Antigua and the Antiguans Volume I Part 26

The long eyelashes fell over her burning eyes, and the beating of her heart sounded audibly, and shook her very frame; but recovering herself, she continued-"There is another subject to be discussed, Cuanaboa; the daughter of the governor is my dearest friend, and therefore she must be preserved unharmed throughout the fray, guarded with the most scrupulous care, and I look to you to place her in safety. Dost thou comprehend what I say?"

"Yes, lady; and I was going to remark, when you interrupted me, that as you wish certain of the enemy saved alive, particularly the fair youth you mentioned just now, it would be well for you to give your orders to Guacanagari; and for that purpose I would advise you to visit the cave to-morrow evening, when we intend holding a serious a.s.sembly and dance, previous to commencing the attack. Guacanagari will be rejoiced to meet you, and he will be as fond of the maiden and the youth as I am;" and a very sinister expression, but un.o.bserved by Zulmiera, pa.s.sed over the face of the Carib chief. "Besides, lady, it is but right that Guacanagari should know his queen-never Carib had one before."

"I will attend," replied Zulmiera. "And now, as it is past midnight, 'tis time we parted;" so saying, she bowed to the Carib, and drawing her mantle around her, walked away with all the dignity of a sovereign.

Keeping his dark eye fixed upon her as long as she continued in sight, no sooner had the intervening shrubs screened her from his view, than, throwing himself upon the ground, the Carib broke into a shrill laugh. "And so the haughty beauty thinks that a people who have scarcely known control, will bend their shoulders to the dominion of a girl and a white-faced boy!-ha! ha! If the wild kites chose a king, would it be a colibri?[96] No! Should the Caribs follow the custom of the strangers who have come among us, and torn away our most fruitful countries, and own a king, who should it be but Cuanaboa? for who has slain so many enemies and drunk their blood as I have? or who can shew a longer string of teeth than I have here?" and he played with the one which ornamented his neck. "If Zulmiera will be queen, it must be as my wife; and truly she would serve to swell a richer triumph than I even expect to have. But as for the youth, his race is almost run; before this time to-morrow, I think he will give me but little further trouble. 'Tis well I came so soon to-night, and thus was witness of the meeting. I wish I could have understood what he said; but these pale-faced people speak so vilely, that it is hard to know what they mean. However, it matters not, I saw enough; and as I intend Zulmiera to be my prize, I will very shortly get rid of the youngster; he'll make a capital sacrifice to Old Mayboya. White men eat better than red people, it can't be denied;" and as he finished his soliloquy, he arose from the ground, and springing over the brush-wood, was lost to sight in the impending copse.

[92] A kind of small guitar, in use about the 16th and 17th centuries.

[93] A priest, or magician, among the Caribs.

[94] Now called Bat's Cave.

[95] Supreme deity among the Caribs.

[96] The Indian name for the humming bird.

CHAPTER XXV.

CONCLUSION OF THE LEGEND.

The morning after this eventful meeting rose fair and bright.

Bridget and Zulmiera, seated at an open window, inhaled the sweet breeze, while they bent over their embroidery frames; and the fair Englishwoman was giving a description of her own far-off land, when, gazing in the direction of the before-named copse, Zulmiera espied a white feather glancing for a moment above the tops of the trees, a well-known signal indicating the presence of Raphe de Merefield.

Framing an excuse, she shortly left the apartment; and taking a circuitous route to escape observation, in a few moments gained the old tree, where, as expected, she found her lover.

"Zulmiera," said the young man, after the first greetings were pa.s.sed, "I have suffered deeply in mind since we parted, on account of the strange words you let fall last evening; and I now seek your presence to demand, as your affianced husband, their signification. Tell me, Zulmiera, thine whole heart, or as w.i.l.l.y Shakspeare saith-

"--If thou dost love me, Shew me thy thought?"

Accosted in this sudden manner, and surprised by his serious demeanour, Zulmiera's caution forsook her, and bursting into tears, confessed to her lover, as best she could, the following facts. Having been treated with great scorn and harshness by the governor, and looking upon herself as the descendant of a line of chieftains, and consequently ent.i.tled to respect, a deep and irresistible feeling of revenge sprang up in her breast, and absorbed her every thought. Roaming, as she had ever been wont, amid the romantic dells and leafy labyrinths of her native islands, she came one evening upon a curious cavern; her love of novelty led her to inspect it, but in the act of doing so, she was driven back in alarm by the sight of a flashing pair of eyes.

Unable to suppress her fears, yet too much overcome by the encounter to fly, she leant against the rocky opening of the cave; when, rushing from his concealment, a powerful man, whom she immediately recognised as a Carib, darted upon her, and placing his hand upon her mouth to prevent her screams from being heard, was about to bear her away as his captive.

Terrified as she was, she still had the presence of mind to declare her origin, and claim his forbearance, on the score of their allied blood. To such a plea, a Carib's heart is never deaf; the grasp upon the shoulder was relaxed; the armed warrior stood quietly by her side; and a conversation in the Carib tongue (which Zulmiera had acquired from her mother) was carried on between them.

The stranger declared himself to be a Carib chief, named Cuanaboa, and with the openness for which that people were noted among their friends, acquainted Zulmiera with the cause of his appearance in that lone cave. Following the example of his fathers, Cuanaboa said he had resolved to make an attack upon Antigua, accompanied by a neighbouring chief and their several tribes; but in a war-council held by them, it had been arranged for him to pay a secret visit to the island, in order to inspect it, and endeavour to find out its weakest parts. Accordingly, leaving his mountain home in Dominica, he had paddled himself over in a slight canoe, and easily discovering the cave, which had been well-known to the tribe in their former predatory visits, he took up his abode there.

Zulmiera listened eagerly to this communication; and excited as she was, thought it a good opportunity for effectually procuring her revenge. After arranging for the safety of Raphe de Merefield, to whom she had been long engaged, she finally promised, that upon an appointed night, she would open the doors of government house, and admit the band of Caribs. Ignorant of the real force of Antigua, and led away by her own turbulent and romantic pa.s.sions, the Indian girl wrongly supposed that a few half-armed Caribs would be able to strike terror into the b.r.e.a.s.t.s and compete with the well-arranged ranks of the English. In consequence of this wild fancy, Zulmiera further proposed, as her reward, that when the battle was gained, and the English defeated, she should be immediately elected queen, and Raphe king of the Caribbees. Many other meetings had taken place between herself and the Carib chief; and she concluded her relation, by informing Raphe of the arrival of the whole band of Caribs, and that the hour of midnight was the time proposed for the intended a.s.sault upon government house.

The surprise, the consternation of the young man, as she unfolded this tale to him, was overpowering, and for some moments he remained as if rooted to the ground. At length, striking his hand upon his forehead, he exclaimed, in a tone of extreme bitterness- "Oh! Zulmiera-Zulmiera! what hast thou done! Surely it is some horrible dream; and yet it is too true; thou couldst not have distressed me so, an' it had not been. To-night, sayest thou?

Unhappy girl, thou hast indeed dashed the cup of happiness from thy lips! Now I understand thy visible emotion-thy half-smothered expressions! But I must away-the lives of hundreds, perhaps, hang upon my steps;" and darting from her, he left her to the deepest feelings of despair.

Leaning against the tree for the support her own limbs denied her, the unfortunate Zulmiera remained with her face buried in her hands, until aroused by the sound of footsteps. Hastily looking up, Raphe again stood before her. "Dearest Zulmiera,"

said the pitying young man-"rouse thyself; I cannot leave thee thus; all may yet be well. I will immediately to the governor, and without implicating you as my author, inform him of the inpending attack. Much as I dislike the man, it is my proper plan -so now dry your eyes," for the warm tears were again gushing down the cheeks of the repentant girl; "return to the house, keep yourself quiet, and trust the matter to me." So saying, he imprinted a fond kiss upon her brow, and turning away, hastened with a quick step in the opposite direction.

Mastering her emotions, Zulmiera returned to her home, determined, when the evening fell, to seek the cave, and if possible, persuade Cuanaboa of the impracticability of his schemes, and by that means, prevent the effusion of blood, which a meeting of the Caribs and English was sure to produce.

In the meantime, Raphe sought the presence of the governor, and without bringing forward Zulmiera's name, contrived to give him the necessary information, and then departed, taking upon himself the office of scout. Preparations were immediately made for the intended attack-ambuscades arranged, and fire-arms cleaned; and with anxiety the party awaited the rising of the moon.

As the day grew to a close, Zulmiera became more and more restless, until at length, unable to bear the conflict of her feelings, she left the house, and, unperceived by the family, sought the promised meeting in the cave. The sun had sunk behind the waves, and the stars began to peep forth, as the half-Carib gained the entrance of the wood. Carefully threading her way through its tangled bushes, and avoiding as she went the numerous impediments, she gradually progressed deeper and deeper in its thickening gloom. The air was calm, and nothing disturbed the almost pristine stillness but the whisperings of the soft breeze, or the shrill cry of some of the aquatic fowls who made that lonely grove their home. In some parts the foliage was less thick, and the beams of the now rising moon forced their way through and snorted upon the ground, forming many a fantastic shadow. Uprooted and sapless trees lay in various directions, around which parasites wound in luxuriant beauty, and hid the whitened wood in wreaths of green. In other parts, the larger trees and shrubs made way for dense thickets of th.o.r.n.y underwood, over which the active girl was obliged to leap.

Onward she sped, stopping only now and then to recover her breath, and then darting forward at increased speed, until, gaining a little knoll, where pointed crystals strewed the ground, and the manchineel showered its poisonous apples, beautiful and treacherous as "Dead Sea fruits," a mark in one of the trees told her she was near the place of her destination; and winding round another thicket, Zulmiera stood before the mouth of the cave.

The interior was lighted by a few torches of some resinous wood, stuck in the fissures of the rock; and their flickering light shone upon the dark countenances and wild costume of the inmates.

Branches of trees roughly plaited together were placed partly before the opening, and served to screen the light of the torches from the view of any wandering stranger; while the ground before the entrance to the cave had been cleared away, forming a kind of rustic amphitheatre.

As soon as the maiden was perceived, Cuanaboa came forward, and introduced her to Guacanagari, and a few of their princ.i.p.al followers, who only appeared to be waiting for her presence, to commence their solemn dance, as was ever the custom of the Caribs, before undertaking any warfare.

Darting from the cavern, about twenty of these wild warriors arranged themselves in a circle around an old woman, known among them by the name of Quiba, who, squatting upon the ground, chanted, in a monotonous voice, the burden of a war-song: the men moving slowly, and joining in the chorus-"_Avenge the bones of your fathers, which lie whitening upon the plain!_" Continuing this revolving motion for some time, but gradually increasing in celerity, they at length appeared as if worked up to the highest pitch of their pa.s.sions; and releasing each other's hands, and twirling round and round with the greatest rapidity, tearing their hair, and gnashing their teeth, at length threw themselves upon the ground, foaming with rage.

Zulmiera, terrified at their frantic movements and horrid contortions, tremblingly leant against the trunk of a tree, until, aroused by an exclamation from the old woman, she perceived another party of savages, apparently of meaner grade, bringing in large calabashes and baskets, huge pieces pf baked meats, and bowls of some kind of liquids. Placing them upon the ground, they retreated; and old Quiba, quitting her rec.u.mbent posture, seized upon one of the pieces of meat, and throwing it among the prostrate warriors, exclaimed, in a cracked voice-"_Eat of the flesh of your enemies, and avenge your fathers' bones!_"

As she uttered these words, the men sprang from the ground, and rushing upon the viands, devoured them with savage greediness; while Cuanaboa, lifting up one of the smaller pieces of meat, approached Zulmiera, and, with harshness, requested her to eat it. Alarmed at his ferocious manner, but not daring to shew it, the trembling girl essayed to obey; and putting a portion of it into her mouth, by a strong effort swallowed it. No sooner was this effected, than, breaking into a horrid laugh, and with his eyes gleaming like the hyaena's, Cuanaboa shouted to the old woman, who had just before entered the cave-"Bring forth our present for our queen; surely, she deserves it, now she is one of us!"

Startled by his evident irony, Zulmiera turned round, at the moment that Quiba emerged from a natural pa.s.sage in the interior of the cave, bearing in her hand a small bundle, which, with a sardonic grin, she laid at the feet of the observant girl.

"There, lady; that is our first present," croaked forth the old hag. "Ay, lift it up, and search it well; Mayboya will stand your friend, and send you many more, I hope." So saying, she hobbled up to one of the torches, and taking it from its resting-place, held it before the face of Zulmiera.

Impelled by an irresistible desire to know the worst, Zulmiera stooped and undid the folds of red cloth wound around their proffered gift. After untwining it for some time, the wrapping felt damp to the touch; and dreading she knew not what, she loosed the last fold, _and a human head rolled upon the ground_.

Uttering a cry of horror, but forced on by her unconquerable emotions, she turned the gory object round; and as the torches flashed with further glare, her eye fell upon the pallid features. The blue eye, gla.s.sed by the hand of death, and over which the starting eyelids refused to droop-the parted lips, parted with the last throe of agony, and shewing the pearly teeth -the finely-moulded cheeks, but disfigured by a deep gash-and the long auburn hair, dabbled with the blood that still oozed from the severed veins, bespoke it Raphe de Merefield's! Her own blood congealed around her heart like ice-her pulse quivered and stopped-and with one unearthly, prolonged shriek, the unfortunate Zulmiera sank senseless upon the ground.

Recovered by the means of some pungent herb applied to her nostrils, by the hands of Quiba, she awoke to all her misery. Her eyes fell again upon the mutilated head of her lover; while the demoniac voice of Cuanaboa whispered in her ear-"The food you partook of just now _was part of the body of your minion!_ I met him wandering in the copse a time agone; and I thought he would make a fine sacrifice to Mayboya." This last horrible information completely altered her nature, and changed the fond loving girl to the disposition of a fiend. Lifting up the head, and imprinting upon the blood-stained lips one long fervent kiss, she enveloped it again in the wrappings of red cloth, and carefully binding it around her waist, was in the act of quitting the cave, when arrested by the powerful grasp of Cuanaboa.

"Not so fast, lady!" exclaimed the Carib chief; "remember your oath to Mayboya! We still stand in need of your a.s.sistance to guide us to the house of yon white chief. Remember that was part of your bargain: let us in; and when we have vanquished the enemy, we shall still be willing to receive you as our queen; that is, if you will agree to take _me_ for your king instead of the pale-faced boy, whose body has served to regale us and our people." With eyes that flashed fire, Zulmiera was about to reply, when suddenly constraining herself, she simply muttered- "My oath to Mayboya!-follow me, then!" and with determined purpose, left the cavern.

The whole party of Caribs, consisting of about eighty, were by this time gathered around the spot, armed with bows and arrows, clubs, darts, spears, and all the other rude implements of warfare. As the two chiefs made their appearance, they pointed to the moon-then rapidly ascending the heavens-and uttering a suppressed war-whoop, they commenced their march in the direction of government house, preceded by the half-Carib.

Unconscious of pain, Zulmiera darted through the th.o.r.n.i.e.s.t thickets, turned not aside for any impediment; but borne up by the hopes of revenge, she outstripped the most active of the party. Knowing, as she did, that the inmates of government house were prepared for the attack, she felt a.s.sured that few, if any, of the Caribs would escape; but completely altered in disposition, from the effects of the horrible scenes she had gone through, she experienced no compunctious feelings for the event.

Her only wish, her fixed purpose, was to possess herself of a dagger-stab Cuanaboa to the heart-_drink his warm blood as it gushed forth_-and after bathing the head of her lover with it, kill herself upon the spot. To deceive Cuanaboa, she pretended that her fear of Mayboya led her to conduct the party, an a.s.surance which his own blind zeal for that dreaded deity caused him to believe.

In furtherance of her dreadful scheme, she carefully avoided those spots where she supposed an ambuscade of English might be stationed; fearing lest some other hand should take the life of the chief. In this manner she was gradually progressing towards the house, thinking it more probable a weapon could be there procured, when in pa.s.sing a clump of trees, one of the governor's scouts, who was stationed behind it, and who was unable to bear the sight of the Carib chief so near him without endeavouring to take his life, sprang from his concealment, and rushing upon Cuanaboa, was in the act of stabbing him with a dirk, when, with the cry of some infuriated wild animal robbed of its prey, Zulmiera was upon him. Wresting the weapon from the astonished Englishman, the maddened girl fled after the Caribs, who, abashed by this encounter, and the sudden appearance of a troop of soldiers, were flying in the greatest confusion, and at their utmost speed, in direction of the before-named creek, where they had left their canoes.

Many of the Caribs fell wounded by the way, from the fire of their pursuers' muskets; but Cuanaboa, closely attended by Zulmiera, still kept on, until after pa.s.sing over the same undulating ground, forcing their way through thickets, leaping over natural barriers, and creeping through leafy arcades, they gained upon the creek. But woe to the Caribs! a party of English, in hot pursuit, were, in fact, driving them into a trap, at the point of their weapons. Throughout this irregular and hurried retreat, Zulmiera had never dropped her dirk, or her gory burden; neither had she lost sight of Cuanaboa; while the chief, seeing her dash the weapon from his uncovered breast, when one stroke of the Englishman's hand would have caused his death, thought she had forgiven his horrid barbarity, and was well pleased to see her nigh him.

As they emerged from the deeper glades of the wood, a volume of smoke rose above the trees; and upon gaining the open ground, the whole extent of their danger was revealed to the Caribs. There lay their canoes, a burning ma.s.s; while the foreground was occupied by another band of Englishmen, ready prepared for battle. Hemmed in on all sides, the Caribs fought with the fury of uncaged beasts, and sold their lives dearly. Many of the English were stretched upon the ground, a flattened ma.s.s, from the blows of their heavy clubs; while others, wounded by their poisoned arrows, only lived to endure further torments. Still Cuanaboa remained unhurt; and standing upon a gentle knoll, brandished his club, and dealt destruction upon the foremost of his enemies. His friends were rapidly falling around him; and as he turned to seek for refuge, Zulmiera approached him unperceived, and with one blow, drove the dirk into his very heart.

Without a groan, the Carib chief sank dead upon the earth; and Zulmiera, kneeling by him, plucked the weapon from the wound, and applying her lips, _drank the warm blood as it gurgled forth!_ Unbinding the head of the unfortunate Raphe de Merefield from her waist, where she had carried it throughout the fray, she gazed ardently at it; tenderly parted the still bright hair, imprinted a last kiss upon the cold lips, and then taking up in her hand some of the vital stream, which was still flowing from the wound of Cuanaboa, and forming a pool around him, she bathed the head with it, exclaiming as she did so, "Raphe, thou art avenged!

thine enemy lies dead before thee, slain by my hand; and thy bride, faithful in life and death, comes to share thy gory bed."

These actions completed, she looked up. The dying and the dead lay stretched around her,-the conquering English were looking to their captives,-the last gleam of the fire was shooting upwards to the sky,-the moon had gained her zenith,-while, as if in contrast to that b.l.o.o.d.y field, the waters of the creek rolled on like molten silver, beneath her lovely beams. For one moment the wild but beautiful girl gazed upon the scene; old remembrances sprang up in her mind, and brought the tear into her eye. But dashing them away, she regained her former implacable mood; and as a party of the governor's servants came forward to arrest her, placing one hand upon her lover's head, she raised with the other the dirk-its bright steel glittered for a moment in the moonbeam- in the next it was ensheathed in her heart; and she fell a corpse upon that dire chief, to whom she owed all her misery.