CHAPTER VI.
THE SQUATTER'S SHANTY.
Don Pablo had not told his father the facts in all their truth ordetail. He had fallen into a perfect ambuscade. He was suddenly attackedby the three brothers, who would have mercilessly killed him, resolvedto lay the blame of his death on the wild beasts, had not, at the momentwhen one of them lifted his knife on the young man, who was thrown downand rendered motionless by the others, a providential succour reached himin the person of a charming maid scarce sixteen years of age.
The courageous girl rushed from a copse with the rapidity of a fawn, andthrew herself resolutely into the midst of the assassins.
"What are you about, brother?" she exclaimed in a melodious voice, whoseharmonious notes echoed amorously in Don Pablo's ears. "Why do you wishto kill this stranger?"
The three squatters, surprised by this apparition, which they were farfrom expecting, fell back a few paces. Don Pablo profited by this truceto jump up and regain possession of his arms, which had fallen by hisside.
"Was it not enough," the girl continued, "to rob this man, that you mustnow try to take his life? Fie, brothers! Do you not know that bloodleaves on the hands of him who spills it stains which nothing canefface? Let this man retire in peace."
The young men hesitated. Although unconsciously yielding to theirsister's influence, they were ashamed of thus executing her wishes.Still they did not dare express their thoughts, and merely bent on theirenemy, who awaited them with a firm foot and pistols in hand, glancesladen with hatred and anger.
"Ellen is right," the youngest of her brothers suddenly said. "No, Iwill not allow any harm to be done the stranger."
The others looked at him savagely.
"You would defend him, if necessary, I suppose, Shaw?" Nathan said tohim ironically.
"Why should I not, were it required?" the young man said boldly.
"Eh!" Sutter remarked with a grin, "He is thinking of the WoodEglantine."
This word had been scarce uttered ere Shaw, with purpled face,contracted features, and eyes injected with blood, rushed with upliftedknife on his brother, who awaited him firmly. The girl dashed betweenthem.
"Peace, peace!" she shrieked in a piercing voice, "Do brothers darethreaten one another?"
The two young fellows remained motionless, but watching and ready tostrike in a moment. Don Pablo fixed an ardent glance on the girl, whowas really admirable at this moment. With her features animated byanger, her head erect, and her arms stretched out between the two men,she bore a startling likeness to those Druidesses who in olden timessummoned the warriors to combat beneath the forests of Germany.
In her whole person she offered the complete type of the gentle Northernwoman. Her hair light and golden like ripe corn; her eyes of extremepurity, which reflected the azure of the sky; her earnest mouth, withrosy lips and pearly teeth; her flexible and small waist; the whitenessof her complexion, whose delicate and transparent skin still bore theflush of adolescence--all was combined in this charming maiden to renderher the most seductive creature imaginable.
Don Pablo, a stranger to this kind of beauty, felt himself involuntarilyattracted toward the girl, and entirely subjugated by her. Forgettingthe reason that had brought him to this spot, the danger he hadincurred, and that which still menaced him, he was fascinated andtrembling before this delicious apparition, fearing at each instant tosee it vanish like a vision, and not daring to turn his glance from herwhile he felt he had no strength left to admire her.
This young creature, so frail and delicate, formed a strange contrastwith the tall statures and marked features of her brothers, whose coarseand savage manners only served to heighten the elegance and charmexhaled by her whole person. Still this scene could not be prolonged,and must be ended at once. The maiden walked toward Don Pablo.
"Sir," she said to him with a soft smile, "You have nothing more to fearfrom my brothers; you can mount your horse again, and set out, and noone will oppose your departure."
The young man understood that he had no pretext to prolong his stay atthis spot; he therefore let his head sink, placed his pistols in hisholsters, leaped on his horse, and set out with regret, and as slowly aspossible.
He had scarce gone a league when he heard the hasty clatter of a horsebehind him. He turned back. The approaching horseman was Shaw, who sooncaught up with Don Pablo. The pair then proceeded some distance side byside without exchanging a syllable, and both seemed plunged in profoundthought. On reaching the skirt of the forest, Shaw checked his horse,and softly laid his right hand on the Mexican's bridle. Don Pablo alsostopped on this hint, and waited, while fixing an inquiring glance onhis strange comrade.
"Stranger," the young man said, "my sister sends me. She implores you,if it be possible, to keep secret what occurred between us today. Shedeeply regrets the attack to which you fell a victim, and the wound youhave received; and she will try to persuade Red Cedar, our father, toretire from your estates."
"Thank your sister for me," Don Pablo answered. "Tell her that herslightest wish will ever be a command to me, and that I shall be happyto execute it."
"I will repeat your words to her."
"Thanks. Render me a parting service."
"Speak."
"What is your sister's name?"
"Ellen. She is the guardian angel of our hearth. My name is Shaw."
"I am obliged to you for telling me your name, though I cannot guess thereason that induces you to do so."
"I will tell you. I love my sister Ellen before all: she urged me tooffer you my friendship. I obey her. Remember, stranger, that Shaw isyours to the death."
"I shall not forget it, though I hope never to be under the necessity ofreminding you of your words."
"All the worse," the American said, with a shake of his head; "but if atany time the opportunity offers, I will prove to you that I am a man ofmy word, so surely as I am a Kentuckian."
And hurriedly turning his horse's head, the young man rapidlydisappeared in the windings of the forest.
Buffalo Valley, illumined by the parting rays of the setting sun, seemeda lake of verdure to which the golden mist of night imparted magicaltones. A light breeze rustled through the lofty crests of the cedars,catalpas, tulip and Peru trees, and agitated the grass on the banks ofthe Rio San Pedro. Don Pablo let the reins float idly on his horse'sneck, and advanced dreamily through the forest, where the birds wereleaping from spray to spray, each saluting in its language the arrivalof night.
An hour later, the young man reached the hacienda; but the wound he hadreceived in his shoulder was more serious than was at first supposed. Hewas obliged, to his great regret, to keep his bed, which prevented himseeking to meet again the maiden whose image was deeply engraved on hisheart.
So soon as the Mexican had gone off, the squatters continued fellingtrees and sawing planks, and did not abandon this work till the nighthad grown quite black. Ellen had returned to the interior of the jacal,where she attended to the housekeeping duties with her mother. Thisjacal was a wretched hut, hastily made with branches of intertwinedtrees, which trembled with every breeze, and let the sun and rainpenetrate to the interior.
This cabin was divided into three compartments: the one to the rightserved as the bedroom of the two females, while the men slept in the oneto the left. The central compartment, furnished with worm-eaten benchesand a clumsily-planed table, was at once keeping room and kitchen.
It was late: the squatters, assembled round the fire, over which a hugepot was boiling, were silently awaiting the return of Red Cedar, who hadbeen absent since the morning. At length, a horse's hoofs soundedsharply on the detritus collected for years on the floor of the forest,the noise grew gradually nearer, the horse stopped in front of thejacal, and a man made his appearance. It was Red Cedar. The men slowlyturned their heads toward him, but did not otherwise disturb themselves,or address a syllable to him.
Ellen alone rose and embraced her father affectionately. The giantseized the girl in his nervous arm
s, raised her from the ground, andkissed her several times, saying in his rough voice, which histenderness sensibly softened,--
"Good evening, my dear."
Then he put her down on the ground again, and not troubling himselffurther about her, fell heavily on a bench near the fire, and thrust hisfeet toward the fire.
"Come, wife," he said, after the expiration of a moment, "the supper, inthe fiend's name! I have a coyote's hunger."
The wife did not let this be repeated. A few moments later an immensedish of _frijoles_, with pimiento, smoked on the table, with large potsof pulque. The meal was short and silent, the four men eating withextreme rapacity. So soon as the beans had disappeared Red Cedar and hissons lit their pipes, and began smoking, while drinking large draughtsof whiskey, though still not speaking. At length Red Cedar took his pipefrom his lips, and hit the table sharply, while saying in a roughvoice,--
"Come, women, decamp! You have nothing more to do here. You are in ourway, so go to the deuce!"
Ellen and her mother immediately went out, and entered their separateapartment. For a few minutes they could be heard moving about, and thenall became silent again.
Red Cedar made a sign, and Sutter rose and gently put his ear to theparting board. He listened for a few moments while holding his breath,and then returned to his seat, saying laconically,--
"They are asleep."
"Quick, my whelps!" the old squatter said in a low voice. "We have not aminute to lose: the others are expecting us."
A strange scene then occurred in this mean room, which was merelyillumined by the expiring light of the hearth. The four men arose,opened a large chest, and produced from it various objects of strangeshapes--leggings, mittens, buffalo robes, collars of grizzly bear claws;in a word, the complete costumes of Apache Indians.
The squatters disguised themselves as redskins; and when they had put ontheir garments, which rendered it impossible to recognise them, theycompleted the metamorphosis by painting their faces of different colours.
Assuredly the traveller whom accident had brought at this moment to thejacal would have fancied it inhabited by Apaches or Comanches.
The garments which the squatters had taken off were locked up in thechest, of which Red Cedar took the key; and the four men, armed withtheir American rifles, left the cabin, mounted their horses, which wereawaiting them ready saddled, and started at full gallop through thewinding forest paths.
At the moment they disappeared in the gloom Ellen stood in the doorwayof the cabin, took a despairing glance in the direction where they hadgone, and fell to the ground murmuring sadly,--
"Good Heaven! What diabolical work are they going to perform thisnight?"