The Trail-Hunter: A Tale of the Far West

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  NEGOTIATIONS.

  When Unicorn entered the council chamber, preceded by Captain Lopez, andfollowed by the three Indian chiefs, the deepest silence prevailed amongthe Spanish officers assembled to meet him. The governor, seated in achair placed in the centre of the hall, was looking nervously round him,while tapping on the arm of the chair with the fingers of his righthand. Still, his countenance was tolerably composed; nothing externallyrevealed the terror that devoured him. He answered by a nod theceremonious bow of the Comanches, and drew himself up as if intending toaddress them; but if such were his desire, Unicorn did not grant himtime to do so. The sachem draped himself in his buffalo robe with thatmajestic grace possessed by all those untamed sons of the desert, drewhis head up proudly, and walked toward General Ventura, who watched himapproach with an anxious eye. On coming within four paces of thegovernor, Unicorn stopped, crossed his arms on his chest, and took theword.

  "I salute my father!" he said, in a loud and fierce voice. "I have come,as was agreed on yesterday, to fetch the answer he owes me."

  The general hesitated for an instant.

  "I am waiting!" the Indian went on, with a frown that augured ill.

  The general, forced almost into his last entrenchments, saw that thehour for surrender had at length arrived, and that no way of escape wasleft him.

  "Chief," he answered, in anything but a firm voice, "your behaviornaturally surprises me. To my knowledge the Spaniards are not at warwith your nation; the whites have not done anything of which you have aright to complain. For what reason do you come, then, against the swornfaith, and when nothing authorises you, to invade a defenceless town,and interfere in matters that only concern ourselves?"

  The sachem understood that the Spaniard was trying to shift the questionon to other ground; he saw the snare offered him, and was not to becaught.

  "My father does not answer my request," he said. "Still, in order tohave finished at once with the recriminations he brings up, I willanswer his questions peremptorily, separating them one from the other.In the first place, my father knows very well that the palefaces andredskins have been in a constant state of warfare since the arrival ofwhite men in America. This war may have slightly relaxed at intervals,but has never really ceased. Our two races are hostile; the strugglewill not end between them until one of the two families, whether whiteor red, has given place to the other by its general extinction.Secondly, my father said that nothing has been done of which we had aright to complain. My father is mistaken, we have a cause, theimprisonment of Don Miguel Zarate, who, himself an Indian, has neverbelied his origin. Hence my father must no longer ask by what right I amhere, for that is perfectly established; it is that which every honestman possesses of defending an innocent person who is oppressed. Now thatfact is cleared up, let us pass to another. When I came here yesterday,my father gave me to understand that my propositions would be accepted,and the exchange of prisoners carried out."

  "It is possible, chief," the general replied; "but things are so in thisworld, no one knows today what he will do tomorrow. With nightreflection has come, and, in short, your propositions have appeared tome unacceptable."

  "Wah!" the Indian said, though not testifying his surprise otherwise.

  "Yes," the general continued, growing animated, "I should be ashamed togrant them, for I should have the appearance of only yielding tothreats. No, it cannot be. The two gentlemen you claim are guilty, andshall die; and if you venture to oppose the execution of the justsentence of the court, we will defend ourselves, and God will protectthe good cause."

  The Mexican officers warmly applauded this haughty response, which theywere far from expecting. They felt their courage rekindled, and did notdespair of obtaining better conditions. A smile of disdain played roundthe chiefs haughty lips.

  "Good," he said; "my father speaks very loudly. The coyotes are boldwhen they hunt the buffalo in packs. My father has carefully reflected,and is determined to accept the consequences of his answer. He wishesfor war, then?"

  "No," the general quickly interposed, "heaven forbid! I should be gladto settle this matter amicably with you, chief, but honor forbids mesubscribing those disgraceful proposals which you did not fear to laybefore me."

  "Is it really honour that has dictated my father's answer?" the Indianasked, ironically. "He will permit me to doubt it. In short, whatever bethe reason that guides him, I can but withdraw; but, before doing so, Iwill give him news of a friend whom he doubtless impatiently expects."

  "What means that word, doubtless?"

  "This," the Indian said, sharply. "The warriors whom my father expectedto arrive to his aid this day have been dispersed by my young men, asthe autumn breeze sweeps away the leaves. They will not come."

  A murmur of surprise, almost of terror, ran through the assembly. Thesachem let the long folds of his buffalo robe fall back, tore from hisgirdle the bleeding scalp that hung there, and threw it at the general'sfeet.

  "That," he said, gloomily, "is the scalp of the man who commanded myfather's warriors! Does the chief of the palefaces recognise it? Thisscalp was raised by me from the head of the man who was to arrive, andwho, at this hour, has set out for the happy hunting grounds of hisnation."

  A shudder of terror ran round the room at the sight of the scalp; thegeneral felt the small dose of courage that had still animated himoozing out.

  "Chief," he exclaimed, in a trembling voice "is it possible you havedone that?"

  "I have done it," the sachem answered, coldly. "Now, farewell. I amabout to join my young men, who are impatient at my long absence."

  With these words the Comanche haughtily turned his back on the governor,and walked toward the door.

  "A few moments longer, chief," the general said; "perhaps we are neareran understanding than you suppose."

  The Comanche gave the speaker a glance which made him quiver.

  "Here is my last word," he said. "I insist on the two prisoners beinghanded over to me."

  "They shall be."

  "Good; but no perfidity, no treachery."

  "We will act honourably," the general replied, not dreaming, of resentingthe insult conveyed in the Indian's words.

  "We shall see. My warriors and myself will remain on the square till myfather has performed his promise. If, within an hour, the palefaces arenot free, the prisoners I hold will be pitilessly massacred, and the_altepetl_ plundered. I have spoken."

  A gloomy silence greeted these terrible threats. The pride of theMexicans was quelled, and they at length recognised that nothing couldsave them from the vengeance of the Comanche chief. The general bowed inassent, not having strength to answer otherwise. The sight of the scalphad paralyzed in him all desire to contend longer. Unicorn left thehall, mounted his horse again, and calmly awaited the fulfilment of thepromise made to him.

  When the Indians had left the council chamber, the Mexicans rosetumultuously, for each feared the execution of the chief's threats.General Ventura was pressed on all sides to make haste, and run no riskof breaking his word. When the governor saw that his officers were asterrified as himself, he re-assumed his coolness, and cleverly profitedby this state of mind, in order to throw the responsibility off himself,and appear only to act under the impulse of others.

  "Caballeros," he said, "you have heard this man. You understood as wellas I did the menaces he dared to offer us. Shall such an insult be leftunpunished? Will you allow yourselves to be thus braved in the heart ofthe town by a handful of scoundrels, and not attempt to inflict on themthe chastisement they deserve? To arms, caballeros, and let us diebravely, if it must be so, sooner than suffer this stain on the oldSpanish honor our fathers transmitted to us!"

  This warm address produced the effect the general anticipated from it;that is to say, it redoubled, were that possible, the terror of thehearers, who had long been acquainted with their chiefs cowardice, andknew how little he could be depended on. This sudden warlike orderseemed to them so unusual, and be
fore all so inopportune, that theypressed him to accept without delay the proposals dictated by thesachem.

  This was all the governor wanted. He had the minutes of the council atonce drawn up, when it was signed by all present, he put it in hispocket.

  "As you insist," he said, "and nothing can induce you to offer anhonourable resistance, I will myself proceed to the prison, in order toavoid any misunderstanding, and have the doors opened for Don MiguelZarate and General Ibanez."

  "Make haste, pray?" the officers answered.

  The general, glad in his heart at having got out of the scrape so well,left the Cabildo, and walked across the square to the prison, whichstood on the opposite side. The Comanches were motionless as statues ofFlorentine bronze, leaning on their weapons, with their eyes fixed onthe chief, ready to carry out his orders.