CHAPTER XVIII.
The change from night to daylight in New Mexico is by no means sudden.Darkness yields slowly to the illumination streaming from the east; andwhen the moon is shining, one remains in doubt for quite a while whetherthe growing brightness is due to the mistress of night or to the lord ofday.
Nowhere is this more perceptible than on high plateaus covered by sparsetimber. Suddenly awaking, one is in doubt at first whether it is sunriseor the full moon that illuminates the landscape. The shadows areweakened, but objects are not much more distinct; a glow pervades theair rather than a positive light.
When the Indian is on the war-path he sleeps but little, and never long.He prefers the day to the night for rest, as he can conceal hismovements better in the darkness. Tyope had halted his little army justbefore daybreak because he felt afraid of going any farther, and becausehe had arrived close to the place where he desired to remain during theday without exposing his forces to the chance of discovery. None of hismen slept; none of them dozed, even. They had all been warned of thepossible presence of foes, and although there seemed not the slightestevidence of those foes being aware of their coming, yet the mereapprehension caused uneasiness. There was therefore increasedwatchfulness on their part.
Every one among the Queres was looking forward with anxiety to the hourwhen there would be sufficient light to investigate the situation moreclosely. The sky had cleared; the air became cooler, and the morningstar shone brightly, in spite of the luminous crescent of a waning moon.The Hishtanyi Chayan was sitting at the same place where he had retireda few hours before, but he no longer prayed; he stared motionless. Tyopelay on his back behind a juniper-bush. He was watching the sky and theapproach of dawn. A number of warriors had lain down in the vicinity,awaiting the signal to move.
One of these had placed himself in such a position that he could glanceat the forest, which loomed up before him like a mass of dense shadowswith rays of moonlight between. He peered into that maze of darkness andlight for hours. But nothing appeared in it worthy of note. So theQueres warrior turned around on his back in order to change position. Hesaw the moon rise to the zenith and the corona borealis disappear belowthe western horizon. He noticed also how the stars grew dimmer anddimmer, how the shadows commenced to wane. Finally he fixed his gaze onthe east.
Owing to the shrubbery it was not possible to see distinctly, yetanything lying on the ground could be discerned. From the place where helay, the Queres Indian looked through a lane bordered on both sides bybushes of cedar and juniper. At the end of that lane he discovered adark spot. That spot disappeared while he was still gazing at it. Hestrained his eyes to find the spot again, but it had really vanished.
The man from the Rito became suspicious. Again he looked, but the spotor object, whatever it might be, had gone out of sight altogether. Hecrawled over to the man nearest him, told him what had occurred, andreturned to his post. The dark speck or thing had not reappeared; but onthe right side of the gallery formed by the trees it seemed as if,somewhat nearer to his own position, something black became apparent anddisappeared in an instant. The scout strained both ear and eye. Nothingcould be heard, and nothing else of a suspicious character met his gaze.
Meanwhile his companion had crept over to where Tyope was lying, and hadreported to the commander the strange apparition. Tyope turned over soas to face the east and said,--
"It is well."
He also began to scan the network of shadows and illuminated patchesextending in that direction. The Indian who had spoken to him went backto his post, but very soon returned, whispering,--
"Somebody has crossed over from one tree to another."
"Where?" Tyope asked in a subdued voice.
"There," replied the scout, pointing with his hand toward a group ofbushes.
"It is well," said the leader; "go back and keep your eyes open."
The Indian crawled off. Tyope rose to his knees, seized two branches ofthe tree behind which he had been reclining, and bent them asunder. Inthis manner he was able to overlook the ground to the east at a greaterheight than before. The light had increased, but it would have beenimpossible to discern any object at a distance.
Daylight was growing on the waning night. Had Tyope stood up and lookedtoward the east, he would have seen the dark, sinuous line which themountains east of Santa Fe trace along that part of the horizon. Theiruppermost snow-fields were beginning to glisten in the light streamingup from beyond.
On Tyope's left a rustling sound was heard; he turned around. One of hismen was cautiously approaching.
"There are Moshome in front of us."
"I know it," replied the commander. "How many have you seen?"
"Two."
"And you saw them clearly?"
"Yes, but they sneaked off."
"Did they seem to come toward us?"
"They crept behind a juniper, and after that I could see nothing more."
"Do the others know it?"
"Not yet. Shall I tell them?"
"Go tell them. Afterward return here to me."
Tyope felt embarrassed. It was clear to him that several Tehuas werelurking in the direction whence he had come, and that they were movingtoward him. It indicated that their numbers were strong enough to engagehim. That looked very, very ominous! If he only knew how matters stoodelsewhere, and whether the enemy had shown himself at other points!Tyope grew very uneasy.
Tactics in Indian warfare reduce themselves to a game of hide-and-seek.He who must show himself first is sure of suffering the greater loss.Tyope knew that in case the Tehuas had actually surrounded him they hadthe greater advantage at their disposal. They might wait much longerthan he and his men. They might even wait for days, keeping the Querespenned up in uncertainty, and then break out as soon as the latter weresufficiently exhausted.
The same scout approached again. He crawled like a mole.
"Nashtio," he whispered, "there are Moshome to the left of us."
"Many?" Tyope inquired hastily.
"Six of them have been noticed."
That was exceedingly alarming. He directed the man to stay on the spot,while he glided through the bushes to where the Hishtanyi Chayan hadspent the night. The medicine-man was awake, and looked at the captainin astonishment. Tyope placed a finger on his lips and shook his head.The shaman asked,--
"Sa uishe, what is it?"
"Tzatze raua! Tzatze raua!" Tyope exclaimed in a low tone. "The Tehuasare sneaking about us like shutzuna. There are many of them, and theycome up from the east. What shall we do, yaya? Speak."
"Tzatze raua," the shaman repeated, shaking his head. "As you say, theMoshome come up behind us?"
"I thought," Tyope suggested, "of sending word to the men in front tocome back, and as soon as we could see anything, striking the enemies inour rear. What do you think of it, sa nashtio?"
"Many will go to Shipapu to-day," the Chayan muttered.
"What shall I do? Speak!" Tyope insisted. The last words of the shamanfrightened him.
The Chayan gave no immediate reply, but sat musing in a mannerindicating that his thoughts were with Those Above. At last he raisedhis head and replied,--
"We must wait until the sun stands in the sky."
Tyope suppressed a sigh. However much he attributed this answer of theshaman to inspiration from those on high, it appeared to him dangerous.Tyope felt very uneasy, but he was no coward. In case the worst hadreally happened, if the Tehuas had anticipated and surrounded him, hestill inclined to the conviction that concentration of his forces and arapid onslaught on the foes in his rear would not only save him, butsecure a reasonable number of coveted trophies. If this could bespeedily effected, the less important would be his loss in attaining it;for as long as the light was faint and dim, the enemy's missiles couldnot be discharged with certain aim. He had hoped that the Chayan wouldassent to this suggestion. Now on the contrary, the oracle spoke in amanner that plainly indicated that the Shiuana ordered him to wait untildaylight.
It was sure destruction, he felt it; but the Shiuana spokethrough the medium of the old man, and the Shiuana were of course right.He could not complain or even grumble.
But he might at least prepare everything in advance, so that as soon asthe medicine-man gave the signal, his favourite move might be executedwith a promptness and alacrity that would surprise the enemy. So Tyopecrept back to the juniper-bush in whose neighbourhood his men weregrouped.
Dawn was coming on, and the shadows were beginning to assume definiteshapes and directions. Tyope sighed when he noticed the approach ofsunlight; precious time was being irretrievably lost.
He relieved the warrior whom he had left at his post. The latterwhispered to him that nothing suspicious had turned up. Suddenly Tyopestarted and pressed his ear to the ground; then he darted up, rising tohis knees, and listened, straining every nerve, his head turned to thesouthwest.
In that direction arose loud yells. They were followed by piercingcries. Soon the sounds mingled, so as to create a noise like that whicha struggle between men and wolves might produce. These sounds told Tyopethat a severe engagement had commenced in that direction. At the sametime it struck him that the main body of the Tehuas were probably southand east of his forces, and that consequently by moving swiftly westwardhe could interpose himself between the Tehuas and their homes, cut offtheir warriors from their village, and secure complete triumph. Butbefore he could order such a change of tactics he ought to knowsomething definite from the quarter where the fight had begun. To send arunner seemed unadvisable, for he thought it unsafe to lessen the forcesaround him, if only by a man. Several of his companions had approached,startled by the sudden noise. He motioned them to return to their posts.
The noise of the battle diminished; then it broke out anew and soundednearer. It seemed to extend to the east. In the west and northeverything remained quiet; the enemy appeared to be entirely southwestand east of the little army which Tyope commanded. He felt relieved, anda grim satisfaction crept over his mind. He thought, surely the Tehuashave committed a grave mistake.
If only his people would report to him! Now at last! The bushes rattled,and a man stepped up. In a tone of intense agitation he said,--
"Where is the war-chief?"
"I am here," replied Tyope in a muffled voice, motioning the warrior tolie down. The latter either failed to notice the gesture ormisunderstood it, and walked on upright. Something whizzed through thebranches of the shrubs; the messenger bent as if suddenly folded up; hegrasped at his stomach with his hand, and tumbled to the ground. Tyopestood by his side in the twinkling of an eye. The shaft of an arrow wassticking in his body, and in vain did the wounded man try to pluck itout. Regardless of the horrible pain the unfortunate one was suffering,bent upon catching the drift of his message before the soul could escapethe tortured body, Tyope almost lay down on the groaning man.
"What news do you bring? Speak!" he hissed into his ear.
The wounded warrior moaned, moaned again. Tyope grew wild.
"Speak!" he growled, and shook him by the shoulder so rudely that theother screamed.
"The Moshome," he gasped, "they--they--have come on to us." A chill wentthrough his body; he lay there gasping, incapable of speech.
Tyope was frenzied; he again shook the dying man ruthlessly.
"Where have they attacked?" he roared.
"West."
"Have they killed any of our people?"
"I--don't--know," breathed the poor fellow. His head was swaying; itrolled back and forth on the ground. Tyope could not obtain any furtherreply. So he crawled back and left him to die. The Moor had done hisduty; the Moor might go to Shipapu.
Tyope had been so eager to secure from the dying man any information thelatter might still be able to impart, that he paid no immediateattention to the noise and uproar which had arisen in his own vicinity.Almost at the very moment when the Queres warrior was mortally wounded,one of Tyope's companions despatched one of his arrows at a Tehua whomhe had distinctly seen in front. This shot he accompanied by a loudyell. The foe replied to the challenge in the same manner; arrowswhizzed and hissed through the air, crossing each other and tearingthrough the shrubbery or penetrating the trunks of trees with dullthuds. The fight had begun here too, but little if any damage was doneas yet by either side. Most of the arrows were shot at random, and bothparties whooped and yelled. Their purpose was manifestly to frighten theadversary by creating an exaggerated impression of their own numbers andstrength.
All this did not make an unfavourable impression upon Tyope. On thecontrary, as soon as he saw that the engagement had broken out in hisrear also, he felt a thrill of pleasure and changed his plans at once.He believed now, in presence of the attacks made by the Tehuas, that thelatter had indeed placed all their men between him and the Rito, andthat consequently the road to the Puye lay open, and he could rush up,capture the women and children, and hold them for ransom. But he mustmove swiftly and energetically, leaving the fight to go on as best itmight. By advancing with a part of his forces, first to the west andthen straight to the north, Tyope might execute his plan of leavingenough men behind to make a desperate stand against the Tehuas here.Without the consent of the Hishtanyi Chayan, however, he feltunauthorized to adopt decisive measures. So he again crept over to theshaman and communicated his plans to him. To his delight the old manrose and said,--
"It is well. Let us go."
It was daylight now, and everything could be plainly seen. The extendedskirmishing went on with less ardour than before, neither party pressingthe other very closely.
Tyope glided back to one of his men. An arrow well directed struck theground very near. Whispering into his ear the change of programme, Tyopetook off his shield, turned it toward the enemy, and rose on his rightknee. Fastened to the left arm and resting on the ground with its lowerrim, the shield covered the kneeling man almost completely. The lefthand held the bow, and the weapon slightly protruded from behind theprotecting target. Tyope then pushed his body forward from behind thebush where he had been crouching.
Hardly was the shield visible when its owner felt a sudden blow againstit, and the point of an arrow came through the hide. The shot must havecome from a short distance, or it would not have pierced the shield. EreTyope discovered whence it came, his companion had discharged his bow,and with a loud whoop hurled himself forward, where he fell headlongbehind a little tree. Wild yells sounded from the Tehuas, and several oftheir warriors rushed up to the spot; branches rattled and bushes shookas the men brushed past them. Tyope had an arrow ready, and hedespatched it at one of his foes. He pulled another from the quiverwithout looking to see whether the first had struck a mark or not,darted up, and with a shout bounded ahead to encounter the enemy. A shotgrazed his right hand, scratching the wrist and causing him to drop hisarrow. For a time the arm was numb, but Tyope heeded it not. Where theman who had stood beside him had fallen, a number of warriors from bothsides were wrangling. A Queres lay dead on the dead body of a Tehuawhose scalp he had intended to secure. Two of his brethren weredefending his corpse against half a dozen Tehuas. Tyope's right wristhad been paralyzed by the arrow-shot, but he raised his arm and flungthe war-club that dangled from it against the head of the nearest foe.The blow was too feeble, and Tyope grabbed the man's hair. Arrowswhizzed and shrieked past the fighting group; shrill yells and wildhowling sounded from every quarter. The contending parties exchangedinsulting cries and abusive words in both languages.
The Tehua whom Tyope had grabbed by the hair made desperate lunges athim from below with a sharply pointed arrow. He succeeded in slightlywounding him in several places. Tyope kicked him in the abdomen, causinghim to double up at once. Regardless of the pain in the right hand Tyopesucceeded in grasping the war-club at last. With it he directed severalblows at the head of the enemy, but they were so weak that only at thethird stroke did the Tehua fall. At this juncture an arrow grazedTyope's temple. He looked up, and saw that he had been very imprudentin yielding so far to ardour and excitem
ent as to mingle with his men ina strife for the possession of a single scalp, and thus expose undulyhis own person. He began to think of withdrawal into the neighbourhoodof the Hishtanyi Chayan, but it was not easy to extricate himself.Warding off a blow aimed at his skull, with his shield he pushed it intothe face of the new assailant with sufficient force to cause the man tostagger. Then he shouted a few words to his own men, turned around, andrushed back to his tree, where he fell down at full length, exhaustedand bleeding. The other Queres, two in number, followed his example, andthe Tehuas did not pursue. The result was so far favourable to theQueres that they lost but one man and the Tehuas two; but the scalp ofthe dead man from the Rito remained with the enemy.
When Tyope had recovered his breath, he sneaked back to where he hadleft the shaman. As he approached the spot he heard the medicine-mansinging and beating his drum. It was a very good sign to see the shamanat work with such enthusiasm; still Tyope must disturb him.
"Sa nashtio," he cried, "we must go."
"Heiti-na! Heiti-na!" shouted the praying shaman, drumming incessantly.He was in ecstasies. His uplifted eyes sparkled; he paid no attention towhat was around him.
"Sa nashtio yaya," Tyope anxiously insisted.
"Do not disturb me, let me alone! Heiti-na! Heiti-na!" cried theHishtanyi Chayan aloud.
Tyope was in despair. Arrow after arrow was flying past him, rendingtwigs and shattering branches. The Tehuas shot faster than the Queres.They must have a large supply of missiles. Every shot was accompanied bytriumphant yells; the enemy was growing bolder.
Again the leader tried to rouse the medicine-man to decisive action, butthe latter only shook his head in an irritated manner and proceeded withhis song louder and louder. At last he dropped his drum, jumped to hisfeet, and began to dance and to stamp, shaking his rattle and wildlyyelling,--
"Raua, raua! Ho-[=a]-[=a], Heiti-na! Ho-[=a]-[=a], Heiti-na!" Then hestood still, and looked around as if aroused from a dream. At the sightof Tyope he remembered, and spoke, panting still,--
"It is well. They are good, Those Above! We will do as you said!"Heedless of missiles he walked on into the forest. Tyope heaved a greatsigh of relief.
A small whistle made of bone depended from Tyope's neck. He raised it tohis lips and blew a shrill, piercing blast. The warriors in hisneighbourhood turned their faces toward him. He beckoned to one of themto approach. To this man he gave directions in a low tone. They were tothe effect that they should offer the most determined resistance to theenemy, while at the same time they were to retire gradually but slowlyfrom the actual position, as if yielding to pressure. Their sturdyresistance was to cover the movements of the main body.
Tyope now stealthily crept away from the line of the fight. Soon he meta group of his people who, outside of the range of missiles, werewaiting to be called into action. He sent the majority of them to thefront to reinforce the others. Two runners were despatched to the southand southwest with orders. With the remainder he set out slowly,penetrating deeper into the timber. He thus collected, one afteranother, the various groups into a fairly compact body, always sending afew men back to reinforce the fighting portions. Over one hundred menwere now engaged with the Tehuas. The remainder moved, as Tyopeconfidently hoped, upon the cave-dwellings of the unprotected Puye by adetour which would enable the Queres to avoid the rather exposed site ofTzirege.
A tremendous noise from the south indicated that a hand-to-handencounter was going on there. The noise lasted but a short time, then itsubsided. Shortly afterward a warrior rushed panting up to Tyope.
"Nashtio," he said, "the Moshome have taken five scalps."
"Where?" Tyope snorted.
"There;" he pointed southward.
"And we?"
"Three."
"Have the people gone back?"
"A little."
"It is well. Tell the men to come still farther this way, but veryslowly."
He ordered five of his own men to go back with the runner to replace thefive whom the Tehuas had killed. With the rest he pushed forward. Hekept beside the Hishtanyi Chayan, and both walked almost at the head oftheir little troupe. Only a few scouts preceded them, so completely safedid Tyope feel about the west and northwest.
The action in the rear seemed to lag. A wild uproar broke out in thesouthwest but no messenger came with evil tidings. The Queres maintainedthemselves. All was well.
The engagement had lasted two hours already, and it might continue inthis way for hours more without coming to a crisis in the mean time.Tyope would creep up to the women and children of the Tehuas. In casethe rear-guard should be ultimately destroyed by the enemy it matteredlittle, for by capturing the non-combatants the Queres still remainedmasters of the situation. Tyope was explaining all this to theHishtanyi Chayan; and the two, in consequence of their conversation, hadremained behind the foremost skirmish-line. The shaman was listening,and from time to time grunting assent to Tyope's explanations.
Suddenly the shrubbery in front rattled, and moved violently, as thoughdeer were endeavouring to tear through it at full speed. At the sametime there arose in that very west which had been so still, and closeupon the two men, a fearful war-whoop uttered by many voices. Likewildfire this threatening howl spread to the west; it seemed to runalong an arc of a circle from the northwest to the south. The warriorsin front came running back in dismay. Many of them were already wounded.One reached the spot where the commander and the shaman were standingspell-bound. There he fell to the ground headlong, blood flowing fromhis mouth. His body had been shot through and through.
However great his surprise at that completely unexpected attack, andhowever disastrous it must be to all his plans, Tyope not only did notlose his head, but rather seemed to grow cool and self-possessed, and anexpression of sinister quiet settled on his features. Yet he wasinternally far from being at ease or hopeful. He blew his whistle.Without regard to his office the old shaman crouched behind a shrub,where, placing his shield before him, he listened and spied. Themedicine-man had imitated Tyope's example; the magician was now turnedinto a warrior!
The signal given by the war-chief was heard by very few only, for theyells of the Tehuas drowned every other noise. The enemy this timerushed up without any preliminary skirmishing, and the surprise was sosudden that the Queres were running back in every direction with theirfoes in close pursuit. They had no time to gather or to hide. Ere Tyopeknew it, his men were far away in his rear, as well as a number of hisenemies also. To his left he noticed one of his tribe lying on theground dead, and a Tehua standing with both feet on his back, cuttingand jerking at the scalp of the dead man. Tyope was alone, for themedicine-man had fled. The Tehua was so intent upon securing the trophythat he had not seen Tyope, and he could easily have killed him. Buthurried footsteps, many voices, and the shaking of bushes in frontshowed plainly that quite a numerous body of Tehuas was rapidly comingtoward him. His own life was too precious in this hour of terrible needto permit exposure for the sake of killing one enemy, so he turned aboutsoftly on his knees. The Tehua still did not pay any attention to him,and now the temptation was too great; he quickly placed an arrow on thestring and sent the shaft, thanks to the short distance, between theribs of the unsuspecting foe. Then with a yell of triumph and defiancehe darted off in the direction whither his men had scattered.
He had been noticed by some of the Tehuas who were coming up from thewest, and without delay they followed in pursuit. But it was not easy toovertake a man like Tyope when fleeing for life. The powerful onslaughtof the Tehuas had scattered the Queres in such a manner that friend andfoe were intermingled in the forest, and it was not safe for thepursuers to shoot at the fugitives, who were only occasionally visiblebetween tree-trunks and bushes, for the arrow might have struck afriend.
Tyope ran so fast that he soon left his pursuers far behind him. When henoticed that their shouting sounded more distant, he stopped, crouchedunder a bush that grew near the foot of a large tree, and listened andpeered again. He was brea
thless from the rapid flight, and his heartthrobbed so violently at first that he could not clearly distinguishsound from sound. At last he grew quiet, and now heard the din thatseemed to fill the entire forest in every direction except the north. Itwas nearest toward the east and south, and there the fight seemed toconcentrate. Above the shouting, yelling, whooping, sounded the piercingwar-whistle. There could be no thought of still winning anything likesuccess, for the day was irretrievably, disastrously lost. To save asmany of the survivors as possible was all that could be done. Tyopewould have raved, had it been of any avail. This terrible failure, hesaw clearly, ruined his prospects forever. He wished to die, and despairbegan for the first time in his life to fill his heart.
The noise of the battle was now approaching rapidly from the east andsouth. The Tehuas were forcing his men into a confused mass; it was nolonger an action, it was becoming a slaughter, a butchery of thevanquished. Tyope felt as if chills and fever were alternately runningthrough him; his people were without head, for the Hishtanyi Chayan wasuseless as a leader. He must try to get through, and as it wasimpossible to force a passage, he determined to steal through at allhazards.
A number of Tehuas had passed without seeing him, in their eagerness toreach the slaughter-pen into which the timbered plateau above the CanadaAncha was converted. Tyope improved the opportunity to slip from onetree to another, toward where the greatest uproar was heard. Voicessounded quite near, and he cowered down between two cedars. The voicescame nearer, and the more he listened the more he became convinced thathis own tongue was spoken. He was on the point of rising and going up tothe parties who spoke Queres, for they must be friends. He distinctlyheard his name. He looked, and looked anxiously, for he preferred tofind out who they were ere addressing them. As they came closer hethought he recognized a woman's voice.
Nearer and nearer came the voices, and at last a group of men stood outbetween the trees. They were warriors of the Tehuas, and in their midstwas a woman. She was speaking to one of them in the language of theRito, and all around her seemed to be attentively listening. He staredat her,--stared, his eye-balls starting from their sockets, his facecolouring and then becoming almost black. Had any one seen Tyope at thatmoment he must have taken him for some baffled and terrified demon fromthe nether world.
He felt neither indignation nor passion. His heart stood still; sowonderful was the discovery he was making that he was benumbed, body andsoul! For that woman who so confidently stood in the midst of theenemies of her tribe, and who spoke to them with an air of assurancebordering upon authority, uttering his own name time and again, wasShotaye!
Once more his passion came back, and delirious with rage and frenziedwith fury he lifted the bow with the ready arrow. But so monstrous wasthe sight to his eyes that his hand dropped paralyzed, and he was unableto speed the shaft. He stood disarmed, and stared, gaping like a fiendin despair who does not venture to oppose his master. He understood nowthe connection of events, the unexpected ambush. He saw that it couldnot have happened otherwise. He saw it clearly, to his shame! The womanwhom he had persecuted for years, and whom he was certain that he shoulddestroy utterly at the end of this campaign, had outwitted him anddestroyed his plans and hopes forever. Then let her suffer for it! Heraised his bow, dropped it again and stared. It was not pity thatfettered his otherwise ruthless hand; it was superstitious fear. ThatShotaye could have divined all his secret moves and could have savedherself at the right moment filled him with astonishment and graduallywith invincible dread. She was no common witch! Such wonderful insight,such clear perception of the means to save herself and at the same timedestroy him, were not human. Rage and passion disappeared; a chill wentthrough his frame and his lower jaw hung down like that of a corpse, ashe stared motionless, powerless to act and unable to move.
A change came over Tyope,--a change so sudden and so complete that hewas henceforth another man. Hope, ambition, revenge, vanished from histhoughts, and with them all energy left him. The appearance of thatwoman crushed him utterly. Shotaye appeared to him by the side of thegreat war shaman of his enemies like some fiend, to be sure, but a fiendof so much higher rank than his own that it was futile to cope with her.The Indian believes in evil spirits, but even they are subjected to thepower of deities of a higher order beneficial to mankind. As such ashuatyam the woman appeared to Tyope,--as one whom the Shiuana haddirected to accomplish his ruin. Those Above, not Shotaye, not theTehuas, had vanquished him; and against them it was useless to strive.
With a ghastly look of terror on his countenance, his eyes staring inuncontrollable fright, Tyope slowly receded. Mentally crushed, shiveringand shuddering, he at last turned about and fled.
The conviction that he was henceforth utterly powerless had seized uponhim. Like an utter coward, unmindful of his rank and duties, and bentonly upon saving his life, Tyope ran and ran until he found himself inthe midst of the slaughter. He had mechanically warded off some arrowswhich the enemy had shot at his rapidly approaching figure; but hepassed in among friends and foes, heedless of both, until his mad careerwas stayed by the brink of the Canada Ancha. In the course of themassacre the Queres had succeeded in breaking partly through the enemy,and gathering on the south, thus securing a line of retreat, or at leastescape from the bloody trap. Tyope had reached that point withoutknowing well whither he was fleeing. The sight of the ravine at his feetstopped him; he looked around absent-mindedly at first, then little bylittle self-control returned.
A man came up to him. He was covered with blood. A drum was suspendedfrom his shoulder. It was the Hishtanyi Chayan.
"How is everything?" Tyope gasped.
"Where have you been?" the shaman asked in a tone of stern reproach.
"I was cut off and had to hide," Tyope flared up; the manner of thequestioner irritated him, and with his anger a portion of his formerenergy seemed to return.
"Do you not know that the war-chief should carry the life of his menupon his own heart, and care for them more than for himself? That heshould not hunt for scalps in the rear of the enemy, as shutzuna followsa herd of buffaloes to eat a fallen calf?" the Chayan hissed.
"And you," Tyope roared, "do you not know that you should speak thetruth to the people? Not say that the Shiuana are good, that they say itis well, while the kopishtai and the shuatyam go over to the enemytogether to help him! You are a liar! You lie like a Dinne; you arefoolish like a prairie dog when shutzuna plays before him!" It wasTyope's last effort at passion. He nearly cried from rage as hebrandished his war-club in the face of the shaman. The latter remainedcalm and spoke not a word, merely fastening on the maddened, raving mana cold, stern glance. Heedless of his threats and insults hecommanded,--
"Hush, Tyope, hush! If the evil ones are about us it is because theyhave followed along from the Tyuonyi! Hush, I say, do your duty atlast. At the Tyuonyi, if we ever get there, we shall see further."
At this moment several Queres burst from the timber. One of them criedto Tyope,--
"Nashtio, the Moshome are too strong, they are coming to kill you andall of us. We must away into the karitya!" And with this he leaped fromthe brink. He had selected a spot where the rim was precipitous for ashort distance. Over he went! A cry of anguish and of helpless despairwas heard; then followed a series of thuds, as though a heavy body werefalling from step to step. From the depths below a faint moaning arose.Then all was still. The din and noise of the battle was drawing nearerand nearer; soon more of the Queres rushed out and would in theirprecipitate flight have followed the example of their comrade had notothers coming up behind them held them back. Regardless of the danger,they clustered together on the brink, and gazed at the shattered,mangled, gory mass beneath, which was once the body of one of theircompanions. The words of the shaman fell upon Tyope like another blowfrom above. They cowed him. To avoid the gaze which the old man fastenedupon him still, he turned to fly, no longer a warrior, no longer thecommander. He was partly imbecile and absolutely cowed. He trembled, butthe shaman seized his arm and
restrained him. Pointing to the men hesaid,--
"Save these if you can."
Tyope obeyed, for he had no longer a will of his own. He cast a vacantglance about, but arrows whistled from the timber; the Tehuas werecoming. Panic-stricken, the Queres ran along the brink to look for adescent. There was no stopping them, no possibility of restoring order;every one looked out for himself. Tyope cast a pleading glance at theold man by his side, and the Chayan felt that he must henceforth dowhat was yet to be done. Seeing the Queres clambering down into thegorge in wild haste, and that others were still rushing out of thethickets, he caught Tyope by the shoulder and drew him along, saying ina milder tone,--
"Follow me, sa uishe." He pitied the crestfallen man.
Henceforth it was the medicine-man who assumed the lead, Tyope gatheringenergy enough to act as his lieutenant. The shaman was but a mediocrewarrior; still in this dismal hour he was the only salvation of theremaining Queres.
Not one half of their number succeeded in reaching the bottom of theCanada Ancha and taking shelter in the groves of tall pines that dot thevale. It was an anxious time for those who had already found safetybehind trees, when they saw the stragglers rush down the rugged slopeand tear through the thickets, followed by the Tehuas, who crowded alongthe brink in greatly superior numbers, yelling, shooting arrows, andwaving triumphantly the many, many scalps they had taken. A few of theirskirmishers descended some distance, but the main pursuit was stayed bystrict orders from the Tehua war-chief. As soon as the first group offugitives, among them Hishtanyi and Tyope, had reached the bottom of theCanada, the shaman arrested their farther flight, prevailing upon themto make a stand.
Their position was temporarily a good one. No approach was possiblewithout exposing the assailant to arrow-shots, whereas the defenderswere thoroughly protected.
As their numbers increased by accessions from those who had also beenable to extricate themselves, their courage returned, and they willinglyremained until the time came when the shaman, and Tyope by his command,should direct farther retreat. The leaders of the Tehuas saw this anddesisted from an attempt at complete extermination. It would have costthem dearly, and would only have increased the number of theirtrophies. So the Tehuas remained above the gorge, displaying athreatening front, while in reality the majority of them returned home,and with them Shotaye.
Great was the exultation of the woman when she saw the triumph of hernew friends over her own people. She was proud of this result of hercraftiness and her skill. When, the engagement over, she scanned thefield, looking at the dead and searching for Tyope among them in vain,her disappointment was fearful. Corpse after corpse she scrutinized,turning over the ghastly bodies, peering into the lifeless features,raising the mutilated heads to see more closely, more distinctly. Invain; Tyope was not among them, Tyope had escaped. Her revenge wassterile; it had fallen on the least guilty. She, too, felt that a higherhand must have interfered and made her triumph next to worthless. As shescanned the bloody, distorted features of the men of her tribe, in theexpectation of gloating over those of him against whom she had schemed,she recognized more than one of whose company she had agreeablerecollections, more than one whom in her cold-blooded, calculating way,she had made her tool for a time. Something like regret arose withinher,--regret at her treason. She went back to the Puye with a sting inher heart forever. Outwardly she led a contented life as the consort ofCayamo, and the Tehuas looked upon her as a useful accession, if not asone who had at one time become the saviour of their tribe; but she couldnever think of the Rito nor hear it mentioned without feeling a pang. Itwas remorse, but she did not know it. Never again was she seen by any ofher former people.
* * * * *
The position in which the Queres had taken refuge was tenable only for ashort time, because the Canada Ancha has no permanent water-supply.There were a few pools, however, containing remnants of the rain thathad lately fallen. But that was not enough. To abandon the groves, inwhich they felt comparatively safe in presence of the foe, would havebeen reckless; so the Queres remained during the whole day, while theTehuas kept guard over them, observing their movements from the cover ofthe timber on the mesa. As night set in, the Hishtanyi Chayan ordered aslow, noiseless retreat down the Canada toward the Rio Grande. Tyopepassively did what the shaman told him; he had no longer a will of hisown. He who had always judged others from the standpoint of theirusefulness to him as his tools, was now reduced mentally to be a blindinstrument of the man of whom he expected to rid himself on this verycampaign. All of Tyope's authority was gone; the men did not reproachhim, did not scorn; they simply ignored him, except when he spoke in thename and by direction of the Hishtanyi Chayan. The latter saw more andmore the mental downfall of the war-chief, and took pity on him, makinghim his lieutenant. When morning dawned, the little troop halted on theZiro kauash. They had made a long detour, and now were in dread lest theTehuas had prepared an ambush near home. Tyope himself was still furtherconcerned. He who had boldly attempted to carry out the most daringschemes, was afraid of returning to his people, now that these schemeshad failed. He feared, like a child, reproach and punishment. The spiritof the man was utterly crushed.
When a war-party returns, it never enters the village directly, buthalts at some distance and sends a messenger to inform the people of itsapproach. The Queres halted on the Ziro kauash, and some of them scouredthe woods, but no trace of the enemy appeared. The dreaded ambush hadnot been laid; the Tehuas had certainly returned content with victoryand their trophies. A runner was sent to the Rito, and the men waitedand waited. Even the Hishtanyi Chayan became startled at the long delay.Tyope squatted at the foot of a tree; he was thinking of the receptionthat might be in reserve for him. Everything manly and strong had lefthis heart; nothing of it remained but a languidly putrid core, whoseformer fermentation had produced the effervescence that took the shapeof energy, shrewdness, and daring.
At last toward evening a man approached the silent group. He came,accompanied by the runner, and every one recognized the features ofKauaitshe, the delegate from the Water clan. He went straight to Tyope;and the latter looked at him timidly, almost tremblingly. Kauaitshe'sface looked sad and mournful, but not wrathful. He grasped the hand ofTyope, breathed on it, lifted it upward with both his hands, and said ina tone of intense sorrow,--
"Satyumishe, Those Above are not kind to us."
A terrible pang flashed through Tyope's heart, for he had experiencedhow little the Shiuana liked him.
Kauaitshe continued in a low voice,--artless, but the more impressivefor its natural sadness,--
"While you went to strike the Tehuas with our men, the Moshome Dinnecame upon us."
A shriek of dismay, of terror, issued from every one present, Tyopeexcepted. He only groaned, and sinking shrivelled, pressed down hischest against his knees, as if suffering intense physical pain. Herecalled his intrigues with the young Navajo. This last blow to thetribe was his work also.
In a monotonous voice the messenger of evil tidings proceeded,--
"My hanutsh is no more. Tanyi hanutsh is dispersed, scattered, fleeingthrough the timber. Of Mokatsh hanutsh only one girl has remainedalive. Of Tyame a few women, but your wife, satyumishe, is dead; yourchild Mitsha the Moshome have carried away, or else she hides in thetimber and starves. The great house is empty, and fire comes out fromits roof. Your people can have the field of Tzitz hanutsh," he addedwith trembling voice; "we need it no longer. But your clan has landenough now, for many of the men of Shyuamo have gone over to Shipapu!"He dropped Tyope's hand, wiped away the tears that were forcingthemselves to his eyes, and stood in silence. Not one of the bystandersmoved; the Hishtanyi Chayan lifted his eyes to the sky, Tyope staredvacantly. He seemed to stagger. The delegate from the Water clan graspedhis hand again, and said,--
"Come and see how the Shiuana have visited the Tyuonyi."