The Guide of the Desert

These various thoughts crossed the mind of the soldier like a flash of lightning; however, it was necessary to act, any hesitation would have ruined him. So, recommending himself to fate, the captain made a desperate effort, and, in his turn, imitated twice the cry of the owl.

He then waited with anxiety the result of this desperate attempt, not daring to believe in its success.

This uncertainty was short; almost at the same instant the man, whoever he might be, who was concealed near the thicket, raised his voice. He spoke in the Guaycurus language, which Diogo not only understood, but spoke with race perfection.

"My brother, has the Grand Sarigue seen the whites?"

"No."

"Good! Come."

After having exchanged these few words, Don Diogo obeyed the injunction that was thus given him, and boldly came out of the thicket, although, despite the success of his stratagem, he did not feel himself completely reassured.

The Indian, whom he recognised at the first glance to be Tarou Niom himself, was so convinced he was dealing with one of his own warriors, that he did not even give himself the trouble to examine him. Moreover, the chief appeared to be preoccupied.

"These dogs, then, have not ventured to scour the plain during the darkness?" asked he.

"No," answered Diogo, "they remain together like poltroon dogs, they do not dare to stir."

"I thought them more brave and skilful. They have with them a man who knows the desert well – a traitor, as to whom I reserve myself to put hot coals into his eyes, and cut out his lying tongue."

The captain inwardly trembled at these threats, which were addressed to him.

"This dog shall die," said he.

"He and those whom he conducts," answered the chief. "I have need of my brother."

"I am at the orders of Tarou Niom."

"Epoï, I speak. For the success of my projects we must have the assistance of the Payagoas, without their war canoes I can attempt nothing. Emavidi Chaime has promised to send me fifty, each manned by ten warriors, as soon as I express my wish for them. My brother, the Grand Sarigue, will go and ask for these canoes?"

"I will go."

"I have myself brought here my brother's horse, in order that he may lose no time. Here is my keaio,7 my brother will show it to Emavidi Chaime, the chief of the Payagoas, on the part of his friend Tarou Niom, and will say to him – "

"'Tarou Niom demands the accomplishment of the promise made.'"

"I will say it," said Diogo.

"Good, my brother is a great warrior; I love him, let him follow me."

The two men then began to march rapidly without speaking, one behind the other.

Don Diogo inwardly congratulated himself on the fate which had been pleased to arrange matters so well, for he feared the piercing eye of the Guaycurus chief, and it was with a secret apprehension that he thought of the moment when they should both arrive at the camp, where the light of the watch fires would reveal his disguise to the eyes of the Guaycurus – so difficult to deceive, and who, moreover, knew the man he personated too well to allow him to impose upon them.

Meanwhile the two men reached a glade where two horses were held by the bridle by a slave.

"Here is the horse of my brother, let him depart," said Tarou Niom; "I await his return with impatience. He proceeds towards the south. As for me, I return to the camp, soon to see you again."

Diogo did not know which of the two horses was his own; fearing to make a mistake, and to take one for the other, he feigned to stumble in order to give the chief time to put himself in the saddle, which the latter, whose suspicion was not awakened, did immediately.

Diogo imitated his example.

The two men buried their spurs in the flanks of their horses, and went off at full speed in different directions.

When he was at last alone, the captain could not suppress a sigh of relief.

CHAPTER XII

THE PAYAGOA VILLAGE

The Guaycurus and their allies the Payagoas are essentially shepherds. They are also thorough agriculturalists. The former are horsemen, and spend half their lives roaming about; the latter are stationary. They in general live on the banks of rivers and lakes, and are much addicted to fish.

Their habitations are mere huts of the most primitive description.

Diogo scarcely knew which route to follow to arrive at the village of the Payagoas – not only of the position, but even of the existence of which he was ignorant.

As he had already often found himself in connection with them, and knew their usages, he had darted off quite at random in the direction the chief had indicated to him, intending to follow as nearly as possible the bank of the river, convinced that there only he would find their village, if it really existed, which he had no reason to doubt.

He galloped all night, scarcely knowing where he was going, and ardently longing for sunrise.

At last the day dawned. Diogo ascended a rather high hill, and from thence he looked around him.

At three or four leagues from the spot where he had stopped, on the very bank of the river, the captain perceived – in a rather misty light it is true, but nevertheless distinct to his piercing eye – a confused and considerable mass of cabins, over which hovered a thick cloud of smoke.

Diogo descended the hill, and resumed his course, making straight for the village. When he approached it, he could see it was more important than he at first thought, and fortified by an enclosure formed by a large and deep ditch, behind which they had raised a range of sticks, bound together with ivy.

The captain called all his boldness to his aid, and, after a moment of hesitation, bravely advanced towards the village, into which he entered at a gallop.

The warriors were still for the most part asleep, lying on hides stretched on the ground, the body covered by the clothing of the women, and the head placed on little bundles of hay, of which their females make use in riding on horseback.

In the streets that the captain traversed, he only met children or a few women going to seek a supply of wood. Others prepared the meal of manioc; some, crouched down before their cabins, were making either pottery or baskets, but the greater number were occupied in weaving the cotton stuff which they use for clothing.

Notwithstanding the early hour, great activity reigned in the village, which appeared to be very populous. The captain cast, as he proceeded, a curious glance on all that was offered to his view, inwardly astonished at the laborious manner of living of these poor Indians, whom travellers are pleased to represent as so indolent that the least work is repugnant to them, and as rather liking to pass the entire day in smoking or sleeping, than in concerning themselves with the cares which the necessities of life so imperiously demand.

However, notwithstanding the curiosity that devoured him, and the admiration that this spectacle gave rise to, prudence warned him to allow nothing to appear on his countenance.

Although he had successfully penetrated into the interior of the village, Diogo could not but be considerably embarrassed to find the cottage inhabited by the captain of the Payagoas.

Diogo vainly turned over in his mind, while continuing his gallop, the means of escaping from this embarrassment, when chance once more came to his aid. At the moment when he passed before a cabin of good appearance, forming the angle of a square, his horse, frightened by a tame peccary, which suddenly rushed howling to fasten to the horse's legs, began to rear, which in an instant brought round it twenty of those lazy people who always abound in the centres of population.

These idlers, whose numbers increased every minute, pressed more and more round the horse, which the captain had extreme difficulty in restraining, and in preventing from doing injury to some of the people, whose cries began seriously to frighten the animal.

At the same instant a man of tall stature came out from the hut of which we have spoken, and, attracted by the noise, threaded the crowd, which separated respectfully on his appearance, and soon found himself in face of the captain.

The latter, who, two days previously, when he had been on the search of the guide, had met with the chief of the Payagoas, recognised him immediately.

Saluting him in the Indian fashion, he jumped to the ground.

"Ai!" cried the chief; "A Guaycurus warrior? What has happened, then?"

"At the instant, when I was about to stop my horse before the cottage of the captain, for whom I have a message," answered Diogo without being disconcerted, "a peccary frightened him."

"Epoï! My brother is a complete Guaycurus horseman; the animal is tame," graciously said Emavidi, "and is allowed to stray. What is my brother's name?"

"The Grand Sarigue," said Diogo.

"Ai! I know the name of my brother; he is a renowned warrior; I have often heard people praise him; I am happy to see him."

The captain thought it necessary to bow.

Emavidi continued —

"My brother has made a long track to arrive here; he will accept the hospitality of a chief. The Payagoas love the Guaycurus; they are brothers."

"I accept the generous offer of the chief," answered the captain.

Emavidi Chaime clapped his hands. A slave ran towards him. The chief ordered him to take charge of Diogo's horse. He then dismissed the crowd which had stopped before his door with a gesture, and introduced the captain to his cabin, the entrance to which he closed with a hurdle covered with an ox's hide.

The cabin was spacious, well ventilated, clean, and internally arranged with uncommon intelligence.

In a distant corner of the apartment the slaves were occupied in certain labours, under the direction of the wife of the chief.

On a sign from Emavidi, she came with haste to welcome the stranger, and to offer him all the refreshment which she supposed he needed.

This woman was named White Star. She was tall and well made: her features were intelligent, without being absolutely handsome. The expression of her countenance was sweet; she appeared to be about twenty-two or twenty-three years of age at the most.

Her costume was composed of a piece of stuff streaked with various colours, which enveloped her rather tightly from the chest to the foot, fastened at the hips by a large girdle, called ayulate, of a crimson colour. This girdle is white in the case of young girls, and they only abandon it when they marry. Pinia-Pai was neither painted nor tattooed; her long black hair, arranged in the Brazilian style, fell nearly to the ground; little silver beads, threaded, forming a kind of chaplet, encircled her neck; metal plates attached to her breast half-concealed her bosom, and large semicircles of gold were suspended to her ears.

With this picturesque costume this young woman was not wanting in a certain piquant grace, and was calculated, as indeed was the fact, to appear charming to the captain.

With a celerity full of respect, White Star had in an instant garnished the table with dishes, the abundance of which made up for the frugality of the repast, for it consisted only of meat, fruits, boiled fish, and meat dried in the sun, and roasted on hot coals.

Diogo, on the invitation of the chief, proceeded to do honour to this improvised repast, of which he had begun to feel the want.

The chief, although taking no part in the repast, excited his guest to eat, and the captain, whose appetite appeared to increase as he proceeded, did not need any pressing to vigorously attack all the dishes.

Moreover, apart from the hunger Diogo felt, he knew that not to eat much, when one is invited to the table of a chief, is considered by the latter as wanting in politeness, and almost a mark of contempt.

However, a time arrived when, notwithstanding all his good will, he was obliged to stop.

Emavidi Chaime, who had followed with interest the prowess accomplished by his guest, appeared charmed. He then offered him some tobacco in a long pipe of palm leaves, rolled together, and the two men proceeded to emit large puffs of smoke in each other's faces.

When her presence was no longer necessary, White Star had discreetly withdrawn into another apartment of the cottage, making a sign to her slaves to follow her.

A considerable lapse of time now elapsed, without a single word being exchanged. The nature of the Indians is contemplative, and has much in common with that of the Orientals. Tobacco produces on them the effect of a narcotic, and if it does not completely send them to sleep, it at least plunges them for a considerable time into a kind of somnolent ecstasy.

It was Emavidi Chaime who first broke silence.

"My brother, the Grand Sarigue, is the bearer of a message from Tarou Niom to me?" said he.

"Yes," answered Diogo.

"Is this message personal, or is it addressed to the other captains of the nation, and to the grand council?"

"It is only for my brother, Emavidi Chaime."

"Epoï, does my brother think proper to communicate it to me at once, or does he prefer to wait and take some hours of repose?"

"The Guaycurus warriors are not weak women," answered Diogo; "a journey of a few hours on horseback takes nothing from their vigour."

"My brother has well spoken; what he says is true. My ears are open; the words of Tarou Niom always rejoice the heart of his friend."

"Tarou Niom is prudent," answered Diogo; "he knows that the Pai dogs now tread the sacred earth of the Guaycurus and the Payagoas. Treason has come with them."

Then, removing from his girdle, where he had placed it, the knife that the chief had sent by him, he presented it to the Payagoas.

"Here," said he, "is the keaio of Tarou Niom. Does the captain, Emavidi Chaime, recognise it?"

The chief took it in his hands, considered it for an instant with attention, and, replacing it on the table —

"I recognise it," said he; "my brother can speak."

Diogo bowed as a sign of acknowledgment, passed the knife again into his girdle, and answered —

"Here are the words of Tarou Niom; they are graven in the heart of the Grand Sarigue. Tarou Niom reminds the captain of the Payagoas of his promise; he asks him if he has really the intention to keep it?"

"Yes, I will keep the promise made to my brother, the captain of the Guaycurus. This very day the grand council will assemble, and tomorrow the war canoes will ascend the river; I myself will direct them."

"What, then, does my brother mean?" said Diogo; "I do not understand him. Does he not say that the war canoes will ascend the river?"

"I have, indeed, said so," answered the chief.

"For what reason will my brother take that direction?"

"Why, to aid, as has been agreed between us, Tarou Niom, to conquer the Pai dogs."

"Listen to the words of the chief; the Pai are surrounded by my warriors; flight is impossible for them; already discouraged and half dying with hunger, in two or three suns at the latest they will fall into my hands, if my brother remember his promise."

"Well?" interrupted the chief.

"Other enemies more serious," imperturbably continued Diogo, "threaten us at this moment."

"Is that true, then, which, this very morning, one of my scouts told me?" cried the chief.

"It is, unhappily, but too true," coolly answered Diogo. "It is especially with the design of assuring you of that news, and of taking with you the necessary dispositions – that is to say," said he, with a gracious smile, "to concert only measures of safety that it may suit you to adopt in the general interest, and to report them immediately to Tarou Niom, in order that he may efficiently support you, that he has sent me to his brother."

"So the whites are entering in all directions?"

"Yes."

"The captain, Joachim Terraira, has then really set out from Villa Bella?"

"There cannot be the least doubt of that," boldly answered Diogo.

"And Tarou Niom," pursued the chief, "thinks that I ought to dispute the passage of the Pai?"

"Six thousand warriors will join those of the Payagoas chief."

"But it is especially the passage of the river that it is important to defend."

"This opinion is also that of Tarou Niom."

"Epoï, my warriors, aided by those of my brother, Tarou Niom, will keep the ford of Camato, whilst the great war canoes will intercept the communications, and harass the Pai along the river."

"My brother has perfectly understood his wishes."

"What may be the number of the Pai who come from Bella Villa?"

"Tarou Niom has been assured that they were at least two thousand."

"Ai; that is extraordinary; I have been told that their number is not more than five hundred."

Diogo bit his lips, but immediately collecting himself —

"They are more numerous than the leaves strewed by the hurricane," said he, "only they are divided into little war detachments."

"Ha!" cried the chief, with alarm, "That is terrible."

"Moreover," added Diogo, who knew the terror Indians have for Negroes, "each war detachment is followed by a considerable number of coatas (Negroes), who have taken the terrible oath to massacre all the Payagoas wanderers, and to carry away their wives and daughters."

"Oh!" said the chief, with a feeling of ill-concealed fright; "The coatas are not men, they resemble evil genii. The warning of my brother shall not be lost. This very evening the women and children shall leave the village to withdraw into the Llano de Manso, and the warriors shall proceed to march to the ford of Camato, followed by all the war canoes."

Diogo rose —

"Does the Grand Sarigue leave, then, already?" asked the chief, rising also.

"It is necessary, chief; Tarou Niom has charged me with making the greatest haste."

"Epoï, my brother will thank the great captain of the Guaycurus."

The two men went out. On the order of Emavidi Chaime a slave brought out Diogo's horse; the latter leaped into the saddle, exchanged a few more words with the chief, and then they separated.

The captain was delighted. Up to the present time all had succeeded beyond his hope; not only did he know the plans of the enemy, but also he had learned that the Paulistas, who had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, could, at any moment, come to aid them. Moreover, he had hindered the junction of the two Indian nations, which, by preserving a free passage of the rivers, offered a chance of safety to the caravan.

Diogo left the village at a gentle trot, plunged in these sanguine reflections, and only wishing one thing – to rejoin his companions as soon as possible.

When he saw the desert plain spread out before him, he leant over the neck of his horse, refreshed and invigorated by two hours of repose, touched it with the spur, and began to dart along with the rapidity of the wind.

On a sudden, at the turn of a path, he came across a horseman who was coming towards him with a rapidity equal to his own.

Diogo could not repress an exclamation of surprise, and almost of fear. In this horseman he recognised Malco Diaz.

"Fortune turns," grumbled he between his teeth, at the same time urging forward his horse, which appeared to annihilate space.

CHAPTER XIII

THE CHASE

The unforeseen encounter with the mameluco had suddenly upset don Diogo's course of ideas.

The inquisitive look which the ex-guide had cast at him as he passed, the cry that he himself had, in the suddenness of his surprise, allowed to escape – all these circumstances gave him much to think of.

The eye of hatred is piercing. The Indian did not conceal from himself that the half-caste had in the depth of his heart a bitter hatred for him, not only for the manner in which he had pursued him after his departure from the camp, but because Diogo had in some respects taken his place near the marquis.

What gave a little hope to the Indian was, that the meeting had been so fortuitous, and at the same time so rapid, that, thanks to his disguise, the completeness of which had deceived Emavidi Chaime himself, it was almost impossible to recognise him without examination.

Diogo made a mistake, and he soon had a proof of it.

His very disguise had caused his enemy, if not to recognise, at least to suspect him.

Now, the very morning of the day on which we again meet with him, two hours before sunrise, Malco Diaz had had a rather long conversation with Tarou Niom relative to the last arrangements agreed upon between them.

During the course of this conversation, as Malco Diaz insisted that the chief should attack the whites without more delay, the latter had answered that he could not commence the assault before the arrival of his allies, the Payagoas; that he did not wish by precipitation, which nothing could justify, to compromise the success of an enterprise so well managed up to that time; that for that matter the delay was insignificant, and would not extend beyond a few hours, since he had dispatched to Emavidi Chaime one of his most faithful warriors, the Grand Sarigue, in order to urge him to make haste in joining them.

Malco took leave of the Guaycurus captain, and mounting immediately on horseback, he proceeded towards the village, hoping every moment to discover the Payagoas flotilla.

He was not likely to see the canoes – the reason we already know; only, arrived at a certain spot, it seemed to him that he could distinguish something, the appearance of which he thought very suspicious, partially concealed in the reeds.

Malco Diaz was curious; he dearly liked to ascertain the cause of things, and to find out the explanation of what he could not understand.

He approached the river with the design of assuring himself as to what this doubtful object might be, in which he soon recognised a corpse.

The mameluco alighted, threw his lasso, drew out the corpse with it, and contemplated it. His astonishment was great when in this mutilated corpse, already half-devoured by the alligators, he recognised the Grand Sarigue, that very warrior that Tarou Niom had a few hours before dispatched to the Payagoas.

The half-caste left the corpse there without concerning himself about it any further; he mounted his horse, and resumed his journey so much the more rapidly as, since the messenger was dead, he had not been able to fulfil his commission.

Only, who had killed the Grand Sarigue? In what way had this murder been committed?

Following up these doubtful circumstances, he came across a horseman coming from the village of the Payagoas, whither he himself was proceeding, and from which he was scarcely a league distant, and, strange to say, this horseman appeared the very man whom he had found some moments since dead and half-devoured.

The affair became very embarrassing; the half-caste did not know what to think; he asked himself whether he had not been deceived – if the corpse he had discovered was really that of the Grand Sarigue?

All of a sudden a bright idea crossed his mind; there was evidently treason, the man whom he had met wore a disguise!

One man only could have assumed with such rare skill another costume and bearing. That man was Diogo.

As soon as this thought had occurred to Malco Diaz, it gave certainty to his mind. Foaming with rage at having been so far duped, and burning to revenge himself, he abruptly turned the bridle of his horse.

But while Malco was making these reflections, and had, by a course of deduction, at last arrived at the truth, a considerable time had passed – a time that the Indian had profited by planning and preparing for a ruse which should aid him to escape.

Persons who do not know that noble and intelligent race, the horses of the American desert, will, with difficulty, conceive even a distant idea of the wonderful speed with which a pursuit in the desert is executed.

When the horse has been incessantly excited, he feels the magnetic influence of his horseman, and appears to identify himself with him, and to understand his wishes.

Grand in his fury and energy, his eyes full of fire, his nostrils spirting with blood, his mouth foaming, feeling neither bit nor bridle, he seems to annihilate space, leaping ravines, scaling hills, crossing rivers, overcoming all obstacles with a dexterity, skill, and velocity, which pass all belief, animating himself on his journey, and by degrees reaching a kind of mad and proud excitement, so much the more beautiful, as he appears to understand that he may die in the desperate battle in which he is struggling; but what matters if he attains the end, and if his master is saved?