The Queen of the Savannah: A Story of the Mexican War

  CHAPTER XXIV.

  OLIVER CLARY.

  As we have seen, Running Water and his comrades attacked Count deMelgosa after White Crow had summoned him to surrender. The unexpectedarrival of Dona Emilia had not only foiled the plans of the Comanchechiefs, but also caused such a panic among their warriors that, inspite of the efforts of the sachems to rally them, they were evenreally themselves carried off and constrained to seek safety in ahurried flight. In a retreat so precipitate as that effected by theredskins, the feeling of terror so rules over all other feelings, thatthe voice of the chiefs are despised, their orders are unlistened to,and each man running off at a venture, seeks his own safety withouttroubling himself about the rest. After a mad ride through bush andbriar, and not following any settled direction, Running Water, who wasinvoluntarily affected by the general terror, stopped, quite out ofbreath, and fell at the foot of a Peru tree, which rose alone in thecentre of a spacious plain.

  The night was still dark and a leaden silence brooded over thedesert. The chief, far as his eye could see, did not notice one ofhis comrades; he was alone, and, as he conjectured from the perfecttranquillity and calmness that reigned around him, in safety for thepresent. Then he began reflecting; his thoughts were sad, for nothingsettled at the council had been carried out; the count had escaped, andthe warriors were dispersed, so that it was useless to attempt to rallythem in order to give the young chief, his son, the support which thelatter had asked for. The sachem was greatly embarrassed, not throughthe position in which he found himself--alone, without support, andalmost unarmed--a position which to any other than an Indian accustomedto desert life would have appeared extremely precarious, the more sobecause the sachem had ridden far into the Mexican territory, and wasconsequently a long way from his village; but Running Water did notthink of that. What tortured his mind was the insult offered to hisindomitable pride in the disgraceful flight of his comrades at the meresight of a woman, and the honour of himself and the tribe compromisedin an expedition which had cost the lives of several men withoutproducing any advantage.

  The sachem had been plunged in these gloomy thoughts for a longtime, when he fancied that he could hear a slight sound near him.The Indian raised his head, stifled a cry of surprise, and with onebound was on his feet, knife in hand--this was the only weapon he hadretained. While he had been yielding to his bitter thoughts, severalSpanish lanceros, taking advantage of the darkness, had dismounted andcompletely surrounded him; this surprise had been executed with suchskill and so silently, that the Indian did not perceive the presence ofhis enemies till it was not possible for him to avoid them. Upon themovement he made, the barrels of nearly fifty carbines were pointed atthe sachem.

  "Come, surrender, demon!" a rough voice said to him, "Unless you preferbeing killed like the accursed dog you are."

  Without replying, the sachem looked at the Spaniards who surroundedhim; perceiving that any resistance would be useless, he let his knifedrop at his feet, folded his arms on his chest, and waited.

  "Bind him securely, but do not injure him," the voice already heardsaid. "Put him on a horse, and let us start."

  This order was carried out in less time than it has taken us to writeit. When the sachem was brought up, the Spanish officer examined himattentively.

  "Why!" he said, "Heaven pardon me my mistake, I believed that I hadonly to do with a marauder; but the capture is more important than Ifancied. This dog is no less than an Indian brave, and a chief into thebargain, as is clearly indicated by the feather he wears so proudlyover his right ear. Would these demons dare to cross our border?"

  We must do the Spanish government the justice of stating that, atthe period of its domination, the Indian border was thoroughlyguarded by posts established at regular distances, by presidios withstrong garrisons composed of veteran troops, and by patrols whichtraversed the country day and night, watching over the common safety,and vigorously repulsing any attempt at plunder on the part of theIndians. Hence those incursions and invasions of the redskins which nowdevastate this unhappy country did not occur at that time. The Indiansinstead of attacking, had quite enough to do in defending themselves,for the Spanish policy tended continually to drive them back furtherinto their impenetrable deserts.

  At the present day all this has changed. The Indians have becomeconquerors in their turn, and, profiting by the intestine wars whichconstantly rend the old Spanish colonies, they have leapt over theborder marked out for them, and have advanced so far into the interiorof the civilized country, that they are encamped before towns andvillages which were formerly prosperous but are now in ruins. Minesworked long ago by the Spaniards have again become the property ofthe Indians, and they have carried so far their contempt of theMexicans, whose cowardice, by the by, is proverbial among them, thatthe Comanches and Apaches disdaining to take unnecessary precautionsin invading the territory of their foes, have fallen into the habitof making their incursions at a regular period of the year, whichthey call the "Mexican moon." Even more incredible than the impudentboldness with which these expeditions are carried out, is the stupidpatience and cowardly resignation of the white men, whose houses areburnt, crops destroyed, and cattle carried off annually, but who, sosoon as the Indians have retired, begin building and sowing again justas if nothing had occurred, although they are perfectly well aware thattheir labour will be lost, and that the Indians will return to destroyit all at a given day and hour. It was one of the patrols to which wehave referred that surprised and seized the sachem.

  "Who are you?" the officer asked. "To what tribe do you belong?"

  Running Water gave him an ironical glance, shrugged his shoulderscontemptuously, but made no answer.

  "Very well, as you please, my fine fellow," the officer, an old soldieraccustomed to Indian warfare, answered mockingly. "We know how toloosen the tongues of men like you. Come, my men, mount, and let us beoff."

  The patrol resumed its march, and shortly before sunrise reached LeonaVicario. The sachem was immediately taken to prison, the generalputting off his interrogation till after the festivities, which atthis moment interrupted the course of justice. Accident, a few hourslater, led the brave Canadian hunter to the same dungeon, as we haveseen. We have described what took place between them above. After theflight of his comrade, the adventurer coolly remained in prison, tothe great amazement of his keepers, who could not understand how a mancould remain a prisoner of his own choice, when he had a chance ofescaping.

  The adventurer, without seeming to notice the sarcasms the Spaniardslevelled at him, settled as comfortably as he could in a corner ofhis cell, and, placing his weapons within reach, in the event of anyattempt to do him an ill turn during his sleep, as he had heard saysometimes occurred, slept as calmly as if reposing in the middle ofthe desert. The Canadian's apprehensions were entirely unfounded, forhe was safe under the protection of Castilian honour; but he judgedthe Spaniards with his American prejudices, and from the calumnies hehad heard repeated by the Yankees, who thus sought to revenge theirexclusion from the Spanish colonies. In the morning, when he awoke, theCanadian was at first surprised to find himself in prison, but he soonremembered, and waited immediately till some decision was arrived atabout him. It was long, however, before the gaoler appeared, bringinghis breakfast.

  "Hilloh!" the adventurer said in surprise.

  "Why bring me food, instead of opening the doors and letting me be off?"

  "It is not a holiday every day," the gaoler answered mockingly. "Thedoor does not open so easily as that. Besides, what have you tocomplain of? It seems as if you like being in prison, as you had anopportunity to leave it, and did not take advantage of it."

  Clary shrugged his shoulders, and turned away, thinking it beneath himto argue with a scoundrel of this sort. The other grinned, placed theprovisions on the ground, went out, carefully locked the door, and theCanadian found himself again alone.

  "Hang it all," he muttered, "the affair is beginning to look ugly.Well! We shall see; but now to eat,
for it is bad arguing on an emptystomach."

  And after this consoling reflection, he began attacking the provisions,deferring the formation of any resolution till after the meal. But timewas not allowed him for this. He had scarce finished the last mouthfulere he heard the sound of footsteps and the clang of arms in thepassage. The door opened, and an officer entered.

  "Follow me!" he said.

  "Where are you taking me?" the Canadian asked.

  "Come, come," the officer said sharply, "you will soon learn."

  "Very good," he said, and walked out.

  An escort consisting of ten soldiers was waiting for him at the door.

  "Hang it," he said, "I appear to be treated like a man of importance."

  And, without waiting for orders, he placed himself in the midst ofthe soldiers, who at once closed up round him. He was led to the roominto which he had been introduced the previous day. The general wasthere alone. The officer, after thrusting the Canadian into the room,withdrew, and closed the door after him. The adventurer went two orthree paces forward, bowed respectfully to the general, and waited tillthe latter addressed him. The general was in full dress; he had his haton his head; his arms were crossed on his back, and he was walking upand down the room with hanging head and a dark frown.

  "Hum! This worthy officer does not seem in a very sweet temper thismorning," the Canadian thought. "Rude though he was, I liked him betteryesterday afternoon."

  After some moments of silence, the general walked up to the adventurer,and stopped before him with a menacing look.

  "Ah, ah," he said, "then you are here, Senor Picaro?"

  Instead of answering, the Canadian looked around him in surprise.

  "What are you looking for?" the general asked him sharply.

  "I am looking, Excellency," he replied placidly, "for the person towhom you are addressing that language."

  "Ah, ah," he replied, "you are facetious. We shall soon see how longyou keep up that part."

  "Excellency," the adventurer said seriously, "I am playing no part. Iwill have the honour of observing to you that the man who, holding thepower in his hands, amuses himself like a cat with a mouse, as you aredoing with me, commits, no matter who he is, a bad action, for he knowsthat he is addressing a man who is unable to answer him."

  The general resumed his hurried walk up and down the room, but almostimmediately returned to the Canadian.

  "Listen," he said to him sharply. "You produced a good impression onme when I first saw you. Your refusal to escape, when you had no otherprospect but the gallows, proves to me that you are brave. I want menof your sort. Are you willing to serve me? You will have no cause torepent it."

  The Canadian drew himself up.

  "Is your Excellency," he asked, "really doing me the honour of speakingseriously to me?"

  "Yes, and I am waiting for your answer."

  "Well, Excellency, the answer is this: I did not escape yesterday,because only guilty persons do that, and I am not guilty. Placedarbitrarily and in a manner contrary to the law of nations in prisonby you, during a moment of ill temper, I expect that justice will bedone me, and that those who put me in a dungeon will take me out ofit again. I enabled my comrade to escape, as I wished to prove to youthat, had I liked, nothing would have been more easy than for me to gowith him. You have told me that I am brave; it is true, and the reasonis simple. I have nothing to lose, and consequently to regret; and,in my opinion, life is not so very jolly that we should be afraid ofgiving it up. You have offered to take me into your service. I refuse."

  "Ah!" the general said, biting his lips.

  "Yes, and for two reasons."

  "Let me have them."

  "You shall. The first is, that I have engaged myself for a certain timeto your enemies, and when an honest man has once pledged his word, hecannot recall it. The second reason is perhaps more serious; still, Iam bound to say that, were I free, I would not serve you, not throughany personal dislike to your Excellency, but because the cause youdefend is that of absolutism, and I am naturally a fanatic partizan ofliberty."

  "Very good, you are a philosopher. Do you know what the moral of allthis is?"

  "No, Excellency, I do not."

  "That you will be hung directly."

  "Do you think so?" the Canadian replied, taking a step forward.

  "You will soon have the proof," the general said, with a grin.

  And he walked up to a table to ring a hand bell, but before he couldaccomplish his design, the Canadian leapt on him like a tiger, hurledhim to the ground, and ere the general, so suddenly attacked, had timeto regain his coolness to call out or attempt to defend himself, he wassecurely bound and carefully gagged. With a presence of mind which hecould only have obtained through the adventurous life he had hithertoled, the Canadian, so soon as he had secured his prisoner, ran to thedoor and bolted it, to avoid a surprise. Thus certain that he would notbe disturbed for some time, the Canadian collected several bundles ofpapers scattered over the table, put them in his pocket, seized a braceof richly embossed pistols, carefully examined them, to see whetherthey were loaded, and thrust them in his belt. Then he returned to thegeneral, who had anxiously watched all his movements.

  "Now for us two, Excellency," he said, as he drew his knife and triedthe point on his thumbnail, "pledge me your word of honour as agentleman that you will not cry out, and I will at once remove yourgag. Moreover, I may remind you that the door is locked, and beforeyour soldiers or servants could break it open, I should have killedyou. Well, what do you say to my proposition?"

  The general nodded his compliance of the terms and, in accordance withhis promise, the Canadian at once removed the gag. He did even more;raising him in his arms, he carried him to an easy chair, in which heseated him comfortably.

  "There," he said, "now we can talk. You see, Excellency, that you werenot mistaken about me, and that I am, to employ your own expression, abold scoundrel."

  "Yes," the general answered, with concentrated passion, "I let myselfbe caught like a fool. What do you demand of me, now that you have mein your power?"

  "I demand nothing, Excellency. I merely desire my liberty."

  The general reflected for a moment.

  "No," he at length said, with a start of passion, "I will not give ityou. Kill me, if you like, villain!"

  "Very good. You are a brave fellow. No, Excellency, I will not killyou. I am no assassin. I merely wished to give you a simple lesson andteach you not to violate the law of nations. Now, I am going to cutyour bonds."

  "You will not dare do so," the general said bluntly.

  "Why not?" the Canadian asked.

  "Because you know very well that once I am free--"

  "When you are free, Excellency, you will do what you think proper. Icare little what, for did I not tell you that I did not cling to life?"

  The general looked at him.

  "Carry out your promise," he then said.

  "Directly, Excellency."

  With the utmost coolness the Canadian removed the bonds which he had socarefully rolled round the general's body.

  "Ah!" said the latter, springing up like a tiger, "Now we shall see."

  "Wait a moment, Excellency," the Canadian said tranquilly, "the door isnot yet unbolted."

  This mad and reckless rashness confounded the general; for the firsttime in his life, perhaps, this man felt his heart softened by afeeling which had hitherto been strange to him.

  "Very good," he said, "open it."

  The adventurer did not let the order be repeated, but drew the boltswith the same tranquil air which he had retained during the wholescene. The general rang.

  "Have a horse saddled at once," he said to the usher who entered; thenhe added, turning to Clary, "Begone, without looking behind you. Makehaste, before I recall the order I have given; for I shall probablysoon repent my clemency."

  "I think so, Excellency," the Canadian answered with a singular smile.

  And, after bowing respectfully, he l
eft the room. The general remainedpensive for a moment.

  "What a strange character," he muttered, and he fell back into an easychair, in order to restore a little regularity in his ideas, which hadbeen upset by these extraordinary events. All at once his eyes turnedaccidentally to the table.

  "Oh," he exclaimed, rising furiously, "my papers."

  But it was in vain that he gave orders to pursue the adventurer. Thelatter had followed the general's advice exactly, and, burying hisspurs in his horse's flanks, had started at a gallop.