CHAPTER XXI.
A STRANGE LEGEND.
We will now return to the Jaguar, whom we left departing from thepulqueria, and proceeding at the head of his bold companions toward thefort of the Point. But, before going further, in order to make thereader understand the almost insurmountable difficulties which theJaguar would meet with on the audacious expedition he was attempting, weask leave to tell him the legend current about this fortress, a legendwhich has survived to this day, in all its quaint simplicity.
The European traveller who visits for the first time Texas, and all thecoasts of Southern America generally, experiences a feeling ofindefinable sorrow at the sight of these gloomy and sinister shores,which have witnessed so many accidents, and against which the dark wavesof the Pacific break with mysterious murmurs. All, in fact, disposes toreverie in these poetic countries: the sky, which resembles a plate ofred-hot iron; the lofty denuded cliffs, whose capricious outline looksas if it had been cut out by some artistic giant of past ages, andbearing at times on their proud crests the still imposing ruins of anold palace of the Incas, or a teocali, whose massive walls are lost inthe clouds--the ancient lurking places of those ferocious priests of theSun, who made all tremble around them, and raised their bloody titlesboth afloat and ashore. Before the conquest, at the time when thedescendants of Quetzalcoatl, or the Serpent covered with feathers,peacefully reigned in these countries, the thick walls of the teocalisstifled many a groan, concealed and authorised many a crime.
Of all the stories told us in our last journey through Texas, aboutthese mournful abodes scattered over the country, we will only relateone, which has reference to the narrative we have undertaken to tell.
It was a short while after the daring expedition, during which Columbus,while seeking a new road to India, had found America again; the fever ofdiscovery had affected every imagination; each, with his eyes fixed onthe New World, which had sprung up as if by magic, rushed toward theseunknown regions with all that feverish activity we have seen suddenlyrekindled with reference to the Californian placers.
Among the adventurers who went to try their fortunes, some were onlyurged by the hope of making discoveries, while others, on the contrary,only obeyed the thirst for gold, and renewed, on another stage, thefabulous exploits of the Scandinavians--those bold kings of the sea,whose life was a continued combat. Among these men was one who had made,with the unfortunate De La Salle, that unlucky expedition, during whichhe crossed over the whole of Texas. This adventurer, however, DonEstevan de Sourdis by name, caring little for the unprofitableadventures the brave Frenchman undertook, secretly quitted his Chiefwith the vessel he commanded, and sailed quietly along the coasts of thenew land so recently discovered.
The idea was excellent, and the profits were great: in a few months theadventurer's vessel was filled with riches, more or less honourablyacquired. Still, for reasons best known to himself, Don Estevan felt nodesire to return to France. He therefore resolved to seek a spot whereit would be possible for him to build a fortress capable of protectinghim, and serve him as a secure retreat against the pirates who traversedthese seas in the same way as he did; he therefore began carefullyexploring the Texan coast, in order to find a suitable spot to carry outhis plans.
Accident led him to the mouth of the Rio Trinidad, a few miles from thespot where Galveston was built at a later date, in a wild anduninhabited country, whose appearance attracted him at the first glance.Like the old pirate he was, the Count admired the magnificent block ofgranite that commanded the entrance of the bay he had put into; and,seeing the importance of a citadel built on this rock, and the power itwould eventually give his family, he resolved to form his nest there.
When his choice was made, the pirate had his vessel drawn ashore, campedwith his men at the foot of the rock, and began reflecting on the meansof carrying out his bold scheme. A good many things troubled him--in thefirst place, where should he procure the stones necessary for such anedifice; and if the stones were found, where should he get the masons toput them together.
Count Estevan de Sourdis and his comrades were excellentsailors--killing, pillaging, and ravishing conscientiously each timethat the opportunity offered itself; but, as a general rule, they werevery poor masons, and nothing of architects. And then again, supposingthe stones were found, squared, and brought to the foot of the rock,how were they to be raised to the top? This was really theinsurmountable difficulty; and any other than the bold pirate would haverenounced the execution of a plan which he recognised as impossible.
But the Count was obstinate; he said to himself with a certain show ofreason, that the greater the difficulties to overcome, the stronger andbetter protected from attack his castle would be.
In consequence, far from recoiling, he armed his people with ironcrowbars, and began forming in the rock a path which wound round it andwas to finish at the summit. This path, three feet wide at the most, wasso steep and abrupt, that the slightest false step sufficed to hurlthose who ventured on it down an abyss, at the bottom of which they werecrushed to death. After a year of superhuman toil, the path was formed,and the count, scaling it on his horse, at the risk of breaking his neckone hundred times, planted his banner on the top of the rock, with ashout of pride and joy.
Another cry answered his, but it was so ironical and mocking that theold pirate, whose nerves were as hard as cords, and who had nevertrembled in his life, felt a shudder of terror run over all his limbs;his hair stood erect in horror, and an icy perspiration beaded on histemples.
The Count turned round; a man wrapped in a large black cloak, and with ared plumed hat on his head, was standing by his side. The man's face wasashy, his eyes glistened with a gloomy fire, and his parched up lipsgrimaced a mournful smile. The Count regarded him for a moment withsurprise; but as, after all, he was a brave sailor who feared nothing inthe world, he asked the stranger, in a firm voice, who he was, and howhe happened to be at this spot. To these two questions the unknownanswered politely that he had heard say that the Count de Sourdis wasseeking an architect capable of building him a strong and handsomecastle, and that he had come to treat with him. The chieftain bowedcourteously, and the following dialogue took place between the speakers.
"Do you not think, master," the pirate said, "that this spot isexcellently chosen for the place I meditate?"
"Excellency," the stranger replied, "you could not have found a bettersite all along the coast."
The pirate smiled proudly.
"Yes," he said, "and when my castle is built, no one will be able toassail it."
"Oh, of course."
"Look here," he continued, making the stranger a sign to follow him,"this is what I propose doing."
And walking round the plateau, he described the plan in its fullestdetails: the stranger approved of it by nodding his head and smiling hiscrafty smile. In the meanwhile time was passing: for about an hour dayhad given way to night, and gloom had gradually invaded the rock; thepirate, carried away by the irresistible attraction a man ever feels inventilating his ideas, specially to a person who seems to approve ofthem, continued his demonstrations without noticing that the darknesshad grown too dense for the person he was addressing to derive greatprofit from what he was saying; at length he turned to the stranger.
"Well," he asked him, "what do you think of it?"
"It is perfect," the other answered.
"Is it not?" the Chief asked, with an air of conviction.
"Yes, but--"
"Ah," said the pirate, "there is a but then?"
"There is always one," the stranger objected judiciously.
"That is true," the old pirate muttered.
"You are aware that I am an architect?"
"You told me so."
"Well, I have made a plan too."
"Indeed, indeed!"
"Yes, if you will permit me, Excellency, I shall have the honour ofsubmitting it to you."
"Do so, my dear fellow, do so," the Chief said with a condescendingsmile, for he w
as convinced in his heart that his plan was the better ofthe two.
"Directly."
"But I have an idea."
"What is it?"
"Why, it is rather dark, and in order to judge of your plan--"
"A light would be necessary, I suppose you mean, Excellency."
"Why yes," the pirate replied, "I fancy it would prove useful."
"Pray do not put yourself out of the way," said the stranger, "I willprocure one."
With the greatest possible coolness, he took off the feather thatadorned his hat, and stuck it in the ground, when it suddenly burst intoa flame, just as if it had been a torch. The Count was astounded at thismarvel, but as, after all, he was a good Christian, and he was beginningto distrust his companion considerably, he mechanically prepared tocross himself. But the stranger eagerly caught hold of his arm.
"Let us lose no time, Excellency," he said.
And drawing a roll of parchment from under his cloak he unrolled andlaid it before the pirate, who was in extasies at the magnificent planhe saw.
"What do you, think of that, Excellency?" the architect said, in asweet, bitter voice.
"Sublime!" he exclaimed, transported with admiration.
"You are a judge," the other answered, "this is what I propose doing."
And in his turn he began entering into the most minute details, to whichthe old sailor listened with gaping mouth and flashing eyes, neverleaving off looking at the splendid fortress drawn on the parchment.When the architect ceased speaking, the pirate was so confounded by allhe had heard, that he remained for a moment stunned, and tried in vainto restore the regular flow of his thoughts.
"Well," he at last asked with a certain shade of incredulity, whichinvoluntarily betrayed itself in his voice, "do you fancy yourselfcapable of carrying out such a masterpiece?"
"Nothing is easier."
"But we have no building stones."
"I will find them."
"I have no masons."
"I will procure them."
"But iron, wood--in a word, all the articles necessary for such abuilding, how to procure them?"
"I will take it on myself."
"But it will cost me a tremendous sum," said the Count, pressingly, forfear was more and more overpowering him.
"Pooh!" the stranger said, carelessly, and thrusting out his lower lipin disdain, "less than nothing, a trifle."
"And how long will you require to finish my fortress as it stands on theparchment?"
"Wait," the other said, calculating on his fingers, and scratching hisforehead like a man who is seeking the solution of a difficult problem;"it is about nine o'clock, I think?"
"About," the Count said, not at all understanding the stranger'smeaning.
"Well! By sunrise all will be ready, and you can take possession of yournew residence."
"What, why, you must be the demon!" the Count exclaimed in utterstupefaction.
The stranger rose, bowed to the pirate courteously, and answered himwith great politeness and a most gentlemanly manner.
"In person, Excellency. On my honour," he added, "I never could leave aworthy man in a difficulty. I was affected by your perplexity, andresolved to come to your aid."
"You are most kind," the old sailor muttered mechanically, not knowingwhat he was saying.
"That is my motive," said the other, with a modest bow.
"Thanks; and you ask me--"
"I have told you already--a mere trifle."
"Still----"
"We shall come to an agreement; besides, I am too much of the gentlemanto treat you as a greenhorn. Still, to keep things straight, just signthis simple agreement."
"Pardon me; but I cannot read. I can sign nothing; besides, you caneasily understand that I am not at all desirous to give you my soul."
"Come, Excellency," said Mephistopheles, "you can hardly suppose that Ihave any intention of taking you in?"
"What?
"Hang it all! Your soul has been mine for a long time, and I do notrequire your authorization to take it."
"Nonsense," said the worthy pirate, who was quite rebuffed, "do youthink our Lord will not look twice before condemning a man of my sort?"
"Not the least in the world," the demon continued good-humouredly; "soreassure yourself. It is not that I intend to ask of you."
"Speak, then; and, on the word of a gentleman adventurer, I will grantit."
"Done!" said Satan, graciously stretching out his hand.
"Done!" the pirate replied.
"Come, that is settled. Well, you will surrender to me the first livingcreature you address in the morning when you wake. You see that I am notexigent, for I might have charged you much more dearly."
Don Stephen made a face, for the first person he was in the habit ofaddressing in the morning was his daughter.
"Do you hesitate?" the demon asked in a sub-acid voice.
The pirate sighed. The conditions seemed hard, still he must acceptthem.
"No, I don't," he said; "it is a bargain."
"Very good; now leave me to my work."
"As you please," the pirate answered, and prepared to go down; but,suddenly reflecting, he added, "Tell me, can you not do me a service?"
"With pleasure."
"During our conversation night has fallen; it is as black as in yourdomains, and I am frightfully afraid of breaking my neck in going downto the plain."
"Do you wish to rest?"
"Yes; the day has been fatiguing, and I am desirous of sleep."
"All right; nothing is easier."
"Then, I shall have my castle tomorrow?"
"At sunrise I promised it."
"Thanks; and now, if you will help me----"
"Certainly; hold on."
And the demon, seizing the tail of the horse on which the pirate wasmounted, whirled the animal round his head, and then hurled it intospace. The pirate, slightly stunned by the rapidity of his flight, fellwithout the slightest injury at the entrance of his tent; he immediatelydismounted, and prepared for bed.
His boatswain's mate was waiting to help him in taking off his harness.The Count threw himself anxiously on his couch, but though he mightclose his eyes and turn and roll in every direction, sleep shunned him.The mate, who was lying in the doorway of the tent, was also awake, butthrough another motive; he fancied he saw strange lights running alongthe rock; he heard the sound of hammers and crowbars, stone being sawn,and the creaking of pullies--in a word, those thousand rumours producedby masons, carpenters, and blacksmiths, when at work.
The poor sailor, not knowing to what he should attribute what he fanciedhe saw and heard, rubbed his eyes to assure himself that he was notasleep, and then thrust his fingers in his ears--fearing, for goodreasons, that it must all be an illusion. At length, unable to doubt anylonger, he resolved to inform his Captain, and entered his tent.
As we have said, the Count was not asleep. He rose in haste, andfollowed his boatswain's mate; then, as he placed the utmost confidencein this worthy man, who had served him for twenty years, he did nothesitate to tell him what had passed between him and the devil, and whathe had himself promised, adding, in the most insinuating tone he couldassume, that he counted on the mate's attachment to prevent his daughterentering the tent the next morning, as she was accustomed to do, and tofind some means of getting him out of the scrape.
On hearing this avowal, and the proof of confidence that accompanied it,the boatswain's mate became anxious; he was very fond of his Chief, forhe had risked his life twenty times for him; but the worthy sailor was aBreton and excellent Christian, and was not at all desirous of placinghimself under the claws of Messire Satanas for an affair that did not atall concern him. Still, after a few moments' reflection, his facebrightened and reassumed its ordinary look of careless gaiety, and hesaid with a laugh:
"Go and sleep, my Lord; tomorrow it will be day. After all, the demonmay not be so crafty as he looks."
The pirate, comforted by the joyous air of his bo
atswain's mate, feltmore tranquil; he returned to his couch, and speedily fell asleep. Thesailor passed the whole night in prayer, and when the dawn began tosuffuse the sky with white tints, he went to the kennel, fetched a poormangy dog dying in a corner, thrust it into the tent, and letting fallthe curtain, waited for what would happen. The poor brute was no soonerat liberty than it leaped into its master's bed and began licking hisface.
"May the demon take thee, accursed animal!" the pirate shouted, awakingwith a start, and furious at having been thus disturbed in his sleep.
A fearful blast shook the tent, a terrible yell was heard, and the dogdisappeared. The demon fled, all abashed, with the scurvy booty he hadsecured. Messire Satanas had worked, however, conscientiously: aformidable fortress now rose haughtily on the crest of the rock which onthe previous evening had been naked and deserted. The Count wasdelighted, and took possession of his castle the same day.
Still, what the demon had stated about his soul put a flea in the ear ofthe worthy seigneur; and hence, without loss of time, he occupiedhimself about his salvation. His first care was to establish a town nearthe fortress, to which he attracted, by promises, adventurers from allcountries; then he sought a monk capable of liberating him from all hissins; and it is probable that he found one, added the worthy Franciscanwho narrated this legend to us, in which he firmly believed, for CountEstevan de Sourdis died in a state of grace, after leaving the greaterportion of his property to the clergy, founding two monasteries, andbuilding three churches. In short, the ex-pirate made a fool of thedemon to the end.
Without attaching to this legend the perfect belief of the man who toldit us, still we were struck with admiration at the sight of the immense,perpendicular block of granite, on the crest of which the castle boldlystands, perched there like a vulture's nest, and we were compelled toallow that the means employed to build it seemed to us entirelyincomprehensible.
It was this fortress that the Jaguar had resolved to carry by surprise.The task, if not impossible, was at the least very difficult, and itneeded all the audacious rashness of the young Chief merely to conceivethe thought of undertaking it.
The night was dark; heavy clouds laden with electricity coursed acrossthe sky, and by intercepting the moonbeams rendered the gloom denserstill. The conspirators passed silently through the deserted streets ofthe town like a legion of phantoms. They went on thus for a long time,with watchful eye and finger on the rifle trigger, ready to fire at theslightest suspicious sound; but nothing disturbed their march to theseashore, which they reached after making a thousand windings, in orderto foil the spies who might have attempted to follow them in thedarkness. The spot where they were was a small sandy creek, sheltered onall sides by tall cliffs; here, at a word from the Jaguar, they halted,for the difficulties of the expedition were about to begin. The youngChief assembled his comrades round him.
"Caballeros," he then said, in a low voice, "we are proceeding to thefort of the Point, which we must carry before sunrise; listen to meattentively, and remember my instructions, in order that during theexpedition we may be exposed to no misunderstanding, which, in ourpresent situation, would not only be mortal to us, but cause ourcomrades, who on their side are attempting a hazardous enterprise, tolose all the fruit of their labours."
The conspirators drew nearer in order to hear better. The swell died,at their feet with a hollow murmur, and out at sea could be seen thewares raised by the north-east wind, which would probably rise into atempest within an hour. The Jaguar continued--
"The fort of the Point is impregnable, or, at least, passes as such; Ihave resolved to deprive it of the haughty boast, and for that purposehave counted on you, comrades. Owing to the opinion the Mexicans have ofthe strength of this citadel, they have considered it unnecessary tokeep up a numerous garrison there, convinced as they are that itsposition will defend it, and that it is impossible to carry it, save bytreachery. The garrison, therefore, is only composed of thirty soldiers,commanded by a lieutenant; it is small, and yet enormous; small, if weforce them into a hand-to-hand fight; enormous, if we are compelled toremain at a distance. On the land side, the granite rock on which thefort is built is so perpendicular that we could not hope to ascendbeyond one half of it; for, excepting the path cut in the rock, which isdefended at regular distances by barricades, escalading isimpracticable. We cannot, therefore, think of attacking it on that side.But the sea is left to us, if the land fails us; if we can succeed inlanding on the narrow strip of earth which is left uncovered at lowwater for about an hour at the foot of the fortress, it is probable thatwe shall succeed in our enterprise; for it will never occur to thegarrison that any attempt to attack them by sea will be made on such anight as this. That is not all--we must reach that strip of land, andspeedily too; the sea is beginning to ebb, and the moment is favourable.This is what I propose doing."
The conspirators, collected round their Chief, paid the most earnestattention to his words. It was for them a question of life or death.
"Now, my companions," the Jaguar continued, "we have no boat in which toreach the base of the fort; the sound of oars striking against thethowls would give the alarm, excite the suspicion of the garrison, andreveal our presence; we must, therefore, cross by swimming; but it isnearly a league to go; the tide runs out fast, and we shall have tocross it at right angles; moreover, the night is dark, and the searough. I will only remind you of the sharks and tintoreras we run a riskof meeting on the way. You see, comrades, that it is a rude affair, andit is certain that we shall not all reach the sand strip. Some of uswill remain on the road; but what matter, so long as we succeed? You arebrave men, so I have preferred to speak openly with you, and allow youto see all the danger, than deceive you, for a peril if known is halfovercome."
In spite of all their courage, the conspirators felt a spasm at theirhearts; still not one of them hesitated, for they had freely offeredtheir lives as a sacrifice; besides, they had now gone too far torecoil; they must proceed at all risks. We must say, in praise of theconspirators, that of all the perils enumerated by the Jaguar, only onereally alarmed them. What they most feared was the meeting with thetintorera.
We will explain to the reader, who is probably ignorant of the fact,what this dangerous animal is, which possesses the privilege ofproducing goose flesh in the bravest man, on the mere mention of itsname. The seas of Mexico, and especially the coasts, swarm withdangerous fish, among which the shark holds a very honourable place.But, though it be so dangerous, the Mexican pearl diver, who are mostlyIndians, care little for it, and bravely fight it, when the opportunityoffers. Still, there is a special sort they are extraordinarily afraidof, and that is the tintorera.
The tintorera is a shark of the largest size, and owes its name to apeculiarity that reveals its presence at a considerable distance. Holesplaced near the snout of the fish distil a gluey matter, which spreadsover its whole body, and renders it brilliant as fireflies. Thesephosphoric gleams are the most splendid on stormy nights, when the windmoans and the thunder growls. The same phenomenon is produced on darknights; the denser the gloom, the more vivid is the furrow traced by thetintorera. This animal, fortunately, is nearly blind, and, consequently,cannot follow its prey by sight. They are also compelled to turn theirbelly completely up on seizing their prey. In the pearl islands of theMexican coast there are several Indian and half-breed divers, who arenot at all afraid of fighting them, and who frequently succeed inkilling them.
"Now," the Jaguar continued, after allowing his comrades some minutesfor reflection, "it is time for us to get ready. Listen to me. We areabout to attempt a surprise, and must therefore act accordingly. Let usleave here our firearms, which would not only be useless, but mightprove dangerous, if a shot were fired imprudently and revealed ourpresence; hence each will undress, only keeping on his trousers, andcarrying his dagger between his teeth; that will be sufficient, asfurther clothing would only embarrass us in our long swim."
The night grew more and more dark; the sea moaned sadly, und
er theimpulse of the _coromuel_, which was beginning to blow in gusts; thesea wolves howled in the darkness; the _gaviota_ groaned sadly on thetop of the rocks; and from time to time the lamantine, as if jealous toadd its mournful moan to the sinister sounds of night, mingled with thesharp sighs of the wind its accents, melancholy and plaintive as thoseof a soul in pain;--all, is short, foreboded a tempest. The hour waswell chosen for a deed of darkness.
The first emotion passed, the conspirators, galvanized, so to speak, bythe firm and confident accent of their Chief, bravely made up theirminds without observation or murmur. They threw down their weapons andarms, and silently ranged themselves on the beach, only awaiting theorder to dash into the sea. The Jaguar, with fixed eye and frowningbrow, remained motionless for some minutes, doubtless thinking of theimmense responsibility he assumed in devoting to a probable death somany men who placed their hopes and confidence in him. At length he madea powerful effort over himself, a sigh escaped from his overladenbreast, and, turning to his comrades, who were calmly awaiting the orderto start, which would probably be a sentence of death to the majority,he said in a hollow voice--
"Brothers, let us pray!"
All knelt down, and the Jaguar offered up a prayer. His powerful voicewas mingled with the howls of the wild beasts and the crash of thetempest; his companions repeated the sentences after him, with the faithof primitive souls, who regard the belief transmitted to them by theirancestors as the only true one.
It was at once a touching and terrible spectacle offered by thesesimple-minded, lion-hearted men, piously kneeling on this deserted shorein the black night, while the tempest raged around them, preparingthemselves by prayer for the sacrifice of their life--alone in thegloom, without the dazzling prestige of a brilliant sun and thousands ofspectators, but compelled to lay down their lives, and know no reward inthis world.
When the prayer was ended, all rose to their feet. They felt stronger;as God would henceforth be on their side, what had they to fear?--theyhad made Him their accomplice. The Jaguar was the last to rise; his browwas serene, but a febrile ardour caused his eyes to flash; he believedin the success of his enterprise. After assuring himself that all hiscomrades were ready, he ordered--
"Take your daggers between your teeth: Heaven protects us. Forward,brothers, and long live liberty!"
"Long live liberty!" the conspirators shouted.
A dull sound was heard, as they dashed simultaneously into the sea.