CHAPTER XVI.
The day was one of brightness and warmth on the mountain where we left Hualcoyotl and his attendant. The storm of the previous night had entirely disappeared before the refulgent rays of the morning sun. Hours came and passed, and the day was three-fourths gone; yet, fairly well protected in their new quarters, the prince and Oza slept on in an unbroken slumber, so worn were they from the almost superhuman efforts of the night before. The sleep of exhaustion was upon them, and the ordinary noises of the mountain wilds with which they were surrounded were without effect to disturb them. Now and then a bird would alight quite near and shie its bright eye at the sleepers, then hurry away. Animals frisked unconcerned about them, and the pestiferous insect filled the air with its ceaseless and annoying hum; still the tired fugitives continued profoundly unconscious of it all.
Such was the situation of the sleepers about the middle of the afternoon, when a piercing scream, like the cry of a person in extreme distress or peril, only much louder and inexpressibly awful, awakened the slumberers to a sudden impression of impending danger. The prince quickly raised himself to a listening posture, and exclaimed:
"What means that cry?"
"Hist, master; look there! What is that?" spoke Oza, in an excited whisper, at the same time pointing to an object just above and in front of them.
The prince looked in the direction indicated by his attendant, and there, not twenty feet away, beheld, crouched on an overhanging limb, a ferocious looking beast, with eyes which shone like balls of fire fixed menacingly upon them. The animal's lips were parted, showing its great ugly teeth, which caused a savage grin to overspread its fierce and threatening visage. Its tail, cat-like and menacing, was moving slowly to and fro; and, altogether, the monster's appearance was anything but reassuring to contemplate. The situation was, indeed, alarming.
The position of the animal was such that, to get away, the prince and Oza would have been compelled to pass almost under it. To have done this would have been to invite an immediate attack, which they could not afford to do in their defenseless condition.
Hualcoyotl recalled having heard some time in his life that such animals would not attack a person whose eyes were kept fixed upon them. The thought suggested the idea that the beast might be kept at bay in this manner until, tiring, it would leave of its own accord. The plan was immediately put into execution, and a peculiar contest began.
The fiercely grinning beast gave stare for stare, and never once turned its eyes away. For a full half hour, which seemed an age to the prince, the battle of the eyes went on, and still there was no letting up in the belligerent attitude of his fierce looking adversary.
Thus matters stood when there came a sudden thud-like sound, followed by a terrible howl from the animal, which leaped from its position into the ravine, falling dead almost at the feet of the imprisoned fugitives.
The long, uninterrupted stare into the eyes of the snarling beast had proven to be a very trying ordeal to Hualcoyotl; and when it sprang so suddenly into the ravine as if to attack them, he was almost prostrated from the shock given his tensified sensibilities. He quickly recovered when he saw that deliverance, from an unknown and unexpected source, had come to them through the death of the animal. Directly a voice, apparently just above them, was heard to say:
"Menke, ye couldn't have missed that feller no how. Queer the brute 'lowed me to come so close; never moved till I sent the jav'lin right into his ugly carcass. There he lies, sure enough, at the bottom o' the ravine, dead as a stone. Ol' feller, ye got yer everlastin', an' no mistake. Hello! What's that?" was the exclamation which followed the discovery of the prince's quarters. "Looks as ef somebody'd gone to house-keepin'."
The foregoing talk was carried on by Menke, the hunter, who was introduced to the reader in the preceding chapter. It was in the nature of a soliloquy, in which, as we have before observed, the hunter frequently indulged.
In pursuing his hunt through the mountain forests he had chanced to pass near the place where the prince and Oza were sheltered, and seeing the animal with fixed attention, crept cautiously up and gave it a death thrust with the javelin. He was too deeply intent on securing the animal as a prize to notice the retreat of the fugitives until the moment his exclamation was uttered.
Hualcoyotl very naturally concluded, on hearing the voice, that there were at least two persons in the party. He also surmised, from the character of the language used, that they were denizens of the mountains.
"They are surely not soldiers," he thought, "and may prove to be friendly."
The hunter descended into the ravine for the purpose of securing his prize, hardly expecting to find any one under cover of the shelter he had just discovered. When he reached the bottom near where the animal was lying, his eyes fell upon the forms of the prince and Oza, who had remained quietly waiting developments. He quickly took in the situation and said, with an air of surprise:
"Wull, now, what kind of a nest d'ye call that, eh?"
"It might be a worse one, hunter," returned the prince, recognizing Menke's calling by his general appearance, at the same time coming out of his sheltered retreat. "We were endeavoring to get some sleep, after a very tiresome tramp over the mountain," he continued, "when the cry of this beast aroused us rather unceremoniously; and for the past half hour we have been trying to drive it from us by looking it steadily in the eyes. But it has been provokingly persistent, and might have worried us out in time, had you not opportunely come along and relieved us with your javelin."
"That 'counts for the brute payin' no 'tention to me; 'lowin' me to come right onto 'im, an' givin' me such a fine show for his skin," returned the hunter.
"Yes, its fixed attention made it a splendid target for your javelin. But, friend, where are your companions?" the prince asked, seeing no one but the hunter.
"My companions," quoth Menke. "Don't understand ye, stranger."
"We certainly heard you talking with someone just before you came into the ravine," replied the prince.
"Wull, now, that's so; I was doin' some talkin', I reckon, but it was to myself. Ye see, stranger, when a feller's alone 'bout all the time, as I am, he gets real sociable with 'imself, an' falls into that way o' doin'. No, there's no one 'long o' me, an' ef I did any conversin', it was entirely onesided," returned the hunter, in his peculiar manner of expression. "Ye've got a right snug place here," he continued, taking a look at the fugitives' shelter. "Goin' to stop a while, eh?"
"That will depend on circumstances," replied the prince. "Do you live near here?"
"Wull, no; it's some distance to my place. There are folks livin' hereabout, but their way o' livin's kind o' tough. Ye'd better go round 'em, stranger. Some good people on the plateaus, though. Now, there's Tezcot—lives th' other side of yon mountain. He's a man ye can fasten to an' know ye're safe. He's a kind o' chief 'mong the mountain people. Ef ye happen to run onto Tez, ye'll find 'im true as his arrer, an' that's sayin' a heap."
"We'll try to remember your friend Tezcot, hunter, and should we meet him, will feel that we are fortunate."
"S'pose ye're on a huntin' excursion, eh?" said Menke, forgetting the strangers could not be supplied with arms, else the animal would hardly have held them prisoners.
"Well, not exactly. Our business is, to some extent, searching for roots and berries," replied the prince, expressing a sudden thought which suggested a way of misleading the hunter and avoiding immediate discovery.
"Medicine man, eh?" responded the hunter, in an ejaculatory manner.
The prince found it necessary to change the subject, which he did by inquiring:
"Do you ever get any news from the valley, hunter?"
"Wull, yes. 'Casionally meet a hunter from there who has news; an' then the soldiers—thick as mosquitoes round here o' late—they have a heap to say. Some o' them—the Tepanecs, are lookin' for the Tezcucan prince, who's hidin' somewhere in the mountains. Maxtla, the new Tepanec king, is after his life."
"Have you seen this prince you speak of?"
"Wull, no; haven't had that pleasure."
"What would you do, hunter, should you meet with the prince on the mountain—make him a prisoner and claim the reward?"
"No, stranger, I'd do nothin' o' the sort; I'd let 'im alone."
"You certainly have not heard of the extraordinary reward which, I understand, has been offered for his capture, dead or alive—a noble lady's hand in marriage, and a rich domain with it, to him who takes the prince. Is that not worth considering?" said Hualcoyotl, endeavoring to draw the hunter out still farther, to be more fully assured that he might trust him.
"Not to a man o' family, stranger," replied the hunter.
"With the wealth included in the reward you could support several wives. The matter of a family would be of small consequence," pursued the prince.
"All the same, stranger, I'd sooner be a free man o' the mountains than to have all Maxtla has to give for the prince's capture. I'll never be a slave to any man, and surely not to Maxtla. Ef the prince should come my way, I'll show 'im what a mountaineer can do fur the son o' his father, a man who was loved by his people fur the good that was in 'im." At this instant a thought occurred to the hunter which caused him to look sharply at the prince. After a moment of close scrutiny, he said: "Come to think of it, ye're askin' a good many questions 'bout the prince. Wouldn't be s'prised ef ye'd turn out to be the 'dentical chap, yerself. Curious I haven't s'pected that afore. Who are ye, any way?"
"Hunter, your expressions of good will assure me that I can trust you. I have the confidence to believe you would not betray a pursued and unjustly persecuted man. You see in me Hualcoyotl, the fugitive prince." As the prince said this he seemed to grow taller, for he stood proudly erect while he waited for the surprised hunter to speak.
Menke's astonishment, at finding his suspicion verified, was little short of amazement. After a moment, he said:
"Wull, ef I aint clear beat; been talkin' to a live prince all this time, an' didn't have gumption 'nough to know it." Looking Hualcoyotl over, he continued: "So ye're the prince. Wull, that knocks me crookeder 'an that animal's leg; I'd 'bout as soon take yer man fur a prince. Can't see but ye're just like other folks—nothin' extra, either."
The prince could not repress a smile of amusement at hearing the hunter's very expressive language. Menke continued:
"D'ye know, Prince, ye took my measure exactly when ye said ye thought ye could trust me? Ye can do it, sure as ye live. May the next lion I come across eat me jacket and all, ef ye can't!"
"Thank you, hunter," returned the prince. "You can not know how much relief and encouragement your words afford us. Our situation was very critical before you came to our assistance, and we feel very grateful to you. The disposition of kindliness which you evince toward us is most assuring, and makes us feel as if we were not wholly friendless."
"That's all right, Prince. It doesn't cost much to be obligin', an' it turns up a good profit; so don't let it trouble ye. Menke—that's me—'ll do all he's promised, an' more too ef it's needed. How're ye fixed fur somethin' to eat?" he concluded, thoughtful of the fugitives' physical wants.
"Rather poorly, hunter. We have nothing except a little green maize which we brought with us when we came here—hardly worth mentioning."
"Ye are a little short, that's a fact. My luck hasn't been the best to-day. Only got a pheasant or two an' one hare. Ye're welcome to 'em, Prince."
"Again we have to thank you, hunter; you are very kind."
"Can't see why I'm more'n I should be; ye've nothing to eat an' I have; that means a divide to Menke, Prince."
"I have often heard of the liberality and hospitable character of the men of the mountains. You have proven, by your kindness, Menke, that the report is well founded.
"It doesn't matter how you put it, Prince; that's our way o' doin'; an' ef ye've no objection to remainin' here alone, I'll take yer man 'long o' me—what's 'is name?" he suddenly asked, looking at Oza. The name was given, and he continued: "Wull, Oza, ef yer master's willin', ye can g'long o' me, and I'll find ye somethin' more than pheasant an' hare to eat."
It was arranged for Oza to accompany the hunter to the plateau, to bring in such food as he might procure for them. When ready to go, Menke threw the carcass of the mountain lion (for such it was) over his shoulder, and started to leave the ravine.
"Hunter!" called the prince, as he was moving off, "you will keep our hiding-place a secret. Do not mention to anyone, not even to your closest friends, that you have seen us; curiosity might lead to our discovery."
"Don't 'low any such notion as that to spoil yer sleep, Prince," returned the hunter. "When Menke undertakes to do somethin', he doesn't count on callin' in his neighbors. Think he knows what's what, if he does live on the mountains." With this brusk and emphatic reply he left the ravine, followed by Oza.
Hualcoyotl was now alone. His situation was not the happiest, and was calculated to call up disturbing reflections.
For some time after the departure of the hunter and Oza, he remained in his retreat, pondering on his peculiarly trying position. Growing nervous and uneasy, he concluded to venture out on the side of the mountain, which he did. Finding a place whence he could observe unseen the approaches to his quarters, he put himself on guard. As the hours passed and Oza did not return, he grew still more uneasy. He had eaten nothing during the day, and hunger was becoming a disturbing influence. When night came on and Oza had not returned, he felt that some mishap had certainly befallen him. He went back to his retreat, under cover of darkness, feeling much depressed in spirits, where we leave him, to follow the hunter and Oza.
After leaving the prince, they passed noiselessly down the side of the mountain and out on to a narrow, level stretch of ground, along which they went for a short distance, passing, on their way, some rudely constructed huts, formed of sticks and earth, which were inhabited by the class of mountaineers referred to by Menke as living tough.
The hunter's object was to procure for the fugitives a supply of uncooked food, but he did not deem it expedient to apply to the occupants of the huts for it, so passed on.
They had not gone far, after passing the huts, when they were met by a squad of soldiers, the sight of whom almost paralyzed the heart of Oza.
"Hist, Oza!" quietly ejaculated the hunter, when he discovered the soldiers approaching. "Ye're my servant; d'ye understand? Take this animal on yer back an' fall behind." Oza comprehended, and quickly obeyed.
Menke advanced boldly up to the soldiers, and one of them, looking at Oza's burden, said:
"What have you there, hunter?"
"A lion, soldier—a very savage kind of animal. I'd caution ye to look out fur 'em; they're plenty 'round here, 'specially on the mountains."
"Your very liberal with your advice, hunter, which may be good, but think we can take care of ourselves."
"All right, soldier; ef ye want to furnish a meal or two fur the hungry beasts, don't 'low me to hinder ye."
"Never mind the beasts, hunter; we care nothing for them. We're looking for a different kind of animal—a run-away prince, who is known to be hiding somewhere in these mountains. Haven't come across such a fellow in your travels, eh?" questioned the soldier.
"Wull, now, wouldn't be sure, but think I've seen the man ye're lookin' fur," returned Menke, making a show of trying to recall the circumstance. "Yesterday—yes, 'twas yesterday, on th'other side o' the mountain. Tall chap—"
"Yes," interjected the soldier.
"Kind o' dark skin?"
"Exactly, hunter," again put in the soldier.
"Was lookin' fur somethin' to eat," pursued Menke.
"Just what he'd most likely be doing. Think you've seen our man," replied the soldier. "Could you tell us," he continued, "about where to look for him?"
"Wull, now, soldier, I might guess at it, but 'twould be like shootin' an arrer at the moon—I'd come 'bout as close to one as th'other. Guess I can't enlighten ye. Sorry, soldier, but I can't," concluded Menke, moving on, and giving no heed to the scowling looks which followed him.
The meeting with the soldiers caused the hunter to modify his plans somewhat. It would not be prudent to build a fire on the mountain, with which to cook food, while the soldiers remained in such uncomfortably close proximity. This made it necessary to procure it in a prepared state.
The provisions could be obtained at Menke's home, but to go there would consume much time. Then, there was danger of the soldiers going up into the mountain in their search for the prince. He ought to be informed of their presence. And yet, he must have something to eat.
All this was thought over by the hunter, who finally determined to take the risk of leaving Hualcoyotl to look out for himself, and started to procure the victuals from his own home.
The trip was accomplished as quickly as possible; nevertheless, darkness overtook them before they got back; and it was well for them that it did, for they came very near running into a band of soldiers who were camping close to the point where the hunter had intended beginning the ascent of the mountain. This made it necessary for them to retreat and make a detour in order to reach cover.
The soldiers were becoming numerous on the plateaus, and Menke realized that sharp practice would be required to elude them. Having become deeply interested in the welfare of the fugitives, he decided, in view of the gravity of the situation, to return with Oza to their retreat; and, with the prince's approval, conduct them to a place of concealment, at or near his home.
After some delay a bushy undergrowth, which grew thickly at the foot of the mountain, was reached, into which, followed by Oza, the mountaineer disappeared.