The Rifle Rangers (9 page)

Presently we slipped our heads one by one out of their covers, leaving the five caps upon the grass inclining to each other in the most natural positions. We then stole back lizard-fashion, and, after sprawling a hundred yards or so, rose to our feet and ran like scared dogs. We could tell that we had duped the party below, as we heard them firing away at our empty caps long after we had left the scene of our late adventure.

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Raoul thought that their superstition might prevent the enemy from pursuing us farther. They would consider the lightning as an interference from above-a stroke of thehrazos de Dios . But we had little confidence in this, and, notwithstanding our exhaustion, toiled on through the chaparral. Wearied with over-exertion, half-famished- for we had only commenced eating when roused from our repast in the morning-wet to the skin, cut by the bushes, and bitten by the poisoned teeth of the bloodhounds-blinded, and bruised, and bleeding, we were in but poor travelling condition.

Even Lincoln, whose buoyancy had hitherto borne up, appeared cowed and broken. For the first mile or two he seemed vexed at something and "out of sorts", stopping every now and again, and examining his rifle in a kind of bewilderment.

Feeling that he was once more "in the timber", he began to come to himself.

"Thet sort o' an enemy's new ter me," he said, speaking to Raoul. "Dog-gone the thing! it makes the airth look yeller!"

"You'll see better by and by," replied his comrade.

"I had need ter, Rowl, or I'll butt my brainpan agin one of these hyur saplin's. Wagh! I cudn't sight a b'ar, if we were to scare him up jest now."

About five miles farther on we reached a small stream. The storm had abated, but the stream was swollen with the rain, and we could not cross it. We were now a safe distance from our pursuers-at least, we thought so-and we resolved to "pitch our camp" upon the bank.

This was a simple operation, and consisted in pitching ourselves to the ground under the shade of a spreading tree.

Raoul, who was a tireless spirit, kindled a fire, and commenced knocking down the nuts of the corozo palm, that hung in clusters over our heads. We dried our wet garments, and Lincoln set about dressing our numerous wounds. In this surgical process our shirts suffered severely; but the skill of the hunter soothed our swelling limbs, and after a frugal dinner upon palm-nuts and pitahayas we stretched ourselves along the greensward, and were soon asleep.

I was in that dreamy state, half-sleeping half-waking, when I was aroused by a strange noise that sounded like a multitude of voices-the voices of children. Raising my head I perceived the hunter in an attitude of listening.

"What is it, Bob?" I inquired.

"Dod rot me if I kin tell, Cap'n! Hyur, Rowl! what's all this hyur channerin?"

"It's thearaguatoes ," muttered the Frenchman, half-asleep.

"Harry-gwaters! an what i' the name o' Nick's them? Talk plain lingo, Rowl. What are they?"

"Monkeys, then," replied the latter, waking up, and laughing at his companion.

"Thar's a good grist on 'em, then, I reckin," said Lincoln, throwing himself back unconcernedly.

"They are coming towards the stream. They will most likely cross by the rocks yonder," observed Raoul.

"How?-swim it?" I asked. "It is a torrent there."

"Oh, no!" answered the Frenchman; "monkeys would rather go into fire than water. If they cannot leap the stream, they'll bridge it."

"Bridge it! and how?"

"Stop a moment, Captain; you shall see."

The half-human voices now sounded nearer, and we could perceive that the animals were approaching the spot where we lay. Presently they appeared upon the opposite bank, headed by an old grey-bearded chieftain, and officered like a regiment of soldiers.

They were, as Raoul had stated, thearaguatoes ( Simia ursina) of the tribe of "alouattes," or "howlers." They were of that species known as "monos colorados" (red monkeys). They were about the size of foxhounds, though there was a difference in this respect between the males and females. Many of the latter were mothers, and carried their human-like infants upon their shoulders as they marched along, or, squatted upon their hams, tenderly caressed them, fondling and pressing them against theirmammas . Both males and females were of a tawny-red or lion-colour; both had long beards, and the hair upon their bodies was coarse and shaggy. Their tails were, each of them, three feet in length; and the absence of hair on the under side of these, with the hard,callous appearance of the cuticle, showed that these appendages were extremely prehensile. In fact, this was apparent from the manner in which the young "held on" to their mothers; for they appeared to retain their difficult seats as much by the grasp of their tails as by their arms and hands.

On reaching the bank of the "arroyo" the whole troop came to a sudden halt. One-anaide-de-camp , or chief pioneer, perhaps-ran forward upon a projecting rock; and, after looking across the stream, as if calculating its width, and then carefully examining the trees overhead, he scampered back to the troop, and appeared to communicate with the leader. The latter uttered a cry-evidently a command-which was answered by many individuals in the band, and these instantly made their appearance in front, and running forward upon the bank of the stream, collected around the trunk of a tall cotton-wood that grew over the narrowest part of the arroyo. After uttering a chorus of discordant cries, twenty or thirty of them were seen to scamper up the trunk of the cotton-wood. On reaching a high point, the foremost-a strong fellow- ran out upon a limb, and, taking several turns of his tail around it, slipped off and hung head downwards. The next on the limb-also a stout one-climbed down the body of the first, and, whipping his tail tightly around the neck and fore-arm of the latter, dropped off in his turn, and hung head down. The third repeated this manoeuvre upon the second, and the fourth upon the third, and so on, until the last one upon the string rested his fore-paws upon the ground.

The living chain now commenced swinging backwards and forwards, like the pendulum of a clock. The motion was slight at first, but gradually increased, the lowermost monkey striking his hands violently on the earth as he passed the tangent of the oscillating curve. Several others upon the limbs above aided the movement. The absence of branches upon the lower part of the tree, which we have said was a cotton-wood (Populus angulata ), enabled them to execute this movement freely.

The oscillation continued to increase until the monkey at the end of the chain was thrown among the branches of a tree on the opposite bank. Here, after two or three vibrations, he clutched a limb and held fast. This movement was executed adroitly, just at the culminating point of the "swing", in order to save the intermediate links from the violence of a too sudden jerk.

The chain was now fast at both ends, forming a complete suspension-bridge, over which the whole troop, to the number of four or five hundred, passed with the rapidity of thought.

It was one of the most comical sights I ever beheld, to witness the quizzical expression of countenances along that living chain. To see the mothers, too, making the passage, with their tiny infants clinging to their backs, was a sight at once comical and curious.

The monkeys that formed the chain kept up an incessant talking, and, as we fancied,laughing , and frequently they would bite at the legs of the individuals passing over, as if to hurry them on!

The troop was soon on the other side; but how were the animals forming the bridge to get themselves over? This was the question that suggested itself. Manifestly, thought we, by number one letting go his tail. But then thepoint d'appui on the other side was much lower down, and number one, with half a dozen of his neighbours, would be dashed against the opposite bank, or soused into the water.

Here, then, was a problem, and we waited with some curiosity for its solution.

It was soon solved. A monkey was now seen attaching his tail to the lowest on the bridge; another girdled him in a similar manner, and another, and so on until a dozen more were added to the string. These last were all powerful fellows; and running up to a high limb, they lifted the bridge into a position almost horizontal.

Then a scream from the last monkey of the new formation warned thetail end that all was ready; and the next moment the whole chain was swung over, and landed safely on the opposite bank!

The lowermost links now dropped off to the ground, while the higher ones leaped to the branches and came down by the trunk. The whole troop then scampered off into the chaparral and disappeared.

"Aw, be the powers of Moll Kelly! iv thim little crayteurs hasn't more sinse than the humans av these parts! It's a quare counthry, anyhow. Be me sowl! it bates Banagher intirely!"

A general laugh followed the Irishman's remarks; and we all sprang to our feet, refreshed by our sleep, and lighter in spirits.

The storm had disappeared, and the sun, now setting, gleamed in upon us through the broad leaves of the palms. The birds were abroad once more-brilliant creatures-uttering their sweet songs. Parrots and trogons, and tanagers flashed around our heads; and the great-billed and silly-looking toucans sat silent in the branches above.

The stream had become fordable, and leaving our "lair", we crossed over, and struck into the woods on the opposite side.

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Note 1. Rinconada. Literallycorner ; here it means a village.

* * *

During all this time shots were ringing over me. I could hear the shouts and cheering of men, the trampling of heavy hoofs, and the clashing of sabres. I knew that some strange deliverance had reached us. I knew that a skirmish was going on above me, but I could see nothing. I was below the level of the cliff.

I lay in a terrible suspense, listening. I dared not change my posture-I dared not move. The weight of the Jarocho's body had hitherto held my feet securely in the notch; but that was gone, and my ankles were still tied. A movement and my legs might fall off the limb and drag me downward. I was faint, too, from the protracted struggle for life and death, and I hugged the tree and held on like a wounded squirrel.

The shots seemed less frequent, the shouts appeared to recede from the cliffs. Then I heard a cheer-an Anglo-Saxon cheer-an American cheer, and the next moment a well-known voice rang in my ears.

"By the livin' catamount, he's hyur yit! Whooray-whoop! Niver say die! Hold on, Cap'n, teeth an' toenail! Hyur, boys! clutch on, a lot o' yer! Quick!-hook my claws, Nat! Now pull-all thegether!-Hooray!"

I felt a strong hand grasping the collar of my coat, and the next moment I was raised from my perch and landed upon the top of the cliff.

I looked around upon my deliverers. Lincoln was dancing like a lunatic, uttering his wild, half-Indian yells. A dozen men, in the dark-green uniform of the "mounted rifles", stood looking on and laughing at this grotesque exhibition. Close by another party were guarding some prisoners, while a hundred others were seen in scattered groups along the ridge, returning from the pursuit of the Jarochos, whom they had completely routed.

I recognised Twing, and Hennessy, and Hillis, and several other officers whom I had met before. We were soonen rapport , and I could not have received a greater variety of congratulations had it been the hour after my wedding.

Little Jack was the guide of the rescue.

After a moment spent in explanation with the major, I turned to look for Lincoln. He was standing close by, holding in his hands a piece of lazo, which he appeared to examine with a strange and puzzled expression. He had recovered from his burst of wild joy and was "himself again."

"What's the matter, Bob?" I inquired, noticing his bewildered look.

"Why, Cap'n, I'm a sorter bamfoozled yeer. I kin understan' well enuf how the feller; irked yer inter the tree afore he let go. But how did this hyur whang kum cuf? An' whar's the other eend?"

I saw that he held in his hand the noose of the lazo which he had taken from my ankles, and I explained the mystery of how it had "kum cut". This seemed to raise me still higher in the hunter's esteem. Turning to one of the riflemen, an old hunter like himself, he whispered-I overheard him:

"I'll tell yer what it is, Nat: he kin whip his weight in wild-cats or grizzly b'ars any day in the year-hekin, or my name ain't Bob Linkin."

Saying this, he stepped forward on the cliff and looked over; and then he examined the tree, and then the piece of lazo, and then the tree again, and then he commenced dropping pebbles down, as if he was determined to measure every object, and fix it in his memory with a proper distinctness.

Twing and the others had now dismounted. As I turned towards them Clayley was taking a pull at the major's pewter-and a good long pull, too. I followed the lieutenant's example, and felt the better for it.

"But how did you find us, Major?"

"This little soldier," said he, pointing to Jack, "brought us to the rancho where you were taken. From there we easily tracked you to a large hacienda."

"Ha! you routed the guerilla, then?"

"Routed the guerilla! We saw no guerilla."

"What! at the hacienda?"

"Peons and women; nothing more. Yes, there was, too-what am I thinking about? There was a party there that routedus ; Thornley and Hillis here have both been wounded, and are not likely to recover-poor fellows!"

I looked towards these gentlemen for an explanation. They were both laughing, and I looked in vain.

"Hennessy, too," said the major, "has got a stab under the ribs."

"Och, by my soul have I, and no mistake!" cried the latter.

"Come, Major-an explanation, if you please."

I was in no humour to enjoy this joke. I half divined the cause of their mirth, and it produced in me an unaccountable feeling of annoyance, not to say pain.

"Be my faith, then, Captain," said Hennessy, speaking for the major, "if ye must know all about it, I'll tell ye myself. We overhauled a pair of the most elegant crayteurs you ever clapped eyes upon; and rich-rich as Craysus-wasn't they, boys?"

"Oh, plenty of tin," remarked Hillis.

"But, Captain," continued Hennessy, "how they took on to your `tiger'! I thought they would have eaten the little chap, body, bones, and all."

I was chafing with impatience to know more, but I saw that nothing worth knowing could be had in that quarter. I determined, therefore, to conceal my anxiety, and find an early opportunity to talk to Jack.

"But beyond the hacienda?" I inquired, changing the subject.

"We trailed you down stream to the canon, where we found blood upon the rocks. Here we were at fault, when a handsome, delicate-looking lad, known somehow or other to your Jack, came up and carried us to the crossing above, where the lad gave us the slip, and we saw no more of him. We struck the hoofs again where he left us, and followed them to a small prairie on the edge of the woods, where the ground was strangely broken and trampled. There they had turned back, and we lost all trace."

"But how, then, did you come here?"

"By accident altogether. We were striking to the nearest point on the National Road when that tall sergeant of yours dropped down upon us out of the branches of a tree."

"Whom did you see, Jack?" I whispered to the boy, after having drawn him aside.

"I saw them all, Captain."

"Well?"

"They asked where you were, and when I told them-"

"Well-well!"

"They appeared to wonder-"

"Well?"

"And the young ladies-"

"And the young ladies?"

"They ran round, and cried, and-"

Jack was the dove that brought the olive-branch.

"Did they say where they were going?" I inquired, after one of those sweet waking dreams.

"Yes, Captain, they are going up the country to live."

"Where-where?"

"I could not recollect the name-it was so strange."

"Jalapa? Orizava? Cordova? Puebla? Mexico?"

"I think it was one of them, but I cannot tell which. I have forgotten it, Captain."

"Captain Haller!" called the voice of the major; "here a moment, if you please. These are some of the men who were going to hang you, are they not?"

Twing pointed tofive of the Jarachos who had been captured in the skirmish.

"Yes," replied I, "I think so; yet I could not swear to their identity."

"By the crass, Major, I can swear to ivery mother's son av thim! There isn't a scoundhrel among thim but has given me rayzon to remimber him, iv a harty kick in the ribs might be called a rayzon. Oh! ye ugly spalpeens! kick me now, will yez?-will yez jist be plazed to trid upon the tail av my jacket?"

"Stand out here, my man," said the major.

Chane stepped forward, and swore away the lives of the five Jarochos in less than as many minutes.

"Enough!" said the major, after the Irishman had given his testimony. "Lieutenant Claiborne," continued he, addressing an officer the youngest in rank, "what sentence?"

"Hang!" replied the latter in a solemn voice.

"Lieutenant Hillis?"

"Hang!" was the reply.

"Lieutenant Clayley?"

"Hang!" said Clayley in a quick and emphatic tone.

"Captain Hennessy?"

"Hang them!" answered the Irishman.

"Captain Haller?"

"Have you determined, Major Twing?" I asked, intending, if possible, to mitigate this terrible sentence.

"We have no time, Captain Haller," replied my superior, interrupting me, "nor opportunity to carry prisoners. Our army has reached Plan del Rio, and is preparing to attack the pass. An hour lost, and we may be too late for the battle. You know the result of that as well as I."

I knew Twing's determined character too well to offer further opposition, and the Jarochos were condemned to be hung.

The following extract from the major's report of the affair will show how the sentence was carried out:

We killed five of them, and captured as many more, but the leader

escaped. The prisoners were tried, and sentenced to be hung. They

had a gallows already rigged for Captain Haller and his companions,

and for want of a better we hanged them upon that.

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