Les trappeurs de l'Arkansas. English

  CHAPTER XVI.

  TREACHERY.

  The return was dull, the general was plunged in profound reflections,caused by his conversation with the trapper. Dona Luz was thinking ofthe warning that had been given her; the guide embarrassed by the twoconversations of Black Elk with the general, had a secret presentiment,which told him to keep on his guard. The two lanceros alone rode oncarelessly, ignorant of the drama that was being played around them, andthinking but of one thing--the repose which awaited them on regainingthe camp.

  The Babbler incessantly cast anxious looks around him, appearing toseek for auxiliaries amidst the thickets which the little party passedsilently through.

  Day was drawing to a close; it would not be long before the sundisappeared, and already the mysterious denizens of the forest atintervals sent forth dull roarings.

  "Are we still far from the camp?" the general said, all at once.

  "No," the guide replied; "scarcely an hour's ride."

  "Let us mend our speed, then; I should not like to be surprised by thenight in this woody country."

  The troop fell into a quick trot, which, in less than half an hour,brought them to the first barricades of the camp.

  Captain Aguilar and the doctor came to receive the travellers on theirarrival.

  The evening repast was prepared, and had been waiting some time.

  They seated themselves at table.

  But the sadness which for some time past seemed to have taken possessionof the general and his niece increased instead of diminishing. It hadits effect upon the repast; all swallowed their food hastily, withoutexchanging a word. As soon as they had finished, under pretext of thefatigues of the journey, they separated, ostensibly to seek repose, but,in reality, for the sake of being alone, and reflecting upon the eventsof the day.

  On his part, the guide was not more at his ease; a bad conscience, asage has said, is the most annoying night companion a man can have; theBabbler possessed the worst of all bad consciences, therefore he had noinclination to sleep. He walked about the camp, seeking in vain in hismind, harassed by anxiety and perhaps remorse, for some means of gettingout of the scrape in which he found himself. But it was in vain for himto put his imagination to the rack, nothing suggested itself to calm hisapprehensions.

  In the meantime, night was advancing, the moon had disappeared, and athick darkness hovered over the silent camp.

  Everyone was asleep, or appearing to sleep; the guide alone, who hadtaken upon himself the first watch, was seated on a bale; with his armscrossed upon his breast, and his eyes fixed upon vacancy, he became moreand more absorbed in gloomy reveries.

  All at once a hand was placed upon his shoulder, and a voice murmured inhis ear the single word,

  "Kennedy!"

  The guide, with that presence of mind, and that imperturbable phlegmwhich never abandons the Indian or the half-breed, cast a suspiciousglance around him, to assure himself that he was really alone; thenhe seized the hand which had remained resting upon his shoulder, anddragged the individual who had spoken to him, and who followed himwithout resistance, to a retired spot, where he thought he was certainof being overheard by nobody.

  At the moment when the two men passed by the tent, the curtains openedsoftly, and a shadow glided silently after them.

  When they were concealed amidst the packages, and standing near enoughto each other to speak in a voice as low as a breath, the guidemuttered:

  "God be praised! I have been expecting your visit with impatience,Kennedy."

  "Did you know that I was about to come?" the latter remarkedsuspiciously.

  "No, but I hoped you would!"

  "Is there anything fresh?"

  "Yes, and much!"

  "Speak, and make haste!"

  "That is what I am going to do. All is lost!"

  "Hem! what do you mean by that?"

  "What do I mean is, that today the general, guided by me, went----"

  "Ah! yes, I know all that. I saw you."

  "Maldicion! why did you not attack us, then?"

  "There were but two of us."

  "I should have made the third, the party would then have been equal; thegeneral had but two lanceros."

  "That's true; but I did not think of it."

  "You were wrong. All would now be ended, instead of which all is nowprobably lost."

  "How so?"

  "Eh! _caray!_ It is clear enough. The general and his niece held longconversations with that sneaking hound, Black Elk, and you know he hasbeen acquainted with me a long while. There is no doubt he has made themsuspicious of me."

  "Why did you lead them to the beaver pond, then?"

  "How could I tell I should meet that cursed trapper there?"

  "In our trade we must be awake to everything."

  "You are right. I have committed an error. At present I believe theevil to be without remedy, for I have a presentiment that Black Elk hascompletely edified the general with respect to me."

  "Hum! that is more than probable. What is to be done, then?"

  "Act as soon as possible, without giving them time to put themselves ontheir guard."

  "For my part, I ask no better than that, you know."

  "Yes, but where is the captain? Has he returned?"

  "He arrived this evening. All our men are concealed in the grotto; thereare forty of us.

  "Bravo! Why did you not come all together, instead of you by yourself?Only see, what a fine opportunity you have lost? They are all sleepinglike dormice. We could have seized them all in less than ten minutes."

  "You are right; but one cannot foresee everything; besides, the affairwas not so agreed upon with the captain."

  "That is true. Why did you come then?"

  "To warn you that we are ready, and only await your signal to act."

  "Let us consider, then, what is best to be done? Advise me."

  "How the devil can you expect me to advise you? Can I tell what is goingon here so as to tell you what you must do?"

  The guide reflected for a minute, then he raised his head, and surveyedthe heavens attentively.

  "Listen," he replied, "it is but two o'clock in the morning."

  "About that."

  "You are going back to the grotto?"

  "Immediately!"

  "Yes."

  "Very well. What next?"

  "You will tell the captain that, if he wishes it, I will deliver thegirl up to him this night."

  "Hum! that appears to me rather difficult."

  "You are stupid."

  "Very possibly, but I don't see how."

  "Attend then. The guarding of the camp is thus distributed:--In thedaytime the soldiers guard the intrenchments; but as they are notaccustomed to the life of the prairies, and as in the night theirassistance would do more harm than good, the other guides and I arecharged with the guard whilst the soldiers repose."

  "That's cleverly managed," Kennedy said, laughing.

  "Is it not?" the Babbler said. "You get on horseback then? when youarrive at the bottom of the hill, six of the bravest of you must comeand join me with their aid I undertake to bind, while they sleep, allthe soldiers and the general himself."

  "There is something in that; that's a good idea."

  "Don't you think so?"

  "By my faith do I."

  "Very well. When once our folks are safely bound, I will whistle, andthe captain will come up with the rest of the troop. Then he may arrangehis matters with the girl as well as he is able; that is his concern; mytask will be accomplished. Now, what do you think of all that?"

  "Capital!"

  "In this fashion we shall avoid bloodshed and blows, for which I have nogreat fancy, when I can do without them."

  "We know your prudence in that respect."

  "Zounds! my dear fellow, when we have affairs like this on hand, which,when they succeed, present great advantages, we should always endeavourso to arrange matters as to have all the chances in our favour.

  "Perfectly well reas
oned; besides which, your idea pleases me much, and,without delay, I will put it into execution; but, in the first place,let us make things clear, to avoid misunderstandings, which are alwaysdisagreeable."

  "Very well."

  "If, as I believe he will, the captain finds your plan good, and verylikely to succeed, as soon as we are at the foot of the hill, I willcome up with six resolute fellows, whom I will pick out myself. On whichside must we introduce ourselves into the camp?"

  "The devil! why on the side you have already entered: you ought to knowit."

  "And you, where will you be?"

  "At the spot where you enter, ready to assist you."

  "That's well. Now all is agreed and understood. You have nothing more tosay to me?"

  "Nothing."

  "I am off, then."

  "The sooner the better."

  "You are always right. Guide me to the place I am to go out at; it isso cursedly dark, that I may lose my way, and tumble over some sleepingsoldier, and that would not help our business at all."

  "Give me your hand."

  "Here it is."

  The two men rose, and prepared to proceed to the place where thecaptain's emissary was to leave the camp; but, at the same moment, ashadow interposed itself between them, and a firm voice said;--

  "You are traitors, and shall die!"

  In spite of their self-possession, the two men remained for an instantstupefied. Without giving them time to recover their presence of mind,the person who had spoken discharged two pistols, point blank at them.

  The miserable wretches uttered a loud cry. One fell, but the other,bounding like a tiger-cat, scrambled over the intrenchments anddisappeared before a second shot could be fired at him.

  At the double report and the cry uttered by the bandits, the whole campwas roused, and all rushed to the barricades.

  The general and Captain Aguilar were the first to arrive at the spotwhere the scene we have described had taken place.

  They found Dona Luz, with two smoking pistols in her hands, whilst, ather feet, a man was writhing in the agonies of death.

  "What does all this mean, niece? What has happened, in the name ofHeaven! Are you wounded?" the terrified general asked.

  "Be at ease, dear uncle, on my account, I am not wounded," the younglady replied. "I have only punished a traitor. Two wretches wereplotting in the dark against our common safety; one of them has escaped,but I believe the other is at least seriously wounded."

  The general eagerly examined the dying man. By the light of the torchhe held in his hand he at once recognized Kennedy, the guide whom theBabbler pretended had been burnt alive in the conflagration of theprairie.

  "Oh, oh!" he said, "what does all this mean?"

  "It means, uncle," the girl replied, "that if God had not come to myaid, we should have been, this very night, surprised by a troop ofbandits, lying in ambush close to us."

  "Let us lose no time, then!"

  And the general, assisted by Captain Aguilar, hastened to prepareeverything for a vigorous resistance, in case an attack should beattempted.

  The Babbler had fled, but a large track of blood proved that he wasseriously wounded. If it had been light enough, they would haveattempted to pursue him, and, perhaps, might have taken him; but, inthe midst of darkness, and suspecting that their enemies were in ambushin the neighbourhood, the general was not willing to risk his soldiersout of the camp. He preferred leaving the villain that chance of savinghimself.

  As to Kennedy, he was dead.

  The first moment of excitement past, Dona Luz, no longer sustained bythe danger of her situation, began to be sensible she was a woman. Herenergy disappeared, her eyes closed, a convulsive trembling shook herwhole frame; she fainted, and would have fallen, if the doctor, who waswatching her, had not caught her in his arms.

  He carried her in that state into the tent, and lavished upon her allthe remedies usual in such cases.

  The young lady gradually recovered: her spirits were calmed, and orderwas re-established in her ideas.

  The advice given her that very day by Black Elk then naturally recurredto her mind; she deemed the moment was coming for claiming the executionof his promise, and she made a sign to the doctor to approach her.

  "My dear doctor," she said, in a sweet but weak voice, "are you willingto render me a great service?"

  "Dispose of me as you please, senorita."

  "Do you know a trapper named Black Elk?"

  "Yes; he has a hut not a great way from us, near a beaver pond."

  "That is the person, my good doctor. Well, as soon as it is light, youmust go to him from me."

  "For what purpose, senorita?"

  "Because I ask you," she said, in a calm tone.

  "Oh! then you may be at ease; I will go," he replied.

  "Thank you, doctor."

  "What shall I say to him?"

  "You will give him an account of what has taken place here tonight."

  "The deuce!"

  "And then you will add--retain my exact words, you must repeat them tohim to the very letter."

  "I listen with all my ears, and will engrave them on my memory."

  "Black Elk, the hour is come! You understand that, do you not?"

  "Perfectly, senorita."

  "You swear to do what I ask of you?"

  "I swear it," he said, in a solemn voice. "At sunrise, I will go to thetrapper; I will give him an account of the events of the night, and willadd--Black Elk, the hour is come. Is that all you desire of me?"

  "Yes, all, my kind doctor."

  "Well, then, now endeavour to get a little sleep, senorita; I swear toyou by my honour, that what you wish shall be done."

  "Again, thank you!" the young girl murmured, with a sweet smile, andpressing his hand.

  Then, quite broken down by the terrible emotions of the night, she sankback upon her bed, where she soon fell into a calm, refreshing sleep.

  At daybreak, in spite of the observations of the general, who in vainendeavoured to prevent his leaving the camp, by presenting to him allthe dangers he was needlessly going to expose himself to, the worthydoctor who had shaken his head at all that his friend said to him,persisted, without giving any reason, in his project of going out, andset off down the hill at a sharp trot.

  When once in the forest, he put spurs to his horse, and galloped at bestspeed towards the hut of Black Elk.