Part 46 (2/2)
This gave me the opportunity I desired; and, making an effort, I doubled my body over on itself--until I was able to reach the lazo beyond my foot. A single cut of my keen blade severed the thong; and I was detached on the instant. With anxious gaze I looked after the retreating hors.e.m.e.n: fearing they would see what I had done, gallop back, and spear me where I lay; but to my great joy I saw them ride on, till the last of them was out of sight. Yes, _cavallero_!” continued the narrator, ”I saw the last horse, and the very tail to which I had been attached, pa.s.s out of sight. No doubt the horse knew what had happened, but not his rider. Not one of the whole troop appeared to have any suspicion that there was aught amiss--until I had crawled into the bushes, and got some distance from the path. Then I could hear them, as they galloped back, and rode whooping through the thicket in search of me. _Carrambo, senor_! I then felt more anxious than ever.
Up to that time I had no thought of anything else than being rubbed out.
I had been certain of it, from the first moment of the attack upon our party. Now, however, I had conceived a hope that I might escape, and return to the rescue of Gabriella. To be captured the second time would have been ten times more disagreeable than at first--when there was no opportunity either to hope for safety, or to reflect on the means of securing it. Now that a chance of life had offered itself, I was doubly fearful of losing it. I could make but little headway--so much was I disabled--but half hobbling, half crawling, I worked on through the thicket in the direction of the town. I could hear the savages beating the bushes behind; and every moment I expected to have them upon me.
They would in time have traced, and overtaken me; but perhaps they cared not much for the capture. They had secured the booty they most prized; and, probably, reflected that, by wasting time in searching for me, they might risk losing it again. For this, or some other reason, they gave up the search; and I could tell by their voices, heard at a greater distance, that they were riding off. Without staying to a.s.sure myself, I limped on to the town--which I reached at length. Two of my friends, who had escaped at the first onslaught, had got there before me. The news of the sad disaster had spread like a prairie fire. The whole population was excited by the outrage; for the young girls made captives had many friends and relations in the place. So also the men who had been murdered. The troops were summoned to arms. It chanced to be a squadron of lancers--one of the best then in the service of the government--and these, along with about a hundred volunteers, all mounted, rode forth in pursuit of the savages. Notwithstanding that my wounded ankle pained me exceedingly, I was able to accompany them on horseback. _Americano_! I fear my narrative may be wearying you; and therefore I shall not enter into the particulars of the pursuit.
Sufficient to say, that we succeeded in overtaking the ravishers. It was near midnight when we came up with them. We found them in their camp, with huge fires blazing all over the ground. We approached within pistol range before any alarm was given. They had been carousing on _mezcal_, and were keeping no guard. The bright blaze showed us how they had been occupied. The women sat here and there, many of them lying prostrate upon the earth. Their torn garments and dishevelled air betokened that a sad catastrophe had befallen them! We could bear the sight no longer. With hearts full of vengeance, both soldiers and citizens rushed upon the base despoilers; and the work of retribution began. Gabriella had been the first to become aware of our advance; and, springing to her feet, had bounded beyond the reach of her captors, and was running outward to meet us. _Ay de mi_! it was the last race of her life. An Indian arrow shot after was too quick for her; and, pierced through and through, she fell dying into my arms. _Pobrecita_!
She kissed me with her parting breath, and then expired. Ah! _senor_, that was a kiss of death!” A long deep-drawn sigh, and the drooping att.i.tude into which the speaker had fallen, told me that he had ended his narrative. Out of respect to the sacredness of his sorrow, I forbore questioning him farther at the time. It was only afterwards that I learnt from him some additional particulars: how most of the savages were slain upon the spot, and the captive girls rescued; but, although escaping with lifer they had all been the victims of barbarian l.u.s.t, that brought more than one of them to an early grave! A wild tale it may appear; and, although we may term it a _romance of New Mexico_, its counterpart is not the less an oft-recurring _reality_ in that unhappy land.
CHAPTER NINETY FIVE.
a.s.sUMING THE DISGUISE.
Our fire began to burn low, before the lovers returned into its light.
During their moonlit ramble, no doubt, many sweet memories were renewed.
No wonder they should wish to prolong it. But all of us required a certain measure of rest; and it was time to make the necessary arrangements for pa.s.sing the night. Although we had given up all apprehension on the score of the Arapahoes; yet that was no reason why we should not observe a proper prudence, and keep prepared for any emergency that might arise. In that wild neutral road, trodden by many tribes, an enemy may spring up at any moment, or come from any side. It was agreed between us that one should keep watch, while the others slept--each taking his _tour_ of guard throughout the night. Marian was of course excepted from this ”detail,” and, after bidding us all good-night, the huntress-maiden retired to her tent--at the entrance of which the ever-faithful and ever-watchful Wolf placed himself. There did the great dog stretch his body--a sentinel _couchant_--with such grim Cerberus-like resolution, that even Wingrove might not have dared to cross the threshold of that sacred precinct? As yet we had not a.s.sumed our Indian disguises. The opening scene of the travestie was reserved for the morning; and, after arranging the hours of our respective watches--the trapper taking the first and longest--the rest of us crept under the covering of the buffalo lodge, and sought that repose necessary to recruit us for coming events.
At earliest dawn, and long before the sun had gilded the snowy summits of the Spanish peaks, we were all afoot. A breakfast--similar in materials to our supper of the preceding night was hastily prepared, and still more hastily eaten. After that we proceeded to equip ourselves for the masquerade. Peg-leg acted as princ.i.p.al _costumier_; and well understood he the _role_ he was called upon to perform. Perfectly acquainted with the Utah costume--both that used for war and the chase-- there was no fear about the correctness of his heraldry being called in question. He knew every quartering: of the Utah escutcheon, with a minuteness of detail that would have done credit to a King-at-arms.
For himself he needed no disguise. As a trapper of Taos, he might also be an a.s.sociate of Utah hunters; and personally unknown to the Mormons, they would have no other thoughts about him--further than that their friend Wa-ka-ra had sent him to guide them across the deserts of the Colorado. At the Mormon camp, therefore, he could present himself in his Mexican costume, without the Saints having the slightest suspicion as to his true character. This left him free to lend his services to the rest of us, and a.s.sist in our heraldic emblazonment. His first essay was upon myself. My features being sufficiently p.r.o.nounced, rendered it all the more easy to make an Indian of me; and a uniform coat of vermilion over my neck, face, and hands, transformed me into a somewhat formidable-looking warrior. A buckskin hunting tunic, leggings and moca.s.sins concealed the remainder of my skin; while some locks of long hair extracted from the mane and tail of my Arab, and craftily united to my own dark tresses, with the plumed bonnet and drooping crest overall, completed a costume that would have done me credit at a Parisian _bal masque_.
With equal facility was accomplished the metamorphosis of the young backwoodsman, but not so easily that of Sure-shot. The _nez retrousse_, thin yellow hair, and green-grey eyes appeared to be insurmountable obstacles to the Indianising of the ex-rifleman. Peg-leg, however, proved an artist of skill. The _chevelure_ of Sure-shot, well saturated with charcoal paste, a.s.sumed a different hue. A black circle around each eye neutralised the tint of both iris and pupil. To his face was given a ground-coat of red ochre; while some half-dozen dark stripes, painted longitudinally over it, and running parallel to the nose, extinguished the snub--transforming the Yankee into as good an Indian as any upon the ground!
Marian was her own ”dresser;” and while we were engaged outside, was making her toilet within the tent. Her costume would require but little alteration: it was Indian already. Her face alone needed masking--and how was that to be done? To speak the truth, I was apprehensive upon the score of her disguise. I could not help reflecting on the fearful fate that awaited her, should the counterfeit be detected, and the girl identified. All along, I had felt uneasy upon this point; and had been endeavouring to devise some scheme by which to avoid the imprudence of her presenting herself in the Mormon camp. But the thought of Lilian-- the perilous situation in which she was placed--perhaps more than all, the selfishness of my own love, had hindered me from thinking of any definite alternative.
When I saw the huntress-maiden issue forth from her tent--her face empurpled with the juice of the _allegria_ berries--her cheeks exhibiting, each a circle of red spots, with a line of similar markings extended across her forehead--I no longer felt apprehension for the result. Though the hideous tattooing could not hide the charms of her speaking countenance, it had so changed its expression, that even Wingrove himself would not have recognised her! More like was it to baffle the scrutiny of father and false husband.
In due time we were all dressed for the drama; and, after making a _cache_ of our cast-off garments, we struck tents, and moved forward to the performance. The faithful Wolf accompanied us. It was against my wish, and contrary to the counsel of our guide; but Marian would not part with a companion that more than once had protected her from cruel enemies. The dog had been disguised, as the rest of us. Shorn of his s.h.a.ggy coat, with his tail trimmed smooth as that of a greyhound--his skin, moreover, stained Indian fas.h.i.+on--there seemed but slight danger that the animal could be recognised.
CHAPTER NINETY SIX.
THE MORMON TRAIN.
A few hours' ride brought us to the western end of the pa.s.s; when, rounding a spur of the mountain, a wide plain was suddenly displayed to our view.
”_Mira_!” exclaimed the Mexican, ”_el campamento de los Judios_!”
(Behold! the encampment of the Jews!)
The guide halted as he spoke. The rest of us followed his example--as we did so, gazing in the direction to which he had pointed.
The plain that stretched before us was the grand _valle_ of San Luis; but presenting none of those characteristics which we usually a.s.sociate with the word ”valley.” On the contrary, its surface was perfectly level--having all the aspect of a sleeping sea; and with the white filmy haze suspended over it, it might easily have been mistaken for an expanse of ocean. At first sight, it appeared to be bounded only by the horizon; but a keen eye could perceive its western rim--in the dim outlines of the Sierra San Juan, backed by the brighter summits of the ”Silver” Mountains (_Sierra de la plata_). More conspicuous, on the north, were the wooded slopes of the Sierras Mojada and Sawatch; while, right and left, towered the snow-covered peaks of Pike and the Watoyah-- like giant sentinels guarding the approach to this fair mountain-girt valley. These details were taken in at a single _coup d'oeil_; and in the same glance the eye was attracted by the sheen of real water, that, like a glittering cord, was seen sinuously extended through the centre of the plain. Under the dancing sunbeams, it appeared in motion; and, curving repeatedly over the bosom of the level land, it resembled some grand serpent of sparkling coruscation that had just issued from the mysterious mountains of the ”Silver Sierra,” and was slowly and gently gliding on towards the distant sea. From the elevation on which we stood, we could trace its tortuous windings, towards the distant Sierra of San Juan; and in the concavity of one of these--almost upon the verge of our vision--we beheld ”el campamento de los Judios.”
Unprepared for it, we should never have thought of taking what we saw for an encampment of Mormons, or men of any kind. Under the white filmy veil that floated over the plain, some half-dozen little, spots of a more intensified white were barely visible. These the Mexican p.r.o.nounced to be ”los carros” (the waggons). I had recovered my pocket-gla.s.s, and this was now called into requisition. A glance through it enabled me to confirm the trapper's statement. The white spots were waggon-covers: they could be none other than those of the Mormon train. I could make out only some half-dozen of them; but there were others behind. The vehicles were clumped, or, more likely, _corralled_ upon the plain. This, indeed, was evident from their arrangement. Those seen were set in a regular row, with their sides towards us--forming, no doubt, one quarter of the ”corral.”
I looked for living forms. These were also visible under the gla.s.s--men and animals. Of the latter, a large drove of different kinds and colours could be seen, mottling the plain to some distance from the waggons. The men were moving about the vehicles. Women I could also distinguish by their dresses; but the distance was too great for me to note the occupations of either s.e.x--even by the aid of the magnifying lens. Lilliputians they looked--both men and women--while the horses and cattle might have been mistaken for a pack of curs. It mattered not to us to know their occupation; nor even what they might be doing when we should arrive upon the ground. We had no intention of stealing upon them. Confident in our complete _deguis.e.m.e.nt_, we intended to ride boldly forward--if need be, into the very middle of their camp. It was now the hour of noon; and we halted to bivouac. Although the distance that separated us from the Mormon camp was still considerable, we were in no hurry, about advancing. We had formed the resolution not to join company with the Saints, until near sunset. We knew that there would be curious eyes upon us; and in the hour of twilight we should be less exposed to their scrutiny. True, we might have joined them in the night, and pa.s.sed off our counterfeit semblance with still greater security. But the morning would bring fresh light, with curiosity unsatisfied, and that would be more disadvantageous. Half an hour of observation, and the novelty of our arrival would wear off. For this the half hour of twilight would be the best time. No doubt, they had met many parties of friendly Indians while crossing the great plains.
There had been some among their travelling companions. They would scarce consider us a curiosity. We had a reason for reaching their encampment a little before nightfall: we wanted a few minutes of light to take the bearings of the _corral_, and get acquainted with the _topography_ of the surrounding plain. Who could tell what chances might turn up in our favour? An opportunity might occur that very night--as likely as afterwards, and perhaps under more favourable circ.u.mstances? We had no desire to enter upon our engagement as guide and hunters. We should be too willing to abandon the _role_, even before beginning it.
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