With such a thought lying like a snake upon my breast, it is not strange that I slept ill that night. But I was astir in the morning no earlier than Malgares, who betrayed the liveliest over his coming interview with the Commandant-General. It was the first time that he had been permitted to come south to the seat of government since leaving it for his daring expedition into our territories, nearly a year past. Pike and I were astonished to find that he was not beaming with expectation of the rewards his exploit deserved. Instead he rode along between us in silence, his fine Castilian face with lines of anxiety, almost of dread.
We were now passing over the last few miles of the vast mountain-encircled plain which surrounds the city of Chihuahua and upon which, as well as similar vast ranges in this Province of Nuevo Viscaya, los haciendados pasture of thousands and tens of thousands of cattle. Only in the most favored spots was the landscape broken by trees, most of them the acacia-like mesquite, which here grows to a height of thirty or forty feet. There was little of the soil in this region, whose inhabitants depend upon cattle and the rich silver mines for their subsistence. A far from pleasant proof of this fact was to be seen in the great number of smoking ore furnaces and the enormous extent of the heaps all about the city.
From the time we swung into our high-pommelled, high-cantled saddles, my gaze was through the smoke of the furnaces upon the lofty towers of the Parroquia—the magnificent parish church of Chihuahua—and the older and lower structure of the Jesuit Church of the Campañia. Noticing my intentness, even in his , Malgares told the story of how the Parroquia had been paid for by a contribution from the silver produced by the great Santa Eulalia mine, in all something over a million dollars, estimated in our money.
Aside from the Parroquia and a few other stone , such as the royal , the hospital, the military academy, and the three or four churches, the city of Chihuahua proved to be interesting but not magnificent. A few of the private buildings were of stone and of more than one story, but the greater part of the city was built of the ubiquitous unbaked mud brick.
Passing within sight of the huge arches of the great aqueduct, or waterway, which bends around from the south to the east side of the city, we at last found ourselves in the neat, close of Chihuahua. Our course carried us toward the through the better streets, and it was evident from the number of ladies who crowded out into their balconies to see us pass that the news of our coming had been announced.
That Malgares was well and favorably known among these bright-eyed señoras and señoritas soon became apparent as we swept along at the head of our , swashbuckling dragoons. Fans were waved, rebozas and mantillas fluttered, and greetings called. Despite the anxiety which damped his spirit, our companion responded with the most gallant of bows and compliments.
In the midst, a gay young señorita, more daring than her sisters, cried out: "Viva, los Americanos!"
Our response, I trust, was as gallant in spirit if not in effect as the bows of Malgares. I qualify because Pike had to endure the of riding beneath the gaze of all those sparkling eyes in a costume better fitting a backwoods farmer than a military gentleman. He was still in his cap and blanket cloak. Yet, encouraged by our acknowledgment of the first greeting, others of the ladies caught up the cry, until we found ourselves being welcomed no less warmly and frequently than Malgares himself.
This should have been fair enough to the most of travellers. But as we past house after house, I found myself, between bows, scanning the gay groups on the balconies with a sinking heart. We were nearing the plaza. I could see the trees between the blank, bare walls of the which flanked the narrow street. In a little more we should pass the last of the balconies,—and I had seen no sign of my lady.
We neared the last balcony. Upon it were only three ladies, one of whom held back behind the others, so much of her head and shoulders as showed being in a silk reboza, the Mexican head-drape or shawl. The other two leaned eagerly forward over the balustrade, and the younger, a plump beauty with the blackest and most brilliant of eyes, flashed at Malgares a look that told me she was his wife, even before he called to her in terms of . Unlike so many of the Spanish marriages, his had been a love match.
The señora and her yet plumper companion at the rail called down a welcome to los Americanos. Pike and I swept off our hats and bowed our handsomest. I straightened and looked up. Malgares had not checked his horse for an instant, so that we were now opposite the balcony, and I, being on the right, was almost directly beneath it. My heart gave a great leap. Smiling down upon me, over the rail, I saw the lovely face of my lady. I started to cry out her name: "Al—"
But already her finger was on her scarlet lips. I checked myself so quickly that my sounded more like an "Ah!"
My lady let fall her reboza over her face and drew back out of view. When at last I gave over craning my head about, Malgares met me with a smile. "So you have discovered her already, Don Juan!" he remarked in French.
"My señorita!" I murmured. "She is the loveliest lady in the world!"
"The most beautiful—that is true, but I cannot admit that she is the loveliest," he returned, with the of a true gentleman.
"I trust soon to repeat that last to your señora!" I exclaimed. "She was the one to whom you called."
He bowed in of my . "It is the house of Señor Vallois. That other was Señora Marguerite Vallois, his wife. The house of my wife's father is on the cross-street. She came to the house of her friends to see me pass, for she knew I could not turn out of my direct way to the palacio."
"What! Not a few moments to greet your lady after an absence of almost a year?" I cried.
"This is not a free republic as is your country. Our ruler—" He checked himself, and looked from me to Pike with an anxious glance. "Friends, I have not darkened your journey with sombre . But now is the time for warning. Do not be surprised if a few hours hence you find yourselves in the calabozo."
"No!" said Pike, without raising his voice, but speaking in a tone of indomitable resolution. "Your people may kill us, Don Faciendo, but they shall neither nor us so long as there is breath left in our bodies. My men have their orders."
Malgares shook his head sadly. "You free-born Americanos! You do not yet know what it means to stand before a despot!" He glanced back over his shoulder as if fearful of being overheard. The nearest of the escort was beyond earshot. He drew in a deep breath, and murmured bitterly: "You see what it means. I am not accounted a coward, yet I turn cold at the very thought of the man who can dishonor me."
"Dishonor!" I repeated.
"Death is a little thing! But who does not fear a life—or death—of disgrace?"
Our looks assured him of our sympathy. We came into the alamo, or shaded ride, through the plaza. He across at the fort-like mass of the Governor's residence. "There lies the fate of all the Northern Provinces, from the borders of Louisiana Territory to the Pacific, in the grasp of one man!"
"You have an appeal to His Catholic ," remarked Pike.
Malgares his shoulders in the manner of a Frenchman, a gesture of which we would have considered his pride . "It is a long journey to Old Spain to one who would oppose the Commandant-General, and a far longer journey through the Court to the Hall of Justice. No, amigos. Be advised. is sometimes the better part of . wins many victories beyond reach of the sword."
"You have our thanks, Don Faciendo," replied my friend, soberly. "I shall not forget that I am here as an officer of the Army of the Republic. My first and only concern is the interests of my country, and I will use all means to those interests."
We were by now approaching the great arched which in the centre of the palacio's stuccoed façade. The guard turned out with a smartness which I could see impressed Pike not a little. There was a moment's halt, and then we all through the tunnel-like archway into the brick-paved court enclosed by the building.
This was not the first we had entered, but it was by far the largest. Here and there the court was with small trees and potted , some already in flower. A line of them screened off in the rear the view of the kitchens and stables. All around this court ran the arched entrances of the building's inner tiers of rooms, the gallery of the upper story being reached with outside stairways in opposite corners.
As the audience was on the lower floor, we were with Malgares into the hall of the guards by one of the aides-de-camp, a heavy-set, dark-browed Andalusian whom Malgares introduced as Lieutenant Don Jesus Maria de Gonzales y Medina. Our six privates were left outside in the care of the dragoons of the escort, with whom they had long since come to the best of terms.
Word had at once been taken in to the Captain-General that we were awaiting his pleasure. Presently an aide appeared and bowed to Malgares. This left Pike and me seated alone on a stone bench, under the eyes of the guard and of a of house and stable servants, who had pressed in to at those strange creatures, los Anglo-Americanos. It was no easy test for my temper to bear, nor, I judge, for Pike's. Added to this, we were by now fairly on needles and pins as to the manner in which this despotic ruler should choose to receive us.
Lieutenant Medina had . In his place appeared a ferret-eyed little Frenchman, who snuffled complaints of how he had been abused in this land, and sought to draw from us expressions of opinion regarding the Spanish Government. Suspecting him to be a spy, Pike pointed to the outer door, and gave him his congé in Spanish: "Vaya, carrejo!"
The scoundrel went, followed by a muffled yet none the less laugh over his from the rough, honest soldiers. After a time Medina returned with a sandy, pale-eyed but well-built young officer whom he introduced as Alferez Don Juan Pedro Walker. The newcomer hastened to explain, in English, that he was the same John Peter Walker of New Orleans who in 1798 aided Mr. Ellicott in surveying the Florida line.
At this moment Malgares appeared in the
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CHAPTER XXI HO FOR CHIHUAHUA!
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CHAPTER XXIII THE HOUSE OF VALLOIS
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