Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 20 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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18 The New York Library. Then, when all became quiet again, they resumed the venturesome march, gliding past tents and at times stepping over the sleepers at the fire, whom the slightest badly-calculated movement would have aroused. {t is impossible to form a correct idea of such a march unless you have made one yourself. A man gifted with the most ener- getic mind could not endure its terrible 6émotions for an hour. With oppressed chest, haggard eyes, and limbs agitated by a feverish and conyuisive motion, the hunters passed through the midst of their ferocious enemies, knowin erfectly well that, if they were discovered, t would be all over with them, and that they would perish in the most horrible ony. On reaching almost the extreme limit of the camp, an Indian, lying across the path they were following, sudderly made a move- ment and sat up, instinctively seizing his lance. One shout and the hunters were lost! Curumilla walked straight up to the In- dian, who was stupefied by the sight of this funereal and fantastic procession, which he could not comprehend, and was followed by his comrades, whose step was so light that they seemed to glide over the ground with- out touching it. The Apache, terrified by this apparition, which, in his superstitious belief, he attrib- uted to the heavenly powers, crossed his arms On his chest and silently bowed his head. The band passed, the Indian not bone Si, a sign or uttering a Word, The hunters had searce disappeared behind some rising ground, when the Apache ven- tured to lift his eyes; he was then convinced that he had hada vision,and without trying to account for what he had seen, he lay down and went quietly to sleep again. By this time the hunters had emerged from the camp. ‘*Now,’’ said Valentine, ‘the worst is over.”’ “*On the contrary,’? Don Pablo observed, * our position is more precarious. than ever, since we are in the midst of our enemies, and have no horses.” Curumilla laid his hand on his shoulder, and looked at him softly. “My brother will be patient,” he said; ‘She will soon have them.,”’ ‘* How so?’ the young man asked, “Sunbeam,” the Aucas chief continued, “must know where the horses of the tribe e,”’ ‘*T know it,”’ she replied, laconically. “ Very good; my sister will guide me.” “Ohief, one moment,”’ said Valentine; ‘) will not let you run this new danger alone’ it would be a dishonor to my white skin.” ‘*My brother can come.”’ “That is exactly what I mean todo. Don Pablo will remain here with Shaw and Eagle- wing near Dona Clara, while we attemp\ this new expedition, What do you think of it, Don Pablo?” “That your plan, my friend is worth nothing.” ‘Why so ?”’ ‘** For this reason: we are here two paces from the Apaches, and one of them may awake atany moment. Just now we escaped only by a miracle: who knows how our en- terprise will turn? If we separate, porns Wwe may never come together again. pinion is, that we should all go together to ,0ok for the horses; we should then save time in useless coming and going, and this will give us a considerable advantage.,”’ ** That is true,’’? Valentine answered; “let us go boge ther, and in, that way we shall have finished sooner,”’ Bunbeam then began guiding the little party, but instead of re-entering the camp, -as the hunters feared, she skirted it forsome distance; then making a sign to her com- panions to stop and wait, she advanced | alone. Within five minutes she returned. ‘“The horses are there,’’ she said, point- ing toaspot in the fog; ‘* theyare hobbled, and guarded by a man walking up and down near them. hat will my calc brothers ‘* Kill the man, and seize the horses we want,’’ Don Pablo said; ‘‘ we are not in such a situation that we can be fastidious.” : ‘‘ Why kill the poor man, if he can be got rid of otherwise ?” Dona Clara said, softly. ‘That is true,’’ Valentine supported her, ‘we are not wild beasts.”’ _ ‘The warrior shall not be killed,” Curu- milla said, in his. grave voice; ‘*my pale brothers must wait.”’ And ee the lasso he always carried | h about him, the Aucas lay down on the Seanad, and began crawling through the | grass. He s00n disappeared in the fog | y The Apache sentry was strojling careless along, when Curumilla suddenly rose behind | him, and seizing his. neck in both his hands, he squeezed it with such force that the “Apache, taken thawares, had not time to utter a cry. Ina turn of the hand he was thrown down, and garoted, and that so promptly that he was choked as much Wy the sudden attack as by the terror that had seized on him. The chief put his prisoner on his shoulders; 1h deposited him at Doua Clara’s feet, say- gs **My sister’s wishes are accomplished ; this man is safe and sound.” ** Thank you,’’ the maiden answered, with a charming smile. Curumilla turned red with delight. Without loss of time, the hunters seized the seyen best horses they came across, which they saddled, and then shod with buifalo-hides to ayoid the sound of their hoofs on the sand. This time, Valentine assumed command of the party. So soon as the horses were urged into a gallop, all their chests, oppressed by the moving interludes of the struggle which had continued so long, dilated, and hope re- turned to their hearts. The hunters were at length in the desert ; before them they had 2 sp good horses, @rms and ammunition. They fancied them- selves saved, and were so to 4 certain extent, as thcir enemies stil) slept, little suspecting their daring escape. The night was half spent, and the fog covered the fugitives. They had at least os hours before them, and they profited by em. The horses, urged to their utmost speed, went two leagues without stopping. At sunrise the fog was dissipated by the first beams; and the hunters instinctively raised their heads, The desert was calm, nothing disturbed its majestic solitude; in the distance a few elks and buffaloes were browzing on the rairie-grass, asure sign of the absence of ndians, whom these intelligent animals scent at great distances. Valentine, in order to let the horses breathe awhile, as well as draw breath himself, check- ed the headlong speed, which had no further object. The region on which the hunters, found themselves in no way resembled that they had quitted a few hours previously; here and there, the monotony of the landscape was broken by lofty trees; on ether side stretched, out high hills. At times they forded .some of the innumerable streams whieh fall from the mountains, and, after the most capricious windings, are swallowed up in the Gila. At about eight o’elock Valentine noticed, a little to the left, a light cloud of bluish smoke rising in @ spiral to the sky. ‘“ What is that?’ Don Pablo asked, anx- iously. . ‘‘A. hunter’s encampment, doubtless,’ Valentine answered. ~ “ No,’ Curamilla said; “that is not a pale-face, but an Indian, fire.’’ / ‘‘ How the deuce can you see that, chief? I fancy all firesare the same, and produce smoke,’’ Don Pablo said. | ‘*Yes,’’? Valentine remarked, ‘all fires produce smoke; but there is a difference in smoke—is there not, chief?’ he added, ad- dressing Curumilla. ‘*Yes,’’ the latter answered, laconically.. ‘* All that is very fine,’ Don Pablo went on; ‘‘ but can you explain to me, chief, by what you see, that the smoke is produced by a red-skin fire ?’’ Curumilla shrugged his shoulders without replying. : le-wing took the word : | ‘““The whites, when they light fires,’’ he said; ‘‘ take the first wood to hand.’’ ‘Of course,”’ said Don Pablo, . ‘* Most frequently they collect green wood: in that case the wood, which is damp, pro- ‘duces in burning a white thick smoke, Very difficult to hide on the prairie; while the In- dians only employ dry wood, whose smoke is light, thin, almost ae pak and soon becomes confused with the sky.’ ‘* Decidedly, om the desert,’’? Don Pablo said, with an air of conviction, ‘‘the Indi- ans are better than us; weshall never come up to them.”’ > 3 | _ “Humph!’’ said Valentine; ‘‘if you were to live with thema while, they would teach you plenty more things.” » % Jf Hagle-wing continued; ‘‘ what did I tell you ?’ sey In fact, during this conversation the hunt- ers had continued to advance, and at this mo- | ment were not more than a hundred yards fromthe spot where the fire burned which — bad given rise to 80 many comments. Two Indians, completely armed. and equipped for war, were stan in front of the travelers, waving their bu robes in sign of peace. "» Valentine quivered with joy on recogni- ging them; these men were Comanches, | that is fo say, friends and allies, since the hunter was an adopted son of that nation. Valentine ordered his little party to halt, aud carelessly throwing his rifle on his back, he pushed on, and soon met the still mo- tionless Indians. . After exchanging the different questions always asked in such cases on the prairie, as to the state of the roads and the quantity of game, the hunter, though he was we aware of the fact, asked the Indians to what nation they belonged. ‘*Comanches,’’ one of the warriors an- swered, proudly. ‘My nation is the Queen of the Prairies.” Valentine bowed, as if fully convinced. © ‘*I know,” he said, ‘‘that the Comanches are invincible warriors. Who can resist them ?”’ , It was the Indian’s turn to bow, with a smile of satisfaction at this point-blank com- pliment. ( ‘‘ Is my brother achief ?”’ Valentine asked. “‘T am Pethonista (the Eagle),’’ the Indi- an said, regarding the hunter like a man persuaded that he was about to produce ‘a profound sensation. He was not mistaken; for the name was that of one of the most venerated chiefs of the Comanche nation. “| know my brother,” Valentine answer- ed; “I am very.-happy to have met him,” ’ d Let my brother speak; Iam listening to -him: the great white hunter is no stranger to the Comanches, who have adopted him.” “What?’ the hunter exclaimed; “do ‘you know me too, chief ?”’ The warrior smiled. ; “Unicorn is the most powerful sachem of the Comanches,”’ he said. ‘‘ On leaving his village twelve hours ago, he warned his brother Pethonista that he expected a great white warrior adopted by the tribe,” * ‘Tt is he,” said Valentine. ‘‘ Unicorn is a part of myself, and the sight of him dilates my heart. Personally, [have nothing to say to you, chief, since the sachem has instruct- ed you; butI bring with me friends and two females—one is unbeam, the other the White Lily of the Valley.’ “'The White Lily is welcome among my ople: my sons will make it a duty to serve vox, ’ the Indian answered, nobly. *“Thauks, chief.’ I expected nothing less from you. Permit me to rejoin my compsa- ions, who are doubtless growing impatient, to tell them of the fortunate’ meeting with which the Master of Life has favored me,” “Good. My brother can return to his friends, and I shall go before him to the vil- lage, in order to warn my young men of the arrival of a warrior of our nation.” ~ Valentine smiled at this remark. ‘“My brother is the master,” hesaid. _ After bowing to the Indian chief, he re- turued to his companions, who did not know to what circumstance they should attribute ‘his lengthened absence. ‘They are friends,’ Valentine said, point- ‘Ing to Pethonista, who had leaped on a mus- tang, and started at full speed. ‘‘ Unicorn on leaving his village, ordered the chief i have been speaking to, to do us the honors until his return. Solook, Don Pablo, how he hurries to announce our arrival to the warriors of his tribe.”’ | ‘‘Heaven be praised,” the young man ‘paid, ‘for ease and rest in safety. Suppose we push on.’’ ‘Do not do so, my. friend. On the con- trary, if you will take my advice, we shall reduce our pace. The Comanches are doubt- less preparing us a reception, and we should annoy them by arriving too soon,”’ “{ do notwish that,’’ Don Pablo replied. .“*Tn fact, we have nothing to fear now, 8c we can continue our journey at a trot.” “Yes; for nothing presses onus. In un hour at the most we shall have arrived.” ‘May heaven be thanked for the protec- tion it ‘has deigued to grant us,”” the young man said, looking up with aglance of grati- ude. ; The little party continued to adyaues ‘a the direction of the village. " CHAPTER XVIIL LOVE! An hour later, the hunters, on reaching the top of a hill, perceived, about a mile ahead of them, & large village, before which three hundred Indian warriors were ranged in battle array. | At the sight of the whites the warriors advanced ata gallop, Maes pec their horses curvet and dance, and dise ng their muskets intheair. ‘They uttered their war- cry, and unfolded their buffalo-robes, per- forming, in a word, all the usual evolutions in a friendly reception. . Valentine made his companions imitate ‘the Indians; and the hunters, who ‘asked nothing better than to display their skill ~ i Eomicboo