that they had fallen off accidentallynever for a moment crossed her thoughts.
We got over the river easily enough, only Peter did not gird up hismantle in the true Patagonian fashion, and so when he reached bank helooked more like a half-drowned pole-cat ferret than anything else onearth. Again Nadi must clap her hands and laugh, and cry "Engleese!Engleese!"
On now over a vast undulating plain, with more bush than we had yetseen, and, wonder of wonders! one single tree, growing at the east sideof a rock. I noticed that all the Indians gave the tree a wide birth.I asked one Indian to come with me towards it; he only answered "Malo,malo," and rode away in another direction. So Jill and I went to seeit. A more weird-looking tree I never had come near. It was almostdead; just a few green leaves, the rest of its branches bare andblackened, as if by fire. Near it, and half buried in the gravel, wereseveral skulls and bones.
It was a murder tree!
Castizo told us this in the evening. Some Chilians, who were suspectedof having proved false to a certain tribe, were taken to this drearyspot at midnight, and quietly "knifed."
The story made us shudder, and both Jill and I dreamt about itafterwards.
Preparations were now set about to form a grand battue.
This is a form of hunting which I admit I do not admire, but it iscommon in nearly every country, Scotland and England not excepted. Inthis case it was to some extent a necessity. We wanted fresh meat, andthe Indians wanted skins and feathers.
To say that we "youngsters" were not excited from the very commencement,would be to throw doubts upon our very nationality.
We were excited.
So much so, that the preliminaries seemed to us interminably long anddull. First of all a halt was called, and Jeeka held a short palaverwith our cacique. As they spoke in Patagonian we could not tell whatwas said, but from the gestures they made it was evident that Castizowas placing the principal command of the hunt in the hands of PrinceJeeka.
Now guns and revolvers, lassoes and bolas, were seen to. After this,Jeeka disrobed himself, tying his mantle on his saddle, and almost atthe same time four Indians followed his example. Off they presentlyrode in different directions, two bearing away to the right, and three,including Jeeka, to the left. They seemed to make or describe the arcof a circle. After they had been gone some time, a fire was seen in oneplace on the right, and another to the left. Four more Indians at oncedivested themselves of the roba, and rode after the others. Sogradually they all dispersed. We followed in due time, "dislocating"ourselves just as the Indians had done, leaving the women with the sparehorses, and one boy to follow slowly along the tract.
We soon sighted the Indians, who were careering to and fro, andgradually closing in. But the portion of country--a wide, rough,rolling, bushy plain--was very extensive, so that the afternoon was wellbegun before the real sport was.
We soon, however, noticed herds of guanaco here and there, and scaredlooking, strangely bewildered ostriches. The guanacos stampeded, thebirds fled hither and thither, but were turned with yells and shoutswherever they went.
Presently a herd began to break between Jill and myself and someIndians.
Now was the time to display our skill. Our horses seemed to know moreabout this strange species of hunting than we did, for they carried usquickly near the flying herd. I swung and flung my bolas, and missed,and had to dismount. Jill was more fortunate, and soon killed his firstguanaco. The Indians were very busy indeed; so was Castizo. I hadnever seen finer horsemanship than his was out of the circus itself. Heand his steed seemed imbued with the same spirit. Indeed, it did notappear to be a man on horseback we saw before us, but some Centaur ofold. As Ritchie said afterwards, man and horse were all of a-piece.
I made up soon after for my awkwardness, and an ostrich succumbed to mybolas.
Gradually as the circle narrowed, wilder and more exciting grew thesport. Wilder and wilder yet. It came to be almost a _melee_ at last.It came to a slaughter and murder of the innocents. And we white men,tired of bolas work, laid birds and beasts dead around us by the dozenwith our guns.
It has been said that the puma will not attack a man on horseback. Butin cases like the present there is many an exception.
Jill had an adventure which I will never forget. Nor shall I everforget the splendid display of his huge strength and skill as a rider,which Prince Jeeka made on this occasion.
From behind a green calpeta bush an immense puma charged down on mybrother. I noticed that, but I was powerless to help him, though myrifle lay on my arm. But I noticed something else at the same moment--Jeeka coming thundering down to the charge. He was rapidly shorteninghis bolas till he swung but one ball.
The puma paused to spring--so terrible a countenance, such fierce,vindictive eyes, such awful teeth! Hurrah! Jeeka is on him or overhim. There is a dull thud as the ball crashes against the brute'sskull. Next moment the beast is on his back, spitting blood andspasmodically kicking his last; while Jeeka is riding on asunconsciously as if he had not saved my dear Jill's life.
I frequently saw Peter driving the battue. I sometimes saw him in thesaddle; at other times I saw him on his back on the gravel, and once Inoticed him crawling out of a bush into which his horse had shied him.At least he told us his horse had shied him there; but Jill only laughedat him, and said the facts were, he had no seat.
"No mistake about the seat," said Peter. "It's all there, and aprecious hard one it is."
Prince Jeeka told us that he had never conducted a more successful huntin his life, and that there would be plenty of work now for hisfollowers in curing skins, so that playing cards must for a time beabandoned.
As we rode on to a camping ground that night we saw the smoke of firesin the distance, and after about half an hour drew rein near a camp ofstrange Indians. They were men from the north, Castizo informed us,hardly so well mounted as we were, but even better armed than our ownIndians.
As they at once sprang to their saddles on our approach, and as Jeekamarshalled his men in battle array, the danger of a fight appearedimminent.
Castizo, however, was equal to the occasion for once. He galloped infront of our Prince Jeeka and waved him back, the proud Patagonian chiefobeying reluctantly. Then he stationed us white men on each flank ofour little army, the women having already been beckoned off to a safedistance in the rear.
Castizo's next move was a brave one. With revolver in his right hand herode straight up to the northern cacique, and at once covered him. Thischief's spear had been pointed at Castizo's breast, but after a fewwords from the latter it was raised. The spears of all his band wereimmediately after elevated also. Then the palaver began. There wasmuch excited talking between Castizo and the strange cacique, andseveral times I expected to see Castizo put a bullet through his heart,for he still had him covered.
After a time matters grew more quiet, but I could frequently hear thename of Nadi mentioned. At last Castizo shouted, and with downcast headNadi appeared--still on horseback--before them. Prince Jeeka was aboutto plunge forward and join his wife, but a word from Castizo restrainedhim. Had he done so, the consequences would have been terrible.
There was more wild talk, much of it addressed by the northern caciqueto Nadi, who answered never a word, but sat as still as a statue, thetears raining down over her face and falling on her baby's shoulders.
I was very sorry for Nadi, though I could not tell what it all meant.
At last the long stormy interview ended. Nadi made a gesture as ifabout to ask forgiveness from the strange cacique, but he turned fromher.
Then the Indians of our party filed slowly past the others, Jeeka, withhis wife riding beside him, exchanging glances of deadly hatred with theother cacique as he left him on his right hand.
When all had gone on, but not one moment before, Castizo slowly loweredhis revolver, made a salaam, which was--not without some considerabledegree of courtesy returned,--and came on after us.
I noticed soon after
this that Nadi, with a fond smile, handed her babyto Jeeka, and that he kissed it and returned it. This was a very prettylittle Patagonian love-passage that spoke volumes.
Peter asked Castizo for an explanation of the feud soon after, but waslaughingly referred to Jeeka himself.
"That man, that cacique, is my Nadi's blood-brother,"--he meant her realbrother, for the term "brother" is often used among the Patagonians inthe sense of sincere friendship. "I visit far north. I see Nadi; Nadisee me. I not can live without Nadi. I offer fifty horse for her. Thebrother refuse. Then I call my men; I ride to the brother's camp. Wefight, and kill much men. Then I carry Nadi away. I not give _one_horse. Ha, ha!"
"Then it was, after all, a case of elopement. It was young Lochnivarall over again, only ten times more so."
"We see, then, Peter," I said, "that the self-same feelings agitate thebreasts of these savages as dwell in our own."
"Yes," said
Wild Life in the Land of the Giants: A Tale of Two Brothers Page 28