CHAPTER XVII.
THE MEETING.
We must now go back two months in our narrative, and leaving the desertsof Upper Arkansas for the banks of the Rio Trinidad, return to CerroPardo, in the vicinity of Galveston, on the very day of the battle sofatal to the Texans, in order to clear up certain points of ournarrative, by telling the reader the fate of certain importantpersonages, whom we have, perhaps, neglected too long.
We have said that the Jaguar, when he saw the battle irretrievably lost,rushed at full speed to the spot where he had left the cart, in whichwere Tranquil and Carmela; that, on reaching it, a frightful spectaclestruck his sight; the cart, half broken, was lying on the ground,surrounded by the majority of his friends, who had bravely fallen in itsdefence; but it was empty, and the two persons to whose safety heattached such, importance had disappeared. The Jaguar, crushed by thishorrible catastrophe, which he was so far from anticipating, after theprecautions he had taken, fell senseless to the ground, uttering a loudcry of despair.
The young man remained unconscious for several hours; but his was anature which a blow, however terrible it might be, could not destroythus. At the moment when the sun was disappearing on the horizon in theocean, and making way for night, the Jaguar opened his eyes. He lookedround haggardly, not being yet able to comprehend the position in whichhe found himself, and the circumstances owing to which he had fallen insuch a strange state of prostration. However strong a man may be,however great the energy with which nature has endowed him, when lifehas been suspended in him for several hours, the recollection of pastfacts completely fails him for a period, more or less long, and herequires some minutes to restore order in his ideas. This was whathappened to the young man; he was alone, a sorrowful silence prevailedaround him, gloom was gradually invading the landscape, and the objectsby which he was surrounded became with each moment less distinct.
Still, the atmosphere was impregnated by a warm, sickly odour ofcarnage, and corpses covered the ground here and there. He saw the darkoutline of the wild beasts, which darkness drew from their lairs, andwhich, guided by their sanguinary instinct, were already prowling aboutthe battlefield, preparing to commence their horrible repast.
"Oh!" the young man suddenly exclaimed, leaping up, "I remember!"
We have said that the plain was deserted: nothing remained but corpsesand wild beasts.
"What is to be done?" the Jaguar muttered;
"Whither shall I go? What has become of my brothers? In what directionhave they fled? Where shall I find Carmela and Tranquil again?"
And the young man, crushed by the flood of desperate thoughts that rosefrom his heart to his brain, sank on a block of rock, and, paying nofurther attention to the wild beasts, whose roars increased at eachsecond, and grew more menacing with the darkness, he buried his head inhis hands, and violently pressing his temples as if to retain thatreason which was ready to abandon him, he reflected.
Two hours passed thus--two hours, during which he was a prey to adesperation which was the more terrible, as it was silent. This man, whohad set all his hopes on an idea, who had for several years fought,without truce or mercy, for the realization of his dream, whose life hadbeen, so to speak, one long self-denial--at the moment when he wasabout at last to attain that object, pursued with such tenacity, hadseen, by a sudden change of fortune, his projects annihilated for everperhaps, in a few hours; he had lost everything, and found himself aloneon a battlefield, seated amid corpses, and surrounded by wild beaststhat watched him. For a moment he had thought of finishing with life,plunging his dagger into his heart, and not surviving the downfall ofhis hopes of love and ambition. But this cowardly thought did not endurelonger than a flash of lightning; a sudden reaction took place in theyoung man's mind, and he rose again, stronger than before, for his soul,purified in the crucible of suffering, had resumed all its audaciousenergy.
"No," he said, casting a glance of defiance around, "I will not letmyself be any longer crushed, God will not permit that a cause sosacred as that to which I have devoted myself should fail; it is a trialHe has wished to impose on us, and I will endure it without complaint;though conquered today, tomorrow we will be victors. To work! Liberty isthe daughter of Heaven: she is holy, and cannot die."
After uttering these words in a loud voice, with an accent ofinspiration, as if desirous of giving those who had fallen a last andsupreme consolation, the young man picked up his rifle, which had fallenby his side, and went off with the firm and assured step of a strongman, who has really faith in the cause he defends, and to whomobstacles, however great they may be, are incitements to persevere inthe path he has traced. The Jaguar then crossed the battlefield,striding over the corpses, and putting to flight the wild beasts, whicheagerly got out of his way.
The young man thus passed alone and in the darkness along the road hehad traversed by the dazzling sunlight, in the midst of an enthusiasticarmy, which marched gaily into action, and believed itself sure ofvictory. His resolution did not break down for a moment, he no longerallowed the attacks of those sad thoughts which had so nearly crushedhim: he had clutched his sorrow, struggled with it and conquered it;now, nothing more could overpower him.
On reaching the end of the plain where the battle had been fought, theJaguar halted. The moon had risen, and its sickly rays sadly illuminedthe landscape, to which it imparted a sinister hue. The young man lookedaround him: in his utter ignorance of the road followed by the fugitivesof his party, he hesitated about going along a path where he ran a riskof falling in with a party of Mexican scouts or plunderers, who must atthis moment be scouring the plain in every direction, in pursuit ofthose Texans who had been so lucky as to escape from the battlefield.
It was a long and difficult journey to the Fort of the Point, and in allprobability the victors, if they were not already masters of thefortress, would have invested it, so as to intercept all communicationsof the garrison with their friends outside, and force it to surrender.Nor could he dream of entering Galveston, for that would be deliveringhimself into the hands of his enemies. The Jaguar's perplexity wasgreat; he remained thus for a long time hesitating as to what road heshould follow. By a mechanical movement habitual enough to men whenembarrassed, he looked vaguely around him, though not fixing his eyesmore on one spot than another, when he gave a sudden start. He had seen,some distance off, a faint, almost imperceptible light gleaming amongthe trees. The young man tried in vain to determine the direction inwhich the light was; but at length, he felt certain that it came fromthe side where was the rancho, which, on the previous evening, had beenthe headquarters of the staff of the Texan army.
This rancho, situated on the sea shore, at a considerable distance fromthe battlefield, could not have been visited by the Mexicans, for theirhorses were too tired to carry them so far: the Jaguar thereforepersuaded himself that the light he perceived was kindled by fugitivesof his party; he believed it the more easily because he desired it, fornight was advancing, and he had neither eaten nor drunk during the pastday, in which he had been so actively occupied; he began to feel notonly exhausted with fatigue, but his physical wants regaining themastery over his moral apprehension, he felt a degree of hunger andthirst, that reminded him imperiously that he had been fasting for morethan fourteen hours; hence he was anxious to find a place where it wouldbe possible for him to rest and refresh himself.
It is only in romances that the heroes, more or less problematical,brought on the scene, cover great distances without suffering from anyof the weaknesses incidental to poor humanity. Never stopping to eat ordrink, they are always as fresh and well disposed as when they set out;but, unfortunately, in real life it is not, and men must, whether theylike it or no, yield to the imperious claims inherent in their imperfectnature. The partisans and wood rangers, men in whom the physicalinstincts are extremely developed, whatever moral agony they mayundergo, never forget the hours for their meals and rest. And the reasonis very simple; as their life is one continual struggle to defendthemselves against ene
mies of every description, their vigour must beequal to the obstacles they have to overcome.
The Jaguar, without further hesitation, marched resolutely in thedirection of the light, which he continued to see gleaming among thetrees like a beacon. The nearer he drew to the rancho, the firmer becamehis conviction that he had not deceived himself; after deep reflectionit seemed to him impossible that the Mexicans could have pushed on sofar; still, when he was but a short distance from the house, he judgedit prudent to double his precautions, not to let himself be surprised,if, contrary to his expectations, he had to deal with an enemy.
On coming within five hundred paces of the rancho, he began to growrestless and have less confidence in the opinion he had formed. Severaldead horses, two or three corpses lying pell-mell among pieces ofweapons and broken carts, led to the evident supposition that a fighthad taken place near the rancho. But with whom had the advantageremained? With the Mexicans or the Texans? Who were the persons at thismoment in the house--were they friends or foes? These questions werevery difficult to solve, and the Jaguar felt extremely embarrassed.Still he was not discouraged. The young man had too long carried on theprofession of partisan and scout, not to be thoroughly acquainted withall the tricks of the wood ranger's difficult life. After reflecting fora few moments, his mind was made up.
Several times, while the rancho had served as headquarters of the Texanarmy, the Jaguar had gone there either to be present at councils of war,or to take the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. As the approach to thehouse was thus familiar to him, he resolved to slip up to a window, andassure himself with his own eyes of what was going on in the rancho.This enterprise was not so difficult as it appeared at the first glance;for we have already seen, in a previous chapter, another of ourcharacters employing the same plan for a similar purpose. The young manwas quick, sharp, and strong--three reasons for succeeding.
The light still gleamed, though no sound was heard from the interior, ortroubled the deep silence of the night; the Jaguar, without quitting hisrifle, which he supposed he might require at any moment, lay down on theground, and crawling on his hands and knees, advanced towards the house,being careful to keep in the shadow thrown by the thick branches of thetrees, in order not to reveal his presence, if, as it was probable, theinhabitants, whoever they might be, of the house had placed a sentry towatch over their safety. The reasoning of the young man, like allreasoning based on experience, was correct; he had scarce gone fifteenyards ere he saw, standing out from the white wall of the house, theshadow of a man leaning on a rifle, and motionless as a statue. This manwas evidently a sentry placed there to watch the approaches to therancho.
The situation was growing complicated for the Jaguar; the difficultiesincreased in such proportions, that they threatened soon to becomeinsupportable; for in order to reach the window he wanted, he would becompelled to leave the shadow which had hitherto so fortunatelyprotected him, and enter the white light cast by the moon with aprofusion that did not at all please the young man. He mechanicallyraised his head, hoping, perhaps, that a cloud would pass over the faceof the planet, and intercept its too brilliant light, were it but for amoment; but the sky was of a deep azure, without the smallest cloud, andstudded with stars.
The Jaguar felt an enormous inclination to leap on the sentry andthrottle him; but supposing it were a friend? It was a knotty point. Theyoung man really did not know what to resolve on, and sought in vain howto get out of the scrape, when the sentry suddenly levelled his rifle inhis direction, and aimed at him with the saucy remark:--
"Halloh! My friend, when you have crawled far enough like a snake, Isuppose you will get up?"
At the sound of this voice, which he believed he recognised, the youngman eagerly leapt to his feet.
"Caramba!" he answered with a laugh. "You are right, John Davis; I havehad enough of that crawling."
"What!" the latter replied, in surprise; "Who are you that you know meso well?"
"A friend, _Cuerpo de Cristo!_ So raise your rifle."
"A friend, a friend!" the American replied, without changing hisposition, "That is possible, and the sound of your voice is not unknownto me; but, no matter, whether friend or foe, tell me your name, for ifyou don't, I will keep you on the spot, as this is not the time forfishing."
"Viva Dios!" the young man said with a laugh, "That dear John is alwaysprudent."
"I should hope so, but enough talking; your name, that I may know withwhom I have to deal."
"What, do you not recognise the Jaguar?"
The American lowered his rifle, and the butt echoed on the ground.
"By Heaven!" he said joyously, "I suspected it was you, but did not darebelieve it."
"Why not?" the young man asked as he approached.
"Hang it! Because I was assured that you were dead."
"I?"
"Yes, you."
"Who the deuce could have told you that nonsense?"
"It is not nonsense. Fray Antonio assured me that he leapt his horseover your body."
The Jaguar reflected for a moment.
"Well," he answered, "he told you the truth."
"What?" the American exclaimed as he gave a start of terror, "Are youdead?"
"Oh, oh! Make your mind easy," the young man answered with a laugh; "Iam as good a living man as yourself."
"Are you quite sure of it?" the superstitious American said dubiously.
"_Rayo de Dios!_ I am certain of it, though it is possible that FrayAntonio leaped his horse over my body, for I lay for several hourssenseless on the battlefield."
"That is all right, then."
"Thanks; but what are you doing there?"
"As you see, I am on guard."
"Yes, but why are you so? Are there more of you inside?"
"There are about a dozen of us."
"All the better; and who are your comrades?"
The American looked at him for some moments fixedly, and then took hishand, which he squeezed.
"My friend," he said with emotion, "thank heaven, for it has shown you agreat mercy this day."
"What do you mean?" the young man exclaimed, anxiously.
"I mean that those you confided to us are safe and sound, in spite ofthe dangers innumerable they incurred during the terrible day we havepassed through."
"Can it be true?" he said, laying his hand on his chest, to check thebeating of his heart.
"I assure you."
"Then, they are both here?"
"Yes."
"Oh! I must see them!" he exclaimed, as he prepared to rush into therancho.
"Wait a moment."
"Why so?" he asked in alarm.
"For two reasons: the first being that before you enter, I must warnthem of your arrival."
"That is true; go, my friend, I will await you here."
"I have not yet told you the second reason."
"What do I care?"
"More than you fancy; do you not wish me to tell you the name of the manwho protected and eventually saved Dona Carmela?"
"I do not understand you, my friend. I entrusted the guardianship ofTranquil and Dona Carmela to you."
"You did so."
"Then, was it not you who saved them?"
The American shook his head in denial.
"No," he said, "it was not I, I could only have died with them."
"But who saved them, then? Whoever the man may be, I swear----"
"This man," John Davis interrupted him, "is one of your dearest and mostdevoted friends."
"His name? My friend, tell me his name."
"Colonel Melendez."
"Oh! I could have sworn it," the young man said impetuously; "why cannotI thank him?"
"You will soon see him."
"How so?"
"At this moment he is busy seeking a safe retreat for the old hunter andhis daughter. For the present we shall remain at this rancho, from whichhe will be able to keep the Mexican soldiers off; and so soon as he hasfound another shelter, he will himself
come to tell us."
"Always kind and devoted! I shall never be able to pay my debt to him."
"Who knows?" the American said philosophically; "luck will, perhaps,turn for us, and then it will be our turn to protect our protectors oftoday."
"You are right, my friend; may Heaven grant that it is so; but how didit all happen?"
"The Colonel, who seemed, from what he said to me, to have foreboded thedanger that Dona Carmela ran, arrived just at the moment, when attackedon all sides at once, and too weak to resist the enemies who overwhelmedus, we were preparing, as we had promised, to die at our post; you canguess the rest. By threats and entreaties, he drove back the soldierswho were attacking us: then, not satisfied with having freed us from ourenemies, he desired to secure us against all danger, and accompanied usthus far, recommending us to wait for him here, which I believe we shallbe wise in doing."
"Certainly, acting otherwise would be ungrateful. Go, now, my friend, Iwill wait for you."
John Davis, understanding the anxiety from which the young man wassuffering, did not let the invitation be repeated, but entered therancho. The Jaguar remained alone, and was not sorry for it, for hewished to restore some order in his ideas. He felt himself inundatedwith immense joy at finding again, safe and sound, those whom he hadbelieved dead, and whom he so bitterly lamented; he could scarce darebelieve in such happiness, and fancied he must be dreaming, soimpossible did all this appear to him. In less than ten minutes JohnDavis returned.
"Well?" the young man asked.
"Come," he answered laconically.
The American led him forward through a room in which were about a dozenTexans, among them being Fray Antonio, Lanzi, and Quoniam, who weresleeping on trusses of straw laid on the boards. He then pushed open adoor and the two men entered a second room not quite so large, andlighted by a smoky candle, standing on a table, which diffused but a dimlight. Tranquil was lying on a bed of furs piled on each other, whileDona Carmela was sitting on an equipal by his side. On seeing the youngman, she rose quickly and ran to meet him.
"Oh!" she cried, as she offered him her hand; "Heaven be praised, youhave come at last!" And bending down, she offered him her pale forehead,on which the Jaguar imprinted a respectful kiss, the only answer hecould find, as he was suffering from such emotion. Tranquil rose with aneffort on his couch, and held out his hand to the young man, who hurriedup to him.
"Now, whatever may happen," he said timorously, "I am assured as to thefate of my poor child, since you are near me. We have been terriblyalarmed, my friend."
"Alas!" he answered, "I have suffered more than you."
"But what is the matter?" Carmela exclaimed; "you turn pale and totter:are you wounded?"
"No," he answered feebly; "it is the happiness, the emotion, the joy ofseeing you again. It is nothing more, so reassure yourself."
And while saying this, he fell back into a butaca half fainting.Carmela, suffering from the most lively alarm, hurriedly attended tohim, but John Davis, knowing better than the maiden what the sick manwanted, seized his gourd, and made him drink a long draught of itscontents. The emotion the Jaguar was suffering from, combined with thewant of food and the fatigue that oppressed him, had caused him thismomentary weakness. Tranquil was not deceived; so soon as he saw theyoung man return to consciousness, he ordered his daughter to get himfood, and, as she did not seem to understand, he said with a laugh tothe Jaguar:
"I fancy, my friend, that a good meal is the only remedy you need."
The young man tried to smile as he confessed that, in truth, he wasobliged to confess, in spite of the bad opinion Dona Carmela would formof him, that he was literally dying of hunger. The maiden, reassured bythis prosaic confession, immediately began getting him a supper of somesort, for provisions were scanty in the rancho, and it was not an easymatter to procure them. However, in a few minutes, Carmela returned withsome maize tortillas and a little roast meat, a more than sufficientmeal, to which the young man did the greatest honour after apologisingto his charming hostess, who now completely reassured, had resumed herpetulant character, and did not fail to tease the young Chief, whobravely endured it.
The rest of the night was passed in pleasant conversation by these threepersons, who had believed they would never meet again, and now felt sodelighted at being together once more. The sun had risen but an hourwhen the sentry suddenly challenged, and several horsemen stopped at thegate of the rancho.