CHAPTER XVIII.
NO EUSEBIO.
The precautions taken by Eagle Head to conceal his march were good asregarded the whites, whose senses, less kept upon the watch than thoseof partisans and hunters, and little acquainted with Indian stratagems,are almost incapable of directing their course in these vast solitudeswithout a compass; but for men like Loyal Heart and Belhumeur they were,in every respect, insufficient.
The two bold partisans did not lose the track for an instant.
Accustomed to the zig-zags and devices of the Indian warriors, they didnot allow themselves to be deceived by the sudden turns, the countermarches, the false halts, in a word, by any of the obstacles which theComanches had planted so freely on their route.
And then, there was one thing of which the Indians had not dreamed, andwhich revealed as clearly the direction of their march as if they hadtaken the pains to mark it with stakes.
We have said that the hunters had, close to the ruins of a cabin, founda bloodhound fastened to a tree, and that this bloodhound, when setfree, after bestowing a few caresses on Belhumeur, had set off; hisnose to the wind, to rejoin his master, who was no other than the oldSpaniard--in fact, he did rejoin him.
The traces of the bloodhound, which the Indians never dreamed ofeffacing, for the very simple reason that they did not observe that hewas with them, were to be seen all along, and for hunters so skilful asLoyal Heart and Belhumeur, this was an Ariadne's thread which nothingcould break.
The hunters therefore rode tranquilly on with their guns acrossthe saddle and accompanied by their rastreros, in the track of theComanches, who were far from suspecting that they had such a rearguard.
Every evening Loyal Heart stopped at the precise place where EagleHead had, on the previous day, established his camp, for such was thediligence of the two men that the Indians only preceded them by a fewleagues; the trappers could easily have passed them, if it had beentheir wish to do so; but, for certain reasons, Loyal Heart confinedhimself to following them for some time longer.
After having passed the night in a quiet glade, on the banks of a clearrivulet, whose soft murmur had lulled them to sleep, the hunters werepreparing to resume their journey, their horses were saddled, they wereeating a slice of elk, standing, like people in a hurry to depart, whenLoyal Heart, who, during the whole morning had not spoken a word, turnedtowards his companion, and said:
"Let us sit down a minute, there is no occasion to hurry, since EagleHead has rejoined his tribe."
"Be it so," replied Belhumeur, laying himself down upon the grass. "Wecan talk a bit."
"I cannot think how it was I did not imagine these cursed Comanches hada war detachment in the neighbourhood! It is impossible for us two tothink of taking a camp in which there are five hundred warriors."
"That's true," said Belhumeur, philosophically; "they are a great many,and yet, you know, my dear friend, that if your heart bids you, we canbut try; who knows what may happen?"
"Thanks!" said Loyal Heart, smiling; "but I think it useless."
"As you like."
"Stratagem alone can assist us."
"Let us try stratagem, then; I am at your orders."
"We have some traps near here, I believe?"
"Pardieu!" said the Canadian, "within half a mile, at most, there is alarge pond of beavers."
"That's true; for the last few days, Belhumeur, I scarcely know whatI am thinking about; this captivity of my mother makes me mad; I mustdeliver her, cost what it may."
"That is my opinion, Loyal Heart, and I will aid you in it with all mysoul."
"Tomorrow morning, at daybreak, you will repair to Black Elk, and beghim, in my name, to collect as many white hunters and trappers as hecan."
"Very well."
"In the meantime I will go to the camp of the Comanches, to treat forthe ransom of my mother; if they will not restore her to me, we willhave recourse to arms, and we will see if a score of the best riflesof the frontiers will not give a good account of five hundred of theseplunderers of the prairies."
"And if they should make you prisoner?"
"In that case I will send you my bloodhound, who will come to you in theriver grotto; on seeing it come alone, you will know what that means,and will act accordingly."
The Canadian shook his head.
"No," said he, "I shall not do so."
"What! you will not do so?" the hunter exclaimed, in great surprise.
"Certainly no, I will not do so, Loyal Heart. Compared with you, whoare so brave and so intelligent, I am but little worth, I know; but ifI have only one good quality, nothing can deprive me of it, and thatquality is my devotedness to you."
"I know it, my friend; you love me like a brother."
"And you would have me leave you, as they say in my country beyond thegreat lakes, to go cheerfully into the jaws of the wolf; and yet mycomparison is humiliating for the wolf, for the Indians are a thousandtimes more ferocious! No, I repeat, I will not do that; it would be awicked action, and if any harm happened to you, I should never forgivemyself."
"Explain yourself, Belhumeur," said Loyal Heart, with a littleimpatience; "upon my honour I cannot possibly understand you."
"Oh! that will be easy enough," the Canadian answered; "if I am notvery clever, and am not an able speaker, I have good common sense, andcan see my way clearly when those I love are concerned; and I lovenobody better than you, now my poor father is dead."
"Speak then, my friend," said Loyal Heart, "and pardon the littleill-humour I could not repress."
Belhumeur reflected for a few seconds, and then continued:--
"You know," he said, "that the greatest enemies we have in the prairiesare the Comanches; by an inexplicable fatality, whenever we have hada struggle to maintain, it has been against them, and never have theybeen able to boast of the smallest advantage over us; hence has arisenbetween them and us an implacable hatred, a hatred which has latterlybeen increased by our quarrel with Eagle Head, whose arm you had thegood chance, or rather the ill chance, of breaking, when it wouldhave been so easy for you to have broken his head; a joke which I amconvinced the chief has taken in very bad part, and will never forgiveyou. Besides, I must confess that in his place I should entertainexactly the same sentiments; I bear him no malice on that account."
"To the purpose! to the purpose!" Loyal Heart interrupted.
"The purpose! Well, this is it," Belhumeur replied, displaying nosurprise at his friend's interruption: "Eagle Head is anxious, by anymeans, to obtain your scalp, and it is evident that if you committhe imprudence of placing yourself in his hands, he will not let theopportunity slip of finally settling his accounts with you."
"But," Loyal Heart replied, "my mother is in his power."
"Yes," said Belhumeur; "but he does not know who she is. You are aware,my friend, that the Indians only treat captured women ill in exceptionalcases; generally they behave to them with the greatest respect."
"That is true," said the hunter.
"Therefore, as no one will go and tell Eagle Head that his prisoner isyour mother, unless she does so herself, through the uneasiness shemay feel on your account, she is as safe among the redskins as if shewere on the great square of Quebec. It is useless, then, to commit animprudence. Let us get together a score of good fellows; I don't ask formore; and let us watch the Indians. On the first opportunity that offerswe will fall upon them vigorously, we will kill as many as we can, anddeliver your mother. Now that, I think, is the wisest course we cantake; what do you think of it?"
"I think, my friend," Loyal Heart replied, pressing his hand, "that youare the best creature in existence; that your advice is good, and I willfollow it."
"Bravo!" Belhumeur exclaimed, joyfully; "that is speaking somethinglike."
"And now----" said Loyal Heart, rising.
"Now?" Belhumeur asked.
"We will get on horseback; we will carefully avoid the Indian camp,using all possible caution not to be tracked; and will then go to thehatto of
our brave companion Black Elk, who is a man of good counsel,and who will certainly be useful to us in what we purpose doing."
"Be it so, then," said Belhumeur cheerfully, leaping into his saddle.
The hunters quitted the glade they had slept in, and making a _detour_to avoid the Indian camp, the smoke of which they perceived within aleague of them, they directed their course towards the spot where, inall probability, Black Elk was philosophically employed in laying snaresfor beavers, the interesting animals that Dona Luz had admired so much.
They had been thus riding on for nearly an hour, chatting and laughing,for the reasonings of Belhumeur had succeeded in convincing Loyal Heart,who, thoroughly knowing the manners of the Indians, was persuaded thathis mother was in no danger, when his hounds on a sudden showed signs ofexcitement, and rushed forward, yelping with symptoms of joy.
"What's the matter with our rastreros?" said Loyal Heart; "one wouldthink they smelt a friend."
"Pardieu! they have scented Black Elk, and we shall probably see themcome back together."
"That is not unlikely," the hunter said pensively; and they continuedtheir course.
At the expiration of a few minutes they perceived a horseman ridingtowards them at full speed, surrounded by the dogs, who ran barking byhis side.
"It is not Black Elk," Belhumeur cried.
"No," said Loyal Heart, "it is No Eusebio; what can this mean? He isalone; can anything have happened to my mother?"
"Let us mend our pace," said Belhumeur, clapping spurs to his horse,which sprang forward with the greatest velocity.
The hunter followed him, a prey to mortal alarm.
The three horsemen were soon together.
"Woe! woe!" the old man cried, in great agitation, as he approached.
"What is the matter, No Eusebio? speak, in the name of Heaven."
"Your mother, Don Rafael! your mother!"
"Well, speak!--oh, speak!" the young man cried frantically.
"Oh, my God!" said the old man, wringing his hands, "it is too late!"
"Speak, then, in the name of Heaven!--you are killing me."
The old man cast on him a look of utter desolation.
"Don Rafael," he said, "have courage!--be a man!"
"My God! my God! what fearful news are you going to communicate to me,my friend?"
"Your mother is a prisoner to Eagle Head."
"I know she is."
"If this very day, this morning even, you do not deliver yourself up tothe chief of the Comanches--"
"Well, well!"
"She will be burnt alive."
"Ah!" the young man exclaimed, with a cry amounting to a shriek.
His friend supported him, otherwise he would have fallen from his saddle.
"But," Belhumeur asked, "is it today--do you say, old man, that she isto be burnt?"
"Yes."
"Is there still time, then?"
"Alas! it was to be at sunrise; and see," he said, with an agonizedgesture, pointing to the heavens.
"Oh!" Loyal Heart cried, with a vehemence impossible to be described, "Iwill save my mother!"
And, bending over the neck of his horse, he set off with franticrapidity.
The others followed.
He turned round towards Belhumeur.
"Where are you going?" he asked, in a short, sharp tone.
"To help you save your mother, or to die with you."
"Come on, then!" Loyal Heart replied, plunging his spurs into thebleeding sides of his horse.
There was something fearful and terrible in the desperate course ofthese three men who, formed in line, with pale brows, compressed lips,and fiery looks, cleared torrents and ravines, surmounted all obstacles,incessantly urging their horses, which seemed to devour space, whilepanting painfully, bounding madly, and dripping with perspiration andblood.
At intervals Loyal Heart shouted one of those cries peculiar to theMexican jinetes, and the reanimated horses redoubled their exertions.
"My God! my God! save--save my mother!" the hunter kept repeating in ahollow voice, as he rode furiously onward.