AFTER THE BATTLE.
For some time the young men followed at a distance the march of the Chilian army, which advanced slowly, though in good order, towards the Bio Bio. They crossed, at a foot's pace, the plain where the day before the sanguinary battle had been fought between the Indians and the Chilians.
"Why do we not hasten to quit this accursed place?" Valentine asked.
"We have a duty to fulfil," Louis replied solemnly.
"A duty to fulfil?" said Valentine.
"Yes," the young me continued, "would you leave our poor Joan without sepulture?"
"Thank you for having reminded me of it; oh, you are better than I am, you forget nothing."
"Do not calumniate yourself."
In a short time they arrived at the spot where Joan and General Bustamente had fallen. The foster brothers remained for a few instants, drew their sabres and dug a deep hole, in which they buried the two enemies.
"Farewell!" said Valentine. "Farewell, Joan! Sleep in peace, at the spot where you valiantly fought; the remembrance of you will not be easily effaced."
"Farewell, Joan!" said the count, in his turn. "Sleep in peace, good friend."
Cæsar had watched with intelligent attention the movements of his masters; at this moment he placed his forepaws upon the grave, smelt the earth, and then gave two lugubrious howls.
The young men felt their spirits very much depressed; they remounted their horses silently, and after having taken one last farewell look at the spot where the brave Araucano lay, they departed.
They had by degrees diverged a little towards the right to get nearer to the mountains and were following a narrow path traced along the rather sharp descent of a wooded hill. Cæsar suddenly pricked up his ears, and sprang forward, wagging his tail.
"We are getting near," said Louis.
"Yes," Valentine replied, laconically.
They soon reached a place where the path formed a bend, round which the Newfoundland disappeared. After passing this elbow, the Frenchmen suddenly found themselves in front of a fire, before which a quarter of a guanaco was roasting; two men, reclined upon the grass at a short distance, were smoking comfortably, whilst Cæsar, gravely seated on his tail, followed with a jealous eye the progress of the cooking of the guanaco. These two men were Curumilla and Trangoil-Lanec. At the sight of their friends, the Frenchmen dismounted. Valentine led the horses up to those of the Indians, hobbled them, unsaddled them, and gave them some provender; then he took his place by the fire. Not a word had been exchanged between the four men.
"Well?" Trangoil-Lanec asked, at length.
"The battle has been a fierce one," Valentine replied.
"I know it has," said the Indian, shaking his head; "the Araucanos are conquered; I saw them flying."
"They supported a bad cause," observed Curumilla.
"They are our brothers," Trangoil-Lanec said.
Curumilla bowed his head at this reproach.
"He who placed arms in their hands is dead," said Valentine.
"Good! And does my brother know the name of the warrior who killed him?"
"Yes, I know it," Valentine said mournfully.
"Let my brother tell me that name that I may keep it in my memory."
"Joan, our friend, killed that man."
"That is true," said Curumilla; "but why is not Joan here?"
"My brothers will never see Joan again," said Valentine.
The two chiefs exchanged a look of sorrow.
"He had a noble heart," they murmured.
"Yes," added Valentine; "and he was a friend."
A short silence ensued; then the two chiefs suddenly rose and went towards their horses, without speaking a word.
"Where are our brothers going?" the count asked.
"To give sepulture to a warrior; the body of Joan must not become the prey of urubus," Trangoil-Lanec replied, gravely.
"My brothers can take their places again," Louis said.
The chiefs re-seated themselves silently.
"Do Trangoil-Lanec and Curumilla know their brothers so ill," Louis continued, "as to suppose they would leave the body of a friend without sepulture? Joan was buried by us before we rejoined our brothers."
"Good!" said Trangoil-Lanec.
"The Muruches are not Huincas," Curumilla said.
"But a great misfortune has happened to us," Louis continued sorrowfully; "Don Tadeo, our dearest friend—"
"Well?" Curumilla interrupted.
"He is dead," said Valentine; "he was killed in the battle yesterday."
"Is my brother certain of what he states?"
"At least I suppose so, as his body has not been found."
"Let my brothers be consoled," said the Ulmen; "the Great Eagle of the Whites is not dead."
"Does the chief know that?" the two young men exclaimed in a breath.
"I do know it," replied Trangoil-Lanec. "Let my brothers listen. Curumilla and I are chiefs in our tribe; if our opinions prevented us from fighting for Antinahuel, they prevented us also from bearing arms against our nation. Our friends wished to go and join the Great Eagle; we left them to act as they pleased. They wished to protect a friend; they were right. We allowed them to go; but after their departure we thought of the young maiden of the palefaces, and we reflected that if the Aucas lost the battle, the maiden, according to the orders of the Toqui, would be the first placed in safety; in consequence we squatted among the bushes by the side of the road which, according to all probability, the mosotones would take when flying with their charge. The battle lasted long; as they always do, the Aucas died bravely."
"You may justly be proud of them, chief," Valentine exclaimed warmly.
"For that reason they are called Aucas—free men," replied Trangoil-Lanec.
"Suddenly a noise like thunder struck our ears, and between twenty and thirty mosotones passed by us like the wind. They took with them two women; one was the viper face, and the other the blue-eyed maiden."
"Oh!" the count exclaimed.
"A few minutes later," Trangoil-Lanec continued, "another troop, much more numerous than the first, arrived with equal swiftness; this was led by Antinahuel in person."
"He is wounded," Valentine observed.
"By his side galloped the Great Eagle of the Whites."
"Was he wounded?" Louis asked, anxiously.
"No, he carried himself upright."
"Oh! if he is not dead, we will save him."
"Save him? Yes, Don Valentine."
"When shall we take the track?"
"At daybreak. We will save the daughter, and we will deliver the father," said Trangoil-Lanec.
"Good, chief," Valentine replied with delight; "I am happy to hear you speak so; all is not lost yet."
"Far from it," said the Ulmen.
"Now, my brothers, that we feel reassured," Louis observed, "if you will take my advice, we will enjoy a few hours of repose."