CHAPTER XXVI.
NATHAN PAINTS HIMSELF.
So soon as he had got out of sight of his comrades, Nathan halted. Hewas neither so careless nor confident as he wished to appear. When hewas alone and away from those who might ridicule, he gave way to his illtemper, and cursed the chance that placed him in such a precarious anddangerous position.
Nathan, we think we have already said, was a species of Hercules, giftedwith uncommon energy and ferocity. Accustomed from his childhood to adesert life and its sanguinary tragedies, he was not the man to despondand despair easily. Pitiless to himself as to others, he perfectlyaccepted the consequences of the situation in which he found himself attimes placed, and, in case of necessity, was resolved to fight to thedeath in defence of his scalp.
At this moment, however, it was not his position in itself that renderedhim anxious. He had been a hundred times beset by equal danger incrossing the prairie; but hitherto, when he had perilled his life, hehad done it with an object he knew perfectly well, with the prospect,near or remote, of some profit; but this time he regarded himself asobeying a will he was ignorant of, for a purpose he did not understand,and for interests that were not his own. Hence, he cursed his father,Fray Ambrosio, and himself for having thus got into a trap, whence hedid not know how to escape.
Red Cedar's last recommendation was necessary. Nathan was not at allanxious to have his trail discovered. He employed all the means hisintelligence suggested to him to hide it from the keenest glance, onlytaking a step after convincing himself that the trace of the previousone had disappeared. After ripe reflection, he had arrived at thefollowing conclusion--
"It's all the worse for them, but each for himself! If I lose my scalpthey will not give it me back. I will, therefore, defend it as well as Ican. They must do what they can, but for my part I must do my best toget out of the scrape."
After these words, uttered in a loud voice, in the way of men accustomedto live alone, Nathan gave that almost imperceptible shrug of hisshoulders, which in all countries signifies "let what will happen." And,after carefully examining his rifle, he started afresh.
Europeans, accustomed to the horizons of the old world, to macadamisedroads, bordered by pleasant houses and traversed in every direction,cannot form, even approximately, a correct idea of the position of a manalone in that ocean of verdure called the "Far West", who feels himselfwatched by invisible eyes, and knows he is tracked like a wild beast.
A man, however brave he may be, and accustomed to the adventurous lifeof the desert, shudders and feels very weak when he turns an enquiringglance around him, and sees himself, so little in the immensity thatsurrounds him. In the desert, if you wish to go north, you must march tothe south; be attentive not to crush the leaves on which you walk, breakthe branches that bar the way, and, above all, not to make the pebbleson which you step grate against each other.
All the sounds of the desert are known to, explained, and commented onby the redskins. After listening for a few seconds, they can tell you ifthe animal whose footfall is heard in the distance, is a horse, a bear,a buffalo, an elk, or an antelope. A pebble rolling down the side of aravine suffices to denounce a prowler. A few drops of water spilt on theedge of a ford, clearly reveal the passing of several travellers. Anunusual movement in the tall grass, betrays a watching spy. Everything,in short, from the down-trodden blade of grass to the buffalo thatsuddenly cocks its ears while browsing, or the asshata bounding in alarmwithout cause--all in the desert serves as a book, in which the Indianreads the passage of friend or foe, and puts him on his trail, eventhough they be one hundred miles apart.
The men who live in these countries, where material life is everything,acquire a perfection of certain organs which, seems incredible; sightand hearing especially are enormously developed in them; and this,combined with extreme agility, dauntless courage, and sustained bymuscles of remarkable vigour, renders them dangerous adversaries. Inaddition to this, we have that cunning and treachery which are neverapart, and are the two great means which the Indians employ to seizetheir foes, whom they never attack face to face, but always by surprise.Necessity is the supreme law of the Indian, and he sacrifices everythingto it, and, like all incomplete or badly-developed natures, he onlyadmits physical qualities, caring nothing for virtues he does not want,but, on the contrary, would injure him in the life he leads.
Nathan was himself almost a redskin: only at rare intervals had hevisited, for a few days at a time, the towns of the American Union.Hence all he knew of life he had learned in the desert; and thateducation is as good as another when the instincts of the man whoreceives it are good; because he is able to make a choice, and take whatis noble and generous, laying aside what is bad. Unfortunately, Nathanhad never any other teacher of morality but his father. From an earlyage he had been accustomed to regard things in the same way as thesquatter did, and that was the worst of all. Hence with years theteaching be received had fructified so fully that he had become the truetype of the civilised man who has turned savage; the most hideoustransformation of species that can be imagined.
Nathan loved nothing, believed in nothing, and respected nothing. Onlyone person had any influence over him, and that was Ellen; but at thismoment she was no longer by his side.
The young man marched on for a long time without perceiving anythingthat revealed the approach of danger; still this factitious security didnot make him neglect his precautions. While walking on, with riflethrust out before him, his body bent forward, and eye and ear on thewatch, he thought, and the further he went, the more gloomy his thoughtsbecame.
The reason was simple; he knew that he was surrounded by implacablefoes, watched by numerous spies, and yet nothing disturbed the quiet ofthe prairie. All appeared to be in its ordinary state; it was impossibleto notice the least suspicious movement in the grass or shrubs. Thiscalmness was too profound to be natural, and Nathan was not deceived byit.
"Humph!" he said to himself, "I shall have a row presently, I feelcertain; deuce take those brutes of redskins for not giving a sign oflife. I am walking blindly, not knowing where I am going, I am convincedI shall fall into some trap laid for me by these villains, and which itwill be impossible for me to get out of."
Nathan went on walking till about ten in the morning. At that hour, ashe felt hungry, and his legs were rather stiff, he resolved at allhazards to take a few moments' rest and some mouthfuls of meat. Hemechanically looked round him to seek a suitable, spot, but he suddenlygave a start of surprise as he raised his rifle, and hid himself behindan enormous tree. He had noticed, scarce fifty yards from him, anIndian, sitting carelessly on the ground and quietly eating a littlepemmican.
After the first emotion had worn off, Nathan attentively examined theIndian. He was a man of thirty at the most; he did not wear the garb ofa warrior, and two screech owl feathers fixed in his thick hair, overhis right ear, rendered it easy to recognise a Nez-Perce Indian. Theadventurer looked at him a long time ere he could make up his mind whatto do; at length he threw his rifle on his shoulder, left his hidingplace, and walked up to the Indian. The latter probably saw him, thoughhe displayed no alarm, and quietly went on eating. When about two pacesfrom the Nez-Perce the American stopped.
"I salute my brother," he said, raising his voice, and unfolding hiszarape in sign of peace; "may the Wacondah grant him a great hunt."
"I thank my paleface brother," the Indian replied, as he looked up; "heis welcome, I have two handfuls of pemmican left, and there is a placefor him at my fire."
Nathan approached, and, without further ceremony, sat down by the sideof his new friend, who paternally shared his food with him, but askedhim no questions. After feeding, the Nez-Perce lit an Indian pipe, inwhich his companion at once imitated him.
The two men remained there, silently puffing the smoke in each other'sface. When the Nez-Perce had finished his calumet, he shook out the ashon his thumb, placed the pipe in his belt, and and then resting hiselbows on his knees, and his face in the palm of his
hands, he plungedinto that state of ecstatic beatitude which the Italians call the _dolcefar niente_, the Turks _keff_, and which has no equivalent in English.Nathan filled his pipe a second time, and then turned to his comrade.
"Is my brother a chief?" he asked him.
The Indian raised his head.
"No," he answered, with a proud smile, "I am one of the masters of thegreat medicine."
Nathan bowed respectfully.
"I understand," he said, "my brother is one of the wise men, whom theredskins call _allanus_."
"I am also a sorcerer," the Nez-Perce said.
"Oh, oh! What, is my brother one of the Ministers of the Great Turtle?"
"Yes," he answered, "we command the caciques and warriors; they only acton our orders."
"I know it; my father has great learning, his power extends over thewhole earth."
The Nez-Perce smiled condescendingly at this praise, and holding up asmall staff decorated with gay feathers and bells which he held in hisright hand, he said:
"This _mulbache_ is a more tremendous weapon than the thunder of thepalefaces; everywhere it makes me feared and respected."
A sinister smile for the second time curled the American's lips.
"Is my brother returning to his nation?" he asked.
"No," the Indian said with a shake of the hand; "I am expected at thevillage of the Buffalo Apaches, who require my counsel and my medicine,in order to undertake, under favourable auspices, a great expeditionthey are meditating at this moment. My brother will therefore forgive myleaving him, for I must reach the end of my journey this night."
"I will not leave my red brother," Nathan answered; "if he will permitme, I will walk in his moccasins, for my footsteps have the samedirection as my brother's."
"I gladly accept my brother's proposition; let us start then."
"I am ready."
After rising and adjusting his dress, the Indian stooped to pick up asmall bundle, which probably contained his scanty property. Nathanprofited by the movement; swift as thought he drew his knife, and buriedit to the hilt between the Indian's shoulders. The unhappy man uttered astifled cry, stretched out his arms, and fell dead. The Americanphlegmatically drew his knife from the horrible wound, wiped it in thegrass, and returned it to his girdle.
"Hum!" he said, with a grin; "there's a poor devil of a sorcerer, whoseskill could not save him: I will try whether I cannot succeed better."
While talking with the redskin, whom he had at first no intention ofkilling, and whom he only wished to make a protector, a sudden ideacrossed his mind. This idea, which at the first blush will seemextraordinary, suited the bandit, owing to the boldness and daring itrequired to carry it out successfully. He made up his mind to assume thesorcerer's clothes, and pass for him among the redskins. Long conversantwith Indian habits and customs, Nathan felt sure he should play thisdifficult part with all the perfection necessary to deceive even sharpereyes than those of the savages. After assuring himself that his victimgave no sign of life, Nathan began removing his garments, which he puton instead of his own. When this first change was effected, he riffledthe sorcerer's bag, took out a mirror, bladders filled with vermilion,and a black pigment, and with small pieces of wood painted on his facethe strange figures that were on the sorcerer's. The imitation wasperfect; from the face he passed to the body; then he fastened on hishair, and stuck in it the two screech owl feathers. Nathan hadfrequently disguised himself as an Indian, when going scalp hunting withhis father, hence the metamorphosis in a few seconds.
"This carrion must not be found," he said.
Taking the body on his back, he hurled it to the bottom of a precipice.
"Well, that is settled," he continued, with a laugh; "if the Apaches arenot satisfied with the great medicine man who is coming to them, theywill be difficult to please."
As he did not wish to lose his clothes, he hid them in the Indian'sbundle, which he passed over his rifle barrel; he then took the poorsorcerer's staff, and gaily set out, muttering to himself with animpudent smile--
"We shall soon see whether this mulbache really possesses the magicpowers that are attributed to it."