The Trail-Hunter: A Tale of the Far West

  CHAPTER VIII.

  THE VALLEY OF THE BUFFALO.

  Don Miguel Zarate, on leaving his son, remounted his horse and rodestraight to Paso, to the house of Don Luciano Perez, the _juez deletras_ (police magistrate).

  The hacendero was one of the richest landed proprietors in the country;and as he was thoroughly acquainted with the spirit of the depositariesof justice in those parts, he had consequently been careful to line hispurse well. Here were two reasons, then, to interest the judge in hisfavour, and this really happened.

  The worthy Don Luciano shuddered on hearing the details of what hadoccurred between Don Pablo and the squatters. He swore that he would,without delay, take an exemplary vengeance for this starting felony onthe part of the heretic dogs, and that it was high time to bring themreason. Confirming himself more and more in his resolution, he buckledon his sword, gave orders to twenty well-armed alguaciles to mount, andplacing himself at the head of this numerous escort, he proceeded towardBuffalo Valley.

  Don Miguel had witnessed with secret annoyance all these formidablepreparations. He placed but slight confidence in the courage of thepolicemen, and he would have preferred the judge leaving him master toact as he pleased. He had even adroitly attempted to obtain from DonLuciano a regular warrant, which he would have executed however he mightthink proper; but the judge, burning with an unusual warlike ardor, andspurred on by the large sum he had received, would listen to nothing,but insisted on himself taking the head of the expedition.

  Don Luciano Perez was a plump little man of about sixty years of age,round as a tub, with a jolly face, adorned with a rubicund nose and twocunning little eyes. This man cordially detested the North Americans;and, in the courageous deed he was committing at this moment, hatred wasas much the instigation as avarice.

  The little band set out at a canter, and proceeded rapidly toward theforest. The judge hurled fire and flames at the audacious usurpers, ashe called them; he spoke of nothing less than killing them withoutmercy, if they attempted even the slightest resistance to the orders hewas about to give them. Don Miguel, who was much calmer, and forebodedno good from this great wrath, sought in vain to pacify him by tellinghim that he would in all probability have to do with men difficult tointimidate, against whom coolness would be the best weapon.

  They gradually approached. The hacendero, in order to shorten thejourney, had led the band by a cross road, which saved at leastone-third the distance; and the first trees of the forest alreadyappeared about two miles off. The mischief produced by the squatters wasmuch more considerable than Don Pablo had represented to his father;and, at the first glance, it seemed impossible that, in so short a time,four men, even though working vigorously, could have accomplished it.The finest trees lay on the ground; enormous piles of planks werearranged at regular distances, and on the San Pedro an already completedraft only awaited a few more stems of trees to be thrust into the water.

  Don Miguel could not refrain from sighing at the sight of thedevastation committed in one of his best forests; but the nearer theyapproached the spot where they expected to meet the squatters, the morelukewarm grew the warlike zeal of the judge and his acolytes, and thehacendero soon found himself compelled to urge them on, instead ofrestraining them as he had hitherto done. Suddenly the sound of an axere-echoed a few paces ahead of the band. The judge impelled by thefeeling of his duty, and shame of appearing frightened, advanced boldlyin the direction of the sound, followed by his escort.

  "Stop!" a rough voice shouted at the moment the policemen turned thecorner of a lane.

  With that instinct of self-preservation which never abandons them, thealguaciles stopped as if their horses' feet had been suddenly welded tothe ground. Ten paces from them stood a man in the centre of the ride,leaning on an American rifle. The judge turned to Don Miguel with suchan expression of hesitation and honest terror that the hacendero couldnot refrain from laughing.

  "Come, courage, Don Luciano," he said to him. "This man is alone; hecannot venture to bar our passage."

  "_Con mil diablos!_" the judge exclaimed, ashamed of this impressionwhich he could not master, and frowning portentously, "forward, youfellows, and fire on that scoundrel if he make but a sign to resistyou."

  The alguaciles set out again with prudential hesitation.

  "Stop! I tell you again," the squatter repeated. "Did you not hear theorder I gave you!"

  The judge, reassured by the presence of the hacendero, then advanced,and said with a tone which he strove to render terrible, but which wasonly ridiculous through the terror he revealed,--

  "I, Don Luciano Perez, _juez de letras_ of the town of Paso, have come,by virtue of the powers delegated to me by the Government, to summon youand your adherents to quit within twenty-four hours this forest you haveillegally entered, and which--"

  "Ta, ta!" the stranger shouted, rudely interrupting the judge, andstamping his foot savagely. "I care as much for all your words and lawsas I do for an old moccasin. The ground belongs to the first comers. Weare comfortable here, and mean to remain."

  "Your language is very bold, young man," Don Miguel then said. "You donot consider that you are alone, and that, failing other rights, we havestrength on our side."

  The squatter burst into a laugh.

  "You believe that," he said. "Learn, stranger, that I care as little forthe ten humbugs I now have before me as I do for a woodcock, and thatthey will do well to leave me at peace, unless they want to learn theweight of my arm at their expense. However, here is my father; settle itwith him."

  And he began carelessly whistling "Yankee Doodle." At the same instantthree men, at the head of whom was Red Cedar, appeared on the path. Atthe sight of these unexpected reinforcements for their arrogant enemythe alguaciles made a movement in retreat. The affair was becomingsingularly complicated, and threatened to assume proportions very gravefor them.

  "Halloh! What's up?" the old man asked roughly. "Anything wrong,Sutter?"

  "These people," the young man answered, shrugging his shoulderscontemptuously, "are talking about driving us from the forest by virtueof some order."

  "Halloh!" Red Cedar said, his eyes flashing as he cast a savage glanceat the Mexicans. "The only law I recognise in the desert," he continuedwith a gesture of terrible energy as he struck his rifle barrel, "isthis. Withdraw, strangers, if you do not wish blood to be shed betweenus. I am a peaceful man, wishing to do no one hurt; but I warn you thatI will not allow myself to be kicked out without striking a blow."

  "You will not be turned out," the judge remarked timidly; "on thecontrary, you have seized on what belongs to other people."

  "I won't listen to your arguments, which I do not understand," thesquatter roughly exclaimed. "God gave the ground to man that he mightlabour on it. Every proprietor that does not fulfil this conditiontacitly renounces his rights, and the earth then becomes the property ofthe man who tills it with the sweat of his brow; so go to the devil! Beoff at full speed, if you do not wish harm to happen to you!"

  "We will not suffer ourselves to be intimidated by your threats," thejudge said, impelled by his anger, and forgetting for a moment hisalarm; "we will do our duty, whatever may happen."

  "Try it," Red Cedar said with a grin.

  And he made a sign to his sons. The latter arranged themselves in asingle line, and occupied the entire width of the path.

  "In the name of the law," the judge said with energy, as he pointed outthe old man, "alguaciles, seize that person."

  But, as so frequently happens under similar circumstances, this orderwas more easy to give than to execute. Red Cedar and his sons did notappear at all disposed to let themselves be collared. We must, however,do the alguaciles the justice of stating that they did not hesitate fora moment. They plainly refused to carry out the order they had received.

  "For the last time, will you be off?" the squatter shouted. "Let themhave it."

  His three sons raised their rifles. At this movement, which removed alldoubts that might still remain
on their minds, and which proved to themthat the squatters would not hesitate to proceed to extremities, thealguaciles were seized with an invincible terror. They turned bridle andgalloped off at full speed, followed by the yells of the Americans.

  One man alone remained motionless before the squatters--Don MiguelZarate. Red Cedar had not recognised him, either owing to the distancethat separated them, or because the hacendero had purposely pulled overhis eyes his broad-brimmed hat. Don Miguel dismounted, placed thepistols from his holsters through his belt, fastened his horse to atree, and coolly throwing his rifle across his shoulders, boldlyadvanced toward the squatters. The latter, surprised by the courage ofthis man, who alone attempted what his comrades had given up all hopesof achieving, let him come up to them without offering the slightestopposition. When Don Miguel was a couple of paces from the old squatter;he stopped, put the butt of his rifle on the ground, and removing hishat, said,--

  "Do you recognise me, Red Cedar?"

  "Don Miguel Zarate!" the bandit shouted in surprise.

  "As the judge deserts me," the hacendero continued, "and fled like acoward before your threats, I am obliged to take justice for myself,and, by heavens! I will do so! Red Cedar, I, as owner of this forest, inwhich you have settled without permission, order you to depart at once."

  The young men exchanged a few muttered threats.

  "Silence!" Red Cedar commanded. "Let the caballero speak."

  "I have finished, and await your answer."

  The squatter appeared to reflect deeply for a few minutes.

  "The answer you demand is difficult to give," he at length said: "myposition toward you is not a free one."

  "Why so?"

  "Because I owe you my life."

  "I dispense you from all gratitude."

  "That is possible. You are at liberty to do so; but I cannot forget theservice you rendered me."

  "It is of little consequence."

  "Much more than you fancy, caballero. I may be, through my character,habits, and the mode of life I lead, beyond the law of civilised beings;but I am not the less a man, and if of the worst sort, perhaps, I nomore forget a kindness than I do an insult."

  "Prove it, then, by going away as quickly as you can, and then we shallbe quits."

  The squatter shook his head.

  "Listen to me, Don Miguel," he said. "You have in this country thereputation of being the providence of the unfortunate. I know frommyself the extent of your kindness and courage. It is said that youpossess an immense fortune, of which you do not yourself know theextent."

  "Well, what then?" the hacendero impatiently interrupted him.

  "The damage I can commit here, even if I cut down all the trees in theforest, would be but a trifle to you; then whence comes the fury youdisplay to drive me out?"

  "Your question is just, and I will answer it. I demand your departurefrom my estates, because, only a few days back, my son was grievouslywounded by your lads, who led him into a cowardly snare; and if heescaped death, it was only through a miracle. That is the reason why wecannot live side by side, for blood severs us."

  Red Cedar frowned.

  "Is this true?" he said, addressing his sons.

  The young men only hung their heads in reply.

  "I am waiting," Don Miguel went on.

  "Come, the question cannot be settled thus, so we will proceed to myjacal."

  "For what purpose? I ask you for a yes or no."

  "I cannot answer you yet. We must have a conversation together, afterwhich you shall decide to my future conduct. Follow me, then, withoutfear."

  "I fear nothing, as I believe I have proved to you. Go on, as you demandit: I will follow you."

  Red Cedar made his sons a sign to remains here they were, and proceededwith long strides toward his jacal, which was but a short distance off.Don Miguel walked carelessly after him. They entered the cabin. It wasdeserted. The two females were doubtless also occupied in the forest.Red Cedar closed the door after him, sat down on a bench, made his guesta sign to do the same, and began speaking in a low and measured voice,as if afraid what he had to say might be heard outside.