Part 62 (1/2)
”Well,” John Davis asked him, who was anxiously watching for his return, ”what have you obtained?”
”Nothing. That man is a fanatic.”
”As I warned you, he is a demon; fortunately he cannot escape us, whatever he may do.”
”Then you are mistaken,” the Jaguar replied, stamping his foot pa.s.sionately; ”whether he live or die the money is lost to us.”
”How so?”
The Jaguar told his confidant in a few words what had pa.s.sed between him and the Captain.
”Confusion!” the American exclaimed; ”In that case let us make haste.”
”To increase our misfortunes, it is as dark as in an oven.”
”By heavens! Let us make an illumination. Perhaps it will cause those demons incarnate to reflect, who are croaking there like frogs calling for rain.”
”You are right. Torches here!”
”Better still. Let us fire the forest.”
”Ah, ah,” the Jaguar said, with a laugh, ”bravo! Let us smoke them out like musk-rats.”
This diabolical idea was immediately carried out, and ere long a brilliant belt of flame ran all around the gorge, where the Mexicans were stoically awaiting the attack.
They had not long to wait; a sharp fusillade began, mingled with the cries and yells of the a.s.sailants.
”It is time!” the Captain shouted.
The sound of a chest falling down the precipice was immediately heard.
Owing to the fire, it was as bright as day, and not a movement of the Mexicans escaped their adversaries.
The latter uttered a yell of fury on seeing the chests disappear one after the other in the abyss.
They rushed at the soldiers; but the latter received them at the bayonet's point, not giving ground an inch.
A point-blank discharge from the Mexicans, who had reserved their fire, laid many of the enemy low, and spread disorder through the ranks of the a.s.sailants, who began falling back involuntarily.
”Forward!” the Jaguar howled.
The bandits returned to the charge more eagerly than before.
”Keep firm, we must die,” the Captain said.
”We will,” the soldiers repeated unanimously.
The fight then began, body to body, foot to foot, chest against chest; the a.s.sailants and a.s.sailed were mixed up and fought more like wild beasts than men.
The arrieros, though decimated by the bullets fired at them, did not the less eagerly continue their task; the crowbar scarce fell from the hand of one shot down, ere another seized the heavy iron ma.s.s, and the chests of money toppled uninterruptedly over the precipice, in spite of the yells of fury, and gigantic efforts of the enemy, who exhausted themselves in vain to breach the human wall that barred their pa.s.sage.