Part 52 (1/2)
”Hilloh!” a rough voice shouted, which caused the fugitives to tremble, ”I felt sure that these horses belonged to somebody. Let us see what we have here. A torch here, Orson, to have a look at them.”
”It is unnecessary, Red Cedar, we are friends.”
”Friends,” Red Cedar answered, hesitating, for it was really he; ”that is possible; still, I would sooner be convinced of it. Light the torch, lad, all the same.”
There was a moment's silence, during which Orson lit a branch of candle wood tree.
”Ah, ah,” the squatter said, with a grin; ”in truth, we are among friends. But where the deuce were you going at this hour of the night, senor Padre?”
”We were returning to the camp, after a ride, in which we have lost our way,” the monk answered, imperturbably.
Red Cedar gave him a suspicious glance.
”A ride!” he growled between his teeth; ”It is a singular hour for that.
But there is Shaw. You are welcome, my boy, though I little expected to meet you, especially in the company of that charming dove,” he added, with a sarcastic smile.
”Yes, it is I, father,” the young man answered in a hollow voice.
”Very good; presently you shall tell me what has become of you for so long, but this is not the moment. Did you not say that your camp was near here, senor Padre? Although, may the devil twist my neck, if I can understand how that is, as I was going to seek you on the isle where I left you.”
”We were compelled to leave it.”
”All right; we have no time to lose in chattering. Lead me to the camp, my master; at a later date, all will be cleared up, never fear.”
Guided by the monk, and followed by the pirates, who had Shaw and Dona Clara in their midst, Red Cedar entered the forest. This unforeseen meeting once again robbed the poor girl of a speedy deliverance. As for Fray Ambrosio, he walked along apparently as calmly as if nothing extraordinary had happened to him.
CHAPTER x.x.xIII.
THE TRAIL.
The dawn was just commencing to overshadow the horizon with transient opaline tints; a few stars were still glistening in the dark blue sky.
The wild beasts were leaving their watering places, and slowly retiring to their dens, disturbing at intervals the solemn silence of the desert with their sinister howling.
Valentine opened his eyes, looked around him anxiously, and after employing a few seconds in shaking off his drowsiness, he rose slowly and awoke his comrades, who were still sleeping, rolled up in their blankets.
Soon, the whole little party were collected round the fire, on which the hunter had thrown a few armfuls of dry wood, and in whose brilliant flames the breakfast was now preparing.
The Mexicans, with their eyes fixed Valentine, silently awaited his explanation, for they guessed that he had important communications to make to them. But their expectations were foiled, at least for the present, and the Frenchman remained quite silent.
When the meal was ready, Valentine made his comrades a signal to eat; and for some twenty minutes no other sound could be heard save that caused by the formidable appet.i.tes of the hunters. When they had finished, Valentine quietly lit his Indian pipe, and indicated to his companions that he wished to speak. All turned toward him.
”My friends,” he said, in his sympathetic voice, ”what I feared has happened. Red Cedar has left his island camp; he has, if I am not mistaken, several days' start of us, and in vain did I try last night to take up his trail: it was impossible. Red Cedar is a villain, endowed with a fortunately far from common ferocity, whose destruction we have sworn, and I hope we shall keep our word. But I am compelled to do him the justice of saying, that he is one of the most experienced hunters in the Far West; and no one, when he pleases, can more cleverly hide his own trail, and discover that of others. We are, therefore, about to have a trial of patience with him, for he has learned all the stratagems of the redskins, of whom, I am not ashamed to say, he is the superior in roguery.”
”Alas!” Don Miguel muttered.
”I have sworn to restore your daughter to you, my friend,” Valentine continued, ”with the help of heaven. I shall keep my oath, but I am about to undertake a gigantic task: hence I ask of you all the most perfect obedience. Your ignorance of the desert might, under certain circ.u.mstances, cause us serious injury, and make us lose in a few minutes the fruit of lengthened researches: hence I ask of your friends.h.i.+p that you will let yourselves be entirely guided by my experience.”
”My friend,” Don Miguel replied, with an accent full of majesty, ”whatever you may order, we will do; for you alone can successfully carry out the difficult enterprise in which we are engaged.”