Darting from the cavern, about twenty of these wild warriors arranged themselves in a circle around an old woman, known among them by the name of Quiba, who, squatting upon the ground, chanted, in a monotonous voice, the burden of a war-song: the men moving slowly, and joining in the chorus—“Avenge the bones of your fathers, which lie whitening upon the plain!” Continuing this revolving motion for some time, but gradually increasing in celerity, they at length appeared as if worked up to the highest pitch of their passions; and releasing each other’s hands, and twirling round and round with the greatest rapidity, tearing their hair, and gnashing their teeth, at length threw themselves upon the ground, foaming with rage.
Zulmiera, terrified at their frantic movements and horrid contortions, tremblingly leant against the trunk of a tree, until, aroused by an exclamation from the old woman, she perceived another party of savages, apparently of meaner grade, bringing in large calabashes and baskets, huge pieces pf baked meats, and bowls of some kind of liquids. Placing them upon the ground, they retreated; and old Quiba, quitting her recumbent posture, seized upon one of the pieces of meat, and throwing it among the prostrate warriors, exclaimed, in a cracked voice—“Eat of the flesh of your enemies, and avenge your fathers’ bones!”
As she uttered these words, the men sprang from the ground, and rushing upon the viands, devoured them with savage greediness; while Cuanaboa, lifting up one of the smaller pieces of meat, approached Zulmiera, and, with harshness, requested her to eat it. Alarmed at his ferocious manner, but not daring to shew it, the trembling girl essayed to obey; and putting a portion of it into her mouth, by a strong effort swallowed it. No sooner was this effected, than, breaking into a horrid laugh, and with his eyes gleaming like the hyæna’s, Cuanaboa shouted to the old woman, who had just before entered the cave—“Bring forth our present for our queen; surely, she deserves it, now she is one of us!”
Startled by his evident irony, Zulmiera turned round, at the moment that Quiba emerged from a natural passage in the interior of the cave, bearing in her hand a small bundle, which, with a sardonic grin, she laid at the feet of the observant girl. “There, lady; that is our first present,” croaked forth the old hag. “Ay, lift it up, and search it well; Mayboya will stand your friend, and send you many more, I hope.” So saying, she hobbled up to one of the torches, and taking it from its resting-place, held it before the face of Zulmiera.
Impelled by an irresistible desire to know the worst, Zulmiera stooped and undid the folds of red cloth wound around their proffered gift. After untwining it for some time, the wrapping felt damp to the touch; and dreading she knew not what, she loosed the last fold, and a human head rolled upon the ground.
Uttering a cry of horror, but forced on by her unconquerable emotions, she turned the gory object round; and as the torches flashed with further glare, her eye fell upon the pallid features. The blue eye, glassed by the hand of death, and over which the starting eyelids refused to droop—the parted lips, parted with the last throe of agony, and shewing the pearly teeth—the finely-moulded cheeks, but disfigured by a deep gash—and the long auburn hair, dabbled with the blood that still oozed from the severed veins, bespoke it Raphe de Merefield’s! Her own blood congealed around her heart like ice—her pulse quivered and stopped—and with one unearthly, prolonged shriek, the unfortunate Zulmiera sank senseless upon the ground.
Recovered by the means of some pungent herb applied to her nostrils, by the hands of Quiba, she awoke to all her misery. Her eyes fell again upon the mutilated head of her lover; while the demoniac voice of Cuanaboa whispered in her ear—“The food you partook of just now was part of the body of your minion! I met him wandering in the copse a time agone; and I thought he would make a fine sacrifice to Mayboya.” This last horrible information completely altered her nature, and changed the fond loving girl to the disposition of a fiend. Lifting up the head, and imprinting upon the blood-stained lips one long fervent kiss, she enveloped it again in the wrappings of red cloth, and carefully binding it around her waist, was in the act of quitting the cave, when arrested by the powerful grasp of Cuanaboa.
“Not so fast, lady!” exclaimed the Carib chief; “remember your oath to Mayboya! We still stand in need of your assistance to guide us to the house of yon white chief. Remember that was part of your bargain: let us in; and when we have vanquished the enemy, we shall still be willing to receive you as our queen; that is, if you will agree to take me for your king instead of the pale-faced boy, whose body has served to regale us and our people.” With eyes that flashed fire, Zulmiera was about to reply, when suddenly constraining herself, she simply muttered—“My oath to Mayboya!—follow me, then!” and with determined purpose, left the cavern.
The whole party of Caribs, consisting of about eighty, were by this time gathered around the spot, armed with bows and arrows, clubs, darts, spears, and all the other rude implements of warfare. As the two chiefs made their appearance, they pointed to the moon—then rapidly ascending the heavens—and uttering a suppressed war-whoop, they commenced their march in the direction of government house, preceded by the half-Carib.
Unconscious of pain, Zulmiera darted through the thorniest thickets, turned not aside for any impediment; but borne up by the hopes of revenge, she outstripped the most active of the party. Knowing, as she did, that the inmates of government house were prepared for the attack, she felt assured that few, if any, of the Caribs would escape; but completely altered in disposition, from the effects of the horrible scenes she had gone through, she experienced no compunctious feelings for the event. Her only wish, her fixed purpose, was to possess herself of a dagger—stab Cuanaboa to the heart—drink his warm blood as it gushed forth—and after bathing the head of her lover with it, kill herself upon the spot. To deceive Cuanaboa, she pretended that her fear of Mayboya led her to conduct the party, an assurance which his own blind zeal for that dreaded deity caused him to believe.