CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
A RIDE IN MID-AIR.
It turns out just such a night as was wished for--moonless, still notobscurely dark. Too much darkness would defeat the end in view. Theyneed light for the lowering down, a thing that will take some time withcareful management.
But the miners are the very men for such purpose. Not one of them whohas not dangled at a rope's end in a shaft hundreds of feet sheer downinto the earth. To them it is habitude--child's play--as to him whospends his life scaling sea-coast cliffs for the eggs and young ofbirds.
It is yet early when the party entrusted with the undertaking assembleon the edge of the precipice, at the point where the daring adventureris to make descent. Some carry coils of rope, others long poles notchedat the end for fending the line off the rocks, while the _gambusino_ isseen bearing a burden which differs from all the rest. A saddle andbridle it is; his own, cherished for their costliness, but now placed atthe service of his young friend, to do what he will with them.
"I could ride Crusader without them," says the English youth: "guide himwith my voice and knees; but these will make it surer, and I thank you,Senor Vicente."
"Ah, _muchacho_! if they but help you, how glad 'twill make me feel! Ifthey're lost, it wouldn't be for that I'd grudge the twenty _doblones_the saddle cost me. I'd give ten times as much to see you seated in iton the _plaza_ of Arispe."
"I'll be there, _amigo_, in less than sixty hours if Crusader hasn'tlost his strength by too long feeding on grass."
"I fancy you need not fear that, senorito; your horse is one thatnothing seems to affect. I still cling to the belief he's the devilhimself."
"Better believe him an angel--our good angel now, as I hope he willprove himself."
This exchange of speech between the two who have long been _compagnonsde chasse_, is only an interlude occurring while the ropes are beinguncoiled and made ready.
Instead of a loop to be passed around the adventurer's body, a verydifferent mode for his making descent has been pre-arranged. He is totake seat in the saddle, just as though it were on the back of a horse,and, with feet in the stirrups and hands clutching the cords thatsuspend it, be so let down. A piece of wood passed under the tree, andfirmly lashed to pommel and cantle, will secure its equilibrium.
Finally all is ready, and, the daring rider taking his seat, is soonswinging in mid-air. Hand over hand they lower him down, slowly,cautiously, listening all the while for a signal to be sent up. Thisthey get in due time--a low whistle telling them that he has reached thefirst ledge, though they could tell it by the strain upon the rope allat once having ceased.
Up it is drawn again, its owner himself, in turn, taking seat in it, tobe lowered down as the other. Then again and again it is hoisted up andlet down, till half a score of the miners, stalwart men, RobertTresillian among them, stand on the bench below.
Now the saddle is detached and fastened on to another rope, when thesame process is repeated; and so on, advantage being taken of thesloping ledges, till the last is arrived at.
Here it is but a repetition of what has gone before, only with a longerreach of rope; and here Pedro Vicente takes last leave of the youth whohas become so endeared to him.
In the eye of the _honest gambusino_ there is that not often seen there,a tear. He flings his arms around the English youth, exclaiming:
"_Dios te guarda, muchacho valiente_! (God guard you, my brave lad)."
The parting between the two is almost as affectionate as that betweenHenry and his father, the last saying, as he enfolds his son in hisarms:
"God go with you, my noble boy!" In another moment the daring youth isonce more in the saddle, going down, down, till he feels his feet uponthe plain. Then stepping out of it, and sending up the preconcertedsignal, he detaches saddle and bridle from the cords, leaving the latterto swing free.
Shouldering the horse gear with other _impedimenta_, he looks round toget his bearings, and, soon as satisfied about these, starts off overthe plain in search of Crusader.
He is not the only one at that moment making to find the horse. Fromthe Indian camp a picked party has issued forth, urged by the chief.For the new leader of the Coyoteros longs to possess that now famoussteed as much as did the deceased one.
"Ten of my best mustangs, and as many of my mules, will I give for theblack horse of the paleface. He who captures him may claim thatreward."
More than once has El Zopilote thus declared himself, exciting theardour and cupidity of his followers. Withal they have chased Crusaderin vain, over and over again, till in their superstitious fancy theybegin to think him a phantom.
But as yet they have never tried to take him by night; and now, havingascertained the place where he usually passes the nocturnal hours, theystart out in quest of him.
Not rashly nor incautiously; instead, they proceed deliberately, andwith a preconceived plan, as though stalking game. Their intention isfirst to enfilade the animal at long distance off, then contract thecircle, so as to have him sure.
In execution of their scheme, on reaching the western side of the lake,they divide into two parties. One moves along the mountain's foot,dropping a file here and there; the other strikes out over the _llano_,in a circular line, as it proceeds doing the same.
It is too dark for them to see horse or other object at any greatdistance, so they take care that their circle be wide enough to embracethe stretch of pasture where the coveted animal is known to browse.
Noiselessly they execute the movement, going at a slow walk, lest thehoof-strokes of their horses may alarm the one they would enclose; andwhen the heads of the separated parties again come together, all know itby a signal agreed upon--the cry of the coyote transmitted along theirline admonishes them that the cordon is complete.