CHAPTER XXIV.
A SKIRMISH.
Curumilla, after concealing, with that Indian skill he so thoroughlypossessed, the young ladies at a spot where they were thoroughlyprotected from bullets, had placed himself, rifle in hand, not by theside of the two riders, but, with characteristic redskin prudence, heambuscaded himself behind the carriage, probably reflecting that herepresented the entire infantry force, and not caring, through a pointof honour, very absurd in his opinion, to expose himself to a death notonly certain, but useless to those he wished to defend.
The horsemen, however, on coming within range of the persons they werepursuing, stopped, and by their gestures seemed to evince a hesitationthe fugitives did not at all understand, after the fashion in which theyhad hitherto been pursued. The motive for this hesitation, which theFrenchman and his companions could not know, and which perplexed them sogreatly, was very simple.
Carnero, for it was the general's capataz who was pursuing the carriage,with his peons, all at once perceived, with a secret pleasure, it istrue, though he was careful not to let his companions notice it, thatwhile they were pursuing the carriage, other horsemen were pursuingthem, and coming up at headlong speed. On seeing this, as we said, theparty halted, much disappointed and greatly embarrassed as to what theyhad better do.
They were literally placed between two fires, and were the attackedinstead of the assailants; the situation was critical, and deservedserious consideration. Carnero suggested a retreat, remarking, with acertain amount of reason, that the sides were no longer equal, and thatsuccess was highly problematical. The peons, all utter ruffians, andexpressly chosen by the general, but who entertained a profound respectfor the integrity of their limbs, and were but very slightly inclinedto have them injured in so disadvantageous a contest with people whowould not recoil, were disposed to follow the advice of the capataz andretire, before a retreat became impossible.
Unhappily, the Zaragate was among the peons. Believing, from hisconversation with the colonel, that he knew better than anyone thegeneral's intentions, and attracted by the hope of a rich reward if hesucceeded in delivering him of his enemy, that is to say, in killingValentine; and, moreover, probably impelled by the personal hatred heentertained for the hunter, he would not listen to any observation, andswore with horrible oaths that he would carry out the general's ordersat all hazards, and that, since the persons they were ordered to stopwere only a few paces before them, they ought not to retire until theyhad, at least, attempted to perform their duty; and that if his comradeswere such cowards as to desert him, he would go on alone at his ownrisk, certain that the general would be satisfied with the way in whichhe behaved.
After a declaration so distinct and peremptory, any hesitation becameimpossible, the more so as the horsemen were rapidly coming up, and ifthe capataz hesitated much longer he would be attacked in the rear. Thusdriven out of his last entrenchment, and compelled against his will tofight, Carnero gave the signal to push on ahead.
But the peons had scarce started, ere three shots were fired, and threemen rolled in the dust. The newcomers, in this way, warned their friendsto hold their ground, and that they were bringing help. The dismountedpeons were not wounded, though greatly shaken by their fall, and unableto take part in the fight; their horses alone were hit, and that socleverly, that they at once fell.
"Eh, eh!" the capataz said, as he galloped on; "these picaros have avery sure hand. What do you think of it?"
"I say that there are still four of us; that is double the number ofthose waiting for us down there, and we are sufficient to master them."
"Don't be too sure, my good friend, Zaragate," the capataz said with agrin; "they are men made of iron, who must be killed twice over beforethey fall."
The Tigrero and his companions had heard shots and seen the peons bitethe dust.
"There is Valentine," said the Frenchman.
"I believe so," Don Martial replied.
"Shall we charge?"
"Yes."
And digging in their spurs, they dashed at the peons.
Valentine and his two comrades, Belhumeur and Black Elk (for theFrenchman was not mistaken, it was really the hunter coming up, whom theCanadian had warned) fell on the peons simultaneously with Don Martialand his companion.
A terrible, silent, and obstinate struggle went on for some minutesbetween these nine men; the foes had seized each other round the body,as they were too close to use firearms, and tried to stab each other.Nothing was heard but angry curses and panting, but not a word or cry,for what is the use of insulting when you can kill?
The Zaragate, so soon as he recognized the hunter, dashed at him.Valentine, although taken off his guard, offered a vigorous resistance;the two men were entwined like serpents, and, in their efforts todismount each other, at last both fell, and rolled beneath the feet ofthe combatants who, without thinking of them, or perceiving their fall,continued to attack each other furiously.
The hunter was endowed with great muscular strength and unequalledscience and agility; but on this occasion he had found an adversaryworthy of him. The Zaragate, some years younger than Valentine, andpossessed of his full bodily strength, while urged on by the love of arich reward, made superhuman efforts to master his opponent and plungehis navaja into his throat. Several times had each of them succeededin getting the other underneath, but, as so frequently happens inwrestling, a sudden movement of the shoulders or loins had changed theposition of the adversaries and brought the one beneath who a momentpreviously had been on the top.
Still Valentine felt that his strength was becoming exhausted;the unexpected resistance he met with from an enemy apparently solittle worthy of him, exasperated him and made him lose his coolness.Collecting all his remaining vigour to attempt a final and decisiveeffort, he succeeded in getting his enemy once again under him, andpinned him down; but at the same moment Valentine uttered a cry of painand rolled on the ground--a horse's kick had broken his left arm.
The Zaragate sprang up with a tiger's bound, and bursting into a yellof delight, placed his knee on his enemy's chest, at the same time ashe prepared to bury his navaja in his heart. Valentine felt that he waslost, and did not attempt to avoid the death that threatened him.
"Poor Louis," he merely said, looking firmly and intrepidly at thebandit.
"Ah, ah!" the Zaragate said, with a ferocious grin, "I hold my vengeanceat length, accursed Trail-hunter."
He did not complete the sentence; suddenly seized by his long hair,while a knee, thrust between his shoulders, forced him to bend back, hesaw, as in a horrible dream, a ferocious face grinning above his head.With a fearful groan he rolled on the ground; a knife had been buried inhis heart, while his scalp, which was suddenly removed, left his denudedskull to inundate with blood the ground around.
Curumilla raised in his arms the body of his friend, whose life he hadjust saved once again, and bore it to the side of the road. Valentinehad fainted.
The chief, so soon as he saw his friends charge the peons, left hisambush, and while careful to remain behind them, followed them to thebattlefield. He had watched eagerly the long struggle between the hunterand the Zaragate; trying vainly to assist his friend, but never ableto succeed. The two enemies were so entwined, their movements were sorapid, and they changed their position so suddenly, that the chief wasafraid lest he might wound his friend in attempting to help him. Hencehe awaited with extreme anxiety an opportunity so long delayed, andwhich the Zaragate himself offered by losing his time in insulting hisenemy instead of killing him at once, when the injury he received lefthim defenceless in the bandit's power.
The Araucano bounded like a wild beast on the Mexican, and withouthesitation scalped and stabbed him with the agility characteristic ofthe redskins, and which he himself possessed in so high a degree.
Almost at the same moment the horsemen also finished their fight. Thepeons had offered a vigorous resistance, but being badly supportedby the capataz, who was disabled at the beginning of the s
kirmish byDon Martial, and seeing the Zaragate dead and three of their friendsdismounted and incapable of coming to their assistance, they gave in.
The capataz had been wounded at his own request by Don Martial, in orderto save appearance with the general; he had a wide gash on his rightarm, very severe at the first glance, but insignificant in reality. Apeon had been almost smashed by Belhumeur, so that the field of battlefairly remained in the hands of the hunters.
When their victory was insured they assembled anxiously roundValentine, for they were alarmed at his condition, and most anxiousto be reassured. Valentine, whose arm Curumilla had at once set, withthe skill and coolness of an old practitioner, soon reopened his eyes,reassured his friends by a smile, and offered the Indian chief hisright hand, which the latter laid on his heart with an expression ofindescribable happiness, as he uttered his favourite exclamation of Ugh!the only word he permitted himself to use in joy or in sorrow, when hefelt himself choking with internal emotion.
"Senores," the hunter said, "it is only an arm broken; thanks to thechief, I have had an easy escape. Let us resume our journey before otherenemies come up."
"And we, senor?" the capataz cried humbly.
Valentine rose with the chiefs assistance, and took a furious glance atthe peons. "As for you, miserable assassins," he said with a terribleaccent, "return to your master and tell him in what way you werereceived. But it is not sufficient to have chastised your perfidy, Imust have revenge for the odious snare into which my friends and I allbut fell. I will learn whether in open day, and some half a dozen milesfrom Mexico, bandits can thus attack peaceable travellers with impunity.Begone!"
Valentine was slightly mistaken, for, although it was really theintention of the peons to attack them, the hunters had actually begunthe fight by dismounting the three peons. But the fellows, convicted bytheir conscience, did not notice this delicate distinction, and werevery happy to get off so cheaply, and be enabled to return peaceably,when they feared that their conquerors would hand them over to thepolice as they had a perfect right to do.
Thus, far from raising any objections, they broke forth into apologiesand protestations of devotion, and hastened off, not troublingthemselves to pick up the body of their defunct comrade, el Zaragate,which they left to the vultures which settled on it, so soon as thehighway was clear again.
The capataz, under the pretext that his wound was very painful, but inreality to give Valentine and his friends the requisite time to securethemselves temporarily from pursuit, insisted on returning to the cityslowly, so that they did not reach the general's mansion till two hourshad elapsed.
So soon as the peons in obedience to the hunter's orders had left thebattlefield, he, on his part, gave his companions the signal to start.Don Martial had hurried to reassure the ladies, who were standing moredead than alive at the spot where the chief had concealed them. He madethem get into the carriage again, without telling them anything exceptthat the danger was past, and that the rest of the journey would beperformed in safety.
Valentine's friends tried in vain to induce him to get into the carriagewith the ladies. He would not consent, but insisted on mounting hishorse, assuring them, in the far from probable event of their beingattacked again, that he could still be of some service to his companionsin spite of his broken arm. The latter were too well acquainted with hisinflexible will to press him further, so Curumilla remounted the coachbox, and they started.
The rest of the journey was performed without any incident, and theyreached the quinta twenty minutes later. The skirmish had taken placescarce two miles from the country house. On reaching the gates,Valentine took leave of his friend without dismounting.
"What!" the latter said to him, "are you going, Valentine, withoutresting for a moment?"
"I must, my dear Rallier," he answered; "you know what imperious reasonsclaim my presence in Mexico."
"But you are wounded."
"Have I not Curumilla to attend to my hurt? Do not be anxious aboutme; besides, I intend to see you again soon. This quinta appears to mestrong enough to resist a surprise. Have you a garrison?"
"I have a dozen servants and my two brothers."
"In that case I am easy in my mind; besides, there is only one night topass, and I believe that after the lesson his people have received thegeneral will not venture on a second attack, for some days at least.Besides, he reckons on the success of his pronunciamiento. You will cometo me tomorrow at daybreak, will you not?"
"I shall not fail."
"In that case I will be off."
"Will you not say good-bye to the ladies?"
"They are not aware of my presence, and it will be better for them notto see me; so good-bye till tomorrow."
And making a signal to his comrades who, including Curumilla, to whom ahorse was given, collected around him, Valentine started at a gallop forMexico, caring no more for his broken arm than if it were a mere scratch.