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

paid sufficiently well to induce me to continue the works; but when Ignacio visited it a few weeks ago, in passing on his way here to meet me, he found that a very rich lode had been found--so rich, indeed, and extensive, that there is every reason to expect what men call `a fortune' out of it. There is a grave, as you know, which dims for me the lustre of any fortune, but now that it has pleased the Almighty to give me back my child, I will gladly, for her sake, try to extract a little more than the mere necessaries of life out of my silver-mine. Now, my friend," added Pedro, suddenly stopping and confronting our hero with a decided air, and an earnest look, "will you join me in this venture? I would not give up my life's work here for all the mines in Peru. In order to raise the people and improve the condition of this land, I must continue to be a Rover of the Andes to the end of my days. So, as I cannot superintend extensive mining operations at the same time, I must have a manager, and I know of no one whom I should like to have associated with me half so well as Senhor Lawrence Armstrong. Will you go with me to the Mariquita Valley?"

Lawrence paused a minute, with his eyes on the ground, before answering.

"I am flattered by your good opinion, Pedro," he said at length, "and will give you an answer to-morrow, if that will do. I never take any important step in haste. This afternoon I have an appointment with Quashy, and as the hour is near, and I promised to be _very_ punctual, you will excuse my leaving you now."

"Certainly--to-morrow will do," said Pedro, "I hope to take Quashy also with me. He is a queer fellow."

"He is particularly queer just now," returned Lawrence. "I think his marriage with Susan has turned his brain. So, good-bye, Pedro--till to-morrow."

They shook hands heartily, and parted.

That same afternoon Quashy paid a formal visit to Manuela at her father's residence in the suburbs of Buenos Ayres, and told her, with a visage elongated to the uttermost, and eyes in which solemnity sat enthroned, that a very sick man in the country wanted to see her immediately before he died.

"Dear me, Quashy," said Manuela, an expression of sympathy appearing at once on her fine eyebrows, "who is it? what is his name? and why does he send for me?"

"I can't tell you his name, miss. I's not allowed. But it's a bad case, an' it will be awrful if he should die widout seein' you. You'd better be quick, miss, an' I'll promise to guide _you_ safe, an' take great care ob you."

"That I know you will, Quashy. I can trust you. I'll order my horse im--"

"De hoss am at de door a'ready, miss. I order 'im afore I come here."

Manuela could not restrain a little laugh at the cool presumption of her sable friend, as she ran out of the room to get ready.

A few minutes more and the pair were cantering through the streets in the direction of the western suburbs of the town.


CHAPTER THIRTY.


THE LAST.

We regret to have to record the fact that Quashy's deep-laid schemes in behalf of Manuela and the "sick man" miscarried.

That same night, by the light of the full moon, he revealed to Susan his account of the affair, with a visage in which the solemnity of the wondering eyes seemed to absorb the expression of all the other features.

"Sooz'n," he said, "de white folk is past my compre'nshin altogidder, an' I ha'n't got words to tell you how t'ankful I am dat you an' me was born black."

"Das true, Quash. We's got reasin to rejoice. But what went wrong?"

"What went wrong? why, my lub, eberyt'ing went wrong. Look here, dis was de way ob it. When me an' Miss Manuela got to de place whar I had fix on, dar was de lub-sick man sure 'nuff, an' you may b'liebe he look 'stonished to see Manuela, but he wasn't half so 'stonished as me at de way dey hoed on. What d'ee t'ink dey dooed, Sooz'n?"

"Dun know. S'pose dey run into each oder's arms, an' hab a dance round--like me an' you."

"Nuffin ob de sort. I wouldn't hab bin suprised at dat at all. No, arter de fust look o' suprise, Massa Lawrence looked orkerd, an' Miss Manuela looked orkerder!"

"It had bin in my mind," continued Quashy, "arter I had bring 'em togidder, to turn about, an' enter into conbersation wid my hoss--what's pritty well used to my talk by dis time--but when I see how t'ings went, I forgot to turn about, so ob course I heard an' saw'd."

"You wasn't innercent _dat_ time, Quashy."

"I di'n't say I was, Sooz'n, but I cou'n't help it. Well, Massa Lawrence, who's too much of a man to remain orkerd long, goes up to Miss Manuela wid a leetle smile, an' holds out his hand. She shakes it quite gently-like, zif dey was on'y noo acquaintances jest interdooced. Ob course I di'n't hear rightly all dey said--"

"Ha! wantin' to keep up a _leetle_ innercence?"

"Jest so, Sooz'n, but I couldn't help hearin' a good deal--somet'ing like dis:--

"Says Massa Lawrence, says he, `Arternoon, Miss Muchbunks.' `Ditto to you, sir,' says Manuela--"

"No, she didn't say dat," interrupted Susan, with decision.

"Well, no, p'r'aps not 'zactly dat, Sooz'n, but suffin wid de same meanin'. You know it i'n't possible for me to speak like dem. An' dey bof seemed to hab got deir go-to-meetin' langwidge on--all stiff an' stuck up grammar, same zif dey was at school. Well, arter de speech about de wedder, dey bof blushed--I could see dat, dough I was tryin' hard not to look,--and dey was so long silent dat I begin to t'ink ob offerin' to help, when Massa Lawrence he plucked up heart all ob a suddent, an' went in like a good un.

"`Manuela,' says he, quite bold-like, `I promised your fadder dat I would not make any 'tempt to meet you before leabing for de mountains, an' I hab fait'fully striben to keep dat promise. It is by mere chance, I assure you, dat I hab meet you here now, and I would not, for all de wurl' break my word to your fadder. But as chance _hab_ t'rown you in my way, it cannot be wrong to tell you--what you knows a'ready--dat I lub you, and dat, God permittin', I will return ere long to Buenos Ayres. Farewell.'

"Wid dat he wheel round, zif he was afraid to trust hisself to say more, an' went off at full gallop."

"An' what did Miss Manuela say?" asked Susan.

"She say not'ing--not one word--on'y she smile a leetle, an' kiss her hand to him when he hoed away. It passes my compre'nshin, kite. An' as we rode home she says to me, says she, `Quashy, you's a good boy!' I bery near say to her, `Manuela, you's a bad gurl,' but I di'n't feel kite up to dat."

"Quashy, you're a fool," said Susan, abruptly.

"Das no news," returned the amiable man, "I's said dat ob myself ober an' ober again since I's growed up. De on'y time I feel kite sure I wasn't a fool was de time I falled in lub wid you, Sooz'n."

As the negro's account of this inflecting and parting was substantially correct, we feel indisposed to add more to it, except to say that our hero stuck manfully to his resolve, and finally went off to the distant valley in the Andes without again meeting the Inca princess.

He was accompanied by Pedro and his daughter, Quashy and Susan, Ignacio, the old hunter, and his boy, as well as Spotted Tiger. In addition to these there was a pretty large following--some engaged in the service of Pedro, others taking advantage of the escort. Among them were Dick Ansty, the Cornish youth, Antonio, the ex-bandit, and the English sportsman with--aw--his friend.

It is not our purpose to drag the patient reader a second time over the rolling Pampas, or to introduce him to the mysteries of silver-mining in the Andes. Our end shall be sufficiently explained by stating the fact that as Lawrence was faithful to his promise to Colonel Marchbanks, he was not less faithful to his promise to the daughter.

A year had barely elapsed when he found himself once again in Buenos Ayres, with the faithful Quashy at his side, and presented himself before the old colonel, not now as a beggar, but as part owner of one of the richest silver-mines in Peru.

Colonel Marchbanks, although a prudent man, was by no means avaricious.

"The chief bar which prevented my listening to your proposal," he said to Lawrence at their first interview, "is now removed, but I have yet to learn from my daughter's own lips that she will have you. I have carefully avoided the subject from the very first, because I have no faith whatever in forcing, or even leading, the affections of a young girl. And let me tell you flatly, young senhor, that your being the richest man in Peru, and the greatest man as well, would not influence me so much as the weight of a feather, if Manuela does not care for you. So, you will prepare yourself to abide as well as you can by her final decision."

"I am prepared to abide by Manuela's decision," replied Lawrence, with what may be termed a modest smile.

"'Pon my word, young man, you seem to be unwarrantably sure of your position," said the colonel, somewhat sternly. "However, you have heard all I mean to say on the subject just now. Leave me, and return here in the evening."

When Lawrence was gone, the old soldier found his daughter in a tastefully arranged closet which she called her boudoir, the miniature glass-door of which opened on a luxuriant garden, where wood, water, sunshine, and herbage, wild and tame, seemed to revel for the mastery.

"That young fellow Armstrong has come back," said the old man, abruptly.

"I know it," was Manuela's brief reply. She did not look up, being too busily engaged at the moment in the hideously commonplace act of darning the smallest possible hole in one of her dear little stockings.

"You know it, child?"

"Yes, father."

"Do you also know that he has just been here, and formally asked your hand in marriage?"

"Yes, father, I know it."

"Why, child, how could you know that? You surely have not been tempted to--to condescend to eavesdropping?"

"No, father, I have not condescended to that, but I have heard it on the best authority. Have you not yourself just told me?"

"Oh--ah--well," exclaimed the stern man, relaxing into a smile in spite of himself, as he observed the calm, quiet, earnest way in which that princess of the Incas applied herself to the reparation of that little hole. "Now Manuela, my darling," continued the colonel, changing his tone and manner suddenly as he sat down beside her and put a hand lovingly on her