On the day after the capture of the caravan2 the Indians, having consumed all the whisky found in the waggons3, and become comparatively sober, prepared to move off.
The captured goods, made up into convenient parcels, were placed upon mules5 and spare horses. Of both they had plenty, having come prepared for such a sequel to their onslaught upon the traders.
The warriors6, having given interment to their dead comrades, leaving the scalped and mutilated corpses7 of the white men to the vultures and wolves, mounted and marched off.
Before leaving the scene of their sanguinary exploit, they had drawn8 the waggons into a close clump9 and set fire to them, partly from a wanton instinct of destruction, partly from the pleasure of beholding10 a great bonfire, but also with some thoughts that it might be as well thus to blot11 out all the traces of a tragedy for which the Americans—of whom even these freebooters felt dread—might some day call them to account.
They did not all go together, but separated into two parties on the spot where they had passed the night. They were parties, however, of very unequal size, one of them numbering only four individuals.
The other, which constituted the main body of the plunderers, was the band of the Tenawa Comanchey, under their chief, Horned Lizard12. These last turned eastward13, struck off towards the head waters of the Big Witches, upon which and its tributaries14 lie their customary roving grounds.
The lesser15 party went off in almost the opposite direction, south-westerly, leaving the Llano Estacado on their left, and journeying on, crossed the Rio Pecos at a point below and outside the farthest frontier settlement of New Mexico towards the prairies. Then, shaping their course nearly due south, they skirted the spurs of the Sierra Blanca, that in this latitude16 extend eastward almost to the Pecos.
On arriving near the place known as Gran Quivira—where once stood a prosperous Spanish town, devoted17 to gathering18 gold, now only a ruin, scarcely traceable, and altogether without record—they again changed their course, almost zigzagging19 back in a north-westerly direction. They were making towards a depression seen in the Sierra Blanca, as if with the intention to cross the mountains toward the valley of the Del Norte. They might have reached the valley without this circumstance, by a trail well known and often travelled. But it appeared as if this was just what they wanted to avoid.
One of the men composing this party was he already remarked upon as having a large beard and whiskers. A second was one of those spoken of as more slightly furnished with these appendages21, while the other two were beardless.
All four were of deep bronze complexion22, and to all appearance pure-blooded aboriginals23. That the two with hirsute24 sign spoke20 to one another in Spanish was no sure evidence of their not being Indians. It was within the limits of New Mexican territory, where there are many Indians who converse25 in Castilian as an ordinary language.
He with the whiskered cheeks—the chief of the quartet, as well as the tallest of them—had not left behind the share of plunder1 that had been allotted26 to him. It was still in his train, borne on the backs of seven strong mules, heavily loaded. These formed an atajo or pack-train, guided and driven by the two beardless men of the party, who seemed to understand mule4 driving as thoroughly27 as if they had been trained to the calling of the arriero; and perhaps so had they been.
The other two took no trouble with the pack-animals, but rode on in front, conversing28 sans souci, and in a somewhat jocular vein29.
The heavily-bearded man was astride a splendid black horse; not a Mexican mustang, like that of his companions, but a large sinewy30 animal, that showed the breed of Kentucky. And so should he—since he was the same steed Frank Hamersley had been compelled to leave behind in that rapid rush into the crevice31 of the cliff.
“This time, Roblez, we’ve made a pretty fair haul of it,” remarked he who bestrode the black. “What with the silks and laces—to say nothing of this splendid mount between my legs—I think I may say that our time has not been thrown away.”
“Yours hasn’t, anyhow. My share won’t be much.”
“Come, come, teniente! don’t talk in that way. You should be satisfied with a share proportioned to your rank. Besides, you must remember the man who puts down the stake has the right to draw the winnings. But for me there would have been no spoils to share. Isn’t it so?”
This truth seeming to produce an impression on Roblez’s mind, he made response in the affirmative.
“Well, I’m glad you acknowledge it,” pursued the rider of the black. “Let there be no disputes between us; for you know, Roblez, we can’t afford to quarrel. You shall have a liberal percentage on this lucky venture; I promise it. By the bye, how much do you think the plunder ought to realise?”
“Well,” responded Roblez, restored to a cheerful humour, “if properly disposed of in El Paso or Chihuahua, the lot ought to fetch from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars. I see some silk-velvet among the stuff that would sell high, if you could get it shown to the rich damsels of Durango or Zacatecas. One thing sure, you’ve got a good third of the caravan stock.”
“Ha! ha! More than half of it in value. The Horned lizard went in for bulk. I let him have it to his heart’s content. He thinks more of those cheap cotton prints, with their red and green and yellow flowers, than all the silk ever spun32 since the days of Mother Eve. Ha! ha! ha!”
The laugh, in which Roblez heartily33 joined, was still echoing on the air as the two horsemen entered a pass leading through the mountains. It was the depression in the sierra, seen shortly after parting with the Horned Lizard and his band. It was a pass rugged34 with rock, and almost trackless, here and there winding35 about, and sometimes continued through canons or clefts36 barely wide enough to give way to the mules with the loads upon their backs.
For all this the animals of the travellers seemed to journey along it without difficulty, only the American horse showing signs of awkwardness. All the others went as if they had trodden it before.
For several hours they kept on through this series of canons and gorges—here and there crossing a transverse ridge38 that, cutting off a bend, shortened the distance.
Just before sunset the party came to a halt; not in the defile39 itself, but in one of still more rugged aspect, that led laterally40 into the side of the mountain. In this there was no trace or sign of travel—no appearance of its having been entered by man or animal.
Yet the horse ridden by Roblez, and the pack-mules coming after, entered with as free a step as if going into a well-known enclosure. True, the chief of the party, mounted on the Kentucky steed, had gone in before them; though this scarce accounted for their confidence.
Up this unknown gorge37 they rode until they had reached its end. There was no outlet41, for it was a cul-de-sac—a natural court—such as are often found among the amygdaloidal mountains of Mexico.
At its extremity42, where it narrowed to a width of about fifty feet, lay a huge boulder43 of granite44 that appeared to block up the path; though there was a clear space between it and the cliff rising vertically45 behind it.
The obstruction46 was only apparent, and did not cause the leading savage47 of the party to make even a temporary stop. At one side there was an opening large enough to admit the passage of a horse; and into this he rode, Roblez following, and also the mules in a string, one after the other.
Behind the boulder was an open space of a few square yards, of extent sufficient to allow room for turning a horse. The savage chief wheeled his steed, and headed him direct for the cliff; not with the design of dashing his brains against the rock, but to force him into a cavern48, whose entrance showed its disc in the façade of the precipice49, dark and dismal50 as the door of an Inquisitorial prison.
The horse snorted, and shied back; but the ponderous51 Mexican spur, with its long sharp rowel-points, soon drove him in; whither he was followed by the mustang of Roblez and the mules—the latter going in as unconcernedly as if entering a stable whose stalls were familiar to them.
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1
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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waggons
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| 四轮的运货马车( waggon的名词复数 )； 铁路货车； 小手推车 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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7
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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11
blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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lizard
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| n.蜥蜴，壁虎 | |
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13
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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tributaries
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| n. 支流 | |
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15
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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zigzagging
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| v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 )；盘陀 | |
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20
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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appendages
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| n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 )；依附的人；附属器官；附属肢体（如臂、腿、尾等） | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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aboriginals
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| （某国的）公民( aboriginal的名词复数 )； 土著人特征； 土生动物（或植物） | |
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24
hirsute
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| adj.多毛的 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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30
sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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31
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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32
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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34
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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clefts
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| n.裂缝( cleft的名词复数 )；裂口；cleave的过去式和过去分词；进退维谷 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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38
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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39
defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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40
laterally
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| ad.横向地；侧面地；旁边地 | |
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41
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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42
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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43
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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44
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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45
vertically
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| adv.垂直地 | |
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46
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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47
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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48
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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49
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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50
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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51
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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