Chapter VIII: How General Liniers Lost an Important Ally

It was an hour past midday when Don Carlos Evaña galloped from the scene of the skirmish. Judging that Don Roderigo would proceed by the high road for Cordova, he cut straight across camp for the town of Pergamino, where he halted for half an hour to make cautious enquiries. His uniform and his announcement that he was on government service, procured him every attention from the townspeople, who were eager in their offers of assistance, and he soon learned, without exciting suspicion, that the galera had arrived there late on the preceding night, and had started again at sunrise.

Onwards he galloped, and soon after sundown reached an estancia near to the Arroyo del Medio, which divides the province of Buenos Aires from the province of Santa Fè. Here he found it was useless for him to attempt to go any further, as, though a good horseman, he was quite knocked up, not having galloped for any distance for several months. The estanciero pressed him to remain, and at once sent some peons to slaughter a cow for his men.

"I am dead beat," he said to Venceslao, taking him to one side; "I must trust to you to catch this galera for me and bring it back."

"Pues! that is not strange, Señor Don Carlos," said Venceslao; "but you know you have only to tell me what to do and I will do it."

"The gentleman who is in this galera is Don Roderigo Ponce de Leon. He is on his way to Cordova to join Don Santiago Liniers in raising an insurrection against the Junta. All who joins this insurrection will be shot, so we must stop Don Roderigo at any cost."

"Have no fear, Don Carlos, even if I have to go to Cordova I will bring him back. I do not forget that he is a relation of mine, and you know that the family has its obligations."

"You must stop him before he reaches Cordova, or it will be too late, and above all you must let no one know who he is. I shall wait here for you."

"And if he will not come?" said Venceslao thoughtfully.

"If the men he has with him resist, shoot them, but do not touch him on any account. He does not anticipate pursuit, so I do not think he is prepared to resist. You have nothing to do but to turn the galera round when you overtake it, and drive back. Speak to him as little as possible. Everything depends upon your speed; if you start at dawn you may catch him to-morrow."

Evaña asked the hospitable estanciero for a bed, and, in spite of the fever of fatigue, was soon in a dreamless sleep; but soon after midnight he woke and heard the jingling of spurs and the rattle of sabres in their iron scabbards, as Viana with his men mounted and rode away.

Viana took fifteen men with him, leaving the other five behind in charge of the spare horses; by sunrise he had reached the first post-house in the province of Santa Fè on the main road to Cordova. All day he travelled rapidly, changing horses at the post-houses as he went on, encouraged by finding that the roads were heavy, and led through many swamps and bad passes, which would seriously impede the progress of a wheeled vehicle. At every post-house he heard that the galera was before him, at the place where he halted at sundown he learned that it had passed about two hours before.

Mounting again at midnight, he reached the next post-house at dawn, just as the galera was leaving. Don Roderigo, supposing his party to be a detachment of Asneiros' men, waited for him to come up. Venceslao rode alone to the galera.

"You have mistaken the road, Señor Don Roderigo," said he.

"Are not you Venceslao Viana?" replied Don Roderigo.

"Your servant," replied Venceslao. "The Señor Major Evaña has detached me with this escort to secure your safety, there are many bad characters about."

"Evaña!" exclaimed Don Roderigo; "I thought he was in Buenos Aires."

"He left the day after you did, Señor Don Roderigo. The day before yesterday we arranged those vagabonds, so now with this escort you need fear nothing."

"And the Señor Major Asneiros, what of him? Where is he?"

"He died, Señor."

"And the Señor Major Evaña, where is he?"

"He was tired and could come no further, he is waiting for you at an estancia on the Arroyo del Medio."

Don Roderigo looked fixedly at Venceslao, asking with his eyes a question he did not care to speak. Venceslao bowed his head in reply.

"Carry out your orders, whatever they are." So saying Don Roderigo shut the window of the galera through which he had leaned during this colloquy, and, seating himself in a corner, wrapped himself in his cloak.

Viana then rode up to the postillions, telling them to turn and go back the way they had come, silencing their objections by throwing back his poncho, and laying his hand on the butt of a pistol.

On the afternoon of the day following Don Carlos Evaña, now quite recovered from his fatigue, sat talking with the estanciero who had given him shelter, when one of his troopers came to the door of the room and announced that a galera had crossed the arroyo and was coming up towards the estancia, escorted by a party of dragoons. Don Carlos sprang joyfully to his feet, and went out with his host to watch the galera as it came swiftly towards them. At the tranquera it stopped, Don Carlos himself opened the door.

"My friend," said he, "I am rejoiced to see you in safety."

"I am your prisoner I suppose, Señor Don Carlos?" replied Don Roderigo, stepping out, but refusing the hand which Evaña stretched out to him in welcome.

"My prisoner, no," said Don Carlos; "I shall be happy to escort you to Buenos Aires, or any other place to which you may wish to go."

"I am on my way to Cordova and have lost four days by your interference."

"To Cordova! that is impossible, Cordova is in the hands of a party of rebels against government."

"Cordova is the present station of the only legitimate government of the Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires. I see what you wish, Don Carlos, I see that you wish others to believe that I have taken no part in this insurrection as I suppose you call it. You have not introduced me to this good gentleman, who is, I presume, the owner of this estancia."

"The Señor Don Luis Peña," said Evaña, on which the estanciero stepped forward, raising his hat.

"I have much pleasure in welcoming you to my house, Señor, and put it and all I have at your service," said Don Luis, shaking hands with Don Roderigo.

"Peña!" said Don Roderigo, "I know your father well, and a worthy old gentleman he is but I fear me infected with the disloyalty of the present time. I am Roderigo Ponce de Leon, Señor Don Luis, I am a member of the Cabildo and of the Audencia Real of Buenos Aires, and I am on my way to Cordova to join Marshal Liniers and to concert measures with him for the upsetting of this rebel Junta which has been established by the mob in Buenos Aires. If you still offer your services you can aid me very much, Don Luis, by raising the partidarios in this district and liberating me from these dragoons."

"I am sorry, Don Roderigo, to have to refuse your first request," replied Don Luis; "we all here recognise the Junta of Buenos Aires as the only legitimate government of the Viceroyalty."

"Then, Don Carlos," said Don Roderigo, turning brusquely away from Don Luis, "I am your prisoner."

"If you think well over it," said Don Carlos, "you will see that in turning your back on your journey I have been actuated only by a desire to prevent great unhappiness to your family."

"And have acted as a traitor to your country," replied Don Roderigo, then turning his back upon him he walked with Don Luis up to the house.

Don Luis Peña strove by every means in his power to render the compulsory visit of Don Roderigo pleasant to him, but Don Roderigo declined to look upon himself in any other light than as a prisoner. He absolutely refused to return to Buenos Aires, although both Don Carlos and Don Luis gave him every assurance that he should suffer no molestation; he considered that to reside quietly in Buenos Aires, taking no part in public affairs, would be equivalent to acknowledging the authority of the Junta.

Thus two days passed; on the third Colonel Lopez arrived with the rest of his regiment and encamped near to the estancia. In company with the Colonel came Don Andres Zapiola and several other wealthy hacendados from Arrecifes and Pergamino. To many of these Don Roderigo was known personally, to all he was known by repute.

Don Carlos Evaña was sorely perplexed; some of these new arrivals spoke of Don Roderigo as the man who had induced the desertion on the 10th June from the "Espedicion Auxiliadora." This expedition had already left Buenos Aires, and might probably reach the frontier in a day or two. He himself was now under the orders of a superior officer, on the arrival of the expedition both would be under the orders of Colonel Ocampo, who would unquestionably send Don Roderigo to Buenos Aires as a prisoner, for trial on a charge of treason. He consulted with Colonel Lopez, who had declined to visit the estancia.

"Do what you will, Don Carlos, and lose no time," said the Colonel; "I do not require your services with the regiment for a day or two, and if you wish to go anywhere you can take an escort. In your report to me of the defeat of Asneiros you have mentioned that you started at once after the action in pursuit of a detachment which had gone in advance. Since that you have made no further report, I suppose the other party escaped, but I have instructions from Buenos Aires to arrest Don Roderigo Ponce de Leon if he is in the neighbourhood; if I see him I shall carry out my orders, but I have also letters which inform me that he is in Monte Video."

Don Carlos returned to the estancia, and offered to escort Don Roderigo to San Nicolas if he would promise him to go thence by water to Monte Video, and give up all thoughts of joining Marshal Liniers. For long Don Roderigo refused, the news of the approach of the volunteers under Colonel Ocampo had no effect upon him, and it was only when Don Carlos entreated him to secure his safety for the sake of his wife and daughter that he at last consented.

As soon as it was dark that night, Viana's troop of dragoons left the encampment and marched away eastward, passing close to the estancia of the Señor Peña, where they were joined by five men well mounted, who rode with them through the night at a rapid pace, and left them at dawn near to the frontier town of San Nicolas. The dragoons encamped till the next morning, when they were joined by Don Carlos Evaña and Don Luis Peña; returning immediately to the estancia of the latter gentleman, they were there met by the intelligence that the "Espedicion Auxiliadora" was encamped near at hand on the Cañada de Cepeda.