The Rifle Rangers (8 page)

One would suddenly appear as a hunchback, and, dancing out into the centre of the figure, perform various antics to attract his partner. After a while she would dance up-deformed also-and the two, bringing their bodies into contact, and performing various disgusting contortions, would give place to another pair. These would appear without arms or legs, walking on their knees, or sliding along on their hips!

One danced with his head under his arm, and another with one leg around his neck; all eliciting more or less laughter, as the feat was more or less comical. During the dance every species of deformity was imitated and caricatured, for this is the tagarota. It was a series of grotesque and repulsive pictures. Some of the dancers, flinging themselves flat, would roll across the open space without moving hand or foot. This always elicited applause, and we could not help remarking its resemblance to the gymnastics we had lately been practising ourselves.

"Och, be me sowl! we can bate yez at that!" cried Chane, who appeared to be highly amused at the tagarota, making his comments as the dance went on.

I was sick of the scene, and watched it no longer. My eyes turned to the portale, and I looked anxiously through the half-drawn curtains.

"It is strange I have seen nothing ofthem ! Could they have turned off on some other route? No-they must be here. Narcisso's promise for to-night! He at least is here. And she?-perhaps occupied within-gay, happy, indifferent-oh!"

The pain shot afresh through my heart.

Suddenly the curtain was drawn aside, and a brilliant picture appeared within-brilliant, but to me like the glimpse which some condemned spirit might catch over the walls of Paradise. Officers in bright uniforms, and amongst these I recognised the elegant person of Dubrosc. Ladies in rich dresses, and amongst these-. Her sister, too, was there, and the Dona Joaquiana, and half a dozen other ladies, rustling in silks and blazing with jewels.

Several of the gentlemen-young officers of the band-wore the picturesque costume of the guerilleros.

They were forming for the dance.

"Look, Captain!" cried Clayley; "Don Cosme and his people, by the living earthquake!"

"Hush! do not touch me-do not speak to me!"

I felt as though my heart would stop beating. It rose in my bosom, and seemed to hang for minutes without moving. My throat felt dry and husky, and a cold perspiration broke out upon my skin.

He approaches her-he asks her to dance-she consents! No: she refuses. Brave girl! She has strayed away from the dancers, and looks over the balustrade. She is sad. Was it a sigh that caused her bosom to rise? Ha! he comes again. She is smiling!-he touches her hand!

"Fiend! false woman!" I shouted at the top of my voice as I sprang up, impelled by passion. I attempted to rush towards them. My feet were bound, and I fell heavily upon my face!

The guards seized me, tying my hands. My comrades, too, were re-bound. We were dragged over the stones into a small room in one corner of the patio.

The door was bolted and locked, and we were left alone.

* * *

For a time there was a strange irresolution in my flight. The idea of leaving Guadalupe in such company-that after all they might be prisoners, or, even if not, the thought that they were in the power of Dubrosc to any extent-was enough to render me wretched and irresolute. But what could we do-five men, almost unarmed?

"It would be madness to remain-madness and death. The woman-she possesses some mysterious power over this brute, her paramour: she will guard them."

This thought decided me, and I yielded myself freely to flight. We had but little fear of being caught again. We had too much confidence, particularly Lincoln and myself, in our forest-craft. Raoul knew all the country, the thickets and the passes. We stopped a moment to deliberate on the track we should take. A bugle rang out behind us, and the next instant the report of a cannon thundered in a thousand echoes along the glen.

"It is from the hacienda," said Raoul; "they have missed us already."

"Is that a `sign', Rowl," asked Lincoln.

"It is," replied the other; "it's to warn their scouts. They're all over these hills. We must look sharp."

"I don't like this hyur timber; it's too scant. Cudn't yer put us in the crik bottom, Rowl?"

"There's a heavy chaparral," said the Frenchman, musing; "it's ten miles off. If we could reach that we're safe-a wolf can hardly crawl through it. We must make it before day."

"Lead on, then, Rowl!"

We stole along with cautious steps. The rustling of a leaf or the cracking of a dead stick might betray us; for we could hear signals upon all sides, and our pursuers passing us in small parties, within earshot.

We bore to the right, in order to reach the creek bottom of which Lincoln had spoken. We soon came into this, and followed the stream down, but not on the bank. Lincoln would not hear of our taking the bank path, arguing that our pursuers would be "sartin ter foller the cl'ar trail."

The hunter was right, for shortly after a party came down the stream. We could hear the clinking of their accoutrements, and even the conversation of some of the men, as follows:

"But, in the first place, how did they get loose within? and who cut the wall from the outside, unless someone helped them?Carajo ! it's not possible."

"That's true, Jose," said another voice. "Someone must, and I believe it was that giant that got away from us at the rancho. The shot that killed the snake came from the chaparral, and yet we searched and found nobody. Mark my words, it was he; and I believe he has hung upon our track all the way."

"Vaya!" exclaimed another; "I shouldn't much like to be under the range of his rifle; they say he can kill a mile off, and hit wherever he pleases. He shot the snake right through the eyes."

"By the Virgin!" said one of the guerilleros, laughing, "he must have been a snake of good taste, to be caught toying around that dainty daughter of the old Spaniard! It reminds me of what the Book tells about Mother Eve and the old serpent. Now, if the Yankee's bullet-."

We could hear no more, as the voices died away in the distance and under the sound of the water.

"Ay," muttered Lincoln, finishing the sentence; "if the Yankee's bullet hadn't been needed for the varmint, some o' yer wudn't a' been waggin' yer clappers as ye air."

"Itwas you, then?" I asked, turning to the hunter.

"'Twur, Cap'n; but for the cussed catawampus, I 'ud 'a gin Mister Dubroschis ticket. I hed a'most sighted him when I seed the flash o' the thing's eye, an' I knowed it wur a-gwine to strike the gal."

"And Jack?" I inquired, now for the first time thinking of the boy.

"I guess he's safe enuf, Cap'n. I sent the little feller back with word ter the kurnel."

"Ha! then we may expect them from camp?"

"No doubt on it, Cap'n; but yer see, if they kum, they may not be able to foller us beyond the rancho. So it'll be best for us not to depend on them, but ter take Rowl's track."

"You are right. Lead on, Raoul!"

After a painful journey we reached the thicket of which Raoul had spoken; and, dragging ourselves into it, we came to a small opening, covered with long dry grass. Upon this luxurious couch we resolved to make a bivouac. We were all worn down by the fatigues of the day and night preceding, and, throwing ourselves upon the grass, in a few minutes were asleep.

* * *

A wild shout now drew our attention, and, looking up the creek, we saw our pursuers just debouching from the woods. They were all mounted, and pressing their mustangs down to the bank, where they halted with a strange cry.

"What is that, Raoul? Can you tell the meaning of that cry?"

"They are disappointed, Captain. They must dismount and foot it like ourselves; there is no crossing for horses."

"Good! Oh, if we had but a rifle each! This pass-." I looked down the gorge. We could have defended it against the whole party, but we were unarmed.

The guerilleros now dismounted, tying their horses to the trees and preparing to cross over. One, who seemed to be their leader, judging from his brilliant dress and plumes, had already advanced into the stream, and stood upon a projecting rock with his sword drawn. He was not more than three hundred yards from the position we occupied on the bluff.

"Do you think you can reach him?" I said to Lincoln, who had reloaded his gun, and stood eyeing the Mexican, apparently calculating the distance.

"I'm feerd, Cap'n, he's too fur. I'd guv a half-year's sodger-pay for a crack out o' the major's Dutch gun. We can lose nothin' in tryin'. Murter, will yer stan' afore me? Thar ain't no kiver, an' the feller's watchin'. He'll dodge like a duck if he sees me takin' sight on 'im."

Chane threw his large body in front, and Lincoln, cautiously slipping his rifle over his comrade's shoulder, sighted the Mexican.

The latter had noticed the manoeuvre, and, perceiving the danger he had thrust himself into, was about turning to leap down from the rock when the rifle cracked-his plumed hat flew off, and throwing out his arms, he fell with a dead plunge upon the water! The next moment his body was sucked into the current, and, followed by his hat and plumes, was borne down the canon with the velocity of lightning.

Several of his comrades uttered a cry of terror; and those who had followed him out into the open channel ran back towards the bank, and screened themselves behind the rocks. A voice, louder than the rest, was heard exclaiming:

"Carajo! guardaos!-esta el rifle del diablo!" (Look out! it is the devil's rifle!)

It was doubtless the comrade of Jose, who had been in the skirmish of La Virgen, and had felt the bullet of thezundnadel .

The guerilleros, awed by the death of their leader-for it was Yanez who had fallen-crouched behind the rocks. Even those who had remained with the horses, six hundred yards off, sheltered themselves behind trees and projections of the bank. The party nearest us kept loading and firing their escopettes. Their bullets flattened upon the face of the cliff or whistled over our heads. Clayley, Chane, Raoul, and myself, being unarmed, had thrown ourselves behind the scarp to avoid catching a stray shot. Not so Lincoln, who stood boldly out on the highest point of the bluff, as if disdaining to dodge their bullets.

I never saw a man so completely soaring above the fear of death. There was a sublimity about him that I remember being struck with at the time; and I remember, too, feeling the inferiority of my own courage. It was a stupendous picture, as he stood like a colossus clutching his deadly weapon, and looking over his long brown beard at the skulking and cowardly foe. He stood without a motion-without even winking-although the leaden hail hurtled past his head, and cut the grass at his feet with that peculiar "zip-zip" so well remembered by the soldier who has passed the ordeal of a battle.

There was something in it awfully grand-awful even to us; no wonder that it awed our enemies.

I was about to call upon Lincoln to fall back and shelter himself, when I saw him throw up his rifle to the level. The next instant he dropped the butt to the ground with a gesture of disappointment. A moment after, the manoeuvre was repeated with a similar result, and I could hear the hunter gritting his teeth.

"The cowardly skunks!" muttered he; "they keep a-gwine like a bull's tail in fly-time."

In fact, every time Lincoln brought his piece to a level, the guerilleros ducked, until not a head could be seen.

"They ain't as good as thar own dogs," continued the hunter, turning away from the cliff. "If we hed a lot of loose rocks, Cap'n, we mout keep them down thar till doomsday."

A movement was now visible among the guerilleros. About one-half of the party were seen to mount their horses and gallop off up the creek.

"They're gone round by the ford," said Raoul: "it's not over a mile and a half. They can cross with their horses there and will be on us in half an hour."

What was to be done? There was no timber to hide us now-no chaparral. The country behind the cliff was a sloping table, with here and there a stunted palm-tree or a bunch of "Spanish bayonet" (Yucca angustifolia). This would be no shelter, for from the point we occupied, the most elevated on the ridge, we could have descried an object of human size five miles off. At that distance from us the woods began; but could we reach them before our pursuers would overtake us?

Had the guerilleros all gone off by the ford we should have returned to the creek bottom, but a party remained below, and we were cut off from our former hiding-place. We must therefore strike for the woods.

But it was necessary first to decoy the party below, otherwise they would be after us before the others, and experience had taught us that these Mexicans could run like hares.

This was accomplished by an old Indian trick that both Lincoln and myself had practised before. It would not have "fooled" a Texan Ranger, but it succeeded handsomely with the guerilleros.

We first threw ourselves on the ground in such a position that only our heads could be seen by the enemy, who still kept blazing away from their escopettes. After a short while our faces gradually sank behind the crest of the ridge, until nothing but our forage-caps appeared above the sward. We lay thus for some moments, showing a face or two at intervals. Our time was precious, and we could not perform the pantomime to perfection; but we were not dealing with Comanches, and for "Don Diego" it was sufficiently artistical.