CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
AN UNLOOKED-FOR ENEMY.
A thrill of delight sweeps through the heart of the English youth atbeholding Crusader in this attitude, as if the horse said, "You see,I've not forsaken you." Satisfaction also to think the animal capableof making its own way, and finding sustenance in those wilds; for shouldit ever be their fate to escape from that mountain, there might be ahope of horse and master coming together again. But there is fearcommingled with these feelings, this causing the eyes of HenryTresillian to turn with quick glance towards the left, where a smallportion of the camp of the Indians is visible outside the flankingbattlements of rock; every moment he expects to see issue from it a bandof dusky horsemen in start for a new pursuit of his favourite.
Crusader seems to have some anticipation of the same; he standsrestlessly, now glancing up the chine, anon at the corralled wagons withhundreds of horses around them. These he regards suspiciously, beingthe same with which he had already declined to associate; perhaps he maybe wondering where are the other horses, his companions of the caravan?Whether or no, he hesitates to approach nearer to the oldcamping-ground, steadfastly keeping his place. Where he stands he is sonigh his former master that the latter might without any difficulty makehimself heard, and at first the English youth had it on the tip of histongue to call out a friendly greeting, but quick reflection showed himits imprudence. The very worst thing he could do for the horse's sake.Crusader would be sure to recognise his voice and respond with a neigh,which would awake a chorus of yells in the Coyoteros' camp, and at onceset the savages on the alert.
For the last half-hour or more the black horse had been quiet, and therewere several reasons against his being seen. He was upon the opposite,or western edge of the stream, which had a fringing of reeds and bushes,broken in places, but here and there continuous for yards, and behindone of these clumps he had come to a stand; even in bright day, as itnow nearly is, he would there be invisible to the occupants of thecaptured camp.
But if only to water their horses, the Indians will soon be dashing downto the lake, and then all chance of his remaining longer unobserved willbe at an end.
With gaze more riveted on the horse than ever, for there is somethingstrange in his behaviour, Henry Tresillian watches him with wonderingeyes, his heart audibly pulsating. What if they should again get him ina ring, and this time display more adroitness in hurling theirlaryettes? Crusader might not be so clever on every occasion.
While thus speculating on the result, a noise reaches the ears of theEnglish youth, as also of others on vidette post, which causes aninstant and sudden turning of their eyes in the opposite direction.Many voices, indeed, all loud and all in excited tone. Voices of men,shrieks of women, and cries of terrified children, all coming from oneplace, their new camp by the spring.
The videttes stay not on their post an instant longer, but forsaking it,rush towards _ojo de agua_. Sounds inexplicable, mysterious! What canbe causing them? The only suggestion attempted is, that the Indiansafter all may have contrived to ascend the _messa_ by some secret pathknown only to themselves, and are in the act of attacking from the rear.What other enemy could cause such a scare? Every voice in the miners'party is seemingly convulsed with affright.
The young Englishman dashes on ahead, tearing through branches, andbounding over trunks of prostrate trees. Vicente, who had brought thewatch with him, is close behind, though he has not such stimulus tohaste, for amidst the _fracas_ of noises, Henry Tresillian hears a sweetvoice calling out his own name in a tone of appeal.
Not till they come to the very edge of the glade do they discover thecause of all these wild demonstrations, though something seen an instantor two earlier leads Vicente to conjecture it. Men, but chiefly boysand girls, standing on the branches of trees high as they can climb, asthough there to behold some passing spectacle.
"_El orso_!--the grizzly!"
"It must be that," says Vicente, pressing on. And so it proves. As thevidettes so mysteriously summoned in see on getting to the nearer end ofthe glade which surrounds the spring, at its farther one are twogigantic animals, one a quadruped, the other to all appearances a biped.For all, both are four-footed creatures, and the most dangerous to beencountered in all the desert lands of America. So utterly are theyregardless of the odds against them that they would advance to theattack of horse or man, even were there twenty of these together, andhave been known to come shuffling into a well-appointed camp, and make agrand havoc, ere means may be taken to destroy or eject them.
The Indian tiger or the African lion are not more to be dreaded in theirjungles than is the _ursus ferox_ in the districts it specially affects.
Strange that the pair at the inner end of the glade had not yet shownsigns of any determination to assail the camp; indeed, they seem to beamusing themselves at the stir their presence has created, or rather asif making amusement for the surprised people. He, upon his hams, for itis the male who has so erected himself, is playing his fore-paws about,as if engaged in an act of prestidigitation; while his mate, atintervals also rearing up, seems to be playing the part of juggler'sassistant, the whole spectacle being comical in the extreme. Thetragical part of it had not yet commenced, and for two reasons.
First, that the grizzly bear seldom makes instant attack, appearing toenter on the field of battle more by accident than from anypredetermined hostile resolve. Only after shammering about a while, andat intervals uttering a snort till their passions get the better ofthem, and then woe to man or horse that comes within the hug of theirpowerful fore-paws! With its enormous curving claws, many inches inlength, a grizzly bear has been known to drag the largest ox or horse tothe ground, as a terrier would a rabbit.
Henry Tresillian looks only to the two canvas tents to see the senorainside one, her face visible through the opening, while Gertrude isstill without by the side of her own father and his. The young girlappears behaving herself more bravely than any of the older peoplearound. She is inspired with fresh courage at the sight of the Englishyouth bounding towards her, gun in hand.
By this time others have got out their guns, and a party led by the_mayor-domo_ is advancing to fire on the bears. The _gambusino_,hitherto not having observed this party, now sees it, noting itsintention. He would frustrate it, and makes the attempt, shouting inloudest voice, "For your lives, don't draw trigger upon them. They maygo without--"
Too late; his after-words were drowned by the report of the steward'sgreat gun, and the male bear came down on all fours, evidently hit, butas evidently little harmed, his active motions afterwards telling of awound he no more regarded than the scratch of a pin. It perhaps onlytickled him, and his biting at the place might be but to take the itchout. It angered him, though, to the highest pitch, for again rising onhis hind legs he swung his head about, snorting continuously, with anoccasional scream which bespoke either pain or vengeance.
There was no sign of intention to retreat on the part of either male orfemale, for they seemed to act in concert and with mutual understanding,this, in the moment after, impelling them to forsake their stationaryspot and come rushing on towards the tents and boothes. Showing motionquick enough now, they are soon in their midst, the female instantlyafter seizing a boy who in fright had fallen from one of the branchesdirectly in front of her, and killing the poor lad by a single stroke ofher powerful fore-paw. He is not unavenged: before she has time to seekfor a second victim the men with guns gather around her, and regardlessof danger, for their blood is now up, go so close that some of theirmuzzles become buried in her long shaggy fur. Then the cracks of eightor ten guns ring out almost simultaneously, and the she-grizzly comes toground.
But the male, the more formidable of the two, is still afoot, and whereare the eight or ten guns to give him his _coup de grace_? Only fourloaded ones are seen in hand, the majority of the people who have beenable to arm themselves, in their haste, not much over a dozen, havinginstinctively rushed towards the bear that was attacking
the lad. Butnow the other, having passed that spot, is making for one to be defendedby the four guns in question, that tent inside which are the SenoraVillanueva and her daughter. No need to say that the defenders are DonEstevan, Robert Tresillian, his son Henry, and the _gambusino_. Aformidable defence, nevertheless, since, in addition to their guns, theycarry knives and pistols, the last double-loaded.
They have thrown cloaks and other dark cloths over the tents to makethem less conspicuous, but the bear seems imbued by a vindictivedetermination to attack in that very quarter, and straight towards themcomes he.
"Let me fire first, senores," claims Vicente, "and low from my knee mybullets may turn him sideways, and if so, then your chance, pour in yourbroadside, aim just behind the shoulder, halfway down."
Saying which the _gambusino_ drops on one knee, bringing his gun to hisshoulder not an instant too soon, for the huge monster is now within tenfeet of him. The sharp but full report, with a tuft of hair seenstarting off the bear's right neck well back on the shoulder, tells thatthe animal has been hit there, just as Vicente had intended it, hisdesign being for the others to get flanking shots, which they do, oneand all, the bear instantly slewing round as before to bite the woundedspot. This brought his left shoulder to front well spread out, andmaking the best of marks, into which was simultaneously poured thecontents of four barrels with twice as many bullets, hitting so closetogether as to make an ensanguined irregular disc about the size of aman's hand. No pistols nor knives were needed, no supplementary weaponsof any kind, the bear breathing his last ere the reports of the guns hadceased reverberating along the cliffs.