The Rover of the Andes, Robert Michael Ballantyne [my reading book .TXT] 📗

so much. The prisoner's head hung down as he approached the bush, but on passing it he looked up. The sight of his face sent a shock of surprise and consternation to the hearts of Lawrence and Quashy, for the doomed man was no other than their friend Pedro!

Lawrence turned quickly to Antonio. "Conrad?" he asked, pointing to Pedro.

"Si, senhor," replied the outlaw.

When the procession had passed, Lawrence stepped from behind the bush, and quietly joined it without being recognised by Pedro. He had not at that moment the most remote idea of what he intended to do; but one feeling was powerfully dominant in his breast--namely, that Pedro must be saved at all hazards. Of course Quashy and Antonio followed him.

The sudden appearance of the two strangers did not cause much surprise among the band who followed the prisoner, for, besides their being in the company of one whom they knew, the men who had been gathered together by Cruz on this occasion were not all known to each other. What they knew for certain was, that the country was up in arms because of some political convulsion, and that Cruz was a great leader, who knew how to make the most of such circumstances for the benefit of himself and his followers.

In a state of feverish anxiety, but with a calm outward appearance, Lawrence marched on, quite incapable of forming any plan of rescue, but not incapable of prayer, or of forming a resolve to do _something_, though he should die in the attempt. On reaching the corral, he saw Cruz, and recognised him at once. The bandit chief was obviously in haste, for he at once ordered Conrad--or, as we still prefer to call him, Pedro--to be placed with his back against the corral, and the firing-party to draw up in front of him at about twenty yards distance.

Pedro offered no resistance while being led towards the mud wall of the corral. There was neither bravado nor fear in his bearing. Evidently he had made up his mind to die like a Christian, and had given up all hope of deliverance from the foes by whom he was surrounded. But friends were near whom he little dreamed of.

Having up to that point kept his eyes on the ground, he had not observed Lawrence; and the first intimation he had of his presence was on hearing his voice as he stepped forward, placed his tall and stalwart frame in front of him, and said sternly to the firing-party--

"Villains! you will have to send your bullets through _my_ breast before they harm Conrad!"

"Yes, an' troo dis buzzum too," cried Quashy, planting himself in front of Lawrence, and glaring defiance in his own peculiar and powerful manner.

"What! two more enemies?" exclaimed Cruz, with a look of pleased surprise and triumph; "seize them, men; but no,--stay, we can as easily kill the three birds at one shot. Ready!"

The firing-party cocked and raised their guns, but were suddenly arrested by seeing the wall of the enclosure behind Pedro lined, as if by magic, with human heads, all of which carefully levelled an equal number of muskets. At the same moment Antonio, Ignacio, Spotted Tiger, Colonel Marchbanks, and the sporting Englishman sprang to the front, and the old hunter, cutting Pedro's bonds, put a musket into his hands.

"Traitor!" exclaimed Cruz, grinding his teeth with passion, as he scowled at Antonio.

"Fool! do you not know," retorted Antonio, contemptuously, "that traitors are the offspring of tyrants? I acknowledge you as father in this respect. But I am not here to bandy words. Colonel Marchbanks will speak."

"Yes, Cruz," said the old colonel, stepping a pace to the front, "I will speak, and that to the purpose. You see those men?" (pointing to the heads looking over the corral wall)--"ten of the best shots among them have their weapons pointed at your heart. If a single musket is fired by your blackguards, you know what the result will be."

Bold as Cruz undoubtedly was, this speech of the colonel had an obviously quieting effect on him, as well as on his followers, who, however, being numerous, and not wanting in courage, stood ready to obey orders.

"Now, I will tell you in few words what I have got to say," continued the colonel, addressing Cruz. "When you locked the villagers here in their own huts, you forgot, or did not know, that, being a tyrant as well as a scoundrel, you had enemies among your own followers. These have not only set us, your prisoners, free, but have done the same good turn to the villagers, who have been persuaded to join us against you. And now, as our numbers are pretty equal, we give you the option of going away quietly wherever you please, or, if you prefer it, having a fair fight. I may add that if I were backed by my troops, instead of these villagers, I would not give you this option; but as I have no official right to command these men, I now make you the proposal either to retire quietly or fight."

"Aw--just so," said the sporting Englishman. "And let me add, as a sort of--aw--freelance that I and my friend here hope sincerely that you will choose to fight."

"You's a brick!" exclaimed Quashy, with emphasis, regarding the sportsman for the first time with favour.

Cruz hesitated. He was swayed by a burning thirst for vengeance and a prudent regard for his personal safety. By way of hastening his decision, Colonel Marchbanks added--

"It may be well to remind you that when you unfortunately succeeded in decoying me and my friends into your snares, and captured us, you did not leave my troops without officers. The gentleman now in command will not lose time in following us up, and he is aided by Gauchos who could trace you out though you were to hide your rascally head in the darkest retreats of the Andes. So, you'd better be off at once, or come on."

"Aw--yes. If I might advise--come on!" suggested the sportsman.

"Das so. Come on!" urged Quashy.

But Cruz refused their well-meant advice. Regarding discretion as the better part of valour, and resolving, no doubt, to "fight another day," he elected to "be off." Collecting his men in sulky silence, he speedily rode away.

"Sorry he's so chicken-hearted," said the sportsman, forgetting even to "aw" in his disappointment.

"You ought rather to be glad of it," remarked Lawrence; "you forget that there are women and children behind us, and that our defeat would have ensured their destruction."

"Oh no!" replied the Englishman, who had recovered his quiet nonchalance, "I did not forget the women and children--dear creatures!-- but I confess that the idea of our defeat had not occurred to me."

Colonel Marchbanks did not give his opinion at the time, but his air and expression suggested that, fire-eater though he was, he by no means regretted the turn events had taken.

Holding out his hand to Lawrence, in a condescending manner, he thanked him for the service he had just rendered.

"You have quite a talent for turning up unexpectedly in the nick of time," he added, with a peculiar smile, as he turned and walked off towards the huts, around which the men who had sided with Antonio were by that time assembling. Among them Lawrence, to his ineffable joy, found Manuela and Mariquita. He was too wise, however, in the presence of the colonel to take any demonstrative notice of her. He merely shook hands with both ladies, and congratulated them on their escape from the banditti.

"You have rendered us good service, senhor," said Mariquita, with a brilliant smile--a smile that was indeed more brilliant than there seemed any occasion for.

"I--I have been very fortunate," stammered Lawrence, glancing at Manuela.

But that princess of the Incas, with an aspect of imperturbable gravity, kept her pretty eyes on the ground, though the brown of her little cheeks seemed to deepen a trifle in colour.

"Now, Antonio," cried the colonel, coming forward at the moment, "what do you intend to do? If my men were here, you know, I should be under the necessity of making you and your fellows prisoners, notwithstanding your good services to-day. As it is, those of us who stick together must be off without delay eastward. I suppose you will rather take to the mountains."

"Indeed no, Colonel Marchbanks. I am willing to give myself up and to take service under you if that may be allowed. And if you will take my advice, comrades," added Antonio, turning to his companions, "you'll do the same, for depend on it no good can come of our late style of life."

Antonio's comrades did not feel disposed to take his advice. Indeed they had only rebelled against their late captain because of his tyrannical nature, but were by no means desirous of changing their mode of life. Seeing this, the colonel accepted Antonio's offer and gave his comrades a few words of serious warning and advice, mingled with thanks for the service they had rendered him, after which the two parties separated and went on their respective ways, leaving the Gauchos to fortify their village more carefully, and get into a better state of readiness to resist the attacks alike of outlaws and Indians.

Before leaving, however, Quashy had a noteworthy interview with Susan. It occurred at the time that Antonio and his men were holding the above conversation with the colonel.

The negro lovers were affectionately seated on a horse-skull in one of the huts, regardless of all the world but themselves.

"Sooz'n, my lub," said Quashy, "I's agwine to carry you off wid me."

"Quashy, my b'lubbed, I expecs you is," replied Susan, simply, passing her black fingers through her lover's very curly locks.

"O Sooz'n, _how_ I lubs you! I know'd I'd find you. I always said it. I always t'ought it, an' now I's dood it."

"Das so," returned Susan, with a bashfully pleased look. "I always know'd it too. I says, if it's poss'ble for me to be found in _dis_ worl', Quashy's de man to found me."

"'Zactly so!" said the gratified negro. "Now, Sooz'n, tell me. Is you free to go 'way wid me?"

"Yes. I's kite free. I's bin kotched by rubbers an' rescued by Gauchos, an' stole by Injins, an' I's runned away an' found myself here, an' dey's bin good to me here, but dey don't seem to want me much--so I's kite free--but I's awrful heaby!"

"What's dat got to do wid it?" inquired the lover, tying a knot of perplexity on his eyebrows.

"Why, you an' me's too heaby for one hoss, you know, an' you said you hab on'y one."

"Das true," returned Quashy, entangling the knot with another.

"Well, nebber mind," said Susan, with a little nod of assurance. "I's put it all right. I'll stole one."

"Sooz'n!" exclaimed her lover, with inexpressible solemnity, "you'll do nuffin ob de sort. I b'longs to a good man now, so I knows better dan dat. You mus' nebber steal no more--_nebber_. But I'll get massa to buy you a hoss. Das what I'll do."

Quashy had scarcely given utterance to his intentions,