P Q 2152 THE TIGER-SLAYER. A ROMANCE OF THE FOREST AND PRAIRIE. TR.\. y 'I Mi: KKKNCII OF GUSTAVE AIMARD. AUTHOR OF "T" I'PKRS OF TIIK .Ai: 1 TII FLOWER OF Till' JMIA! Ill K/' &c. NEW-YORK, E. D. LONG & CO. NO. iiG ANN STREET. P 11 E F A C E , IT is hurdly necessary to say anything on behalf of the new aspirant for public fcvvor whom I am now introducing to the reader. He lias achieved a continental reputation, and the French regard him proudly an their Fcniraore Cooper. It will be found, I trust, on perusal, that the position he has so rap- idly assumed in the literature of his country is justified by the reality of hit descriptions, and the truthfulness which appears in every page. Gustavo Ainmrd has the rare advantage of having lived for many years as an Indian ainonjr the Indians. lie is acquainted with their language, and has gono through all the extraordinary phases of a nomadic life in the prairie. Had he :i to write his life, it would have been one of the most marvellous ro- mances of the age: but he has preferred to wrav<- into his st.: traor- dinary <-v nts of which hu has been witness during his chequered life. Be~ licvinjr that his works only require to be known in order to secure him as fc- vorable a reception in this country as he has elsewhere, it has afforded m much nat i.- faction to have it in my power to plmcc them in this garb. LASCELLKS WKAXA1.1, THE TIGEK-SLAYER BY GUSTAVE AIMARD, CHAPTER I. LA FERIA I) E PLATA. FROM the earliest days of the discovery of America, its distant shores bo- came the refuge and rendezvous of adventurers of every description, whose daring genius, stifled by the trammels of the old European civilisation, sought fresh scope for action. ne asked frbm the New World liberty of conscience the right f praying to God in their own fashion Bothers, breaking their sword blades to convert them into daggers, assassinated entire nations to rob their p.M enrich themselves witii their spoils; others, lastly, men of indomi' perament, with lions' hearts contained in bodies of iron, recognising n > die, accepting no laws, and confounding liberty with license, formed, almost unconsciously, that formidable association of the " Brethren of the Coast," which for a season n : tremble f-r her possessions, and with \\ Louis XII., the King-Sun, did not disdain to treat. Tlu> deMvndunts of 1 ' ; and whenever any revolnt'"- after a short struggle, the I of the population. grandsons of the great ad f achieving inip 1 in their turn under the leadership of heroes. At the period when we were in \:w ri< -:i cham-r allowed us to witneos of the boldest c ronreived and carried out by these daring ad\v;i!ur for Some months it occupied the press, and aroused the curiosity and sympathy of the whole world. Reason?, which our readers will doubtless appreciate, have I to altei the oai > of the persons who played the principal parts drama, though to the utmost exactness as regards the facts. About ten years back the discovery of the r od suddenly the adventurous instincts of f ;nd int'-l' men, who, 'leaving country and family. rush d. In; the new Eldorado, where the with misery and death, after suffer!. ati'-n^ hiiium-- 8 THE TIGER-SLAYER. The road from Europe to California is a long one. Many persons stopped half way ; some at Valparaiso ; others, again, at Mazatlau or San iJlas, though the majority reached San Francisco. It is not within the scope of our story to give the details, too well known at present, of all the deceptions by which the luckless emigrants were as- sailed with the first step they took on this land, where they imagined they needed only to stoop and pick up handsful of gold. We must ask our readers to accompany us to Guayraas six months after the discove ry of the placers. In a previous work we have spoken of Sonora ; but as the history we purpose to narrate passes entirely in that distant province of Mexico, we must give a more detailed account of it here. Mexico is indubitably the fairest country in the world, and every variety, of climate is found there. But while its territory is immense, the popula- tion unfortunately, instead of being in a fair ratio with it, only amounts to seven millions, of whom nearly five million belong to the Indian or mixed races. The Mexican Confederation comprises the federal district of Mexico, twenty-one states, and three territories or provinces, possessing no internal independent administration. We will say nothing of the government, from the simple reason that up to the present the normal condition of that magnificent and unhappy coun- try has ever been anarchy. Still, Mexico appears to be a federative republic, at least nominally, al- though the only recognised power is the sword. The first of the seven states, situated on the Atlantic, is Sonora. It ex- tends from north to south, between the Rio Gila and the Rio Ma} r o. It is separated on the east from the State of Chihuahua by the Sierra Verde, and on the west is bathed by the Vermilion Sea, or Sea of Cortez, as most Spanish maps still insist on calling it. The State of Sonora is one of the richest in Mexico, owing to the numer- ous gold mines by which its soil is veined. Unfortunately, or fortunately, according to the point of view from which we like to regard, it, Sonora is incessantlytraversed by innumerable Indian tribes, "against which the Inhabit- ants wage a constant war. Thus the continual engagements with these savage hordes, the contempt of life, and the habit of shedding human blood on the slightest pretext, have given the Sonorians a haughty and decided bearing, and imprinted on them a stamp of nobility and grandeur, which separates them entirely from the other states, and causes them to be recog- nised at the first glance." In spite of its great extent of territory and lengthened seaboard, Mex- ico possesses in reality only two ports on the Pacific Guaymas and Acapul- co. The rest are only roadsteads, in which vessels are afraid to seek shel- ter, especially when the impetuous cordonazo blows from the south-west and upheaves the Gulf of California. We shall only speak here of Guaymas. This town, founded but a few years back on the mouth of the San Jose, seems destined to become, ere long, one of the chief Pacific ports. Its military positien is admirable. Like all the Spanish American towns, the houses are low, whitewashed, and fiat-roofed. The fort, situated on the summit of a rock, in which some cannon rust on carriages peeling away beneath the sun, is of a yellow hue, harmonising with the ochre tinge of the beach. Behind the town rise lofty, scarped mountains, their sides furrowed with ravines hollowed out by the rainy season, and their brown peaks lost in the clouds. Unhappily, we are compelled to avow that this port, despite of its am- bitious title of town, is still a miserable village, without church or hotel. THE TIGER- SLAYER. 9 We do not say there are no drinking-shops ; on the contrary, as may be imagined in a port so near San Pranciscu, they swarm. The aspect of Gtiaymas is sorrowful; you feel that, in spite of the efforts of Europeans and adventurers to galvanise this popular tyranny which has weighed upon it for three centt: ,-,\ it into a stato of moral degradation and inferiority, from which it will require years to raise it. The day on which our story commences, at about two in the afternoon, in spite of the red-hot sun which poured its beams on tl.e town, The group^ round the monte tables were ir: :iid animate.). Still, eveay thing went on with an order and tranqnility which nothing although no agent of the government was walking about the ( maintain a L r ".rl intelligence and watch the gamblers. About half way up the ("allc de la Merced, <>n<' of t ' in Guay- mas and opjxisitf a house of goodly appearance, the:-" .-tr...d :i t;,! with a green bai/.e and piled up with gold Oil .iud which a man of about thirty, with a crafty fa . 'h a [.ack of cards in his ha;. :;iile on his lips, invited by the I lating remarks the numerous spectators who 1 him to tempt fortmi". " Com", cab:illeros," he said in a honey- I l.ilc turning a provocative glance upon the wretched men, haughtily draped in their rags, who regard- ed him with extreme indiflen rmot always win; b: -ig to turn, I am sure. IIer< are one hundred ounces : who will < :i T* No one answered. The banker, not allowing himself to bi let a tinkling cascade of ounces glide through his lingers, \vhu>e tawny reflection was capable of turning the most resolute head. 10 THE TIGER-SLAYER. " It is a nice sura, caballeros, one hundred ounces : with them the ugliest man is certain of gaining the smiles of beauty. Come, who will covei them ?" " Bah," a lepero said, with a disdainful air, " what are one hnndredo un- ces ? Ilad you not won my last tlaco, Tio Lucas, I would cover them, that I would." " I am in despair, Senor Cuchares," the banker replied with a bow, " that luck was so much against you, and I should feel delighted if you would allow me to lend you an ounce." "You are jesting," the lepero said, drawing himself up haughtity. Keep your gold, Tio Lucas ; I know the way to procure as much as I want, when- ever I think proper; but," he added, bowing with the most exquisite polite- ness, " I am not the less grateful to you for your generous offer." And he offered the banker, across the table, his hand, which the latter pressed with great cordiality. The lepero profited by the occasion to pick up with his free hand a pile of twenty ounces that was in his reach. Tio Lucas had great difficulty in restraining himself, but he feigned not to have seen anything. After this interchange of good offices thkre was a moment's silence. The spectators had seen everything that occurred, and therefore awaited with some curiosity the denoument of this scene. Senor Cuchares was the first to renew the conversation. "Oh !" he suddenly shoutgd, striking his forehead, " I believe, by Nucstra Senora de la Merced, that I am losing my head." < ; Why so, cabaUero ?" Tio Lucas asked, visibly disturbed by this exclam- ation. " Carai ! it's very simple," the other went on. " Did I not tell you just now that you had won all my money ?" " You certainly said so, and these caballeros heard it with me : to your last ochavo ; those were your very words." " I remember it perfectly, and it is that which makes me so mad." ' What!" the banker exclaimed with feigned astonishment, " you are mad because I won from you ?" ' Oh, no, it's not that." ' ; What is it, then ?" " Caramba ! it is because I made a mistake, and I have some ounces still left." ' Impossible !'* "Just see, then." The lepero put his hand in his pocket, and, with unparalleled effrontery, displayed to the banker the gold he nad just stolen from him. But the lat- ter did not wince. 1 It, is incredible," said he. ;i Eh ?" the lepero interjected, fixing a flashing eye on the other. " Yes, it is incredible that you, Senor Cuchares, should have made such s slip of memory.'' " Well, as 1 have remembered it, all can be set right now ; we can contin ue our game." " \\-ry good : one hundred ounces is the stake." " Oh no ! I haven't that amount/' >cnse ! feel in your pockets again." : 'It is useless; I know I haven't got it " " That is really most annovino- " "How so?" " u Because I have vowed not to play for less.' THE TIGER- B. 11 " Then you won't "I cannot ; 1 would n.i COYOT -MIC .short of a hundred." "Il'in !'' the lepero went on, knitting his brows. ;ui in suit, Tio Luc i The banker hud no time to reply ; for a man of I a magnificent black horse, had stopped for a few Becondfl whil'' ned to t!i bankei- and the lepero. " Done lor one hundred oun- 1, as 1;.' rknivd :i \v his h : up to tin- table, on which he dropped a purse full The t\vo .speakers suddenly r.ii.-ed tbeif ! " Here are t!.< ballero," the banker ; . .f an in- cident which temporarily freed him from a - shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, and looked at i Oh !" he muttered to himself, " the Tigrero ! Has he I must know that." And he gently drew nearer the stranger, and presently stool by hi He was a tall man, with an olive complexion, a piercing glance, and an and resolute face. His dre.-s, of the greatest richness, glistened witli gold and diamonds. He wore, slightly inclined over his left ear, a broad-brimmed sombrero. >nm>unded by a golilla of -fine gold: his spencer oi blue rlntn. embroidered with .silver, allowed a dazzling white shirt ; collar of which passed a cravat of China crape, fastened with a diamond hiscal/oneras. drawn up round the hips by a red silk scarf with gold-1: ends and two rows of diamond buttons, were open at the >ide, and a! his calaon to float beneath ; he wore carjiccru (or herdsmen) leather, richly embroidered, attached below the knee by a ; while his -luamja, glistening with gold, hung tastefully from his shoulder. Hi.- hoisc. with a small head and legs fine as spindle coutred : /'"* armim foot ; that is to say, in addition I" saddle, and the rille laid a- -addle-bow, he had al-o by Id- sword, an i a pair on Martial," the other replied, lifting ! . brim of i. oiled. "Be good enough to cut forme while 1 liglitmy pajillo." .< lepcro ex.'lainu d. * El Tigrero (t 'dartial, wi may please to call him, took a gold mecheru from his pocket, and ca; truck alight win! o cut the cards. "Senor," the hitler .-aid in a pi t.-ous voice. 'What is it ?" " You have- lost," " Very well. Tio Lucas, take a hundred ounces from my p 12 THE TIGEU-SLAYEll. I Lave 'hem, your excellency," the banker replied. " Would you please to play again ?" 4i Certainly, but not for such trifles. I should like to feel interested in the game." " 1 will cover an}*- stake your excellency may like to name," the banker said, wlio.su practised e} r e had discovered in the stranger's pur^e, amid a decent number of ounces, some forty diamonds of the purest water. " ll'm ! are you really ready to cover any stake I name ?" Yes." The stranger looked at him sharply. ' Kven if 1 played for a thousand gold ounces ?" " I would cover double that if your excellency dares to stake it," the baker said impert.urbably. A contemptuous smile played for the second time on the horseman's haughty lips. " 1 do dare it," he said. " Two thousand ounces, then ? : ' " Agreed. ' "Shall I cut?" Cucharcs asked timidly. " Why not?" the other answered lightly The lepero seized the cards with a hand trembling from emotion. There was a hum of expectation from the gamblers who surrounded the table. At this moment a window opened in the house before which Tio Lucas had established his monte table, and a charming girl leant carelessly over tho balcony, looking down into the street. The stranger turned to the balcony, and rising in his stirrups, " I salute ihe lovely Anita," he said, as he doffed his hat and bowed pro- foundly. The girl bluVlifld, bent on him an expressive glance from beneath her long velvety eyelasiies, but made no reply. "You have lost, excellency^" Tio Lucas said with a joyous accent, 1 which he could nut completely conceal. " Very good," the stranger replied, without even looking at him, so fascina- ted was he by the charming apparition on the balcony. " You play no more ?" " On the contrary, I double." " W hat !" exclaimed the banker, falling back a step- in spite of himself at this proposition. " No, 1 am wronir ; I have something else to propose." " What is it, excellency?" ' " llo\v s much have you there ?" he said, pointing to the table with a dis- dainful gesture. " Why, at least seven thousand ounces." " Not more ? That's very little." Tiie spectators regarded with a stupor, mingled with terror, this extraor- dinary man, who played for ounces and diamonds as others did for oehavos. The girl became pale. She turned a supplicating glance to the stranger. " 1'lay no more," she murmured in a trembling voice. " Thanks,'' he exclaimed, " thanks, senorita ; your beautiful eyes will bring me a fortune. 1 would give all the gold on the table for the suchil flower you hold in your hand, and which your lips have touched," " Do not play, Don Martial," the girl repeated, as she retired and closed th window. But, through accident or some other reason, her hand let loo-i- the llower. The horseman made his steed bound forward, caught it in its flight, and buried it in his bosom, after having kissed it pa&Monatelt several times. THE TIGER-SLAYER. 13 " Cuchares," ho then said to the lepero, " tuni up a card." The latter obeyed. "Scis de copas !" he .said. ' Voto a brios!" the [Granger i xcluinud, the- color of the heart we shall win. Tio Lucas, 1 will back this card against all the gold you have on your table." The banker turned pale and hesitated ; the spectators had : lixe 1 u;),u lii.n. ' Bali ! ;> he thought after a minute's reflection, " it H impossible* fur him to win. 1 accept, excellency," he then added aloud. " Count the sum you have." " That is unnecessary, senor ; there are nine thousand four hundred and fifty gold ounces. (About J$l;i7j5jPO *Vl.; v At the statement of this formidable amount, the spectators gave vent to a mingled shout of admiration and covetousn. I fancied you richer," the stranger said ironically. " Well, so be it then." * Will you cut this time, excellency ?" " No, 1 fiin thoroughly convinced you are going to lose, Tio Lucas, a wish you to be quite convinced that I h:jve won fairly. In consequen me the pleasure of cutting, yourself. You will then be the artUin of your o\vn ruin, and be unable to reproach anybody.* 1 The isjxjctator.s quivered with plc;is'.nv o;i seeing the chivalrous way in which the Granger behaved. At this moment the street was thronged witU people whom the rumor of this remarkable stake had collected from e part of the town. A deadly silence prevailed through the crowd, was the interest that each lelt in the sequel of this grand and hitherto un- exampled match. The banker wiped the perspiration that beaded on his livid brow, and seized the lirst card with a trembling hand. He balanced it for a few :;econds between linger and thumb with manifest hesitation. ' Make haste," Ouchares cried to him with a grin. Tio Lucas mechanically let the car* I fall as he turned his head away. " Seis de copas!" the lepero shouted in a hoarse voice. The buukcj- tittered a yclibf pain. " L have lost !" he mutt red. " 1 \\as.Mire of it." t lie horseman said, still impassible. " Cuchares," ho ad.led, '-carry that table and the gold upon it to Donna Anita. I hhaii pcct you to-night you know wi The lepero bowed n spect fully. Av-i.-.'.ed by two sturdy fellow>, he r\ ted the order he had ju>t recehe 1, and entered the house, while the stnin- grr started oil' at a gallop; and Ti- l/:-as, >lightly : -lun- ning blow L5 l.;; true, but. again.- 1 a vi-ry fair player, and for a good hi Uah ! I shall have my revenge some day." Then, ?o soon as the eLi.n ttc v (be |>oor clcaiu lighted it and walked oil' very <-;diii ; rowd, having no 1. cuse for remaining, also disappeared in it.-, turn. 14 THE TIGER-SLAYER. CHAPTER II. DON SYLVA DE TORRES* GUAYMAS is quite a new town, built somewhat from day to day according to the fancy of the emigrants, and hence no regular lines of streets have been maintained. However, we had better mention here that, with the exception of a few houses to which that name may be fairly given, all the rest are frightful (Jens, built of mud, and deplorably dirty. In the Callc de la Merced, the principal, or to speak more truthfully, the only street in the town (for the others are only alleys), stood a one-storied house, ornamented with a balcony, and a peristyle supported by four pillars. The front was covered by a coating of lime of dazzling whiteness, and the roof was flat. The proprietor of this house was one of the richest miiieros in Sonora, and possessor of a dozen mines, all in work ; he also devoted himself to cattle breeding, and owned several haciendas scattered over the province, the least of which was equal in size to an English county. I am certain that, if Don Sylva de Torres had wished to liquidate his for- tune, and discover what he was really wortlj, it would have realised several millions, Don Sylva had come to live in Guaymas some months back, where he ordi- arily only paid flying visits, and those at lengthened intervals. This time, contrary to his usual custom, he had brought his daughter Anita with him. Hence the entire population of Guaymas was a prey to the greatest curiosi- ty, and all eyes were fixed on Don Sylva's house, so extraordinary did the conduct of the haciendero appear. Shut up in his house, the doors of which only opened to a few privileged persons, Don Sylva did not seem to trouble himself the least in the world about the gossips ; for he was engaged in realising certain projects, whose importance prevented him noticing what was said or thought of him. Though the Mexicans are excessively rich, and like to do honor to their wealth, they have no idea of comfort. The jttmost carelessness prevails among them. Their luxury, if I may be allowen to employ the term, is bru- tal, without any discernment or real value. These men, principally accustomed to the rude life of the American des- erts, to stiuggle continually against the changes of a climate which is fre- quently deadly, and the unceasing aggressions of the Indians, who surround them on all sides, camp rather than live in the towns, fancying they have done everything when they have squandered gold and diamonds. The Mexican houses are in evidence to prove the correctness of our opin- ion. With the exception of the inevitable European piano, winch swaggers in the corner of every drawing-room, you only see a few clumsy bvtacas, rickety tables, bad engravings hanging on the whitewashed walls, and that is all. Don Sylva's house differed in no respect from the others ; and the master's horses on returning to the stable from the watering-place, had to cross the salon, all dripping as they were, and leaving manifest traces of their passage. At the moment when we introduce the reader into Don Sylva's house, two pei-sons, mule and female, were sitting in the saloon talking, or at least ex- changing a few words at long intervals. They were Don Sylva and his daughter Anita. The crossing of the Span- ish and Indian races has. produced the most perfect plastic type to be found anywhere. Don S3-lva, although nearly fifty years of age, did not appear to be forty. lie was tall, upright, and his' face, though stern, had grat gentle ess imprinted upon it. THE TIGER-SLAYER. 15 lie wore the Mexican dress iii its most rigorous t thes were so rich, that few of his countrymen could have equalled it, much less SHI j,;i-sed it. Anita who reclined on a sofa, half buried in masses of silk and gan/.e, like a humming-bird concealed in the moss, was a charming girl of ei-hteen at the most, whose black eyes, modestly shaded by long vel\< were full of voluptuous promise, which was not gainsaid l.y the undulating and serpentine outlines of her exquisitely modelled boty. Her >li- gestures had grace and majesty completed by the ravislnn ! In r coral lips. Her complexion, slightly gilded by the Am to her face an expression impossible to render; and lastly her whole p. exhaled a delicious perfume of innocence and candor which attnu-tn! .-ympa- thy and inspired love. Like all Mexican women when at home, she merely wore a light robe of embroidered muslin ; her sash was thrown negligently over her shoulders, and a profusion of jasmine flowers was intertwined in her bluish-bhu-k tres- ses. Anita seemed in deep thought. At one moment the arch of her brows was contracted by some thought that annoyed her, her bosom In and her dainty foot, cased in a slipper lined with swan's down, impatiently tapped on the ground. Don Sylva also appeared to be dissatisfied. After directing a severe glance at his daughter, he rose, and drawing near her, said : " You are mad, Anita : your behavior is extravagant. A young, well- born girl ought not, in any case to act as you have just done." The young Mexican girl only answered by a significant pout, and an al- most imperceptible shrug of the shoulders. Her father continued, ' ; Especially," he said, laying a stress on each word, " in your position as egards the Count de Lhorailles." The girl started as if a serpent had stung her, and fixing an interrogato- ry glance on the haciendero's immovable face, she rcplieol, " I do not understand you, my father." " You do not understand me, Anita ? I oannot believe it. Have I not formally promised your hand to the count?" ; What matter, if I do not love him? Do you wish to condemn me to ifel-.iiu- luU-ry ?'' " On the contrary, I regarded your happiness in this union. I have only yon,* Anita, to console me for the mournful loss of your beloved m- Poor child ! you are si ill. thank Heaven, at that happy:. heart iot know itself, and when the words 'happiness, unhappine.v . meaning. You do not love the count, you say. All the better; your is free. AY hen, at a Inter date, you have had occasion to appr noble qualities of the man I give you a.s husband, you will i for havii, - ii a marriage, which to-day causes you.-** much " Stay, father," the girl said with an air of vexation. i is not fiv . and you ; : ire of the fact." " I know, Donna Anita dc Torres," the hacicndero that a love unworthy yourself and me cannot enter your heart. Th: my aiuv-t-iis 1 am a Christiano Vi.j,,; and if a few drops o. blood be mingled in my veins, what 1 < ?:ie memory of i the more deeply engraved on my mind. The first of our iaiiiii\ . Ant>j; Sylva, lieutenant to Hernando ('orte/, m:irri !. it i-. t; prin- cess of the family of Moctecu/.oma, but all the other branch e ;u >j;.mish." "Are we not Mexican then, my father?" " Alas! my poor child, who can say who we are and what are we ? Our unhappy country, since it shook off the Spanish yoke, has been struggling 1C THE TIGER-SLAYER. .lively, and is exhausted by the incessant efforts of tliosw ambitious iiu-ii. win) in :i few years wi.l have robbed it even of that nationality which much difficulty in achieving. These disgraceful contests rendei us tin- humiiinir-stocks of other people, and above all, cause tiio joy of our :N, who with their eyes invariably fixed upon us, are prepar- ing tu enriofa themselves with our spoils, of which they have pilfered some already by robbing us of several of our rich provinces." ,t, fat in r. 1 am a woman, and therefore unaffected by politics. I have nothing to do with the gringos? , - More than you c-au imagine, my child, I do not wish that at a given day the immense, property my ancestors and myself have acqtiired by our toil hlio ;M become the prey of these accursed heretics. In order to save it, I have resolved on marrying you to the Count de Lhoraill s. lie is a French- man, and belongs to one of "the noblest families of that country. Besides he .andsome and brave gentleman, scarcely thirty years of age, who cern- hims the most preri<. us moral qualifications with the physical. He is a meiiib'. r of a powerful and respected nation which knows how to protect its .is, in whatever corner of the world they may be. By marrying him your Ibrtune is shdtred from every political reverse." ' ; I Jut I do not love him, father." " Nonsense, my dear babe. Do not talk longer of that. I am willing to forget the folly of which you were guilty a few moments back, but on condi- tion that you forget that man, Martial." rcr'P " Never ! that is a long time, daughter. You will reflect, I am convinced. this man ? what is his family ? Do you know ? lie is called Martial el Tigrero. Yoto a Dios, that is not a name ! That man saved your life by stopping yourhor.se when it ran away, Well, is that a reason lor him to fall in love with you, and you with him ? I offered him a magnif- reward, which he refund with the most supreme disdain. Tbere is an end of it, then ; let him leave me at peace. 1 have, and wish for, nothing more to do with him." I love him, father," the young girl repeated. u Listen, Anita. You would make me angry, it I did not put a restraint on myself. Enough on that head. Prepare to receive the Count de Lhor- nillcs in a proper manner. I have sworn that you shall be his wife, and, Cristo ! it shall be so, if I have to drag you by force to the altar !" The haciendero pronounced these words with such resolution in his Voice, with and such a fierce accent, that the girl saw it would be better for her to :>r to yield, and put a stop to a discussion which would only grow more embittered, and perhaps have grave consequences. She let her 'head fall, and was silent, while her father walked up and down the room with a very i^lied air. The door was partly opened, and a peon thrust his head discreetly through the crev'uv. % \\ln\t do you want ?" Don Sylva asked as he stopped. ncy," the man replied, "acaballero, followed by four others bear- ng a tal.lt- covered with pieces of gold, requests aiv audience of the senorita/' baoendero shot a glance at his daughter full of expressive ness. Don- nta 1 t her head sink in confusion. Don Sylva reflected for a moment tin u Ins countenance cleared. t him come in," he said. '" peon withdrew ; but he returned in a few seconds, preceding an old bares, still enwrapped in his ragged zarape. and directing a who ouried the tuble. On entering the saloon, Cuchares un- 1 iv.-.pectiully, courteously saluted the haciendero and his daughter, THE TIGER-SLAYER. 17 and with a sign ordered the porters to deposit the table in the centre of tho apartment. ,'' lie said iu a honied voice, " the Senor Don Martial, faithful to the pledge lie had made yon, humbly s ipplicatcs you to lux-opi his gains at inonte, as a feeble testimony of his devotion and admiration." " Yo i r.iseal !" Don JSylva angrily exclaimed us he t(n;l; :>. -(..;) toward liira "Do you know in whose presence yon are ?'' "In that of Donna Anita and her highly-rfsiKjeted parent,'' the scamp re plied imperturbably, as he wrapped himself majestically in his tatters. "J have not, to my knowledge, failed in the roped 1 owe to Ix^th." " lie off at once, and take with yon this gold, which does not concern my daughter.'' "Kxcuse me, excellency,! received orders to bring the gold here, and with your pjp.nission I will leave it. Don Martial would not forgive me if 1 acted other. vise." " 1 do not know Don Martial, as it pleases yon to style the man who sent yon. I wish to have nothing in common with him." "Tiiat i< possible, excellency ; but it is no aff.tir of mine. You can havo an explanato-.i with him if yon think proper. For my part, as my mission is accomplished, I kiss your hands. 7 ' And, after bowing once more to the two, the lepero went ofT majestically, followed by his four acolytes, with measured steps. "See there," exclaimed Don Syha violently, "see there, my daughter, to what insults your folly exposes me V " AM in ii!t" father ?" she ivpliH timidly. "On the contrary,! think that Don Martial has acted like a true caballero, and that he gives me a great proof of his love. That sum is enormous." " Ah !" Don Sylva said wrathful ly. " that is the way you take it. Well, I will act as a caballero aho, voto a brios ! as you shall see. Come here, some one ! ' Several peons came in. ,' ; Open the windows !" Tlii'-ervunts obeyed. The crowd was not yet dispersed, and a large num- ber of persons was still collected round the house. The haeiendcro leant out and by a wave of his hand requested silence The crowd was in-tinrtivjy silent, and drew nearer, guessing that something iu which it was interested was about to happen. S , irea eaballeros y amijos (gentlemen and friends)," the hacicndero be- gan in a powerful voice, "a man \vhom I do not know has dared to o:i'"r to my d.i'iguter the money he has won at monte. Donna Anita spurns such -jr-cially when they come from a person with whom she does not wish t have any connection, friendly or otherwise. fche begs me to di .trib- ute this gold among you, as she will not touch it in any way : she desires thus to prove, in toe presence of yon all, the contempt she feels for a man who has dared to olRr her such an insult. *' The speech improvised b^ the hurieii'lero was drowned by the fricn/ied applause of the leperos and other assfin'nlrd beggars, whose" eyes sp.irkled with gre.'d. Anitii felt the bu i% :n'ng 1 tan sw< i'.i ;._: her eyelids. In spite of all her efforts to remain nndistr.rbed, h- r In-art wa.s almo.-t brnl-n-n. Troubling himself not at all about his daughter, Don Svlva ordinal his servants to cast the ounces into t!ie street. A f gold the-i literally begi-i falling on the wretches, who rushed with incredible nrdor o)r-this new species of manna. The Calk- de la Merced offered, at that moment, the most singular sight imaginable. The p,M poun-d and poured on ; it seemed to be inexhaustible. Th ' -iped like coyotes on the precious metal, overthrowing and trampling under foot the weaker. 18 THE TIGER-SLAYER. At the height of the shower a horseman came galloping up. Astonished, confounded by what he saw. he stopped for a moment to Jook around him ; then he drove his spurs into' his horse, and by dealing blows of his chicote all around, he succeeded in clearing the dense crowd, and reached the haci- endoro's h. .use, which he entered. II re is the count," Don Sylva said laconically to his daughter. ithin a minute that gentleman entered the saloon. Hal'loli!" he said, stopping at the. doorway, " what strange notion is 'on. Sylva? On my soul, you are amusing yourself by throw- ing iiiiii"ii>;i-; out of the window, to the still greater amusement of the lepe- ros and other rogues of the sume genus !" A':, ';; v.'i, Senor Conde," the haciendero replied calmly ; "you are welcome, f r hall be with you in an instant. Only these few handsful, and it will be finished." " Don't hurry yourself," the count said with a laugh. "1 confess that the fancy is original ;" and drawing near the young lady, whom he saluted with ( vmisite politeness, he continued, . \Yi>:il:l yu deign, senorita, to give me the word of this enigma, which, I contc.-s, interests rne in the highest degree ?" ' Ask my father, senoiy ' she answered with a certain dryness, which ren- eonversation impossible. ant ft-igned not to notice this rebuff; he bowed with a smile, and falling into a bntacca^ said coolly, " I will wait ; I am in no huiry." The haciendero, in telling his daughter that the gentleman he intended for her husband was a handsome man, had in no respect flattered him. Count Maxinie (Jaetan de Lhorailles was a man of thirty at the most, well-built and active, and slightly above the middle height. His light hair allowed him >nised as a son of the north; his features were fine, his glance ex- ; ve, and his hairls and feet denoted race. Everything about him indica- ntleman of an old stock; and if Don Sylva was not more deceiv- ed :il. fed< d eyes began to sparkle again, and he tried to rise. Hold him tight," the improvised surgeon said. THE TIGER-SLAYER. 21 "Be quiet, then, my good beast. Come, Negro, my boy, quieto, quieto > it is lor your good," ho said soothingly. The intelligent animal seemed to understand. It turned its head towards its master, and answered him with a plaintive neigh. The horseman, during this period, had been feeling in his girdle; and bending again over the horse: " Mind and hold him tightly," he again recommended. " What are you going to do ?" Bleed him." " Yes, that is it. I knew it but unfortunately I did not dare risk doing it myself, through fear of killing the horse." All right ?" "Goon." The horse made a hasty move, caused by the coldness of the wound ; but its master held it down and checked its struggles. The two men suffered a moment of anxiety: and the blood did not issue. At last a black drop ap- peared in the wound, then a second, speedily followed by a long jet of black and foaming blood. " He is saved," the stranger said, as he wiped his lancet and returned it to his fob. " I will repay you this, on the word of Belhnmcur!" the owner of the horse said with much emotion. " You have rendered me one of those ser- vices which are never forgotten." And by an irresistible impulse, he held out his hand to the man who had so providentially crossed his path. The latter warmly returned the vigorous pressure. Henceforth all was arranged between them. These two men who a few moments previously were ignorant of each other's existence, were friends, attached by one of those services which in American countries pos- sess an immense value. The blood gradually loot its black tinge ; it became vermillion, and flowed abundantly. The breathing of the panting steed had grown easy and regu- lar. The first stranger made a copious bleeding, and when he considered the hor.se in a fair way of recovery he stopped the effusion. " And now," he said, "what do you propose doing?" " My faith, I don't know. Your help has been so useful to me that I should like to follow your advice." " Whore were you going when this accident occurred ?" " To the Rancho." " I am going there too' We are only a few yards from it. You will get up behind me. We will lead > our horse, a: 1 . d start when you please." " 1 ask nothing better. 'You believe that my horse cannot carry me ?" " Perhaps he could do so, for he is a noble animal ; but it would be im- prudent, and you would run a risk of killing him. It would bo better, be- lieve me, to act as I suggested." " Yes; but I am afraid" What of ?" the other sharply interrupted him. " Are we not friends ?" * That is true. I accept." The horse sprang up somewhat actively, and the two men who had met so strangely, started ut cure, ir.ounted e \'.icc shouted from inside, while the greatest silence succeeded, as if by enchantment, the noi.-e that hitherto prevailed. "Qitien vise?" " Goite tie p/tz^ the stranger replied. " Hum ! : ' the voice went on, "that is not a name. What sort of weather u it r " One for all all for one. The cormuel is strong enough to blow the horns dif the oxen on the top of the Cierro del Ilerfuano. 31 The doou was immediately opened, and the strangers entered. At first they could distinguish nothing through the thick and smoky atmosphere of the room, and walked Imp-hazard. The companion of the first horse- man wa< well known in this den; for the master of the house and several ulhf 1 j (;>( ins eagerly collected round him. " Cabttllero.y' he said, pointing to the person who followed him, "this sciior is my friend, and 1 must request your kindness for him." ' ; Ile shall be treated like yourself, Belimmeur," the host replied. ' c Your h(.!->es have been led to the corral, where a truss of alfalfa has been put before them. As for yourselves, the house belongs to you, and you can of it as 3 r ou please." During this exchange of compliments the strangers had contrived to find their way through the crowd. They crossed the room, and sat down in a con K- r before a table on which the host himself placed pulque, mezcal, chinguirito, Catalonian refino, and sherry. I'aramba, Senor Iluesped!" the man whom we had heard called frequent Iy Belhumeur, said with a laugh, "you are generous to-day." Do yor " said Belhumeur, hobnobbing with the rather stoical !iu. Ihe latter emptied his glass of refino at a draught, and retired. THE TPGER-SLAYER. 23 The strangers, by this time accustomed to the atmosphere in which they found themselves, began to look around them. The room of the pulqueria offered them a most singular sight. In the centre some ten indvidnals, with faces enough to hfing them, covered with ra;;s. and armed to the teeth, were furiously playing at monte. It was a strange fact, but one which did not ap- pear l > aMonish any of the honorable gamblers that a lon;r da^er was stuck in the table to the right of the banker, and two pistols lay on his left. A few steps further on. men and women, more than half intoxicated, were danc- ing and singing, with lubricious gestures and mad shouts, to the shrill sound* of two or three vHiuelas and jarabes. Tn a corner of the room thi:-tv people were assembled round a table, on which a child, four years of age at the most, was seated in a wicker chair. This child presided over the m< He was dressed in his best clothes, had a crown of Mowers on his head, and a profusion of nosegays was piled up on the table all round him. J>ut alas ! the child's brow was pale, his eyes glassy, his .complexion lead- en and marked with violet spots. His body had the peculiar stiffness of a corpse. lie was dead. lie was the angelito, whose entrance into heaven the worthy pulquero was celebrating. Men, women and children were drinking and laughing, as they reminded the poor mother, who made heroic efforts not to burst into tears, "of the pre- cocious intelligence, goodness and prettiness of the little creature she had jUSt lost. " All this is hideous," the first traveller muttered, with signs of disgust. " Is it not so ?" the other assented. " Let us not notice it, but isolate our- selves amid these scoundrels, who have already forgotten our presence, and talk." " Willingly, but unhappily we have nothing to say to each other." l: Perhaps we have. In the first place, we might let each other know who we arc." ;i That is true." B Von agree with me ? Then I will give you tlie example of confidence and frankness." " Good. After that my turn will come." Belhumour looked round at the company. The orgic had recommenced with fresh fury ; it was evident that no one troubled himself about them. ! ted his elbows on the table, leant over to his commde. and began : As you already know, my dear mate, my name is Belhumeur. lama Canadian; that is to sav almost a Frenchman. Circumstances too long to narrate at present, but which I tell you some day, brought me, when a lad into f!ii< country. " Twenty yean of my life have passed in traversing the desert in every di- rection : there i or a by-path which 1 do not know. I could, if I would, live q-u'etly and free from fare with a dear friend, an old com- panion, who has retired to a magnificent hacienda which ho possesses a few '.' illo; but the existence of a hunter has charms which only those who have lived it can understand: it always compels them t new it in spite of \};> \ am still a ynuncr m:m. h:>rdly fiv< years of ;v-e. An old friend of mine, an In lian chief of the name of K head, proposed to me to accompany him on an excursion he wished to make in Apacheria. I allowed myself to be tempted ; said -nod-by to tin- f love, and who tried in vain to hold me back ; and fi 1 "*- i'r. "u all t\"<. without re-ret for the pa.^t, happy in the pre ent, and careless of the future, I went gaily ahead, bearing with me those inestimable tivsisurcs for the hunter, a strong heart, a fray character, excellent arms, and a horse accustomed, like his master, to good fortune and ill ; and so here I am. And now, mate, you know me as well as if we had been friends for the last ten years." .'I THE TIGER-SLAYER. The other had listened attentively to this story, fixing a thoughtful clance on the bold adventurer, who sat smiling before him. He gazed with btereft on this man, with the loyal face and sharply-cut features, whose countenance exhaled the rude and noble frankness of a man who is really 6 WLtMi Belhumeur was silent he remained for some moments without re- ply in-, doubtlessly plunged in profound and earnest reflections; then, offer- ing turn across the table a white, elegant, and delicate hand, he replied with treat emotion, and in the best French ever spoken in these distant regions : " J thank you, Belhumeur. for the confidence you have placed in me. My lii>tory is not longer, but more mournful than yours. You shall have it in a few words/' i;ii 7" the Canadian exclaimed, vigorously pressing the hand offered him. " Do you happen to be a Frenchman ?" " Yes, I have that honor." " By Jove ! I ought to have suspected it," he burst out joyously. " Only to think that for an hour we have been stupidly talking bad Span- ish, instead of employing our own tongue ; for I come from Canada, and the Canadians are the French of America, are they not ?" " You are right." - Well, then, it is agreed, no more Spanish between us." " No, nothing but French." " Bravo ! Here's j^our health, my worthy fellow countryman ! And now," he added, returning his glass to the table after emptying it, " let us have your story. 1 am listening." " I told you that it is not long." ' No matter; go ahead. ' I am certain 'twill interest me enormously." The Frenchman stifled a sigh. , "I, too, have lived th liic of a wood-ranger," he said; " I, too, have ex- ceed the intoxicating charms of that feverish existence, full of moving incidents, no two of which are alike. Far from the country where we are now, I have traversed vast deserts, immense virgin forests, in which no man prior to myself had left the imprint of his footstep. Like you, a friend ac- companied me in my adventurous travels, sustaining my courage, maintain- in- my gaiety by his inexhaustible humor and his unbounded courage. Alas ! that was the happiest period of my life. i fell in love with a woman and married her. So soon as my friend saw me rich and surrounded by a family he left me. His departure was my first grief from which I never recovered, which each day rendered more poignant and which now tortures me like a remorse, Alas ! where is now that strong heart, that devoted friend who ever interposed between danger and myself, wlio loved me like a brother, and for whom I felt a s&i's affection ? He is probably dead !" In uttering the last words the Frenchman let his head sink in his hands, and yielded to a Hood of bitter thoughts, which rose from his heart with ev- miniscence he recalled. Belhumeur looked at him in a melancholy manner, and pressing his hand, said in a low and sympathising voice, "Cour- my friend." the Frenchman continued, " that was what he always said to me svhen. prostrated by grief, I felt hope failing me. ' Courage,' he would say to me m his rough voice, laying his hand on my shoulders ; and I would feel , an on my souers ; an wou by the touch, and draw myself up at the sound of that cherished ly to recommence the struggle, for I felt myself stronger. Several <1 in the midst of a felicity which nothing came to trouble. I had adored, charming several children for whom I formed dreams of the future ; m short. I wanted for nothing save my poor comrade, about THE TIGER-SLAYER. 25 * whom T could discover nothing from the moment, he left me, in spite of my constant inquiries. Nov.-, my happiness h;\s faded away never to ri'turn. My wife, my children are dead cruelly murdered in their sleep by Indians, who carried my hacienda by storm. 1 alone remained alive amid the sniokin/ ru- ins of that abode where I had spent so many happy days. All I loved was eternally buried beneath the ashes. My heart was broken, and I did not wish to survive all that was dear to me ; but a friend, the only one t'lat re- mained to me, saved in". He carried me oh" by main force to his lH<>e, for he was an Indian. By his care and devotion he recalled me to life, and brought back to me, if not the hope of a happiness henceforth impo -,-ible for me, at least the eo-.rage to struggle against that destiny whose blows had been so rude. He died only a few months back. Before closing his eye- for ever he made me swear to do all lie asked of me. I promised him. ' 'Brother, 1 lie said, ' every man must proceed in life toward a certain object. So soon as 1 am dead, go in search of that friend from whom you have so Ion u; been separated. You will find him, I feel convinced. lie will trace your line of conduct.' Two hours later the worthy chief died in my arms. So soon as his body was committed to the earth I set out. This very day, a-- I told you. 1 reached (Juaymas. My intention is to bury myself immediately in the wilderness ; for if 1113* poor friend be still alive, I can only find him there." There was a lengthened silence, at length broken by Belhumenr. " Hum ! all that is ve/y sad, mate, I must allow," he said, tossing his head. " You are rushing upon a desperate enterprise, in which the chances of success are almost null. A man . is a grain of sand lost in the desert. Who knows, even supposing he still lives, at what place he may be at this moment ; and if, while you are seeking him on one side, he may not be on the other ? Still, T have a proposition to make to you, which, I believe, can only prove advantageous." "I know it. my friend, before you tell it me. I thank you, and accept it," the Frenchman replied quickty. " it is agreed then. We start together. You will come with me into ApacL' " Y P,y Jove! T am in luck. I have hardly separated from Loyal Heart ere Heaven brings me together with a friend as precious as he is." ' ; Who is that Loyal Heart you mention?" "The friend with whom I lived so long, and whom you shall know eome day. , we will start at daybreak.'' Whenever you p! " I have the meeting with Eaglc-liead tw.> day-' journey from here. I am much mistaken, or he is waiting for me by this time." " What -i ing to do in Apacheria T' " T do not know. Kagle-head asked me to accompany him, and I am go- ing. [tie my] to ask my friends more of their secrets than they are willinvr to t 11 me. In that way we are more free." -.ccllent reasoning, my d'-ar Helhumeur; but, as we shall be together for a long time, I hope, at h-a-^t " "L " It is right," the Frenchman continued, " that youshould know my name, which f have hitherto forgotten to tell you." " It is right,.' 5 the Frer.ehman continued, "that you should know my name, which 1 have hitherto forgotton to tell \ " That need not trouble you ; for I could easily give you if you had reasons for preserving your incognito." "None at all : my name is Count Louis de Prcbois Crance." Belhumeur rose as if moved by a spring, took off his fur cap, and bowing before his new friend, said 26 THE TIGER-SLAYER. Pardon me, sir count, for the free manner in which I have addressed you. IIu >; ;> !. 1 ;r.i 1 ;i waiter came in. " The poa-chai.se the Count de Lhorailles ordered is waiting," lie said. "Thanks," one of the guests said, dismissing one of the waiters by a sign. The latter went o-it, and closed the door after him. The tew words he had u Here 1 had broken the charm which had enchanted the gi:e.-ts ; all sat up, jus if aroused from sleep suddenly ; and turning to a yo.mg man of thirty, they said ; " It is really true that you arc going ?" " 1 am,'' he answered, with a nod of affirmation. " Where to, though ? People do not usually part in this mysterious way," one of the guests continued. The uentkiiian to whom the remark was addressed smiled sorrowfully. The Count de Lhoir.illcs AMIS a l.u. .-ivc feat > res. CHCT..I .('( g .-.; t de- sirous to give it to you. It was, indeed, for that purpose that T invited you to tiie i;i.-i: Mipper \ve shall enjoy together. The horr for my departure baa struck ; the chaise is waiting. To-morrow I shall be far from Paris, and within a week I shall have left France never to return. Listen to mr.' } The gue.sts made a marked movement as they gaxed on the count. "Do not be impatient, gentlemen," he said ; "the story I have to tell you is not long, for it. is my own. In two words, here it is : I am completely ruined. 1 have only a small sum of money left, on which I should starve in Paris, and end in a month by blowing out my brains a gloomy perspective which pos>cs.es no attractions for me, [ assure you. On the other hand. I have such a fatal skill with arms, that, wthout any fault of my own, 1 enjoy a reputation as a duellist, which weighs on me fearfully, especially since my deplorable jilfiir with that poor Viscount de Morsens, whom I was obliged to kill against my will, in order to close his mouth and put a stop to his calum- nies. In iiiid, for the reasons L have had the honor of impart ing to you, and an infinity of others it is needless for you to know, and which I am convinced would inicre>t you very slightly, France has become odious to me to Mich a degree that I am most anxious to quit it. So now a parting glass of cham- pagne, and go;>d-by to all." * A moment," remarked the guest Avho had already spoken. " You have not told us, count, to what country you intend to proceed." " C.m't you guess ? To America. I am allowed to possess a certain amount of and intelligence, and therefore am going to a country where, u I may believe all I hear, those two qualities are su"'. .-5 ul to the fortune of their .. Have you any more questions i ;. '. mr. baron ?" he added, turning to his questioner. Tue latter, ere replying, remained for some moments plunged in si ; rrllections ; at length" he raised his head, and fixed a cold and searching glance on the count. " So, you really mean to go, friend ?'' he said quite seriously. " You swear it on your honor ? : ' " Yes, on my honor." " Ami you are really resolved to make for yourself, in America, a position at the lea-a cq al to that you held here ?'' " Yes," he sai 1 sharply, a by all means pos>:' "That isuoo.l. In your turn listen to me, count, and if you will profit by what 1 am a! mt t-> r.-ve.il to yrt, you may perhaps l y the help of Heaven, succeed in accomplishing the wild projects you luive formed." 28 THE TIGER-SLAYER. All the guests drew round curiously ; the count himself felt interested te of himself. _ The- Bai-on do Spurt/hi-im was a man of about five-and-forty. His bronzed marked features, and the strange expression of his eye gave him a | rculiar aspect, which escaped the notice of the vulgar herd, and caug- t . t j i,:. ,;.:! as a really remarkable man by all intelligent persons. The only thing known about the baron was his colossal fortune, which he rovaily. As for his antecedents, every one was ignorant of them, al- ii he was received in the first society, It was merely remarked vague- ly thftt he had been a great traveller, and had resided for several years in America ; but nothing was more uncertain than these rupiors, and they would not have been sufficient to open the salmis of the Austrian ambassa- dor, without his knowledge, served as his guarantee most warmly in several delicate circumstances. The baron was more intimately connected with the count than with his other companions. He seemed to feel a certain degree of interest in him ; _ ind several times, guessing his friend's embarrassed circumstances, he had' delicate! v oilc-ivd him his assistance. The Count de Lhorai-lles, though too , these- offers, felt equally grateful to the baron, and had al- lowed him to assume a certain influence over him, without suspecting it. ,.e:ik. but bo brief, my dear baron," the count said. " You know that I waiting for me." Without replying, the baron rang the bell. The waiter came in. Dismiss the postilion, and tell him to return at five o'clock. You can go." waiter bowed and went out. The count, more and more amazed at his friend's strange conduct, did not make the least observation. However, he poured out a glass of champagne, . 1 at a draught, crossed his arms, leant back in his chair, and v, And now, gentlemen," the baron said in his sarcastic and incisive voice, :r iVi.-M 1 De Lhorailles has told us his history, and we are becoming confidential, why should I not tell you mine ? The weather is fearful ; it is raining torrents. Here we are, comfortably tiled in : we have champagne ami regalias two excellent things when not abused. What Imve we bet- do? ' Nothing,' I hear you say. Listen to me, then, for I believe what 1 have to tell you will interest you the more, because some among you will not be vexed to know the whole truth about me." The majority of the guests burst into a laugh at this remark. When their hilarity was calmed the baron began: " As for the first part of my story, I shall imitate the count's brevity. In the present age gentlemen find themselves so naturally beyond the pale of the law through the prejudices of blood and education, that they all are to |i;^-> through a rough apprenticeship to life, by devouring in a few they know not how, the paternal fortune. This happened to me, gen- i > yoinv.-lves. My ancestors in the middle ages were, to a certain it, freebooters. True blood always shows itself. When my last re- sources were nearly exhausted, my instincts were aroused, and my eyes fixed on America. In less than ten years I amassed there the colossal fortune which 1 now have the disinguished honor, not of dissipating the lesson was .'le, and I profited by it; but of spending in your honorable company, White <:::;. ful to keep my capital intact." the count exclaimed impatiently, "how did you amass this colos- u yourself term it?" t a million and a half," the baron coolly remarked. A shudder of covetousness ran through the whole party. THE TIGER-SLAYER. 29 " A colossal fortune indeed," the count continued ; t; but, I repeat, Low did you acquire it ?" " If I diit not intend to reveal it to you, my dear fellow, you may be suro I would not have abused your patience by making you listen to tlie triviali- ties vou have just heard." " We are listening," the guests shouted. Tlie baron coolly looked at them all. ' In the lirst place let us drink a glass of champagne to our friend's suc- cess," he said in a sarcastic tone. The glasses were filled and emptied again in a twinkling, s.-> great was the curiosity of the auditors. After patting down his gla->s before him tlu baron lighted a regalia, and, turning to the c;mnt, said to him : v 1 am now addressing myself more particulraly to you, my friend. You ure young, enterprising, gifted with an iron constitution and an energetic will; 1 am convinced, that if death does not thwart your plans, you will succeed, whatever may be the enterprise you undertake, or tlie objects you propose to yourself, "in the life you are about to begin, the principal oT .-u -cess, i-may say almost the only one i.s a tho&ngh knowledge of the ground on which you are about to manoeuvre, and the society you pr pose entering. If, on my entrance upon that adventurous life, I had possessed the good fortune of meeting a friend willing to initiate rne into the myste- rie-. > for you. Perhaps, at a later date you will be grateful for the information I have given you, and which will serve as your guide in the inextricable maze you are abo'.it to enter. In the first place, lay down this principle : the people among whom you are about going to live are your natural enemies. All means must ap- pear to you good to emerge from the battle a victor. Lay on one side your notions of honor and delicacy. In America they are vain words, useless even to make dupes, from the very simple reason that no one believes h) t licui. The sole deity of America i.s gold. To acquire gold the American is capable of everything ; but not as in old Europe, under the cloak of honesty, and by roundabout process, but frankly, openly, without shame, and without ivmor.se. This laid down, your line of conduct is ready traced. There is no project, however extravagant it may appear, which in that country does not. oiler chances of success ; for the means of execution are immen.-e, and almost impossible of control. The American is the man who has be.-.t c-mipreli :id- 10 strength of association : his schemes are carried mil. On rriving there alone, without friends or Acquaintances, however intelligent and deter- mined you may be, you will be lost, because you iind your.-eif aioiie in the face of "all." .'.iat is true," the count muttered with conviction. aienee !" the baron replied with a smile. l ' Do you think I intend to send you into action without acuinUB? No, no, I will give you one, ;r.i 1 magnificently tempered, too, 1 a-."ii;v yo:i." AH those piv- i with ama/.ement on this man, who h enormously in their esteem, in a few moments. The baron I- '. ;nc 1 not to perceive the impression lie produced, and in a minute or so he continued, lay- ing a stress on every word, a.s if wishful to engrave it more deeply on the count's*memory : ' Kemcmber what I am about to tell you ; it is of the utmost importance for you not to forget a word, my friend ; from that positively depends the success ol your trip to the New World." 'Speak I am not losing a syllable !" the count interrupted him with species of febrile impatience, " When stranger.-, began to ilock to America, a company of bold fellows wa 30 THE TIGER-SLAYER. A ]| nationaty, as e)' ssue o 006 government, that which they themselves ins lost in the middle of the ocean {-,- ,, ,-atits basis, and it only admitt fnnm-'l without faith or law. anrl without pity as without weakness, who, A ]| nationality, as the)' issued from every people, on ly recognised themselves instituted on Tortoise Island, a monstro-.is eovemment ; , admitted of right Icing might i companions, attached to each other by a Draconian charter, as- ' of Brethren of the Coast, and were divided into two elas- FC> the Buccaneers and the Filibusters. TJie buccaneers, wandering through the primeval forests, hunted oxen, while tin- fSliliii-ti-ivs scoured the seas, attacking every flag, plundering every I under the pretext of making war on the Spaniards, but in reality Rtrippiiir th- ri'-h for the benefit of the poor the only -means they discovered itore t!u- bnlance between the two classes. The Brethren of the Coast, continually rerruiti-d from all the rogues of the new world, became powerful _ so | ; ...deed, that the Spaniards trembled for their possessions, and a glorious King of France did not disdain to treat with them, and send an amW- :!'<; to them. At last, through the very force of circumstances, .like all powers whioh are the offspring of anarchy, and consequently possess no inh:den circle nothing is possible. Such have the Brethren of the Coast become, in less than two centuries, by the force of progress ! y are the axis round which the New World revolves, though it little sus- pects it." Theiv^yas a lengthened silence : each was reflecting on what he had just heard. Tlio l.nron himself had buried his face in his hands, and was lost in that world of ideas which he had evoked, and which now assailed him in a s with sensations of mingled pain and bitterness. The distant sound of a Ming vehicle recalled the count to the gravity of the situation. Hera i* my chaise," he said. I am about to set out. and 1 know noth ing." THE TIGER-SLAYER. 31 " Patience !" the baron replied. i; TuLie have of your friends, and wo will start." Yielding, in spite of himself, to the influence of this singular man, the count ob'jyed, without dreaming of ofLring t!ie slightest opposition. Ho rose, embraced each of his old Mends, exchanged with them hearty hand- shakings, received their auguries of success, and left the room, followed by the baron. The post-chaise was waiting in front of the house. The young men haO opened the windows, and were waving fresh adietix to thei' 1 friend. Tlu count turned a long look on the Boulevard. The rjight was gloomy, thougi the rain no longer fell ; the sky was black ; and the gas-jets glinted feebl) in the distance like stars lost in a fog. ' Farewell," he said in a stifled voice, "farewell ! Who knows whether 1 shall ever return ?" " Courage !" a stern voice whispered in his ear. The young man shuddered : the baron was at his side. " Come, my friend," he said, as he helped him to enter the carriage, " I will accom parry you to the barrier." The count got in and fell back on a cushion. t; The Normandy road," the baron shouted to the postilion, as he shut tho door. The driver cracked his whip, and the chaise started at a gallop. " Good- by, good -by !" the young men loudly shouted as they leant out of the windows of the Cafe Anglais. For a long time the two remained silent. At length the baron took tho word. ' Gaetan 1" he said. " What would you ?" the latter replied. : 1 have not yet finished my narrative." " It is true,'' he muttered distractedly. - l*n you not wish me to end it ?" >}ieak, my friend." c; lu what a tone you say that, my good fellow ! Yourmhjd is wandering in imaginary .-pace ; you are doubtlessly dreaming of those you are leaving. A, . murmured the count with a sigh, " I am alone in the world. What have I to regret ? I possess neither friends nor relations." u Ungratef.il man !" the baron said in a reproachful tone. " H i'cirdou me, my dear fellow; I did not think of what I was aymg." I pardon you, but on condition that you listen to me." " 1 promise it." iv friend, il you desire Micros, the friendship and protection of those Dauph'yeers 1 mentioned mv in i! -j. disable for you." "How C.MI I obtain them 1, a wretched stranger ? How I tremble on thinking of the country in which I dreamed of creating such a glorious fu- ture ! Ti.e veil that covered my eyes is fallen. I see tho extravagance of my projects, and all hope abandons me." " Already ?" exclaimed the hiroii .-ternly. " Child without energy, to abandon a content even before having engaged in it ! man without strength and courage ! I will give you the means, if you like, of obtaining the friend- ship and protection H> \ for you." "You !" the count said, quivering with excitement. " Yes, I ! I/o you fanry I have been amusing myself with torturing your mind for the last two hours, like the jaguar plays with the lamb, for the rnero pleasure of deriding you? X<>, Gactim. If you had that thought, you were wrong, for I am fond of you. When 1 learned your .scheme 1 applaud- Tin-: TlftE R-HL A v ri- cd. from flu- bottom of my heart, that re.M:>!imoi-. which restored you to yptfr r place in inv mind. "When you this night frankly avowed to us your neJ your plans, I found my:-elf again in you ; my heart ; for a moment I was happy : and then I vowed to open to you that path M> \vide, BO t'l-cat, and so noble, that if you do not succeed, it will be Be '/on do not desire to do so." l -(li !" the count said energetically, " I may succumb in the contest which S this day between myself and humanity at large, but fear nothing, my friend ; I will fell nobly like a man of courage." - ! am persuaded of it, my friend. I have only a few more words to say to you. I, too, was a Bauph'yeer, and am so still. Thanks to my brethren, [ gained the fortune I now possess. Take this portfolio: put round your neck this chain, from which a medallion hangs; then, when you are alone, read these instructions contained in the portfolio, and act as they prescribe. If you follow them point for point, I guarantee your success. That is the I'd for you, and which I would not give you till we were alone/' " O heavens !" the count said with effusion. " Here we are at the barrier," the baron remarked, as he stopped the car- . " It is time for us to separate. Farewell, my friend ! Courage and will! Embrace me. Above .all, remember the portfolio and the me- ialion.V The two men remained for a long time in each other's arms. At length iho b; ron freed himself by a vigorous effort, opened the door, and leaped out >n the pavement. ' Farewell !" he cried for the last time ; " farewell, Gaetan, ^remember me." The post-chaise was bowling along the high road at full speed. Strange to say, both men muttered the same word, shaking heads with discourage- ment, when they found themselves- alone one walking at full speed alo'ng the footpath, the other buried in the cushions. That word was " Perhaps !" The reason was that, despite all their efforts to deceive each other, neither of them hoped. i C II AFTER V. THE DAUPH'YEERS. Now let us quit the old world, and, taking an immense stride, transport ourselves to the new one at a single leap. '1 here is in America a city which possibly cannot be compared to any other in 1 1 ( - whole world. That city is Valparaiso ! Valparaiso J The word resounds in the enchanted ear like the gentle soft notes of a love song. ettish, smiling, and mad city, softly reclining like a careless Creole, n bay, at the foot of three majestic mountains, lazily bathing .d dainty feet in the azure waves of the Pacific, and veiling her row in the storm-laden clouds which escape from Cape Horn, and ith a sinister sound round the peaks of the Cordilleras, to form a splendid em. 'It on the Chilian coast, this strange city belongs, in fact, to 1 recognises no nationality : or to speak more correctly, it ad its bosom. At ' tue adventurers of every clime have given each other the THE TIGER-SLAY Ell. 33 meeting. All tongues are spoken there, every brail !< is carried on. The population is the quaintest amalgam of the most eCQCentric penonaiitietL who have rushed from the. most remote parts ;!' ti: 1 1- fs of the old world, to attack fortune in this city, the advance;! sentinel of Traus-atlantic civilisation, and whose occult influence governs the J ; .,,1 re- public. Valparaiso, like nearly all the commercial (v >. is a pile of shapeless dens and magnific' . ;.nd hang- ing in abrupt clusters on the abrupt fi.;::k> >{' tl At the period the event occurred , t he stivets were narrow, dirty, deprived of air am i paving, bei .per- fectly ignored, rendered them perfect morasses, m irl . to the knee when the winters rains had loo- the u.-e ot a hor.se indispensable, e\:mfly escaped l'r m I boles, hrighf- cned by the filth of every description which the d :.ing o'f the in- habitants accumulated, while no one dreamed of draining t ... :,;icnt abodes of pernicious fevers. At the present day, we are told, this state of things h; s been altered, and Valparaiso HO longer resembles itself. . We should like to believe it; but the carelessness of the South Au.vrif.ir.. so well known to us, compels us to very circumspect in such a matter. In one of the dirtiest and worst-famed streets of Valparaiso was a house which we ask the reader's permission .to describe in a fe\r \v< We art! compelled at the outset. to confess th; i if the architect intrusted with its construction had shown himself more than sober In the ( retribution of the ornaments, he had built it perfectly to suit the trade of the various tenants destined in future to occupy it one after the other. It was a clay-built hovel. The funute looked upon the Street de la Mi iv !; the opposite side had an outlook of the sea, above which it project- ed fora certain distance upon posts. This house was inhabited by an innkeeper. Contrary to the European buildings, which grow higher they rise from the ground, this house grew larger; so that the upper part was lofty and well lighted, while tue shop and other ground-floor rooms were confined and gloomy. Th. -cupier had skifully profited by his architectural arrange- ment to have a room made in the wall between the first and second 1. which was reached by a turning stair <;!-', ("iieealed in the masonry. This room was so built that the slight in the street distinctly reach' -of persons in it wl .: any they might make, ever loud it might be. iy landlord, occupier of this house, had naturally a rather ir custom of people of every description MH . and others, wl: might bring them hit unpleasant diflicultier; with 1lm Chilian police; consequently, a whale-! ncd to a ;mening on the sea, off ter to the C ; 't whi-nov the agent- M, evinced a 'l<.Vnv toMiy a '!.!./! '.';:'.ry vi-it to I is fieri. '"Tlii- '.vii and probably Nsii! :ako or a fire has caused this i the e.r-.th of Valparaiso -by the name of the /. On an iron i, and creaking with every breath of wind, ther . fj/o .*urrouwled by oral! V.i of the sign to which I have allnd : canda del Sol. was. a tall, dry fel- 34 THE TIGER-SLAYER. low, will, an angular face end crafty look ; a mixture of the Arancano, . : ,iard, whose morale responded perfectly to ]iis pliysiqve j that iy | ie combined in himself the vitas of the tbitje races to which he belonged; ml, black, and white; without possessing one single virtue of tlu-ii " Jiii'l that beneath the shadow of an avowed and almost honest trade irriedon clandestinely some twenty, the most innocent of which would taken him to the presidios or galleys for life, had he been discovered. Sonic two months after the events we described in a previous chapter, about eleven of the clock on a cold and misty night, Senor Ecnito garzuela -ated in melancholy mood within his bar, contemplating with mournful ;-n.' diverted room of his establishment. The wind blowing violently, caused the sign of the meson to creak on its hinges \\itli gloomy complaints, and the heavy black clouds coming from the south moved weightily athwart the sky, dropping at intervals heavy masses of rain on the ground* loosened by previons storms. Tome," the unhappy host muttered to himself with a piteous air, " there i* another day which liisishes as badly as the others. Satigre ^cle .Vies ! for the last week I have had no luck. If it continues only a fortnight longer I ahall be i-uiiicil a man." It fact, through a singular accident, for about a month the Locanda del Sol had been completely shorn of its old brilliancy, and the landlord did not know any reason for its eclipse. The MMind cf clanking glasses and cups was no longer heard in the room, u.Miall\ affected by thirsty souls. Strange change in human things ! Abun- lancr bad been too suddenly followed by the most perfect vacuum. It might be said that the plague reigned in this deserted house. The bottles remained methodically arranged on the shelves, and hardty two passers-by hud come in during the past day to drink a glass of pisco, which they hasti- ly paid lor, :-o eager were they to quit this den, in spite of tlie becks, and nods, anil wreathed smiles of the host, who tried in vain to keep them to talk of public affairs, and, above all, cheer his solitude. After a lew words we have heard him utter, the worthy Bon Bcnitorose carelessly, and prepared, with many an oath, to close his establishment, so at nny rate to save in candles, when suddenly an individual entered, then two, then ten, and at last such a number that the locandero gave up all attempts at counting them. These men were all wrapped up in cloaks ; their heads were covered by tfelt hats, whose broad brims, pulled down carefully over their eyes, render- ed them perfectly unrecognisable. room was boon crowded with customers drinking and smoking, but ni.t uttering a word. The extraordinary thing was that, although all the tables were lined, such a ix -ligioiis silence prevailed among these strange bibbers that the noise of the rain pattering outside could be distinctly heard, as well as the footfalls of the hoi-M-s ridden by the serenes, which resounded hoartcly on the peb- in t i.c muddy ponds that covered the ground. rceaV.U surprised by this sudden turn of fortune, had joyful- l ing his unexpected customers ; but all at once a singular 1, which Senor Sarzuela was far from anticipating. Although / that you can never have enough of .a good thing and prov- dom of nations it happened that the affluence of people. \e made an appointment at his house, became so consid- I such gigantic proportions, that the landlord himself be- ii'i- his hostelry, empty a moment previously, was now that l;o fcccn did not know where to put the new arrivals who continued to flock in. la fact the crowd, after tilling the common room, THE TIGER-SLAYER. 35 had, like a rising tide, flowed over into the adjoining room, then it csca- laded the stairs, and spread over the upper floors. A I the iirst str >ke of eleven more than two hundred customers occupied the L.n'.unl.i del Sol. The loj.indero, with that craft which was one of the most salient points of his character, then comprehended that something extraordinary \vas about to happen, and that his house \vould be the scene. At t ho thought a Qpnvujsive tremor seized upon him, his hair began to .stand uii cnd,;md he sought in his brain for the means he must employ to get ri 1 of these sinister and silent guests. In his despair he ro-;e with an air \vhich lie sought to render in >>! r ^olute, and walked to the door as if for the purpose of closing his establishment. The customers, still silent as fish, did not make a sign of moving; on the contrary, they pretended they noticed nothing. Don JJenito felt his nervousness redoubled. Suddenly the voice of asereno singing in the distance furnished him with the pretext he vainly sought, b}' shouting as he passed the locanda : u Aoe Maria purunma. Lot oitte hem dado y llucc" ([ .salute you, most pure .Mary ! Eleven has struck, and it rains.) liough accompanied by modulations capable of making a dog weep, the sacramental cry of the sercno absolutely produced no impression on mine host's customers. The force of terror at length restoring him a slight degree of nor Sar/uela decided on directly addressing his obsti- nate customers, ror this purpose he deliberately posted himself in the cen- tre of the room, thrust his list into his side, ai?d raising his head, .said in a voice which he tried in vain to render firm, but whose tremor he could not hide : "Senores cabal! cros, it is eleven o'clock. The police regulnl ions forbid me keeping open longer. Have the goodness, I beg you, to withdraw with- out delay, so that 1 may close my establishment." This harangue from which he promised himself the greatest success, pro- !y contrary to what he expected. The strangers vig- l smote the table with their glasses, shouting unanimously : .ink!" , The landlord bounded back at thi-j fearful disturbance. u Still, cabal] .'' he ventured to remark, after a moment's hesitation, 'the police regulations are severe. It is eleven, and *' lie - . > more : i ' : -commenced with even ^ivater intensity, mi 1 t: : ;....'.: ihouted toother, in a voice of thunder, ' ; Drink !" A pea ii;n, ea-y to comprehend, then took place in the mind of mine host. Fancying that a personal attack was made on himself, p : 'is in- -.vard di-flppeared to make room for the miser, ; , him his property. " A.I." ; i iV/cris'i e.\.i>p -ration, ' ; that is the gam- ! Well, wo will seo if I am master in my own house. 1 will go after th- This t.hivat of justice from the mouth of the worthy Sarzucla appeared so droll, that the cast ;t, with an unanimity that did them all credit, into a burst, of Homeric laughter right under the poor fellow's nose. This was the. crowning stroke, the cap-piece. The host's anger was convert- ed into ravin-c madness, and he rushed head-foremost at the door, under tho laughter and inextinguishable shouts of his persecutors. ]\\\t he had hardly crossed the threshold of his hou.-.e ire a njw arrival seized him unceremoni- ously ..id hurled him back roughly into the room, saying in a bantering voice : <; What lly !i\> stung you, my dear landlord ? Arc you mad to go out bftre-hesded in suck weather, at the risk of catching a pleurisy ?'* 3G THE TIGER-SLAYER. And then while thclocandero, terrified and confounded by this rede shock, tried t,, main his balance and re-establish a little order in his ideas, the un- kuo vn, as' cool I v as if he were at home, had, with the help of some 01 the cu.tnners, to whom he made signs, shut the shutters and bolted the door M ith as 'lunch care as Sarzuela himself usually devoted to this delicate operation, .ere, now that urdone," the stranger said, turning to the amazed host "suppose 'we have a chat, cvmpadre. Ah, 1 suppose you do not recognise me .'' he added, as he removed his hat and displayed a fine intelligent face, vcr which a mocking unite wi:s nt this moment playing. " Oli, el Senor Don Gaetano !" said Sarzuela, whom this meeting was far from pleasing, and who tried to conceal a horrible grimace. ' Mlenee !" the other said. " Come hither." "With a gesture he drew the landlord into a corner of the room, and, lean- ing down to his ear, said in a low voice : u Are there any strangers in your hou.se ?" " Look !" he sakl with a piteous glance, as he pointed to the still drinking cn-totuers, " that legion of demons invaded my house an hour back. They drink well, it B true ; but there is something suspicious about them not at all encouraging to an honest man." " The more reason that you should have nothing to fear. Besides, T am not alluding to them. I ask you if you have any strange lodgers ? As for the e men, you know them as well as I do. perhaps better." "From top to bottom of my house I have no other persons than these cab- alleros, whom you say I know. It is very possible ; but as ever since the/- have been here, thanks to the way in which they are muffled, it hw been inij -,-iljle for me to see the tip of a nose, 1 was utterly enable to recognise them." " You arc a donkey, my good friend. These men who bother you so great- ly are all Dauph'yeers." " Really !" the amazed host exclaimed ; " then why do they hide their faces ?'' ' My faith, Master Sarzuela, I fancy it is probably because they do not wish to have them seen." And laughing at the landlord, who was sadty out of countenance, the stranger made a sign. Two men rose, rushed on the poor fellow, and before lie could even guess what they intended, he found himself so magnificently garotted that he could not even cross himself. " Fear nothing, Master Sarzuela; no harm will befall you," the stranger continued. " We only want to talk without witnesses, and as you sire natu- rally a chatterer, we take our precautions, that is all. So be calm ; in a few hours you will be free. Come, look, sharp, you fellows," lie continued, ad- , a eeriaiu inll.ienc over the honorable company collected at t lis ;n mieut on the zro'.i rl-llo.ir room of the hostelry. So so >. as tliu nmtjiL'rof t!i no no !;a I di vi;r>.- ir-l h t 'c off his cloak, made a sign commanding silence, and speaking in excellent French, said in a clear a:id sonorous void.- ; u Brethren, thanks for your punctuality/' T:ie Da tph'ycers jx)litely returned his salute. "Gentlemen," be continued, "our projects arc advancing. Soon, T hope, we slri'l attiiin the object to which we have so long been tending, and quit that obocarity i; which \ve are languishing, to conquer our place in the sun- shine. America is a marvellous land, i:i which every ambition can be satis- fied. I have taken all thfc necessary measures, as I pledged mvself to you to do a fortnight ago. when I li-id the honor of convening yo-i lor the first ti;n . Wo li ivc s i ;ce,' \jt\. Yo i u'.-ro kind enougii to appoint me director ol' the Mcxicjin movement, and I thank you for it., gentleman. A con ion of three thousand acres of laud has been mado me at (jJuet/alli. in Up- per Souora. The first step has been taken. My lieutenant, l)e Laville, started yesterday for Mexico, to take j)ossession of the {iranted territory. I have t >-d.iy another req lest to make of you. You who listen to me here are all EuiM t ier.n or Xorta Americans, and you will understand me. For a very 10114 tinu; the IXriphVecr-s, the successors of the Brethren of the Coast have bee:i calmly watching, as apparently disinterested spectators of the ondlev* dnma of the American republics, the sudden changes and shame- volutions of the old Spanish colonies. The hour ha* arrived to throw ourselves into the contest. I need one hundred and Jifty devoted men. (Juet/alli will serve them as a temporary refuge. 1 shall soon tell them what 1 exjK-ct from their courage ; but you must strive to carry out what I attempt. The enterprise I meditate, and in which I shall possibly perish, is entirely in the interest of the association. If 1 succeed, every man who took part in it will have a large reward and splendid portion insured him. You know the man who introduced me to you, and he had gained your en- tire confidence. The medal lie gave me, and which L now show you, proves to you that he entirely responds forme. Will you, in your turn, tr.isr in me as lie has done I Without you I can do nothing, i await your reply." Jle was silent. His auditors began a long discussion among themselves, though in a low voice, which they carried on for some time. At length si- lence was restored, and a man ro-e. ' - : 1 1 < r i -tan de Lhorailles," he said, " my brethren have requested me to answer you in their name. You presented yourself to u-, supported l>y the recommendation of a man in who-.n we have the iiio-^t entire confidence. Your conduct has appear.- 1 to confirm this ive >m-iien lution. The one lnin- rlre 1 and fifty men you ask for are ready to follow you. no matter whither vo:; may lead them, persuaded as they are that, they can only gain by second* ing your plans. I, DL'go Leon, i /self at i.he head of the list." *Aiid I !" " And I !" The DaupliVccrs shout c-1, outvying each other. The count gave a signal, and silence was re-established. ' Brothers, I thank you,'' he said. "The nucleus of our association will romain at Valparaiso, and if I need thorn 1 will draw from that city the reso- lute men I mny present I}' want. For the moment one hundred and fifty men ire sufficient forjne. If my plans succeed, who knows what the future may have in store for us ? I have drawn up a charter-party, all the stipulations ^f which will be rigorously kept by myself and by yon, I hav no doubt. 38 THE TIGER-SLAYER. Rear! and sign. In two (lays I start for Talca : but in six weeks I will meet those among you who consent to follow me, and then I will communi- to them my plans in their fullest details." "Captain do Lhorailles," replied Diego Leon, " you say that you Lave only need of one hundred and fifty men. Draw them by lots, then j for all wish .ompany you." " Thank you once again, my brave comrades. Believe me, each shall have his turn, the project I have formed is grand and worthy of yon. Selection would only arouse jealousy among men all equally worthy. Diego Leon, I intrust to you the duty of drawing lots for the names of those who are to form part of the first expedition." " It shall be done," said Leon, a methodical and steady Bearnese and ex- corporal of the Spah is. "And now, my friends, one last word. Remember that in three months I shall expect you at Gueztalli ; and, by the aid of Heaven, the star of the Datiph'yecr shall not be dimmed. Drink, brothers, drink to the success of our enterprise !" " Let i\s drink !" all the Brethren of the Coast shouted together. The wine and brandy then began flowing. The whole night was spent in* an orgie, whose proportions became, towards morning, gigantic. The Count de Lhorailles thanks to the talisman the baron gave him on parting had found himself, immediately on his arrival in America, at the head of resolute and unscrupulous men, by whose help it was easy for an intellect like his to iplhh great things. Two months after the meeting to which we have introduced the reader, the count and his one hundred and fifty Dauph'yeers were assembled at the colony D|' (luetxsilli that magnificent concession which JM. de LLorailles had iiiul through his occult influences. The count appeared to command good fortune, and everything he under- took succeeded. The projects which appeared the wildest were carried out by him. Jlis colony prospered and assumed proportions which delighted the Mexican government. The count, with the tact and. knowledge of the world he thoroughly possessed, had caused the jealous and the curious to be silent. lie had created a circle of devoted friends and useful acquaintances, who on various occasions pleaded in his behalf and supported him by their credit. Our readers can judge of the progress he had made in so short a time- scarce three years when we say that, at the moment we introduce him on the stage, he had almost attained the object of his constant efforts. He was nb'Mt. to <;ain an honorable rank in society by marrying the daughter of Don Sylva de Torres, one of the richest hacienderos in Sonora : and through the iull'ieuce of his future father-in-law he had just received a commission as captain i?f a free corps, intended to repulse the incursions of the Comanches and Apaches on the Mexican territory, and the right of forming this compa- ny exclusively of Europeans if he thought proper. We will now return to the house of Don Sylva do Torres, which we left almost at the moment the Count de Lhorailles' entered it. THE TIGER-SLAYER. 30 CHAPTER VI ( BY THE WINDOW. WHEN the young lady left the sitting-room to retire to her sleeping apart- ment, the count followed her with a lingering look, apparently not at all un- derstanding the extraordinary conduct of his betrothed, especially under the circumstances in which they 'stood to each other, as they were so shortly to be married ; but, after a few moments' reflection, the count shook his head, as if to dispel the mournful thoughts ,by which he was assailed, and, turning to I) > i Sylva, said.: " Let. us talk about business matters, Are you agreeable ?" " Have you anything new, then, to tell me ?" " Miny tilings'." "Interesting ?" ' You shall be the judge." " (Jo on, then. I am all impatience to hear them." " Let us proceed in rotation. You are aware, my friend, why I left Guetz- alli r i; Perfectly. Well, have you succeeded ?" " As I expected. Thanks to certain letters of which T was the bearer, and, above all, your kind recommendation, General Marcos received me in the most charming manner. The reception he deigned to accord me was most affectionate. In short, he gave me unlimited leave, authorising me to raise, not only one hundred and fifty men, but double the number if I considered it nec.'Ass-irv." " O!i. that is magnificent." " Is it not ? He told me also that in a war like that I was about to un- dertake for my cha*e of the Apaches is a real war he left me at liberty to act as I pleased, ratifying beforehand all [ might do, being assured, he added, that it would ever bu for the glory and interest of Mexico." " Come, I am delighted with the result. And now, what are your inten- tions ? ' I have resolved on quitting you to proceed, in the first place, to Guet- zalli, whence I have n >w been absent nearly three weeks. 1 want to visit my colony, in order to see if all goes on as f 'would wis'i, arid if my men are happy. On the other hand, I s!ia!l not be sorry, before departing for !y a long p>rio I with a greater p irt of my f>r 98S, to protect my colo- nists /, by throwing up round the establishment earth- works strong enough t > r -jnlvj a. i a^.i ilr of ' -. This is the more important, because Guetze.Hi must always remain, to a certain extent, my head quart' " All right; and you start?" "This very evening.*' 'So so- n r ' I must. You are aware how time presses at present." "It is true. Have you nothing moiv to say to me ?" " Pardon me, 1 have one other point which 1 expressly reserved for the last." " You attach a great interest to it, then ?" " Immense." "Oh, oh ! I am listening to 3*011, then, my friend. Speak rpi'-kly." <: On my arrival in this rouufry. :-.t a p. -Ho 1 when th" enterprises I have since successfully carried out \veiv only i:i embryo, y >u were, goo 1 enough, Don Sylva, to place at my disp^.-il not only \ . whic'i i- i auionse, but your riches, which are incalculable." 40 THE TIGER-SLAYER. "It is true," the Mexican said with a smile. 1 availed myself largely of your offers, frequently assailing your strong box and employing your credit whenever the occasion presented itself IVriuit me now to settle with you the only part of the debt I can disc!, urge, for 1 am incapable of repaying the other. Here," he added, taking a paper from his portfolio, " is a bill for 100,000 piasters, payable at sight on \\alter gesture other, it seems to me." How so?' 5 " 1 will explain. On yonr arrival at Gnaymas. you presented yourself to me, bearing a pressing letter of recommendation from a man to whom I owed very great obligations a few years back. The Baron tic Spurtzheim described you to me rather as a beloved son than as a friend in whom he took interest. My house was at once opened to you it was my duty to do so. Then, when I knew you, and could appreciate all that was noble and p-and in your character, our relations, at first rather cold, became closer and more intimate. I offered you my daughter's hand, which you accepted. 1 ' " And gladly so," the count explained. " Very good," the haciendero continued with a smile. " The money I could receive from a stranger money which lie honestly owes me belongs to my son-in-law. Tear up that paper, then, my dear count, and pray do not think of such a trifle." "Ah!" the count said, in a tone of vexation, "that was exactly what troubled me. I am not your son-in-law -yet, and may I confess it ? I fear I never shall be." " What can make you fancy that ? Have yon not my promise ? The word of Don Sylva de Torres, Sir Count de Lhorailles, is a pledge which no one has ever yet dared to doubt." " And for that reason I have no such idea. It is not you I am afraid of," "Who, then?" " Donna Anita." " Oh, oh ! my friend, you must explain yourself, for I confess I do not un- derstand you at all," Don Sylva said sharply, as he rose and began walking up and down the room in considerable agitation. " Good gracious, my friend, I am quite in despair at having produced this discussion! I love Donna Anita. Love as you know easily takes umbrage. Al- though my betrothed has ever been amiable, kind, and gracious to me, still I confess that I fancy she does not love me." ' ; You are mad, Don Gaetano. Young girls know not what they like or dislike. Do not trouble yourself about such a childish thing. 1 promised that she shall be your wife, and it shall be so." 'Still, if she loved another, I should not like " " What ! Really what you say has not common sense. Anita loves no one but you, I am sure; and stay, would you like to be reassured? You say that you start for Guetzalli this evening ?" "- Yes." ' Yery good. Prepare apartments for my daughter and myself. In a few days we will join you at your hacienda." ; Is it possible ?" the count said joyfully. 1 To-morrow at daybtvak we will start; so make haste.' " A thousand thanks." u Come, you are now easier ?" " I am the happiest of mortals." THE TIGER-SLAYER. 41 All the better/' The two men exchanged a fe\v words further, and separated with renewed promises of meeting again soon. DOM Sylva, accustomed to command despotically hi his establishment, and to allow no o;rj t-> discuss his will, t >1 I his lv i* iter, t!r > i^!i her waiting- maid, that she must prepare for a rather long journey the next morning, and felt certain of her obedience. The news was a thunderbolt for the young lady. She sank half fainting into an easy eh air, and melted into tears. It was evident to her that this journey was only a pretext to separate her from the man she loved, ;md place her. a Jefeueeless victim, in the power of the man she abhorred, and who was to be her husband. The poor child remained thus for several hours, a prey to violent despair, and not dreaming of seeking impossible repose ; for in the state in which she found herself, she knew that sleep would not close her eyes, all swollen with tears, and red with fever. (ir.ulually the sounds of the town died away one after the other. All slept, or seemed to sleep. Don Sylva's house was plunged into complete darkness; a weak light alone glistened like a star through the young girl's windows, proving that there at least some one was watching. At this moment two hesitating shadows were cast on the wall opposite tho haciendero's house. Two men, wrapped in long cloaks, stopped and exam- ined the dimly lighted window with that attention only found in thieves and lovers. The two men to whom we allude incontestably belonged to the latter category. " Hum !" the first said in s sharp but suppressed voice, " You are certain of what you assert, Cuchares ?" " As of my eternal salvation, Senor Don Martial," the scamp replied in tho same tone. "The accursed Englishman entered the house while I was there. Don Sylva appeared on the best terms with the heretic. May his soul bo confounded !" "\Vo may here remark that a few years ago, and possibly even now, in tho Mexicans' eyes all foreigners wero English, no matter the nation to which they belonged, and consequently heretics. Hence they naturally ranked, though little suspecting it, with the men jvhom it is no crime to kill, but who.M- as-a.-^ination is rather looked upon as a meritorious action. We are bound to add, to the credit of the Mexicans, that whenever the occasion of- Jercd, they killed the English with an ardor which was a sufficient proof of their piety. Don Martial continued : "On thy faith of the Tigrero, this man has twice crossed my path, and I have spared him ; but let him be careful against the third meeting." "Oh !" .said Cuchares, "the reverend Fra Ik-cchico says that, a man gains nplendid indulgences by ' cutting' an Englishman. 1 have not yet had tho luck to come across one, although I owe about eight dead men. I am much inclined to indulge myself with this one ; it would be so much gained." " On thy life, picaro, let him alone. That man belongs to me." " Well, we'll not mention it again," he replied, stilling a sigh ; "I will leave him to you. For all that it annoys me, although the nina seems to do- test him cordially." " Have you any proof of what yon pay ?" " ^Vhat better proof than the repugnance she displays so soon as he ap- pears, and the pallor which then covers her face without any a] { a rent reas- on ?" "Ah, I would give a thousand ounces to know what to l>elieve." " Wliat prevents yon? Everybody is asleep n< one \\ iil set- you. The story is not high fifteen feet at the most. I am certain that Donna Anita would be delighted to have a chat with you." 42 THE TIGER-SLAYER. 0h if 1 conld but believe it !" he muttered with hesitation, casting a aide :::e. still lighted window. ,\v> ? perhaps she is expecting you. oundrel !" U ' , iv only listen ! If what is saiu be true, the poor cmld must be toaperplexity! if not worse : she has probably great need of assistance." > U hut do't hey say ? Come, speak, but be briei.' - \ v >imple thing that Donna Anita de iorres marries within a week the Ki^i^nmaii, Don Gaetano." - \nu ii c . villain!" said the Tigrero with ill-restrained wrath. I know not what pr, vents me thrusting down with my dagger the words you have JU -- There's where you'd be wrong," said the other, without being in the discovered. u I am only an echo that repeats what it' hears, nothing ; alone in all (iuaymas are ignorant of this news. After all, there is imthinir astonishing in that, as you have only returned to town this day, alter an absence of more than a month." t is true ; but what is to be done '.<" " i arai ! ;>llo\v the advice 1 give you." ILivro turned another long glance on the window, and let his head sink will' ; ;i irresolute air. "What will she say on seeing me ?" he muttered. < 'annul a ! ' the lepero said in a sarcastic tone, "she will cry, ' You are ma ;///' It is clear, carai ! Don Martial, have you become a timid child, that a woman's glance ean make you tremble ? Opportunity :ve hairs, in love as in war. You must seize her when she pre- !f : if you do not, you run a risk of not meeting her again." Me.\ici.n approached the lepero near enough to touch him, and, fixing i;inee on his tiger-cat eyes, said in a low and concentrated voice : , s/i trust in you. You know me. I have often come to your AYcieyouto deceive my confidence 1 would kill you like a coyote." The T ijrrcro pronounced these words with such an accent of dull fury, ; ero, who knew the mini leloic v, hem he vas fctanding, turned pale n. ,-j .k ol hin. self, and le.lt a ,-hi.deer of terror pats through his limbs. ' I :.n; devoted to you, Don JIaitial," he IT pi led in a voice, which he tried in vain to render firm. '""What ever may happen, count on me. What mu-i 1 : ; but wait, watch, at the least suspicious sound,'the first hostile ihidow that appears in the darkness, \\arn me." u ('mint on me. Go to we>rk. 1 am deaf and dumb, and during your ab 1 \\iil wr.teh o\er you like a son over his father." i !" the 'J igrero said. He drew a II w steps nearer, undid the reata fastened rornd his loins, and held it in his right hand. Then he ral ed his eyes, measu'-ed the distance and ir.rnii.L' the reata Itrcibly n r.ncl his head, hurled it into L'ona Anita, y. The running- knot caught in an iron hook, and remained firmly at- p !'' the Tigrero said, is he turned toward Cnchares. I he latter taid, as he leaned jigiaust the -wUl j.nd crossed his 1 a: >\UT for eviry thing." . Martial \vassiti. liul, or feigned to be satisfied, with this assurance, ata, and taking a iu.p like i e u.siy ivuched the bakvny. lie elimleei (,ver and went up to the win- dow. E TI (i ER-SLAYEll. 43 Donna An'la w:rs a -loop, liulf ivclining in :r.i \'.r. The p->>r girl, pale and exhausted^ her eyes swollen with tear <, had been conquered by sleep, wbic . , imitations. On her ina; !ir 1 .:luvks the teal's had tr g furrow, which was still humid. Mura.ii surveyed with a teiuL-r glance the woman he loved, though not daring to approach her. Surprised thus during her sleep, Anita appeared to him even more bountiful ; a halo of p-.iriry a -id can > MU-- round her. r IKT iv[> >.-., and render her holy and nnasailable. After a lo, 14 and v.jl.ipc MUS co.iteinplatio.i, tlie ', l.cid- cdou . i rindow, which was only lean-.-d to (f')r tin young girl had i: i uf falling to .sleep, as she had done), opened at the slightest pu.<.ii. Don Martial took one step, and found h;m-clf in the room. At ti; ,::d chamber a religious respect fell on t he felt his hourt beat rebel: io'isly ; and tottering, mad with fear and love, he fell o.i Ins kmvs b , the side of the being he adored. Anh:i opened ter i "0.! laiaied, on seeing Don Martial, "blessed be Go:l, since Ho send.> yo.i lit. ice !" Tin- ;;-. 03 cd her with moistened eye and panting chest. But suddenly t::.- girl dre.v herself up; her memory returned, and with it that timid in. 1 1 .-;y i.i'.n:;; i.i all women. I. recoiling to 'the extremity of the room, " l^gonc, ca- ballero ! ilo\v a;e you here? AVho led yon to my room 1 Ai:s\vtr 1 com- mand Tli- '.Ji'.nbly bowed his head. "Gc .i 1, iii an inarticalate voice, "God alone lias co:ii ictod me to your si ie, senovlta, as you yourself said. Oh, pardon me for having dared to su; , . 1 have committed a great fault,l am aware ; but a inisforui u- :i. maces you; 1 feel it, I guess it. Yon are alone, without s-ip- io >av to you, ' Madam, I am very low, very unworthy to Ben ;; j'ou huve need of a firm and devoteil heart. Here 1 am ! Take . take my life. I would be so happy to die for you !' In the name :iora, in the name of what you love most on earth, do My arm, rny heart, are yours: dispose of them." Tli, mo young man in a ci e, as he :n, his h;i (1, and fixing on Donna Amt. i .deli he had thrown his entire soul. 1 i.r.ied her limpid glance on the young man, and, \\ :ed him with sh< rt step-, hesitating \\Lenshe arrived near l.im sic run laid her t.vo sun!!, d linty hands i [)!M'- d hc-r iii'iil le I : his, th:it the r nn r<> felt on hi- timed breath, w.iiie her long, 1. and pr. I him. in a harmonious voice, " you love me then, Don M M i mg man munnured, almost mad with love at thi> contact. The irl bent over him still more, and grazing with hor rosy lips the '1 : '.ing back with the ravishing m /vement of a startled I'.IAII, v/hiie her bio.v turned purple with t |d made to overc.'i,c :. rm '.'.\\\\ for i;i the presence of ( J T!n t beneath the COIT - of this kiss. With ;i '.i-jw and sparkling eyes, he seized the girl's arm and draw- 44 THE TIGER-SLAYER. inp her to the comer of the room, where was a statue of thy Virgin, before which prf mied oil was burning: MI vo:ir kne-s, senorita," he said in an inspired voice, and l|imseif bow- ed tin: knee. The giri nhnved him. " Jlolv Mothc-r of Sorrow !" Don Martial went on, " Neiistra Senorade la Soledad*!' divino succor of the alllicted, who HO inde.st all hearts ! thoti see- est the parity of o-ir souls, the holiness of our love. Before thee I take for my wife Donna Anita de Torres. I .swear to defend and protect her, before and against everybody, even if I lose my life in the contest 1 commence i ii< day for the happiness of her I love, and who from this day forth is real- ly my betrothed." After pronouncing this oath in a firm voice the Tigrero turned to the mai- den. - It is yo'ir turn now, senorita," he said to her. The girl f.Tvvntly clasped her bands, and raising her tear-laden eyes to the holy intake, she said in a voice broken with emotion: N ;e tra Senora de la Soledad, thon, my only protector since the day of my 'birth, Unowot. how truly 1 am devoted to thee ! I swear that ail this man has siid is the truth. 1 take him for my husband in thy sight, and will never have another." They ro.*,e, and Donna Anita led the Tigrero to the balcony. " Go !" she slid to him. " Don Martial's wife mu.st not be suspected. Go, my hr.sband, my brother ! The man to whom they want to deliver me is called the Count de Lhorailles. To-morrow at daybreak we leave this place, probably to join him." "And lie ?" 'Started this night." " U here is he going ?" 4i I know not." "I will kid him/' u K. -iv well, Don Martial, farewell !" '* Farewell. Ih.nna Anita ! Take courage : I am hatching over yon." And after imprinting a last and chaste kiss on the young girl's pure brow, he chimbm-d over the balcony, and hanging by the reata. glided down into the street. The haciendero's daughter unfastened the running knot, leant out and gazed on the Tigrero as long as she could see him ; then she closed the window. alas !" murmured she, suppressing a ?%h, " what have T done ? Holy Virgin, t. o;i alone canst restore me the courage which is deserting me." She let t..e curtain fall which veiled the window, and turned to go and kneel befre the Virgin ; but suddenly she recoiled, uttering a cry of terror. Two paces from her Don Sylva was standing with frowning brow and stern face. " 1'omia Anita, my daughter," said he, in a slow and stern voice, " I havo sei'ii and hear 1 everything; spare yourself, then, I beg yon, all useless denial." .My father !" the poor child stammered in a broken voice. litMire !'' he continued. "It is three o'clock; we set out at sunrise. Prepare yourself to marry in a fortnight Don Gaetano de Lhorailles." And, without deigning to add a word, he walked out slowly, carefully clo- MIIK the door after him. v As Boon a she was alone the young girl bent down as if listening, tottered tew stops f nvarl, raised her hands with a nervous gesture to lier contract- ed throat -then, pealing forth a piercing err, fell back on the floor. She had THE TIGER-SLAYER. 45 CHAPTER VII. T II K DUEL. IT was about ei^'it in the evening \vhcn tho Count du Lliorailles left tho residence of Don Sylva do Torres. Tho feria tie plata was then in all its splendor. The streets of Guaymas were thronged with a joyful and motley crowd: the shouts of songs and laughter rose on every ride. The piles of gold heaped on the mouto tables emitted their yellow and intoxicating re- flections in the dazzling gleams of the lights which .-hone in every door and window : liere and there the sounds of the vihuelas and jarabes escaped from the pulqucrias, invaded by t!ie drinkers. TUe count, elbowed and elbowing, traversed as quickly as was possible tho den*e groups which at every instant barred his passage; but the <:o;ivcr>a- tion he had had with Don Sylva had put him in too happy a temper for him to dream of being vexed at the numerous collisions he endured at every mo- ment. At length, after numberless difficulties, arid wasting at least thrice tho time he would have employe;! under other circumstances, he reached at about ten in the evening, the house where he lodged. lie had spent about two hours in covering less than six hundred yards. On arriving at the meson, the count proceded n'ret to the corral to see his horse, to which he gave, with his own hand, two trusses of alfalfa ; then, af- ter ordering that he should be called at one o'clock, if by accident (which was most improbable) he retired to his ciutrto to take a few hours 1 rest. The count intended to start at such an early hour in order to avoid tho heat of the day, and travel more quickly. Uesides, after his lengthened con- versation with Don Sylva, the noble adventurer was not sorry to fi:id him- self alone, in order to go over in his mind all tho happy things that had hap- pened during the past evening. Fro.n the moment lie had landed in America the count had enjoyed to employ a familiar term a shameful good luck : everything succeeded with him. In a few months his fortune might be thus summed up: A colony founded under the most favorable auspices, and already on the road of pro- and improvement : while keeping his nationality intact that is to say, his liberty of action and an inviolable neutrality he was in the service of tho Mexican Government, as captain of a free corps of one hundred and fifty devoted men, wit'.i whom he could attempt, if not carry out, the wildest enterprises. In the l.i-t place, he was on the jx>int of marrying the daughter of a man twenty times a millionaire, as far as lie had opportunity of judging; and what in no\vay spoiled th affair, his betrothed was delightful. Dnfbrt&n tely, or fortunately, according tho stand-point our readers may think in judging of our hero, tiiis man, worn out by the enervating eccentri- cities of Parisian life, no longer felt his heart beat from any emotion of joy, sorrow or irai* : all was du-.d within him. lie was exactly the man wanted to succeed in the country to which accident had .,ent him. In the irtvat del of life he had began in America he had an immense advantage over his ad- versariesthat of never allowing himself to be swayed by pa.x-ion ; and con- sequently, owing to his unalterable coolness, he was enabled to evade tho pit fall* incessantly laid for him, over which lie triumphed without appearing to notice them. After what we have said, we have hardly need to add that he did not love the woman whose hand hi* sought. She was young and lovely so much th - brtt.-r. Had sin-been old-and u-ly hu wovld have accepted her hand all til* same. What did he care? lie only sought one thing in marriage a bril 4G THE TIGER-SLAYER. Ihnt and enrfed po ition. In fine, the Count dc Lhorailles was nil calcula iut, " We h:iu- made .1 mistake, however, in affirming that lie bar! not a weak || ( . was ambitions. This pas>ion, one uf the most violent of those with which [leaven has afflcted the human race, was possibly the only link l,v which the fount was still attached to humanity. Ambition in him Lad . pitch, especially during the last few months it, had taken developmentthat he would have sacniiced all to it. 6 what was the object of this man's ambition. What future di.l In- (hvain of? It is probable that we may explain this to the reader in fuller detail prc.-ently. The (-(Hint wont, to bed ; that is to say, after wrapping himself carefully in his /araj e, ho stretched himself on the leathern frame which throughout Mexico is the substitute for beds, whose existence is completely ignored. a as lie lay down he fell asleep, with that conscience peculiar to the adventurer whose every hour is claimed beforehand, and who, having- but a few moments t< grant to rest, hastens to profit by them, and sleeps as the Span! a la pierna suelta, which we may translate nearly by sleeping loeed flats. one in tl.e morning the count, as he had promised, awoke, lighted the rel-it \\ hieh served liim as a candle, arranged his toilette to a certain extent, :iiv examined his pistols and rille, and assured himself that his sabre . ihu-.l e.is'dy ; then, when all tlie.w various preparations, indispen- for every traveller careful for his safety, were ended, he opened the (i;;'.r;o and proceeded to the corral. Hi-; hor-e was eating heartily, and gaily finishing its alfalfa. The connt himself gave it a measure of oats, which he saw it dispose of with neighs of ,;d then put on the saddle. In Mexico, horsemen, whatever the to which they belong, never leave to others the care of at- t heir steeds : for in those semi-savage countries the life of the -ponds nearly always upon the vigor and speed of his animal. 'I . : of the meson was only leaned to, so that the travellers might stai t whenever they pleased without disturbing- anybody. The count lit his leaped into the saddle, and started on a 'trot along the road leading to th<- Rancno, Nothing is so agreeable as night travelling in Mexico. The earth, refreshed by the night breeze, and bedewed by the copious dew, ex haled acrid and perfumed scents, whose beneficent emanations restore the body .-.11 its \i ; ;or, and the mind its lucidity. The moon, just on the point of disappearing, profusely scattered its oblique raj's, which lengthened im- moderately the shadow of the trees growing at intervals along the road, and made, t lu-ui in the obscurity resemble a legion of fieshle.ss spectres. The sky, of n deep azure, was studded with an infinite number of glistening Ut of which flashed the dazzling southern cross, to which the Indi.i ven the name of For on C/iayke. The wind breathed gently 1 ranches, in which the blue jay uttered at intervals the raelodi- !' its melancholy song, with which were mingled at times, in tho proluii'iitirs of the desert, the howling of the cougar," the sharp miauw of the panther or the ounce, and the hoarse bark of the coyotes in search of The count, on leaving Guaymas, had hurried on his horse ; but sul-jrgated, to of himself, by the irresistible attractions of this autumn night he u-d the pace of his steed, and yielded to the flood of thoughts Which mounted incessantly to his brain, and plunged him into a gentle re v- endant of an ancient and haughty Frank race, alone in this .tally surveyed the splendor of his name so long eclipsed, and .led with joy and pride on reflecting that the task was reserv- THE TIGER-SLAYER. 47 cd for aim perhaps to rehabilitate those from wh<,m 1.- < d, and re- store, this time eternally, the fortunes of his family, of which liu had hither- to proved MIC.I a bud guardian. Tins laud, \vhich he trampled under foot, would restore him \vl:at he had lost and madly squandered a hundred fold. The moment had at length ar- rived when, free Irom all hobbles, he was about to reali.se those plans for the future so long engraved on his brain. lie went on thus, travelli:,; 1 ; in the country of e.iimur.is, and so absorbed in his thoughts, that he no longer troubled himself with what went on around him. Tiie .itars werj beginning to turn pale in the heavens, and 1 .'-lied in turn. The dawn was tracing a white line, which gradually assumed a reddish tint on the distant obscurity of the horizon. On the approach of day the air became fresher; then the count, aroused if we mar employ tho term by the ijy impre&ion produce. 1 on him by the bountiful desei t too. v\ minutes p.-is-ed thus, during which the sound ; distinct. It was, therefore, evident to the Frenchman that the after him. Ik t:irew a glance behind him, and perceived two shadow^, ^ii!I dis- tant, r,i>hing at full speed towards him. By this time the count : ed the Ka;:rho. Reassured by the vicinity of houses, and ): to ily from a perhaps imaginary danger, he turned back, drew his 1: , tho road, t-).)'\ a pistol in each hand, and waited. The Bt : pres- >iii'jr on without-checking the speed of their horses, and were soon within twentv yards of th count. < ; \Vho goes there ?" he shouted in a finn and loud ^ The unknown made no replv, aad appeared to redouble their speed. " Who's t'.iere ?" tuc count repeated. " Stop, or I fire !" He uttered these worda with such a determined accent, his countenance was so intivpi i. that, after a few moments' hesitation, the stumper- s'opped. There weiv two of them. The day, just feebly breaking, pen nit ted the count to distinguish them perfectly. They were dressed in Mexican co:s- 48 THE TIGER-SLAYER. tuire : b -t. strangely enough in this country, wheie, under similar circnm- M . lll( . . ;; ri! very little about showing tlieir luces, the strangers ILilll, my inswteM I" shouted the count. " What means this obstinate 'i ii.it we probably have an interest iu catching up to you,'- replied a hoarse >.nv;t>iirally. - 'i IU-M you really are after me ?" \ ,--.. if vi). i arc- the foreigner known as the Count de Lhorailles." ' I am he/ 1 said lie without any hesitation. \'i-rv good ; then we can come to an understanding." ' I ask nothing bc-tter, though, from your suspicious conduct, you appear to mi- to be bandits. Jf you want my purse, take it and be off', for 1 am in a burr Kt-ep your purse, caballero ; we want to take your life, and not your money." Ah. ha ! 'tis :i trap, followed by an assassination." \ ftu are mistaken. I otl'eryou a fair light." " Hum !" the count said, u a fair light : two against one that is rather dis proportionate. 11 u You would be correct if matters were as you aavrne," the man haughtily repiird wlio had hitherto taken the word ; " but my companion will content hmi.-eif \\irii looking on and taking no part in the duel." 'ount reflected. " I';:!- in-.i I" he said at last. "it i.s an extraordinary siflalr! A duel in Mex- ::! with a Mexican ! Such a thing aa that has never been heart! ol Lu- fore." "It is true, caballcio; but all things must have a beginning." u .Enough of jesting. I ask nothing better than to light, and I hope to prove to you tuat 1 am a resolute man ; but before accepting your proposi- tion I sliould not.be sorry to know wiiy you force me to light you." I '. r what end ?" ' Coil. leu ! Why, to know it. You must understand that I cannot waste my time in fighting with every ruilier 1 meet on the road, and who has a 1 have his throat cut." ' It will he enough for you to know that I hate you." "Caramba! I .suspected as much ; but as you seem determined not to f>ho\v M:I- your face, I should like to be able to recognise you at another time." ...ug!i chattering,'" the unknown said haughtily. " Time is flying. We ad Millicient discussion." i'li. my iiaster, if that is the ca t: e, get ready. I warn you that I in- tend t. i;i\f you lioth. A Frenchn'.an would never have any dilliculty in - own a-ainst t " - u\n a- a ins t two Mexican bandits.' " A- \ o - i p!c , Forward!" three honeben spurred their horses and charged. When they met pistol shots, und then drew their subres. The light was itinato. One of the strangci-a, slightly wounded, was carried off 1 it-ami in a cloud of dust. The count, gra/,ed by a : !lis:; edto fury, and redoubled bis efforts to master his. but be had before him a stur.ly opponent, a man of surprising eltiil and Bst o-pi.-d to his own. whose eyes be sa-,v trleauun- like live coals through the .holes in rled round him v.ith i-xi,r ordinal y rapiditv, making his huree rvets, attacking him incessantly wifii the point or e -n'V iniT the rupi'lity of his attack.-: the i< e .f' t;jc coKib.it, U t foil DM !,i- ' . . Uefbru he could even dream of kxMeiiing it he was roughly lift ia saddle, and ItiuHed to the ground MO violently that h tinted, and fum-l it imp >-il>le to make an effort to rUe. Tiie >e-.-. ;:'.<{ g1 of ;i le.v moments, ha-1 at lea:: '.1 i.i ina.,t.i,':-!;ig liis hor-e ; he re- turned in ail haste i te chest, " that is what you call light in-V' i * :i. ;; >!ie to biaiae ior what lias happened," the cither said qjiietl}', ' as yo i wo.ihl not ajiive to my proposil; Tiie Frenchiuan disdained siny discussion. .He contented himself with Ms slio-.ihL-rs contvmptuon.-ly. " \ oir life belongs to me," his adversary continued. it a piece oi* treachery ; but no matter assassinate me,, and fini-ii tfj-j ::ltiir." u I t be mad, my good fellow." " N.it sj mach as you iaiuy. Liston attentively to what I have to say to you." ' .' will do so even for thy hope of bein^ promptly freeJ from your pres- ' (iood,Senor Condo do Lhoraille;. Your arrival ia this co intry has I tlie tnriappiin.'s-; of two peis.ins." u Nonseii-e ! \',,\i are jesting with me." ' I -p.-.ili seriously. Don Sylva de Torres has promise J you his daughter's band.' 1 li )\v docs it /concern you ?" It is true. Why should I conceal it ?" " Donna Anita does not love you." ' 11; iv.' d > vou know that ? : ' tbe count asked with a mocking s:r,nc. " I know it ; I know, too, that bhe loves another." "Only think of that!" t; And that the other loves her." u Ail t.-; worse J'r him : f.ir/1 Kwcar that I will not surrender her." 1". You will surrender her or die." the imj>et . Hited, now per- lin;^ fill. '-I rt^xjat that 1 will marry Donna Anita. If . -t love me, well, that is unfurl n: : ;.: . I hope that will presently jUt-jr her opinion of me. The marriage suit* me, a:. will succeed 'in breaking r The unkr.o-.vn to violent emotion. His eye (1 an-1 he sfa'r.pc.'i . .'le an eflort ieeli'.i-^ wit. d in a slo.. GO THE TIGER-SLAYER. " Tnkc wo of what yo:; do, cabal lero. I have sworn to warn yon, and | ;Vl( . | .nt-stlv. Heaven grant that my words fin: I an echo in your In-art, ai.d that von follow the counsel I give you! Ihe farst ti;;:o accident us dim (her a-ain one of us will die." - [ irilh .:. my precautions, be assured ; but you are wrong- not to profit by the present occasion to kill n:e, for it will not occur again." The two strangers had by this time remounted. " Cotmt de Lhurailles," the ' unknown paid again, as l:o bent over the Frenchman, ' for the last time, take care,' for I Lave a great advantage over 1 know you, and 3-0:1 do not know me. It will be an easy thing for me to reach yo"u whenever I please. We are the sous of Indians and fcjpan- iar-ls. AVe feel a burning hatred : so take care." Alter 1 owing ironically to the count he burst into a .mocking laugh, spur- red his horse, and started at headlong speed, followed by his silent compan- ion. The count watched them disappear with pensive air. "When they were l.'-t in the ol security he tossed his head several times, as if to shake off the ^lo:>my thoughts that oppressed him in spite of himself, then picked up his and pistols, took his horse by the bridle, and walked slowly toward the pul<|iKTia, m>ar which the fight had taken place. Tho light which filtered through the badly-joined planks of the door, the songs and laughter that'resounded from the interior, afforded a reasona- ble prospect of obtaining a temporary shelter in this house. " Hum !" he muttered to himself as he walked along, " that bandit is right, lie knows me, and I have no way of recognising- him. T5y Jupiter, I have a good eoi:nd hatred on my shoulders ! But nonsense !' : he added, " 1 was too happy. I. wanted an enemy. On my soul, kt him do as he will ! Even if Hades combine against me, I swear that nothing will induce me to resign the hand of Donna Anita." At this moment he found himself in front of the pulqueria, at the door of which he rapped. Naturally inpatient, angered, too, by the accident which had happened to him, and the tremendous struggle he had been en- gaged in, the count was about to carry out his threat of beating in the door, when it was opened. ' : Valrja, me Dios /" he exclaimed wrathfully, " is this the way you allow people to be assassinated before your doors, without proceeding- to their as- sistance?" " Oli, <>h !" the pulquero said sharply, " is an} 7 " one dead?" " No, thanks to Heaven !" the count replied: "but I had a narrow escape of being killed." " Oli !" the pulquero said with great nonchalance, " if we were to trouble Mir.-elvrs about all who shout for help at night, we should L"ve ciicrgh to do; and b i les, it is very dangerous on account of the police." _ The count shrugged his shoulders .and walked in, leading his horse after him. The door was closed again immediately. The count was unaware that in Mexico the man who finds a corpse, or th- as.-assin to trial, is obliged to pay all the expenses of a justice enormously expensive in itself, and which never affords any satisfaction to the victim. In all the Mexican provinces people are so thoroughly convinced of the truth of what we assert, that, so .soon as a murder is committed, every one runs off, without dreaming- of helping the victim ; for, in the case of death supervening, such an act of charity would many annoyances on the in- dividual who tried to imitate the good Samaritan. In S.,nora people do better still : as soon as a quarrel begins, and a man falls, they shut all the doors. P of THE TIGER-SLAYER. 51 CHAPTER VIII. THE DEPARTURE. As Don Sylva had announced to his daughter, by daybreak all was ready for the start. In Mexico, and specially in Sonora, where roads are mainly re- markable for their absence, the mode of travelling differs utterly from that adopted in Europe. There are no public vehicles, no relays of post horses ; the only means of transport known and practised is on horseback. A journey of only a few days entails interminable caivs and vexations. You must carry everything with you, because you are certain of finding no- thing on the road. Beds, tents, provisions and water before all, must be car- ried on mule-back. Without these indispensable precautions you would run I a risk of dying from hunger or thirst, and sleeping in the open air. You must also be provided with a considerable and well-armed escort, in [order to repulse the attacks of wild beasts, Indians and especially robbers [with whom all the roads of Mexico swarm, owing to the anarchy in which [this uhappy country is plunged. Hence it is easy to comprehend the earnest lesire Don Sylva felt to quit Guaymas at as early an hour as possible. The court of the house resembled an inn-yard. Fifteen mules laden with [bales were waiting while the palanquin in which Donna Anita was to travel being onna Anita was pale as a ghost. II--r ha .:_' ard f- 1 ires, her swollen eyes, testified to the sufferings of the night, the re- raint s'-e forced on herself, even at this moment, to prevent her bursting into ars in tir % piv-rinv of all. A; the >i.jht of the young lady, Don Martial id Cue-hares exchanged a rapid glance, while a smile of indefinable expres- on played ro'ind tin- lips of tiir Indian to whom we have alluded. On the haciendero's arrival sil ence v g if by cnchant- ent; the arrieros ran to the heads of their mules; the servants, armed to * 5 o THE TIGER-SLAYER the teeth, mounted ; and Don Sylva, after asvirin- himself by a glance that nil \\-us ivadv, and that his orders had been punctually executed, placed his daughter in the palanquin, where she at once nestled like a huunuing-bird among rose leaves. At "a sign from the haciendero, the mules, fastened to each other by the tails, began to leave the house behind the nana, whose bells they followed, and escorted by peons. Before mounting his horse Don Sylva turned to an old servant, who, straw hat in hand, respectfully stood near him. " Adieu, Tio Pelucho !" he said to him. " I intrust the hou>e to you. Keep goo 1 \\ atch, and take care of all in it. I leave you Pedrito and I loivutio to help you, and you will give them the necessary orders for all to go on prop- erly during my absence." " You may be at ease, N mi amo, " the old man answered, saluting his mas- ter. '' Thanks to Heaven, this is not tbe nVst time you have left me alone here, and 1 believe I have ever done my duty properly." ' You are a good servant, Tio Pelucho," Don Sylva said with a smile ; " I start in most perfect ease of mind." .May God bless you, mi amo, as well as the nina !" the old man continued, crossing himself. " Good bye, Tio Pelucho," the young lady then said, leaning out of the palanquin. " I know that you are careful of everything belonging to me." j The old man bowed with visible delight. Don Sylva gave the order for departure, and the whole caravan started in the direction of the Rancho do I San Jose. It was one of those magnificent mornings only known in these blessed rq.ions. The night storm had entirely swept the sky, winch was of a pale] blue. The sun, already high in the horizon, shot forth its hot beams, which were slightly tempered by the odoriferous vapours exhaling from the ground. The atmosphere, impregnated by acrid and penetrating odors, was of exti ordinary transparency; a light breeze refreshed tbe air at intervals; flocks birds, glistening with a thousand colors, flew in every direction, and th mules following the bell of the nena madrina the mother mule wei urged on by the songs of the arrieros. The caravan moved along gaily through the sandy plain, raising round 51 clouds of dust, and forming a long twining serpent in the endless turnings of t hi* road. A vanguard of ten servants explored the neighborhood, examin ing the bushes, and shifting sand heaps. Don Sylva smoked a cigar whih conversing with his daughter; and a rear-guard, formed of twenty resolut laen, closed the march, and insured the security of the convoy. l:i this country, we repeat it, where the police are a nullity, and coi quently surveillance impossible, a journey of four leagues and the Ranch de Sai> Jose is only that distance from Guaymas is a -very serious atfar nnd demands as many precautions as a journey of a hundred leagues with r the enemies who may be met, and with whom you run a risk of a conti at any moment Indians, robbers, or wild beasts; being too numerous, d< termiried, and too greedy for plunder and murder to allow the traveller " confide with gaiety of heart in the speed of his horse. They were already for from Guaymas, the white houses of which tot had long ago disappeared in the numerous turnings of the road, \\ ;.en tl capatax, leaving the head of the caravan, where he had hitherto rcmaiu galloped back to the palanqiiin, where Donna Sylva was still riding. ' Well, Bias,-' the hitter .said, " what is there new ? Have you r.otk anything alarming ahead of us?" " Nothing, excellency,' the caprstaz- replied: "all is going well, and in hoor ar the latest, we shall be at the [land o." - "U hence, then, the baste you showed to join me again?" THE TIGER-SLA YEP/. 53 <: Oli ! excellency, it is not much ; but an idea occurred to me: something I wished v ' And that," the capataz continued, pointing to the second fire, "is the Cerro de San Xavier." ' I think it is." t: I am certain of it" " Well ?" ' As we know that a fire cannot kindle itself, and as people do not amuse themselves with a fire when the thermometer is np at a hundred '* * Vo-i conclude from that ?" "That the>e fires have been lighted by robbers or Indians, who have had scent of our departure. 11 i,, stay ! t.iat is most logical, my friend. Continue your explanation, for it interests me enormously!" Don Sylva' s capata/, or steward, wns a tall, herculean fellow of about forty, devoted bo ly and soul to his master, who placed the greatest confi- dence in him. The worthy man bowed with a S:iiile of satisfaction on hear- ing the hactendero'd kind remarks. " Oli. now!" he went on, ' ; I have not much more to say, except that the la-lr-m.-s who are wat:hing us know, thro igh that signal, that Don Sylva do Torre-; an 1 liis tliivi.iter have left tiuaymas for the Jtancho." 4i .My fiitli ! you are right. 1 ha I forgotten ail those details. I dM not think of nil the birds of pivy that ar^ wat-iiini on;- passage, Well, after a 1, tho-jgh. what do we can- if the bandits ::iv at our heels } We do not hide ourselves. Our start tooU place in the proem-e of plenty of persons, \\'e .11 v '.riniei-o'is enough not to f -ar any insult ; but if any of thos.- picaros dare to attack us, cancans ! they will tind their work cut out for them, 1 am .<>;- vi ic 1. Push on, then, without any il-.ir, IJ.a^, my boy ! Nothing unpleas- ant .-an happen to us. ' The :iiuted his master an 1 galloped back to the head of the col- umn. An hour later they reached the Kanclio without any accident. Doit Sylva rode at the rigtit-haiid dot or of the palamj'nn, talking to his daughter, who -only answered in mono -yllablcs in spile ;inueief- foris -he made to hi-'e IK r sorr.iw from ! i- 'yes, when tiie ha- ci^-rl-ro heard !iis nanie called repeat.-:! /. !! turne-l ! .:])!.. and uttere-l an exclamation of sun- man who ad In him tlie Oi-iiif. de Lhoraillcs. "What! sen* : m here 1 What fongnlar hazard ra -neet yo '. s; liv-.U' t'r l -hotild !: On }. :he Donnu felt n;id foil back, letiingf the ourtJiins o; !i[) from lur I.ard. '<>ii ;'" , "since last night certain - have aaj ; i must impart to you, Don Sylva things 54 THE TIGER-SLAYEK. which will surprise you, I am certain ; but the present is not the moment to A S \Zk proper, my friend. But say, do you set out again, uvinrjd ; but lie niuy supp HI; that I am a prisoner of the I':i Sir.is JIM I r.hat, in leiviur, MI-J a >p:ir-ntiy tive^they intend to surprise the colony. 153 a-'irj 1 t.'i.-it m/ excellent lieutenant will not let us pass till he is quite certain that our European clothes do' not cover red s'.Jns." " () i. \-e- ! ' D-> i Sylva muttered to himself; ' that is true. Tbe Europe- ans foresee everything. They HIV our masters." 'i\ie c.iiMY.111 was no,v not inoiv tlian twenty yar Is from the hacienda. " I tancv," the con-it ob<> audaciously the Mexican moon. I should not be sorry, if they dared to meddle with us, to give them a lesson which would be profitable for the future." " I share your views entirely. Redouble your vigilance, and all will bo well." " Have you no other orders to give me ?" No." ' Then T will withdraw. You know, captain, that you intrust the internal details to mo, and I must be everywhere in turn." u <:.., lieutenant ; let me not keep you." The ol ! ilute'l hi< chief, an I retired with a friendly nod to tho capataz, who followed him with the P-.MHH and bag-rage nrilfs. The count led his guests to the apartments kept for vi>ito: died them in c >mfo'/tably-funiivicd room-;. " I?IMV rest yourself, Don Sylv.i," lie said ; "you and Donna Anita must be fatigue I with your journey. To-morro\v, if you permit me, we will talk about our busin u Wlieuever you like, my friend." The count bowed to hiaguestaan 1 wit'idn-w. Sin^c his mooting with his betrothed he had iv>: I a word with her. In the courtyard h? found the Ilinqui Indian smoking and ",v;ilkin;r, la/.ily around. lie went up to him. " Here, 1 ' In 1 said, ' ; are the ten pi-i-tros ])r':nisfd you." " Thank-*/ 1 said the Indian as he to >k them. " Now, wiiat are you going to do .'' "Rest myself till* to-morrow ; then join the men of my tribe." 58 THE TIGER-SLAYEK. "Are you in a great hurry to see them ?" -I ? Not at all." Stay here, then." - What to do?" - I will tell you ; perhaps I may need you within a few days." "Shall I be paid?" " Amply. Does that suit you ?" res* ' Then you will remain ?" " I will." The count went away, not noticing the strange expression in the glance the Indian turned on him. CHAPTER IX. A MEETING IN THE DESERT. ABOUT three musket shots' distance from the hacienda, in a thicket of no pals, mastic trees, and mesquites, intermingled with a few mahogany cedar? wild cotton-wood trees, and pines, just an hour before sunset, a horse-man dismounted ; hobbled his horse, a magnificent mustang, with fla-hing eyes and fine chest ; then, after turning an inquiring glance around, probably Kit isiied with the profound silence and tranquility pervading at the spot, he made his arrangements for camping. The man had passed middle life : he was an Indian warrior of great height - (1 in the Comanche costume in its utmost purity. Although he ap- ! to IK- >ixty years of age, he seemed gi ted with great vigor, and no sign of decrepitude could be traced in his muscular limbs and intelligent face : the eagle's feather fixed in the centre of his .war-lock allowed him to be recognised aa a chief. This man was Eagle-head, the Comanche chief. After laying his rifle by his side he collected dry wood, and lit a fire ; then he threw several yards of tasso on the ashes, with several maize tortil- la^ ; and all these preparations for a comfortable supper made he filled his calumet, crouched near the fire, and began smoking with that placid calm- bich lu-viT deserts the Indians under any circumstances. Two hours thus passed peacefully, and nothing disturbed the repose the duel was enjoying. Night succeeded day; darkness had invaded the desert, and with it the silence of solitude began to reign in the mysterious depths of the prairie. The Indian still remained motionless, contenting himself with turning ii'iw and then to hi* horse, which was gaily devouring the climbing peas and the young buds of the trees. Suddenly Ka.ule-head looked up, bent forward, and. without otherwise dis- torbing himself, stretched out his hand to his rifle, while the mustang left II eat in-, laid back its cars, and neighed noisily. Still the forest appeared as calm as ever. It needed all an Indian's sharp ear to have heard a suspi- ci.ms rustling through the silence. the- end of a moment the chiefs frowning brows returned to their >f"lT iH)gition, he re-assumed his proper posture, and lifting his two fore- - to his mouth, imitated with rare perfection, for two or three minutes, harmonious modulations of the centzontle, or Mexican nightingale: the begun eating again. Only a few minutes passed ere the cry of the night hawk was twice heard in the direction of the river THE TIGER-SLAYER. 59 Soon after the sound of horses became audible, mingled with the cracking of branches and the rustling of leaves, ami two mounted men made their ap- pearance. The chief did not turn to >ee who thevwere: In- had probablv recognised them, and know that they alone, or at any rate one of them. were to come to him here. These two horn-men were Don Louis and Belhumeur. They hobbled their hur.M-s by the. side of the chiefs. la\ dn\\ n by t he Hi c, and, on the Indian's silent invitation, vigorously attacked the supper prepared fur them. They had left the Kancho the previous evening, and ridden without t! of a moment to join the chief. Thfe Count do Lhorailles had invited them at the pul<|ueria to join his party, but Bclhuincur had declined the oiler. Not knowing for what pur- pose the Indian chief had appointed to meet him, he did not care to mix up a stranger in his friend's affairs. Still, the three men had parted on ewl- lent term-, and the count pressed Don Louis and the Canadian to pay him a visit at Ciuetzalli, an offer to which they had replied evasively. Singular is the effect of sympathy. The impression the count produced on the two adventurers was so unfavorable for him, that the latter, while re- plying with the utmost politeness, had employed the greatest reserve, car- rying their,.prudenee to such an extent as to leave him ignorant of their na- tional Uy, by continuing to converse in Spanish, though at the first word he uttered they recognised him to be a Frenchman. When they had ended their meal Belhumeur filled his pipe, and put out his hand to take up a coal. " Wait," the chief said sharply. This was the first word the Indian uttered ; up to that moment the three men had not interchanged a syllable. Belhumeur looked at him. - I I'm !" he said, " what is the matter now ?" ' 1 do not know yet," the chief answered. "I have heard a suspicious rustling in the bushes- and at a great distance off, to leeward of us, seve- ral bulfaloes | leacefully grazing took to flight without any apparent cause." " Hum !'' the Canadian went on, " that is growing serious. What do you think, Louis r " In the desert," the latter replied slowly, ''everything has a cause no- thing happens by accident. 1 believe we had better be on our guard. Stay !" lie added, as he rai>ed his head, and pointed out to his friends - ral birds that passed rapidly away over thorn. "Have you often so< this hour a flight of condors soaring in the Tin- chief shook his head. 'Then- is -omethiiig the matter," he muttered: "the dogs of Apaches are hunt'r ''\"\< p..ibl," Belhumeur said. "Before all," the Frenchman observed, "let us put out the fir.-; il> gleam, slight a> it is mi-ht betray B8," lli> companions followed his advice, and the fire -::ei\. -.visible no visible clanger threatens us; so let us hold a couneil. The chief had the first scene of peril : it is, therefore, his place to toll us what he ob>orvod." The Indian wrapped him up in his fiv.-sada ; the three men drew closer, so as to be able to speak in a whi>per. and the council commenced. " Since sunrise this morn in-," Ka.de-head >ail, I have boon marching in the desert. I was anxious to reach the place of meeting, and proceeded in THE TIUER SLAYER v* OMKC. AH liflH ti W*4 1 gbMMirMiltaMii yjyi l WMk^^riM^ Tin. 1 i.. i lut ohjwu iitigbt Uc beta diftlingu*acd fora gt*mt i i.iivf aii%tiili.. .of vl Inn t, ami ttfetctl wit a IU- |M(KIM.VM> ciiararUtUt. . dcaort va ao intcMt that I . !! Lll*ijii>.i tin uati-r, t |*-bbl . ai oxiliiilttHto Itmtv Wfcl 1, tlw mMttiajuf I Mr uU uinj; m H I rw mrtt ixtuaiiird uuiMilr and wa tab li ft'igvr CM tb* ti AhiMklvrvdi, aail a nan lti an wk trvr, i , M, \ . .:, U Mid lit a knr ukv, Uwwgb noi foam t br watar, awl t brr iftak tu.. liM4dl>. M br aOd. - In tbc daarrt a i:, on earth i * rxerfMiutt c4 \uwr wmnonsLu tv pn .U Uu* lujui w - 'arklk-Bi \tcaii WM ibe ttr Itv A,' tu a ir final anaiiauiiiuiU to nut it i | . nil aUcnuanU, bul 1 do iiol wiab tUc ti^ pum? tb other bald oat to bi . aMd cuWI> . : A ( a wutnan to waalo hU wunk. Wbat my U\ palcaM . /** 62 THE TIGER-SLAYER'. The Mexican repressed with difficulty a sign of disappointment. " Then," he said, " You have not warned your warriors ? When I give the order you will not attack the hacienda ?" " The Black Bear has warned his warriors. He will attack the pale \Vh:it did you say this moment ? I confess that I do not comprehend you, chief." Because the pale-face will not comprehend. The Black Bear will attack the hacienda, but on his own account." " That was agreed between us, I fancy." " Yes; but the Black Bear has seen the singing-bird. His hut is empty: he wishes to place in it the young pale virgin." " Scoundrel !" the Mexican shouted in his wrath ; " you would betray me in that way ?" " How have 1 betrayed the pale-face ?" the Indian replied, still perfectly calm. " He offered me a bargain ; I refused it. I see nothing dishonest in that." The Mexican bit his lip with rage ; he was caught, and could make no re- ply. " I will revenge myself," he said, stamping his foot. "The Black Bear is a powerful chief j he laughs at the croaking of the ravens. The pale-face can do nothing against him." AVith a movement swift as thought, the Mexican rushed on the Indian, I him by the throat, and, drawing his dagger, raised it to strike him. But the Apache carefully watched the actions of his opponent : by a move- ment no less- swift he freed himself from his grasp, and with one bound was out of reach. " The pale-face has dared to touch a chief" he said in a hoarse voice ; " he shall die." The Mexican shrugged his shoulders and seized the pistol in his girdle. It is impossible to say how this scene would have ended, had not a new in- cident happened to change its features completely. From the same tree in which the Mexican had been hidden a few moments previously, another in- dividual suddenly fell, rushed on the chief, and hurled him to the ground be- fore he could make a gesture to defend himself, so thoroughly was he off his guard. "By Jove!" Belhumeur muttered with a stifled laugh, "there must be a legion of devils in that tree." The Mexican and the man who had come so luckily to his help had secure- ly tied the Indjan with a reata. " Now you are in my power, chief," the Mexican said, "and you will be obliged to consent to my terms." The Apache grinned, and uttered a shrill whistle. At this signal fifty Indian warriors appeared, as if they had sprung out of the ground, and that so suddenly, that the two white men were sur- rounded in instant by an impassable circle. 1 HMU-C !" Belhumeur said in an aside, " that complicates matters. How will thw get out of that?" ; And we ?" Louis whispered in his ear. Canadian replied by that shrug of the shoulders which signifies in all :<-. - \\c must trust in Heaven," and began looking again, interested ae WM the highest degree by the unexpected changes of scene. the Mexican said to his companion, "hold that scoundrel d at the least suspicious movement kill him like a do-." * culm. Dun .Martial," the lepero answered, pulling from his vaquera t a knife, whose share blade flashed with a bluish tinge in the moon's THE TIGER-SLAYER. 63 " What decision does the Black Bear come to ?" the Tigrero went on, ad- dressing the chief lying at his fret. " The life of a chief belongs tothee, dog of the pale-faces : take it if thou darest !" the Apache replied with :i smile of contempt. "I will not kill you: not beams.; I urn afraid, for 1 know not such a feel- ing," the Mexican said, " but because I disdain to shed the blood of an\ enemy who is defenceless, even if he be, like you, an unclean coyote." "Kill me, I say, if thou canst, but insult me not. Hasten! for my war- riors may lose patience, sacrifice thee to their wrath, and thou mightiest die unavenged." " You are jesting ; you know perfectly well that your warriors will not move an inch so long as I hold you thus. I propose to offer you peace." " Peace !" the chief said, and his eyes flashed. " On what conditions ?" " Two only. Cuchares, unfasten the reata, but watch him closely." The lepero obeyed. " Thanks," the chief said as he rose to his knees. " Speak j I am listen- ing my ears are open. What are these conditions ?" " First, my comrade and myself will be free to retire whither we please." " Good, and next P " Next, you will pledge yourself to remain with your warriors, and not return to the hacienda in the disguise ^ou have assumed for the next twen- ty-four hours." ; ' Is that all ? " It is all." Listen to me in your turn, then, pale-face. I accept your conditions, but I must tell you mine." " Speak/' I will not re-enter the hacienda save with the eagle feather in my war- tuft, at the head of my warriors, and that before the sun has thrice set be- hind the lofty peaks of the mountains of the day." " You are boasting, Apache ; it is impossible for you to enter the hacienda >ave by treachery." We shall see ;" and smiling with a sinister air, he added, " the singing- bird will go into the hut of an Apache chief to cook his game." The Mexican shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. -Try to rake the hacienda and carry off the maiden," he said. ;> 1 will try. Your hand." " Here it is." The chief turned to his warriors, holding the Tigrero's hand clasped in his own. Hrotliers !" he said in a loud voice, and with an accent of supreme maj- tni- pale-face is the friend of the Black Bear let no one nn.lesi him." The warriors bowed iv>p<-<:t fully, and fell back to the right and left, to ior the two white men. u Farewell!" the Jilack Hear .-aid, saluting his enemy. "In twenty-four hours I .-hall be on your trail." Vtm ar- mi-taken. d<>i< uf an Apache," Don Martial replied disdainfully j I shall he on v>urs." u Uood ! we are, then, certain of meeting," the P.laek 1 And he retired with a slow and linn step, followed by his warriors, whose footfalls soi .11 died away in the depths of the forest. On in v faith, Don Martial," the lepero said, " I believe that you were wrong to let that Indian i -o easily.' 3 The Tigreio shrugged his shoulders. Were we not obliged to get out of the wasp's nest into which we had thrust our heads?" he said. J5aa ! it is only put oft' for u time. Let us go and find our horses." 04 THE TIGER-SLAYER 'On-, 1 moment if vou will grant it me," Belhumeur said, leaving- his* hiding i\;ni' inr ]>iitely with his two comrades. r Chares said, pulling out his knife again, while Don M.ir:i. i Cuolly '"<:<('! his pistols. i . . ' i '.ii, liici'o," Beiiiuuieur said quietly, "I fancy you can see plainly cm > r j,i K t-.i, vi 1.1 are not at all mistaken. Three men who have been unseen wini.-- - of the scene you ended so bravely throe men who held them- \y to come to vo-ir aid iiad it been necessaiT, :md who now offer to 1,1 1 ' ' ,::nuo;i cause with you, to prevent the plunder of the hacienda by S, Docs that suit you ?' I :;. <.ri>"iid.-," the Tl-iivro said. "I must know first what interest ur.n'> \o i to act in this manner." T .at of being agreeable to you in the first })lace," Belhumeur replied politely, "aud next, thi'desire to save the scalps of the poor wretches men- uivd bv t.io^e. infernal red-skins." In r ;,;(. <<{-(' I heartily accept your offer." ' 11 : .1 a< i.' ic fires noticed tuat the mon who prj>e - it.e'l th3in yo:ir concern. 1'ei-haps it would have been better to get rid of him. ;:' the ris\ of what mig-ht have happened afterwards." lio'v could L iuiauine 1 had friends so near me? Oh, had I but known it ! v '-Vi i! jt is of no use crying over spilt milk." I ' > you iK'lu've that he will keep scrupulously the conditions he accepted ?" \ " i d*> n it know the .Black .Bear ; he is a man of noble sentiments and has a w.-i\- of hi, own for understanding points of honor. You saw that du- rinir yo ir i".niiv diy XVt ,, v . ' lit- c.-rtain, therefore, that he will keep his promise." T te ounvovafttion wa^ interrupted. Don Martial had suddenly become pensive. The Apache's menaces gave him a good deal to think about. The camp was reached, and Eagle-head immediately set to work rekindling the fire. " \N hat are you about?" Belhumeur observed to him. "You will reveal our p;v tenc ." N".' ; the Indian said, shaking his head. "The Black Bear has retired ' hey are far nway at present ; so we need not take use- un ci .< \ again. The five men crouched round it joyfulty, - inoking. ." tlie ( 'ar. ulian presently said. " Had it not been for the cx- Ineas you displayed I do not know ho\v you would have es- ctped." THE TIGER- SLAY Ell. C5 "Let us now soo how be*t {> IMi th.- plan- of thesv.' red devils," 1 said the Mexican. ' It is very Minpkv' Louis inh r;.o-e 1. -'One of us wid proceed to-morrow to the hacienda, to warn the o\\ ner of u hat l.a.i passed t!.i ni^ht. lie will bo on iiis -u ii-.l anl!o\v.'' the Ti^ivro rr.narked ; "but which of us will consent to u.o to the hacienda / Xeitiier n;v comrade nor myself c.m do I fa i -y there is some love story hidden under all tl/i ndinn ob- pei-ved cmininiily. ''I can understand t:;at. \,>;i wo;:id !i.,d a dil'icultv in " ' \VhatiHedoffnrtlier diseu.^ion ? ' Louis inteiTuj^ted. ' \\'itti tomor- row's dawn I will g- to the hacienda ; 1 undertake to explain to tin- owner all the dangers that menace him in their fuiiesi dei:iii>." "That is agreed <>n, then, and all is settled,'' Belimmenr >;>i'l. Then, as S(MIII as our horses have rested, my comrad-. -.-If will re- turn to (i nay mas.'' " Xo, you will not, if you please," the Frenchman objected. " I fancy it is proper tluit you should know the result of the mission 1 undertake, fur it concern-! you even more than us. 1 suspect " The Mexican repressed a lively movement of annoyance. * You are rijrlit," he replied ; * I did not thiu\ of ti;at. I will therefore await yor.r ri-t/rn."' Tle Inmt.ers interchanged a few more remarks, tlu-n wrnp-ped themx-lves in their blankets, lay down on the trround and >pee:lily fell ;i-leep. A deep Kilence fell on the clearing, which was but dimly lighted by the ivddi.-h ra\s of the expirjnjjj fire. The adventin-er.s had been asleep about two hours, when the br.mche.s of a shrub were gently parted an 1 a m;rn ma le iii.s ap- jieai-ance. He stopped for a moment, seemed to be lisleninjr, tin- without the slijjlitest so'iud toward the spot whore the Ti^re.-o \\a- ;. : It would have been easy to rec-o,ni -e the Black Bear by tin- li. lire. The Apache chief plucked his scalpin;r-knile from his girdle, an 1 laid it gentlj on the Ti^rero's cliest ; then casting a pirtin-.? .u'l.i iCtt aroun I. ( > con- vince himself that the five men slept, lie retired with the same p and soon disappeared in the shrub, which closed upon him. C II A P T E II X . BEFORE THE ATTACK. AT the lirst cry of the niaukawis that is to say, at sunrise ti urers aw- ' The nijrlit had been calm. ' -!-pt with noth'm- t<> disturb their . by the^abondant dew which had iilUvcd t ! :r bl.-xnkets d'-.rin.i: their sleep, they hurrvdiy r< - re llu 1 cir their b;ood and warn: i--d limbs. lent Pon M ujid. The M'.-xiran ]>irked it u>> terror as he shewed it to i is rirnp-mion--. T found was n \nil'e. who AVh:.; - iiiy CG THE TIGER-SLAYER Eacle-head seized it, and examined it carefully. Will. T IK- said in surprise, " the Black Bear has been with us during our hunters could not refrain from a movement of alarm. 1 1 is impossible," Belhunieur observed. Indian shook his head as he displayed the weapon. bfc," he continued, " is the Apache chief's scalping knife ; the 'totem' Craved on the hilt." 'Ti> true.'' - The IJlsick Bear is a renowned chief. His heart is large enough to con- . world. Obliged to fulfil the engagements he has made, he wished to prove to his enemy that he was master of his life, and that he would take it whenever lie thought proper. That is the meaning of this knife placed on the chest of the ' Yori ' during his sleep." ^ The u'heaturers were confounded by so much boldness. They shuddered ut the thought that they had been at the mercy of the chief, who disdained to kill them, and contented himself with defying them. The Mexican espe- ,i shudder in spite of his courage. The Canadian was the first to ei his coolness. " Canario !" he exclaimed, " this Apache dog did right to warn us. Now we w ill be on our guard." Hum!" Cuchares said, passing his hands through his thick and matted luiir. I have not the least desire to be scalped." " Bah !" Belhumeur said, " people sometimes recover." " That is possible ; but I don't care to make .the attempt." And now that day has quite broken," Louis observed, "I fancy the time iias arrived for me to go to the hacienda. What do } 7 ou say, gentlemen ?" \Ve have not a moment to lose, if we wish to foil the enemy's p ans,"said l)on Maitial in support of his suggestion. . ;is we have to take certain measures which it would be as well to determine as soon as possible," Belhumeur remarked. The Indian and the lepero contented themselves with giving their assent through a nod. - Now let us arrange a meeting-place," Louis went on to say. " You can lit lor me here, as the Indians know where to find you." " Yes," Belhumeur replied thoughtfully, u but I do not know the country where we now are, and I shouid be quite'troubled to find a fitting spot." u I know one," Eagle-head said. "I will lead you to it : our pale brother will join us ;i;:;iin there." Very go >'\, but for that purpose I must know the spot." "My brother need not trouble himself about that. When he leaves the il'in I shall be near him." Very .,.,>d all right. Good-by till we meet again." .died his horse and started off at a gallop in the direction of the .a. which was about three gunshots from the camping-ground. The Count dc Lhorailles was walkinaabout anxiously in the hall of the main body of the building. In spite of himself his meeting with the Mexi- gnpied his mind, lie wished to have a frank explanation with Donna i in her father's presence, which should dissipate his doubts, or at least iim the key of the mystery that surrounded the affair. Another circumstance dulled his humor and redoubled his alarm. At day- break 1 )K .jro Leon, his lieutenant, told him that the Indian guide brought home them the previous day had disappeared during the night, and left no ie position wtus becoming serious. The Mexican moon was approacli- ide was evidently an Indian spy, ordered to inquire into the ha- -th and the means of surprising it, The Apaches and Coman- THE 'TIGER-SLAYER. e? clies could not be far off : !.ey were already on the watch in the tall prairie {rra>s, awaiting the favorabli- to rush on their implacable foes. The count did not conceal from himself that if his position was critical, he was the main cause of it. ]nve-ti-d by the government with an important command, especially charged with the protection of the frontier against In- dian invasions, he had not yet made a move, and had in no way tried to ful- fil the commission he had not merely accepted but solicited. The Mexican moon commenced in a month ; before that period he must strike a decisive* blow, which would inspire the Indians with a wholesome terror, prevent them combining and thus foil their plans. The count had been reflecting for a long time, forgetting in his anxiety tl ; o guests he had brought to his house, after whom he had not yet asked, when his old lieutenant appeared before him. What do you want, Martin ?" he asked. " Excuse me for disturbing 3 r ou, captain. Diego Leon, who is on guard at the isthmus battery with eight men, has just sent me to tell you that a man wishes to see you on a serious matter," " What sort of a man is he ?" " A white man, well dressed, and mounted on an excellent horse." And he said nothing further ?" " He did, for he added this : ' You will say to the man who commands you that I am one of the men he met at the Rancho of San Jose.'" TDC count's face grew suddenly serene. " Let him come in," he said : " 'tis a friend." The lieutenant withdrew. So soon as he was alone the count recommen- ced his walk. " What can this man want of me ?" he muttered. " When I asked his friend and himself to accompany me here they both refused. W T hat reason can have caused such a sudden change in their plans ? Bah ! what is the use of addling one's brains ?" he added, on hearing a horse's footfall re-echo- ing in the inner patio. " I shall soon know." Almost immediately Don Louis appeared, led by the lieutenant, who, on a fiijin from the count, at once disappeared. ' What happy accident," the count said graciously, "procures me the honor of a risit I was so far from expecting ?" Don Louis politely returned the salutation, and replied, " It is no happy accident that brings me. God grant that I may not be the harbinger of misfortune !" These words made the count frown. " What do you mean, senor?" he asked in anxiety. " I do not understand you." " You will soon do so. But speak French, if you have no objection ; we shall understand each other more easily," he said, giving up the Spanish which he had hitherto employed. " What!" the count exclaimed in surprise, "you speak French?" "Yes," Louis said, " for I have the honor of being your fellow country- man, although," he added with a suppressed sigh, "I have quitted our coun- try for more than ten years. It is always a great pleasure to me to be able to speak my own language." The expression of the count's face completely changed on hearing these words. " Oh !" he continued, " permit me to press your hand, sir. Two French- men who meet in this distant land are brothers ; let us momentarily forget the spot where we are, and talk about France that dear country from which we are so remote and which we love so much." "Alas, sir 1" Louis replied, with suppressed emotion, "I should be happy f $8 THE TIGEK-SLAYER. to foruet for a few minutes what surrounds us, to summon up the recollec- tions of our common country. Unfortunately the moment is a grave one ; ^rs threaten you, and the time we would thus lose might produce tastropbe." Yoq > tar tie me, sir. What is happening ? What have you so terrible to announce to me ?" Di-1 I not tell you that I was a messenger of evil tidings?" No mutter. When told by you they will be welcome. In the situation in which I am placed in this desert, must I not ever expect misfortune ?" " I hope to be able to help you in warding off the danger that now hangs ever you ?" " Thanks for your fraternal conduct. Now speak, I am listening to you. Whatever you may tell me, I shall have the courage to hear it." Don Louis, without revealing to the couut his meeting with the Tigrero, as had been agreed on, told him how he had overheard a conversation between his guide and several Apache warriors ambushed in the vicinity of the hacien- da, and the plan they had formed to surprise the coiony. " And now, sir," he added, " it is for you to judge of the gravity of this news, and the arrangements you will hrfve to make, in order to foil the plans of the Indians." " I thank you, sir. When my lieutenant told me, a few moments prior to your arrival, of the disappearance of the guide, I immediately saw that I had to do with a spy. What you now report to me converts my suspicions into certainty. As you say, there is not a moment to lose, and I will at once think over the necessary arrangements." He walked to a table and struck a bell sharply. A peon entered. "The first lieutenant," he said. In a few minutes the latter arrived. " Lieutenant," the count said to him, " take twenty men with you, and scour the country for three leagues round. I have just learned " 'Tis true," the count observed. " Bah !" Leroux .-aid, twirling his long moustaches with great self-sufficien- cy, "we will learn them." "Take care you do not do .< at your own expense," Don Louis continued. "Indian war is entirely one of stratagems and ambushes. The eneniv who attacks you never forms in line; he remains constantly concealed, employing all means to conquer, but principally treachery. Five hundred Apache war- riors, commanded by an intrepid chief, would defeat in the prairie your best Holdiers, whom thev would decimate, while not giving a chance for retali- ation." " Oh, oh !" the count muttered, " is that their only way of fighting ?" " The only one," the haciendero said in confirmation. " Hum !'' Leroux remarked, "I fancy it is very like the war in Africa." N..t n much as you suppose. The Arabs let themselves be seen, while ttye Apaches, I repeat to you. only show themselves in the utmost extremity." "Then my plan of pushing forward a reconnoissance " "Is impracticable for two reasons: either your horsemen, though sur- rounded by enemies, will not discover one of them, or they will be attracted into an ambush, wheie, in spite of prodigies of valor, they will perish to the la>t man." All that this gentleman says is most perfectly true : it is easy to see that he has a great experience of Indian warfare, and has often measured himself with Ltpiction.'' " 1 thank you for my daujrhter and rnyx-lf." "And now, sir, as we are already indebted to you for such good aci , complete your task. In my place, what would you "My advi'-e i> as follows, 73 Louis answered .-criusly. Ti:e A]>- aches will attack you for certain reasons 1 know, and which it is unii' sary to tell you. They make a point of honor of t : ..f that nttark. Hence intrench y>u;-selve- hei-'-a^ well as you can. You have a considerable garrison composed of tried men ; con.-equeiitly, nearly all the chances are in your favor." ' 1 have one bunded and seventy resolute Frenchmen, who have all 1 soldi " Hehind good walls, and well armed, they are more than you want." " Without counting ion : to pursuing the Indians, and whom I brought with me,'' l>on Syl\:i i-emarked. u \re those men here at this moment?" Loins asked sharply. Yes, sir." "Oh ! that simplifies the question materially. If you will believe me, the Indians have nov everything to fear instead of you." 70 * THE TIGER-SLAYER. " Explain." '' It is evident that you will be attacked from the river. Perhaps, in or- der to divide your forces, the Indians will make a feigned attack from the side of the isthmus ; but the point is too strongly defended for them to at- tempt to carry it. I repeat, then, all the enemy's efforts will be directed on the side of the river." " I would call your attention to the fact, sir," the lieutenant said, " that at this moment the river is rendered unnavigable by thousands of trees torn from the mountains by the storms, and which it bears along with it." " I -know not whether the*river is navigable or not," Don Louis replied firmly, " but of one thing I am certain, that the Apaches will attack you on that side." " In any case, and not to be taken by surprise, two of the guns will be re- moved from the isthmus battery, leaving four there, which are more than sufficient, and laid so as to enfilade the river, care be taken to mask them. You will also, Leroux, mount a culverin on the platform of the mirador, whence we shall command the course of the Gila. Go and have these orders executed at once." / The old soldier went out without any reply, in order to carry out the commands of his chief. i ' You see, gentlemen," the count then said, " that I hasten to profit by the counsels you are good enough to give me. I recognise my utter inexpe- rience of this Indian warfare, and I repeat that I am happy at being so well supported." " This gentleman has foreseen everything," the haciendero said; "like him, I believe that the house is most exposed to the river front." " A last word," Don Louis continued. " Speak, speak, sir." c: Did you not say, caballero, that you brought with you forty peons, ac- customed to Indian warfare, and that they were still here ?" " Yes, I said so, and it is perfectly true." " Very good. I believe and be good enough to take it as & simple ob- servation, caballero I say I believe that it would be a master-stroke, which would insure you the victory, to place your enemies between two fires." "Indeed it would," the count exclaimed; " but how to do it ? You your- self said, only a moment ago, that it would be the height of imprudence to send out a scofating party." " I said, and I repeat it, the grass and woods are at this moment filled with eyes fixed on the hacienda, who will let no one pass out unnoticed." Well ?" " Did I not tell you that this war was one of stratagems and ambushes ?' " You did; but I do not understand, I confess, what you are driving at." " It is however, excessively simple ; you will understand me in a few words." " I much desire it." " Senor caballero," Don Louis went on, turning to Don Sylva, " do you in- tend to remain here ?" " Yes ; for certain private reasons I must remain some time here." "I have no intention, be assured, senor r to interfere in your private af- fairs. So you remain here '*" " Yes." " Very good. Have you among your peons a devoted man on whom you can count as on yourself? 31 " Cascaras ! I should think so. I have Bias Vasquez." " Would you be gooU enough to tell me who this Bias is, as I have not the honor of his acquaintance ?" THE TIGER-SLAYER. 71 1 He is my capata/. and I can trust to him as to myself in matters of dan- ger." client! All is ;riu on famously, then." " I really cannot make you out," the count said. Y..U >hull M-e." said L<.uis. " I have been trying to do so for the last half hour." four <-a[ ata/. t. whom you will give your instructions, will put him-elf at the head of his peons within an hour, and o-tcn>ihly take the road to mas ; but, as soon as he has gone two or three leagues to a point we shall settle on, he will halt. The rest will he the business of myself and friends." " Oh ! I understand your plan now. The peons hidden by you will at- tack the Indians in the rear so soon as the action has commenced between and them us." That is it." " But the Apaches ? Do you believe they will allow a troop of white men to retire without harassing them?" " The Indians are too shrewd to oppose them. "What good would it do to attack a body of men who have no Im^-rap; ? The fight would not profit them, but cause their position to be discovered. No, no, be easy, caballero, they will not stir: they have too great an interest in remaining invisible." d what do you intend to do ?" "The Indians certainly saw me come in this direction; they know I 'am here. If I went out with them it would betray all. I shall go away alone as I crime, and that immediately." " The plan is so simple and well arranged that it must succeed. Receive our thanks. >ir. and IK- kind enough to tell us your name, that we may know the man to whom we are indebted for so great a service." ""To what end, sir?" I join my entreaties, caballero, to those of my friend, Don Gaetano, in order to induce you to reveal the name of a man whose memory will be eternally engraved on our hearts." * Don Louis hesitated, tho- h unable to account to himself for the reason that made him do so. He t\ It a repugnance to give up his incognito as re- spected the count. Thetuo UK ii. however, pressed him so politely, that having n<> serious iva-on to offer for the niaintainance of his incognito, he al- lowed him-elf to be vanquished by their entreaties, and consented t- his naiue. Caballeros," he at length said, i < 'ount Louis Kdward Maximo de Prebois Crance," " We are friends, I trust," De Lhorailles said, holding ont his hand to him. "What I have dom> i< a proof of it. I think, sir," the other replied with a bow, but not taking the offered hand. "I thank you," the count went on. without appearing to notice I.ou;- pujrnance. " Do you intend to leave us soon ?" " I must leave you to the urgent business you have on hand. If you will allow me, I will take mv leave at once." " Not breakfast in-, at" least?" " You will excuse me, but time presses. I have friends I have now left for some hours, and who must be alarmed by my lenirtlu in-d ahx-nce." As they know yon arc at my house, that is impossible, sir," the count said, somewhat piqued. "They do not know that I arrived here without accident." " That is different ; then I will not delay you. Once again I thank you, sir." 72 THE TIGER-SLAYER. " I have acted in accordance with my conscience ; you owe me no thanks." The three men quitted the hall, and proceeded towards the isthmus bat- tery, taking of indifferent matters. About half way they met Don Bias, the capataz. Don Sylva made him a sign to join them, and when he was near them explained to him in two words the events that were preparing, and the part he would have to play. " Voto a Brios !" the capataz exclaimed joyously. " I thank you, Don Sylva, for this good news. We shall have a row at last, then, with those Apache dogs ! Carai ! they '11 see some fun, I swear." " I trust entirely to you, Bias." " But at what place must I await this caballero ?" " That is true : we have not fixed the place of meeting." "About three leagues from here, on the Guaymas road, at a place where the road makes a bend, there is an isolated hill called, I think, El Pan de Azucar : you can ambush there without any fear of discovery. I will join you at this spot with my friends." " That is agreed. At about what hour ?" " I cannot say for certain : that must depend on circumstances." A few minutes later Don Louis was riding back to the prairie, while the Count de Lhorailles and the two Mexicans, made preparations for an active defence of the colony. " It is strange," Don Louis muttered to himself as he galloped on, " that this man who is my countryman, and for whom I shall risk my life ere long, inspires me with no sympathy." Suddenly his horse shied. Roughly startled from his reverie, the French- man looked up. Eagle-head stood before him. CHAPTER XI. THE MEXICAN MOON. AFTER his visit to the hunters the Black Bear set out, at the head of his warriors, to proceed to a neighboring island, known by the name of Choke- Heckel, which was one of the advanced Apache posts on the Mexican fron- tier. He reached the isle at daybreak. At this spot the Gila attains its greatest width : each of the arms formed by the island is nearly two miles wide. The island which rises in the middle of the water, like a basket of flowers, is about two miles long by half a mile wide, and is one immense buu- quet, exhaling the sweetest perfumes, and the melodious songs of the birds which congregate in incalculable numbers on all the branches of the trees by which it is covered. Illumined on this day by the splendid beams of a flashing sun, the place had a strange and unusual appearance which had a powerful effect on the imagination. As far as the eye could reach over the island and the two banks of the Gila could be seen tents of buffalo hide, or huts of branches leaned against each other, and whose strange colours wearied the sight. Numerous canoes made of horse-skins sewed together, and mostly round, or else hollow- ed out of trunks of trees, traversed the river in every direction. The war- riors dismounted and set their horses free, which immediately proceeded to join a number of others. The chief went towards the huts before which feather flags and the scalps of renowned warriors fluttered in the breeze, passing through the women who were preparing the morning meal. But the Black Bear had been recognised THE TIGER-SLAYER. 73 Immediately on his arrival, and :ill <_ r "t out of his way with respectful bows. A thin^ no Kuroj.rnn could credit - - -t all 'lii'lians, without e\e.-p- ti-in. pay to tlu-ir cli'n !>. Antony those who have kept up the manners of their fort fathers, and, disdaining KurojH^an civil isation, have continued to wander ahout the prairies as free men, this respect is changed into fanati- ci>m, aim. -i into adoration.' The gold fillet adorned with two buffalo horns, placed on the Black Bear's brow, rau-M-d him to he ivcomii-rd by all. and the I'm-lic-t joy was evinced on his pa-- . . I! at length reached the rivers bank. On 'arriving there he made a >ign to a mun fishing a short distance off in a canoe ; the latter Bed up. and the chief j-a.^.-d over to the inland. A hut of branches had lii-en prepared for him. It is probable that invisible sentinels were watch ing fr his arrival, for the moment he set foot on land, a chief called the Little Panther presented himself before him. "The great chief is welcome among his brothers," he said, bowing courte- ously i.e! ;v the Black Bear. " Has my father had a good journey ?" ' : I have had a good journey, I thank my brother." " If my father consents I will lead him to the jacal built to receive him." " Let us go," the chief said. The Little Panther bowed a second time, and guided the chief along a path formed through the shrubs. They soon arrived at ajacal, which, in the mind of the Indians, offered the ideal of what was comfortable, through its .-i/.e, the brilliancy of the colours with which it was painted, and its cleanli- .My father is at home," the Little Panther said, respectfully raising the fressad'i (blanket) which closed the jacal, and falling back to let the Black Bear pa>s. The latter entered. "My brother will follow me," he said. N. The Little Panther walked in behind him, and let the curtain fall. This did not in any way differ from that of the other Indians. A fire burn- ed in the centre. The Black Bear made a sign to the other chief to sit down on a buffalo skull. He then chase one for himself, and sat down near the fire. After a moment's silence, employed by the two chiefs in smoking gravely, the Black Bear addrc <,-d the Little Panther : "Are the chiefs of all the^tribes of our nation collected on the island as I order "They When will they come to my jacal ?" ' "/I'liat depends on my father. They await his good pleasure." The Black Bear began smoking again silently. Along period was thus spent. Nothing new has happened during my absence ?" the Black Bear asked, shaking the :ush out of his calumet on his thumb. " Three chiefs of the praiii.- Comam-hes have arrived, sent by their nation to treat with the Apac!. Wah !" the chief said. " Are they renowned warriors ?" " They have many wolfs' tails on their moccasins. They must be valiant." The Black Bear nodded his head in affirmation. " One of them, it is said, is the Jester," the Little Panther continued. "Is my brother certain of what he says?" the chief asked sharply. "The Comanche warriors refused to give their names when they learned the absence of my father. They answered it was well, and that they would await his return." " Good ! they are chiefs. Where are they ?" " They have lighted a tire, round which they are camping." "Time is precious. My brother will warn the Apache chiefs that I await them at the council fire." 74 THE TIGER-SLAYER The Little Panther rose without replying, and quitted the jacal. For about an hour the Indian chief remained alone buried in thought : at the end of that time the sound of several approaching men could be heard outside. The curtain was raised by the Little Panther, who walked in. " Well ?" the Black Bear asked. " The chiefs are waiting." "Let them come in." The chiefs made their appearance. They were ten in number ; each had put on his best ornaments, and all wore their war paint. They entered si- lently, and ranged themselves silently round the fire, after silently saluting the great chief, and kissing the hem of his robe. As soon as. all the chiefs had assembled in the interior of the toldo, a troop of Apache warriors drew up outside, to keep off the curious, and insure the secrecy of the deliberations. The Black Bear, in spite of his self-mastery, could not refrain from a movement of joy at the sight of all these men, who were entirely devoted to him, and by whose help he felt certain of accom- plishing his projects. " My brothers are welcome," he said, inviting them by a sign tp take seats on the buffalo skulls ranged round the fire, " I was waiting them impatiently." The chiefs bowed and sat down. Then the pipe-bearer entered and pre- sented the calumet to each warrior, who drew two or three puffs of tobacco. When this ceremony was over, and the pipe-bearer had departed, the delib- erations began. " Before all," said the Black Bear, " I must give you an account of my mission. The Black Bear has completely fulfilled it ; he has entered the hut of the white men ; he has thoroughly examined it ; he knows the num- ber of pale-faces that defend it ; and when the hour arrives for him to lead his warriors there, the Black Bear will know how to find the road again." The chiefs bowed with satisfaction. "This great cabin of the whites," the Black Bear continued, "is the only serious obstacle we shall find on our road in the new expedition we are undertaking." " The Yoris are dogs without courage. The Apaches will give them petti- coats, and make them prepare their game," the Little Panther said with a grin. The Black Bear shook his head. " The pale-faces of the great cabin of Guetzalli are not Yoris," he said. " A chief has seen them they are men. " Nearly all of them have blue eyes and hair the color of ripe maize ; they seem very brave my brothers must be prudent." " Does not ray father know who these men are ?" a chief inquired. "The Black Bear does not know. He was told down there near the Great Salt Lake, that they inhabited a country very far from here, toward the rising sun : that is all." " These men have no trees, nor fruit, nor buffaloes in their own country, that they come to steal ours." " Tl^e pale-faces are insatiable," the Blacfc Bear replied. " They forget that the Great Spirit has only given tliQm, like other men, one mouth and two hands. All they see they covet. The Wacondah, who loves his red sons, let them be born in a rich country, and has covered them with his gifts. The pale-iaces are jealous, and seek continually to rob and dispossess tnein j but the Apaches are brave warriors: they can defend their hunting- grounds, and prevent them being trampled by these vagabonds, who have come from the other side of the Great Salt Lake on the floating cabins of the Great Medicine." The chiefs warmly applauded this harangue, which expressed so well the THE TIGER-SLAYER. sentiments that affected them. . - t.y with which : mate : -tlr.it conquering ; and invading race, which con- stantly dri irther into the desert, not even leaving them the requi- site >[ .the ;'.ne warrior," the Little Panther replied : >- h.- when In- likes, divine the most hidden thoughts in the heart of hi- cm What he does will be well done. T!ie chiefs of his nation wi!! happy to re.ulate their conduct l>y the counsels he may deign to giv them'.'" Tii- ir threw a glance round thea.--t mbly, a* if to a.ouiv himself that the Little Panther had truly expressed the general will. The member.- of the council silently bowed their heads in acquiescence. The chief smiled proudly on seeing himself so appreciated by his companions, and ad- "le. Panther, said, " Let my ; .:e Comanche chiefs, be introduced." pronounced with a majesty equal to that of an Euro- pean king -itting in parliament. The ulier went out to execute the order he had received. Dur- ing L id rather long, not a word was exchanged between the c! ! on buffalo skulls, with their elbows on their knees, and their chins on the palm of their hand ; they remained .motionless and silent, ap- 1 into deep thought. The Little Panther at length returned, preceding the Comanche warriors. On their entry the Apache chiefs rose and saluted them ceremoniously. The ('munehos ivturned the salutation with no less courtesy, but without any other response, and waited till they were addn were young and finely built j they bad a manial bearing, a free glance, and thoughtful brow. Dressed in their national cos tume, with heads proudly raised, and hands stemmed in their side-, the)' had something noble and loyal about them which aroused sympathy. <>ne of them socially, the youngest of the three he was hardly live aud-t -.venty inn-it be a by appearances: the stern lines of his countenance, the brilliancyNrf his glance, the and majesty of his bearing, can- d him to be recognised at the first glance as a eho-i n man. Hi- name wa.^ tin- i. a> might IK- gUOOWd from the tuft of eon- dor feathers passed through his war-lock, he w:is .UK- !' the principal . he chief- I v arrivals, while not appearing to i them, that profoundly inquisit;. to so eminent a the India: .though they might i the jrlanc : them, did not make a sign, nor allow a movement them, indicating that they knew th to be the object of attention to all piv- Maehiav-1. author of the ' Prince" though he was, compared \\ith the redmen, was only a child in matters of policy. T!ICM- simple they are called by t!iot'< delay the Black Bear took a step toward the Comanche chiefs, bowed to them, and holding out his right hand palm upwards, said : "I am happy to receive beneath my cabin, in the mid-t of my people, my brothers, the Comanches of th> I BK68. They will take their place at the council fire and smoke with their brothers the calumet of pe:, "Be it so," the Jester replied in a stern voice. Are we not all children of Wacondah ?" 76 THE TIGER-SLAYER. And, without adding another word, he took his seat with the other chiefs at the council fire, side by side with the Apaches. The conversation was bro- ken off again, for every one was smoking. At length, when the calumet bowls contained only ashes, the Black Bear turned with a courteous smile to the Jester. " My brothers, the Comanches of the Lakes, are Doubtlessly hunting the buffalo not far from here, and then the thought occurred t'o them to visit their Apache brothers. I thank them for it." The Jester bowed. *' The Comanches of the Lakes are far away, chasing the antelopes on the Del Nato. The Jester, and a few devoted warriors who accompany him, are alone encamped on the hunting-grounds." " The Jester is a chief renowned on the prairie," the Apache graciously re- marked. " The Black Bear is happy to have seen him. So great a warrior as my brother does not act thus without some plausible motive." " The Black Bear has guessed it, The Jester has come to renew with his Apache brothers the narrow bonds of a loyal friendship. Why, instead of disputing a territory to which we have equal Claims, should we not divide it between us ? Should the red men destroy each other ? Would it not be better to bury the war- hatchet by the council fire at such a depth that, when an Apache met a Comanche, he would only see in him a well-beloved brother? The pale-faces, who each moon encroach on our possessions more and more, wage a furious war against us j then why should we help them by our intes- tine dissensions ?" The Black Bear rose, and, stretching forth his arm with authority, said : " My brother the. Jester is right. ^ Only one sentiment should henceforth guide us patriotism ! Let us lay aside all ovff paltry enmities, to think only of but one thing liberty ! The pale- faces are perfectly ignorant of our plans. During the few days I passed at Guaymas I was able to convince myself of that : thus our sudden invasion will be to them a thunderbolt, which will ice them with terror. They will be more than half conquered by our approach." There was a solemn silence. The Jester then turned a calm and proud glance round the meeting, and exclaimed ; " The Mexican moon will begin in twenty-four hours. Red-skin warriors ! shall we allow it to pass away without attempting one of those daring strokes which we usually perform at this period of the year ? There is one estab- lishment above all, over which we should rush like a whirlwind : that estab- , lishment founded by pale faces, other than the Yoris, is for us a permanent menace. I will not deal craftily with you. Apache chiefs ! I come to of- fer you frankly, if you will attack Guetzalli, the support of four hundred Comanche warriors, at whose head I will place myself." At this proposition a quiver of pleasure ran through the meeting. " I joyfully accept my brother's proposal," the Black Bear said. " I have nearly the same number of warriors : our two bands will be strong enough, I hope, to utterly destroy the pale-faces. To-morrow, at the risjng of the moon, we will set out." The chiefs retired, and the Black Bear and the Jester were left alone. These two chiefs enjoyed an equal reputatien, and both were adored by their countrymen. llence they t xamined each other curiously, for up to that moment they had always been enemies, and never had the chance of meeting save with weapons in their hands. " I thank my brother for his cordial offer," the Black Bear was the first to say. " Under the present circumstances his help will be very advanta- geous for us ; but once the victory is decided, th(fc spoil will be equally shared between the two nations." THE TIGER-SLAYER. 77 The Jester bowed. " What plan has my brother formed ?" In- asked. "A very simple OIK-. The C'i]ii:iii'-!n-> an- terrible horsemen: with my .cr at their head, they must I>L- invincible. So soon us the moon shines in the heavens the Jester'will set our with his warriors, and proceed to- ward a prudent chief. He will succeed. 1 will do ex- actly as he has toid me ; ami he, what will he do while I am executing this portion of the general plan?" A -tran-e MI, ile played on the IJhirk T.car's lips. - IK- \v laid laying his hand on the Comanche's suoulder. " Let him act us a chief, and I promise him a glorious victory." >ood !" the Comanche made answer. ' My brother is the iirst of his nation: he knows how In- should behave ; the Apa<-hes are not women. I join my warriors." " 'Tis well j my brother has understood. To-morrow at the rising of the moon." The Jester bowed, and the two chiefs separated, apparently the best friends in the world. A few moments later the greatest animation prevailed in the Apache camp; the women struck the tents and loaded the mules, the children lassoed and .saddled the horses, and all preparations were made for their departure. C II A P T E .R XII. t A WOMAN S STRATAGEM. Tn. ' y at the rishu: <:' \ agreed, the -I ordered his detachment to set out. Presently a party of hor^-men who had hurried onwards threw lighted mid t IK* shrubs,, and in a few min- ute- an innm n-e \<> the >ky. and completely veiled the horix.on. The Coina:; f the Apache chief with such lapidity and intelligence, that in les< than an hour all \va< con- sumed. The Bla< ''! in the island with his war party, had not made amove. The U-ac-s left by the (Vinaix : r the count rv only that incrning so lovely, rich, and luxuriant, \\a^ - .late. Tii'-n- was no verdure, no llowers.no birds hidden be- tlu- foliage, and \ \\itterini; as if to out rival each other. The Indian's plan would have met wi; ; .roii_'h the ar- rangement of the campaigners, and the t< -n. The Rio Gila, like all other large rivers, brings with it dead lives, at times in such quantities that at certain spots they completely block up the passage , in time tl - pivss against each other, and" their bra: entwined; then grass grows, to ce- mt-nt them more firmly together; the sand and earth are piled np gradually on these iminen- rafts, which at a di-tar.fe r<.>eml>le islands, until a storm I as a Hood, which breaks up the rait. " I know that. I have seen frequent, instances of it, chief," Belhnmeur said. " These rafts at la- look so like islands that the man most ari-nstomed to desert life and the grand spectacles of nature is frequently deceived by them. I understand all the advantages your idea posdfeejes for us; but, unhappily, I do not see how it will be possible for us to carry it out." " In the simplest way. The Indian's eye is good; he s 'hing within two bow-shots of him. Above the great lodge of the pale-faces, did not my brother notice an islet about fifty 3 % ards almost from ti i What you say is quite correct," Belhumeur exclaimed ; ' I can call the inland to mind now." " From the position it occupies there will be nothing to apprehend from fire," Louis remarked. " If it is large enough to hold us all it will be ex- iremely useful as an advanced post." ' We have not a moment^to lose : we must take possession of it at once, and when we are certain that it offers all we want we will lead the peons to it." 80 THE TIGER-SLAYER. " Let us start, then, without further delay," the Tigrero said as he rose. The others imitated him, and the five men left the clearing. After fetch ing their horses they proceeded toward the island under the gnidance of Eagle-head. The Indian chief had not deceived them. With that infallible glance hia countrymen possess, lie had at once formed a correct opinion of the spot he so cleverly selected. There was another consideration highly advantageous to the adventurers a thick linu of mangroves bordered the river's edge, and advanced sufficiently far into the stream to diminish the distance separating the isle from the mainland, while forming a natural defence for men con- cealed in the tall grass ; for it was perfectly impossible that the Indians could hide themselves in the mangroves to harass their enemies, who, on the other hand, could do them considerable mischief. This islet (we will retain the name, though it was really only a raft) was covered with a close, strong herbage, about two yards in height, in the midst of which, men and horses completely disappeared. When the reconnois- sance was ended, Belhumeur and the two Mexicans installed themselves in the centre, while Louis and Eagle-head returned to the bank to go and meet the capataz and his people. Don Martial did not care to accompany them. So near the colony he was afraid of being recognised by Don Sylva, and preferred to maintain, as long as he could, an incognito necessary for the ulterior success of his plans. Louis, after making him the offer to accompany them, pressed him no further, and appeared to accept his refusal without any discussion. The truth was, that the count felt, without being able to explain it, a species of repulsion for this man, whose cautious manner and continual hesitation had ill dis- posed him in his favour. Eagle-head and Louis, certain that the Black Bear had really retired with his detachment, and left no spies on the prairie, thought it unnecessary to let the Mexicans take a long and wearisome ride before leading them to the hiding-place ; consequently, they hid themselves in the shrubs at the end of the isthmus to watch their exit, and lead them straight to the spot. In the mean while the news Don Louis had carried to the colonj' had turned everything topsy-turvy. Although, since the first foundation of the hacienda, the Indians had constantly tried. to harass the French, the various attempts they made had been unimportant, and this was really the first time they would have a serious contest with their ferocious enemies. The Count de Lhorailles had with him about two hundred Dauph'yeers, who had come from Valparaiso, Guyaquil, Callao, and the other Pacific ports, which are always crowded with adventurers of every description. These worthy people were a singular mixture of all the nationalities peopling the two hemispheres, although the French supplied the largest factor. Half bandits, half soldiers, these men put the utmost faith in the chief they had freely chosen. The news of the attack premeditated by the Apaches was received by the garrison with shouts of joy and enthusiasm. It was an amusement for these adventurers to exchange shots, or rub the rust of!* a little, as they naively said in their picturesque language. The}'' desired before all to prove to the Apaches the difference existing between the Creole colonists, whom they had been in the habit of killing and plundering from time immemorial, and Europeans whom they did not yet know. The count, therefore, had no need to recommend firmness to them ; he was on the contrary, obliged to repress their ardour, and beg them to be prudent, by promising that they should soon have an opportunity of meeting the red- skins in the open field. As soon as the defensive "preparations were made the count left the details THE TIGER-SLAYER. 81 to his two lieutenants, two old n whotn he believed lie could count; then he thought of B - In the probable event that the Indians had left '"'^'i they ni;;.-t he persuaded that this 1) in 1 hud really retired. ! laden \vitli provision^, as if i'<>i : a Ion- wrell i'M ructed, put nimsolf at the head of the o/.iadro.-m, a-rl left ' : .iigh. The (V)iint, Don Svlva. and the other inhabitants f.l!o-.ved the party with an interest t-;tsv to comprehend, ready to help them if Attacked. 15".' nothing stirred in tin- "prairie ; the ralm an . 1 the 1 ion disappeared in the tal! gra>s. u I cannot at all understan thoughtfully. ' have allowed * must he planning some trick whi<-h o!U-i^ n goo I ; \V" shall so- ui know what we are ( . i ; "he- sid-->, we ai'e ready t-> receiv - the'-t. lain only OVf\ that] ' - .ould he here ; not that she runs th- 'nit the sound, of the contest may terrify her." : N -. - nor i-Mide,'' the lady >aid. from the hou^e at the mo- ment ; " fear noihing of that nature for me. I am a true Mexican, and not ,'f voiir Ku'/opeaJi dames, whom the slirhte..>t thiii;^ ea:i>-. s to faint. Often, In dronmstasces graTer than th.M-. I l:av<- heard the Apache wary. '11 M m\' ear*, without. ho\v i alarm you seem to nd from me to-day." After p.f rds with that h :'oundly contemptu- ous accent women know es, he did not pardon her i h>ved bv another, and especially ir regarding him with indifference ; but the cvt-iits which had hurried on with such rapidity during the la>t two -lays had hitherto prevented him asking this imjxjrtant interview of the donni. The ha-'i \iidalu-*ian from head tofo-.t.all lip >'.i, only obeying : itate movements of her h'-ari. Lovin-- with all the strength of I, :e.'iiarlea-^vd at rhe haeimda without further incidents. The count made several attempts to have a conversation with the donna, which she con- stantly sought to avoid. Bias Vasquez, on quitting the colony, struck the Guaymas road, and made his troop go at a sharp trot, through fear of a surprise. He had scarce lost sight of the colony, and entered the tall grass, when two men, leaping into iiddle of the path, checked their horses about twenty paces ahead of him. One of them was an Indian ; the other the capataz recognised at a glance as the man who had come to the hacienda that mor. quoz commanded his men to halt, and advancing alone to meet the stranger, said : " By what accident do I meet you here, Senor Frances 1 You are still far from the meeting place you indicated yourself." \Ve are so," was the reply ; " but as we found no Apache trail in the prairie we thought it useless to give 3-011 a long journey. I have been sent to conduct you to the ambush we have chosen." " You did right, Have we far to go?" " No, hardly a quarter of an hour's ride. We are going to that islet, which you, can see by standing in your stirrups," he added, stretching out his arm in the direction of the rlv ; < Eh ?" the capataz said. "The spot is well chosen : we can command the river from 1 :it is the reason why he selected it." " Be good enough, then, to serve as our guide, Senor Frances : we will follow you." The detachment set out again. As Don Louis had stated, within a quar- ter of an hour the ca were encamped on the islet with I by grass land mangroves, that it was im- possible to see them from either bank of the river. -oon as the cap; iod his duties as head of the dctach- , he sat down at the bivouac fire by the side of his new friends, to i lie first person Bias perc Don Martial the Tigrero. At the sight of him lu refrain from a ."nt of sui , " Capita /' he exclaini"d, with a loud laugh ; " ths mccti:v: i ; curious." Why so ?* th ' Mexican a>k 1, rather annoyed by tlii tion, which he had not expected, for he did not think the capataz knew him. "Are you not Don Martial Asiizena?" Yes," he replied, more and more restless. " My faith ! I should have found it difficult to meet you at Guayrats; but I did not expect to find you here." " Kxplain yourself, I beg. I cannot understand you at all." " My young mistress gave me a message for you." " What do you say ?' the Tigrero exclaimed, his heart beginning to pal- pitate. ' What I say, nothing else. Donna Anita wishes to buy two jaguar skins of you, it appears." { Of me r Yes." Don Martial regarded him with such an air of amazement that the capataa 84 THE TIGER-SLAYER. began again laughing heartily. This laughter aroused the young man ; made him conjecture there was some mystery in the affair; and that if he con- tinued to look so astonished, he would arouse suspicions in the worthy man, who probably did not know the word of the riddle. " 'Tis true," he said, as if trying to remember something, " I fancy I can call to mind s^me time back " Then," the capataz interrupted him, " it's all right ; besides, I was asked to hand you a letter so soon as I met you." " A letter from whom ? ' "Why, from my mistress I suppose." " From Donna Anita ?" Who else ?" " Give it me quickly," the Tigrero exclaimed in great agitation. The capataz handed it to him. Don Martial tore it from his hands, broke the seal with trembling fingers, and devoured it with his eyes. When he had,finished reading it he concealed it in his bosom. " Well," the capataz asked him, " what does my mistress say ?" " Only what you told me yourself" the Tigrero replied, in anything but a firm voice. Bias Vasquez shook his head. " Hem ! that man is certainly hiding something from me," he muttered. '" Can Donna Anita have deceived me ?" In the meanwhile the Tigrero walked about in agitation, apparently re- volving some important project. At length he approached Belhumeur, who was smoking silently, and, leaning over his ear, uttered a few words in a low voice, to which the Canadian aswered with a nod of assent. A flash of joy illumined the Tigrero's gloomy face as he made a sign to Cuchares to follow him, and quitted the bivouac a few minutes later. Don Martial and the le- pero, both mounted, swam across the space separating them from the main land. The capataz perceived them at the moment they landed, and uttered a cry of astonishment. " Why," he exclaimed, " the Tigrero is leaving us. Where can he be go- ing?" Belhumeur regarded the Mexican with his bitter-sweet look, and replied, with a jesting accent, " Who knows ? Perhaps he is going to carry the answer to the letter you gave him." " That is not impossible," the capataz remarked thoughtfully, little sus- pecting that he spoke the exact truth. At this moment the sun set in floods of purple and gold far away in the horizon behind the snow-clad peaks of the lofty mountains of the Sierra Madre, and night soon stretched her black cere-cloth over the earth. CHAPTER XIII. A NIGHT JOURNEY. EVENTS have so multiplied during the course of this night, that to keep headway with the incidents, we are compelled to pass incessantly from one person to another. Don Martial was rich very rich eager for excitement, and endowed with warlike instincts. He had only embraced the profession of Tigrero in order to have a plausible excuse for his constant travels in the desert, which he had passed his whole life in traversing in every direction. THE TIGER- SLAYER. 85 The Tigreros are generally wood-nngera or old hunters, wlio, for a cer- tain salary :ui'l :i premium on e;Hi hide, engage with a haciendero to kill the wild beasts that decimate his herds. What others did fur monev, lie per- formed simplv for pleasure ; hence he was pi-rat ly liked on the frontiers, and -ally welcomed \ty all the hacicnderos, who found in him not only the clever and daring hunter, hut also the boon companion and the cahnllero. D .!i Martial -aw Donna Anita for the first time when the chance* of his id venturous life bad led him to a hacienda belonging to Don Sylva, where, within tin- a month, he killed some dozen wild hearts." As the Ti- grero constantly watched the youivz irirl, whom he could not. see, without fulling madly in" love with, it happened that one day, when Anita's hors.- ran awav, he was near enough to save her at the j>eril of his own life. It w;us i:.e girl first noticed and spoke to him. We know th-- r Cuchares was not all pleased with the sudden departure from the Hand. II inwardly e-ir-ed the folly which made him attach himself to a man like him he now followed, who mi^ht expose him at any moment to the chances of getting an arrow through his body, without any profit or available < Still Cu-liaivs \va> not the man to feel long angry with the Tigrwro. lie knew that - >ns alone could have induced him to leave a shelter at that hour of the night, resign the aid of the hunters, and go wandering M without any. apparent object. He burned to know the rea- b;it lie knew that Don Martial was no great talker, and had a great ion to having his secrets spied out ; and as, in spite of all his bounce,he >iivl a -ivat respect for the Tigrero, mingled with a decent amount tr, he deferred to a more favorable moment the numerous questions ho ! to ;i>k him. , . marched on side by side silently, allowing the reins to on their horses' heads, and each indulging in hi.- own reflections. Still [marked that Don Martial, instead of seeking the cover of the . obstinately followed the river bank, and kept the horse as close to it rfble. The !ly denser around them; distant objects began to b- I ^r in t!i ;: - adow on the hori/on, and they soon found them- 1 in complete obscurity. For some time the lep.-ro tried, by coughing or uttering exclamations, tO attract his comrade's attention, thouoh u :!ly ; Int when In- s;iw that the night had completely set in, while t!io irched on W'tin-it app >arin^ to notice the fact, he at length mus- tere 1 up cly. u 1).. you not think it is time for us to stop a little T " What : " What for?'' the lepero replied, with a bound of surprise. " Ve.- ; we have not arrived , "Tti, j.>i:iz somewhere ?" W:.v else 8OO :! i we have h-f't our friend- T' " That 1 - true. Whbre are we going, though ? That is what I should like to know/' . " You will soon d" "I confess that f sh-.u! 1 f it." There was :u.--iin BJ1 i i, -1 iring wiiich they continued to advance. They had left the hill of > you think the prairie is on lire !" "Of course. Yon M u 11 as I if you like." " Hem ! what is the meaning of that ?" inaty Indian tricks. We are in the Co- manche moon: an 1 you not aware of that?" u I beg your pardon, I am not u wood-ranger. I confess to you that all this alarms me greatly, and that I would willingly give a trifle to be out of it." "You child!" Don Martial aaswered him laughingly. "It is evident that the Indian-! h iv.- tired the prairii? to conceal their numbers : they are r.ming up behind the fire. You will soon hear their war-cry .sounding amid the clouds of smoke and lire which are approaching, and will soon sur- f>y remaining here-you run three risks of being roasted, scalped, or killed : three most unpleasant things, I grant, and which I do not think will suit you. You had better come with me. If you are killed, well, wh it then ? It i- a r\ ; and f'-lling the largest trees like wisps of straw. From the thick curtain of copper-colored smoke which preceded the flames there escaped, at each moment, bands *of coyotes, buffaloes, and jaguars, which, maddened with terror, rushed into the river, uttering yells and deafening Don Martial and the lepero entered the water; and their noble animals, imp"lled by their instinct, hurried in the direction of the other bank. This part of the desert formed a strange contrast to that which the men I -:iving. The latter H i-iimnis" f'lrnan-, from whi vague rumors, cries of distress, agony and t-rr"r; a sea of fire, with its billows and ma; /allowed U thing on their p ' -.dini: mountains, and reduc- ing to impalpab: jvtablf and animal kinir'i The Gila, at t of the year swollen by the rains which had fallen in the sierra, had a width double of what it was in summer. At that ; od its current b vid frequently ! f lirough its rapidity, but. at the moment onr adv.-ntun-ix dM'-d it, the numerous animals which t to cross it simultaneously in a dense body nad so broken its force, that they reached the other bank in a comparatively short period. "Eh !" Cuchares observed at the moment the horses struck land and began ascending tiie bank. did you not tell me. Don Martial, that we were ^ to the hacienda ? We are not taking the road, I fancy." " You fancy wrong, comrade. Rumember this in the desert a man mast always appear to turn his back on the object he wishes to reach, or he will never arrive." " Which means ?" " That we are going to hobble our horses under this tuft of rnesquites and cedar-wood trees, where they will be in perfect safety, and then go straight to the hacienda." &8 THE TIGER-SLAYER The Tigrero immediately dismounted, led his horse under the shelter of the great trees, took off its bridle in order that it might graze, hobbled it carefully, and returned to the bank. Cuchares, with that resolutlou of despair which, under certain circumstan- ces, bears a striking resemblance to courage, imitated his companion's move- ments point for point. The worthy lepero had at length formed an heroic resolve. Persuaded that he was lost, he yielded' himself to the guidance of his lucky or unlucky star with that half-timid fanaticism which can only be compared with- that found among the Easterns. As we have said, this side of the river was plunged in shade and silence, and the adventurers were temporarily protected from any danger. " Stay," the lepero again remarked ; " it is a good distance from this place to the hacienda ; I can never swim it." " Patience. We shall find, I am certain, if we take the trouble to look, means to shorten it. Ah 'look ?" he said, a moment later. " What did I say to you ?" The Tigrero pointed out to the lepero a small canoe fastened to a stake in a small creek. " The colonists often come here' to fish," he continued : " they have several canoes concealed like this at various spots. We will take this oue, and in a few moments we shall reach our destination. Do you know how to manage a paddle ?" " Yes, when I am not afraid." Don Martial looked at him for a few seconds, then laying his hand roughly on his shoulder, said in a sharp voice : " Hark you, Cuchares, my friend. I have no time to discuss the matter with you ; I have extremely serious reas- ons for acting as I am now doing. I want on your part hearty co-operation, so take warning in time. You know me : at the first suspicious movement I will blow out your brains as I would a coyote's. Now Help me to launch the canoe and start." The lepero understood and resigned himself. In a few minutes the canoe was ready and the two men in it. The passage they had to make to reach the back of the hacienda was not long, but bristled with dangers. In the first palce, through the strength of the current which bore with it a large quantity of dead trees, most of them still having their branches, which, float- ing half submerged in the water, threatened at each pull to pierce the frail boat. Next, the animals which continued to shun the fire, crossed the river in compact bands ; and if the canoe were entangled in one of these manadas mad with terror, it must be crushed with its passengers. The lightest dan- ger the adventurers ran was the receipt of a bullet from the sentinels hidden in the bushes which defended the approach to the colony on the river side. But this danger was as nothing compared with the others to which we have alluded. There was every reason for assuming that the French, aroused by the flames, would direct all their attention to the land side. Besides, Don Martial believed he had, nothing to fear from the sentries, who would proba- bly have been withdrawn. At a signal from Don Martial, Cuchares took up the paddles, and they started. ' The fire was rapidly retiring in a western direction while continu- ing its ravages. The canoe advanced slowly and cautiously through the innu- merable objects which each moment checked its progress. Cuchares, pale as a corpse, with hair standing on end, and eyes enlarged by terror, rowed on frenziedly, while recommending his soul fervently to all the numberless saints of the Spanish calendar, for he was more than ever con- vinced that he would never emerge in safety from the enterprise on which he had so foolishly entered. In fact, the position was a grave one, and it required all the resolution THE TIGER-SLAYER. 89 with which the Tigrero was endowed, as well as the excitement caused by the object lie h-p"d t.> attain, to keep him from sharing the terror which had seized on his emnrade. The further they advanced the greater the obstacles grew. Obliged to make contimu'd turns, in consequence of the trees/ that barred their passage, they only turned on their own axis, as it were, forced to pass the same spot a do/en times, and watch on all sides at once, not to be sunk by the objects, either visible OP invisible, which incessantly rose before them. Forabout two hours they continued this wearying navigation ; but they .-ilny approached the hacienda, whose sombre mass stood out from tho .star-lit >ky. Suddenly a terrible cry, raised by a considerable number of v.iiivs, filled the air, and a discharge of artillery and musketry roared like thunder. ' Holy Virgin !" Cuchares exclaimed, letting go the paddles and clasping his hands, " we are lost !" On the contrary," the Tigrero said, " we are saved. The Indians are at- tacking the colony ; all the French are at the entrenchments, and no one will dream of watching us. Bold, my good boy ! One more good pull, and all will be . May (tod hear you!" the lepero muttered, beginning to paddle again with u trembling hand. " Ah ! the attack is serious, it appears. All the better. The harder they fight over there, the less attention will be paid us. Let us go on." The two adventurers, hidden in the shade, paddled on silently, and gradu- ally approached the hacienda. Don Martial looked searchingly around : all was silent in this part of the river, which was half a pistol-shot distant from the building. There was no reason for supposing that they had been seen. The Tigrero bent over his companion. " That will do," he whispered ; " we have arrived." " What ! arrived ?" the lepero repeated with a frightened air. " We aro still a long way off." " No ; at the spot where we now are, whatever may happen, you have no- thing to fear. Remain in the canoe, fasten it to one of the stumps that sur- round you, and wait for me." " What ! are you going away ?" t: Yes I shall leave you for an hour or two. Keep a good watch. If you notice anything new you will imitate the cry of the water-hen twice : }*ou understand ?" " Perfectly ; but if a serious danger/ threatened us what ought I to do? 1 The Tigrero reflected for an instant. "What danger can threat'-n y>u here?" he said. t; I do not know ; but the Indians are ficiids incarnate: with them you must be prepared for anything." " You are right. Well, in case of any serious danger threatening us but only in that case, you understand after giving your signal, you \vill put across to that point. Mangroves grow there, under the shelter of which you will be perfectly safe, and I will join you immediately." " Very good: but how shall I pnow where to find you ?" " I will imitate twice the bark of the prairie dog. Now, be prudent." " You may be sure of that." The Tigrero took off all the articles of clothing that might embarrass him such as hU zarape and betas vaqueras, only keeping on his trons-rs and vest, put his knife in his belt, made up his pistol", rifte, and cartouche box in a packet, and imitated the song of the maukawes. Presently a similar sound rose from the bank. The Tigrero then held his weapons over his head, and glided gently into the water. The lepero soon perceived him swimming si- 90 THE TIGER-SLAYER. lently and vigorously in the direction of the hacienda j but the Tigrero was gradually lost in the distance. As soon as he was alone Cuphares began to inspect his weapons carefully, changing the caps so as to be ready for anything, and run no risk of being taken unawares ; then, reassured by the calmness that prevailed around, htr lay, down in the bottom of the canoe in spite of the Tigrero's recommenda- tions, and got ready for a nap. The noise of the combat had gradually died away neither shouts nor shots could be heard, The Indians, repulsed by the colonists, had given up their attack. The flames of the fire became less and less bright. . The desert ap- peared to have fallen back into its ordinary silence and solitude. The lepero, lying on his back at the bottom of the canoe, gazed at the bril- liant stars, glittering in the azure sky. Gently cradled by the rippling, his eyes closed. At length he reached that point which is neither sleeping nor waking, and would probably soon have fallen asleep. At the moment, how- ever, when he was going to yield to his feelings, he cast a parting sleepy glance over the river. He shuddered, repressed with difficulty a cry of ter- rer, and started up so violently that he almost upset the canoe. , Cuchares had had a fearful vision : he rubbed his eyes vigorously to assure himself that he was really awake, and looked again. What he had taken for a vision was only too real ; he had seen correctly. We have said that the river carried with it a large number of stumps and dead trees still laden with their branches. During the last hour an enormous quantity of these trees had collected round the canoe, the lepero being quite unable to account for the fact, the more so because these trees, which, by the natural laws should have followed the current and descended with it, cut it in every direction, and, instead of keeping to the centre of the river, drew constantly nearer to the bank on which stood the hacienda. More extraordinary still, the progress of this floating wood was so, careful- ly regulated that all converged on one point the extremity of the Isthmus at the back of the hacienda. Another alarming fact was, that Cuchares saw eyes flashing and frightful faces peering out from amidst this raft of interlaced branches, stumps and trees. There was no room for doubt : each tree carried at least one Apache. The Indians, having failed in their attempt on one side, hoped to surprise the colony from the river, nnd were swimming up concealed by the trees, in the midst of which they had collected. The lepero's position was perplex- ing. Up to this moment the Indians, busied with their plans, had paid no attention to the canoe ; or, if theyhad noticed it, thought that it belonged to one of their party ; but the error might be detected at any moment, and the lepero knew that, in such a case, he would be hopelessly lost. Already, more than once, hands had been laid for a few seconds on the sides of a frail boat ; but, by some providental chance, the owners of those hands had not thought of looking in to the interior of the canoe. All these reflections, and many others, Cuchares indulged in while lying apparently most comfortably at the bottom of the canoe, gently balanced by the ripple, and watching the brilliant stare defile above his head. With his features distorted by terror, his face blanched, and holding a pistol butt convulsively clutched in either hand, while mentally recommending himself to his patron saint, he awaited the catastrophe 'wrhich every passing minute rendered more imminent. He had not long to wait. THE TIGER-SLAYER. 91 C H A P T K II XIV. THE INDIAN TRICK, A.MOM. ; .uih'u nations t hut wander about the deserts contained in the delta fanned b y a common hatred of the white men, and all that bei . intrepid horsemen, cruel and pitiless warriors, the .ire terrible neighbors for the inhabitants of >' .:. at the *ame period, these ferocious warriors ru>h by thou- from tlu-i; liy fording or .swimming, and invade the Mexican frontiers at several points, burning and plundering all . , off women and children into slavery, and spreading i error for more than twenty leagues into a civilised territory. 1 of the Spanish rule it was not so. Numerous mi>-i<.ns, pro- ved at regular distances, and bodies of troops scattered the entire frontier, repulsed the attacks of the Indians, drove them ba-k and kept them within the limits of their hunting-grounds^, but since the pro- clamation of their independence th< -have had so much to do in cutti; tier's throats, and tr:nnjiling morality under foot by their in . .>lution, that the posts have been called in, the missions plunder- ed, the presidios abandoned, and the frontiers left to guard them.M The result has been that the Indians gradually drew nearer, and finding no ; -tance before them for the very simple reason that the Mexican /nment forbids, under heavy penalties, any fire-arms being given to civilised Indians, who alone could tight successfully against tht> invaders the savages have nearly reconquered in a few years what Spain, in her om- nipotence, took ages in wresting from them. The result of this is that the fertile country in the world remains unfilled ; not a step can be taken in this h;-.pl ss country without stumbling on still smoking ruins; and the boldne.-s of the savages has so increased, that they now do not even take the trouble to hide their expeditions, which they make annually at the !y on the same day, and that the month is called by them in derision the tt Mexican Moon;' 1 that is t<> m during which th ' an- plun.! All the ads we narrate heiv wi.-ild In- ln-i-ilit of buffoonery u not a! :ht of atrocity. The lilack I: ration to which he had previously alluded, for the purpose of restoring himself iu the civdit ... fellow-countrymen. - nil unsuccessful expeditions had turned r.gainst him. Like all Indian chiefs of any landing, he was ambitious. !! had al- ready succeeded i n Destroying several smaller tribes, and incoi tiiem with his nation : he now a-pired to nothing less than humbling the Couian- ches, and compelling them to recognise his authority. It was a difficult, if not impossible, : for the Comanche nation is ju>tl; -ed as the most warlike and dangerous in the desert. This nation, ;<>udly calls itself the Queen of the Prairies, can hardly endure the presence of the Apaches on the ground they consider belonging to t! form- ing their hunting territory. The Comanches have an immense a4rantage over the other prairie Indians an advantage which causes their strength, and makes them so terrible to the nations they combat. Owing to the pre- caution they have taken of never drinking spirit -'-aped the general degradation and most of the diseases which decimate the other In- dians, and have remained vigorous and intelligent. 92 THE TIGER-SLAYER. The Jester like the Black Bear, had no great faith in the duration of the alliance formed between the two nations : the hatred he bore the -Apaches was, indeed, too profound for h'irn to desire it ; but the foundation of the Guetzalli colony by the French, by permanently establishing the white men, on a territory they regarded as belonging to themselves, was a too serious menace for the Comanches and other Indios Bravos, and they attempted every possible scheme to get rid of these troublesome neighbors. Hence they had temporarily hung up their old rancor and private enmities on be- half of the general welfare, but for that, only so soon as strangers were ex- pelled, each nation would be free to act as it pleased. We have seen in what way the Jester began hostilties. The Black Bear had a scheme which he had been ripening for a long time, though not pos- sessing the means to put it in execution ; but knowing where to obtain the information he needed, he went to Guaymas. The Tigrero, by proposing to him to enter the colony as a guide, had unsuspectingly supplied him with the pretext he sought. Thus, during the few hours he spent at the hacien- da, he had not lost his time, and with that cunning peculiar to the Indians, discovered all the weak points of the place. There was another reason to inflame his desire to seize the haciena. Like all the red-skins, his dream was to have a white woman in his lodge. Fa- tality, by bringing Ijirn across Donna Anita, had suddenly re-kindled the se- cret hope he entertained, and made him suppose he would at length possess the woman he sought so long without being able to find her. It must not be thought that the Black Bear loved the Spanish maiden : no he wanted a white squaw, that was all. He was humiliated by the knowledge that the other chiefs of his nation had slaves of that colour, while he alone had none. Had Donna Anita been ugly, he would have tried to carry her off all the same. She was lovely all the better ; and we may add here that the Apache chief did not consider her beautiful. According to his Indian notions she was passable, that was all; the only thing he valued in her was her colour. The Black Bear, standing with his principal warriors on the point of the island, remained silent, with his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes fixed on vacancy, till the moment when the first gleams of the fire kindled by the Jester tinged the horizon with a blood-red hue. " My brother, the Jester, is an experienced chief," he said, " and a faithful ally. He has well fulfilled the mission intrusted to him. He is now smok- ing the pale-face dogs. What the Comanches have begun the Apaches will finish." " The Black Bear is the first warrior of his nation." the Little Panther replied. " Who would dare to contend with him ?" The Indian Sachem smiled at this flattery. " If the Comanches are antelopes, the Apaches are otters ; they can, if they please, swim in the water, or march on land. The pale-faces have lived. The Great Spirit is in me ; it is He who dictates to me the words my tongue utters." The warriors bowed. The Black Bear continued, after a moment's si- lence : "What do the Apache warriors care for the fire tubes of the pale-faces 1 Have they not long, barbed arrows and intrepid heart ? My brothers will follow me ; we will take the scalps of these pale dogs, and fasten them to our horses' manes, and their wives shall be our slaves." Shouts of joy and enthusiasm greeted these words. " The river is covered with numerous trunks of trees : my sons are not squaws to fatigue themselves uselessly. They will place themselves on these dead trees, and drift with the current down to the great lodge of the pale- THE TIGER-SLAYER. 93 faces. Let my brothers prepare. The Black Bear will set out at the sixth hour, when the blue jay has sung twice, and the walkon has uttered its shrill cry. I have ipokeu. 'Two hundred warriors will follow the Black Bear." The chiefs bowed respectfully be lure the sachem, and left him alone. Ho wrapped hiiu>elf up in his buffalo robe. >at down by the tire, lit his calumet bv means of a medicine staff adorned with bells and feathers, and remained silent, with his eyes lixed on the gradually extending prairie lire. The island in which the Apache chief had formed his camp was at no great di.-tance from the French colony. The project of floating down had no _:. at danger for these men, accustomed to every sort of bodily exer- nd who swam like fish : it possessed the great advantage of completely .ding the approach of the warriors hidden by the water and tin- branches, and svJio, at the proper moment, would rush on the colon}' like a swarm of lami-hed vultures. The ar was so convinced of the success of this stratagem, which only an Indian brain could have conceived, that he only took with him two hundred eho>en men, thinking it unnecessary to lead more against enemies taken by surprise, and who, compelled to defend themselves against the Co- 1 by the Je.ster, would be attacked in the rear and massacred be- fore they had time to look around them. tit sets in rapidly and suddenly in countries where the twilight does .-er than a lightning flash. Soon all became darkness, save that, in the distance, a wide strip of coppery red annouced the progress of the flame-;, behind which the (Vinam-hes galloped like a pack of hideous w r olves over the still glowing earth, trampling under their horses' hoofs the charred wood which was stiH smouldering. When thcJBIack Bear considered the moment had arrived he put out his cal'imet, scattered the fire, and gave a signal perfectly well understood by the Little Panther, who was watching to execute the orders the chief might be pleased to give. Almost immediately the two hundred warriors selected for the expedition made their appearance. Jhey. were all picked men, armed with clubs and lances, while their shields hung on their backs. After a mo- ment's silence, employed by the sachem in a species of inspection, he said in a deep voice : We are about to set out ; the pale-faces we are destined to fight are not Yoris : they are said to be very brave, but the Apaches are the bravt-t war- rior ^ in thc'world ; noon,' can. .iinstthem. My sons may be killed, but they will conq-i " The warriors will suffer themselves to be killed," the Indians replied with one voice. ' Wah !" the Black Bear continued, " my sons have spoken well ; the Black Bear has confidence in them. Waeondah will not abandon them ; he the ivd men. And now, my sons, we will collect the dead trees float- ing on the river, and float down the current with them. The cry of the condor will be their signal to m;iaid, with feigned amazement. "Dot-s n. t inv brother know the warrior with whom ho was two days ago?" " ! now I understand ; you are talking of Don Martial. Yes, cert . I know him." " Good !" the chief replied ; " I knew that I was not mistaken. Why is my brother not with him at this moment ?" >hal>ly because I am here," the lepero said with a grin. That is true ; but as I am in a hurry, and my brother does not wish to answer n;e, I am going to kill him." ing this in a tone which admitted of no tergiversation, the Black Bear knife. The lepero saw well enough that, if he did not obey the In- dian. . and his hesitation ceased as if by enchantment. What do you want of me ?' he said. " The truth.'' " Question me.'' - Will my brother answer V Y. " Good ! Where is the Great Buffalo ? .re," he said, pointing in the direction of the hacienda. Ho-.v long ?" ' For more than an hoiy." " For what reason has he gone there ?" m guess." " Yes. Are they together ?" " They ought to be so. as .she called him to her." W.i!i ! a.i-1 when will he return ?" 1 do not know." - II" did not tell my brother ? -\ Will he come back alone ?" ( " I do not kn The Indian fixed a glance on him, as if trying to read his vCry heart. The aim : he had honestly told aU he knew. . . >od !" the chief continued the next i " Did not the Great Buf tal<> : -ignal with his friend, in order to rejoin when he pleased ?" that ftigi At ; ion a singular idea crossed Cuchares' brain. The leperos be- long to a strange rac^, which only bears a likeness to the ni. At once prodigal and avaricious, greedy and dish: -uely d cowards, they are the strangest medley of all that is good ' .id. In them everything is blunted and imperfect. They i-t on the impulse of the moment, without reflection, or passion. I nal mocke. iieve in nothing and yet believe in everything. To sum them rd, their life is a constant antithesis ; and for a jest which may cand. 'I'll-- I'. walked a l>-w paces along; he >aw nothing, heard nothir "Mipletely :red. In- returned to the v. .1 fur landing. The Apachi,.- quitted t ; _ m Mviminiug. (\chares profited by the inouu-nt of di- .-appear, which was : n <-:i-y matter. a> no ono was ti, inking of him. Still the Apachei formed in 'inc. and swam vigorously ; in a few* minutes th 1 ti:e bank. ;url landed ; then I rushed at full speed towards th hacienda. -Fire!" a stentorian voice suddenlv commanded. A loud and frightful discharge instantaneously followed. '1'lie Apaches responded by howlings if .-ind tiiemselves surprised l>y theni'-n tiiey liad hoped to surprise, rushed upon them, brandishing their \ CHAPTER XV. SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF. WE will now return to the hunters, whom we have too long neulerted, for during the events we have IKTII narrating they had not remained entirely inactive. After the departure of the two Mexicans, Tielhnmeur and his friend- re- mained silent for an instant. The Canadian played with the charcoal that hud fallen from the brazier on to the ground; in fact, he was lust in thought. I>'>n Louis, with his chin r< -ti:m on the palm o.' his hand, was watching with distraught air the sparkles which crackled, gli>tened, and went out. Kagle- liead, alone of the party, wrapped up in his bulfalo robe, smoked his calumet with that stoieMn and'ealm appearance which belong exclusively to hi race. " However it may be," the ('anadian suddenly Mud, replying to the ideas which bothered him. and thinking aloud rather than intending to ivncw the conversation, "the conduct of those two men -eems to XDO eXtraocdiliaiy, n-.t to -ay -"met lung else.' 1 U'ould you suspect any treachery?" Don I,o'iUa-ked, looking up. ' In the divert >"'i mut al ". iielhunieiir >aid pre- emptorily, i% especially from chance companions." mro, tblfl Don M:.riial that is his name I think has a honest eye. my friend, to be a traitor." " That" H true ; still you will agree that ever since we first met him hi* conduct has been remarkably q I Lir.-'.nr it ; but you know a.s well as I how much passion blinds a man. I believe him to be in love." -rill notice, pray, that in all this affair which regards hin; cially, and in which we have only mixed ourselves to do him a pervice, while neglecting occupations, he has always kept in the back-ground, a> if afraid to show himself." At this moment Hlas Values, after stationing the peons a short distance off, so as to remain unseen, came up and took his f,-\ i horoughly versed in Indian (ricks, and endowed with that unalterable phlegm which is a -reat ingredi- ent <>f siic.-e- in certain circumstances of life. After leaving his compan- ions lie walked quietly down to the writ- .'id when he reached the sjMt .where he intended to cross the river his plan was all arranged in his head. The chief, iny the conflagration, crossed to the other. So soon as h*- :' bank lie allowed his horse a few moments for breathing ; then leipiiiu' at a bound on to the panther skin that served as his saddle, ho L r allop"d at full speed in the direction of the enemy's camp. This furious race lasted two hours. NL r ht had long succeeded the day ; the pale glean: ved as a beacon to the chief and showed him in the darkne-s the road he should follow. At the end of these two hours the chief found himself just opposite the most advanced point of the island, where the Apaches were at this moment engaged in collecting the drift- wo id thev meant to uu^pici'tus bi-i-.-m-" it was so tranquil. However, before carry- -iddcn inspiration flashed across his mind. He dismount- I h.-r-e in a thicket, laid aside his rille and buffalo robe; then, after Attempting tO pierce the surrounding gloom, he stretched himself on the -r.'und, and crawled to the river's bank. He gently entered tin? water, and >\vimming and diving in turn, proceeded to the island, which he pres- ently I'.ut at the in-tant lie landed, and was about to rise, an almost impercepi- uid smote his ear ; he fancied he could notice an extraordinary commo- i tin- water all around him. Eagle-head plunged again, and retired from the bank on which he had been on the point of landing. Suddenly, at the moMient he rose to the surface to take in a fresh supply of air, he saw two bararag ey 66 flaohfrg before him; he received a violent blow on the che-t. an i ^-rful hand clutch his throat as in a vice. Kaule-licad saw that, unless he made a desperate effort, he would be lost, and he at- ptedit Sei/.ing in his turn his unknown foe who held him by the throat, he clung round him with the vizor of despair. Then a horrible and silent *truggl commenced in the river a sinister in which he sought to kill -ary, without thinking to repel his atta-'k-. The water, troubled by the efforts of the two combatants, bub- ble 1 as it alligators were engaged. At length a bloody and disfigured body rose inertly to the surface, and floated. A few seconds later, and a head ap- ! ab..ve the water, ca-tin;: startling glances around. At the sight of his enemy's corpse the victor indulged in a diabolical smile; he >ei/ed him by his "war-lock, and swimming with one hand, dragged the body, not to the island, but to the main land. rle-head had conquered the Apache who attacked him in so unf.r a manner. The chief reached the bank, but did not leave the corpse, which he dragged along till it was completely out of the water; then he lifted the scalp, placed the hideous trophy in Ins belt, and re-mounted his horse. The Indian had divined the Apaches' tactics ; the attack of which he had been so nearly the victim revealed to him the stratagem they designed. It 100 THE TIGER-SLAYER was unnecessary for him to push his investigations on the island further. Still, had he abandoned to the current his enemy's corpse, it would have in- fallibly floated down among his brothers, and revealed the presence of a spy ; so he had been careful to convey it to the bank, where no one, save by some extraordinary accident, could discover it before sunrise. The few minutes' rest he had granted his horse would have been sumcent to restore all its vigor. The chief might have returned to his friends, for what he had discovered ivas of immense importance to them; but Bellm- meur had specially recommended him to discover the strength and nature of the war detachment which was marching on the colony. Eagle-head was anxious to accomplish his mission ; and besides, the struggle he has under- gone, and from which he had emerged as victor by a miracle, had produced a certain amount of excitement, urging him to carry out the adventure to the end. He plucked a few leaves to stop the blood from a slight wound he had re- ceived in his left arm, fastened them on with a piece of bark, and rode his horse once more into the river. But, as he had nothing to examine, and -did not wish to be discovered, he took care to pass at a considerable distance from the island. On the other bank, owing to the care taken by the In- dians to burn everything, the trail was wide and perfectly visible. In spite of the darkness the chief found no diffiiculty in following it. The fire kindled by the Indians had not caused such ravages as might be supposed. All that part of the prairie, with the exception of a few scatter- ed clumps of poplars at great distances apart, was covered with long grass, already half burned up by the torrid beams of a summer sun. This grass had burned rapidly, producing what the incendiaries desired a large quan- tity of smoke, but scarcely heating the ground, which had allowed the red- skins to march rapidly on the colony. Owing to his headlong speed, and the few hours those who preceded him had been compelled to lose, the chief arrived almost simultaneously with them before the hacienda; that is to say, he came up with them at the mo- ment when, after making a futile assault on the isthmus battery they fled pursued by a shower of grape, which decimated their ranks ; for, having burnt everything, they had no trees to shelter them. Still the majority managed to escape, owing to the speed' of their horses. " Eagle-head found himself unexpectedly in the very midst of the fugitives. At first each man was too anxious about his own safety to have time to no- tice him, and the chief profited by it to turn aside and step behind a rock. But then a strange thing happened. The chief had scarce escaped from the fugitives, and examined them for a moment, ere a strange smile played on his lips; he spurred his horse, and bounded into the very midst of the Indians, uttering twice a shrill, peculiar cry. At this cry the Indians stopped in their flight, and rushing from all sides toward the man who uttered it, they ranged themselves tumultuously round the chief with an expression of superstitious fear, and passive and respectful obedience. Eagle-head looked haughtily on the crowd that surrounded him, for he was taller by a head than any man present. " Wall !" he at length said in a guttural voice, with an accent of bitter re- proach. " Have the Comanches become timid antelopes that they fly like Apache dogs before the bullets of the pale-faces ?" " Eagle-head ! Eagle-head ?" shouted the warriors with joy mingled with shame, looking down before the chiefs flashing glance. " Why have my sons left the hunting-grounds of the Del Norte without a sachem's order ? Are they now the rastreros (bloodhounds) of the Apa- ches ?" A suppressed murmur ran through the ranks at this cruel reproach. THE TIGK II -SI. \ V ER. 101 " A sachem has sp< ' -n-ply. " Is there no one to answer him . ? Have the (.'omanHies of the Lakes no chiefs left to com- mand them '?" A warrior then broke through tin- ranks of the- Comam-hes. approached Eagle-head, and bowed his head respectfully down to his horse's neck. "Tli' 1 in :i gentle and harmonious voice. Eagle-hea IB unwrinkled his features instantaneously lost their -ion of fury. Ih- turned on the warrior who had addressed him a glance full of tenderness, and. offering him his right hand, palm upwards, he said : " Och ! n r seeing my son, the Jester. The warriors will camp here while the two sachems hold a council." *\ And making an imperious sign to the chief, he withdrew with him, follow- ed liy the eyes of the redskins, who hastened to obey the order he ha peremptorily given. I 1 and the Jester had gone so far that their conversation could not be overheard. "Let us hold a council," the chief said, as he sat down on a stone, and mo- tioned the Jester to take a place ly his side. The latter obeyed without re- ply. There was a Ion,' silence, during which the two Indians examined each other attentively, in spite of the indifference they affected. At length Ea- id -poke in a slow and accentuated voice. K i :\< '-head is a warrior renowned in his nation," he said; " he is the manches of the Lakes ;,his totem shelters beneath its \ and protecting shadow the innumerable sons of the great sacn-d tor- Tim- An ton), whose glittering shell has supported the world since : ill hurled into space the first man and tin- lir arrows the rapid anti-lope, or to stifle in his arms the mightv :!e-head love- tin- Jester, who is the son of his third wile's M- .ra^e a place at the council-fire to the Jester : he made a chief ofx him ; and when he went awaj from the villages of his nation he said to Jiim. M . - :i A'ill command my warriors : he will lead them to hunt, to ti>h and to war.' .0 ? Does Eagle-head speak faNely ?" father's true," the chief answered with a bow : "wisdom speaks through his lips." " Why, then, has my son allied himself with the enemies of his nation to fight his father' < friends, tin- sachem's ?" hief let hi- head fall in confusion. - \Vhy. without consulting the man who has ever aided and supported him :a- he undertaken an uv.just war ?" unju