CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
"By the Virgin, it _is_ he!" exclaimed Roblado, with a look ofastonishment and alarm. "The fellow himself, as I live!"
"I knew it!--I knew it!" shrieked Vizcarra. "I saw him on the cliff: itwas no vision!"
"Where can he have come from? In the name of all the saints, where hasthe fellow--"
"Roblado, I must go below! I must go in, I will not stay to meet him!I _cannot_!"
"Nay, colonel, better let him speak with us. He has seen and recognisedyou already. If you appear to shun him, it will arouse suspicion. Hehas come to ask our help to pursue the Indians; and that's his errand, Iwarrant you!"
"Do you think so?" inquired Vizcarra, partially recovering hisself-possession at this conjecture.
"No doubt of it! What else? He can have no suspicion of the truth.How is it possible he could, unless he were a witch, like his mother?Stay where you are, and let us hear what he has got to say. Of course,you can talk to him from the azotea, while he remains below. If he showany signs of being insolent, as he has already been to both of us, letus have him arrested, and cooled a few hours in the calabozo. I hopethe fellow will give us an excuse for it, for I haven't forgotten hisimpudence at the fiesta."
"You are right, Roblado; I shall stay and heur him. It will be better,I think, and will allay any suspicion. But, as you say, he can havenone!"
"On the contrary, by your giving him the aid he is about to ask you for,you may put him entirely off the scent--make him your friend, in fact.Ha! ha!"
The idea was plausible, and pleased Vizcarra. He at once determined toact upon it.
This conversation had been hurriedly carried on, and lasted but a fewmoments--from the time the approaching horseman had been first seen,until he drew up under the wall.
For the last two hundred yards he had ridden slowly, and with an air ofapparent respect--as though he feared it might be deemed rude toapproach the place of power by any swaggering exhibition ofhorsemanship. On his fine features traces of grief might be observed,but not one sign of the feeling that was at that moment uppermost in hisheart.
As he drew near, he raised his sombrero in a respectful salute to thetwo officers, whose heads and shoulders were just visible over theparapet; and having arrived within a dozen paces of the wall, he reinedup, and, taking off his hat again, waited to be addressed.
"What is your business?" demanded Roblado.
"Cavalleros! I wish to speak with the Comandante."
This was delivered in the tone of one who is soon to ask a favour. Itgave confidence to Vizcarra, as well as to the bolder villain--who,notwithstanding all his assurances to the contrary, had still somesecret misgivings about the cibolero's errand. Now, however, it wasclear that his first conjecture was correct; Carlos had come to solicittheir assistance.
"I am he!" answered Vizcarra, now quite recovered from his fright, "I amthe Comandante. What have you to communicate, my man?"
"Your excellency, I have a favour to ask;" and the cibolero againsaluted with an humble bow.
"I told you so," whispered Roblado to his superior. "All safe, mycolonel."
"Well, my good fellow," replied Vizcarra, in his usual haughty andpatronising manner, "let me hear it. If not unreasonable--"
"Your excellency, it is a very heavy favour I would ask, but I hope notunreasonable. I am sure that, if it do not interfere with your manifoldduties, you will not refuse to grant it, as the interest and trouble youhave already taken in the cause are but too well-known."
"Told you so," muttered Roblado a second time.
"Speak out, man!" said Vizcarra, encouragingly; "I can only give ananswer when I have heard your request."
"It is this, your excellency. I am but a poor cibolero."
"You are Carlos the cibolero! I know you."
"Yes, your excellency, we have met--at the fiesta of San Juan--"
"Yes, yes! I recollect your splendid horsemanship."
"Your excellency is kind to call it so. It does not avail me now. I amin great trouble!"
"What has befallen? Speak out, man." Both Vizcarra and Roblado guessedthe purport of the cibolero's request. They desired that it should beheard by the few soldiers lounging about the gate and for that reasonthey spoke in a loud tone themselves, anxious that their petitionermight do the same.
Not to oblige them, but for reasons of his own, Carlos replied in a loudvoice. He, too, wished the soldiers, but more particularly the sentryat the gate, to hear what passed between himself and the officers."Well, your excellency," replied he, "I live in a poor rancho, the lastin the settlement, with my old mother and sister. The night before lastit was attacked by a party of Indians--my mother left for dead--therancho set on fire--and my sister carried off!"
"I have heard of all this, my friend,--nay, more, I have myself been outin pursuit of the savages."
"I know it, your excellency. I was absent on the Plains, and onlyreturned last night. I have heard that your excellency was prompt inpursuing the savages, and I feel grateful."
"No need of that; I only performed my duty. I regret the occurrence,and sympathise with you; but the villains have got clear off, and thereis no hope of bringing them to punishment just now. Perhaps some othertime--when the garrison here is strengthened--I shall make an incursioninto their country, and then your sister may be recovered."
So completely had Vizcarra been deceived by the cibolero's manner, thathis confidence and coolness had returned, and any one knowing nothingmore of the affair than could be gathered from that conversation wouldhave certainly been deceived by him. This dissimulation both in speechand manner appeared perfect. By the keen eye of Carlos, however--withhis knowledge of the true situation--the tremor of the speaker's lips,slight as it was--his uneasy glance--and an occasional hesitancy in hisspeech, were all observed. Though Carlos was deceiving _him_, _he_ wasnot deceiving Carlos.
"What favour were you going to ask?" he inquired, after he had deliveredhis hopeful promise.
"This, your excellency; that you would allow your troops to go once moreon the trail of the robbers, either under your own command--which Iwould much like--or one of your brave officers." Roblado feltflattered. "I would act as guide, your excellency. There is not a spotwithin two hundred miles I am not acquainted with, as well as I am withthis valley; and though I should not say it, I assure your excellency, Ican follow an Indian trail with any hunter on the Plains. If yourexcellency will but send the troop, I promise you I shall guide them tothe robbers, or lose my reputation. I can follow their trail _whereverit may lead_."
"Oh! you could, indeed?" said Vizcarra, exchanging a significant glancewith Roblado, while both exhibited evident symptoms of uneasiness.
"Yes, your excellency, anywhere."
"It would be impossible," said Roblado. "It is now two days old;besides, _we_ followed it beyond the Pecos, and we have no doubt therobbers are by this time far out of reach, of any pursuit. It would bequite useless to attempt such a thing."
"Cavalleros!"--Carlos addressed himself to both--"I assure you I couldfind them. They are not so far off."
Both the Comandante and his captain started, and visibly turned pale.The cibolero did not affect to notice this.
"Nonsense! my good fellow!" stammered Roblado; "they are--at least--hundreds of miles off by this--away over the Staked Plain--or to--to themountains."
"Pardon me, captain, for differing with you; but I believe I know theseIndians--I know to what tribe they belong."
"What tribe?" simultaneously inquired the officers, both with anearnestness of manner and a slight trepidation in their voices; "whattribe?--Were they not Yutas?"
"No," answered the cibolero, while he observed the continued confusionof his questioners.
"Who, then?"
"I believe," replied Carlos, "they were _not_ Yutas--more likely mysworn foes, the Jicarillas."
"Quite possible!" assented both in a breath, and evidently relieved atthe enunciation.
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"Quite possible!" repeated Roblado. "From the description given us bythe people who saw them, we had fancied they were the Yutas. It may bea mistake, however. The people were so affrighted, they could tell butlittle about them. Besides, the Indians were only seen in the night."
"Why think you they are the Jicarillas?" asked the Comandante, once morebreathing freely.
"Partly because there were so few of them," replied Carlos. "Had theybeen Yutas--"
"But they were not so few. The shepherds report a large band. Theyhave carried off immense numbers of cattle. There must have been aconsiderable force of them, else they would not have ventured into thevalley--that is certain."
"I am convinced, your excellency, there could not have been many. Asmall troop of your brave soldiers would be enough to bring back boththem and their booty."
Here the lounging lanzeros erected their dwarfish bodies, andendeavoured to look taller.
"_If_ they were Jicarillas," continued Carlos, "I should not need tofollow their trail. They are _not_ in the direction of the Llano. Ifthey have gone that way, it was to mislead you in the pursuit. I knowwhere they are at this moment--in the mountains."
"Ha! you think they are in the mountains?"
"I am sure of it; and not fifty miles from here. If your excellencywould but send a troop, I could guide it direct to the spot, and withoutfollowing the trail they have taken out of the valley--which I believewas only a false one."
The Comandante and Roblado drew back from the parapet, and for someminutes talked together in a low tone.
"It would look well," muttered Roblado; "in fact, the very thing youwant. The trump cards seem to drop right into your hands. You send aforce at the _request_ of this fellow, who is a nobody here. You do hima service, and yourself at the same time. It will tell well, I warrantyou."
"But for him to act as guide?"
"Let him! So much the better--that will satisfy all parties. He won'tfind his Jicarillas,--ha! ha ha!--of course; but let the fool have hiswhim!"
"But suppose, camarado, he falls upon _our_ trail?--the cattle?"
"He is not going in that direction; besides, if he did, we are not boundto follow such trails as he may choose for us; but he has said he is notgoing that way--he don't intend to follow a trail. He knows some nestof these Jicarillas in the mountains,--like enough; and to rout them--there's a bit of glory for some one. A few scalps would look well overthe gate. It hasn't had a fresh ornament of that sort since we've beenhere! What say you? It's but a fifty-mile ride."
"I have no objection to the thing--it _would_ look well; but I shall notgo myself. I don't like being along with the fellow out there oranywhere else--you can understand that feeling, I suppose?"
Here the Comandante looked significantly at his companion.
"Oh! certainly--certainly," replied the latter.
"_You_ may take the troop; or, if you are not inclined, send Garcia orthe sergeant with them."
"I'll go myself," replied Roblado. "It will be safer. Should thecibolero incline to follow certain trails, I can lead him away fromthem, or refuse--yes it will be better for me to go myself. By my soul!I want to have a brush with these redskins. I hope to bring back some`hair,' as they say. Ha ha! ha!"
"When would you start?"
"Instantly--the sooner the better. That will be more agreeable to allparties, and will prove our promptitude and patriotism. Ha! ha! ha!"
"You had better give the sergeant his orders to get the men ready, whileI make our cibolero happy."
Roblado hastened down from the azotea, and the next moment the bugle washeard sounding "boots and saddles."