CHAPTER XXXIII.
PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT.
We will now return to Valentine and his friends, whom we left preparingto pursue Red Cedar once more.
Valentine had began to take a real interest in this protracted manhunt;it was the first time since he had been in the desert that he had todeal with a foeman so worthy of his steel as was Red Cedar.
Like him, the squatter possessed a thorough knowledge of life in the FarWest--all the sounds of the prairie were known to him, all tracksfamiliar; like him, he had made Indian trickery and cunning his specialstudy; in a word, Valentine had found his equal, if not his master. Hispowerfully excited self-love urged him to bring this game of chess to aconclusion; hence he was resolved to press matters so vigorously that,in spite of his cleverness, Red Cedar must soon fall into his hands.
After leaving, as we have seen, the upper regions of the Sierra, thehunters advanced in the shape of a fan, in order to find some sign whichwould enable them to find the long lost trail, for, according to theaxiom well known to the wood rangers, any rastreador, who holds one endof a trail, must infallibly reach the other within a given time.Unfortunately, no trace or sign was visible; Red Cedar had disappeared,and it was impossible to find the slightest trace of the way he hadgone.
Still, Valentine did not give in; he studied the ground, examined everyblade of grass, and cross-questioned the shrubs with a patience nothingcould weary. His friends, less accustomed than himself to the frequentdisappointments in a hunter's life, in vain gave him despairing glances;he walked on, with his head bent down, neither seeing their signals norhearing their remarks.
At length, about midday, after going nearly four leagues in thisfashion--a most wearying task--the hunters found themselves on aperfectly naked rock. At this spot it would have been madness to lookfor footprints, as the granite would not take them. Don Miguel and hisson fell to the ground, more through despondency than fatigue.
Curumilla began collecting the scattered leaves to light the breakfastfire, while Valentine, leaning on his rifle, with his forehead furrowedby deep wrinkles, looked scrutinisingly round. At the spot where thehunters had established their temporary bivouac, no vegetation grew onthe barren rocks; while an immense larch tree over-shadowed it with itswell-covered branches.
The hunter incessantly turned his intelligent eye from earth to sky, asif he had a foreboding that at this spot he must find the trail he hadso long been seeking. All at once he uttered a sonorous "hum!" At thissound, a signal agreed on between the Indian and him, Curumilla left offcollecting the leaves, raised his head, and looked at him. Valentinewalked towards him with a hasty step; the two Mexicans eagerly rose andjoined him.
"Have you discovered anything?" Don Miguel asked, curiously.
"No," Valentine replied, "but in all probability I soon shall."
"Here?"
"Yes, at this very spot," he said, with a knowing smile; "believe me,you shall soon see."
While saying this, the hunter stooped, picked up a handful of leaves,and began examining them attentively, one by one.
"What can those leaves teach you?" Don Miguel asked with a shrug of hisshoulders.
"Everything," Valentine firmly replied, as he continued his examination.
Curumilla was surveying the ground, and questioning the rock.
"Wah!" he said.
All stopped; the chief pointed to a line about half an inch, of thethickness of a hair, recently made on the rock.
"They have passed this way," Valentine went on, "that is as certain tome as that two and two make four; everything proves it to me; the stepswe discovered going away from the spot where we now are--are a sureproof."
"How so?" Don Miguel asked in amazement.
"Nothing is more simple; the traces that deceived you could not humbugan old wood ranger like myself; they pressed too heavily on the heel,and were not regular, proves them false."
"Why false?"
"Of course. This is what Red Cedar did to hide the direction he took; hewalked for nearly two leagues backwards."
"You think so?"
"I am sure of it. Red Cedar, though aged, is still possessed of all thevigour of youth; his steps are firm and perfectly regular; like all menaccustomed to forest life, he walks cautiously, that is to say, firstputting down the point of his foot, like every man who is not certainthat he may not have to go back. In the footsteps we saw, as I told you,the heel was put down first, and is much deeper buried than the rest ofthe foot; that is quite impossible, unless a person has walkedbackwards, especially for some time."
"That is true," Don Miguel answered; "what you say could not be morelogical."
Valentine smiled.
"We have not got to the end yet," he said; "let me go on."
"But," Don Pablo remarked, "supposing that Red Cedar did come here,which I now believe as fully as you do, how is it that we do not findhis traces on the other side of the rock? However carefully he may havehidden them, we should discover them, if they existed."
"Of course; but they are not here, and it is useless to lose time inlooking for them. Red Cedar has come here, as this mark proves; but youwill ask me why he did so? For a reason very easy to comprehend; on thisgranite soil, footsteps are effaced; the squatter wished to throw us outby bringing us to a spot where we must completely lose his direction, ifwe succeeded in finding his track. He succeeded up to a certain point;but he wished to be too clever, and went beyond his object; before tenminutes, I will show you the trail as clear as if we had been presentwhen he went off."
"I confess, my friend, that all you say greatly astonishes me," DonMiguel replied. "I never could understand this species of sublimeinstinct which helps you to find your way in the desert, although youhave already given me the most astonishing proofs; still, I confess thatwhat is taking place at this moment surpasses everything I have hithertoseen you do."
"Good gracious!" Valentine answered; "you pay me compliments I am farfrom deserving; all this is an affair of reasoning, and especially ofhabit. Thus, it is as plain to you as it is to me, that Red Cedar camehere?"
"Yes."
"Very good; as he came, he must have gone away again," the hunter saidwith a laugh; "for the reason that he is no longer here, or we shouldhave him."
"That is certain."
"Good; now look how he can have gone."
"That is exactly what I do not see."
"Because you are blind, or because you will not take the trouble."
"Oh, my friend, I swear--"
"Pardon, I am in error: it is because you cannot explain what you see."
"What?" Don Miguel said, slightly piqued by this remark.
"Certainly," Valentine went on phlegmatically; "and you shall confess Iam in the right."
"I shall be delighted to do so."
In spite of his good sense, and the other great qualities with which hewas gifted, Valentine had the weakness, common to many men, of liking,under certain circumstances, to, make a parade of his knowledge ofdesert life. This defect, which is very frequently found on theprairies, in no way injured his character, and was pardonable after all.
"You shall see," he said with that sort of condescension which personswho know a thing thoroughly, assume on explaining it to the ignorant:"Red Cedar has been here and has disappeared: I arrive and look: hecannot have flown away, or buried himself in the ground: hence he mustabsolutely have gone by some road a man can use; look at these leavesscattered over the rock, they are sign No. 1."
"How so?"
"Hang it! That is clear enough, we are not at the season when trees losetheir leaves: hence they did not fall."
"Why so?"
"Because, if they had, they would be yellow and dry, and instead they aregreen, crumpled, and some are even torn; hence it is positive, I think,that they have been removed from the tree by violence."
"That is true," Don Miguel muttered, his surprise at its height.
"Now, let us seek what unknown force tore them from the tree."
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While saying this, Valentine had begun walking on, with his body bent tothe ground, in the direction where he had seen the black line. Hisfriends imitated his movements and followed him, also looking carefullyon the ground. All at once Valentine stooped, picked up a piece of barkabout the size of half his hand, and showed it to Don Miguel.
"All is explained to me now," he said: "look at that piece of bark: itis pressed and broken as if a rope had been round it, I think?"
"It is."
"Well, do you not understand?"
"On my word, no more than I did just now."
Valentine shrugged his shoulders.
"Listen to me then," he said; "Red Cedar came thus far: with his lassohe caught the end of that heavy branch just above our heads; and withthe help of his companions, pulled it down to the ground. The blackmark we saw proves what an effort they made. Once the bough was bent,the squatter's comrades mounted on it one after the other: Red Cedar,the last, went up with it, and all found themselves some seventy feetabove ground. You must allow this is all very ingenious; but, unluckily,the squatter's boots left on this rock a graze about the width of ahair, and leaves fell from the tree; on unfastening his lasso, a pieceof bark broke off, and as he was in a hurry, and could not come downagain to remove all these ruinous proofs, I have seen them, and now Iknow as well all that happened here, as if I had been present."
The hunters did not merely display surprise at this clear and lucidexplanation, but seemed struck speechless by such an incredible proof ofsagacity.
"It is miraculous," Don Miguel at length exclaimed; "then you believeRed Cedar went off by that tree?"
"I would bet anything on it. However, you shall soon be convinced of it,for we shall follow the same road."
"But we cannot go far on that way."
"You are mistaken. In the virgin forests like the one that stretches outbefore us, the road we are about to follow is often the only onepracticable. And now that we have found the bandits' trail, not to loseit again, I hope, let us breakfast quickly, so as to start the sooner inpursuit."
The hunters sat down gaily round the fire, and ate some grizzly bearmeat. But their impatience made them take double mouthfuls, so that themeal was over in a twinkling, and they were soon ready to commence theirresearches. Valentine, in order to prove to his friends the exactness ofthe information he had given them, employed the same means Red Cedar haddone to mount the tree, and when the hunters had assembled there, theyallowed the truth of Valentine's statements: Red Cedar's trail wasplainly visible.
They went on thus for a long time following the bandit's trail; but thefurther they went, the less distinct it became, and it was soon lost forthe second time.
Valentine stopped and collected his friends.
"Let us hold a council," he said.
"I think," Don Miguel observed, "that Red Cedar fancied he had been longenough up a tree, and so went back to the ground."
Valentine shook his head.
"You have not got it," he said, "what you assert, my friend, ismaterially impossible."
"Why so?"
"Because the trail, as you see, suddenly ceases over a lake."
"That is true."
"Hum! It is plain that Red Cedar did not swim across it. Let us go on atall hazards, I feel certain that we shall speedily recover the trail;that direction is the only one Red Cedar could have followed. His objectis to cross the line of foes who surround him on all sides; if he buriedhimself in the mountains, we know by experience, and he knows as well aswe do, he would infallibly perish; hence he can only escape in this way,and we must pursue him."
"Still remaining on the trees?" Don Miguel asked.
"By Jove! Do not forget, my friends, that the bandits have a girl withthem. The poor child is not accustomed like them to these fearful desertjourneys; she could not endure them for an hour if her father andbrothers were not careful to lead her by comparatively easy roads. Lookbeneath you, and you will feel convinced that it is impossible for agirl to have passed that way. This is our road," he added peremptorily,"and it is the only one by which we shall discover our enemy."
"Let us go, then," the Mexicans exclaimed.
Curumilla, according to his habit, said nothing; he had not even stoppedto listen to the discussion, but walked on.
"Wah!" he suddenly said.
His friends eagerly hurried up. The chief held in his hand a piece ofstriped calico, no larger than a shilling.
"You see," Valentine said, "we are in a good direction, so we will notleave it."
This discovery stopped all discussion. The day gradually passed away,the red globe of the sun appeared in the distance between the stems ofthe trees, and after marching two hours longer, the darkness wascomplete.
"What is to be done?" Don Miguel asked; "We cannot spend the nightperched up here, like parakeet. Let us choose a convenient spot to camp;tomorrow, at daybreak, we will ascend again and continue the chase."
"Yes," Valentine said, with a laugh, "and during the night, while we arequietly asleep down there, if any incident occurs that compels Red Cedarto turn back, he will slip through our fingers like a snake, and we knownothing about it. No, no, my friend, you must make up your mind to perchhere for the night like a parrot, as you say, if you do not wish to losethe fruit of all your trouble and fatigue."
"Oh, oh, if it is so," Don Miguel exclaimed, "I consent. I would soonersleep a week in a tree than let that villain escape."
"Do not be alarmed; he will not keep us at work all that time; the boaris at bay, and will soon be found. However large the desert may be, itpossesses no unexplored refuge to men who are accustomed to traverse itin every direction. Red Cedar has done more than a common man to escapeus. Now all is over with him, and he understands that it is only aquestion of time."
"May Heaven grant it, my friend. I would give my life to avenge myselfon that monster."
"He will soon be in your power, I assure you."
At this moment Curumilla laid his hand on Valentine's arm.
"Well, chief, what is it?" the latter asked.
"Listen!"
The hunters did so. They soon heard, at a considerable distance,confused cries, which momentarily became more distinct, and soon mergedinto a fearful clamour.
"What is happening now?" Valentine asked, thoughtfully.
The shouts increased fearfully, strange lights illumined the forest,whose guests, disturbed in their sleep, flew heavily here and there,uttering plaintive cries.
"Attention!" the hunter said, "Let us try and discover what all thismeans."
But their uncertainty did not last long. Valentine all at once left thebranch behind which he was concealed, and uttered a long, shrill cry,which was replied to with fearful yells.
"What is it?" Don Miguel asked.
"Unicorn!" Valentine answered.