CHAPTER XVII.
THE PANTHER-KILLER.
Between the Larch-tree hacienda and the Venta del Potrero, just half waybetween the two places, or at about forty miles from either, two menwere sitting on the banks of a nameless stream, and conversing, as theysupped on pemmican and a few boiled _camotes_.
These two men were Tranquil, the Canadian, and Quoniam, the Negro.
About fifty yards from them, in a copse of brambles and shrubs, a youngcolt about two months old was fastened to the trunk of a giganticcatalpa. The poor animal, after making vain efforts to break the cordthat held it, had at length recognised the inutility of its attempts,and had sorrowfully lain down on the ground.
The two men, whom we left young at the end of our prologue, had nowreached the second half of life. Although age had got but a slightgrasp on their iron bodies, a few grey hairs were beginning to silverthe hunter's scalp, and wrinkles furrowed his face, which was bronzed bythe changes of the seasons.
Still, with the exception of these slight marks, which serve as a sealto ripened age, nothing denoted any weakening in the Canadian; on thecontrary, his eye was still bright, his body equally straight, and hislimbs just as muscular.
As for the Negro, no apparent change had taken place in him, and heseemed as young as ever; he had merely grown lustier, but had lost noneof his unparalleled activity.
The spot where the two wood rangers had camped was certainly one of themost picturesque on the prairie.
The midnight breeze had swept the sky, whose dark blue vault seemedstudded with innumerable spangles of diamonds, in the midst of which thesouthern cross shone; the moon poured forth its white rays, whichimparted to objects a fantastic appearance; the night had that velvetytransparence peculiar to twilight; at each gust of wind the trees shooktheir damp heads, and rained a shower, which pattered on the shrubs.
The river flowed on calmly between its wooded banks, looking in thedistance like a silver riband, and reflecting in its peaceful mirror thetrembling rays of the moon, which had proceeded about two-thirds of itscourse.
So great was the silence of the desert, that the fall of a witheredleaf, or the rustling of a branch agitated by the passage of a reptile,could be heard.
The two men were conversing in a low voice; but, singularly enough withmen so habituated to desert life, their night encampment, instead ofbeing, according to the invariable rules of the prairie, situated onthe top of a hillock, was placed on the slope that descended gently tothe river, and in the mud of which numerous footprints of more than asuspicious nature were encrusted, the majority belonging to the familyof the great Carnivora.
In spite of the sharp cold of night, and the icy dew which made themtremble, the hunters had lit no fire; still they would assuredly havederived great comfort from warming their limbs over the genial flames;the Negro especially, who was lightly attired in drawers that left hislegs uncovered, and a fragment of a zarape, full of holes, was tremblingall over.
Tranquil, who was more warmly attired in the garb of Mexican Campesinos,did not appear to notice the cold at all; with his rifle between hislegs, he gazed out into the darkness, or listened to any soundperceptible to him alone, while he talked to the Negro, disdaining tonotice either his grimaces or the chattering of his teeth.
"So," he said, "you did not see the little one to-day Quoniam?"
"No, no, I have not seen her for two days," the Negro answered.
The Canadian sighed.
"I ought to have gone myself," he went on; "the girl is very solitarythere, especially now that war has let loose on this side all theadventurers and border-ruffians."
"Nonsense! Carmela has beak and nails; she would not hesitate to defendherself if insulted."
"Confusion!" the Canadian exclaimed, as he clutched his rifle, "If oneof those Malvados dared to say a word--"
"Do not trouble yourself thus, Tranquil; you know very well that if anyone ventured to insult the Querida Nina, she would not want fordefenders. Besides, Lanzi never leaves her for a moment, and you areaware how faithful he is."
"Yes," the hunter muttered, "but Lanzi is only a man after all."
"You drive me to desperation with the ideas which so unreasonably getinto your head."
"I love the girl, Quoniam."
"Hang it, and I love her too, the little darling! Well, if you like,after we have killed the jaguar, we will go to the Potrero--does thatsuit you?"
"It is a long way from here."
"Nonsense! three hours' ride at the most. By the bye, Tranquil, do youknow that it is cold? And I am getting literally frozen; cursed animal!I wonder what it is doing at this moment; I daresay it is amusing itselfwith wandering about instead of coming straight here."
"To be killed, eh?" Tranquil said, with a smile. "Hang it all! Perhapsit suspects what we have in store for it."
"That is possible, for those confounded animals are so cunning. Hilloah!the colt is quivering--it has certainly scented something."
The Canadian turned his head.
"No, not yet," he said.
"We shall have a night of it," the Negro muttered, with an ill-temperedlook.
"You will ever be the same, Quoniam--impatient and headstrong. WhateverI may tell you, you obstinately refuse to understand me; how many timeshave I repeated to you that the jaguar is one of the most cunninganimals in existence? Although we are to windward, I feel convinced ithas scented us. It is prowling cunningly around us, and afraid to cometoo near us; as you say, it is wandering about without any apparentobject."
"Hum! Do you think it will carry on that game much longer?"
"No, because it must be beginning to grow thirsty; three feelings arestruggling in it at this moment--hunger, thirst, and fear; fear willprove the weakest, you may be assured; and it is only a question oftime."
"I can see it; for nearly four hours we have been on the watch."
"Patience; the worst is over, and we shall soon have some news, I feelassured."
"May Heaven hear you, for I am dying of cold; is it a large animal?"
"Yes, its prints are wide, but, if I am not greatly mistaken, it haspaired."
"Do you think so?"
"I could almost bet it, it is impossible for a single jaguar to do somuch mischief in less than a week; from what Don Hilario told me, itseems that ten head of the Ganada have disappeared."
"In that case," Quoniam said, rubbing his hands gleefully, "we shallhave a fine hunt."
"That is what I suppose; and it must have whelps to come so near thehacienda."
At this moment a hoarse bellowing, bearing some slight resemblance tothe miauling of a cat, troubled the profound silence of the desert.
"There is its first cry," said Quoniam.
"It is still a long way off."
"Oh, it will soon come nearer."
"Not yet; it is not after us at this moment."
"Who else, then?"
"Listen."
A similar cry to the first, but coming from the opposite side, burstforth at this moment.
"Did I not tell you," the Canadian continued, quietly, "that it hadpaired?"
"I did not doubt it. If you do not know the habits of tigers, whoshould?"
The poor colt had risen; it was trembling all over, half dead withterror, and with its head buried between its front legs, it was standingup and uttering little plaintive cries.
"Hum!" Quoniam said, "poor innocent brute, it understands that it islost."
"I hope not."
"The jaguar will strangle it."
"Yes, if we do not kill the brute first."
"By Jabus!" the Negro said, "I confess I should not be sorry if thatwretched colt escaped."
"It will do so," the hunter answered; "I have chosen it for Carmela."
"Nonsense! Then why did you bring it here?"
"To make it used to the tiger."
"Well, that is an idea! Then I need not look any longer over there?"
"No, only think of the jaguar which will come on your
right, while Itake charge of the other."
"That's agreed."
Two other louder roars burst forth almost simultaneously.
"The beast is thirsty," Tranquil remarked; "its anger is aroused, and itis coming nearer."
"Good! shall we get ready?"
"Wait a while, our enemies are hesitating; they have not yet reachedthat paroxysm of rage which makes them forget all prudence."
The Negro, who had risen, sat down again philosophically.
A few minutes passed thus. At intervals the night breeze, laden withuncertain rumour, passed over the hunters' heads, and was lost in thedistance like a sigh.
They were calm and motionless, with the eye fixed on space, the ear opento the mysterious noises of the desert, the finger on the rifle-trigger,ready at the first signal to face the still invisible foe, whoseapproach and imminent attack they, however, instinctively divined.
All at once the Canadian started, and stooped down to the ground.
"Oh!" he said, as he rose with marks of terrible anxiety, "What istaking place in the forest?"
The roar of the tiger burst forth like a clap of thunder.
A horrible shriek responded to it, and the wild gallop of a horse washeard, approaching at headlong speed.
"Quick! Quick!" Tranquil shouted, "Someone is in danger of death--thetiger is on his trail."
The two hunters rushed intrepidly in the direction of the roars.
The whole forest seemed quivering; nameless sounds issued from thehidden lairs, resembling at one moment mocking laughter, at anothercries of agony.
The hoarse miauling of the jaguars went on uninterruptedly. The gallopof the horses which the hunters heard at first seemed multiplied andissuing from opposite points.
The panting hunters still ran on in a straight line, bounding overravines and morasses with wonderful speed; the terror they felt for thestrangers whom they wished to help gave them wings.
Suddenly a shriek of agony, louder and more despairing than the former,was heard a short distance off.
"Oh!" Tranquil shouted, in a paroxysm of madness, "It is she! It isCarmela!"
And, bounding like a wild beast, he rushed forward, followed by Quoniam,who, during the whole wild race, had never left him a hair's breadth.
Suddenly a deadly silence fell over the desert--every noise, everyrumour, ceased as if by enchantment, and nothing could be heard save thepanting of the hunters, who still ran on.
A furious roar uttered by the tigers burst forth; a crashing of branchesagitated an adjoining thicket, and an enormous mass, bounding from thetop of the tree, passed over the Canadian's head and disappeared; at thesame instant a flash burst through the gloom and a shot was heard,answered almost immediately by a roar of agony and a shriek of horror.
"Courage, Nina, courage!" a masculine voice exclaimed, a short distanceoff, "You are saved!"
The hunters, by a supreme effort of their will, increased their speed,which was already incredible, and at length entered the scene of action.
A strange and terrible sight then offered itself to theirhorror-stricken gaze.
In a small clearing a fainting woman was stretched out on the ground,by the side of a ripped-up horse, which was struggling in the finalconvulsions.
This female was motionless, and appeared to be dead.
Two young tigers, crouching like cats, fixed their ardent eyes upon her,and were preparing to attack her; a few paces further on a wounded tigerwas writhing on the ground with horrid roars, and trying to leap on aman, who, with one knee on the ground, with his left arm enveloped inthe numerous folds of a zarape, and the right armed with a long machete,was resolutely awaiting its attack.
Behind the man, a horse, with outstretched neck, smoking nostrils andlaid-back ears, was quivering with terror, while a second tiger, postedon the largest branch of a larch tree, fixed its burning glances on thedismounted rider, while lashing the air with its tail, and utteringhoarse miauls.
What we have taken so long to describe, the hunters saw at a glance;quick as lightning the bold adventurers selected their parts, with alook of sublime simplicity.
While Quoniam leaped on the tiger cubs, and seizing them by the scurf,dashed their brains out against a rock, Tranquil shouldered his rifle,and killed the tigress at the moment when she was leaping on thehorseman. Then turning with marvellous speed he killed the second tigerwith the butt of his rifle, and laid it stiff at his feet.
"Ah!" the hunter said, with a feeling of pride, as he rested his rifleon the ground, and wiped his forehead, which was bathed in a coldperspiration.
"She lives!" Quoniam shouted, who understood what agony his friend'sexclamation contained; "Fear alone made her faint, but she is otherwiseunhurt."
The hunter slowly took off his cap, and raised his eyes to heaven.
"Thanks, O God!" he murmured, with an accent of gratitude impossible torender.
In the meanwhile, the horseman, so miraculously saved by Tranquil, hadwalked up to him.
"I will do the same for you, some day," he said, as he held out hishand.
"It is I who am your debtor," the hunter answered, frankly; "had it notbeen for your sublime devotion, I should have arrived too late."
"I have done no more than another in my place."
"Perhaps so. Your name, brother?"
"Loyal Heart. Yours?"
"Tranquil. We are friends for life and death."
"I accept, brother. And now let us attend to this poor girl."
The two men shook hands for a second time, and went up to Carmela, onwhom Quoniam was lavishing every imaginable attention, though unable torecall her from the profound faint into which she had fallen.
While Tranquil and Loyal Heart took the Negro's place, the latterhastily collected a few dried branches and lit a fire.
After a few minutes, however, Carmela faintly opened her eyes, and wassoon sufficiently recovered to explain the cause of her presence in theforest, instead of being quietly asleep in the Venta del Potrero.
This story, which, in consequence of the maiden's weakness, and thepoignant emotions she had endured, it took her several hours tocomplete, we will tell the reader in a few words in the next chapter.