CHAPTER X.
THE GUAYCURUS.
The vast territory of Brazil is even at the present time inhabited bynumerous Indian tribes, spread over the sombre forests and the vastdeserts which cover that country.
Of these nations, two especially hold an important place in the historyof the aboriginal races of Brazil; these are the Payagoas and theGuaycurus.
The latter most particularly occupy our attention.
After having exchanged with the marquis the few words which we havereported, Don Diogo advanced alone, and without arms, towards theIndian, who was boldly stationed across the path, and who regarded himas he approached without making the slightest movement.
These two men, although of a common origin, and both descended from theaboriginal race, and from the first owners of the soil which they trod,offered, nevertheless, two quite distinct types, and formed the mostcomplete contrast.
The Guaycurus, painted as a warrior, proudly draped in his poncho,boldly sitting on his horse--as untamed as himself--his flashing eyefirmly fixed on the man who advanced towards him, whilst a smile ofproud disdain played upon his lips, would have well represented in theeyes of an observer the type of that powerful race, confident in itsright and in its power, which, since the first day of its discovery,has sworn an implacable hatred to the whites; has retreated step bystep before them, without ever having turned their back; and whichhas resolved to perish rather than submit to an odious yoke and adishonourable servitude.
The captain, on the contrary--less vigorously built, embarrassed in hisexact and artificial costume, bearing on his features the indeliblemark of the servitude to which he had submitted, constrained in hisposture, replacing haughtiness by effrontery, and only fixing bystealth a saturnine look on his adversary--represented the bastardtype of that race to which he had ceased to belong, and the costumes ofwhich he had repudiated, to adopt without understanding them, those ofhis conquerors, instinctively feeling his inferiority, and submitting,perhaps unknown to himself, to the magnetic influence of that naturewhich was so strong because it was free.
"Who are you, dog?" said the Guaycurus, harshly, casting on him a lookof contempt; "You who bear the garments of a slave?"
"I am as you are, a son of this land," answered the captain, in amorose tone, "only more happy than you; my eyes are open to the truefaith."
"Do not employ your lying tongue in sounding your own praises. It illbecomes you to me," answered the warrior, "to boast of the sweetness ofslavery."
"Are you then come, crossing my route, to insult me?" said the captain,with an ill-suppressed accent of rage. "My arm is long, and my patienceshort."
The warrior made a gesture of disdain.
"Who would dare to flatter himself to frighten Tarou Niom?" said he.
"I know you; I know that you are famed in your nation for your couragein combat and your wisdom in council. Cease, then, from vain romancingand bombast."
"A fool sometimes gives good counsel," was the warrior's repartee;"what you say is just. Let us come, then, to the real subject of thisinterview. I wait while you explain."
"Why have you not reported to the palefaces the message with which Icharged you for them?"
"I am no more the slave of the whites than you."
"And notwithstanding that warning, they continue to march in advance?"
"You see it is so."
"These men are mad."
"They by no means share that opinion. More sensible than you, withoutfearing you, they do not scorn you."
"Is it not the greatest insult they can offer us, to dare to invade ourterritory?"
"They do not invade your territory."
"You are a dog with a forked tongue. The palefaces have no occasion totraverse our country."
"You have not the right to hinder the passage of peaceable citizensthrough your country."
"If we have not that right, we take it. The Guaycurus are the onlymasters of these territories."
"Listen to me," said Diogo, "that the truth may penetrate to yourheart."
"Speak; am I not here to listen to you?"
"We have no intention of penetrating any further into your country; weonly wish to pass."
"Aha! And what do you call the country to which you are going?" pursuedthe chief.
"The country of the Frentones."
"The Frentones are the allies of my nation; to enter on their territoryis to enter on ours. We will not suffer this violation. Go and rejoinhim who has sent you, and tell him that Tarou Niom consents to allowhim to go, on condition that he will immediately turn his horse's headtowards the north."
The captain remained unmoved.
"Do you not understand me?" asked the warrior, with violence; "On thatcondition alone can you hope to escape, every one of you, from death orslavery. Go!"
"It is useless," answered the captain; "the white chief will notconsent to return before having definitively accomplished the object ofhis journey."
"What interest induces this man to stake his life?"
"I do not know; that is not my affair."
"Good; so, notwithstanding all that I may say to him, he will continueto advance?"
"I am convinced of it."
"Very well, he shall die."
"Is it, then, war that you desire?"
"No, it is vengeance. The whites are not our enemies; they are wildbeasts that we kill."
"Take care, chief; the struggle between us will be serious, I warn you."
"So much the better; it is a long time since my sons have met an enemyworthy of their courage."
"This conversation is now useless; allow me to return to my people."
"Go, then; I have no more, indeed, to say to you. Remember, that itis the obstinacy of your master that calls down upon his head themisfortunes that will fall upon it."
"I thank you for the information; chief, I will profit by it, be sureof that," said Diogo, with irony.
The Guaycurus smiled without answering, and, burying his spurs in theflanks of his horse, disappeared almost instantly in the high grass.
The captain rejoined the marquis, who was waiting with impatience theresult of the interview.
"Well," cried he, as soon as Don Diogo had made his appearance.
"What I foresaw has happened," answered the Indian.
"Which is--"
"That these Guaycurus will not, under any pretext, allow us to placeour foot on their territory."
"Indeed!"
"They order us to retrace our steps; they are resolved not to give us apassage."
"We shall force one for ourselves by passing over their corpses,"haughtily cried the marquis.
"I doubt it, your Excellency. No one individually is capable ofsuccessfully contending against ten enemies."
"Do you, then, think them so numerous?"
"I have understated it; it is not ten, but a hundred, that I shouldhave said."
"You seek to frighten me, Diogo?"
"What use would it be, your Excellency? I know that nothing I couldsay to you would succeed in persuading you, it would be but wastingprecious time."
"Then it is you who are afraid," cried the marquis.
The Indian, at this undeserved insult, turned pale in the manner of themen of his race; that is to say, his countenance assumed a tint of dullwhite; his eyes flushed with blood, and a convulsive trembling agitatedall his limbs.
"What you say not only is not generous, your Excellency," he answered,"but is inappropriate at this moment. Why insult a man who for the lasthour has endured uncomplainingly, on the part of your enemy, deadlyinsults?"
"But at all events," resumed Don Roque, in a more gentle voice, "ourposition is intolerable. We cannot remain here thus; how are we toescape from the difficulty in which we are?"
"That, your Excellency, is what I am thinking of. An immediate attackfrom the Guaycurus is not what concerns me at the present moment. Iknow their manner of fighting; they must have at the present moment aninterest in sparing us--for why? I
cannot yet decide, but I shall soonknow."
"What makes you suppose that?"
"The obstinacy with which they try to persuade us to return, instead ofassailing us unawares."
"What do you intend to do?"
"At first, to study the plans of the enemy, my lord, and, if God givesme aid I shall succeed, I swear, in discovering those plans."
"Be assured, that if we succeed in defeating their projects, and inescaping from our enemies, the recompense I shall give you will beequivalent to the service you render me."
"It is useless to speak of reward to a dead man, and I consider myselfso," answered the captain.
"Always that thought!" said the young man.
"Yes, always, your Excellency, but do not concern yourself. Knowingthat I cannot escape the fate which threatens me, I will try all thatis humanly possible to postpone the inevitable catastrophe. That oughtto reassure you."
"Not much," said the marquis with a smile.
"Only, your Excellency, I repeat, I want all my liberty of action."
"I have given you my word, as a gentleman."
"And I have accepted it, my lord. The war we are now commencing hasnothing in common with those which, they tell me, you are accustomed tomake in Europe. We have in face of us enemies whose principal weaponis trickery; it is only then by showing ourselves more keen and moresubtle than they, that we shall succeed in conquering them, if it ispossible for us--which I do not believe--to obtain that result."
"Once for all, I promise to give you the most perfect liberty, strangeand singular as appear to me the dispositions you judge it necessary totake."
"That is speaking like a wise man; courage! Who knows? Perhaps God maydeign to work a miracle."
"I thank you for at last giving me a ray of hope, Diogo," said themarquis, "as it is not a commodity of which you are a prodigal."
"We are men, to whom it is necessary to speak frankly, to put ourselveson our guard, my lord, and not timid children, whom it is necessary todeceive. Now," he added, "if you have no objection, we must encamp forthe night."
"What! Stop already!" cried the young man.
"What a pity!" cried the Indian, "That this expedition should be doomedto end so badly! I could have given you some lessons, my lord, whichwould have made you, in time, one of the most skilful trappers of theBrazilian woods."
Notwithstanding the critical situation in which he was, the marquiscould not forbear laughing at this outburst of the worthy captain.
"Never mind," answered he, "do not deprive me of your lessons. Perhapsthey will be of use."
"With the favour of God, my lord; listen to me, then. This is what weought to do."
"I am all attention."
"We ought not to penetrate any farther into the desert before havingsome positive information as to the movement of our enemies. Thisinformation I alone can obtain, by mixing with them and introducingmyself into their villages. Do you understand me, my lord?"
"Pretty well; one thing alone in what you have told me remainsdoubtful."
"What is it?"
"You intend yourself to go and seek news."
"Just so; such is my intention."
"Do you not think that will be very imprudent? You risk beingdiscovered."
"True, and if that should happen, my fate is decided. What would you,my lord? There is a risk to run, but by no other means of acting.However perilous such an expedition may be, it is not so much so as youmay suppose, for a man who, like me, belongs to the Indian race andnaturally knows the habits of the men he wishes to deceive."
While the marquis and the captain thus talked together, the caravancontinued to advance slowly through the inextricable meanderings of anarrow path, traced with difficulty by the passage of wild beasts.
Silence the most complete reigned in the desert, which the foot of manappeared never to have trodden since the time of its discovery.
Meanwhile the half-caste hunters and the soldados da conquista, arousedby the unexpected presence before them of the Guaycurus chief, putthemselves on their guard; they only advanced according to the Spanishexpression, "with the beard on the shoulder," eye and ear on thewatch, finger on the trigger of their fusils, ready to fire at theleast alarm.
The caravan thus attained the hill on which Don Diogo proposed toencamp. The Indian--with that infallible glance which a long experiencegives, and which is possessed only by men inured by years of life inthe desert, so varied and so full of unforeseen dangers--had admirablychosen the only spot where it was possible to establish a camp whichcould resist a sudden attack of the enemy.
This hill formed an advance post of one of the largest rivers of theplain. Its steep sides were without verdure, its summit alone wascovered with a thick wood. On the side next to the river the hill,which was almost perpendicular, was insurmountable, and only accessibleby the desert for a space of ten yards at the most.
The marquis congratulated Don Diogo on the sagacity with which he hadchosen this position--
"However," added he, "I cannot help asking myself whether it isnecessary for a single night to establish ourselves on the summit ofsuch a fortress."
"If we had but to remain there but a single night," answered theIndian, "I should not have given myself the trouble of choosing thisplace, but the information we have to obtain will take us some time,and we may remain here a few days."
"Remain a few days here!" cried the marquis.
"I cannot say positively. Perhaps we may set out again tomorrow. Thatwill depend upon circumstances. Although our position may not be good,still it depends a little upon us not to make it worse."
"You are always right, my friend," answered the young man; "let us campthen since you wish it."
The captain then left the marquis, and proceeded to give all necessaryorders.
The Brazilians first occupied themselves in securing the most importantthings--that is to say, the food and the munitions of war; then, thiscare taken, they installed the camp on the edge of the platform of thehill. They then formed a rampart of trunks of trees, interlaced onein the other. Behind this first rampart the waggons and carts werefastened in the form of a St. Andrew's cross.
According to the express orders of the captain, the trees which werenecessary for the fortifications had to be felled; the others remainingstanding were not only to give shade to the Brazilians, but also toserve for defence in case of assault, and moreover, to prevent theIndians reckoning them, and thus knowing the number of enemies whomthey had to attack.