Wood Rangers Part 62

It was only when he had been called three times that he turned around, and discovered his excited countenance to the carabinier--after having, by a spontaneous movement of suspicion, thrown a corner of his mantle over the gold he had collected.

"Master Cuchillo," resumed Pepe, "I heard you a little while ago give utterance to a philosophical maxim, which gave me the highest opinion of your character."

"Come!" said Cuchillo to himself, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "here is someone else who requires my services. These gentry are becoming imprudent, but, por Dios! they pay handsomely."

Then aloud:

"A philosophical maxim?" said he, throwing away disdainfully, a handful of sand, the contents of which would elsewhere have rejoiced a gold-seeker. "What is it? I utter many, and of the best kind; philosophy is my strong point."

Pepe, on one side of the hedge, resting upon his rifle, in a superb att.i.tude of nonchalance, and the most imperturbable _sangfroid_, and Cuchillo, on the other side, with his head stretched across the green inclosure of the little valley, looked very much like two country neighbours, for the moment chatting familiarly together.

No one, on seeing them thus, would have suspected the terrible catastrophe which was to follow this pacific intercourse. The countenance of the ex-carabinier, only exhibited a gracious smile.

"You spoke truth," replied Pepe. "What signifies human destiny; for twenty years past you say you have owed your life to the absence of a tree?"

"It is true," affirmed Cuchillo, in an absent tone, "for a long time I preferred shrubs, but lately I have become reconciled to large trees."

"Indeed!"

"And yet it is still one of my favourite maxims, that a wise man must pa.s.s over many little inconveniences."

"True. And now I think of it," added Pepe, carelessly, "there are on the summit of yonder steep hill, two magnificent pine trees which project over the abyss, and which, twenty years ago, might have caused you very serious anxiety."

"I do not deny it; but at present I am as easy about it as if they were only cactus plants."

"Indeed!"

"Indeed!" repeated Cuchillo, with some impatience. "So then, you did me the honour to speak of me, and to what purpose?"

"Oh! a simple remark. My two companions and myself had some reasons for suspecting that amongst these mountains a certain valley of gold was to be found; but nevertheless, it was only after long seeking that we found it. You also know it now, and even better than ourselves, since unhesitatingly, and without losing an instant, you have appropriated to yourself, between what you call a heap and what you have already collected, carramba--enough to build a church to your patron saint."

Cuchillo, at the recollection of the imprudence he had been guilty of, and at this indirect attack, felt his legs give way under him.

"It is certainly my intention not to employ this gold to any other purpose than a G.o.dly one," said he, concealing his anguish as well as he could. "As to the knowledge of this wonderful valley, it is to--it is to chance that I owe it."

"Chance always comes to the a.s.sistance of virtue," replied Pepe, coldly.

"Well, in your place, I should not, nevertheless, be without anxiety touching the vicinity of those two pine trees."

"What do you mean?" cried Cuchillo, turning pale.

"Nothing--unless this may prove to you one of those trifling inconveniences, about which you just now said a man should not trouble himself. Por Dios! you have enough booty to render a king jealous."

"But I acquired this gold legitimately--I committed no murder to obtain it. What I did was not worthless. The devil! I am not in the habit of killing for nothing," cried Cuchillo, exasperated, and who, mistaking the carabinier's intentions, saw only in his alarming innuendoes regret at his defrauded cupidity.

Like the sailor, who, overtaken by a storm, throws a part of his cargo overboard to save the rest, Cuchillo resolved with a sigh, to shun, by means of a sacrifice, the danger with which he was threatened.

"I again repeat to you," said he, in a low voice, "chance alone gave me a knowledge of this treasure; but I don't wish to be selfish. It is my intention to give you a share. Listen," he continued, "there is in a certain place, a block of gold of inestimable value; honest fellows should understand one another, and this block shall be yours. Ah! your share will be better than mine."

"I hope so," said Pepe; "and in what place have you reserved me my portion?"

"Up yonder!" said Cuchillo, indicating the summit of the pyramid.

"Up yonder, near the pine trees? Ah, master Cuchillo, how glad I am to find that you have not taken my foolish little joke amiss, and that these trees do not affect you any more than if they were cactus plants!

Between ourselves, Don Tiburcio, whom you perceive to be deeply absorbed, is only regretting in reality the enormous sum he has given you, for a service which he could equally well have performed himself."

"An enormous sum! it was but a very fair price, and at any rate I should have lost it," cried Cuchillo, recovering all his habitual impudence of manner, on seeing the change that had taken place in the conduct and tone of the ex-carabinier.

"Agreed," continued the latter; "but in truth, he may have repented of the bargain; and I must avow that if he commanded me to blow your brains out, in order to get rid of you, I should be compelled to obey him.

Allow me, then, to call him here so as to restore his confidence; or, better still, come and show me the portion, which your munificence destines for me. Afterwards we each go our own way; and notwithstanding all you have said about it, the share a.s.signed to you will surpa.s.s all your expectations."

"Let us set off then," resumed Cuchillo, happy to see a negotiation--the probable result of which began to cause him serious uneasiness-- terminate so satisfactorily for him and, casting a glance of pa.s.sionate tenderness upon a heap of gold which he had piled up upon his wrapper, he set off towards the summit of the pyramid. He had scarcely reached it, when, upon Pepe's invitation, Fabian and Bois-Rose began to ascend the steep on the other side.

"No one can escape his fate," said Pepe to Fabian, "and I had already proved to you that the rascal would testify no astonishment. Be that as it may remember that you have sworn to avenge the death of your adopted father, and that in these deserts you ought to shame the justice of cities, where such crimes go unpunished. To show mercy towards such a knave is an outrage to society! Bois-Rose! I shall need the a.s.sistance of your arm."

The Canadian hunter, by a glance, interrogated him, for whom his blind devotion knew no bounds.

"Marcos Arellanos craved pardon and did not obtain it," said Fabian, no longer undecided, "and as this man did to others, so let it be done to him."

And these three inexorable men seated themselves solemnly upon the summit of the pyramid, where Cuchillo already awaited them. At sight of the severe aspect of those whom he had inwardly so many reasons to dread, Cuchillo felt all his apprehensions renewed. He endeavoured, however, to recover his a.s.surance.

"Do you see," said he, pointing out behind the sheet of water, whose majestic torrent foamed beside them, "the spot where the block of gold sheds forth its dazzling rays?"

But the eyes of his judges did not turn in the direction he indicated.

Fabian rose slowly; his look caused the blood to curdle in the veins of the outlaw.

"Cuchillo!" said he, "you saved me from dying of thirst, and you have not done this for one who is ungrateful. I have forgiven you the stab with which you wounded me at the Hacienda del Venado. I have pardoned another attempt you made near El Salto de Agua; also the shot which you only could have fired upon us from the summit of this pyramid. I might, in short, have forgiven every attempt you have made to take away a life you once saved; and with having pardoned you, I have even recompensed you, as a king does not recompense the executioner of his justice."

"I do not deny it; but this worthy hunter, who has informed me with a great deal of circ.u.mspection upon the delicate subject you wish to touch upon, ought also to inform you how reasonable he found me in the matter."

"I have forgiven you," continued Fabian, "but there is one crime, amongst others, from which your own conscience ought not to absolve you."

"There is a perfect understanding between my conscience and myself,"

resumed Cuchillo, with a graciously sinister smile, "but it seems to me that we are getting away from our subject."

"That friend whom you a.s.sa.s.sinated in such a cowardly manner--"

"Disputed with me the profits of a booty, and faith, the consumption of brandy was very considerable," interrupted Cuchillo. "But permit me--"

"Do not pretend to misunderstand me!" cried Fabian, irritated by the knave's impudence.

Cuchillo collected his thoughts.

"If you allude to Tio Tomas, it is an affair which was never very well understood, but--"

Fabian opened his lips to form a distinct accusation with reference to the a.s.sa.s.sination of Arellanos, when Pepe broke in--

"I should be curious," he said, "to learn the real facts concerning Tio Tomas: perhaps Master Cuchillo has not sufficient leisure to recollect himself, which would be a pity."

"I hold it necessary," continued Cuchillo, flattered at the compliment, "to prove that men own such a susceptible conscience as mine; here then are the facts--My friend Tio Tomas had a nephew impatient to inherit his uncle's fortune; I received a hundred dollars from the nephew to hasten the moment of his inheritance. It was very little for such a capital will.