CHAPTER XVI.
THE CONSPIRATORS
More fortunate than dramatic authors, the romancers, being bound by no rules of time and place, can, at their pleasure, transport their action and characters from one country to another, and then return to their starting point, not having any account to give of the time that has elapsed, or of the space they have traversed. Employing in our turn this privilege, we will momentarily quit the Indian border, on the skirt of which our story has hitherto passed, and crossing at a leap over about two hundred miles, beg the reader to follow us to Galveston, in the centre of Texas, four months after the events we chronicled in our last chapter.
At the period when our story is laid, that city, in which General Lallemand wished to found the Champ d'Asyle– that sublime Utopia of a noble and broken heart – was far from that commercial prosperity which the progress of civilization, successive immigrations, and, most of all, the speculations of bold capitalists, have caused it to attain during the last few years. We shall therefore describe it such as it was during our stay in America, leaving out of sight the enormous transformations it has since undergone.
Galveston is built on the small sandy islet of St. Louis, which almost closes up the mouth of the Rio Trinidad. At that time the houses were low, mostly built of wood, and surrounded by gardens planted with fragrant trees, which impregnated the atmosphere with delicious odours.
Unfortunately there is one thing that cannot alter – the climate and the nature of the soil. The suffocating heat that almost continually prevails in the town corrodes the earth and changes it into an impalpable dust, in which you sink up to the knees, and which, at the least breath of air, penetrates into the eyes, mouth, and nostrils; myriads of mosquitoes, whose stings are extremely painful; and, above all, the bad quality of the water, which the inhabitants collect with great difficulty in plank reservoirs during the rainy season, and which the sun renders boiling – these grievous occurrences, especially for Europeans, render a residence at Galveston insupportable, and even most dangerous.
The Texans themselves so greatly fear the deadly influence of this climate that, during the torrid heat of summer, rich persons emigrate by hundreds to the mainland, so that the town, which becomes almost suddenly deserted by this momentary departure, assumes a look of sad desolation which is painful to behold.
About four in the afternoon, at the moment when the rising sea breeze began to refresh the atmosphere, a little Indian canoe, made of beech bark, left the mainland, and vigorously impelled by two men supplied with wide sculls, proceeded toward the city and pulled alongside the plank quay, which served at that time as the landing place. So soon as the canoe was stationary, a third person, carelessly reclining in the stern sheets, rose, looked round him as if to recognise the spot where he was; then, taking a spring, he landed on the quay. The canoe immediately turned round, though not a syllable had been exchanged between the scullers and the passenger they had brought.
The latter then pulled his hat over his eyes, wrapped himself carefully in the folds of a wide zarapé of Indian fabric and striking colour, and proceeded hastily towards the centre of the city. After a walk of a few minutes the stranger stopped in front of a house, whose comfortable appearance and well-tended garden showed that it belonged to a person who, if not rich, was in easy circumstances. The door was ajar; the stranger pushed it, entered, and closed it after him; then, without any hesitation, like a man sure of what he was about, he crossed the garden, in which he met nobody, entered the passage of the house, turned to the right, and found himself in a room modestly, though comfortably furnished.
On reaching this room the stranger fell into a butaca with the air of a tired man delighted to rest after a long journey, took off his zarapé, which he placed on the equipal, threw his hat upon it, and then, when he had made himself comfortable, he rolled a husk cigarette, struck a light with a gold mechero he took from his pocket, lit his papelito, and was soon surrounded by a dense cloud of bluish and fragant smoke, which rose above his head and formed a species of halo.
The stranger threw his body back, half closed his eyes, and fell into that gentle ecstasy which the Italians call the dolce far niente, the Turks, kief, and for which we northerns, with our more powerful constitutions, have found no name, for the simple reason that we do not know it.
The stranger had reached about the half of his second cigarette when another person entered the room. This man, who did not appear to take the slightest notice of the previous arrival, behaved, however, precisely as he had done: he also took off his zarapé, reclined on a butaca, and lit up a cigarette. Presently the garden sand creaked beneath the footsteps of a third visitor, followed immediately by a fourth, and then by a fifth; in short, at the end of an hour twenty persons were assembled in this room. They all smoked with apparent carelessness, and since their arrival had not exchanged a syllable.
Six o'clock struck from a clock standing on a sideboard. The last stroke of the hour had scarce ceased vibrating ere the company, as if by common agreement, threw away their cigars, and rose with a vivacity that certainly was little to be expected after their previous carelessness. At the same moment a secret door opened in the wall, and a man appeared on the threshold.
This man was tall, elegant, and aristocratic, and appeared to be young. A half-mask of velvet concealed the upper part of his face; as for his attire, it was exactly similar to that of the other persons in the room, but a brace of long pistols and a dagger were passed through the girdle of red China crape which was wound tightly round his waist. At the appearance of the stranger a quiver ran, like an electric current, through the lines of visitors. The masked man, with head erect, arms crossed on his chest, and body haughtily thrown back, gave his audience a glance, which could be seen flashing through the holes in the velvet.
"It is well," he at length said, in a sonorous voice; "you are faithful to your promise, Caballeros, not one of you have kept us waiting. This is the eighth time I have assembled you during the month, and each time I have found you equally prompt and faithful; thanks, in the name of the country, Caballeros."
His auditors bowed silently, and the stranger continued, after a slight pause —
"Time presses, gentlemen; the situation is growing with each moment more serious; today we have no longer to attempt an adventurous stroke; the hour has arrived to stake our heads resolutely in a glorious and decisive game. Are you ready?"
"We are," they all answered unanimously.
"Reflect once more before pledging yourselves further," the Mask continued, in a thrilling voice: "this time I repeat to you, we shall take the bull by the horns, and have a hand-to-hand fight with it; of one hundred chances, ninety-eight are against us."
"No matter," the person who first entered the room said, haughtily; "if two chances are left us, they will be sufficient."
"I expected no less from you, John Davis," the stranger said, "you have ever been full of devotion and self-denial; but, perhaps, among our comrades some may not think as you do entirely. I do not regard this as a crime, for a man may love his country and yet not consent to sacrifice his life to it without regret; still, I must have perfect confidence in those who follow me; they and I must have but one heart and one thought. Let those, then, who feel a repugnance to share in the task we have to perform tonight withdraw. I know that if prudence urges them to abstain this time, under circumstances less desperate I should find them ready to support me."
There was a lengthened silence, and no one stirred; at length the stranger said, with an expression of joy which he did not try to conceal —
"Come, I was not mistaken; you are brave fellows."
John Davis shrugged his shoulders.
"By heaven!" he said, "The trial was useless; you ought to have known long ago what we are."
"Certainly I knew it, but my honour commanded me to act as I have done. Now, all is said: we shall succeed or perish together."
"Very good, that is what I call speaking," the ex-slave dealer said, with a hearty laugh; "the partisans of Santa Anna must have to hold their own; for, if I am not greatly mistaken, ere long we shall cut them into stirrup leathers."
At this moment a shrill whistle, although rather remote, was heard: a second whistle, still nearer, replied.
"Gentlemen," the stranger said, "we are warned of the approach of an enemy; perhaps it is only a false alarm, still the interest of the cause we defend imperiously ordains prudence. Follow John Davis, while I receive the troublesome fellow who is intruding on us."
"Come," said the American.
The conspirators, for they were no other, displayed some hesitation, for they felt a repugnance to hide themselves.
"Leave me," the stranger went on, "you must."
All bowed and left the room after John Davis by the secret door, which had offered passage to their Chief, and which closed upon them without displaying a sign of its existence, as it was so carefully hidden in the wall. A third whistle, close by, was heard at this moment.
"Yes, yes," the Chief said, with a smile, "whoever you may be, you can come now; if you possessed the craft of the opossum and the eyes of the eagle, I defy you to discover anything suspicious here."
He took off his mask, concealed his weapons, and lay back in a butaca. Almost immediately the doors opened, and a man appeared. It was Lanzi, the half-breed; he was dressed like the sailors of the port, with canvas trousers drawn in round the hips, a white shirt, with a blue turned down collar, with a white edging, and a tarpaulin hat.
"Well," the Chief asked, without turning, "why did you warn us, Lanzi?"
"It is highly necessary," the other answered.
"Is it serious, then?"
"You shall judge for yourself. The governor is coming hither with several officers and a company of soldiers."
"General Rubio?"
"In person."
"Hang it!" the conspirator said, "Are we threatened with a domiciliary visit?"
"You will soon know, for I hear him."
"Very good; we shall see what they want of us. In the meanwhile take this mask and these weapons."
"The weapons too?" the other said in surprise.
"What shall I do with them? That is not the way in which I must fight them at this moment. Be off, here they are!"
The half-breed took the mask and pistols, pressed a spring, and disappeared through the door. The garden gravel could now be heard creaking under the footsteps of several persons. At length the door of the saloon was thrown open, and the General entered, followed by four or five officers, who, like himself, were in full dress. The General stopped on the threshold, and took a piercing glance around; the Chief had risen, and was standing motionless in the centre of the apartment.
General Rubio was a thorough man of the world. He bowed politely, and apologized for having thus entered the house without being announced; but he found all the doors open, and no servant had come up to him.
"These excuses are useless, Caballero," the young man answered; "the Mexican government has for a long time accustomed us to its unceremonious way of behaving toward us; besides, the governor of the city has the right, I presume, to enter any house when he thinks proper, and if he does not find the door open, to have it opened, either with a masterkey or a crowbar."
"Your remarks, Caballero," the General answered, "breathe an irritation that must be regretted. The state of effervescence in which Texas is at this moment would be more than sufficient to justify the unusual step I am taking with you."
"I know not to what you are pleased to allude, Señor General," the young man remarked, coldly; "it is possible that Texas may be in a state of effervescence, and the annoyances the government have put on it would completely justify this; but as concerns myself, personally, I might perhaps have a right to complain of seeing my house invaded by an armed force, without any previous summons, when nothing authorizes such an arbitrary measure."
"Are you quite sure, Caballero, that I have not the right to act as I am doing? Do you consider yourself so free from suspicion that you really consider this measure arbitrary?"
"I repeat to you, Caballero," the young man continued, haughtily, "that I do not at all understand the language you do me the honour of addressing to me. I am a peaceable citizen; nothing in my conduct has, as far as I know, aroused the jealous solicitude of the government; and if it pleases its agents to make me undergo ill-deserved annoyance, it is not in my power to oppose it otherwise than by protesting energetically against the insult offered me. You have force on your side, General, so do as you think proper; I am alone here, and shall not attempt in any way to resist the measures you may think proper to take."
"That language, Caballero, evidently comes from a man assured of his safety."
"You are mistaken, General; it is that of a free man, unjustly insulted."
"It may be so, but I shall not discuss the point with you. You will permit me, however, to remark, that for a man so justly indignant, and apparently solitary, you are very carefully guarded; for, if the house be empty, as you state, the environs are guarded by friends of yours, who, I must allow, perform admirably the commission with which they were intrusted, by warning you sufficiently early of unexpected visits for you to take your precautions in consequence, and render it an easy matter to get rid in a twinkling of persons whose presence here might compromise you."
"Instead of speaking thus in enigmas, General, it would be better, perhaps, to have a clear explanation; then, knowing the charge brought against me, I might attempt to defend myself."
"Nothing is more easy, Caballero; still, you will allow me to remark that we have been talking together for some time, and you have not yet offered me a chair."
The young chieftain gave the General an ironical glance.
"Why should I employ toward you those conventional forms of politeness, General? From the moment when, without my authority, and against my will, you introduced yourself into this house, you should have considered yourself as quite at home. It is I, then, who am the stranger here, and in that position I am no longer permitted to do the honours of this house."
"Caballero," the General answered, with a movement of impatience, "I am grieved to find in you this stiffness and determination to quarrel. When I entered this house, my intentions with respect to you were, perhaps, not so hostile as you suppose; but, since you force me to a clear and categorical explanation, I am prepared to satisfy you, and prove to you that I am acquainted not only with your conduct, but with the plans you entertain and are carrying out, with a tenacity and boldness which, if I did not take, would lead inevitably to their speedy realization."
The young man started, and a flash burst from his wild eye at this direct insinuation, which revealed to him the danger with which he was menaced; but immediately regaining his presence of mind, and extinguishing the fire of his glance, he replied, coolly —
"I am listening to you, General."
The latter turned to his officers.
"Do as I do, señores," he said, as he sat down; "take seats, as this caballero refuses to offer them to us. As this friendly conversation may be prolonged for some time yet, it is unnecessary that you should fatigue yourselves by listening to it standing."
The officers bowed, and seated themselves comfortably on the butacas with which the apartment was furnished. The General continued, after a few moments of reflection, during which the young man looked at him carelessly, while rolling a husk cigarette:
"And in the first place, to proceed regularly, and prove to you that I am well-informed of all that concerns you," he said, purposely laying a stress on the words, "I will begin by telling you your name."
"In truth, General, you should have begun with that," the young man said, negligently.
"You are," the General went on, quietly, "the famous Chief whom the insurgents and Freebooters have christened the Jaguar."
"Ah, ah!" he remarked, ironically, "So you know that, Señor Governor?"
"And a good many more things, as you shall see."
"Go on," he said, as he threw himself back with the graceful negligence of a friend on a visit.
"After giving a powerful organization to your revolt on the Indian border by seizing the Larch-tree hacienda, and allying yourself with certain Comanche and Apache tribes, you understood that, to succeed, you must give up that guerilla warfare, which I confess you had carried on for some time with considerable success." "Thanks," said the Jaguar, with an ironical bow.
"You therefore entrust the temporary command of your bands to one of your comrades, and yourself come into the heart of Texas, with your most faithful associates, in order to revolutionize the coast, and deal a great blow by seizing a seaport. Galveston, by its position at the mouth of the Trinidad river, is a strategical point of the utmost importance for your plans. For two months past you have been concealed in this house, which you have made the headquarters of your insurrection, and where you are making all the preparations for the audacious enterprise you wish to attempt. You have at your disposal numerous emissaries and faithful conspirators; the government of the United States supply you with abundance of arms and ammunition, which you think you will soon have need of. Your measures have been so well taken, and your machinations carried on with such great skill; you fancy yourself so nearly on the point of success, that hardly an hour back you convened here the principal members of your party, in order to give them their final instructions. Is it so? Am I correctly informed? Answer me, Caballero."
"What would you have me answer, Caballero," the young man said, with a delightful smile, "since you know all?"
"Then, you confess that you are the Jaguar, the Chief of the Freebooters!"
"Canarios, I should think so."
"You also allow that you came here with the intention of seizing the city?"
"Incontestably," the other said, with an air of mockery; "it does not allow the shadow of a doubt."
"Take care," the General remarked drily; "it is a much more serious matter than you seem to think."
"What the deuce would you have me do General? It is not my fault. You enter my house, without giving me notice, with a crowd of officers and soldiers; you surround my residence, carry it by storm, and when you have finished this pretty job worthy of an alguazil, without showing me the slightest scrap of paper authorising you to act in that way, you tell me to my face that I am the Chief of the bandits, a conspirator, and Lord knows what; and then you request me to prove it. On my faith! Any other in my place would act as I am doing; like me, he would bow to the weight of so great a military force and such an entire conviction. All this seems to me so extraordinary and novel, that I am beginning to doubt my own identity, and I ask myself if I have not been hitherto deceived in believing myself, Martin Gutierrez, the ranchero of Santa Aldegonida, in the State of Sonora, and if I am not, on the contrary, the ferocious Jaguar, of whom you speak to me, and for whom you do me the honour of taking me. I confess to you, General, that all this perplexes me in the highest degree, and I should feel greatly obliged if you would kindly bring me to some settled conviction."
"Then, Caballero, up to the present you have been jesting!" the General said hastily.
The Jaguar began laughing.
"Cuerpo de Cristo," he replied. "I should think so. What else could I do in the face of such accusations? Discuss them with you? You know as well as I do, General, that it is useless to attempt to overthrow a conviction. Instead of telling me that I am the Jaguar, prove it to me, and then I will bow to the truth. That is very simple, it appears to me."
"Very simple, indeed, Caballero; I hope to be able soon to give you that certainty."
"Very good; but till then, I would observe that you entered my house in a way contrary to law, that the domicile of a citizen is inviolable, and that what you have done today, only a juez de letras, armed with a legal warrant, was empowered to do."
"You would possibly be correct, Caballero, if we lived in ordinary times; but at this moment such is no longer the case; the State is in a state of siege, the military power has taken the place of the civil authority, and alone has the right to command and have carried out those measures that relate to the maintenance of order."
The young man, while the General was speaking, had taken a side glance at the clock. When the governor ceased he rose, and bowing ceremoniously, said:
"To be brief, be kind enough, then, to explain to me categorically, and without further circumlocution, the motives for your presence in my house; we have been talking a long time and I have not yet been able to read your intentions. I should, therefore, feel obliged by your making them known to me without delay, as important business claims my presence abroad; and if you insist on staying here, I shall be compelled to leave you to yourselves."
"Oh, oh! You change your tone, I fancy, Caballero," the General said, with a little irony. "I will tell you the motives you desire to learn; as for your leaving the house without me or my sanction, which is the same thing, I fancy you would find it rather difficult."
"Which means, I presume, that you look upon me as a prisoner, General?"
"Nearly so, Caballero. When your house has been carefully searched, and we are convinced there is nothing suspicious in it, I may, perhaps, permit you to be put aboard a ship which will carry you far away from the territory of the Mexican Confederation."
"What! Without a warrant, by your mere will?"
"By my mere will: yes, Caballero."
"Canarios, Señor General, I see that your government has preserved the healthy Spanish traditions, and is deliciously arbitrary," the Jaguar said, mockingly; "the only question is whether I shall voluntarily submit to such treatment."
"You must have already perceived that force is not on your side, at least for the present."
"Oh, General, when a man has right on his side, force can soon be found."
"Try it, then, Caballero; but I warn you that it will be at your own risk and peril."
"Then you will employ force to coerce a single, unarmed man in his own house?"
"That is my intention."
"Oh! If that be so, I thank you, for you leave me free to act."
"What do you mean by that remark, Caballero?" the General asked, with a frown.
"What do you mean by yours, Señor Governor? I consider that all means are good to escape an arbitrary arrest, and that I shall employ them without the slightest hesitation."
"Try it," the officer said, ironically,
"When the moment for action arrives, I shall not wait for your permission to do so, General," the Jaguar replied, with equal sarcasm.
Although this was the first time General Rubio and the Jaguar had met, the Governor of Galveston had long been acquainted with the reputation of the man with whom he had to deal; he knew how fertile in resources his mind was, and the audacious temerity that formed the basis of his character; personally he owed him a grudge for carrying off the conducta de plata, and capturing the Larch-tree, hence he entertained a lively desire to take an exemplary revenge on his bold adventurer.
The tone in which the Jaguar uttered the last words caused the General a moment's anxiety; but after taking a glance round him, he was reassured. In fact, owing to the precautions taken by the old soldier, it seemed materially impossible that his prisoner could escape, for he was alone, unarmed, in a house surrounded by soldiers, and watched by several resolute officers; he, therefore, regarded his answer as bravado, and took no further notice of it.
"I absolve you beforehand," he said disdainfully, "for any efforts you may make to escape."
"I thank you, General," the Jaguar answered, with a ceremonious bow. "I expected nothing else from your courtesy; I make a note of your promise."
"Be it so. Now, with your permission we are about to commence our domiciliary visit."
"Do so, General, pray do so; if you desire it, I will myself act as your guide."
"In my turn I thank you for this obliging offer, but I do not wish to put your kindness to a trial; the more so, as I am thoroughly acquainted with this house."
"Do you think so, General?"
"Judge for yourself."
The Jaguar bowed without replying, and carelessly leant his elbow on the couch upon which the clock stood.
"We will first begin with this saloon," the General continued.
"You mean that you will finish with it," the young man remarked, with an ironical smile.
"Let us look first at the secret door in that wall."
"What! You know it then?"
"It seems so."
"Hang it all! You are better informed than I supposed."
"You do not know all yet."
"I hope so; judging from the commencement, I expect some extraordinary discoveries."
"Perhaps so. Will you make the spring work yourself, Caballero, or would you prefer my doing it?"
"On my word, General, I confess that all this interests me so hugely that, until fresh orders, I desire to remain a simple spectator, in order not to trouble my pleasure."
This continued irony produced an involuntary impression on the General; the calm and coldly mocking attitude of the young man troubled him in his heart; he feared a snare, without knowing when or how it would reveal itself.
"Pay attention, Caballero," he said in a menacing tone to the Jaguar; "I know for a fact that when I arrived you had a large party assembled here; on my entrance, your comrades fled by that door."
"That is true," the young man said with a nod of assent.
"Take care," the General continued, "that if assassins are hidden behind that door, the blood shed will fall on your head."
"General," the Jaguar said seriously, "press the spring, the passage is empty; I require no aid but my own to deliver myself from your clutches when I think proper."
The Governor no longer hesitated; he walked resolutely to the wall, and pressed the spring; his officers had followed him, ready to aid him if any danger presented itself. The Jaguar did not stir. The door opened, and displayed a long and completely deserted corridor.
"Well, General, have I kept my word?" the Jaguar said.
"Yes, Señor, I must concede it. Now, Caballeros," the General continued, addressing his officers, "draw swords, and forward!"
"One moment, if you please," said the Jaguar.
"What do you want, Señor?"
"You will remember that I warned you you would end your domiciliary visit with this room?"
"Well?"
"I will keep that second promise as I did the first."
At the same instant, and ere the General and his officers could account for what was happening, they felt the flooring give way beneath their feet, and they rolled to the bottom of a vault, of slight depth, it is true, but buried in the most intense gloom.
"A pleasant journey!" the Jaguar said with a laugh, as he closed the trap again.