, and of hector uplifting the rock; and i was very angry with young, whose disposition to seize upon the whimsical side of everything was the most irrepressible that ever i came across, when he exclaimed: "i'll bet you five dollars, rayburn, that when you throw that clothes-prop you don't hit th' man you fire at!" but rayburn did hit his man, straight in the heart too, a moment later, as the enemy with a wild yell charged us; and then, with his back set well against the wall, he fell to work most gallantly with his sword. from the very beginning of it we knew that our fighting was utterly hopeless; for all of our company together did not number fifty men, and we were confronting there a whole army. up the street, as far as we could see, the troops of the enemy were solidly massed; and for every man whom we struck down twenty were ready to spring forward, fresh and vigorous, to exhaust still further the strength that rapidly was leaving us. that we fought on was due not to our valor but to our desperation; and also--at least such was my own feeling--to a swelling rage that made us long to kill as many as possible of these savages before we ourselves died beneath their blows. death, we knew, was the best thing that could happen to us; for it would save us from the worse fate, that surely would come to us should we be captured, of being turned over to the priests, that they might torture us before their heathen altars, and in the end tear our still quivering hearts out. and that the wish of our enemies--according to the aztec custom--was rather to capture us than to kill us was shown by the way in which they fought; for all their effort was to disable us, and so to take us alive; nor did they seem to have any great care, if only this purpose could be accomplished, how many of themselves were slain. sometimes in my dreams the wild commotion of that most desperate combat comes back to me. i see again before me the crowd of half-naked men, curving in a semicircle measured by the length of my sword, their faces distorted by the passionate anger that stirred their souls; and i see one fierce face after another lose out of it the look of life, yet not the look of hate, as my sword crunches into the vitals of the body to which it belongs; and i hear the wild din around me, and the yells of rage and of pain, and my feet tread in slippery pools of blood, and my body aches with weariness, and sharp thrills of agony dart through the strained muscles of my right arm--yet still i fight on, and on. and, truly, all this seems more real to me now in my sleep than it did to me then in its reality; for a dull weight of most desolate hopelessness settled down upon me as i fought out to the end that most hopeless battle--so that my spirit shared in the numbness of my body, and i cut and parried and gave men their death-blows with the stolid energy of a mere death-dealing machine. it had been from the first no more than a question of minutes how long this unequal fight would last; and when i heard a great yell from the enemy, and perceived a flood of soldiers swirling inward through the gate-way just beyond the fellows whom i was dealing with, i knew that tizoc's men had been beaten down or slain, and that the end was very near at hand. as i glanced across the shoulders of the man whom i just then put forever on the list of the non-combatants, i saw what seemed to be an eddy in the midst of the crowd that was rushing into the citadel; and in the thick of the tightly knotted group that thus choked the narrow way i saw tizoc still laying about him with his sword. he was a very ghastly object, for a cut on his head had loosened a piece of his scalp, that hung down over his forehead and waved and trembled there like a draggled plume; his face was bathed in blood from this horrid wound, and his armor of cotton cloth was soaked with the blood that had run down upon it from the cut in his head, and also from a wound in his neck. in the moment that i had free sight of him he made as fine a sword-stroke as ever i saw, wherewith he fairly severed from its body the head of one of his assailants; and at the very same instant, while that head still was spinning in the air, a man directly behind him forced back the pressing crowd by main strength and so gained a free space in which to swing his sword. i shouted to tizoc to warn him of the danger, and he half turned to ward against it; but before he could turn wholly around the blow had fallen, splitting his whole head open from the crown to the very chin. and in the midst of the fierce yell of triumph that went up as this cowardly stroke was delivered there passed from earth the soul of as brave and as true a man as earth has ever known. a dizziness came over me as i saw tizoc fall, and saw in the same moment the wild rush forward of the enemy over his dead body into the citadel; and so i suppose that what with this dizziness and my great weariness i must have dropped my guard. i faintly remember hearing a shout of warning from young, who was close beside me, which shout mingled with the shrieks of those inside the citadel whom the enemy everywhere were cutting down, and the great roar of victory that went up from all the army, both within and without the citadel, rising tempestuously in mighty waves of sound: and then a crash like that of a thunder-bolt burst directly upon my head, and a sickening pain shot through me, and i seemed to be falling through untold depths into vast gloomy chasms (so that i thought i was dropping once more into the hollow darkness of the cañon), and there was a very dreadful surging and roaring and ringing in my ears; and then all this horror of evil sounds grew fainter, and i felt myself slipping quickly into the awful stillness and blackness that i surely thought must be the entrance-way to death. and with this thought a numb sort of gladness came over me, for in death there was promise of restfulness and peace. xxxi. defeat. after all, the life that i thought was lost, and had but little sorrow for the losing of it, slowly came back to me again. for a good while before i recovered consciousness fully, i understood a little of what was going on around me by sounds which, no doubt, were loud and ringing, yet which seemed to me to come faintly from a long way off. they plainly were the sounds of fighting--of weapons rattling together, of shouts and yells and death-cries--but i did not associate them with our present battling, but thought that we still were in the cañon, and were still fighting those wild indians by whom poor dennis was slain. and i knew that i had been hurt badly; for in my head was a throbbing pain so keen that it seemed like to split my skull open, and my stomach was stirred by most distressing qualms, and my weakness was such that i could not ease the sore muscles of my body by moving by so much as a hair's-breadth from the cramped position in which i lay. it seemed to me a vastly long while that i remained in this dreary condition of half-consciousness, with no certain knowledge of anything save the pain that i suffered; and then i felt some one touch me, and a hand laid upon my heart; and this touch so far roused me that i heaved a long sigh and slowly opened my eyes. for a moment i did not know the face that i saw bending over me; nor was this wonderful, for in place of its usual ruddiness was a death-like pallor, that was the more marked by contrast with the blood that trickled down over it from a great gash across the brow whereby the bone was laid bare. but there was no mistaking the voice that called out: "he's alive, rayburn!" and added, "i don't see what right he's got t' be alive, either, after a crack like that. i guess studyin' antiquities must everlastin'ly harden an' thicken a man's skull!" "studying engineering doesn't harden a man's leg, anyway," i heard rayburn answer. "that cut pretty near took mine off. but now that we've stopped the bleeding i guess i'm all right. i think i can work over to you on my hands and knees and help you with the professor. now that i know he's alive i seem to be a lot more alive myself." "just you stay where you are," young called back, sharply. "if you move you'll start that bandage an' i'll have t' tie you up all over again. i'll attend t' th' professor." and then young bent over me, and, with a tenderness that i never would have thought his rough hands capable of, set himself to bandaging my wounded head. but the best thing that he did for me was to give me a draught of water from a gourd that had been slung about the neck of one of the soldiers lying dead there; which draught, with the comfort that the cool wet bandage about my head gave me, brought back to me so much of my strength that i was able presently to sit up and look around. truly, a more ghastly sight than that which my eyes then rested upon i never saw. the gate-way of the citadel was a very shambles. piles of dead men lay all around me; and the prodigious number of the enemy lying slain there testified with a mute eloquence to the desperate fashion in which our handful of men had fought. over the rough pavement, down the slope towards the lake, there flowed a stream of bright red blood that in places shone a brilliant vermilion where it was touched by the glintings of the sun. among the dead i did not see tizoc's body, and for this i was glad. half a dozen of the enemy stood by us as a guard; but these suffered us to minister to each other, evidently feeling that no great amount of caution was necessary in dealing with three badly wounded men. indeed, these guards, in their way, manifested a kindly feeling for us; for when they perceived that our gourd of water was empty one of them picked up another full gourd from amid the dead and handed it to us. from inside the citadel there still came a tumult of fierce sounds which gave proof that though the battle--if it could be called a battle--was ended the work of killing still was going on; but these sounds sensibly diminished while we lay there waiting to know what fate would come to us, and we concluded, therefore, that there remained no more rebels to be slain. rayburn was seated upon the ground at no great distance from me, his back propped against the wall. as he saw that i was looking towards him, and had again my wits about me, he greeted me with a very melancholy smile. "it's been a pretty cold day for us, professor," he said, "and there's no great comfort in knowing that it's partly our own fault that these fellows have laid us out. i didn't give them credit for such good tactics; and even with the bad watch that we kept i don't see how they managed to get their men round on the other side of our camp. well, it must please them to know how straight we walked into the trap that they set for us, like the pack of fools that we were." "you won't ketch me joinin' in any more indian revolutions, anyway," young put in. "i did think i could bet on those tlahuicos, an' they've just gone back on us th' worst kind. do you feel strong enough, professor, to tie th' ends o' this rag?" he had been binding up the cut in his forehead, and now he got down on his hands and knees in front of me, and bent his head down within easy reach of my hands; and my strength had so far returned to me that without being very tired after it i was able to make the ends of the bandage fast. the blow on his head had glanced from the skull, luckily; but it had been heavy enough to stun him for some minutes after he received it--and his falling as though dead had been the means, no doubt, of saving his life, even as in the same manner my life had been saved. rayburn's wound was a worse one than either young's or mine, for a great gash in his thigh had wellnigh cut his leg off, and until, with young's help, he had improvised a tourniquet, from a bowstring and a broken fragment of a javelin, he had been in great danger of bleeding to death. for more than an hour we were suffered to lie in the gate-way; while the work went on of slaying the wretched tlahuicos, and then of marshalling the more important personages who had been reserved alive as prisoners, and, finally, of restoring order in the victorious ranks. at the end of this time an officer with a squad of men came to where we were lying, and roughly ordered us to rise, to the end that we also might be placed among the prisoners. young and i had so far recovered our strength that we managed to scramble on our feet with no great difficulty; though in my case this exertion, which made the blood flow more briskly in my veins, suddenly increased so greatly the pain in my head as to bring upon me for a little while a dizziness that compelled me to lean against the wall for support. in rayburn's case standing was quite out of the question; and i shortly told the officer in what manner he was wounded, and that to make him rise and walk assuredly would start the bandage on his leg, and so lead to his quickly bleeding to death. thereupon the officer gave an order to some of his men to fetch a stretcher such as their own wounded were carried in; yet at the same time he said to me: "this companion of yours is a brave man; and but for my orders, i would loosen the bandage with my own hands, and so let him die without further pain;" which speech, notwithstanding the obviously kind intention of it, i did not translate to rayburn at that time. while we waited for the stretcher to be brought, the soldiers fastened about young's neck and about mine heavy wooden collars, which set well out over our shoulders and were not unlike great ruffs. i confess that for my own part my professional interest in this curious piece of gear entirely overcame my repugnance to wearing it, for i instantly recognized it as the cuauh-cozatl, with which, as the ancient records tell us, the aztecs were accustomed to secure their prisoners of war. but young, who could not be expected to share in my delight at seeing actually alive, and ourselves made party to it, a custom that was supposed to have been extinguished to more than three centuries, grew exceedingly indignant at having thus placed about his neck what he coarsely described as "an overgrown d----n goose-yoke." nor was i at all successful in my attempt to soothe him by telling him that the discomfort to which we were subjected was a very trifling matter in comparison with the gain to the science of archeology that flowed from this positive identification of an exceedingly interesting historical fact. "oh, come off, professor," he growled. "what th' d----l do i care for historical facts, or for historical lies either?--an' they're all about th' same thing. what i want t' do is t' punch th' head o' th' fellow who put this thing on me, an' i can't. they'll be hangin' me up by my heels an' stickin' a corn-cob in my mouth next, i s'pose, an' makin' a regular stuck-pig out o' me; an' then likely enough you'll try t' make me believe that _that_ proves something or other that nobody but you thinks ever happened, an' so want me t' feel pleased about it. antiquities be d----d! i've had as much of' em as i want, an' more too!" while the collars were being placed about our necks, and while rayburn was being lifted upon the stretcher which the soldiers had brought, we heard from within the citadel the sound of drums tapping, and then the measured tread of soldiers marching; and as we looked through the gate-way we saw that the troops had been formed in regular order and were moving towards us. at the head of the column were the prisoners--numbering three or four hundred, and all wearing wooden collars about their necks--covered on both flanks by a strong line of guards. they were ranged in order of their dignity, the unlucky members of the council coming first, and after them the other officers of that short-lived government; then the military officers, and in the rear a few private soldiers. the fact that no tlahuicos were among the prisoners led me to conclude that such of these as had not been slain had been held under guard until they might be returned to their owners or set again to toiling hopelessly in the mine. the importance that in the estimation of our captors attached to ourselves was shown by their placing us at the very head of the column, in advance even of the members of the council; and this was a compliment that we willingly enough would have declined, for such honorable consideration, according to the customs of this people, meant surely that we were reserved for a very exemplary fate. but we were in no position to raise objections of any sort just then, and we therefore fell into the place assigned to us and tried as well as we could to show a bold front as we went downward towards the lake. only a few terrified women and children, who fled away as we advanced, were in sight as we passed through the streets of the town; and from many of the hovels came the moans of poor wounded wretches who had crawled to their miserable homes to die in them; and from others came the lamentations of women over their dead; and in nooks and corners, whither with their last strength they had dragged themselves, we saw men lying dead in pools of their own blood. but down by the water-side there were live men in plenty, soldiers and oarsmen, and the pier was crowded with them; while out beyond the pier the whole bay was swarming with the boats in which the enemy's forces had stolen down upon us in the darkness from culhuacan; making their landing, as we now learned, just beyond the town in a bay that ran up close to where our army was encamped. and this scene of bustling activity in the bright sunshine made a joyous and brilliant picture; that was all the brighter because of its setting in that sunlit bay, opening out between beaches of golden-yellow sand upon the broad expanse of restful water which fell away in gleaming splendor into a bank of soft gray haze. but the picture was still more stirring that we saw as we looked landward, when the barge that we were put aboard of pulled out from the pier and our rowers lay on their oars, and so waited while the work of embarkation went on. right in front of us was the broad central street of the town; and the whole length of this, from the pier to the citadel, was filled with a solidly massed body of soldiers that came down the steep descent slowly, and halting often, to the boats which were in waiting to bear them away. barbarians though they were, these soldiers made a gallant showing. in front of each regiment was borne its feather standard, and in the midst of each company was its rallying flag of brightly painted cotton cloth. the higher officers wore wooden casques, carved and painted in the semblance of the heads of ferocious beasts; the cotton-cloth armor of all the officers was decked with a great variety of strange devices, wrought in very lively hues, and similarly strong hues were used in the decoration of the universally-carried light round shields. and all this brilliant color, the more vivid because of its background of bare brown skins, was flecked with a thousand glittering points of light where the sunshine sparkled on swords and on spear-heads of hardened gold. "its not much wonder that those fellows got away with us," rayburn said, as he watched the orderly manner in which the disciplined ranks moved out upon the pier and stepped briskly into the boats at the word of command. "they're as fine a lot of fighters as i ever saw anywhere. just look how steadily they stand at a halt, and how sharply they obey orders, and how well set up they are! i must say i don't see what the colonel could have been thinking about when he said that we had a fighting chance against an army like that. well, he's paid for his mistake about as much as a man can pay for anything. it breaks me all up to think that the colonel is dead. he was good all the way through. and i wonder what will become of that little lame boy of his now? they'll make a tlahuico of him, i suppose. by jove! what a mess we've made of this whole business from first to last!" my heart was too heavy for me to answer rayburn save by a nod; for while he spoke the thought came home to me very bitterly that upon me rested the responsibility of the black misfortune in which he and young were involved; and with this came also a great burst of sorrow as i thought how still more closely at my door lay pablo's death--for rayburn and young at least had come into my plans with a reasonable understanding of the danger to which they exposed themselves; but pablo, having no such knowledge, had followed me unquestioningly because of his loving trust that i would hold him safe from harm. my sorrow concerning fray antonio was keen enough, heaven knows; but in his case i had the solace of knowing surely that he had come to his death not because of my urging, but in pursuance of his own strong desire. there was a little comfort in the thought that even one of these four lost lives could not be charged to my account; and yet this reflection seemed only to make my sorrow heavier as i thought of the woful weight of my responsibility for the other three. for nearly two hours we lay there in the bay while the embarkation of the prisoners and the troops went on--our boat moving farther out from the pier from time to time as the double line of boats behind it lengthened. in that sheltered place there was little wind blowing, and the blazing heat of the sun beating down upon my wounded head gave me so sharp a pain that i gladly would have died to be rid of it; and i could see, from the drawn look of their faces, that young and rayburn were suffering not less keenly. we were thankful enough, therefore, when at last the embarkation was completed--more than half of the army remaining in huitzilan to restore order there--and we pulled out from the bay into the open waters of the lake and were comforted by the light breeze, which yet brought with it a delicious refreshment, that was blowing there. all the bright beauty of that lovely lake was around us, having for its background the green meadows and the darker green of the forests hanging above them on the upward slopes, and beyond all the towering height of the cliffs, which shaded in their colorings from delicate gray to dark brown, and were touched here and there by patches of black shadow where some great cleft opened; and yet all that we then thought of was that across those blue waters, which gleamed golden in the sunlight, we were going swiftly to a cruel death, and that the cliffs, whereof the beauty was hateful to us, irrevocably shut us in. which gloomy feelings pressed upon us throughout that dismal passage, while all our oarsmen pulled stoutly together, and we went gliding onward over the sunlit waters towards the evil fate that we knew was waiting for us within the dark walls whereby was encircled the city of culhuacan. xxxii. el sabio's defiance. while yet we were a long way off from the city, we heard faintly the yells of triumph with which the watchers above the water-gate gave notice to those within the walls of the return of the victorious army; and from all the boats of our flotilla there went up a shrill chorus of answering yells. our barge was the first to pass through the water-gate, out from which we had come so gallantly so short a time before, and thence went onward across the basin to the very pier that we had started from with such high hopes to gather the forces for the rebellion that had come to so sorry an end. all the water-side was black with the crowd that had gathered to watch our landing; but, considering that these people were there to welcome a victorious army, it seemed to me that they were strangely still and dull. there was, to be sure, no lack of yelling, but it came for the most part from a company of priests clustered on the pier where we landed, and from the soldiers and oarsmen in the boats--not from the townsfolk at large. and when we were marched upward through the city--following the same street that we had fought our way along when last we traversed it--i saw in the crowd so many sullen and dejected faces that it seemed to me there still was in that city a good deal of material for the making of another mutiny. this time we were not taken to the house in which we had met the priest captain, and whence we had been delivered from imprisonment by tizoc's gallant rescue of us; but, passing a little beyond this house, we were led up a broad stair-way to the plateau which crowned the city, and on which stood the great treasure-house that also was the temple in which the aztlanecas housed their most venerated gods. and i confess that my delight at seeing closely this building, that until then i had beheld only from afar off, for a time completely overcame the dread and sorrow that had oppressed me; and the very strongest desire that stirred within me just then was for a tape-measure and a pair of compasses and a steel square, together with the opportunity to fall to work with these several instruments upon those mighty walls. indeed, i almost had forgotten that i was a prisoner, and was like to die soon a very dreadful death, when a groan that poor rayburn gave--wrung from him by the pain that he suffered in being carried up the stairs--recalled me suddenly to a realizing sense of our situation, and so pressed home upon me the sad conviction that the science of archæology would gain nothing of all that i might see or learn during the little while that i should remain alive. the outer facing of the plateau, like that of the terraces below it, was a prodigiously heavy wall of squared stones set in cement; and for a coping this wall had great stones carved in the similitude of serpents' heads, with mouths wide open, that instantly recalled to my mind the like enclosure that the spaniards found surrounding the principal temple in the city of tenochtitlan--and i had a sudden strong longing that my friend bandelier might be with me at that moment to see how precisely his very ingenious speculations concerning the snake-wall about the great teocalli were here confirmed. through a portal formed of two huge blocks of stone carved to represent two serpents coiled upon themselves, the heads meeting above in a sort of arch (not a true arch, for each of these serpents was a monolith, and was supported wholly on its own base), we entered the large enclosure before the temple. i was surprised to find--for of such a thing among the ancient aztecs there is no record--that in the centre of the enclosure the rock had been hewn away in such a fashion as to create a vast amphitheatre; and that this was the place where sacrifice was offered by the priests was shown by the blood-stained altar in the centre of it, to which fragments of flesh also adhered, whence was wafted up to us a dreadful stench that instantly racked us with queasy qualms. save directly in front of the entrance to the temple, where was a great stone balcony with a smaller balcony below it, all the sides of the amphitheatre were cut in steps, which made, also, benches where the multitude could sit at their ease and behold the bloody work going on in the pit below them; and so enormous was this rock-hewn cavity that fully forty thousand people could at once be seated there. under the balcony there was visible the entrance to a dark tunnel-like passage, that evidently communicated with the temple, and a smaller passage, not large enough for a man to pass through, slanted downward to where it opened on the terrace below; which last was to drain the blood away, and also to free the amphitheatre from water in the season of rains. we held our noses as we skirted this shocking place, and we were glad enough when we got beyond it and came to the entrance to the temple--a very noble portal, severely simple, and because of its simplicity the more majestic, in which, as in the whole of the façade, was manifest the grave and sombre egyptian feeling that i had before observed. through this we passed into the shadowy interior, lighted by only a few narrow slits cut in the enormously thick walls, where the lofty roof was upheld by a wilderness of columns which opened before us seemingly endless vistas where an eternal twilight reigned. of interior decoration there was nothing save a broad and simple panelling upon the walls, and the great pillars were mere round monoliths without either bases or capitals. as we entered this, to them, most sacred place a hush fell upon our escort, and even i felt something of that reverent awe that is inspired by any building which has been sanctified by the worship of multitudes within it through countless years. but that young did not at all share this feeling with me was made manifest by his observing, after taking a long look around him: "well, this wouldn't answer for a congregational church, anyway. there ain't a pew in th' whole place, an' here in broad daylight you couldn't see a hymn-book if you tried. i wonder what they'd say, professor, to a bid for puttin' in a dynamo for 'em an' lightin' this dark old hole with electricity? an' it 'u'd take off a lot o' this chill an' dampness if they'd have a steam-heater put in at th' same time. it's enough t' give all hands rheumatism th' way cold creeps strike up your legs." but at this point young's observations were cut short peremptorily by the hand that one of the guards laid across his mouth; which hint that it was desirable for him to keep silence was quite unmistakable. this decided repression of young's chattering, no doubt, was the more vigorous because we now were approaching the farther end of the temple, where loomed before us amid the shadows a great idol, set upon an altar-like throne. this figure, fully ten feet high, was a strange medley of grotesque and hideous carvings that yet in its entirety was like a man; and so cruel and so ferocious was the general air of it that it well might inspire a very lively terror in simple souls. the most striking feature of the figure was a dismal skull, that was outheld from the region of the waist by two great hands placed there arbitrarily and without any relation to the figure's arms; and for a crest--repeating the motive of the gate-way--it had two serpents' heads, the bodies pertaining to which were twisted and involved about the whole mass. for eyes this evil thing had large and gleaming green stones--being, in truth, emeralds, though i did not at that time recognize them as such--and golden serpents, very beautifully wrought, were twisted about it, and a collar of golden hearts was hung around its neck over a sort of apron of shining green feathers; and feathers of a like sort rose above the heads of the serpents in a thick plume; and over every part of the figure were scattered glittering objects--emeralds, and disks of gold, and scraps of mother-o'-pearl, and fragments of obsidian--whence shone through the heavy shadows faint, shimmering points of light. in one of its out-stretched hands the figure held a bow, and in the other a bunch of arrows; but even without these unmistakable attributes i should have known from the skull and from the serpents' heads that this fierce and hideous idol represented the god huitzilopochtli: the first divinity, and throughout the whole time that their bloody religion endured, the principal divinity, that the ancient mexicans adored. young did not venture to speak aloud again, but he turned to me with a long sigh and whispered, earnestly, "that certainly is, professor, the very d----dest thing i ever saw!" as i knew, it was in keeping with the aztec customs that prisoners taken in war thus should be brought first of all before the god huitzilopochtli, that they and their captors together might do him reverence; therefore, i was not surprised when a priest came forth from behind the altar and bade us prostrate ourselves in adoration of the idol. as this order was given, all the aztlanecas with us bowed themselves to the floor; but young, who did not understand the order, and i, who felt my gorge rising at the thought of thus humbling myself, remained erect. however, we did not continue through many seconds in that position; for a couple of soldiers instantly laid hands upon each of us, and by shoving our shoulders sharply forward, and at the same moment kicking our legs from under us, they summarily laid us face downward at full length upon the floor. as for rayburn, they seemed to be satisfied with his recumbent position upon the stretcher; at any rate, they suffered him to remain as he was. while i lay prone, quivering with rage at the double indignity of being thus roughly handled, and of being compelled even in form to worship a disgusting idol, i heard an odd little pattering upon the stone floor, and then something cold and clammy was thrust against my hand, and at the same instant i heard close beside me a curious snuffling noise; and while a glad doubt, that i scarce ventured to give way to, was rising within me, the clammy thing was taken away from my hand, and there straightway rang out through the gloomy silence of the temple a thunderous braying that seemed fairly to shake the walls. there was no mistaking the voice of the friend who with this triumphant blast welcomed me; and as i heard it there came into my heart a sudden glow of hope that pablo, and that even fray antonio also, might still be alive. and this hope was destined to be immediately and most joyfully realized, for as we rose to our feet again i saw the lad standing, with el sabio beside him, not a dozen feet away from me; and a little beyond them was the monk, his face all lighted up with a bright look of happiness and love. and seeing these three once more standing alive and well before me was the most amazing and also the very gladdest sight that ever met my eyes. it was a sore trial to me that i could not immediately hold converse with pablo and with fray antonio, and so come to know through what adventures they had passed, and by what miracles their lives had been saved; but the ceremony in which our captors were engaged was but half completed, and the better to assure our orderly conduct during its continuance we were kept asunder in the procession that then was formed--the object of which procession, as my knowledge of the aztec customs led me rightly to infer, was that the ceremonial of triumph might be ended by leading us thrice around the sacrificial stone. and in truth i dreaded less the fate which this leading us about the altar of sacrifice implied was in store for us than i did the close association, made necessary by the ceremony, with the direful stench which that vile altar exhaled. at the edge of the amphitheatre, where already the evil odor was almost overpowering, the soldiers who had charge of us relinquished us--as it seemed to me, most thankfully--to a company of the temple priests; whereof the chief was a round, fat little man, whose shortness of legs very obviously was accompanied by a corresponding shortness of wind. he was, in truth, a most hopelessly undignified little personage; yet he did his best to assume a look of dignity as he waddled down the steps in advance of us, and he manfully endeavored to conceal the difficulties encountered by his short fat legs in the course of this descent. and i was glad enough that we had his absurd performances to distract our minds a little from the dismalness of our surroundings, and especially from the queasiness that again beset our stomachs as our noses were assailed more and more violently by that most evil smell. the priests, i observed, had cotton stuffed in their nostrils; but for us there was nothing for it but to hold our noses tightly with our hands. el sabio, who had a most generous and broadly open nose, and who was not blest with hands to hold it fast with, grew restive as the first whiff struck him; which resulted less, i suppose, from the intrinsic vileness of the smell than from the fact that he, in common with all peace-loving animals, had aroused in him an instinctive terror by the odor of blood. pablo's voice, and pablo's touch, possibly might have soothed and quieted him; but the efforts which the priests who were leading him made to restrain him only served the more to terrify him, and so to increase his violence. and the priests, who now for a considerable time had seen him daily, and had known him only as the most gentle and biddable of creatures, were mightily astonished, and evidently were terrified, by this sudden outbreak of a fierce temper that most reasonably took them entirely by surprise. partly by pulling at the rope that they had about his neck, and partly by such pushes as they dared to give him while he was momentarily at rest, they succeeded in forcing him down the steps; and so at last into the large circular space at the bottom of the amphitheatre, in the midst of which stood the stone of sacrifice and where the smell of blood was overpoweringly strong. but by the time that this victory was won el sabio had ceased to be a quiet orderly donkey, accustomed to conform to the usages of human society, and had become a veritable crazy creature, inflamed by the madness of fear and rage. [illustration: el sabio's defiance] by some miracle--a very happy miracle for those whom the poor ass most naturally regarded as his tormentors--el sabio's nimble heels had until this moment lashed the air harmlessly; but just as the last step downward was accomplished he let out both of his hind-legs together, and with such precision that both of his hoofs struck a remarkably tall priest who had taken a very active part in persecuting him. the blow was landed fairly on the tall priest's stomach, and instantly the two long halves of that priest shut together like a jack-knife, and he fell to the ground with a gasp that told how thoroughly the wind was knocked out of him. doubtless this outburst of violence served but to increase el sabio's terror, for he straightway gave so strong a plunge that he fairly broke away from the men who were holding him; and then he bent all his energies to working such destruction as never was worked by one single ass since the very beginning of the world! fortunately for our own safety--for el sabio was in no condition to discriminate between friends and foes--we still were at some distance from the bottom of the amphitheatre when this outbreak occurred; the greater part of the priests having preceded us, and el sabio having been led in the van of the prisoners. it was wholly upon the priests, therefore, that his mad rage was expended, and the way that he "got in his work," as young expressed it, on these enemies of his and ours was a joyful wonder to behold. being closely penned in--for the way whence they had entered the amphitheatre was barred by the crowd of which we were a part, and the entrance to the subterranean passage leading to the temple was closed--the priests had no chance to escape from the furious creature save by clambering up the smooth wall, fully eight feet high, by which was enclosed the circular space that immediately surrounded the altar. even an agile man, going at it quietly, would have found a little difficulty in executing this gymnastic feat, that required for its accomplishment sheer lifting of the body until a leg could be thrown over the top of the wall; and as these priests, for the most part, had grown fat and sluggish in their sacred calling, they were wellnigh incapacitated from performing it. furthermore, el sabio manifested what had the appearance of being a most diabolical ingenuity--yet that, no doubt, was no more than chance--in delivering flying kicks against the legs of these dangling creatures; wherefrom such keen pain resulted that they instantly let loose their hold, and came tumbling to the ground. so far as we were concerned--our sympathies being wholly on the side of the ass--this astonishing spectacle remained a broad farce until the very end; but it presently became to the men engaged in it a very serious tragedy. as he made his wild charges, el sabio galloped backward and forward again and again over the bodies of his prostrate enemies; in the course of which gallopings his sharp little hoofs cut their naked flesh savagely, and now and then, when he happened to land a kick fairly against a man's body, we could see, from the sinking in of the fellow's ribs and the gush of blood that burst from his nostrils, that the ass had delivered a death-blow. as for the noise that attended this most extraordinary performance, words can but faintly describe it. from the men directly engaged with el sabio came yells of fear and shouts for assistance and cries of anger, beneath all of which was a dull undertone of groans; the crowd around us and higher up behind us gave vent to a shrill roar of shouts and yells that seemed to be partly in the nature of advice, and partly the result of that instinct which prompts all barbarians to yell whenever anybody else yells, on general principles. pablo interpolated a most despairing note in the way of beseeching cries of "b-u-r-r-r-o! b-u-r-r-r-o!" whereby he sought to allay el sabio's frenzy, and so to save him from the direful fate that well might be expected to overtake him in recompense of his direful deeds; and young fairly tossed his battered derby hat up into the air as he shouted: "go it, el sabio! give it to 'em, my boy! ten t' one against th' fat priest! three cheers for th' jackass! hip-hip-hurrah!" in short, it seemed as though bedlam had broken loose among us, and as though all of us together were going mad. what with dodging behind his fellows, and keeping clear of el sabio's frantic charges by the display of an agility that i would not have given him credit for, the little fat priest managed to preserve his small round body unharmed until all of his companions had either escaped over the wall or had been, as young put it, knocked out by el sabio's heels. once or twice he had made a dash for the passage-way in which we were standing, but the lower end of this was choked with the dozen or more badly wounded wretches who had crawled thither in their efforts to escape; and these the priests in front of us, being but cowardly creatures, had made no effort to succor or to lift away, for the reason that so long as this barrier remained they themselves were safe from el sabio's fury. having, therefore, no longer any one to hide behind, the fat little priest evidently realized that his only hope of salvation lay in making an effort, truly heroic in one of his height and girth and woful shortness of wind, to clamber up the face of the wall; and to this wellnigh impossible task he most resolutely set himself. it was only by jumping that he was able to get a grip over the top of the wall; yet when this grip was gained he could get no farther on his way to deliverance, and so he hung dangling there, his face to the wall, jerking his short fat legs about spasmodically, and wasting in most piercing yells what little there was in him of wind. it did really seem as though el sabio's action in these premises was dictated by reason, for when he saw the priest in this wholly unprotected position he deliberately took his stand at precisely the point behind the little man where all of his kicking power could be most effectively used. there was a momentary hush as el sabio thus placed himself, for every one perceived how very open was the priest to assault; and at the same time it was apparent that while el sabio's kicks assuredly would be exceedingly painful, they were not likely to inflict upon the priest, while he remained in that attitude, a deadly wound. in an instant the two small heels flashed through the air, and there was heard a dull, soft sound--such as might come from the striking of an over-ripe melon with a heavy club--and with this burst forth a most piercing shriek of pain. yet the little priest, knowing that his life depended upon it, most gallantly retained his hold. again el sabio kicked, and again a piercing shriek sounded; and one hand loosened for a moment and then clutched fast again. but when el sabio kicked for the third time human nature was too weak to resist further against brute violence. with a yell that fairly cracked our ears the priest let go his hold and fell downward and backward; and at that same instant el sabio delivered a final kick that struck fairly on the head of the falling man and battered in his skull. as for el sabio, it seemed as though he himself were like to die in the very moment of his victory; for with a sort of groan that, coming from a brute beast, was most pitiful to listen to, the poor terrified creature, utterly exhausted by his fright and his outlay of energy in furious violence, sank down panting by the side of the man whom he had slain. xxxiii. in the aztec treasure-house. even with el sabio reduced to this condition of complete quiescence, the aztlanecas, soldiers as well as priests, still were terribly afraid of him; being firmly convinced, as was not at all unnatural, that for the time being there was embodied in him a devil of a most dangerous sort. therefore they were but too glad to yield to pablo's burning eagerness to get to the poor ass; and when he called for aid to carry the exhausted creature out from the amphitheatre, and so away from among the dead and wounded and from the dreadful smell of blood, young and i promptly were pushed forward and ordered to perform this piece of work that even the bravest of them shrunk from undertaking. however, there was no real peril in it, for el sabio was so weak that he could not even stand, and still less was he strong enough to kick anybody. lifting him in this dull, limp state, and carrying him up the steep steps, was heavy work for us, wounded and weary as we were; but with pablo's help we managed it, and so got him up from the depths of the amphitheatre to its windward side--where a fresh sweet breeze that was blowing, and some water that a soldier brought when pablo called for it, in a little while put new life into him. why the ass was not made to pay the penalty of his sins, by being there and then killed, at first was a good deal of a puzzle to me; but presently, from the talk that went on about us while pablo ministered to him, and while the wounded lying around the altar were being cared for, and the dead borne away, i gathered that no one dared to kill him for fear of being himself possessed by the devil that needs must enter another body upon being thus set free. and as this seemed to be a view of the case that was worth encouraging, i very gravely told one of the priests that i myself had seen a man all in an instant go raving mad upon slaying one of these creatures and so letting the devil loose from him. as this story was circulated among the crowd i was glad to perceive that the dread of el sabio obviously greatly increased. as a result of the untoward outbreak that had occurred, no attempt was made to complete the ceremonial of triumph. indeed, the victory now lay so decidedly with el sabio that there was but little to triumph over. therefore we presently were herded together by a party of soldiers--who took good care that pablo should lead the ass, and that young and i should walk directly behind him as a protection against any further uplifting of his heels--and so we all were marched once more into the temple. this time we did not stop in front of the great idol, but went on beyond it towards a portal in the rear of the building that opened on an inner court; on the farther side of which court, as we knew from the description of the place that tizoc had given us, was the treasure-house, in which was stored not only the treasure placed there in long past ages by king chaltzantzin, but also the treasure belonging to the state and to the temple that had been accumulated in later times. at the entrance to the court-yard, where the way was closed by a metal grating over which a heavy curtain hung, the soldiers formally relinquished us into the charge of a company of priests; and then the curtain was drawn aside and the grating was raised, and we passed out into the bright sunlight--and saw close before us the place which for so long a time had so largely filled our thoughts. it was a building of no great size, being but a single story high, and was dwarfed by the vastly stupendous cliffs which so far overtopped it that they seemed to extend upward to the very sky; but it was most massively constructed, and the actual available space within it was far greater than was indicated by the relatively small dimensions of its exterior walls. when we entered the building, through a narrow opening protected by a metal grating, the chamber into which we came was of so considerable a size that a part of it, we perceived, must extend actually into the cliff; and that the work of quarrying out the living rock had been carried still farther was shown by an opening at its rear end that evidently gave access to some hollow depth beyond. it was towards this inner recess that our guards led us. here another grating was raised that we might pass, and we went onward through a narrow passage cut in the rock, along the sides of which were many openings giving access to small cell-like rooms. nor was this place, as we had expected to find it, wholly dark; for narrow slits had been cut through the rock out to the face of the cliff, through which came so much light that we could see about us very well. and but for that blessed light, faint though it was, i doubt not that we should have gone mad there; and even with the light to cheer and to comfort us i felt a black despair settling down upon me at the thought of being thus imprisoned within the very bowels of the mountain, with no possibility of other release than being taken thence to die. at the extreme end of the passage the rock had been hollowed away smoothly and carefully so as to form a chamber nearly thirty feet square and at least twenty feet high, whereof all the walls were covered with plates of gold which overlapped each other in the manner of fishes' scales; and advantage had been taken of some wide crevice or deep depression in the cliff above to open in the roof of this chamber a small aperture, whence a pale light entered in long fine rays which gleamed through the shadows, and gleamed again more faintly in reflections from the golden walls. in this oratory--for such it evidently was--stood a statue, smaller than that in the temple yet still more magnificently arrayed, of the god huitzilopochtli; before which odious image we were thrown upon our faces by our guards. when this ceremony was ended we were led forth once more into the passage, and so into two of the little cells which had been meagrely prepared for us by tossing into each of them a bundle of mats; and there our guards left us to shift for ourselves--shutting the grating behind them with a sharp ringing of metal on stone that echoed dismally through the rock-hewn chambers wherein we were held fast. for a while we stood in melancholy silence about the stretcher on which poor rayburn lay; and very pale and worn he looked after his great loss of blood and heavy fatigue and the pain and excitement of the last few hours. pablo had taken up his quarters with el sabio in a cell on the opposite side of the passage--for within the limits of our prison we were left to arrange ourselves as we pleased--and we could hear him talking to the ass in a fashion that at any other time we should have laughed at; for by turns he upbraided him for his rash acts, and complimented him upon his bravery, and expressed dread of the punishment that might be visited upon him, and told him of his very tender love--all of which, so far as we could judge, el sabio took in equally good part. "there ain't no good in standin' 'round here doin' nothin'," young said, at last. "this don't look like much of a place t' break out of, but we may as well see how things are, anyway. th' padre'd better take a squint at rayburn's busted leg an' set th' bandages straight; an' while he's attendin' t' that, me an' you, professor, can do a little prospectin'. this is th' treasure-house, for sure, an' it'll be some satisfaction t' see what it amounts to. i'll bet a hat there ain't anything worth havin' in th' whole place, after all." i was glad enough to have any occupation that would change even a little the sad current of my thoughts, and i therefore very willingly acted on young's suggestion--after first making sure that fray antonio had no need of help in his work of dressing rayburn's wound--and together we set about this curious exploration; that had in it a strong charm for me, notwithstanding my heavy sorrow, because of the possibility that it opened of finding curious traces of a new community so far advanced in civilization as was that which the king chaltzantzin had brought with him into this valley a thousand years ago. here, unquestionably, was the oldest deposit of the belongings of any of the primitive dwellers upon the american continent; and i trembled a little with excitement at the thought of what archæological treasures i here might find--and then i heaved suddenly a long sigh as i remembered how useless in my present case would be even the most brilliant of discoveries. as for young's bet of a hat that there was no treasure here worth having, he would have lost it, had it been accepted, at the very first of the rooms which we examined; for the whole of this room, a cube of about ten feet, was packed full of bars of hardened gold from the mine at huitzilan. and so was the next room, and the next, until we had found five rooms thus filled. but all the remaining rooms were entirely empty, and of the treasure set aside in long past ages by king chaltzantzin there was no sign. yet here, truly, was stored wealth the like of which the richest monarch in the world could not match for greatness; and as young beheld before him such enormous riches his face grew ruddy, an eager light came into his eyes, the muscles of his throat worked convulsively, and his breathing was labored and short--until i demolished all his fine fancies at a blow by saying: "much good this treasure is to us, when there isn't a ghost of a chance that either of us ever will get out of this valley alive!" as i uttered these bitter words his look of animation left him, and for some moments he was silent; and when at last he spoke, it was in a tone of calm though melancholy conviction, and with a most dispassionate air. "i shall be obliged t' you, professor, really obliged t' you," he said, "if you'll just kick me for a blasted fool. ever since that night in morelia when you told me an' rayburn about this treasure i've regularly had it on my brain. through all these months i've been thinkin' about it when i was awake an' dreamin' about it when i was asleep. an' it's true for a fact, professor, that never until this blessed minute, when we've really struck it, has th' notion come into my fool head that when we did ketch up with it the folks it rightly b'longed to might want t' keep it for theirselves! yes, just kick me, please. just kick me for a forlorn, mis'rable, blasted fool!" i was not disposed to laugh at young's words; rather was i disposed to weep over them. for they brought freshly and strongly to my mind the fact that i was responsible for alluring him, by the hope of acquiring great riches quickly, into this accursed valley, where in a little while he would be most barbarously done to death. and i knew too that i was responsible for the like fate that must overtake rayburn, and that in regard to pablo my guilt was greatest of all. it was a comfort to me, truly, that not one of these ever by look or word reproached me for thus so wofully misleading them; and yet, in a certain way, their very forbearance but added to my pain. therefore was i a little gladdened, when we returned again to the others, to find that fray antonio was speaking to rayburn, with a grave, calm hopefulness, of those spiritual realities which are higher and better than material realities, and without steadfast trust in which, most of us, in the course of this sorrowful thing that we call life, assuredly would go mad in sheer despair. and listening to this comforting discourse, which was not checked by our return, did much to strengthen me to bear my heavy load of vain regret. presently fray antonio shifted his ground--for he had the wisdom to speak but shortly on these grave topics, yet using always pregnant words which sank down into men's hearts and germinated there--and told us of what had befallen him since he had stolen away from us that night in huitzilan. in truth, he had but little to tell, for his adventures had been of a very simple kind. upon his arrival in the canoe at the water-gate he had been at once recognized and admitted, and had been carried directly to the building in which, on our first coming into the city, we all had been confined. and there he had been imprisoned until he was led up to the temple to take part in the triumph that el sabio's violence so seriously had marred, and so once more was in our company. of the priest captain he had seen nothing at all; nor had any answer come back to him from that dignitary to his urgent plea that, inasmuch as he had thus surrendered himself, his companions--that is, ourselves--should be suffered to leave the valley in peace; which silence on the part of the priest captain was not surprising, however, in view of the brave defiance in words sent by the tlahuicos, who afterwards were such cowards in deeds. in fact, during the brief time of his imprisonment fray antonio had not spoken to a soul save the man who brought him drink and food. yet his talk with this man, scant though it had been, had filled him with the hope that, could he only hold free converse with the people at large, even as he had done at huitzilan, the purpose that he had in mind in coming into the valley would be fulfilled. although a priest of the temple, his jailer had listened with a most earnest and hearty attention to the expounding of christian doctrine that was opened to him, and had shown a very cheering willingness to recognize the shortcomings of his own idolatrous belief as compared with the principles of this purer and nobler faith. and he had told fray antonio that many of his companions in the service of the temple, having heard somewhat of the new creed from those who had tome up from huitzilan, were eager to know more concerning it; so that it would seem, fray antonio declared, as though there were a harvest there ready to be reaped to christianity by his hand. the case was such, he thought, that could he but speak publicly to the multitude, and especially could there but be vouchsafed from heaven some sign by which the verity of his words might be established, he yet would win to the glorious christian faith this whole community, that, through no fault of its own, until that time had remained lost in heathen sin. rayburn and i exchanged glances as fray antonio spoke of aid being given him in his work by a sign from heaven, for to our notions the time of miracles was a long while past. but fray antonio, as we knew (for once or twice we three had spoken together of this matter), did not at all hold with us in believing that miracle-working had come to an end; and indeed his faith was entirely logical; for, as he himself put it, those who believed that miracles ever had been wrought for the advancement of christianity could not reasonably draw a line at any year since the christian church was founded, and say that in that year miracles ceased to be. in this matter, as in many others, the resemblance between fray antonio and the founder of his order, saint francis of assisi, was very strong. pablo's experience as a prisoner had been of a far more trying sort; for the priests had sought earnestly, he said, by most stringent means, to pervert him from christianity to their own faith. when we had been so rudely separated that day, after our interview with the priest captain, he, and el sabio with him, had been hurried up the stairs to the temple, and thence to the treasure-house; and there, though not in the part of it in which we then were, he had been ever since confined. strong measures certainly had been taken to make a heathen of him. he had been starved for a while, and he had been deprived of water, and he had been cruelly scourged, and very harrowing presentments had been made to him of the death that he must die should he much longer refuse to yield. that the lad had remained firm in his faith, he told us, sobbing a little at memory of his hardships, was because of the sorrow that he knew his yielding would bring upon fray antonio and upon me; which certainly was not the reason that fray antonio most would have approved, but it did not in the least detract from the steady courage that he had shown in holding out firmly under pressure that would have made many a man succumb. in all the time that so many cruelties had been practised upon him, only one man had shown him kindness--an old man, who seemed to be in charge of the archives that the treasure-house contained, who twice had risked his own life by secretly giving him water and food. but he never had been separated from el sabio, pablo said joyfully, in conclusion, nor had his mouth-organ been taken away from him; and these blessings had done much to lessen the misery that he was compelled to bear. when, in our turn, rayburn and young and i had told of the far more stirring adventures that we had passed through, and of our high hopes seemingly so well founded that had suffered so dismal a downfall, we all of us wisely refrained from speculating at all upon the future; instead of which profitless and painful topic we strove to speak cheerfully of indifferent matters; and this we did not only that we might the better keep our hearts up, but that we might not excite rayburn, who already was in a dangerously feverish condition by reason of his wound. but, though we spoke not of it, we none of us doubted what our fate would be; nor did we imagine that the death that surely awaited us would be long delayed. it was a source of wonder to us, therefore, that day after day went by without bringing the end that we so confidently expected. from the man who brought us our food we could learn nothing; but this was not from ill-will on his part, but because he himself knew nothing of the priest captain's plans. this man, though a priest, was not unkindly disposed towards us, and he even listened to the words which fray antonio addressed to him touching christian doctrine; but while he listened--being made of a sterner stuff than the priest who previously had been fray antonio's jailer--he gave no sign of assent. the only other person whom we had a chance to speak with, and this but rarely, was the old man who had shown kindness to pablo, the guardian of the archives--who, by right of his official position, had free access to that portion of the treasure-house from which the second grating cut us off. at the grating he and i had some very interesting conversations together upon archæological matters; but fray antonio took but little interest in him when he found how slight was the impression made upon him by the most serious of doctrinal talk. in truth, this old fellow--wherefore my own heart warmed to him--was wholly given to the study of antiquities; and so full was his mind of this delightful subject that there was no room left in it for thoughts about religions of any sort. he was entirely catholic in this matter, for his unconcern respecting christianity was neither more marked nor less marked than was his unconcern toward his own avowed faith. many curious things this old man told me touching the history of his people; and he showed me, also, the manner in which their annals were kept--an obvious evolution from the picture-writing of the aztecs that had advanced to a stage closely resembling the cross between ideaographs and an alphabet that the coreans use--all of which i have dealt with exhaustively in my larger work. and he told me also, with a wonder that did not seem uncalled for, that several times in each year the priest captain retired to the very place in which we then were imprisoned, and remained there sometimes for as much as a whole month cut off from his people, without food or drink, while he communed with the gods. but what seemed strange to me, and also bitterly disheartening, was that this old man, notwithstanding the office that he held and his hungry love for ancient things, could tell me nothing of the treasure that king chaltzantzin had stored away. he knew of this treasure, he said, only as a vague tradition; and although, at one time or another, he had explored every chamber in the treasure-house, he never had found of this ancient deposit the smallest trace; for which excellent reason he had concluded that if ever there had been such a treasure it long since had been dispersed. no doubt--considering how useless to me, beyond the mere gratification of my own curiosity, would have been its discovery--my regret at this abrupt ending of my hopes was most unreasonable; but i confess that, so far as i myself was concerned, the very keenest pang of sorrow that i suffered through all that sorrowful time was when i thus learned that the archæological search that i had entered upon so hopefully, and that i had so laboriously prosecuted, had been but a fool's errand from first to last. xxxiv. a martyrdom. heavily and wearily the days dragged on as we lay in that dismal prison hewn from the mountain's heart; and as they slowly vanished there stole upon us a new sorrow, that was deeper and more searching than the doubting dread by which we were beset touching the cruel ending of our lives. rayburn's wound--a very savage cut in the thigh, made by the jagged edge of a maccahuitl--from the first had been a dangerous one; and the danger had been aggravated by inflammation that had followed that long, hot journey across the lake, and by the rough handling that his bearers had given him, and by the excitement that had attended el sabio's fiery outburst beside the sacrificial stone. even fray antonio's skill in surgery, without which he assuredly would have quickly died, only barely sufficed to keep him alive while the fever was upon him; and when at last the fever left him, the little strength remaining to him grew less with every passing day. it was pathetic to see this man, who until then had been the very embodiment of rugged vigor, so worn with suffering that without fray antonio's tender assistance he scarce could move; and still more pathetic was it to hear him moaning in his pain, and uttering heart-sick longings for sunlight and fresh air, for need of which, fray antonio affirmed, he was dying there quite as much as because of his wound. indeed, the chill chamber in the rock where he was lying was no fit place even for a well man at that time to dwell in; for the season of rains had come, and all the nights were cold and damp, while through the afternoons and in the night-time, during which portions of the day the rain fell in torrents, the whole mountain was shaken by the tremendous peals of thunder which roared and crashed about its crest. it was after one of poor rayburn's pitiable outbreaks of weak moaning that young led me away into the oratory, with the evident intention of delivering himself of some matter that pressed heavily upon his mind. "see here, professor, i just _can't_ stand this any longer," he said, when we were alone. "i'm goin' t' send word t' th' priest captain t' ask him if finishin' me off in short order won't make him willin' t' let rayburn out o' this damp hole into some place where he can be comfortable, an' where in th' mornin's he can get some sun an' air. rayburn won't mind bein' squarely killed after he's healthy again. he ain't th' kind t' be afraid of anything when he's feelin' all right. but it's just infernal cruelty t' kill him this way--it wouldn't be fair to a dog. so i'm goin' t' try what i can do. it's nothin' much t' do, any way--only runnin' a little ahead o' th' schedule, that's all." oddly enough, something of a like purpose had been for some time past slowly forming in my own mind--though what i intended to do would have, i hoped, still better consequences; for my notion was to urge that for the pleasure that could be had from killing me, my companions should be given such freedom as was to be found in that rock-bound region beyond the barred pass. therefore, when young thus brought up the matter openly between us, i told him of my own intention; and with some emphasis i advised him that inasmuch as i first had thought of it, to me belonged the right to carry this project into execution; and especially was this right mine, i urged, because but for me neither he nor any of the rest of us--saving only, possibly, fray antonio--ever would have come into that valley at all. thereupon we fell to wrangling somewhat hotly; for young was a most pig-headed man when his mind was set upon anything, and his notions of argument even at the best of times were of the loosest kind. how our talk might have ended i cannot tell, for each of us most resolutely was determined to have his own way; but it actually did end because of an interruption by which we presently learned that a will finer and stronger than either of ours had been acting, while we had been only thinking, in a fashion that cut the ground completely from under us both. and all that followed within the next hour or two came upon us with so startling a suddenness that it seemed less like reality than like a terrible dream. the first intimation that we had that anything was upon us out of the common run of our drearily dull prison life was hearing a creaking noise that we knew must be caused by the raising of the grating that shut us in; and as we hurried out from the oratory into the long passage-way we saw a company of soldiers coming towards us, at the head of which was a priest. fray antonio and pablo, startled as we had been by the sound caused by the opening of the grating and the tramp of feet, also had come out into the passage; but while pablo evidently was wondering, even as we were wondering, what might be the purpose that these men had come to execute, the look upon the monk's face was of expectation rather than of surprise. and without waiting for the others to speak, he asked, eagerly: "is it to be?" "it is to be," the priest answered; and it seemed to me that there was sorrow in the look that went with his words, and sorrow also in the tone of his voice; and that this man truly was sorrowful because of the message that he brought i doubt not, for he was the priest who had been jailer to fray antonio, and whose mind had seemed so open to receive the doctrine that fray antonio taught. but there was only joy in the bearing of the monk as his question thus was answered; and there was a ringing gladness in his voice as he replied--being most careful first to draw us away from the room in which rayburn was lying--to our looks of wondering inquiry. "the priest captain has granted my request," he said, and added quickly: "do not sorrow for me, my friends. dying for the faith is the most glorious ending that life can have; and happier still is he to whom, with this rare privilege, is given also that of dying that those whom he loves may yet be saved alive. the priest captain has promised that when i have paid this little debt of life you whom i love so greatly shall go free--" "don't you believe him! he's a blasted liar from the word go!" young struck in, clean forgetting, in the passionate sorrow that was rising in his breast, that what fray antonio so plainly had in mind to do he himself had been most strongly bent upon doing but a moment before. but young spoke in english, and without heeding him fray antonio went on: "you two, and the boy, surely will live; and perhaps life may be given also to our friend. he is in god's hands. and then, until----" but further speech was not permitted to him. two soldiers stepped forward and grasped his arms, yet first suffering him for a moment to clasp hands with us, and so led him towards the open grating; and behind him young and i and pablo were conducted in a like fashion by the guards. as we passed the room in which rayburn lay we heard him moaning faintly; and so weak was he that it seemed to me a very likely thing for us to find him dead there upon our return--if, indeed, we ever returned at all. as we passed out into the inner court of the temple, where the sum shone joyously--for the day still was young, and the rain-clouds had but begun to gather about the mountain peaks--we heard a murmur in the air like the distant sound of bees buzzing; and as we entered the rear portal of the temple this sound grew louder, yet still was soft and blurred. in the temple, fray antonio was separated from us, being led towards the inner entrance of that subterranean passage which opened into the pit of the amphitheatre; and as we went onward to the great portal in the temple's front we cast towards him sorrowful looks, in which all the bitter pain that was in our hearts was concentrated, but had in answer from him, as he walked with elate bearing between his guards, only looks of most joyful hope in which was also a very tender love. the noise that at first had seemed to us like bees buzzing grew louder as we advanced, until, when we came out upon the open space before the temple, it swelled into a mighty roar. and there the cause of it was plain to us; for before us lay the great amphitheatre crowded with a seething multitude, and all the thousands gathered there were uttering savage cries of delight at thought of the savage spectacle that now in a few moments would gladden their fierce hearts. in the midst of this tumult we were hurried into a sort of balcony, heavily built of stone, that hung upon the slope of the amphitheatre; just behind and above which was a much larger balcony of richly wrought stone-work that was covered by a canopy of colored stuffs, and that had in its midst a sort of throne. and at sight of us a great shout went up, that in a moment died away into a hush of silence as the priest captain, with a company of priests about him, entered the balcony behind us and took his seat upon the throne. but in another instant the shouting burst forth again as fray antonio came out from the passage that opened beneath us, and in a moment was lifted bodily by his guards and placed upon the stone of sacrifice in plain view of all. i wondered as i saw that only soldiers accompanied him, and that there was no sign of the coming of the priests by whom the sacrifice would be made. but my wonder ceased, and the burning pain that then consumed me was a little lessened, as there came forth from the underground passage, guarded by four soldiers, a very tall, strong indian, whose muscles stood out in great knots upon his lithe body and legs and arms, and immediately following him six others no less powerful--for then i knew that fray antonio was not to die the cruel and bloody death of a sacrificial victim, but was to have, in accordance with the aztec custom, such chance of life as was to be found in fighting these seven men in turn and receiving his freedom when he had slain them all. yet as i looked at the slim figure of the monk, and then at these burly giants ready to be pitted against him, i knew that but one result could issue from that unequal combat; and a sudden dizziness came upon me, and for a moment all around me was dark. nor was this momentary darkness wholly imaginary; for just then--with a low growl of distant thunder--a fragment broke away from the great mass of black cloud that hung upon the crest of the cliff above us and drifted sluggishly across the face of the sun. when my dizziness had passed, and i could again see clearly, the warrior was standing upon the stone of sacrifice--naked save for his breech-clout, and armed with a round shield and a maccahuitl of hardened gold. the monk still wore his flowing habit, whence the hood had fallen back, so that his head was bare; in one hand he held his crucifix, and with the other he was motioning away the sword and shield that a soldier held out to him: at sight of which refusal on his part to be armed there was a shrill outcry among the multitude that the fight would not be fair; and to this sharp noise of strident voices there was added a solemn undertone that came in a low roll of thunder from the overhanging cloud. [illustration: fray antonio's appeal] as though to still the clamor, the monk waved his hand; and when at this sign the outcries ceased, he asked--yet addressing not the priest captain but the whole mass of people gathered there--if certain words which he desired to utter would be heard. and in answer to him there went up a shout of assent, in which was drowned completely (save that we, being close beneath him, heard it) the priest captain's order that the fight should begin. and it struck me that the priest captain showed his appreciation of the critical situation with which he then was dealing, and his dread of the forces which an ill-timed word in opposition to the will of the multitude might let loose against him, by refraining from repeating his order when silence came again, and all the thousands gathered there leaned forward eagerly to hearken to what fray antonio would say. and what he did say was the most moving and the most exalted deliverance that ever came forth from mortal man. to that great multitude he preached there shortly, but with an eloquence that i doubt not was born directly of heavenly inspiration, a sermon so searching, so full of god's great love and tenderness, and so full also of the majesty of his law and of the long-suffering of his mercy and loving-kindness, that every word of it falling from his lips seemed to burn into the depths of all those heathen hearts. my own heart was thrilled and shaken as it never had been stirred before, and the boy pablo wept as he listened; and even young, to whom the spoken words had no meaning, grew pale, and sweat gathered upon his forehead as his soul was moved within him by the infinitely beseeching tenderness of fray antonio's voice: for most wonderfully did his voice rise and fall in its cadenced sweetness and entreaty, and there was a strangely vibrant quality in his tones that matched the tenor of his words, and so held all that vast multitude spellbound. as he spoke on, a hush fell upon them who listened; and then through the throng a tremor seemed to run, but less a sound of actual speech than a subtle manifestation that in a moment a great outburst of assent would come, and i felt within me that the work which fray antonio had dared death to accomplish already was triumphantly concluded; and so waited, breathless, to hear this heathen host proclaim its glad allegiance to the christian god. but the priest captain also perceived how imminent was the danger that menaced the ancient faith, and dared to take the one chance left for saving it, and that a desperate one, by breaking in upon fray antonio's discourse with a ringing order that the fight should be no longer delayed; whereat a deep growl of dissent ran through the crowd, that was echoed in a still deeper roar of thunder in the dark sky. in truth, the gathering of the storm in the heavens above seemed to be wholly in keeping with the storm that with an equal celerity was gathering on the earth below. there was a heavy languor, a dense stillness in the air, and the cloud above us had drifted out from the face of the cliff so far that it now hung over all the city like a vast black canopy. from this sombre mass, that buried all beneath it in gloomy shadows, flashes of lightning shot forth that each moment increased in fiery intensity, and the rolling roar of thunder each moment grew louder and sharper in its dark depths. even as the priest captain spoke there came a yet more vivid flash, and almost with it a crashing peal. at the word of command, so vehemently given, the warrior faced about upon fray antonio, and held high aloft his sword; but the monk, firmly standing there, while in his eyes shone so glorious a light that it seemed as though the wrath of outraged heaven blazed forth from them, opposed to this earthly weapon only his out-stretched crucifix, and thus confronted the death that menaced him with so splendid a bravery that for an instant his huge antagonist was held still by a wonder that was born half of admiration and half of awe; and in the breathless hush of that supreme moment fray antonio cried out, in tones so clear and so ringing that his words were heard by all the thousands gathered there: "i call for help upon the living and the only god!" and even as these words still sounded in our ears there shot forth from the cloud above us a swift red flash of blinding light, and with this came a crash of thunder so mighty that the cliffs above strained and quivered, and great fragments of rock came hurtling down from them, and a shivering trembling surged through the whole mountain, so that we felt it swaying beneath our feet. and as we gazed in awe, through the gloom that from all parts of the heavens was gathering towards the height whereon we were, we saw before us god's wrath made manifest; for the warrior, still holding raised the metal sword that had tempted death to him, trembled, reeled a little, swayed gently forward, and then, with, a sudden jerk, swayed backward again, and so fell lifeless--his bare right arm, and all the length of his naked body to his very heel marked by a livid streak of bloody purple that showed where the thunder-bolt had passed. for a moment the monk also seemed stunned; and then, kneeling beside that lightning-blasted corpse, and holding his hands out-stretched towards heaven, whence his deliverance had come, he cried in a clear strong voice, of which the solemn tones rang vibrant through that awful silence: "the christian god liveth and reigneth! believe on him whose love and whose mercy are not less tender than is terrible his transcendent power!" there was no mistaking the thrill of movement that ran through the multitude as these words were spoken. i drew a long breath of thankfulness, for i felt that fray antonio was saved, and that in another instant my ears would be nigh burst by the thunderous roar of all those thousands--won to him by his own most moving eloquence, and by sight of the miracle whereby his deliverance had been wrought--that he should be set free. and in this instant--in the very moment that this sigh escaped me, while yet the pause lasted before that great shout came--the priest captain sprang from, his seat above us into the balcony where we prisoners stood guarded, on downward into the arena below, and thence upon the stone of sacrifice--all with a demoniac agility most horrible to look upon in one of his withered age--and there, with a fierce thrust of a spear that he had caught from a soldier's hand in passing, he pierced fray antonio between the shoulders straight through the heart; and the monk, still grasping in his hands his crucifix, fell face downward upon the stone of sacrifice, and lay there dead! then itzacoatl, standing with one foot upon the monk's dead body, and grasping still the spear that he had planted in that noble heart, cried out, triumphantly, "behold the victory and the vengeance of our aztec gods!" and the multitude, swayed backward from the very threshold of the christian faith, shouted together in one mighty voice, "victory and vengeance for our gods!" xxxv. the treasure-chamber. close in the wake of that great thunder-crash there burst upon us so mighty a flood of rain that it seemed as though the lightning had riven solid walls asunder within the thick black mass of overhanging vapour, and so had let loose upon us the waters of a lake. in a moment the whole pit of the amphitheatre was awash, knee-deep, and before those who were standing there could flounder to the steps leading upward they were buried to their waists--and this although the water was pouring out through the vent provided for it with such violence that we could hear the rush and gurgle of it above the dashing and roaring of the falling rain. and all the dark mass of cloud above us was aflame continuously with blinding flashes of red lightning, while a continuous crash of splitting peals of thunder rang through the shattered air. doubtless this storm was our salvation. that the priest captain's intention, even from the first, had been to kill us also, and so make his victory complete, i do not for a moment doubt; but he was too shrewd to waste upon a few terrified spectators an exhibition that would carry with it a salutary demonstration of his power; and with the bursting of the flood upon us, the crowd that filled the amphitheatre had begun a tumultuous flight to the temple; going thither partly for shelter, and partly being awe-struck by what had passed before them and by the tremendous fury of the storm, that they might find safety in the abiding-place of their gods. therefore, the order was given hurriedly that we should be taken back to our prison; in obedience to which command our guards led us through the temple--where they had difficulty in forcing a way for us through the dense throng that had gathered within its walls--and thence to the treasure-house beyond; and they were in such haste to be quit of us, that they also might seek safety in the temple, that they scarce waited to close the grating behind us before they sped away. so overwhelming was the grief that had fallen upon us that for some moments we stood as though stunned where the guards had left us; and, for myself, my one regret was that the chance of the storm, by saving me yet a little while longer alive, had lost to me the happiness of dying in the same hour with the friend whom i had so strongly loved. i think that this thought was in young's heart also, as he stood there silent beside me, the blood so drawn away from his face that a dull yellow pallor overspread his bronzed skin, while his breath came short and hard. as for the boy pablo, his whole being was shattered. he sank down on the rock at our feet, and seemed to be moaning his very life out in long quivering sobs. but presently, as our minds grew steadier, the thought of rayburn came to us; and the strain upon our heart-strings was relaxed a little by remembering that our lives still were worth holding fast to in order that we might minister to his needs. yet when we came again into the room where he lay, it seemed at first as though he also was lost to us; for even in that faint light we saw that his face was a deadly white, and when we spoke to him he neither spoke nor moved. but, happily, our dread that he had died in that gloomy solitude was not realized; for as i laid my hand upon his bare breast i felt his heart feebly beating, and at the touch of my hand he sighed a little, and then slowly opened his eyes. "he's only swounded," young cried, joyfully. "it's th' smotherin' shut-upness o' this forlorn hole he's lyin' in. there's a little more air out in th' big room. just grab t'other end o' th' stretcher, professor, an' we'll yank him out there--nobody's likely t' come in t' stop us while this storm lasts. an'--an' we must be careful how we talk, professor, y' know," he added, in a lower tone, as we raised the stretcher. "it won't do for him t' know about--about _it_ now." there was a break in young's voice as he spoke, and i could feel by the momentary quiver of the stretcher that a shiver went through him as he thought of that "it," about which we must for a time hold our peace. young bore the forward end of the stretcher, and as we came into the oratory i felt him start as he exclaimed, "what th' devil's broke loose here?" the darkness of the storm outside shrouded the oratory in a dusky twilight; but even through the shadows which lay thick about us we could see that there had been within this chamber some outbreak of extraordinary and tremendous violence; for the image of the god huitzilopochtli had been cast down and broken into fragments, and just behind where it had stood there was a dark rift in the gold-plating of the walls, where several plates had been wrenched bodily away. a strong odor of sulphur hung heavily in the air, and, as i perceived it, the whole matter was plain to me. but young sniffed at this odor suspiciously when we had brought the stretcher gently to rest upon the floor, and in a startled voice exclaimed, "th' devil has been bustin' around in here for sure, an' he's left his regular home-made stink for a give-away!" and as he spoke there was manifest a decided bristling of his fringe of hair. i could not help smiling at this quaint proof of the shattered condition of young's nerves--for, under ordinary circumstances, he was the very last man in the world to place faith in things supernatural--but i answered him promptly: "then the devil did a stroke of honest business at the same time, for all this is the work of the same thunder-bolt, or of a part of it, that killed that indian. didn't you hear the rocks flying from the cliff where it struck?" "that's just what i was goin' t' say myself," young replied, a little awkwardly. "an' that's what's the matter with rayburn, an' made him swound away. how d' you find yourself now, old man?" he went on--rather glad to change the subject, i fancied--as rayburn, at sound of his own name, moved a little. "i feel queer," rayburn answered. "sort of numb and dizzy. where's the padre?" "an' it's not much blame to you that you do feel queer," young replied, hurriedly. "this last thing you've taken it into your fool head t' do is bein' busted all t' bits by a stroke o' lightnin'. most folks would 'a' been satisfied with havin' their legs pretty much sliced off by injuns--but reasonableness ain't your strongest hold, rayburn; an' i guess it never was." rayburn smile faintly as young spoke, but instead of attempting to answer him--being still numbed by the heavy shock that he had received--he settled his head back upon the rolled-up coat that served him for a pillow, and languidly closed his eyes. whereupon young, seeing that there was nothing further that we could do for his comfort, betook himself--as his bent at all times was when any strange matter presented itself, and in this case with the half-crazed eagerness with which those upon whom a great sorrow has fallen seek instinctively to engage their minds with any trifling matter that will change the current of their thoughts--to investigating carefully the work of destruction that the thunder-bolt had wrought: examining the fragments of the idol, and the loosened plates of gold and the place on the wall whence these last had been wrenched away; which examination was the easier because the storm-cloud was leaving us--though the almost continuous loud rolling of the thunder still stunned our ears--and a stronger light came in through the opening in the roof. i seated myself beside rayburn and paid no attention to what young was doing; for my brooding sorrow was like a slow fire consuming me--as the tragedy that i had but just witnessed, and the infinite pathos that there was in seeing rayburn thus miserably dying, overwhelmed me with a desolate despair. even when young called to me, in a tone so eager and so penetrating that at any other time i should have been startled into quick action by his words, i did not rouse myself to answer him; though, in a dull way, i knew that he would not thus have spoken unless some matter of great moment had aroused the full energy of his mind. "professor! i say, professor!" he repeated: "get right up and come here. don't sit there like a chuckle-headed chump. get up, i tell you. here's some sort of a show for us. here's what looks like a way out o' this god-forsaken hole!" as i heard these words i did get up, and in a hurry, and so joined young where he was kneeling on the floor close beside the rear wall of the oratory, directly behind where the idol had stood until the thunder-bolt had dashed it down. it was at this point, apparently, that the lightning had entered the chamber; for here several of the plates of gold with which the walls were covered--overlapping each other like fish-scales--had been loosened, while three of them had been wrenched entirely from their fastenings and had fallen down. as i joined him, young excitedly pointed to the opening thus made, through which was visible not a solid wall of rock but a dark cavity, and from which was blowing a soft current of cool air. "it's a way out! it's a way out! i tell you," he cried. "this suck o' wind proves it. if we only can get some more o' these blasted plates loose we'll light out o' this and euchre the priest captain an' his whole d--n outfit yet! ketch hold here, professor, an' put your muscle into it for all you're worth. grab right here; now!" and young and i together pulled at the same plate with all our might and main. but for all the impression that we made upon it we might as well have tried to pull down the mountain; the plate did not stir. young gave a hearty curse (and i confess that hearing him swearing in that natural way again was a real comfort to me), and then we took another pull; and all this while, so much does the thought of saving his life put cheer into a man, my heart was bounding within me and the hot coursing of my blood seemed like to burst my veins. young's fervor was not less than mine, and we wrenched and tugged together, and never stopped to mark our cut and bleeding hands. "we've _got_ t' do it!" young exclaimed, as we paused at last, without having loosened the plate in the least degree. "there's some way o' workin' this thing, i know. it must be some sort of a door, an' if we only can get th' hang of it we'll be all right. have you got your wind again, professor? let's try 'f we can't sort o' prize this plate out; it's a little loose. just get your fingers under it an' we'll sort o' pull it up an' out at th' same time. so! now sling your muscle into it. heft!" we were stooping a little, and so had a strong purchase, and with all our united strength we heaved away together. there was a rattling of metal, a yielding of the plate so easy that our tremendous effort was out of all proportion to it; my fingers seemed suddenly to be nipped in a red-hot vice; young uttered a yell of pain, and then we both were sprawling on our backs on the floor, while in front of us was a broad opening in the wall where a wide section of the panelling had risen upward (the plates sliding up under each other), and so had made an open way. "h--ll! how that did hurt!" young mumbled, with his nipped fingers in his mouth; and i must say that the vigor of his language was not uncalled for, as i well understood by the pain that i myself was suffering. i never remember pinching my fingers so badly as i did then in the whole course of my life. however, we did not suffer our hurts, which were not really serious, to delay us in exploring this hidden place that so suddenly and with such unnecessary violence had opened to us. pushing upward the ingeniously contrived door from the bottom, we easily raised it until an opening was discovered the full height of a man; and through this we went into a narrow passage in the rock that in a moment turned and so brought us into a room that was nearly as large as the oratory that we had just left, and that, as we presently found, actually communicated with the oratory by means of two narrow slits high up in the wall; which apertures here were plainly visible, but on the other side were so cleverly disguised by an ingenious arrangement of the overlapping plates as to be entirely concealed. like the oratory, too, this room had an opening in its roof through which air entered, and so much light that we could see about us plainly. and the very first glance that i cast around me in this strange place assured me that, by sheer accident, we had found our way at last to the secret chamber wherein king chaltzantzin's treasure had lain hidden for a thousand years. rude shelves had been cut in the rock on all four sides of the room, and on these were ranged earthen pots of curious shapes, ornamented with strange devices that my newly acquired knowledge enabled me to recognize--to express the matter in the terms of our system of heraldry--as the arms of a king quartered with the arms of certain princely houses or tribes. on these shelves, also, were many quaintly wrought vessels and some small square boxes, all of which were of gold--together with a score or so of small idols moulded in clay or roughly carved in stone, in which last the workmanship was so far inferior to that of the earthen-ware pots and golden vessels as to show at a glance that they were the product of a much earlier and ruder age; but belonging to the same age as the gold-work, or to a period even later, was a very beautiful calendar stone most delicately carved in obsidian, that was identical, save in the matter of size, with the great calendar stone that now is preserved in mexico in the national museum. this was placed at one end of the room upon a carved pedestal; and at the opposite end of the room, the end farthest removed from the entrance, was a great stone image of the god chac mool. lying upon the calendar stone was what at first i took to be a cross-bow made of gold; but more careful examination convinced me, especially in view of the place where i had found it, that this certainly was an arbalest--called also a jacob's staff and a cross-staff--such as in no very ancient times, until the invention of the quadrant, was used by europeans in taking the meridional altitude of the sun and stars. at the moment that i made this last most curious and exceedingly interesting discovery, young, who had been investigating on his own account, gave a yell of delight, and bounded towards me flourishing his own brace of revolvers in his hands. "they're all here!" he cried. "all our guns are here, an' th 'ca'tridges too! now we _have_ got the bulge on these devils for sure!" as he spoke i also was thrilled with joy at the thought of the vengeance which this recovery of our arms might enable us to take upon fray antonio's murderers; but my joy was only momentary, for i could not but reflect that, after all, these aztlanecas had but acted in accordance with their lights--excepting only the priest captain, for whom the most cruel death would be all too merciful--and that our slaying them would not be vengeance, but mere brutal revenge. having which thoughts in mind, i answered, "at least we can shoot ourselves with them, and so be safe from death by sacrifice." "not much we won't shoot ourselves," young replied, with great energy; "an' nobody's goin' t' come monkeyin' 'round us with sacrifices, either. why, man alive, we ain't goin' t' stay here--not by a jugful! we're goin' t' light right out o' this an' be smack off for home." "how?" i asked, blankly, and with real alarm; for the hot hope that had filled me at the thought of our having found a way of escape had vanished as i perceived that from this chamber there was no outlet save the hole in the roof; which hole also accounted for the current of air whereby my hope had been inspired. therefore, when young spoke in this extravagant fashion, the dread came over me that he was going mad. "how?" he answered, "why, through that jack mullins, of course. he _is_ th' tippin' kind. i was just tryin' him, while you was pokin' 'round in that old rubbish, when i happened t' ketch sight of our guns; an' seein' them, you bet, made me bounce. here goes for another shot at him! stick somethin' under him t' keep him up when i heave." i was so dazed by the stunning wonder and by the joy that young's words carried with them, that i obeyed his order mechanically. with a grave seriousness he seated himself upon the head of the idol; and as the figure and the stone base upon which it rested settled down at the end upon which he sat, and its other end correspondingly swung upward, showing beneath it a dark opening, i wedged up the mass with a heavy plate of gold that served as the lid of one of the boxes ranged upon the shelves. "it won't do for us both together t' go down there," young said, as he rose from his seat and we peered into the dark cavity. "mullins might take 't into his fool head t' shut himself up while we was down there, an' that ud mean cold weather for rayburn an' pablo. i'll just jump down them steps an' prospect a little, while you look after him t' see that he keeps steady;" and with these words down he went into the hole. in five minutes or so he joined me again. "it don't look like th' nicest place i ever got into," he said, "but i guess we'll have t' take th' chances on it. there's a little room down there, an' out o' that a kind of a back entry leads into an everlastin' big cave. but there seems t' be a sort of a path runnin' along in the cave--it's all as dark as th' devil--an' as paths mostly have two ends to 'em, i guess if we keep on long enough we'll get somewhere. we can't stay here, that's sure, so we've just got t' risk it, an' th' sooner we get rayburn down there th' better. when he's solidly safe, then we can do some prospectin'--by good-luck we've got lots o' matches--an' see where that path goes to. just sling on your guns, professor, an' let's mosey back an' get th' percession started. it's hard lines on rayburn t' tumble him into a hole like that when he's feelin' so bad; but i guess it's better t' take th' chances o' killin' him that way ourselves than it is t' let these devils do it for sure. come on!" while he was speaking, young had buckled his revolvers about his waist and had slung his rifle over his shoulder, and i also in like manner had armed myself--whereby was restored to me a most comforting feeling of strength. as for young, the recovery of his weapons seemed to make him grow two inches taller, and he swaggered in his walk. xxxvi. the vengeance of the gods. almost in the moment that we thus found ourselves in condition to show fight again, the need for fighting seemed like to be forced upon us; for as we turned to leave the treasure-chamber we were startled by hearing a creaking sound that we knew came from the sliding upward of the grating in its metal grooves wherewith the entrance to our prison was made fast. we paused for a moment, and then young motioned to me to follow him, stepping lightly; and as we came out into the oratory we heard a fresh creaking, by which we knew that the grating had been closed. "i guess it's only th' fellow puttin' in th' grub," young whispered. "but go easy, professor, an' have your guns all handy, so's you can shoot. if anybody _has_ come in it won't do t' let 'em get out again. only mind you don't shoot unless you really have to. if there's only two or three of 'em we'd better try t' club 'em with our winchesters, so's not t' bring all hands down on us with a rush before we can get rayburn away." as he spoke, we were assured that some one had entered when the grating was raised and had remained on our side of the grating when it was closed again, for we heard footsteps in the room where we ordinarily lay; and then the footsteps drew nearer, as though the unseen person were examining the other rooms in search of us, and we knew that in another moment or two this person would enter the chamber wherein we were. rayburn was lying so quietly that it seemed as though he had fallen into a swoon again; and pablo, as we could tell by hearing his sobs, had betaken himself to the room in which el sabio was tethered in search of solacing companionship. young motioned me to stand on one side of the entrance to the oratory, and himself stood on the other; and thus we waited, while the footsteps rapidly drew nearer, in readiness most effectually to cut off the retreat of whoever might enter the room. the man who did enter, passing between us, was the priest captain. as he saw the wreck of the idol, and the opening in the wall behind where the idol had stood, he uttered an exclamation of alarm and rage; and in the same moment some instinctive dread of the danger that menaced him caused him to turn suddenly around. so, for an instant, he confronted us--and never shall i forget the look of malignant hatred that was in his face as in that instant he regarded us, nor his quick despairing gesture at sight of young standing there with his rifle raised. even as he opened his mouth to cry out, before any sound came from his lips, the heavy barrel of young's rifle swept downward, and with a groan he fell. had the blow struck fairly it could not but have split the man's skull open; but he swerved aside a little as the rifle came down, and the weight of the stroke, glancing from his head, fell upon his shoulder. in an instant, dropping the rifle, young was kneeling on his breast with a hand buried in the flabby flesh of his old throat, holding tight-gripped his windpipe. excepting only rayburn, young was the strongest man i ever knew (though, to be sure, at that time he was weakened by his then recent wound and by the privations of his imprisonment), yet it was all that he could do to hold that old man down and to maintain his choking grasp. with a most desperate energy and a fierce strength that seemed out of all nature in a creature so lean and old and shrivelled, the priest captain writhed and struggled in his efforts to throw young off, and sought also to grasp young's throat with his long bony hands--while foam gathered on his thin lips, and his withered brown face grew black with congested blood, and his black eyes protruded until the half of the eyeballs, bloody with bursting reins, showed around the black, dilated pupils. and then him struggles slowly grew less and less violent, his knotted muscles gradually relaxed, his mouth fell open so that his tongue lolled out hideously, his legs and arms twitched a little spasmodically--and then he lay quite still. [illustration: young's struggle with the priest captain] for a minute or two longer young maintained his grasp. then rising to his feet, breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from his face as he exclaimed, at the same moment giving the dead body a vicious kick: "you black devil, take that! now i've squared accounts with you for killin' th' padre--and it's the best day's work i've ever done!" though the struggle between the two had been a very desperate one, there had been no noise about it. through the whole fight rayburn had remained buried in his death-like stupor; and pablo, though so near to us, had heard no sound of it at all. "now, then, professor," young said, when he had got his wind back, "we've got t' bounce. th' first thing t' do is t' fasten that gratin' on our side, so's nobody can get in here t' bother us while we're doin' our skippin'. i guess we can sort o' wedge it fast so's t' stand 'em off for an hour or two, anyway, an' that's time enough to give us a fair start." "we can do something better than that, i think," i said, as we went together towards the grating. "unless i am much mistaken, only the priest captain knew about this sliding door and the treasure-chamber beyond it. if we can restore to their places those three plates, and can close the door behind us, i am persuaded that so far as pursuit of us is concerned we shall be absolutely safe." "gosh!" young exclaimed. "d' you know, professor, i wouldn't 'a' given you credit for havin' that much common-sense. it's a big idea, that is, an' we'll try it on. but, all th' same, we've got t' make things as sure as we can, an' this little job must be attended to first." as we approached the grating we saw two of the temple guard standing outside of it, apparently waiting for the priest captain's return; and these men looked at us with such evident suspicion that i feared for the success of our plans. "just talk to 'em," young said, hurriedly. "talk to 'em about th' last election, or chicken-coops, or anything you please, while i take a look 'round an' sec how we're goin' t' get this job done." young dropped behind me, and then aside and so out of sight, as i advanced to the grating and spoke to the men, whose faces somewhat cleared as i told them that the priest captain desired that they should wait there a little longer. and then i managed to hold their interest for some minutes while i spoke about the devil that was in el sabio, and about other devils of a like sort whom i had known in my time. while i thus spoke i heard a little tinkling sound, as of metal striking against stone--but if the soldiers also heard it they paid no attention to it--and then young whispered, "we're solid now; come on!" whereupon i quickly ended my imaginative discourse upon demoniac donkeys, and with no appearance of haste we walked away. "it was just as easy as rollin' off a log," young said, jubilantly. "there was a big gold peg stickin' there all ready t' slide into a slot, so's t' hold th' gratin' down, an' all i had t' do was t' slide it. i guess, with a plug like that holdin' that gratin' fast, they'll need jacks t' open it. th' only other way t' start it 'll be rammin' it with a bit o' timber; but bustin' it in that way 'll take a lot o' time, an' half an hour's plenty for all we've got t' do. if you're straight in thinkin' nobody knows about that slidin' door we're solid." i felt very sure in my own mind that i was right in believing that only the priest captain had known of this secret opening; for, after him, the most likely person to have knowledge of it was the keeper of the archives, and that he was altogether ignorant of it i was well assured. therefore i most cheerfully helped young, so far as my unskilful hands could be useful, in the work of restoring the gold plates to the places whence the lightning had wrenched them loose; and when this work was done, so cleverly did young manage it, there was no possibility of distinguishing the door from any other portion of the wall; nor was there then a sign of any sort remaining to show that by the passage of a thunder-bolt the idol had been destroyed. as we were finishing this piece of work we heard the soldiers at the grating calling to the priest captain--at first in low tones, and then more loudly; and then we heard them give a yell together, which convinced us that they had tried to raise the grating and had found that it was fastened down. the ten minutes that followed was the most exciting time that i ever passed through. notwithstanding the secure fashion in which the grating was fastened, we could not but dread that those outside had knowledge of some means whereby it could be loosened; and in any event there was no doubt but that they could force a way in upon us by beating it down. therefore we knew that there was no safety for us until we were fairly out of the oratory, and had closed behind us the sliding door--and with such difficult material to deal with as rayburn, who still lay in a heavy stupor, and pablo, whom sorrow had wellnigh crazed, we found it hard to make such haste as the sharp exigency of our situation required. pablo, indeed, was so lost in wonder at finding the broken idol, and the dead body of the priest captain, and a door open in the solid wall, that what little remained of his wits disappeared entirely; so that we had almost to carry him--while el sabio most intelligently followed him--into the treasure-chamber, and there we left the two together while we returned for rayburn. and as we lifted the stretcher our hearts bounded, for at that instant there was a tremendous crash at the grating; whereby we knew that those without had brought to bear against it some sort of a battering-ram that they might beat it in. "it's a close call," young said between his teeth; and added, as we rested the stretcher inside the passage while we closed behind us the sliding door: "if you're off your base, professor, an' they do know th' trick o' this thing, it may be all day with us yet--but it's a comfort t' know that even if they do finish us we'll everlastin'ly salt 'em first with our guns." we heard another great crash behind us, but faintly now that the sliding door was closed, as we went onward into the treasure-chamber; and here we heard the like sound again, more clearly, through the slits cut in the wall. as gently as our haste, and the awkwardness of that narrow way would permit, we lifted rayburn from the stretcher, and so carried him down the short flight of stairs beneath the upraised statue to the little chamber that there was hollowed in the rock. here we laid him upon the stretcher again; and then, without any ceremony whatever, we bundled pablo and el sabio down the hole. it was a smaller aperture, even, than that through which we had come forth from the cave of the dead, and how el sabio was able to condense himself sufficiently to get through it will remain a puzzle to me to my dying day. all this while we could hear plainly, through the slits in the wall, the crashing blows which every minute or so were delivered against the grating, together with a shrill roar of shouts and yells; and we knew that before this vigorous assault the grating must give way within a very brief period, and so let in the whole yelping pack. if i were right in my belief that the priest captain alone knew of the secret outlet to the oratory, we still would be safe enough, and could make some preliminary examination of the cave before we closed the way behind us irrevocably by letting the statue fall back into its place; but if i were mistaken, then there was nothing for us but to take the chance of life and death by going on blindly into that black cavern, after wedging fast the under side of the statue in such a way that it no longer could be swung open from above. it was most necessary, therefore, that we should see what course our enemies would take when they came into the oratory and found it empty of us, and the idol broken, and the priest captain lying dead there; and, that we might compass this end, young and i returned into the treasure-chamber and mounted upon a ledge that seemed to have been provided for a standing-place--whence we had a clear view into the oratory through the slits in the wall. and at the very moment that we thus stationed ourselves there reverberated through those rock-hewn chambers a deafening crash and a jingling clang of metal and a rattle of falling stone; and with this came a yell of triumph and a rush of footsteps--and then, in an instant, the oratory was full of soldiers and priests, all yelling together like so many fiends. but upon this violent hubbub there fell a hush of awe and wonder as those who had thus tumultuously entered the oratory saw the priest captain lying dead amid the fragments of the shattered idol, and perceived that the prisoners who had been shut within these seemingly solid walls had vanished utterly away; and then a sobbing murmur, that presently swelled into moans and cries of terror, arose from the throng; and in a moment more, seized by a common impulse, the whole company bowed downward, in suppliant dread of the gods by whom such direful wonders had been wrought. young gave a long sigh of relief, and with a most mouth-filling oath whispered in my ear, "they haven't tumbled to it, an' we're all right!" as we gazed at these terror-stricken creatures, a thought occurred to me on which i promptly acted. "get both of your revolvers pointed through that hole," i whispered to young. "point high, so that the balls will not hit anybody; and when i begin to shoot do you shoot also, and as quickly as you can. mind, you are not to hit anybody," i added; for i saw by the look on young's face that he longed to fire into the crowd point-blank. for answer he gave me a rather sulky nod of assent; but i saw by the way that he held his pistols that my order was obeyed. "now," i said, "fire!"--and as rapidly as self-acting revolvers would do it, we poured twenty-four shots through the slits in the wall. no doubt several people were hurt by balls bounding back from the rock, but i am confident that nobody was killed. when we ceased firing it was impossible to see anything in the oratory, because of the dense cloud of sulphurous smoke wherewith it was filled; but such shrieks and yells of soul-racking terror as came from beneath that black canopy i hope i may never hear again. i waited a little, until this wild outburst had somewhat quieted, and then--placing my mouth close to one of the openings and speaking in a voice that i tried to make like that of fray antonio--i said, in deep and solemn tones, "behold the vengeance of the strangers' god!" what effect my words produced i cannot tell. our firing must have loosened a fragment of rock between the gold plating that lined the oratory and the outer surface of the wall, and even as i spoke this fragment fell. with its fall the opening was irrevocably closed. "that was a boss dodge," said young, as he recharged his revolver. "those fellows 'll just think hell's broke loose in here, for sure; and i guess after they've onct fairly got outside they'll rather be skinned alive than come back again. but what did you say to 'em? hearin' you talkin' like th' padre, that way, gave me a regular jolt. don't you think, though, maybe it was a little bit risky t' give ourselves away?" but when i had repeated in english the words which i had spoken, young very seriously shook hands with me. "shake!" he said. "i've done you injustice, professor. sometimes i've thought that you was too much asleep for your own good--but if anybody ever did anything more wide awake than that, i'd like t' know _what_ he did and who he was. why, when those fellows tell about all that's been goin' on in here--about their busted idol, an' their dead priest captain, an' our skippin,' an' this row our shootin' has made, an' then about th' padre's ghost talkin' to 'em that way--it's bound t' give 'em such a jolt that th' whole outfit 'll slew smack round an' be christians right off!" some such notion as this had been in my own mind as i executed the plan that on the spur of the moment i had formed. when, later, i thought about it more calmly, i could not but regret, for fray antonio's sake, my hasty action; for he would have been the very last man to approve of such stringent methods of advancing the christian faith. if any result came from my demonstration, it certainly came through terror; and the essence of fray antonio's doctrine, as it was also of his own nature, was gentleness and love. xxxvii. through darkness to light. "i guess we're solid now, as far as bein' bothered by those sacred devils goes," young said, as we stepped down from the ledge of rock on which we had been standing; "but this ain't no time t' take no chances, an' th' sooner we see what show we've got for gettin' anywhere through that cave, th' better it'll be. an' we've got t' look after rayburn. he's closter t' handin' in his checks t'-day than he's been at all. just think o' him keepin' still through all that row, an lettin' himself be yanked around like a bag o' meal without takin' any notice of it! but there's just a squeal of a chance for him if we do get clear away. knowin' that he's safe 'll do him more good, even, than fresh air an' sunshine--an' oh lord! how good fresh air an' sunshine 'll be, if ever we do strike 'em again!" when we descended the stair-way again to the little hollow in the rock where rayburn was lying, we found that he still remained in his dull stupor and took no notice of our coming. close beside were pablo and el sabio, huddled together for mutual support in this very trying passage of their lives. el sabio, indeed, was a most melancholy and dejected creature, for his short commons and his long confinement had taken the spirit out of him pretty thoroughly; but for our purposes just then, when his tractability was very necessary to us, it was a piece of good-fortune that he had fallen into so low a way. as for pablo, the boy was in so dazed a condition that i feared greatly he would wholly lose his wits. there was only a faint suggestion of light in that deeply hidden place, and young struck a match that he might see to begin his explorations. "well, i'll be shot," he exclaimed, as the wax-taper shed its clear light around us, "if here ain't a conductor's lantern hangin' up all ready for us, an' a can o' kerosene oil!" as he lighted the lantern, and the letters f. c. c. showed clearly on the glass, he added, in a tone of still greater amazement: "ferro-carril central! why, it b'longs t' one o' th' boys on th' central!--but how th' dickens did it ever get _here_? an' here's a lot of old clothes--th' sort o' rags th' low-down greasers wear. an' i'm blest," he went on, as he picked up a scrap of paper from the floor, "if this ain't a mexican central ticket from leon to silao! it's dated last june, an' it's only punched once, so 't couldn't 'a' been used all the way. i say, professor, am i asleep or awake?" as i examined the several articles which we had come upon so strangely in this incongruous plate, a flood of light was let in upon my mind, and with this came also the glad certainty that the way before us to freedom was open and assured. my belief that the priest captain had been in communication with the outside world no longer admitted of a doubt, for here was absolute proof of it: the clothes which he wore when making his expeditions into the nineteenth century; the lantern that he had stolen in order the more easily to find his way through the cave; the railway ticket that he had but lately used. in an instant i had connected all this with what the guardian of the archives had told me concerning the priest captain's habit of retiring for long periods of time to one of the chambers in which we had been imprisoned, and the whole matter was as plain to me as day; and i knew now, that in order to guard against discovery, he, or one of his predecessors, to whom this secret way must also have been known, had caused to be set in place the fastening by which the grating could be secured upon its inner side; which fastening, within that very hour, had been the means of saving our lives. "well," said young, dryly, when i had briefly explained these several matters, "i guess he won't pull th' wool over nobody's eyes any more! an' now you an' me 'll do some prospectin'. we must go back upstairs, before we pull out for good, an' bag what there is there that's worth carryin' off; but th' first thing t' do is t' get rayburn where he'll be comfortable an' safe. until that's attended to we've got t' be careful an' go slow; so we'll rouse up this fool of a pablo, an' get it into his head that if he hears anybody comin' he's t' knock th' plug from under mullins an' let him down, an' then chock him fast with a rock underneath. it's not likely that anybody _will_ come, an' even if they do, i don't think that they'll know th' trick about mullins' tippin', for that's a point that i'll bet a whole kag o' beer th' priest captain didn't give away t' nobody. i tell you, professor, there wasn't any flies on that old man, now was there? he was a wicked old devil, an' i'm glad i did for him; but he was just an everlastin' keen one, an' a rustler from th' word go!" in the dazed condition in which he then was, we scarcely should have ventured to place pablo in a position of such grave responsibility had there been any likelihood of his being called upon to perform the duty with which we charged him; but we were well satisfied that to the priest captain alone had been known the secret of the sliding door, and that, consequently, the need for closing the passage leading upward into the treasure-chamber would not arise. without any fear for rayburn's safety; therefore, we left him lying in the little room at the foot of the stair-way, and thence went forth through a cleft in the rock--that seemed to be a natural crevice, where the mountain was split apart--and so came into a natural cave of such great size that the light of the lantern was not sufficient to enable us to see its roof nor its farther wall. save that the well-defined path that we followed was continuously steep, we did not find walking difficult, for the fragments of rock with which the floor of the cave everywhere was strewn had been lifted aside carefully, so as to make a smooth and easy way. and only in one place--where for a short distance the path skirted the edge of a black gulf, in the depths of which we could hear the rush of water--was any part of it dangerous. for near an hour we went onward, all the while steadily ascending; and then, as we turned a corner, we saw a long way before us a faintly luminous haze. it was so very faint that only by holding the lantern behind us, and then closing our eyes for a moment, could we assure ourselves that what we saw really was light at all; but when we turned another corner, presently, the light, though still faint, was unmistakable; whereat young gave a whoop of joy, and we quickened our steps in our eager longing to behold the sunshine that we knew could not be far away. suddenly the path dipped downward, and then another turn brought us into light so strong that the lantern no longer was needed to show us where to tread; and by a common impulse we gave a great glad shout together and went onward at a run; and so, running and shouting like the crazy creatures that truly for the time being we were, we made one turn more, and then beheld before us, reaching away broadly and openly in a fashion to give one a sense of most glorious freedom, a vastly wide plain, over which everywhere the blessed sunshine blazed full and strong. as we stood together in the mouth of the cave for a moment in silence--for no words seemed strong enough to express the bursting gladness that was in our hearts--two short blasts of a whistle, wafted upward on the light breeze that was blowing towards us from the plain, sounded very faintly but clearly in our ears. young started as he heard this sound, and as he turned towards me he held out his hand and said, in a voice that was husky and tremulous, "professor, that's a locomotive whistle, an' th' d----n fool is--is whistlin' 'down brakes'!" and in these curiously chosen, yet not unmeaning words, did we celebrate our deliverance. when we returned to rayburn--and as we now knew the way, and as almost the whole of it was downhill, our return was accomplished rapidly--some of the joyous strength that we had gained seemed to be imparted to him. he opened his eyes as we stooped over him, and there seemed to be more life in them than there had been through all that day. "rouse up, old man!" young cried cheerily. "we've struck th' trail out o' this cussed hole at last, an' we're goin' t' hike you right along to where you'll get some of god's sunshine again, an' some air that's fit for a white man t' breathe;" which words brought still more light into rayburn's eyes, and a little color came into his pale cheeks as we told him of the open way that we had found to light and life. "where's the padre?" he asked, as we together raised the stretcher, while pablo, holding the lantern and leading el sabio, went on ahead of us. fortunately rayburn could not see young's face as he answered: "th' padre's--well, th' padre's just gone on up th' line. you've got t' hold your jaw, rayburn. you ain't fit t' talk; an' while we're packin' you along we can't talk either. come on, professor; and you, pablo," he added, in his jerky spanish. "be careful with that lamp or i'll break the head of you!" although a good third of his flesh had wasted away, rayburn would have been a heavy load for us to carry over level ground, even had we been hale and strong. worn as we then were by our prison-life, we found carrying him up that long steep path in the heart of the mountain a weary work that only the hope and joy that strengthened us enabled us to accomplish. as it was, we went so slowly, and made so many halts for rest, that the sun had sunk almost to the level of the distant mountains, wherewith that great plain was bordered to the westward, when at last our toilsome journey was at an end. but we thought nothing of the heaviness of our labor as we saw the glad look that came into his face when he gazed out over that broad expanse of sunlit landscape, and snuffed eagerly the sweet fresh air, and so felt his soul grow light within him as he realized that he once more was safe and free. in the mouth of the cave--within its shelter, yet where he could see out freely, and so have constantly in his mind the comforting thought of his deliverance--we made a bed for him of soft pine-branches, which some near-by trees gave us; and we took care that this couch should be so thick and so evenly laid that he would lie easily upon it; for we knew that many days, perhaps even weeks, must pass before we could venture to put so heavy a strain upon his strength as would come when we carried him down that rough mountain-side, and so began our journey towards home. fortunately, a little spring came out from the rock, clear and cool, just inside the cave; and game was so abundant on that mountain-side that young came back presently from a foraging expedition with half a dozen codornices, that he had come so close to as to shoot with his revolver, and a jack-rabbit that he actually had caught with his hands as it jumped up almost beneath his feet; which excellent fare made a most satisfying supper for all of us; and eating it so added to rayburn's strength--as we could tell by the fuller tones of his voice, and by his being able to move a little on his bed without our helping him--as to rouse in us a warm hope that the death that seemed so near to him might yet be thrust away. our chief concern, lest the shock that would come to him of knowing it should fairly kill him, was to hide from him for the present the knowledge that fray antonio was dead; and to compass this end we plumply told him the flat-footed lie that the monk had gone on in search of some town whence he might bring back horses and supplies; and so, for a time, we laid at rest his doubts. in his own original way, also, young tried to put heart into him. "you see, old man," he said, "you've just _got_ t' pull through. think how d----d ashamed o' yourself you'd feel after you was dead when you had t' tell all th' folks in heaven that you was killed by nothin' better'n a mis'rable chump of an injun! that was what bothered poor old steve hollis when he was handin' in _his_ checks--'t least it was th' same general sort of idea. i guess you never knew steve, did you, rayburn? he was an old railroader--had been a-workin' on th' old colony one way and another for more'n twenty years. when i knowed him he used t' run th' steamboat express from boston t' fall river--their boss train on that blasted old road. steve owned a house clost t' th' line just a little way out o' braintree; an' when 't was his day off he'd mostly slide down from fall river on no. 2, an' walk out home from braintree along th' track. nobody ever know'd just how 't happened--steve was th' soberest man i ever knowed; never drunk a drop o' nothin'--but one day, as he was walkin' out home, no. 15, that was th' slow freight from boston t' newport, ketched him an' got in its work on him--an' that was th' end o' steve. it didn't kill him right smack off, an' i went down t' see him; for i did think th' world of old steve. he was a-layin' in his bed, an' i could see that he was a-most gone when i got there; but he chippered up a little for a minute as i shook hands with him and ast him how he was. he said he was poorly; an' then he kep' quiet for a while. then he kind o' ketched his breath an' seemed t' want t' say somethin'. so i bent over him, an' he said, in a kind of a whisperin' groan: 'jus' think of it, seth, what did it was th' slow freight! that's what cuts me; that's what cuts me the worst kind. i wouldn't a-minded if 't had been th' express--them things will happen, an' they've got t' come. but here i've been a-railroadin' for more'n twenty year, an' t' think o' _me_ bein' busted by that d----n slow freight!' an' then he turned over, an' give a sort of a grunt, an' died." i am not sure that i myself should have selected this particular story to tell to rayburn just then; but the moral that it contained unquestionably was a sound one, and, in a way, was calculated to impress upon him strongly the conviction that his duty was to get well. xxxviii. king chaltzantzin's treasure. whether or not young's story had this good effect upon rayburn, i am not prepared to say; but it is certain that he slept well that night--his first good night's sleep for many weeks--and that when morning came he was so much stronger and brighter as to fill us with a still more earnest hope that he was well started on the way to recovery. young quickly brought in some birds for our breakfast, and when the meal was finished he took me aside and said: "now, professor, lets me an' you go back t' that hole an' bring away all there is there that's worth carryin'. it's not much, i guess, but it's better'n nothin'. it just makes me sick t' think of all that gold, that ud 'a' made our everlastin' fortunes if we'd only been able t' pack it along with us. there was millions an' millions there, i s'pose--an' it 'll never do us any more good than if we'd never seen it at all!" and as young spoke he heaved a very melancholy sigh. "but we may as well grab all we can get," he went on, more cheerfully. "there was a lot o' gold boxes an' jugs in th' room where mullins is; an' maybe there's somethin' that's worth havin' in all them little pots. let's go back an' see, anyway. rayburn's lookin' almost all right this mornin'; and pablo's got his wits back now, an' can give him anything he wants." for my own part i did not desire, because of their money value, any of the articles which i had seen in the treasure-chamber; but i did very earnestly long to possess myself of that most curious arbalest, and i desired also to examine carefully--because of the discoveries of great archæological value which i hoped to make--the contents of the gold boxes and vases and earthen jars. therefore, rayburn having expressed his entire willingness that we should leave him, i assented readily to young's proposition; whereupon young lighted the lantern and we set off. as we entered again the treasure-chamber there was within me a strong feeling of awe. during our hurried passage through it, the imminent danger in which we were, and then the excitement of the scene in the oratory, and then the joyfulness of our finding a way of escape, had prevented me from realizing how wonderful was the deposit that this room contained; a deposit that certainly had lain there for not less than a thousand years, and that unquestionably was the most perfect surviving trace of the most intelligent and most interesting people that in prehistoric times dwelt upon this continent. which strange reflections, now that my mind was free to entertain them and to dwell upon them, aroused within me a feeling of such reverent wonder that i hesitated for some moments before i could bring myself to disturb what thus through so long a sweep of ages had remained sacredly inviolate. but reverence, as he himself would have said, was not young's strongest hold; in truth, i am persuaded that there was not an atom of it in his entire composition; and as i stood hesitating beside the statue of chac-mool he briskly called to me: "come right along, professor; there ain't nobody t' stop us now. we've got th' drop, you might say, on th' whole outfit, an' we can do just as we blame please. this looks like a badly kept drug store, don't it?" he went on, "with all these pots an' boxes an' little jars stuck round on th' shelves. well, here goes t' see what's in 'em: not much o' nothin', i guess; but then it _might_ be di'monds, an' that just would be gay!" as young spoke he thrust his hand into one of the earthen jars, and thereby set flying such a cloud of dust that for some seconds his violent sneezing prevented him from examining the small object that he had brought forth from the jar and held in his hand; and when he did examine this object an expression of intense disgust appeared upon his face, and he exclaimed, indignantly, "why, it's nothin' but a fool arrow-head!" i could not but laugh at young as i took the arrow-head from him. for my purposes, this beautifully carved piece of obsidian was far more precious than a diamond would have been; and i tried--quite unsuccessfully, however--to arouse his interest in this proof of the high degree of skill to which the prehistoric races of america had attained in the manipulation of an exceedingly hard yet delicate variety of stone; and i added that not less interesting was the proof thus afforded us of the great value which these same races attached to implements of war. "oh, come off with your prehistoric races, professor!" he growled. "a whole car-load o' rubbish like this wouldn't be worth a nickel t' anybody but a scientific crank like you. if this is th' sort o' stuff that that old king o' yours thought was worth hidin', i guess he must 'a' been off his head. but that pot may 'a' got in by mistake. before i get too much down on him i'll give him another show." with which words, but cautiously, that the dust might not be disturbed, he thrust his hand into another jar, and was mightily resentful upon finding that what he brought forth from it was only the head of a lance. however, the determination to give king chaltzantzin a chance to prove his sanity, together with the hope that something of real value might be found, led him to continue his investigations, and he presently had examined all the jars ranged on two sides of the room; and his grumbling curses increased constantly in vigor as jar after jar yielded only arrow-heads, and lance-heads, and chisel-shaped pieces of obsidian, that i perceived must have been intended for the making of the cutting edges of the maccahuitl, or aztec sword; but, for my part, all of these things filled me with the liveliest pleasure as i took them from young and attentively examined them; for the delicate and perfect workmanship that they exhibited showed them to have been made by a people that had reached the highest development of the stone age. "this business is gettin' worse, instead o' better," young said, gloomily, as he began his search on the third side of the room by opening one of the small gold boxes. "the stuff in here is nothin' but a mean sort o' wrappin'-paper with pictures on it--like that old map o' yours that got us started on this tomfoolin' treasure-hunt. i s'pose _you'll_ just have a fit over it!" and as i uttered an eager cry of delight, and bent over this casket that contained such inestimable riches, he gave a sniff of contempt, and added: "there, i thought so. you think more o' that rotten old stuff than you would o' gold dollars. well, there's no accountin' for tastes, and it takes all sorts o' people t' make th' world." but i paid no attention to him as i rapidly glanced over these priceless manuscripts; and then had my cup of happiness filled absolutely to overflowing by the glad discovery that in every one of the gold boxes, of which there were nine in all, treasures of a like sort were stored. in the supplemental volume (in elephant folio) to my _pre-columbian conditions on the continent of north america_ these wonderful manuscripts are reproduced in fac-simile; and when that great work is published the surpassing value of my discovery will be at once recognized. it is sufficient to say here that these several codices together constituted a complete hieratic chronicle of the aztec tribes; and that (herein lying the extraordinary value of the collection) the uncertain picture-writing was accompanied by a translation into the ideographic characters of later times, the meaning of which i was enabled, thanks to the instruction that my friend the guardian of the archives had given me, fully to understand. in short, my discovery precisely paralleled that of boussard; for even as the rosetta stone gave the key to egyptian hieroglyphics, so did this transliteration into intelligible characters make all aztec picture-writing plain. as the full significance of my discovery burst upon me, my joy and the excitement of my splendid triumph so moved me that my hands trembled as i held these precious manuscripts, and i no longer could see clearly the painted characters because of the tears of happiness which filled my eyes. young, however, whose longing was only for material treasure, continued his investigations in anything but a thankful mood. "there ain't no doubt of it _now_," he said presently in a most melancholy tone. "that old king o' yours must 'a' been just as crazy as a loon. look here: this thing ain't even a fool arrow-head; it's nothin' but a bit o' green glass! i reckon it's part o' th' bottom of a porter-bottle. nice sort o' stuff this is t' call treasure, an' t' take such an all-fired lot o' trouble t' hide away! why, i should jedge that that king must 'a' spent most of his time settin' up nights a-puzzlin' over plans for makin' sure that he was th' very d----dest biggest fool that ever lived!--an' that's just what he was, for sure! it's tough, gettin' left this way; but it wouldn't begin t' be as tough as 't is if 't wasn't for all them car-loads an' car-loads o' gold right clost by us here that we might 'a' got away with as easy as rollin' off a log if we'd only ketched on to this back-door racket in time. an' see here, professor," he went on in a very earnest tone, "i don't believe there's anybody in there now; why shouldn't we just chance things a little an' go back an' get some of it? we've got our guns; an' even if we do strike a crowd too big for us t' tackle, an' have t' run for it, we won't be no worse off 'an we are now. come, let's try it on!" while young spoke i had been looking closely at the object that so violently had excited his indignation, and instead of replying to him i asked, "are there any more pieces of that porter-bottle in the jar?" "it's full of 'em," he answered with a contemptuous brevity. "and the next?" "that's full of 'em too. all th' jars on this side o' th' room are full of 'em," he added, as he rapidly thrust his hand into one after another--and so set the dust to flying that we both fell to sneezing as though we would sneeze our heads off. "oh come along, professor: what's th' use o' foolin' over this rubbish; let's go for th' stuff that's good for its weight in spot cash every time!" "wait till we see what is in these gold vases over here," i answered, turning as i spoke to the side of the room that as yet we had not examined. "what's th' good?" he asked, sulkily. but he lifted down one of the vases, and with his thumb and finger brought forth from it a little round black ball. "worse an' worse," he said, as he handed the ball to me. "we've got down t' what looks like lumps o' shoemaker's wax now. that's about th' sickest lookin' thing t' call itself treasure i ever did see!" it did not seem to me probable that the little ball was shoemaker's wax; but in order to settle this point experimentally i cut into it with my penknife. under the gummy exterior i found a layer of cotton-wool, and enclosed in this a hard substance about the size of a hazel-nut. while i was making this examination, young investigated into the contents of the remaining vases--which themselves were exceedingly interesting, being made of hammered gold and most curiously engraved. "they're no good," he said, "except i s'pose th' mugs must be worth somethin'. shoemaker's wax in 'em all! it's worse 'an th' porter-bottles--for what's th' use o' shoemaker's wax t' folks who don't rightly know what a shoe is? come along, i say, professor, an' let's have a whack at them piles o' gold. if we don't tackle 'em we might just as well never have come on this treasure-hunt at all. some o' the stuff in here's worth havin'--th' gold mugs an' boxes, an' that old gold bow-gun that you're so busted about--but what does th' whole of it amount to, anyway, when you come t' divide it up among four men an' a jackass? i guess even th' jackass ud turn up his nose at it if he knowed what a lot more there was that was t' be had just for grabbin' it an' packin' it along. it's somethin', i s'pose, that we've pulled through without losin' our hair; but we _have_ pulled through all right, an' now we want t' make this business pay; an' unless we go for that gold this business won't 'a' paid worth a cuss--an' instead o' comin' out on top we'll be left th' very worst kind!" as young was delivered of this dismal remonstrance i handed him the small object that i had extracted from the pitch-coated ball. "before you make up your mind that we are likely to be 'left,' as you term it, suppose you look at this," i said. he held out his hand carelessly; but as he saw what i had placed in it his expression suddenly changed, and he burst forth excitedly: "great scott! where did this come from? why--why, professor, it _looks_ like it was a pearl; but if 't truly is one it's about th' bustin'est biggest one that godamighty ever made! do you truly size it up for a pearl yourself?" "most assuredly," i answered. "and it is a fair assumption, i think, that there is a pearl in each one of all these little pitch-covered balls. as to what you called bits of green glass, they are neither more nor less than extraordinarily fine emeralds; i should say that the smallest of them must be worth more dollars than you could carry at a single load. of course, all the emeralds and pearls together are not worth a single one of these manuscripts"--here young gave a sceptical grunt--"but in the way of vulgar material riches i am confident that the value of what is in these jars is greater than that of all the gold together that we saw in the valley of aztlan. without a shadow of doubt, you and i at this moment are standing in the midst of the most enormous treasure that ever has been brought together since the world was made!" "honest injun, professor?" "certainly," i answered; "and if this is your notion of getting 'left' on a treasure-hunt," i continued, "it assuredly is not mine." "left?" young repeated after me, while his eyes ranged exultantly over the rows of jars in which this vast wealth was contained. "well, i should smile! i take it all back about that old king bein' crazy. he was just as level-headed as george washington an' dan'l webster rolled into one. these pots full of arrow-heads an' such stuff was only one of his little jokes, showin' that he must 'a' been a good-natured, comical old cuss, th' kind i always did like, anyway. left? not much we ain't left! we've just everlastin'ly got there with all four feet to onct! professor, shake!" epilogue. throughout my whole life i have been saddened, as each well-defined section of it has come to an end, by the thought that during the period that has then slipped away from me forever i have wasted more opportunities than i have improved. as i write these final lines, therefore, i feel a sorrowful regret, which, in a way, is akin to the regret that weighed upon me when young and i, having carried into the cave the contents of the treasure-chamber, removed the prop wherewith was upheld the swinging statue, and so suffered to fall into place again that ponderous mass of stone. from below, where we were, lifting it was impossible; and by heaping fragments of rock under the forward end of it we presently made it equally immovable from above. thus for outlet or for inlet that way was irrevocable barred; and as i write now i know that i am not less irrevocable severing myself from one portion of my past. for, says the persian poet, "a finished book is a sealed casket. to it nothing can be added. from it nothing can be taken away. therefore should we pray to allah that its contents may be good." the record that i am now ending was begun partly that i might find in the writing of it relief from the more serious work in which i have been engaged, and partly because i perceived that i could properly include in a personal narrative many matters which were too trivial or too entirely personal to be incorporated into my extended scientific treatise, but which, i was persuaded, were of a sufficient interest to be preserved. but i certainly should not have finished this history of our adventures nearly so expeditiously had not rayburn and young taken a very lively interest in it, and pressed me constantly to bring it to an end. "you see, professor," said young, "i don't want t' say anything against that big book you're writin'. i don't doubt that in its way it'll be a daisy; but you know yourself there won't be more'n about three cranks in th' whole o' god's universe who'll ever read more'n about ten lines of it; an' that's why i want you t' rush ahead with th' little book--that stands some chance o' bein' read outside o' lunatic asylums--so's folks'll know what a powerful queer time we've had. don't be too cussed particular t' say just where that valley is--for, while it's not likely, we might want t' take a fightin' crowd along an' dynamite our way back there some day after more cash; but, exceptin' that, just give 'em th' cold facts. i reckon they'll make some folks open their eyes." from times to time, as my narrative has grown beneath my hand, i have read aloud to my fellow-adventurers what i have written, and have received from them suggestions in accordance with which it has been corrected or amended in its several parts; and it is but just to add, in this connection, that in every case where i have referred (as it seems to me now in words not nearly strong enough) to the loyalty to our common interests, and to the splendid bravery which rayburn and young constantly exhibited throughout that trying time, i have been compelled to exert the whole of my authority over them in order to win their grumbling permission that my words might stand. even pablo--for the love that there was between this boy and me was far too strong to permit me to leave him behind in mexico, and we are like to live together as long as we live at all--has taken issue with me concerning what i have written of his steadfast faithfulness and courage; and this on the ground that he could not possibly be anything but faithful to those whom he loved, and that it is only natural for a man to fight for his own life, and for the lives of his friends. in thus applying the word _hombre_ to himself pablo spoke a little doubtfully, as though he feared that i might question his right to it; yet did he roll it so relishingly under his tongue, and so well had he proved his manliness, that i suffered it to pass. in point of fact, the only member of our party who has accepted my just tribute of praise with entire equanimity has been el sabio. it was pablo's notion, of course, that el sabio should hear what i had written about him. "not the whole of it, you know, señor," the boy said, earnestly; "for some of what you have written--while i know that it is true, and therefore must be told--would hurt his tender heart. it was not his fault--the angel!--that he gave us so much trouble when we swung him across the cañon; and to tell him that there was even a thought of eating him, while we were in that dreadful valley where every one was dead, assuredly would turn him gray before his time. no; we will hide all such unpleasant parts of the book from him; but we will read to him what you have said concerning his beauty and his wisdom--and, surely, you might have said of those a great deal more; and also about his gallant fight with the priests, when, all alone, he slew so many of them with his heels. and it would have been fairer to el sabio, señor," pablo added, a little reproachfully, as we walked out together to the paddock in which the ass, grown to be very fat, was living a life of most royal ease, "had you told in the book how well he served us in bringing all the treasure, in many weary journeys, out through that dismal cave; and also how carefully he carried the señor rayburn down that steep mountain-side, and so to the little town beside the railway, and never hurt his wound." however, el sabio did not seem to notice these omissions from my narrative, though he certainly did exhibit a most curious air of interest and understanding as i read to him those laudatory portions of it which pablo desired that he should hear. according to pablo's understanding of his language, he even thanked me for speaking well of him; for when the reading was ended he thrust his nose far forward, laid his long ears back upon his neck, planted his little legs firmly, and as he erected in triumph his scrag of a tail, he uttered a most thunderous bray. "and now, wise one," pablo said, tenderly, as he infolded the head of the ass in his arms and hugged it to his breast, "thou knowest that we not only love thee for thy goodness and thy wisdom, but that we also honor thee for thy noble deeds." rayburn's fancy was mightily tickled by this performance in which el sabio and pablo and i had engaged--though young evidently thought it but another proof of the addled state of my brains--when i told about it that evening as we all sat smoking comfortably in my library before the open fire. this was to be our last meeting for some time to come; for rayburn was to start the next day for idaho to look after some mining matters, and young suddenly had decided that he would accompany him. in truth, young was rather at a loss to know what to do with himself; for his plan for buying the old colony railroad, in order to be in a position to discharge its superintendent, had been abandoned. "i'd like t' do it, of course," he said. "bouncin' that chump th' same way that he bounced me would do me a lot o' good; but i've made up my mind it wouldn't be th' square thing t' do, considerin' that if he hadn't bounced me i'd still be foolin' round on top o' freight-cars, in all sorts o' weather, handlin' brakes. so i've let up on him, an' he can stay. what i want now is t' do some good with this all-fired big pile o' money that i've got. that's one reason why i'm goin' out with rayburn t' idaho. right straight along from here t' boisé city i mean t' set up drinks for every railroader i meet. that'll be doin' good, for sure." [illustration: in the library before the open fire] rayburn and i laughed a little at this odd method for benefiting humanity that young had got hold of; and then rayburn's face grew grave as he said: "well, we're doing a little good, i suppose, in putting that old church in morelia in good shape. i'm glad you thought of that, professor. i don't suppose that anything we could have done would have pleased the padre more than to have that church, that he loved so much, made as handsome as money can make it all the way through." "yes," young added, "an' i guess th' professor's head was level in havin' all th' new stuff that we've put in it made t' look like 't was about two hundred years old. i did kick at that at first, i'll allow. what i wanted t' do was t' build a first-class new church, with a rattlin' tall steeple, an' steam heat, an' electric lights, an' an organ big enough t' bust the roof off every time she was played. but th' padre was as keen as th' professor, a'most, for old-fashioned things; an' so i guess we've done that job just about as he'd 'a' done it himself. it makes me feel queer, though, puttin' up money on a catholic church that way; an' when i was tellin' an old aunt o' mine, down t' milton, about it, she just riz up an' rared. an' she didn't feel a bit better when i told her that if i thought it ud please th' padre t' have me do it, i'd go smack off t' rome an' shake hands with th' pope. and i truly would do that very same thing," young continued, earnestly, while his voice trembled a little, "for this side o' heaven i never expect t' meet anybody that's so near t' bein' a first-class angel as th' padre was. an' when i think how he saved our mis'rable lives for us, as he surely did, by givin' away his own--that was worth more'n all of ours put together, an' ten times over--i don't care a continental what his religious politics was; an' i'll punch th' head of anybody who don't say that he was th' pluckiest an' th' best man that ever lived!" pablo had caught the word padre in young's talk, and as the lad looked up from the corner in which he was sitting, i saw that his eyes were full of tears; rayburn's eyes also had an odd glistening look about them as he turned away suddenly, and emptied the ashes from his pipe into the fire; and i know that i could not see very clearly just then, as very tender, yet very poignant memories surged suddenly into my heart. and when the others left me--as they did presently, for we could not fall again into commonplace talk--i bade pablo be off to bed, and so sat there for a while alone. what i had planned to do that night was to revise an address that i was shortly to deliver before the archæological institute; but the pen that i had taken into my hand lay idle there, while my thoughts went backward through the channels of the past. in that still season of darkness i seemed to live again through all the time that fray antonio and i had been together--from the moment when i first caught sight of him, as he knelt before the crucifix in the sacristy, to my last sad look at the dead body whence his soul had sped back again to god. as my thoughts dwelt upon this most loving and most tender companionship, the like of which for perfectness i am confident was never known, and then upon the cruel violence that brought it to an end, so searching a pain went through my soul that i knew that either it must cease or i must die of it in a very little while. and then was borne in upon me the strong conviction--and so has it since been always, when thus my thoughts have been engaged--that because of my very love for fray antonio must i rejoice that he had died so savage a death; believing confidently that what he prayed for when first i found him in the christian church of san francisco was, in truth, that very crown of martyrdom that god granted to him when at last i lost him in the heathen city of colhuacan. and with the pressing in upon me thus strangely of this strange thought, it seemed as though he himself said again to me, "i go to win the life, glorious and eternal, into which neither death nor sin nor sorrow evermore can come." the end. http://www.freeliterature.org (images generously made available by the bodleian library, oxford.) the indian scout. a story of the aztec city by gustave aimard, author of "pirates of the prairies," "trapper's bride," "prairie flower," etc. london: ward and lock, 158, fleet street. mdccclxi. preface. the following work has been the most successful of all gustave aimard has published in paris, and it has run through an unparalleled number of editions. this is not surprising, however, when we bear in mind that he describes in it his personal experiences in the indian aztec city, from which no european ever returned prior to him, to tell the tale of his adventures. from this volume we learn to regard the indians from a very different side than the one hitherto taken; for it is evident that they are something more than savages, and possess their traditions just as much as any nation of the old world. at the present moment, when the redskins appear destined to play an important part in the american struggle, i think that such knowledge as our author is enabled alone to give us about their manners and customs, will be read with interest. l. w. contents. i. the surprise ii. the guest iii. a night conference iv. indians and hunters v. mutual explanations vi. a dark history vii. a dark history continued viii. a dark history concluded ix. brighteye and marksman x. fresh characters xi. the ford of the rubio xii. don stefano cohecho xiii. the ambuscade xiv. the travellers xv. recalled to life xvi. the search after truth xvii. don mariano xviii. before the trial xix. face to face xx. the judgment xxi. brighteye xxii. the camp xxiii. flying eagle xxiv. quiepaa tani xxv. a trio of villains xxvi. a hunt on the prairie xxvii. a hunt on the prairie concluded xxviii. redskins and white xxix. the council xxx. the second detachment xxxi. the tlacateotzin xxxii. the first walk in the city xxxiii. explanatory xxxiv. conversational xxxv. the interview xxxvi. a meeting xxxvii. complications xxxviii. a walk in the dark xxxix. the great medicine xl. the final struggle the epilogue the indian scout. chapter i. the surprise. it was towards the end of may, 1855, in one of the least visited parts of the immense prairies of the far west, and at a short distance from the rio colorado del norte, which the indian tribes of those districts call, in their language so full of imagery, "the endless river with the golden waves." the night was profoundly dark. the moon, which had proceeded two-thirds of its course, displayed between the lofty branches of the trees her pallid face; and the scanty rays of vacillating light scarce brought out the outlines of the abrupt and stern scenery. there was not a breath in the air, not a star in the sky. a silence of death brooded over the desert--a silence only interrupted, at long intervals, by the sharp barking of the coyotes in search of prey, or the savage miaulings of the panthers and jaguars at the watering place. during the darkness, the great american savannahs, on which no human sound troubles the majesty of night, assume, beneath the eye of heaven, an imposing splendour, which unconsciously affects the heart of the strongest man, and imbues him involuntarily with a feeling of religious respect. all at once the closely growing branches of a floripondio were cautiously parted, and in the space thus left appeared the anxious head of a man, whose eyes, flashing like those of a wild beast, darted restless glances in every direction. after a few seconds of perfect immobility, the man of whom we speak left the clump of trees in the midst of which he was concealed, and leaped out on the plain. although his bronzed complexion had assumed almost a brick colour, still, from his hunting garb, and, above all, the light colour of his long hair, and his bold, frank, and sharply-marked features, it was easy to recognise in this man one of those daring canadian wood rangers, whose bold race is daily expiring, and will probably disappear ere long. he walked a few paces, with the barrel of his rifle thrust forward, and his finger on the trigger, minutely inspecting the thickets and numberless bushes that surrounded him; then, probably reassured by the silence and solitude that--continued to prevail around, he stopped, rested the butt of his rifle on the ground, bent forward, and imitated, with rare perfection, the song of the centzontle, the american nightingale. scarce had the last modulation of this song, which was gentle as a love sigh, died away in the air, when a second person bounded forward from the same shrub which had already offered passage to the hunter. it was an indian; he stationed himself by the canadian's side, and, after a few seconds' silence, said, affecting a tranquillity probably not responded to by his heart,--"well?" "all is calm," the hunter answered. "the _cihuatl_ can come." the indian shook his head. "since the rising of the moon, mahchsi karehde has been separated from eglantine; he knows not where she is at this moment." a kindly smile played round the hunter's lips. "eglantine loves my brother," he said, gently. "the little bird that sings in her heart will have led her on the trail of the chief. has mahchsi karehde forgotten the song with which he called her to his love meetings in the tribe?" "the chief has forgotten nothing." "let him call her then." the indian did not let the invitation be repeated. the cry of the walkon rose in the silence. at the same moment a rustling was heard in the branches, and a young woman, bounding like a startled fawn, fell panting into the warrior's arms, which were opened to receive her. this pressure was no longer than a flash of lightning; the chief, doubtlessly ashamed of the tender emotion he had yielded to in the presence of a white man, even though that white man was a friend, coldly repulsed the young female, saying to her, in a voice in which no trace of feeling was visible, "my sister is fatigued, without doubt; no danger menaces her at this moment; she can sleep; the warriors will watch over her." "eglantine is a comanche maid," she answered in a timid voice. "her heart is strong; she will obey mahchsi karehde (the flying eagle). under the protection of so terrible a chief she knows herself in safety." the indian bent on her a glance full of indescribable tenderness; but regaining, almost immediately, that apparent apathy which the redskins never depart from, "the warriors wish to hold a council; my sister can sleep," he said. the young woman made no reply; she bowed respectfully to the two men, and withdrawing a few paces, she lay down in the grass, and slept, or feigned to sleep. the canadian had contented himself with smiling, on seeing the result obtained by the advice he had given the warrior, and listened, with an approving nod of the head, to the few words exchanged between the redskins. the chief, buried in thought, stood for a few minutes with his eyes fixed, with a strange expression, on the young, sleeping woman; then he passed his hand several times over his brow, as if to dissipate the clouds that oppressed his mind, and turned to the hunter. "my brother, the paleface, has need of rest. the chief will watch," he said. "the coyotes have ceased barking, the moon has disappeared, a white streak is rising on the horizon," the canadian replied. "day will speedily appear; sleep has fled my eyelids; the men must hold a council." the indian bowed, without further remark, and, laying his gun on the ground, collected a few armfuls of dry wood, which he carried near the sleeper. the canadian struck a light; the wood soon caught, and the flame coloured the trees with its blood red hue. the two men then squatted by each other's side, filled their calumets with _manachie_, the sacred tobacco, and commenced smoking silently, with that imposing gravity which the indians, under all circumstances, bring to this symbolic operation. we will profit by this moment of rest, which accident offers us, to draw a portrait of these three persons, who are destined to play an important part in the course of our story. the canadian was a man of about forty-five years of age, six feet in height, long, thin, and dry; his was a nervous nature, composed of muscle and sinews, perfectly adapted to the rude profession of wood ranger, which demands a vigour and boldness beyond all expression. like all his countrymen, the canadian offered, in his features, the norman type in its thorough purity. his wide forehead; his grey eyes, full of intelligence; his slightly aquiline nose; his large mouth, full of magnificent teeth; the long light hair, mingled with a few silvery threads which escaped from under his otter skin cap, and fell in enormous ringlets on his shoulders,--all these details gave this man an open, frank, and honest appearance, which attracted sympathy, and pleased at the first glance. this worthy, giant, whose real name was bonnaire, but who was only known on the prairies by the sobriquet of marksman, a sobriquet which he fully justified by the correctness of his aim, and his skill in detecting the lurking places of wild beasts, was born in the vicinity of montreal; but having been taken, while very young, into the forests of upper canada, desert life possessed such charms for him, that he had given up civilized society, and for nearly thirty years had traversed the vast solitudes of north america, only consenting to visit the towns and villages when he wanted to dispose of the skins of the animals he had killed, or renew his provision of powder and bullets. marksman's companion, flying eagle, was one of the most renowned chiefs of the tribe of the white buffaloes, the most powerful of all forming the warlike comanche race, that untameable and ferocious nation, which, in its immeasurable pride, haughtily terms itself the queen of the prairies, a title which no other tribe dares to challenge. flying eagle, though still very young, for he was scarcely four-and-twenty, had already distinguished himself, on several occasions, by deeds of such unheard-of boldness and temerity, that his mere name inspired the countless indian hordes that constantly traverse the desert in every direction, with invincible terror. he was tall, well built, and perfectly proportioned; his features were elegant, and his black eyes acquired, beneath the influence of any powerful emotion, that strange rigidity which commands respect; his gestures were noble, and his carriage graceful, and stamped with that majesty inborn in indians. the chief was attired in his war dress, and that was so singular, as to deserve a detailed description. flying eagle wore the cap which only distinguished warriors, who have killed many warriors, have the right to assume; it is made of strips of white ermine, with a large piece of red cloth fastened at the back, and falling to the thigh, to which is fastened an upright crest of black and white eagle plumes, which begins at the head, and continues in close order to the extremity. above his right ear he had passed through his hair a wooden knife, painted red, and about the length of a hand; this knife was the model of one with which he had killed a dacotah chief; he wore, in addition, eight small wooden skewers, painted blue, and adorned at the upper extremity with a gilt nail, to indicate the number of bullets that had wounded him; over his left ear he wore a large tuft of yellow owl feathers, with the ends painted red, as the totem of the band of dogs; one half his face was red, and his body reddish brown, with stripes from which the colour had been removed by a moistened finger. his arms, starting from the shoulder, were adorned with twenty-seven yellow stripes, indicating the number of his exploits, while on his chest he had painted a blue hand, to announce that he had frequently made prisoners. round his neck he wore a magnificent collar of grizzly bear's claws, three inches in length, and white at the point. his shoulders were covered by a large buffalo robe, falling almost to the ground, and painted of various colours. his breeches, composed of two separate parts, one for each leg, were tightly fastened to his waist belt, and fell almost to his ankles, embroidered externally with coloured porcupine quills, terminating in a long tuft that trailed on the ground. wide stripes of black and white cloth were rolled round his hips, and fell before and behind in heavy folds. his slippers, of buffalo hide, were but slightly decorated; but wolf tails, trailing on the ground behind him, and equalling in number the enemies he had conquered, were fastened above his ankles. from his waist belt hung, on one side, his powder flask, ball pouch, and scalping knife: on the other, a quiver of panther skin filled with long, sharp arrows, and his tomahawk; his gun was laid on the ground, within reach of his hand. this warrior, dressed in such a strange costume, had something imposing and sinister about him which inspired terror. for the present we will confine ourselves to saying that eglantine was not more than fifteen years of age; that she was very beautiful for an indian girl; and wore, in all its elegant simplicity, the sweet costume adopted by the women of her nation. ending here this description, which was perhaps too detailed, but which was necessary in order to know the men we have introduced in the scene, we will return to our narrative. for a long time the two men smoked side by side without exchanging a syllable; at length, the canadian shook out the ashes of his pipe on his thumb nail, and addressed his companion. "is my brother satisfied?" he said. "wah!" the indian answered, and bowing assent; "my brother has a friend." "good!" the hunter continued; "and what will the chief do now?" "flying eagle will rejoin his tribe with eglantine, and then return to seek the apache trail." "for what purpose?" "flying eagle will avenge himself." "as you please, chief. i will certainly not try to dissuade you from projects against enemies who are also mine; still, i do not believe you look at the matter in the right light." "what would my brother the paleface warrior say?" "i mean that we are far from the lodges of the comanches, and before reaching them we shall have doubtlessly more than one turn-up with the enemies from whom the chief considers himself freed, perhaps, too prematurely." the indian shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. "the apaches are old women, chattering, and cowardly," he said. "flying eagle despises them." "that is possible," the hunter replied, with a toss of his head; "still, in my opinion, we should have done better in continuing our journey till sunrise, in order to put a greater distance between them and us, instead of halting so imprudently; we are still very near the camp of our enemies." "the fire water has stopped the ears and closed the eyes of the apache dogs; they are stretched on the ground and sleeping." "hum! that is not my opinion; i am, on the contrary, persuaded that they are watching and looking for us." at the same instant, as if chance wished to justify the apprehensions of the prudent hunter, some dozen shots were fired; a horrible war cry, to which the canadian and the comanche responded, with a yell of defiance, was heard in the forest, and nearly thirty indians rushed howling toward the fire, at which our three characters were seated; but the latter had disappeared, as if by enchantment. the apaches stopped with an outburst of passion, not knowing in what direction to turn, in order to find their crafty foes again. suddenly three shots were fired from the interior of the forest, and three apaches rolled on the ground, with holes in their chests. the indians uttered a yell of fury, and rushed in the direction of the shots. at the moment they reached the edge of the forest, a man stepped forward, waving in his right hand a buffalo robe, as a signal of peace. it was marksman, the canadian. the apaches stopped with an ill-omened hesitation, but the canadian, without seeming to notice the movement, walked resolutely toward them with the slow and careless step habitual to him; on recognizing him, the indians brandished their weapons wrathfully, and wished to rush upon him, for they had many reasons for hating the hunter; but their chief arrested them with a peremptory gesture. "let my brothers be patient," he said, with a sinister smile, "they will lose nothing by waiting." chapter ii. the guest. on the same day that our story begins, and about three miles from where the events narrated in our preceding chapter occurred, a numerous caravan had halted at sunset, in a vast clearing situated on the skirt of an immense virgin forest, the last species of which ended on the banks of the rio colorado. this caravan came from the south-east, that is, from mexico. it appeared to have been on the march for a long time, as far as possible to judge by the state in which the clothes of the men were, as well as the harness of the horses and mules. in fact, the poor beasts themselves were reduced to a state of leanness and weakness, which amply testified to the rude fatigue they must have endured. the caravan was composed of some thirty-five persons, all attired in the picturesque and characteristic costume of the half-bred hunters and gambusinos, who alone, or in small bands, at the most of four, incessantly traverse the far west, which they explore in its most mysterious depths, for the purpose of hunting, trapping, or discovering the numberless gold veins it contains in its bosom. the adventurers halted, dismounted, fastened their horses to picket ropes, and began immediately, with that skill and quickness only attained by long habit, making their preparations to bivouac. the grass was pulled up over a considerable extent of ground; the baggage, piled up in a circle, formed a breastwork, behind which a sudden attack of the desert marauders might be resisted; and then fires were lighted in the shape of a st. andrew's cross in the interior of the camp. when all this had been attended to, some of the adventurers put up a large tent above a palanquin hermetically closed, which was carried by two mules, one before and one behind. when the tent was pitched, the mules were taken out of the palanquin, and the curtains, in falling, covered it so completely, that it was entirely concealed. this palanquin was a riddle to the adventurers. no one knew what it contained, though the general curiosity was singularly aroused on the subject of a mystery so specially incomprehensible in this deserted country; each kept carefully to himself the opinions he had formed about it--above all, since the day when, in the midst of a difficult piece of country, and during the momentary absence of the chief of the cuadrilla, who usually never left the palanquin, which he guarded like a miser does his treasure, a hunter leaned over and slightly opened one of the curtains; but the man had scarce time to take a furtive peep through the opening, ere the chief, suddenly coming up, split his skull open with a blow of his machete, and laid him dead at his feet. then he turned to the terrified witnesses, and said calmly,--"is there another among you who would like to discover what i think proper to keep secret?" these words were uttered in such a tone of implacable raillery and furious cruelty, that these villains, for the most part without faith or law, and accustomed to brave, with a laugh, the greatest perils, felt an internal shudder, and their blood stagnated in their veins. this lesson had been sufficient. no one tried afterwards to discover the captain's secret. the final arrangements had been scarcely made for the encampment, ere the sound of horses was heard, and two horsemen arrived at a gallop. "here is the captain," the adventurers said to each other. the newcomers gave their reins to men who ran up to receive them, and walked hastily toward the tent. on arriving there, the first stopped and addressed his companion:--"caballero," he said to him, "you are welcome among us; although very poor ourselves, we will gladly share the little we possess with you." "thanks," the second said, with a bow, "i will not abuse your gracious hospitality; tomorrow, at sunrise, i think i shall be sufficiently rested to continue my journey." "you will act as you think proper: seat yourself by this fire prepared for us, while i go for a few moments into that tent. i will soon rejoin you, and have the honour of keeping you company." the stranger bowed, and took his place by the fire, lighted a short distance from the tent, while the captain let the curtain he had lifted fail behind him, and disappeared from his guest's sight. the latter was a man of marked features, his stalwart limbs denoting a far from ordinary strength; the few wrinkles that furrowed his energetic face served to indicate that he had already passed midlife, though no trace of decrepitude was visible on his solidly-built body, and not a white hair silvered his long and thick locks, which were black as a raven's wing. he wore the costume of the rich mexican hacenderos, that is to say, the manã§a; the zarapã©, of many colours; the velvet calzoneras, open at the knee, and botas vaqueras; his hat, of vicuna skin, gallooned with gold, was drawn in by a rich toquilla, fastened with a costly diamond; a sheathless machete hung from his right hip, merely passed through an iron ring: the barrels of two six-chambered revolvers shone in his waist belt, and he had thrown on the grass by his side an american rifle, beautifully damascened with silver. when the captain left him alone, this man, while installing himself before the fire in the most comfortable way possible, that is to say, arranging his zarapã© and water bottles to serve as a bed, if necessary, had cast a furtive glance around, whose expression would, doubtless, have supplied the adventurers with serious matter of thought had they been able to notice it; but all were busied in getting the bivouac snug, and preparations for supper; and trusting entirely in the loyalty of prairie hospitality, they did not at all dream of watching what the stranger seated at their fire was about. the unknown, after a few moments' reflection, rose and walked up to a party of trappers, whose conversation seemed very animated, and who were gesticulating with that fire natural to southern races. "eh!" one of them said, on noticing the stranger, "this seã±or will set us right with a word." the latter, thus directly appealed to, turned toward the speaker. "what is the matter, caballeros?" he asked. "oh, a very simple matter," the adventurer made answer; "your horse, a noble and handsome animal, i must allow, seã±or, will not associate with others; it stamps its feet and bites at the companions we have given it." "oh, that is, indeed, simple enough," a second adventurer remarked, with a grin; "that horse is a _costeã±o_, and too proud to associate with poor _tierras interiores_ like our horses." at this singular reason, all burst into an homeric laugh. the stranger smiled cunningly. "it may be the reason you state, or perhaps some other," he said gently; "at any rate, there is a very simple way of settling the dispute, which i will employ." "ah!" the second speaker said, "what is it?" "this," the stranger replied, with the same air of placidity. then, walking up to the horse, which two men had a difficulty in holding, he said,--"let go!" "but if we let go, nobody knows what will happen." "let go! i answer for all then," addressing his horse,--"lillo!" he said. at this name, the horse raised its noble head, and fixing its sparkling eye on the man who had called it, with a sharp and irresistible movement, it threw off the two men who tried to check it, sent them rolling on the grass, to the shouts of their comrades, and rubbed its head against its master's chest with a neigh of pleasure. "you see," the stranger said, as he patted the noble animal, "it is not difficult." "hum!" the first adventurer who picked himself up said, in an angry tone, and rubbing his shoulder; "that is a _demonio_ to which i would not entrust my skin, old and wrinkled as it is at present." "do not trouble yourself any further about the horse, i will attend to it." "on the faith of domingo, i have had enough, for my part; 'tis a noble brute, but it has a fiend inside it." the stranger shrugged his shoulders without replying, and returned to the fire, followed by his horse, which paced step by step behind him, not evincing the slightest wish to indulge further in those eccentricities which had so greatly astonished the adventurers, who are, however, all men well versed in the equine art. this horse was a pure barb of arab stock, and had probably cost its present owner an enormous sum, and its pace seemed strange to men accustomed to american horses. its master gave it provender, hobbled it near him, and then sat down again by the fire: at the same instant the captain appeared in the entrance of the tent. "i beg your pardon," he said, with that charming courtesy natural to the hispano-americans; "i beg your pardon, seã±or caballero, for having neglected you so long, but an imperative duty claimed my presence. now, i am quite at your service." the stranger bowed. "on the contrary," he replied, "i must ask you to accept my apologies for the cool manner in which i avail myself of your hospitality." "not a word more on this head, if you wish not to annoy me." the captain seated himself by his guest's side. "we will dine," he said. "i can only offer you scanty fare; but one must put up with it, and i am reduced to tasajo and red beans with pimento." "that is delicious, and i should assuredly do honour to it if i felt the slightest appetite; but, at the present moment, it would be impossible for me to swallow the smallest mouthful." "ah!" the captain said, looking distrustfully at the stranger. but he met a face so simply calm, a smile so frank, that he felt ashamed of his suspicions, and his face, which had grown gloomy, at once regained all its serenity. "i am vexed. still, i will ask permission to dine at once; for, differently from you, caballero, i must confess to you that i am literally dying of hunger." "i should be in despair at causing you the slightest delay." "domingo," the captain shouted, "my dinner." the adventurer, whom the stranger's horse had treated so roughly, soon came up limping, and carrying his chief's supper in a wooden tray; a few tortillas he held in his hand completed the meal, which was worthy of an anchorite. domingo was an indian half-bred, with a knowing look, angular features, and crafty face: he appeared to be about fifty years of age, so far as it is possible to judge an indian's age by his looks. since his misadventure with the horse, domingo felt a malice for the stranger. "_con su permiso_," the captain said, as he broke a tortilla. "i will smoke a cigarette, if that can be called keeping you company," the stranger said, with his stereotyped smile. the other bowed politely, and fell to on his meagre repast with that eagerness which denotes a lengthened abstinence. we will take advantage of the opportunity to draw for the reader a portrait of the chief of the caravan. don miguel ortega, for such was the name by which he was known to his comrades, was an elegant and handsome young man, not more than six and twenty years of age, with a bronzed complexion, delicate features, haughty and flashing eyes; while his tall stature, well-shaped limbs, and wide and arched chest, denoted rare vigour. assuredly, through the whole extent of the old spanish colonies, it would have been difficult--if not impossible--to meet a more seductive cavalier, whom the picturesque mexican costume became so well, or combining to the same extent as he did, those external advantages which charm women and captivate the populace. still, for the observer, don miguel had too great a depth in his eye, too rude a frown, and a smile too false and perfidious, not to conceal, beneath his pleasing exterior, an ulcerated soul and evil instincts. a hunter's meal, seasoned by appetite, is never long. the present one was promptly disposed of. "there," the captain said, as he wiped his fingers with a tuft of grass; "now for a cigarette to help digestion, and then i shall have the honour to wish you good night. of course, you do not intend to leave us before daybreak." "i can hardly tell you. that will depend, to some extent, on the weather tonight. i am in a considerable hurry, and you know, caballero, that--as our neighbours, the gringos, so justly remark--time is money." "you know better than i do, caballero, what you have to do. act as you please; but, before i retire, accept my wishes for a pleasant night's rest, and the success of your plans." "i thank you, caballero." "one last word, or rather, one last question before separating?" "ask it." "of course, if this question appears to you indiscreet, you are at perfect liberty not to answer it." "it would surprise me, on the part of so accomplished a caballero. hence, be kind enough to explain yourself." "my name is don miguel ortega." "and mine, don stefano cohecho." the captain bowed. "will you allow me, in my turn," the stranger said, "to ask you a question?" "i beg you to do so." "why this exchange of names?" "because, on the prairie it is good to be able to distinguish friends from foes." "that is true. and now?" "now i am certain that i do not count you among the latter." "_â¿quiã©n sabe?_" don stefano retorted, with a laugh. "there are such strange accidents." the two men, after exchanging a few more words in the most friendly manner, cordially shook hands. don miguel went into the tent, and don stefano, after turning his feet towards the fire, slept, or pretended to do so. an hour later, the deepest silence reigned in the camp. the fires only produced a doubtful gleam; and the sentinels, leaning on their rifles, were themselves yielding to that species of vague somnolency, which is not quite sleep, but is no longer watching. all at once, an owl, probably hidden in a neighbouring tree, twice uttered its melancholy hu-hu. don stefano suddenly opened his eyes, without changing his position; he assured himself, by an investigating glance, that all was quiet around him; then, after convincing himself that his machete and revolvers had not left him, he took up his rifle, and in his turn imitated the cry of the owl, which was answered by a similar whoop. the stranger, after arranging his zarapã©, so as to imitate a human body, whispered a few words to his horse while patting it, in order to calm it; and laying himself at full length on the ground, he crawled towards one of the outlets from the camp, stopping at intervals to look around him. all continued to be tranquil. on reaching the foot of the breastwork formed by the baggage, he jumped up, leapt over the obstacles with a tiger's bound, and disappeared in the prairie. at the same instant a man rose, sprang over the entrenchment, and rushed in pursuit of him. that man was domingo. chapter iii. a night conference. don stefano cohecho seemed to be thoroughly acquainted with the desert. so soon as he was on the prairie, and fancied himself safe from any curious eye, he raised his head haughtily, his step grew more confident, his eye sparkled with a gloomy fire, and he walked with long steps towards a clump of palm trees, whose small fans formed but a scanty protection by day against the burning sunbeams. still he neglected no precaution; at times he stopped hurriedly, to listen to the slightest suspicious sound, or interrogate with searching glance the gloomy depths of the forest. but after a few seconds, re-assured by the calm that prevailed around him, he jogged onwards with that deliberate step he had adopted on leaving the camp. domingo walked literally in his steps; spying and watching each of his movements with that sagacity peculiar to the half-breeds, while carefully keeping on his guard against any surprise on the part of the man he was following. domingo was one of those men of whom only too many are met with on the frontiers. gifted with great qualities and great vices, equally fit for good and evil, capable of accomplishing extraordinary things in either sense; but who, for the most part, are only guided by their evil instincts. he was at this moment following the stranger, without exactly knowing the motive that made him do so; not, even having decided whether to be for or against him; awaiting, to make up his mind, a little better knowledge of the state of affairs, and the chance of weighing the advantage he should derive from treachery or the performance of his duty. hence, he carefully avoided letting his presence be suspected, for he guessed that the mystery he wished to detect would, if he succeeded, offer him great advantages, especially if he knew how to work it. the two men marched thus for nearly an hour, one behind the other, don stefano not suspecting for a moment that he was so cleverly watched, and that one of the most knowing scoundrels on the prairie was at his heels. after numberless turnings in the tall grass, don stefano at length arrived at the bank of the rio colorado, which at this spot was as wide and placid as a lake, running over a bed of sand, bordered by thick clumps of cottonwood trees, and tall poplars, whose roots were bathed in the water. on reaching the river, the stranger stopped, listened for a moment, and, raising his fingers to his mouth, imitated the bark of a coyote. almost immediately, the same signal rose in the midst of the mangrove trees, and a little birchbark canoe, pulled by two men, appeared on the bank. "eh!" don stefano said, in a suppressed voice, "i had given up all hopes of meeting you." "did you not hear our signal?" one of the men in the canoe answered. "should i have come without that? still, it seems to me you could have come nearer to me." "it was not possible." the canoe ran on to the sand; the two men leaped on lightly, and in a second joined don stefano. both were dressed and armed like prairie hunters. "hum!" don stefano continued; "it is a long journey from the camp here, and i am afraid that my absence may be noticed." "that is a risk you must run," the first speaker remarked--a man of tall stature, with a grave and stern face, whose hair, white as snow, fell in long curls on his shoulders. "well, as you are here at last, let us come to an understanding; and make haste about it, for time is precious. what have you done since we parted?" "not much; we followed you at a distance, that is all, ready to come to your assistance if needed." "thanks; no news?" "none. who could have given us any?" "that is true; and have you not met your friend marksman?" "no." "_â¡cuerpo de cristo!_ that is annoying; for, if my presentiment do not deceive me, we shall soon have to play at knives." "we will do so." "i know it, brighteye. i have long been acquainted with your courage; but you, ruperto your comrade, and myself, are only three men, after all." "what matter?" "what matter? you say, when we shall have to fight thirty or forty hardened hunters! on my word, brighteye, you will drive me mad with your notions. you doubt about nothing; but remember, that this time we have not to contend against badly-armed indians, but white men, thorough game for the galleys, who will die without yielding an inch, and to whom we must inevitably succumb." "that is true; i did not think of that; they are numerous." "if we fall, what will become of her?" "good, good," the hunter said, with a shake of his head. "i repeat to you that i did not think of that." "you see, then, that it is indispensable for us to come to an understanding with marksman and the men he may have at his disposal." "yes; but where are you going to find in the desert the trail of a man like marksman? who knows where he is at this moment? he may be within gunshot of us, or five hundred miles off." "it is enough to drive me mad." "the fact is, that the position is grave. are you, at least, sure this time that you are not mistaken, but are in the right trail?" "i cannot say with certainty, though everything leads me to suppose that i am not mistaken. however, i shall soon know what i have to depend on." "besides, it is the same trail we have followed ever since leaving monterey; the chances are it is they." "what do we resolve on?" "hang it! i do not know what to say!" "on my word, you are a most heart breaking fellow! what! cannot you suggest any way?" "i must have a certainty, and then, as you said yourself, it would be madness for us thus to try a sudden attack." "you are right. i will return to the camp; tomorrow night we will meet again, and i shall be very unlucky if this time i do not discover what it is so important for us all to know. do you, in the meanwhile, ransack the prairie in every direction, and, if possible, bring me news of marksman." "the recommendation is unnecessary. i shall not be idle." don stefano seized the old hunter's hand, and pressed it between his own. "brighteye," he said to him, with considerable emotion, "i will not speak of our old friendship, nor of the services which i have been several times so fortunate as to render you; i will only repeat, and i know it will be sufficient for you, that the happiness of my whole life depends on the success of our expedition." "good, good; have confidence in me, don josã©. i am too old to change my friends; i do not know who is right or wrong in this business; i wish that justice may be on your side; but that does not affect me. whatever may happen, i will be a good and faithful companion to you." "thanks, my old friend. tomorrow night, then." after uttering these few words, don stefano, or, at least, the man who called himself so, made a move as if to withdraw; but brighteye stopped him, with a sudden gesture. "what is the matter?" the stranger asked. the hunter laid a forefinger on his mouth, to recommend silence, and turned to ruperto, who had remained silent and apathetic during the interview. "_coyote_," he said to him, in a low voice. without replying, ruperto bounded like a jaguar, and disappeared in a clump of cottonwood trees, which was a short distance off. after a few moments, the two men who had remained, with their bodies bent forward in the attitude of listeners, without uttering a syllable, heard a rustling of leaves, a noise of broken branches, followed by the fall of a heavy body on the ground, and after that nothing. almost immediately the cry of the owl rose in the night air. "ruperto calls us," brighteye then said, "all is over "what has happened?" don stefano asked anxiously. "less than nothing," the hunter replied, making him a sign to follow. "you had a spy at your heels; that is all." "a spy?" "by jove! you shall see." "oh, oh! that is serious." "less than you suppose, as we have him." "in that case, though, we must kill the man." "who knows? that will probably depend on the explanation we may have with him. at any rate, there is no great harm in crushing such vipers." while speaking thus, brighteye and his companion had entered the thicket. domingo, thrown down, and tightly garotted by means of ruperto's reata, was vainly struggling to break the bonds that cut into, his flesh. ruperto, with his hands resting on the muzzle of his rifle, was listening with a grin, but no other reply, to the flood of insults and recriminations which rage drew from the half-breed. "_â¡dios me ampare!_" the latter shouted, writhing like a viper. "_â¡verdugo del demonio!_ is this the way to behave between _gente de razã³n?_ am i a redskin, to be tied like a plug of tobacco, and have my limbs fettered like a calf that is being taken to the shambles? if ever you fall into my hands, accursed dog! you shall pay for the trick you have played me." "instead of threatening, my good man," brighteye interposed, "it seems to me you would do better by frankly allowing that you are in our power, and acting in accordance." the bandit sharply turned his head, the only part of his person at liberty, toward the hunter. "what right have you to call me good man, and give me advice, old trapper of muskrats?" he said to him, irritably. "are you white men or indians, to treat a hunter thus?" "if, instead of hearing what did not concern you, seã±or domingo, for i believe that is your name," don stefano said, with a cunning look, "you had remained quietly asleep in your camp, the little annoyance of which you complain would not have occurred." "i am bound to recognize the justice of your reasoning," the bandit replied ironically; "but, hang it! what would you have? i have ever suffered from a mania of trying to find out what people sought to hide from me." the stranger looked at him suspiciously. "and have you had the mania long, my good friend?" he asked him. "since my earliest youth," he answered, with effrontery. "only think of that! then you must have learned a good many things?" "an enormous quantity, worthy sir." don stefano turned to brighteye. "my friend," he said to him, "just unloosen this man's bonds a little. there is much to be gained in his company; i wish to enjoy his conversation for a little while." the hunter silently executed the orders he received. the bandit uttered a sigh of satisfaction at finding himself more at his ease, and sat up. "_â¡cuerpo de cristo!_" he exclaimed, with a mocking accent. "the position is now, at any rate, bearable. we can talk." "i think so." "my faith! yes. i am quite at your service, for anything you please, excellency." "i will profit by your complaisance." "profit by it! profit by it, excellency? i can only gain in talking with you." "do you believe so?" "i am convinced of it." "indeed, you may be right; but tell me, beside that noble curiosity, which you so frankly confessed, have you not, by accident, a few other defects?" the bandit appeared to reflect conscientiously for two or three minutes, and then answered, with an affable grin,-"my faith! no, excellency. i cannot find any." "are you sure of that?" "hum! it may be so, yet i do not believe it." "come, you see, you are not sure." "that is indeed true!" the bandit exclaimed, with pretended candour. "as you know, excellency, human nature is so imperfect." don stefano gave a nod of assent. "if i were to help you," he said, "perhaps--" "we might find it out, excellency," domingo quickly interrupted him. "well, help me, help me, i ask for nothing better." "hum! for instance--but notice that i affirm nothing; i suppose, that is all." "_â¡caray!_ i am well aware of it. go on, excellency, do not trouble yourself." "then, i say--have you not a certain weakness for money?" "for gold, especially." "that is what i meant to say." "the fact is, gold is very tempting, excellency." "i do not wish to regard it as a crime, my friend. i only mention it; besides, that passion is so natural--" "is it not?" "that you must be affected by it." "well, i confess, excellency, that you have guessed it." "look you! i was sure of it." "yes, money gained honestly." "of course! thus, for instance, suppose anyone offered you a thousand piastres to discover the secret of don miguel ortega's palanquin?" "hang it!" the bandit said, fixing a sharp glance on the stranger, who, for his part, examined him attentively. "and if that somebody," don stefano went on, "gave you in addition, as earnest penny, a ring like this?" while saying this, he made a magnificent diamond ring flash in the bandit's eyes. "i would accept," the latter said, with a greedy accent, "even if i were compelled, in order to discover that secret, to imperil the share i hope for in paradise." don stefano turned to brighteye. "unfasten this man," he said, coldly, "we understand each other." on feeling himself free, the half-breed gave a bound of joy. "the ring!" he said. "there it is," don stefano said, as he handed it to him; "all is arranged." domingo laid his right-hand thumb across the left, and raised his head proudly. "on the holy cross of the redeemer," he said, in a clear and impressive voice, "i swear to employ all my efforts in discovering the secret don miguel hides so jealously; i swear never to betray the caballero with whom i am treating at this moment: this oath i take in the presence of these three caballeros, pledging myself, if i break it, to endure any punishment, even death, which it may please these three caballeros to inflict on me." the oath taken by domingo is the most terrible a spanish american can offer; there is not a single instance of it ever having been broken. don stefano bowed, convinced of the bandit's sincerity. at this moment, several shots, followed by horrible yells, were heard at a short distance off. brighteye started. "don josã©," he said to the stranger, as he laid his hands on his shoulder, "heaven favours us. return to the camp; tomorrow night i shall probably have some news for you." "but those shots?" "do not trouble yourself about them, but return to the camp, i tell you, and let me act." "well, as you wish it, i will retire." "till tomorrow?" "tomorrow." "and i?" domingo said. "caramba, comrades, if you are going to play at knives, can you not take me with you?" the old hunter looked at him attentively. "eh!" he said, at the expiration of a moment, "your idea is not a bad one; you can come if you desire it." "that is capital, for it is a pretext ready made to explain my absence." don stefano smiled, and after reminding brighteye once again of their meeting for the following night, he left the thicket, and proceeded toward the camp. the two hunters and the half-breed were left alone. chapter iv. indians and hunters. as we have already said, at the spot where the three hunters were standing, the rio colorado formed a wide sheet, whose silvery waters wound through a superb and picturesque country. at times, on either bank, the ground rose almost suddenly into bold mountains of grand appearance; at other places, the river ran through fresh and laughing prairies, covered with luxuriant vegetation, or graceful and undulating valleys, in which grew trees of every description. it was in one of these valleys that brighteye's canoe had been pulled in. sheltered on all sides by lofty forests, which begirt them with a dense curtain of verdure, the hunters would have escaped, even during the day, from the investigations of curious or indiscreet persons, who might have attempted to surprise them at this advanced hour of the night, by the flickering rays of the moon which only reached them after being followed through the leafy dome that covered them: they could consider themselves as being perfectly secure. reassured by the strength of his position, brighteye, so soon as don stefano had left him, formed his plan of action with that lucidity which can only be obtained from a lengthened knowledge of the desert. "comrade," he said to the half-breed, "do you know the desert?" "not so well as you, certainly, old hunter," the latter answered, modestly, "but well enough to be of good service to you in the expedition you wish to attempt." "i like that way of answering, for it shows a desire of doing well. listen to me attentively; the colour of my hair, and the wrinkles that furrow my forehead, tell you sufficiently that i must possess a certain amount of experience; my whole life has been spent in the woods; there is not a blade of grass i do not know, a sound which i cannot explain, a footstep which i cannot discover. a few moments back, several shots were fired not far from us, followed by the indian war yell; among those shots i am certain i recognized the rifle of a man for whom i feel the warmest friendship; that man is in danger at this moment--he is fighting the apaches, who have surprised and attacked him during sleep. the number of shots leads me to suppose that my friend has only two companions with him; if we do not go to his help, he is lost, for his adversaries are numerous; the thing i am about to attempt is almost desperate; we have every chance against us, so reflect before replying. are you still resolved to accompany ruperto and myself; in a word, risk your scalp in our company?" "bah!" the bandit said, carelessly, "a man can only die once; perhaps i shall never again have so fine an opportunity of dying honestly. dispose of me, old trapper--i am yours, body and soul." "good; i expected that answer; still, it was my duty to warn you of the danger that threatened you: now, no more talking, but let us act, for time presses, and every minute we waste is an age for the man we wish to save. walk in my moccasins; keep your eye and ear on the watch; above all, be prudent, and do nothing without orders." after having carefully inspected the cap on his rifle, a precaution imitated by his two companions, brighteye looked round him for a few seconds, then, with that hunter's instinct which in them is almost second sight, he advanced with a rapid though silent step in the direction of the fighting, while making the men a sign to follow him. it is impossible to form an idea, even a distant one, of what a night march is on the prairie, on foot, through the shrubs, the trees which have grown together, the creepers that twine in every direction. walking on a shifting soil, composed of detritus of every nature accumulated during centuries, at one place forming mounds several feet high, surrounded by deep ditches, not only is it difficult to find a path through this inextricable confusion, when walking quietly onward, with no fear of betraying one's presence, but this becomes almost impossible when you have to open a passage silently, not letting a branch spring back, or a leaf rustle; for that sound, though almost imperceptible, would be enough to place the enemy you wish to surprise on his guard. a long residence in the desert can alone enable a man to acquire the necessary skill to carry out this rude task successfully. this skill brighteye possessed in the highest degree; he seemed to guess the obstacles which rose at each step before him--obstacles the slightest of which, under such circumstances, would have made the most resolute man recoil, through his conviction of it being an impossibility to surmount them. the two other hunters had only to follow the track so cleverly and laboriously made by their guide. fortunately, the adventurers were only a short distance from the men they were going to help; had it been otherwise, they would have needed nearly the whole night to join them. had brighteye wished it, he could have skirted the forest and walked in the long grass--a road incomparably more easy, and especially less fatiguing; but, with his usual correctness of conception, the hunter understood that the direction he took was the only one which would permit him to go straight to the scene of action without being discovered by the indians, who, in spite of all their sagacity, would never suspect that a man would dare to attempt such a route. after a walk of about twenty minutes, brighteye stopped--the hunters had arrived. on lightly moving the branches and brambles aside, they witnessed the following scene. before them, and scarce ten paces off, was a clearing. in the centre of that clearing three fires were burning, and were surrounded by apache warriors, smoking gravely, while their horses, fastened to pickets, were nibbling the young tree shoots. marksman was standing motionless near the chiefs, leaning on his rifle, and exchanging a few words with them at intervals. brighteye understood nothing of what he saw; all these men seemed on the best terms with the hunter, who, for his part, did not display the slightest uneasiness, either by his gestures or his face. we have said that, after the indians' sudden attack, marksman advanced towards them, waving a buffalo robe in sign of peace. the indians stopped, with that courteous deference which they display in all their relations, in order to listen to the hunter's explanations. a chief even stepped towards him, politely inviting him to say what he wanted. "my red brother does not know me! then, is it necessary that i should tell him my name, that he may know with whom he is speaking?" marksman said, angrily. "that is useless. i know that my brother is a great white warrior. my ears are open; i await the explanation he will be good enough to give me." the hunter shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. "have the apaches become cowardly or plundering coyotes, setting out in flocks to hunt on the prairies? why have they attacked me?" "my brother knows it." "no, as i ask it. the antelope apaches had a chief--a great warrior--named red wolf. that chief was my friend. i had made a treaty with him. but red wolf is, doubtlessly, dead; his scalp adorns the lodge of a comanche, as the young men of his tribe have come to attack me, treacherously, and against the sworn peace, during my sleep." the chief frowned, and drew himself up. "the paleface, like all his countrymen, has a viper's tongue," he said, rudely; "a skin covers his heart, and the words his chest exhales are so many perfidies. red wolf is not dead; his scalp does not adorn the lodge of a comanche dog; he is still the first chief of the antelope apaches. the hunter knows it well, since he is speaking to him at this moment." "i am glad that my brother has made himself known," the hunter replied, "for i should not have recognized him from his way of acting." "yes, there is a traitor between us," the chief said, drily; "but that traitor is a paleface, and not an indian!" "i wait till my brother explains himself. i do not understand him; a mist has spread over my eyes--my mind is veiled. the words of the chief, i have no doubt, will dissipate this cloud." "i hope so! let the hunter answer with an honest tongue, and no deceit. his voice is a music which for a long time sounded pleasantly in my ears, and rejoiced my heart. i should be glad if his explanation restored me the friend whom i fancied i had lost." "let my brother speak. i will answer his questions." at a sign from red wolf, the apaches had kindled several fires, and formed a temporary camp. in spite of all his cleverness, doubt had entered the heart of the apache chief, and he wished to prove to the white hunter, whom he feared, that he was acting frankly, and entertained no ill design against him. the apaches, seeing the good understanding that apparently prevailed between their sachem and the hunter, had hastened to execute the order they received. all traces of the contest disappeared in a moment, and the clearing offered the appearance of a bivouac of peaceful hunters receiving the visit of a friend. marksman smiled internally at the success of his plan, and the way in which he managed, by a few words, to give quite a different turn to the position of affairs. still he was not without anxiety about the explanation the chief was going to ask of him. he felt he was in a wasps' nest, from which he did not know how he should contrive to emerge, without some providential accident. redskin invited the hunter to take a seat by his side at the fire, which he declined, however, not being at all certain how matters would end, and wishing to retain a chance of escape in the event of the explanation becoming stormy. "is the pale hunter ready to reply?" red wolf asked him. "i am awaiting my brother's good pleasure." "good! let my brother open his ears, then. a chief is about to speak." "i am listening." "red wolf is a renowned chief. his name is cared by the comanches, who fly before him like timid squaws. one day, at the head of his young men, red wolf entered an altopelt (village) of the comanches. the buffalo comanches were hunting on the prairies; their warriors and young men were absent. red wolf burned the cabins, and carried off the women prisoners. is that true?" "it is true." "among the women was one for whom the heart of the apache chief spoke. that woman was the cihuatl of the sachem of the buffalo comanches. red wolf led her to his hut and treated her not as a prisoner, but as a well-beloved sister." "what did the pale hunter?" the chief broke off and looked steadily at marksman; but the latter did not move a feature. "i wait till my brother answers me, in order to know with what he reproaches me," he said. red wolf continued, with a certain degree of animation in his voice,-"the pale hunter, abusing the friendship of the chief, introduced himself into his village, under the pretext of visiting his red brother. as he was known and beloved by all, he traversed the village as he pleased, sauntered about everywhere, and when he had discovered eglantine, he carried her off during a dark night, like a traitor and a coward." at this insult, the hunter pressed the barrel of his rifle with a convulsive movement; but he immediately recovered his coolness. "the chief is a great warrior," he said, "he speaks well. the words reach his lips with an abundance that is charming. unfortunately, he lets himself be led astray by passion, and does not describe matters as they occurred." "wah!" the chief exclaimed, "red wolf is an impostor, and his lying tongue ought to be thrown to the dogs." "i have listened patiently to the chief's words, it is his turn to hear mine." "good! let my brother speak." at this moment, a whistle, no louder than a sigh, was audible. the indians paid no attention to it, but the hunter quivered, his eye flashed, and a smile played round the corner of his lips. "i will be brief," he said. "it is true that i introduced myself into my brother's village, but frankly and loyally to ask of him, in the name of mahchsi-karehde, the great sachem of the buffalo comanches, his wife, whom red wolf had carried off. i offered for her a rich ransom, composed of four guns, six hides of she-buffalos, and two necklaces of grizzly bears' claws. i acted thus, in the intention of preventing a war between the buffalo comanches and the antelope apaches. my brother, red wolf, instead of accepting my friendly proposals, despised them. i then warned him, that, by will or force, flying eagle would recover his wife, treacherously carried off from his village while he was absent. then i withdrew. what reproach can my brother address to me? under what circumstances did i behave badly to him? flying eagle has got back his wife; he has acted well--he was in the right. red wolf has nothing to say to that. under similar circumstances, he would have done the same. i have spoken. let my brother answer if his heart proves to him that i was wrong." "good!" the chief answered. "my brother was here with eglantine a few minutes ago; he will tell me where she is hidden, red wolf will capture her again, and there will no longer be a cloud between red wolf and his friend." "the chief will forget that woman who does not love him and who cannot be his. that will be better, especially as flying eagle will never consent to give her up." "red wolf has warriors to support his words," the indian said, proudly, "flying eagle is alone; how will he oppose the will of the sachem?" marksman smiled. "flying eagle has numerous friends," he said, "he is at this moment sheltered in the camp of the palefaces, whose fires red wolf can see from here, glistening in the darkness. let my brother listen. i believe i hear the sound of footsteps in the forest." the indian rose with agitation. at this moment three men entered the clearing. they were brighteye, ruperto, and domingo. at the sight of them, the apaches, who were thoroughly acquainted with them, rose tumultuously and uttered a cry of astonishment, almost of terror, while seizing their weapons. the three hunters continued to advance calmly, not caring to trouble themselves about these almost hostile demonstrations. we will explain in a few words the appearance of the hunters and their interference, which was probably about to change the aspect of affairs. chapter v. mutual explanations. brighteye and his two companions, owing to the position they occupied, not only saw all that occurred in the clearing, but also heard, without losing a word, the conversation between marksman and red wolf. for many long years the two canadian hunters had been on intimate terms. many times had they undertaken together some of those daring expeditions which the wood rangers frequently carry out against the indians. these two men had no secrets from each other; all was in common between them--hatred as well as friendship. brighteye was thoroughly acquainted with the events to which marksman alluded, and, had not certain reasons, we shall learn presently, prevented him, he would have probably aided his friend in rescuing eglantine from red wolf. still, one point remained obscure on his mind; that was the presence of marksman in the middle of the indians, the quarrel which had begun in shouts and yells, and had now apparently terminated with an amicable conversation. by what strange concourse of events was it that marksman, the man best acquainted with indian tricks, whose reputation for skill and courage was universal among the hunters and trappers of the western prairies, now found himself in an equivocal position, in the midst of thirty or forty apaches, the most scoundrelly treacherous and ferocious of all the indians who wander about the desert? this it was that the worthy hunter could not explain, and which rendered him so thoughtful. at the risk of whatever might happen, he resolved to reveal his presence to his friend by means of a signal arranged between them long ago, in order to warn him that, in case of need, a friend was watching over him. it was then that he gave the whistle, at the sound of which we saw the hunter start. but this signal had a result which brighteye was far from expecting. the branches of the tree, against the trunk of which the canadian was leaning, parted, and a man, hanging by his arms, fell suddenly to the ground a couple of yards from him, but so lightly, that his fall did not produce the slightest sound. at the first glance, brighteye recognized the man who seemed thus to fall from the sky. owing to his self-command, he displayed none of the amazement this unforeseen appearance produced in him. the hunter rested the butt of his rifle on the ground, and addressed the indian politely. "that is a strange idea of yours, chief," he said, with a smile, "to go promenading on the trees at this hour of the night." "flying eagle is watching the apaches," the indian answered, with a guttural accent. "did not my brother expect to see me?" "in the prairie we must expect everything, chief. still, i confess that few meetings would be so agreeable to me as yours, especially at this moment." "my brother is on the trail of the antelopes?" "i declare to you, chief, that an hour ago i did not expect i was so near them. had i not heard your shots, it is probable that at this moment i should be quietly asleep in my bivouac." "yes, my brother heard the rifle of a friend sing, and he has come." "you have guessed rightly, chief. but now tell me all about it, for i know nothing." "has not my pale brother heard red wolf?" "of course; but is there nothing else?" "nothing. flying eagle rescued his wife; the apaches pursued him, like cowardly coyotes, and this night surprised him at his fire." "very good. is eglantine in safety?" "eglantine is a comanche woman; she knows not fear." "i am aware of that--she is a good creature; but that is not the question at this moment. what do you purpose doing?" "wait for a favourable moment, then utter my war yell, and fall on these dogs." "hum! your project is rather quick. if you will allow me, i will make a slight change." "wisdom speaks by the mouth of the pale hunter. flying eagle is young: he will obey." "good; the more so, because i shall only act for your welfare. but now let me listen, for the conversation seems to me to be taking a turn extremely interesting for us." the indian bowed, but made no reply, while brighteye bent forward, better to hear what was said. after a few minutes the hunter probably considered that it was time for him to interfere, for he turned to the chief and whispered in his ear, as he had done during the whole of the previous conversation--"let my brother leave this affair to me; his presence would be more injurious than useful to us. we cannot attempt to fight so large a number of enemies, so prudence demands that we should have recourse to stratagem." "the apaches are dogs," the comanche muttered, angrily. "i am of your opinion; but, for the present, let us feign not to consider them such. believe me, we shall soon take our revenge; besides, the advantage will be on our side, as we are cheating them." flying eagle let his head drop. "will the chief promise me not to make a move without a signal from me?" the hunter said, earnestly. "flying eagle is a sachem. he has said that he will obey greyhead." "good. now look, you will not have long to wait." after muttering these words, with that mocking accent peculiar to him, the old hunter resolutely thrust the brambles on one side, and walked firmly into the clearing, followed by his two companions. we have already described the emotion produced by this unforeseen arrival. flying eagle returned to his ambush up the tree, from which he had only come down to speak with the hunter, and give him the information he required. brighteye stopped by markham's side. "friend," he then said, in spanish, a language which most of the indians understand, "your order is executed. flying eagle and his wife are at this moment in the camp of the gambusinos." "good," marksman answered, catching his meaning at once; "who are the two men who accompany you?" "two hunters the chief of the gachupinos sent to accompany me, in spite of my assurances that you were among friends. he will soon arrive himself at the head of thirty horsemen." "return to him, and tell him that he has no longer any occasion to trouble himself; or, stay, i will go myself, to prevent any misunderstanding." these words, spoken without any emphasis, and naturally, by a man whom each of the indians present had been frequently in a position to appreciate, produced on them an effect impossible to describe. we have already mentioned several times, in our different works, that the redskins unite the greatest prudence with the maddest temerity, and never attempt any enterprise without calculating beforehand all the chances of success it may offer. so soon as those chances disappear, to make room for probable ill results, they are not ashamed to recoil, for the very simple reason that with them honour, as we understand it in europe, only holds a secondary place, and success alone is regarded. red wolf was assuredly a brave man; he had given innumerable proofs of that in many a combat; still, he did not hesitate, in behalf of the general welfare, to sacrifice his secret desires, and in doing so, as we believe, he gave a grand proof of that family feeling, and almost instinctive patriotism, which is one of the strongest points in the indian character. clever as he was, the apache chief was completely deluded by brighteye, whose imperturbable coolness and unexpected arrival would have sufficed to lead astray an individual even more intelligent than the man with whom he had to deal. red wolf made up his mind at once, without any thought of self. "greyhead, my brother, is welcome at my fire," he said; "my heart rejoices at greeting a friend; his companions and himself can take their places round the council fire; the calumet of a chief is ready to be offered them." "red wolf is a great chief," brighteye replied; "i am pleased at the kindly feeling he experiences towards me. i would accept his offer with the greatest pleasure, did not urgent reasons oblige me to rejoin, as soon as possible, my brothers the palefaces, who are waiting for me at a short distance from the spot where the antelope apaches are encamped." "i hope that no cloud has arisen between greyhead and his brother, red wolf," the chief remarked, in a cautious tone: "two warriors must esteem each other." "that is my opinion too, chief, and that is why i have presented myself so frankly in your camp, when it would have been easy to have had several warriors of my nation to accompany me." brighteye knew perfectly well that the apaches understood spanish, and consequently nothing he had said to markham escaped them; but it was to his interest, as well as that of his comrade, to pretend to be ignorant of the fact, and accept as current coin the insidious propositions of the chief. "his friends, the palefaces, are encamped not far from here?" the chief remarked. "yes," brighteye replied, "at the most from four to five bowshots in a westerly direction." "wah! i am vexed at it," the indian said, "for i would have accompanied my brother to their camp." "and what prevents your coming with us?" the old hunter said, distinctly. "would you fear an ill reception by chance?" "och! who would dare not to receive red wolf with the respect due to him?" the apache said, haughtily. "no one, assuredly." red wolf leaned over to a subaltern chief, and whispered a few words in his ear; the man rose, and left the clearing. the hunters saw this movement with anxiety, and exchanged a glance, which said, "let us keep on our guard." they also fell back a few paces, as if accidentally, and drew nearer together, in order to be ready at the first suspicious sign; for they knew the perfidy of the men among whom they were, and expected anything from them. the indian sent off by the chief re-entered the clearing at this moment. he had been absent hardly ten minutes. "well?" red wolf asked him. "it is true," the indian answered, laconically. the sachem's face was overclouded; he felt certain then that brighteye had not deceived him; for the man he had sent out of the camp had been ordered by him to assure himself whether the fires of a party of white men could be really seen a short distance off; his emissary's reply proved to him that no treachery could be possible, that he must continue to feign kindly feelings, and separate on proper terms from the troublesome guests, whom he would have liked so much to be rid of in a very different manner. at his order the horses were unhobbled, and the warriors mounted. "day is approaching," he said; "the moon has again entered the great mountain. i am about to start with my young men. may the wacondah protect my pale brothers!" "thank you, chief," marksman answered. "but will you not come with us?" "we are not following the same path," the chief replied drily, as he let his horse go. "that is probable, accursed dog!" brighteye growled between his teeth. the whole band started at full speed, and disappeared in the gloom. soon the sound of their horses' hoofs could no longer be heard, as they became mingled in the distance with those thousand sounds, coming from no apparent cause, which incessantly trouble the majestic silence of the desert. the hunters were alone. like the augurs of ancient rome, who could not look at each other without laughing, little was needed for the hunters to burst into a loud burst of delight after the hurried departure of the apaches. at a signal from marksman, flying eagle and eglantine came to join the wood rangers, who had already seated themselves unceremoniously at the fire of which they had so cleverly dispossessed their enemies. "hum!" brighteye said, as he charged his pipe, "i shall laugh for a long time at this trick; it is almost as good as the one i played the pawnees in 1827, on the upper arkansas. i was very young at that time; i had been traversing the prairie for only a few years, and was not, as i now am, accustomed to indian devilries; i remember that--" "by what accident did i meet you here, brighteye?" his friend asked, hastily interrupting him. marksman knew that so soon as brighteye began a story, no power on earth would stop him. the worthy man, during the course of a long and varied career, had seen and done so many extraordinary things, that the slightest event which occurred to him, or of which he was merely a witness, immediately became an excuse for one of his interminable stories. his friends, who knew his weakness, felt no hesitation about interrupting him; still we must do brighteye the justice of saying that he was never angry with his disturbers; for ten minutes later he would begin another story, which they as mercilessly interrupted in a similar way. to marksman's question, he replied,--"we will talk, and i will tell you that." then, turning to domingo, he said,--"my friend, i thank you for the assistance you have given us. return to the camp, and do not forget your promise. above all, do not omit to narrate all you have seen, to--you know who!" "that is agreed, old hunter. don't be uneasy. good-bye." "here's luck." domingo threw his rifle over his shoulder, lit his pipe, and walked in the direction of the camp, where he arrived an hour later. "there," marksman said, "now i believe nothing will prevent your going ahead." "yes; one thing, my friend." "what is it?" "the night is nearly spent; it has been fatiguing to everybody. i presume that two or three hours' sleep are necessary, if not indispensable, especially as we are in no hurry." "tell me only one thing first, and then i will let you sleep as long as you please." "what is it?" "how you happened so fortunately to come to my aid." "confound it! that is exactly what i was afraid of. your question obliges me to enter into details far too long for me to be able to satisfy you at this moment." "the truth is, my friend, that, in spite of the lively desire i feel to spend a few days with you, i am compelled to leave you at sunrise." "nonsense! it is not possible." "it is, indeed." "but what is your hurry?" "i have engaged myself as scout with a caravan, which i have given the meeting at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon, at the del rubio ford. that appointment has been made for the last two months. you know that an engagement is sacred with us hunters, and you would not like to make me break my word!" "not for the hides of all the buffalos killed every year on the prairie. towards what part of the far west will you guide these men?" "i shall know that tomorrow." "and with what sort of people have you to do? are they spaniards, or gringos?" "on my word, i fancy they are mexicans. their chief's name, i think, is don miguel ortega, or something like it." "hallo!" brighteye exclaimed, with a start of surprise; "what's that you said?" "don miguel ortega. i may be mistaken, but i hardly think so." "that is strange," the old hunter said, as if speaking to himself. "i do not see anything strange in it; the name appears to me common enough." "to you, possibly. and you have made an agreement with him?" "signed and sealed." "as scout?" "yes, i say, a thousand times." "well, comfort yourself, marksman; we have many a long day to spend together." "do you belong to his party?" "heaven forbid!" "then, i don't understand anything." brighteye seemed to be reflecting seriously for a few moments; then he turned to his friend, and said,-"listen to me, marksman! so surely as you are my oldest friend, i do not wish to see you going to the deuce your own road. i must give you certain information, which will be indispensable to you in doing your duty properly. i see that we shall not sleep this night, so listen to me attentively. what you are about to hear is worth the trouble." marksman, startled by the old hunter's solemn accent, looked at him anxiously. "speak!" he said to him. brighteye collected his thoughts for a moment, and then took the word, beginning a long history, to which his audience listened with a degree of interest and attention which increased with every moment; for never, till that day, had they heard the narrative of events so strange and extraordinary. the sun had risen for a long time, but the hunter was still talking. chapter vi. a dark history. freed from all the observations, more or less pertinent, with which it pleased the prolix hunter to embellish it, the following is the remarkable story the canadian told his hearers. this narrative is so closely connected with our story, that we are compelled to repeat it in all its details:-"few cities offer a more enchanting appearance than mexico. the ancient capital of the aztecs lies stretched out, slothful and idle as a creole maid, half veiled by the thick curtain of lofty willows which border at a distance the canals and roads. built at exactly equal distance from two oceans, at about 7,500 feet above their level, or at the same height as the hospice of st. bernard, this city, however, enjoys a delicious tempered climate, between two magnificent mountains--popocatepetl, or the burning mountain, and intaczehuatl, or the white woman--whose rugged peaks, covered with eternal snows, are lost in the clouds. the stranger who arrives before mexico at sunset, by the eastern road--one of the four great ways that lead to the city of the aztecs, and the only one now remaining isolated in the middle of the waters of lake tezcuco, on which it is built--experiences, at the first sight of this city, a strange emotion, for which he cannot account. the moorish architecture of the edifices; the houses painted of bright colours; the numberless domes of churches and convents which rise above the azoteas, and cover--if we may use the expression--the entire capital with their vast yellow, blue, and red parasols, gilded by the parching rays of the declining sun; the warm and perfumed evening breeze which comes sporting through the leaf-laden branches; all this combines to give mexico a perfectly eastern air, which astonishes and seduces at the same time. mexico, entirely burnt down by fernando cortez, was rebuilt by that conqueror after the original plan; all the streets intersect at right angles, and lead to the plaza mayor by five principal arteries." "all spanish towns in the new world have this in common--that, in all, the plaza mayor is built after the same plan. thus, at mexico, on one side are the cathedral and the sagrario; on the second, the palace of the president of the republic, containing the ministerial offices--four in number, barracks, a prison, &c.; on the third side is the ayuntamiento; while the fourth is occupied by two bazaars--the pariã¡n, and the portal de los flores." "on july 10, 1854, at ten of the night, after a torrid heat, which compelled the inhabitants to shut themselves up in their houses the whole day through, the breeze rose and refreshed the air, and everybody, mounted on the flower-covered azoteas, which make them resemble hanging gardens, hastened to enjoy that serene placidity of american evenings, which seems to rain stars from the azure sky. the streets and square were thronged with promenaders; there was an inextricable throng of foot passengers, horsemen, men, women, indians and their squaws, where the rags, silk and gold were arranged in the quaintest manner, in the midst of cries, jests, and merry bursts of laughter. in a word, mexico, like the enchanted city of the arabian nights, seemed to have been aroused by the bell of oraciã³n from a centennial sleep--such joy did all faces display, and so happy did all seem to inhale the fresh air." "at this moment, a non-commissioned officer, who could be easily recognised as such by the vine stick he held in his hand, turned out of the calle san francisco, and mingled with the crowd that thronged the plaza mayor, giving himself all the airs peculiar to soldiers in all parts of the world. he was a young man, of elegant features, haughty glance, and his slight moustache was coquettishly turned up. after walking round the square two or three times, ogling maidens and elbowing the men, he approached, with the same careless air he had displayed from the beginning, a shop built against one of the portales, in which an old man with a ferret-face and cunning look was shutting up in the drawers of a poor table, stained with a countless number of ink spots, paper, pens, sand, and envelopes--in a word, all the articles requisite for the profession of a public writer--the trade which the little old man really carried on, as could be seen from a board hung over the door of his shop, on which was written, in white letters on a black ground,--_juan battista leporello, evangelista_. the sergeant looked for a few seconds through the panes, which were covered with specimens of calligraphy, and then, doubtless satisfied with what he saw, he tapped thrice with his stick on the door." "a chain was moved in the interior; the soldier heard a key turned in the lock, then the door opened slightly, and the evangelista thrust his head out timidly." "'ah, 'tis you, don annibal! _dios me ampare_. i did not expect you so soon,' he said, in that cringing tone which some men employ when they feel themselves in the hands of a man stronger than themselves." "'_â¡cuerpo de cristo!_ play the innocent, old coyote,' the sergeant replied roughly, 'who but i would dare to set foot in your accursed den?'" "the evangelista shrugged his shoulders with a grin, and pushed his silver spectacles with their round glasses up on his forehead." "'eh, eh,' he said, coughing mysteriously, 'many people have recourse to my good offices, my young springold.'" "'it is possible,' the soldier answered, thrusting him rudely back, and entering the shop. 'i pity them for falling into the hands of an old bird of prey like you; but it is not that which brings me here.'" "'perhaps it would be better for both you and me, if your visits had another motive from the one that brings you here!' the evangelista remarked, timidly." "'truce to your sermons; shut the door, fasten the shutters, so that no one can see us from the street, and let us talk, for we have no time to lose.'" "the old man made no reply; he at once set about closing the shutters, which at night protected his shop from the assaults of the rateros, with a celerity for which no one would have given him credit; then he sat down by his visitor's side, after carefully bolting the door." "these two men, seen thus by the light of a smoky candle, offered a striking contrast; one young, handsome, strong, and daring; the other old, broken, and hypocritical: both taking side glances at each other, full of a strange expression, and with an apparent cordiality, which probably hid a deep hatred, talking in a low voice ear to ear, they resembled two demons conspiring the ruin of an angel." "the soldier was the first to speak, in a tone hardly above his breath, so much did he seem to fear being overheard." "'look you, tã­o leporello,' he said, 'let us come to an understanding; the half hour has just struck at the sagrario, so speak; what have you learnt new?'" "'hum!' the other said, 'not much that is interesting.'" "the soldier flashed a suspicious glance at him, and appeared to be reflecting." "'that is true,' he said, at the end of a moment, 'i did not think of that; where could my head be?'" "he drew from the breast pocket of his uniform a purse tolerably well filled, through the meshes of which glistened sundry ounces, and then a long navaja, which he opened and placed on the table near him. the old man trembled at the sight of the sharpened blade, whose blue steel sent forth sinister rays; the soldier opened the purse, and poured forth the pieces in a joyous cascade before him. the evangelista immediately forgot the knife, only to attend to the gold, attracted involuntarily by the trinkling of the metal, as by an irresistible magnet." "the soldier had done all we have just described with the coolness of a man who knows that he has unfailing arguments in his possession." "'then,' he said, 'rake up your memory, old demon, if you do not wish my navaja to teach you with whom you have to deal, in case you have forgotten.'" "the evangelista smiled pleasantly, while looking covetously at the ounces. 'i know too well what i owe you, don annibal,' he said, 'not to try to satisfy you by all the means in my power.'" "'a truce to your unnecessary and hypocritical compliments, old ape, and come to facts. take this first, it will encourage you to be sincere.'" "he placed several ounces in his hand, which the evangelista disposed of with such sleight of hand, that it was impossible for the soldier to know where they had gone." "'you are generous, don annibal--that will bring you good fortune.'" "'go on; i want facts.'" "'i am coming to them.'" "'i am listening.'" "and the sergeant leaned his elbows on the table, in the position of a man preparing to listen, while the evangelista coughed, spat, and by an old habit of prudence, though alone with the sergeant in his shop, looked round him suspiciously." "the sounds on the plaza mayor had died out one after the other; the crowd had dispersed in every direction, and returned to their houses, and the greatest silence prevailed outside; at this moment eleven o'clock struck slowly from the cathedral, and the two men started involuntarily at the mournful sounds of the clock; the serenos chanted the hour in their drawling, drunken voice; then all was quiet." "'will you speak, yes or no?' the soldier suddenly said, with a menacing accent." "the evangelista bounded on his butaca, as if aroused from sleep, and passed his hand several times over his forehead. 'i am beginning,' he said in a humble voice." "'that is lucky,' the other remarked, coarsely." "'you must know, then----but,' he observed, suddenly interrupting himself, 'must i enter into all the details?'" "'_demonios!_' the soldier exclaimed, passionately, 'let us have an end of this once for all; you know i want to have the most complete information; _canarios!_ do not play with me like a cat with a mouse; old man, i warn you, that game will be dangerous for you.'" "'well, this morning, i had just settled myself in my office; i was arranging my papers and mending my pens, when i heard a discreet tap at the door; i rose and went to open it; it was a young and lovely lady, as far as i could judge, for she was _embossed_ in her black mantilla, so as not to be seen.'" "'then it was not the woman who has come to you every day for a month?' the soldier interrupted." "'yes; but as you have doubtlessly remarked, on each of her visits, she is careful to change her dress, in order to prevent my recognizing her; but, in spite of these precautions, i have been too long accustomed to ladies' tricks to allow myself to be deceived, and i recognized her by the first glance that shot from her black eye.'" "'very good: go on.'" "'she stood for a moment before me in silence, playing with her fan, with an air of embarrassment. i offered her a chair politely, pretending not to recognize her, and asking her how i could be of service to her.' 'oh,' she answered me, with a petulant voice, 'i want a very simple matter.' 'speak, seã±orita; if it is connected with my profession, believe me, i shall make a point of obeying you.' 'should i have come, had it not been so?' she replied; 'but are you a man who can be trusted?' and while saying this, she fixed on me a searching glance. i drew myself up, and replied in my most serious tone, as i laid my hand on my heart--'an evangelista is a confessor; all secrets die in his breast.' she then drew a paper from the pocket of her saga, and turned it about in her fingers, but suddenly began laughing, as she said, 'how foolish i am, i make a mystery of a trifle; besides, at this moment you are only a machine, as you will not understand what you write.' i bowed at all hazards, expecting some diabolical combination, like those she has brought to me every day for a month.'" "'a truce to reflections,' the sergeant interrupted." "'she gave me the paper,' the evangelista continued, 'and, as was arranged between you and me, i took a sheet of paper, which i laid upon another prepared beforehand, and blackened on one side, so that the words i wrote on my papers were reproduced by the black page on another--the poor niã±a not in the least suspecting it. after all, the letter was not long, only two or three lines; but, may i be sent to purgatory,' he added, crossing himself piously, 'if i understood a syllable of the horrible gibberish i copied: it was doubtlessly morisco.'" "'afterwards?'" "'i folded up the paper in the shape of a letter, and addressed it.'" "'ah, ah!' the soldier said, with interest, 'that is the first time.'" "'yes, but the information will not be of much use to you.'" "'perhaps:--what was the address?'" "'z. p. v. 2, calle s. p. z.'" "'hum!' the soldier said, thoughtfully; 'that is certainly rather vague. what next?'" "'then she went away, after giving me a gold ounce.'" "'she is generous.'" "'pore niã±a!' the evangelista said, laying his hooked fingers over his dry eyes, with an air of tenderness." "'enough of that mummery, which i do not believe. is that all she said to you?'" "'nearly so,' the other said, with hesitation." "the sergeant looked at him. 'is there anything else?' he remarked, as he threw him several gold coins, which the evangelista disposed of at once." "'almost nothing.'" "'you had better tell me, tã­o leporello, for, as an evangelista, you know that the reason why letters are written, is generally found in the postscript.'" "'on leaving my office, the seã±orita made a sign to a _providencia_ which was passing. the carriage stopped, and though the niã±a spoke in a very low voice, i heard her say to the driver, 'to the convent of the bernardines.'" "the sergeant gave an almost imperceptible start." "'hum!' he said, with an indifferent air, perfectly well assumed; 'that address does not mean much. now give me the paper.'" "the evangelista fumbled in his drawer, and drew from it a sheet of white paper, on which a few almost illegible words were written. so soon as the soldier had the paper in his hands he eagerly perused it; it appeared to have a great interest for him, for he turned visibly pale, and a convulsive tremor passed over his limbs; but he recovered himself almost immediately." "'it is well,' he said, as he tore up the paper into imperceptible fragments; 'here's for you.'" "and he threw a fresh handful of ounces on the table." "'thanks, caballero,' tã­o leporello exclaimed, as he bounded greedily on the precious metal." "an ironical smile played round the soldier's lips, and, taking advantage of the old man's position, as he leant over the table to collect the gold, he raised his knife, and buried it to the hilt between the evangelista's shoulders. the blow was dealt so truly, and with such a firm hand, that the old man fell like a log, without uttering a sigh or giving a cry. the soldier regarded him for a moment coldly and apathetically, then, reassured by the immobility of his victim, whom he believed dead,--" "'come,' he muttered, 'that is all the better; at any rate, he will not speak in that way.'" "after this philosophical funeral oration, the assassin tranquilly wiped his knife, picked up the gold, put out the candle, opened the door, closed it carefully after him, and walked off with the steady, though somewhat hasty step of a belated traveller hurrying to his home." "the plaza mayor was deserted." chapter vii. a dark hisiory continued. "ancient mexico was traversed by canals, like venice, or, to speak more correctly, like dutch towns, for generally in all the streets there was a path between the canal and the houses. at the present day, when all the streets are paved, and the canals have disappeared save in one quarter of the city, it is difficult to understand how cervantes, in one of his novels, could compare venice with mexico; but if the canals are no longer visible, they still exist underground; and in certain low quarters, where they have been converted into drains, they manifest their presence by the foetid odours which they exhale, or by the heaps of filth and stagnant water." "the sergeant, after so skilfully settling accounts with the hapless evangelista, crossed the plaza, and entered the calle de la monterilla." "he walked for a long time along the streets with the same quiet step he had adopted on leaving the evangelista's stall. at length, after about twenty minutes' walk through deserted streets and gloomy lanes, whose miserable appearance became with every step more menacing, he stopped before a house of more than suspicious aspect, above the door of which a flaring candle burned behind _un retablo de las animas veneritas;_ the windows of the house were lit up, and on the azotea the watchdogs were mournfully baying the moon. the sergeant tapped twice on the door of this sinister abode with his vine stick." "it was a long time ere he was answered. the shouts and singing suddenly ceased in the inside: at length the soldier heard a heavy step approaching; the door was partly opened--for everywhere in mexico an iron chain is put up at night--and a drunken voice said harshly,--" "'_â¿quiã©n es?_ (who's there?)'" "'gente de paz,' the sergeant answered." "'hum! it is very late to run about the _tuna_ and enter the vilaio,' the other remarked, apparently reflecting." "'i do not wish to enter.'" "'then what the deuce do you want?'" "'_pan y sal por los caballeros errantes,'_[1] the sergeant answered, in a tone of authority, and placing himself so that the moonbeams should fall on his face." "the man fell back, uttering an exclamation of surprise." "'_â¡valga me dios!_ seã±or don torribio!' he exclaimed, with an accent of profound respect; 'who could have recognized your excellency under that wretched dress? come in! come in! they are waiting impatiently for you.'" "and the man, who had become as obsequious as he had been insolent a few moments previously, hastened to undo the chain, and threw the door wide open." "'it is unnecessary, pepito,' the soldier continued, 'i repeat to you that i shall not come in. how many are there?'" "'twenty, excellency.'" "'armed?'" "'completely.'" "'let them come down directly. i will wait for them here. go, my son, time presses.'" "'and you? excellency,'" "'you will bring me a hat, an esclavina, my sword and pistols. come, make haste!'" "pepito did not let the order be repeated. leaving the door open, he ran off. a few minutes after, some twenty bandits, armed to the teeth, rushed into the street, jostling one another. on coming up to the soldier, they saluted respectfully, and, at a sign from him, remained motionless and silent." "pepito had brought the articles demanded by the man whom the evangelista called don annibal, himself don torribio, and who, probably, had several other names, although we will keep temporarily to the latter." "'are the horses ready?' don torribio asked, as he concealed his uniform under the esclavina, and placed in his girdle a long rapier and a pair of double-barrelled pistols." "'yes, excellency,' pepito answered, hat in hand." "'good, my son. you will bring them to the spot i told you; but as it is forbidden to go about the streets on horseback by night, you will pay attention to the celadores and serenos.'" "all the bandits burst into a laugh at this singular recommendation." "'there,' don torribio continued, as he put on a broad brimmed hat, which pepito had brought him with the other things, 'that is all right; we can now start. listen to me attentively, caballeros!'" "the leperos and other scoundrels who composed the audience, flattered by being treated as caballeros, drew nearer to don torribio, in order to hear his instructions. the latter continued,--" "'twenty men, marching, in a troop, through the streets of the city would, doubtless, arouse the susceptibility and suspicions of the police agents; we must employ the greatest prudence, and, above all, the utmost secrecy in order to succeed in the expedition for which i have collected you. you will, therefore, separate, and go one by one under the walls of the convent of the bernardines; on arriving there, you will conceal yourselves as well as you can, and not stir without my orders. above all, no disputes, no quarrelling. you have understood me clearly?'" "'yes, excellency,' the bandits answered, unanimously." "'very good. be off, then, for you must reach the convent in a quarter of an hour.'" "the bandits dispersed in every direction with the rapidity of a flock of buzzards. two minutes later they had disappeared round the corners of the nearest streets. pepito alone remained." "'and i?' he respectfully asked don torribio. 'do you not wish, excellency, for me to accompany you? i should be very bored if i remained here alone.'" "'i should be glad enough to take you with me; but who would get the horses ready if you went with me?'" "'that is true. i did not think of it.'" "'but do not be alarmed, muchacho, if i succeed as i hope, you shall soon come with me.'" "pepito, completely reassured by this promise, bowed respectfully to the mysterious man, who seemed to be his chief, and re-entered his house, carefully closing the door after him." "don torribio, when left alone, remained for several seconds plunged in deep thought. at length he raised his head, drew his hat over his eyes, carefully wrapped himself in his esclavina, and walked off hurriedly, muttering, 'shall i succeed?'" "a question which no one, not even himself, could have answered." "the convent of the bernardines stands in one of the handsomest quarters of mexico, not far from the paseo de bernardo, the fashionable promenade. it is a vast edifice, built entirely of hewn stone, which dates from the rebuilding of the city after the conquest, and was founded by fernando cortez himself. its general appearance is imposing and majestic, like all spanish convents; it is almost a small city within a large one, for it contains all that can be agreeable and useful for life--a church, a hospital, a laundry, a large kitchen garden, and a well-laid out flower garden, which offers pleasant shade, reserved for the exercise of the nuns. there are wide cloisters, decorated with grand pictures by good masters, representing scenes in the life of the virgin, and of st. bernard, to whom the convent is dedicated; these cloisters, bordered by circular galleries, out of which the cells of the nuns open, enclose sandy courts, adorned with pieces of water, in which fountains refresh the air at the burning midday hour. the cells are charming retreats, in which nothing that can promote comfort is wanting: a bed; two butacas covered with prepared cordovan leather, a _prie dieu_, a small toilet table, in the drawer of which you are sure to find a looking-glass, and several holy pictures, occupy the principal space. in a corner of the room may be seen, between a guitar and a scourge, a statue of the virgin, of wood or alabaster, wearing a coronal of white roses, before which a lamp is continually burning. such is the furniture which, with but few exceptions, you are certain to find in the nuns' cells." "the convent of the bernardines contained, at the period when our story is laid, one hundred and fifty nuns, and about sixty novices. in this country of toleration, it is rare to see nuns cloistered. the sisters can go into town, pay and receive visits; the regulations are extremely mild, and, with the exception of the offices, at which they are bound to be present with great punctuality, the nuns, when they have entered their cells, are almost at liberty to do as they please, nobody taking the trouble, or seeming to do so, of watching them." "we have described the convent cells, which are all alike; but that of the mother superior merits a particular description. nothing could be more luxurious, more religious, and yet more worldly, than its general appearance. it was an immense square room, with large gothic windows, with small panes set in lead, upon which sacred subjects were painted with admirable finish and admirable touch. the walls were covered with long, stamped, and gilded hangings of cordovan leather, while valuable pictures, representing the principal events in the life of the patron saint of the convent, were arranged with that symmetry and taste only to be met with in people belonging to the church. between the pictures hung a magnificent virgin, by raphael, before which was an altar. a silver lamp, full of perfumed oil, hung from the ceiling, and burnt night and day before the altar, which thick damask curtains hid, when thought proper. the furniture consisted of a large chinese screen, concealing the couch of the abbess,--a simple frame of carved oak, surrounded by white gauze mosquito curtains. a square table, also of oak, on which were a few books and a desk, occupied the centre of the room; in a corner a vast library, containing books on religious subjects, and displaying the rich bindings of rare and precious works through the glass doors, a few butacas and chairs, with twisted feet, were arranged against the wall. lastly, a silver brazier, filled with olive kernels, stood opposite a superb coffer, the chasing of which was a masterpiece of the renaissance." "during the day, the light, filtered through the coloured glass, spread but a gentle and mystic radiance around, which caused the visitor to experience a feeling of respect and devotion, by giving this vast apartment a stern and almost mournful aspect." "at the moment when we introduce the reader into this cell, that is to say, a few moments prior to the scene we have just described, the abbess was seated in a large straight-backed easy chair, which was surmounted by an abbatical crown, while the cushion of gilt leather was adorned with a double fringe of silk and gold." "the abbess was a little, plump woman, of about sixty years of age, whose features would have appeared unmeaning, had it not been for the bright and piercing glance that shot, like a jet of lava, from her grey eyes, when a violent emotion agitated her. she held in her hand an open book, and seemed plunged in profound meditation." "the door of the cell opened gently, and a girl, dressed in the novice's robe, advanced timidly, scarce grazing the floor with her light and hesitating foot. she stopped in front of the easy chair, and waited silently till the abbess raised her eyes to her." "'ah! it is you, my child,' the mother superior at length said, noticing the novice's presence; 'come hither.'" "the latter advanced a few paces nearer." "'why did you go out this morning without asking my permission?'" "on hearing these words, which the maiden, however, must have expected, she turned pale, and stammered a few unintelligible words." "the abbess continued, in a stern voice:--" "'take care, niã±a! although you are still a novice, and will not take the veil for several months, like all your companions, you are under my authority--mine alone.'" "these words were spoken with an intonation which made the maiden tremble." "'i holy mother!' she murmured." "'you were the intimate friend, almost the sister, of that young fool whom her resistance to our sovereign will snapped asunder like a reed, and who died this morning.'" "'do you really believe that she is dead, mother?' the girl answered timidly, and in a voice interrupted by grief." "'who doubts it?' the abbess exclaimed, violently, as she half rose in her chair, and fixed a viper's glance on the poor child." "'no one, madam, no one,' she said, falling back with terror." "'were you not, like the other members of the community,' the abbess continued, with a terrible accent, 'present at her funeral? did you not hear the prayers uttered over her coffin?'" "'it is true, my mother!'" "'did you not see her body lowered into the convent vaults, and the tombstone laid over it, which the angel of divine justice can alone raise at the day of judgment? say, were you not present at this sad and terrible ceremony? would you dare to assert that this did not take place, and that the wretched creature still lives, whom god suddenly smote in his wrath, that she might serve as a warning to those whom satan impels to revolt?'" "'pardon, holy mother, pardon! i saw what you say. i was present at doã±a laura's interment. alas! doubt is no longer possible; she is really dead!'" "while uttering the last words, the maiden could not restrain her tears, which flowed copiously. the abbess surveyed her with a suspicious air." "'it is well,' she said; 'you can retire: but i repeat to you, take care; i know that a spirit of revolt has seized on your heart as well, and i shall watch you.'" "the maiden bowed humbly to the mother superior, and moved as if to obey the order she had received." "at this moment a terrible disturbance was heard. cries of terror and threats reechoed in the corridor, and the hurried steps of a tumultuous crowd could be heard rapidly approaching." "'what is the meaning of this?' the abbess asked with terror; 'what is this noise?'" "she rose in agitation, and walked with tottering step toward the door of the cell, on which repeated blows were being struck." "'oh, heavens!' the novice murmured, as she turned a suppliant glance toward the statue of the virgin, which seemed to smile on her; 'have our liberators at length arrived?'" * * * * * "we will return to don torribio, whom we left walking with his companions toward the convent." "as tad been arranged between himself and his accomplices, the young man found all the band collected under the convent walls. along the streets the bandits, not to be disturbed by the serenos, had tied and gagged them and carried them off, as they met them, separately. thanks to this skilful manoeuvre, they reached their destination without hindrance. twelve serenos were captured in this way: and, on reaching the convent, don torribio gave orders for them to be laid one atop of the other at the foot of the wall." "then, drawing from his pocket a velvet mask, he covered his face with it (a precaution imitated by his comrades), and, approaching a wretched hut which stood a short distance off, he stove in the door with his shoulder. the owner rose up, frightened and half dressed, to inquire the meaning of this unusual mode of rapping at his door; but the poor fellow fell back with a cry of terror on perceiving the masked men assembled before his door. don torribio, being in a hurry, commenced the conversation by going straight to the subject matter:--'_buenas noches_ tã­o salado. i am delighted to see you in good health,' he said to him." "the other answered, not knowing exactly what he said,--" "'i thank you, caballero. you are too kind.'" "'make haste! get your cloak, and come with us.'" "'i?' salado said, with a start of terror." "'yourself.'" "'but how can i be of service to you?'" "'i will tell you. i know that you are highly respected at the convent of the bernardines--in the first place as a pulquero; and, secondly, as _hombre de bien y religioso._'" "'oh! oh! to a certain extent,' the pulquero answered, evasively." "'no false modesty. i know you have the power to get the gates of that house opened when you please; it is for that reason i invite you to accompany us.'" "'_â¡maria purã­sima!_ what are you thinking of, caballero' the poor fellow exclaimed, with terror." "'no remarks! make haste! or, by nuestra seã±ora del carmen, i will burn your rookery.'" "'a hollow groan issued from salado's chest; but, after taking one despairing glance at the black masks that surrounded him, he prepared to obey. from the pulquerã­a to the convent was only a few paces--they were soon passed, and don torribio turned to his prisoner, who was more dead than alive." "'there, _compadre_,' he said, distinctly, 'we have arrived. it is now your place to get the door opened for us.'" "'in heaven's name,' the pulquero exclaimed, making one last effort at resistance, 'how do you expect me to set about it? you forget that i have no means--'" "'listen,' don torribio said, imperiously; 'you understand that i have no time for discussion. you will either introduce us into the convent, and this purse, which contains fifty ounces, is yours; or you refuse, and in that case,' he added, coldly, as he drew a pistol from his girdle, 'i blow out your brains with this.'" "a cold perspiration bedewed the pulquero's temples. he was too well acquainted with the bandits of his country to insult them for a moment by doubting their words." "'well!' the other asked, as he cocked the pistol, 'have you reflected?'" "'_cã¡spita_, caballero! do not play with that thing. i will try.'" "'here is the purse to sharpen your wits,' don torribio said." "the pulquero clutched it with a movement of joy, any idea of which it is impossible to give; then he walked slowly towards the convent gate, while cudgelling his brains for some way in which to earn the sum he had received, without running any risk--a problem, we confess, of which it was not easy to find the solution." [1] literally "bread and salt for the knight-errants." chapter viii. a dark history concluded. "the pulquero at length decided on obedience. suddenly a luminous thought crossed his brain, and it was with a smile on his lips that he lifted the knocker. at the moment he was going to let it fall, don torribio caught his arm." "'what is the matter?' salado asked." "'eleven o'clock struck long ago; everybody must be asleep in the convent, so perhaps it would be better to try another plan.'" "'you are mistaken, caballero,' the pulquero answered; 'the portress is awake.'" "'are you sure of it?'" "'caramba!' the other answered, who had formed his plan, and was afraid he would be obliged to return the money, if his employã© changed his mind. 'the convent of the bernardines is open day and night to persons who come for medicines. leave me to manage it.'" "'go on, then,' the chief of the band said, letting loose his arm." "salado did not allow the permission to be repeated, through fear of a fresh objection, and he hastened to let go the knocker, which resounded on a copper bolt. don torribio and his companions were crouching under the wall." "in a moment the trapdoor was pushed back, and the wrinkled face of the portress appeared." "'who are you, my brother?' she asked, in a peevish, sleepy voice. 'why do you come at this late hour to tap at the gates of the convent?'" "'_ave maria purã­sima!_' salado said, in his most nasal tone." "'_sin pecado concebida_, my brother,--are you ill?'" "'i am a poor sinner, you know, sister; my soul is plunged in affliction.'" "'who are you, brother? i really believe that i can recognise your voice; but the night is so dark, that i am unable to distinguish your features.'" "'and i sincerely trust you will not see them,' salado said, mentally; then added, in a louder voice, 'i am seã±or templado, and keep a locanda in the calle plateros.'" "'ah! i remember you now, brother.'" "'i fancy that is biting,' the pulquero muttered." "'what do you desire, brother? make haste to tell me, in the most holy name of your saviour!' she said, crossing herself devotedly, a movement imitated by salado; 'for the air is very cold, and i must continue my orisons, which you have interrupted.'" "'vulgo mi dios! sister; my wife and two children are ill; the reverend pater guardian, of the franciscans, urged me to come and ask you for three bottles of your miraculous water.'" "we will observe, parenthetically, that every convent manufactures in mexico a so-called miraculous water, the receipt of which is carefully kept secret; this water, we were told, cures all maladies--a miracle which we were never in a position to test, for our part. we need hardly say, that this universal panacea is sold at a very high rate, and produces the best part of the community's revenue." "'maria!' the old woman exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with joy at the pulquero's large order. 'three bottles!'" "'yes, sister. i will also ask your permission to rest myself a little; for i have come so quick, and the emotion produced by the illness of my wife and children has so crushed me, that i find it difficult to keep on my legs.'" "'poor man!' the portress said, with pity." "'oh! it would really be an act of charity, my sister.'" "'seã±or templado, please look around you, to make sure there is no one in the street. we live in such wicked times, that a body cannot take enough precautions.'" "'there is no one, my sister,' the pulquero answered, making the bandits a sign to get ready." "'then i will open.'" "'heaven will reward you, my sister.'" "'amen,' she said, piously." "the noise of a key turned in a lock could be heard, then the rumbling of bolts, and the door opened." "'come in quickly, brother,' the nun said." "but salado had prudently withdrawn, and yielded his place to don torribio. the latter rushed at the portress, not giving her time to look round, seized her by the throat, and squeezed her windpipe as if his hand were a vice." "'one word, sorceress,' he said to her, 'and i will kill you!'" "terrified by this sudden attack from a man whose face was covered by a black mask, the old woman fell back senseless." "'devil take the old witch!' don torribio exclaimed, passionately; 'who will guide us now?'" "he tried to restore the portress to her senses, but soon perceiving that he should not succeed, he made a sign to two of his men to tie and gag her securely; then, after recommending them to stand sentry at the door, he seized the bunch of keys entrusted to the nun, and began, followed by his comrades, to find his way into the building inhabited by the sisters. it was not an easy thing to discover, in this immense thebaã¯d, the cell occupied by the abbess, for it was that lady alone whom don torribio wanted." "now, to converse with the abbess, she must first be found, and it was this that embarrassed the bandits, though masters of the place they had seized by stratagem. at the moment, however, when they began to lose all hopes, an incident, produced by their inopportune presence, came to their aid." "the bandits had spread, like a torrent that had burst its dykes, through the courts and cloisters, not troubling themselves in the least as to the consequences their invasion might have for the convent; and, shouting and cursing like demons, they appeared to wish to leave no nook, however secret it might be, unvisited; but it is true that, in acting thus, they only obeyed the orders of their chief." "the nuns, accustomed to calmness and silence, were soon aroused by this disturbance, which they, for a moment, believed occasioned by an earthquake; they rushed hurriedly from their beds, and, only half dressed, went, like a flock of frightened doves, to seek shelter in the cell of the abbess." "the mother superior, sharing the error of her nuns, had succeeded in opening her door; and, collecting her flock around her, she walked toward the spot whence the noise came, leaning majestically on her abbatical cross." "suddenly she perceived a band of masked demons, yelling, howling, and brandishing weapons of every description. but, before she could utter a cry, don torribio rushed toward her. 'no noise!' he said. 'we do not wish to do you any harm; we have come, on the contrary, to repair that which you have done.'" "dumb with terror at the sight of so many masked men, the women stood as if petrified." "'what do you want of me?' the mother superior stammered, in a trembling voice." "'you shall know,' the chief answered; and, turning to one of his men, he said, 'the sulphur matches.'" "a bandit silently gave him what he asked for." "'now listen to me attentively, seã±ora. yesterday, a novice belonging to your convent, who some days back refused to take the veil, died suddenly.'" "the abbess looked around her with a commanding air, and then addressed the man who was speaking to her." "'i do not know what you mean,' she replied boldly." "'very good! i expected that answer. i will go on; this novice, scarcely sixteen years of age, was doã±a laura de acevedo del real del monte; she belonged to one of the first families in the republic. this morning, her obsequies were performed, with all the ceremony employed on such occasions, in the church of this convent; her body was then lowered, with great pomp, into the vaults reserved for the burial of the nuns.'" "he stopped, and fixed on the mother superior eyes that flashed through his mask like lightning." "'i repeat to you that i do not know what you mean,' she replied coldly." "'ah, very good! then listen to this, seã±ora, and profit by it; for you have fallen, i swear it, into the hands of men who will show you no mercy, and will be moved neither by your tears nor your airs of grace, if you compel them to proceed to extremities.'" "'you can do as you please,' the mother superior answered, still perfectly collected. 'i am in your hands. i know that for the moment, at least, i have no help to expect from any one; but heaven will give me strength to suffer martyrdom.'" "'madam,' don torribio said with a grin, 'you are blaspheming, you are wittingly committing a deadly sin; but no matter, that is your business: this is mine. you will at once point out to me the entrance of the vault, and the spot where doã±a laura is reposing. i have sworn to carry off her body from here, no matter at what cost. i will fulfil my oath, whatever may happen. if you consent to what i ask, my companions and myself will retire, taking with us the body of the poor deceased, but not touching a pin of the immense riches the convent contains.'" "'and if i refuse?' she said, angrily." "'if you refuse,' he replied, laying a stress on each word, as if he wished the lady addressed fully to understand them, 'the convent will be sacked, these timid doves will become the prey of the demon.' he added, with a gesture which made the nuns quiver with terror. 'and i will apply to you a certain torture, which i do not doubt will loosen your tongue.'" "the abbess smiled contemptuously." "'begin with me,' she said." "'that is my intention. come,' he added, in a rough voice, 'to work.'" "two men stepped forward, and seized the mother superior; but she made no attempt to defend herself. she remained motionless, seemingly apathetic; still an almost imperceptible contraction of her eyebrows evidenced the internal emotion she endured." "'is that your last word, seã±ora?' don torribio inquired." "'do your duty, villains!' she replied, with disdain. 'try to conquer the will of an old woman.'" "'we are going to do so. begin!' he ordered." "the two bandits prepared to obey their chief." "'stay, in heaven's name!' a maiden exclaimed, as she rushed bravely before the mother superior, and repulsed the bandits." "it was the novice with whom the abbess was speaking at the moment the convent was invaded. there was a moment of breathless hesitation." "'be silent, i command you!' the abbess shrieked. 'let me suffer. god sees us!'" "'it is because he sees us that i will speak,' the maiden answered, peremptorily; 'it is he who has sent these men i do not know, to prevent a great crime. follow me, caballeros; you have not a moment to lose; i will lead you to the vaults.'" "'wretch!' the abbess cried, writhing furiously in the hands of the men who held her. 'wretch! my wrath will fall on you.'" "'i know it,' the maiden responded, sadly; 'but no personal consideration will prevent my accomplishing a sacred duty.'" "'gag that old wretch. we must finish our work,' the chief commanded." "the order was immediately executed. in spite of her desperate resistance, the mother superior was reduced to a state of impotence in a few moments." "'one of you will guard her,' don torribio continued, 'and at the least suspicious sign blow out her brains,' then, changing his tone, he addressed the novice, 'a thousand thanks, seã±orita! complete what you have so well begun, and guide us to these terrible vaults.'" "'come, caballeros,' she answered, placing herself at their head." "the bandits, who had suddenly become quiet, followed her in silence, with marks of the most profound respect. at a peremptory order from don torribio, the nuns, now reassured, had dispersed and returned to their cells." "while crossing the corridor, don torribio went up to the girl, and whispered in her ear two or three words, which made her start." "'fear nothing,' he added. 'i but wished to prove to you that i knew all. i only desire, seã±orita, to be your most respectful and devoted friend.'" "the maiden sighed, but made no reply." "'what will become of you afterwards? alone in this convent, exposed defencelessly to the hatred of this fury, who regards nothing as sacred, you will soon take the place of her we are about to deliver. is it not better to follow her?'" "'alas, poor laura!' she muttered, hoarsely." "'will you, who have done so much for her up to the present, abandon her at this supreme moment, when your assistance and support will become more than ever necessary to her? are you not her foster sister? her dearest friend? what prevents? you! an orphan from your earliest youth, all your affections are concentrated on laura. answer me, doã±a luisa, i conjure you!'" "the maiden gave a start of surprise, almost of terror." "'you know me!' she said." "'have i not already said that i knew all? come, my child, if not for your own sake, then for hers, accompany her. do not compel me to leave you here in the hands of terrible enemies, who will inflict frightful tortures on you.'" "'you wish it?' she stammered sadly." "'she begs you by my lips.'" "'well, be it so; the sacrifice shall be complete. i will follow you, though i know not whether, in doing so, i am acting rightly or wrongly; but, although i do not know you, although a mask conceals your features, i have faith in your words. you seem to have a noble heart, and may heaven grant that i am not committing an error.'" "'it is the god of goodness and mercy who inspires you with this resolution, poor child.'" "doã±a luisa let her head sink on her breast as she breathed a sigh that resembled a sob." "they went onwards, side by side, without exchanging another word. the party had left the cloisters, and were now crossing some unfinished buildings, which did not seem to have been inhabited for many a long year." "'where are you leading us, then, niã±a?' don torribio asked. 'i fancied that in this convent, as in others, the vaults were under the chapel.'" "the maiden smiled sadly. 'i am not leading you to the vaults,' she answered, in a trembling voice." "'where to, then?'" "'to the _in pace!_'" "don torribio stifled an angry oath." "'oh!' he muttered." "'the coffin that was lowered into the vaults this morning in the sight of all,' doã±a luisa continued, 'really contained the body of my poor laura; it was impossible to do otherwise, owing to the custom which demands that the dead should be buried in their clothes, and with uncovered faces; but so soon as the crowd had departed, and the doors of the chapel were closed on the congregation, the mother superior had the tombstone removed again, the body brought up, and transferred to the deepest _in pace_ of the convent. but here we are,' she said, as she stopped and pointed to a large stone in the paved floor of the apartment in which they were." "the scene had something mournful and striking about it. in the deserted apartment the masked men were grouped around the maiden dressed in white, and only illumined by the ruddy glare of the torches they waved, bore a strange likeness to those mysterious judges who in old times met in ruins to try kings and emperors." "'raise the stone,' don torribio said, in a hollow voice." "after a few efforts the stone was raised, leaving open a dark gulf, from which poured a blast of hot and foetid air. don torribio took a torch, and bent over the orifice." "'why,' he said, at the expiration of a moment, 'this vault is deserted.'" "'yes,' doã±a luisa answered, simply, 'she, whom you seek, is lower.'" "'what! lower?' he cried, with a movement of terror, which he could not control." "'that vault is not deep enough; an accident might cause a discovery; shrieks could be heard from outside. there are two other vaults like this, built above each other. when, through any reason, the abbess has resolved on the disappearance of a nun, and that she shall be cut off for ever from the number of the living, the victim is let down into the last cave, called _hell!_ there all noise dies away; every sob remains unechoed; every complaint is vain. oh! the inquisition managed matters well; and it is so short a time since its rule ended in mexico, that some of its customs have been maintained in the convents. seek lower, caballero, seek lower!'" "don torribio, at these words, felt a cold perspiration beading at the roots of his hair. he believed himself a prey to a horrible nightmare. making a supreme effort to subdue the emotion that overpowered him, he went down into the vault by means of a light ladder leaning against one of the walls, and several of his comrades followed him. after some searching, they discovered a stone like the first. don torribio plunged a torch into the gulf." "'empty!' he exclaimed, in horror." "'lower, i tell you! look lower,' doã±a luisa cried, in a gloomy voice, who had remained on the edge of the topmost vault." "'what had this adorable creature done to them to endure such martyrdom?' don torribio exclaimed, in his despair." "'avarice and hatred are two terrible counsellors,' the maiden answered; 'but make haste! make haste! every moment that passes is an age for her who is waiting.'" "don torribio, a prey to incredible fury, began seeking the last vault. after a few moments, his exertions were crowned with success. the stone was scarce lifted, ere, paying no attention to the mephitic air which rushed from the opening and almost extinguished his torch, he bent over." "'i see her! i see her!' he said, with a cry more resembling a howl than a human voice." "and, waiting no longer, without even calculating the height, he leaped into the vault. a few moments later he returned to the hall, bearing in his arms doã±a laura's inanimate body." "'away, friends, away!' he exclaimed, addressing his companions; 'let us not stay an instant longer in this den of wild beasts with human faces!'" "at a sign from him, doã±a luisa was lifted in the arms of a sturdy lepero, and all ran off in the direction of the cloisters. they soon reached the cell of the mother superior. on seeing them, the abbess made a violent effort to break her bonds, and writhed impotently like a tiger, while flashing, at the men who had foiled her hideous projects, glances full of hatred and rage." "'wretch!' don torribio shouted, as he passed near her, and disdainfully spurned her with his foot; 'be accursed! your chastisement commences, for your victim escapes you.'" "by one of those efforts which only hatred which has reached its paroxysm can render possible, the abbess succeeded in removing her gag slightly." "perhaps!' she yelled, in a voice which sounded like a knell in don torribio's ears." "overcome by this great effort, she fainted." "five minutes after, there was no one in the convent beyond its usual inmates." chapter ix. brighteye and marksman. at this point in his narrative brighteye stopped, and began, with a thoughtful air, filling his indian pipe with tobacco. there was a lengthened silence. his auditors, still under the influence of this extraordinary influence, dared not venture any reflections. at length marksman raised his head. "that story is very dramatic and very gloomy," he said, "but pardon my rude frankness, old and dear comrade, it seems to me to have no reference to what is going on around us, and the events in which we shall, probably, be called upon to be interested spectators, if not actors." "in truth," ruperto observed, "what do we wood rangers care for adventures that happen in mexico, or any other city of the _tierras adentro_? we are here in the desert to hunt, trap, and thrash the redskins. any other question can affect us but slightly." brighteye tossed his head in a significant manner, and laid his pipe mechanically by his side. "you are mistaken, comrades," he continued; "do you believe, then, that i should have made you waste your time in listening to this long story, if it did not possess an important reality for us?" "explain yourself, then, my friend," marksman observed, "for i honestly confess that, for my part, i have understood nothing of what you have been good enough to tell us." the old canadian raised his head, and seemed, for a few moments, to be calculating the sun's height. "it is half past six," he said; "you have still more than sufficient time to reach the ford of the rubio, where the man is to wait, to whom you have engaged yourself as guide. listen to me, therefore, for i have not quite finished. now that i have told you the mystery, you must learn what has come out to clear it up." "speak!" marksman replied, in the tone of a man who is resolved to listen through politeness to a story which he knows cannot interest him. brighteye, not seeming to remark his friend's apathetic condescension, went on in the following terms:--"you have remarked that don torribio provided for everything with a degree of prudence which must keep off any suspicion, and cover this adventure with an impenetrable veil. unfortunately for him, the evangelista was not killed. he could not only speak, but show a copy of each of the letters he daily handed to the young man--letters which the latter paid so dearly for, and which, with that prudence innate in the mexican race, he had previously guarded, to employ, if needed, as a weapon against don torribio; or, as was more probable, to avenge himself if he fell a victim to any treachery. this was what happened:--the evangelista, found in a dying state by an early customer, had strength enough to make a regular declaration to the juez de lettras, and hand him the letters ere he died. this assassination, taken in connection with the attack on the serenos by a numerous band, and the invasion of the convent of the bernardines, furnished a clue which the police begun following with extreme tenacity; especially as the young lady whose body had been so audaciously carried off had powerful relations, who, for certain reasons known to themselves, would not let this crime pass unpunished, and spent their gold profusely. it was soon learned that the bandits, on leaving the convent, mounted horses brought by their confidants, and started at full speed in the direction of the presidios. the police even succeeded in discovering one of the men who supplied the horses. this individual, pepito by name, bought over by the money offered him, rather than frightened by threats, stated that he had sold to don torribio carvajal twenty-five post horses, to be delivered at the convent of the bernardines at two o'clock in the morning. as these horses were paid for in advance, he, pepito, did not trouble himself at all about the singularity of the spot, or of the hour. don torribio and his companions had arrived, bearing with them two women, one of whom appeared to have fainted, and immediately galloped off. the trail of the ravishers was then followed to the presidio de tubar, where don torribio allowed his party to rest for several days. there he purchased a close palanquin, a field tent, and all the provisions necessary for a lengthened journey in the desert, and one night suddenly disappeared, with all his band, which was augmented by all the adventurers he could pick up at the presidio, no one being able to say in what direction he had gone. this information, though vague, was sufficient up to a certain point, and the relations of the young lady were continuing their search." "i fancy i am beginning to see what you want to arrive at," marksman interrupted him; "but conclude your story; when you have finished, i will make sundry observations, whose justice you will recognize, i am sure." "i shall be delighted to hear them," brighteye said, and went on:--"a man who, twenty years ago, did me a rather important service, whom i had not seen since, and whom i should assuredly not have recognized, had he not told me his name--the only thing i had not forgotten--came to me and my partner ruperto, while we were at the presidio de tubar, selling a few panther and tiger skins. this man told me what i have just repeated to you: he added that he was a near relation of the young lady, reminded me of the service he had rendered me--in a word, he affected me so greatly, that i agreed to take vengeance on his enemy. two days later we took up the trail. for a man like myself, accustomed to follow indians' signs, it was child's play and i soon led him almost into the spanish caravan commanded by don miguel ortega." "the other was called don torribio carvajal." "could he not have changed his name?" "for what good in the desert?" "in the consciousness that he would be pursued." "then the relatives had a great interest in this pursuit?" "don josã© told me he was the young lady's uncle, and felt a paternal tenderness for her." "but i fancy she is dead, or at least you told me so, if i am not mistaken." brighteye scratched his ear. "that is the awkward part of the affair," he said; "it seems she is not dead at all; on the contrary." "what!" marksman exclaimed; "she is not dead! that uncle knows it, then; it was by his consent that the poor creature was buried alive! but, if that is the case, there must be some odious machination in the business." "on my word, if i must confess it, i fear so too," the canadian said, in a hesitating voice. "still, this man rendered me a great service. i have no proof in support of my suspicions, and----" marksman rose, and stood in front of the old hunter. "brighteye," he said to him, sternly; "we are fellow countrymen; we love each other like brothers; for many long years we have slept side by side on the prairie, sharing good fortune and ill between us, saving each other's lives a hundred times, either in our struggles with wild beasts, or our fights with the indians--is it so?" "it is true, marksman, it is true, and anyone who said the contrary would lie," the hunter replied with emotion. "my friend, my brother, a great crime has been committed, or is on the point of being committed. let us watch--watch carefully; who knows if we may not be the instruments chosen by providence to unmask the guilty, and cause the innocent to triumph? this don josã©, you say, wishes me to join you; well, i accept. yourself, ruperto, and i, will go to the ford of the rubio, and, believe me, my friend, now that i am warned, i will discover the guilty party, whoever he may be." "i prefer things to be so," the hunter answered, simply. "i confess that the strange position in which i found myself weighed heavily upon me. i am only a poor hunter, and do not at all understand these infamies of the cities." "you are an honest man, whose heart is just and mind upright. but time is slipping away. now that we are agreed as to our parts, and understand one another, i believe we shall do well by starting." "i will go whenever you please." "one moment. can you do without ruperto for a little while?" "yes." "what's the matter?" the latter asked. "you can do me a service." "speak, marksman, i am waiting." "no man can foresee the future. perhaps, in a few days we shall need allies on whom we may be able to count. these allies the chief here present will give us whenever we ask for them. accompany him to his village, ruperto: and, so soon as he has arrived there, leave him, and take up our trail--not positively joining us, but managing so that, if necessary, we should know where to find you." "i have understood," the hunter said, laconically, as he rose. "all right." marksman turned to flying eagle, and explained what he wanted of him. "my brother saved eglantine," the chief answered, nobly; "flying eagle is a sachem of his tribe. two hundred warriors will follow the warpath at the first signal from my father. the comanches are men; the words they utter come from the heart." "thanks, chief," marksman answered, warmly pressing the hand the redskin extended to him; "may the wacondah watch over you during your journey!" after hastily eating a slice of venison cooked on the ashes, and drinking a draught of pulque--from which, after the custom of his nation, the only one which does not drink strong liquors, the comanche declined to take a share--the four men separated; ruperto, flying eagle, and eglantine going into the prairie in a western direction; while brighteye and marksman, bending slightly to the left, proceeded in an easterly course, in order to reach the ford of the rubio, where the latter was expected. "hum!" brighteye observed, as he threw his rifle on to his left arm, and starting with that elastic step peculiar to the wood rangers; "we have some tough work cut out for us." "who knows, my friend?" marksman answered, anxiously. "at any rate, we must discover the truth." "that is my opinion, too." "there is one thing i want to know, above all." "what is it?" "what don miguel's carefully-closed palanquin contains." "why, hang it! a woman, of course." "who told you so?" "nobody; but i presume so." "prejudge nothing, my friend; with time, all will be cleared up." "god grant it!" "he sees everything, and knows everything, my friend. believe me, that if it hath pleased him to set those suspicions growing in our hearts that trouble us now, it is because, as i told you a moment ago, he wishes to make us the instruments of his justice." "may his will be done!" brighteye answered, raising his cap piously. "i am ready to obey him in all that he may order me." after this mutual exchange of thoughts, the hunters, who till this moment had walked side by side, proceeded in indian file, in consequence of the difficult nature of the ground. on reaching the tall grass, after emerging from the forest, they stopped a moment to look around. "it is late," marksman observed. "yes, it is nearly midday. follow me, we shall soon catch up lost time." "how so?" "instead of walking, would you not be inclined to ride?" "yes, if we had horses." "that is just what i am going to procure." "you have horses?" "last night ruperto and i left our horses close by here, while going to the meeting don josã© had made with us, and in which i was obliged to employ a canoe." "eh! eh! those brave beasts turn up at a lucky moment. for my part, i am worn out. i have been walking for many a long day over the prairie, and my legs are beginning to refuse to carry me." "come this way, we shall soon see them." in fact, the hunters had not walked one hundred yards in the direction indicated by brighteye, ere they found the horses quietly engaged in nibbling the pea vines and young tree shoots. the noble animals, on hearing a whistle, raised their intelligent heads, and hastened toward the hunters with a neigh of pleasure. according to the usual fashion in the prairies, they were saddled, but their _bozal_ was hung round their necks. the hunters bridled them, leapt on their backs, and started again. "now that we have each a good horse between our legs we are certain of arriving in time," marksman observed; "hence, it is useless to hurry on, and we can talk at our ease. tell me, brighteye, have you seen don miguel ortega yet?" "never, i allow." "then you do not know him?" "if i may believe don josã©, he is a villain. for my own part, never having had any relations with him, i should be considerably troubled to form any opinion, bad or good, about him." "with me it is different. i know him." "ah!" "very well indeed." "for any length of time?" "long enough, i believe, at any rate to enable me to form an opinion about him." "ah! well, what do you think of him?" "much good and much bad." "hang it? ah!" "why are you surprised? are not all men in the same case?" "nearly so, i grant." "this man is no worse or no better than the rest. this morning, as i foresaw that you were about to speak to me about him, i wished to leave you liberty of action by telling you that i was only slightly acquainted with him; but it is possible that your opinion will soon be greatly modified, and, perhaps, you will regret the support you have hitherto given don josã©, as you call him." "would you like me to speak candidly, marksman, now that no one, but he above, can hear us?" "do so, my friend. i should not be sorry to know your whole thoughts." "i am certain that you know a great deal more about the story i told you last night than you pretend to do." "perhaps you are right; but what makes you think so?" "many things; and in the first place this." "go on." "you are too sensible a man. you have acquired too great an experience of the things of this world, to undertake, without serious cause, the defence of a man who, according to the principles we profess on the prairie, you ought to regard, if not as an enemy, still as one of those men whom it is often disagreeable to come in contact, or have any relations with." marksman burst into a laugh. "there is truth in what you say, brighteye," he at length remarked. "is there not?" "i will not attempt to play at cunning with you; but i have powerful reasons for undertaking the defence of this man, but i cannot tell you them at this moment. it is a secret which does not belong to me, and of which i am only the depositary. i trust you will soon know all; but, till then, rely on my old friendship, and leave me to act in any way." "very good! at any rate, i am now beginning to see clearly, and, whatever may happen, you can reckon upon me." "by jove! i felt certain we should end by understanding one another; but, silence, and let nothing be seen. we are at the meeting place. hang it! the mexicans have not kept us waiting. they have already pitched their camp on the other side of the river." in fact, a hunter's camp could be seen a short distance off, one side resting on the river, the other on the forest, and presenting perfectly fortified outworks, with the front turned to the prairies, and composed of bales and trees stoutly interlaced. the two hunters made themselves known to the sentries, and entered without any difficulty. don miguel was absent; but the gambusinos expected him at any moment. the hunters dismounted, hobbled their horses, and sat down quietly by the fire. don stefano cohecho had left the gambusinos at daybreak, as he had announced on the previous evening. chapter x. fresh characters. in order to a right comprehension of ensuing facts, we will take advantage of our privilege as story tellers, to go back a fortnight, and allow the reader to be witness of a scene intimately connected with the most important events of this history, and which took place a few hundred miles from the spot where accident had collected our principal characters. the cordillera of the andes, that immense spine of the american continent, the whole length of which it traverses under different names from north to south, forms, at various elevations, immense _llanos_, on which entire people live at a height at which all vegetation ceases in europe. after crossing the presidio de tubar, the advanced post of civilization on the extreme limit of the desert, and advancing into the mediano region of the _tierra caliente_ for about one hundred and twenty miles, the traveller finds himself suddenly, and without any transition, in front of a virgin forest, which is no less than three hundred and twenty miles deep, by eighty odd miles wide. the most practised pen is powerless to describe the marvels innumerable inclosed in that inexhaustible network of vegetation called a virgin forest, and the sight, at once strange and peculiar, majestic and imposing, which it offers to the dazzled sight. the most powerful imagination recoils before this prodigious fecundity of elementary nature, continually springing up again from its own destruction with a strength and vigour ever new. the creepers, which run from tree to tree, from branch to branch, plunge, at one moment, into the earth, and then rise once more to the sky, and form, by their interlacing and crossing, an almost insurmountable barrier, as if jealous nature wished to hide from profane eyes the mysterious secrets of these forests, beneath whose shade man's footsteps have only reached at long intervals, and never unpunished. trees of every age and species grow without order or symmetry, as if sown by chance, like wheat in the furrows. some, tall and slight, count only a few years; the extremities of their branches are covered by the tall and wide boughs of those whose haughty heads have seen centuries pass over them. beneath their foliage softly murmur pure and limpid streams, which escape from the fissures of the rocks, and, after a thousand meanderings, are lost in some lake or unknown river, whose bright waters had never reflected aught in their clear mirror save the sublime secrets of the solitude. there may be found, pell-mell and in picturesque confusion, all the magnificent productions of tropical regions:--the acajou; the ebony; the palisander; the stunted mahogany; the black oak; the cork; the maple; the mimosa, with its silvery foliage; and the tamarind, thrusting in every direction their branches, laden with, flowers, fruits, and leaves, which form a dome impenetrable to the sunbeams. from the vast and unexplored depths of these forests emerge, from time to time, inexplicable noises--furious howls, feline miauls, mocking yells, mingled with shrill whistling or the joyous and harmonious song of the birds. after plunging boldly into the centre of this chaos, and struggling hand to hand with this uncultivated and wild nature, the traveller succeeds, with axe in one hand and torch in the other, in gaining, inch by inch, step by step, a road impossible to describe. at one moment, by crawling like a reptile over the decaying leaves, dead wood, or guano, piled up for centuries; or by leaping from branch to branch, at the tops of the trees, standing, as it were, in the air. but woe to the man who neglects to have his eye constantly open to all that surrounds him, and his ear on the watch: for, in addition to the obstacles caused by nature, he has to fear the venomous stings of the serpents startled in their lairs, and the furious attacks of the wild beasts. he must also carefully watch the course of the rivers and streams he meets with, determine the position of the sun during the day, or guide himself at night by the southern cross; for, once astray in a virgin forest, it is impossible to get out of it--it is a maze, from which no ariadne's web would help to find the issue. at last the traveller, after he has succeeded in surmounting the dangers we have describe, and a thousand others no less terrible, which we have passed over in silence, emerges on an immense plain, in the centre of which stands an indian city. that is to say, he finds himself before one of those mysterious cities into which no european has yet penetrated, whose exact position even is unknown, and which, since the conquest, have served as an asylum for the last relics of aztec civilization. the fabulous accounts given by some travellers about the incalculable wealth buried in these cities, has inflamed the covetousness and avarice of a great number of adventurers, who, at various periods, have attempted to find the lost road to these queens of the mexican prairies and savannahs. others again, only impelled by the irresistible attraction extraordinary enterprises offer to vagabond imaginations, have also, especially during the last fifty years, set out in search of these indian cities, though up to the present time success has never crowned these various expeditions. some have returned disenchanted, and half killed by this journey toward the unknown; a considerable number have left their bodies at the foot of precipices or in the quebradas, to serve as food for birds of prey; while others, more unfortunate still, have disappeared without leaving a trace, and no one has ever heard what has become of them. owing to events, too long to narrate here, but which we shall describe some day, we have lived, against our will, in one of these impenetrable cities, though, more fortunate than our predecessors, whose whitened bones we saw scattered along the road, we succeeded in escaping from it, through dangers innumerable, all miraculously avoided. the description we are about to give, then, is scrupulously exact, and cannot be doubted, for we write from personal observation. quiepaa tani, the city which presents itself to the traveller's sight after leaving the virgin forest, of which we have given a sketch, extends from east to west, and forms a parallelogram. a wide stream, over which several bridges of incredible lightness and elegance are thrown, runs through its entire length. at each corner of the square an enormous block of rock cut perpendicularly on the side that faces the plains, serves as an almost impregnable fortress; these four citadels are also connected by a wall twenty feet thick, and forty feet high, which, inside the city, forms a slope sixty feet wide at the base. this wall is built of native bricks, made of sandy earth and chopped straw; they are called _adobes_, and are about a yard long. a wide and deep fosse almost doubles the height of the walls. two gates alone give access to the city. these gates are flanked by towers and pepper boxes, exactly like a mediaeval fortress; and, what adds to the correctness of our comparison, a small bridge, made of planks, extremely narrow and light, and so arranged as to be carried away on the slightest alarm, is the only communication between these gates and the exterior. the houses are low, and terminate in terraces, connected with each other; they are slight, and built of wicker and canaverales covered with cement, in consequence of the earthquakes so frequent in these regions; but they are large, airy, and pierced with numerous windows. none of them are more than one story in height, and the fronts are covered with a varnish of dazzling whiteness. this strange city, seen from a distance, as it rises in the midst of the tall prairie grass, offers the most singular and seductive sight. on a fine evening in the month of october, five travellers, whose features or dress it would have been impossible to distinguish, owing to the obscurity, came out of the forest we have described above, stopped for a moment, with marked indecision, on the extreme edge of the wood, and began examining the ground. before them rose a hillock, which, if no great height, yet cut the horizon at right angles. after exchanging a few words, two of these persons remained where they were; the other three lay down on their faces, and, crawling on their hands and feet, advanced through the rank grass, which they caused to undulate, and which completely concealed their bodies. on reaching the top of the mound, which they had found such difficulty in scaling, they looked out into the country, and remained struck with astonishment and admiration. the eminence, at the top of which they were, was perpendicular on the other side, like all the rest of the ground which extended on either side. a magnificent plain lay expanded a hundred feet below them, and in the centre of the plain, at a distance of about a thousand yards from them, stood, proud and imposing, quiepaa tani,[1] the mysterious city, defended by its massive towers and thick walls. the sight of this vast city in the midst of the desert produced on the minds of the three men a feeling of stupor, which they could not explain, and which for a few moments rendered them dumb with surprise. at length one of them rose on his elbow, and addressed his comrades. "are my brothers satisfied?" he said, with a guttural accent, which, though he expressed himself in spanish, proved him to be an indian. "has addick (the stag) kept his promise?" "addick is one of the first warriors of his tribe; his tongue is straight, and the blood flows clearly in his veins," one of the men he addressed, answered. the indian smiled silently, without replying;--this smile would have given his companions much matter for thought, had they seen it. "it seems to me," the one who had not yet spoken said, "that it is very late to enter the city." "tomorrow, at sunrise, addick will lead the two paleface maidens to quiepaa tani," the indian answered; "the night is too dark." "the warrior is right," the second speaker remarked, "we must put off the affair till tomorrow." "yes, let us return to our friends, whom a longer absence may alarm." joining deeds to words, the first speaker turned round, and, exactly following the track his body had left in the grass, he soon found himself, as well as his companions, who imitated all his movements, at the skirt of the forest, into which, after their departure, the two persons they left behind had returned. the silence which reigns beneath these gloomy roofs of foliage and branches during the day, had been succeeded by the dull sounds of a wild concert, formed by the shrill cries of the night birds, which woke, and prepared to attack the loros, humming birds, and cardinals, belated far from their nests; the roaring of the cougars; the hypocritical miauling of the jaguars and panthers, and the snappish barks of the coyotes, which reechoed, with a mournful sound, from the roofs of the inaccessible caverns and gaping pits which served as lurking places for these dangerous guests. returning on the trail they had traced with their axes, the three men soon found themselves near a fire of dead wood, burning in the centre of a small clearing. two women, or rather girls, were crouching, pensive and sad, by the fire. they counted scarce thirty years between them; they were lovely, and of that creole beauty which the divine pencil of a raphael has been alone able to reproduce. but at this moment they were pale, seemed fatigued, and their faces reflected a gloomy sorrow; at the sound of the approaching steps they raised their eyes, and a flash of joy illumined their faces like a sunbeam. the indian threw some sticks on the fire, which was threatening to go out, while one of the hunters occupied himself with giving their provender to the horses, hobbled a short distance off. "well, don miguel," one of the ladies said, addressing the hunter who had taken a seat by her side, "shall we soon near the end of our journey?" "you have arrived, seã±orita; tomorrow, under the guidance of our friend addick, you will enter the city, that inviolable asylum, where no one will pursue you." "ah!" she continued, looking absently at the indian's gloomy and apathetic face; "we shall separate tomorrow." "we must, seã±orita; the care for your safety demands it." "who would dare to seek me in these unknown districts?" "hatred dares everything. i implore you, seã±orita, to put faith in my experience; my devotion to you is unbounded. though still very young, you have suffered enough, and it is time that a blessed sunbeam should brighten your dreary brow, and dispel the clouds which thought and grief have been so long collecting on it." "alas!" she said, as she let her head droop, to hide the tears that ran down her cheeks. "my sister, my friend, my laura!" the other maiden said, embracing her tenderly, "be courageous to the end. shall i not be with you? oh, fear nothing!" she added, with a charming expression. "i will take half your grief on myself, and your burthen will seem less heavy." "poor luisa!" the maiden murmured, as she returned her caresses. "you are unhappy through me. how shall i ever be able to repay your devotion?" "by loving me, as i love you, cherished angel, and by regaining hope." "before a month, i trust," don miguel said, "your persecutors will be prevented from troubling you again. i am playing a terrible game with them, in which my head is the stake; but i care little, so long as i save you. on leaving you, permit me to take with me, in my heart, the hope that you will in no way attempt to leave the refuge i have found for you, and that you will patiently await my return." "alas, caballero! you are aware that i live only by a miracle; my relatives, my friends, indeed, all those i loved, have abandoned me, except my luisa, my foster sister, whose devotion to me has never swerved; and you, whom i do not know, whom i never saw, and who suddenly revealed yourself to me in my tomb, like the angel of divine justice; since that terrible night, when, thanks to you, i emerged from my sepulchre, like lazarus, you have shown me the kindest and most delicate attentions; you have taken the place of those who betrayed me; you have been to me more than a father." "seã±orita!" said the young man, at once confused and happy at these words. "i say this to you, don miguel," she continued, with a certain feverish animation, "because i am anxious to prove to you that i am not ungrateful. i know not what god, in his wisdom, may do with me; but i tell you, that my last thought, my last prayer will be for you. you wish me to await you; i will obey you. believe me, i only dispute my life through a certain feeling of anxiety, like the gambler at his last stake," she added, with a heartbreaking smile; "but i understand how much you need liberty of action for the rude game you have undertaken. hence, you can go in peace; i have faith in you." "thanks, seã±orita; this promise doubles my strength. oh, now i am certain of success!" a rude jacal of branches had been prepared for the maidens by the other hunters and the indian warrior, and they retired to rest. although the young man's mind was so full of restless alarms, after a few moments of deep thought he laid himself down by the side of his companions, and soon fell asleep. in the desert nature never surrenders its claims, and the greatest grief rarely succeeds in gaining the victory over the material claims of the human organization. scarce had the first sunbeams begun to tinge the sky of an opal hue, ere the hunters opened their eyes. the preparations for starting were soon completed; the moment of separation arrived, and the parting was a sad one. the two hunters had accompanied the maidens to the edge of the forest, in order to remain longer with them. doã±a luisa, taking advantage of an instant when the road became so narrow that it became almost impossible for two to walk side by side, drew nearer don miguel's hunting companion. "do me a service," she whispered, hurriedly. "speak," he answered, in the same key. "that indian inspires me with but slight confidence." "you are wrong; i know him." she shook her head petulantly. "that is possible," she said; "but will you do me the service i want of you?--if not, i will ask don miguel, though i should have preferred him not knowing it." "speak, i tell you." "give me a knife and your pistols." the hunter looked her in the face. "good!" he said presently. "you are a brave child. here is what you ask for." and, without anyone noticing it, he gave the objects she wished to obtain from him, adding to them two little pouches, one of gunpowder, the other of bullets. "no one knows what may happen," he said. "thanks," she answered, with a movement of joy she could not master. this was all that she said; and the weapons disappeared under her clothes, with a speed and resolution which made the hunter smile. five minutes after, they reached the skirt of the virgin forest. "addick," the hunter said laconically; "remember that you will answer to me for these two women." "addick has sworn it," the indian merely replied. they separated; it was impossible to remain longer at the spot where they were, without running the risk of being discovered by the indians. the maidens and the warrior proceeded toward the city. "let us mount the hill," don miguel said, "in order to see them for the last time." "i was going to propose it," the hunter said, simply. they went, with similar precautions, to the spot they had occupied for a few moments on the previous evening. in the brilliant beams of the sun, which had gloriously risen, the verdurous landscape had assumed, a truly enchanting aspect. nature was aroused from her sleep, and a most varied spectacle had been substituted for the gloomy and solitary view of the previous night. from the gates of the city, which were now widely opened, emerged groups of indians on horseback and on foot, who dispersed in all directions with shouts of joy and shriller bursts of laughter. numerous canoes traversed the stream, the fields were populated with flocks of vicunas, and horses led by indians, armed with long goads, who were proceeding toward the city. women quaintly attired, and bearing on their heads long wicker baskets filled with meat, fruit, and vegetables, walked along conversing together, and accompanying each phrase with that continual, sharp, and metallic laugh, of which the indian nation possess the secret, and the noise of which resembles very closely that produced by the full of a quantity of pebbles on a copper dish. the maidens and their guide were soon mixed up in this motley crowd, in the midst of which they disappeared. don miguel sighed. "let us go," he said in a deep voice. they returned to the forest. a few moments later, they set out again. "we must separate," don miguel said when they had crossed the forest; "i shall return to tubar." "and i am going to try to render a small service to an indian chief, a friend of mine." "you are always thinking of others, and never of yourself, my worthy marksman; you are ever anxious to be of use to someone." "what would you have, don miguel? it seems to be my mission--you know that every man has one." "yes!" the young man answered in a hollow voice. "good-bye!" he added presently, "do not forget our meeting." "all right! in a fortnight, at the ford of the rubio; that is settled." "forgive me my chariness of speech during the few days we have spent together; the secret is not mine alone, marksman; i am not at liberty to divulge it, even to so kind a friend as yourself." "keep your secret, my friend; i am in no way curious to know it; still, it is understood that we do not know one another." "yes; that is very important." "then, good-bye." "good-bye!" the two horsemen shook hands, one turned to the right, the other to the left, and they set off at full speed. [1] literally, _quiepaa_, sky, _tani_, mountain, in the zapothecan language. chapter xi. the ford of the rubio. the night was gloomy, not a star shone in the sky; the wind blew violently through the heavy boughs of the virgin forest, with that sad and monotonous soughing which resembles the sound of great waters when the tempest menaces; the clouds were low, black, and charged with electricity; they coursed rapidly through the sky, incessantly veiling the wan disk of the moon, whose cold rays only rendered the gloom denser; the atmosphere was oppressive, and those nameless noises, dashed back by the echoes like the rolling of distant thunder, rose from the quebradas and unknown barrancas of the prairies; the beasts howled sadly all the notes of the human register, and the night birds, troubled in their sleep by this strange uneasiness of nature, uttered hoarse and discordant cries. in the camp of the gambusinos all was calm; the sentries were watching, leaning on their rifles, and crouching near the expiring fire. in the centre of the camp two men were smoking their indian pipes, and talking in a low voice. they were brighteye and marksman. at length, brighteye knocked the ashes out of his pipe, thrust it into his girdle, stifled a yawn, and rose, throwing out his legs and arms to restore the circulation. "what are you going to do?" marksman asked him, turning cautiously round. "sleep," the hunter answered. "sleep!" "why not? the night is advanced; we are the only persons watching, i feel convinced; it is more than probable that we shall not see don miguel before sunrise. hum! the best plan for the moment, at least, is to sleep, at any rate, if you have not decided otherwise." marksman laid his finger on his lip, as if to recommend silence to his friend. "the night is advanced," he said, in a low voice; "a terrible storm is rising. where can don miguel be gone? this prolonged absence alarms me more than i can express: he is not the man to leave his friends thus, without some powerful reason, or perhaps--" the hunter stopped, and shook his head sorrowfully. "go on," brighteye said; "tell me your whole thought." "well, i am afraid lest some misfortune has happened to him." "oh, oh, do you think so? still, this don miguel, from what i have heard you say, is a man of well-tried courage and uncommon strength." "all that is true," marksman replied, with a preoccupied air. "well! do you think that such a man, well armed, and acquainted with prairie life, is not able to draw himself out of a difficulty, whatever the danger which threatens him?" "yes, if he has to deal with a loyal foe, who stands resolutely before him, and fights with equal weapons." "what other danger can he fear?" "brighteye, brighteye!" the hunter continued, sadly, "you have lived too long among the missouri fur traders." "which means--?" the canadian asked, somewhat piqued. "come, my friend, do not feel vexed at my remarks; but it is evident to me, that you have, in a great measure, forgotten prairie habits." "hum! that is a serious charge against a hunter, marksman; and in what, if you please, have i forgotten desert manners?" "by jove! in seeming no longer to remember that, in the country where we now are, every weapon is good to get rid of an enemy." "eh! i know that as well as you, my friend; i know, too, that the most dangerous weapon is that which is concealed." "that is to say, treachery." the canadian started. "do you fear treachery, then?" he asked. "what else can i fear?" "that is true," the hunter said, with a drooping head; "but," he added, a moment after, "what is to be done?" "that is the very thing that embarrasses me. still i cannot remain much longer in this state; the uncertainty is killing me; at all risks i must know what has happened." "but in what way?" "i know not, heaven will inspire me." "still, you have an idea?" "of course, i have." "what is it?" "this--and i count on you to help me in carrying it out." brighteye affectionately pressed his friend's hand. "you are right," he said: "now for your idea." "it is very simple; we will leave the camp directly, and go along the river side." "yes,--i would merely draw your attention to the fact, that the storm will soon break out, and the rain is already falling in large drops." "the greater reason to make haste." "that is true." "then you will accompany me?" "by jove! did you doubt it, perchance?" "i am a goose; forgive me, brother, and thank you." "why so? on the contrary, i ought to thank you." "how so?" "why, thanks to you, i am going to take a delightful walk." marksman did not answer; the hunters saddled and bridled their horses, and after inspecting their arms with all the care of men who are convinced that they will soon have occasion to use them, they mounted and rode toward the gate of the camp. two sentries were standing motionless and upright at the gate; they placed themselves before the wood rangers. the latter had no intention of going out unseen, as they had no reason for hiding their departure. "you are going away?" one of the sentries asked. "no; we are merely going to make a survey of the country." "at this hour?" "why not?" "hang it! i think it pleasanter to sleep in such weather, than ride about the prairie." "you think wrong, comrade," marksman answered, in a peremptory tone; "and, in the first place, bear this in mind, i am not accountable for my actions to anyone; if i go out at this hour in the storm which is threatening, i have possibly powerful motives for my conduct; now, will you or no let us pass? remember, however, that i shall hold you responsible for any delay you occasion in the execution of my plans." the tone employed by the hunter in addressing them struck the two sentries; they consulted together in a low voice; after which, the man who had hitherto spoken turned to the two hunters, who were quietly awaiting the result of this deliberation. "you can pass," he said; "you are at liberty to go wherever you think proper. i have done my duty in questioning you, and may heaven grant you are doing yours in going out thus." "you will soon know. one word more." "i am listening." "our absence will probably be short; if not, we shall return by sunrise; still, pay great attention to this recommendation: should you hear the cry of the jaguar repeated thrice, at equal intervals, mount at full speed, and come, not you alone, but followed by a dozen of your comrades, for, when you hear that cry, a great danger will menace the cuadrilla. now, you understand me?" "perfectly." "and will you do what i advise?" "i will do so, because you are the friends we expected, and treachery could not be feared from you." "good." "i wish you luck." the hunters went on, and the gate was immediately closed after them. the wood rangers had scarce entered the prairie, ere the hurricane, which had threatened since sunset, broke out furiously. a brilliant flash of lightning crossed the sky, followed almost instantaneously by a startling clap of thunder. the trees bowed beneath the fury of the blast, and the rain began falling in torrents. the adventurers advanced with extreme difficulty, amid the chaos of the infuriated elements; their horses, startled by the howling of the tempest, reared and shied at every step. the darkness had become so dense, that, although walking side by side, the two men could scarce see each other. the trees, twisted by the omnipotent blast, uttered almost human cries, answered by the mournful howling of the terrified wild beasts, while the stream, swollen by the rain, rose into waves, whose foaming crests broke with a crash against the sandy banks. brighteye and marksman, case-hardened against the desert temporales, shook their heads contemptuously at every effort of the gust, which passed over them like an ardent simoom, and continued to advance, searching with the eye the gloom that enveloped them like a heavy shroud, and listening to the noises which the echoes bandied about. in this way they reached the ford of the rubio, without exchanging a syllable. then they stopped, as if by mutual agreement. the rubio, a lost and unknown affluent of the great rio colorado del norte, into which it falls after a winding course of hardly twenty leagues, is in ordinary times a narrow stream, on which indian canoes have a difficulty in floating, and which horses can ford almost anywhere, with the water scarce up to their girths; but at this hour the placid stream had suddenly become a mad and impetuous torrent, noisily rolling along, in its deep and muddy waters, uprooted trees, and even masses of rock. to dream of crossing the rubio at this moment would have been signal folly; a man so rash as to attempt the enterprise, would have been carried off in a few seconds by its furious waves, whose yellow surface grew wider every moment. the hunters remained for a moment motionless beneath the torrents of rain that inundated them, regarding with thoughtful eye the water that still rose and rose, and holding in with great difficulty their startled horses, which reared with hoarse snorts of fear. these men, with their hearts of bronze, stood stoically amid the frightful uproar of the unchained elements, not seeming to notice the awful tempest that howled around them, and as calm and easy minded as if they were comfortably seated in some snug cave, near a merry fire of twigs. they had only one idea, that of assisting the man whom they suspected of running a terrible danger at this moment. suddenly they started, and quickly raised their heads, while looking fixedly and eagerly in front of them. but the darkness was too thick; they could distinguish nothing. in the midst of the thousand sounds of the tempest, a cry had struck their ear. this cry was a last appeal, a harsh and prolonged cry of agony, such as the strong man conquered by fatality utters, when he is forced to confess his impotence, when everything fails him at once, and he has no other resource than heaven. the two men leaned forward quickly, and placing their hands to their mouth funnel wise, uttered in their turn a shrill and lengthened cry. then they listened. at the end of a moment a second cry, more piercing and desperate than the first, reached their ears. "oh!" marksman shouted, as he rose in his stirrups and closed his fists in fury, "that man is in danger of death." "whoever he is, we must save him," brighteye answered, boldly. they had understood each other. but how to save this man? where was he? what danger menaced him? who could answer these questions which they mentally asked themselves? at the risk of being carried off by the torrent, the hunters forced their horses to enter the river, and lying almost on the necks of the noble animals, they investigated the waters. but, as we have said, the darkness was too thick, they could see nothing. "the demon interferes," marksman said, in despair. "oh, heavens! shall we let this man die without going to his aid?" at this moment a flash of lightning crossed the sky, with a dazzling zigzag. by its fugitive gleam, the hunters saw a horseman struggling furiously against the efforts of the waves. "courage! courage!" they shouted. "help!" the stranger replied, in a shaking voice. there was no time for hesitation, for every second was an age. the man and horse struggled courageously against the torrent that bore them away, and the hunters' resolution was formed in a second. they silently shook hands, and at the same moment dug their spurs into their horses' flanks; the animals reared with a shriek of pain, but, compelled to obey the iron hands that held them, they bounded in terror into the middle of the stream. suddenly two shots were heard; a bullet passed with a whistle between our two friends, and a cry of pain was heard from the water. the man they had come to help was wounded. the storm was still increasing; the flashes succeeded each other with extraordinary rapidity. the hunters noticed the stranger clinging to his saddle, and letting his horse carry him where it liked; then, on the other bank, a man with his body bent forward, and his rifle shouldered, in readiness to fire. "each man his own," marksman said, laconically. "good!" brighteye said, with equal brevity. the canadian took the reata hanging at the saddlebow, and swinging it round his head, awaited the gleam of the next flash. it did not last long, but though it was so rapid, brighteye had taken advantage of the transient gleam to hurl his reata. the leather cord whizzed out, and the running knot at the end fell on the neck of the horse which wrestled so bravely with the torrent. "courage! courage!" brighteye shouted; "help, marksman, help!" and giving a smart shake to his horse, he made it rise on its hind legs just as it was losing its footing, and forced it toward the river. "here i am," marksman said, who was watching for the opportunity to fire: "patience, i am coming." suddenly he pulled the trigger, the bullet went forth, and from the other bank a cry of pain and rage reached the hunters. "he is hit," marksman said; "tomorrow i shall know who the scamp is;" and throwing his rifle behind him, he hurried forward to join brighteye. the horse the canadian had lassoed, feeling itself supported and dragged toward the bank, seconded, with that intelligence possessed by these noble animals, the efforts made to save it. the two hunters held on the reata. the united strength of their steeds, helped by the lassoed horse, succeeded in breasting the current, and after a minute's struggle, they at length reached the bank. so soon as they were comparatively in safety, the canadians leaped from their saddles, and rushed toward the stranger's horse. so soon as it felt _terra firma_ under its feet, the noble animal had stopped, apparently comprehending that, if it advanced, it would cast its master against the rocks that covered the ground, for, although insensible, he still held the bridle firmly clasped in his clenched hand. the hunters cut the bridle, raised the man they had so miraculously saved in their arms, and carried him a few paces further to the foot of a tree, where they gently laid him; then, both eagerly bending over his body, awaited a flash which would enable them to see him. "oh!" marksman said, as he drew himself up, with an expression of grief, mingled with terror, "don miguel ortega!" chapter xii. don stefano cohecho. as we related a short time back, after leaving brighteye don stefano had returned to the camp of the gambusinos, into which he had managed to enter again unseen. once inside the camp, the mexican had nothing more to fear; he went back to the fire, near which his horse was picketed, patted the noble brute, which turned toward him, and pricked up its ears at his approach, and then lay down calmly, rolled himself in his wraps, and fell asleep with that placidity peculiar to consciences at rest. several hours elapsed, and no sound arose to disturb the calmness that brooded over the camp. suddenly don stefano opened his eyes, for a hand had been gently laid on his right shoulder. the mexican looked at the man who interrupted his sleep; by the light of the paling stars he recognized domingo. don stefano rose, and silently followed the gambusino. the latter led him to the entrenchments, probably with the design of speaking without fearing indiscreet ears. "well?" don stefano asked him, when the gambusino had made a sign that he could speak. domingo, obeying the order he had received from brighteye, concisely related to him all that had happened in the prairie. on learning that the canadian had succeeded in meeting marksman, don stefano gave a start of joy, and began listening to the gambusino's story with increasing interest. when the latter at last finished, or at any rate remained silent, he asked him--"is that all?" "all," the other answered. don stefano drew out his purse, and took from it several gold pieces, which he handed to domingo; the latter took them with a gesture of pleasure. "did brighteye give you no message for me?" the mexican asked again. the other seemed to reflect for a moment. "ah!" he said, "i forgot; the hunter bade me tell you, excellency, not to leave the camp." "do you know the reason of this recommendation?" "certainly; he intends to join the cuadrilla this evening at the ford of the rubio." the mexican's brow grew dark. "you are sure of that?" he said. "that is what he said to me." there was a few moments' silence. "good!" he then continued; "the hunter added nothing further?" "nothing." "hum!" don stefano muttered, "after all, it is of no consequence;" then, leaning heavily on the gambusino's shoulder, he looked him fiercely in the face. "now," he added, laying a stress upon every word, "remember this carefully; you do not know me, whatever happens; you will not breathe a syllable of the way in which we met on the prairie." "you may be assured of it, excellency." "i am assured," the mexican replied, with an accent which made domingo tremble, brave as he was: "remember the oath you took, and the pledge you gave me." "i shall remember." "if you keep your promise, and are faithful to me, it will be mine to keep you from want for life,--if not, look out." the gambusino shook his shoulders with disdain, and answered ill-temperedly--"it is unnecessary to threaten me, excellency; what is said is said; what is promised is promised." "we shall see." "if you have nothing else to recommend to me, i believe we had better separate. the day is beginning to break; my comrades will soon awake, and i fancy you are no more anxious than i am to be surprised together." "you are right." they then parted. don stefano returned to his place, while the gambusino laid himself down where he was, and both slept, or seemed to do so. with the first beams of the sun, don miguel raised the curtain of the tent, and walked toward his guest; the latter was soundly asleep. don miguel felt unwilling to trouble this peaceful sleep; he sat down at the fire, brought together the logs, blew them up, rolled one maize cigarette, and smoked philosophically, while awaiting his guest's awakening. by this time all was movement in the camp; the gambusinos were attending to their morning duties, some leading the horses to water, others lighting the fires, in order to prepare breakfast for the cuadrilla; in short, everybody was engaged in his own way on the general behalf. at length don stefano, on whose face a sunbeam had been playing for some minutes, thought it advisable to wake; he turned round, stretched his limbs, and opened his eyes, while yawning several times. "_caramba!_" he said, as he drew himself up, "it is day already; how quickly a night is passed; i feel as if i had been hardly an hour asleep." "i see with pleasure that you have slept soundly, caballero," don miguel said politely to him. "what! is that you, my host?" don stefano exclaimed, with perfectly well-acted surprise; "the day will be a happy one for me, since the first face i notice, on opening my eyes, is that of a friend." "i accept the compliment as politeness on your part." "on my word, no: i assure you that what i say to you is the sincere expression of my thought," the mexican said, simply; "it is impossible to do the honours of the desert better, or comprehend the holy laws of hospitality more thoroughly." "i thank you for the good opinion you are kind enough to have of me. i trust that you will not leave us yet, but consent to remain several days with us." "would i could, don miguel--heaven is my witness, that i should be delighted to enjoy your charming company for a short time; unfortunately, that is utterly impossible." "why so?" "alas! an imperious duty compels me to leave you this very day; i am really in despair at this vexatious mischance." "what motive can be so powerful as to force you to leave us so suddenly?" "a very trivial motive, and which will probably make you smile. i am a merchant of santa fã©; a few days back, the successive failures of several houses at monterey, with which i am extensively connected, obliged me to leave my house suddenly, in order to try and save, by my presence, a few waifs from the shipwreck with which i am threatened; i set out without asking anybody's advice, and here i am." "but," don miguel objected, "you are still along way from monterey." "i know it; and it is that which drives me to despair. i have a frightful fear of arriving too late; the more so, as i have been warned that the people with whom i have to do are rogues: the sums they owe me are large, and form, i am sorry to say, the largest part of my fortune." "_cã¡spita!_ if that is the case, i can understand that you are anxious to get there. i could not suspect that you had so serious a motive for pressing on." "you see how it is; so pity me, don miguel." all this conversation was carried on by the two men with a charming ease, and a simplicity perfectly well assumed on both sides; still neither was duped: don stefano, as so often happens, had committed the enormous fault of being too clever, and advancing beyond the limits of prudence, while trying to persuade this man of the sincerity of his words. this feigned sincerity had aroused don miguel's suspicions for two reasons: in the first place, if don stefano were going from santa fã© to monterey, he was not only off the road he ought to have followed, but was completely turning his back on those two towns--an error which his ignorance of the topography of the country made him commit without suspecting it. the second instance was equally premature: no merchant would have ever attempted, however grave the motive of such a journey, to cross the desert alone, for fear of the indian bravos, the pirates, the wild beasts, and countless other dangers no less great, to which he would be exposed, without possible hope of escaping them. still, don miguel pretended to admit, without discussion, the reasons his guest offered him, and it was with an air of the utmost conviction that he answered,--"in spite of the earnest desire i may have of enjoying your agreeable society longer, i will not detain you, friend, for i understand how urgent it must be for you to hurry on." don stefano bowed with an almost imperceptible smile of triumph. "in short," don miguel added, "i wish that you may succeed in saving your fortune from the claws of those rogues; but at any rate, i hope, caballero, that we shall not separate before breakfasting. i confess that your refusal to accept a share of my scanty supper last night pained me." "oh," don stefano interrupted him, "believe me, caballero--" "you gave me a very admirable excuse," don miguel continued, "but," he added, significantly, "we gambusinos and adventurers are singular fellows--we fancy, rightly or wrongly, that the guest who refuses to eat with us is our enemy, or will become so." don stefano gave a slight start at this unforeseen attack. "how can you imagine such a thing, caballero?" he said, evasively. "it is not i who suppose, but all of us; it is a prejudice, a foolish superstition; call it as you like, but so it is," he said, with a smile as sharp as a dagger's point, "and nothing will change our nature; so that is settled, we will breakfast together, then i will wish you a prosperous journey, and we shall part." don stefano's face assumed an expression of despair. "really, i am the plaything of ill luck," he said, with a toss of the head. "how so?" "good gracious, i know not how to explain it to you; it is so absurd, that i really dare not--" "pray speak, caballero; although i am only an illiterate adventurer, i may possibly manage to understand you." "the truth is, i shall hurt your feelings." "not the least in the world: are you not my guest? a guest is sent by heaven, that is to say, is sacred." don stefano hesitated. "well," don miguel said, with a laugh, "i will have breakfast served; perhaps that will undo your tongue." "that is the embarrassing point!" the mexican exclaimed, quickly, with an accent of chagrin; "the fact is, that, in spite of my great desire to be agreeable to you, i cannot accept your kind invitation." the young man frowned. "ah, ah!" he said, fixing a suspicious glance on the speaker, "why so?" "that is the very thing i dare not confess to you." "you can, caballero; have i not told you that you had the right to say anything?" "good heavens, you force me to it," he continued, in a voice that grew even more melancholy; "first imagine, then, that i have made a vow to nuestra seã±ora de los ã�ngeles, never to take food before sunset, so long as this accursed journey lasts." "ah!" don miguel said, with an accent of but slight conversion, "but last evening, when i offered you supper, the sun had set a long time, i fancy." "listen; i have not finished." "go on." "and even then," the mexican continued, "only to eat one of the maize tortillas i carry with me in my alforjas, and which i had blessed by a priest, prior to my departure from santa fã©; you see, all this must seem to you very ridiculous, but we are fellow countrymen, we have spanish blood in our veins, and instead of laughing at my foolish superstition, you will pity me." "_cã¡spita!_ the more so, because you have a rude penance to undergo. i will not attempt to make you give up your superstition, for i too have mine; i believe that it is best not to return to the subject." "you are not angry with me, at least?" "i--why should i be angry?" "then we are still good friends?" "more than ever," don miguel remarked, with a laugh. still, the way in which these words were pronounced, but slightly reassured the mexican--he took a side glance at the speaker, and then rose. "are you going?" the young man asked him. "if you will permit me, i shall start." "do so, my guest." don stefano, without further reply, immediately began saddling his horse. "you have a noble brute there," don miguel observed. "yes, he is a purely bred barb." "that is the first time i ever saw one of that precious race." "pray have a good look at him." "i thank you, but i should be afraid of delaying you;--hola! my horse," he added, addressing domingo. the latter brought up a mustang full of fire, on the back of which don miguel leaped at a bound, while don stefano also mounted. "if you have no objection, i will have the honour of accompanying you a little way, unless," he added, with a sarcastic smile, "you have made a vow which prevents it." "come," don stefano said, reproachfully, "you are angry with me." "on my faith, no; i swear it." "very good: we will start when you please." "i am at your orders." they spurred their horses, and went out of the camp. they had scarce gone twenty yards, ere don miguel pulled up his horse and stopped. "are you going to leave me already?" don stefano asked him. "i shall not go a step further," the young man answered, and drawing himself up fiercely and frowning, he said in a haughty tone, "here you are no longer my guest; we are out of my camp in the desert; i can, therefore, explain myself clearly and plainly, and _voto a brios_, i will do so." the mexican regarded him with surprise. "i do not understand you," he said. "perhaps so: i hope it is so, but i do not believe it. so long as you were my guest, i pretended to believe the falsehoods you told me; but now that you are to me no more than the first comer, a stranger, i wish to tell you my thoughts frankly. i do not know by what name to address you to your livid face, but i am certain that you are my enemy, or, at any rate, a spy of my enemies." "caballero! these words--" don stefano exclaimed. "do not interrupt me," the young man continued, violently. "i care little who you are; it is sufficient to have asked you: i thank you for having entered my camp, at any rate; if ever i meet you again, i shall recognize you: but let me give you one piece of advice on parting: shake the dust off your boots on leaving me, and do not come across me again, for it might bring you misfortune." "threats!" the mexican interrupted, pale with rage. "take my words as you please, but remember them in the interest of your safety; although i am only an adventurer, i give you at this moment a lesson in honesty you will do well to profit by; nothing would be easier for me than to acquire proofs of your treachery; i have with me twenty devoted comrades, who, at a sign, would treat you very scurvily; and who, by searching your clothes and alforjas, would doubtless find among your _blessed tortillas_," he said, with a sardonic smile, "the reasons for the conduct you have employed toward me ever since we met; but you have been my guest, and that title is your safeguard: go in peace, but do not cross my path again." while uttering the last words, he raised his arm and dealt a vigorous blow with his _chicote_ on the rear of don stefano's horse. the barb, but little used to such treatment, started off like an arrow from a bow, in spite of all his rider's efforts to hold him in. don miguel looked after him for a moment, and then returned to the camp, laughing heartily at the way in which he had ended the interview. "come, lads," he said to the gambusinos, "let us be off at once; we must reach the ford of the rubio before sunset, where the guide is awaiting us." and half an hour later the caravan set out. chapter xiii. the ambuscade. no incident worthy of description troubled the journey during the day. the cuadrilla traversed an undulating country, intersected by streams of slight depth, on the banks of which grew tall bushes, and clumps of cottonwood trees, peopled by an infinity of birds, of every description and variety of plumage: on the horizon a long yellowish line, above which hung a dense cloud which indicated the rio colorado grande del norte. as don miguel had announced, the ford of the rubio was reached a few minutes before sunset. we will explain here in a few words the mode in which caravans camp in the desert; this description is indispensable, in order that the reader may understand how it is easy to leave or return to the camp unnoticed. the cuadrilla, in addition to the baggage mules, had with it fifteen waggons, loaded with merchandise. when the spot for camping was selected, the waggons were arranged in a square, with a distance of thirty-five feet between each: between the intervals were stationed six or eight men, who lit a fire, round which they assembled to cook, eat, smoke, and sleep. the horses were placed in the middle of the square, not far from the mysterious tent, which occupied exactly the centre. each horse had the two off legs hobbled with a cord twenty inches long. we may remark that, although a horse thus hobbled feels very awkward at first, it soon accustoms itself to it sufficiently to be able to walk slowly. besides, this prudential measure is taken in order that the horses may not stray, or be carried off by the indians. two horses are also put together, one with its feet tied, and the other only held by a picket rope, so that, in case of an alarm, it may gallop round its companion, which thus serves, as it were, as a pivot. the space left free between the waggons was filled up with fascines, trees piled up on top of one another, and the mule bales. nothing is more singular than the appearance of one of these camps on the prairie. the fires are surrounded by picturesque groups, seated or standing; some cooking, others mending their clothes or their horses' trappings, others furbishing their weapons; at intervals, bursts of laughter rise from the midst of the groups, which announce that merry stories are going the rounds, and that they are trying to forget the fatigues of the day, and preparing for those of the morrow. then, to complete the picture, from distance to distance behind the entrenchments sentinels, calm and motionless, lean on their rifles. from the description we have given, it is easy to understand that the waggons form a species of embrasures, by means of which an active man crawling under the carts can easily go out without being noticed by the sentries, and return whenever he pleases, without attracting the attention of his comrades, whose glances, usually directed on the prairie, have no reason to watch what goes on inside the camp. so soon as all was in order, and each installed as comfortably as circumstances permitted, don miguel had a fresh horse brought him, which he mounted, and addressed his comrades collected around him. "seã±ores," he said, "business of a pressing nature obliges me to go out for a few hours. watch carefully over the camp during my absence; above all, let no one enter. we are now in regions where the greatest caution is necessary to guard against the treachery which incessantly menaces, and assumes every shape in order to deceive those whom negligence prevents being on their guard. the guide we are expecting so impatiently will, doubtless, arrive in a few moments. all know him by repute; perhaps he may come alone, or he may have somebody with him. this man, in whom we must place the greatest confidence, must, during my absence, be entirely free in his actions--go and come without the slightest obstacle being offered him. you have understood me; so follow my instructions point by point. besides, i repeat, i shall soon return." after making a farewell signal to his comrades, don miguel left the camp, and proceeded to the rubio, the ford of which, being nearly dry at the moment, he easily crossed. what the chief of the adventurers had said to his comrades with reference to marksman, was an inspiration of heaven; for, if he had not peremptorily ordered that the hunter should be allowed to act as he pleased, it is probable that the sentinels would have barred his passage; and, in that case, the young man, deprived of the providential aid of the two backwoodsmen, would have been hopelessly lost. after crossing the ford, don miguel urged his horse at full speed straight ahead. this furious race lasted nearly two hours, through thickets, which at every moment grew more closely together, and gradually were metamorphosed into a forest. after crossing a deep gorge, whose perpendicular sides were covered with impenetrable thickets, the young man arrived at a species of narrow lane, into which the paths of wild beasts opened, and in the centre of which an indian, dressed in his war costume, and smoking gravely, crouched over a fire of _bois de vache_; while his horse, hobbled a short distance off, was busily browsing on the young tree shoots. so soon as he saw the indian, don miguel pushed on even at greater speed. "good evening, chief!" he said, as he leaped lightly to the ground, and amicably pressed the hand the warrior held out to him. "wah!" the chief said to him, "i no longer expected my pale brother." "why so, as i had promised to come?" "perhaps it would have been better for the paleface to remain in his camp. addick is a warrior; he has discovered a trail." "good; but trails are not wanting on the prairie." "och! this is wide, and incautiously trodden; it is a paleface trail." "bah! what do i care?" the young man remarked, carelessly. "do you fancy my band the only one crossing the prairie at this moment?" the redskin shook his head. "an indian warrior is not mistaken on the war trail. it is the trail of an enemy of my brother's." "what makes you suppose that?" the indian did not seem willing to explain himself more clearly; he turned his head, and, after a moment, said, "my brother will see." "i am strong--well-armed. i care very little for those who would try to surprise us." "one man is not worth ten," the indian remarked, sententiously. "who knows?" the young man answered, lightly. "but," he continued, "that is not the question of the moment. i have come here to seek the news the chief promised me." "the promise of addick is sacred." "i know it, chief, and that is why i did not hesitate to come. but time is slipping away. i have a long journey to go, to join my comrades again. a storm is getting up; and i confess that i should like very little to be exposed to it during my return. be kind enough to be brief." the chief bowed in assent, and pointed to a place by his side. "good. now begin, chief; i am all attention," don miguel said, as he threw himself on the ground. "and, in the first place, how comes it that i have not seen you till today?" "because," the indian answered, phlegmatically, "as my brother knows, it is far from here to queche pitao (the city of god). a warrior is but a man; addick has accomplished impossibilities to join his paleface brother sooner." "be it so, chief; i thank you. now let us come to facts. what has happened to you since our parting?" "quiepaa tani opened its gates wide before the two young pale virgins. they are in safety, in the queche, far from the eyes of their enemies." "and did they give you no message for me?" the indian hesitated for a second. "no," he said at length; "they are happy, and they wait." don miguel sighed. "that's strange," he muttered. the chief took a stealthy look at him. "what will my brother do?" he asked. "i shall soon be near them." "my brother is wrong. no one knows where they are. for what good reveal their refuge?" "soon, i hope, i shall be free to act without fearing indiscreet eyes." a gloomy flame sparkled in the indian's eye. "wacondah alone is master of tomorrow," he said. don miguel looked at him. "what does the chief mean?" "nothing but what i say." "good. will my brother accompany me to my camp?" "addick will return to quiepaa tani, that he may watch over those whom his brother has confided to him." "shall i see you again soon?" "perhaps so," he answered evasively: "but," he added, "did not my brother say that he expected soon to go to the queche?" "yes." "when will my brother come?" "at the latest, on the first day of next month. why this question?" "my brother is a paleface: if addick himself does not introduce him into the queche, the white chief cannot enter it." "that is true; at the period i stated, i will meet you at the foot of the mound where we parted." "addick will be there." "good! i count upon you; but now i must leave you: night is rapidly falling; the wind is beginning to blow furiously. i must be off." "farewell," the chief said laconically, making no attempt to stop him. "good-bye." the young man leapt into the saddle, and started at full speed. addick watched him depart with a pensive air; then, when he had disappeared behind a clump of trees, he leaned slightly forward, and imitated twice the hiss of a cobra capello. at this signal the branches of a thicket a short distance from the fire parted cautiously, and a man appeared. after looking suspiciously around him, he walked toward the chief, in front of whom he stopped. the man was don stefano cohecho. "well?" he said. "has my father heard?" the indian asked, in an equivocal tone. "all." "then i have nothing to tell my father." "nothing." "the storm is beginning: what will my father do?" "what is agreed on. are the chiefs warriors ready?" "yes." "where are they?" "at the appointed spot." "good; let us start." "i am ready." these two men, who had evidently known each other for a long while, came to an understanding in a few words. "come!" don stefano said in a loud voice. a dozen mexican horsemen appeared. "here is a reinforcement, in case the warriors are not sufficient," he said, turning to the chief. the latter checked a movement of ill temper, and replied, as he shrugged his shoulders disdainfully,--"what need of twenty warriors against a single man?" "because the man is worth a hundred," don stefano said, with an accent of conviction which caused the chief to reflect. they started. in the meantime, don miguel had galloped on: still, he was far from suspecting the plot that was at this moment being formed against him; and, if he hurried on, it was not through any apprehension, but because the wind, whose violence increased every minute, and the heavy drops of rain, which began falling, warned him to seek shelter as speedily as possible. while galloping, he reflected on the short interview he had had with the redskin warrior. while turning over in his mind the words exchanged between them, he felt a vague alarm, a secret fear, invade his heart, though it was impossible to account for the emotion he experienced; he fancied he could read treachery behind the chief's studied reticence; he now remembered that he at times seemed embarrassed while talking with him. trembling lest a misfortune had happened to the young ladies, or a peril menaced them, he felt his anxiety heightened; the more so, as he knew not what means he should employ to insure the fidelity of the man whom he suspected of perfidiousness. suddenly, a dazzling flash shot across the open, his horse suddenly bounded aside, and two or three bullets whistled past him. the young man sat up in his saddle. he was in the middle of the gorge he had traversed a few hours previously; a profound obscurity enveloped him on all sides, and in the shadow all around him, he fancied he could detect the outlines of human forms. at this moment, other shots were fired at him, his hat was carried off by a bullet, and several arrows passed close to his face. don miguel raised his head boldly. "ah! traitors!" he shouted in a loud voice. and, lifting his horse with his knees, he rushed forward at headlong speed, holding the bridle between his teeth, half bending over his steed's neck, and with a revolver in each hand. a frightful war yell was heard, mingled with piercing imprecations uttered in spanish. don miguel passed like a tornado through the body of men moving round him, and discharged his revolvers in the thickest of his unknown enemies. cries of pain and rage, bullets and arrows pursued him, but did not check the headlong speed of his horse, which seemed no longer to touch the earth, and rapidly did it course along. behind him the young man heard the galloping of several horses, hastening in pursuit. "treachery, treachery!" he shouted, brandishing his sabre, making his horse rear, and bounding like a jackal in the midst of the throng which incessantly closed in upon him. suddenly, at the height of the contest, at the superior moment when he felt his strength was deserting him, three shots came from the darkness, and his assailants, attacked in the rear, were compelled in their turn to defend themselves against invisible foes. "we are coming!" a stout voice shouted, whose energetic accent made the assailants tremble. "hold your own! hold your own!" don miguel responded by a terrific yell, and threw himself into the thick of the fight with redoubled efforts: now that he knew himself to be supported, he felt he was saved. the crowd gave way in the shadow, like ripe corn beneath the reaper's scythe; the compact mass of assailants parted asunder, and three men, or three demons, rushed into the hole they had made, and bounded forward to the side of the adventurer. "ah, ah!" the latter exclaimed, with a bitter burst of laughter, "the fight is now equal; forward, comrades, forward!" and he threw himself once more into the medley, followed by these intrepid allies. who were these men? whence did they come? he did not know or dream of asking them. besides, this was not the moment for explanations: they must conquer or die. "kill him, kill him!" a man yelled, who rushed upon him every moment with uplifted sabre, and in all the ferocious ardour of an inveterate hatred. "ah! it is you, don stefano cohecho!" don miguel shouted; "i felt sure we should meet; your voice has denounced you." "death to him!" the latter answered. the two men rushed upon each other, their horses met with a terrible shock, and the man whom the adventurer took for don stefano rolled on the ground. "victory!" don miguel shouted, as he cut down with his machete all within his reach. his unknown friends, who were still by his side, rushed after him. in spite of all their efforts, the attacking party were unable to keep their position, and began flying in every direction. the gorge was free; no obstacle longer opposed don miguel's flight: he pressed his horse, and the noble beast redoubled its ardour. when so far free, the young man looked around him. his unknown defenders had suddenly disappeared, as if by enchantment. "what is the meaning of this?" he murmured. at this moment he felt on his left arm something resembling a blow from a whip: a bullet had struck him. this wound recalled him to a sense of his present position. his enemies had rallied, and recommenced their pursuit. before him he heard the yellow waters of the rubio growling; the wrath of heaven and of man seemed leagued together to overwhelm him; it was then that a mad terror seized upon him; he fancied himself lost, and uttered that first cry of agony heard by the hunters. still, his pursuers gained rapidly upon him; without hesitation or reflection, he plunged into the rubio with his horse; some twenty bullets dashed up the water round him; he turned bravely on his steed, and fired the last shots from his revolvers, uttering that cry to which the hunters had replied with the word,--"courage!" but human nature has limits which it cannot pass. this last effort exhausted the little strength left him, and, frantically clutching the bridle of his horse, he rolled into the river and fainted, while saying, in a stifled voice,--"laura, laura!" two shots crossed each other above his head, one fired by the man who was aiming at him from the bank, the other by marksman. the stranger uttered a yell like a wild beast, turned away staggering like a drunken man, and disappeared. who was this man?--was he dead or merely wounded? chapter xiv. the travellers. the events we have undertaken to narrate are so mingled with incidents intertwined in each other by that fatality of accident which governs human life that we are compelled once more, to our great regret, to interrupt our story, and let the reader be present at a scene which took place not far from the rubio ford, on the same day that the events occurred which we have described in preceding chapters. at about one o'clock of the _tarde_, that is to say, at the moment when the beams of the sun, which has reached its zenith, pour down on the prairie such an intense heat, that everything which lives and breathes seeks shelter in the deepest part of the woods, three horsemen passed over the ford, and boldly entered the path don miguel ortega was destined to follow a few hours later. these horsemen were white men, and what is more, mexicans; it was easy to perceive, at the first glance, that they had not the slightest connection with any class of the adventurers who, under various names, such as gambusinos, hunters, trappers, wood rangers, or pirates, swarm on the western prairies, which they incessantly cross in every direction. the dress of these horsemen was that usually worn by the mexican hacenderos on the frontiers:--the wide brimmed hat, gallooned, and decorated with the toquilla, the manga; the short calzoneras, open at the knee; the zarapã©; the _botas vaqueras_, and the _armas de agua_, without which no one ventures on the desert. they were armed with rifles, revolvers, navajas, and machetes. their horses, at this moment oppressed by the heat, but slightly refreshed by passing the ford, held their heads up proudly, and showed that, if necessary, they could have gone a long journey, in spite of their apparent fatigue. of the three horsemen, one seemed to be the master, or at least the superior, of the other two. he was a man of fifty years of age, with hard, energetic features, imprinted, however, with rare frankness, and great resolution; he was tall, well built, and robust; and he sat upright and stiff on his saddle, with that confidence which denotes the old soldier. his companions belonged to the class of indios manzos, a bastard race, in which spanish blood and indian blood are so mixed that it is impossible to assign them any characteristic type. still, the richness of their dress, and the way in which they rode by the first horseman's side, rendered it easy to guess that they were confidential servants, men whose fidelity had been long proved--almost friends, in short, and not domestics, in the vulgar acceptation of the term. as far as it is possible to recognize the age of an indian, in whose face traces of decrepitude are nearly always invisible, these two men must have reached middle age, that is, from forty to forty-five years. these three horsemen rode a short distance behind each other, with a thoughtful and sorrowful air: at times they turned a glance of discouragement around, stifled a sigh, and continued their journey with drooping heads, like men convinced they have undertaken a task beyond their strength, but whom their will and, before all, their devotion urge onwards at all risks. the presence of these strangers on the banks of the rubio was, indeed, one of those unusual facts which no one would have been able to explain, and which would certainly have greatly surprised the hunters or indians who might have seen them. in the country where they now were, animals were rare; hence they were not hunting. these regions, remote from all civilized zones, fatally bordered unexplored countries, the last refuge of the indians; these men were, therefore, neither traders nor ordinary travellers. what reason could have been so powerful as to urge them to bury themselves in the desert, so few in number, where every human face must be to them that of an enemy? where were they going? what were they seeking? this question none but the men themselves could have answered. the ford had been passed; before them lay extended a barren and sandy plain, opening on the gorge to which we have already alluded. on this plain not a blade of grass glistened: the burning beams of the sun descended perpendicularly on the parched sand, which rendered the heat, if possible, more oppressive and stifling. the eldest of the travellers turned to his companions:--"courage, muchachos!" he said, in a gentle voice and a sad smile, as he pointed to the edge of the forest, not more than three miles from them, whose close and thick vegetation promised them a refreshing shade. "courage! we shall soon rest." "your excellency need not trouble yourself about us," one of the criados answered; "what your excellency endures without complaining, we can also endure." "the heat is stifling: hence, like yourselves, i feel the want of a few hours' rest." "if absolutely necessary, we could go on a long time yet," the man who had already spoken said, "but our horses can hardly drag themselves along. the poor beasts are almost foundered." "yes, men and beasts want rest. however strong our will may be, there are limits before which the human organization must yield. courage! in an hour we shall have arrived." "come, come, excellency, do not think of us any more." the first traveller made no answer, and they continued their journey in silence. they soon reached the gorge, which they passed through, and found themselves among thickets, which, gently approaching, began to offer them a scanty shade, but, just as they reached the spot the first traveller had pointed out for their halt, he suddenly stopped and turned to his companions,--"look there," he said, "do you not see a slight pillar of smoke rising in the thicket, down there in front of us, a little on the left of the skirt of the forest?" they looked. "in truth," the elder answered, "there can be no mistake about it, although from here it might be taken for a mist; still, the way in which the spiral rises, and its blue tinge, prove that it is smoke." "after the ten mortal days we have been wandering about these immense solitudes without meeting a living soul, that fire must be welcome to us, for it indicates man, that is, friends; let us go straight up to them, then; perhaps we shall obtain from them some valuable information about the object of our journey." "pardon me, excellency," the criado answered, quickly, "when we quitted the presidio, you promised to place yourself in my hands, so excuse my giving you some advice, which, under present circumstances, will be very useful to you." "speak, my excellent bermudez, i place the most perfect confidence in your experience and fidelity; your advice will be well received by me." "thanks, excellency," the man answered, whom he had called bermudez, "i have been a long time your vaquero, and in that capacity have been frequently mixed up both with hunters and indians, which has given me certain notions of desert life, by which i have profited, although i never before went so far on to the prairie as today. hence, in the spot where we are, we must above all avoid a meeting with our fellow men, and only accost them prudently, while employing the greatest precautions; the more so, as we do not know whom we have before us, and if we have to deal with friend or foe." "it is true; your remark is correct; but, unfortunately, it is a little late." "why so?" "because, if we have seen the smoke of their fire, it is probable the people down there saw us long ago, and are spying all our movements, especially as we made no attempt at concealment." "that is certain, don mariano, that is certain," bermudez continued, with a shake of his head. "hear, then, what, with your permission, excellency, i propose, in order to avoid any misunderstanding, which is always unpleasant; you will remain here with juanito, while i go on alone, and push on my reconnoissance up to the fire." don mariano hesitated to reply, for it seemed to him hard to refuse his old servant thus. "decide, excellency," the latter said, quickly; "i know the redskin way of talking; they will salute me either with a shower of arrows, or a bullet; but, as they are generally very bad shots, they are almost certain not to hit me, and then i will easily enter into negotiations with them. you see that the risk i have to run is not tremendous." "bermudez is right, excellency," juanito answered, sententiously; being a methodical and silent man, who never took the word save under grave circumstances; "you must let him act as he thinks proper." "no!" don mariano said, resolutely, "i will never consent to that. god is master of our existence; he alone can dispose of it at his will: if any accident happened to you, my poor bermudez, i should never pardon myself; we will continue to advance together; at any rate, if they are enemies before us, we shall be able to defend ourselves." bermudez and juanito were preparing to answer their master's objections, and the discussion would have probably lasted a long while, but at this moment the galloping of a horse was heard, the grass parted, and a rider appeared about a dozen paces from the group. it was a white man, and dressed in the garb of the prairie hunters. "hold, caballeros," he cried, as he made a friendly sign with his hand, and checked his horse; "advance without fear, you are welcome: i noticed your indecision, and am come to put an end to it." the three men exchanged glances. "i thank you for your cordial invitation," don mariano at length answered, "and accept it gladly." all suspicion being done away with, the four persons walked together toward the fire, which they reached a few moments later. near this fire were two indians, man and wife. the travellers dismounted, took off saddle and bridle, and after giving their horses food, seated themselves with a sign of satisfaction by their new friends, who did the honour of their provisions and bivouac with all the cordial simplicity of the desert. the reader has doubtless recognized ruperto, flying eagle, and eglantine, whom we left proceeding toward the chief's village, whither ruperto had received orders from marksman to accompany the chief. don mariano and his companions were not only fatigued, but also excessively hungry; the hunter and the indians left them at full liberty to assuage their appetites, and when they saw them light their papelitos, they imitated them, and the conversation began. turning at first on the ordinary topics of the desert, the weather, the heat, and the abundance of game, it soon grew more intricate, and assumed even a serious character. "now that the meal is ended, chief," ruperto said, "put out the fire; it is unnecessary for us to reveal our presence to the vagabonds who are doubtless prowling about the prairie." eglantine, at a sign from flying eagle, put out the fire. "it was, indeed, your smoke which betrayed you," don mariano remarked. "oh!" ruperto said, with a laugh, "because we wished it; had we not, we should have made our fire so as to remain unseen." "you wish, then, to be discovered?" "yes; it was a throw of the dice." "i do not understand you." "what i say to you seems an enigma, but you will soon be able to understand it. look," the hunter added, stretching out his arm in the direction of the gorge, "do you see that horseman going at full speed? in a quarter of an hour, at the most, he will be up with us; owing to the precaution i have taken, he will pass without noticing us." "do you fear anything from that horseman?" "nothing; on the contrary, the chief and myself are here to help him." "you know him then?" "not the least in the world." "hum! you are becoming more and more incomprehensible, caballero." "patience," the hunter said, with a laugh, "did i not tell you you should soon have a solution of the enigma?" "yes, and i confess that my curiosity is so excited, that i am impatiently waiting it." in the meanwhile, the horseman ruperto had pointed out to don mariano came up rapidly, and soon passed, as the hunter had foreseen, a few paces from the bivouac, without noticing it. so soon as he had disappeared in the forest, ruperto began again:--"a few hours ago," he said, "not far from the spot where we now are, the chief and i, without wishing it, overheard a conversation of which this horseman was the object, a conversation in which the question was simply to make him fall into an odious snare. i do not know who this horseman is, nor do i wish to know it, but i have an instinctive repulsion to all that in the slightest degree resembles treachery. this indian chief, like myself, immediately resolved on saving this caballero, if it were possible; we knew that he must pass by here, as he had an appointment with one of the men whom accident, or rather providence, had made us so singularly listen to. two men, however brave they may be, are very weak against some twenty bandits, still we did not lose courage, but resolved, if heaven sent us no allies, bravely to attempt the adventure by ourselves; the more so, as the persons whose bloodthirsty plans we had surprised seemed to us to be atrocious villains; still, by the chief's advice, i lit this fire, certain that if any traveller came this way the smoke would serve him as a beacon, and assuredly lead him here; you see, caballero, that i was not mistaken, as you have come." "and i am glad i have," don mariano warmly replied: "i most readily join in your plan, which appears to be suggested in every respect by an honest and good heart." "do not make me out better than i am, caballero," the hunter made answer; "i am only a poor devil of a wood ranger, very ignorant of city matters; but under all circumstances, i obey the inspirations of my heart." "and you are right, for they are sound and just." "thanks; now we are in force, i assure you that the pã­caros, however numerous they may be, will see some fun; but we have still time before us; rest yourselves, sleep a few hours; when the moment arrives, we will arrange what to do." don mariano was too tired to need a repetition of this invitation; a few moments later he and his companions were plunged in a deep and restorative sleep. at sunset ruperto woke them, "it is time," he said. they rose; for the few hours' rest had restored them all their strength. the arrangements to be made were simple, and soon decided on. we have seen what took place; addick and don stefano, themselves surprised, when they expected to surprise don miguel, not knowing how many enemies they had to contend with, fled after an obstinate struggle. don mariano and ruperto, satisfied with having saved don miguel, retired so soon as the issue of the combat appeared no longer dubious. recalled, however, to the banks of the rubio by the shots fired at the last moment by don miguel, they saw a man and rushed toward him, possibly more with the hope of helping him than taking him prisoner. the man had fainted. don mariano and ruperto raised him in their arms, and transported him beneath the covert of the forest, where eglantine had contrived with great difficulty to light a fire; but when they were enabled to see the wounded man's face by the glare, both uttered a cry of stupefaction. "don stefano cohecho!" ruperto exclaimed. "my brother!" don mariano said, with mingled grief and horror. chapter xv. recalled to life. with the first gleam of day, the terrible hurricane, which had raged so cruelly through nearly the whole night, gradually calmed; the wind had swept the sky, and borne far away the gloomy clouds which studded the blue heavens with black spots; the sun rose majestically in floods of light; the trees, refreshed by the tempests, had reassumed that pale green hue, sullied on the previous day by the dusty sand of the desert; and the birds, hid in countless myriads beneath the dense foliage, poured forth that harmonious concert which they offer every morning at sunrise to the all high--a sublime and grand hymn, a ravishing hymn, whose rhythm, full of simple melodies, causes the man buried in this ocean of verdure to indulge in sweet dreams, and plunges him unconsciously into a melancholy reverie of the hope, whose realization is in heaven. as we have said, don miguel ortega, saved by the tried courage and presence of mind of the two wood rangers, was carried by them to the foot of a tree, beneath which they laid him. the young man had fainted. the hunters' first care was to examine his wounds: he had two, one on the right arm, the other on the head, but neither of them was dangerous. the wound in the arm bled profusely, a bullet had torn the flesh, but had produced no fracture of the bone, or any grave accident; as for the wound in the head, evidently produced by a sharp instrument, the hair had already matted over it, and checked the haemorrhage. don miguel's faintness was produced by the loss of blood in the first place, and next by the nervous excitement of a long and obstinate struggle, and the immense amount of strength he had been compelled to expend to resist the numerous enemies who had treacherously attacked him. the wood rangers, owing to the life they led, and the innumerable accidents to which they are constantly exposed, are obliged to possess some practical knowledge of medicine, and particularly of surgery. pupils of the redskins, simples play a great part in their medical system. brighteye and marksman were masters of the art of treating wounds summarily, after the indian fashion. after carefully washing the wounds, and removing the hair from that on the head, they plucked _oregano_ leaves, formed them into a species of cataplasm, by slightly moistening them with spirits diluted in water, and applied this primitive remedy to the wounds, fastening it on with leaves of the _abanigo_, cut into strips, round which they wound aloe threads. then, with the blade of a knife, they slightly opened the wounded man's tightly closed jaws, and poured a few drops of spirits into his mouth. in a few moments don miguel half opened his eyes, and a fugitive glow coloured his pallid cheeks. the hunters, with their hands crossed on the muzzles of their rifles, carefully inspected the wounded man's face, trying to read on his features the probable results of the means they had thought it necessary to employ, in order to relieve him. the man who recovers from a deep fainting fit is not at the first moment conscious of external objects, nor does he remember what has happened: the equilibrium of his faculties, suddenly interrupted by the successive blows they have experienced, is only re-established slowly and gradually, in proportion as the eye grows brighter, the memory clearer. don miguel looked around him with a glance that contained no warmth or expression, and almost immediately closed his eyes again, as if already wearied by the effort he had been forced to make in opening them. "in a few hours his strength will be restored, and before three days there will not be a trace of it," brighteye said, tossing his head sententiously. "by jove! he is one of those sturdy fellows i like." "is he not?" marksman answered,--"so young and so valiant? what a rude attack he sustained." "yes, and bravely, we must say; still, for all that, if we had not been there, he would have found it difficult to get out of the scrape." "he would have perished, there is not the least doubt of it, and that would have been unfortunate." "very unfortunate! however, he is well out of it. by the way, what are we going to do with him now? we cannot stay here for ever; on the other hand, he is unable to make a movement; but we must take him back to the camp, his men will feel alarmed at his absence, and who knows what would happen if it were prolonged?" "that is true; we cannot think of putting him on his horse, so we must hit on some other expedient." "by jove! that will not trouble us; the torpor into which he has fallen will last about two hours; in the meantime, he will be hardly capable of uttering a few words, and vaguely recalling what has happened to him; it is not, therefore, necessary for both of us to remain by him, one will be enough--say myself: you will go to the camp, state what has occurred, tell the gambusinos in what condition their chief is, ask for help, and bring it here as speedily as possible." "you are right, brighteye, on my word; your advice is excellent, and i will set about it at once. i shall not be gone more than two hours, so keep good watch, for we do not know who may be prowling round us, and spying our movements." "don't be frightened, marksman, i am not one of those men who let themselves be surprised;--stay, i remember an adventure that occurred to me in every respect similar to this. it was a long time ago, in 1824, i was very young, and--" but marksman, who heard with secret terror his comrade beginning one of his interminable stories, hastily interrupted him without ceremony, saying--"by jove! i have been acquainted with you for a long time, brighteye, and know what manner of man you are, so i go perfectly easy in mind." "no matter," the hunter replied, "if you would let me explain--" "useless, useless, my friend; explanations are uncalled for from a man of your stamp and experience," marksman said, as he leaped into his saddle, and started at full speed. brighteye looked after him for a long time. "hum!" he said, thoughtfully; "the lord is my witness that that man is one of the most excellent creatures in existence; i love him as a brother, and regret that i can never make him understand how useful and precious it is to keep up a recollection of past events, so as not to feel embarrassed when any of those difficulties so common in desert life suddenly spring up:--well, i cannot help it." and he began once more examining the wounded man, with that intelligent attention he had not once ceased testifying toward him. don miguel had not made a movement; more than an hour had elapsed, and when the effects of the fainting fit wore off, he instantaneously fell into that heavy, agitated sleep, from which nothing could arouse him for a long time. brighteye, seated by his side, with his rifle betwixt his legs, philosophically smoked his indian pipe, waiting, with the patience peculiar to hunters, till some symptom told him that the wounded man had succeeded in shaking off that torpor of evil augury which had seized upon him. the old canadian would have desired, even at the risk of an intense fever setting in, that a sudden commotion should recall the young man roughly to life; he built on the arrival of the gambusinos to obtain this result, and he frequently consulted the desert with anxiety to try and perceive them, but he saw and heard nothing: all was silent around him. "come," he muttered at times, bending a dissatisfied glance at don miguel, who lay stretched at his feet, "the shock has been too rude, and nothing _will_ happen to restore him to a consciousness of life; on my soul, i am most unlucky." at the moment when, perhaps for the hundredth time, he repeated this sentence with ever-increasing annoyance, he heard at a short distance off a rather loud rustling, and the breaking of some dead branches. "eh, eh!" the hunter said, "what is the meaning of this?" he raised his head smartly, and looked carefully around; suddenly he broke into a concentrated burst of laughter, and his eyes sparkled with joy. "by jove!" he said, gaily, "this is exactly what i want. heaven has sent that young gentleman to draw me from my dilemma, and he is right welcome." at about twenty paces from the hunter, a magnificent jaguar, crouching on the largest branch of an enormous cochineal tree, fixed a glaring look upon him, while at intervals passing one of its fore claws over its ears, with the airs and purring sound peculiar to the feline race. this wild beast, probably terrified by the hurricane of the past night, had not been able to regain its den, toward which it was proceeding, when it found the two men in its path. the jaguar, or american tiger, far from attacking men, carefully avoids a meeting with them, and only accepts a combat when compelled and driven to bay, but then it becomes terrible, and a contest with it is frequently mortal, unless its opponent is accustomed to the numerous tricks it employs to insure the victory. at the moment the tiger perceived the hunter, the latter saw the tiger, hence the combat was imminent. the two enemies remained for several minutes in an attitude of observation; their glances crossed like sword blades. "come, make up your mind, sluggard," brighteye muttered. the jaguar uttered a hoarse yell, sharpened its formidable claws for a few seconds on the branch which served it for a pedestal, and then, drawing itself up, bounded on the hunter. the latter did not stir; with his rifle to his shoulder, his feet well apart and firmly fixed, and his body bent slightly forward, he followed with a careful eye all the movements of the wild beast; at the moment the latter made its spring, the hunter pulled the trigger. the tiger turned a somersault with a ferocious yell, and fell at brighteye's feet. the canadian bent down to it, but the jaguar was dead; the hunter's bullet had entered its brain through the right eye, and killed it on the spot. at the howl of the brute, and the sound of brighteye's rifle, don miguel opened his eyes and suddenly raised himself on his elbow, with a terrified look, and features contracted by a strange and terrible emotion, which reddened his face. "help! help!" he shouted in a thundering voice. "here i am!" brighteye exclaimed, as he rose up, and forced him to lie down again. don miguel looked at him. "who are you?" he said, at the expiration of a minute; "what do you want with me? i do not know you." "that is true," the hunter said, imperturbably, and addressing him like a child, "but you will soon know me: do not be alarmed; for the moment, it is enough for you to know that i am a friend." "a friend!" the wounded man repeated, trying to restore order to his ideas, which were still confused, "what friend?" "by jove!" the hunter said, "you do not count them by thousands, i suppose; i have been your friend for some hours past. i saved you at the moment when you were dying." "but all that tells me nothing--teaches me nothing. how am i here? how are you here?" "those are a good many questions all at once, and it is impossible for me to answer them: you are wounded, and your state forbids any conversation. will you drink?" "yes," don miguel answered, mechanically. brighteye held his gourd to him. "still," he continued, after a moment, "i have not been dreaming." "who knows?" "those shots, the shouts i heard?" "quite a trifle;--a jaguar i killed, and which you can see a few yards off." there was silence for a few minutes: don miguel was thinking deeply; light was beginning to dawn on his mind, his memory was returning. the hunter anxiously followed on the young man's face the incessant progress of returning thought. at length a flash of intelligence lit up the young man's eye, and fixing his feverish glance on the old hunter, he asked him,--"how long is it since you saved me?" "scarce three hours." "then, since the events that brought me here--there has only passed--?" "one night." "yes!" the young man continued in a deep voice, a terrible voice, "i fancied i was dead." "you only escaped by a miracle." "thanks." "i was not alone." "who else came to my assistance? tell me his name, that i may preserve it preciously in my memory." "marksman." "marksman!" the wounded man exclaimed, tenderly, "always he. oh! i ought to have expected that name, for he loves me." "yes." "and what is your name?" "brighteye." the young man trembled, and held out his arm. "your hand," he said; "you were right just now in saying you were a friend, you have been so for a long time, marksman has often spoken to me about you." "we have been connected for thirty years." "i know it: but where is he, that i do not see him?" "he went, about two hours back, to the camp of the cuadrilla to bring help." "he thinks of everything." "i remained here to watch over and take care of you during his absence; but he will soon return." "do you believe that i shall be long helpless?" "no; your wounds are not serious. what floors you at this moment is the moral shock you received, and chiefly the blood you lost when you fell in a fainting state into the rubio." "then that river--" "is the rubio." "i am, then, on the spot where the struggle ended?" "yes." "how many days do you think i shall remain in this state?" "four or five at the most." there was silence for several minutes. "you told me that it is the weakness of my senses, produced by the moral shock i received, which overpowers me, i think?" don miguel began again. "yes, i said so." "do you believe that a firm and powerful will could produce a favourable reaction?" "i do." "give me your hand." "there it is." "good: now help me." "what are you going to do?" "get up." "by jove! i was right in saying you were a man. come, i consent: have a try." after a few minutes spent in fruitless efforts, don miguel at length succeeded in standing upright. "at last!" he said, triumphantly. at the first step he took, he lost his balance, and rolled on the ground. brighteye rushed toward him. "leave me," he shouted to him, "leave me; i wish to get up by myself." he succeeded: this time he took his precautions better, and succeeded in walking a few steps. brighteye regarded him with admiration. "oh! the will must subdue the matter," don miguel continued, with frowning brow and swollen veins, "i will succeed." "you will kill yourself." "no, for i must live; give me something to drink." for the second time brighteye handed him the gourd; the young man eagerly raised it to his lips. "now!" he exclaimed, with a feverish accent, as he returned the gourd to the hunter, "to horse." "what, to horse?" brighteye said, with stupefaction. "yes; i must be moving." "why, that is madness." "let me alone, i tell you, i will hold on; but as the wound in the left arm prevents my getting into the saddle, i must claim your assistance." "you wish it." "i insist on it." "be it so; and may god be merciful to us." "he will protect us, be assured." brighteye helped the young man into the saddle; against the hunter's previsions, he kept firm and upright. "now," he said, "take up your jaguar's skin, and let us be off." "where are we going?" "to the camp; marksman will be greatly astonished to see me, when he believes me to be half dead." brighteye silently followed the young man; he gave up any further attempts to understand this strange character. chapter xvi. the search after truth. in spite of don miguel's firm will to overcome the pain, the horse's movement occasioned him a degree of suffering which made his features quiver, and drops of cold perspiration stand on his face, which was pale as that of a corpse; at times his sight troubled him, he found everything turning around him, he tottered in his saddle, and held on convulsively to his horse's mane through fear of falling. "stupid matter," he muttered in a hoarse voice, "shall i not succeed in conquering you?" then he redoubled his efforts to seem apathetic, smiled on brighteye, and gaily addressed him. for the first time in his life, the old hunter felt himself nonplussed: though he ransacked his memory to try and find an analogous circumstance to this in the course of his varied life, to his great regret he was forced to confess to himself that he had never witnessed anything like it. this annoyed him, and he therefore walked with a dissatisfied air by the young man's side. still they advanced. suddenly, however, they heard the sound of horses near them on the trail they were following. "here is marksman," don miguel said. "that is probable." "he will be greatly astonished to meet me coming toward the help he is bringing." "that is certain." "let us hurry our horses on a little." brighteye looked at him. "you have sworn, then, to bring on a congestion of the brain?" he said to him plainly. "how so?" the young man asked in surprise. "by jove! that is easy to see," the hunter went on, hastily; "for an hour you have been committing one act of madness after the other; but do not deceive yourself, caballero, what you take for strength is only fever. it is that alone which sustains you, so take care, do not obstinately continue an impossible struggle, from which, i warn you, you will not emerge the victor. i let you act as you pleased, because i saw no harm in doing so up to the present; but, believe me, you have done enough. you have measured your strength, and know what you are capable of doing under urgent circumstances. that is all you want; so now let us stop and wait." "thank you," don miguel said, cordially squeezing his hand; "you are really my friend, your rude words prove it to me. yes, i am a madman; but what would you? i am in a strange position, when every hour i lose may entail extreme dangers on myself and other persons, and i am afraid of succumbing before i have accomplished the task which misfortune has imposed on me." "you will succumb much sooner if you will not be reasonable. four or five days are soon passed; and, besides, what you cannot do, your friends will accomplish." "that is true. you make me blush for myself. i am not only mad, but also ungrateful." "come, do not talk about that any more. the noise is approaching. they are probably your companions; still they might be enemies, for everything must be expected in the desert. let us enter this thicket, where we shall be perfectly concealed from the eyes of the comers. if it be marksman, we will show ourselves; if not, we will keep close." don miguel warmly approved of the idea, for he understood that, in case of a fight, he should be but slight help to his companion in his present condition. the two men disappeared in the thicket, which closed on them, and they awaited, pistol in hand, the arrival of the persons. brighteye was not mistaken. it was really marksman, returning with some fifteen gambusinos. when they were only a few paces off, the two horsemen showed themselves. marksman could not believe his eyes. he did not understand how the man he had left deprived of consciousness, stretched out on the ground like an inert and almost lifeless body, had possessed the strength to come and meet him, and to sit so upright and firm in his saddle. don miguel enjoyed for a little while his triumph, and the admiration he inspired in these men, with whom the sole supremacy is that of strength, and then bent down with a smile to marksman. "you are not the less welcome with the help you bring me," he said in a low voice; "this help has become, at this moment, very necessary, if not indispensable; for my resolution alone keeps me in the saddle." "you must make haste to return to the camp, and, for fear of accident, lie down on a litter." "a litter?" don miguel objected. "you must, believe me. it is urgent that you should reassume, as soon as possible, the command of your cuadrilla, so do not waste your strength in useless bravado." don miguel bowed without replying, for he understood the truth of the hunter's remark. so, after getting off his horse with the aid of the two canadians, he himself ordered his companions to make the litter in which he should be carried to the camp. marksman passed his arm through the young man's, and, making a sign to brighteye to follow them, led him a few paces from the party, and made him sit down on the grass. "now that you are in a condition to answer me, profit by the time during which your litter is being made. you have plenty to tell me." the young man sighed. "question me," he said. "yes, that will be better. how and by whom were you attacked?" "i cannot tell you. it is a strange history; so confused that it is impossible for me, in spite of all my efforts, to disentangle it." "no matter. tell me what happened to you; perhaps we, who are better accustomed to the prairies than yourself, will find a thread which will guide us through this apparently inextricable labyrinth." don miguel then told all the facts that had occurred, in all their detail. at the name of addick, marksman frowned; when the mexican spoke of don stefano, the hunters exchanged an intelligent glance; but when the young man reached that singular turn in the combat when, on the point of succumbing, he had been suddenly surrounded by strangers, who disappeared as if by enchantment, after disengaging him, the hunters displayed marks of the greatest surprise. "such," don miguel concluded, "was the odious ambush into which i fell; and to which i should have been a victim, if you had not arrived so opportunely to save me. now that you know all as well as i do, what is your opinion?" "hum!" the hunter said; "all that is really very extraordinary. there is at the bottom of the affair a dark machination, carried out with a diabolical skill and perversity which startles me. i have certain suspicions which i wish first to clear up; hence, i cannot give you my opinion at once. before all, i must investigate certain matters; but trust to me for that. but these men who came so fortunately to your help--did you not see them?--did you not speak to them?" "you forget," don miguel said, with a smile, "that they appeared in the thick of the fight; brought as it were by the hurricane, that raged so furiously. the time would have been badly chosen for conversation." "that is true; i did not know what i was saying. but," the hunter added, striking the ground with the butt of his rifle, "i will not be beaten. i swear to you that i shall soon have discovered who your enemies are, whatever care they may take, and precautions employ, to conceal themselves." "oh! i intend to go in pursuit of them, so soon as i have got back my strength." "you, caballero," marksman remarked drily, "have first to get well. on reaching your camp, you will have to shut yourself up, as in a citadel, and not take a step till you have seen me again." "what! do you intend to leave me, then?" "brighteye and myself are going to start directly. we should be of no use near you, while we may be of service elsewhere." "what do you intend to do?" "on our return, you shall know all." "i cannot remain in such a state of uncertainty. besides, i do not understand you." "yet it is clear enough. i intend, aided by brighteye, to tear the mask from this don stefano--a mask which, in my opinion, hides a very ugly countenance--to know who this man is, and why he is such an obstinate enemy to you." "thanks, marksman; now i am easy in my mind. go; do all that seems proper to you. i am convinced that you will accomplish everything that can be humanly accomplished. but, before separating, promise me one thing." "what is it?" "promise me, that so soon as you have obtained all the information you are going to seek, you will bring it to me, without undertaking anything against this man, on whom i intend to take personally--you understand me, marksman, personally--exemplary vengeance." "that is your affair. i shall not interfere with you. every man has his task in this world; the man is your enemy, and not mine. so soon as i have succeeded in bringing you face to face, or at least putting you opposite each other in an equal position, you will do as you please. i shall wash my hands of it." "good, good!" don miguel muttered. "if any day i hold that demon in my clutches, as he held me in his, he shall not escape, i swear!" "so it is settled, we can start?" "when you please." brighteye had hitherto listened calmly to the conversation; but at this remark he stepped forward, and laid his hand on marksman's arm. "one moment," he said. "what, more last words?" the hunter answered. "only a word; but one which, i fancy, possesses some value in the present state of affairs." "make haste, then!" "you wish to discover who this don stefano is, as he thinks proper to call himself, and i approve it; but there is another matter, i fancy, quite as serious, which we ought to try and make out first." "what is it?" brighteye turned his head to the right, and then to the left, bent his body slightly forward, and lowering his voice so that the persons he addressed could hardly hear him, he continued in a severe tone,--"desert life in no way resembles that in the towns. down there people know each other slightly or intimately, either by name or through personal relations; they are frequently connected by interests more or less direct; in a word, socialities exist between all the inhabitants of towns, attaching them one to the other, and forming them, as it were, into one family. in the desert this is no longer the case; egotism and personality are the masters; the 'i' is the supreme law; each man only thinks of himself, only acts for himself, and i will say, further, only loves himself." "cut it short, for goodness sake, brighteye; cut it short!" marksman said impatiently. "what the deuce are you driving at?" "patience!" the imperturbable canadian said; "patience! and you shall know. in short, then, in the desert, unless a man has lived for years side by side with another--sharing pain and pleasure, good fortune and ill, with him--he lives alone, without friends, only counting indifferent persons as enemies. in the trap to which don miguel almost fell a victim last night, two sorts of people revealed themselves spontaneously to him. these were, first, inveterate enemies, and then equally staunch friends. do not fancy," the hunter continued, growing warm, "that i have not calculated the range of the words i have just made use of; you would be greatly mistaken. does it not seem strange to you, as it does to me, now that you are cool, and reason in all the plenitude of your faculties,--does it not seem strange to you, i repeat, that, at a given moment, without it being possible to know how or why--these men suddenly emerged, as it were, from the ground, to lend you a hand; then, when the danger was past, or nearly so, they disappeared as suddenly as they came, leaving no trace of their passage, and not breaking the incognito which covered them,--is not this strange?--answer!" "in truth," marksman muttered, "i did not think of that till now; the conduct of those men is inexplicable." "that is exactly what must be explained!" brighteye exclaimed violently. "the prairie is not so densely populated that, at a given moment, and amid a frightful hurricane, there should be men ready to defend you for the mere satisfaction of doing so; those people must have had secret motives for doing so, and that object it is urgent for us to discover. who tells us that they did not form part of the band which attacked you? that it was not a trick to seize you more easily--a part of the game, the execution of which our unforeseen presence destroyed? i repeat to you, we must, before all, find these men, know who they are, and what they want; in a word, whether they are friends or enemies." "it is very late now to undertake such a search," don miguel observed. the two hunters smiled, as they exchanged a significant glance. "very late for you, certainly, who do not possess the key of the desert," brighteye replied; "but with us it is different." "yes," marksman supported him: "let us only find a trace of their passage, however light it may be--a footstep on the damp sand, so as to hold one end of their trail--that will be enough to reach the other, and we shall give a good account of these strangers, whose conduct, as brighteye observed very truly, is too strange and too fine to be honest." "oh! why cannot i follow you?" don miguel exclaimed, regretfully. "get well first; then, i am certain, your part will begin; for, before three days, we shall bring you all the information you want today, and without which you can effect nothing." "so you promise me that in three days--" "yes, in three days we shall return from our expedition. trust to our promise, and nurse yourself, so as to be able to begin the campaign at once." "i shall be ready." "so, now, good-bye! the sun is already high in the heavens; we have not a moment to lose." "good-bye, and good luck!" the hunters cordially pressed don miguel's hand, remounted their horses, and went off rapidly in the direction of the rubio ford. the chief of the gambusinos, laid on a litter, went quickly back to his camp, which he reached a little before sunset. chapter xvii. don mariano. we will now return to don stefano cohecho, whom we left in a fainting state between ruperto and don mariano. the double exclamation drawn from the hunter and the mexican traveller, on recognizing the man they had picked up on the river bank, had plunged all three of them into a profound state of stupefaction. bermudez was the first to recover his coolness, and he walked up to his master. "come, don mariano," he said to him, "do not stay here. perhaps it will be as well that, when your brother opens his eyes, he should not see you." don mariano fixed a burning glance on the wounded man. "how is it that i find him here?" he said, as if speaking to himself. "what is he doing in these savage regions? it was false, then, what he wrote about important business calling him to the united states, and that he had started for new orleans?" "seã±or don estevan, your brother," bermudez replied gravely, "is one of those darkly-intriguing men with whom it is impossible to know their thoughts, or guess their motives or action. you see the hunter gives him a name which does not belong to him. for what purpose does he conceal himself, then? believe me, don mariano, there is a mystery beneath this which we will clear up, with the aid of heaven; but let us be prudent; let us not reveal our presence to don estevan; there will always be time to do so when we discover that we have been deceived." "that is true, bermudez; your advice is good, and i will follow it; but, before retiring, let me assure myself as to his present condition. that man is my brother; and, however great the injuries he has done me may be, i should not like to see him die without assistance." "perhaps it would be better," bermudez muttered. don mariano looked at him angrily, and bent over the wounded man. the latter was still in a fainting state. eglantine lavished on him those delicate and intelligent attentions, of which women of all nations and every colour possess the secret, but yet could not recall him to life. "pray, excellency, take my advice," bermudez urged, "and retire." don mariano took a last look at his brother, and seemed to hesitate; then turning away, with an effort, he said--"let us go." the old servant's face brightened. "i recommend this man to you," don mariano added, addressing ruperto. "pay him all the attention his condition demands and humanity orders." the hunter bowed. the mexican gentleman walked a few steps toward his horse, which, with those of his companions, was fastened to a young ebony tree. don mariano retired with regret: a secret voice seemed to warn him to remain. at the moment he placed his foot in the stirrup, a hand was laid on his arm, and he turned sharply. a man was standing by his side. it was flying eagle. the chief had left to the whites the care of transporting the wounded. with the instinct peculiar to his race, he had examined with the utmost attention the scene of the ambush and all the spots whither the accidents of the combat had led the fighters. his object in thus acting had been to discover some trace, some sign, which, in case of need, might be useful to those who had an interest in discovering the causes of the snare laid for don miguel. accident had aided him admirably, by supplying him with a proof whose value must be immense, and which, doubtlessly, don stefano would have bought back with his best blood, in order to destroy it. unfortunately, this proof, interesting as it was, was a sealed letter for the indian, and in his hands possessed no value. flying eagle immediately thought of don mariano, who would probably explain to him the importance of the mysterious find he had made. after turning it over several times, he hid it in his bosom, and with the characteristic decision of his race, walked rapidly back to the camp, where he was certain of finding the mexican. "is my father going away?" the redskin asked. "yes," don mariano answered; "but i am glad to see you, chief, before my departure, that i may thank you for your cordial hospitality." the indian bowed. "my father can decipher the 'collars' of the palefaces. i think," he continued, "the whites have great knowledge. my father must be a chief of his nation." don mariano looked at the comanche in surprise. "what do you mean?" he asked him. "our indian fathers taught us to preserve, on the skins of animals, prepared for the purpose, the interesting events that happened in our tribe in the old ages of the world. the palefaces know all; they possess the great medicine; they also have collars." "certainly, we have books, in which, by means of recognized signs, the history of nations, and even the thoughts of men, can be traced." the indian made a gesture of joy. "good!" he said; "my father must know these signs, for his head is grey." "i do know them. can the simple knowledge i possess be of any service to you?" flying eagle shook his head negatively. "no," he said; "not to me, but perhaps to others." "i do not understand you, chief; be good enough, therefore, to explain yourself more clearly, for i wish to go away before that man regains his consciousness." the indian took a side glance at the injured man. "he will not open his eyes for an hour," he said. "flying eagle can talk to his father." in spite of himself, don mariano felt interested in knowing what the indian wished to tell him; so he resolved to wait, and made him a sign to speak. the chief continued in a low voice,--"let my father listen," he said. "flying eagle is not an old gossiping woman; he is a renowned chief. the words his breast breathes are all inspired by the wacondah. flying eagle loves the palefaces, because they have been good to him, and have, in certain circumstances, rendered him great services. after the fight, the chief went over the field of battle; near the spot where the man fell whom my father brought here, flying eagle found a medicine bag, containing several collars. the indian looked at them on all sides, but could not understand them, because the wacondah had spread over his eyes the thick bandage which prevents the redskins equalling the whites. still the chief, suspecting that perhaps this mysterious bag, useless to him, might be important for my father, or some of his friends, previously concealed it in his breast, and ran in all haste to hand it to my father. here it is," he added, drawing a portfolio from his bosom, and handing it to don mariano; "let my father take it; perhaps he will be able to discover what it contains." though the redskin's action was perfectly natural on his part, and the portfolio and its contents might be matters of indifference to the gentleman, he only took it from the chief's hands with reluctance. the indian folded his arms and waited, perfectly satisfied with what he had done. don mariano absently examined the portfolio he held in his hand. it was made of very ordinary shagreen, with no ornaments or gilding; it could be seen that it was more for use than luxury; and it was crammed with papers, and fastened with a small silver clasp. the examination, begun absently, suddenly assumed a great importance for don mariano, for his eyes had fallen on these words, half effaced, engraved in letters of gold on one of the sides of the portfolio,--"don estevan de real del monte." at the sight of these words, which revealed to him the name of the owner of the object he held, he gave a start of surprise. while turning and speaking, he came on his brother, who still lay unconscious, and by a movement independent of his will, his hand squeezed it forcibly. this pressure opened the hasp, and several papers fell out. bermudez stooped quickly, and handed them to his master. the latter mechanically held out his hand to receive them, and return them to the portfolio; but bermudez checked him resolutely. "heaven gives you the means to know the truth at last," he said; "do not neglect the opportunity it affords you, or you may repent it when too late." "violate my brother's secrets!" don mariano muttered, with a movement of repulsion. "no," bermudez retorted drily, "but learn how he became master of yours. excellency, remember the object of our journey." "but if i were discovered--if he were not guilty?" "all the better. in that way you will acquire certainty." "what you urge me to do is wrong. i have no right to act so." "well, i, who am only a wretched criado, excellency, whose actions have no serious import, will assume that right for your sake, excellency." and by a gesture swift as thought, he seized the portfolio. "wretch!" don mariano shouted. "stay, what are you going to do?" "save, perhaps, her you love, as you dare not do it yourself." "my father will leave his slave free," the indian interposed, "the wacondah inspires him." don mariano had not the courage to resist longer, for involuntarily an unknown feeling he could not explain, told him that he was wrong, and bermudez did well to act so. the half-caste had, with the greatest coolness, opened the papers, not appearing to care for any seeming impropriety in his conduct. "oh!" he suddenly exclaimed, "did i not tell you, excellency, that heaven placed in your hands the proofs you had so long been seeking in vain? read! read! and if it be possible, still doubt the testimony of your eyes, and refuse longer to believe in your brother's perfidy, and odious treason." don mariano seized the papers with a feverish gesture, and hurriedly read them. after reading them two or three times, he stopped, raised his eyes to heaven, and then let his head fall in his hands with an expression of the utmost pain. "oh, oh!" he muttered, in despair, "my brother! my brother!" "courage!" bermudez said, softly. "i will have it," he answered; "the hour of justice has arrived." a strange change had suddenly taken place in him. this man, a few moments previously so timid, and whose hesitation was extreme, was metamorphosed. he seemed to have grown; his features had assumed an imposing rigidity, and his eyes flashed fire. "no more childish fears," he said; "no further tergiversation. we must act." then turning to flying eagle, he asked him,-"is that man seriously wounded?" the indian carefully examined don stefano. during the whole period of the examination, no one uttered a word. everyone understood that don mariano had at length formed an energetic resolution, and that he would accomplish it remorselessly, and without hesitation, no matter what the consequences might be to him hereafter. flying eagle returned in a few minutes. "well?" the gentleman asked him. "that man is not really wounded," the indian answered; "he has only received a serious contusion on the head, which has plunged him into a sort of lethargic faint, from which he will not recover for an hour." "very well; and on waking, in what state will he be?" "very weak; but that weakness will soon wear off, and tomorrow he will be as right as before he received the blow." a bitter smile played round don mariano's lips. "tell that hunter, your friend, to come here; i must speak to you both," he said. "i have a service to ask of you." the chief obeyed. "i am at your service, excellency," ruperto remarked. "we will hold a council," don mariano then said. "is not that the term you employ in the desert when you have to discuss important business?" the hunter and the indian made a sign of assent. "listen to me attentively," the gentleman continued, in a firm and impressive voice. "the man there is my brother, and he must die. i do not wish to kill him, but to try him. all you now present will be his judges; i his accuser. will you aid me to accomplish an act of vengeance, but a deed of the most rigorous justice? i repeat to you, i will accuse him before you all, and documents in hand. he will be at liberty to defend himself; your conscience will be clear; he will have entire freedom to do so; and, moreover, you will condemn or acquit him, according to the opinion you form on the evidence. you have heard me; reflect; i await your reply." there was a supreme silence. after a few moments, ruperto took the word. "in the desert, where human justice does not penetrate," he said, "the law of god must prevail. if we have a right to kill the noxious and malevolent brutes, why should we not the right to punish a villain? i accept the office you offer me, because in my heart i am persuaded that in doing so i am doing my duty, and am useful to society, of which i make myself the avenger." "good!" don mariano answered. "i thank you. and you, chief?" "i accept," the comanche said distinctly. "traitors must be punished, no matter to what race they belong. flying eagle is a chief; he has the right to sit at the council fire, in the first rank of the sachems, and condemn or acquit." "it is now your turn," don mariano continued, addressing his servant; "answer." bermudez stepped forward a pace, and bowed respectfully to don mariano. "excellency," he said, "we knew this man when he was a child; we dandled him on our knees. at a later date he became our master; our hearts would not be free in his presence. we cannot judge him; we ought not to condemn him. we are only fit to execute the sentence, whatever it may be, which is dealt out to him, if we receive the order. old slaves, liberated by the kindness of their master, are never equal to him." "those feelings are what i expected from you. i thank you for your frankness, my children. in truth, you should not interfere in this matter. heaven, i hope, will send us two men with loyal hearts and firm will to take your places, and fulfil the duty of judges impartially." "heaven has heard you, caballero," a rough voice said; "we are here at your disposal." the branches of the thicket near which our characters were, were then torn boldly asunder, and two men appeared. they walked a few steps forward, rested their rifles on the ground, and waited. "who are you?" don mariano asked. "hunters." "your name?" "marksman." "and yours?" "brighteye. for about half an hour we have been hidden behind this bush. we heard all you said, and hence it is useless to repeat your statement. but there is another man who must be present at the trial." "another man! who?" "the one he attacked so traitorously, whom you drew from his hand, and whom we saved." "ha! who knows where to find that man at present?" "we do," marksman said, "as we only left him an hour ago, to take up your trail." "oh, if that is the case, you are right; that man must come." "unfortunately, he is seriously wounded; but if he cannot come of himself, he can be carried: and i know not why, but his presence seems to me not only necessary, but even indispensable, in order to clear up certain facts which it is our duty to fathom." "what do you mean?" "patience, caballero! you will soon understand. this man's camp is not far off, and he can be here before sunset." "but who will warn him?" "myself," brighteye answered. "i thank you for the hearty offer." "we are possibly more interested than yourself in clearing up this mysterious machination," marksman answered. at a sign from his friend, brighteye remounted his horse, which he had left in the thicket, and rode off at full speed, while don mariano followed him with a glance at once curious and puzzled. "you speak to me in riddles," he said to marksman, who was still leaning on his rifle. the latter shook his head. "the history, whose odious incidents will be unrolled before you, is a sad one, excellency, and you have not the key, in spite of the proofs you believe you possess." don mariano sighed, and two burning tears ran down his cheeks, which were furrowed by grief. "courage, _mi amo!_" bermudez said. "heaven is at length on your side." the gentleman pressed the hand of his faithful servant, and turned his head away to conceal the emotion he felt. chapter xviii. before the trial. when brighteye went off, marksman, the indian, and ruperto approached the wounded man, who was still plunged in the same state of lethargy, and collected around him, in order to await his recovery. don mariano, whose scruples were now extinguished, and who was anxious to know all the windings of his brother's dark machinations, in order to have solid arguments for the accusations he was about to bring against him before that supreme tribunal he had so unexpectedly found, withdrew from his servants into a dense coppice, where, free from all glances, he opened the portfolio with feverish impatience, and began reading the papers it contained, with a horror that increased with every fresh letter he unfolded. don mariano did not wish his brother to be aware of his presence before being confronted with his judges, for he counted on his unexpected apparition to foil his perspicacity and presence of mind, by making him lose his coolness. hence he concealed himself in a spot invisible to the most searching glance, reserving the right of appearing at the decisive moment. more than an hour elapsed, ere don stefano, in spite of eglantine's incessant care, made a movement indicating his return to life. still the three men, crouched silently round him, did not for a moment relax in their watchfulness; they understood the full extent of the act they were about to accomplish, and desired, with that intuitive mistrusting possessed by loyal souls, that the man they were about to try should be sufficiently collected, and so far in possession of his faculties, as to defend his life bravely. at the moment when the sun, rapidly declining on the horizon, lengthened the shadows of the trees, and only appeared through the lower branches like a huge ball of fire, the evening breeze passed like a fresh breath over the pale brow of the wounded man, who uttered a deep sigh at the feeling of comfort this beneficial freshness caused him to experience, after the stifling heat of the day. "he is going to open his eyes," marksman muttered. flying eagle laid his finger on his lips as he pointed to the wounded man. low as the hunter had spoken, don stefano had heard him; though not, perhaps, understanding the meaning of the words that had struck his ears, but sufficiently so to recall him to a sense of existence. don stefano was no common man, and a worthy son of the bastard race of mexico. cunning was the most prominent point in his eminently dissimulating character; accustomed ever to judge men and things badly, distrust seemed innate in his heart. marksman's words warned him to keep on his guard, without stirring, without opening his eyes, lest he should reveal his return to life; he made a supreme effort to recall the events that preceded his accident, so as to arrive, from deduction to deduction, at the position in which he now was, and guess, if that were possible, into whose hands chance, or his ill fortune, had made him fall. the task don stefano imposed on himself was not easy, for, by the force of circumstances, he was deprived of his most potent auxiliary, sight, which would have enabled him to recognize the persons who surrounded him, or, at any rate, perceive were they friends or enemies. thus, though he listened with the utmost attention, in order to catch a word or a phrase to guide him in his suppositions, and show him how to base his calculations on probable, if not positive, data, as the hunters, warned by the chief, and suspecting a trick, abstained for their part from making a gesture or uttering a word, all his previsions were foiled, and he remained in the most utter ignorance. this prolonged silence further heightened don stefano's anxiety, and presently threw him into such a state of alarm that he resolved, at all risks, on removing his doubts. putting his plans almost at once into execution, he made a movement as if to rise, and suddenly opened his eyes, and took an inquiring and searching glance around. "how do you feel?" marksman asked, as he bent over him. "very weak," don stefano answered, in a suffering voice. "i feel a general heaviness, and frightful buzzing in my ears." "good," the hunter continued, "that is not dangerous. it is always so after a fall." "i have had a fall, then?" the wounded man continued, whom the sight of ruperto, an old acquaintance, began to reassure. "hang it! it is probable, as we found you lying on the banks of the rubio." "ah, you found me, then?" "yes, about three hours back." "thanks for the aid you gave me; had it not been for that, i should probably be dead." "very possibly; but do not be in a hurry to thank us." "why not?" don stefano suddenly said, as he cocked his ears at this ambiguous answer, which seemed to him a disguised threat. "eh, who knows?" marksman retorted, simply; "no one can answer for the future." don stefano, whose strength was rapidly returning, and who had already regained all his lucidity of mind, rose quickly, and fixed on the canadian a glance which seemed meant to read his most intricate thoughts. "i am not your prisoner, though?" "hum!" was all the hunter replied. this interjection made the wounded man thoughtful, and disturbed him more than a long phrase. "let us speak frankly," he said, after a few moments' reflection. "i wish for nothing better." "of you, then, there is one i know," he continued, pointing to ruperto, who gave a silent nod of assent. "i never, to my knowledge, injured that man; on the contrary--" "that is true," ruperto answered. "i never saw you, so you can have no feelings of animosity against me." "that is correct. this is the first time providence has brought us face to face." "there remains this indian warrior, who, like yourself, is a perfect stranger to me." "all that is correct." "for what reason, then, can i be your prisoner? unless, as i cannot believe, you belong to those birds of prey, called pirates, who swarm in the desert?" "we are not pirates, but frank and honest hunters." "a further reason why i should address my question to you again, and ask you if i am your prisoner or no?" "the question is not so simple as you suppose, although we have no reproaches to bring against you personally. have you not insulted or offended other persons since you have been on the prairie?" "i?" "who else but you? did you not try, no later than last night, to assassinate a man in an ambuscade you laid for him?" "yes; but that man is my enemy." "well! suppose, for a moment, we are friends of that man!" "but it is not so. it cannot be." "why not? what makes you suppose so?" don stefano shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. "you must think me very foolish," he said, "if you would try to make me believe that quibble." "it is not so much one as you imagine." "nonsense! if i had fallen into the hands of that man, he would have had me conveyed to his camp, in order to revenge himself on me in the presence of the bandits he commands, and to whom the sight of my punishment would, doubtlessly, have been too agreeable for him to have tried to deprive them of the delightful sight." the old hunter, whose language had hitherto been ironical and face malicious, suddenly changed his tone, and became as serious and stern as he had previously been sarcastic. "listen," he said, "and profit by what you are going to hear. we are not the dupes of your feigned weakness. we know very well that your strength has nearly returned. the advice i give you is frank, and intended to guard you against yourself; you are not our prisoner, it is true, and yet you are not free." "i do not understand you," don stefano interrupted him, the last words clouding over his face, which had suddenly grown brighter. "not one of the persons present," marksman continued, "has any charge to bring against you. we do not know who you are; and before today, i, at least, was entirely ignorant of your existence; but there is a man who asserts that he has against you--not feelings of hatred, for that would be a matter to settle between yourselves in a fair fight--but motives of complaint sufficiently great to justify your immediate trial." "my trial!" don stefano repeated, in the utmost astonishment; "but before what tribunal does that man intend to try me? we are here in the desert." "yes; and you seem to forget it. in the desert, where the laws of cities are powerless to punish the guilty, there is a terrible, summary, implacable legislature, to which, in the common welfare, every aggrieved person has a right to appeal, when suspicious circumstances demand it." "and what is this law?" don stefano asked, whose pale face had already assumed a cadaverous hue.-"it is lynch law." "lynch law?" "yes; and in the name of that law we, who, as you say, you do not know, have been assembled to try you." "try me! but that is impossible. what crime have i committed? who is the man that accuses me?" "i cannot answer these questions. i do not know the crime of which you are accused, nor the name of your accuser; but believe me, we have no hatred or prejudice against you, and we shall, therefore, be impartial. prepare your defence during the few moments left you, and when the moment arrives, try to prove your innocence, by confounding your accuser--a thing which i ardently desire." don stefano let his head fall in his hands with an expression of despair. "but how would you have me prepare my defence, when i am ignorant of the nature of the crimes imputed to me? give me a light through the darkness, a flash, however slight, that i may be able to guide myself, and know where i am." "in speaking as i did, caballero, i obeyed my conscience, which ordered me to warn you of the danger that threatened you. it would be impossible for me to tell you more, for i am as ignorant as yourself." "oh! it is enough to drive a man mad," don stefano exclaimed. at a sign from marksman, ruperto and flying eagle rose. the hunter nodded to eglantine to imitate their example. all four withdrew, and don stefano was left alone. the mexican rolled on the ground with the insensate fury of a man before whom an insurmountable obstacle suddenly rises, and who, driven into a desperate position, is forced to confess himself vanquished. a prey to the deepest anxiety, ignorant whither to turn in order to dispel the tempest growling over his head, he sought in vain in his mind for the means to escape from the hands that held him. his inventive genius, so fertile in schemes of every description, furnished him with no subterfuge, no stratagem, that would aid him advantageously in supporting this supreme contest with the unknown. in vain he racked his brains: he found nothing. suddenly he drew himself up, and by a movement rapid as thought, thrust his hand into his chest. "ah!" he exclaimed, sorrowfully, and let his hand fall again by his side, "what has become of my portfolio?" he searched eagerly around him, but found nothing. "i am lost," he added, "if those men have found it. what shall i do? what will become of me?" a sound of horses was heard in the distance, gradually approaching the spot where the hunters were encamped. the sound soon became more distinct, and it was easy to recognize the advent of a numerous party of horsemen. in fact, within a quarter of an hour, some thirty mounted men, led by brighteye, entered the clearing. "brighteye among these bandits!" don stefano muttered. "what can be the meaning of it?" his uncertainty did not last long. the new arrivals escorted a man whom don stefano recognized at once. "don miguel ortega! oh, oh!" then he added, with one of those cunning smiles habitual to him, "now i know my accuser. come, come," he said to himself, "the position is not so desperate as i supposed. it is evident these men know nothing, and my precious papers have not fallen into their hands. hum! i fancy that this terrible lynch law will be wrong this time, and i shall escape from this peril, as i have done from so many others." don miguel had passed without seeing don stefano, or perhaps, as was more likely, without appearing to notice him. as for the prisoner, interested as he was in observing everything, and not allowing the slightest detail to escape his notice, he followed with watchful eye, while feigning the most indifferent behaviour, all the movements of the hunters. after gently depositing the litter at the side of the clearing opposite to that where don stefano lay, the gambusinos, instead of dismounting, formed a large circle, and remained motionless, rifle on thigh, thus rendering any attempt at flight impossible. buffalo skulls, intended to act as seats, were arranged in a semicircle round a fire of dry branches. on these skulls, five in number, five men immediately took their seats, arranged in the following order:--don miguel ortega, performing the duties of president, in the centre, having on his right marksman, on his left brighteye, and then the indian chief and a gambusino. this tribunal in the open air, in the heart of the virgin forest, surrounded by these horsemen, in their strange costume, motionless as bronze statues, produced an effect at once imposing and striking. these five men, with stern looks and frowning eyebrows, calm and apathetic, bore a marvellous resemblance to that holy vehm, which in old times, on the banks of the rhine, took the place of legal justice, no longer able to repress crime, and gave its judgments in the open air, to the hoarse growling of the winds, and the mysterious murmurs of the waters. in spite of his daring, don stefano felt a shudder of terror all over him, as he looked round the clearing, and saw all eyes fatally fixed upon him, with the implacable rigidity of desert force and justice. "hum!" he muttered to himself, "i believe i shall have a difficulty to get out of the scrape, and was too hasty in claiming victory." at this moment, two hunters, at a sign from don miguel, quitted the ranks, dismounted, and approached the wounded man. the latter made an effort, and succeeded in gaining his feet. the hunters took him by the arms, and led him before the tribunal. don stefano drew himself up, crossed his arms on his chest, and bent a sardonic glance on the men before whom he was led. "oh, oh!" he said, with a mocking accent, addressing don miguel, "it is you, then, caballero, who are my accuser?" the captain shrugged his shoulders slightly. "no," he replied; "i am not your accuser, but your judge." chapter xix. face to face. after these words, there was a moment of expectation--almost of hesitation. a leaden silence seemed to brood over the forest. don stefano was the first to overcome the feeling of terror which involuntarily pervaded him. "well!" he said, with a contemptuous tone, and a clear, cutting voice; "if it be not you, where is this accuser? will he hide himself, now that the hour has arrived? will he recoil before the responsibility he has assumed? let him appear--i am ready for him!" don miguel shook his head. "when he does appear, you may, perhaps, find that he has come too soon," he answered. "what do you want with me, then?" "you shall hear." don miguel was pale and sombre; a sad smile played round his discoloured lips; it was evident that he was making extraordinary exertions to overcome his weakness and keep his seat. after a few moments' consideration, he raised his head. "what is your name?" he asked. "don stefano cohecho," the accused answered without hesitation. the judges exchanged a glance. "where were you born?" "at mazatlã¡n, in 1808." "what is your profession?" "merchant, at santa fã©." "what motive brought you into the desert?" "i have told you already." "repeat it!" don miguel said, with perfect coldness. "i would remark that these questions, perfectly unnecessary for you, are beginning to grow tiresome." "i ask you what motive brought you into the desert?" "the failure of several of my correspondents compelled me to take a journey, in the hope of saving some fragments of my endangered fortune. i am in the desert, because there is no other road to the town i wish to reach." "where are you going?" "to monterey. you see the docility with which i answer all your questions," he said, with the impertinent tone he had assumed ever since he was led before his judges. "yes," don miguel replied, slowly, and laying a stress on each word, "you display great docility. i wish, for your own sake, you were equally truthful." "what do you mean by that remark?" don stefano asked, haughtily. "i mean that you have answered each of my questions with a falsehood," don miguel said, coolly and drily. don stefano frowned, and his tawny eye emitted a flash. "caballero!" he said, violently, "such an insult--" "it is no insult," the adventurer answered, in his old tone; "it is the truth, and you know it as well as i." "i should be curious to know the meaning of this," the mexican tried to say. don miguel looked at him fixedly; and, in spite of his impudence, don stefano could not endure the glance. "i will satisfy you," the adventurer said. "i am listening." "to my first question you answered that your name was don stefano cohecho?" "well?" "that is false; for your name is don estevan de real del monte." the accused gave a slight start. don miguel continued:--"to my second question, you replied that you were born at mazatlã¡n, in 1808. that is false; you were born at guanajuato, in 1805." the adventurer waited a moment, to give the man he addressed time to reply. but don estevan, whose right name we will in future adhere to, did not think it advisable to do so. he remained cold and gloomy. don miguel smiled contemptuously, and continued:-"to my third question, you answered that you carried on the business of a merchant, and were established at santa fã©. that is all false. you never were a merchant. you are a senator, and reside in mexico. lastly--you said you were only crossing the desert on your road to monterey, where the interests of your pretended business called you. as for the latter assertion, i need hardly, i believe, prove its falsehood to you, for that is palpable from the other answers you made. now i await your reply, if you have one to make--which i doubt." don estevan had had time enough to recover from the rude blow he had received; hence he did not feel alarmed, as he believed he could guess whence the attack came, and by what means those in whose presence he now was had obtained this information about him. hence he replied in a sarcastic tone, and drawing in his lips spitefully,--"why do you fancy i cannot answer you, caballero? nothing is more easy; on the contrary, _cã¡spita!_ because, during my fainting fit, you--shall i say robbed me? no, i am polite; i will therefore say--adroitly carried off my portfolio; and because, after opening it, you obtained certain information, you throw it in my face, convinced that i shall feel disarmed by your being so conversant with my affairs. nonsense! you are mad, on my soul. all these things are absurdities, which will not bear analysis. yes, it is true that my name is don estevan. i was born at guanajuato, in 1805, and am a senator--what next? those are strong motives on which to base an accusation against a caballero! _cuerpo de cristo!_ am i the only man in the desert who assumes a name other than his own? by what right do you, who only call each other by your surnames, wish to prevent me from following your example? it is the height of absurdity; and if you have no better reason to allege, i must ask you to let me go and attend to my affairs in peace." "we have others," don miguel answered, in an icy tone. "i know your reasons. you, don miguel, who are also called don torribio, and sometimes don josã©, accuse me of having laid a trap for you, from which you were only saved by a miracle. but that is a matter between ourselves, in which heaven alone must be the arbiter." "do not bring that name forward. i have already told you that i was not your accuser, but your judge." "very good. restore me my portfolio, and let us stop here, believe me, for in all this there is no advantage for you, unless you have resolved to assassinate me, which is very possible; and in that case i am at your service. i do not pretend to contend against the thirty or forty bandits who surround me. so kill me if you think proper, and let us have an end of it." don stefano uttered these words with a tone of sovereign contempt, which his judges, like men whose mind is made up beforehand, did not appear to notice. "we have not stolen your portfolio," don miguel answered; "not one of us has seen it, much less opened it. we are not bandits, and have no design to assassinate you. we are assembled to try you according to the regulations of lynch law; and we perform this duty with all the impartiality of which we are capable." "if that be the case, let my accuser appear, and i will confound him. why does he hide himself so obstinately? justice must be done in the sight of all. let this man come, who asserts that he has such heavy crimes to bring against me--let him come, and i will prove him a vile calumniator." don estevan had scarcely uttered these words, ere the branches of a neighbouring bush were drawn back, and a man appeared. he walked hastily toward the mexican, and laid his hand boldly on his shoulder. "prove to me, then, that i am a vile calumniator, don estevan," he said, in a low and concentrated voice, as he regarded him with an expression of implacable hatred. "oh," don estevan exclaimed, "my brother!" and lolling like a drunken man, he recoiled a few paces, his face covered with a deadly pallor, his eyes suffused with blood, and immeasurably dilated. don mariano held him with a firm hand, to prevent him falling on the ground, and placed his face almost close to his. "i am your accuser, estevan," he said. "accursed one, what have you done with my daughter?" the other made no reply. don mariano regarded him for a moment with an expression impossible to describe, and disdainfully threw him off with a gesture of sovereign contempt. the wretch tottered, and stretched out his arms, trying instinctively to keep up; but his strength failed him; he fell on his knees, and buried his face in his hand, with an expression of despair and baffled rage, the hideousness of which no pencil could render. the spectators remained calm and stoical. they had not uttered a word or made a sign; but a secret terror had seized upon them, and they exchanged looks which, if the accused had seen them, would have revealed to him the fate which in their minds they reserved for him. don mariano gave his two servants a signal to follow him, and, with one on either side, he took his place in the centre of the clearing, in front of the improvised tribunal, and began speaking in a powerful, clear, and accented voice. "listen to me, caballeros, and when i have told you all i have to say about the man you see there crushed and confounded, before i had even uttered a word, you will judge him according to your conscience, without hatred or anger. that man is my brother. when young, for a reason it is unnecessary to explain here, my father wished to drive him from his presence. i interceded for him, and though i did not obtain his entire pardon, still he was tolerated beneath the paternal roof. days passed, years slipped away; the boy became a man; my father, at his death, gave me his whole fortune, to the prejudice of his other son, whom he had cursed. i tore up the will, summoned that man to my side, and restored him, a beggar and a wretch, that share of the wealth and comfort of which his father, in my opinion, had not the right to deprive him." don mariano stopped, and turned to his servants. the two men stretched out their right hands together, took off their hats, and said, in one voice, as if replying to their master's dumb questioning,--"we affirm that all this is strictly true." "hence this man owed me everything--fortune, position, future; for, owing to my influence, i succeeded in having him elected a senator. let us now see how he rewarded me for so many kindnesses, and the extent of his gratitude. he had succeeded in making me forget what i regarded as errors of youth, and persuade myself that he was entirely reformed: his conduct was ostensibly irreproachable; under certain circumstances, he had even displayed a rigour of principle, for which i was obliged to reprove him; in a word, he had succeeded in making me his dupe. married, and father of two children, he brought them up with a strictness which, in my eyes, was a proof of his reformation; and he carefully repeated to me often--'i do not wish my children to become what i have been.' owing to one of those numberless _pronunciamientos_ which undermine and dismember our fine country, i was an object of suspicion to the new government, through some dark machination, and compelled to fly at once to save my threatened life, i knew not to whom to confide my wife and daughter, who, in spite of their desire, could not follow me. my brother offered to watch over them. a secret presentiment, a voice from heaven, which i did wrong to despise, warned my heart not to put faith in this man, nor accept his proposition. time pressed; i must depart; the soldiers sent to arrest me were thundering at the door of my house; i confided what was dearest to me in the world to that coward there, and fled. during the two years my absence lasted, i wrote letter after letter to my brother, and received no reply. i was suffering from mortal alarm, and was almost resolved, at all risks, to return to mexico, when, thanks to certain friends who were indefatigable in my behalf, my name was erased from the list of postscripts, and i was permitted to return to my country. scarcely two hours after receiving the news, i set out. i arrived at veracruz four days later. without taking time to rest, i mounted a horse, and galloped off, only leaving my wearied steed to take another, along the seventy leagues of road separating the capital from the port, and dismounted at my brother's door. he was away, but a letter from him informed me that, compelled by urgent business to proceed to new orleans, he would return in a month, and begged me to await him. but not a word about my wife and daughter; not a syllable about the fortune i had entrusted to him. my alarm was changed into terror, and i presaged a misfortune. i left my brother's house, half mad, remounted the almost foundered horse that had brought me there, and proceeded as rapidly as possible to my own house. windows and doors were closed; the house i had left so gay and animated was silent and gloomy as a tomb. i stood for a moment, not daring to rap at the door. at length i made up my mind, preferring the reality, however horrible it might be, to the uncertainty which drove me mad." at this point in his story don mariano stopped. his voice was broken by the internal emotion he experienced, and which it was impossible for him to master any longer. there was a solemn silence. don estevan had not changed his position. since the beginning of his brother's narrative, he appeared to be plunged in profound grief, and crushed by remorse. presently, bermudez, seeing that his master was incapable of continuing his narrative, took the word in his turn,--"it was i who opened the door. heaven is my witness that i love my master, and unhesitatingly would lay down my life for him. alas! i was fated to cause him the greatest grief it is possible for a man to suffer--forced to answer the questions he pressed on me. i told him of the decease of his wife and daughter, who had died a few weeks after each other in the convent of the bernardines. the blow was terrible; don mariano fell as if struck by lightning. one evening, when, as was his custom since his return, don mariano was alone in his bedroom, with his face buried in his hands, giving way to sorrowful reflections, while regarding, with eyes full of tears, the portrait of the dear beings he was never to see again, a man wrapped up in a large cloak, and with a sombrero pulled down over his eyes, demanded speech of seã±or de real del monte. on my remarking that his excellency saw nobody, this man insisted with strange tenacity, declaring he had to hand to my master a letter, the contents of which were of the utmost importance. i know not how it was, but the man's tone appeared to me so sincere, that, in spite of myself, i infringed the positive orders i had received, and led him to don mariano." that gentleman at this moment raised his head, and laid his hand on the old servant's arm. "let me continue now, bermudez," he said. "what i have to add is not much." then, turning to the hunters, who still appeared cold and apathetic, he went on,--"when this man was in my presence, he said, without any introductory remarks, 'excellency, you weep for two persons who were very dear to you, and whose fate is unknown to you.' 'they are dead,' i replied. 'perhaps so,' he said. 'what will you give the man who brings you, i will not say good news, but a slight hope?'" "without replying, i rose, and went to a cabinet, in which i kept my gold and jewels. 'hold out your hat,' i said to him. in a second the hat was full of gold and diamonds. the stranger put them all out of sight, and said, with a low bow,--'my name is pepito; i am a little of all trades. a man, whose name you need not know, gave me this strip of paper, with orders to hand it to you immediately on your arrival in mexico. i only learned your return this morning, and have now come to carry out the order i received.'" "i tore the paper from his hands, and read it, while pepito deluged me with thanks, to which i did not listen, and then retired. this was what the paper contained." don miguel stretched out his arm toward don mariano. "'a friend of the real del monte family,'" the gambusino said, in a loud voice, "'warns don mariano that he has been shamelessly deceived by the man in whom he placed entire confidence, and who owed everything to him. that man poisoned doã±a serafina de real del monte. don mariano's daughter was buried alive in the _in pace_ of the bernardine convent. if seã±or del monte desires to examine thoroughly the frightful machinations of which he has been the victim, and perchance see again one of the two persons whom the man who deceived fancied had disappeared for ever, let don mariano keep the contents of this letter the most profound secret, feign the same ignorance, but quietly make preparations for a long journey, which no one must suspect. on the next 5th november, at sunset, a man will be at the teocali do quinametzin (the giant). this man will accost don mariano by pronouncing two names, those of his wife and daughter. then he will tell him all that he is ignorant of, and perhaps be able to restore him a little of the happiness he has lost.' the note ended here, and was not signed." "that is true," don mariano said, utterly astounded; "but how did you learn these details? it was doubtlessly yourself who--" "when the time arrives, i will answer you," don miguel said, in a peremptory tone. "go on." "what more shall i say? i started for the strange meeting promised me, nourishing in my heart i know not what mad hopes. alas! man is so constituted that he clings to everything which can aid him in doubting a misfortune. this day, god, who has probably taken pity on me, made me meet the man who is my brother; the sight of him caused me an astonishment i cannot express. how could it be him, when he had written me he was gone to new orleans? a vague suspicion, which i had hitherto repulsed, gnawed at my heart with such force, that i began to believe, though it appeared to me very horrible, that my brother was the traitor to whom i owed all my misfortunes. still i doubted, i was undecided, when this portfolio, lost by the wretch and found by the indian chief, flying eagle, suddenly tore off the thick bandage that covered my eyes, by giving me all the proofs of the odious machinations and crimes committed by this wretch, this cruel fratricide, for the ignoble object of robbing me of my fortune to enrich his children. here is the portfolio. read the papers it contains, and decide between my villainous brother and myself." while saying this, don mariano offered the portfolio to don miguel, who, however, declined it. "those proofs are unnecessary for us, don mariano," he said; "we possess others more convincing still." "what do you mean?" "you shall understand." and don miguel rose. without being able to explain why it was so, don estevan felt a shiver all over his body, for he guessed, by a species of intuition, that his brother's accusation contained nothing so terrible as the facts don miguel was preparing to reveal. he threw up his head slightly, bent forward, and with panting chest and dilated nostrils, fascinated, as it were, by the chief of the adventurers, he awaited, with constantly increasing anxiety, what don miguel was going to say. chapter xx. the judgment. the sun had disappeared on the horizon; shadows had assumed the place of light; the darkness falling from the sky had covered the forest with an impenetrable brown shroud. the gambusinos lighted branches of _ocote_, and then the clearing, in which the events we are describing took place, was fantastically lighted by torches, whose flickering, ensanguined glare played on the trees and the persons collected under their dense foliage, and gave the whole scene a strange and sinister stamp. don miguel, after looking around to demand attention, began speaking:--"as you have found that portfolio," he said, "i have nothing more to tell you. it was really your brother who committed the fearful crime with which you charge him. fortunately, his object could not be completely attained. your wife is dead, it is true, don mariano; but your daughter still lives. she is in safety, and it was i who was fortunate enough to tear her from her tortures, and from that _in pace_ in which she was thrust alive. i will restore your daughter to you, don mariano, pure and uncontaminated as when i took her from her tomb." don mariano, so fierce in grief, was unable to bear joy. the commotion the news produced was so violent, that he rolled unconsciously on the ground; clasping his hands fervently with a last effort to thank heaven for having granted him so much joy, after visiting him with so much suffering. the gentleman's servants, aided by several gambusinos, hastened round him, and paid him all the attention his condition demanded. don miguel allowed time for the emotion produced by don mariano's fall to calm, and then made a sign for silence. "it is now our turn, don estevan," he said. "furious at seeing one of your victims escape you, you did not fear to pursue her even to this spot. knowing that it was i who saved her, you laid a snare for me, in which you hoped i should perish. the hour has arrived to settle our accounts." on seeing that he no longer had his brother as his adversary, don estevan regained all his boldness and impudence. at this address he drew himself up coldly, and fixed a sarcastic glance on the young man. "oh! oh!" he said ironically; "my good gentleman, you would not be sorry to assassinate me, eh? so as to make me hold my tongue. do you fancy me the dupe of the fine sentiments you utter so complacently? yes, you saved my niece, that is true; and i should thank you for it, did i not know you so thoroughly." at these singular words, his hearers made a movement of surprise, which did not escape don estevan's notice. satisfied with the effect he found he had produced, he went on. the scoundrel had judged the question at the first glance. unable completely to exonerate himself, he resolved to turn the difficulty, which he expected to do the more easily, because the only person capable of contradicting him was unable to hear him and put matters in the right light. he assumed a placid countenance, and said, with affected honesty:--"good heavens! not one of us is infallible. who does not commit an error, at least once in his life? far from me be the thought of lessening the opprobrium of the deed i am accused of. yes, i broke my pledged faith; i deceived my brother, the man to whom i owed all. you see, caballeros, that i do not attempt to exculpate myself; but between that fault and the committal of a crime, there is a vast difference, and, thanks to heaven, i cannot be accused of an assassination; and i throw back the responsibility of this shameful deed on the right person." "who is that man?" don miguel asked, involuntarily astonished and terrified by the fellow's cunning. "oh," he said, with imperturbable coolness, "i will throw the responsibility on those too zealous people who ever understand much more than they should understand, and who, either through covetousness or some other motive, always go further than they ought. i confess that i certainly desired to get hold of my brother's fortune; but i intended to do so legally." the gambusinos, all scoundrels gifted with a marvellously elastic conscience, which naturally rendered them very unscrupulous as to deeds more or less reprehensible, were, however, terrified on hearing such a theory. they asked each other, in a low voice, with the simple credulity of semi-savages, if the man before them, who spoke thus, were really their fellow being, or whether the evil spirit had not assumed this shape in order to deceive them? "understand me clearly, caballeros," don estevan continued, in a voice growing, every moment firmer, "the mother superior of the bernardines is my relative, and has an unbounded affection for me. when i let her see through my plans, she urged me to persevere, assuring me that she knew an infallible means to make my projects succeed. i believed her words the more easily, because these means were very simple, and consisted in compelling my niece to take the veil. i looked no further, i swear to you. poor child, i loved her too dearly to desire her death! all went on as i desired, though i in no way interfered; my sister-in-law died; that death seemed to me perfectly natural, after the numberless sorrows that had overpowered her. i am accused of having poisoned her. it is false! perhaps she was so; i will not affirm the contrary; but in that case my relative must be accused of the crime, whose object it was, evidently, to bring the fortune i coveted nearer to my grasp. i wrote at once to my brother, telling him of this death, which really grieved me; but he did not receive the letter. i see nothing astonishing in that, because he was continually going from town to town, as his fancy led him. i frequently went to the convent to visit my niece; she seemed to me determined to take the veil. the mother superior, for her part, incessantly told me not to trouble myself about anything; hence i let matters go on without any interference on my part. on the day my niece was to take the veil, i went to the convent; then, something unusual and scandalous occurred. at the moment of professing, the girl refused distinctly to become a nun, and i retired in despair at this misadventure. in the evening, a nun came to my house and told me that my niece, after a very violent scene with the mother superior, had been attacked by congestion of the brain, and died suddenly. this news caused me considerable grief. all night i walked about my room, deploring the irreparable misfortune which overwhelmed my unhappy brother. on reflection, a suspicion sprung up in my mind. this death appeared to me peculiar, and i dreaded a crime. in order to clear up my doubts, i hurried to the convent at daybreak; there a fresh surprise awaited me. the community were upset--terror was visible on every face. during the night a band of armed men entered the convent; my niece was torn from her tomb and carried off by these men, who at the same time took away a young novice. then, convinced that i was not deceived, and that a crime had been committed, i shut myself up with the mother superior in her cell, and, by menaces and entreaties, succeeded in dragging the truth from her. my horror was extreme on learning that my unfortunate niece had really been interred alive. one thing was left me to do; one duty to fulfil. i must discover traces of her, rescue her, and restore her to her father's arms. i did not hesitate, but set out two days later. that is the entire truth; my conduct has been reprehensible, even culpable; but, i swear it, it has not been criminal." the audience had listened to this daring justification with icy silence. when don estevan stopped speaking, not a sign of approval gave him a hope of having convinced his hearers. "supposing--though i do not admit it, for there are too many proofs to the contrary--that what you assert be true," don miguel answered him, "for what reason did you wish to assassinate me, when i had saved her whom you had wished to restore to her father's arms?" "do you not understand that?" don estevan exclaimed, in feigned surprise. "must i tell you everything?" "yes, everything," the young man answered, coldly. "well, yes, i did wish to assassinate you, because at the presidio de tubar i was assured that you had only carried off my niece for the purpose of dishonouring her. i wished to avenge on you the outrage i believed you had done her." don miguel turned pale at this insult. "villain!" he shouted, in a voice of thunder, "do you dare to utter such an atrocious calumny?" the auditors had started in horror at don estevan's words, and, feeling himself conquered, in spite of all his audacity, he was compelled to bow his head beneath the weight of the general reprobation. marksman then rose. "caballeros," he said, "you have heard the accusation brought against this man by his brother. during the whole time that accusation lasted, you remarked his countenance; now you have heard his defence. we have allowed him to say what he pleased, without trying to interrupt or intimidate him: the hour has now arrived to pronounce judgment. it is always a serious thing to condemn a man, even the worst of malefactors. lynch law, you know as well as i, admits no compromises; it kills or it acquits. although chosen to try this man, we will not alone assume the responsibility of the act. reflect, then, seriously before answering the questions i shall address to you, and, before all, remember that on your answer depends the life or death of this wretched man. caballeros, on your soul and conscience, is this man guilty?" there was a moment of supreme silence; all the faces were grave, all hearts beat forcibly. don estevan, with frowning brow, pale face, but firm look--for he was brave--waited, a prey to an anxiety which he could only conceal by the firmness of his will. marksman, after waiting several minutes, went on in a slow and solemn voice,--"caballeros, is this man guilty?" "yes!" all exclaimed, unanimously. at this moment, don mariano, through the care of his servants, was beginning to give signs of life, precursors of his return to consciousness. brighteye bent over to marksman. "is it right," he whispered, "that don mariano should be present at his brother's condemnation?" "certainly not," the old hunter said, quickly; "the more so, as now that the first outbreak of wrath has passed, he would probably intercede in his favour. but how shall we get him away?" "i'll manage that, and take him to the gambusinos' camp." "make haste!" brighteye rose, and walked to bermudez, in whose ear he whispered a few words; then the two servants, taking their master under the arms, disappeared with him in the thickets, followed by the hunter and eglantine, to whom the canadian had made a sign to come. in the state of agitation and excitement the gambusinos were in, no one noticed this departure, and not even the sound of several horses going away was heard. don estevan alone noticed this removal, the purpose of which he understood. "i am lost," he muttered. marksman made a sign, and silence was restored, as if by enchantment. "what penalty does the culprit deserve?" he asked. "death!" the audience replied, like a funeral echo. then, turning to the condemned man, marksman continued--"don estevan de real del monte, you, who came into the desert with criminal intentions, have fallen beneath the stroke of lynch law; it is the law of god; eye for eye, tooth for tooth; it admits of only one punishment, that of retaliation; it is the primitive law of old times restored to humanity. you condemned a hapless maiden to be buried alive, and perish of hunger. you will also be buried alive, to die of hunger; but as you might long call on death ere it came to your aid, we will give you the means to put an end to your sufferings when the courage to endure them longer fails you. we are more merciful than you were to your unhappy victim; for you will be only interred up to the armpits, your left arm will remain at liberty, and we will place within your reach a pistol, with which you can blow out your brains when you have suffered sufficiently. i have spoken. is this sentence just?" he added, addressing his audience. "yes," they said, in a low and concentrated voice. "eye for eye, tooth for tooth!" don estevan had listened with horror to the old hunter's words; the fearful punishment to which he was condemned had struck him with stupor; for though he expected death, that prepared for him seemed so frightful, that at first he could not believe it; still, when he saw, at a sign from marksman, two gambusinos set to work digging a hole, his hair stood upright with terror, an icy perspiration beaded on his temples, and he cried, in a hoarse voice, as he clasped his hands,--"oh, not that atrocious death, i implore you; kill me at once!" "you are condemned, and must endure your punishment, such as it was pronounced," the old hunter answered. "oh, give me the pistol you promised me, that i may blow out my brains on the spot. you will be avenged." "we are not taking vengeance; the pistol will be left you when we depart." "oh, you are implacable!" he said, as he fell to the ground, where he writhed in impotent rage. "we are just," marksman merely answered. don estevan, having arrived at the height of fury, leaped up suddenly, and, bounding like a jaguar, rushed head down, against a tree, with the intention of dashing out his brains. but the gambusinos watched his movements too closely to let him carry out his desperate resolve; they seized, and, despite his obstinate resistance and wild ravings, they bound him, and rendered it impossible for him to make a movement. his wrath then changed to despair. "oh!" he shouted, "were my brother here, he would save me. oh, heavens! mariano, help me, help me!" marksman walked up to him. "you are about to be placed in your grave," he said to him. "have you any final arrangements to make?" "then this horrible punishment is true?" he said, wildly. "it is true." "you must be wild beasts, then." "we are your judges." "oh, let me live, be it only for a day!" "you are condemned." "maldiciã³n on you, demons with human faces! assassins, who gives you the right to kill me?" "by the right every man possesses to crush a serpent. for the last time, have you any arrangements to make?" don estevan, crushed by this fearful contest, kept silence for an instant; then two tears slowly dropped from his fever-burned eyes, and he murmured in a gentle, almost childlike voice,--"oh, my sons, my poor darlings! what will become of you when i am no longer here?" "make haste," the hunter said. don estevan fixed a haggard eye upon him. "i have two sons," he said, speaking as in a dream; "they have only me left, alas! and i am about to die! listen, if you are not utterly a wild beast. swear to perform what i ask of you?" the hunter felt moved by this poignant grief. "i swear it," he said. the condemned seemed to be collecting his ideas. "paper and a pencil," he said. marksman still held the portfolio; he tore a leaf from it, and gave it to him, with the pencil. don estevan smiled bitterly at the sight of his portfolio. he clutched the paper, and hurriedly wrote a few lines, which he gave to the hunter. an extraordinary change had taken place in the prisoner's face; his features were calm, his glance gentle and suppliant. "here," he said, "i count on your word. take this letter; it is for my brother. i recommend my children to him; it is for their sake i am dying. no matter! if they are happy, i shall have attained my object--that is all i want. my brother is good; he will not abandon the unhappy orphans i leave as a heritage to him. i implore you, give him that paper." "within an hour it shall be in his hands; i swear it!" "thanks. now do with me what you please; i care little. i have insured the welfare of my children; that was all i wished for." the hole had been dug. two gambusinos seized don estevan, and lowered him into it. when he was standing upright in the hole, the ground was just on a level with his armpits; his right arm was fastened along his side, the other left free. then the earth was piled up around this living man, who was already no more than a corpse. when the hole was filled up, a gambusino approached the condemned man with a scarf. "what are you going to do?" he asked in terror, though he guessed the man's purpose. "to gag you," the gambusino said, brutally. "oh!" he remarked. he allowed himself to be gagged without resistance, and was, indeed, hardly conscious of what was being done with him. marksman then placed a pistol under the wretch's quivering hand, and took off his hat. "don estevan," he said, in a grave and solemn voice, "men have condemned you. pray to god that he may be merciful to you, for you have no hope but in him." the hunters and gambusinos then remounted their horses, extinguished the torches, and disappeared in the darkness, like a legion of black phantoms. the culprit was left alone in the gloom, which his remorse peopled with hideous spectres. with neck stretched out, eyes widely dilated, and ears on the watch, he looked and listened. so long as he heard the echo of the horses' footfalls in the distance, a wild hope still filled his soul; he waited--he expected. what did he await--what expect? he could not have said, himself; but man is so constituted. gradually every sound died out, and don estevan at length found himself alone, in the heart of an unknown desert, with no hope of help from anyone. then he uttered a profound sigh, closed his hand on the pistol, and placed the icy muzzle against his temple, muttering for the last time the name of his children. * * * * * in the meantime the gambusinos withdrew, a prey to that feeling of undefinable uneasiness which involuntarily contracts the heart of every man, when he has accomplished an act in which he knows that he had, perhaps, no right to take the initiative--even when recognizing its necessity and even strict justice. no one spoke; all heads were bowed. they rode along, gloomy and thoughtful, by each other's side, not daring to interchange their reflections, and listening to the mysterious sounds of the solitude. they had just reached the last limits of the forest covert: before them the waters of the rubio glistened like a long, silver ribbon in the pale moonlight. they had gained the ford, when suddenly the distant explosion of a firearm resounded hoarsely, driven back by the echoes of the quebradas. instinctively these men, for all they were so brave and well tried, shuddered, and stopped with a movement of stupor--almost of terror. there was a minute of ghostly silence. marksman understood that he must break the gloomy dream which weighed like remorse on all these men. hence, masking with some difficulty the emotion that almost choked him, he said, in a grave voice:--"brothers! the vengeance of the desert is satisfied. the scoundrel we condemned has at length done justice on himself." there is in the human voice a strange and incomprehensible power. the few words uttered by the scout sufficed to restore to all these men their pristine energy. "may heaven be merciful to him!" don miguel responded. "amen!" the gambusinos said, crossing themselves piously. from this moment the heavy weight that oppressed them was removed; the culprit was dead. the unpleasant logic of an accomplished fact once again justified lynch law, and at the same time stifled regret and remorse, by putting an end to the cruel uncertainty which had hitherto oppressed them. don stefano once dead, the girl he had so pitilessly pursued was saved, in the eyes of these iron-hearted men: this reason alone was sufficient to extinguish in them all pity for the criminal. a sudden reaction took place in them, and their rebel natures, momentarily subdued, rose again stronger and more implacable than ever. at a signal from the canadian, the party recommenced their march, and soon disappeared among the sandhills which cover the banks of the rubio ford. the desert, for an instant troubled by the sound of the horses' feet on the pebbles, fell back into its calm and majestic silence. chapter xxi. brighteye. brighteye, as we mentioned, aided by the two servants, had succeeded in carrying off don mariano, who was still in a half-fainting state, in order to spare him the atrocious sight of his brother's execution. the motion and the night air rapidly restored the old gentleman to life. on opening his eyes, his first word, after looking around him to see where he was, was to ask about his brother. no one answered; the people who led him along redoubled their speed. "stay!" don mariano then shouted, as he rose with an effort, and tore the bridle from the hands of his leader. "stop--i insist!" "are you in a condition to manage your own horse?" brighteye asked him. "yes," he replied. "then we will let loose; but on one condition." "what is it?" "that you will promise to follow us." "am i your prisoner, then?" "oh, no! far from that!" "why, then, is this attempt to force my will?" "we are merely acting on your behalf." "how am i here?" "cannot you guess?" "i am waiting for your explanation." "we did not wish that, after accusing your brother, you should witness his execution." don mariano, overpowered, let his head droop, sadly. "is he dead?" he asked, with a shudder. "not yet," brighteye answered. the hunter's accent was so gloomy, his face so mournful, that the mexican gentleman was struck with terror. "oh, you have killed him!" he muttered. "no," brighteye answered, drily, "he must die by his own hand. he will kill himself." "oh! that is horrible! in heaven's name tell me all; i prefer the truth, however fearful it may be, to this frightful uncertainty." "why describe the same to you? you will know all the details only too well presently." "very good," don mariano answered, resolutely, as he stopped his horse; "i know what is left me to do." brighteye looked at him in a very peculiar manner, and laid his hand on his bridle. "take care," he said, drily, "not to let yourself be carried away by the first impulse, which is always unreflecting, and regret presently what you have done tonight." "still, i cannot let my brother perish," he exclaimed; "i should be a fratricide." "no! for he has been justly condemned. you were only the instrument divine justice employed to punish a criminal." "oh! your spurious arguments will not convince me, my master. if, in a moment of passion and senseless hatred, i forgot the ties that attached me to that unhappy man, now that i see and understand all the horror of my action, i will repair the evil i have done." brighteye pressed his arm forcibly, leaned over to his ear, and said:--"silence! you will destroy him by trying to save him. it is not your place to try it; leave that to others." don mariano tried to read in the hunter's eye the determination he seemed to have formed, and, letting go of the bridle, he went on with a thoughtful air. a quarter of an hour later, they reached the rubio ford. they stopped on the bank of the river, which, having fallen back into its narrow bed, flowed on calmly and gently at this moment. "go to the camp," brighteye said; "it is useless for me to accompany you further. i am going," he added, with a significant glance at don mariano, "to join the gambusinos. continue your road gently, and you will arrive at the camp only a few minutes before us." "then you return?" don mariano asked. "yes!" brighteye answered; "good-bye for the present." "for the present!" the old gentleman said, as he held out his hand. the hunter took it, and pressed it cordially. don mariano urged his horse into the water, and his servants silently imitated him. brighteye remained motionless on the bank, and watched them cross. don mariano turned, waved his hand to him, and the three men disappeared in the tall grass. so soon as they were out of sight, brighteye turned his horse round, and regained the covert of the virgin forest. the hunter seemed to be sadly troubled with thought. at length, on reaching a certain spot, he halted and looked around, inquiringly and suspiciously. the deepest silence and most complete tranquillity prevailed all round him. "it must be!" the hunter muttered. "not to do it would be worse than a crime, for it would be cowardice. well, heaven will judge between us." after again carefully examining the neighbourhood, probably reassured by the silence and solitude, he dismounted, took off his horse's bridle to let it graze at its ease, hobbled it lest it should stray too far, threw his rifle over his shoulder, and cautiously entered the forest. the hunter was doubtlessly ruminating on one of those schemes whose execution demands the continual tension of a man's faculties, for his progress was slow and calculated, his eye constantly peered into the gloom. with head outstretched, he listened to the nameless sounds of the desert, stopping at times when an unusual rustling in the brambles struck his ear, and revealed to him the presence of some unknown being. suddenly he stopped, remained for a second motionless, and then disappeared in an inextricable medley of leaves, brambles, and creepers, in which his presence could not possibly be suspected. scarcely was he hidden, ere the hoofs of several horses reechoed in the distance, beneath the dense dome of forest verdure. gradually the sound came nearer, the steps grew more distinct, and a band of horsemen at length appeared, marching in close column. they were the hunters and gambusinos. marksman was conversing in a low voice with don miguel, carried on a litter on the shoulders of two mexicans, for he was still too weak to sit a horse. the little party advanced gently, owing to the wounded man they had in their midst, and were proceeding toward the rubio ford. brighteye watched his comrades pass, without making a movement to reveal his presence. it was evident that he wished them to remain ignorant of the fact that he had turned back, and that the motives which impelled him to act must remain a secret between him and heaven. it was in vain that he looked for flying eagle and eglantine among the gambusinos: the two redskins had separated from the band. this absence appeared greatly to vex the hunter. still, after a minute, his face resumed its serenity, and he shrugged his shoulders with that careless air which indicates that a man has put up with an annoyance against which he cannot contend. when the gambusinos had disappeared, the hunter emerged from his hiding place: he listened for a moment to the sound of the horses' hoofs, which grew every moment weaker, and soon died out in the distance. brighteye drew himself up. "good!" he muttered, with an air of satisfaction; "i can now act as i please, without fear of being disturbed, unless flying eagle and his squaw have remained prowling about the place. bah! we shall soon see; besides, that is not probable, for the chief is too anxious to rejoin his tribe, to amuse himself by losing his time here. i will go on, at any rate." with this, he threw his rifle on his shoulder, and set out again with a light and deliberate step, though not neglecting the precautions usual in the desert on any march; for, by night, the wood rangers know that they are ever watched by invisible foes, be they men or beasts. brighteye thus reached the skirt of the clearing, in which the dramatic events we have described took place, and in which there only remained at this moment a man buried alive, face to face with his crimes, with no hope of possible help, and abandoned by all nature, if not by heaven. the hunter stopped, lay down on the ground, and looked. a funeral silence, the silence of the tomb, brooded over the clearing. don estevan, with eyes dilated by fear, his chest oppressed by the earth, which collected round his body, with a slow and continuous movement, felt the breath gradually departing from his lungs, his temples beat ready to burst, the blood boiled in his veins, drops of icy perspiration beaded at the roots of his hair, a bloodstained veil was stretched over his eyes, and he felt himself dying. at this supreme moment, when all deserted him at once, the wretched man uttered a hoarse and piercing cry; tears burst from his proud eyes; his hand, as we have stated, nervously clutched the butt of the pistol left to abridge his punishment, and he raised the barrel to his temples, muttering, with an accent of indescribable despair--"heaven! heaven! pardon me!" he pulled the trigger. suddenly a hand was laid on his arm, the bullet whizzed into the air, and a severe yet gentle voice replied--"god has heard you. he pardons you!" the wretch turned his head wildly, looked, with an air of terror, at the man who spoke thus, and, too weak to resist the terrible emotion that agitated him, he uttered a cry resembling a sob, and fainted. as the reader will doubtlessly have guessed, the man who arrived so opportunely for don estevan was brighteye. "hum!" he said, with a shake of his head, "it was time for me to interfere." then, without losing a moment, the worthy fellow busied himself with drawing from his tomb the man he wished to save. it was a rude task, especially as he lacked the necessary tools. the gambusinos had laboured conscientiously, and filled up the hole in such a way that the man they were burying was solidly blocked in. brighteye was compelled to dig with his knife, while using the utmost precautions not to wound don estevan. at times the hunter stopped, wiped his perspiring brow, and looked at the pale face of the mexican, who was still in a faint; then, after a few moments of this silent contemplation, he shook his head two or three times, and set to work again with redoubled ardour. these two men in the desert, surrounded by dense gloom, offered a strange spectacle. certainly, had a wayfarer been able to see what was taking place in this unknown clearing, in the heart of the virgin forest, peopled by wild beasts, whose hoarse roars rose at intervals in the darkness, as if protesting against this invasion of their domain--he would have fancied himself witness of some diabolical incantation, and have fled at full speed, a prey to the wildest terror. still brighteye went on digging. his task progressed but slowly, because, in proportion as he went deeper, his difficulties grew greater. for a moment the hunter stopped, in despair of succeeding in saving the condemned man; but this moment of discouragement lasted a very short time. the canadian, ashamed of the thought, began digging again with that feverish energy which the reaction of a powerful will upon a passing weakness imparts to a man of resolution. at length, after extraordinary difficulties, the task, twenty times interrupted and twenty times recommenced, was completed. the hunter uttered a shout of triumph and pleasure; he then seized don estevan under the armpits, drew him vigorously towards him, and, with some trouble, succeeded in laying him on the ground. his first task was to cut asunder the bonds that formed an inextricable network round the wretch's body; he opened his clothes, to give his lungs the necessary freedom to inhale the external air, then half filled a calabash of water from his gourd, and threw the contents over don estevan's face. the fainting fit had been produced by the emotion he felt on seeing a saviour arrive at the moment when he believed that he had nought left but to die. the sudden shock of the cold water effected a favourable reaction; he gave out a sigh, and opened his eyes. his first movement, on regaining consciousness, was to look defiantly up to heaven; then he held out his hand to brighteye. "thanks!" he said to him. the hunter fell back, and declined to take the proffered hand. "you must not thank me," he said. "who then?" "god!" don estevan drew in his pale lips contemptuously; but soon understanding that he must deceive his saviour, if he wished for a continuance of that protection which he cared not yet to do without, he said, with feigned humility--"that is true. god first, and you next." "i," brighteye continued, "have only performed a duty--paid a debt; now we are quits. ten years ago, you rendered me an important service; today i have saved your life. i discharge you from all gratitude, and you must do the same with me. from this hour we no longer know each other--our ways are different." "will you abandon me thus?" he said, with a movement of terror, which he could not overcome. "what more can i do?" "all!" "i do not understand you." "it would have been better to leave me to die in the hole, into which you helped to place me, than save me to die of hunger in the desert, become the prey of wild beasts, or fall into the hands of the indians. you know, brighteye, that on the prairies a disarmed man is a dead man; you do not save me at this moment, but render my agony longer and more painful, since the weapon which, in their cruel generosity, your friends left me to put an end to my misfortunes, when courage and hope failed me, can no longer serve me at present." "that is true," brighteye muttered. the hunter let his head sink on his chest, and reflected deeply for several seconds. don estevan anxiously followed in the loyal and characteristic face of the hunter all the emotions by turns reflected there. the canadian continued--"you are right in asking me for weapons. if you are deprived of them, you run the risk of being, in a few hours, in a similar position to that from which i took you." "you allow it." "by jove! there is no doubt about it." "then be generous to the end. give me the means of defending myself." the hunter shook his head. "i did not think of that," he said. "which means, that had you thought of it, you would have let me die." "perhaps so." this word fell like the blow of a sledgehammer on don estevan's heart. he gave the hunter a suspicious glance. "what you say, then, is not well," he remarked. "what would you have me answer you?" the other retorted. "in my eyes you were justly condemned. i ought to have let justice follow its course. i did not do so. perhaps i was wrong. now that i regard the matter in cool blood, while allowing that you are right in asking me for arms, and that it is indispensable for you to have them, in the first place for your personal safety, and next to provide for your wants, i am afraid to give them to you." don estevan had sat down by the hunter's side; he was playing carelessly with the discharged pistol, and appearing to listen very attentively to what brighteye was saying. "why so?" he answered. "well, for a very simple reason. i have known you for a long time, as you are well aware, don estevan. i know that you are not the man to forget an insult. i am convinced that, if i give you arms, you will only think of vengeance, and it is that i wish to avoid." "as for that," the mexican exclaimed, with a fiendish laugh, "you can only think of one method--leaving me to die of hunger. oh, oh, yours is singular philanthropy, _compaã±ero!_ you have rather a brutal way of arranging matters for a man who piques himself on his honour and loyalty." "you do not understand me. i will not give you arms--that is true; but, at the same time, i will not leave the service i have done you incomplete." "hum! and what will you do to effect that result? i am curious to know it," don estevan said, with a grin. "i will escort you to the frontiers of the prairie, guarding you from all danger during the journey, defending you, and hunting for you. that is simple enough, i believe." "very simple, indeed; and, on getting there, i will purchase arms, and return to seek my revenge." "not so." "why not?" "because you will swear to me on the spot, by your honour, to forget every feeling of hatred toward your enemy, and never to return to the prairie." "and if i will not swear?" "then it will be different. i shall leave you to your fate; and as that will have happened by your own fault, i shall consider myself entirely quits with you." "oh! oh! but assuming that i accept the harsh conditions you force on me, i must know how we are to travel. the road is long from here to the establishments, and i am not in a condition to go afoot." "that is true, but need not trouble you. i have left my horse in a thicket, a few paces from the rubio. you will ride it till i can procure another." "and you?" "i will follow on foot. we hunters are as good, walkers as riders. come, make up your mind." "well, i must do what you desire." "yes; i believe that is the best for you. then you consent to take the oath i demand?" "i see no way of getting out of the scrape otherwise. but," he suddenly said, "what is the matter behind that tree?" "where?" the hunter asked. "over there," don estevan continued, pointing in the direction of a dense clump of trees. the hunter turned his head quickly towards the spot indicated by the mexican. the latter lost no time in seizing the pistol he had been playing with by the end. he raised it quickly, and dealt a blow with the butt on the hunter's head. the blow was given with such force and precision, that brighteye stretched out his arms, closed his eyes, and rolled on the ground with a heavy sigh. don estevan regarded him for a moment with an expression of contempt and satisfied hatred, "idiot!" he muttered, kicking him aside, "you ought to have made those absurd conditions before saving me; but for the present it is too late. i am free, _cuerpo de cristo!_ i will avenge myself." after uttering these words, and looking up to heaven defiantly, he bent over the hunter, stripped him of his weapons without the slightest shame, and left him, not even stopping to see were he dead or only wounded. "it is you, accursed dog!" he went on, "who will die of hunger, or be devoured by wild beasts. as for myself, i no longer fear anything, for i have in my hands the means to accomplish my vengeance." and the wretch walked hurriedly from the clearing to look for brighteye's horse, which he intended to mount. chapter xxii. the camp. the gambusinos reached their camp a little before sunrise. during their absence, the few men left in charge of the entrenchments had not been disturbed. don mariano awaited the return of the mexicans with lively impatience. so soon as he saw them, he went to meet them. marksman was gloomy. the reception he gave the gentleman, though cordial, was still rather dry. the hunter, although convinced he had accomplished a duty in condemning don estevan, was for all that sad, when thinking of the responsibility he had taken on himself in the affair. it is one thing to kill a man in action while defending one's life, in the midst of the intoxication of battle, another to try and coldly execute an individual against whom no personal motive of hatred or anger is felt. the old canadian, in his heart, feared don mariano's reproaches. he knew the human heart too well not to be assured that the gentleman, when he regarded in cold blood the action he had excited the gambusinos to commit, would detest it, and curse the docile instruments he had found. however great don estevan's crimes against don mariano might be, however cruel his conduct, it was not his brother's place to accuse him, or to demand his death at the hands of these implacable men, in whom all feelings of clemency are extinguished through the rough life they are forced to lead. now that some hours had elapsed since don estevan's condemnation, marksman, who had begun to reflect again, and was able to regard that action under a different light, had asked himself if he really had the right to act as he had done, and if what he took for a deed of stern and strict justice were not an assassination and disguised vengeance. hence he expected that don mariano, on seeing him, would reproach him, and ask his brother's life at his hands. the hunter prepared to answer the questions don mariano was doubtless going to address to him; and so soon as he perceived him, his brow, already troubled by sad thoughts, grew even more overcast. but marksman was mistaken, not a reproach, not a word having reference to the judgment passed don mariano's lips; not an allusion, however remote, caused the hunter to suspect that the gentleman intended to attack that delicate subject. the canadian breathed again; but during the few moments they occupied in returning to the camp side by side, he took a side glance at don mariano's face. the old gentleman was pale and sad, but his countenance was calm, and his features apathetic. the hunter shook his head. "he is turning over some scheme in his mind," he muttered, in a low voice. so soon as the camp was entered, and the barriers were closed again behind the gambusinos, don miguel, after placing sentries at the entrenchments, turned to marksman and don mariano. "the sun will rise in about two hours," he said to them; "deign to accept my hospitality, and accompany me to my tent." the two men bowed. don miguel made his bearers a sign to place the litter on the ground. he rose, helped by marksman, and leaning on the hunter's arm, entered the tent, followed by don mariano. the curtain fell behind them. the gambusinos, wearied with their night march, had hastened to unsaddle their horses and give them food. then, after throwing some handfuls of dried wood on the fires, in order to revive the flame, they wrapped themselves in their frasadas and zarapã©s, and lay down on the ground, where they speedily fell asleep. ten minutes after the adventurers' return, they were all in the deepest sleep. three men alone were awake, and they were assembled in the tent, and holding a conversation, at which we will invite the reader to be present. the interior of the tent into which don miguel had introduced his two companions was furnished in the most simple fashion. in one corner was the hermetically closed palanquin; in the opposite one, several furs stretched on the ground marked the place of a bed; four or five buffalo skulls served as chairs; it was impossible to meet with anything so simple and less comfortable than this. don miguel threw himself on the bed, bidding his comrades, by a graceful bow, to sit down on the buffalo skulls. marksman and don mariano drew them up by their host's side, and sat down silently. don miguel then took the word. "caballeros," he said, "the events which have occurred this night, to which i shall not further allude, require to be clearly explained, especially in the provision of the probable complications which may result from them in the affairs which, i hope, we shall undertake ere long. what i have to say regards and interests you peculiarly, don mariano. hence i address myself principally to you. as for marksman, he knows pretty nearly all the connecting links of what i am about to tell you. if i beg him to be present at the interview i wish to have with you, it is first owing to the old friendship that unites us, and secondly, because his advice will be of great help to us in the further resolutions we shall have to take." don mariano looked at the adventurer in a way which made him comprehend that he understood not a syllable of this long prelude. "do you not remember, don mariano," the canadian then said, "that before sending brighteye to the camp to fetch don miguel, i told you that you were ignorant of the most interesting portion of the history?" "yes; i remember it, although, at the moment, i did not attach to the statement all the value it deserved." "well, if i am not mistaken, don miguel is about to explain these frightful machinations to you in a few words." then he added, as if on reflection, "there is one man i should like to see here. it is important that he should know the whole truth also; but since our return to the camp i have not seen him." "whom do you mean?" "brighteye, whom i asked to accompany you here." "he did so; but on reaching the camp, as he doubtlessly supposed that i had no further need of his protection, he left me." "did he not tell you for what object?" the hunter asked, looking firmly at the old gentleman. don mariano, in his heart, was troubled by this inquiry; but wishing to leave to brighteye the care of explaining his absence, and not at all desirous of avowing his wish to save his brother, he replied, with a degree of hesitation he could not entirely conceal,--"no; he told me nothing, i fancied that he had joined you again, and am as much surprised as yourself at his absence." marksman frowned slightly. "that is strange," he said. "however," he added, "he will not fail to return soon, and then we shall know what he has been about." "yes. now, don miguel, i am at your orders. speak; i am listening to you attentively," don mariano said, not at all wishful to see the conversation continued on that subject. "give me my real name, don mariano," the young man answered, "for it will perhaps inspire you with some confidence in me. i am neither don torribio carvajal, nor don miguel ortega. my right name is don leo de torres." "leo de torres!" don mariano exclaimed, rising with stupefaction. "the son of my dearest friend." "it is so," the young man answered, simply. "but no; that is not possible. basilio de torres was massacred, with his entire family, by the apache indians, amid the smoking ruins of his hacienda, twenty years ago." "i am the son of don basilio de torres," the adventurer continued. "look at me carefully, don mariano. do not my features remind you of anyone?" the gentleman approached, laid his hand on the adventurer's shoulder, and examined him for a few moments with the profoundest attention. "it is true," he then said, with tears in his eyes, "the resemblance is extraordinary. yes, yes," he exclaimed, impetuously; "i now recognize you." "oh!" the young man continued, with a smile, "i have in my possession the documents that guarantee my identity. but," he said, "that is not the question. let us return to what i wished to say to you." "how is it that since the fearful catastrophe which made you an orphan, i never heard any mention of you? i, the best friend, almost the brother of your father, i should have been so happy to provide for you." don leo, to whom we will henceforth give his real name, frowned; his brow was furrowed with deep wrinkles. he answered, with a sorrowful accent and trembling voice,--"thank you, don mariano, for the friendship you evince for me. believe that i am worthy of it; but, i implore you, let me keep in my heart the secret of my silence. one day, i trust, i shall be permitted to speak, and then i will tell you all." don mariano pressed his hand. "act as you think proper," he said, with deep emotion; "only remember one thing--that you have found in me the father you lost." the young man turned his head away to conceal the tears he felt rising in his eyes. there was a lengthened silence without; the barking of the coyotes alone disturbed at intervals the imposing solitude of the desert. the interior of the tent was only lighted by a torch of ocote wood fixed in the ground, whose flickering flame played on the faces of the three men with shadows and lights which imprinted on their countenances a strange and fantastic expression. "the sky is beginning to be studded with broad white bands," don leo continued: "the owls hidden beneath the leaves are saluting the return of day; the sun is about to rise; permit me, in a few words, to explain to you the facts with which you are unacquainted; for if i believe my presentiments, we shall soon have to act vigorously, in order to repair the ill deeds committed by don estevan." the two men bowed in affirmation. don leo went on:--"certain reasons, unnecessary to give here, led me to mexico a few months ago. owing to those reasons, i led rather a singular life, frequenting the worst society, and mingling, when the occasion offered, in society more or less corrupt, according as you understand my words. do not believe, from what i have said, that i was engaged in any criminal operations, for you would commit a grave error. i merely, like a goodly number of my countrymen, carried on certain contraband trade; perhaps regarded with an evil eye by government officials, but which had nothing very reprehensible about it." marksman and don mariano exchanged a glance; they understood, or fancied they did. don leo feigned not to notice this glance. "one of the places i frequented most assiduously," he said, "was the plaza mayor. there i visited an evangelista, a man of about fifty, half jew, half pawnbroker, who, under a venerable appearance, concealed the most venal soul and most corrupt mind. this thorough scamp, through the thousand secret negotiations he carried on, and his duties of evangelista, was thoroughly acquainted with the secrets of an infinite number of families, and all the infamies daily committed in that immense capital. one day, when i happened to be in his shop at the oraciã³n, a young girl entered. she was lovely, and seemed respectable. she trembled like a leaf on entering the scoundrel's den; the latter put on his most captivating smile, and obsequiously asked how he could serve her. she turned a timid glance around, and noticed me. i know not why, i scented a mystery. i pretended to be asleep, with my head on the table, and my forehead resting on my crossed arms." "'that man!' she said, pointing to me." "'oh!' the evangelista answered, 'he is intoxicated with pulque; he is a poor sergeant, of no importance; besides, he is asleep.'" "she hesitated; then, seeming suddenly to form a resolution, she drew a small paper from her bosom." "'copy that,' she said to the evangelista, 'and i will give you two ounces.'" "the old villain seized the paper, and looked at it." "'but it is not castilian,' he said." "'it is french,' she answered, 'but what consequence is it to you?'" "'to me, none.'" "he prepared his paper and pens, and copied the note without further observation. when it was finished, the girl compared the two notes, gave a smile of satisfaction, tore up the original, folded the note, and dictated a short address to the evangelista. then she placed the letter in her bosom, and went out, after paying the agreed on price, which the evangelista seized gaily, for he had gained more in a few minutes than he usually did in a month. the girl had scarce departed, ere i raised my head: but the evangelista made me a sign to re-assume my position. he had heard the key turning in his door. i obeyed, and lucky it was i did so, for a man entered almost immediately. this man evidently desired not to be known. he was carefully wrapped up in a large rebozo, and the brim of his sombrero was pulled down over his eyes. on entering, he gave an angry start." "'who is that man?' he asked, pointing to me." "'i a poor drunkard asleep.'" "'a young girl has just left here.'" "'it is possible,' the evangelista answered, put on his guard by the question." "'no ambiguous phrases, scoundrel,' the stranger answered haughtily. 'i know you, and pay you,' he added, as he threw a heavy purse on the table. 'answer!'" "the evangelista quivered. all his scruples disappeared at the sight of the gold sparkling through the meshes of the purse." "'a young girl has just left here?' the stranger continued." "'yes.'" "'what did she want of you?'" "'to copy a letter written in french.'" "'very good. show me the letter.'" "'she folded it up, wrote an address, and took it away.'" "'i know all that.'" "'well?'" "'well!' the stranger retorted, with a grin, 'as you are no fool, you kept a copy of the note, and that copy i must have.'" "the man's voice had struck me. i could not tell why. as his back was almost turned to me, i made the evangelista a sign, which he understood." "'i did not think of that,' he answered." "he assumed such a simple face as he said this, that the stranger was deceived. he made a move of annoyance. at length he said,--'she will return.'" "'i do not know.'" "the stranger shrugged his shoulders. 'i know it though. every time she comes, you will keep a copy of what she makes you write. the answers will come here?'" "'not to my knowledge.'" "'you will not deliver them till you have shown them to me. i shall return tomorrow; and do not be such a fool as you have been today, if you wish me to make your fortune.'" "the evangelista grinned a smile. the stranger turned to go away. at this moment the corner of his cloak caught in the table, and i saw his face. i needed all my self-command not to utter a cry on recognizing him, for it was don estevan, your brother. he drew his cloak over his face again with a stifled curse, and went away. he had scarce gone ere i leaped up. i bolted the door, and placed myself in front of the evangelista. 'it is now our turn,' i said to him." "he made a movement of terror. my face had a terrible expression, which made him fall back against the wall, clutching the purse he had just received, and which he doubtless supposed i wished to take from him." "'i am a poor old man,' he said to me." "'where is the copy you refused that man?' i said sharply." "he bent down to his desk, took the copy, and handed it to me, trembling. i read it with a shudder, for i understood." "'stay,' i said, giving him an ounce; 'every time you will hand me the young lady's note, i allow you to show it also to that man. but remember this carefully; not one of the answers written by the person who has just left will be handed by you to the lady until i have read it. i am not so rich as that stranger, still i can pay you properly. you know me. i have only one thing more to say. if you betray me, i will kill you like a dog.'" "i went out, and, as i closed the door, i heard the evangelista mutter to himself, 'santa viring, into what wasp's nest have i got?'" "this is the key of the mystery. the young lady i saw at the evangelista's was a novice in the convent of the bernardines, where your daughter was. doã±a laura, not knowing in whom to confide, had begged her to let don francisco de paulo serrano know--" "my brother-in-law! her godfather!" don mariano exclaimed. "the same," don leo continued. "she had, i said, desired her friend, doã±a luisa, to let seã±or serrano receive the note, in which she revealed to him her uncle's criminal machinations, and the persecutions to which she was exposed, while imploring him, as her father's best friend, to come to her aid, and take her under his protection." "oh, my poor child!" don mariano murmured. "don estevan," don leo continued, "had by some means learned your daughter's intentions. in order to be thoroughly acquainted with her plans, and be able to overthrow them at the right moment, he pretended to be entirely ignorant of them; let the young girl carry the letters to the evangelista, reading the copies, and answering them himself, for the simple reason that seã±or serrano did not receive your daughter's letters, because don estevan had bought his valet, who gave them to him with seals unbroken. this skilful perfidy would doubtless have succeeded, had not accident, or rather providence, placed me so fortunately in the evangelista's shop." "oh!" don mariano muttered, "the man was a monster." "no," don leo remarked; "circumstances compelled him to go much further than he perhaps intended. nothing proves that he meditated the death of your daughter." "what would he then?" "your fortune. by forcing doã±a laura to take the veil, he gained his object. unfortunately, as always happens when a man enters on that thorny path which fatally leads to crime, although he had coldly calculated all the chances of success, he could not foresee my intervention in the execution of his plans--an intervention which must make them fail, and compel him to commit a crime, in order to ensure success. doã±a laura, persuaded that don francisco's protection would not fail her, scrupulously followed the advice i sent her by means of letters i myself wrote in the name of the friend she addressed. for my own part, i held myself in readiness to act when the moment arrived. i will enter into no details on this subject. doã±a laura refused to take the vows in the church itself. the scandal was extreme, and the abbess, in her fury, resolved to put an end to matters. the hapless young lady, sent to sleep by means of a powerful narcotic, was buried alive in the _in pace_, where she must die of hunger." "oh!" the two men exclaimed, shuddering with horror. "i repeat to you," don leo continued, "that i do not believe don estevan capable of this barbarity. he was probably the indirect accomplice, but nothing more; the abbess was the sole culprit. don estevan accepted accomplished facts; he profited by them, nothing more. we must suppose so, for the honour of humanity; otherwise, this man would be a monster. warned on the same day of what had occurred in the convent, i collected a band of banditti and adventurers. then, at nightfall, i entered the building by stratagem, and, pistol in hand, carried off your daughter." "you!" don mariano exclaimed, with a movement of surprise, mingled with joy. "oh, heavens! then she is saved--she is in safety!" "yes; at a place where i, aided by marksman, concealed her." "don estevan would never have found her," the hunter added, with a crafty smile. the gentleman was fearfully agitated. "where is she?" he exclaimed. "i will see her. tell me where my poor darling child is." "you can understand," the young man answered, "that i did not keep her near me. i knew that don estevan's spies and your brother himself were pursuing me, and following my every step. after placing doã±a laura in safety, i enticed all the pursuers on to my trail. in this way, this palanquin," he said, pointing to it, "contained doã±a laura till we reached the presidio de tubar. i was careful to let her be seen once or twice; no more was needed to make it supposed that she was still with me. by the care i took to keep the palanquin constantly closed, and let no one approach it, i hoped to lead my enemies after me, and, once i had them in the desert, punish them. my calculations were more correct than don estevan's, for heaven, helped me. now that the criminal has been punished, and doã±a laura has no more to fear, i am ready to make known her place of concealment, and lead you to her." "oh, my god! thou art just and merciful," don mariano exclaimed, with an expression of ineffable joy. "i shall see my child again. she is saved." "she is lost, if you do not make haste," a sepulchral voice replied. the three men turned in terror. brighteye, with a pale and bleeding face, his clothes torn and bloodstained, was standing upright and motionless in the entrance of the tent, holding the curtain back. chapter xxiii. flying eagle. the indians, owing to the life they are compelled to lead, and the education they receive, are of an essentially suspicious character. accustomed to be constantly on their guard against everything that surrounds them, to regard intentions ostensibly the most honest as concealing treachery and perfidy, they have acquired an uncommon skill in guessing the projects of persons with whom accident brings them in contact, and foiling the snares set for them by their enemies. mahchsi karehde, we have already said, was an experienced warrior, as wise in council as he was valiant in war, and, though still very young, he justly enjoyed a great reputation in his tribe. so soon as marksman had, in the name of lynch law, pronounced don estevan's sentence, there was a species of disorder among the hunters, who broke their ranks, and began eagerly conversing together, as generally happens in such a case. flying eagle took advantage of the general attention being diverted, and no one noticing him, to give eglantine, whose eyes were incessantly fixed on him, a signal, which the young woman understood, and he silently stepped into a thicket, where he disappeared before anyone noticed his absence. after walking for about twenty minutes in the forest, the chief, probably supposing he was far enough off, stopped, and turned to his squaw, who had remained a little distance behind the whole time. "let the palefaces," he said, "accomplish their work. flying eagle is a comanche warrior; he must no longer interfere between them." "the chief will return to his village?" eglantine asked, timidly. the indian smiled craftily. "all is not over yet," he replied. "flying eagle will watch over his friends." the young woman let her head fall, and, seeing that the indian had seated himself, prepared to light the campfire; but the chief stopped her by a sign. "flying eagle does not wish to be discovered," he said. "let my sister take her place by his side, and wait; a friend is in danger at this time." at this moment a great noise of breaking branches could be heard not far from the spot where the redskins had halted. the indian listened attentively for a few moments, with his head on the ground. "flying eagle will return," he said, as he rose. "eglantine will wait for him," the squaw said, looking at him tenderly. the chief laid by her side the weapons that might have impeded him in the project he meditated; he only kept his reata, which he carefully coiled round his right hand, and crept in the direction of the sound he had heard, which every moment grew louder. he had scarce advanced twenty yards, by forcing his way through the intertwined creepers and tall grass that barred his passage, ere he perceived, a few paces off, a magnificent black horse, which, with ears laid back, head extended, and all four feet fixed on the ground, was snorting in alarm; its nostrils covered with foam, and its mouth bleeding. "wah!" the chief muttered, stopping short, and admiring the splendid animal. he drew a few steps nearer, being careful not to startle the animal more, which followed all his movements with a restless eye; and, at the instant he saw it bound to escape, he made his reata whistle round his neck, and threw it with such skill, that the running knot fell on the horse's shoulders. the latter tried, for three or four minutes, to regain the liberty so suddenly snatched from it; but soon recognizing the futility of its efforts, it yielded once again to slavery, and allowed the indian to approach, with no further attempts to maintain the struggle. the animal was not a wild horse, but don estevan's magnificent barb, which he had probably lost during the fight, when he was wounded. the horse's trappings were partly broken and torn by the branches; but still they were in a good state of service. the chief, delighted with the windfall accident procured him, mounted the horse, and returned to eglantine, who, submissive and obedient as a true indian woman, had not stirred since his departure. "flying eagle will return to his village mounted on a horse worthy of so great a chief," she said, on noticing him. the indian smiled haughtily. "yes," he answered, "the sachems will be proud of him." and with the simple childishness so well suited to the primitive roughness of these men of iron, he amused himself, for some time, with making the horse perform the most difficult passes and curvets, happy at the terrified admiration of the woman he loved, and who could not refrain from trembling on perceiving him manage this magnificent animal with such ease. the chief at length dismounted, and, while still holding the bridle in his hand, sat down by the young woman's side. they remained thus for a long time, without exchanging a word. flying eagle seemed to be reflecting deeply; his eyes wandered about in the darkness, as if wishing to penetrate it, and distinguish some distant object in the distance. he listened eagerly to the sounds of the solitude, while playing mechanically with his scalping knife. "there they are," he suddenly cried, as he rose, as if moved by a spring. eglantine looked at him with astonishment. "does not my sister hear?" he asked her. "yes," she replied in a moment, "i hear the sound of horses in the forest." "they are the palefaces returning to their camp." "shall we follow them?" "flying eagle never leaves, without a reason, the path made by his moccasins. eglantine will accompany the warrior." "does my father doubt it?" "no; eglantine is a worthy daughter of the comanches; she will come without a murmur. a paleface, a friend of mahchsi karehde, is in danger at this moment." "the chief will save him?" the indian smiled. "yes," he said; "or, if i arrive too late for that, i will at least avenge him, and his soul will quiver with joy in the blessed prairies, on learning from his people that his friend has not forgotten him." "i am ready to follow the chief." "let us go, then; it is time." the indian leaped into his saddle at a bound, and eglantine prepared to follow on foot. indian squaws never mount the warhorse of their husbands or brothers. condemned, by the laws that govern their tribe, to remain constantly bowed beneath a yoke of iron, to be reduced to the most complete abjectness, and devote themselves to the harshest and most painful tasks, they endure everything without complaining, persuaded that it must be so, and that nothing can save them from the implacable tyranny that weighs on them from their birth to their death. in compelling his wife to follow him on foot, through a virgin forest, by impracticable roads, rendered more difficult through the darkness, flying eagle was convinced that he was only doing a very simple and natural thing. eglantine, for her part, understood it so, for she did not make the slightest remark. they set out, then, turning their back on the noise, and proceeding towards the clearing. for what object did the chief retrace his steps, and return to the spot he had left an hour previously, in order to get rid of the gambusinos? we shall probably soon learn. when about a hundred yards from the clearing, they heard a shot. flying eagle stopped. "wah!" he said, "what has happened? can i be mistaken?" immediately dismounting, he gave his wife his horse to hold, bidding her follow him at a distance; and, gliding through the grass, he advanced hurriedly toward the clearing, feeling much alarmed by the shot, which he could not account for, as the idea did not for a moment occur to him that don estevan had fired it with the intention of killing himself. the chief was convinced that a man of that stamp would never give the game up, however desperate it was. his appreciation was not entirely false. persuaded of this, flying eagle, fearing a mishap, the possibility of which he seemed to have foreseen, hastened to reach the clearing, in order to settle his doubts, and trembling to see them converted into a certainty. on reaching the skirt of the clearing, he stopped, removed the branches cautiously, and looked out. the darkness was so dense, that he could distinguish nothing; a funereal silence prevailed over this portion of the forest. suddenly the bushes parted, a man, or rather a demon, bounded out like a jackal, passed him with extreme velocity, and was soon lost in the darkness. a sad presentiment contracted the redskin's heart; he made a movement to rush after the stranger, but altered his mind almost in the same moment. "let us look here first," he muttered, "i am certain of finding that man again when i please." he entered the clearing. the deserted fires no longer gave out any light. all was shadow and silence. the chief walked rapidly toward the spot where the grave had been dug. it was empty, don estevan had disappeared. on the slope formed of the earth thrown out of the hole, a man lay, motionless. flying eagle bent over him, and examined him attentively for some seconds. "i knew it," he muttered, as he drew himself up with a smile of disdain; "that must happen, the palefaces are gossiping old women. ingratitude is a white vice--vengeance a red virtue." the chief stood thoughtfully, with his eyes fixed on the wounded man. "shall i save him?" he at length said. "for what good? it is almost better to let the coyotes tear him limb from limb; the red warriors laugh at their fury. this man," he added, "was, yet, one of the best of those plundering palefaces who come to drive us from our last refuge. wah! what do i care our races are hostile, the wild beasts will finish him--to each his prey." and he made a move to withdraw. suddenly he felt a hand laid on his shoulder, and a soft voice muttered gently in his ear,--"this paleface is the friend of the grey head who delivered eglantine. is my father ignorant of it?" the chief started at this question, which answered so truly his innermost thoughts; for, while speaking to himself, and tying to prove that he did right in abandoning the wounded man, the indian knew very well that the deed he premeditated was reprehensible, and that honour commanded him to help the man stretched out at his feet. "does eglantine know this hunter?" he answered evasively. "eglantine saw him for the first time two days ago, when he so courageously saved the friend of the chief." "wah!" the indian muttered, "my sister speaks true. this warrior is brave, his heart is large, he is the friend of the redskins. flying eagle is a chief renowned for his goodness of soul, he will not abandon the paleface to the hideous coyotes." "mahchsi karehde is the greatest warrior of his nation, his head is full of wisdom. what he does is well." flying eagle smiled with satisfaction at this compliment. "let us examine this man's wounds." eglantine lighted a branch of ocote, which she made into a torch. the two indians bent down over the wounded man, who still lay motionless, and by the oscillating light of the torch examined him more attentively. brighteye had only a slight wound, produced by the butt of the pistol by which he had been struck; the force of the blow, by producing an abundant hemorrhage, had caused a stunning sensation, followed by a syncope. the wound was narrow, of no great depth, and on the upper part of the forehead between the eyebrows. don estevan had tried to kill the worthy hunter in the same way as the bulls in the corridas. the experienced espadas often amuse themselves by killing the animals in this fashion, in order to display their skill before the assembled spectators. this blow, though dealt with a firm hand, was too hurried, and had not been calculated with sufficient precision to be mortal. still it is evident that if the indian chief had not succoured him before daybreak, the hunter would have been devoured alive by the wild beasts prowling about in quest of prey. all indians, when travelling, carry by a sling a parchment bag, which they call the medicine bag. it contains the simples these primitive men employ to cure the wounds they receive in combat, their surgical instruments, and the powders intended to get rid of fevers. after examining brighteye's wound, the chief tossed his head with pleasure, and immediately set about dressing. with a sharp instrument, made of an onyx, and with the edge of a razor, he first cleared off the hair round the wound; then he felt in his medicine bag, pulled out a handful of oregano leaves, which he carefully pounded and mixed up with catalonian refino. we will remark here, that in all indian medicaments spirits play a great part. he added to this mixture a little water and salt, formed the whole into a thick paste, and, after washing the wound twice with spirits and water, he applied this species of cataplasm to it, fastening it on with abanigo leaves. this simple remedy produced an almost instantaneous effect; within ten minutes the hunter gave a sigh, opened his eyes, and sat up, looking round him like a man suddenly roused from a deep sleep, and who does not completely recognize external objects. brighteye, however, was a man endowed with far too powerful an organization for this state to last long; he soon managed to restore order in his ideas, recalled what had passed, and the treachery dealt him by the man he had saved. "thanks, redskin," he said, in a still weak voice, and holding out his hand to the indian, who pressed it cordially. "my brother feels better?" he asked, with solicitude. "i feel as well as if nothing had happened to me." "wah! my brother will then avenge himself on his enemy." "trust me for that; the traitor shall not escape me, so truly as my name is. brighteye," the hunter answered energetically. "good! my brother will kill his enemy, and hang up his scalp at the entrance of his wigwam." "no, no, chief; that revenge may suit a redskin, but it is not that of a man of my race and colour." "what will my brother do, then?" the hunter smiled cleverly, but after a few moments continued the conversation, though not in answer to the indian's questions. "how long have i been here?" he said. "about an hour." "no longer?" "no." "heaven be praised. my assassin cannot be gone far." "och! an evil conscience is a powerful spur," the indian observed, sententiously. "that is true." "what will my brother do?" "i do not know yet; the position i am in is very delicate," brighteye answered, thoughtfully, "urged by my heart, and the memory of a service done me long ago, i committed an action which may be interpreted in various ways. i now perceive that i was wrong; still, i confess to you, redskin, that i do not at all wish to be exposed to the reproaches of my friends. it is hard for a man of my age, whose hair is white, and who must possess experience, to have it said that he has acted like a child, and is an old fool." "still, you must make up your mind." "i know it. that is the thing which torments me; the more so as it is urgent that don miguel and don mariano should be warned as speedily as possible of what has happened, in order to remedy the consequences of my folly." "listen," the chief remarked. "i understand how repugnant the confession you have to make will be to you. it is excessively painful for an old man to bow his head under reproaches, however well deserved they may be." "well!" "if you consent, i will do what you have so much difficulty in resolving on. while you accompany eglantine, i will go to your friends, the palefaces; i will tell them what has happened. i will put them on their guard against their enemy, and you will have nothing to fear from their anger." at this proposition, an indignant flush suffused the hunter's face. "no," he exclaimed, "i will not add cowardice to my fault. i will endure the consequences of my deed,--all the worse for myself. i thank you, chief; your proposition comes from a good heart, but i cannot accept it." "my brother is the master." "let us make haste," the hunter continued; "we have lost too much time already. heaven alone knows what may be the consequences of my deed, and the misfortunes that will probably spring from it. it is impossible for me to prevent them, it is my duty to do everything to lessen their effect. come, chief, follow me; let us proceed to the camp without further delay." while uttering these words, the hunter rose with feverish impatience. "i am unarmed," he said; "the villain has stripped me." "let my brother not feel vexed at that," the indian answered; "he will find the needful arms at the camp." "that is true. let us go and look for my horse, which i left a few yards off." the indian stopped him. "it is useless," he said. "why so?" "that man has taken it." the hunter struck his brow in his discouragement. "what shall i do?" he muttered. "my brother will take my horse." "and you, chief?" "i have another." at a sign from flying eagle, eglantine led up the horse. the two men mounted; the chief took his squaw up behind him, and leaning over the necks of their horses, they started at full gallop in the direction of the gambusino camp, which they reached about an hour later without any fresh incident. chapter xxiv. quiepaa tani. we must return to the two chief characters of our story, whom we have neglected too long. for that purpose we will go back a little way, and take up our narrative at the moment when addick, followed by the two young ladies don miguel confided to him, set out for quiepaa tani. a quiver of extraordinary voluptuousness passed over the indian so soon as he saw himself in the plains with the maidens, free from the inquisitive glances of don miguel, and those even more clear-sighted of marksman. his eye, sparkling with pleasure, passed from doã±a laura to doã±a luisa, unable to rest longer on one than the other. he found them both so lovely, that he was never satiated with gazing on them with the frenzied admiration indians experience at the sight of spanish women, whom they infinitely prefer to their own squaws. while mentioning this peculiarity to the reader, we must add that for their part the spaniards eagerly seek the good graces of the indian women, in whom they find, irresistible charms. is this the effect of a wise combination of providence, wishing to effect the complete fusion of the two people? no one knows; but what cannot be doubted is, that there are few spaniards in america who have not sundry drops of indian blood in their veins. the young indian chief, in possession of his two captives--for it was thus he regarded them so soon as they were placed in his charge--had at first thought of conducting them to his tribe, to decide presently which he would select; but several reasons made him abandon this plan almost as soon as he formed it. in the first place, the distance to traverse, before reaching his village, was immense, and it was not very probable he could manage it in the company of two frail and delicate girls, who could not endure the numberless fatigues of a desert journey. on the other hand, the city was only a couple of miles before him; the crowd, momentarily increasing, hampered his movements; and the dark outlines of the two hunters, standing out blackly on the top of the mound, warned him that, at the slightest suspicious movement, he would see two formidable adversaries rise before him. making a virtue of necessity, then, he shut up in the depths of his heart the emotions that agitated him, and resolved, ostensibly, to accomplish his mission, by entering the city; but he intended to confide the maidens to his foster brother, chicukcoatl (eight serpents), amantzin of quiepaa tani, who, in his functions as high priest of the temple of the sun, would be able to hide them from the sight of all, until the day when, all obstacles being removed, addick would be free to act as he pleased, and take back his captives. the two unhappy girls, violently separated from the only friends left to them, had fallen into a state of prostration, which prevented them from noticing the hesitations and tergiversations of the perfidious guide in whose hands they found themselves. surrendered defencelessly to the will of a savage, who could, if he thought proper, treat them with the utmost violence, although he had guaranteed their safety, they knew that they had no human succour to expect. they were compelled to leave their fate in the hands of heaven, and resigned themselves with a christian spirit to the hard trials they would doubtless have to endure during their residence among the indians. the three travellers, mixed up in the dense crowd of persons proceeding like themselves to the city, soon reached the edge of the fosse, followed by the inquisitive glances of those who surrounded them, for the indians speedily recognized the young girls as spaniards. addick having, by a glance, bidden his companions be prudent, assumed the most careless air he could well affect, although his heart beat as if ready to burst, and presented himself at the gateway. after crossing the wooden bridge, he stood in apparent apathy before the gate; a lance was lowered before the strangers, and barred their passage. a man, whom it was easy to recognize, by his rich costume, as an influential chief of the city, rose from a butaca, on which he was carelessly seated, smoking his pipe, advanced with measured steps, and stopped, carefully examining the group formed by addick and his companions. the indian, at first surprised and almost frightened by this hostile demonstration, recovered almost immediately; a flash of joy burst from his savage eye; he bent over to the sentry, and whispered a few words in his ear. the redskin immediately raised his lance with a respectful gesture, fell back a step, and made room for them to pass. they entered. addick walked hastily toward the temple of the sun, congratulating himself on having so easily escaped the danger which had been suspended for several minutes over his head. the maidens followed him with that resignation of despair which bears so striking a likeness to docility and deference, but which is, in reality, only the recognized impossibility of escaping a fate one fears. while our friends are crossing the streets of the city to reach their destination, we will describe, in a few words, quiepaa tani, the exterior of which the reader is only acquainted with. the narrow streets, running at right angles, open on an immense square, situated exactly in the centre of the city, and which bears the name of conaciuhtzin.[1] it is probable that it was in compliment to the sun that the indians conceived this square, from which the streets of the city radiate; for it is impossible to imagine a more correct representation of the planet they adore than this mysteriously and emblematically significant arrangement. four magnificent palaces rise in the direction of the four cardinal points. on the western side is the great temple, called amantzin-expan, surrounded by an infinite number of chiselled columns of gold and silver. the appearance of this edifice is most imposing. you reach it by a flight of twenty steps, each made of a single stone, thirty feet in length; the walls are excessively lofty, and the roof, like that of all the other buildings, is terraced. the indians, though perfectly acquainted with the art of building subterranean arches, are completely ignorant of the way of raising domes in the air. the interior of the temple is relatively very simple. long tapestries, embroidered with feathers of a thousand different hues, and representing, in hieroglyphic writing, the entire history of the indian religion, cover the walls. in the centre of the temple stands the _teocali_, or isolated altar, surmounted by a brilliant sun, made of gold and precious stones, supported on the great _ayotl_, or sacred tortoise. by an ingenious artifice, each morning the first beams of the rising sun fall on this splendid idol, and make it sparkle with such brilliant fire, that it really seems to be animated, and lights up the surrounding scene. before the altar is the sacrificial table, an immense block of marble, representing one of those druidic _menhies_ so common in old armorica. it is a species of stone table, supported by four blocks of rock. the table, slightly hollowed in the centre, is supplied with a conduit, intended to carry off the blood of the victims. we must remark that human sacrifices are growing daily rarer. we are, fortunately, far from an epoch when, in order to dedicate a temple, sixty thousand human victims were immolated in one day at mexico. at present these sacrifices only take place under the most exceptional circumstances; and, in that case, the victims are selected from the prisoners condemned to death. at the back of the temple is a space closed in with heavy curtains, entrance to which is interdicted to the people. these curtains conceal the top of a staircase leading to vast cellars, which extend under the whole temple, and which the priests alone have the right to enter. it is in the most secret and retired spot of these vaults that the sacred fire of motecuhzoma burns uninterruptedly. the floor of the temple is covered with leaves and flowers, renewed every morning. on the southern side of the square is the _tanamitec_, or palace of the chief. this palace, whose name, literally translated, signifies "a spot surrounded by water," is merely a succession of reception rooms and immense courts, employed by the warriors entrusted with the defence of the city for their military exercises. a separate building, to which visitors are not admitted, is set apart for the residence of the chief's family. another building serves as arsenal, and contains all the arms of the city, such as arrows, saoaies, lances, bows, and indian shields from the most remote period; european sabres, swords, and guns, which, after fearing for so long, the indians have learned to employ as well as ourselves, if not better. the greatest curiosity, undoubtedly, contained in this arsenal is a small cannon which belonged to cortez, and which that conqueror was compelled to abandon on the high road, during his precipitate retreat from mexico on the _noche triste_. this cannon is still an object of fear and veneration to the indians; for many recollections of the conquest have remained in their hearts after so many years and vicissitudes of every description. on the same square stands the famous _ciuatl-expan_, or palace of the vestals. it is here that, far from the glance of men, the virgins of the sun live and die. no man, the high priest excepted, can penetrate to the interior of this building, reserved for the women dedicated to the sun. a fearful death would immediately punish the daring man who attempted to transgress this law. the life of the indian vestals bears considerable resemblance to that of the nuns peopling the european convents. they are shut up, take a vow of perpetual chastity, and pledge themselves never to speak to a man, unless it be their father or brother, and in that case they can only converse through a grating and in the presence of a third party, while careful to veil their faces. when, during the ceremonies, they appear in public, or assist in the religious festivals in the temple, they are completely veiled. a vestal convicted of letting a man see her face is condemned to death. in the interior of their abode they amuse themselves with feminine occupations, and privately perform the rites of their religion. their vows are voluntary. a young girl cannot be admitted into the ranks of the virgins of the sun until the high priest has acquired the certainty that no one has forced her to this determination, and that she is really following her vocation. lastly, the fourth palace, situated on the eastern side of the square, is the most splendid, and at the same time the most gloomy of all. it is called the iztlacat-expan, or palace of the prophets. it is the residence of the priests. it would be impossible to describe the mysterious, sad, and cold appearance of this residence; the windows of which are covered with a wicker frame, so closely interwoven, as almost to entirely exclude the light of day. a gloomy silence perpetually prevails in this building; but at times, in the middle of the night, when all are reposing in the city, the indians awake in terror at the strange sounds that appear to issue from the iztlacat-expan. what is the life of men who inhabit it? in what do they spend their time? no one knows. woe to the imprudent man, who, curious for information on this point, would try to surprise the secrets of which he should remain in ignorance; for the vengeance of the insulted priests would be implacable. if the vow of chastity be imposed on the vestals, it is not so with regard to the high priest and his assistants; still we must remark, that very few of them marry, and all abstain, at least openly, from any connection with the other sex. the noviciates of the priests lasts ten years, and it is only at the expiration of that period, and after undergoing numberless trials, that the novices assume the title of chalchiuh. until then they can alter their minds, and embrace another career; but the case is extremely rare. it is true, that if they took advantage of the law's permission, they would be infallibly assassinated by their brothers, who would fear seeing a portion of their secrets unveiled to the public. in other respects the priests are highly respected by the indians, whose love they contrive to acquire; and we may say, that next to the chief, the amanani is the most powerful man in the tribe. among peoples with whom religion is so powerful a lever, it may be observed that the temporal and spiritual power never come into collision; each knows how far his attributes extend, and follows the line traced for him, without trying to infringe on the rights of the other. owing to this intelligent diplomacy, priests and chiefs act in concert, and double their strength. the european, habituated to the tumult, noise, and movement of the cities of the old world, whose streets are constantly encumbered by vehicles of every description, and with the passers-by, who come into collision at each step, would be strangely surprised at the sight of the interior of an indian city. there, there are no noisy ways of communication, bordered by magnificent shops, offering to the curiosity or greed of the purchasers and rogues the superb and dazzling specimens of european industry; there are no carriages, not even carts; the silence is only disturbed by the step of the few passers hastening back to their dwellings, and who walk with the imposing gravity of professors or magistrates of all nations. the houses, which are all hermetically closed, allow none of the internal noises to be heard from the street. indian life is concentrated in the family, and closed against the stranger; the manners are patriarchal, and the public way never becomes, as is too often the case amongst our civilized peoples, the disgraceful scene of the disputes, quarrels, or fights of the citizen. the vendors collect in immense bazaars, where, until midday, they sell their merchandise; that is to say, fruits, vegetables, and meat; for all other trade is unknown to the indians, each family weaving or making for itself the garments, furniture, or household articles it requires. then, when the sun has run half its course, the bazaars are closed, and the indian traders, who all inhabit the country, quit the city, to return next morning with fresh vegetables. each family lays in its stock for the day. among the indians the men never work, the women are entrusted with the purchases, the household cares, and the preparation of all that is indispensable for existence. the men, too proud to do any domestic work, hunt or go on the warpath. the payment for what is purchased is not effected, as in europe, by means of coins, which are generally only known to, or accepted by, the coast indians, who traffic with the whites; but by means of a free exchange, which is practised by all the tribes residing in the interior. the plan is most simple. the purchaser exchanges some article for that he wishes to acquire, and all is settled. now that we have made quiepaa tani known to the reader, let us terminate this chapter by saying that addick and his companions, after wandering for some time through the streets, at length reached the iztlacat-expan. the indian chief had, as he desired, found a complaisant auxiliary in the amanani, who swore, on his head, to guard, with scrupulous attention, the prisoners entrusted to him. we may as well add, that addick told the high priest that the ladies he confided to his care were the daughters of one of the most powerful men in mexico, and that, in order to compel him to grant his protection to the indians, he had resolved on taking one of them to wife; still, as the two girls pleased him equally--and for that reason it had been impossible for him, up to that moment, to make a choice between them--he prudently abstained from pointing out the object of his purpose. then he added, in order completely to conquer the good graces of the man he took as his accomplice, and whose sordid avarice had long been known to him, that a magnificent present would amply reward him for the guardianship he begged him to accept. tranquil for the future about the fate of the two maidens, and the first part of the plot he had formed having completely succeeded, addick purposed to carry out the second in the same way; he consequently took leave of those he had sworn to protect, and whom he betrayed so shamefully: and, mounting his horse again, he left the city, and proceeded, at full speed, towards the ford of the rubio, where he knew he should meet don miguel. [1] square of the sun. chapter xxv. a trio of villains. leaving addick to depart at full gallop from quiepaa tani, let us turn for a little while to the maidens whom, prior to his departure, he confided to the amantzin. the latter shut the maidens up in the ciuatl-expan, inhabited by the virgins of the sun. although prisoners, they were treated with the utmost respect, after the orders addick had given, and they would have probably endured the annoyance of their unjust captivity with patience, had not a deep alarm as to the fate reserved for them, and an invincible sorrow, resulting from the events to which they had been victims, and the terrible circumstances which had led them to their present condition, by suddenly separating them from their last defender, seized upon them. it was now that the difference of character between the two friends was clearly shown. doã±a laura, accustomed to the eager homage of the brilliant cavaliers who visited her father's house, and the enjoyment of a slothful and luxurious life, as is that of all rich mexican families, suffered on feeling herself so roughly deprived of the delights and caresses by which her childhood had been surrounded; forgetting the tortures of the convent only to remember the joys of the paternal mansion, and incapable of resisting the sorrow that preyed upon her, she fell into a state of discouragement and torpor which she did not even attempt to combat. doã±a luisa, on the contrary, who found in her present condition but little change from her noviciate, while deploring the blow that struck her, endured it with courage and resignation: her well-tempered soul accepted misfortune as the consequence of her devotion to her friend. unconsciously, perhaps, another feeling had for some time past glided into the maiden's heart--a feeling which she did not attempt to explain, whose strength she did not thoroughly know; but which doubled her courage, and made her hope for a deliverance, if not prompt, at least possible, executed by the man who had already risked everything for her friend and herself, and would not abandon them in the fresh tribulations by which they were assailed, owing to the odious treachery of their guide. when the two friends conversed together at times about any probability of deliverance, laura did not dare to pronounce the name of don miguel, and through a reserve, the reason of which may be easily divined, she pretended to rely on the name and power of her father. luisa, more frank, contented herself with answering that the bravery and devotion that don miguel had displayed were a sure guarantee that he would, ere long, come to their assistance. laura, whom her companion had not thought it advisable to inform of the numberless obligations which she owed the young man, could not understand the connection that could possibly exist between him and the future, and cross-questioned luisa. but the latter remained dumb, or eluded the question. "in truth, my friend," laura said to her, "you speak incessantly of don miguel. we certainly owe him great gratitude for the service he has rendered us; but now his part is almost played out; my father, warned by him of the position in which we are, will come, ere long, to deliver us." "_querida de mi corazã³n_"[1] luisa answered her, with a toss of her head; "who knows where your father is at this moment? _i_ trust in help from don miguel, because he alone saved us from his own impulse, without hope of reward of any sort, and he is too loyal and too much of a gentleman not to finish an enterprise he has begun so well." this last sentence was uttered by the young lady with such an air of conviction, that laura felt surprised at it, and raised her eyes to her friend, who felt herself instinctively blush beneath the weight of this inquiring glance. laura added nothing; but she asked herself what could be the nature of the feeling which urged her friend to defend a man whom no one attacked, and to whom she, luisa, only owed such slight obligations, and, indeed, scarce knew? from that day, as if by a tacit agreement, they never spoke of don miguel, and his name was never mentioned by the maidens. it is a strange fact, and yet undoubtedly true, that priests, no matter of what country they are, or the religion to which they belong, are continually devoured by a desire to make proselytes at any price. the amantzin of quiepaa tani, in this respect, resembled all his brethren; he would not allow the opportunity to slip which was apparently afforded him of converting two spanish girls to the religion of the sun. gifted with a great intellect, thoroughly convinced of the excellence of the religious principles he professed, and, besides, an obstinate enemy of the spaniards, he conceived the plan, so soon as addick intrusted him with the care of the maidens, of making them priestesses of the sun. in america, there is no lack of instances of conversions of this nature, for what may seem monstrous to us is regarded as perfectly natural in that country. the amantzin planted his batteries in consequence. the maidens did not speak indian; on his side, he did not know a word of spanish; but this difficulty, apparently enormous, was quickly removed by the high priest. he was related to a renowned indian warrior, of the name of atoyac, the very man, indeed, who was sentry at the gate of the city upon addick's arrival. this man had married a civilized indian girl, who, brought up not far from monterey, spoke spanish sufficiently well to make herself understood. she was a woman of about thirty years of age, although she appeared at least fifty. in these regions, where growth is so rapid, a woman is usually married at the age of twelve or thirteen. continually forced to those hard tasks which, in other countries, fall to the lot of men, their freshness speedily disappears; on reaching the age of twenty-five, they are attacked by a precocious decrepitude, which, ten years later, converts into hideous and repulsive beings women who, in their youth, were endowed with great beauty and exquisite grace, of which many european women would be justly proud. atoyac's wife was named huitlotl, or the pigeon. she was a gentle and simple creature, who, having herself suffered much, was instinctively urged to sympathize with the sufferings of others. hence, in spite of the law which forbade the introduction of strangers into the palace of the virgins of the sun, the high priest took on himself to let the pigeon enter the presence of the maidens. a person must have been a prisoner himself among individuals whose language he does not understand, in order to imagine the satisfaction which the prisoners must have felt on at length receiving a visit from somebody who could converse with them, and help them to subdue the utter weariness in which they passed their time. the indian was hence accosted as a friend, and her presence regarded as a most agreeable interlude. in the second interview, however, the spaniards guessed with what an interested design these visits were permitted, and then a real tyranny succeeded on the short joyous conversation of the first day. it was a permanent punishment to the maidens. as spaniards, and attached to the religion of their fathers, they could not fulfil the high priest's hopes, while the indian woman, incapable of playing the false and roguish part to which she was condemned, did not hide from them that, in spite of the honied words and insinuating manner of the amanani, they must expect to suffer the most frightful tortures, if they refused to devote themselves to the worship of the sun. the prospect was far from being reassuring. the maidens knew the indians to be capable of putting their odious threats in execution without the slightest remorse; hence, while promising in their hearts to remain staunch in the faith of their fathers, the poor creatures were devoured by mortal alarm. time passed away, and the high priest began to grow impatient at the slowness of the conversion. the little hope the two maidens had kept up of escaping from the sacrifice demanded of them was gradually deserting them. this painful situation, which was further aggravated by the absence of all news from without, at length produced an illness whose progress was so rapid, that the high priest considered it prudent to suspend the execution of his ardent project of proselytism. let us leave the wretched prisoners for a few moments, almost felicitating themselves on the change that had taken place in their health, as it for a time at least almost freed them from the odious presence to which they were exposed, and take up the course of events which happened to other persons who figure in this story. so soon as don estevan found himself at liberty, he dug his spurs into the flanks of brighteye's horse, and began a furious race across the forest, whose evident object was to remove him as speedily as possible from the clearing which had all but proved so fearfully fatal to him. a prey to a mad terror which every moment that passed doubled, the wretched man galloped haphazard, without object or idea, following no direction, but flying straight before him, pursued by the hideous phantom of the death which, for an hour that was as long as an age, had bent over his shoulders, and had already stretched forth its skeleton hand to seize him, when a miraculous accident sent a liberator. don estevan, in proportion as lucidity re-entered his brain, and calmness sprung up again in his thoughts, became once more the man he had ever been; that is to say, the implacable villain so justly condemned and executed by lynch law. instead of recognising in his deliverance the omnipotent finger of providence wishing thus to show him the path of repentance, he only saw a naturally accidental fact, and entertained but one thought--that of avenging himself on the men who prostrated him and set their feet on his chest. no one could say how many hours he thus galloped in the darkness, revolving schemes of vengeance, and casting ironical looks of defiance at heaven. the whole night was passed in this mad race, and sunrise surprised him at a long distance from the spot where he had undergone his sentence. he stopped for a moment in order to restore a little connection in his ideas and look around him. the trees, rather scattered at the spot where he halted, enabled him to see between their trunks a plain in front of him, terminating in the distance in tall mountains, whose blue-grey summits mingled in the horizon with the sky: a rather wide river flowed silently between two scarped banks, denuded of vegetation. don estevan gave a sigh of relief. supposing, as was not at all probable, that anyone had started in pursuit, the rapidity of his flight, and the innumerable turns he had taken, must have completely hidden his trail. he advanced slowly to the edge of the forest, resolved to stop for an hour or two to rest his panting steed, and himself take that repose so absolutely necessary after so much fatigue and agony. so soon as he reached the first trees of the wood, he stopped again. assured himself by a glance round that no human being was in the vicinity, and reassured by the calmness and silence that reigned around him, he dismounted, unsaddled and hobbled his horse, and, lying down on the ground, he began reflecting. his position was far from agreeable. he was alone, almost unarmed, in a strange country, compelled to fly from men of his own colour, and obliged to depend on himself alone to face all the events which might occur, and the dangers that surrounded him on every side. assuredly, a man more resolute than was don estevan, and gifted by nature with a more powerful organization than he possessed, would, in his place, have felt greatly embarrassed, and would have given way, if not to despair, at least to discouragement. the mexican, overcome by the atrocious emotions and extraordinary fatigue he had endured during the fatal night which had just passed, fell involuntarily into such a state of prostration and insensibility, that gradually external objects disappeared from his sight, and he only existed in his mind, that ever-shining beacon in the human brain, and which god in his infinite goodness allows to shine there in the darkest gloom, in order to restore to the creature, in extreme situations, the feeling of his strength and the will to struggle. for a long time don estevan had been seated, with his elbow on his knee and his head on his hand, looking without seeing, listening without hearing, when he suddenly started, and drew himself up sharply. a hand had been gently laid on his shoulder. slight as the touch was, it was enough to arouse the mexican, and restore him to a sense of his present situation. he looked up: two men, two indians, were by his side; they were addick and red wolf. a gleam of joy shone in don estevan's eye: these two men, he had a presentiment, were two allies. he wanted them without hoping ever to meet them. in fact, in the desert, who can be certain of meeting those he seeks? addick fixed a sardonic glance on him. "och!" he said, "my pale brother sleeps with his eyes open; his fatigue, it seems, is great." "yes," don estevan answered. there was a moment of silence. "i did not hope to find my brother again so soon, and in such an agreeable position," the indian continued. "ah!" don estevan said again. "yes, aided by my brother red wolf and his warriors, i had set out to bring help, if it were possible, to the paleface." the mexican looked at him suspiciously. "thanks," he at length said, with piercing irony; "i required help from nobody." "all the better--that does not astonish me: my brother is a great warrior in his nation; but perhaps the help now useless to him will be of service to him later." "listen, redskin," don estevan said; "take my advice, let us not deal in repartees, but be frank towards each other. you know a great deal more of my affairs than i should have wished anyone to discover. how you learned it is of little consequence; still, if i understand you, you have a proposal to make to me, a proposal you doubtless think i shall accept, because of the position in which you find me. make it, then, frankly, briefly, as a man ought to do, and let us come to an end, instead of wasting precious time in idle discourse and useless beating about the bush." addick smiled craftily. "my brother speaks well," he said, in a honied voice; "his wisdom is great. i will be frank with him; he wants me; i will serve him." "_voto a brios!_ that is talking like a man; that pleases me. go on, chief; if the end of your speech resembles the beginning, i do not doubt we shall come to an understanding." "wah! i am convinced of it; but, before sitting down to the council fire, my brother needs to regain his strength, weakened by a long fast and heavy fatigue. red wolf's warriors are encamped close by. let my brother follow me. when he has taken a little nourishment, we will settle our business." "be it so. go on; i follow you," don estevan answered. the three men then went off in the direction of the redskin camp, which was not more than a hundred paces from the spot they left. the indians understand hospitality better than any other people, excepting the arabs--that virtue ignored in cities, where, to the disgrace of civilized peoples, a cold egotism and shameful distrust is substituted for it. don estevan was treated by the indians as well as it was possible for them to do. after he had eaten and drank as much as he wanted, addick returned to the charge. "will my paleface brother hear me at present?" he said. "are his ears open?" "my ears are open, chief. i am listening to you with all the attention of which i am capable." "does my brother wish to avenge himself on his enemies?" "yes," don estevan exclaimed, passionately. "but those enemies are powerful; they are numerous. my brother has already succumbed in the contest he tried to wage with them. a man, when he is alone, is weaker than a child." "that is true," the mexican muttered. "if my brother consents to grant to red wolf and addick what they will ask of him, the red chiefs will help my brother to avenge himself, and ensure him success." a feverish flush covered don estevan's face; a convulsive tremor flew over his limbs. "_voto a brios!_" he muttered, gloomily; "whatever be the condition you lay down, i accept it, if you serve me as you say." "my brother must not pledge himself lightly," the indian retorted, with a grin. "he does not know the condition yet; perhaps he will regret having been so hasty." "i repeat to you," don estevan repeated firmly, "that i accept the condition, whatever it be. let me know it, then, without further delay." the cautious indian hesitated, or appeared to hesitate, for two or three minutes, which seemed an age to the mexican. at length he went on, in a perfidiously gentle voice. "i know where the two palefaced maidens are whom my brother seeks in vain." don estevan, at these words, bounded as if he had been stung by a serpent. "you know it!" he shouted, as he squeezed his arm violently, and looked fixedly at him. "i know it," addick answered, still with perfect calmness. "it is not possible." the indian smiled contemptuously. "it was under my guardianship," he said, "and guided by me, that they reached their present abode." "and you can lead me to it?" "i can." "on the instant?" "yes, if you accept my conditions." "that is true; tell me them." "which does my brother prefer, these young girls, or vengeance?" "vengeance!" "good; the young pale girls will remain where they are. addick and red wolf are alone; their cabins are desolate; they each need a wife. the warriors hunt; the cihuatls prepare the food, and nurse the papooses. does my brother understand me?" these words were pronounced with so strange an intonation, that the mexican shuddered involuntarily, but he recovered almost immediately. "and if i accept?" he said. "red wolf has two hundred warriors. they are at my brother's service, to aid him in accomplishing his vengeance." don estevan let his head fall in his hands. for a few moments he remained motionless. this man, who had so coolly resolved on his niece's death, hesitated at the odious proposition now made him. this condition seemed to him more horrible than death. the indians waited, apparently apathetic witnesses of the contest that was going on in the heart of the man they wished to seduce. they watched this conflict of good and evil inclinations, coldly calculating the chances of success offered them by the evil instincts of the wretch they held beneath their eye. however, the struggle was not long. don estevan raised his head, and said, with a calm voice, cold face, and no sign of emotion,--"well, be it so, the die is cast. i accept, and will keep my word; but first keep yours." "we will keep it," the indians answered. "before the eighth sun," addick added, "my brother's enemies will be in his power; he will deal with them as he thinks proper." "and now, what must i do?" don estevan asked. "here is our plan," addick replied. the three men then discussed the plan of campaign they intended to follow, in order to gain the object they proposed. but, as we shall soon see it work out, we will leave it, to return to our other characters. [1] cherished one of my heart. chapter xxvi. a hunt on the prairie. the persons collected in don miguel's tent could not repress a movement of surprise, almost of terror, at the sudden appearance of brighteye, pale, bleeding, and with disordered garments. the hunter had stopped in the entrance of the tent, tottering, and looking around with haggard eyes, while his face gradually assumed an expression of sorrow and profound discouragement. all these men, accustomed to the incessantly changing life of the desert, whose courage, incessantly put to the rudest trials, was surprised at nothing, felt themselves, however, shudder, and a foreboding of misfortune. brighteye still remained motionless and dumb. don miguel was the first to recall his presence of mind, and succeeded in regaining sufficient mastery over himself to address the newcomer. "what is the matter, brighteye?" he asked him in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm; "of what sad news are you the bearer?" the canadian passed his hand several times over his damp forehead, and, after casting a last suspicious glance around him, he at length found courage to reply in a low and inarticulate voice--"i have terrible news to announce." the adventurer's heart beat audibly; still, he mastered his emotion, and said in a calm voice, with a sigh of resignation--"it will be welcome, for we can hear nothing from you which is not so. speak, then, my friend, we are listening to you." brighteye hesitated, a feverish flush mounted over his face; but, making a supreme effort, he said, "i have betrayed you--betrayed you like a coward." "you!" they all exclaimed, unanimously, in denial, and shrugging their shoulders. "yes, i!" these two words were uttered in the tone of a man whose resolution is definitely formed, and who loyally accepts the responsibility of an act which he recognises in his heart as culpable. his hearers regarded him in stupor. "hum!" marksman muttered, shaking his head sorrowfully; "there is something incomprehensible in all this. leave it to me to find it out," he continued, addressing don miguel, who seemed preparing to address fresh questions to the hunter. "i know how to make him speak." the adventurer consented with a mute sign, and then fell back on his bed, while bending an interrogatory glance on the canadian. marksman quitted the spot he had hitherto occupied, and walking up to brighteye, laid his hand on his shoulder. the canadian quivered at this friendly touch, and looked sorrowfully at the old hunter. "by jove!" the latter said, with a smile, "deuce take me if our ears were not tingling just now! come, brighteye, old comrade, what is the matter? why this terrified look, as if the sky was on the point of falling on our heads! what means this pretended treachery of which you accuse yourself, and whose flagrant impossibility i guarantee; i, who have known you these forty years?" "do not pledge yourself so for me, brother," brighteye answered, in a hollow voice; "i have broken the law of the prairies. i have betrayed you, i tell you." "but, in the devil's name, explain yourself! you cannot have bargained to our injury with those apache dogs, our enemies? such a supposition would be ridiculous." "i have done worse." "oh! oh! what, then?" "i have--" brighteye hesitated. "what?" don mariano suddenly interposed. "silence!" he said, in a firm voice, "i guess what you have done, and thank you for it. to me it belongs to justify you in the sight of our friends, so let me do so." all eyes were curiously turned on the gentleman. "caballeros," he continued, "this worthy man accuses himself of treachery towards you, because he consented to do me an immense service. in a word, he has saved my brother." "can it be possible?" don miguel passionately exclaimed. brighteye bowed in affirmation. "oh!" the adventurer said, "wretched man, what have you done?" "i would not be a fratricide," don mariano nobly answered. this word burst like a bombshell amid these lion-hearted men. they let their heads sink instinctively, and quivered involuntarily. "do not reproach this honest hunter," don mariano continued, "with having saved that wretch. has he not been sufficiently punished? the lesson has been too rude for him not to profit by it. forced to allow his defeat, bowed beneath shame and remorse, he is now wandering alone and without help beneath the omnipotent eye of god, who, when his hour arrives, will inflict on him the chastisement for his crimes. now, don estevan is no longer an object of alarm to us; we shall never meet him again on our path." "stop!" brighteye shouted, vehemently; "were it as you state, i should not reproach myself so greatly for having consented to obey you. no, no, don mariano, i ought to have refused. when the serpent is dead, the venom is dead also! do you know what this man did? so soon as he was free, thanks to me, immediately forgetting that i was his saviour, he treacherously tried to deprive me of the life i had just restored him. look at the gaping wound on my skull," he added, suddenly raising the bandage that surrounded his head, "here is the proof of his gratitude he left me on separating from me." all present uttered an exclamation of horror. brighteye then narrated, in their fullest detail, the events which had occurred. the hunters listened attentively. when his story was ended, there was a moment of silence. "what is to be done?" don miguel muttered, sorrowfully. "all must be begun afresh. there is no lack of villains on the prairie with whom this man can come to an understanding." don mariano, overwhelmed by what he had just heard, remained gloomy and silent, taking no part in the discussion, recognizing in his heart the fault he had committed, but not feeling the courage to avow it, and thus assume the immense responsibility of the sentence passed by the wood rangers. "we must come to an end of this," marksman said, "moments are precious. who knows what that villain is doing while we are consulting? let us raise the camp as speedily as possible, and proceed to those maidens, for they must be saved in the first place. as for ourselves, we shall be able to foil the scoundrel's machinations, when aimed directly at ourselves." "yes," don miguel exclaimed, "let us start. heaven grant that we arrive in time." and forgetting his weakness and wounds, the adventurer rose boldly. brighteye stopped him. the old hunter, freed from the burthen that weighed so heavily on his conscience, had regained all his boldness and freedom of mind. "permit me," he said, "to have to deal with a powerful foe. let us not act lightly, or let ourselves be deceived this time. hear what i propose." "speak," don leo answered. "from what i know of this unhappy story, you, don miguel, aided by my old companion, marksman, have hidden these young girls in a place where you suppose them safe from the attack of your enemy." "yes," the adventurer answered, "except by treachery." "we must always suspect treachery as possible in the desert," the hunter went on, roughly; "you have a proof of it before you; hence redouble your prudence. don miguel and his cuadrilla will, guided by us, set out immediately in pursuit of don stefano. believe me, the most important thing for us is to secure the person of our enemy, and, by heavens, i swear to do all humanly possible to catch him. i have a terrible account to settle with him now," he added, with an expression of concentrated hatred which no one misunderstood. "but the young ladies?" don leo exclaimed. "patience! don miguel; if you possessed as much strength as good will, i should have reserved for you the honour of going to seek them in the asylum you so judiciously selected for them; but that task will be too rude for you; leave to marksman, then, the care of carrying it out, and be assured he will give you a good account of it." don leo de torres remained for a moment gloomy and thoughtful. marksman took his hand, and pressed it warmly. "brighteye's advice is good," he said; "under the present circumstances, it is the only plan we can follow; we must play a game of trickery with our adversaries, in order to foil their villainy. leave that to me; i have not been christened 'the scout' in vain. i swear to you, on my life, that i will bring the two maidens back to you." the adventurer breathed a sigh. "do as you think proper," he said, in a sorrowful voice, "as i am quite powerless." "good, don leo!" don mariano exclaimed; "i perceive that your intentions are truly honourable, and i thank you for your self-denial. as for you, my worthy friend," he said, turning to marksman, "though i am old, and but little accustomed to desert life, i will accompany you." "your desire is just, seã±or, and i have no right to oppose it, as it is your daughter i am going to try and save; the fatigue you will endure, and the perils you incur during this expedition, will add to the happiness you experience in embracing your daughter, when i have succeeded in restoring her to you." "now," brighteye said, "do you, marksman, who know the direction you are about to follow, give us a place of meeting, where we can assemble again when each of us has accomplished his allotted task." "that is important," the canadian answered; "it would be even as well if a detachment from don miguel's cuadrilla were to proceed directly to the meeting place we select, in order that, in the event of a mishap, each band can find succour or support there." "fifteen of my most resolute men shall go at once to encamp at the spot you select, marksman," don miguel said, "in order to be ready to go wherever their presence is necessary." "we are carrying on regular warfare; do not forget that; hence we must neglect no precaution. ruperto, who is an old buffalo hunter, will, with your permission, don miguel, take the command of this party, and proceed to amaxtlan."[1] "oh, i know the spot well," ruperto interrupted; "i have often hunted beaver and otter there." "that is all right," marksman continued. "now, whatever happens, we must all be at the appointed place this day month, except through a grave impediment, and, in that case, the detachment missing will send a scout to ruperto, in order to inform him of the cause of its delay. is that agreed?" "yes," his auditors answered. "but," don miguel added, "i suppose that you will not go alone with don mariano?" "no; i shall also take domingo, who, for certain reasons known to myself, i shall not be sorry to have constantly under my hand. don mariano's two servants will also follow me; they are brave and devoted. i need no more people." "they are very few," don leo remarked. the old hunter smiled in a peculiar way. "the less we are, the better it will be," he said, "for the dangerous enterprise we meditate; our little band will pass invisible, where a larger party would be stopped; trust to me for that." "i have one more word to add." "say it." "succeed!" the canadian smiled again, but this time with an expression of tender pity. "i shall succeed," he answered, simply, as he forcibly pressed the hand his friend offered him. the two men understood one another. don leo then left the tent. soon all was bustle in the camp. the gambusinos were busily engaged in destroying the entrenchments, loading the waggons, and saddling the horses; in short, everybody made preparations for a hurried departure. "did you not tell me, marksman," asked brighteye, "that you were picked up by flying eagle?" "yes," the other answered. "did the chief leave you at once, then?" "no; he followed me to the camp, and so did eglantine." "heaven be praised! he will accompany me on my expedition; he is a brave and experienced warrior; his help, i believe, will be very necessary to the success of my plans. where is he?" "a few steps off; let us go and find him, for i have also something to say to him." the two hunters left the camp together. they soon perceived flying eagle, squatting by a fire, and calmly smoking his indian calumet; his wife sat motionless by his side, anxious to satisfy his slightest wish. on seeing the hunters, the chief took the pipe from his mouth, and saluted them courteously. brighteye knew that the comanche had taken several measurements of the footsteps left by don estevan on his flight, and he wished to ask the chief for them, as he hoped to employ them in following his enemy's trail. the indian gave them to him without the slightest hesitation. the hunter placed them carefully in his bosom, with a nod of satisfaction. "eh!" he muttered to himself. "this will enable me to find one end of the trail; with the help of heaven, i hope that i shall soon hold the other." in the meanwhile, marksman had seated himself by flying eagle's side. "does my red brother still intend to return to his tribe?" he asked him. "the sachem has been absent for a long time," the indian answered; "his sons are anxious to see him." "good!" the hunter said; "it should be so. flying eagle is a renowned chief; his sons have need of him." "the comanches are too wise to notice the absence of a warrior." "my brother is modest; but his heart flies toward the village of his fathers." "are not all men the same?" "that is true; the feeling of one's country is innate in the heart of man." "the palefaces are raising their camp." "yes." "are they returning to the side of the great salt lake, into their stone villages?" "no; they are starting for a great buffalo hunt in the prairies, down by the endless river with the golden waves." "wah!" the chief said, with a certain degree of emotion; "then many moons will pass ere i see my brother again." "why so, chief?" "does not the great pale hunter accompany his brothers?" "no!" marksman answered, laconically. "och! my brother must be laughing. what will the palefaces do, if he does not accompany them?" "i am going in the direction of the sun!" the indian started, and fixed a piercing glance on the speaker. "the direction of the sun," he said, as if speaking to himself. "yes," marksman continued; "to the evergreen prairies of the country of acatlan,[2] on the banks of the fair streams of atonatiah."[3] the chief started violently. marksman remained calm, and apparently indifferent, although he attentively followed the various emotions which contracted the chief's features, in spite of the mask he tried to draw over them. "my brother is wrong," he said, presently. "why so?" "my brother is ignorant that this land of which he speaks is sacred. never has the foot of a white man trodden it with impunity." "i know it," the hunter answered, carelessly. "my brother knows it, and persists in going there?" "yes." there was a silence of several moments' duration between the two men, the indian hastily puffing the smoke from his calumet, a prey to an emotion he could not master. at length he spoke again. "every man has his destiny," he said, in that sententious tone peculiar to the indians. "my brother doubtless attaches a great importance to this journey." "an immense importance, chief; i am going to that country, though perfectly aware of the perils that await us, for interests of value, and impelled by a will more powerful than my own." "good! i do not ask my brother's secrets. the heart of a man is his own; he alone must read in it. flying eagle is a powerful sachem; he also follows that road; he will protect his pale brother, if the hunter's intentions are pure." "they are so." "wah! my brother has the word of a chief; i have spoken." after uttering these words, the indian took up his calumet again, and began smoking silently. marksman was too conversant with the indian manners to press him further. he rose, with joy in his heart at having succeeded in obtaining an ally so powerful as the comanche chief, and he went in all haste to make the preparations for departure. for their part, during the conversation we have reported, the gambusinos had not remained inactive. don miguel or don leo, whichever it pleases the reader to call him, had so urged on his men, that everything was ready,--waggons loaded and horsed, and the riders mounted, with rifle on thigh, only awaited the signal for setting out. don miguel selected from his band fifteen old gambusinos, practised in indian tricks, and in whom he believed he could trust. he said a few words to them, explanatory of his intentions, and placed them under ruperto's command, with orders to obey him as they would himself. the gambusinos swore to do so. this duty accomplished, he summoned domingo. the gambusino came up to his chief with that cunningly indolent manner familiar to him, and waited respectfully for his orders. when domingo learned what was expected from him, he was in no way flattered by the confidential commission his chief gave him, especially as he was not at all anxious to be under the immediate supervision of marksman, whose peering glance incessantly occasioned him a nervous tremor, and whose assiduous watchfulness was most disagreeable to him. still, as it was impossible openly to disobey don miguel, the worthy gambusino made up his mind for the worst, making himself a secret promise to keep on his guard, and double his prudence. when don miguel had completed all the duties of a wise and intelligent chief, he mounted his horse, though with difficulty, owing to the weakness occasioned by his wounds. he placed himself at the head of his band, to the right of brighteye, and after giving a parting salutation to don mariano and marksman, he ordered his men to start. the two parties set out immediately, that led by ruperto turning to the left, and proceeding toward the mountains, and brighteye, with his men, temporarily following the course of the rubio. all now left in the deserted camp were marksman, don mariano, flying eagle, eglantine, the two servants, and domingo, who followed with a look of envy his gradually disappearing comrades. the old hunter, for reasons he kept secret, did not wish to set out before sunset. scarcely had that planet disappeared on the horizon, amid floods of vapours, ere the night set in, and the landscape was almost immediately plunged in dense gloom. we have already several times remarked that, in high american latitudes, there is no twilight, or, at least, it is so weak, that night arrives almost without any transition. marksman, since the departure of the two first detachments, had not uttered a syllable, or made a movement; his comrades, doubtless for motives resembling his own, respected their chief's silence; but night had scarcely set in, ere the hunter rose sharply. "start!" he said, in a quick voice. all rose. marksman took an inquiring glance around. "leave the horses," he said; "they are useless to us. we are not going to begin a journey, but a manhunt. we must be unimpeded in our movements, for the trail we shall follow is difficult. juanito, you will remain here with the animals, until you hear from us." the creole made a sign of discontent. "i should have preferred to follow you, and not quit my master," he said. "i understand that, but i want a courageous and resolute man to guard our horses, and i cannot select a better one than you; besides, i trust that you will not remain alone long. still, as we do not know what route we shall have to follow, or what obstacles may arise, build yourself a tent. hunt, do what you think proper, but remember that you must not stir from this place without my orders." "that is agreed, compadre," juanito answered; "you can start when you please. if your journey were to last six months, you will be certain to find me here on your return." "good," marksman said; "i reckon on you." then he whistled his mustang, which ran up at the summons, and laid its intelligent head on its master's shoulder. it was a noble animal, rather tall, with a small head, but its eyes flashed with ardour; its wide chest, its firm and nervous legs, all denoted the blood horse. marksman seized the reata which hung from a ring fixed to the saddle, unfastened it, rolled it round his body, and then, giving the mustang a light tap on the croup, watched it depart with a sigh of regret. the hunter's comrades were provided with their arms and provisions, consisting of pemmican, or buffalo meat, dried and pounded, and maize tortillas. "come, let us start," the canadian said, throwing his rifle over his shoulder. "a pleasant journey, and happy return," juanito said, unable to prevent himself accompanying that adieu by a sigh, in which it could be easily read how vexed he felt at being thus left behind. "thanks," the adventurers answered. so soon as they left the camp, they walked in indian file, that is to say, one behind the other, the second placing his foot exactly in the steps of the first, and the third in those of the second, and so on to the last. the latter, however, as closing the march, was careful to efface, as far as was possible, the traces left by himself and those who preceded him. juanito, after looking after them for some minutes, as they descended the mound, at the top of which the camp was, cautiously returned, and seated himself by the fire. "hum!" he muttered, "i shall not have much fun here, but what must be must be." and with this philosophical reflection, the worthy mexican lit his cigarette, and began smoking peacefully, while following with interest the blue wreaths fantastically entwined by the evening breeze that rose from the smoke of his havanah tobacco, whose perfume he inhaled with all the methodic phlegm of a true indian sagamore. [1] the spot where a river divides into several branches. [2] the country of reeds. [3] sun of the water. chapter xxvii. a hunt on the prairie--(_concluded_). in the new world, when people are travelling in indian regions, and do not desire to be tracked by the redskins, they must be careful to go to the east, if their business lies in the west, and _vice versa;_ in a word, imitate the manoeuvres of a ship, which, if surprised by a contrary wind, is obliged to tack, and thus gradually approaches the point it wishes to reach. marksman was too conversant with the cleverness and craft of the indians not to act in a similar fashion. although the presence of flying eagle was, to a certain point, a guarantee of security, still, not knowing with what indian tribe accident might bring him in contact, marksman resolved not to be discovered by anybody, were that possible. fenimore cooper, the immortal historian of the north american indians, has, in his excellent works, initiated us into the tricks employed by the tuscaroras, mohicans, and hurons, when they wish to foil the researches of their enemies; but, no offence to the numerous admirers of the sagacity of young uncas, a magnificent type of the delaware nation (of which he was not, however, the last hero, for it still exists, though sadly, diminished), the indians of the united states are only children, when compared with the comanches, apaches, pawnees, and other nations of the great western prairies, who may justly be regarded as their masters in every respect. the reason is very simple, and easy of comprehension. the northern tribes never existed in the condition of political powers. each of them governs itself, separately, and, to some extent, according to its fancy. the indians composing them rarely ally themselves with their neighbours, and have, from time immemorial, constantly led a nomadic life. hence they have only possessed the instincts (though highly developed, we grant) of men constantly inhabiting the forests; that is to say, a marvellous agility, a great fineness of hearing, and a miraculous length of sight--qualities, by the way, which may be also found in the arabs, and generally in all wandering tribes, whatever be the nook of earth that shelters them. as for their sagacity and skill, the wild beasts taught them, and they only had the trouble of imitating them. the mexican indians join to the advantages we have mentioned the remains of an advanced civilization--a civilization which, since the conquest, has taken refuge in inaccessible lurking places, but, for all that, no less exists. the families, or tribes, regard themselves as the members of one great whole--the nation. now, the american nations, continually fighting with the spaniards on one side, and the north americans on the other, have felt the necessity of doubling their strength, in order to triumph over the two formidable enemies who incessantly harass them, and their descendants have gradually modified what was injurious in their manners, to appropriate those of their oppressors, and combat them with their own weapons. they have carried these tactics so far--which have hitherto saved them, not only from serfdom, but also from extermination--that they are perfect masters in trickery and cunning; their ideas have grown larger, their intelligence has been developed, and they have ended by surpassing their enemies in craft and diplomacy, if we may employ the expression. and this is so true, that for the last three hundred years the latter have not only failed in subduing, but in preventing their periodical incursions, which the comanches proudly call the _mexican moon_, and during which they destroy everything they come across with impunity. can we really regard as savages these men, who, formerly driven back by the dread of fire arms, and the sight of horses, animals of whose existence they were ignorant, and compelled to conceal themselves in inaccessible ravines, have yet defended their territory inch by inch, and, in certain districts, have actually reconquered a portion of their old estates? better than anyone, we know that there are savages in america, savages in the fullest sense of the term; but they have proved a cheap conquest, and they daily disappear from the earth, for they possess neither the necessary intelligence to understand, nor the energy to defend themselves. these savages to whom we allude, before being subject to the spaniards or anglo-americans, were so to the mexicans, the peruvians, and the araucanos of chili, owing to their intellectual organization, which scarce elevates them above the brutes. we must not confound this race of helots, who are an exception in the genus, with the great untamed nations whose manners, necessarily alluring, we are attempting to portray here; for in spite of the efforts they make to withdraw themselves from its influence, that european civilization they despise rather through the hereditary hatred of their conquerors and the whole race generally, than from any other motive, surrounds, crushes, and invades them on all sides. perhaps, before a hundred years are past, the emancipated indians, who smile with pity at the paltry contests going on between the phantom republic that surrounds them, and the colossal pigmy of the united states which menaces them, will take their rank again in the world, and raise their heads proudly; and that will be just, for they are heroic natures, richly endowed, and capable, under good direction, of undertaking or carrying out great things. in mexico itself, since the period when that country proclaimed its so-called independence, all the eminent men who have risen either in arts, diplomacy, or war, belong to the pure indian race. in support of our statement, we will cite a fact of immense significance:--the best history of southern america, published up to this day, was written by an inca, garcillasso de la vega. is not this conclusive? is it not time to condemn all those systematically absurd theories which insist on representing the red family as a bastard race, incapable of amelioration, and fatally destined to disappear? ending here this digression, which is perhaps, too lengthy, but is indispensable for the due comprehension of the facts that follow, we will take up our narrative again, at the point where we broke it off. after a march of three hours, rendered fatiguing and difficult by the lofty grass, the adventurers reached the skirt of the forest. about midnight, marksman, after allowing his comrades two hours' rest, started again. at sunrise they reached a species of canyon, or narrow gorge, formed by two walls of perpendicular rocks, and were constrained to march for four hours in the bed of a half dried-up torrent, in which their footsteps fortunately left no mark. during several days their journey over abrupt and desolate mountains was effected with great toil, but did not offer any incident worthy of narration. at length they found themselves again in the region of the _tierras calientes_; the verdure reappeared, and the heat became sensible. hence the adventurers, who had suffered extremely from the cold in the lofty regions of the serranã­a, experienced a feeling of marked comfort on inhaling the gentle and perfumed atmosphere, in contemplating the azure sky and dazzling sun which had now taken the place of a grey and leaden sky, and the limited, fog-laden horizon, which they had left behind them. toward the end of the fourth day after leaving the mountains, marksman uttered a shout of satisfaction, on noticing the skirt of the immense virgin forest, toward which he was marching, rise in the distant azure of the prairie. "courage, my friends!" he said; "we shall soon obtain the shadow and freshness lacking here." the adventurers, without replying, hurried their steps, like men who perfectly appreciated the value of the promise made them. night had completely set in, when they reached the banks of a rather high river, whose vicinity the tall grass had concealed from them, although for some minutes they had heard the continued rustling of the water over the pebbles. marksman resolved to wait till the next day, and look for a ford. the party camped, but the fire was prudently not lighted. the adventurers wrapped themselves in their zarapã©s, after taking a scanty meal, and soon fell asleep. marksman alone watched. gradually the moon sunk on the horizon: the stars began to dim and go out in the depths of the sky. the hunter, whose eyes fatigue closed against his will, was about to yield to sleep, when suddenly a strange and unexpected sound made him start. he drew himself up, as if he had received an electric shock, and listened. a slight rustling agitated the reeds that bordered the river, whose calm and motionless waters resembled a long silvery ribbon. there was not a breath of air. the hunter laid his hand on flying eagle's shoulder; the latter opened his eyes, and gazed at him. "the indians," marksman muttered in the chief's ear. then, crawling on his hands and knees, he glided down the slope, and entered the water. then he looked around him. the moon shed sufficient light to let him survey the country for a long distance, but, in spite of the attention he devoted, he could see nothing. all was calm; but he waited with eye fixed, and ear on the watch. half an hour passed, and the sound which had aroused him was not repeated. however closely he listened, no sound arose to disturb the silence of night. still marksman felt certain he was not mistaken. in the desert all sounds have a cause, a reason; the hunters know them, and can distinguish them, being never deceived as to their nature. the hunter was immersed, however, in the water up to his waist belt. in america, if the heat of the day is stifling, the nights, to make up for it, are excessively fresh, and marksman felt an icy coldness invading his whole body. tired of waiting, and believing that he was deceived, he was at length preparing to return to the bank, when, at the moment he was preparing to carry out his design, a hard body struck his chest. he looked down, and instinctively thrust out his hands. he stifled a cry of surprise; what had touched him was the side of a canoe, gliding noiselessly through the reeds, which it parted in its passage. this canoe, like all the indian boats in these parts, was made of birch bark, detached from the tree by means of boiling water. marksman examined the canoe, which seemed to be moving without the assistance of any human being, and rather drifting with the current than proceeding in a straight line. still one thing astonished the canadian: the canoe was moving without the slightest oscillation. evidently an invisible being, probably an indian, was directing it, but where was he? was he alone? this it was impossible to guess. the canadian's anxiety was extreme; he did not dare make the slightest move, through fear of imprudently revealing his presence. and yet the canoe was moving on. resolved to know how it was, marksman gently drew his knife, and, holding his breath, bent down in the river, and only let the top of his face emerge from the water. what he expected happened: in a moment he saw the eyes of an indian, who was swimming behind the canoe, and pushing it with his arm, sparkle in the gloom like two live coals. the redskin held his face on a level with the water, and was looking searchingly around him. the canadian recognized an apache. suddenly the stranger's eyes were fixed on the hunter. the latter; judged that the time had arrived, and bounding with the suppleness and speed of a jaguar, he seized his enemy by the throat; giving him no time to utter a cry of alarm, he buried his knife in his heart. the apache's face turned black; his eyes were dilated; he struck the water for a moment with his legs and arms; but soon his limbs stiffened, a convulsion passed over his body, and the current bore him away, leaving behind a slight reddish trace. he was dead. the canadian, without the loss of a moment, clambered into the canoe, and, holding on to the reeds, looked across to the spot where he had left his comrades. the latter, warned by flying eagle, had cautiously come up, bringing with them the rifle left by the hunter on the bank. so soon as they were together again, they freed the canoe from the reeds that barred its passage, and, by marksman's advice, after embarking, and turning the canoe into the current, they lay down in the bottom. for some time they had been gliding along gently, believing themselves hidden from the invisible enemies they supposed to be concealed around them, when suddenly a terrible clamour broke out, like a thunderclap. the body of the apache killed by marksman, after following the current for some distance, had stopped in some grass and dead leaves, exactly opposite an indian camp, near which the adventurers had passed a few hours previously, not suspecting its presence. at the sight of their brother's corpse, the redskins uttered the formidable howl of grief we mentioned, and rushed tumultuously toward the bank, pointing to the canoe. marksman, seeing himself discovered, seized the paddles, and, aided by flying eagle and domingo, he was in a few minutes out of range. the apaches, furious at this flight, and not knowing with whom they had to deal, overwhelmed their enemies with all the insults the indian tongue could supply, calling them hares, ducks, dogs, owls, and other epithets, borrowed from the nomenclature of the animals they hate or despise. the hunter and his companions did not trouble themselves about these impotent insults; they began paddling vigorously, which soon restored the circulation in their limbs. the indians then changed their tactics; several long-barbed arrows were shot at the canoe, and several shots were even discharged; but the distance was too great, and the water was only dashed up by the bullets. thus the night passed. the adventurers paddled eagerly; for they had noticed that the river, owing to its countless bends, was visibly drawing nearer to the forest they had so much interest in reaching. still, believing that they no longer had anything to fear from their enemies, they laid down the paddles for a few moments, to rest, and take a little food. the day rose while they were thus engaged, and a magnificent landscape was unfolded before the dazzled eyes of the adventurers. "oh!" flying eagle exclaimed, with an expression of surprise. "what is the matter?" marksman answered at once, who understood that the chief had noticed something out of the common. "look!" the comanche said, emphatically, holding his arm out in the direction they had come during the night. "_virtudieu!_" the canadian shouted. "two canoes in pursuit of us. oh, oh! we must make a fight of it." "_cuerpo del cristo!_" domingo said, in his turn, with a bound, which almost upset the frail boat. "what is the matter now?" "look!" "a thousand demons!" the hunter exclaimed. "we are beset." in fact, two canoes were rapidly coming up in the rear of the adventurers, while two others, starting from, the opposite sides of the river, were pulling ahead of them, with the evident intention of barring their passage, and cutting off their retreat. "_voto a dios!_ these redskins want to make us dance a singular _jaleo_" domingo muttered. "what do you say, old hunter?" "good, good!" marksman replied gaily; "we'll find the music. attention, comrades, and redouble your energy." at a sign from him, all the men took up paddles, and gave such an impetus to their canoe, that it seemed to fly over the water. the situation was becoming critical for the whites. marksman, upright, and leaning on his rifle, coldly calculated the chances of this inevitable rencontre. he did not fear the boats in pursuit, for they were at too great a distance behind, to hope to catch him; all his attention was concentrated on those in front, between which he must pass. each stroke of the paddle diminished the distance which separated the white men from the redskins. the hostile canoes, as far as could be judged from a distance, seemed overloaded, and only advanced with some difficulty. marksman had judged the situation with an infallible glance, and formed one of those daring resolutions, to which he owed the reputation he enjoyed, and which resolution could alone save him and his friends, in these critical circumstances. chapter xxviii. red skins and white. marksman, as we have said, had formed a final resolution. instead of trying to escape by passing between the two canoes, which would have entailed a risk of being run down, he turned slightly to the left, and paddled straight toward the canoe nearest his own. the indians, who did not at first comprehend the meaning of this manoeuvre, greeted him with shouts of joy and triumph. the adventurers kept silence, but they redoubled their efforts, and continued to advance. a sarcastic smile played round the lips of the canadian hunter. as his canoe drew nearer to that of the apaches, he noticed that the left bank of the river was indented, and at this moment perceived that this was caused by an islet very near the land, but leaving a sufficient passage for his boat, which would thus avoid a bend again on the pursuing foe. the main point was in reaching the point of the islet before the indians in the first canoe did so. the latter had at length begun to suspect, if they did not completely guess, the intentions of their intrepid adversary; hence they, for their part, changed their tactics, and altered their steering. instead of going to meet the whites, as they had done up to this moment, they suddenly tacked, and paddled vigorously in the direction of the island. marksman understood that he must stop their progress at all risks. till then, not a shot or an arrow had been fired on either side. the apaches were so persuaded that they would succeed in capturing the adventurers, that they thought it useless to proceed to those extremities. the whites, on their part, who also felt the necessity of saving their powder in a hostile country, where it would be impossible to renew their stock, had hitherto imitated them through prudence, however much they might have desired to come to blows. still, the indian canoe was now not more than fifty yards from the isle. the hunter, after taking a final glance around, bent down to his comrades, and said a few words in a low voice. they immediately laid down their paddles, and, seizing their rifles, rested them on the gunwales of the boat, after putting in a second bullet. marksman had done the same. "are you ready?" he asked, a moment after. "yes!" the adventurers answered. "fire, then, and aim low." the five shots sounded like one. "now to your paddles, and quick!" the hunter said, giving the example, as usual. eight arms took up the paddles again, and the light canoe began bounding once more over the water. the hunter alone reloaded his rifle, and waited on his knee, ready to fire. the effect of the volley was soon visible,--the five shots, all aimed at the same spot, had opened an enormous breach in the side of the indian boat, just on a level with the water line. cries of terror and pain rose from the group of apaches, who leapt into the water one after the other, swimming in every direction. as for the canoe, left to itself, it floated a little way, gradually filled with water, and at length sunk. the adventurers, believing themselves freed from their enemies, relaxed their efforts for a moment. suddenly, flying eagle raised his paddle, while marksman clubbed his rifle. two apaches, with athletic limbs and ferocious glances, were trying to fasten on the canoe and upset it. but they soon fell back with fractured skulls, and floated down the stream. a few moments later the hunters reached the passage. several apaches, however, had managed to swim to the island: so soon as they emerged from the water, they set out in pursuit of the whites, running along the bank; for want of better instruments, they hurled stones at them, for they could not use their damp rifles, and they had lost their bows and arrows through their sudden plunge in the river. though the weapons employed by the apaches for the moment were so primitive, marksman recommended his companions to redouble their efforts, in order to escape as soon as possible from these immense projectiles, which, from behind every tuft of grass and elevation of the ground, fell sharp as hail round the canoe,--for the redskins, according to their habit, took care not to let themselves be seen, through fear of bullets. still, this situation was growing unbearable, and they must emerge from it. the hunter, who was eagerly watching an opportunity to give his obstinate foes a severe lesson, at length fancied he had found it. he saw, a few yards from him, a tuft of floripondios moving slightly; quickly shouldering his rifle, he aimed, and pulled the trigger. a terrible yell burst from the medley of floripondios, canaverales, creepers, and aquatic plants which formed this hedge, and an apache, bounding like a wounded tiger, rushed forward with the intention of seeking shelter behind the tree that grew a short distance from him in the centre of the islet. marksman, who had reloaded his rifle, pointed it at the fugitive, but raised it again directly. the apache fell on the ground, and was rolling in the last convulsions. at the same instant a dozen indians rushed from behind the shrubs, raised the corpse in their arms, and disappeared with the speed of a legion of phantoms. a sudden calm, an extraordinary tranquillity, succeeded the extreme agitation and irregular cries which had aroused the echoes a few moments previously. "poor wretch!" marksman muttered, as he laid his rifle again in the bottom of the canoe, and seized a pair of paddles; "i am vexed at what has happened to him. i believe they have enough; now that they know the range of my rifle, they will leave us in peace." the hunter had calculated correctly: in truth, the redskins gave no further signs of life. what we say here must not in any way surprise the reader: every indian understands honour in its own fashion. the indians hold it as a principle never to expose themselves uselessly to any danger. with them success alone can justify their actions; hence, when they no longer consider themselves the stronger, they renounce, without shame, projects they have conceived and prepared for many weeks. the adventurers at length doubled the point of the island. the second canoe was already a very long way behind them, as for those they had just perceived behind them, they only looked like dots on the horizon. when the redskins in the second canoe saw that the adventurers had gained a start which it was impossible for them to pick up, and that they were escaping, they made a general discharge of their weapons,--a powerless demonstration, which injured nobody, for the bullets and arrows fell a considerable distance short of the white men; then they turned back to join their comrades, who had sought shelter on the island. marksman and his companions were saved. after paddling for about an hour longer, in order to place sufficient distance between themselves and their enemies they took a moment's rest, and washed the contusions they had received from several stones that had struck them with fresh water. in the ardour of the engagement, they had not noticed the blows, but now that the danger was past, they were beginning to suffer from them. the forest which, in the morning, owing to the constant meanderings of the river, was so far from them, was now much nearer, and they hoped to reach it before night, after a short interruption. they, therefore, took to their paddles again with renewed ardour, and continued their voyage. at sunset, the canoe disappeared beneath an immense dome of foliage belonging to the virgin forest, which the river crossed at an angle. so soon as the darkness began to fall, the desert woke up, and the howling of wild beasts proceeding to the watering places were heard hoarsely echoing in the unexplored depths of the forest. marksman did not consider it prudent at this hour to enter a strange country, which doubtless contained dangers of every description. consequently, after pulling for some time, to find a suitable landing place, the hunter gave the order to pull into a point of rock, which jutted out in the water, and formed a species of promontory, on which it was easy to land. so soon as he stepped ashore, the canadian walked round the rock, in order to look at the vicinity, and know in what part of the forest they were. this time chance had served them better than they could have dared to hope. after removing, with great pains and minute precautions, the creepers and brambles that choked the path, the hunter suddenly found himself at the entrance of a natural path, probably formed by one of those volcanic convulsions so frequent in this country. on seeing it, he stopped, and lighting an _ocote_ branch, with which he had been careful to provide himself, he boldly, entered the grotto, followed by his companions. the sudden appearance of the light startled a swarm of night birds and bats, which began flying heavily, and escaping in every direction. marksman continued his progress, not troubling himself about these gloomy hosts, whose lugubrious sports he interrupted so unexpectedly. this grotto was high, spacious, and airy. it was, under the present circumstances, a precious discovery for the adventurers; for it offered them an almost secure shelter for the night against the researches of the apaches, who assuredly had not given up the pursuit. the adventurers, after exploring the cavern on all sides, and assuring themselves that it had two exits, which secured the means of flight, if they were attacked by too numerous enemies, returned to their boat, drew it from the water, and carried it on their shoulders to the extremity of the grotto. then, with that patience of which indians and wood rangers are alone capable, they effaced the least traces, the slightest imprints, which might have allowed their place of debarkation to be discovered, or the retreat they had chosen guessed. the bent blades of grass were raised, the creepers and brambles they had moved drawn together, and after the task was accomplished, no one could have suspected that several persons had passed through them. after this, collecting an ample stock of dead wood and _ocote_ branches, for torches, they reentered the grotto, with the manifest intention of at last taking a little of that rest they needed so greatly. all these preparations took time; hence, the night was already far advanced when the adventurers, after swallowing a hasty meal, at length wrapped themselves in their zarapã©s, and lay down, with their feet to the fire, and their rifles in their hands. nothing disturbed their sleep, which was continuing when the first sunbeams purpled the horizon with their joyous tints. it was marksman who aroused his companions. flying eagle was not in the grotto. this absence in no way alarmed the hunter; he was too well acquainted with the comanche sachem to fear any treachery on his part. "up!" he cried to the sleepers. "the sun has risen; we have rested enough; it is time to think of our business." in an instant all were afoot. the hunter was not mistaken: the fire was scarce kindled, ere flying eagle made his appearance. the chief bore on his shoulders a magnificent elk, which he threw silently on the ground, and then seated himself by eglantine's side. "on my word, chief," marksman said, gaily, "you are a man of precaution; your hunt is welcome; our provisions were beginning to diminish furiously." the comanche smiled with pleasure at this remark, but he made no other reply: like all his fellows, the indian only spoke when it was absolutely necessary. at a sign from the canadian, domingo, who was a first-rate hunter, immediately set to work breaking up the elk. the pemmican, queso, and indian corn remained in the adventurer's alforjas, thanks to the succulent steaks cut adroitly from the animal by domingo, and which, roasted on the ashes, procured them a delicious breakfast; the festival was crowned with a few drops of pulque, from which the two comanches abstained, according to the custom of their nation. pipes and cigarettes were then lighted, and each began smoking silently. marksman reflected on the steps he must take, while domingo and bermudez prepared everything for departure; at length, he decided on speaking. "caballeros," he said, "we have arrived at the spot where our journey really commences; it is time for me to tell you where we are going. so soon as we have crossed this forest, which will not take long, we shall have before us an immense plain, in the midst of which stands a city; this city is called by the indians quiepaa tani; it is one of those mysterious cities in which, since the conquest, the mexican civilization of the incas has taken refuge; to that city we are proceeding, for the maidens we wish to save have sought shelter there. that city is sacred; woe to the european or white man who is discovered in its vicinity! i confess to you that the perils we have hitherto incurred are as nothing to be compared with those that probably await us, ere we gain the end we have proposed to ourselves. it is impossible for all of us to dream of entering that city; the attempt would be madness, and only result in our being massacred for no good. on the other hand, we might find it necessary to meet there those devoted companions, who, in the hour of danger, would come to our aid. i have, therefore, resolved on this: bermudez will proceed to the spot where we left juanito; then both, leading the horses with them, will join brighteye's and ruperto's detachments at the agreed on spot, and guide them here. what is your opinion, caballeros? do you approve my plan?" "in every point," don mariano answered, with a bow. "and you, chief?" "my brother is prudent; what he does is well." "what? i am going to leave you!" poor bermudez muttered, addressing his master. "it must be, my friend," the latter answered; "but not for long, i hope." "try to remember the road we have followed, so as not to make a mistake in returning," the hunter remarked. "i will try." "eh, old hunter?" domingo said with a grin. "why the deuce do you not send me, who am a wood ranger, and have the desert at my fingers' ends, instead of this poor man, who, i feel sure, will leave his bones on the way?" marksman gave the gambusino a piercing glance, which made him blush and look down. "because," he answered, laying a stress on each word, "friend domingo, i feel such a powerful inclination toward you, that i cannot consent to let you out of my sight for a moment! you understand me, i suppose?" "perfectly, perfectly," the gambusino stammered; "you need not get in a passion, old hunter. i will stay. what i said was in your behalf; that was all." "i appreciate your offer, as it deserves," the canadian answered, sarcastically; "so let us say no more about it." then he continued, addressing bermudez, "as we may possibly soon require help, try, on your return, to take a shorter and more direct road. you hear?" "and understand; be at rest. i am too satisfied of the recommendations you give me, to neglect them." "a last word. i have told you that it was absolutely necessary, for the success of the difficult expedition we are attempting, that we should find here, in case of need, a strong detachment of resolute men; warn ruperto to be doubly prudent, and avoid, as far as possible, any meeting, and, of course, any quarrel with the indians." "i will tell him." "now put the canoe in the water; and good luck." "heaven grant you may succeed in saving my poor niã±a," the old servant said, with an emotion he could not overcome. "i would joyfully give my life for her." "go in peace, my friend," marksman answered, affectionately. "you have already sacrificed much." the adventurers then left the grotto, not without first looking round to see there was no danger. a profound silence prevailed beneath the impenetrable forest covert. they then raised on their shoulders the canoe, in which they had placed provisions for the comrade who was about to leave them, and it soon floated lightly on the water. bermudez took his parting farewell, and then turning away, with an effort, leaped into the canoe, seized the paddles, and went off. "we shall meet again soon," don mariano said, with emotion. "soon, if heaven decree it!" bermudez answered. "amen!" the adventurers piously murmured. marksman followed, for a long time, the course of the canoe, and then turned hastily to his comrades. "his is a devoted heart," he muttered, as if speaking to himself. "will he get there?" "god will protect him!" don mariano answered. "that is true," the hunter said, passing his hand over his forehead. "i am mad, on my word, to have such thoughts, and, what is more, ungrateful to providence, which has hitherto watched over us with such, solicitude." "well spoken, my friend," don mariano remarked. "i feel a presentiment that we shall succeed." "well, would you have me speak frankly to you?" the hunter said, gaily. "i feel the same presentiment; so forwards!" flying eagle at this moment laid his hand on the hunter's shoulder. "before starting, i should like to hold a council with my brother," he said; "the case is grave." "you are right, chief; let us return to the grotto; our movements must be combined with the utmost prudence, so that when the moment arrives, we may not commit an irreparable mistake which would hopelessly compromise the success of our expedition." the comanche made a sign of assent, and preceding his friends, returned to the cavern. the fire was not yet completely out, but smouldered in the ashes; in a second it blazed up again, and the four men seated themselves gravely round it. the chief then took his calumet from his girdle, filled it with sacred tobacco, lit it, and after slowly drawing two or three mouthfuls of smoke, passed it to marksman. the calumet then passed round, without a word being uttered, until the tobacco contained in the bowl was consumed. when nothing remained but the ash, the chief shook it out in the fire, returned the calumet to his girdle, and addressed marksman. "a chief would speak," he said. "my brother can speak," the hunter answered, with a bow: "our ears are open." the sachem, after making his wife a sign to retire out of range of voice, which, according to the indian custom, eglantine did immediately, bowed reverently to the members of the council, spoke, as follows. chapter xxix. the council. flying eagle, since the commencement of the expedition, in which he had consented to take a share, had constantly played a passive part, accepting, without discussion, the combinations proposed by marksman, executing frankly and faithfully the orders he received from the hunter; in a word, entirely performing the part of a warrior subordinate to a chief whose duty it is to think for him: hence the new attitude suddenly assumed by the sachem filled the canadian with surprise, for he had no notion on what subject the debate was about to turn, and he feared in his heart lest, in the critical situation he was in at the moment, the comanche intended to leave him to his own resources, or, perhaps, raise obstacles to the execution of his plans. hence he impatiently awaited the explanation of his ally's strange conduct. the chief, still apathetic, rose, and bowing once again, began to speak:--"palefaces, my brothers," he said, in his guttural and sympathetic voice, "for more than a moon we have been together on the same path, sharing the same fatigue, sleeping side by side, eating the produce of the same chase; but the chief you admitted to share your labour and perils has not, till this day, been allowed to advance so far in your confidence as a friend should do. your heart has even remained to him closed and covered with a thick cloud. your projects are as unknown to him as on the first day. the words your chest breathes are and remain to him inexplicable riddles. is this right? is it just? no! why did you summon me? why did you beg me to accompany you, if i am ever to remain a stranger to you? up to the present i have shut up in my heart the bitterness which your suspicious conduct caused me. not a complaint rose from my heart to my lips, on seeing myself treated in a manner so ill suited to my rank and the relations i have maintained with you. even at this moment i would continue to maintain silence if my friendship for you was not stronger than the resentment caused by your ungenerous conduct toward me. we are on the holy land of the indians; the ground we tread on is sacred; perils surround us, numberless snares are laid for our steps on all sides. why should i teach you to avoid them, if your plans are not at length revealed to me, and unless i know whether the path we are following is that of war or of hunting? speak with frankness--take the skin from your heart, as i have done from mine. enlighten me as to the conduct you intend to pursue, and the object you propose, so that i may aid you by my counsels should that be necessary, and that, being your ally, i should no longer be kept aloof from your deliberations, which is a disgrace to the nation of which i have the honour to be a member, and unworthy of a warrior like myself. i have spoken, brothers. i await your answer, which i am convinced will be such as warriors so wise and experienced as yourselves ought to give." during the long speech of the comanche chief, marksman had repeatedly given signs of impatience, and, had he not feared making a breach in the rules of indian etiquette by interrupting him, he would certainly have done so; it was with great difficulty he succeeded in restraining himself and maintaining that apathetic appearance absolutely demanded in such circumstances. so soon as the chief took his place again, the hunter rose, and after bowing to the audience, he spoke in a firm voice, with these words:--"the wacondah is great. he holds in his right hand the hearts of all men, whatever their colour may be. he alone can know their intentions and read their souls. the reproaches you address to me, chief, have an appearance of justice which i will not discuss with you. you may have supposed, from the conduct which circumstances have hitherto constrained me to hold toward you, that i did not grant you all the confidence you so justly desired; but it is not so; i waited till the hour for speaking arrived, not only to explain to you my intentions, but also to claim your assistance and intervention. as you wish me to explain myself at once, i will do so; but, perhaps, it would have been better for you to wait till the forest in which we now are was traversed." "i will remark to my brother that i demand nothing of him. i thought it my duty to make certain observations to him; if he does not find them just, his heart is good. he will pardon me when he remembers that i am only a poor indian, whose intellect is obscured by a cloud, and that i had no intention to wound him." "no, no, chief," the hunter said quickly; "as we are on this question, it is better to clear it up at once, in order not to have to return to it again, and that nothing may arise between us for the future." "i am at my brother's orders, ready to hear, if it pleases him, and willing still to wait, if he considers it necessary." "i thank you, chief; but i adhere to my first resolution. i prefer to tell you all." the comanche smiled cunningly. "is my brother really resolved to speak?" he asked. "yes." "good. then my brother has nothing to add. all that he has to say to me i know. he can tell me nothing more than i have guessed myself." the hunter could not repress a start of surprise. "oh, oh," he muttered, "what is the meaning of that, chief? why, then, the reproaches you addressed to me?" "because i wished to make my brother understand that a friend must hold nothing concealed from another, especially when that friend has been proved for long years, when his fidelity is staunch, and he can be depended on like a second self." the hunter smiled slightly, but at once regained his gravity. "thanks for the lesson you give me, chief," he said, holding out his hand cordially. "i deserve it, for i really failed in my confidence to you. the service i expect from you is so important for us that i put off daily asking it of you, and, in spite of myself, i confess i should probably not have made up my mind till the very last moment." "i know it," the comanche said, his good temper entirely restored. "still," the hunter continued, "in spite of the assurance that you know my plans, it would be, perhaps, as well for me to enter into certain details of which you are ignorant." "i repeat to my brother that i know all. flying eagle is one of the first chiefs of his nation; he has a quick ear and a piercing sight. for nearly two moons he has not left the great pale warrior; during that period many events have happened, many words have been spoken before him. the chief has seen, he has heard, and all is as clear in his mind as if these things had been drawn for him on one of those collars which the white men know so well how to make, and some of which he has seen in the hands of the chief of the prayer." "however great your penetration may be, chief," the hunter objected, "i can scarcely imagine you are so well acquainted with my intentions as you suppose." "not only do i know my brother's intentions, but i am also aware of the service he expects from me." "by jove! chief, you will cause me enormous pleasure by telling it to me; not that i doubt your penetration, for the red men are renowned for their cleverness. still, all this seems to me so extraordinary that i should like to be convinced, were it only for my personal satisfaction, and to prove to the persons who hear us how wrong we white men are in imagining that we are so superior in intellect, when, on the contrary, you indians leave us far behind." "hum!" domingo muttered, "what you say there is rather strong, old hunter. it is notorious that the indians are brute beasts." "that is not my opinion," don mariano remarked, "though i know very little of the redskins, with whom i never entered into any connection before this occasion. still, since my arrival in these regions, i have seen them accomplish acts so astonishing, that i should not feel at all surprised if this chief had completely read our plans, as he assures us." "i think so too," the hunter added. "however, we shall judge. speak, chief, that we may know as soon as possible what opinion to form of the penetration you flatter yourself with possessing." "flying eagle is not a chattering old woman, who boasts rightly and wrongly; he is a sachem, whose deeds and words are ripely meditated. he does not pretend to know more than his brothers, the palefaces; still, the experience he has acquired serves him in the place of wisdom, and helps him to explain what he sees and hears." "that is well, chief. i know that you are a valiant and renowned warrior. our ears are open; we are listening to you with all the attention you deserve." "my brother, the great hunter, wishes to enter quiepaa tani, where the two white maidens are sheltered, one of whom is the daughter of the chief with the grey beard. these two women were confided to an apache sachem, called addick. my brother, the hunter, is anxious to arrive at quiepaa tani, because he fears treachery from the apache chief, whom he suspects of having allied himself with the white man who was hired by the palefaces to carry off the two women, and make them disappear. i have spoken. have i truly understood the intentions of my brother, or am i deceived?" his auditors regarded each other with amazement. the chief enjoyed his triumph for a moment, and then continued--"now, this is the service the hunter wishes to ask of the comanche sachem--" "by heavens, chief!" marksman exclaimed, "i must confess that all you have said is true. how did you learn it? i know not how to explain it, although i grant we have said enough on the subject in your presence to enable you to guess it; but as for the service i expect from you, if you can tell me that, i will allow you to be the greatest--" "let my brother not be rash," the chief interrupted him, with a proud smile, "lest he should soon take me for an adept of the great _medicine_." "hum!" the hunter said, gravely, "i should not like to swear you are not." "och! my brother shall judge. no paleface has, till this day, succeeded in entering quiepaa tani; still my brother wishes, at all hazards, to visit the city, in order to obtain certain information about the two pale virgins. unfortunately, my brother does not know how to set about his plan, nor how he would succeed in saving the maidens, if he found them in danger. that is why he thought of flying eagle. he said to himself that his red brother was a chief, and must have friends or relations in quiepaa tani; that the entrance to the city, forbidden him through his colour, was not so to the chief, and that flying eagle would obtain for him the information he could not obtain himself." "yes, that is what i thought, chief. why should i conceal it? am i mistaken? will you not do that for me?" "i will do better," the indian answered. "let my brother listen. eglantine is a woman; no one will notice her; she will enter the city unperceived, and obtain the information the hunter needs better than the chief can. when the moment for action arrives, flying eagle will help the hunter." "by jove! you are right, sachem; your idea is better than mine. it is preferable in every respect that eglantine should go on the discovery. a woman cannot inspire suspicions, and she can learn news better than anyone. let us start, then, without any further delay. so soon as we have crossed the forest, we will send her to the tzinco." flying eagle shook his head, and kept his hold of the hunter's arm, who had already risen to set out. "my brother is quick," he said; "let me say one word more." "let us see." "eglantine will go ahead; my brother will have news sooner." don mariano rose, and pressed the comanche's hand with emotion. "thanks for the good thought that has occurred to you, chief," he said to him. "you have delicate feelings; your heart is noble; it can sympathize with a father's sorrow. once again i thank you." the indian turned away, to conceal the trace of agitation on his face, which, in his idea, was unworthy a chief, who, under all circumstances, must remain stoical. "in truth," marksman said, "the chief's proposal will make us gain precious time; his idea is excellent." flying eagle made eglantine a sign to approach him, which she at once obeyed. the chief then explained to her in his tongue what she was to do, to which she listened with charming grace, standing timidly before him. when flying eagle had given her his instructions most fully, and she perfectly understood what was wanted of her, she turned gracefully to don mariano and marksman, and said, with a smile almost prophetic --"eglantine will learn." these two words filled the poor father's heart with joy and hope. "bless you, young woman!" he said; "bless you, for the kindness you show me at this moment, and that you intend to show me." the separation between husband and wife was as it should be with indians; that is to say, grave and cold. whatever love flying eagle felt for his companion, he would have been ashamed, in the presence of strangers, and above all of whites, to display the slightest emotion, or allow the feelings of his heart towards her to be guessed. after bowing once more to don mariano and marksman in farewell, eglantine hastened away, with that quick and high step which renders the indians the first walkers in the world. though the chief's stoicism was so great, still he looked after his young wife, until she disappeared among the trees. as nothing pressed them at the moment, the adventurers allowed the great heat of the day to pass, and only set out when the declining sun appeared like a ball of fire, almost on a level with the ground. their march was slow, owing to the countless difficulties they had to surmount, in forcing their way through the intertwined creepers and brambles, which they had to cut down with axes at every step. at length, after a four days' march, during which they had to endure extraordinary fatigue, they saw the trees growing more sparsely, the scrub become less dense, and, between the trees they perceived a deep and open horizon. although the adventurers were in the heart of a virgin forest, where, according to all probability, they could not expect to meet anybody of their own species, they neglected no precaution, and advanced very prudently in indian file, with the finger on the trigger, eye and ear on the watch; for being so near one of the sacred indian cities, they might expect, especially after the smart skirmish a few days previous, to be tracked by scouts sent in search of them. toward the evening of the fourth day, at the moment they were preparing to camp for the night in a vast clearing on the banks of a nameless stream, so many of which are met with in the virgin forests, marksman, who was marching at the head of the little party, suddenly stopped, and looked down on the ground, with signs of the utmost astonishment. "what is it?" don mariano anxiously asked him. marksman did not answer him; but he turned to the indian chief, and said, with a certain degree of alarm, "look yourself, chief; this seems to me inconceivable." flying eagle stooped down in his turn, and remained a long time examining the marks which seemed to trouble the hunter so greatly. at length he rose. "well?" marksman asked him. "a band of horsemen has passed by here this very day," he replied. "yes," the hunter said; "but who are the horsemen? where do they come from? that is what i want to know." the indian resumed his inspection, with an attention more minute than before. "they are palefaces," after a pause, he said. "what! palefaces!" marksman exclaimed, with a voice prudently suppressed; "it is impossible! think where we are. never has a white man, excepting myself, penetrated into these regions." "they are palefaces," the chief insisted, "look, one of them stopped here and dismounted; here is the mark of his steps; his foot crushed that tuft of grass; one of his nails in his shoe left a black line on that stone." "that is true," marksman muttered; "the indian moccasins do not leave such marks. but who can these men be? how did they get here? what direction have they followed?" while marksman was asking himself these questions, and hopelessly seeking the solution of the problem, flying eagle had walked some paces, attentively following the marks, which were perfectly plain on the ground. "well, chief," the hunter asked, as he saw him returning, "have you found anything which can put us on the right scent?" "wah!" the indian said, with a toss of his head. "the trail is fresh; the horsemen are not far off." "are you sure of it, chief? remember how important it is for us to know who the people are we have for neighbours." the comanche remained silent for a moment, plunged in serious thought. then he raised his head. "flying eagle," he said, "will try to satisfy his brother. let the palefaces remain here till his return; the chief will take up the trail; he will soon tell the hunter if the men are friends or enemies." "by jove! i will go with you, chief," marksman sharply replied. "it shall not be said that, in order to be useful to us, you exposed yourself to a serious danger, without having a friend near to back you up." "no," the indian went on; "my brother must remain here; one warrior is sufficient." marksman knew that, when once the chief had formed a resolution, nothing could make him alter it. hence he no longer urged it. "go then," he said, "and act as you please. i know that what you do will be right." the comanche threw his rifle over his shoulder, lay down on the ground, and crawled like a serpent amid the underwood. "and what are we to do?" don mariano asked. "await the chief's return," marksman answered; "and while doing so, prepare supper, the need of which i am certain you are beginning to feel, like myself." the adventurers installed themselves, as well as they could, in the clearing, following marksman's advice, and awaiting the return of the scout, whose absence, however, was much longer than they expected; for night had fallen long before he made his appearance. chapter xxx. the second detachment. as we have said in our previous chapter, flying eagle started on the trail of the horsemen whose footsteps had been perceived by marksman. the indian was really one of the finest sleuth-hounds of his nation; for, although night fell rapidly, and soon prevented him from distinguishing the traces which served to guide him in his search, he continued not a bit the less to advance with a sure and certain step. about ten minutes after leaving his companions, the chief rose to his feet, and not appearing to attach great importance to the marks on the ground, he continued his search, satisfying himself with looking, from time to time, peeringly at the trees and shrubs that surrounded him. flying eagle continued walking thus for an hour without hesitation or checking his speed. on reaching a spot where the trees fell back on both sides, thus forming an open space into which several wild beast tracks opened, the chief stopped for a moment, cast an investigating and suspicious glance around, clutched his rifle, which he had hitherto carried on his back, inspected the priming carefully, and bending his body to a level with the tall grass, he advanced with measured steps toward a thicket, the branches of which he drew aside, and in which he speedily disappeared. so soon as he was completely concealed, the comanche knelt down, gradually opened the leafy curtain that hid him, and looked out. suddenly flying eagle rose, uncocked his rifle, which he threw back again on his shoulder, and stepped forth with head erect, and a smile on his lips. in the centre of a large clearing, illumined by three or four fires, some twenty men were encamped, picturesquely grouped round the fires, and joyously preparing their evening meal, while their horses grazed a short distance off. these horsemen, whom flying eagle recognized at the first glance, were don leo de torres, brighteye, and the gambusinos detached in pursuit of don estevan. the indian approached the fire near which don leo and the hunters were seated, and stopped in front of them. "may the wacondah watch over my brothers!" he said, in salutation; "a friend has come to visit them." "he is welcome," don leo answered gracefully, as he held out his hand. "yes," brighteye went on, "a thousand times welcome; though there's reason that his presence should surprise us." the chief bowed, and took his place between the two whites. "how is it we meet you here?" the hunter asked. "the question my brother asks me at this moment is exactly what i was preparing to ask myself." "how so?" don miguel asked. "does not my brother, the paleface, know where he is at this moment?" "not at all. since our separation, we have constantly followed the trail of an enemy, though we could not catch him up; that trail has led us to parts strange to brighteye himself." "i am bound to confess it. this is the second time such a thing has occurred to me, and under exactly similar circumstances. the first time, i remember, it was in 1843. i was on the--" "but if the hunter does not know these regions," flying eagle interrupted him unceremoniously, "my brother, the warrior knows them." "i?" don leo said. "not the least in the world, chief. i assure you it is the first time i have come this way." "my brother is mistaken, he has been here already; but, like all the palefaces, my brother's memory is short, he has forgotten." "no, chief. i am too well acquainted with the desert not to recognize, at the first glance, any spot which i have once visited." the indian smiled at this pretension, which was so poorly justified. "yes, that has happened to my brother today," he said, "though only three moons, at the most, have passed since he visited these parts in company with the pale hunter, to whom he gave the name of marksman." the adventurer started, and a lively emotion could be seen on his face. "what do you mean, redskin, in heaven's name?" he said quickly. "i mean that quiepaa tani is there," the indian answered, stretching out his arm in a south-western direction; "that we are but a half day's journey distant from it at the most." "can it be possible?" "oh!" the young man exclaimed, energetically, as he suddenly rose; "thanks for these good news, chief!" "what are you going to do?" brighteye asked him. "what am i going to do? cannot you guess it? those we wish to save are only a few leagues from us, and you ask me that question!" "i ask it of you because i fear, through your impetuosity and imprudence, lest you might compromise the success of our expedition." "your words are harsh, old hunter; but i pardon them, because you cannot understand my feelings." "perhaps i can, perhaps i cannot, don miguel; but, believe me, in an expedition like ours, stratagem alone can lead to success." "deuce take stratagem, and he who recommends it," the young man exclaimed passionately. "i wish to deliver the girls whom, through my mad confidence, i led into this snare." "and whom you lose for ever by another act of madness. trust in the experience of a man who has lived in the desert more years than you count months in your life. since we have been following don estevan's trail, you have seen that a strong party of indian horsemen has joined him, i think? at two paces from a holy city, whose population is immense, do you intend to contend with your fifteen gambusinos against several thousand brave and experienced redskin warriors? that would be committing suicide with your eyes open. if don estevan is proceeding in this direction, it is because he also knows that the maidens are in quiepaa tani. do not let us hurry, but watch our enemy's movements, without revealing our presence, or letting him suspect we are so near him. in that way i answer for our success on my head." the young man had listened to these remarks with the greatest attention. when brighteye ceased, he pressed his hand affectionately, and sat down at once by his side. "thanks, my old friend," he said, "thanks for the rough way in which you have spoken to me. you have brought me back to my senses. i was mad. but," he added a moment after, "what is to be done? how to save these unhappy maidens?" flying eagle, during the preceding conversation, had remained calm and silent, apathetically smoking his indian calumet; on hearing don leo speak thus, he understood it was time for him to interfere. "the pale warrior can regain his courage," he said; "eglantine is in quiepaa tani; tomorrow at sunrise we shall have news of the pale virgins." "oh! oh!" the young man said joyously. "so soon as your wife returns from that nest of demons, i promise her, chief, the handsomest pair of bracelets, and the prettiest earrings an indian cihuatl ever yet wore." "eglantine needs no reward for serving her friends." "i know it, chief; but you will not refuse me the satisfaction of giving her this slight token of my gratitude, chief?" "my brother is at liberty to do so." "halloh!" brighteye suddenly remarked, "by what chance did you come to our camp this night?" "have you not understood?" "on my word, no. we were far from suspecting you to be so near us." "that is true," don miguel remarked: "but now that i know where we are, all is explained." "yes; but that does not tell us why the chief came to find us here." "because," flying eagle replied, "we discovered your footsteps crossing the trail we followed." "that is true; and you came to reconnoitre." the chief nodded an assent. "have our friends stopped far from here?" "no," the indian said, "i am going to rejoin them, in order to tell them who are the men i have seen. my absence has been long; the palefaces are soon alarmed. i am going." "one moment," brighteye observed. "as chance has brought us together again, perhaps it will be better not to separate again; we shall, possibly, need one another." "what is your advice, chief? will it be better for us to accompany you to your bivouac, or will you join us?" "we will come hither." "make haste, then; for i am curious to know what has happened to you since our separation at the ford of the rubio." "flying eagle is a good runner," the chief answered, "but he has only the feet of a man." "by the way, why did you not come on horseback" "our horses were left at the camp of the great river. a trail is better followed afoot." "that is easily remedied. how many are you?" "four." "what, four? i fancied you were more." "yes, but the pale hunter will explain to you why two of our comrades have left us." "good. i will accompany you." don leo immediately gave orders to have four horses got ready, and recommended brighteye to watch over the camp during his absence, then, mounting his horse, in which he was imitated by the chief, the two set off, leading the horses intended for the men they were going to find. the two men only took twenty minutes in covering the ground which flying eagle had spent more than an hour in crossing, owing to the precautions he was compelled to take when following an unknown trail, which might belong to enemies. they found marksman and don mariano with loaded rifles, and keeping good watch. while awaiting flying eagle's return, they had fallen asleep; but the steps of the horses awoke them, and they stood on their defence in case of the worst. on their awakening, however, a very disagreeable surprise awaited them. they found only two instead of three. domingo, the gambusino, had disappeared. so soon as he recognized don miguel, the canadian said, with extreme agitation--"dismount, dismount, caballero! we must all go beating." "what humbug at this hour, marksman!" don miguel answered. "why, you must be mad!" "i am not mad," the canadian said, hurriedly; "but i repeat, dismount and hunt; we are betrayed!" "betrayed!" don miguel exclaimed, starting with surprise; "by whom? in heaven's name!" "by domingo! the traitor has fled during our sleep! oh! i was right to distrust his coppery face!" "domingo fled!--a traitor! you are mistaken!" "i am not. hunt after him, i tell you, in the name of those you have sworn to save." no more was needed to exasperate the young man; he bounded from his steed, and seized his rifle. "what is to be done?" he asked. "scatter over the ground," the hunter rapidly answered. "each go a different way; and may heaven bless our search! we have lost too much time already." without any further exchange of words, the four men buried themselves in the forest in four different directions. but the darkness was dense. beneath the cover, where, even by day, the sunbeams penetrated with difficulty, on this black and moonless night they could distinguish nothing two steps ahead of them; and if, instead of flying, the gambusino had contented himself with hiding in the vicinity, the hunters would evidently have passed without noticing him. the search lasted a long time, for the hunters comprehended the importance of finding the fugitive again; but, in spite of all their skill, they could discover nothing. marksman, don mariano, and don miguel had been back by the fire several minutes; they were communicating to each other the closeness of their pursuit, when, suddenly, a dazzling flash crossed the forest, and a shot was heard, almost immediately followed by a second. "let us run up," marksman shouted. "flying eagle has found the vermin. never was a better sleuth-hound after game." the three men ran at full speed in the direction of the shots they had heard. on approaching, they found that an obstinate contest was going on. the war yell of the comanches, uttered in flying eagle's powerful voice, permitted them no doubt on that head. at length, they debouched on the scene of action. flying eagle, with his foot on the chest of a man thrown down before him, and who writhed like a serpent to escape the fearful pressure, leant his back against a black oak, and, tomahawk in hand, was defending himself like a lion against half a dozen indians who attacked him together. the three white men clubbed their rifles, and rushed into the medley with a terrible cry of defiance. the effect of this diversion was instantaneous. the redskins dispersed in all directions, and fled like a legion of phantoms. "after them!" don miguel howled, as he rushed forward. "stop!" marksman shouted, as he seized him by the arm; "you might as well pursue the cloud carried off by the wind. let the scoundrels escape, we shall find them again, i warrant." the adventurer perceived that a pursuit in the dark would be giving an enormous advantage to his enemy, who was better acquainted with the country, and probably very numerous; hence he stopped with a sigh of regret. the chief was then surrounded, and complimented on his glorious resistance. the sachem received the remarks with his habitual modesty. "wah!" he merely answered, "the apaches are cowardly old women. one comanche warrior is sufficient to kill six times ten of them, and twenty more." by a miraculous hazard, the brave indian had only received a few insignificant wounds, to which, in spite of his friend's earnest entreaties, he paid no further attention than washing them with cold water. "but," marksman suddenly said, stooping down, "whom have we here? eh! if i am not mistaken, it is our fugitive!" it was really domingo. the poor wretch had his thigh broken; doubtlessly foreseeing the fate that awaited him, he howled with pain, but would give no other answer. "it would be a good deed," don mariano said, "to dash out this poor fellow's brains, to terminate his sufferings." "let us be in no hurry," the implacable hunter remarked. "everything will have its season. let flying eagle explain to us how he found him." "yes, that is important," don miguel said. "it is the wacondah who delivered this man into my hands," the chief answered, sententiously. "i had ransacked the forest with as much care as the darkness permitted me, and was returning to you, wearied with nearly two hours' fruitless search, when, at the moment i least thought of it, i was attacked by more than ten apaches, who rushed on me from all sides at once. this man was at the head of the assailants. he fired his gun at me, but did not hit me. i answered in the same way; but more successfully, for he fell. i immediately set my foot on his chest, for fear he should escape me, and defended myself to my best against my enemies, in order to give you time to come to my assistance. i have spoken." "by heavens, chief!" the hunter exclaimed, enthusiastically, "you are a brave warrior! what you have done is grand. this villain, on leaving us, found a party of these birds of prey, and was, doubtlessly, returning with the intention of attacking us during our sleep." "well!" don mariano remarked, "he is found again; so all is for the best." the wounded man made a great effort, and, leaning on his right hand, he drew himself up and gave a ghastly grim "yes, yes," he answered, "i know i am about to die; but it will not be without vengeance." "what do you say, villain?" don mariano exclaimed. "i say that your brother knows all, my fine gentleman, and will succeed in foiling your plans." "viper! what have i done to make you act thus towards me?" "you did nothing," he replied, with a demoniac grin; "but," he added, pointing to don miguel, "i have hated that man for a long time." "die, then, villain!" the exasperated young man shouted, as he set the cold muzzle of his rifle on his forehead. flying eagle turned the weapon aside. "this man is mine, brother," he said. don miguel slowly removed his rifle, and turned to the chief. "i consent; but on condition that he dies." a sinister smile played for a second round the indian's thin lips. "yes," he said, "and by an apache, death." then, unfastening the bow he wore by the side of his panther skin quiver, he placed the string round the gambusino's skull, and, forming a tourniquet, by means of an arrow passed through the string, while, with his knee buried between the wretch's shoulders, he seized his hair in his right hand, and drew it to him. he scalped in this manner, inflicting on him the most abominable torture that can be imagined, since, instead of cutting the skin with his knife, he literally tore it off by means of the string. the bandit, with his face inundated with blood, and disfigured features, clasped his hands by a supreme effort, exclaiming, with an expression impossible to describe--"kill me! oh, for pity's sake, kill me!" the comanche placed his furious face close to the bandit's. "traitors are not killed," he said, in a hollow voice. and then, seizing him by the neck, he thrust the blade of his knife between the clenched teeth, forced the mouth open, and tore out his tongue, which he threw from him in disgust. "die like a dog!" he yelled; "thy lying tongue shall betray never more." domingo uttered a cry of pain so horrible that the hearers started with terror, and rolled senseless on the ground.[1] flying eagle contemptuously kicked the bandit's body aside, and turned to his companions. "let us go," he said. they followed him in silence, terrified by the scene of which they had been witnesses. an hour later, they found brighteye at the bivouac. at sunrise, flying eagle approached marksman and gently touched him on the shoulder. "what do you want?" the hunter asked, as he woke. "the sachem is going to meet eglantine," the chief answered, simply. and he went away. "there is something human in those savage fellows after all," the hunter muttered, as he watched him depart. [1] the author saw this punishment inflicted on a north american by an apache. chapter xxxi. the tlacateotzin.[1] two hours after sunrise, flying eagle returned to the camp, followed by eglantine: the council immediately assembled to hear the news. the young indian woman had not learned much: it was contained in one sentence. the two mexican girls were still in the city. addick was absent, but expected at any moment. these news, slight as they were, were, however, good; for, though the details were wanting, the hunters knew that their enemies had not yet had time to act. the point was now to get before them and carry off the girls, ere they had time to prevent it. but to do so, they must enter the city, and there lay the difficulty. a difficulty which, at the first blush, appeared insurmountable. in this moment of distress, all eyes were turned to flying eagle. the chief smiled. through the expression of agony depicted on every countenance, the indian guessed what was expected of him. "the hour has arrived," he said. "my pale brothers demand of me the greatest sacrifice they can demand of a sachem--that is to say, to open to them the gates of one of the last refuges of the indian religion, the principal sanctuary where still is preserved intact the law of tlhui-camina,[2] the greatest, the most powerful, and most unhappy of all the sovereigns who have governed the country of hauahuac: still, in order to prove to my pale brothers how red the blood is that flows in my veins, and how pure and cloudless my heart is, i will do it for them, as i have promised." at the assurance given by flying eagle, whose word could not be doubted, every face brightened. the chief continued--"flying eagle has no forked tongue; what he says, he does; he will introduce the great pale hunter into quiepaa tani; but my brothers must forget that they are warriors and brave: cunning alone can make them triumph. has the great hunter of the palefaces understood the words of the chief? is he resolved to trust to his prudence and sagacity?" "i will act as you point out, chief," marksman replied, for he knew that the comanche was addressing him. "i promise to let myself be entirely guided by you." "wah!" the indian continued, with a smile. "all is well, then: before two hours, my brother will be in quiepaa tani." "may heaven grant it be so, and my poor child be saved!" don mariano muttered. "i have been long used to contend in cunning with indians," the hunter answered. "up to the present, thanks to heaven! i have always come off pretty well from my meetings with them. i have good hopes of success this time." "we will hold ourselves in readiness to come to your aid, if needed," don miguel observed. "above all, take care not to be tracked; you know that traitor of a domingo has put them on your scent." "trust to me for that, marksman," brighteye eagerly interposed; "i know what it is to play at hide and seek with the indians. it is not the first time this happens to me; and i remember, in 1845, at the hour i was--" "i know," the canadian cut him short, "that you are not the man to let yourself be surprised, my friend, and that is enough for me; but keep a good lookout, so as to be ready at the first signal." "and what will that signal be? for we must understand one another thoroughly, in order to avoid any misunderstanding, which, annoying at all times, would, in our present circumstances, be utter ruin." "you are right. when you hear the cry of the hawk repeated thrice, at equal intervals, then you must act vigorously." "that is understood," brighteye said; "trust to me for that." "i am ready," marksman said to the chief. "what must i do?" "in the first place, dress yourself," flying eagle answered. "what! dress myself?" the hunter said, surveying his person with surprise. "wah! does my brother fancy he will enter quiepaa tani in his paleface clothes?" "that is true; an indian disguise is absolutely necessary. wait a minute." the _travestissement_ did not take long to effect. eglantine modestly retired into the forest, so as not to be present at the hunter's toilet. in a few minutes marksman took from his alforjas a razor, with which he removed beard and moustache. during this time the chief had plucked a plant, which grew abundantly in the forest. after extracting the juice, flying eagle helped the canadian, who had removed all his garments, to stain his body and face. then the chief drew on his chest an _ayotl_, or sacred tortoise, accompanied by several fantastic ornaments that had nothing warlike about them, and which he reproduced on his face. after that, he gave the hunter's black hair a white tinge, intended to make him look very aged; for among the indians the hair retains its colour for a long period. he knotted his curls on the top of his head, after the fashion of the yumas--the most travelled of the redskins--and to the left of this tuft, to show that it adorned the head of a pacific chief, he fixed a passagallo feather, instead of a scalp lock, as is the custom with the warriors. when these preparations were completed, flying eagle asked the europeans, who had curiously followed the metamorphosis, how they liked their comrade. "my word," brighteye answered, simply, "if i had not been present at the transformation, i should not recognize him; and, by the way, i remember a singular adventure that occurred to me in 1836. just imagine--" "well, and what do you say?" the indian continued, pitilessly cutting the canadian short, and turning to don miguel. the latter could not refrain from laughing on looking at the hunter. "i consider him hideous; he bears such a resemblance to a redskin, that i feel sure he can risk it boldly." "och! the indians are very clever," the chief muttered. "still, i believe that, disguised thus, if my brother is willing thoroughly to represent the character he has assumed, he has nothing to fear." "i mean to do it. still, i would remark, chief, that i do not yet know what part you mean me to play." "my brother is a tlacateotzin--a great medicine man of the yumas." "by jove! the idea is a good one. in that way i can get in anywhere." the comanche bowed with a smile. "i shall be very clumsy, if i do not succeed," the hunter continued. "but as i am a doctor, i must not forget to furnish myself with medicaments." thereupon marksman rummaged his alforjas, took out of them all that might have compromised him, and only left in them a little box of specifics, which he always carried about him,--a precious store he had employed on many an occasion. he closed the alforjas, threw them on his back, and turned to the chief. "i am ready," he said to him. "good. myself and eglantine will go in front, in order to make the road easy for my brother." the hunter gave a sign of assent. the indian called his wife, and both, after taking leave of the adventurers, went off. so soon as the chief was out of sight, the hunter in his turn said good-bye to his comrades. it was, perhaps, the last time he would see them; for who could foresee the fate reserved for him among these ferocious indians, into whose hands he was about defencelessly to surrender himself? "i will accompany you to the edge of the forest," don miguel said, "in order fully to understand the means i must employ to be able to run up at the first signal." "come," the hunter said, laconically. they went away followed by the eyes of all their comrades, who saw marksman depart with an indescribable feeling of anxiety and sorrow. the two men walked side by side, without exchanging a word. the canadian was plunged in deep thought; don miguel seemed a prey to an emotion which he could not succeed in overcoming. in this way they reached the last trees of the forest. the hunter stopped. "it is here we must part," he said to his companion. "that is true," the young man muttered, as he looked sadly around. then he was silent. the canadian waited a moment. seeing, at length, that don miguel would not speak, he asked him,--"have you anything to say to me?" "why do you ask me that question?" the young man asked him, with a start. "because," the hunter answered, "you have not come so far, don leo, merely to enjoy my company a little longer. you must, i repeat, have something to say to me." "yes, it is true," he said, with an effort; "you have guessed it. i wish to speak with you; but i know not how it is, my throat rises. i cannot find words to express my feelings. oh, if i possessed your experience, and your knowledge of indian language, no other than myself, i assure you, marksman, would have gone to quiepaa tani." "yes, it must be so," the hunter muttered, speaking to himself, rather than answering his friend; "and why should it not be so? love is the sun of youth. all love in this world. why should two handsome and well-made beings alone remain insensible to each other and not love? what do you wish me to say to them for you?" he added quickly. "oh!" the young man exclaimed, "you perceived, then, that i loved her? you are master, then, of the secret which i did not dare to confess to myself!" "do not be alarmed about that, my friend. the secret is as safe in my heart as in yours." "alas, my friend! the words i should wish to say to her my mouth alone could utter with the hope of making them reach her heart. say nothing to her, that will be best; but you can tell her that i am here, and watching over her, and that i shall die or she will be free soon in her father's arms." "i will tell her all that, my friend." "and then," he added, breaking, by a feverish movement, a little steel chain round his neck, which held a small bag of black velvet, "take this amulet. it is all that is left to me of my mother," he said, with a sigh; "she hung it round my neck on the day of my birth. it is a sacred relic--a piece of the true cross, blessed by the pope; give it to her, and let her guard it preciously, for it has preserved me from many perils. that is all i can do for her at this moment. go, my friend, save her, as i am compelled to form silent vows for her deliverance. you love me, marksman. i will only add one word,--from the attempt you make at this moment my life or death will result. farewell! farewell!" seizing the hunter's hand with a nervous movement, he pressed it forcibly several times, and, turning quickly away, not to let his tears be seen, he rushed into the forest, where he disappeared, after making a last sign with his hand to his friend, who was watching his departure. after don miguel's departure, the canadian stood for a moment a prey to extraordinary sorrow. "poor young man!" he muttered, with a profound sigh, "is that the state people are in when they love?" in a moment he overcame the strange emotion which contracted his heart, and boldly raised his head. "the die is cast!" he said. "forward!" then assuming the easy, careless step of an indian, he proceeded, slowly to the plain, while looking inquiringly around him. in the brilliant beams of the sun, which had risen radiantly, the green plain the hunter was crossing assumed a really enchanting appearance. as on the first occasion when he came to this country, all was in motion around him. the canadian, who, by the help of his new exterior, was able to examine at his leisure all that went on around him, curiously examined the animated scene he had before his eyes: but what most fixed his attention was a band of horsemen in their war costume, or rather paint, armed with those long javelins and barbed spears which they wield with such dexterity, and whose wounds are so dangerous. most of them also carried a strong rifle and a reata at their girdle, and, marching in good order, they advanced at a trot towards the city, seeming to come from the opposite direction to that which the hunter was following. the numerous persons spread over the plain had stopped to examine them. marksman, profiting by this circumstance, hurried on to mingle with the crowd, among whom, as he hoped, he was speedily lost, no one thinking of paying the slightest attention to him. the horsemen continued to advance at the same pace, not appearing to notice the curiosity they excited. they were soon about forty yards from the principal gateway. on arriving there they were stopped at the same moment, three horsemen galloped out of the city, bounded over the drawbridge, and went to meet them. three warriors then left the first party and approached them. after a few hastily exchanged words, the six horsemen rejoined the detachment, which had remained motionless in the rear, and entered the city with it. marksman, who followed the party closely, neared the gate at the very moment the last horseman disappeared in the city. the hunter understood that the moment for boldness had arrived. assuming the most careless air he could put on, although his heart was ready to burst, he presented himself in his turn for admission. he noticed flying eagle and his squaw standing some distance off, and conversing with an indian who seemed to hold a certain rank. this doubled the bold canadian's courage; he crossed the bridge undauntedly, and arrived with apparent stoicism at the gateway. a lance was then levelled before him, and barred his passage. at a sign from flying eagle, the indian with whom he had been speaking left him and proceeded toward the gate. he was a tall warrior, to whom his iron-grey hair and the numerous wrinkles in his face imparted a certain character of gentleness, intelligence, and majesty. he said a word to the sentry, who was barring the hunter's passage; he raised his lance at once, and fell back a few paces with a respectful bow. the old indian made the canadian a sign to enter. "my brother is welcome in quiepaa tani," he said gracefully, as he saluted the hunter; "my brother has friends here." marksman, owing to the life he had so long led on the prairies, spoke several indian dialects with as much fluency as his mother-tongue. from the question the redskin addressed to him, he felt that he was backed up; he therefore assumed the necessary coolness to play his part properly, and answered,--"is my brother a chief?" "i am a chief." "och! let my brother question me. ometochtli will answer." in thus changing his personality, as it were, the hunter had been careful to change his name also. after a long and barren research, he at length selected that of ometochtli, as best adapted to the person he wished to represent; for, despite its apparently formidable look, it simply means "two rabbits," a most inoffensive name, and perfectly coinciding with the hunter's new character. "i shall not question my brother," the chief said, cautiously. "i know who he is and whence he comes. my brother is one of the adepts of the great medicine, of the wise nation of the yumas." "the chief is well informed," the hunter remarked. "i see that he has spoken with flying eagle." "has my brother left his nation for long?" "it will be seven moons at the first leaves since i put on the moccasins of a hunter." "wah!" the chief continued, with a certain appearance of respect; "where are the hunting grounds of my brother's nation situated?" "near the great shoreless lake." "does my brother intend to practise medicine at quiepaa tani?" "i have only come here for that purpose, and to worship the wacondah in the magnificent temple which the piety of the indians has raised to him in the holy city." "very good. my brother is a wise man; his nation is peaceful," he said, as he raised his head, and drew up his tall form, proudly. "i am a warrior, and my name is atozac." by a strange accident, the first indian with whom marksman conversed was the same who received addick, and whose wife was selected by the high priest to serve as his interpreter with the maidens. "my brother is a great chief," he replied to the indian's words. the latter bowed with superb modesty on receiving this flattering remark. "i am a son of the sacred tribe to whom the guardianship of the temple is confided," he said. "may the wacondah bless the race of my brother." the chief was completely under the charm; the hunter's compliments had intoxicated him. "my brother, two rabbits, will follow me. we will join the friends who are awaiting us, and then proceed to my _calci_, which will be his during the whole period of his stay in quiepaa tani." marksman bowed respectfully. "i am not worthy, to shake the dust off my moccasins on the threshold of his door." "the wacondah blesses those who practise hospitality, my brother. two rabbits is the guest of a chief; let him follow me, then." "i will follow my brother, since such is his will." and, without further resistance, he began walking behind the old chief, charmed in his heart at having emerged so well from the first trial. as we said, flying eagle and eglantine had stopped a few paces off, and they soon found them. all four, without uttering a word, proceeded toward the house inhabited by the chief, which was situated at the other extremity of the city. this long walk allowed the hunter to take a look at the streets which he crossed, and obtain a superficial acquaintance with quiepaa tani. they at length reached the chief's house. heutotl--the pigeon--atozac's wife, seated cross-legged on a mat of maize straw, was making tortillas, probably intended for her husband's dinner. not far from her were three or four female slaves, belonging to that bastard race of indians to which we have already alluded, and to which the title of savages may be justly applied. when the chief and his guests entered the cabin, the pigeon and her slaves raised their eyes in curiosity. "heutotl," the chief said, with dignity, "i bring you strangers. the first is a great and renowned comanche sachem. you know him already, as well as his squaw." "flying eagle and eglantine are welcome in the _calci_ of atozac," she answered. the comanche bowed slightly, but did not utter a word. "this one," the chief continued, pointing toward the hunter, "is a celebrated tlacateotzin of the yumas. his name is two rabbits; he will also dwell with us." "the words i addressed to the sachem of the comanches, i repeat for the great medicine man of the yumas," she said with a gentle smile; "the pigeon is his slave." "my mother will permit me to kiss her feet," the canadian said, politely. "my brother will kiss my face," the chief's wife responded, holding up her cheek to marksman, who respectfully touched it with his lips. "my brothers will take a draught of pulque," the pigeon continued; "the roads are long and dusty, and the sunbeams hot." "pulque refreshes the parched throat of travellers," marksman answered. the presentation was concluded. the slaves drew up butacas, on which the travellers reclined. vessels of red earth, greatly resembling the spanish alcaforas, filled with pulque, were brought in, and the liquor, poured out by the mistress of the house in horn cups, was presented by her to the strangers with that charming and attentive hospitality of which the indians alone possess the secret. [1] literally, the "man-god," a name given by certain comanche tribes to those who practice the healing art. [2] surname of motecuhzoma i.,--"he who shoots arrows up to the sky." the hieroglyphic of this king is, in fact, an arrow striking heaven. chapter xxxii. the first walk in the city. while pretending to be absorbed in eagerness to respond to the eager politeness of his host, the canadian attentively examined the interior of the house in which he was, in order to form an idea of the other residences in the city; for he justly assumed that all must be built almost after the same plan. the room in which atoyac received his guests was a large, square apartment, whose whitewashed walls were decorated with human scalps, and a row of weapons, kept in a state of extreme cleanliness. jaguar and ocelot skins, zarapã©, and frasadas were piled up on a sort of large chests, in all probability intended to serve as beds. butacas and other wooden seats, excessively low, composed the furniture of the room, in the centre of which stood a table rising not more than ten inches from the ground. these simple arrangements are found almost identical, by the way, in almost all indian _callis_, which are usually composed of six rooms. the first is the one we have just described; it is the ordinary living room of the family. the second is intended for the children; the third is the sleeping room. the fourth contains the looms for weaving zarapã©s, which the indians work with inimitable skill. these looms, made of bamboo, are admirable for the simplicity of their mechanism. the fifth contains provisions for the rainy season, the period when hunting becomes impossible; while the sixth, or last, is set aside for the slaves. as for the kitchen, there is really none, for the food is prepared in the _corral_, that is to say, in the open air. chimneys are equally unknown, and each room is warmed by means of large earthen brasiers. the internal arrangements of the _calli_ are entrusted to the slaves, who work under the immediate superintendence of the mistress of the house. these slaves are not all savages. the indians completely requite the whites for the misfortunes they deal them. many wretched spaniards, captured in war, or victims to the ambuscades the redskins incessantly lay for them, are condemned to the hardest servitude. the fate of these unhappy beings is even more sad than that of their companions in slavery, for they have no prospect of being set at liberty some day; they must, on the contrary, expect to perish sooner or later, the victims of the hatred of their cruel masters, who pitilessly avenge on them the numberless annoyances they have themselves endured under the tyrannical and brutalizing system of the spanish government. hence, under the pressure of this hard captivity a man may truly apply to himself the despairing words writ up by the divine dante alighieri over the gates of his inferno, _lasciate ogni speranza_. atoyac, to whom chance had so providentially guided the canadian, was one of the most respected sachems of the warriors of quiepaa tani. in his youth he had lived long among the europeans, and the great experience he had acquired while traversing countries remote from his tribe had expanded his intellect, extinguished in him certain caste prejudices, and rendered him more sociable and civil than the majority of his countrymen. while drinking his pulque in small sips, as the gourmand should do who appreciates at its just value the beverage he is imbibing, he conversed with the hunter, and gradually, either through the influence of the pulque, or the instinctive confidence the canadian inspired him with, he became more communicative. as always happens under such circumstances, he began with his own affairs, and narrated them in their fullest detail to the hunter. he told him he was father of four sons, renowned warriors, whose greatest delight it was to invade the spanish territory, burn the haciendas, and destroy the crops, and carry off prisoners; next he related to him the travels he had made, and seemed anxious to prove to two rabbits that his courage as a warrior, his experience, and military virtues, did not forbid him recognizing all there was noble and respectable in science; he even insinuated that, although a sachem, he did not disdain, at times, to study simples and investigate the secrets of the great medicine, with which the wacondah, in his supreme goodness, had endowed certain chosen men for the relief of the whole of humanity. marksman affected to be deeply touched by the consideration the powerful sachem, atoyac, evinced for the sacred character with which he was invested, and resolved in his heart to profit by his host's good feeling toward him to sound him adroitly about what he was so anxious to know, that is, the state in which the maidens were, and in what part of the city they were shut up. as, however, indian suspicions can be very easily aroused, and it was necessary to employ the greatest patience, the hunter did not allow his intentions to be in any way divined, and waited patiently. the conversation had gradually become general; still, more than an hour had already elapsed, and in spite of all his efforts, aided by those of flying eagle, the hunter had not yet succeeded in approaching the subject he had at heart, when an indian presented himself in the doorway. "the wacondah rejoices," the newcomer said, with a respectful bow. "i have a message for my father." "my son is welcome," the chief answered; "my ears are open." "the great council of the sachems of the nation is assembled," the indian said; "they only await my father atoyac." "what is there new, then?" "red wolf has arrived with his warriors. his heart is filled with bitterness. he wishes to speak to the council. addick accompanies him." flying eagle and the hunter exchanged a glance. "red wolf and addick returned!" atoyac exclaimed, with amazement. "that is strange! what can have brought them back so soon, and together, too?" "i know not; but they entered the city hardly an hour ago." "did red wolf command the warriors who arrived this morning?" "himself. my father could not have seen him when he passed by here. what shall i answer the chief?" "that i am coming to the council." the indian bowed and went away. the old man rose with ill-concealed agitation, and prepared to go out. flying eagle stopped him. "my father is affected," he said; "there is a cloud on his mind." "yes," the chief answered, frankly; "i am sad." "what can trouble my father, then?" "brother," the old chief said, bitterly, "many moons have passed since the last visit paid by you to quiepaa tani." "man is only the plaything of circumstances; he can never do what he has projected." "that is true. perhaps it would have been better for you and for us had you not remained away so long." "often, often i had the desire to come, but a fatality always prevented me." "yes, it must be so; were it not for that, we should have seen you. many things that have happened, would not have occurred." "what do you mean?" "it would be too long to explain to you, and i have no time to do so at this moment; i must proceed to the council, where i am awaited. suffice it for you to know, that for some time an evil genius has breathed a spirit of discord among the sachems of the great council. two men have succeeded in obtaining a dangerous influence over the deliberations, and forcing their ideas and wishes upon all the chiefs." "and these men, who are they?" "you know them only too well." "but what are their names?" "red wolf and addick." "wah!" flying eagle said. "take care; the ambition of those men may, if you do not pay attention, bring great misfortunes on your heads." "i know it; but can i prevent it? am i, alone, strong enough to combat their influence, and cause the propositions to be rejected which they impose on the council?" "that is true," the comanche answered, thoughtfully; "but how to prevent it?" "there would be a way, perhaps," atoyac said, in an insinuating voice, after a short silence. "what?" "it is very simple. flying eagle is one of the first and most renowned sachems of his nation." "well?" "as such, he has a right, i believe, to sit in the council?" "he has." "why does not he go there, then?" flying eagle turned an inquiring glance on the hunter, who was listening to this conversation with an apathetic face, though his heart was ready to burst; for he guessed, by a species of presentiment, that in this council questions of the highest importance to him would be discussed. from the chief's dumb inquiry he understood that if he remained longer a stranger to the discussion, he would appear, in his host's eyes, to display an indifference toward the welfare of the city, which the latter might take in ill part. "were i so great a chief as flying eagle," he said, "i should not hesitate to present myself at the council. here, the interests of one nation or the other are not discussed; but vital questions often arise, affecting the welfare of the red race generally. to abstain, under such circumstances, would, in my opinion, be giving the enemies of order and tranquillity in the city a proof of weakness, by which they would, doubtless, profit to insure the success of their anarchical projects." "do you believe so?" flying eagle remarked, with feigned hesitation. "my brother, two rabbits, has spoken well," atoyac said, eagerly. "he is a wise man. my brother must follow his advice, and with the more reason, because his presence here is known to everybody, and his absence from the council would certainly produce a very evil effect." "as it is so," the comanche answered, "i can no longer resist your wish; i am ready to follow you." "yes," the hunter added, meaningly, "go to the council; perhaps your unexpected presence will suffice to overthrow certain projects, and prevent great misfortunes." "i will behave in such a manner as to overawe our enemies," the comanche answered, evasively, who, while feigning to address these words to his host, really intended them for the hunter. "let us go," said atoyac. flying eagle bowed silently, and went forth. the hunter remained alone in the _calli_ with the two women. the pigeon, during the previous conversation, had been busy talking in a low voice with eglantine. almost immediately after the departure of the two warriors, the woman rose and prepared to go out. eglantine, without saying a word, laid her finger on her lip, and looked at the hunter. he wrapped himself in his buffalo robe, and addressed atoyac's wife. "i do not wish to trouble my sister," he said. "while the chiefs are in council, i will take a walk, and examine, with greater attention, the magnificent temple, of which i only had a glimpse on coming here." "my father is right," she answered; "the more so, as eglantine and myself have also to go out, and we should have been compelled to leave my father alone in the _calli_." eglantine smiled softly as she nodded to the hunter. the latter, suspecting that flying eagle's squaw had discovered the retreat of the maidens during the conversation with her friend, and that the desire she evinced to get rid of him had no other design but to obtain more ample information about them, made not the slightest objection, and walked slowly out of the _calli_, with all the majesty and importance of the wise personage he represented. besides, the canadian was not sorry to be alone for a little while, that he might reflect on the means he should employ to approach the two maidens, which it seemed to him by no means easy to manage. on the other hand, he intended to employ the liberty left him in taking a turn round the city, and obtaining all the topographical knowledge he needed. not knowing in what way his stay in the city would terminate, and how he should leave it again, he, at all risks, carefully studied the plan of the streets and buildings, from the double point of view of an attack or an escape. the hunter had assumed such a mask of placidity and indifference; his questions were asked with so nonchalant an air, that not one of those he addressed dreamed for a moment of suspecting him; and, as always happens, he succeeded in obtaining--thanks to his skill--remarkably precious details about the weak points in the city,--how it was possible to enter and leave it after the closing of the gates, and other equally valuable information, which the hunter carefully classified in his mind, and which he resolved to put to good use when the moment arrived. in quiepaa tani there are a good many unoccupied persons, who spend their lives in wandering about, a prey to an incurable _ennui_. it was with these people that the hunter formed an acquaintance during his lengthened walk round the city, listening with the greatest patience to their prolix and tedious narrations, when, certain of having drawn from them all he could, he left them, to begin the same scheme a little further on with others. marksman remained away for three hours. when he returned to the _calli_, atoyac and flying eagle had not come back; but the two women, seated on mats, were conversing with a certain degree of animation. on seeing him, eglantine gave him an intelligent glance. the hunter fell back on a butaca, drew out his pipe, and began smoking. after exchanging a dumb bow with the pretended medicine man, the women again resumed their palaver. "so," eglantine said, "the prisoners taken from the whites are brought here!" "yes," the pigeon answered. "that surprises me," the young woman continued; "for it would be only necessary for one of them to escape, and the exact situation of the city would be revealed to the gachupinos, who would soon appear in the place." "that is true; but my sister is ignorant that no one escapes from quiepaa tani." eglantine bowed her head with an air of doubt. "och!" she said, "the whites are very crafty; still, it is certain that the two young pale maidens we have just seen will not escape,--they are too well guarded for that. i do not know why, but i feel a great pity for them." "it is the same with me, poor children! so young, so gentle, so pretty; separated eternally from all those who are dear to them. their fate is frightful!" "oh, very frightful! but what is to be done? they belong to addick; that chief will never consent to restore them to liberty." "we will go and see them again, shall we not, my sister?" "tomorrow, if you will." "thanks; that will render us very happy, i assure you." the last words especially struck the hunter. at the sudden revelation made to him, marksman felt such an emotion, that he needed all his strength and self-command to prevent the pigeon noticing his confusion. at this moment atoyac and flying eagle appeared. their features were animated, and they seemed in a state of rage, the more terrible, because it was suppressed. atoyac walked straight to the hunter, who had risen to receive him. on noticing the animation depicted on the indian's face, marksman thought that he had plainly discovered something concerning himself, and it was not without some suspicion that he awaited the communication his host seemed anxious to make to him. "is my father really an adept of the great medicine?" atoyac asked, fixing a searching glance on him. "did i not tell my brother so?" the hunter answered, who began to feel himself seriously threatened, and looked inquiringly at flying eagle. the latter smiled. the canadian reassured himself a little; it was plain that, if he saw any danger, the comanche would not be so calm. "let my brother come with me, then, and bring with him the instruments of his art," atoyac exclaimed. it would not have been prudent to decline this invitation, though rather roughly given; besides, nothing proved to him that his host entertained evil designs against him. the hunter, therefore, accepted. "let my brother walk in front; i will follow him," he contented himself with answering. "does my brother speak the tongue of the barbarous gachupinos?" "my nation lives near the boundless salt lake. the palefaces are our neighbours; i understand, and speak slightly, the tongue they employ." "all the better." "have i to cure a paleface?" the canadian inquired, anxious to know what was wanted of him. "no," atoyac replied. "one of the great apache chiefs brought hither, some moons back, two women of the palefaces. they are ill; the evil spirit has entered into them, and at this moment death is spreading his wings over the couch on which they repose." marksman shuddered at this unexpected news; his heart almost broke; an involuntary tremor passed over his limbs; he required a superhuman effort to overcome the deep emotion he felt, and to reply to atoyac, in a calm voice--"i am at my brother's orders, as my duty commands." "let us go, then," the indian answered. marksman took his box of medicaments, placed it cautiously under his arm, left the _calli_ at the heels of the sachem, and both proceeded hastily towards the palace of the vestals, accompanied, or, more correctly speaking, watched at a distance, by flying eagle, who followed in their footsteps, not once letting them out of sight. chapter xxxiii. explanatory. we are now compelled to go back a little way, in order to clear up certain facts which necessarily remained in the shade, and which it is urgent for the reader to know. we have related how don estevan, addick, and red wolf easily came to an understanding, in order to obtain a common vengeance. but, as generally happens in all treaties, each having begun by stipulating for his private advantage, it fell out that don estevan was about to reap the least profit from the partnership. few whites can rival the redskins in craft and diplomacy. the indians, like all conquered peoples, bowed so long beneath a brutalizing yoke, retained only one weapon, which is often deadly, however, by means of which they contend most with success against their fortunate adversaries. this weapon is cunning--the arm of cowards and the weak, the defence of slaves against their masters. the conditions offered by the two indian chiefs to don estevan were clear and precise. the chiefs, by means of the warriors they had at their disposal, would help the mexican in seizing and avenging himself on his enemies, inflicting on them any punishment he thought proper; in return, don estevan would make over his niece and the other maiden, now prisoners at quiepaa tani, to the chiefs, who would do to them what they pleased, don estevan giving up all right of interference with them. these conditions being well and duly defined, the indian chiefs set to work in fulfilling the clauses of the treaty as quickly as possible. red wolf had a hatred for the two hunters and don miguel, which was the more inveterate, because he had been conquered in the various encounters he had with the three men. he, therefore, eagerly seized the opportunity that offered to take his revenge, believing certain this time of repaying his abhorred enemies all the humiliation they had inflicted on him, and the ill they had done him. in less than four days, addick and red wolf succeeded in collecting a band of nearly one hundred and fifty picked warriors--obstinate enemies for the whites, and to whom the coming expedition was a real party of pleasure. when don estevan saw himself at the head of so large and resolute a band, his heart dilated with joy, and he felt himself ensured of success; for what could don miguel attempt with the few men he had at his disposal? the road was long, almost impracticable. to reach quiepaa tani, it was necessary to cross abrupt mountains, virgin forests, and immense deserts; and even supposing the gambusinos succeeded in overcoming these seemingly insurmountable difficulties, when they arrived before the city, what could they do? would they, scarce thirty at most, attempt to take by assault a city of nearly 20,000 souls, defended by strong walls, surrounded by a wide moat, and containing 3,000 picked men, the most renowned warriors of all the indian nations, specially entrusted with the defence of the sacred city, and who would, without any hesitation, fall to the last man, sooner than surrender? such a supposition was absurd; hence don estevan dismissed it so soon as it occurred to him. the first care of the indian chiefs was to learn in what direction their enemies were. unfortunately for the redskins, the arrangements made by the hunters were so adroit, that they were compelled to follow their enemy on three different trails, and break up their war party, if they wished to watch the gambusinos on all sides. this was the first occasion of a dissension between the three associates. addick and red wolf, when the question of a separation arose, naturally wished each to take the command of a body, an arrangement which displeased don estevan, and to which he would not at all consent, remarking, with some degree of justice, that in the affair they had in hand everything depended on the chiefs; that the warriors had nothing to do but watch the movements of their enemy, while they, the chiefs, must remain together, in order to arrange the necessary combinations in their plans, and be enabled to act with vigour when the occasion presented itself. the truth was, that don estevan, forced by circumstances into an alliance with the two sachems, had not the slightest confidence in his honourable associates. he despised them as much as he was despised by them, and felt certain that, if he allowed them to leave him, under any pretence, he should never see them again; that they would desert him on the prairie, remorselessly leaving him to get out of the dilemma in the best way he could. the indians perfectly understood their partner's thoughts, but, far too cunning to let him see they had read them, they pretended to admit the reasons he gave them, and recognize their correctness. the chiefs, therefore, remained together and pushed on, only accompanied by twenty men, and having divided the others into two bands, to watch the gambusinos. don estevan was eager to reach quiepaa tani, in order to remove the maidens from the city, and have them in his hands, in order, by their presence, to stimulate the ardour of his allies. they set out. a singular thing then happened. six detachments of warriors were following each other's trail for more than a month, each marching in the footsteps of the previous one, and not suspecting that it was in its turn followed by another. matters went on thus without leading to any encounter until the night when domingo disappeared in the virgin forest. this is how it happened. marksman had well judged the gambusino, when suspecting him to be capable of treachery. that is why he requested he should be left with him, that he might watch him with greater care. unfortunately, since the departure from the ford of the rubio, in spite of the incessant watchfulness kept up by marksman, he had never detected in the gambusino the slightest doubtful movement which would corroborate his suspicions, or convert them into certainty. domingo did his duty with apparent honesty and frankness. when they reached the bivouac, the little arrangements for the night were made; and the meal over, the gambusino was one of the first to roll himself in his zarapã©, lie down, and go to sleep from alleged weariness. in short, the bandit managed to behave so cleverly, and to mask his baseness, that the hunter, clever as he was, was taken in. gradually his vigilance relaxed, his distrust went to sleep, and, though not reckoning greatly on the gambusino's fidelity, he ceased looking after him incessantly, as he did during the first days. and then they had covered a great deal of ground during the past month; the hunters were in a completely unknown country: hence it was not presumable that the gambusino, almost new to desert life, would venture to desert the people with whom he was, and risk wandering alone in the desert, where he would have every chance of dying of hunger in a few days. this merely proved one fact, that marksman, in spite of all his cleverness, did not know the man with whom he had to deal, and did not suspect the tenacity of purpose which forms the backbone of the mexican character. domingo hated the hunter because he had unmasked him, and with the patience that characterizes the race to which he belonged, he awaited the opportunity for vengeance, feeling certain, by the force of events, that it must present itself from one day to the other. in the meanwhile, he looked and listened. the hunters did not hesitate to speak before him, for the reason that marksman would, in that case, have been obliged to tell his companions the suspicions he entertained of the gambusino, a thing that his innate loyalty prevented him doing. thus domingo had profited by the opportunity to learn all the details of the expedition of which he was an involuntary member--details he intended to tell as clearly as possible to the person they interested most, so soon as chance brought them together. on the evening when marksman discovered that trail which troubled him so greatly, domingo, while foraging about on his own account, found something which he carefully avoided showing his comrades. it was no other than a tobacco pouch of small dimensions, richly ornamented with gold embroidery, such as rich mexicans usually carry. domingo very well recollected having seen it in don estevan's hand. the pouch must, then, have been lost by him. for the present he hid it in his bosom, intending to examine it more at his leisure, when he did not fear any surprise from his companions. flying eagle followed the trail, as we have seen, and his friends, after lighting the fire, preparing the meal, and eating a few mouthfuls, waited his return. the day had been fatiguing; the indian's return was deferred; marksman and don mariano, after conversing for a long time, felt their eyelids weighed down and gently close; in short, they yielded to their fatigue, lay down, and were soon buried in a deep sleep. as for domingo, he had been sleeping for an hour, as if he never intended to wake again. a singular thing happened, however. don mariano and marksman had scarce closed their eyes, ere the gambusino opened his eyes, and that so freshly, that everything led to the belief that he had not been to sleep at all, and never felt more wakeful than at the present moment. he looked suspiciously around, and remained for some time motionless; but, after a few moments, reassured by the gentle and regular breathing of his companions, he sat up gently. he hesitated for several moments, but then took the tobacco pouch from the place where he had concealed it, and examined it with the closest attention. this pouch had scarcely anything to distinguish it from others; but one circumstance struck the hunter: the pouch was nearly half full of tobacco, and that tobacco was fresh. hence it could not have been long lost by don estevan--a few hours, at the most. if that were so, as there was every reason to assume, don estevan could not be far off, and must be a league, or at the most two, from their bivouac. this reasoning was logical; hence the gambusino drew from it the conclusion that the opportunity he had been waiting for so long had at length arrived, and he must seize it at all risks. this conclusion once admitted, the rest can be easily understood. the gambusino rose, glided like a snake into the underwood, and went off in search of don estevan. accident is the master of the world; it regulates matters at its will; its combinations are at times so strange, that it seems to take a malignant pleasure in making the most odious plans succeed, contrary to all expectations. this is what happened in the present case. the gambusino had not been wandering about the forest for more than hour, groping his way as well as he could in the dark, which enwrapped him like a shroud, when he arrived, at the moment he least expected it, in sight of a fire lighted on the extreme verge of the forest. he walked at once towards the brilliant flame he had noticed, instinctively persuaded that near the _brasero_ which served him as a beacon he should find the man he was looking for. his presentiments had not deceived him. the camp, towards which he was proceeding, was really that of don estevan and his allies, who, we must allow, did not believe themselves so near their enemies. had they done so, they would have indubitably employed all the precautions usual in the desert to conceal their presence. the sudden appearance of the gambusino in the circle illumined by the fire was a perfect tableau. the indians and don estevan himself were so far from expecting the man's arrival, that there was a moment of fearful confusion, during which the gambusino was seized, thrown down, and bound, ere he had time to utter a syllable in his defence. the warriors seized their arms, and scattered about the neighbourhood, in order to assure themselves that the man who had so suddenly come among them was alone, and they had nothing to fear. at length the alarm gradually cooled down; they felt easier, and thought about questioning the prisoner. this was what the latter desired, and which he earnestly requested, ever since he had been so roughly pounced on. he was led into the presence of the three chiefs, and at once recognised by don estevan. "eh!" the latter said, with a grin. "it is my worthy friend, domingo. what on earth brings you here, my fine fellow?" "you shall learn, for i have merely come to do you a service," the bandit answered, with his usual effrontery. "i should be obliged, though, by your having me untied if it is possible. these cords cut into my flesh, and cause me such suffering, that i shall be unable to utter a word until i have got rid of them." when the bandit's request had been accomplished, he told all he had heard in the fullest detail, without any pressing. the revelations of the gambusino caused his hearers considerable reflection, and they next asked how he knew that they were so near? domingo completed his story by stating how he had found the tobacco pouch, and how, after his two companions, marksman and don mariano, fell asleep, he left them to go in search of don estevan. in the gambusino's story one thing especially struck don estevan, and that was, that two of his greatest enemies were a few paces from him, and alone. he at once leaned over to red wolf, and whispered a few words, to which the other responded by a sinister smile. ten minutes later, the fire was extinguished. the apaches, armed to the teeth, under the guidance of domingo, glided into the forest, and proceeded toward the spot where the hunter and the gentleman were tranquilly reposing, not suspecting the terrible danger that menaced them, and the treachery to which they were the victims. we have seen how the indian's enterprise failed, and in what way the wretched domingo received the chastisement for his crime. unfortunately, he had found time to speak, and his words had been carefully garnered. when the apaches recognized that they had to do with a stronger party than they expected, and the men they wished to surprise were on their guard, they withdrew in all haste, in order to deliberate on the measures they must take to get before their enemies, and foil their plans. the discussion, contrary to indian habit, was not long. in spite of the night, whose dense mantle still covered the ground, they mounted their horses, and proceeded as speedily as possible toward quiepaa tani, in order to enter the city first, and have time to call on their friends to help them in the impending contest. in spite of all his objections, don estevan was left behind, concealed with some warriors on the outskirts of the forest. the chiefs, with all their influence, not daring openly to infringe the indian laws by introducing into the city a paleface other than a prisoner, don estevan was compelled to await their return with resignation. but if the indians had lost no time, the hunters, on their side, had so well profited by it, that, as we have seen, marksman, disguised as a yuma medicine man, entered quiepaa tani simultaneously with them. while red wolf made all the preparations for convening the great council of the chiefs, addick left him, and proceeded to the house of his friend, cheuch coatl (eight serpents), the amantzin, or high priest. but the latter, on hearing of the young chief's return, had shut himself up with the pigeon, who, accompanied by eglantine, had come to pay him a visit. the amantzin advised her of addick's return--which she knew already--and recommended her to maintain silence as to the active part she had played in the attempted conversion of the maidens. the pigeon, whom eglantine had taught her lesson, promised to remain dumb. she had told the high priest of the presence in quiepaa tani of a great yuma medicine man, whose knowledge might be useful in restoring the health of addick's prisoners. the amantzin thanked the indian woman, telling her he should probably see atozac at the council, and would not fail to ask him to lead two rabbits to him. feeling considerably calmer, the amantzin dismissed the women, and proceeded to addick, being well prepared to receive him. at the first words the young chief uttered, referring to his great desire to see his two prisoners as soon as possible, the old man replied that, in order to be able to watch over them more effectually, and remove them from the oppressive curiosity of the idlers of the city, who troubled him with their continual visits, he had been compelled to transfer them to the palace of the virgins of the sun, until they could be returned to their legitimate owner. addick thanked his friend most warmly for the care he had taken in performing the commission entrusted to him--thanks which the chief priest received with hypocritical modesty, while regarding the young chief with a crafty look, which caused him to feel uncomfortable. hence, without further beating round the bush, he resolved on settling the matter at once. chapter xxxiv. conversational. the two men stood for a moment silently face to face, devouring each other with their glances, with frowning brows and compressed lips, like two duellists on the point of crossing swords; and, in truth, they were about to engage in a duel, the more terrible because the only weapons they could employ were cunning and dissimulation. the power of the indian priests is immense; it is the more terrible, because it is uncontrolled, and only depends on the deity they invoke, and whom they compel to interfere in all circumstances when they have need of his support. no people are so superstitious as the redskins. with them religion is entirely physical, they are completely ignorant of dogmas, and prefer blindly believing the absurdities their diviners lay before them, rather than give themselves the trouble of reflecting on mysteries which they do not understand, and which, in their hearts, they care little for. we have said that the high priest of quiepaa tani was a man of lofty intellect, constantly residing in the city, possessing the secrets, and, consequently, the confidence of most families; he had built up his popularity on a solid and almost immovable basis. addick was aware of this. on several occasions he had been obliged to have recourse to the occult powers of the soothsayer, and, therefore, perfectly comprehended the unpleasant consequences which would result to him from a rupture with such a man. chiuchcoatl stood with his arms folded on his chest, and with apathetic face, before the young chief, whose eyes flashed, and features expressed the most violent indignation. still, at the expiration of a few moments, addick, by an extraordinary effort of his will, subdued the fire of his glance, smoothed down the expression of his face, and offered his hand to the priest, saying to him in a soft and conciliatory voice, in which no trace of his internal agitation was perceptible, "my father loves me. what he has done is well, and i thank him for it." the amantzin bowed deferentially, while slightly touching, with the end of his three fingers, the hand held out to him. "the wacondah inspired me," he said, with a hypocritical voice. "the holy name of the wacondah be blessed," the chief replied. "will not my father allow me to see the prisoners?" "i should like it. unfortunately, that is impossible." "what?" the young man exclaimed, with a shade of impatience, he could not completely hide. "the law is positive. entrance to the palace of the virgins of the sun is prohibited to men." "that is true; but these young girls are not priestesses. they are paleface women whom i brought here." "i know it. what my brother says is just." "well, my father sees that nothing prevents my prisoners being restored to me." "my son is mistaken. their presence among the virgins of the sun has placed them beneath the effect of the law. forced by imperious circumstances, i did not reflect on this when i made them enter the palace. in order to carry out my son's wishes, i wished to save them at any price. now i regret what i have done; but it is too late." addick felt an enormous temptation to dash out the brains of the wretched juggler, who deluded him so impudently with his hypocritical accent and gentle manner; but, fortunately for the priest, and probably for himself, as such a deed, just as it was, would not have gone unpunished, he succeeded in mastering himself. "come," he continued, in a moment, "my father is kind, he would not wish to reduce me to despair. are there no means to remove this apparently insurmountable difficulty?" the priest seemed to hesitate. addick looked earnestly at him, while awaiting his answer. "yes," he continued, presently, "there is, perhaps, one way." "what?" the young man exclaimed, joyfully. "let my father speak!" "it would be," the old man answered, laying a stress on every word, and, as it were, unwillingly, "it would be by obtaining authority from the great council to remove them from the palace." "wah! i did not think of that. in truth, the great council may authorize that. i thank my father. oh! i shall obtain the permission." "i hope so," the priest answered, in a tone which staggered the young man. "does my father suppose that the great council would wish to insult me by refusing so slight a favour?" he asked. "i suppose nothing my son. the wacondah holds in his right hand the hearts of the chiefs. he can alone dispose them in your favour." "my father is right. i will go immediately to the council. it must be assembled at this moment." "in truth," the amantzin answered, "the first hachesto of the powerful sachems came to summon me a few moments before i had the pleasure of seeing my son." "then my father is proceeding to the council?" "i will accompany my son, if he consents." "it will be an honour for me. i can, i trust, count on the support of my father?" "when has that support failed addick?" "never. still, today, above all, i should like to be certain that my father will grant it to me." "my son knows that i love him. i will act as my duty ordains," the priest replied, evasively. addick, to his great regret, was forced to put up with this ambiguous answer. the two men then went out, and crossed the square, to enter the palace of the sachems, where the council assembled. a crowd of indians, attracted by curiosity, thronged this usually deserted spot, and greeted with shouts the passage of renowned sachems. when the high priest appeared, accompanied by the young chief, the indians fell back before them with a respect mingled with fear, and bowed silently to them. the amantzin was more feared than loved by the people, as generally happens with all men who hold great power. chiuchcoatl did not seem to notice the emotion his presence produced, and the hurried whispers that were audible on his passing. with eyes sunk, and modest even humble step, he entered the palace at the heels of the young chief, whose assured countenance and haughty glance formed a striking contrast with the demeanour his comrade affected. the place reserved for the meeting of the great council was an immense square hall, extremely simple, and facing north and south; at one end was fastened to the whitewashed wall a tapestry made of the feathers and down of rare birds, on which was reproduced, in brilliantly coloured feathers, the revered image of the sun, resting on the great sacred tortoise, the emblem of the world. beneath this tapestry, and sustained by four crossed spears planted in the ground, was the sacred calumet, which must never be sullied by contact with the earth. this calumet, whose red bowl was made of a precious clay, only found in a certain region of the upper missouri, had a tube ten feet in length, adorned with feathers and gold bells, and from its extremity hung a small medicine bag of elk skin, studded with hieroglyphics. in the centre of the hall, in an oval hole, hollowed for the purpose, was piled, with a certain degree of symmetry, the wood destined for the council fire, and which could only be lighted by the high priest. the hall was lighted by twelve lofty windows, hung with long curtains of vicuna skin, through which a gloomy and uncertain light filtered, perfectly harmonizing with the imposing aspect of the vast apartment. at the moment the amantzin and addick entered the place of meeting, all the chiefs comprising the council had arrived; they were walking about in groups, conversing and waiting. so soon as the high priest entered, each took his place by the fire, at a sign from the eldest sachem. this sachem was an old man, whom two warriors held under the arms to support. a long beard, white as silver--a singular fact among indians--fell on his chest; his features were stamped with extraordinary majesty; and, indeed, the other chiefs showed him profound respect and veneration. this chief was called axayacatl, that is to say, "the face of the water." he claimed descent from the ancient incas, who governed the country of the anahuac before the spanish conquest, and, like his namesake, the eighth king of mexico, his totem was a face, before which he placed the symbol for water. we may remark, in support of his claim, that his skin had not that reddish hue of new copper which distinguishes the indian race, but, on the contrary, approached the european type. whatever his descent might be, though, one thing certain was, that in his youth he had been one of the bravest and most renowned chiefs of the comanches, that haughty and untameable nation, which calls itself the queen of the prairies. when axayacatl's great age and numerous wounds prevented him waging war longer, the indians, by whom he was generally revered, had unanimously elected him supreme chief of quiepaa tani, and he had performed his duties for more than twenty years, to the satisfaction of all the indian nations. after assuring himself that all the chiefs were assembled round the fire, the sachem took from the hands of the hachesto, who stood by his side, a lighted log, which he placed in the centre of the wood prepared for the council, saying, in a weak, though perfectly distinct voice,--"wacondah! thy children are assembling to discuss grave matters; may the flame, which is thy spirit, breathe in their hearts, and raise to their lips words wise and worthy of thee." the wood--probably covered with resinous matter--caught fire almost immediately, and a brilliant flame soon mounted, with a whirl, toward the roof. while the sachem was pronouncing the words we have just written, two subaltern priests had taken the sacred calumet from the spot where it was placed, and, after filling it with tobacco expressly reserved for extraordinary ceremonies, they lifted it on their shoulders, and presented it respectfully to the amantzin. the latter took, with a medicine rod, in order to confound evil omens, a burning coal from the hearth, and lit the calumet, while pronouncing the following invocation:--"wacondah! sublime and mysterious being. thou, whom the world cannot contain, and whose powerful eye perceives the smallest insect timidly concealed beneath the grass, we invoke thee, thee whom no man can comprehend. grant that the sun, thy visible representative, may be favourable to us, and not drive far away the holy smoke of the great calumet which we send toward him." the amantzin, still holding the bowl of the calumet in the palm of his hand, presented the tube in turn to each chief, beginning with the eldest. the sachems each inhaled a few puffs of smoke, with the decorum and reverence required by etiquette, with their eyes fixed on the ground, and the right arm laid on the heart. when the tube of the calumet at length reached the high priest, he had the bowl held by one of his acolytes, and smoked till all the tobacco was reduced to ashes. then the hachesto approached, emptied the ash into a little elkskin pouch, which he closed, and threw into the fire, saying in a loud and impressive voice,--"wacondah! the descendants of the sons of aztlan implore thy clemency. suffer thy luminous rays to descend into their hearts, that their words may be those of wise men." then the two priests took the calumet again, and placed it beneath the image of the sun. the old sachem took the word again. "the council has assembled," he said, "two renowned chiefs, who only arrived this morning at quiepaa tani, on their return from a long journey, have, they say, important communications to make to the sachems. let them speak; our ears are open." we will enter into no details of the discussion that took place in the council; we will not even quote the speeches uttered by red wolf and addick, for that would carry us too far, and probably only weary the reader. we need only say, that though the passions of the sachems were cleverly played on by the two chiefs who had called the meeting, and that sharp attacks were sharply returned, all passed with the decorum and decency characteristic of indian assemblies; that, although each defended his opinion inch by inch, no one went beyond the limits of good taste; and we will sum up the debate by stating that red wolf and addick completely failed in their schemes, and that the good sense, or rather the ill will, of their colleagues prevented them attaining the object of their desires. the high priest, while pretending to support addick, managed to embroil the question so cleverly, that the council declared unanimously that the two young palefaces shut up in the palace of the virgins of the sun must be considered, not as the property of the chief who brought them to the city, but as prisoners of the entire confederation, and as such remain under the guardianship of the amantzin, to whom the order was intimated to watch them with the greatest care, and under no pretext allow the young chief to approach them. chiuchcoatl, when he insinuated to addick that he should apply to the council, knew perfectly well what the result would be but not wishing to make an enemy of the young man by refusing his request, he adroitly thrust the responsibility of the refusal on the whole council, and thus rendered it impossible for addick to call him to account for his dishonourable conduct toward him. red wolf had been more fortunate, from the simple reason that his communication concerned the city. the apache chief demanded that a party of five hundred warriors, commanded by a renowned chief, should be called under arms, to watch over the common safety, gravely compromised by the appearance, in the vicinity of quiepaa tani, of some forty palefaces, whose evident intention it was to attack and carry the city by storm. the chiefs granted red wolf what he asked, and even much more than he had ventured to hope. instead of five hundred warriors, it was settled that a thousand should be called; one-half of them, under the orders of atoyac, would traverse the country in every direction, in order to watch the approach of the enemy, while the other half, under the immediate orders of the governor, would guard the interior. after this, the council broke up. the high priest then approached atoyac, and asked him if he really had a renowned tlacateotzin at his house. the other replied, that, on the same day, a great yuma medicine man had arrived at quiepaa tani, and done him the honour of entering his _calli_. flying eagle then joined atoyac in assuring the high priest that this medicine man, whom he had known for a long time, justly enjoyed a very extensive reputation among the indians, and that he had himself seen him effect marvellous cures. the amantzin had no reason to distrust flying eagle; he therefore put the greatest confidence in his words, and, on the spot, begged atoyac to bring this tlacateotzin as speedily as possible to the palace of the virgins of the sun, that he might devote his attention to the two paleface maidens placed under his ward by the council-general of the nation, and whose health had inspired him with great fears for some time past. addick heard these words, and rapidly approached the high priest. "what does my father say, then?" he exclaimed, in great agitation. "i say," the amantzin replied, in his most honeyed voice, "that the two maidens my son entrusted to my care have been tried by the wacondah, who sent them the scourge of illness." "is their life in danger?" the young man continued, with ill-suppressed agony. "the wacondah alone holds in his power the existence of his creatures; still i believe that the danger may be conquered; besides, as my son has heard, i expect an illustrious tlacateotzin of the yuma race, just come from the shore of the boundless salt lake, who, by the aid of his science, can, i doubt not, restore strength and health to the slaves whom my son took from the spanish barbarians." addick, at this unpleasant news, could not suppress a movement of anger, which proved to the high priest that he was not entirely his dupe, but suspected what had happened; but, either through respect, or fear lest he might be mistaken in his supposition, though more probably because the place where addick was did not appear to him propitious for an explanation like that he wished to have with the amantzin, he contented himself with begging the old man not to neglect anything to save the captives, adding, that he would be grateful to him for any attention he might pay them. then, suddenly breaking off the conversation, he bowed slightly to the high priest, turned his back on him, and left the hall, talking eagerly in a low voice with red wolf, who had waited for him a few paces off. the amantzin looked after the young man with a most peculiar expression in his eyes; then, resuming his conversation with atoyac and flying eagle, he begged them to send the yuma medicine man to them that evening, if possible. the latter promised this, and then left him to return to the _calli_, where the physician was doubtless waiting for them. still, what had passed at the council afforded flying eagle serious matter for reflection, by letting him see that the two apache chiefs knew the greater part of marksman's secret, and if the latter wished to succeed, he must waste no time, but set to work at once. after ten minutes' walking, the chiefs reached the _calli_, where they found marksman awaiting them. the hunter, as we have seen, offered no objections to atoyac's request, but, on the contrary, after taking up his medicine box, followed him eagerly. chapter xxxv. the interview. marksman followed atoyac to the palace of the virgins of the sun. in spite of himself, the intrepid hunter felt his heart contract when he thought of the perilous situation in which he was about to place himself, and the terrible consequences discovery would entail. still, he stood up against this emotion, and succeeded in regaining sufficient power over himself to affect a tranquillity and indifference which were far from real. the two men walked silently side by side. the hunter, fearing this prolonged dumbness might inspire his pride with doubts, resolved to make him talk, in order to give his thoughts a different direction from that he feared to see them take. "my brother has travelled much?" he asked him. "where is the warrior of our race whose life has not been spent in long journeys?" the indian answered, sententiously. "the palefaces--my brother knows it better than i--chase us like wild beasts, and compel us incessantly to retire before their successive encroachments." "that is true," the hunter said, shaking his head with a melancholy air. "what desert is so obscure in which we are now permitted to hide the bones of our fathers, with the certainty that the plough of the whites will not come to crush them in tracing its interminable furrow, and scatter them in every direction?" "alas!" atoyac observed, "the red race is accursed. the day will come when it will be sought in vain on the immense plains where it was formerly more numerous than the brilliant stars which stud the vault of heaven; for it is fatally condemned to disappear from the surface of the world. the palefaces are only the terrible implements of the implacable wrath of the wacondah against the children of the red family." "my father only speaks too well. formerly our race was all-powerful; now it has fallen lower than the vilest slave, and has no hope left it of ever rising again." "what has become of the powerful emperors of anahuac, who commanded the whole earth? of the numberless cities they founded, but five compose today the territory of tlapalean.[1] they are the last refuges of the children of quetyalcoalt,[2] who are forced to hide themselves there like timid deer, instead of boldly treading the countries possessed in old times by their ancestors." "but, thanks be rendered to the wacondah, whose power is infinite, these five cities are completely sheltered from the insults of the gachupinos." atoyac shook his head sadly, "my father is mistaken," he said. "where is the hidden spot to which palefaces do not penetrate?" "that is possible. they effect everything; but up to the present no paleface has gazed on quiepaa tani. they have not been able to cross the mountains and traverse the deserts, behind which the sacred city rises calm and peaceful, deriding the vain efforts of its enemies to discover it." "scarce two suns ago, i should have spoken like my brother. i should have rejoiced with him at this ignorance of the palefaces; but today this is no longer possible." "how so? what can have happened in so short a space of time, that compels my brother to alter his opinion so suddenly?" the hunter asked, growing all at once interested, and fearful of hearing bad news. "the palefaces are in the vicinity of the city. they have been seen; they are numerous and well armed." "it is not so; my father is mistaken. cowards or old women were frightened by their shadow, and spread this report," the canadian answered, shivering all over. "those who brought the news are neither cowards, afraid of their shadow, nor chattering old women--they are renowned chiefs. today, at the great council, they announced the presence of a strong party of palefaces, concealed in the forest, whose trees have so long spread out their protecting branches before us, to conceal us from the piercing glances of our enemies." "these men, however numerous they may be, unless they form a real army, will not venture to attack a city so strong as this, defended by thick walls, and containing a considerable number of chosen warriors." "perhaps. who can know? at any rate, if the palefaces do not attack us, we shall attack them. not one of them must see again the land of the palefaces. our future security demands it." "yes, it must be so; but are you sure that the chiefs of whom you speak, and whose names i do not know, may not deceive you, and be traitors?" atoyac stopped and fixed a piercing glance on the canadian, who endured it with a calm air and unmoved countenance. "no," he said, a moment after, "red wolf and addick are no traitors." the hunter seemed to reflect for a moment, and then exclaimed, with a resolute air, which imposed on the indian, "no, indeed, those two chiefs are not traitors; but they are on the road to become so ere long. the dangers which menace us they heaped up on our heads to satisfy their passions and thirst for vengeance." "let my brother explain," the chief said, at the height of astonishment. "his words are plain." "i did wrong to utter them," the hunter continued, with feigned humility. "i am only a man of peace, to whom the omnipotent wacondah has given the mission of relieving, according to the knowledge granted him, the ills of humanity. i, a poor being, ought not to try and uproot the powerful oak, whose weight in falling would crush me. let my brother pardon me. i imprudently allowed my indignation to carry me away." "no, no," the chief exclaimed, pressing his arm forcibly; "it cannot be so. my father has begun, and he must tell me all." with that quickness of thought that distinguished him, the hunter had conceived a plan founded on the distrust which forms the basis of the indian character. he pretended resistance to the chief's instructions, and was unwilling to enter into details of what he had let him have a glimpse of; but the more the pretended medicine man declined to speak, the more did the chief press him to do so. at length the hunter feigned to be intimidated by his host's mingled prayers and threats, and still alleging the fear he felt of drawing on himself the hatred of two renowned chiefs, he at length consented to give the information for which atoyac pressed him so urgently. "here are the facts," he said. "i will relate them to my brother exactly as they came to my knowledge. still, my brother will pledge me his word, that whatever be the resolution he forms after hearing my words, he will in no way mix up a peaceful and timid man in this affair. that my name shall not be even mentioned, and that the chiefs whose conduct i am now about to unveil, will not be aware of my presence at quiepaa tani?" "my brother can speak in all confidence. i swear to him by the sacred name of the wacondah, and by the great ayotl, that whatever happens, his name shall not be mixed up in this affair. no one shall know in what way i obtained the information he will give me. atoyac is one of the first sachems in quiepaa tani. when it pleases him to say a thing, his words do not require to be confirmed by any other testimony than his own." as so often happens, under present circumstances, apart from the discomfort produced by the hunter's reticence, the chief was not sorry at the importance the details he was about to learn would assuredly give him, and the part he would be indubitably called on to play in the events which would result from them. "och!" the hunter said, with a sigh of satisfaction, "if that is the case, i will speak." then the canadian told his complaisant and credulous hearer a long and wonderfully confused story, in which truth was so artfully mixed up with falsehood, that it would have been impossible for the acutest man to distinguish one from the other; but the result of which was, that, if the whites had reached the vicinity of the city, addick and red wolf had lured them after them, only connecting their trail sufficiently for their pursuers not to lose it. the whole of the facts recounted by the hunter were so skilfully grouped, that the two chiefs, enveloped in this network of truth and falsehood, must be inevitably convicted of treason if closely cross-questioned, which the worthy hunter hoped most sincerely. "i will allow myself no reflections," he added, in conclusion; "my brother is a wise chief and experienced warrior: he will judge far better than i, a poor worm, can of the gravity of the things he has just heard; still, i implore him to remember what he has promised." "atoyac has only one word," the chief answered. "my father can reassure himself; but what i have heard is extremely serious. let us lose no more time; i must go to the first chief of the city." "perhaps the two sachems have drawn the palefaces so near us with a good intention," the hunter insinuated; "they hope, possibly, to pounce upon them with greater ease." "no," atoyac answered, with a gloomy air; "their intentions can only be perfidious; their machinations must be foiled as speedily as possible; if not, great misfortunes will occur, especially after the decision of the council, which gives the command of the warriors destined to act in the city to red wolf, under the orders of the governor." fortunately for the hunter, atoyac was a personal enemy of red wolf and addick, which prevented him noticing with what cunning skill the canadian had led him to listen to his narrative. the two men hastily continued their walk, and in a few minutes reached the palace of the vestals. after a few words with the warrior who had charge of the gate, the chief and the medicine man were introduced into the interior. the high priest came eagerly toward the newcomers, whom he had been eagerly expecting. the amantzin regarded the hunter with suspicious attention, and made him undergo an interrogatory like atoyac's in the morning. his answers, prepared long before, pleased the high priest; for, a few moments after, he led him to the reserved apartments of the palace, in order to examine the state of the maidens. the canadian's heart trembled with the most violent emotion, and large drops of perspiration beaded in his face. indeed, the critical position in which he found himself, was really of a nature to inspire him with serious alarm. what he feared most of all was the effect his presence might produce on the maidens, if, in spite of his perfect disguise, they recognized him at once, or when he made himself known to them; for it was indispensable for the success of the trick he intended to play, that those he was going to see should know with whom they had to deal, and enter fully into the spirit of the characters he meant them to play in the farce. these reflections, and many others which rushed on the hunter, imparted to his face a look of sternness, which was far from injuring him in the minds of those who accompanied him. they at length reached the entrance of the secret apartments, whose door, at a sign from the high priest, was widely opened before them. but so soon as they entered a large hall, which, through the absence of all furniture, might be regarded as a vestibule, the amantzin turned to atoyac, and gave him the order to wait there, while he led the medicine man to the captives. as we have already said, the abode of the virgins of the sun was interdicted to all men, excepting the high priest. under certain circumstances, one person might be an exception to this rule, and that was the doctor. atoyac was too well acquainted with the severe law of the palace to offer the slightest remark; still, when the high priest prepared to leave him, he caught him respectfully by the robe, and bent to his ear. "my brother will return promptly," he said to him in a low voice; "i have important news to communicate to him." "important news," the amantzin repeated, as he stared at him. "yes," the chief said. "and they concern me?" the high priest continued slowly. atoyac smiled confidentially. "i think so," he said, "for they relate to red wolf and addick." the high priest gave a slight start. "i will return in a moment," he said, with a gracious nod; then turning to the hunter, who stood motionless a few steps off, apparently indifferent to what passed between the two men, he said to him,--"come." the hunter bowed, and followed the high priest. the latter led him across a long courtyard paved with bricks, and ascending ten steps of blue and green-veined marble, he conducted him into a small isolated pavilion, completely separate from the building in which the virgins of the sun were secluded. the high priest closed the door behind him, which gave them admission to the pavilion; they crossed a species of antechamber, and the amantzin, raising a drapery which hung over a narrow doorway, introduced the pretended physician into a room splendidly furnished in the indian style. the high priest, wishing, if possible, to make the maidens forget they were captives, had gilded their cage with the utmost care, by decorating it with all the articles of luxury and comfort which he supposed would please them. in an elegant hammock of cocoa-fibre, overrun with feathers, and hanging from golden rings, about eighteen inches from the floor, there reclined a young woman, whose face of excessive pallor bore the imprint of profound sorrow, and the evident traces of a serious illness. it was doã±a laura de real del monte. by her side, with folded arms and tear-laden eyes, stood doã±a luisa, her friend, or rather her sister, through suffering and devotion. the state of prostration into which doã±a luisa was plunged, proved that, in spite of her strength of character, she had also, for some time past, given up all hope of ever leaving the prison in which she was confined. this room, receiving no light from without, was illuminated by four torches of ocote wood, passed through gold rings in the wall, whose vacillating flame dimly lighted up the scene. on seeing the two men, doã±a laura made a sign of terror, and buried her face in her hands. the hunter saw that he must precipitate events, so he turned to his guide, "the wacondah is powerful," he said, in an imposing voice; "the sacred tortoise supports the world on its shell. his spirit eye is on me; it inspires me. i must remain alone with the patients, that i may read in their faces the nature of the illness that torments them." the high priest hesitated; he fixed on the pretended physician a glance which seemed to try and read his most secret thoughts. but, although accustomed for many years to deceive his countrymen by his mystic juggling, he was, after all, an indian, and, as such, as accessible to superstitious fears as those he deluded. he therefore hesitated, "i am the amantzin," he said, with a respectful accent. "the wacondah can only view with satisfaction my presence here at this moment." "my father can remain, if such is his pleasure; i do not compel him to retire," the canadian answered boldly, as he was determined to gain his point at all hazards. "now i warn him that i am in no way responsible for the terrible consequences his disobedience will entail. the spirit that possesses me will be obeyed, for it is jealous. let my father reflect." the high priest bowed his head humbly. "i will retire," he said; "my brother will pardon my pressing." and he left the apartment. the canadian silently accompanied him to the door of the vestibule, closed it carefully after him, and ran back to the young ladies, who recoiled with terror. "fear nothing," he whispered; "i am a friend." "a friend!" doã±a laura exclaimed, who had fled, all trembling, into a corner of the room. "yes," he continued hastily; "i am marksman, the canadian hunter, the friend, the companion of don miguel." doã±a laura sat up in her hammock, and a cry of surprise and joy burst from her chest. "silence!" the hunter said; "they may be listening." doã±a luisa gazed with dilated eyes on this scene, whose meaning escaped her. "you, marksman!" doã±a laura at length said, with an accent impossible to describe. "oh! we may be saved, then; we are not abandoned by all." and, sliding to the ground, she knelt piously, and, with clasped hands, murmured a fervent prayer, while her eyes filled with tears. then, rising suddenly, she seized the hunter's hands, and pressed them passionately. "don miguel," she said; "where is he?" "he is close by, and waiting for you. but, for heaven's sake, listen to me; moments are precious." "oh, caballero! take us away, take us away quickly," doã±a laura at length said, completely recovered from her emotion. "soon." "yes, yes, save us!" doã±a laura exclaimed; "my father will reward you." marksman smiled. "your father will be very glad to see you again," he said, softly. doã±a laura raised to him her lovely eyes, radiant with joy. "where is my father?" she asked him; but then added, "no, i cannot see him. he is far, very far from here." "he is with don miguel, in the forest. set your mind at rest." "oh, heaven!" the maiden exclaimed, "it is too much happiness." at this moment someone could be heard ascending the marble steps. "hist!" the hunter said, sharply; "be on your guard." "but what must we do?" doã±a laura asked, in a low voice. "wait, and have confidence." "what, are you going?" "leave us already?" they exclaimed together, with a movement of terror. "i will return. leave me to act. once again, hope and patience." "oh, if you were to abandon us; if you did not save us," laura said, in despair, "we should have nothing left but to die." "oh, have pity on us!" doã±a luisa murmured; "trust to me, poor children," the hunter answered, more affected than he liked to seem by this simple and profound sorrow. "remember this carefully--whatever happens, whatever may be told you, whatever sound you hear, trust to me--to me alone--for i am watching over you. i have sworn to save you, and i will succeed." "thanks!" they replied. the steps had stopped at the door. marksman, after making the maidens a last sign to recommend them prudence, composed his features, sharply opened the door, and, without uttering a word, passed by the high priest, whom he did not seem to notice, but evinced great marks of agitation, and, making incomprehensible signs, ran toward the spot where atoyac was awaiting him. the amantzin was dumb with surprise. after a moment, he closed the doors the hunter had left open, and followed him, but as if he did not dare to draw towards him. the maidens did not know whether they were not the sport of a dream. so soon as they were alone, they fell into each other's arms, sobbing violently. [1] literally, "red country." [2] curlyce of mexico: literally, it means the "serpent covered with feathers." chapter xxxvi. a meeting. the indian chief could not restrain a cry of terror, and recoiled a few paces at the sudden apparition of the hunter. the latter stopped in the centre of the room, and letting his head sink on his chest, appeared plunged in profound thought. the high priest, on rejoining atoyac, told him, in a few words, in what fashion the medicine man had quitted the sick chamber, and the indians, filled with superstitious fear, stood motionless a few paces from him, respectfully waiting till he addressed them. the hunter appeared gradually to regain possession of his faculties; his agitation calmed down; he passed his hand over his forehead, and sighed like a man at length relieved from a terrible oppression. the indians considered the moment favourable to approach him, and ask him the questions they burned to address to him. "well, my father?" they said. "speak," the high priest added. "what is the matter with you?" the hunter rolled his eyes, uttered a fresh sigh, and muttered, in a low, choking voice--"the spirit possesses me; it presses the marrow of my bones." the indians exchanged a timid glance, and fell back in terror. "wacondah! wacondah!" the canadian continued; "why hast thou gifted thy wretched servant with this unhappy knowledge?" the redskins really felt the blood curdle in their veins by these sinister words; a shudder of terror ran over their limbs, and their teeth chattered. marksman walked slowly toward them; they saw him approaching without daring to make a movement to avoid him. the hunter laid his right hand on the high priest's shoulder, fixed a piercing glance on him, and said, in a hollow voice--"the sons of the sacred ayotl must arm themselves with courage." "what does my brother mean?" the old man muttered, in a tremor. "a wicked spirit," the hunter continued, coldly, "has entered these daughters of the palefaces. this spirit will smite with death, from this day forth, those who approach them; for the dread knowledge with which the wacondah has gifted me has enabled me to convince myself of the malign influence that weighs upon them." the two indians, credulous like all of their race, fell back a step. then the hunter, as if to confirm his words, feigned to be attacked by a fresh crisis, and struggle with the spirit that dwelt in him. "but what must be done to deliver them from his evil influence?" atoyac asked, timidly. "all strength and all wisdom come from the wacondah," the canadian answered. "i will ask my father, the amantzin's leave to spend this night in prayer in the temple of the sun." the indians exchanged a glance of admiration. "be it so, according to my father's wish," the high priest said, with a bow; "his wishes are orders to us." "above all," the hunter continued, "let no one approach the daughters of the palefaces till tomorrow; then, perhaps, the wacondah will grant my prayers, by indicating the medicines i must employ." the high priest gave a sign of assent. "it shall be so," he said; "let my father follow me; i will conduct him to the temple." "no," marksman objected; "that is not possible. i must enter the sanctuary alone. my father will tell me the way to open the door." the amantzin obeyed, and explained to him in what way the bars and bolts were arranged, and how he must set to work to undo them. "good," the hunter said; "tomorrow, at sunrise, i will let my father know the will of the wacondah, and if there be any hope left of saving the patients." "i will wait, my son," the old man replied. the two indians bowed respectfully to the medicine man, and retired together. the hunter was surprised at seeing them go away thus, and asked himself where they could be proceeding at such an hour. the departure of the indians was the only consequence of the confidential information given to atoyac by marksman, and the high priest and the chief were proceeding in all haste to the principal sachem of the city, to impart to him all they had learned of the supposed intentions of addick and red wolf. we will here return to what we have already told the reader, in order to make him thoroughly understand the motive of the confidence with which the indians accepted the hunter's words. in these countries soothsayers are, as it were, favourites of fortune, and enjoy an unbounded supernatural power. as among the redskins, the practice of medicine is, properly speaking, only an affectation of religious rites mingled with ridiculous juggling. the physicians are naturally considered to be acyars, and respected as such. and let it not be supposed that the vulgar alone are imbued with this belief. the chiefs, warriors, priests even, as we have shown, recognize in them a marked superiority, even if they do not grant them equally absolute power. during the latest events we have described, night had set in, but one of those american nights, so calm and soft, full of intoxicating perfumes; a weak and delicate light poured from the stars, whose innumerable army studded the profoundly azure sky with their flashing light; the moon was standing high in the heavens, and poured down on the sleeping city its silvery rays, which imparted to objects a fantastic appearance; a religious silence brooded over the landscape. the hunter looked after the two men so long as they remained in sight, and then began crossing the square to reach the palace. the day had been a trying one to the canadian. he had been compelled at every moment to display presence of mind, and struggle in craft with men whose clear-sighted eyes had been incessantly on the point of discovering the wolf hidden beneath the sheepskin. still, he had valiantly supported his trials, and, from the way affairs had turned, he had every reason to believe that he should succeed in delivering the two maidens; hence the worthy hunter's laughter to himself at the way in which he had played his part, and determined to brave it out boldly to the end. on reaching the temple, he unfastened the bolts and bars, and entered the interior, only leaving the doors to behind, for he felt certain that no one would dare to trouble him, through the sanctity of the spot in the first place, and then through the superstitious fears he had succeeded in inspiring the indians with. in asking the high priest's permission to spend the night in the sanctuary, the hunter had no other design but to cover with the cloak of religion the means he intended to employ for the escape of the maidens, and, at the same time, have a few hours' liberty, during which he could arrange his plans fully, without being disturbed by the hospitality and curiosity of his host. the interior of the temple was gloomy. only one lamp burned before the sacrificing table, spreading a weak and trembling light, insufficient to dispel the gloom. marksman retired to a dark corner, sat down on the ground, drew his pistols from his bosom, placed them by his side for fear of a sudden attack, and, after trying with a piercing glance to sound the dense gloom that surrounded him, feeling reassured by the deadly silence, he began thinking deeply. still, by degrees, either through weariness or the influence of the spot where he was, in spite of his violent efforts to keep awake, he felt his eyelids grow heavy, and at length he gave way to the invisible sleep that overpowered him. he could not say how long he had slept, when a slight noise he heard, no great distance off, suddenly made him open his eyes. like all men accustomed to the active and perilous life of the desert, where a man must be constantly on his guard, the hunter had acquired such an exquisite delicacy of sense, that, however great his lassitude might be, whenever he knew himself to be in a dangerous position, his sleep was lighter than a child's. marksman, when hardly awake, looked around, while careful not to make the slightest movement indicating that his slumbers were interrupted. he could see nothing; it was still night, and what was more, the lamp was extinguished. he understood that someone had entered the temple, and was spying him. but who could have dared to cross the sacred threshold? two sorts of persons alone would venture to do it. a friend or an enemy. as for friends, he had only one in the city, flying eagle. it was evident that the warrior, if he wished to come to him, would have come openly, and not hiding himself, which might draw a bullet at his head. hence it was an enemy; but who? those he might have suspected, namely, addick or red wolf, did not know him, and hence could not have discovered him under his disguise, as he had deceived sharper eyes than theirs. besides, during the whole course of the day, he had not been face to face with the two chiefs, hence it could not be they. but who was it, then? this was what the hunter could not discover, in spite of all his cleverness. in his doubt, and through fear of being taken unawares, he stretched out his hands till they touched the pistols, and, with his head up, his eyes open, and ears on the watch for the slightest sound, he prepared to bravely face the foe, whoever he might be. the noise, however, which had disturbed him was not repeated, all remained calm and silent. in vain did the hunter strive to detect a shadow, even the slightest, or the least sound. nothing disturbed the majesty of the sanctuary. still, marksman was not mistaken. he had distinctly heard a footstep timidly pacing the stones of the temple. a man must have been once in his life in the same position as the hunter was now in, to understand its agony and terror. to feel close to you, scarce two yards off, an enemy watching you, whose furious eye is unpleasantly fixed on you--to know he is there; to guess it by that species of intuition god has bestowed on him to foresee a danger, and not dare to stir, fear making the least movement which might warn him that you were expecting the attack--this position, comparable with that of the bird fascinated by the snake, is most cruel, and, in a few minutes, becomes a punishment so intolerable that death itself is preferable. assuredly, marksman was a man of tried courage. the enterprise he was now attempting proved in him a rashness, we will not say pushed to the verge of death, for that is nothing, but to a contempt of those tortures the redskins are so ingenious in inventing and varying, so that they can extract the life from their victim, as it were, drop by drop. well, after a quarter of an hour of this expectation, he felt an involuntary shudder, his hair stood erect, and a cold perspiration beaded on his temples. "a million demons," he muttered to himself, "i cannot stand this any longer. i must know what i have to expect, whatever happens." at the same moment he leaped to his feet as if moved by a spring, a pistol in either hand. all at once, a shadow bounded from behind a pillar with a tiger's leap, and the hunter, seized by the throat, rolled on the ground, before he could utter a cry. a foot was rested on his chest, and he saw a hideous face grinning at him, as if through a cloud. marksman was alone, abandoned; without help; it was all over with him, nothing could save him. he gave vent to a stifled sigh, and closed his eyes, resigned to the fate that awaited him. but, at the moment he felt he was about to receive the mortal blow, the grasp on his throat relaxed, and a sarcastic voice said to him, "get up, powerful tlacateotzin, i only wished to prove to you that you were in my hands." the hunter rose all bruised, and still troubled by this sudden attack. the other continued--"what would you give to escape the peril that menaces you, and be free to return peacefully to the _calli_ of your host atoyac?" but marksman had had time to recover from his flurry; he had picked up his pistols; all fear had fled his heart, for he had only to defend himself against one enemy. this enemy, after for a moment holding him prostrate, committed the fault of restoring him liberty to move; their position had suddenly become equal. "i will give you nothing, red wolf," he said, resolutely. "why did you not kill me when i lay defenceless at your feet?" the indian chief--for he it was--recoiled, with surprise, on finding himself so easily recognized. "why did i not kill you, dog?" he answered. "because i had pity on you." "because you were afraid, sachem," the hunter said firmly; "it is a different thing to kill an enemy in fighting, from assassinating an adept of the great medicine in the temple of wacondah, when protected by his omnipotent hand. i say again, you were afraid." the hunter guessed rightly; it was his superstitious fear which suddenly arrested the arm of the chief, already uplifted to strike. "i will not discuss matters with you," he said; "but tell me how you so speedily guessed my name; for i do not know you." "but i know you; the wacondah announced your presence to me; i expected you; if i did not prevent your attack, it was because i wished to see if you would carry your impiety so far as to sully the reverend sanctuary of the temple." the indian grinned. "you are going too far, sorcerer," he said, ironically. "had it not been for a moment of weakness i now regret, you would be dead." "perhaps so. what do you want of me?" "do you not know, as you say nothing is hidden from you?" "i know what reason brings you here. you will try in vain to dissimulate; if i ask you that question, it is because i would know if you dare to tell a falsehood." red wolf reflected for a moment, and then continued, with a resolute accent,--"listen, sorcerer," he said; "either you are a rogue, as i believe, or else you are really what you pretend to be--a great medicine man, inspired by the wacondah, and beloved by him; in either case, i wish to clear up my doubts. woe to you if you try to deceive me, for i will kill you like a dog, and of your accursed hide, cut into strips on your quivering body, i will make trappings for my horse; if, on the contrary, you speak the truth, you will not have a more devoted friend, or a more faithful servant than myself." "i despise your hatred, and do not want your friendship, red wolf," the hunter answered, in an imposing tone; "your powerless menaces do not terrify me; but, in order to make you fully understand the extent of my knowledge, i consent to do what you ask, and tell you what reason urged you to come to me." "do so, sorcerer, and whatever may happen, red wolf will be yours." the hunter smiled contemptuously, and shrugged his shoulders, "it is difficult, then, to divine what a man of blood wants? you and addick, your worthy accomplice, are leagued with a miserable dog, an outcast of the palefaces, to carry off from here two poor young girls confided to the honour of your accomplice. today you would like to cheat those with whom you are allied, and keep the prisoners for yourself. denounced to the great sachem by atoyac, to whom all your designs are known, who is also aware that you meditate seizing the supreme power, and becoming governor of quiepaa tani, you felt that you were lost; then you came to me with the intention of corrupting me, and inducing me, by the power i have at my disposal, to help you in carrying off the maidens whom you covet, so that you may fly with them before the necessary steps have been taken to arrest you. is that all? have i forgot any trifling detail? or have i really read your whole thoughts? answer, chief, and contradict me if you dare!" the sachem listened to the hunter's long tirade with increasing trouble; the successive changes of his face while listening to the sorcerer, would have been a curious study for an observer; and when marksman at length concluded, red wolf let his head sink in confusion, and stammered, in an almost indistinct voice,--"my father is truly a tlacateotzin; the wacondah inspires him; his knowledge is immense. who is the man who would dare to hide anything from him? his eye, more piercing than the eagle's, reads all hearts." "now you have my answer, red wolf," the hunter continued, "retire in peace, and no longer disturb the meditations in which i am plunged." "then," the chief remarked, with hesitation, "my father will not do anything for me?" "yes, i do much." "what does my father?" "i allow you to retire in peace, when, by one sign, it would be easy for me to lay you dead at my feet." the indian drew two or three steps nearer the sorcerer, so as almost to touch him; the latter, whose watchful ear had just heard the sound of gentle footsteps coming toward him, did not notice this movement, for all attention was directed to another quarter. suddenly his frowning brow grew smooth, and a smile played on his lips; he had discovered the cause of this new mystery. "well," he said to the chief, "why does red wolf remain here, when i gave him the order to withdraw?" "because i hope to induce my father to have better feelings toward me." "my feelings toward the hunter are as they should be; i cannot change them." "yes, my father is kind; he will help red wolf." "no, i tell you." "my father will not serve me." "i will not." "is that my father's last word?" "yes." "then die like the dog you are!" the redskin howled furiously, as he rushed with uplifted knife on the hunter. the latter had, for a few moments, attentively watched all the chief's movements. being thoroughly acquainted with the treacherous and roguish character of the apaches, on seeing red wolf assume a gentle manner, he perfectly foresaw what he meditated, and the termination he meant to give the scene; but, for all that, he did not make the slightest movement to escape the blow intended for him: he looked his assassin full in the face, with folded arms and unruffled face. still, the arm raised against the hunter did not descend. a man suddenly emerged from the shade that concealed him, appeared behind red wolf, seized his arm, and twisted it with such force, that the knife dropped, and disappeared again so rapidly, that the terrified chief had not even the time to see whether he had to deal with a man or a spirit. red wolf uttered no cry,--did not even attempt to avenge himself, but his eyes rolled in their sockets, a convulsive tremor shook his whole body, and he fell on his knees, murmuring, in a horrified voice,--"pardon, pardon, my father." the hunter fell back a step, as if to avoid the unclean contact of the wretch prostrate before him, kicked the knife away with disgust, and said, in a tone of supreme contempt,--"pick up your weapon, assassin!" in reply the chief showed him his dislocated arm, which hung inert by his side. "you wished it," the hunter continued. "did i not warn you that the wacondah protected me? go, retire to your _calli_; keep silence about all that has happened here. at sunset be with your canoe at the riverbank below the bridge; i will meet you there, and perhaps cure you, if you strictly follow the order i give you; above all, forget not that you must be alone. go!" "i will obey my father; my lips will not utter a word without his order. but how can i leave here, unless you aid me? the spirits that watch over my father will come to me with death, when i am no longer in his presence." "that is true: you have been sufficiently punished. rise, and lean on my shoulder; i will help you to walk to the entrance of the temple." red wolf rose without reply; his rebellious spirit was subdued. the rude lesson he had received at length inspired him with a superstitious dread of the medicine man, which nothing could overcome. the hunter gently led him to the outer gate. on arriving there, he carefully examined his arm, assured himself that nothing was broken, and dismissed him, saying in a tone in which kindness was mingled with severity,--"thank the wacondah, who had pity on you. in a few days your wound will be cured; but profit by this lesson, wretch. you will see me again this evening. go; now my help is no longer requisite, you can reach your _calli_ alone." "i will try," the chief answered, humbly. at a bow and sign from the hunter, he began walking slowly. marksman looked after him for some time, and then returned to the temple, being careful to bolt the gate after him this time. at the moment the hunter disappeared in the temple, the cry of the owl rose in the air, announcing that the sun would speedily make its appearance. chapter xxxvii. complications. while these events were taking place in quiepaa tani, others we must narrate were occurring in the camp of the gambusinos. don miguel, after parting from marksman at the outskirts of the forest, returned thoughtfully to the spot where his comrades awaited him. it was evident that the bold adventurer, dissatisfied in his heart at the turn affairs had taken, was meditating some desperate project to get near the maidens. he had spent several hours on the top of the isolated mound which commanded the whole plain, and which we have before visited, and thence carefully studied the position of the city. clearly this young man, with his ardent character and impetuous passions, consented very unwillingly to play a second part in an expedition in which he had been hitherto the leader; his pride revolted at being compelled to obey another, even though he were his devoted friend, and he could count on him as on himself. he reproached himself for allowing marksman to expose himself thus alone to terrible dangers for a cause which was his own. the true reason, however, which he did not dare confess to himself, that, in short, would have gladly made him brave the greatest perils, and evidently that instinct which impelled him to revolt secretly against marksman's prudence, and to take his place at all risks, was his love for doã±a laura de real del monte. he loved her with that powerful and invincible love which only chosen natures are capable of experiencing--a love which grows with obstacles, and which, when it has once taken possession of the heart of a man like don leo, makes him accomplish the most daring and extraordinary deeds. this love was the more deeply rooted in the young man's heart, because he was completely ignorant of its existence, and believed he merely acted through the affection he felt for the young girls, and the pity their unhappy position inspired him with. if it were so at the outset, as is true, for he did not know doã±a laura, matters had completely changed since. a young man does not travel with impunity side by side with a maiden for more than a month, seeing her incessantly, talking with her at every moment of the day, and not fall in love with her. there is in woman a certain charm, which we do not attempt to account for, which seems to emanate from their being, to be impregnated in all that surrounds them, which seduces and subjugates the strongest men involuntarily. the silky rustling of their dress, the soft and airy turn of the waist, the intoxicating perfume of their floating tresses, the pure limpidness of their dreamy glance, which is turned toward heaven, and tries to guess the secrets of which they are ignorant; all, in short, in these incomprehensible and voluptuously simple beings seems to command adoration and appeal to love. doã±a laura especially possessed that fascinating magnetism of the eye, that slightly infantile gentleness of smile, which annihilate the will. when her large blue eyes, veiled by long black lashes, kindly settled on the young man, and were pensively fixed on him, he felt a quiver over his body, a chill at his heart, and internally affected by a sensation of immense and unknown pleasure, he wished to die then at the feet of her who to him was no longer a creature of the earth, but an angel. during the irregular course of his life, all the adventurer's acquaintance with the other sex was what the corrupt society of mexico could offer; that is, the hideous and repulsive side. accident, by suddenly bringing him in contact with a poor and innocent girl like her he had saved, produced a complete revolution in his ideas, by making him understand that, until that day, woman, such as heaven created her for man, had remained an utter stranger to him. hence, without noticing it, and quite naturally, he yielded to the charm that unconsciously acted on him, and had learned to love doã±a laura with, all the active strength of his mind, not attempting to explain the new feeling which had seized on him; happy in the present, and not wishing to think of the future, which would probably never exist for him. disregard of the future is generally the character of all lovers; they only see, and cannot see beyond, the present, by which they feel, through which they suffer, or are happy; in which, in a word, they have their being. possibly don leo, hidden in the heart of the desert with the girl he had so miraculously saved, had for a few days caressed in his heart the hope of eternal happiness with her he loved, far from cities and their dangerous intoxication; but that thought, if ever he entertained it, had irrevocably faded away upon the fortuitous appearance of don mariano; the meeting with doã±a laura's father must eternally annihilate the plans formed by the young man. the blow was a heavy one; still, thanks to his iron will, he endured it bravely, believing that it would be easy for him to forget the girl in the vortex of the adventurer's life to which he was condemned. unfortunately for don leo, he was obliged to undergo the common lot; that is to say, his love grew in an inverse ratio to the immovable obstacles that had suddenly arisen; and it was precisely when he recognized that she could never be his, owing to reasons of family and fortune, which raised an insurmountable barrier between them, that he understood it was impossible for him to live without her. then, no longer striving to cure the wound in his heart, he yielded completely to that love which was his life, and only dreamed of one thing--to die in saving her he loved, so as to draw a word of gratitude from her in his final hour, and perhaps leave a soft and sad memory in her soul. we can understand that, under such feelings, don leo absolutely insisted on delivering the maidens himself; hence, from the moment he parted from his friend, he thought of nothing but the means to enter the city and see her. it was in this temper that he returned to the camp. don mariano was sad; brighteye himself seemed to be in a bad temper; in short, all conspired to plunge him deeper and deeper in his gloom. several hours passed and the adventurers did not interchange a word; but at about two in the afternoon, the hour of the greatest heat, the sentries signalled the approach of a party of horsemen. all ran to their arms, but soon saw that the newcomers were ruperto and his cuadrilla, whom don mariano's servants had found and brought with them. bermudez, following the injunctions he had received from marksman, had wished ruperto to shut himself up with his men in the iron cavern; but the hunter would listen to nothing, saying that his comrades had gone further on the sacred soil of the redskins than they had ever done before; that they ran the risk at any moment of being crushed by numbers, massacred, or made prisoners; that he would not abandon them in such a critical position without trying to go to their help; and so, in spite of all the criado's observations, the worthy hunter, who possessed a tolerably strong share of obstinacy, pushed on, until he at length found the encampment of his friends. twice or thrice during his journey he had come to blows with the indians; but these slight skirmishes, far from moderating his ardour, had no other result than to urge him to haste; for now that the redskins knew that detachments of palefaces were wandering in the vicinity of the city, they would not fail to assemble in large numbers, in order to deal a great blow, and free themselves from all their daring enemies at once. the arrival of the gambusinos was greeted with shouts; ruperto especially was heartily welcomed by don miguel, who was delighted at this reinforcement of resolute men at the moment he least expected it. the apathy which had fallen on the adventurers gave place to the greatest activity. when the newcomers had performed their various duties, groups were formed, and conversation commenced with the vivacity and loquaciousness peculiar to southern races. ruperto was the more pleased at his happy idea of pushing on, when he learned that there were not only redskin encampments in the vicinity, but that one of their most sacred cities was close at hand. "_canarios!_" he said, "we shall have to keep sharp watch, if we do not wish to lose our scalps ere long. these incarnate demons will not let us tread their soil in peace." "yes," don leo remarked, carelessly; "i believe we had better not let ourselves be surprised." "hum!" brighteye remarked, "it would be a disagreeable surprise that brought a swarm of redskins on our backs. you cannot imagine how these devils fight, when they are in large bodies. i remember that, in 1836, when i was--" "and the most exposed of us all is marksman," don leo said, cutting brighteye short, who sat open-mouthed. "i am sorry that i let him go alone." "he was not alone," the canadian answered. "you know very well, don miguel, that flying eagle and his cihuatl, as they call their wives, accompanied him." don miguel looked at the hunter. "do you put great faith in the redskins, brighteye?" he asked him. "hum!" the latter remarked, scratching his head; "that is according; and if i must tell the truth, i will say that i do not trust them at all." "you see, then, that he was really alone. who knows what has happened to him in that accursed city, in the midst of those incarnate demons? i confess to you that my alarm is great, and that i am fearfully afraid of a catastrophe." "yet, his disguise was perfect." "possibly. marksman is thoroughly acquainted with indian manners, and speaks their language like his mother tongue. but what will that avail him, if he has been denounced by a traitor?" "holloa!" brighteye said; "a traitor? whom are you alluding to?" "why, to flying eagle, caramba, or his wife, for only those two know him." "listen, don miguel," brighteye remarked, seriously; "permit me to tell you my way of thinking frankly; you do wrong in speaking as you now do." "i?" the young man exclaimed, sharply. "and why so, if you please?" "because you only know very slightly--and what you know of them is good--the people you are dishonouring by that epithet. i have known flying eagle for many a long year; he was quite a child when i saw him for the first time, and i have always found in him the staunchest good faith and honour. all the time he remained in our company, he rendered us services, or, at any rate, tried to render them to us; and, to settle matters, all of us generally, and yourself in particular, are under great obligations to him. it would be more than ingratitude to forget them." the worthy hunter uttered this defence of his friend with an ardour and firm tone which confused don miguel. "pardon me, my old friend," he said, in a conciliatory voice; "i was wrong, i allow; but, surrounded by enemies as we are, threatened at each moment with becoming victims to a traitor,--and domingo's example is there to corroborate my statement,--i allowed myself to be carried away by the idea--" "any idea attacking the honour of flying eagle," brighteye sharply interrupted, "is necessarily false. who knows whether, at this moment, while we are discussing his good faith, he may not be risking his life on our behalf?" these words produced a sensation on the hearers; there was a momentary silence, which the canadian soon broke, by continuing:--"but i am not angry with you. you are young, and, from that very fact, your tongue often goes faster than your thoughts; but, i entreat you, pay attention to it, for it might entail dire consequences. but enough on the subject. i remember a singular adventure which occurred to me in 1851. i was coming from--" "now that i reflect more seriously," don miguel interrupted, "i fully allow that i was in the wrong." "i am happy that you allow it so frankly. then we will say no more about it." "very good; and now, returning to the old subject, i confess to you that i also feel anxious about marksman." "there, you see." "yes, but for other reasons than those you brought forward." "tell me them." "oh! they are very simple. marksman is a brave and honest hunter, thoroughly up to indian roguery; but he has no one to back him up. flying eagle would prove of but slight assistance to him; if he were detected, the brave chief could only be killed by his side; and he would do so, i am convinced." "and i too; but what good would that do them? how, after that catastrophe, should we succeed in saving the maidens?" brighteye shook his head. "yes," he said, "there is the difficulty; that is the knot of the matter. unfortunately, it is by no means easy to remedy that eventuality, which, i trust, will not present itself." "we must trust so; but if it did, what should we do?" "what should we do?" "yes." "hum! you ask me a question, don miguel, which it is by no means easy to answer." "well, supposing it to be so, we must still find means of escaping from the false position in which we shall find ourselves." "that is quite certain." "well, then?" "then, on my word, i do not know what i should do. look you, i am not a man who looks so far ahead. when a misfortune occurs, it is time to remedy it, without bothering your brains so long beforehand. all that i can say to you, caballero, is that, for the moment, instead of remaining here, stupidly planted like a flamingo that has lost a wing, i would give a good deal to be in that accursed city, in a position to watch over my old comrade." "is that the truth? are you really the man to attempt such an enterprise?" don miguel exclaimed joyously. the hunter looked at him in surprise. "do you doubt it?" he said. "when did you ever hear me boast of things which i was not capable of doing?" "do not be angry, my old friend," don miguel answered, quickly; "your words caused me so much pleasure that, at the first blush, i did not dare to believe them." "you must always put faith in my words, young man," brighteye remarked, sententiously. "do not be afraid," don miguel said, with a laugh, "in future i will not doubt them." "all right, then." "listen to me. if you like, we will attempt the affair together." "enter the city?" "yes." "by jove! that is an idea," brighteye answered, quite delighted. "is it not?" "yes; but how shall we manage to get in?" "leave that all to me." "good. then i will not trouble myself about it further; but there is another matter." "what now?" "we are not presentable in this state," the hunter said, pointing, with a laugh, to his attire; "by painting my face and hands, i might pass at a push; but you cannot." "that is true. well, let me alone, i will prepare an indian dress with which you can find no fault. during that time, do you disguise yourself in your way." "it will soon be done." "and mine too." the two men rose, delighted, though probably from different reasons. brighteye was happy at going to his friend's assistance, while don miguel only thought of doã±a laura, whom he hoped to see again. at the moment they rose, don mariano stopped them. "are you speaking seriously, caballeros?" he asked them. "certainly," they answered, "most seriously." "very good, then. i shall go with you." "what!" don miguel exclaimed, falling back in stupefaction. "are you mad, don mariano? you, who do not know the indians, and cannot speak a word of their language, to venture into this wasp's nest. it would be suicide." "no!" the old man answered resolutely. "i wish to see my child again." don miguel had not the courage to combat a resolution so clearly announced, so he let his head sink without answering; but brighteye did not regard the matter from that light. perfectly cool, and consequently seeing far and correctly, he understood the disastrous consequences don mariano's presence would have for them. "pardon me," he said, "but with your permission, caballero, i fancy you have not carefully considered the resolution you have just formed." "caballeros, a father does not reflect when he wishes to see a child whom he never hoped to hold to his heart again." "that is true. still i would remark that what you propose doing, far from helping you to see your daughter again, will, on the contrary, sever her from you for ever." "what do you mean?" "a very simple thing. don miguel and myself are going to mix among indians, whom we shall have great difficulty in discovering, though we know them. if you accompany us, the following will inevitably happen:--at the first glance, the redskins will see you are a white man, and then, you understand, nothing can save you, or us either. now, if you insist, we will be off. i am ready to follow you. a man can only die once; so as well today as tomorrow." don mariano sighed. "i was mad," he muttered, "i knew not what i said. pardon me; but i so longed to see my daughter again." "have faith in us, poor father," don miguel said, nobly; "by what we have already done, judge what we are still able to do. we will attempt impossibilities to restore her who is so dear to you." don mariano, succumbing to the emotion which overpowered him, had not the strength to reply. with eyes filled with tears, he pressed the young man's hand, and sat down again. the two adventurers then prepared for the dangerous expedition they meditated, by disguising themselves. owing to their acquaintance with indian habits, they succeeded in producing costumes harmonizing with the characters they wished to assume, and in giving themselves a thorough indian look. when all the preparations were completed, don miguel confided the command of the cuadrilla to ruperto, recommending him to exercise the utmost vigilance, and telling him the signal agreed on with marksman. then, after a final pressure of don mariano's hand, who was still plunged in the deepest grief, the two daring adventurers took leave of their comrades, threw their rifles on their shoulders, and set out in the direction of quiepaa tani, accompanied by several gambusinos and by ruperto, who was glad to learn the situation of the city, so as to know how to post his men so that they could run up at the first signal. chapter xxxviii. a walk in the dark. the sun was setting as the gambusinos reached the skirt of the forest and the limit of the covert. before them, at a distance of about four miles, rose the city, amid the verdure of the plain, which formed a girdle of flowers and grass. the night fell rapidly, the darkness grew momentarily heavier, mingling all the varieties of the scenery in a sombre mass; the hour, in short, was most propitious for trying the bold experiment on which they were resolved. they whispered a last farewell to their comrades, and boldly entered the tall grass, in the centre of which they speedily disappeared. fortunately for the adventurers, who would have found it impossible to find their way in the darkness, the tracks of horsemen and foot passengers proceeding to the city, or coming from it, had traced long paths, all leading direct to one of the gates. the two men walked along, side by side, for a long time in silence; each was thinking deeply on the probable results of this desperate tentative. in the first moment of enthusiasm, they had dreamed but slightly of the countless difficulties they must meet on their path, and the obstacles which would doubtlessly at every moment rise before them; they had only regarded the object they wished to attain. but now that they were cool, many things to which they had not paid attention, or which they would not allow to check them, presented themselves to their thoughts, and, as so frequently happens, made them regard their expedition under a very different light. their object now appeared to them almost impossible to gain, and obstacles grew up, as it were, under their feet. unfortunately, these judicious reflections arrived too late; there was no chance of withdrawal, and they must advance at all risks. all was calm and tranquil, however; there was not a breath in the air, not a sound on the prairie, and, as the stars gradually appeared in the sky, a pale and trembling gleam slightly modified the darkness, and rendered it less intense, and they began to see sufficiently well to be able to proceed without hesitation, and reconnoitre the plain for some distance. brighteye was not particularly satisfied with his comrade's obstinate silence; the worthy hunter was rather fond of talking, especially under circumstances like those he found himself in at present; hence he resolved to make his companion talk, in the first place, to hear a human voice--a reason which, fortunately for themselves, the sedentary, who are exempt from those great heart storms which yet endow existence with such charms, will not understand; but the hunter's second reason was still more peremptory than the first; now that he had embarked on this desperate enterprise, he wished to obtain certain information from don miguel, as to the mode in which he intended acting, and the plan he meant to adopt. so near the city, and in an entirely uncovered plain, there was very slight risk of the adventurers meeting with indians; the only men they were exposed to meet were scouts, sent out to reconnoitre, in the extremely improbable event, that the indians, contrary to their usual habit of not making any movement during the night, had considered it necessary to send out a few men to survey the environs. the two men could therefore talk together without danger, save from some extraordinary accident, though, of course, careful not to speak above their breath and to keep eyes and ears constantly on the watch, so as to notice a danger so soon as it arose. brighteye, after coughing gently to attract his comrade's attention, said, looking around him somewhat impatiently,--"eh, eh! the sky has grown enormously bright in the last few minutes, and the night is not so black; i hope the moon will not rise ere we reach our destination." "we have two hours before us ere the moon rises," don miguel answered; "that is more than we want." "you believe two hours will be sufficient?" "i am sure of it." "all the better then, for i am not particularly fond of night walks." "it is not usual to take them." "indeed, during the forty years i have traversed the desert in every direction, this is only the second occasion of my indulging in a night walk." "nonsense!" "it is a fact; the first time deserves mentioning." "how so?" don miguel asked absently. "the circumstances were almost similar; i wanted to save a young girl, who had been carried off by the indians. it was in 1835. i was then in the service of the fur company. the blackfoot indians, to avenge a trick played on them by a scamp of an _employã©_, hit on nothing better than surprising mackenzie fort; then--" "listen!" don miguel said, seizing his arm. "do you hear nothing?" the canadian, so suddenly interrupted in his story, which he believed this time he should really finish, did not, however, display any ill temper, for he was accustomed to such mishaps; he stopped, lay down on the ground, and listened attentively for two or three minutes, with the most sustained attention, and then rose, shaking his head contemptuously. "they are coyotes sharing a deer," he said. "you are certain of it?" "you will soon hear them give tongue." in fact, the hunter had scarce finished speaking ere the repeated barking of the coyotes could be heard a short distance off. "you hear," the canadian said simply. "it is true," don miguel answered. they resumed their march. "is this the way?" brighteye said. "you remember what we agreed on, don miguel? i trust entirely to you to get into the city, and i do not exactly see what we shall do." "i do not know much more myself," the young man responded. "i spent several hours today in carefully examining the walls, and fancied i noticed a spot where it would be rather easy for us to pass." "hum!" brighteye remarked. "your plan does not seem to me very good; it will probably result in broken bones." "that is a chance to run." "of course; but, without offence, i should prefer something else, if it be possible." "that prospect does not frighten you, i hope?" "not the least in the world. it is plain that the indians cannot kill me; if they could, they would have done so long ago, seeing the time i have been in the desert." the young man could not refrain from laughing at the coolness with which his comrade emitted this singular opinion. "well, then," he said, "what reason have you to find fault with my plan?" "because it is bad. if the indians cannot kill me, that does not prove they will not wound me. believe me. don miguel, let us be prudent: if one of us is disabled at the start, what will become of the other?" "that is true; but have you any other plan to propose to me?" "i think so." "well, let me know it. if it be good, i will adopt it; i am not at all sweet on myself." "good; can you swim?" "why ask?" "answer first, and then i'll tell you." "i swim like a sturgeon." "and i like an otter; we are well paired. now, pay attention to what i am going to say." "move ahead." "you see that river a little to my right, i suppose?" "of course." "very good. that river intersects the city, i rather think." "yes." "supposing that the redskins are acquainted with our arrival in these parts, on which side will they apprehend an attack?" "from the plain, evidently. that is common sense." "all the better. so the walls will be furnished with sentries, watching the plain, while the river, whence they fear no danger, will be perfectly deserted." "that is true," don miguel said, striking his forehead; "i did not think of that." "people cannot think of everything," brighteye observed philosophically. "my worthy friend, i thank you for that idea. now we are certain of entering the city." "you had better not holloa till you are out--but you know the proverb. still, nothing will prevent us trying." they at once diverged to the left, in the direction of the river, which they reached after a quarter of an hour's march. the banks were deserted. the river, calm as a mirror, looked like a wide silver ribbon. "now," brighteye continued, "we need not hurry; although we can swim, we will reserve that expedient till others fail us. examine all the shrubs on one side, while i do so on the other. i am greatly mistaken, or we shall find a canoe somewhere." the hunter's previsions did not deceive him. after a few minutes' search, they found a canoe hidden beneath a quantity of leaves in the midst of a thicket of lentises and floripondios; the paddles were concealed a short distance away. we have already described to the reader the mode adopted by the indians in building their boats, which, among other advantages, possesses that of lightness. brighteye took the paddles. don miguel put the canoe on his back, and in a few minutes it was afloat. "now let us get in," brighteye said. "a moment," don miguel observed; "let us muffle the paddles, to prevent noise." brighteye shrugged his shoulders. "do not let us be too clever," he said, "for that would injure us. if there are indians about, they will see the canoe; if they do not at the same time hear the sound of paddles, they will suspect a trap, and try to detect the trick. no, no, let me alone; lay yourself in the bottom of the canoe: fortunately for us it is small, and the redskins will never suppose that so small a boat, pulled by one man, would have the pretension of surprising them. that which relatively makes the security of our expedition, you must not forget, is its rashness, even madness. only palefaces can hit on such crack-brained schemes. i remember, in 1835, as i was telling you--" "let us be off," don miguel interrupted, as he jumped into the canoe, in the middle of which he laid himself down, in accordance with his comrade's instructions. the latter followed him with a toss of the head, and took up the paddles, which he only employed, however, with an affected carelessness, which gave the boat a slow and measured movement. "look you," the hunter continued, "with the way we are moving, if there are any of those red devils on the watch, they will certainly take me for one of their comrades out fishing late, and returning to his _calli_." still, by degrees, and almost imperceptibly, the hunter increased his speed, so that within half an hour they attained a certain degree of speed, not great enough, however, to arouse suspicions. they then went on for about an hour, and at length entered the city. but if they had expected to land unnoticed, they were mistaken. near the bridge, the place where a number of pulled-up canoes showed that the indians were in the habit of stopping, brighteye perceived a sentry leaning on his long lance and watching them. the canadian took a glance around, and assured himself that the sentry was alone. "good!" he muttered to himself; "if there's only one, it will not be a long matter." then he explained to don miguel what the matter was, to which the latter answered a few words. "listen," the hunter said, drawing himself up, "that is the only way." and he steered the canoe straight toward the sentry. so soon as the canadian was within hail--"wah!" the indian said, "my brother returns very late to quiepaa tani; everybody is asleep." "that is true," brighteye answered, in the language employed by the sentry; "but i have brought in some splendid fish." "eh?" the warrior remarked, seriously; "can i see them?" "not only can my brother see them," the canadian answered, graciously, "but i authorize him to select any one he pleases." "och! my brother has an open hand. the wacondah will never allow it to be empty. i accept my brother's offering." "hum!" brighteye muttered, "it is astonishing how the poor devil takes the bait. he does not at all suspect that he is the fish." and with this philosophical reflection he continued his progress. soon after, the canoe grated on the sand. the indian, affected by the canadian's deceptive offer, would not be beaten by him in politeness, so he seized the side of the boat and began pulling it up. "wah!" he said, "my brother has had a fine fishing, for the canoe is very heavy." while saying this, he bent down to get a better hold, and began trying anew. but he had no time; don miguel bounded from the boat, and, clubbing his rifle, dealt a terrible blow of the butt on the wretched indian's skull. the poor sentry was killed at once, and rolled on the sand without uttering a cry. "there!" brighteye cried, as he got out in his turn, "that man, at any rate, will not denounce us." "we must get rid of him now," don miguel observed. "that will not take long." the implacable hunter then selected a heavy stone, placed it in the redskin's frasada, and let him glide softly into the water. so soon as this was effected, and every trace of the murder was removed, they drew the canoe on land by the side of the others, and prepared to start. at this moment the real difficulties of the enterprise began for them. how should they find their way in a strange city in the dark? when and how to find marksman? these two questions seemed equally impossible of solution. "wah!" brighteye at length said, "it must be no more difficult to follow a trail in a city than on a plain. let us try." "the first thing is to get away from here as soon as possible." "yes, the place is not healthy for us; but suppose we try to find the great square. there people generally expect to get useful information." "at this hour? that seems to me rather difficult." "on the contrary. we will hide till daybreak. the first redskin who passes within reach we will oblige to give us news of our friend. a great physician, like him, must be well known, hang it all," he added, with a laugh, a gaiety which don miguel shared with all his heart. singular was the carelessness and recklessness of these two men; in the centre of a city they had entered by killing one of its inhabitants, where they knew they would meet only enemies, and where dangers were, on all sides, hanging over their heads, they still found themselves as much at their ease as if they had been among friends, and laughed and jested together, just as if their position was the most agreeable in the world. "well," brighteye continued, "we are in a very tidy labyrinth. do you not think with me that there is a frightful smell of broken bones about here?" "who knows? perhaps we shall get out of it better than we fancy." "one thing is certain, we shall soon know all about it." "let us take that street in front of us. it is wide and well laid. something tells me it will lead us right." "heaven's mercy! that is as good as another." the hunters entered the street ahead of them. accident had served them well. after ten minutes' walk, they found themselves at the entrance of the great square. "there," brighteye said, in a tone of delight, "luck is with us. we cannot complain; besides, it must be so. accident always favours madmen, and in that character we can claim its entire sympathy." "silence!" don miguel said, sharply, "there is someone." "where?" the young man extended his arm in the direction of the temple of the sun. "look!" he cried. "so there is," brighteye muttered, a moment later, "but that appears to be doing like us. he is evidently on the watch. what reason can he have for being up so late?" after arranging, in a few words, the two adventurers separated, and crept, from different sides, toward the night watcher, hiding themselves, as well as they could, in the shadow, which was not an easy task. the moon had risen some time previously, and spread a weak light, it is true, but sufficient to let objects be distinguished for a considerable distance. the man on whom the adventurers were advancing still remained motionless at the spot where they had seen him; his body bent forward, his ear leant against the door of the temple, he seemed to be listening carefully. don miguel and brighteye were not more than six paces off, and were preparing to rush on him, when he suddenly threw himself up. they with difficulty suppressed a cry of surprise. "flying eagle!" they muttered. but although they spoke so low, the other heard them, and immediately sounded the darkness with a piercing glance. "wah!" he said, on perceiving the two men, and resolutely advanced. the adventurers left the shadow that protected them, and waited. when flying eagle had arrived almost close to them--"it is i," don miguel said to him. "and i," brighteye added. the comanche, chief fell back in a state of stupefaction impossible to describe. "the grey-head here!" he exclaimed. chapter xxxix. the great medicine. as we have stated, marksman, after leading red wolf to the door of the temple, and seeing him retire, reentered the sanctuary, closing the door after him. the comanche chief was awaiting him, with shoulder leaning against the wall, and folded arms. "thanks for your help, chief," he said; "without you i was lost." "for a long time," the indian replied, "flying eagle was hearing, though invisible, his brother's conversation with red wolf." "well, we have got rid of him for a long time; i hope, now, nothing will occur to mar our plans or prevent their success." the warrior shook his head in contradiction. "do you doubt it, chief?" the hunter asked. "i doubt it more than ever." "why so, when everything is going on as well as we can desire, when all obstacles are levelled before us?" "och! obstacles are levelled, but others greater and more difficult to overcome arise immediately." "i do not understand you, chief. have you any ill news to tell me? if so, speak quickly, for time is precious." "my brother shall judge," the chief said, simply. then tuning half away, he clapped his hand thrice. as if this inoffensive signal had the power to call up phantoms, two men instantaneously emerged from the shadow, and appeared before the hunter's astonished eyes. marksman looked at them for a moment, and then clasped his hand with surprise, muttering, "brighteye and don miguel here! mercy! what will become of us?" "is that the way you receive us, my friend?" don miguel asked, affectionately. "in heaven's name what have you come here for? what evil inspiration urged you to join me when all was going on so well, and success, i may say, was insured?" "we have not come to cross your plans; on the contrary, alarmed by the thought of your being among these demons, we wished to see you and help you, were that possible." "i thank you for your good intentions. unfortunately, they are more injurious than useful, under present circumstances. but how did you manage to enter the city?" "oh, very easily," brighteye answered, and he told in a few words how they had found them. the hunter shook his head. "it was a bold action," he said, "and i must allow that it was well carried out. but how does it profit you to have incurred such perils? greater ones await you here--profitless, and of no advantage to us." "perhaps so; but whatever happens," don miguel--answered firmly, "you understand that i have not blindly exposed myself to all these dangers without a very powerful motive." "i suppose so; but i try in vain to discover the motive." "you need not search long, i will tell you." "speak!" "i must--you understand, i hope, old fellow," he said, laying a stress on each, syllable--"i must see doã±a laura." "see doã±a laura! it is impossible," marksman exclaimed. "i know nothing about impossibility; but this i know, that i will see her." "you are mad, on my soul, don miguel; it is impossible, i tell you." the adventurer shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. "i repeat that i will see her," he said, with resolution; "even if, to reach her, i were compelled to wade in blood up to my waist; i insist on it, and it shall be so." "but what will you do?" "i do not know, and care little. if you refuse to help me, well, brighteye and i will find means, will we not, old comrade?" "it is certain, don miguel," the latter answered, in the placid tone habitual to him, "that i shall not leave you in the lurch. as to finding a plan of reaching the captives, we shall find it, but i will not answer that it is a good one though." there was a lengthened silence. marksman was startled at don miguel's resolution, which he knew to be unbinding; he calculated mentally the chances, good and bad, which the young man's untoward arrival offered for the success of his schemes. at last he took the word. "i will not try," he said to don miguel, "any longer to dissuade you from attempting to see the maidens; i have known you long enough to feel that it would be useless, and that my arguments would, probably, only urge you to commit an act of irremediable insanity. i therefore take upon myself to lead you to doã±a laura." "you promise it?" the young man exclaimed quickly. "yes; but on one condition." "speak! whatever it be i accept it." "good; when the moment arrives, i will let you know it; but take my advice, and ask flying eagle to perfect your disguise; in the way you and brighteye are dressed at this moment, you could not take a step in the city without being recognized. now i leave you, for day has broken, and i must go to the high priest; i leave you in charge of flying eagle; follow his instructions carefully, for you stake the life, not only of yourself, but of those you desire to save." the young man shivered at the thought. "i will obey you," he said, "but you will keep your promise?" "i will keep it this very day." after whispering a few words to flying eagle, marksman left the three men in the temple and went out. the amantzin was preparing to go to the temple at the moment the hunter entered his palace. atoyac, curious like the true indian he was, had not left the high priest since the previous evening, in order to be present at the medicine man's second visit, which, judging from the first, he assumed would be very interesting. the hunter returned, accompanied by the amantzin, who was his shadow, to the maidens' apartment. he then attained the certainty that doã±a laura could without inconvenience support the fatigue of being carried out of the palace of the virgins of the sun. the girl had, with the hope of a speedy deliverance, regained her strength, and the disease which undermined her had disappeared, as if by enchantment. as for luisa, more dubious, when the high priest retired (for the hunter demanded to be left alone with his patients), she said to the canadian--"we shall be ready to follow you when you order, marksman, but on one condition." "how a condition?" the hunter exclaimed. then he added, mentally, "what is the meaning of this? am i to meet obstacles on all sides? speak, niã±a," he continued, "i am listening to you." "pardon any apparent harshness in my words, we do not doubt your loyalty. heaven guard us from it still." "you do distrust me," the hunter interrupted, in a tone of chagrin. "however, i ought to expect it, for you both know me too little to put faith in me." "alas!" doã±a laura said. "such is the misfortune of our position, that, in spite of ourselves, we tremble to meet traitors on all sides." "that miserable addick, to whom don miguel trusted," doã±a luisa added, "how has he behaved to us!" "that is true; you are obliged to speak so! what can i do to prove to you certainly that you can place full and entire confidence in me?" the maidens blushed, and looked at each other with hesitation. "come," the hunter said, simply, "i will remove all your doubts. this evening i will see you again, and a man will accompany me who, i believe, will be able to convince you." "whom do you mean?" doã±a laura asked quickly. "don miguel?" "he will come?" the maidens exclaimed, simultaneously. "this evening, i promise you." the girls threw themselves into each other's arms to hide their blushes and confusion. the hunter, after admiring the graceful group for a moment, went out, saying in a soft and sympathetic voice,--"this evening." the amantzin and atoyac were impatiently awaiting the result of the visit in the vestibule of the palace. when the hunter joined them, and the high priest began questioning him as to the condition of the patients, he seemed to reflect for a moment, then answered in a grave voice--"my father is a wise man; nothing equals his knowledge; his heart can repose, for his captives will soon be delivered from the evil spirit that possesses them." "my father speaks the truth?" the amantzin asked, trying to read in the medicine man's face the degree of credit he should give him. but the latter was impenetrable. "listen," he answered, "to what the great spirit revealed to me during the night; at this moment a tlacateotzin from a remote hut has arrived at the city; i do not know him, i never heard his name before this day; it is this divine man who must aid us in saving the sick maidens. he alone knows what remedies must be administered to them." "still," the high priest said, with an accent of ill-boded suspicion, "my father has given us proofs of his immense learning, why does he not finish alone what he has so well begun?" "i am a simple man, whose strength resides in the protection the wacondah grants me. he has revealed to me the means to restore health to the sufferers; i must obey." the high priest bowed submissively, and requested the hunter to confide to him what he proposed doing. "the unknown tlacateotzin will tell that to my father when he has seen the captives," marksman answered, "but he will not have long to wait, i feel the approach of the divine man. let my father admit him without delay." exactly at this moment several blows were struck on the outer door. the high priest, subdued by the hunter's assurance, hastened to open it. don miguel appeared; thanks to flying eagle, he was unrecognizable. it is almost unnecessary to state that this scene had been arranged by the hunter and the comanche chief during the short conversation they had before separating. don miguel took a scrutinizing look around. "where are the sick persons i am ordered by the wacondah to deliver from the evil spirit?" he said, in a stern voice. the high priest and the hunter exchanged a glance of intelligence. the two indians were confounded. the arrival of this man, so clearly predicted by marksman, appeared to them a prodigy. we will not describe the conversation that took place between don miguel and the maidens when they at length met; we will restrict ourselves to saying that, after an hour's visit, which elapsed to the young folks with the rapidity of a moment, marksman succeeded, with great difficulty, in separating them, and returned with the adventurer to the high priest, whose suspicions he feared to arouse. "courage!" the hunter whispered during the walk, "all is going on well; leave me to manage the rest." "well?" the high priest asked, so soon as they appeared. marksman drew himself up majestically, and assuming a stern and imposing accent, said, "listen to the words which the great wacondah breathes in my chest and sends up to my lips; this is what the divine man here present says: the two suns that follow this are of evil augury; but on the evening of the third, when the moon spreads its beneficent light, my son, the sachem atoyac, will take the skin of a vicuna, which my father, the venerated amantzin, of quiepaa tani, will kill in the arena, which he will bless in the name of teotl;[1] he will spread this skin on the top of a hillock, which is a little way out of the city, in order that the evil spirit, on issuing from the maidens, may not enter any of the inhabitants, and then lead the captives to the spot where the skin is stretched out." "one of them, though," the high priest remarked, "is incapable of leaving the hammock on which her body reposes." "the wisdom of my son dwells in each of his words; but he may reassure himself the wacondah will give the necessary strength to those he wishes to save." the amantzin was restrained to bow before this unanswerable argument. "when what i have explained to my father is done," the canadian continued, imperturbably, "he will choose four of the bravest warriors of his nation, to help him in guarding his captives during the night. and after i have given the amantzin and the men who accompany him a liquor to drink, which will protect them from all evil influences, my brother, the divine tlacateotzin, will expel the wicked spirit that torments the pale women." the high priest and the sachem listened silently, and seemed to be reflecting. the canadian perceived it, and hastened to add, "although the wacondah assists us, and gives us the necessary power to conquer, still it is necessary that my brother, the amantzin, and the four warriors he selects, should pass the night preceding the great medicine with us in the sanctuary. atoyac will give, as an offering to the wacondah, twenty full cavales to the wise amantzin. will my brother do so?" "hum!" the indian said, but little flattered by the preference, "if i do so, what shall i gain by it?" marksman looked at him fixedly. "the accomplishment before the second moon," he answered, "of the project which atoyac has ripened so long in his mind." the hunter spoke haphazard; still, it seemed that the blow had told, for the sachem answered, with considerable agitation, "i will do it." "my father is a wise man," the high priest said, his brow having brightened when the hunter spoke of the offering of the twenty cavales; "may the wacondah protect him." "my son is kind," the canadian contented himself with answering, and took leave of the two men. on the square, flying eagle and brighteye were awaiting the coming out of the two adventurers. while proceeding towards their host's _calli_, marksman explained his plan in its fullest details to his comrades. nothing could be more simple, though, than his scheme, for it consisted in carrying off the maidens so soon as they were placed on the mound. this was the only possible chance of success, for they could not dream of employing force to get them out of the palace of the virgins of the sun. the delay of three days, fixed by marksman before attempting his plan, was necessary, in order to send flying eagle off to his tribe, to fetch the reinforcements they would doubtless greatly need during the pursuit that must ensue on the rape. brighteye, at the same time, would leave the city to warn the gambusinos of the day selected, so as to avoid any misunderstanding, and place the hunters in good positions. the same evening, flying eagle, eglantine, and brighteye, as had been arranged, got into red wolf's canoe, who was waiting near the hedge. after the orders he received from marksman, eglantine was to remain in the gambusino's camp, while flying eagle, mounted on the famous barb he had fortunately inherited from don estevan, would proceed with all speed to his tribe. when don miguel and marksman had seen their comrades safely off, they returned to atoyac's cabin. the worthy sachem, though he felt very angry at the tax of twenty cavales they had put on him, received them most cordially, not daring to infringe the laws of hospitality when dealing with men so powerful as the two physicians. while conversing, he told them that addick and red wolf had disappeared from the city, no one knowing what had become of them. as for red wolf, the hunters knew all about it, so his departure did not trouble them; but it was not the same with addick, who, as their host told them, set out at the head of a powerful war party. they suspected that the young chief had gone to join don estevan, which urged them to double their prudence, for they expected some perfidious machination from these two men. the three days passed away in visits to the maidens and prayers in the temple of the sun. still, the time seemed very long to don miguel and the ladies, who constantly trembled lest a fortuitous accident should disturb the well-arranged plan for their deliverance. the last day, marksman and don miguel were conversing, as they had grown accustomed to do, with doã±a laura and doã±a luisa, while recommending a passive obedience to all their injunctions, when they fancied they heard a rustling at the door of the apartment preceding that in which the prisoners were confined. marksman, at once reassuming his borrowed face, opened the door, and found himself face to face with the high priest, who stepped away with the embarrassed air of a man detected in the satisfaction of his curiosity. had he heard what the young people and the hunter had been saying in spanish? marksman, after reflection, did not think so: still, he thought it prudent to recommend his comrades to be on their guard. this long day at length terminated, the sun set, and night arrived. all was ready for departure; the captives, each placed in a hammock, suspended from the shoulders of four vigorous slaves, were transported to the top of the mound chosen for the operation, and gently deposited in the vicuna skin. the high priest, by marksman's orders, stationed his warriors at the four cardinal points. he then uttered a few mysterious words, to which don miguel replied in a low voice, burnt some odoriferous grass, and bade the indians and the high priest kneel down to implore the unknown deity. don miguel, during this period, gazed on the city, trying to distinguish if anything extraordinary were occurring. all was calm. the deepest silence reigned over the place. the two hunters, who had also knelt, rose up. "let my brothers redouble their prayers," don miguel said, in a hollow voice, "i am about to compel the evil spirit to retire from the captives." in spite of themselves, the maidens gave a start of terror at these words. don miguel did not seem to notice it, but made a sign to marksman. "let my brothers approach," the latter said. the sentinels had a hesitation that threatened to degenerate into terror on the slightest suspicious movement of the medicine men. don miguel then proceeded:--"my brother and i," he said, "are about to return to prayer; but to prevent the evil spirits seizing on you after leaving the captives, my brother two rabbits will pour out for each a horn of firewater, prepared and gifted by the wacondah with the virtue of saving those who drink it from the attacks of the evil spirit." the sentries were apaches. at the word "firewater," their eyes sparkled with covetousness. marksman then poured them out a large calabash of spirits, mixed with a strong dose of opium, which they swallowed at a draught, with unequivocal signs of pleasure. the high priest alone seemed to hesitate, but at length made up his mind, and boldly emptied the cup, to the great relief of the hunters, whom his hesitation was beginning to alarm. "now!" the canadian shouted, in a rough voice, "on your knees, all of you." the apaches obeyed, don miguel imitating them. marksman alone remained standing, while don miguel, with his arms stretched to the north, seemed ordering the evil spirit to retire; the canadian began turning rapidly, while muttering incoherent words, which the adventurer repeated after him. after this, don miguel rose, and made an invocation. twenty minutes had passed. during this period, an indian fell, with his face to the ground, as if humbly prostrating himself. soon a second did the same, then a third, then a fourth, and, lastly, the high priest fell in his turn. the five indians gave no signs of life. marksman, to make sure, let the nearest man taste the point of his knife. the poor wretch did not stir; the opium had produced in him and his comrades such an effect that their necks might have been twisted before they woke. don miguel then turned to the ladies, who were awaiting with ever-increasing perplexity the end of this scene. "fly," he said, "if you wish to save your lives." he then seized doã±a laura in his arms, threw her over his shoulders, took a pistol in his left hand, and dashed down the hill. marksman, calmer than the young man, began by imitating thrice the signal agreed on with his companions. at the expiration of a moment, which seemed to him an age, the same cry answered him. "heaven be praised!" he exclaimed, "we are saved." he went towards doã±a luisa, and wished to take her in his arms. "no," she said, with a smile, "i thank you, but i am strong, and can walk." "come on, then, for heaven's sake." the girl rose. "go on," she said, "i will follow you; think of your own safety, i can defend myself." and she showed the hunter the pistols he gave her two months previously. "brave girl!" the hunter said; "but for all that, do not leave me." he made her go down in front of him, and both soon reached the foot of the mound. when about half-way to the forest, the hunters were obliged to stop, for the ladies, exhausted by fatigue and emotion, felt they could not go further. suddenly a large party of horsemen, with don mariano, brighteye, and ruperto at their head, dashed at a gallop from the forest, and hurried towards them. "ah!" don miguel said, with maddening joy, "i have really saved her, then!" the maidens mounted the horses prepared for them beforehand, and were placed in the middle of the detachment. "my child! my darling daughter!" don mariano repeated, as he covered her with kisses. the adventurer respected for a few minutes the gentle affection of the father and daughter, who had so long been separated, and never hoped to meet again. two briny tears he could not check ran down his bronzed cheeks, and in the presence of happiness so perfect, he forgot for a minute that henceforth an insurmountable barrier was raised between himself and her he loved so much; but soon regaining his spirits, and comprehending the necessity of haste, he ordered-"forward, forward! we must not be surprised." all at once a sinister flash crossed the horizon; a sharp whizz was heard, and a bullet crushed in the skull of a gambusino, scarce a yard from don miguel. then a horrible yell, the war cry of the apaches, burst forth. "back, back!" marksman exclaimed, "the redskins are on us." the gambusinos, burying their spurs in their horses' flanks, started at headlong speed. [1] the great unknown god. chapter xl. the final struggle. marksman was not mistaken. two parties of redskins, one led by addick and don estevan, the other by atoyac, were pursuing the gambusinos. we will explain to the reader, in a few words, this apparent alliance between addick and atoyac. in the last chapter we stated that marksman surprised the amantzin, listening at the door, and though the high priest did not understand a word of spanish, and consequently could not follow the conversation, still he evidenced a certain degree of animation which appeared to him suspicious. still, as he did not dare openly to oppose the ceremony of the great medicine, which was to take place in the same evening, he imparted his suspicions to atoyac. the latter, already badly disposed towards the two men, feigned, however, to be astonished at the sudden doubts of the amantzin, and treated them as visionary. but at length, as the old man pressed him, and seemed strongly persuaded that there was some machination hidden behind the jugglery of the self-called medicine men, he consented to watch what occurred on the hillock, and be ready to hurry to the amantzin's assistance, should he be the dupe of any trickery. this being properly arranged, so soon as the procession with the captives left quiepaa tani, atoyac followed it with a band of warriors picked from his relatives and friends, and, on arriving at the foot of the mound, he clambered up it through the grass, prepared to see and hear all that occurred. on hearing the prayers of the few men, the chief was on the point of regretting his coming. the noise of voices soon ceased, and atoyac, supposing that muttered prayers were now going on, waited. still, as the silence was prolonged, atoyac determined to climb to the top of the mound, and was utterly astounded at finding only the amantzin and the warriors lying on the ground. at first he believed they were dead, and summoned his comrades, who had remained at the bottom of the hill. the latter ran up at full speed, and lifted up the sleepers, whom they shook violently, without being able to arouse them. atoyac then guessed a portion of the truth; he called to mind the signal he had heard, and not doubting that the fugitives had gone towards the forest, he rushed after them with a yell. atoyac was the first to perceive the party, and he it was who fired the shot which killed the gambusino. but the position of the whites was becoming critical; for, on arriving at the edge of the forest, they found themselves suddenly stopped by addick's party, which charged furiously. the ladies were in the centre of the gambusinos, protected by don mariano and brighteye, and hence were in comparative safety. while marksman and ruperto wheeled round to repulse the attack of atoyac's warriors, and cover the retreat, don miguel, wielding a club, which he took from a wounded apache, rushed into the thick of the fight with the leap of a tiger at bay. the combatants, who were too close together to employ their firearms, murdered each other with knives and lances, or with fearful blows of clubs and rifle butts. the fearful carnage lasted twenty minutes, excited by the savage yells of the indians, and the no less savage shouts of the gambusinos, at length, by a desperate effort, don miguel succeeded in bursting the human dyke that barred his progress, and rushed, followed by his comrades, through the wide and bloody gap he had opened, at the loss of ten of his most resolute men, leaving marksman to oppose the last efforts of the redskins. don miguel collected his men around him, and all hurried into the depths of the forest, when they speedily disappeared. at sunrise, the adventurers reached the grotto where they had once before sought shelter, and don miguel gave the order to halt. it was time. the horses, panting with fatigue, could scarce stand; besides, whatever diligence the apaches might display, the adventurers were a whole night in advance of them, hence they could take a few hours of indispensable rest. marksman, who soon arrived with the rearguard, confirmed don miguel's views. the redskins, according to his report, had suddenly returned towards the city. these news redoubled the serenity of the adventurers. while the gambusinos, in different groups, were preparing a meal, and attending to their wounds, and the maidens, who had retired into the grotto, were sleeping on a pile of furs and zarapã©s, don miguel and the two canadians were bathing, in order to remove the traces of indian paint, and, after dressing in their proper clothes, they went to get a few minutes' necessary rest. don miguel alone entered the grotto. eglantine, seated at the feet of the sleeping girls, lulled them gently with the plaintive melody of an indian song. don mariano was asleep not far from his daughter. the young man thanked the chief's wife with a grateful smile, lay down across the entrance of the grotto, and fell asleep too, after assuring himself that sentries were watching the common safety. the first words of the maidens on awaking, were to thank their liberators. don mariano was never wearied of caressing his daughter, who was at length restored to him; and he knew not how to express his gratitude to don miguel. doã±a laura, with all the _naã¯ve_ frankness of a young heart, to which evasion is unknown, could not find words sufficiently strong to express to don miguel the happiness with which her heart overflowed. doã±a luisa alone remained gloomy and thoughtful. on seeing with what devotion and readiness don miguel, with no other interest than that of serving them, had so frequently risked his life, the maiden discovered the greatness and nobility of the adventurer's character; hence love entered her heart, the more violent because the object yet did not seem to perceive it. love renders persons clear-sighted. doã±a luisa soon understood why her companion continually boasted to her of the young man's generous qualities, and she guessed the secret passion they felt for each other. a cruel pang gnawed her heart at this discovery; in vain did she struggle against the horrible tortures of an unbridled jealousy, for she felt that don miguel would never love her. still, the young girl yielded hopelessly to the chance of seeing and hearing the man for whom she would have gladly laid down her life. as for don miguel, he heard nothing, saw nothing; he was intoxicated with joy, and indulged in the voluptuous felicity with which doã±a laura's presence inundated him, as she sat, lovely and careless, between himself and her father. fortunately, marksman was not in love, and he saw clearly the dangers of the position. he summoned a council, in which it was resolved that they should proceed in all haste toward the nearest mexican frontier, in order to place the ladies in safety, and escape from any pursuit on the part of the indians. they must hasten, however, for, owing to an unlucky coincidence, it was that period of the year called by the redskins the "moon of mexico," and which they had selected for their periodical depredations on the frontiers of that hapless country. marksman promised to reach the clearings in four days, by roads known to himself alone. they set out. the adventurers were not disturbed in their rapid flight, and, as marksman had announced, on the afternoon of the fourth day the party crossed a ford of the rio gila and entered sonora. as they advanced, however, on the mexican territory, the hunter's brow grew gloomier, and the glances he turned in every direction denoted an anxious mind. the fact was, that the country, which should have appeared at this season so luxuriant in vegetation, looked so strange and desolate as to chill the heart. the fields turned up and trampled by horses' hoofs; the ruins of burnt jacales, scattered here and there; ashes piled up at places where mills must once have stood, evidenced that war had passed along the road, with all the horrors that march after it. about two leagues off, the houses of a fortified pueblo an old presidio, could be seen glistening in the last beams of the sun. all was calm in the vicinity; but the calmness was that of death. not a human being was visible; no _manada_ appeared on the desolated prairie; the _recuas_ of the mules, the calls of the _nena_, could neither be seen nor heard. on all sides, a leaden silence, a mournful tranquillity, brooded over the scene, and imparted to it, in the gay light of the sun, a crushing aspect. suddenly brighteye, who rode a little ahead of the party, pulled up his horse, which had shied so violently as nearly to throw him, and looked down with a cry of surprise. don miguel and marksman hurried up to him. a frightful spectacle offered itself to the three men. at the bottom of a ditch that ran along the road, a pile of spanish corpses lay pell-mell, horribly disfigured and stripped of their scalps. don miguel ordered a halt, not knowing whether to advance or retire; it was permissible to doubt under such circumstances. if they pushed on to the presidio, it was probably deserted, or perhaps the redskins had seized on it. still some determination must be formed within an hour. don miguel at length noticed a ruined hacienda about five miles to their right; though precarious, the shelter it afforded was better than bivouacking on the plain. the adventurers pushed on, and soon reached the farm. the hacienda bore traces of fire and devastation; the cracked walls were blackened with smoke, the windows and doors broken in, and several male and female bodies, half consumed, were piled up in the patio. don miguel led the trembling girls to a room, after the ruins choking the entrance had been removed; then, after urging them not to leave it, he joined his companions, who, under brighteye's directions, were settling themselves as well as they could in the hacienda. marksman had gone out scouting with ruperto. don mariano, excited by paternal love, had turned engineer, and with the help of a dozen adventurers, was putting the house in the best state of defence possible. like all mexican frontier haciendas, this one was surrounded by a tall crenelated wall. don miguel had the gate blocked up; then, returning to the house, he ordered the doors and windows to be put in, had loopholes pierced, and placed sentries round the wall and on the azotea. after this, he gave brighteye the command of twelve resolute men, and ordered them to ambush behind a wood covered mound, which rose about two hundred yards from the hacienda. he then counted his forces; including don mariano and his two servants, he had but twenty-one men with him; but they were adventurers, determined to die to the last man rather than surrender. don miguel did not lose all hope, and when these precautions were taken, he waited. ruperto soon arrived, and his report was not reassuring. the redskins had seized the presidio by surprise. the town had been plundered, then abandoned; it was completely deserted. numerous parties of apaches were visible in all directions, and it seemed certain that the adventurers could not proceed a league from the hacienda without falling into an ambuscade. marksman at length arrived. he brought with him forty mexican soldiers and peasants, who had been wandering about at hazard for two days, at the risk of being surprised by the redskins, who pitilessly massacred every white man who fell into their hands. don miguel gladly received this unexpected help--a reinforcement of forty men was not to be despised, especially as they were all armed, and capable of doing good service. marksman, as a good forager, also brought with him several mules laden with provisions. the worthy canadian thought of everything, and nothing escaped him. when the men had been stationed at the spots most exposed to a surprise, don miguel and marksman ascended the azotea, to have a look at the neighbourhood. nothing had changed; the plain was still deserted. the calm was of evil augury. the sun set in a mass of red vapour; the light suddenly lessened, and night arrived, with its darkness and its mysteries. don miguel, leaving the canadian alone, went down to the apartment which served as a refuge to the three females. the ladies were seated, sad and silent. eglantine walked up to him. "what does my sister want?" the young man asked. "eglantine wishes to go," she answered, in her soft voice. "what, go!" he exclaimed, in surprise; "it is impossible. the night is dark; my sister would run too much danger on the plain; the calcis of her tribe are far away on the prairie." eglantine assumed her usual pout as she shook her head. "eglantine will go," she said, impatiently. "my brother will give her a horse; she must join flying eagle." "alas! my poor girl, flying eagle is far away at this moment, i am afraid; you will not find him." the girl raised her head quickly. "flying eagle does not desert his friends," she said; "he is a great chief. eglantine is proud to be his squaw. let my brother suffer her to go. eglantine has in her heart a little bird, that sings softly, and tells her where the sachem is." don miguel suffered from considerable perplexity; he could not consent to what the indian girl asked him; he felt a repugnance to abandon the woman who had given them so many proofs of devotion since she had been among them. at this moment he felt a tap on his shoulder; he turned, and saw marksman. "let her go," he said; "she knows better than we do why she acts thus. the redskins never do anything without a reason. come, dear child, i will accompany you to the gate, and give you a horse." "go, then," don miguel said; "but remember that you leave us against my wish." eglantine smiled, and kissed the two ladies, merely whispering one word to them--"courage!" then she followed marksman. "poor, good creature!" don miguel muttered; "she wants to try and be of use to us again, i feel convinced." then he turned to the ladies. "niã±as," he said to them, "regain your courage. we are numerous. tomorrow, at sunrise, we shall start again, with no fear of being disturbed by the indian marauders." "don miguel," doã±a laura answered, with a sad smile, "you will try in vain to reassure us. we heard what the men said to each other: they are expecting an attack." "why not be frank with us, don miguel?" doã±a luisa added. "it is better to tell us openly in what position we are, and to what we are exposed." "good heavens! do i know it myself?" he replied. "i have taken all the necessary precautions to defend the hacienda to the last extremity, but i trust that our trail will not be discovered." "you are deceiving us again," doã±a laura said, in a reproachful voice, so gentle that it went straight to the young man's heart. "besides," the adventurer continued, not wishing to answer the interruption, "be certain, seã±oritas, that, in case of an attack, we shall all die, my comrades and myself, ere an apache can cross the threshold of this door." "the apaches!" the maidens exclaimed, for the recollection of their captivity was still quivering in their heart, and they trembled at the mere thought of falling into their hands again. still, this movement of terror did not last an instant. doã±a laura's face immediately assumed the angelic expression habitual to it, and she answered don miguel with the softest possible intonation in her voice. "we have faith in you; we know that you will do all that is humanly possible to save us. we thank you for your devotion; we know that our fate is in the hands of god, and we place confidence in him. act like a man, don miguel. do not trouble about us further, but, i implore you, watch over my father." "yes," doã±a luisa added, "do your duty bravely; for our part, we will do ours." don miguel looked without understanding her. she smiled and blushed, but said no more. the young man seemed desirous to say a few words, but, after a moment's hesitation, he bowed respectfully and left the room. laura and luisa then threw themselves in each other's arms, and embraced tenderly. when don miguel entered the patio, marksman walked up to him, and pointed to several rows of black dots, apparently crawling in the direction of the hacienda. "look!" he said, drily. "they are redskins!" don miguel exclaimed. "i have seen them for the last ten minutes," the hunter continued; "but we have time yet to prepare for their reception. they will not be here for an hour." in truth, an hour passed away in this state of horrible expectation. suddenly the hideous head of an apache appeared over the door of the court, and looked furiously down into the patio. "no one can form an idea how impudent these indians are," marksman said, with a grin; and, raising his axe, the body of the apache rolled outside, while his head fell, with grinning teeth, almost at don miguel's feet. several attempts of the same nature, made at various spots, were repulsed with equal success. then the apaches, who had flattered themselves with the idea of finding the whites asleep, seeing, on the contrary, how badly they were received, uttered their war yell, and rising tumultuously from the ground, where they had been hitherto crawling, rushed toward the wall, which they tried to escalade on all sides at once. a ball of fire flashed from the hacienda, and a shower of bullets greeted them. many fell; but the impetus of the charge was not felt. a fresh discharge at point-blank range was impotent to repulse them, although it caused them enormous losses. the attackers and attacked were soon fighting hand to hand. it was an atrocious medley, a horrible carnage, in which the hands were only unclutched by death, and in which the conquered, after dragging his conqueror down with him, strangled him in a last convulsion. for more than half an hour it was impossible to recognize each other; the rifles, the lances, the arrows, and machete strokes were interchanged with prodigious rapidity. at length the indians fell back; the wall was not yet escaladed. it was but a short time; the redskins returned almost immediately to the charge, and the struggle recommenced with heightened fury. this time, in spite of the prodigies of valour performed by the adventurers, they were driven in by the mass of enemies that surrounded them, and compelled to fall back on the house, contending every inch of ground; but now the resistance could not last long. all at once shouts were heard in the rear of the indians, and brighteye poured on them like an avalanche at the head of his party. the redskins, surprised and alarmed at this unforeseen attack, gave way in disorder, and dispersed over the plain. don miguel rushed forward, at the head of twenty men, to support brighteye, and complete the defeat of the indians. the adventurers pursued the apaches, whom they furiously massacred; but all at once don miguel uttered a cry of surprise and rage. while he had been led away in pursuit of the apaches, other indians, suddenly springing up in the space left free, rushed at the hacienda. the gambusinos turned their horses round, and retraced their steps at full gallop. it was too late. the hacienda was invaded. the combat then became a horrible carnage--a nameless butchery. in the midst of the apaches, atoyac, addick, and don estevan seemed to be multiplied, so rapid were their blows, so aroused was their fury. on the highest step of the flight leading into the interior of the house, don mariano and some gambusinos he had rallied were desperately resisting the repeated attacks of a swarm of indians. suddenly a bloody veil was spread before don miguel's eyes; a cold perspiration poured down his face; the apaches had forced the entrance, and were inundating the house. "forward! forward!" don leo howled, throwing himself headlong into the medley. "forward!" brighteye and marksman repeated. at this moment the two maidens appeared at the windows, closely pursued by the redskins, who seized them in their arms, and carried them off, in spite of their shrieks and resistance. all was lost! at this supreme moment, the war cry of the comanches burst on the air, and a cloud of warriors, at the head of whom flying eagle galloped, fell like a thunderbolt on the apaches, who believed themselves the victors, surrounded on all sides at once, after a heroic resistance, the latter were compelled to give ground, and seek safety in flight. the adventurers were saved at the moment when they believed nothing was left them but to die, not to fall alive into the hands of their ferocious enemies. the epilogue. two hours later, the sun as it rose shone on a touching scene in that hacienda which had been the scene of so obstinate a contest. the adventurers and the comanche warriors, who arrived so fortunately for them, hastily removed, as far as was possible, the traces of the combat. the bodies of those who had fallen were piled up in a retired corner of the patio, and covered with straw. comanche sentries guarded some twenty apache prisoners, and the adventurers were busy, some bandaging their wounds, others digging wide trenches to inter the dead. under the saguon of the horses, two men and a woman had been laid on trusses of straw, covered with zarapã©s. the woman was dead; it was doã±a luisa. the poor child, whose life had only been one long self denial and continued devotion, was killed by don estevan, at the moment she blew out the brains of addick, who was carrying off doã±a laura. the two men were don mariano and brighteye. don miguel and laura were standing on either side of the old gentleman, anxiously watching for the moment when he should open his eyes. marksman, sad, and with a pale brow, was bending over his old comrade, who was on the point of death. "courage!" he said to him; "courage, brother, it is nothing." the canadian tried to smile. "hum! i know what it is," he said in a broken voice; "i have ten minutes left at the most, and after that--" he was silent for a moment, and seemed to be reflecting. "tell me, marksman," he went on, "do you believe god will pardon me?" "yes, my worthy friend; for you were a brave and good creature." "i have always acted in accordance with my heart. well, it is said that the mercy of god is infinite; i put my trust in him." "hope, my friend, hope!" "no matter. i was sure the indians would never kill me; it was don estevan, look ye, who wounded me, but i split his skull open. the villain! i ought to have let him die in his pit, like a trapped wolf." his voice grew momentarily weaker; his eye was more glassy; his life was ebbing fast. "pardon him! now he is dead, he is no longer dangerous." "heaven be praised, i crushed the viper at last! good-bye, marksman, my old comrade. we shall never again hunt buffalo and elk together on the prairie; we shall no longer sound our war cry against the apaches. where is flying eagle?" "pursuing the redskins." "oh, he is a fine fellow. he was very young when i first knew him; it was in 1845. i remember that i was returning from--" he stopped. marksman, who had bent as close as possible over him, to hear the words he uttered in a voice that grew momentarily weaker, looked at him. he was dead. the worthy hunter had surrendered his soul to god, without feeling the cruel agonies of death. his friend piously closed his eyes, knelt down by his side, and binding his pale forehead, prayed fervently for his old comrade. don mariano, in the meanwhile, had remained in the same state of apparent insensibility. don miguel and doã±a laura each held a hand, and anxiously questioned his pulse. his two old servants were kneeling in a corner of the room, and weeping silently. suddenly don mariano uttered a deep sigh, a bright flush covered his face, his eyes opened, and for some minutes he seemed trying to recall his ideas, troubled by the approach of death. at length he made a supreme effort, sat up, and looking by turns with an expression of ineffable gentleness at the young people who had fallen on their knees, he drew their hands towards him and forced them on his heart. "don miguel," he said, in a powerful voice, "guard her! laura, you love him, so be happy! my children, i bless you. oh, god! in thy mercy pardon the wretched man who is the cause of all our misfortunes. lord, receive me into thy bosom! my children, my children, we shall meet again!" his body was suddenly agitated by a convulsive tremor, his features were contracted, and he fell back breathing his last sigh. he was dead! after performing the last duties to his old comrade, marksman followed flying eagle and his warriors. from that moment he was never heard of again; the death of brighteye had broken all the energy and will in this powerful man. perhaps he is still dragging out the last days of a wretched existence among those indians with whom he formed the resolve of living. the minute researches made by don leo de torres, after his marriage with doã±a laura de real del monte, led to no result; hence the young man, to his great regret, was compelled to resign all hopes of ever paying this simple and yet great-hearted man the debt of gratitude he owed him. the end. 