CHAPTER XIX.
THE CHASE.
The reader will probably consider that the means employed by Lanzi toget rid of the Indians were somewhat violent, and that he should nothave had recourse to them save in the utmost extremity.
The justification of the half-breed is as simple as it is easy to give;the Indian braves, when they cross the Mexican border, indulgemercilessly in every possible riot, displaying the greatest crueltytoward the unhappy white men who fall into their hands, and for whomthey testify a hatred which nothing can assuage.
Lanzi's position, alone, without help to expect from anyone, in anisolated spot, in the power of some fifty demons without faith or law,was most critical; the more so, as the Apaches, once they had beenexcited by strong liquors, the abuse of which causes them a species ofraving madness, would no longer have recognized any restraint; theirsanguinary character would have regained the upper hand, and they wouldhave indulged in the most unjustifiable cruelty, for the mere pleasureof making an enemy of their race suffer.
The half-breed had, besides, peremptory reasons for behaving thus; hemust, at all risks, ensure Carmela's safety, whom he had solemnly swornto Tranquil to defend, even at the peril of his own life.
In the present case, he knew that his life or death depended solely onthe caprice of the Indians, and hence he was quite reckless.
Lanzi was a cold, positive, and methodical man, who never acted till hehad previously fully weighed the chances of success or failure. Underpresent circumstances, the half-breed ran no risk, for he knew that hewas condemned by the Indians beforehand; if his plan succeeded, he mightpossibly escape; if not, he could die, but as a brave borderer shoulddo, taking with him into the tomb a considerable number of hisimplacable foes.
His resolution once formed, it was carried out with the coolness we havedescribed, and, thanks to his presence of mind, he had found time toleap on his horse and fly.
Still, all was not finished yet, and the galloping the half-breed heardbehind him disturbed him greatly, by proving to him that his plan hadnot succeeded so well as he hoped, and that one of his enemies, at anyrate, had escaped, and was on his track.
The half-breed redoubled his speed; he made his horse swerve from thestraight line incessantly, in order to throw out his obstinate pursuer;but everything was of no avail, and still he heard him galloping behindhim.
However brave a man may be, however great the energy is with whichheaven has endowed him, nothing affects his courage so much as to feelhimself menaced in the darkness by an invisible and unassailable foe;the obscurity of night, the silence that broods over the desert, thetrees which in his mad race defile on his right and left like a legionof gloomy and threatening phantoms--all this combines to heighten theterrors of the hapless man who dashes along under the impression of anightmare which is the more horrible, because he is conscious of danger,and knows not how to exorcise it.
Lanzi, with frowning brow, quivering lips, and forehead bathed with coldperspiration, rode thus for several hours across country, bowed over hishorse's neck, following no settled course, but constantly pursued by thedry, sharp sound of the horse galloping after him.
Strangely enough, since he first heard this gallop, it had not appearedto draw any nearer; it might be thought that the strange horseman,satisfied with following the trail of the man he pursued, was notdesirous of catching him up.
By degrees the half-breed's excitement calmed: the cold night airrestored a little order to his ideas, his coolness returned, and with itthe necessary clearness to judge of his position soundly.
Lanzi was ashamed of this puerile terror, so unworthy of a man likehimself, which had for so long, through a selfish feeling, caused him toforget the sacred duty he had taken on himself, of protecting anddefending at the peril of his life his friend's daughter.
At this thought, which struck him like a thunder-bolt, a burning blushflushed his face, a flash darted from his eyes, and he stopped his horseshort, resolved on finishing once for all with his pursuer.
The horse, suddenly arrested in its stride, uttered a snort of pain, andremained motionless, at the same instant the galloping of the invisiblesteed ceased to be heard.
"Hilloah!" the half-breed muttered, "This is beginning to look ugly."
And drawing a pistol from his belt, he set the hammer. He immediatelyheard, like a funeral echo, the sharp sound of another hammer being setby his adversary.
Still, this sound, instead of increasing the half-breed's apprehensions,seemed, on the contrary, to calm them.
"What is the meaning of that?" he asked himself, mentally, as he shookhis head, "Can I be mistaken? have I not to deal with an Apache?"
After this aside, during which Lanzi sought in vain to distinguish hisunknown foe, he shouted in a loud voice:--
"Hilloah, who are you?"
"Who are you?" a masculine voice replied, emerging from the darkness, ina tone quite as resolute as that of the half-breed.
"That's a singular answer," Lanzi went on.
"Not more singular than the question."
These words were exchanged in excellent Spanish. The half-breed, nowcertain that he had to deal with a white man, banished all fear, anduncocking his pistol returned it to his girdle, as he saidgood-humouredly:--
"You must feel like myself, Caballero, inclined to draw breath after solong a ride; shall we rest together?"
"I wish for nothing better," the other answered.
"Why," a voice exclaimed, which the half-breed at once recognised, "itis Lanzi."
"Certainly," the latter shouted, joyfully, "_Voto a brios_, DonaCarmela, I did not hope to meet you here."
The three persons joined, and the explanations were short.
Fear does not calculate or reflect. Dona Carmela on one side, Lanzi onthe other, filled with a vague terror, fled without attempting toaccount for the feeling that impelled them, exerted only by the instinctof self-preservation, that supreme weapon given by God to man with whichto escape danger in extremities.
The only difference was, that the half-breed believed himself pursued bythe Apaches, while Dona Carmela supposed them a-head of her.
When the young lady, on Lanzi's recommendation, left the venta, she rodeblindly along the first path that presented itself.
Heaven willed it for her happiness that at the moment the house blew upwith a terrible crash, Dona Carmela, half dead with fear and thrown fromher horse, was found by a white hunter, who, moved with pity at therecital of the dangers that menaced her, generously offered to escorther to the Larch-tree hacienda, where she desired to proceed, in orderto place herself under Tranquil's immediate protection.
Dona Carmela, after taking a scrutinizing glance at the hunter, whosehonest look and open face were proofs of his loyalty, gratefullyaccepted his offer, fearing, as she did, that she might fall, in thedarkness, among the Indian bands which were doubtless infesting theroads, and to which her ignorance of localities would have inevitablymade her a prey.
The maiden and her guide set out therefore at once for the hacienda, butaffected by numberless apprehensions, the gallop of the half-breed'shorse made them believe a party of the enemy a-head of them, hence theyhad kept far enough behind to be able to turn and fly at the slightestsuspicious movement on the part of their supposed enemies.
This explanation did away with all alarm, and Carmela and Lanzi weredelighted at having met again thus providentially.
While the half-breed was telling his young mistress in what way he haddisposed of the Apaches, the hunter, like a prudent man, had taken thehorses by the bridle and led them into a thick coppice, where hecarefully hid them. He then returned to his new friends, who had seatedthemselves on the ground, to enjoy a few moments of welcome rest.
At this moment, when the hunter returned, Lanzi was saying to hismistress--
"Why, senorita, should you fatigue yourself further this night? Our newfriend and I will build you with a few axe strokes a jacal under whichyou will be famously sheltered; you wil
l sleep till sunrise, and then wecan start again for the hacienda. For the present you have no danger tofear, as you are protected by two men who will not hesitate to sacrificetheir lives for you, if necessary."
"I thank you, my good Lanzi," the young lady answered; "your devotion isknown to me, and I could not hesitate to trust to you if I were at thismoment affected by fear of the Apaches. Believe me, that the thought ofthe perils I may have to incur from those pagans goes for nothing in mydetermination to start again immediately."
"What more important consideration can compel you, then, senorita?" thehalf-breed asked, in surprise.
"That, my friend, is an affair between my father and myself; it issufficient for you to know that I must see and speak to him this verynight."
"Be it so, as you wish it, senorita, I consent," the half-breed said,with a shake of his head; "still, you must allow that it is a verystrange caprice on your part."
"No, my good Lanzi," she answered, sadly, "it is not a caprice; when youknow the reasons that cause me, to act, I am convinced you will applaudme."
"That is possible; but if that is the case, why not tell me them, atonce?"
"Because that is impossible."
"Silence!" the hunter interfered, quickly; "any discussion isunnecessary, for we must start as soon as we can."
"What do you mean?" they exclaimed, with a start of terror.
"The Apaches have found our trail; they are coming up quickly, and willbe here within twenty minutes. This time there is no mistake, they arethe men."
There was a lengthened silence.
Dona Carmela and Lanzi listened attentively.
"I hear nothing," the half-breed said, presently.
"Nor I," the maiden whispered.
The hunter smiled softly.
"You can hear nothing yet," he said, "for your ears are not accustomed,like mine, to catch the slightest sounds from the desert. Put faith inmy words, trust to an experience which was never mistaken: your enemiesare approaching."
"What is to be done?" Dona Carmela murmured.
"Fly," the half-breed exclaimed.
"Listen," the hunter said, quietly; "the Apaches are numerous, they arecunning, but we can only conquer them by cunning. If we try to resist weare lost; if we fly all three together, sooner or later we shall fallinto their hands. While I remain here you will fly with senorita, but becareful to muffle your horses' hoofs so as to dull the sound."
"But you?" the maiden exclaimed quickly.
"Have I not told you? I shall remain here."
"Oh, in that case you will fall into the hands of the pagans, and beinevitably massacred."
"Perhaps so," he replied with an indescribable expression of sadness;"but at any rate my death will be of some service, as it will save you."
"Very well," said Lanzi; "I thank you for your offer, Caballero;unhappily, I cannot, and will not, accept it, for matters must not turnthus. I began the affair, and insist on ending it in my own way. Go awaywith the senorita, deliver her into her father's hands, and if you donot see me again, and he asks what has happened to me, tell him simplythat I kept my promise, and laid down my life for her."
"I will never consent," Dona Carmela exclaimed energetically.
"Silence!" the half-breed hastily interrupted her, "Be off, you have nota moment to lose."
In spite of the young lady's resistance, he raised her in his musculararms, and ran off with her into the thicket.
Carmela understood that nothing could change the half-breed'sresolution, so she yielded to him.
The hunter accepted Lanzi's devotion as simply as he had offered hisown, for the half-breed's conduct appeared to him perfectly natural; hetherefore made not the slightest objection, but busied himself withgetting the horses ready.
"Now begone," the half-breed said, so soon as the hunter and the maidenhad mounted; "go, and may heaven be merciful to you!"
"And you, my friend?" Dona Carmela remarked sadly.
"I?" he answered with a careless toss of his head; "The red devils havenot got me yet. Come, be off."
To cut short the conversation, the half-breed roughly lashed the horseswith his chicote; the noble animals started at a gallop, and soondisappeared from his sight.
So soon as he was alone, the poor fellow gave vent to a sigh.
"Hum!" he muttered sadly; "This time I am very much afraid that it isall up with me; no matter, Canarios, I will fight to the last, and ifthe pagans catch me, it shall cost them dearly."
After forming this heroic resolution, which seemed to restore all hiscourage, the worthy man mounted his horse and prepared for action.
The Apaches dashed up with a noise resembling thunder.
The black outlines could already be distinguished through the darkness.
Lanzi took the bridle between his teeth, seized a pistol in either hand,and when he judged the moment propitious, he dug his spurs into hishorse, dashed out in front of the Redskins, and crossed their frontdiagonally.
When within range, he fired his pistols into the group, gave a yell ofdefiance, and continued his flight with redoubled speed.
What the half-breed expected, really happened. His shots had told, andtwo Apaches fell with their chests pierced through and through. TheIndians, furious at this audacious attack, which they were far fromexpecting from a single man, uttered a cry of fury, and dashed afterhim.
This was exactly what Lanzi wanted.
"There," he said on seeing the success of his scheme; "they arealtogether now, and there is no fear of their scattering; the others aresaved. As for me--bah, who knows?"
Dona Carmela and the hunter only escaped from the Apaches to fall inwith the jaguars. We have seen how they were saved, thanks to Tranquil.