CHAPTER XII
THE SHADOW IN THE FOREST
Luiz and his comrades escorted Henry back to the prison, and theexpressive face of Luiz showed pleasure. He made a vigorous pantomime andspoke words in Spanish.
"Yes, I understand your meaning if not your language, my friend," saidHenry, "and I thank you. I am glad to know that I have your good will."
When the door of his prison was thrown open and Henry was then shut inagain with his comrades they looked at him expectantly.
"Well?" said Paul.
"What happened?" said Long Jim.
"Anything to tell?" said Tom Ross.
"How's your shoulder, Paul?" asked Henry.
"Fast getting well," replied Paul, who knew that his comrade would speakin his own good time.
Henry sat on the floor and leaned against the wall in as comfortable aposition as he could assume. Then he looked rather humorously at hiscomrades.
"Alvarez wanted to bribe me," he said.
"To bribe you? What do you mean?"
"Yes, to bribe me--and all of us together. He wanted us to serve him herein Louisiana, and help him in an attempt to bring over Kentucky to Spain."
"That is, he wanted to make Braxton Wyatts out of us?" said Paul.
"You put it exactly right, Paul," said Henry, "I laughed at him, andcalled him by the names that belonged to him. He brought in Braxton Wyattand the soldiers and ordered me to be put in irons, there in hispresence."
"What!" exclaimed Paul, "did he dare that, too?"
"Yes. His object, of course, was to humiliate me--and all of us. It wasstopped by one who came in at the right moment. You couldn't guess who itwas."
"It must a-been Shif'less Sol," said Long Jim, whose mind ran to physicaldeeds. "I guess he sent a bullet right into the middle uv that rascalcrew. Sol's the boy to be right on the spot when he's needed."
Henry laughed.
"No, Jim," he said. "That's a pretty wild guess. It was none other thanFather Montigny, the man whom we helped. He paid us back sooner than wethought. You ought to have seen him, Paul. He looked like an avengingangel. He stood there, a single, unarmed man, and they were afraid of him.I could see fear on every one of their faces."
Paul's vivid imagination instantly painted the whole scene. It appealed tohim with tremendous power. It was the triumph of mind and character overforce and wickedness.
"I can see Father Montigny now," he said. "A man who always does right andhas no fear whatever of death, is afraid of nothing, either in this worldor the world to come."
"Which gives him a pow'ful sight uv freedom," said Long Jim.
"When he told them to stop they took away their balls and chain," saidHenry, "and sent me back here. Alvarez realized that he had gone too far,but I think that he fears Father Montigny for other reasons, too. Thepriest may put the Governor General on his guard."
"So we ain't alone," said Long Jim musingly. "Curious how you git helpwhen you ain't expectin' it. The wicked hev it their way fur a while, an'then they don't. They don't ever seem able to finish up their work.Sometimes I think the right is jest like a river flowin' on in its nateralchannel, an' boun' to git to the sea after a while, no matter whathappens. The wrong is all them dams, an' san' bars an' snags, and brushan' drift-wood that people an' chance pile up in the way. They do choke upthe waters, an' send 'em around in other channels, an' make a heap uvtrouble, but by and by them waters git to the sea jest the same."
"I hope so, Jim," said Paul.
"Now thar ain't no doubt uv what I say," said Long Jim. "Take this case uvourn. Jest when we need it most fur a thousand miles uv river travel wegit a bee-yu-ti-ful boat, all fitted up with everything we want. Jest whenthat Spaniard gits his paws on us, he don't git his paws on one uv us, an'that's Shif'less Sol out thar in the woods. An' so long ez Shif'less Solis free out thar in the woods we're mighty nigh free ourselves. Then, whenthis same Spaniard is ready to load irons on Henry in a way that nofree-born man kin stand, in pops a priest who likes us--an' we don'tbelong to his church either--an' puts a stop to the whole thing."
While they were talking Francisco Alvarez also was busy with a kindredtheme, as he entertained a guest. That guest was Father Montigny, to whomhe had made up his mind to be courteous, although he would not condescendto any further apology. He ordered that the priest should receive food andattention, and that men should look after and replenish his canoe whichwas now tied in the bayou. After all these orders were given, Alvarez satin the great room of Beaulieu and smoked the cigarro of his time.
There was a bitter drop in the well of his satisfaction. The coming of thepriest had been unforeseen and unfortunate. He knew Father Montigny, andFather Montigny knew him. Now how much did Father Montigny know of hisplans? That was the important question.
While he was yet speaking, Father Montigny, whom a very little of rest andfood always sufficed, entered the room, his manner full of austerity.Francisco Alvarez rose, all blandness and courtesy.
"Be seated, Father," he said. "It is a poor place that we have here, butwe give you of our best. Who would deserve it more than you, a man of suchlong travels and such great hardships in the holiest of all causes?"
The face of the priest did not relax. He sat down upon one of the canechairs and gazed sternly at Alvarez. Truly, it is a terrible thing to meetthe accusing gaze of a man who fears neither torture, nor death, nor theworld to come! The accusation is likely to be true. Alvarez looked away.Twice within one day he who, with reason, thought himself so courageoushad been forced to yield to the gaze of another, and his heart was full ofangry rebellion. But he knew that knowledge and power dwelt under thesimple black robe of this man.
"It seems," said Father Montigny, and there was a slight touch of irony inhis tone, "that I came at the right moment."
Francisco Alvarez compelled his face to smile, though his heart wasraging.
"I have already apologized, Father Montigny," he said, "for what I wasabout to do. And yet the phrase 'about to do' is wrong. Even if you hadnot come I should have repented of myself, and sent away the irons. I canrepeat, too, in my defense that I was provoked beyond endurance by thisyouth's insolence."
His tone was silky, light, indolent, as if he would dismiss a trifle aboutwhich too much had been said already. It might have been convincing to anyother man, but he felt the stern, reproving gaze of Father Montigny stillfixed upon him.
"And what of the ring and the professional swordsman?" said the priest."Are you to turn a youth to a gladiator, even as the blessed martyrs weregiven to the lions and tigers by the Roman pagans! What of that, FranciscoAlvarez? Are such deeds to be done, here, in our day, in Louisiana, and topass unchallenged?"
The priest's voice rose and it cut like the sharp edge of a knife. Neversince his boyhood had Francisco Alvarez flushed more deeply, and he moveduneasily on his cane chair.
"You give it a name that does not belong to it," he said. "It was play, ornot much more. Romildo, the swordsman, had orders not to hurt him much."
"That may or may not be true, Francisco Alvarez," said the priest,speaking slowly and precisely. "But I have more to ask you. What of thisplot of yours to set the Indian tribes and a Spanish force with cannonupon Kaintock? What of your plan to become Governor General in place ofGalvez? What of your intention to make distant war upon the rebel coloniesand therefore commit Spain to an alliance with England? Answer me,Francisco Alvarez. What of these things?"
The priest rose from his seat, as he spoke, and lifted that stern,accusing finger. Alvarez was as still as if struck by lightning. His greatplan known to this man, this man who feared not even torture, or death,or the world to come! He shrank visibly both mentally and physically, butthen his courage came back under the spur of dreadful necessity.
"A priest can take great liberties," he said. "Sometimes I think itscarcely fair that you of the Book may denounce us of the sword and thatwe may say nothing in return, although we may be right and you may bewrong. It is sufficient now for me to tell you
that I do not know what youare talking about. I, the Governor General! Any man may dream of that! Ihave done so, and I have no doubt that many others have done the same. Ifavor, too, an alliance with England, as do nearly all the Spanishofficers in Louisiana, but I am a faithful servant of His Majesty, theKing, and though I may hold my opinions, I know of no plot, either againstBernardo Galvez or to make a war upon Kaintock."
"I have heard you, Francisco Alvarez," said the priest, "but it is foryour actions to prove the truth of your words. See to it, also, that thereis no further cruelty practised against these men from Kaintock."
"They are my prisoners," replied Alvarez, "and I mean to hold them. Thereyou cannot interfere, Father Montigny. They were taken in arms against usupon our soil of Louisiana, and that they are my prisoners even you cannotdispute."
"No," replied Father Montigny, "I do not dispute it; at least not for thepresent. But if they are held as prisoners they should be sent to BernardoGalvez at New Orleans, and not be retained here."
He walked out without waiting for an answer, and Francisco Alvarez wasglad to see him go. Five minutes later the Spaniard sent for Braxton Wyattand the two remained long in consultation.
Meanwhile, something was stirring in the forest not far from Beaulieu. Itwas a forest of magnolia, willow, and cypress, and of oaks, from whichhung great solemn festoons of moss. A deep still bayou cut across it, andhere and there were pools of stagnant water, in which coiling black formsswam.
Night was deepening over the wilderness upon which the estate of Beaulieuhad made only a scratch. Pale moonlight fell over the drooping greenforest and across the deep waters of the bayou. The something that hadstirred resolved itself into the shadowy figure of a man who came out ofthe heart of the forest toward its edge. He walked with a singularly agilestep. His moccasined feet made no noise when they touched the ground andthe bushes seemed to part for the passage of his body.
When the man reached the edge of the forest next to the Chateau ofBeaulieu, he paused for a long time, standing in the shadow of the trees.Always he looked fixedly at a single building, the log hut, in whichAlvarez held his four prisoners from Kaintock. While he stood there, strayrays of moonlight coming through the cypresses fell upon him, revealing atanned face, yellow hair, and a tall, athletic form. He did not look likea Spaniard or an Acadian, or one of the Frenchmen who had emigrated fromCanada, or any kind of a West Indian. His was certainly an alien presencein those regions.
The moon slid back behind a cloud, the silver rays failed, and the figureof the man became more indistinct, almost a shadow, thin and impalpable.Then he bent far over in a stooping position, passed rapidly through apatch of scrub bushes, and came much nearer to the log prison.
At the edge of the bushes he stopped again and watched the prison for atleast a minute. Two soldiers were on watch in front of it before thesingle door, two soldiers in Spanish uniform, who were suffering fromtedium, and who were quite sure, anyway that unarmed prisoners could notescape from a one-room building of logs with but a single door, secured bya huge, oak shutter, and two windows, each too small to admit the passageof a boy's or man's body.
The two soldiers slouched in their walk, and presently, when their beatsmet before the door, they let the butts of their guns rest on the ground,and exchanged pleasant talk about pretty, dark girls that they had knownin far-away Spain. One boldly lighted a cigarrito and the other encouragedby his example did likewise. Hark, what was that? "A lizard in the grass,"said Carlos. "Yes, certainly," said Juan. They continued to smoke theircigarritos blissfully, and talk of the pretty, dark girls that they hadknown in far-away Spain.
As they smoked and talked, and found smoke, talk and company pleasant,they did not see a shadow glide swiftly from the bushes and pass to therear of the log prison that they were guarding so well. Nor could theysee the shadow, since the building was now between them, resolve itselfagain into the figure of a man, who stood upright against the wall, hisface at one of the little slits of windows.
Their own talk was so pleasant, and the sound of their voices was such acure for lonesomeness on a dark night, that they did not hear the man atthe little slit of a window utter a faint warning hiss. Nor did they hearsomething a moment later fall with a slight metalic sound on the barkfloor of the prison. The sound was repeated in an instant, but still theydid not hear it, and then the figure of a man, melting back to a shadow,glided away from the house and into the bushes and thence to the forest,where it was lost.
Carlos and Juan chatted until their cigarritos were smoked out. Then theyshouldered their muskets and continued the watch that seemed to them soeasy. How could unarmed men escape through such a thickness of logs? Theshadow in the forest was lost to the sight of any possible Spaniard, butnot to the sight of another shadow that arose from the bushes and flittedafter it. The two shadows were now deep in the forest, but the second hungclose on the first, making no noise, and sinking quickly to the ground,when the other looked back.
This second shadow, as it passed through a partially open space, alsorevealed itself in the moonlight as a man, but a man ghastly and terriblein appearance. He had a hideous, feline face, and he was naked, save abreech-cloth at the waist. He carried but a single weapon, a knife in hisready hand, but the eyes were those of the most utter savage expecting aspeedy prey.
The first shadow reached a little grove free from undergrowth and stopped.He was about to lie down, rifle by his side, and seek sleep, but his ear,attuned to the wilderness, caught a faint sound. It was not the wind amongthe leaves, nor the gliding of a snake nor the chirp of an insect, but asound that was not a part of the night harmony. The sensitive ear hadgiven him warning, as the instinct of an animal warns that an enemy hascome.
The first shadow slid from the grove and into the undergrowth, sank low,and, waiting, caught sight of the second shadow, the man who pursued. Hesaw the naked figure, the feline face, and the ready knife in hand. Theskill and wonderful forest intuition of the second man had been matched bythose of the first.
The pursued, when he caught that glimpse of his pursuer, laid his riflecarefully on the earth, because he did not wish a shot to be heard, anddrew his own knife. Slight as was the sound that he made the other heardit, turned in a flash, and the two sprang at each other.
The moonlight streamed for a moment along their knife blades and then theystruck. One stepped back, and remained standing upright. The other swayeda moment and then fell without a sound, lying upon his back.
He who lay staring with sightless eyes up at the moon was the man with thefeline face and the body naked save for the cloth at the waist. The other,unharmed, stood, looking at him a moment or two, and then plunged deeperinto the forest.
Morning dawned. The sun swung up through a terrace of rosy clouds, andLuiz brought the four their breakfast, _callas tous chauds_, other food ofLa Louisiane, and milk and coffee. They ate and drank with a greatappetite, and it seemed to Luiz that they were quite cheerful, for whichhe was truly glad, because one of these men had saved his life, and thewounded youth who made an especial appeal to him had been subjected tobarbarous treatment. But Paul could use his injured arm already. His bloodwas so healthy that the scratch of the sword healed fast.
Two or three hours later Francisco Alvarez and Braxton Wyatt entered theprison. The renegade was not above showing by his looks that he rejoicedin his triumph over his enemies, but the face of Alvarez was withoutexpression.
"I have come to tell you," said the Spaniard, "that you will be held heresubject to my will. But you will not be treated badly. At such time as Ithink fit you may be taken to New Orleans."
"It seems that the words of Father Montigny were not to be despised," saidHenry maliciously.
"Father Montigny disposes of nothing here," said Alvarez. "This is to bedone because I think it best."
Then he and Wyatt went out, but that afternoon when Alvarez was sitting inthe cool shadow of the pillared portico, there came to him a man, dusty,and riding fast, who delivered to him a
document sealed with red seals,and important in appearance.
When Alvarez read the paper he frowned, and then cursed under his breath.It was written in plain letters and its meaning was plain, also. It statedthat Bernardo Galvez, the Governor General at New Orleans, had learnedthat his brave and loyal captain, Don Francisco Louis Philip FerdinandAlvarez, held in his possession four prisoners from Kaintock, persons ofdaring, whose presence in Louisiana might be of great significance.Therefore His Excellency, Bernardo Galvez, Governor General of Louisiana,commanded his trusty and loyal captain, Don Francisco Louis PhilipFerdinand Alvarez, to bring the aforesaid four prisoners, from Kaintock,to New Orleans at once.
"At once!" repeated Alvarez angrily to himself. "That means not next weekbut now, and I am compelled to obey. To refuse or to evade would make abreach too soon."
He sent for Braxton Wyatt and told him of the letter. The renegade wasstartled, but he counseled immediate obedience from motives of policy.
"How could Galvez have known?" said Alvarez. "How could the news havereached New Orleans so soon?"
"Perhaps the priest has told," suggested Wyatt.
"No, that is impossible. He came from up river, and I am glad to say thathe left again in his canoe this morning. Those Capuchins to whom hebelongs shall be well punished, if I gain the power in Louisiana. Theyshall be expelled, every one of them, from New Orleans, and their oldrivals, the Jesuits, shall take their place. It's one of the first thingsthat I mean to do."
"It would be a wise thing to do," said Braxton Wyatt. He cared nothing foreither Capuchin or Jesuit, but he hated and feared Father Montigny, andwould be glad to know that he was driven from the country.
"We must start in the morning," said Alvarez. "It will not take us long toreach New Orleans by the river, and I can spin a tale that will lull thesuspicions of Galvez."
"You can prove many things by me," said Braxton Wyatt significantly.
"Yes, Senor Wyatt, you are a good lieutenant," said Alvarez, and he meantit. "We will make our preparations to-night and start with a strong forcein the morning. We need not bring the prisoners forth until we are ready."
Alvarez, slept peacefully that night. He had recovered his spirits, shakenby the arrival of the King's messenger. Aided by the dexterous renegade,Braxton Wyatt, he would soon persuade Bernardo Galvez that he had actedfor the best in the matter of the men from Kaintock.
He rose early the next morning and, as a mark of signal favor, invitedBraxton Wyatt to take breakfast with him. While they sat together Luizcame in with a long face.
"Now what is it, my brave Luiz?" said Alvarez, who was in an exceedinggood humor, "why this saturnine countenance?"
"I beg to report, your Excellency," said Luiz, "that the Natchez Indianwhom they call The Cat had been found dead in the forest, of a knifethrust that came out behind the shoulder."
"That is bad," said Alvarez. "Have they found out who did it?"
"No, Your Excellency. There were some signs of a struggle, and a fewtraces of foot-steps, but the trail was gone before they had followed it adozen yards."
"We have lost a good man," said Alvarez, "a matchless spy and trailer, butit cannot be helped. I suppose it was a quarrel with some savage likehimself. I would investigate the matter, but we have not time now. Come,Luiz, we will take out the prisoners, and then to the boats."
He led the way across the grass to the log house,--two sentinels, again itwas Carlos and Juan--walked up and down in front of it--and the Spanishcaptain was pleased at their vigilance. He gave them a very good morningas they saluted respectfully.
"Unlock the door, Luiz," he said. "This is a strong prison and a closeone. I've no doubt our gallants from Kaintock, where there is much room,will be glad to be outside again."
Luiz inserted the huge iron key, turned it in the lock, and threw wide thedoor. Alvarez looked in, and then uttered a cry so charged with rage thateven Braxton Wyatt was startled. He pressed close up to his chief andgazed over his shoulder.
The prison was empty!
"What does this mean?" shouted Alvarez at the trembling sentinels. "Theprisoners have escaped! Idiots! Blind men! What have you been doing? Haveyou helped them yourselves? If it is so, both of you shall be shot!"
The unfortunates, Carlos and Juan, stared at the empty prison and crossedthemselves. "Witchcraft," muttered Carlos, the readier of the two. "Wehave watched faithfully all night, my captain. We saw nothing, we heardnothing, and the door was locked, as you behold. We are honest men and wehave been faithful!"
Braxton Wyatt pointed to the dark corner of the prison.
"See," he said, "that is how they went."
Heaped against the wall was a pile of dirt, and in its place a hole largeenough to admit a man's body led under the logs. The Spaniard cried out inrage again.
"We see how they have gone!" he exclaimed, "but in what way did they doit? Who has helped them!"
Braxton Wyatt examined the tunnel. The bottom logs of the cabin restedsquarely upon the ground, after the primitive fashion. The floor was ofbark, and a section of this had been lifted. The prisoners had then dugtheir hole under the log.
"It was done with metal tools of some kind," said Wyatt. "But they hadnothing when we locked them in here. I can swear to that, as I was one ofthose who searched them well."
"Then they must have had help!" exclaimed Alvarez, and again he turnedfiercely upon the sentinels, but Braxton Wyatt intervened. He was gladthat he could patronize Alvarez at least once and show himself to be thesuperior in discernment.
"These men, Your Excellency, of whom I told you to beware, were five," hesaid. "We captured four, therefore one was left, and I said beware of him,even alone. He is a fellow of great cunning and skill who would tryanything. He has come for his comrades, and he has taken them away withhim."
"It must be as you say," said Alvarez, seeking now to hide his anger. Hewas not sorry on the whole that the sentinels were obviously innocent, ashe needed as many adherents as he could keep, in order to carry out hisgreat plan.
"Knowing that the window was too small to admit them, we watched only thefront where the door is, Your Excellency," said Carlos, still trembling."Who would have dreamed that these men of Kaintock were magicians, thatwithout picks or shovels they could burrow under the earth and be gonelike ghosts."
"Begone yourselves!" exclaimed Alvarez. "Get ready for the boats atonce!"
Carlos and Juan fled away, glad to escape the sight of their master.
"Now that they have escaped, what do you think they will do?" askedAlvarez of Wyatt.
"They will go to New Orleans," replied the renegade promptly, "and appearbefore Bernardo Galvez to denounce you."
"Then our own start must not be delayed a moment!" exclaimed Alvarez.
In an hour he and his force were ready to embark.
The Free Rangers: A Story of the Early Days Along the Mississippi Page 12