Les fils de la tortue. English

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER V.

  THE INCA OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

  "Long ago, very long ago," Diego, the Vaquero, began, "all the landsbordering the bay of Valparaiso belonged to the Indians, whose vasthunting grounds extended on one side from the lofty peaks of theCordilleras down to the sea, and on the other covered the Pampas ofBuenos Aires, of Paraguay--in a word, all the splendid countries fromwhich they have eternally disappeared, and it is impossible to find atrace of the moccasins which trod them during centuries."

  "The Indians were at that day free, happy, powerful, and more numerousthan the grains of sand in the bed of the sea. But one day strange newsspread among them: it was said that white men, who had come no one knewwhence, and mounted on immense winged horses, had suddenly appeared inPeru."

  "I need not remind you of all that occurred in consequence of thisnews, which was only too true, or describe to you the hideous massacrescommitted by the Spaniards, in order to reduce the unhappy Indians toslavery, for it is a story which everybody knows. But what you arepossibly ignorant of is, that during one of the dark and stormy nightswhich followed this invasion, a dozen men of majestic demeanour, withhaughty though care-laden brows, were seen to land from a canoe halfbroken by the waves and jagged rocks."

  "They were Indians who had miraculously escaped from the sack of Quito,and had come to present themselves as suppliants to the elders of theAraucano nation. Among them was a man whom they respectfully obeyed. Hewas the son of the sister of the valiant Atahualpa, King of Quito, andhis name was Tahi-Mari. When in the presence of the elders, Tahi-Marigave them a narration of the misfortunes which had struck him."

  "He had a daughter, Mikaa, the purest and loveliest of the daughtersof the Sun. When conquered by the Spaniards, who, after killing two ofhis sons, set fire to his palace, Tahi-Mari, followed by his three sonsleft home, rushed toward the palace of the Sun, in order to save hisdaughter, if there were still time."

  "It was night: the volcano was roaring hoarsely, and hurling into theair long jets of fire, whose lurid and sinister gleams combined withthe flames of the fire kindled by the conquerors of this unhappy city.The squares and streets were encumbered with a terrified multitude,who fled in all directions with terrible cries from the pursuit of theSpanish soldiers, who, intoxicated with blood and carnage, massacredmercilessly old men, women, and children, in order to tear from theirquivering bodies the gold collars and ornaments which they wore.Neither tears, prayers, nor entreaties succeeded in moving theirferocious executioners, who with yells and shrill whistles excitedtheir dogs to help them in this horrible manhunt."

  "When Tahi-Mari reached the Temple of the Sun, that magnificentedifice, which contained such riches, had become a prey to the flames;a girdle of fire surrounded it on all sides, and from the interiorcould be heard the groans of the hapless virgins who were expiring inthe tortures of a horrible death. Without calculating the imminency ofthe peril, the poor father mad with grief and despair, rushed into theburning furnace which opened its yawning mouth before him."

  "'My daughter! my daughter!' he cried. In vain did the flames singe hisclothing; in vain did frightful burns devour his hands and face: hefelt nothing, saw nothing; from his panting chest constantly issued thepiercing cry--"

  "'My daughter! my daughter!'"

  "Suddenly a half-naked virgin, with dishevelled hair, and her featuresfrightfully contracted, escaped from the flames; it was Mikaa.Tahi-Mari, forgetting all that he had suffered, weepingly opened hisarms to the maiden, when a Spaniard, dressed in a brilliant garb, andholding a sword in his hand, rushed upon Mikaa, and ere her father hadtime to make a gesture thrust his weapon into her chest!"

  "Oh, it is frightful!" Leon, who had hitherto listened to his comrade'sstory in silence, could not refrain from exclaiming.

  Diego made no reply, but a sinister smile played round his livid lips.

  "The maiden fell bathed in her blood, and Tahi-Mari was about to avengeher, when the Spaniard dealt him such a fierce blow that he lost hisconsciousness. When he regained his senses the officer had disappeared."

  "It is infamous," Leon said again.

  "And that officer's name was Don Ruiz de Soto-Mayor," Diego said, in ahollow voice.

  "Oh!" Leon muttered.

  "Wait a moment, brother; let us continue, for I have not finished yet."

  "Though tracked like a wild beast, and incessantly hunted by theSpaniards, Tahi-Mari, accompanied by his three sons and some faithfulfriends, succeeded in getting away from Quito and reaching the countryof the Araucanos."

  "After the Inca had recounted his misfortunes to the great IndianChief, the latter welcomed the fugitives with hearty marks ofaffection; one of them, the venerable Kouni-hous-koui (he who isrespected), a descendant of one of the oldest families of the Sagamoresof the nation, exchanging his calumet with Tahi-Mari, declared to him,in the name of the Araucanos, that the Council of Elders adopted him asone of their caciques."

  "From this day Tahi-Mari, owing to his courage and wisdom, acquired theesteem of those who had given him a new country to love and defend."

  "Several years passed thus, and no sign led the Araucanos to suspectthat the Spaniards would ever dare to attack them; they lived in aperfect state of security, when suddenly and without any justificationfor the aggression, a Spanish fleet consisting of more than thirtybrigantines sailed into the bay of Valparaiso. They had no soonerdisembarked than they built a city, which soon saw the flag of conquestfloating from its walls."

  "Still the Araucanos, although driven back by their terrible enemies,were aroused by the voice of Tahi-Mari, and resolved to keep theSpaniards constantly on their defence, by carrying on against thema war of snares and ambushes, in which the enemy, owing to theirignorance of the places where they fought, did not always get the bestof it."

  "In the course of time, this perpetual war made them lose a greatnumber of soldiers, and feeling desperate at seeing several of theirmen fall daily under the blows of invisible enemies, who seemed toinhabit hollow trees, the tops of mountains, or the entrails of theearth, they turned all their rage against Tahi-Mari, whose influenceover all the men who surrounded him they were aware of, and resolved toget hold of him."

  "But it was no easy matter, for the Inca was on his guard against everyattack, and was too well versed in the tactics of his enemy to lethimself be caught by cunning or treachery. And yet this was destined tohappen. There was among the Indian prisoners--alas! it is disgracefulto say it, but it was so--a man who, given to habits of intoxicationand brought to Peru by the Spaniards, did not recoil before the offermade him to betray his brothers, on condition that they should give himas much aguardiente as he could drink."

  "The Spanish captain, fertile in expedients, who had proposed thiscowardly bargain to the Indian, induced the latter to go to Tahi-Mari,give himself out as an escaped prisoner, and, after inquiring intohis plans, urge him to surprise the Spaniards, of whose numbers,position, and plan of campaign he was to give a false account. Oncethat Tahi-Mari was in the power of the Spaniards, firewater would amplycompensate the traitor."

  "All was carried out in the way the officer suggested; for couldTahi-Mari suspect that an Araucano would betray him? He received himon his arrival among his brothers with transports of joy, and thenquestioned him as to the enemy's strength and means of defence. Thiswas what the Indian was waiting for: he answered the questions askedhim by adroitly dissimulating the truth, and ended by asserting thatnothing was easier than to take the Spanish troops prisoners, and heoffered to guide the expedition in person."

  "The hope of a certain victory animated the Araucanos, who joyfullygreeted this proposition, and all was soon arranged for the start.During the night following the traitor's arrival, five hundred menpicked from the bravest, and led by Tahi-Mari, descended the mountainunder the guidance of the treacherous Indian, and marched silently upona Spanish redoubt, in which they expected to find the principal chiefsof the enemy and surprise them."

  "But as they advanced they
perceived a dark line which was almostblended with the darkness, but which could not escape the piercingglances of the Indians. This line formed an immense circle, whichsurrounded them and became more contracted every moment. It was theSpanish horse coming to meet them and preparing to attack them."

  "All at once Tahi-Mari uttered a yell of fury, and the head of thetraitor who had drawn them into the snare rolled at his feet; but erethe Araucanos had time to retire, a number of horsemen, holding inleash twenty of those ferocious dogs trained for man hunting, rushedupon them. They were compelled to fight, and a terrible massacre began,which lasted all night. Tahi-Mari performed prodigies of valour. Inthe height of the action his eyes were injected with blood and alurid pallor covered his face; he had recognised among those who werefighting the Spanish officer who killed his daughter Mikaa on thethreshold of the Temple of the Sun in so dastardly a way. On his sidethe Spaniard rushed with incredible fury upon the Inca."

  "It was a sublime moment! The two men attacked each other with equalfury, and the blood that flowed from their wounds stained theirweapons. The axe which the Inca held was already whirling above thehead of the Spaniard to deal him the final blow, when Tahi-Marifell back, uttering a yell of pain: an enormous hound coming to theofficer's assistance, had ripped open the Inca's stomach. Takingadvantage of Tahi-Mari's defenceless state, Don Ruiz de Soto-Mayordespatched him by passing his sword right through his body."

  "The next day the Inca's body, frightfully mutilated, was burnt on thepublic square of Valdivia, in the presence of a few Indians, who hadonly escaped the sword of their murderers to die at a later date in thepunishment of a horrible captivity."

  "Oh!" Leon exclaimed, who had felt his heart quiver; "it is frightful!"

  "What shall I say, then?" Diego asked in his turn; "I who am the lastof the descendants of Tahi-Mari!"

  At this unexpected revelation Leon started; he looked at Diego, andunderstood that there was in this man's heart a hatred so deeplyrooted, and, above all, so long repressed, that on the day when itbroke out no power in the world would be strong enough to check theterrible effects of its explosion. He hung his head, for he knewnot what to reply to this man who had to avenge such blood-stainedrecollections. Diego took his friend's hand, and remarking the emotionhe had produced, added--

  "I have told you, brother, what the ancestors of Don Juan de Souzay Soto-Mayor made mine suffer, and your heart has bounded withindignation, because you are loyal and brave; but what you do not yetknow is that the descendants of that family have faithfully followedthe conduct of the murderers of Tahi-Mari. Oh! there are strangefatalities in a man's life! One day--and that day is close at hand--youshall know the details of the existence which I have led, and thesufferings which I have endured without a murmur; but at the presentday I will only speak of those of my race; afterwards I will speak ofmyself."

  While uttering the last words, a flash of joy like that which a tigerfeels when it holds a quivering prey under its claws passed into thehalf-breed's eyes. He continued--

  "My father died a victim to the cruelty of the Spaniards, who put himto death because he dreamed of the independence of his country; hisbrother followed him to the tomb, weeping for his loss."

  "Diego! God has cruelly tried thee."

  "I had a mother," Diego went on, with a slight tremor in his voice;"she was the object of my father's dearest affections, and was youngand lovely. One day when she left the mountain to visit my father, whowas expiating within the walls of Valparaiso prison his participationin a movement which had broken out among the Araucanos, she met on theroad a brilliant Spanish cavalier who wore a lieutenant's epaulettes."

  "The Spaniard fixed upon her an impassioned glance; she was alarmed,and tried to fly, but the horseman prevented her, and in spite of herprayers and supplications, she could not liberate herself from thevillain's arms. On the morrow Lieutenant Don Juan de Soto-Mayor wasable to boast among his friends, the noble chiefs of the Spanish army,that he had possessed the chaste wife of Tahi-Mari the Indian."

  "Yes, it was again a Soto-Mayor. This accursed name has ever hoveredover the head of each member of my family, to crush it underpunishment, sorrow, shame, or humiliation. Each time that one of us hasreddened American soil with his blood, it was a Soto-Mayor that shedit. Each time that a member of this family met a member of mine, onewas the executioner, the other the victim."

  "And now, brother, you will ask me why, knowing that General Don Juande Souza y Soto-Mayor is the man who dishonoured my mother, I did notchoose among the weapons which hung from my girdle the one which shouldpierce his heart?--why I have not some night, when all were sleepingat the hacienda, carried within its walls the all-devouring fire, andtaken, according to Indian custom, eye for eye and tooth for tooth?"

  "Yes, I confess it; I should have quivered with pleasure had I seenall the Soto-Mayors, who live calm and happy a few leagues from us,writhing in the agonies of death. But I am the son of Tahi-Mari, and Ihave another cause to defend beside my own--that of my nation. And onthe day when my arm falls on those whom I execrate, it will not be theSoto-Mayors alone who perish, but all the Spaniards who inhabit thesecountries."

  "Ah! is it not strange to dream of enfranchisement after three hundredyears of slavery? Well, brother, the supreme moment is close at hand;the blood of the Spaniard will again inundate the soil of Peru, and thenineteenth century will avenge the sixteenth."

  "That is the reason why you saw me so silent at the general's house;that is why I agreed to escort him and his family to Valdivia, formy plans are marvellously served by this journey. As for the girlyou love, as I told you, you shall see her again, and it will be thebeginning of the punishment which is destined to fall on this family."

  Diego had risen, but a moment later he resumed his ordinary stoicism.

  "I have told you what you ought to know, in order to understand andexcuse what you may see me undertake against the Spaniards; but beforegoing further it is right that I should know if I can count on yourhelp, and if I shall find in you the faithful and devoted friend whonever failed me up to this day."

  A violent contest was going on in Leon's heart. He asked himselfwhether he, who had no cause of complaint against the Spaniards, hadany right to join those who were meditating their ruin. On the otherhand, the sincere friendship which he felt for the Vaquero, whose lifehe had shared during the last four years, rendered it a duty to assisthim, and did not permit him to abandon him in the moment of danger.Still he hesitated, for a secret anxiety kept him undecided, andprevented him forming a resolution.

  "Diego," he asked the Vaquero in his turn, "before answering you, letme ask you one question?"

  "Speak, brother!" Diego answered.

  "What do you mean to do with Dona Maria?"

  "I have promised you to bring her to your knees. If she love you, shewill be my sister; if she refuse your love, I shall have the right todispose of her."

  "And she will have nothing to fear till I have seen her again?" Leonasked further.

  "Nothing! I swear to you."

  "In that case," said Leon, "I will take part in your enterprise. Yoursuccess shall be mine, and whatever be the road you follow, or themeans you employ to gain the object of your designs, I will do all thatyou do."

  "Thanks, brother; I was well aware that you would support me in thestruggle, for it is in the cause of justice. Now I will set out."

  "Do you go alone?"

  "Yes, I must."

  "When shall I see you again?"

  "Tomorrow morning, at Don Juan's, unless I am compelled to remain atthe place where I am going longer than I think; in that case I willjoin you on the Talca road. Besides, you do not require me to escortthe general: our men will be at their post tomorrow, and you can saysomething about my going on ahead."

  "That is true; but Dona Maria?"

  "You will see her again soon. But start alone tomorrow for the countryhouse, and I will meet you this day week, whatever may happen, in theDel Solar wood, at the San Francisco Sol
ano quarry, where you willorder a halt."

  "Agreed, and I leave you to act as you think proper. Next Wednesday atthe Del Solar wood, and if you wish to join us before then, we shallfollow the ordinary road."

  "Very good; now I am off."

  Ten minutes after this long interview, Diego was galloping away fromhis comrade, who watched him depart, while striving to conjecture inwhat direction he was going. Profoundly affected by the varied eventsof the preceding day, and the story which Diego had told him, Leonreflected deeply as he walked toward the smugglers remaining with him,and who were engaged in getting their weapons in order.

  Although nothing in his exterior announced the preoccupation from whichthe was suffering, it could be guessed that he was in a state of livelyanxiety. The image of Dona Maria floated before his eyes; he saw herpale and trembling after he had saved her from his horse's rush, andthen, carrying himself mentally within the walls of the convent of thePurisima Concepcion, he thought of the barrier which separated them.Then suddenly the half-breed's words returned to his ear--"If sherefuse your love," he had said, "I shall have the right to dispose ofher!"

  An involuntary terror seized on the young man at this recollection. Infact, was it presumable that Dona Maria loved him? and would not theVaquero be compelled to employ violence in carrying out his promise ofbringing him into the presence of the novice? In that case, how couldhe hope to make himself loved?

  These reflections painfully agitated Leon Delbes, who, obeying thatspontaneity of action peculiar to his quick and impetuous character,resolved to fix his uncertainty by assuring himself of the impressionwhich he had produced on the heart of the maiden, whom he loved withall the strength and energy of a real passion.

  Such a sudden birth of love would appear strange in northerncountries, where this exquisite feeling is only developed in conformitywith the claims of the laws of civilization; but in Chili, as in thewhole of South America, love, ardent as the fires of the sun whichillumines it, bursts forth suddenly and displays itself in its fullpower. The look of a Chilian girl is the flush which enkindles heartsof fire which beat in breasts of iron.

  Leon was a Frenchman, but several years' residence in these parts, andhis complete adoption of American manners, customs, and usages hadso metamorphosed him, that gradually his tastes, habits, and wantshad become identified with those of the inhabitants of Chili, whom heregarded as his brothers and countrymen. Without further delay, then,Leon prepared to return to Valparaiso, and make inquiries about DonaMaria.

  "It is two o'clock," he said to himself, after consulting his watch;"I have time to ride to Ciudad, set Crevel to work, and be at thegeneral's by the appointed hour."

  And leaping on his horse, he galloped off in the direction of the Port,after bidding the ten men of the escort to start with or without himthe next morning for the country house.