Les fils de la tortue. English

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER XI.

  THE SONS OF THE TORTOISE.

  After walking for about ten minutes the two smugglers stopped; thenDiego, looking around him inquiringly, imitated the whistle which hadserved as a signal to him, with such perfection that Leon at the firstmoment could not refrain from starting, although he knew it was hisfriend who had uttered it. Almost at the same instant, an Indian infull war paint rose before them: with his motionless body carelesslyleaning on his rifle, he contemplated them silently, doubtless waitingto be addressed.

  He was a man of about thirty years of age, of a height exceeding sixfeet, perfectly proportioned in all his limbs, and who offered thetrue type of Indian beauty--strength united to elegance of figure:his solidly attached and muscular limbs seemed to possess incredibleelasticity and suppleness; his forehead was lofty and open; his eyescovered by thick brows and fringed with long lashes, were black,piercing, and restless; his bent nose, and his handsomely chiselledmouth, lined with teeth of dazzling whiteness, produced an _ensemble_really stamped with grandeur, but slightly obscured by the expressionof pride, disdain, and cunning, which animated his countenance.

  NO tattooing disfigured his face, which was of a dark copper colour.His dress was extremely simple; his long black hair, drawn up andfastened on the top of his head by a thong made of a snakeskin, fellin large curls on his shoulders, while an eagle's feather placed onthe side indicated his rank as chief. He was wrapped up in a poncho,and through the girdle which served to hold up the wide drawers, whichfell to his knees, were passed an axe, a machete, an ox horn, whichserved as a powder flask, and a bullet bag of llama skin. His legs werecovered with boots of oxhide, unassailable by the bites of the reptilesso dangerous in these countries, round which he wore human scalp locksas garters. A second poncho, much wider and larger than the other, fellcarelessly from his right shoulder to the ground, and was employedas a mantle. On seeing the Indian, Diego waved his hand, and said tohim--"My brother is welcome."

  The Indian bowed without replying.

  "What does my brother desire?" Diego continued.

  "Iskarre is growing on the holy Inapere and the hour has arrived; allthe Molucho warriors are assembled; is the descendant of the greatTahi-Mari ready to answer his brothers?"

  "My brother will guide me," Diego replied, without any further remark.

  "Matai! my brother can come, then, and he will see the great Moluchochiefs."

  While uttering these words the Indian looked at Leon with markedsuspicion, but whether that he did not dare question Diego abouthim, or expected an explanation from the latter, he resolved to showthe road to the two men. The further he advanced the thicker the woodbecame, but the Indian marched lightly, without any hesitation, andlike a man perfectly acquainted with the locality. Turning his headrepeatedly to the right and left, he examined the thickets and clumpsof trees, and after half an hour of this rapid and silent march hehalted. They had reached the entrance of a vast clearing, in the centreof which some forty men were assembled; the Indian made the smugglers asign not to advance, and went off with the straightness of an arrow inthe direction of the Indians. A strange spectacle was then offered toLeon.

  The Indians were smoking round a large fire, whose reddish glareillumined them, and a dozen huts of boughs hastily constructed, provedthat this temporary encampment was not a mere night halt. A few Indianswalked up and down before these huts, while others, rifle in hand,seemed to be guarding two European prisoners, whose features thedistance and scene prevented the smugglers from distinguishing, and whowere lying at the foot of a tree with their limbs bound.

  The Indian who had guided Diego and Leon went up to those of hisbrothers who seemed to be the oldest, and spoke to them with greatanimation. They soon rose and entered a hut, and then came out againalmost immediately, addressing a few words to the men who were guardingthe prisoners. The latter raised the Europeans from the ground andcarried them into the hut.

  "All this is inexplicable," Leon said to his companion; "what meanthese comings and goings?--who are the two men being dragged away?"

  And he made a movement as if to rush forward.

  "Do not stir," Diego exclaimed, as he held him back: "no imprudence,for the slightest movement would ruin us; do you not know that we aresurrounded by invisible watchers? Know that behind every one of thetrees that surround us is hidden a man, whose eye is fixed upon us."

  Leon made no reply, but continued to observe, till their Indian guidereappeared.

  "My brothers will follow me," he said, so soon as he was a few stepsfrom the smugglers.

  They bowed and obeyed; and Longscalp led them right down the clearing,and introduced them into the most spacious hut. It to some extentresembled a beehive, except that its base was square, and might bethirty feet in depth, by the same in width. The narrow, low door onlyallowed passage for one man at a time, and he was obliged to stoop. Inthe roof a hole was made for the smoke which escaped from a fire ofdried branches that occupied the centre of the hut.

  Twelve or fourteen Indians, gravely squatting on their heels, smokedwhile listening in the most religious silence to a Sayotkatta, whocould be easily recognised by his pacific costume, which consisted ofa long white dress of llama hair, fastened round his hips by a blueand red girdle. His hair, parted on his forehead, fell on his neck,and he wore on his head a species of diadem composed of a gold filletsurmounted by an image representing a tortoise supporting the sun. Hisfeatures, though grave and stern, had something gentle and majesticabout them which inspired respect.

  It was he who pointed out to Diego and Leon a place at the lire, andwithout appearing to pay any further attention to the newcomers, hebegan speaking, all raising their eyes to him.

  "At the beginning of ages," he said, in a guttural and marked voice,"when Guatechu only reigned over the chaos of the worlds, there existedbut six men, who, tossed about by the winds, wandered on the backs ofclouds, which allowed them to soar over the immensity of space. Thesemen were sad, because they understood that their race was accursed andcould not be perpetuated."

  "One day, when they met, they all passed onto the same cloud, and helda council, in order to arrange a plan for avoiding such a misfortune.For a long time they had been talking together and proposing measuresone more impracticable than the other, when suddenly Mayoba appeared inthe midst of them. He gazed at them for a moment in silence, then anironical smile curled his upper lip, and he said to them, in a voicethat resembled the hoarse howling of a distant storm--"

  "What you are seeking exists; choose the bravest and handsomest fromamong you, for he alone can attempt the adventure: let him go toParadise, where he will find Ataentsic, the woman; it is she who willprevent your race from perishing, and that is the reason why Guatechukeeps her far from you, in order that you may perish, for he repentshaving made you."

  "After uttering these words Mayoba disappeared with a burst of savageand shrill laughter, which caused the men to shudder with terror. Ourfirst fathers held another council, and pointed out one among them, thehandsomest and whitest among them, of the name of Hoquaho, to go andconquer Ataentsic."

  "Hoquaho accepted the mission entrusted to him, and aided by his fivecompanions, he piled up the clouds on each other in order to scaleParadise: but, in spite of all their efforts, the distance seemed everto remain the same, and they began to despair of succeeding in thisbold enterprise on seeing the inutility of their efforts, when thebirds of heaven that had followed their movements anxiously had pityon them, and forming into a compact flock, made a convenient seat forHoquaho, whom they bore away on their wings."

  "On reaching Paradise, Hoquaho concealed himself behind a tree oppositethe wigwam in which Ataentsic was, and he waited till she came out, asshe was accustomed to do every morning, to go and draw water at thespring. As soon as she appeared, he went up to her and offered her somegrizzly bear's grease to eat, of which he had laid in a stock."

  "The woman, surprised and charmed by the appearance of Hoquaho, easilylet herself be sedu
ced, and they soon came to a perfect understanding;but Guatechu soon perceived what had happened, and furious at seeinghis plans overthrown by the fault of a woman, he expelled the twounhappy beings from Paradise, and hurled them into space."

  "They fell thus for nine days and nine nights, imploring, but in vain,the mercy of Guatechu, for he had stopped up his ears with wax, anddid not hear. At length a tortoise took pity on the wretched couple,and placed itself under their feet to stop the fearful fall. Then theotters, cayonans, and sea fish went to the bottom of the waters tofetch clay, which they brought up and fixed all round the shell ofthe tortoise, and thus they formed a small island, which graduallyincreased through their incessant labour, and ended by forming theearth such as you see it at present."

  "Thus, sons of Hoquaho, the first man, you come," said the Sayotkatta,in conclusion, "to respect and adore Chemiin, who is the soul of theworld, and the centre of the universe, which his shell alone supportsand enables to float in immensity."

  "Matai!" cried the Indians, inflamed by their priest's narrative,"Chemiin Aulon (the Tortoise-sun) is the master of the world."

  The Sayotkatta hung his head on his breast, and throwing over hiseyes the corner of the ample poncho which floated from his shoulders,he remained plunged in deep meditation. After this a gloomy silencefell upon this strange assembly. Then an Indian, whose great age wasindicated by his noble but worn features, and his long grey hair, tookup a calumet full of tobacco, lit it at the fire, took a few whiffs,and passed it to his right hand neighbour, who did the same. Thecalumet thus went round the circle till it returned to the old Indian,who seemed to preside over the meeting.

  He finished the tobacco, and when the last grain was consumed, shookthe ash out on his hand, and threw it in the fire, saying--

  "This is the supreme council at which the great Molucho chiefs arepresent. May Agrikoue come to our assistance, for the war hatchet isdug up, and the Sons of the Tortoise are about to recapture theirterritory, unjustly invaded by the palefaces."

  "May Agrikoue aid us!" the Indians repeated.

  "Which are the nations," the old man continued, "ready to take part inthe struggle?"

  Then one of the Indians spoke in reply,

  "The Tecuitles of the Curuhi, whose hunting ground extends from thetown of Valparaiso to the Gulf of Guapatika, has raised the war cry,and six thousand fighting men have answered his appeal. I have spoken."

  Another spoke as follows--

  "The Tecuitles of the Huiliches has assembled seven thousand warriors."

  Then another said in his turn--

  "Four thousand Oumas are awaiting the signal."

  "Ten thousand Puelches are ready to utter the war cry," said a fourth.

  "Eight thousand Tehuels are under arms," continued another.

  After the chief who had last spoken rose a man whose features hada singular blending of the European and Indian tribe. In fact, histribe was descended from the crews of three Spanish ships, who, havingmutinied, abandoned their officers, and landed on the American coast,where they settled. By degrees they became allied with the Indians,whose religion and customs they adopted, and multiplied to such anextent as to form a tribe.

  "The Aigueles," he said, "have five thousand warriors round the warstake."

  "My brothers the Ulmens have done well," the president replied, "andthe great confederation will be complete; nearly all the nations haverisen, and Guatechu will give us the victory. The Moluchos count thirtythousand warriors, who, with twenty-five thousand of the sacred tribeof the great Toltoru, have passed the Bio Bio, and are encamped on thebanks of the Valdivia: one nation, however, has not sent a deputy tothe great council, and the valiant Jaos alone are not represented here."

  "My father is mistaken," replied a young Indian of martial aspect,whose face, bathed in perspiration and clothes covered with dust,indicated the speed he had displayed in covering the ground whichseparated his territory from the place of council. "It is a longdistance from the country of the Jaos to that of the Moluchos, buttwelve thousand men are following me."

  A quiver of enthusiasm ran round, the assembly.

  "My son is welcome," replied the aged man. "The Jaos honour us bysending us a chief so celebrated as Tcharanguii, the invincible Ulmen."

  A flush of satisfaction passed over the features of the young chief ofthe Jaos.

  "You see," the old Indian continued, "that one hundred thousandwarriors will march along the war trail, resolved at length to takeback the territory which the Spaniards have so long unjustly held.Everything is at length ready. The great confederation which hasenveloped them for the last twenty years in its thousand folds isabout to draw closer and crush them. War to the death upon the cruelinvaders, and let us drive them into the sea which vomited them up. Notruce, no pity, and to the courage of the Lion let us add the prudenceof the Serpent."

  Then, turning to Diego, who, during the whole period that this scenehad lasted, remained motionless by the side of Leon, whose anxiety wasincreasing, he said--

  "The hour has arrived for my son Tahi-Mari to rise and give us a reportof the manner in which he has carried out the mission entrusted to himtwenty years ago by the assembled chiefs of the great Molucho nations.Our ears are open, and all my sons will listen, for it is a great chiefwho is about to speak!"

  For the first time since Leon had known Diego, the face of the lattergrew animated, and a smile of triumph had taken the place of the coldexpression of indifference which seemed stereotyped on his lips. Hebowed to the chief, whose eyes were fixed on him, and leaning on hislong rifle, he raised his head and answered in a firm voice--

  "I am ready to reply to my father, Unacha Cuayac, and to the greatchiefs of the twelve nations. I am the son of the tortoise, and my racesupports the world. Let them question and I will answer."

  "My brother will speak, for, as he has said, he is the son of theChemiin which supports the world," the Indian remarked, "and the wordsthat fall from his lips rejoice our heart."

  Diego began--

  "Twenty years ago the great chiefs, fatigued with the continuedvexations of the Spaniards, formed a vast confederation, and assembled,as on the present day, in a supreme council to consider the means tobe employed in order to end the struggle which they had supported solong, and finally free themselves from those sanguinary and perfidiousstrangers, who had in one day stolen from us our gods, our huntinggrounds, and our wealth. As at the present day, more than one hundredthousand warriors dug up the war hatchet, assembled to invoke Guatechuat the foot of the war post, and took an oath to live free or die. Thesignal was about to be given, and Okikiouasa was already waving hisfatal torch ready to bear fire and death among our ferocious enemies,when a chief rose in the council and asked permission to speak. Thischief was my father, Tahi-Mari, a warrior renowned for his valour incombat, and an old man revered for his wisdom at the council fire;he alone, when all loudly demanded war, dared to speak in favourof peace; but Tahi-Mari was so respected by the other chiefs, thatfar from bursting into fury against the man who tried to overthrowtheir projects, they listened to him in silence. What he said youall know, and hence I need not repeat it; the chiefs accepted hisadvice, and it was resolved that a young Molucho warrior, chosen amongthe most worthy, should leave his tribe and go among the Spaniards,whose manners and religion he should pretend to adopt; that he shouldpass five years among them, trying to surprise all the secrets whichrendered them invincible, and after that period should come and give anaccount of his mission to the great council of the nations."

  "This mission was delicate and difficult to carry out; continualdissimulation was imposed on the man who undertook it; an hourlytorture, by forcing him to live with his most cruel enemies, and feignfor them friendship and attachment. The choice fell upon me, notbecause I was the most worthy, but because I was the son of Tahi-Mari,the great beloved Inca chief of the Moluchos. I joyfully acceptedthe painful though honourable distinction offered me; I at that timecounted eighteen summers; life appeared to me hap
py and smiling: I hada bride to whom I was to be married at the next melting of the snow,but I was compelled to abandon this sweet dream, renounce the happinesswhich I had promised myself, and devote myself to the service of mycountry. I left everything without regret, for the chiefs had spoken,and I ought to feel jealous of the honour they had done me. The fiveyears passed, then five others, but the hour for deliverance did notstrike; for twenty years, in fine, I wandered about all the countriessubjected to the Spaniards, listening at each step that I took to themaledictions which fell upon those of my race. My father died, and Iwas unable to close his eyes and sing the taboure at his interment; mybetrothed has left the earth, summoning me, but I was unable to replyto her voice; my whole family is extinct, and has gone to join Garonheain the paradise of the blest. I have remained alone and abandoned, butmy courage has not weakened; hesitation has not entered my heart, and Ihave continued to walk in the path which I traced for myself, becauseTahi-Mari had made a sacrifice of his life and his happiness to hisbrothers. Today my mission is accomplished; I know in what the strengthof the Spaniards resides and how they may be laid low; all theirtowns and fortresses are known to me; I can give the numbers of theirsoldiers, indicate their hopes and projects, and I have infalliblemeans to break every one of the springs which set their government inmotion. In a word, nothing has been omitted or forgotten by me, and Ican answer beforehand for the success of our cause. I have spoken."

  Diego ceased speaking and waited, and a solemn silence followed on thenarration which he had just made. The Indians were profoundly affectedby the sublime self-denial and perfect devotion of the man, whoseheroic will had not failed him for a single moment during the longtrial which he had undergone.

  Leon shared the general enthusiasm. The great character of his friendwas perfectly revealed to him, and, measuring the importance of thesacrifice the Indian had made of the twenty fairest years of his lifewith that of his own love for Maria, which he had been unable to makeup his mind to relinquish, he confessed to himself that there was inDiego's heart a paternal devotion far superior to any that he wascapable of feeling.

  At length the Sayotkatta rose and walked towards the Inca with a slowand majestic step: on coming in front of him, he stopped and gazed athim with pride, and then said--

  "The piaies are right, you are really a descendant of the race of theTortoise. Son of Tahi-Mari," he added, as he took off his gold diademand placed it on Diego's brow, "be our chief."

  "Yes, yes," the Indians exclaimed, eagerly rising; "Tahi-Mari!Tahi-Mari! he alone ought to command us; he alone is worthy to be theToqui of the Twelve Nations."