CHAPTER XI.
THE PRISONERS.
When the redskins and the hunters had recaptured the camp of theMexicans, the pirates, according to the orders of their leader, hadspread about in all directions, in order the more easily to escape theresearches of their enemies.
The captain and the four men who carried off the general and his Negro,both bound and gagged, had descended the declivity of the rocks, at therisk of being dashed to pieces a thousand times by falling down theprecipices which gaped at their feet.
On arriving at a certain distance, reassured by the silence whichreigned around them, and still more by the extraordinary difficultiesthey had surmounted in reaching the place where they found themselves,they stopped to take breath.
A profound darkness enveloped them; over their heads, at an immenseheight, they perceived, twinkling like little stars, the torches borneby the hunters who pursued them, but who took care not to venture in thedangerous path they had followed.
"This is lucky," said the captain; "now, my boys, let us rest for afew minutes, we have nothing at the present time to fear: place yourprisoners here, and go, two of you, and reconnoitre."
His orders were executed; a few minutes later the two bandits returned,announcing that they had discovered an excavation, which, mighttemporarily offer them shelter and safety.
"The devil!" cried the captain, "let us go to it."
And setting the example he started off in the direction pointed out bythe scouts.
They soon arrived at a hollow nook which appeared tolerably spacious,and which was situated a few fathoms lower down than the place they hadstopped at.
When they were concealed in this hiding place, the captain's first carewas to close the entrance hermetically, which was not difficult, forthat entrance was very narrow, the bandits having been obliged to stoopto penetrate into it.
"There," said the captain, "now we are snug; in this fashion we need notbe afraid of impertinent visitors."
Drawing a steel from his pocket, he lit a torch of candlewood, withwhich, with that foresight that never abandons persons of his stamp evenin the most critical circumstances, he had taken care to provide himself.
As soon as they could distinguish objects, the bandits uttered a cry ofjoy. What in the darkness they had taken for a simple excavation provedto be one of those natural grottos of which so many are found in thesecountries.
"Eh! eh!" said the captain, laughing, "let us see what sort of quarterswe have got into; remain here, my men, and keep strict watch over yourprisoners; I will go and reconnoitre our new domain."
After lighting a second torch, he explored the grotto.
It dipped deep under the mountain by a gentle descent; the wallswere everywhere lofty, and sometimes they were widened into largecompartments.
The cavern must have received external air by imperceptible fissures,for the light burned freely and the captain breathed without difficulty.
The farther the pirate advanced, the more perceptible the air became,which led him to conclude he was approaching an entrance of some kind.
He had been walking nearly twenty minutes, when a puff of wind camesharply in his nice and made the flame of his torch flicker.
"Hum!" he muttered, "here is a place of exit--let us be prudent and putout our lights, we know not whom we may meet with outside."
He crushed the light of his torch beneath his feet, and remained a fewinstants motionless, to allow his eyes to become accustomed to thedarkness.
He was a prudent man, and thoroughly acquainted with his trade of abandit, was this captain. If the plan he had formed for the attackof the camp had failed, it had required for that a concurrence offortuitous circumstances impossible to have been foreseen by anybody.
Therefore, after the first moment of ill-humour caused by the check hehad received, he had bravely taken his part; resolving, _in petto_, totake his revenge as soon as an opportunity should present itself.
Besides, it seemed as if Fortune was willing to smile on him afresh, byoffering him, just at the moment when he had the greatest want of it, arefuge not likely to be discovered.
It was therefore with an almost unspeakable joy and hope that he waitedtill his eyes should be accustomed to the darkness, to permit him todistinguish objects and know if he were really going to find a place ofexit, which would render him master of an almost impregnable position.
His expectations were not disappointed.
As soon as the dazzling effect of the blaze of the torch was got ridof, he perceived, at a considerable distance before him, a feeble light.
He walked resolutely forward, and at the end of a few minutes came tothe so much desired outlet.
Decidedly fortune was once more propitious to him!
The outlet of the grotto opened upon the banks of a little river, thewater of which came murmuring close to the mouth of the cavern, so thatthe bandits might, by swimming or constructing a raft, go in and outwithout leaving any traces, and thus defeat all researches.
The captain was too well acquainted with the prairies of the West, inwhich he had for nearly ten years exercised his honourable and lucrativeprofession, not to be able to know at once where he was on lookingaround him.
He perceived that this river flowed at some distance from the camp ofthe Mexicans, from which its numberless meanderings tended still more toremove it. He breathed a sigh of satisfaction when he had well examinedthe environs, no longer fearing discovery and thenceforward at easeregarding his position. He lit his torch again, and retraced his steps.
His companions, with the exception of one who watched the prisoners,were fast asleep.
The captain aroused them.
"Come, be alive! be alive!" he said; "this is not the time for sleeping;we have something else to do."
The bandits arose with a very ill grace, rubbing their eyes, and yawningenough to dislocate their jaws.
The captain made them, in the first place, securely close up the holeby which they had entered, then he ordered them to follow him with theprisoners, whose legs they unbound, in order that they might walk.
They stopped in one of the numerous halls, if we may so term them, whichthe captain had discovered on his route; one man was appointed to guardthe prisoners, who were left in this place, and the captain, with thethree other bandits continued their way to the outlet.
"You see," he said to them, pointing to the outlet, "that sometimesmisfortune has its good, since chance has allowed us to discover aplace of refuge where no one will come to seek us. You, Frank, set offdirectly for the rendez-vous I have appointed with your comrades, andbring them hither, as well as all the rest of our men who did not formpart of the expedition. As for you, Antonio, you must procure us someprovisions. Go, both of you. It is needless to tell you that I shallawait your return with impatience."
The two bandits plunged into the river without reply, and disappeared.
"As to you, Gonzalez," he said, "employ yourself in gathering woodtogether for firing, and dry leaves for bedding; come, to work! to work!"
An hour later, a clear fire sparkled in the grotto, and upon soft bedsof dry leaves the bandits slept soundly.
At sunrise the rest of the troop arrived.
There were still thirty of them!
The worthy leader felt his heart dilate with joy at the sight of therich collection of scoundrels he had still at his disposal. With themhe did not despair of re-establishing his affairs, and of soon taking asignal revenge.
After an abundant breakfast, composed of venison, copiously washeddown with mezcal, the captain at length turned his attention to hisprisoners. He repaired to the hall which served for their dungeon.
Since he had fallen into the hands of the bandits, the general hadremained silent, apparently insensible to the ill-treatment to which hehad been exposed.
The wounds he had received, being neglected, had festered, and gave himterrible pain; but he did not utter a complaint.
A deep grief took possession of his mind
from the moment of his capture;he saw all his hopes overthrown of being able to resume the execution ofthe project that had brought him into the prairies.
All his companions were dead, and he knew not what fate awaited himself.
The only thing that brought a slight consolation to his pains was thecertainty that his niece had succeeded in escaping.
But what was to become of her in this desert, where nothing was to bemet with but wild beasts, and still more ferocious Indians? How could ayoung girl, accustomed to all the comforts of life, support the hazardsof this existence of privations?
This idea redoubled his sufferings.
The captain was terrified at the state in which he found him.
"Come, general," he said, "courage! What the devil! luck often changes;I know something of that! _Caray!_ never despair; nobody can tell whattomorrow will bring about. Give me your parole not to endeavour toescape, and I will immediately restore you the freedom of your limbs."
"I cannot give you that parole," the general replied with firmness;"I should take a false oath if I did. On the contrary, I swear toendeavour to fly by all possible means."
"Bravo! well answered!" said the pirate, laughing; "in your place,I should have replied just the same; only, at the present moment, Ibelieve, with the best will in the world, it would be impossible for youto go a step. In spite, therefore, of all you have said to me, I willrestore both you and your servant to liberty, and you may make what useyou like of it, but it is freedom of your limbs, please to recollect,that is all."
With a stroke of his machete he cut the cords which bound the arms ofthe general, and then performed the same service for the Negro, Jupiter.
The latter, as soon as he was free in his movements, began jumping andlaughing, exhibiting two rows of formidable teeth of dazzling whiteness.
"Come, be prudent, blacky," said the pirate; "be quiet here, if you donot want to have a bullet through your head."
"I will not go without my master," Jupiter replied, rolling his greatwild-looking eyes.
"That is right!" the pirate remarked with a sneer; "that is agreed upon;such devotedness does you honour, blacky."
Turning next to the general, the captain bathed his wounds with coldwater, and dressed them carefully; then, after placing provisions beforethe prisoners, to which the Negro alone did honour, the pirate retired.
Towards the middle of the day, the captain called together the principalmen of his band.
"Caballeros," he said, "we cannot deny that we have lost the first game;the prisoners we have made are far from reimbursing our expenses; wecannot remain quiet under the effects of a check, which dishonours us,and renders us ridiculous. I am going to play a second game; this timeif I do not win I shall be unlucky indeed. During my absence, watch wellover the prisoners. Pay attention to the last orders I give you: iftomorrow, at midnight, I have not returned, safe and sound among you, ata quarter past midnight, I say, you will shoot the two prisoners withoutremission; you perfectly understand what I say, do you not?--withoutremission."
"Be at your ease, captain," Frank replied, in the name of hiscompanions; "you may go as soon as you please; your orders shall beexecuted."
"I know they will; but be sure not to shoot them a minute too soon, or aminute too late."
"Exactly at the time named."
"That is understood. Adieu, then; do not be too impatient for my return."
Upon this the captain left the grotto, to throw himself in the way ofLoyal Heart.
We have seen what the bandit wanted with the trapper.