The Pearl of the Andes: A Tale of Love and Adventure. Gustave Aimard
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the Ulmen replied; "these traces are at least four days old."
"What traces are you speaking of, chief?"
"Traces of blood."
"Of blood!" the young man cried. "Can Doña Rosario have been assassinated?"
"No," the chief replied, "if this blood belonged to her, she has only been wounded; her wound has been dressed."
"Dressed! come, that is too strong, chief!"
"My brother is quick – he does not reflect. Let him look here."
And he opened his right hand, and displayed an object enclosed in it.
"Caramba!" Valentine replied, quite out of humour, "an old dried leaf! What on earth can that teach?"
"Everything," said the Indian.
"Pardieu? If you can prove that, chief, I shall consider you the greatest machi in all Araucania."
"It is very simple. This leaf is the oregano leaf; the oregano so valuable for stopping the effusion of blood."
"Here are traces of blood; a person has been wounded; and on the same spot I find an oregano leaf: that leaf did not come there of itself, consequently that person's wounds have been dressed."
The woman now entered, bearing two ox horns full of harina tostada; they ate their horn of meal heartily, and drank more than one cup of chicha each. As soon as they had ended this light repast, the Indian presented the maté to them, which they tossed off with great pleasure, and then they lit their cigars.
"My sister is kind," Trangoil-Lanec said; "will she talk a minute with us!"
"I will do as my brothers please."
Valentine took two piastres from his pocket, and presented them to the woman, saying, "Will my sister permit me to offer her this trifle to make earrings?"
"I thank my brother," said the poor woman; "my brother is a muruche; perhaps he is the relation of the young paleface girl who was here?"
"I am not her relation," he said, "I am her friend. I confess that if my sister can give me any intelligence of her, she will render me happy."
"Some days ago," said the woman, "a great woman of the palefaces arrived here towards evening, followed by half a score of mosotones; I am not well, and that is why, for a month past, I have remained in the village. This woman asked me to allow her to pass the night in my hut. Towards the middle of the night there was a great noise of horses in the village, and several horsemen arrived, bringing with them a young palefaced maiden of a mild and sad countenance; she was a prisoner to the other, as I afterwards learnt. I do not know how the young girl managed it, but she succeeded in escaping. This woman and the Toqui went in search of the young girl, whom they soon brought back across a horse, with her head cut. The poor child had fainted; her blood flowed in abundance; she was in a pitiable state. I do not know what passed, but the woman suddenly changed her manner of acting towards the young girl; she dressed her wound, and took the most affectionate care at her. After that, Antinahuel and the woman departed, leaving the young girl in my hut, with ten mosotones to guard her. One of these mosotones told me that the girl belonged to the Toqui, who intended to make her his wife."
"Yesterday the paleface squaw was much better, and the mosotones set off with her, about three o'clock."
"And the young girl," Trangoil-Lanec asked, "did she say nothing to my sister before she departed?"
"Nothing," the woman answered; "the poor child wept; she was unwilling to go, but they made her get on horseback by threatening to tie her on."
"Which way did they go?" said Trangoil-Lanec.
"The mosotones talked among themselves of the tribe of the Red Vulture."
"Thanks to my sister," the Ulmen replied; "she may retire, the men are going to hold a council."
The woman arose and left the cuarto.
"Now," the chief asked, "what is my brother's intention?"
"Pardieu! we must follow the track of the ravishers."
"Good! that is also my advice; only, two men are not enough to accomplish such a project."
"True; but what else are we to do?"
"Not to set out till this evening."
"Why so?"
"Because Curumilla will have rejoined us by that time."
Valentine, knowing that he had several hours to pass in this place, resolved to take advantage of the opportunity; he stretched himself upon the ground, placed a stone under his head, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Trangoil-Lanec did not sleep, but, with a piece of cord which he picked up in a corner of the hut, he measured all the footprints left upon the ground of the hut.
After carefully tying the end of the cord to his belt, he, in his turn, lay down upon the ground close to Valentine.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE AMBUSCADE
Curumilla and his two companions descended the steep sides of the Corcovado; if the ascent had been difficult, the descent was not less so. Everywhere escaped thousands of hideous creatures; and not unfrequently they caught glimpses of snakes, unfolding their threatening rings under the dead leaves which on all sides covered the ground. Sometimes they were obliged to crawl on their knees, at others to jump from branch to branch.
This painful and fatiguing march lasted nearly three hours. At the end of that time they found themselves again at the entrance of the grotto where they had left their horses. The two white men were literally knocked up, particularly the count. As for Curumilla, he was as fresh and active as if he had not gone a step. Physical fatigue seems to have no hold on the iron organisation of the Indians.
"My brothers require test," he said; "we will remain here for them to recover their strength."
A half hour passed away without a word being exchanged. Curumilla had disappeared for a time.
When he returned he drew from his belt a small box which he presented to the count, saying, "Take this."
"Oh!" cried Don Tadeo, joyfully, "coca!"
"Yes," said the Indian, "my father can take some."
"What is all that to do?" said the count.
"My friend," said Don Tadeo, "America is the promised land; its privileged soil produces everything: as we have the herb of Paraguay, which is so good a substitute for tea, we have coca, which, I assure you, advantageously supplies the place of the betel, and has the faculty of restoring the strength and reviving the courage."
"The deuce!" said the young man. "You are too serious, Don Tadeo, to leave me for an instant to suppose you wish to impose upon my credulity; give me quickly, I beg, some of this precious drug."
Don Tadeo held out to the count the coca he had prepared. The latter put it into his mouth without hesitation. Curumilla, after having carefully reclosed the box and returned it to his belt, saddled the horses. All at once a sharp firing was heard.
"What is all that?" Louis cried, springing up.
"The fight beginning," Curumilla replied coolly.
At that moment the cries became redoubled.
"Come!" said Don Tadeo; "one hour's delay cannot cause any great harm to my daughter."
"To horse, then," said the chief.
As they drew nearer, the noise of the fierce fight that was raging in the defile became more distinct; they recognised perfectly the war cry of the Chilians mixed with the howlings of the Araucanos; now and then bullets were flattened against the trees, or whizzed around them.
"Halt!" cried the Ulmen suddenly.
The horsemen checked their horses, which were bathed in sweat. Curumilla had conducted his friends to a place which entirely commanded the outlet of the defile on the side of Santiago. It was a species of natural fortress, composed of blocks of granite, strangely heaped upon one another by some convulsion of nature, perhaps an earthquake. These rocks, at a distance, bore a striking