“I re was mine,” interrupted Tiburcio.
“Yours, young man!” continued the trapper, in a tone of rude cordiality. “Well, I am glad to see you here, for we thought that the owner of the horse might be no longer among the living. The panther we killed, but the two jaguars made off, and we tracked them hither to the spring, which your fire now hinders them from approaching. Therefore, if you wish to be rid of these beasts, the sooner you put out the fire the better; and you will see how soon we shall disembarrass you of their presence.”
“And your comrade?” asked Don Estevan, struck with the idea of making a brace of valuable recruits. “Where is he?”
“He’ll be here presently; but to the work, else we must leave you to get out of your scrape as you best can.”
There was a certain authority in the tone and words of the trapper—a cool assurance that produced conviction—and upon his drawing near to put out the fire, Don Estevan did not offer to hinder him, but tacitly permitted him to have his way.
In a few seconds the burnt fagots were scattered about over the grass, and the cinders quenched by a few buckets of water drawn from the trough. This done the trapper uttered an imitation of the voice of the coyote; and before its echoes had died away, his companion stepped forward upon the ground.
Although the second trapper was by no means a man of low stature, alongside his companion he appeared only a pigmy. He was not less strangely accoutred, but in the absence of the firelight his costume was not sufficiently visible for its style to be distinguished. Of him and his dress we shall hereafter speak more particularly.
“At last your devilish fire is out,” said he, as he came up, “for the want of wood, no doubt, which none of you dared to go fetch.”
“No, that is not the reason,” hastily replied the first trapper; “I got leave from these gentlemen to put it out—so that we may have an opportunity to rid them of the presence of the tigers.”
“Hum!” murmured the Senator; “I fear we have done wrong in letting the fire be put out. Suppose you miss them?”