CHAPTER XX.
EL ZARAGATE.
The night was clear, mild and starry, a profound calm prevailed in thedeserted streets, and it was in fact one of those delicious Mexicannights, so filled with soft emanations, and which dispose the mind todelicious reveries.
The two gentlemen, carefully wrapped in their cloaks, walked side byside, along the middle of the street, in fear of an ambuscade, examiningwith practised eyes the doorways and the dark corners of side streets.When they were far enough from the theatre no longer to fear indiscreeteyes or ears, the general at length broke the silence.
"Now, Senor Don Jaime," he said, "let us speak frankly, if you please."
"I wish for nothing better," the colonel replied, with a bow.
"And to begin," Don Sebastian continued, "tell me who the man is fromwhom you hinted that I could derive some benefit."
"Nothing is easier, excellency. This man is a villain of the worst sort,as I already had the honour of telling you; his antecedents are, Isuppose, rather dark, and that is all I have been able to discover. Thisman, who, I believe, belongs to no country, but who, in consequence ofhis adventurous life, has visited them all and speaks all languages,was at San Francisco when the Count de Prebois Crance organized thecuadrilla of bandits, at the head of which he undertook to dismember ourlovely country, and in which, between ourselves, he would probably havesucceeded had it not been for your skill and courage."
"We will pass over that, my dear colonel," the general quicklyinterrupted him; "I did my duty in that affair, as I shall always do itwhen the interest of my country is at stake."
The colonel bowed.
"Well," he continued, "the villain I am speaking of could not let sucha magnificent opportunity slip; he enlisted in the count's cuadrilla. Ibelieve he was starving at San Francisco, and, for certain reasons bestknown to himself, was not sorry to leave that city--but perhaps I wearyyou by giving you all these details."
"On the contrary, my dear colonel, I wish to be thoroughly acquaintedwith this picaro, in order to judge what reliance may be placed in hisprotestations."
"On arriving at Guaymas, our man became almost directly the secretagent of that unhappy Colonel Fleury, who, as you well remember, was sobrutally assassinated by the Frenchmen."
"Alas, yes!" the general said with a sardonic smile.
"Senor Pavo also employed him several times," Don Jaime continued, "but,unfortunately for our individual, Don Valentine, the count's friend,was watching; he discovered, I knew not how, all his little tricks, andinsisted on his dismissal from the company, after a quarrel he had withone of the French officers."
"I think I can remember the affair being talked about at the time. Wasnot this villain known by the sobriquet of the Zaragate?"
"He was, general; furious at what happened to him, and attributing it toDon Valentine, he took an oath to kill him whenever he met him, so soonas the opportunity offered itself."
"Well?"
"It seems that, despite all his goodwill and his eager desire to get ridof his enemy, the opportunity has not yet offered, as he has not killedhim."
"That is true; but how did you come across this scoundrel, colonel?"
"Well, general," he answered with some hesitation, "you know that I havebeen compelled during the last few days, for the sake of our affair,to keep rather bad company. This scoundrel came to offer his services.I cross-questioned him, and knowing your enmity to that Frenchman,I resolved to inform you of this acquisition. If I have done wrong,forgive me, and we will say no more about it."
"On the contrary, colonel," the general said eagerly. "The deuce! notonly have I nothing to forgive, but I feel very grateful to you, foryour confession has come at a most fortunate time. You shall judge,however, for I wish to be frank with you, the more so because, apartfrom the high esteem I feel for your character, our common welfare is atstake at this moment."
"You frighten me, general."
"You will be more frightened directly; know that this Valentine,this Frenchman, this demon, has I know not by what means, discoveredour conspiracy, holds all the threads of it, and, more than that, isacquainted with all the members, beginning with myself."
"_Voto a brios!_" the colonel exclaimed, with a start of surprise, andturning pale with terror, "in that case we are lost."
"Well, I confess that our chances of success are considerablydiminished."
"Pardon me for asking, general," he continued in great agitation, "butin circumstances like the present----"
"Go on, go on, my dear colonel, do not be embarrassed."
"Are you sure, general, perfectly certain as to the statement you havejust made to me?"
"You shall judge. About an hour before the opening of the theatre,Don Valentine himself--you understand me?--came to my house with twofriends, doubtless cutthroats in his pay, and revealed all to me; whatdo you say to that?"
"I say that if this man does not die we are hopelessly lost."
"That is my opinion too," the general remarked coldly.
"How came it that, in spite of this terrible revelations, you venturedto show yourself at the theatre?"
Don Sebastian smiled and shrugged his shoulders disdainfully.
"Ought I to let even indifferent persons see the anxiety that devouredme? Undeceive yourself, colonel, boldness alone can save us; do notforget that we are risking our heads at this moment."
"I am not likely to forget it."
"As for this man, the Zaragate, I must not and will not see him; butdo you deal with him as you think proper. You understand that it is ofthe utmost importance that I should be ignorant of the arrangements youmay make with him, and be able to prove, if necessary, that I had noknowledge of this. Moreover, as you are aware, I am not one for extrememeasures; the sight of such a villain would be repulsive to me, for Ihave such a horror of bloodshed. Alas!" he added, with a sigh, "I havebeen forced to shed only too much in the course of my life."
"I do not know exactly," the colonel muttered.
"I have entire confidence in you; you are an intelligent man; I give youfull authority, and whatever you do will be well done. You understandme, I trust?"
"Yes, yes, general," the officer grunted ill-temperedly, "I understandyou only too well."
"I see----"
"What do you see?" the other interrupted him.
"That, if we succeed, you will be a general and Governor of Sonora. Thatis rather a pretty prospect, I fancy, and one worth risking somethingfor."
"It is useless to remind me of your promises, general; you are wellaware that I am devoted to you."
"I know it, of course, and on that account leave you. A longerconversation in the moonlight might arouse suspicions. Good night, andcome and breakfast with me tomorrow."
"I will not fail, general. Good night, and I kiss your excellency'shands."
The general pulled his hat over his eyes, wrapped himself in his cloak,and went off hastily towards the Calle de Tacuba. On being left alone,the colonel remained for a moment plunged in deep thought; the officewith which he was intrusted, for he perfectly caught the meaning ofthe general's hints, was most serious. He must act vigorously withoutcompromising his chief, and in the shortest possible period, under thepenalty of being himself arrested and shot in four and twenty hours ifhe failed. For the Mexicans, like their old masters the Spaniards, donot jest in matters connected with revolutions, and boldly cut away theevil at the root, by killing all the leaders of the abortive conspiracy.
The situation was critical, and he must make up his mind, for the slightdelay might ruin all; but at so late an hour where was he to meet a manlike the Zaragate, who had probably no known domicile, and who led, ano doubt most irregular life.
Mexico, like all large cities, is amply endowed with suspicious houses,frequented by rogues of all ages, who are continually wandering aboutin search of adventures, more or less lucrative, under the complacentprotection of the moon.
Moreover, although the worthy colonel had, in the course o
f his life,frequented very mixed company, as he himself allowed, he was not at allanxious to venture alone at night into the lower parts of the city, andenter the velorios, thorough cut-throat dens, filled with robbers andassassins, in which respectable persons do not even venture in brightday without a shudder.
At the moment when the colonel mechanically raised his head and lookeddespairingly up to heaven, he fancied he saw several suspicious shadowsprowling about him in a suggestive manner. But the colonel was brave,and the more so, because he had literally nothing to lose, hence hequietly loosened his sword, opened his cloak, and at the instant whenfour or five fellows attacked him at once with machetes and longnavajas, he was on guard according to all the rules of the art, with hisleft foot supported a pillar, and his cloak wrapped like a buckler roundhis arm.
The attack was a rude one, but the colonel withstood it manfully;besides, all went on in the Mexican way, without a shout or call forhelp. When you are thus attacked in a Mexican street, you feel soassured of death, that you generally confine yourself to the bestpossible defence, without losing time in calling for help, which willcertainly not arrive.
Still, the assailants being armed with short and heavy weapons, had amarked disadvantage against the colonel's long and thin rapier, whichtwisted like a snake, writhed round their weapons, and had alreadypricked two of the men sharply enough to make the others reflect, anddisplay greater prudence in their attack. The colonel felt that theywere giving ground.
"Come on, villains," he exclaimed, as he gave a terrific lunge, and ranone of the bandits right through the body, who rolled on the pavementwith a yell of pain. "Let us come to an end of this, in the demon'sname!"
"Stop, stop!" the man who seemed the leader of the bandits exclaimed;"we are mistaken."
As the bandits asked for nothing better than to stop, they retreated afew steps without hesitation.
"Yes, _Rayo de Dios_, you are mistaken, birbones," the exasperatedcolonel shouted.
"Can it possibly be you," the first speaker continued, "Senor ColonelDon Jaime Lupo?"
"Halloh!" the colonel said, falling back a step in surprise, "whomentioned my name?"
"I, excellency; a friend."
"A friend? a strange friend who has been trying to assassinate me forthe last ten minutes."
"Believe me, colonel, that had we known whom we had to deal with, weshould never have attacked you. All this is the result of a deplorablemisunderstanding, which you will, however, excuse."
"But who are you, in the demon's name?"
"What, excellency, do you not recognize the Zaragate?"
"The Zaragate!" the colonel exclaimed, with glad surprise. "Well,scoundrel, are you aware that yours is a singular trade?"
"Alas! excellency, a man must do what he can," the bandit replied, in asorrowful voice.
"Hum! then you have turned robber at present?"
The scoundrel drew himself up with dignity.
"No, excellency. I am serving, in the company of these honourablecaballeros the persons who claim my help."
The honourable caballeros, seeing that the affair was going to endpeacefully, had returned their knives to their belts, and seemedtolerably well satisfied at this unexpected conclusion, with theexception of the man who had received the last thrust, and surrenderedhis felon soul to the fiend; an acquisition, between ourselves, of nogreat value to the spirit of darkness.
"Can anyone have requested your services against me, Senor Zaragate?"the colonel continued, as he returned his sword to its scabbard.
"Not at all, excellency. I have already had the honour of remarking thatit was a mistake; we were waiting here for a young spark, who duringthe last week has contracted the bad habit of prowling under the windowof a senator's mistress, and who asked me as a kindness to free him fromthis troublesome fellow."
"Caspita! Senor Zaragate, you have a rather quick way with you; andyour senator appears to me somewhat hasty. But as your little matter isprobably spoiled for tonight----"
"I think, excellency, that the gallant heard the clash of steel, andtook very good care not to come on."
"If he did so, he acted wisely; at any rate, if no other motive keepsyou here, and you have no objection to accompany me, I shall feelobliged by your doing so, for I have to talk with you on very seriousmatters, and, in fact, was looking for you."
"Only see what a thing chance is!" the bandit exclaimed.
"Hum! let us hope it will not be quite so brutal next time."
The Zaragate burst into a laugh.
"Stay!" the colonel continued, as he laid a gold coin in his hand, "begood enough to give this in my name to these honourable caballeros, andbeg them to forgive the rather rough way in which, at the first moment,I received their advances."
"Oh, they will not owe you a grudge, my dear sir, you may be sure ofthat."
The bandits, perfectly reconciled with the colonel by means of thecoin, gave him tremendous bows, accompanied by offers of service, andtook leave of him, after exchanging a few sentences in a whisper withtheir chief; then they went off to the right, while the colonel and hiscompanion turned to the left.
"They seem to be rather determined fellows," the colonel said, in orderto broach his subject.
"Perfect lions, excellency, and obedient as rastreros."
"Excellent; and have you many of that sort under your hand?"
"Nothing would be easier, in the case of need, than to make up a dozen."
"All equally true?"
"All."
"That is really valuable, do you know that, Senor Zaragate; and you area lucky caballero!"
"Your excellency flatters me."
"On my word, no. I am expressing my honest opinion, that is all."
"Pardon me, excellency; but may I ask where we are going?"
"Have you an inclination for one direction more than another?"
"Not the slightest, excellency; still, I confess that, as a generalrule, I like to know where I am going."
"Every sensible man ought to be of the same way of thinking. Well, weare going to my house; have you any objection to that?"
"None at all. I think you said, excellency, that I was a lucky man?"
"Indeed I did, and I repeat that I consider you very fortunate."
"Hum, you know the proverb, excellency, 'everyone knows where the shoepinches him.'"
"That is true, and I suppose the shoe pinches you, eh?"
"It does," he replied, with a sigh.
The colonel looked at him anxiously. "I understand the cause of yourgrief," he said; "and it is the worse, because there is no remedy forit."
"Do you think so?"
"Caspita! I am certain of it."
"You may be mistaken, excellency."
"Nonsense! You who so graciously place yourself at the service of thosewho have an insult to avenge, are forced to renounce your own vengeance."
"Oh, oh, excellency, what is that you are saying?"
"I am speaking the truth. You hate the Frenchman whom you mentioned tome today, but you are afraid of him."
"Afraid!" he exclaimed angrily.
"I believe so," the colonel answered coolly.
"Oh! if I only made up my mind to it----"
"Yes," the colonel remarked, with a laugh, "but you will not make upyour mind because, I repeat, you are afraid; and to prove to you thetruth of my assertion, although I do not know the man, and only takean interest in the matter for your sake, I will make you a wager if youlike."
"A wager?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I bet you that you will not dare avenge yourself on your enemy withinthe next four and twenty hours, not even with the help of your twelvecompanions."
"And what will you bet, excellency?"
"Well, I am so certain of running no risk, that I will bet you onehundred ounces. Does that suit you?"
"One hundred ounces!" the bandit exclaimed, his eyes sparkling withgreed. "_Viva Dios!_ I would kill my own brother for such a sum."
"You are flattering yourself, I see."
"Here we are at your door, excellency, so it is needless for me to goany further. You said one hundred ounces, I think?"
"I did."
"Farewell. The coming day will not end before I am avenged!"
"Nonsense, nonsense! you will think better of it. Good night, SenorZaragate."
And the colonel entered his house, muttering to himself, in an aside,"I fancy I managed that cleverly. If this accursed Frenchman escapesfrom the bloodhounds I have let loose on him, he must be the demon thegeneral calls him."
The Red Track: A Story of Social Life in Mexico Page 22