Les fils de la tortue. English

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  A MIRACULOUS CURE.

  Tcharanguii had returned to Garakouaiti, with orders to fetchreinforcements for the Molucho army, which, under Tahi-Mari's orders,had seized by surprise Valdivia and Concepcion, and was advancing onTalca. The young chief had been delighted at this mission, which gavehim an opportunity for seeing again his two captives, with whom he wasso struck. Hence, after explaining to the council the motive of hispresence in the city, he hastened to seek the Sayotkatta to whom he hadentrusted them. But the latter, on learning the return of the youngIndian chief, proceeded to Mahiaa to warn her and recommend her silenceabout the active part which she had taken in the attempted conversionof the young ladies. Mahiaa promised to remain dumb, and informed theold man of the arrival of Cari-Lemon the Jagouas, whose knowledge mightbe useful in re-establishing the health of the prisoners.

  The Sayotkatta thanked the Indian squaw for her devotion, and beggedher to send the Jagouas of the Huiliches to him. Meli-Antou himselfpromised to bring him to the palace as soon as he came in again.After this the Sayotkatta, henceforth at rest, awaited the visit ofTcharanguii, for which he had nerved himself.

  At the first words which the chief uttered as to the lively desire hefelt to see his prisoners, the old man replied that, for the sake ofguarding them more effectually, he had removed them to the Palace ofthe Vestals until they were restored to their legitimate owner.

  "My father will promptly deliver them into my hands, then," Tcharanguiisaid, "for they belong to me alone."

  "My son," the high priest continued, "my heart is filled withaffliction, but I cannot satisfy my son's just demand, for the maidenswhom he confided to my charge have been sorely tried by Chemiin, whohas sent on them the scourge of illness."

  "Is their life menaced?" the young chief exclaimed.

  "Gualichu alone holds in his hand the existence of his creatures;but still I believe that the danger may be avoided. I am awaiting anillustrious Jagouas, belonging to the Huiliche tribe, who, by the helpof his knowledge, may restore strength and health to the slaves whom myson won from the barbarous Spaniards."

  Tcharanguii, on hearing this bad news, had not been able to repress amovement of annoyance, which seemed to show that he was not entirelythe Sayotkatta's dupe, and suspected what had really happened. Still,either through respect or a fear of being mistaken in his suppositions,he constrained himself, and contented himself with begging the old manto neglect nothing to save his captives, adding that he would know howto display his gratitude to him for the attention which he might paythem.

  At this very moment Leon entered, accompanied by Meli-Antou. TheSayotkatta looked at him with close scrutiny, and made him undergo across-examination precisely like Meli-Antou's. His answers satisfiedthe high priest, for a few minutes after he led him away to theJouimion Fare, to examine into the illness of the senoras, whileMeli-Antou and Tcharanguii followed them.

  Leon's heart was beating with the most violent emotion, and heavy dropsof perspiration stood on his forehead. The critical position in whichhe found himself was, indeed, of a nature to cause him lively anxiety.He was not at all afraid about retaining his own coolness and stoicismin the presence of the young ladies, for he had too great an interestin not betraying himself to lack the strength of remaining his ownmaster; whatever might happen.

  But what he feared above all was the effect which his presence mightproduce on the senoras if they recognised him at the first glance, orwhen he made himself known, for it was indispensable for the success ofthe stratagem which he wished to employ that the young ladies shouldknow with whom they had to deal.

  In the meanwhile they had arrived; the four men saw the palace gatesopen before them; but so soon as they had entered a large room, which,through the absence of all furniture, might be compared to a vestibule,Tcharanguii received orders to remain there with Meli-Antou, while theSayotkatta and Leon proceeded to visit the captives. As we said, allthe Indians, except the Sayotkatta, were interdicted from entering theresidence of the Virgins of the Sun; still one person--the medicineman--was of course an exception to the rule.

  Following the Sayotkatta, then, Leon crossed a long courtyard, entirelypaved with brick, and going up a few steps, found himself in a smallbuilding entirely separate from the main building in which were theVirgins of the Sun.

  In a hammock of cocoa fibre, suspended from two golden rings at abouteighteen inches from the ground, a maiden was lying, whose excessivelypale face bore the stamp of great sorrow. It was Dona Inez deSoto-Mayor. By her side stood her sister Maria, with her arms folded onher chest, and her eyes, full of her state of despondency, proved thatshe had for a long time abandoned all hopes of emerging from the prisonin which she was confined, and that the illness had also assailed her.This room, which received no light from without, was merely illuminedby a torch fixed in a bracket in the wall, and whose vacillating flamecast a sickly reflection over the persons present. At the sight of thetwo men, Maria gave a start of terror. Leon turned to his guide.

  "Chemiin alone is powerful, for his skill supports the world," he said."Ghialichu inspires me; but I must be alone in order to read on theface of the sufferers the nature of their malady."

  The Sayotkatta hesitated for a moment, and then left the room. Leonrushed to the door, fastened it on the inside, and returned to Maria,who, more and more terrified, was crouching in a corner.

  "Maria! it is I--I, Leon, who has come to save you--"

  A cry escaped from the maiden's breast.

  "Silence," said the smuggler; "perhaps he is listening."

  Inez was awake, and looking at this scene, whose meaning escaped her.

  "You, Leon?" Maria at length said, as she cast her arms round the youngman's neck. "Oh, thank heaven! thanks!"

  "For mercy's sake, listen to me! The moments are precious."

  "Oh! take me away, if you love me! Take me away at once!"

  "Soon."

  "Oh, sir," Inez said, in her turn, "save me, and my father will rewardyou."

  Leon smiled, and looked at Maria, who raised to him her lovely eyes,radiant with joy and love.

  "My father--where is he?" she asked him. "My sister reminds me that weleft him in the midst of the contest."

  "He is in safety, so calm yourself."

  Footsteps were heard approaching the room in which the young peoplewere assembled.

  "Someone is coming," said Leon; "take care."

  "But what must we do?" Maria asked.

  "Wait, and have confidence."

  "What! you are going away?"

  "I shall return. Once again, hope and patience."

  "Leon, if you do not save us, we shall die."

  "Oh yes, Senor Captain, have pity on us," Inez added.

  Maria's curls grazed Leon's lips, who felt his soul pass away in thekiss which he gave them.

  "Whatever happens, whatever you may hear, trust in me, for I amwatching."

  "Thanks."

  The footsteps had stopped after drawing nearer still; Leon opened thedoor, and without uttering a syllable, passed before the Sayotkatta,displaying marks of the greatest agitation, and ran toward thevestibule, making incomprehensible gestures. The maidens askedthemselves whether they were not the sport of a dream, while theSayotkatta was dumb with surprise.

  Closing the door again, he followed Leon, but as if he did notdare approach him. At the moment when he entered the room in whichMeli-Antou and Tcharanguii were waiting, Leon had rejoined the latter,and still seemed possessed by thought which absorbed him.

  "Well, brother?" the two Indians said. "Speak," the Sayotkatta added;"what is the matter with you?"

  "The sons of Chemiin must arm themselves with courage," Leon slowlyanswered.

  "What does my son mean?" the old man resumed.

  "Mayoba has seized on these women, and from this night the evil spiritwill smite all those who approach them; for the learning which Gualichuhas given me has enabled me to assure myself of the malign influenceswhich they can exer
t."

  The three Indians, credulous like all of their race, fell back a step;and Leon still continued apparently to wrestle against the influence ofMayoba.

  "What must be done to deliver them?" Tcharanguii asked.

  "All strength and wisdom come from Gualichu," said Leon. "I ask myfather, the Sayotkatta, to let me pass this night in prayer in theChemiin sona."

  The Indians exchanged a glance of admiration.

  "Be it as my son desires," the Sayotkatta answered.

  "Until tomorrow, let no one approach the Spanish women, and Gualichuwill grant my prayer by indicating to me the remedy to be applied."

  The men bowed their assent, and left the palace with Leon. On arrivingin front of the Temple of the Sun, Tcharanguii and Meli-Antou parted,and the Sayotkatta led Leon into the interior.

  "Tomorrow, after morning prayer, I will let my father know the will ofGualichu."

  "I will wait, my son," the old man said; and, leaving Leon alone, heretired.

  In order to make our readers properly understand the confidence withwhich the Indians accepted Leon's statements, it is necessary to addthat, in these countries, soothsayers are regarded as the favouritesof the Deity, and enjoying an unlimited supernatural power. And itmust not be supposed that the lower classes are alone imbued with thisopinion: the chief of the warriors, and the priests themselves, thoughthey do not grant them such an absolute power, recognise a markedsuperiority over themselves.

  Leon passed the whole night in arranging in his mind the details of theplan which he had formed to rescue the two maidens. The next morninghe paid a visit in the company of the Sayotkatta to them, in whichhe acquired the certainty that Inez could without danger support thefatigue of being removed from the Palace of the Vestals. In fact, theNina, who had suddenly recovered the hope which had abandoned her,found the illness which was undermining her health dissipated as if byenchantment. As for Maria, the captain's presence had given her morethan hope, in the unlimited confidence resulting from reciprocated love.

  As on the previous day, Leon was careful to remain alone with the youngladies, and begged them to hold themselves in readiness to quit theJouimion Fare. As on the previous day, too, Tcharanguii and Meli-Antouanxiously awaited in the first room the result of the visit, where Leonfound them, and the young chief questioned him as to the state of thepatients. He pretended to reflect for a moment, and then replied--

  "My brother Tcharanguii is a great chief, and the palefaces tremble athis appearance; his heart can rejoice, for his captives will soon bedelivered from the wicked spirit."

  "Is my son speaking the truth?" the Sayotkatta asked, as he triedto read in the countenance of the false medicine man the degree ofconfidence that he could place in his words.

  "I am a simple man, whose strength resides in the protection whichGualichu grants me, and it is he who has revealed to me the means ofrestoring health to those who are suffering."

  The Sayotkatta bowed submissively, and invited Leon to let him knowwhat he ought to do.

  "Matai!" Leon answered; "on the coming of the third day following thepresent one, so soon as Iskarre spreads abroad his beneficent light, mybrother, the young chief of the Jaos, will take the skin of a llama,which my father, the venerated Sayotkatta of the Moluchos, will killin the interval, and bless in the name of Chemiin. He will spread outthis skin on a mound which I will show him, and which must exist in thevicinity of the city, so that Mayoba, on leaving the maidens, cannotenter any person belonging to Garakouaiti; after which he will lead thetwo captives to the spot where the skin is stretched out."

  "But," the Sayotkatta interrupted, "one of them is unable to leave thehammock in which her body reposes."

  "The wisdom of my father dwells in each of his words; but Gualichu hasgiven the strength to her whom he wishes to save to leave her bed."

  For a second time the Sayotkatta yielded to the subtlety of theseunanswerable arguments.

  "That done," Leon continued, "he will select four of his bravestwarriors to help him to guard the captives through the night; and then,after I have given my brother, as well as the men who accompany him, adrink to protect them against all evil influences, I will expel Mayoba,who is torturing the paleface squaws."

  Meli-Antou and Tcharanguii listened in silence, while the Sayotkattaseemed to reflect; Leon noticed this, and hastened to add--

  "Although Gualichu assists me, and allows me to triumph over the wickedspirit, it is necessary that my brother and the four warriors whom heselects should pass the night preceding the cure in the Chemiin sona,and deliver to the wise Sayotkatta twenty brood mares which have notyet foaled, that they may be sacrificed to Gualichu. Will my brother dothis?"

  "If I do it, will my prisoners be restored to me?" Tcharanguiiobjected, with a certain hesitation.

  "The Spanish girls will not only be restored to my brother, but theywill also feel the most lively gratitude to him. If he refuse, theywill die."

  "I will do it," Tcharanguii said, quickly.

  "My son is a wise man," remarked the Sayotkatta, whose forehead grewclearer when Leon mentioned the gift of the mares; "Gualichu protectshim."

  "My father is too kind," Leon contented himself with answering with afeigned humility, while rejoicing in his heart at seeing the plan hehad conceived so facilely accepted by the Indian.

  Nothing could be more simple than this plan, which consisted incarrying off the maidens when they were on the hillock whence, a fewdays previously, he and Wilhelm had seen for the first time the wallsof Garakouaiti. It was the sole chance of success possible, for hecould not dream of carrying them off from the Jouimion Fare, and evenadmitting that Tahi-Mari had been willing to use his authority over thechief of the Jaos, by forcing him to restore his prisoners to liberty,Leon could not have recourse to him, as he was fighting far away fromthe holy city.

  The delay of three days fixed by Leon before attempting his plan wasnecessary to give Wilhelm time to find Giacomo and return with himand the band commanded by Harrison to the spot where the captain hadmetamorphosed himself into an Indian.

  These three days were employed in visits to the young ladies andprayers in the Temple of the Sun.

  Still the time seemed long to the captain and the daughters of GeneralSoto-Mayor, who continually trembled lest some fortuitous circumstancesmight derange their plan. On the last day, Leon, as usual, wasconversing with Maria, recommending her passive obedience, when heheard a peculiar rustling at the door of the room in which the youngladies were. Immediately reassuming his borrowed face, he opened thedoor, and found himself face to face with the Sayotkatta, who recoiledwith the promptness of a man caught in the act of spying. Had he heardwhat they had been saying in Spanish? Leon did not think so, still heconsidered it prudent to keep on his guard.

  The night at length arrived. The young ladies, each carried in ahammock borne on the shoulders of powerful Indians, were taken tothe hillock, which Leon had pointed out on the previous day toTcharanguii, and deposited on the llama skin stretched out upon it.Leon made Tcharanguii a sign to post as sentries the four men who hadcarried the maidens. Then, after uttering a few mysterious sentences,and burning a handful of odoriferous herbs, he ordered the Indians andtheir chief to kneel down and implore Agriskoui.

  During this time he looked down into the city, striving to see ifanything extraordinary were happening in it. So soon as he was assuredthat all was calm, and that the deepest silence prevailed in the city,he rose to his feet.

  "Let my brother listen to me," he said; "I am going to compel Mayoba toretire from the bodies of the palefaced squaws."

  At this moment Maria and Inez gave a start of terror, but Leon did notappear to notice it.

  "My brothers will come hither!" he commanded. The four sentriesadvanced with a hesitation which threatened to degenerate into terrorat the slightest movement on the part of the smuggler.

  "I am going to pray; but in order to prevent Mayoba from assailing youwhen he quits the maidens, drink this firewater which Gualich
u hasendowed with the virtue of causing those who drink it to resist theassaults of the evil spirit, and then return each of you to your place."

  At the words "firewater," the Indians quivered, and their eyes sparkledwith greed. Leon poured them out, as well as Tcharanguii, half acalabash of spirits, amply doctored with opium, which they swallowed ata draught.

  "Now, on your knees, all of you!" said Leon.

  The Indians obeyed. He alone remained on his feet, holding out hisright hand in the direction of the East, and with the other makinga gesture commanding Mayoba to obey his authority. A minute after hechanged his posture, and began turning round, while making an evocation.

  Half an hour had passed, and during this time one of the Indians hadfallen with his face on the ground, as if prostrating himself throughhumility. Another followed his example, and Tcharanguii imitated him.In a word, the five men were soon all in the same position. Then Leonslightly touched with his foot the man nearest to him, and rolled himover on his side. The opium had thrown him into such a lethargy, thathe could have been stripped without waking him. He did the same withthe other four, who were equally stupefied by the opium. Then, suddenlyturning to the young ladies, who were awaiting the close of this scenewith ever-growing anxiety,

  "Let us go," he said. "Collect all your strength and follow me, for itis a matter of life or death."

  Taking a pistol in either hand, he went down the hillock, precedingInez and Maria, and ran with them in the direction of the forest. Onreaching its skirt they stopped, for the young ladies, exhausted withfatigue, felt that they could go no farther. Leon did not press them,but making them a signal to listen, he imitated with rare perfectionthe cry of an eagle of the Cordilleras, which he repeated twice. Withina minute, which seemed an hour to the smuggler, the same cry answeredhim. A quarter of an hour did not elapse ere sixty riders, havingWilhelm and Harrison at their head, debouched from the forest andsurrounded the captain and the young ladies, whom they lifted on theirsaddles.

  "Saved! great Heavens!" Leon exclaimed; "they are saved!"

  At the same moment a flash crossed the horizon, a whistling was heard,and a bullet broke the branch of a tree a couple of feet from thecaptain.

  "The Indians!" Leon exclaimed; "we must gallop, my lads."