The Pirates of the Prairies: Adventures in the American Desert Page 4

  CHAPTER IV.

  RED CEDAR AT BAY.

  The six men rode one after the other, following one of thoseinextricable tracks made by the wild beasts, which cross the desert inevery direction. Bloodson served as guide to the little party, followedimmediately by Curumilla. The Indian chief, with the genius peculiar tohis race, advanced silently as usual, but casting right and left peeringglances, which nothing escaped, and which render the redskins peculiarbeings.

  All at once Curumilla dismounted, and bent over the ground, uttering anexclamation of surprise. This was so extraordinary a fact, and socontrary to the habits of the Ulmen of the Araucanos, that Valentinehurried up to enquire what had happened.

  "What's the matter with you, chief?" he asked, as soon as he came upwith him.

  "My brother can look," Curumilla said simply.

  Valentine dismounted and stooped to the ground. The Indian showed him ahalf-effaced footstep, which still bore, however, the shape of ahorseshoe. The hunter looked at it for some time with the utmostattention, then began walking cautiously in the direction the hoof marksseemed to go. Others soon presented themselves to him. His comrades hadstopped, and silently awaited his explanation.

  "Well!" Don Miguel at length said.

  "There is no doubt possible," Valentine answered, as if speaking tohimself, "Red Cedar has passed along here."

  "What," the general observed, "do you believe it?"

  "I am sure of it. The chief has just shown me the perfectly formed markof his horse's hoof."

  "Oh! Oh!" Don Miguel objected, "a horseshoe is a very slight sign; allare alike."

  "Yes, as one tree resembles the other," Valentine answered quickly."Listen: the chief has observed that the squatter, I know not by whataccident, is mounted on a horse shod on all four feet, while the mencomposing his band have theirs only shod on the front feet; in addition,this horse in stepping throws back its feet, which causes the mark to beindistinct."

  "In truth," Bloodson remarked, "the observation is correct, and only anIndian could make it; but Red Cedar is at the head of a numerous party,which cannot have passed along this way, or we should notice the trail."

  "That is true," the general said; "what do you conclude from that?"

  "A very simple thing; it is probable that Red Cedar has, for reasonsunknown to us, left his men encamped some miles from here, and hasridden this way alone."

  "I have it," Bloodson said; "not far from the spot where we now are,there is a nest of pirates, and Red Cedar has probably gone to ask theirassistance in case of need."

  "That's it," Valentine added; "the track is quite fresh, so our mancannot be far from us."

  "We must pursue him," Don Pablo quickly said, who had, till this moment,maintained a gloomy silence.

  "What do you say, gentlemen?" Valentine asked, turning to the rest.

  "Pursue him," they answered unanimously.

  Then, without further deliberation, they began following the trail,under the guidance of Valentine and Curumilla.

  What the hunter stated had really happened. Red Cedar, when he enteredthe desert, after installing his band in a strong position, remountedhis horse and set out, warning all his comrades that he should returnwithin four days at the most, and leaving them temporarily under theorders of the monk.

  Red Cedar did not fancy himself so closely pursued by Valentine, andhence had taken but slight precautions to conceal his track.

  As he proceeded alone, in spite of the trail found by Curumilla, hewould doubtless have escaped pursuit, had not a dog followed him fromcamp without his knowledge. The track left by that animal served as aguide to the pursuers at the moment when they had completely lost histrail. Valentine and Curumilla had dismounted, and were advancing slowlyand examining the sand and soil over which they passed.

  "Take care," the Trail-hunter said to his comrades, who followed himstep by step; "do not come on so quickly; when picking up a trail youmust mind where you put your foot down, and not look on both sides.Stay," he added, suddenly stooping and stopping Don Pablo; "here aretraces you were just about to efface. Let us have a look at this: theyare the marks of the horseshoe we have lost for some time. Red Cedar'shorse has a peculiar way of putting down its feet, which I guarantee torecognise at the first glance. Hum, hum," he continued, "now I knowwhere to find him."

  "You are sure of it?" Don Miguel interrupted.

  "It is not difficult, as you shall see."

  "Forward, forward!" Don Pablo and the general shouted.

  "Caballeros," the hunter observed, "be good enough to remember that onthe prairies you must never raise your voice. The branches have eyes andthe leaves ears here. Now, to remount and cross the river."

  The six men, combined in a compact body, in order to afford a greaterresistance to the current, which was very powerful at this spot, forcedtheir horses into the Gila. The passage was executed without anyobstacle, and the horses soon landed on the other bank.

  "Now," Valentine said, "open your eyes, for the hunt begins here."

  Don Pablo and the general remained on the bank to guard the horses, andthe remainder of the party set out, forming a line of tirailleurs sixtyfeet long. Valentine had recommended his companions to concentrate theirresearches on a space of one hundred and fifty yards at most, in asemicircle, so as to reach an almost impenetrable thicket, situated atthe foot of the hill by the riverside.

  Each man advanced cautiously, with his gun thrust forward, looking onall sides at once, and not leaving a bush, a pebble, or a blade of grassunexamined. Suddenly Curumilla imitated the cry of the jay, the signalfor assembling in the event of any important discovery. All rushedtoward the spot whence the signal came; in the midst of the lofty grass,the ground was trampled and the lower branches broken.

  "Red Cedar's horse was tied up here," Valentine said. "Attention! We areabout to catch the bear in his den. You know with what sort of men wehave to deal; be prudent: if not, there will soon be broken bones andpunctured skins among us."

  Without adding a word further, the hunter again took the head of thefile. He carefully parted the bushes, and unhesitatingly entered thethicket. At this moment the furious barking of a dog could be heard.

  "Hilloh!" a rough voice shouted: "What's the matter, Black? Did not theredskins have a sufficient lesson last night, that they want to try itagain?"

  These words were followed by the grating sound of a rifle being cocked.Valentine made his comrades a sign to stop, and boldly advanced.

  "They are not Indians," he said, in a loud and firm voice: "it is I,Koutonepi, an old acquaintance, who wishes to have a chat with you."

  "I have nothing to say to you," Red Cedar, still invisible, answered. "Iknow not why you have followed me to this place: we never were such goodfriends, I fancy, that you should desire the pleasure of my company."

  "That's true," the hunter remarked: "you may be fully assured that wewere always very bad friends: but no matter; call off your dog."

  "If your intentions are good, and you are alone, you can advance, andwill be received as a friend."

  And he whistled to his dog, which rejoined him.

  "As regards my intentions, I can assure you that they are good," theTrail-hunter replied, as he drew back the branches.

  He suddenly found himself in front of Red Cedar, who was standing, riflein hand, in the narrow entrance of a grotto. The two men were scarcefifteen yards apart, examining each other suspiciously. This is,however, the custom of the prairies, where all meetings are the same:distrust always holds the first place.

  "Stop," the squatter shouted. "For what we have to say to each other, weneed not be ear to ear. What do we care if the birds and serpents hearour conversation? Come, speak! What have you come here for? Empty yourwallet, and make haste about it; for I have no time to listen to yourstories."

  "Hum!" the other answered; "my stories are as good as yours, and perhapsyou would have done better by spending your time in listening to them,rather than acting as you have done."

&n
bsp; "What do you mean?" Red Cedar said, as he struck the ground with thebutt of his rifle: "You know I am not fond of sermons. I am a freehunter, and act as I think proper."

  "Come, come," the huntsman went on in a conciliatory tone, while quietlydrawing nearer; "do not take up that tone: all may be arranged. Hang it,what is the question, if we come to that? Only about a woman you havecarried off!"

  The bandit listened to Valentine without attaching much importance tohis remarks. For some instants his attentive ear appeared to be catchingvague sounds; his eye sounded the depth of the woods; his nostrilsdilated; and all the instincts of the wild beast were revealed. Apresentiment told him that he was incurring some unknown danger.

  On his side, the hunter watched the slightest movements of hisadversary: not one of the changes on his face had escaped him, andthough apparently unmoved, he kept on his guard.

  "Traitor!" the squatter suddenly shouted, as he raised his rifle to hisshoulder; "You shall die!"

  "What a fellow you are!" Valentine retorted, as he dodged behind a tree."Not yet, if you please."

  "Surrender, Red Cedar!" Don Miguel shouted, as he appeared, followed bythe stranger and Curumilla: "Surrender!"

  "What do you say? I surrender! First try and force me to do so. I swearthat I will kill you first," the bandit answered with a terrible accent:"I hold your life in my hands. Are you aware of that?"

  "Come," Valentine retorted, "don't be so rough! There are four of us,and I suppose you do not intend to kill us all."

  "For the last time, will you retire?" the bandit said, with a furiousgesture.

  "Come, come," Bloodson shouted in a loud voice, "do not attempt anyuseless resistance. Red Cedar, your hour has arrived."

  At the sound of this voice, the bandit's face was suddenly covered by alivid pallor, and a convulsive tremor passed over his limbs.

  "Look out, he is going to fire!" Valentine shouted.

  Two shots were fired so closely together, that they sounded as one. Thesquatter's gun, shattered in his hands, fell to the ground. Valentine,who wished to capture the bandit alive, could only hit on this way ofturning his bullet, which, in fact, whistled harmlessly past his ear.

  "_Con mil demonios!_" the scalp hunter yelled, as he rushed madly intothe grotto, closely followed by his enemies, with the exception ofCurumilla.

  There they found him armed with his pistols, like a boar tracked to itslair. The bandit struggled with all the frenzy of despair, not yetgiving up the hope of escape. His dog, standing by his side, withbloodshot eyes and open jaws, only awaited a signal from its master torush on the assailants. The squatter suddenly fired four shots, but toohurriedly to wound anybody. He then hurled the useless weapons at hisfoemen's heads, and, bounding like a panther, disappeared at the end ofthe grotto, shouting with a sinister grin:--

  "I am not caught yet!"

  During all the incidents of this scene, the bandit had preserved hiscoolness; calculating the chances of safety left him, so that he mightprofit by them immediately. While occupying his enemies, he rememberedthat the grotto had a second outlet.

  Suddenly he stopped, uttering a ghastly oath: he had forgotten that theswollen Gila at the moment inundated this issue. The villain walkedseveral times round the grotto with the impotent rage of a wild beastthat has fallen into a trap. He heard, in the windings of the cavern,the footsteps of his pursuers drawing closer. The sands were counted forhim. One minute later, and he was lost.

  "Malediction!" he said, "All fails me at once."

  He must escape at all risks, and try to reach his horse, which wasfastened up a short distance off on a small islet of sand, which thewater, continually rising, threatened soon to cover. The bandit took aparting look round, bounded forward, and plunged into the abyss ofwaters, which hoarsely closed over him.

  Valentine and his comrades almost immediately appeared, bearing torches;but the bandit had wholly disappeared. All was silent in the grotto.

  "The villain has committed suicide," the hacendero said.

  The hunter shook his head.

  "I doubt it," he said.

  "Listen!" the stranger hurriedly interrupted.

  A shot echoed through the cave, and the three men rushed forward. Thisis what had happened:--

  Instead of following his comrades, the Indian chief, certain that thebandit had not been such a fool as to enter a cave without an outlet,preferred watching the banks of the river, in case Red Cedar tried toescape in that way. The chiefs previsions were correct. Red Cedar, as wehave seen, attempted to fly by the second outlet of the grotto. Afterswimming for some distance, the squatter landed on a small islet, andalmost immediately disappeared in a dense clump of trees.

  Not one of his movements had escaped Curumilla, who was hidden behind aprojecting rock. Red Cedar reappeared on horseback. The Indian chieftook a careful aim at him, and at the moment the animal put its hoof inthe water it fell back, dragging down its rider with it. Curumilla hadput a bullet through the horse's skull. Red Cedar rose with the rapidityof lightning, and dashed into the water. The hunters looked at eachother for a moment in disappointment.

  "Bah!" Valentine said, philosophically. "That bandit is not to be fearednow; we have clipped his nails."

  "That is true," said Bloodson; "but they will grow again!"