CHAPTER THIRTY.
BLINDING THE PURSUER.
By this time the men had finished eating, and now began to gather aroundSeguin, for the purpose of deliberating on what course we should pursue.One had already been sent up to the rocks to act as a vidette, and warnus in case any of the Indians should be descried upon the prairie.
We all felt that we were still in a dilemma. The Navajo was ourcaptive, and his men would come to seek for him. He was too important apersonage (second chief of the nation) to be abandoned without a search,and his own followers, nearly half of the tribe, would certainly be backto the spring. Not finding him there, should they not discover ourtracks, they would return upon the war-trail to their country.
This, we all saw, would render our expedition impracticable, as Dacoma'sband alone outnumbered us; and should we meet them in their mountainfastnesses, we should have no chance of escape.
For some time Seguin remained silent, with his eyes fixed on the ground.He was evidently tracing out in his mind some plan of action. None ofthe hunters chose to interrupt him.
"Comrades!" said he at length, "this is an unfortunate _coup_, but itcould not be avoided. It is well it is no worse. As it is, we mustalter our plans. They will be sure to return on his track, and followtheir own trail back to the Navajo towns. What then? Our band cannoteither come on to the Pinon or cross the war-trail at any point. Theywould discover our tracks to a certainty."
"Why, can't we go straight up to whar the rest's cached, and then takeround by the old mine? That won't interfere with the war-trail nohow."This was proposed by one of the hunters. "Vaya!" rejoined a Mexican;"we should meet the Navajoes just when we had got to their town!Carrai! that would never do, amigo. There wouldn't many, of us get backagain. Santisima! No."
"We ain't obleeged to meet them," argued the first speaker. "They'renot a-goin' to stop at thur town when they find the nigger hain't beenback."
"It is true," said Seguin, "they will not remain there. They willdoubtless return on the war-trail again; but I know the country by themine."
"So do I! So do I!" cried several voices. "There is no game,"continued Seguin. "We have no provisions; it is therefore impossiblefor us to go that way."
"We couldn't go it, nohow."
"We should starve before we had got through the Mimbres."
"Thar's no water that way."
"No, by gosh! not enough to make a drink for a sand-rat."
"We must take our chances, then," said Seguin. Here he pausedthoughtfully, and with a gloomy expression of countenance.
"We must cross the trail," he continued, "and go by the Prieto, orabandon the expedition."
The word "Prieto," in opposition to the phrase "abandon the expedition,"put the hunters to their wits' end for invention, and plan after planwas proposed; all, however, ending in the probability--in fact,certainty--that if adopted, our trail would be discovered by the enemy,and followed up before we could escape back to the Del Norte. Theywere, therefore, one after another rejected.
During all this discussion, old Rube had not said a word. The earlesstrapper was sitting upon the prairie, squat on his hams, tracing outsome lines with his bow, and apparently laying out the plan of afortification.
"What are ye doin', old hoss?" inquired one of his comrades.
"My hearin' ain't as good as 'twur afore I kim into this cussed country;but I thought I heerd some o' 'ees say, jest now, we cudn't cross the'Pash trail 'ithout bein' followed in two days. That's a dod-rottedlie. It are."
"How are ye goin' to prove it, hoss?"
"Chut, man! yur tongue wags like a beaver's tail in flood-time."
"Can you suggest any way in which it can be done, Rube? I confess I seenone."
As Seguin made this appeal, all eyes were turned upon the trapper.
"Why, cap, I kin surgest my own notion o' the thing. It may be right,an' it mayn't be right; but if it wur follered out, there'll be neither'Pash nor Navagh that'll smell where we go for a week. If they diz, 'eemay cut my ears off."
This was a favourite joke with Rube, and the hunters only laughed.Seguin himself could not restrain a smile, as he requested the speakerto proceed.
"Fust an' fo'most, then," said Rube, "thur not a-gwine to come arterthat nigger in less than two days."
"How can you tell that?"
"This way: 'Ee see he's only second chief, an' they kin go on wellenough 'ithout him. But that ain't it. The Injun forgot his bow; whiteat that. Now 'ee all knows as well as this child, that that's a bigdisgrace in the eyes o' Injuns."
"You're right about that, hoss," remarked one.
"Wal, so the ole 'coon thinks. Now, 'ee see, it's as plain as Pike'sPeak that he kim away back 'ithout tellin' any o' the rest a syllabubabout it. He'd not let 'em know if he kud help it."
"That is not improbable," said Seguin. "Proceed, Rube!"
"More'n that," continued the trapper, "I'll stake high thet he orderedthem not to foller him, afeerd thet some on 'em mout see what he kimfor. If he'd a-thought they knew or suspected, he'd 'a sent some other,an' not kum himself; that's what he'd 'a done."
This was all probable enough; and with the knowledge which thescalp-hunters possessed of the Navajo character, they one and allbelieved it to be so.
"I'm sartin they'll kum back," continued Rube; "that ur, his half o' thetribe, anyways; but it'll be three days clur, an' well up till another,afore they drinks Peenyun water."
"But they would strike our trail the day after."
"If we were green fools enough to let 'em, they wud."
"How can we prevent that?" asked Seguin.
"Easy as fallin' off a log."
"How? how?" inquired several at once.
"By puttin' them on another scent, do 'ee see?"
"Yes! but in what way can we effect that?" inquired Seguin.
"Why, cap, yur tumble has surely dumfoundered ye. I wud think less o'these other dummies not seein' at a glimp how we kin do it."
"I confess, Rube," replied Seguin, with a smile, "I do not perceive howwe can mislead them."
"Wal, then," continued the trapper, with a chuckle of satisfaction athis own superior prairie-craft, "this child's a-gwyne to tell 'ee how'ee kin put them on a different track."
"Hooraw for you, old hoss!"
"'Ee see a quiver on that Injun's back?"
"Ay, ay!" cried several voices.
"It's full o' arrows, or pretty near it, I reckin."
"It is. Well?"
"Wal, then, let some o' us ride the Injun's mustang: any other critterthet's got the same track 'll do; away down the 'Pash trail, an' stickthem things pointin' south'art; an' if the Navagh don't travel that away till they comes up with the 'Pashes, 'ee may have this child's harfor a plug o' the wust Kaintucky terbaccer."
"Viva!"
"He's right, he's right!"
"Hooraw for old Rube!" and various exclamations, were uttered by thehunters.
"'Tain't needcessary for them to know why he shud 'a tuk that track.They'll know his arrows; that's enuf. By the time they gits back, withtheir fingers in thur meat-traps, we'll hev start enough to carry us toHackensack."
"Ay, that we will, by gollies!"
"The band," continued Rube, "needn't come to the Peenyun spring nohowsomever. They kin cross the war-trail higher up to to'rst the Heely,an' meet us on t'other side o' the mountain, whur thur's a grist o'game, both cattle an' buffler. A plenty o' both on the ole missionlands, I'll be boun'. We'd hev to go thur anyways. Thur's no hopes o'meetin' the buffler this side, arter the splurry them Injuns has ginthem."
"That is true enough," said Seguin. "We must go round the mountainbefore we can expect to fall in with the buffalo. The Indian hunt haschased them clean off from the Llanos. Come, then! Let us set aboutour work at once. We have yet two hours before sunset. What would youdo first, Rube? You have given the plan: I will trust to you for thedetails."
"Why, in my opeenyun, cap, the fust thing to be did
are to send a man asstraight as he can gallip to whur the band's cached. Let him fotch themacrost the trail."
"Where should they cross, do you think?"
"About twenty mile north o' hyur thur's a dry ridge, an' a good grist o'loose donicks. If they cross as they oughter, they needn't make muchsign. I kud take a train o' Bent's waggons over, that 'ud puzzle deafSmith to foller 'em. I kud."
"I will send a man off instantly. Here, Sanchez! you have a good horse,and know the ground. It is not over twenty miles to where they arecached. Bring them along the ridge, and with caution, as you haveheard. You will find us around the north point of the mountain. Youcan travel all night, and be up with us early in the morning. Away!"
The torero, without making any answer, drew his horse from the picket,leaped into the saddle, and rode off at a gallop towards the north-west.
"It is fortunate," said Seguin, looking after him for some moments,"that they have trampled the ground about here, else the tracks made inour last encounter would certainly have told tales upon us."
"Thur's no danger about that," rejoined Rube; "but when we rides fromhyur, cap'n, we mustn't foller their trail. They'd soon sight our backtracks. We had best keep up yander among the loose donicks." Rubepointed to the shingle that stretched north and south along the foot ofthe mountain.
"Yes, that shall be our course. We can leave this without leaving anytracks. What next?"
"The next idee ur, to get rid o' yon piece o' machin'ry," and thetrapper, as he spoke, nodded in the direction of the skeleton.
"True! I had forgotten it. What shall we do with it?"
"Bury it," advised one.
"Wagh! no. Burn it!" cried another.
"Ay, that's best," said a third.
The latter suggestion was adopted.
The skeleton was brought down; the stains of the blood were carefullyrubbed from the rocks; the skull was shivered with a tomahawk, and thejoints were broken in pieces. The whole mass was then flung upon thefire, and pounded down among numerous bones of the buffalo, alreadysimmering in the cinders. An anatomist only could have detected thepresence of a human skeleton.
"Now, Rube; the arrows?"
"If 'ee'll leave that to me an' Bill Garey, I think them two niggurs kinfix 'em so as to bamfoozle any Injuns thur is in these parts. We'll hevto go three mile or tharabout; but we'll git back by the time 'ee hevfilled yur gourds, an' got yur traps ready for skeetin'."
"Very well! take the arrows."
"Four's gobs for us," said Rube, taking that number from the quiver."Keep the rest. 'Ee'll want more wolf-meat afore we start. Thur's nota tail o' anythin' else till we git clur roun' the mountain yander.Billee! throw your ugly props over that Navagh mustang. Putty hoss too;but I wudn't giv my old mar for a hul cavayard o' him. Gi's a sprig o'the black feather."
Here the old trapper drew one of the ostrich feathers out of the helmetof the Navajo chief, and continued--
"Boyees! take care o' the ole mar till I kum back, an don't let herstampede, do 'ee hear. I wants a blanket. Don't all speak at oncest!"
"Here, Rube, here!" cried several, holding out their blankets.
"E'er a one 'll do. We needs three: Bill's an' mine an' another'n.Hyur, Billee! take these afore ye. Now ride down the 'Pash trail threehunred yards, or tharabout, an' then pull up. Don't take the beatenpad, but keep alongside, an' make big tracks. Gallop!"
The young hunter laid his quirt to the flanks of the mustang, andstarted at full gallop along the Apache trail.
When he had ridden a distance of three hundred yards or so, he halted towait for further directions from his comrade.
Old Rube, at the same time, took an arrow; and, fastening a piece ofostrich feather to the barb, adjusted it on one of the upright poleswhich the Indians had left standing on the camp-ground. It was placedin such a manner that the head pointed southward in the direction of theApache trail, and was so conspicuous with the black feather that no onecoming in from the Llanos could fail to see it.
This done, he followed his companion on foot, keeping wide out from thetrail, and making his tracks with great caution. On coming up withGarey, he stuck a second arrow in the ground: its point also inclined tothe south, and so that it could be seen from the former one.
Garey then galloped forward, keeping on the trail, while Rube struck outagain to the open prairie, and advanced in a line parallel to it.
Having ridden a distance of two or three miles, Garey slackened hispace, and put the mustang to a slow walk. A little farther on he againhalted, and held his horse at rest, in the beaten path.
Rube now came up, and spread the three blankets lengthwise along theground, and leading westward from the trail. Garey dismounted, and ledthe animal gently on the blankets.
As its feet rested on two at a time, each, as it became the rearmost,was taken up, and spread again in front; and this was repeated untilthey had got the mustang some fifty lengths of himself out into theprairie. The movement was executed with an adroitness equal to thatwhich characterised the feat of Sir Walter Raleigh.
Garey now took up the blankets, and, remounting, commenced riding slowlyback by the foot of the mountain; while Rube returned to the trail, andplaced a third arrow at the point where the mustang had parted from it.He then proceeded south as before. One more was yet needed to makedoubly sure.
When he had gone about half a mile, we saw him stoop over the trail,rise up again, cross toward the mountain foot, and follow the path takenby his companion. The work was done; the finger-posts were set; theruse was complete!
El Sol, meanwhile, had been busy. Several wolves were killed andskinned, and the meat was packed in their skins. The gourds werefilled, our captive was tied on a mule, and we stood waiting the returnof the trappers.
Seguin had resolved to leave two men at the spring as videttes. Theywere to keep their horses by the rocks, and supply them with themule-bucket, so as to make no fresh tracks at the water. One was toremain constantly on an eminence, and watch the prairie with the glass.They could thus descry the returning Navajoes in time to escapeunobserved themselves along the foot of the mountain. They were then tohalt at a place ten miles to the north, where they could still have aview of the plain. There they were to remain until they had ascertainedwhat direction the Indians should take after leaving the spring, whenthey were to hurry forward and join the band with their tidings.
All these arrangements having been completed as Rube and Garey came up,we mounted our horses and rode by a circuitous route for the mountainfoot. When close in, we found the path strewed with loose cut-rock,upon which the hoofs of our animals left no track. Over this we rodeforward, heading to the north, and keeping in a line nearly parallel tothe "war-trail."