CHAPTER XXX.
THE PIRATE'S CONFESSION.
A few moments passed, during which the Pirate seemed painfullycollecting his thoughts before speaking. White Gazelle, with her eyesfixed on him, waited with anxious curiosity.
At length, the bandit seized the gourd, raised it to his lips a secondtime, and after drinking heartily, replaced it by his side. A feverishflush immediately spread over his cheeks, his eyes grew brighter, and hesaid, in a firmer voice than might have been expected--
"Listen to me attentively, child, and profit by what you are about tohear. I am dying and men do not lie at such a moment. The words I shallutter are true. You well know me."
He stopped for some seconds, and then continued with an effort--
"I have not always been a pirate of the prairies, or tiger with a humanface--one of those wretches whom it is permissible to hunt like wildbeasts. No! there was a time when I was young, handsome, and rich; atthat remote period I was called Walter Stapleton, and was so rich that Idid not know the amount of my fortune. Like everyone else you fancied mea Spaniard, and have been equally deceived--I am a citizen of the UnitedStates, descended from an old puritan family, long settled at New York.My parents died before I was twenty years of age; master of an immensefortune, I had become connected with all the scamps in the city; twoespecially became my intimate friends, and succeeded in a short time ingetting such a hold on me, that I only acted on their impulses and bytheir suggestions. One of them was born in New York like myself, theother was a Mexican. Both were, like myself, young, good-looking, andrich, or, at least, they appeared so, for they squandered enormous sums.Their names were--but why tell you them?" he added, "I am not speakingof them here, but only of myself. One day the Mexican came to me with aletter in his hand; his family called him home, for he was to enter thechurch; but he would not, or, at least, could not leave New York at themoment. I never knew the reason; but one month later we were all threecompelled to seek a refuge in Mexico, after a mournful tragedy, in whichmy two friends played the chief part, leaving behind them a trail ofblood. I repeat to you that I never learned the circumstances."
At this moment a rustling was audible in the bushes against which thebandit was leaning; but the Gazelle, overcome by the increasing interestof the story, did not notice it. There was an interruption for someminutes. Pedro Sandoval was growing perceptibly weaker.
"I must finish, however," he said; and making an effort, he continued:--"We were at Mexico, where we lived nobly. In a short time I gained thereputation of a finished gentleman. A great gambler, and adored bywomen, shall I repeat to you the follies and extravagances that filledmy days? What good would it be? Suffice it for you to know that Ideserved this reputation in every respect. One day, a stranger arrivedin Mexico. He was, it was said, a caballero from an upcountry province,enormously rich, and travelling for his pleasure. This man in a shorttime displayed such recklessness, that his reputation soon equalled andeven surpassed mine. I, who had always been the first in every wildscheme, was placed in the second rank. My friends laughed at the suddenchange effected, and by this incessant raillery augmented my anger anddetestation of this Don Pacheco de Tudela, as the man was called.Several times already we had met face to face at the tertulias, and eachtime our glances crossed like sword blades. I comprehended that this manhated me. For my part, a dull jealousy devoured me when his name wasmentioned in my presence.
"A crisis was imminent, and we both sought it. One evening, when we wereboth at the tertulia of the Governor of Arispe, a game of monte wasarranged. You know that game, which is the ruling passion of theMexicans. I had held the bank for some hours, and an incredible run ofluck had made me gain immense sums, which were piled up before me, andcovered nearly the whole of the table. The gamblers, terrified by thisconstant good luck, retired in terror. I was about to collect and sendoff my money, when I heard a few paces from me Don Pacheco sayingironically to a party of friends:--'I am not jealous of senorStapleton's good luck. I have allowed him to win that he may repair hisruined fortune, and stop the cries of his creditors, who have beenyelping for a long time at his heels.'
"These words wounded me the more because they were true. My fortune,mortgaged beyond its value, only existed on paper, and numerouscreditors incessantly pursued me. I walked up to Don Pacheco, and lookedhim boldly in the face.
"'To prove to you that I do not fear losing,' I said to him, 'I offer tostake on one hand with you all it has taken me so many hours to win.'
"The stranger looked at me in his turn; then he said, in his cuttingvoice, and with the sarcastic accent habitual to him:--
"'You are wrong, my dear sir. This money is very necessary to you; and,if I were mad enough to play with you, I warn you that you would lose.'
"He laughed in my face, and turned his back on me.
"'Oh!' I said to him, 'you are afraid--and then, again, you probably donot possess one quarter the sum there, and that is why you dare notplay.'
"Don Pacheco shrugged his shoulders without replying to me, andaddressed the richest banker of Arispe, who was standing near him:--
"'Senor Don Julio Baldomero,' he said to him, 'how much do you thinkthere is on that table?'
"The banker took a glance in my direction, and then answered:--
"'Six hundred thousand piastres, or nearly so, senor.'
"'Very good,' the other said. 'Don Julio, be good enough to give me abill for twelve hundred thousand piastres, payable at sight, on yourbank.'
"The banker bowed, took out his pocketbook, and wrote a few words on aleaf which he tore out, and handed to Don Pacheco.
"'Do you believe, sir,' the Mexican said to me, 'that this billrepresents the sum before you?'
"These words were accompanied by the sarcastic smile this man constantlyhad on his lips, and which drove me wild.
"'Yes,' I replied haughtily, 'and I am awaiting your determination.'
"'It is formed,' he said. 'Ask for new cards, and let us begin. Still,you can recall your word, if you like.'
"'Nonsense,' I said, as I undid a fresh pack of cards.
"Although our altercation had been short, as everybody knew our feelingstoward each other, the conversation had broken off, and all the guestsat the tertulia had collected around us. A profound silence prevailed inthe room, and the faces expressed the curiosity and interest aroused bythis strange scene. After shuffling the cards for some time, I handedthem to my opponent to cut. The stranger laid his right hand on thepack, and said to me impertinently:--
"'There is yet time.'
"I shrugged my shoulders as reply. He cut, and I began dealing. At thefourth hand I had lost, and was ruined!"
The pirate stopped. For some time his voice had been growing weaker, andit was only by making extreme efforts that he succeeded in speakingdistinctly.
"Drink!" he said so softly that the girl scarce heard him. She caught upa skin of water.
"No," he said, "brandy."
White Gazelle obeyed him.
The pirate eagerly drank two or three mouthfuls.
"All was over," he continued, in a firm voice, with sparkling eye, andface flushed by the fever preying on him. "Concealing my rage in myheart, I prepared to leave the table with a smile on my lips.
"'One moment, sir,' my opponent said. 'The game is not over yet.'
"'What do you want more?' I answered him. 'Have you not won?'
"'Oh!' he said, with a gesture of supreme contempt: 'That is true. Ihave won this wretched sum. But you have a stake still to risk.'
"'I do not understand you, sir.'
"'Perhaps so! Listen to me. There are on this table eighteen hundredthousand piastres, that is to say, a fabulous fortune, which would formthe happiness of a dozen families.'
"'Well?' I answered in a surprise.
"'Well, I will play you for them, if you like. Hang it, my dear sir, Iam in luck at this moment, and I will not let fortune escape me while Ihold her.'
"'I have nothing more to stake, sir, and you kn
ow it,' I said in a loudand haughty voice. 'I do not understand what you are alluding to.'
"To this he replied, without seeming in the least disconcerted, 'Youlove Dona Isabella Izaguirre?'
"'How does that concern you?'
"'If I may believe public rumour, you are to marry her in a few days,' hecontinued calmly. 'Well, I too love Dona Isabel, and I have made up mymind she shall be mine by fair means or foul.'
"'And?' I interrupted him violently.
"'And, if you like, I will stake these eighteen hundred thousandpiastres against her hand. You see that I appreciate her value,' headded, as he carelessly lit his panatellas.
"'_Canario!_ A splendid game! What a magnificent stake! A man cannot actmore gallantly!' Such were the remarks made around me by the witnessesof this scene.
"'You hesitate?' Don Pacheco asked me in his ironical way.
"I looked defiantly round me, but no one accepted my challenge.
"'No,' I answered in a hollow voice, my teeth clenched with rage. 'Iaccept.'
"The audience uttered a cry of admiration. Never in the memory ofplayers at Arispe, had a game of monte afforded such interest, and alleagerly collected round the table. I felt for Dona Isabel that profoundlove which constitutes a man's existence.
"'Who is to deal?' I asked my adversary.
"'You!' he replied, with his infernal smile.
"Five minutes later, I had lost my mistress!"
There was a moment's silence; a nervous tremor had assailed the pirate,and for some instants it was only by an extraordinary effort that he hadbeen enabled to utter the words that seemed to choke him. It was evidentthat the wound in his heart was as vivid as on the day when he receivedit, and that only a strong interest induced him to refer to it.
"At length," he continued with a certain volubility, as he wiped awaythe cold perspiration that beaded on his forehead, and mingled with theblood that oozed from his wound, "the stranger approached me.
"'Are you satisfied?' he said.
"'Not yet,' I replied in a gloomy voice: 'we have still one game to playout.'
"'Oh,' he said, ironically, 'I fancied you had nothing more to lose.'
"'You were mistaken. You have still my life to gain from me.'
"'That is true,' he said, 'and by heaven, I will win it from you. I wishto cover your stake to the end, so let us go out.'
"'Why do that?' I said to him. 'This table served as the arena for thefirst two games, and the third shall be decided upon it.'
"'Done!' he said. 'By Jupiter! You are a fine fellow! I may kill you,but I shall be proud of my victory.'
"People attempted in vain to prevent the duel; but neither the strangernor myself would listen to it. At length they consented to give us theweapons we asked for; and then, moreover, this strange combat in theflower-adorned room, on the table covered with gold, among lovely youngwomen, whose freshness and beauty the lights heightened, had somethingfatal about it which inflamed the imagination. The two heroes of Arispe,the men who had for so long a time formed the sole topic ofconversation, had at length decided to settle which should definitelyhold the palm.
"I leaped on the table, and my opponent at once followed my example. Ienjoyed the reputation of being a fine swordsman, and yet, at the secondpass, I fell with my chest pierced through and through. For three monthsI hovered between life and death, and when my youth and powerfulconstitution at length triumphed over my horrible wound, and I wasapproaching convalescence, I inquired about my adversary. On the dayafter our duel, this man had married Dona Isabel; a week later, bothdisappeared, and no one could tell me in what direction they had gone.
"I had only one object, one desire--to revenge myself on Don Pacheco.So soon as I was sufficiently recovered to leave the house, I sold thelittle left me, and quitted Arispe in my turn, followed by my friends,who were as poor as myself, for the blow that had struck me had struckthem too, and, like myself, they only desired revenge on Don Pacheco.For a long time our researches were vain, and many years elapsed ere Igrew weary of seeking their trail. There were only two of us now to doit, for the third had left us.
"What had become of him? I do not know, but one day, by chance, at anAmerican frontier village where I had gone to sell my peltry, Satanbrought me face to face with this friend, whom I never expected to meetagain. He wore a monk's gown, and so soon as he perceived me, walked upto me. The first words he addressed to me after our lengthenedseparation were:
"'I have found them again.'
"I understood without it being necessary for him to make any furtherexplanation, for my hatred had taken such deep root in my heart. Whatmore shall I tell you, Nina?" he added, with an effort, while a fearfulsmile crisped his blue lips. "I took my revenge. Oh! This vengeance waslong in coming, but it was terrible!... Our foe had become one of therichest hacenderos in Texas; he lived happily with his wife andchildren, respected and loved by all who surrounded him. I bought a farmnear his, and then, on the watch, like a jaguar with its prey, Ifollowed his every movement, and introduced myself into his house. Solengthened a period had elapsed since our last meeting, that he did notrecognise me, although a foreboding seemed from the outset to warn himthat I was his enemy.
"One night, at the head of a band of pirates and Apaches, my two friendsand myself, after assuring ourselves that all were quietly sleeping inDon Pacheco's hacienda, glided like serpents through the darkness; thewalls were escaladed, and our vengeance began. The hacienda was given upto the flames; Don Pacheco and his wife, surprised in their sleep, werepitilessly massacred, after undergoing atrocious tortures. I tore bothyourself and your sister from the arms of your dying mother, who sobbedat our feet, imploring me to spare you in memory of my old love for her.
"I swore it, and kept my promise. I do not know what became of yoursister; I did not even trouble myself about her. As for you, Nina, haveyou had ever any cause to reproach me?"
The girl had listened to this fearful revelation with frowning eyebrowsand livid cheeks. When the bandit stopped, she said harshly:
"Then you are the murderer of my father and mother?"
"Yes," he replied, "but not alone; there were three of us, and we tookour revenge."
"Wretch!" she burst forth; "Vile assassin!"
The girl uttered these words with such an implacable accent, that thebandit shuddered.
"Ah!" he said, "I recognise the lioness. You are truly my enemy'sdaughter. Courage, child, courage. Assassinate me in your turn. Whatrestrains you? Rob me of the short span of life still left me, but makehaste, or Heaven will prevent your vengeance."
And he fixed on her his eye, which was still proud, but already cloudedby the hand of death. The girl gave no answer.
"You prefer seeing me die; well, receive this last present," he said,plucking from his bosom a bag, suspended from a steel chain; "in it youwill find two letters, one from your father, the other from your mother;you will learn who you are, and what name you should bear in the world,for the one I mentioned is false; I wished to deceive you to the end.That name is my last vengeance.... Nina, you will remember me."
The girl bounded on to the bag and seized it.
"Now, good-bye," the Pirate said; "my work is accomplished on thisearth."
And seizing the pistol Red Cedar had left him, he blew out his brains,fixing on the girl a glance of strange meaning. But she did not seem tonotice this tragical end, for she was tearing the bag with her teeth.When she succeeded in opening it, she unfolded the papers it contained,and hurriedly perused them. Suddenly she uttered a shriek of despair,and fell back, clutching the letters in her hand.
The Indians and pirates ran up to help her, but, quicker than lightning,a horseman darted from the chaparral, reaching the girl without checkingthe speed of his horse; he bent down, raised her up in his powerfularms, threw her across his saddle-bow, and passed like a tornado throughthe astounded spectators.
"We shall meet again soon, Red Cedar," he said in a loud voice, as hepassed the squatter.
Befor
e the latter and his comrades could recover from their surprise,the horseman had disappeared in the distance in a cloud of dust.
The horseman was Bloodson!
Red Cedar shook his head sadly.
"Can what the priests say be true?" he muttered; "Is there really aProvidence?"