A RUSE DE GUERRE.
After his strange proposal to the hunters, the leader of the pirates retook, at his best speed, the road to his den.
But he was too much accustomed to the life of the prairies not to suspect that several of his enemies would follow his track at a distance. Therefore, he had put in practice, to mislead them, all the tricks which his inventive mind could furnish with him, making détours without number, retracing incessantly his steps, or, as it is vulgarly said, going back ten yards to advance one.
These numerous precautions had excessively retarded his journey.
When he arrived on the banks of the river whose waters bathed the entrance to the cavern, he cast a last look around him, to make certain that no busy eye was watching his movements.
Everything was calm, nothing suspicious appeared, and he was about to launch into the stream the raft concealed beneath the leaves, when a slight noise in the bushes attracted his attention.
The pirate started; promptly drawing a pistol from his belt, he cocked it, and advanced boldly towards the spot whence this alarming noise proceeded.
A man bent towards the ground, was busy digging up herbs and plants with a small spade.
The pirate smiled, and replaced his pistol in his belt.
He had recognized the doctor, who was as much absorbed in his favourite passion as usual; so much so, indeed, that he had not perceived him.
After surveying him for an instant with disdain, the pirate was turning his back upon him, when an idea occurred to him, which made him, on the contrary,—advance towards the savant, upon whose shoulder he somewhat roughly laid his hand.
At this rude salutation, the poor doctor drew himself up in a fright, letting fall both plants and spade.
"Holla! my good fellow," said the captain, in a jeering tone, "what madness possesses you to be herbalizing thus at all hours of the day and night?"
"How!" the doctor replied, "what do you mean by that?"
"Zounds! it's plain enough! Don't you know it is not far from midnight?"
"That is true," the savant remarked ingenuously; "but there is such a fine moon."
"Which you, I suppose, have taken for the sun," said the pirate, with a loud laugh; "but," he added, becoming all at once serious, "that is of no consequence now; although half a madman, I have been told that you are a pretty good doctor."
"I have passed my examinations," the doctor replied, offended by the epithet applied to him.
"Very well! you are just the man I want, then."
The savant bowed with a very ill grace; it was evident he was not much flattered by the attention.
"What do you require of me?" he asked; "are you ill?"
"Not I, thank God! but one of your friends, who is at this moment my prisoner, is; so please to follow me."
"But——" the doctor would fain have objected.
"I admit of no excuses; follow me, or I will blow your brains out. Besides, don't be afraid, you run no risk; my men will pay you all the respect science is entitled to."
As resistance was impossible, the worthy man did as he was bidden with a good grace—with so good a grace, even, that for a second he allowed a smile to stray across his lips, which would have aroused the suspicions of the pirate if he had perceived it.
The captain commanded the savant to walk on before him, and both thus reached the river.
At the instant they quitted the place where this conversation, had taken place, the branches of a bush parted slowly, and a head, shaved with the exception of a long tuft of hair at the top, on which was stuck an eagle's feather, appeared, then a body, and then an entire man, who bounded like a jaguar in pursuit of them.
This man was Eagle Head.
He was a silent spectator of the embarkation of the two whites, saw them enter the grotto, and then, in his turn, disappeared in the shade of the woods, after muttering to himself in a low voice the word—
"Och!" (good) the highest expression of joy in the language of the Comanches.
The doctor had plainly only served as a bait to attract the pirate, and cause him to fall into the snare laid by the Indian chief.
Now, had the worthy savant any secret intelligence with Eagle Head? That is what we shall soon know.
On the morrow, at daybreak, the pirate ordered a close battue to be made in the environs of the grotto; but no track existed.
The captain rubbed his hands with joy; his expedition had doubly succeeded, since he had managed to return to his cavern without being followed.
Certain of having nothing to dread, he was unwilling to keep about him so many men in a state of inactivity; placing, therefore, his troop provisionally under the command of Frank, a veteran bandit, in whom he had perfect confidence, he only retained ten chosen men with him, and sent away the rest.
Although the affair he was now engaged in was interesting, and his success appeared certain, he was not, on that account, willing to neglect his other occupations, and maintain a score of bandits in idleness, who might, at any moment, from merely having nothing else to do, play him an ugly turn.
It is evident that the captain was not only a prudent man, but was thoroughly acquainted with his honourable associates.
When the pirates had left the grotto, the captain made a sign to the doctor to follow him, and conducted him to the general.
After having introduced them to each other with that ironical politeness in which he was such a master, the bandit retired, leaving them together.
Only before he departed, the captain drew a pistol from his belt, and clapping it to the breast of the savant—
"Although you may be half a madman," he said, "as you may, nevertheless, have some desire to betray me, observe this well, my dear sir; at the least equivocal proceeding that I see you attempt, I will blow your brains out; you are warned, so now act as you think proper."
And replacing his pistol in his belt, he retired with one of his eloquent sneers on his lips.
The doctor listened to this admonition with a very demure countenance, but with a sly smile, which, in spite of himself, glided over his lips, but which, fortunately, was not perceived by the captain.
The general and his Negro, Jupiter, were confined in a compartment of the grotto at some distance from the outlet.
They were alone, for the captain had deemed it useless to keep guards constantly with them.
Both seated upon a heap of leaves, with heads cast down and crossed arms, they were reflecting seriously, if not profoundly.
At sight of the savant, the dismal countenance of the general was lighted up by a fugitive smile of hope.
"Ah, doctor, is that you?" he said, holding out to him a hand which the other pressed warmly hut silently, "have I reason to rejoice or to be still sad at your presence?"
"Are we alone?" the doctor asked, without answering the general's question.
"I believe so," he replied, in a tone of surprise; "at all events, it is easy to satisfy yourself."
The doctor groped all round the place, carefully examined every corner; he then went back to the prisoners.
"We can talk," he said.
The savant was habitually so absorbed by his scientific calculations, and was naturally so absent, that the prisoners had but little confidence in him.
"And my niece?" the general asked, anxiously.
"Be at ease on her account; she is in safety with a hunter named Loyal Heart, who has a great respect for her."
The general breathed a sigh of relief; this good news had restored him all his courage.
"Oh!" he said, "of what consequence is my being a prisoner? Now I know my niece is safe, I can suffer anything."
"No, no," said the doctor, warmly, "on the contrary, you must escape from this place tomorrow, by some means."
"Why?"
"Answer me in the first place."
"I ask no better than to do so."
"Your wounds appear slight; are they progressing towards cure?"
"I think so."
"Do you feel yourself able to walk?
"Oh, yes!"
"But let us understand each other. I mean, are you able to walk a distance?"
"I believe so, if it be absolutely necessary."
"Eh! eh!" said the Negro, who, up to this moment had remained silent, "am I not able to carry my master when he can walk no longer?"
The general pressed his hand.
"That's true, so far," said the doctor; "all is well, only you must escape."
"I should be most glad to do so, but how?"
"Ah! that," said the savant, scratching his head, "is what I do not know, for my part! But be at ease, I will find some means; at present, I don't know what."
Steps were heard approaching, and the captain appeared.
"Well!" he asked, "how are your patients going on?"
"Not too well!" the doctor replied.
"Bah! bah!" the pirate resumed; "all that will come round; besides, the general will soon be free, then he can get well at his ease. Now, doctor, come along with me; I hope I have left you and your friend long enough together to have said all you wish."
The doctor followed him without reply, after having made the general a parting sign to recommend prudence.
The day passed away without further incident.
The prisoners looked for the night with impatience; in spite of themselves, a confidence in the doctor had gained upon them—they hoped.
Towards evening the worthy savant reappeared. He walked with a deliberate step, his countenance was cheerful, he held a torch in his hand.
"What is there fresh, doctor?" the general asked; "you appear to be quite gay."
"In fact, general, I am so," he replied with a smile, "because I have found the means of securing your escape—not forgetting my own."
"And those means?"
"Are already half executed," he said, with a little dry smile, which was peculiar to him when he was satisfied.
"What do you mean by that?"
"By Galen! something very simple, but which you never would guess: all our bandits are asleep, we are masters of the grotto."
"That may be possible; but if they should wake?"
"Don't trouble yourself about that; they will wake, of that there is no doubt, but not within six hours at least."
"How the devil can you tell that?"
"Because I took upon myself to send them to sleep; that is to say, at their supper I served them with a decoction of opium, which brought them down like lumps of lead, and they have all been snoring ever since like so many forge bellows."
"Oh, that is capital!" said the general.
"Is it not?" the doctor observed, modestly. "By Galen, I was determined to repair the mischief I had done you by my negligence! I am not a soldier, I am but a poor physician; I have made use of my proper weapons; you see that in certain cases they are as good as others."
"They are a hundred times better! Doctor, you are a noble fellow!"
"Well, come, let us lose no time."
"That is true, let us be gone; but the captain, what have you done with him?"
"Oh, as to him, the devil only knows where he is. He left us after dinner without saying anything to anybody; but I have a shrewd suspicion I know where he is gone, and am much mistaken if we do not see him presently."
"All, then, is for the best; lead on."
The three men set off at once. In spite of the means employed by the doctor, the general and the Negro were not quite at ease.
They arrived at the compartment which now served as a dormitory for the bandits; they were lying about asleep in all directions.
The fugitives passed safely through them.
When they arrived at the entrance of the grotto, at the moment they were about to unfasten the raft to cross the river, they saw, by the pale rays of the moon, another raft, manned by fifteen men, who steadily directed their course towards them.
Their retreat was cut off.
How could they possibly resist such a number of adversaries?
"What a fatality!" the general murmured, despondingly.
"Oh!" said the doctor, piteously, "a plan of escape that cost me so much trouble to elaborate!"
The fugitives threw themselves into a cavity of the rocks, to avoid being seen, and there waited the landing of the newcomers, whose manoeuvres appeared more and more suspicious.