Having seen our companions embarked5 on their perilous6 voyage through the almost unknown country to the southeast, we set off westward7 on our ascent8 of the stream which they were descending9. Despite a snowstorm and the ice in the river, we crossed and recrossed the channel, until at last we rediscovered the camps and trace of the Spaniards, which here indicated a force of fully10 six hundred soldiers.
After this we marched steadily11 upstream, along the trace, for over two weeks, despite the hindrance12 and annoyance13 resulting from the weakness of the greater number of our horses, three or four of which had finally to be abandoned. Unfortunately we lacked both the skill and the means to replace the beasts from the herds14 of spirited wild horses which we frequently saw interspersed15 among the great droves of buffaloes16. Yet despite the depletion17 of our pack train and the grim prospect18 of being weather-bound for the Winter out on these bleak19 plains, we felt assured that where the Spaniards had led the way we could follow, and so pushed on into the wilderness20, ever farther and farther from home and civilization.
Since the second day after leaving the Pawnee Republic we had encountered none of the savage21 habitants of the prairies. But now at last we were again put on our guard by the discovery of occasional Indian signs along the river banks. As a precaution against falling into an ambuscade, Pike and I took to scouting22 some little distance in advance of the party.
On the fifteenth of November, a day ever memorable23 to us, we were riding along in this manner, when, two hours or so after noon, as we topped one of the numerous hills, the Lieutenant abruptly24 drew rein25 and pointed26 off to the right.
"Indians?" I demanded, looking to the priming of my rifle.
"No," he replied. "Wait."
At the sight of his levelled spyglass, I too stared off a little to north of west, and at once made out what appeared to be a faint, half-luminous point of cloud. Its color was a spectral27 silvery blue, much like that of the moon when seen in the daytime. Before I could utter the word that sprang to my lips, my friend forestalled28 me.
"'Tis a mountain!—the Mexican mountains, John!"
I caught the spyglass which he thrust out to me, and fixed29 it upon that distant peak with burning eagerness. The Mexican mountains, the fabled30 sierras of New Spain! Had we at last sighted the snowy crest31 of their nearest peak? Was this one of that sierra of which Alisanda had spoken, my Barrier of Rock, the Sangre de Cristo?
We rode on, too overcome to speak, held in throbbing32 suspense33 between delight over our discovery and dread34 lest it should prove to be some illusion of cloud and light. But within another two miles there came an end to all doubt. Before us, from one of the higher hill-tops there stretched out along the western horizon an enormous barrier of snowy mountains, extending to the north and south farther than eye or glass could see. My heart gave a great leap at that wonderful sight. In my mind there was no longer the slightest doubt. I knew that before me upreared the barrier that I must cross to reach my lady.
Not until the men came up with us and burst into cheers for the great white mountains of Mexico did I rouse from my daydream35 of Alisanda. Before me, as real as life, I had seen imaged her beautiful pale face, with the scarlet36 lips parting from the pearly teeth, and the velvety37 black eyes gazing at me full from beneath the edge of the veiling mantilla. Such was the vision—whose reality I knew to be awaiting me somewhere south and west, beyond that snowy sierra. I drew in a full breath and joined in the loud cheering of my comrades.
While the air yet rang with the last of our wild cheers, our commander faced about, with upraised hand, and called in resolute38 tones: "Men! we have toiled39, we have undergone dangers. We know not what dangers lie before us: Winter is at hand; our horses are fast failing; we are outfitted40 only for Summer travel. Yet what of all that? We have outfaced the Pawnees; we have traversed this vast desert; we have held to the track of the Spanish invaders41 of our territories. Before our eyes uprear the unknown mountains of the West,—mountains upon which our countrymen have never before set eyes; of which no American has ever heard, unless it be the vague and misleading reports of the Spaniards. Men! we will not turn back with the goal of our toilsome marches in view!"
"No! no! Lead us on, sir!" shouted Sergeant Meek42, and every man caught up the cry: "Lead us on, sir! lead us on! No turning back!"
Our commander flushed, and his blue eyes sparkled. "Ah, my brave men! I was certain of your mettle43! We will ascend44 these mountains; we will explore the utmost boundaries of Louisiana; and if the Spaniards seek to check us—"
"Perhaps!" returned the Lieutenant, looking about at us with a shrewd smile. "If it comes to that, they will not find us backward. But do not count too much on hostilities46. We are here, not to fight, but to explore the limits of the Territory."
"But, sir, should we fall in with the Spaniards?" ventured Meek.
"Should we meet a Spanish party, we may be invited to go in with them to Santa Fe. It would serve our purpose no little to be the guests of the Spanish authorities. Enough. Fall in! By to-morrow night we should be encamped at the foot of that grand peak."
He wheeled his horse about, and rode off again in front. I hastened to join him, my thought intent upon a surmise47 drawn48 from his last speech. When we had ridden ahead beyond earshot of the others, I put my thought into words.
"Montgomery," I said, "you have other orders from General Wilkinson than those given out. It is not I alone whose instructions are to attempt communications with the Spaniards."
"And if your guess is right?" he asked.
"God forbid!" I cried.
"What! I see no cause for dismay in the simple fact that I am to further your efforts to obtain information. I and the party will be in much less danger from the Spanish authorities than yourself, John.
"It is not that," I muttered.
"What, then? I declare, John, there are times when I cannot bear the thought of your venturing in among the Spaniards alone. It is now my resolve to march into Santa Fe with you."
"No, no!" I protested. "You must not—cannot!"
"Cannot? Do you think I fear the danger?"
"Of death, no; but of dishonor."
"Dishonor! Should the Spanish dare—"
"No, not the Spaniards—not that. But our own people."
"Explain!" he demanded.
I opened my mouth to accuse his General—and paused. After all, what proof had I of Wilkinson's connivance49 in the plans of Colonel Burr? What proof had I that even Burr's plans were treasonable? I should have been an outright50 imbecile to have entertained the slightest doubt of the zealous51 loyalty52 and patriotism53 of my friend,—and Wilkinson was his General and his patron. Why poison his mind against one who had shown him great favors and was in a position as Commander-in-Chief to show him even greater favors? We could not now hope to return to the Mississippi settlements for several months. Why fill my friend's mind with anxieties over plots and projects which might never develop, or which, even if not stillborn, might well be counted upon to reach maturity54 long before we should have a chance to oppose them?
So, instead of Wilkinson's name, it was Burr's which passed my hesitating lips; and in my account of the little I knew of the late Vice-President's grand projects, I took care to omit the name of Wilkinson. My companion listened with his usual seriousness, but at the end smilingly shook his head, and declared that he believed the Colonel's schemes were all based on pure speculation55, and would end in air. As I have stated, I could not tell him my reasons for suspecting that his General had plotted with Burr. Yet this was the very crux56 of the affair. It was evident, in my opinion, that at about the time of my visit to him in Natchez Wilkinson had become frightened, and was rapidly coming to the decision of withdrawing from Burr's projects. But supposing he, the military chief of the army and the Governor of the Upper Territory, should gain heart to cast in his fortunes with the great plotter, would those projects then be so visionary?
My friend went on with an argument which proved only how little he suspected any connection between our expedition and Burr's plot. He explained at great length—to his own satisfaction, though not to mine—that our secret instructions to spy upon the Spaniards related only to the far-from-probable event of war between their country and our own.
On his part, he then came at me with a shrewd inquiry57 as to my real motive58 for volunteering with the expedition. I immediately confided59 to him everything relating to my romance. There was now no reason why I should hold back anything about Alisanda, and indeed I should have told him all long before, had it not been that since our start from Belle60 Fontaine we had never chanced to be alone together other than at times when matters of great concern to ourselves or the expedition absorbed our interest.
My confession61 won me, as I had foreseen, a most ardent62 ally. He listened with all the joyful63 sympathy of one who has been happy in the love of a true-hearted, beautiful wife.
"John! John! To think of it! All these months, and you never so much as whispered a word! A señorita from Old Spain? Never fear!" He looked me up and down with an air of severe appraisal64. "She'll take you; she's bound to take you!"
He went on with a list of reasons as long as my arm. There is nothing like a friend to lay it on with regard to your good qualities, when he is in the mood.
"Hold! hold!" I broke in on him. "Save that to tell to Señorita Vallois. I'd rather you'd inform me as to how soon I'm to reach Santa Fe."
"That's the question," he replied. "We've first to round the headwaters of this stream, then those of the Red River. Afterwards it is not unlikely we can manage so to lose ourselves as to contrive65 to wander into the midst of the Spanish settlements."
I stared glumly66 at the snowy peaks towering upon the western horizon. "That may be months hence. We cannot travel fast among the mountains. Why not strike first for Santa Fe?"
"The Spanish settlements must all lie to the southward of yonder grand peak. Santa Fe is rumored67 to have a mild climate; hence it must lie to the south of our present position," he argued. "Therefore we must first explore the sources of the Arkansas. When we go south among the Spaniards, there is no telling what they will do with us, but it is fair to presume that they will at least do their best to check our explorations."
"Very true," I assented68. "Suppose, then, that I part company from you here, and strike out to cross my barrier alone?"
"No!" he exclaimed.
"Why not?"
"You surely would perish. I could not spare you a horse. We shall need all for the packs before the week is out. Without a horse, and alone, you surely would perish, either in this bleak desert or among those mountain wilds."
"Yet I am willing to chance it. I hoped to have crossed the barrier—to have reached her side—before now."
"If not for your own sake, John, then for ours! You are the best shot among us. Since Wilkinson left, you have in effect taken his place as second in command. You know how highly the men regard you. Should aught happen to me, you are the only one of our number capable of taking my place and carrying out the various objects of the expedition."
"Meek is a fine soldier," I said.
"A good sergeant and a brave man—so brave that we could count upon him to 'raise a little dust' at the first opportunity. He's brave to rashness, but quite incapable69 of keeping notes, either of our route or of the many scientific features which we are certain to encounter."
"Yet—to wait, it may be months longer!"
"We need you, John."
"Very well," I replied. I could not do other than give way to that argument.
Such was the quenching70 of my newly aroused hopes. I should cross the barrier to Alisanda; I vowed71 I would cross it, or die. But the attempt must now wait until we had penetrated72 to the headwaters of the Arkansas; until we had rounded the sources of the Red River,—if in truth we were ever to find the unknown upper reaches of that stream; until we had spent weeks, and it might be months, wandering about the snowy wildernesses73 of these vast Western mountains.
It was a sickening prospect for my eager love to contemplate74. Yet I needed only the quiet words of my friend to realize what I already knew in my heart. It was true what he said. I could be of service to my comrades. There was my duty to them, if not my patriotism, to bind75 me to their company. I could not have left them at the time, even though the way to Santa Fe and on to Chihuahua had been an open highway before my feet, and the season midspring.
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1
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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10
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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16
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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depletion
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| n.耗尽，枯竭 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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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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22
scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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spectral
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| adj.幽灵的，鬼魂的 | |
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forestalled
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| v.先发制人，预先阻止( forestall的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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fabled
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| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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daydream
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| v.做白日梦，幻想 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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velvety
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| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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40
outfitted
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| v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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42
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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mettle
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| n.勇气，精神 | |
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44
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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45
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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46
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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47
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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48
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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49
connivance
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| n.纵容；默许 | |
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50
outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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51
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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52
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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53
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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54
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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55
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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56
crux
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| adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点 | |
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57
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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58
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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59
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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60
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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61
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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62
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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64
appraisal
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| n.对…作出的评价；评价，鉴定，评估 | |
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contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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glumly
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| adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地 | |
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67
rumored
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| adj.传说的，谣传的v.传闻( rumor的过去式和过去分词 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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68
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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70
quenching
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| 淬火，熄 | |
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71
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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72
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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73
wildernesses
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| 荒野( wilderness的名词复数 )； 沙漠； （政治家）在野； 不再当政（或掌权） | |
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74
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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