Les fils de la tortue. English

  CHAPTER XXV.

  THE ARREST.

  The appearance of Valparaiso had greatly changed. It was no longerthe careless, laughing town which we have described, echoing frommorning to night with gay love songs, and whirling round with a wildsambacueca. No! its gaiety had faded away to make room for sombreanxieties. Although its sky was still as pure, its sun as hot, andits women as lovely, a veil of sadness had spread over the foreheadof the inhabitants, and chilled the smile on every lip. The streets,usually so full of promenaders and so noisy, were gloomy and silent.The shops--nearly all deserted and closed--no longer displayed topurchasers from all countries those thousand charming trifles of whichthe Creoles are so fond.

  Numerous troops of soldiers were encamped in all the squares; strongpatrols marched through each district, and the ships anchored in thebay, with nettings triced up and ports opened, were awaiting the momentfor action; while at intervals the beating of the drums or the dullringing of the tocsin, terrified the timid citizens in their houses,where they hid themselves under triple bolts and locks.

  What was occurring, however, was sufficient to excuse the terror ofthe alarmed population. Tahi-Mari, the great Molucho chief, at thehead of the twelve allied Araucano nations, after seizing the fortsof Araucas and Tulcapel, and massacring their garrisons, had takenValdivia, which he plundered, and continuing his march with more thantwo hundred thousand Indians, had subjugated Talcahueno, Concepcion,Maule, and Talca. In spite of the desperate efforts and courage ofGeneral Don Pedro Sallazar, who at the head of six thousand men hadvainly attempted to arrest the invader, the Spanish army, conquered infive successive actions, was dispersed, leaving Tahi-Mari at liberty tomarch upon Santiago, the capital of Chili.

  Only one resource was left Don Pedro Sallazar, that of collecting therelics of his defeated army, and entrenching himself on the banksof the Massucho, in order to dispute its passage with the Indians,who were preparing to cross the river. This he did with the help; offour thousand men, whom Don Juan brought to him, though not withoutdifficulty.

  The President of the Republic had called under arms all the youthof Chili, and in the towns, pueblos, and villages, the citizens hadeagerly placed themselves at the disposal of the military authorities,who had armed and sent them off to Valparaiso, which was selected asheadquarters, owing to the proximity of that town and Santiago.

  On the eighth day after the arrival of General Soto-Mayor's daughtersat the convent of the Purisima Concepcion, at about midday, three orfour thousand men, forming the volunteer contingent, were piouslykneeling in the Plaza del Gobernador and attending the divine service,which the Bishop of Valparaiso was celebrating in the cathedral for thesuccess of their arms. In all the towns of the republic, novenas andpublic prayers had been ordered, to implore heaven to save the countryfrom the immense danger which menaced it.

  When mass was ended, the soldiers rose to their feet and closed up inline. Then a brilliant staff, composed of general officers, at the headof whom was the commandant of Valparaiso, came out of the cathedral andstood on the last step of the peristyle. The governor stretched out hisarm as a signal that he wished to speak, and the drums beat a prolongedroll. When silence was re-established, he said:--

  "Chilians! the hand of God presses heavily upon us: the ferociousIndians have rushed upon our territory like wild beasts; they arefiring our towns, and plundering, burning, massacring, and violating ontheir passage. Soldiers, you are about to fight for your homes; you arethe last hope of your country, who is looking at you and counting onyour courage; will you deceive its expectations?"

  "No!" the volunteers shouted, brandishing their weapons frenziedly."Lead us against the Indians!"

  "Very good," the general continued; "I am happy to see the noble ardourwhich animates you, and I know that I can trust to your promise. ThePresident of the Republic, in his solicitude for you, has chosen asyour commander one of the noblest veterans of our War of Independence,who has claimed the honour of marching at your head--General Don Juande Soto-Mayor."

  "Long live General Soto-Mayor," the soldiers cried. The general, uponthis, stationed himself by the side of the governor, and all weresilent for the sake of listening to him.

  "Soldiers!" he exclaimed, in a fierce voice, and with a glancesparkling with enthusiasm, "I have sworn to the President of theRepublic that the enemy should only reach Santiago by passing over ourcorpses."

  "Yes, yes, we will all die. Long live General Soto-Mayor!"

  At this moment the doors of the cathedral, which had been shut, werenoisily opened; a religious band could be heard; the bells rangout loudly; a cloud of incense obscured the air; and an imposingprocession, with the bishop at its head, came out under the portico,and ranged itself there while singing pious hymns. On seeing this,soldiers and generals knelt down.

  "Christians!" said the bishop, a venerable, white-haired old man, whomtwo vicars held under the arms, "go whither duty summons you. Save yourcountry, or die for it. I give you my pastoral blessing."

  Then, seizing a magnificent standard, on which sparkled a figure of theVirgin, embroidered in gold, he said--

  "Take this consecrated flag. I place it in the hands of your general,and Nuestra Senora de la Merced will give you the victory!"

  At these words, pronounced by the worthy bishop, a perfect deliriumseized upon his hearers, and they swore with many imprecations and withtears in their eyes to defend the flag which General Soto-Mayor wavedover their heads with a martial air, and to conquer or die in followinghim. The volunteers then marched past the staff and the clergy, andreturned to their cantonments at the Almendral.

  The general had already taken leave of the governor, as the troops hadcompletely evacuated the square, and was preparing to return to themansion which he had inhabited since his arrival from Valdivia, whenhe heard his name pronounced behind him just as he was on the point ofmounting his horse. He turned his head quickly, and uttered a cry ofjoy on recognising Captain Leon Delbes.

  "You here!" he said.

  "Heaven be praised, I have found you, general!"

  "Where are my girls?" the old gentleman asked, anxiously.

  "Saved."

  The general opened his arms to the young man, who rushed into them.

  "Oh, my friend, what do I not owe you! My poor children! for mercy'ssake take me at once to them. Where have you left them?"

  "At the convent of the Purisima Concepcion, general, as I pledgedmyself to do."

  "Thanks! Come then with me; while we are going we will talk together,and you will tell me how I can recompense the eminent service which youhave done me."

  "General, I beg you do not revert to this subject. When I started toseek the two young ladies who had been torn from you I accomplished aduty, and I cannot and will not accept any reward."

  The general looked at Leon, seeking to read his thoughts in his face,but he could not divine anything.

  "Ah!" he answered, "we shall see. Caramba! You are a man of heart, butI have a desire to be a man of my word. Let us hasten at once to theconvent, for I am longing to embrace my poor girls."

  "But, general, my presence may perhaps be inopportune--I am only astranger, and--"

  "Sir! the man who devoted himself to save my children cannot beregarded as a stranger either by them or me."

  The captain bowed.

  "Let us start," Don Juan continued. "You are on foot, so I will send myhorse home."

  "Pray do not do so, general, for my horse is waiting a few yards off."

  Leon whistled in a peculiar manner, and almost immediately the generalsaw a horseman, leading another horse by the bridle, turn out of theCalle San Agostino. It was our old acquaintance, Wilhelm.

  "Here it is," said Leon.

  Wilhelm had come up, and after saluting the general, said to thesmuggler, in a low voice:

  "Captain, here is a letter which has arrived for you, and which MasterCrevel bade me to give you, adding that it was very pressing."

  "Very good," said Leon, taking it a
nd putting it in his pocket, withouteven looking at the handwriting. And he leapt on his horse.

  "Follow us," he shouted to Wilhelm.

  "All right, captain."

  The two gentlemen rode off in the direction of the convent, escorted byWilhelm, and followed by the general's servant. On the road the generaloverwhelmed Leon with questions as to the way in which he had contrivedto find his daughters; and the captain described his expedition tohim. When he came to the rescue which he accomplished by pretending todeliver Inez and Maria from the possession of the fiend, the generalcould not restrain a burst of laughter.

  "On my word, captain, what you did there denotes on your part greatboldness and profound skill. I knew that you were a courageous fellow,but I now see that you are a man of genius."

  Leon tried to defend himself against such a flattering qualification,but the general insisted, while repeating the expression of hisgratitude. In this way they reached the convent gates, and the generaland Leon went in. Here again the young man was obliged to repeat to thecurious abbess the details of his Odyssey.

  The general yielded to all the transports of a real joy, and nevertired of lavishing the tenderest caresses on those whom he had thoughteternally lost. It was then that the memory of the beloved wife who nolonger lived returned to him with all the greater force. Heavy tearspoured from his eyes, and were mingled with those of his daughters.

  "My children," he said to them, "Heaven has recalled your mother frommy side, and your brother, Don Juan, is at this moment exposed to allthe horrors of civil war. Hence I should only have you to cherish ifmy son succumbed beneath the blows of our cruel enemies. Remain here,then, my children, in this holy house, until the re-establishment ofpeace restores us better days."

  "What! are you going away again, father?" Inez asked.

  "I must. I have been intrusted with the command of a division, and Iowe the little blood left me to the defence of my country."

  "Oh, Heaven!" the young ladies exclaimed.

  "Reassure yourselves: I hope to see you again soon: the walls of thisconvent will preserve you from external dangers. I leave you herewithout anxiety, until I return to be present at your taking the veil,my good Maria, and your marriage with Don Pedro Sallazar, my dear Inez."

  The young ladies made no reply, but simultaneously glanced at thesmuggler, whose face was extremely pale.

  "It is to you that I confide them, my sister," the general continued,addressing the abbess. "Watch carefully over them, and whatever mayhappen, only act on my orders, or those of my son, if I am killed,as regards Maria's taking the veil or Inez's departure, for the warmay--produce great changes and unforeseen catastrophes."

  "You shall be obeyed, general," the abbess replied.

  The general embraced his daughters for the last time, and prepared todepart; but at the moment of separating from their father they appearedvisibly affected. Maria looked at Leon, striving to read in his face anencouragement to confess to the general the slight inclination she feltfor a conventual life. The captain understood the maiden's desire, buthis face did not speak, and hence Maria's lips did not move.

  On her side Inez appeared to have formed some violent resolution, forwith purpled cheeks she addressed the general, while repressing thebeating of her heart.

  "Father," she said to him, with an effort, "before you leave us, I wishto say a few words to you without witnesses."

  The tone in which these words were uttered produced a certainimpression on the general.

  "What have you to tell me, my child?"

  "You shall know directly, father."

  "Allow me to withdraw, general," said Leon; "besides," he added, "Ihave some business to settle, and--"

  "Senor, Inez has secrets to reveal to me," the old gentleman said, witha smile. "I will let you go; but only on condition that you come andsee me tonight before I set out for Santiago."

  "I shall not fail, general."

  "Good-bye then, for the present, captain."

  Leon bowed, and after exchanging a few compliments with the personspresent, left the room. The abbess also retired, though somewhatreluctantly, followed by Maria, and the general found himself alonewith Inez. Let us leave him and his daughter together for a moment, andaccompany Leon, who found Wilhelm waiting at the gate.

  "What is the matter with you?" he asked him, as he mounted his horse;"you have a very singular look today."

  "Well," the German replied, "it is because I see some fellows I do notlike prowling about here."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Nothing, except that we had better be on our guard."

  "Nonsense, you are mad!"

  "We shall see."

  "In the meanwhile, let us make haste, for Diego is waiting for us atthe Rio Claro, and time is slipping away."

  The two smugglers rode off in the direction of the spot fixed byDiego for the meeting he had given the captain. Leon was thinking ofthe scene which he had just witnessed at the convent, and was askinghimself what Inez could have to say to her father. Wilhelm was lookingaround him suspiciously. They rode on thus for about ten minutes, whenjust as they were turning the corner of the great Almendral street andpreparing to leave Valparaiso, a dozen alguaciles barred their passage.

  "In the name of the law I arrest you, Senor Delbes!" one of them said,addressing Leon.

  "I beg your pardon," the smuggler said, laying his hands on hispistols, and raising his head.

  Wilhelm followed his example.

  "Shall we drop them?" he asked, eagerly, in a whisper.

  "We two could certainly kill eight!" Leon replied; "but I fancy thatwould do us no good, as we are beset."

  In fact, the first two men were joined by other ten, and a large bandof serenos speedily surrounded them.

  "Surrender!" said the man who had before spoken.

  "I must do so," Leon replied; "but tell me why you arrest me?" Thenhe bent down to Wilhelm and whispered--"You know where we were going;proceed there alone, and tell Diego what has happened to me."

  "All right; trust to me."

  "Gentlemen," Leon continued, "I have asked you for what motive youarrest me; will you be good enough to tell me?"

  "We do not know," the head of the serenos answered. "I have orders tomake certain of your body and the rest does not concern me. For thethird time, are you willing to follow us peaceably?"

  Leon reflected for a few seconds, and answered in the affirmative.

  "In that case, uncock your pistols."

  He raised his arms and discharged his pistols in the air.

  "Why, what are you about?" the sereno exclaimed; "you will give analarm!"

  "You told me to uncock my pistols, and I did more, I unloaded them.What more would you have?"

  "Enough argument; march!" said the man.

  "March!" the captain repeated.

  And surrounded by a strong squad of police, Leon was carried off to thegovernor's house. This arrest, and the two shots heard in this part ofthe town, had brought to the spot a large number of curious persons.Wilhelm mingled among them, and joined the mob that was awaiting theprisoner coming out.

  Ten minutes passed, and at the expiration of that time Leon reappeared,escorted by twenty serenos, who led him to the Calabozo, situated onthe Almendral, at no great distance from the Convent of the PurisimaConcepcion, where he was safely placed under lock and key. Wilhelmunderstood that he would have no hope of seeing his captain again bywaiting longer.

  "Good!" he said to himself, "I know where to find him now: let us makehaste to go and warn Diego or Tahi-Mari, for I really do not know whatto think of our friend and foe, the captain's lieutenant."

  Whereupon the worthy German buried his wide spurs in his horse'sflanks, which started at a gallop in the direction of the Rio Claro.

  "No matter; all this does not appear to me clear," the smugglermuttered. "Well, we shall see."

  Night was beginning to fall. As he left the town, the angelus wasringing in all the churches, and the tattoo sounding in
all the streetsof Valparaiso.