Chapter VII: A Night Spent in a Cave

"The drink is ready. Will I bring it to the ladies now, Cap'?"

These words awakened Doña Carmelita from a sound sleep into which she had fallen despite the discomfiture of rain-soaked clothes. The fire was burning brightly, and she found herself nearer the blaze whither some one, without awakening her, had drawn the pile of skins on which she was lying. The warmth had nearly dried her clothing.

The dueña had recovered from her swooning, and was partially sitting up endeavoring to collect her senses.

"The drink is ready, Cap'. Will you ask the ladies if they want it? I don't know a word of their lingo."

The man touched his hat in military style. The one denominated "Cap'" came up, he who had spoken to Carmelita a little previously.

"My man here has prepared some strong black coffee for you. An allowance of the native spirit you call 'aguardiente' has been added. I advise you both to drink freely of the mixture. Blankets will be provided you, and you will sleep here safe and warm till morning. Will you have the beverage now? I trust you feel not greatly any effect of the unusual experience which must have been yours."

"O!" moaned the dueña, now coming somewhat more to herself. "What a terrible happening! I expected each instant to be killed. O! where am I?"

The man laughed. "I cannot discuss what occurred to you before we found you outside this cave. Neither can I tell you where you are, for I know only in a vague way the location of the place. Let it suffice that you are safe here. Now, warm yourself with this drink and seek to sleep. The morning brings, doubtless, searchers for you."

The man who seemed the leader had been speaking in Spanish. A trace of foreign accent was in each word, though he spoke the language fluently and correctly.

The other man broke in with:

"Coffee's cooling fast, Cap'. If they don't take it now, I'll have to heat it up again all over. Kiyi that to 'em in their own lingo. Wish I knew how to."

He had been standing holding in one hand a steaming saucepan, in the other an improvised wooden tray on which were two metal goblets.

The Señorita Carmelita struggled with some difficulty to a sitting position.

"We thank you for your thoughtfulness," she said.

"The young lady says she won't have the mess--is that it, Cap'?" asked the man holding the saucepan and goblets.

Carmelita was about to reply in English, but the leader said, quickly: "Give them your preparation there, Brown. Don't be slow. They should have had it drunk by this time."

Brown complied with the order.

The woman and the girl sipped the steaming liquid.

"Now I remember," said the dueña. "We left the road just after that awful thunder clap. The water washed us down and down. Then my horses ran and ran, downhill, over rocks and gullies--O it was awful!" covering her face with her hands. "Then came the crash; and I really knew no more until this moment. Thank you, sirs, for this," sipping the black coffee. "It shall be no loss, and I will see you have ample reward. Besides, this señorita here----"

"Is the old lady saying she wants another swig?" interrupted the man holding the saucepan. "Because if she's still thirsty, there's more of this coffee and aggydenty right here," shaking the contents of the vessel, "and if this ain't plenty I can manyfactur more."

"Hush, Brown!" spoke the other. "If you have anything more to do I'll tell you."

"Just as you say," agreed the other, unperturbed.

"The crash you tell of brought my man here and myself out to where the accident met you. Your vehicle had struck a huge rock which forms one side of this cave. Needless to say the carriage was in kindling wood. You," to the dueña, "and the young lady had been thrown entirely free from the melee into a thick bed of dried leaves--or leaves that had been dry before the rain," this with a smile. "Your horses were floundering in the mud."

"O, my brave, beautiful horses!" exclaimed the dueña. "Where are they? O, where are they?"

"Safe here with my own horses and quietly eating fodder as if nothing had occurred. Your Indian driver came off with a broken shoulder. He sleeps now farther along in the cave. I fancy the plentiful supply of aguardiente my man Brown gave him aided in producing his slumbers. However, I knew no other way to ease him."

"Ah, that Luis!" said the dueña. "I'll have him whipped when he recovers for thus endangering us both with his careless driving. My regular driver is away in the eastern grass ranges."

"Anything more I can do?" asked Brown. "I hear my name spoke of."

"Nothing more. I was telling the ladies you aided their injured servant to sleep by a free supply of spirits. You may go now."

"Just as you say, Cap'. Said nigger servant of the lady is a regler canal when it comes to aggydenty," commented Brown as he betook himself and saucepan away.

Carmelita and the dueña finished drinking the contents of the goblets. The man Brown soon came back with two pairs of woolen blankets.

"These blankets are finest English wool. Wrap up in 'em and you'll find yourselves warm and dry by morning. Tell 'em, Cap', in their own talk."

"Brown, you may retire now to the inner cave and sleep."

"Just as you say, Cap'."

"I trust you will be as comfortable as the situation permits. Allow me to wish you pleasant dreams and the hope that to-morrow will find you both none the worse for this mishap. Good-night." The Captain bowed.

Soon the Captain was gone and the dueña and the girl were closely wrapped in the warm blankets. The fire still burned high and diffused a grateful heat. A feeling of repose crept over both the women. The storm howled and raged outside, but in their wearied state it was scarce less than a lullaby to them. Numbness came to their senses. They slept in the wild cave, safe from deluge and accident.

How long the Doña Carmelita had been sleeping she knew not. She opened her eyes. The fire had burned low. The light of the embers was struggling with the darkness. Rain and wind still held high revel on the outside. The water swished and the tempest boomed at the entrance of the cave.

Again she was sinking to slumber.

Suddenly she roused. Footsteps were near--unusual footsteps, soft as air. The fire was lower; the embers cooling; darkness lay more completely over all. Nearer the sound came. Every nerve was tense. The fire gave a feeble flicker. By the wall of the cave two figures stood not half a dozen paces from her. They disappeared suddenly. She breathed more freely. Another flicker from the fire and she saw that they were crouched low by the ground and apparently in conversation. A draft hurtled through the cavern and gave life to the dying coals. The two figures cast themselves flat on the ground. The embers died down. Carmelita waited in trepidation.

Another rift of light in answer to a current of air. One of the prostrate figures was slowly moving toward her, as a fish floats through water without apparent movement or propulsion. Never it hastened, yet never it ceased to come, always nearer, without effort, without pausing.

She shut her teeth and clenched her hands. There was a wild desire to scream, to call for help, to fly out into the open. She did none of these things. The courage of her warrior forbears stood her in stead.

All at once the body ceased its forward motion. Then it moved backward, noiselessly, slowly. It seemed an age until it reached the other figure by the wall. The overflow of the hurricane which now came sweeping through the place invigorated the fire so that it showed the two figures standing flush against the wall and again in earnest consultation. She could tell that they were Indians, not by their dress, for that was indistinct, but by their postures and gestures. Suddenly they were prone on the ground and going, again noiselessly, toward the inner cave.

The wind ceased. The fire decreased to half a dozen separate sparks. Darkness hid the Indians from her eyes. She reached out her hand to waken the dueña, but desisted.

"Why frighten her? Doubtless they are ordinary peons seeking shelter from the storm."

After a while, through very exhaustion, she slept.

Her eyes opened wide almost with a snap and she sat bolt upright. A portion of the fire had been replenished and was flaming up. A low cry forced itself from her lips before she recognized the one by the fire to be Brown. "What is it?" asked the girl.

The dueña awakened from heavy sleep.

"The horses--my horses," she cried, her wits still half slumbering. "The señor said they are safe. What a terrible thing--is the man still standing there? I trust his master will have the impertinent fellow whipped."

Brown felt that some unusual explanation was due from him, though he did not understand a word. Bending over, he placed his hands on his hips and spoke in a mincing way, as if to children.

"Lady, people don't need be 'fraid of Injuns. My employer's all right--good man. Injuns say much, then I fight 'em. Cap'n fight 'em--fight 'em like the devil."

He balled his right hand and doubled the arm, then patted the corded muscles approvingly with the fingers of his left. Finally he shook his fist in the direction of the inner cave while his face assumed a mock-ferocious expression.

"I suppose he is threatening his kind master. I'll have my peons beat him soundly in the morning, if the master wishes. Fellow, begone! or I'll call the one who owns you."

"Mamita, you mistake. The man is saying not to fear the Indians; that he and his Captain will protect us."

"Fear the Indians! Well, I should say not! Besides, there are no Indians here to fear, except that wretched Luis who drove my horses, and he has a broken shoulder, the scoundrel! If you understand this creature, child, tell him to be about his business before his master learns of his annoying us."

"Old lady's scared, hey? Scared out of her wits. Well, I reckon----"

"She is not frightened, but I was a while ago when two Indians were here and crept into the darkness, after conducting themselves in the most mysterious way." The doña spoke in excellent English.

Extreme astonishment spread over Brown's features. Then he looked as if his confidence had been painfully abused.

"Well, I swanny! Well, I swanny! If this here don't beat the deuce."

It was too much for him. His hands sought his thighs again, and he looked incredulously at the girl.

"If I do say it, this here beats the deuce!"

The man was of type the doña had never met before. However, the humor of the situation came to her and she laughed.

"The scamp is a fool, but that's nothing so unusual as to amuse you so," snapped the dueña. "I'm going to try and sleep. I'll let his master know of this. I'd have this fellow shut up on bread and water for ten days, with several whippings for good measure. Ah--h! these wet clothes. I'm glad we're safe, and the horses too."

She covered her eyes with the blanket to shut out the firelight.

"Does the old lady ketch my talk? I rather thought she saw the joke."

"She understands no English."

"Mebbe not, but I speak plain United States. It's wonderful to meet one of you folks who knows how to talk straight language."

The strangeness of the place and time did not prevent Señorita Mendoza from again being amused. "We certainly speak language--the Spanish language."

"That's what I call 'lingo,' plain 'lingo.' But that's neither here nor there. You talk American fine. Of course not as good as I do. You couldn't expect that; but I understand every word you say.

"My employer, I take it, is English," Brown went on, "but he talks my talk all right--not as I do of course. I'm glad he's wise as he is that way, for 'ceptin' him, yourself included, I haven't conversed with nobody for months. A man naturally gets just stale, homesick for folks and talking."

He seated himself comfortably by the fire, threw on a dried branch or two, then, nursing one knee with his hands clasped together, he looked at the girl. Weeks of unshaven stubble gave his face a grotesque appearance, but Carmelita had a feeling of protection in the presence and friendliness of this serving man.

"You speak of the other man as 'captain' and sometimes as 'employer.' That means he is your overseer, does it not?"

"Well," in a puzzled way, "he pays me for my time, and I do the work he cuts out for me. That there sums up the relations of me and Cap'n."

The dueña stirred in her sleep. "My horses----" she muttered, then was quiet.

"Guess the old lady ain't restin' well. P'raps she's troubled with nightmare."

"No, I think she's worrying about her horses."

"Do say! Mebbe they're all the poor creetur has."

Carmelita smiled.

"Well, anyway, I hope she's got enough over and above to buy herself another wagon."

"The lady here spoke a while ago of the other man owning you----"

"Own me!--like a nigger--not much!"

The leg he had been holding shot straight before him. Resting his palms beside him on the ground he looked at the doña in mingled amazement and indignation.

"No man owns me, Miss--I dunno your name. I'm my own boss, beholding to no one save and except Jehovah." He swept one arm widely over his head, then used it as a prop again. "If the Cap'n here should try to come it over me as master, why, decent feller that he is, I'd chuck him body and bones out into the storm right here and now. My politics is, one man is good as another if he behaves himself"--a revelation in democracy to the doña.

"I greatly appreciate your coming to tell us not to be frightened of those Indians. Likely they only took refuge from the storm, as did we."

Brown shook his head.

"I reckon they're guides to the big huntin' regions east of here somewhere. That's where we're bound for, and that's why I shipped with the Cap'n in the first place. He's death on big game. You see," confidentially, "I'm a steamboater by profession. Up and down the Mississippi's been my trick for a dozen year. Last fall followed a flock of prairie schooners from Saint Joe to Santa Fé, largely for diversion. Met the Cap'n, and he was full of Californy and huntin' grizzlies. He wanted a man-of-all-work. I wanted a job. Here I be."

"Your life has been of great interest, I'm sure."

"Well, then, I'll continue where I left off. I was asleep when the Injuns came. They were talkin' mad-like with the boss in lingo. He gave it back to 'em in lingo. They p'inted out here where you be, and I took it they were riled up about you folks. The Cap'n smoothed 'em off after a while. I strolled along to tell you some way not to be scared of the creeters, if they'd growled at you when they came in. Here I still be."

"Perhaps you wish to sleep again now."

"Not any. Horses all saddled to start. We was guided here by some Injun or other. Found everything here in plenty. Never saw anything like it. Reckon when Cap'n is through in there we'll start somewhere. He stops for no weather. I'll foller where man can lead."

Brown's flow of speech had left him talked out. He looked at the girl for a moment or two. She sat with the blanket around her and was studying him.

He finally asked:

"If I'm not infringin' on the idees you've been raised by I'd like to ask how you come to know American?"

She laughed.

"My father taught me English. I cannot remember when I did not speak it."

"Well! Your pop's Spanish, I take it."

"Yes. He learned English first when among Englishmen in the Napoleonic wars. He even commanded an English regiment for a time. After the battle of Talavera he led one of the divisions of the English army off the field, every officer above him having been cut down."

"My own pop fit in our war of 1812, about when that Napoleon was raisin' old Scat. My pop read all about it. Old gent's sixty-nine now. Born in New Hampshire was pop; mom in old Virginny. They met up in Missouria and married. Here I be, as I notified you before."

The girl did not make comment.

The fire died low. Brown was busy with his thoughts.

Three men came from within the inner cave. Carmelita lay back. The dim light showed two of them to be the Indians she had seen before, the third was Brown's employer. The Indians were plainly enraged. The other's manner was suave and appeasing. Their conversation was animated, but, for a time, no distinct word reached the girl. The heavy guttural voices of the natives contrasted strongly with the attempted soothing tones of the white man.

"Don't be skeered, miss," whispered Brown. "We won't let 'em tech ye."

"Your palaver is useless, Sir Englishman," one of the speakers said in a higher key than before. "Cash in the palm is your only argument with us." The tone was vibrant with passion. He huddled his blanket closely around his shoulders.

Word and manner of the white man were smooth as he said: "We must not discuss it here. Let us return to the inner chamber. Some further refreshment you need before going out into the storm. Let us further consider my offer privately. These señoras----"

"Huh!" interrupted the Indian. "I care nothing if Administrator Mendoza hears me, let alone a storm-driven señora or two. The refreshment you offer is our own cache. Remember, the offer that carries weight with us is, money down."

His fellow mumbled some word of assent.

The conversation was now plainly heard by the doña.

The dueña half awakened. "Are we nearly home?" sleepily. "That Luis is a poor driver."

She slept again.

"Old lady likely is riled about all this noise when she wants to sleep," Brown remarked.

"Come back, amigos. Let us not decide thus a matter of grave importance. Come, talk further in retirement, and then make another appointment, if necessary." This from the Captain.

The Indian stamped in fury.

"Come back, you say--always come back to the other chamber. You haggle as do market-women over eggs. I know the vastness of the prize you seek. As superintendent of the Mission vessels have I sold wheat to English dogs in the north and Mexican friends in the south, so do I know of what I speak. Its coast line alone marks a thousand miles. Itself is an empire ten times the area of your petty island. I say I am willing to help you make your own this territory, still you haggle, haggle. Huh!"

"But, my friend, we must keep these matters----"

"But, my friend--my friend!" the Indian mocked. "Men unnumbered are at my command. Still, you have only words, words, words."

"At the proper time and place----"

"The proper time and place is now and here. One hundred thousand pesos' value in your English gold notes--you claim you have the money in Monterey--place you in my hand the day the next new moon is born. Then, when you wish, my subjects in the inland--I am their king--declare Great Britain's flag to be their own, and I will hold them your loyal subjects."

Brown threw some wood on the embers. "That Injun is yelpin' back talk at the Cap'n any fool can see. I never could stand much sass from sech people myself," in an aside to Carmelita.

"Come, friend, we may not deliberate here for others to overhear. Come with me. I have your point of view----"

"Yes, or no, señor. You have my point of view, you say. Then, accept or refuse. You are not the only bidder."

"A glass of aguardiente in the inner chamber----"

"Ah! you refuse! In coming here my time was wasted. I go elsewhere."

Casting blanket away he strode toward the darkness and the downpouring rain. As he neared the fire the light showed his face clearly. It was curiously wrinkled, not unlike a savage dog ready to bite. His companion followed him.

The leader was the dreaded Yoscolo, the craftiest Indian in the Californias, and the best educated. The other was Stanislaus, once of the Mission of San José, a man as cruel as Yoscolo, if less clever.

The doña cuddled nearer the bed as they passed,

"Hold!" cried the Captain as the Indians reached the cave entrance. "I'll accept your proposition."

They turned.

"Come back and we will arrange preliminaries within."

"Done!" said the leader. Stanislaus grunted affirmation.

A shout sounded in the open, followed by the words:

"Here is the carreta, Señor Mendoza, and footprints leading on. Have the men bring lights."

Mendoza's voice gave some order.

"Juan Antonio, you did well," he continued.

The Indians, Yoscolo and Stanislaus, vanished like wraiths.

"More Injuns, Cap'?" inquired Brown.

"Possibly. Let us go."

"And leave the ladies to be skeered to death? No, sirree! I stay."

"Please stay," requested Carmelita in English. "My father is here and will thank you."

"The women are safe, Brown. Out the other entrance of the cave. Come, I tell you."

"Just as you say, Cap'--not that I'm skeered of her pop. You lead and I'll foller."

Just as the darkness hid them Juan Antonio came into the cave. He was covered with mud. Mendoza followed on horseback. Mounted peons filled the cave entrance.

"Papacito! Papacito!" Carmelita ran toward her father.

"My child, come thou to me!" springing to the ground and clasping her in his arms.

"I'll not have such a commotion in my house," announced the dueña, returning from sleep. "It is not the hour for the fandango."

Light flared from the replenished fire.

"Why, Señor Mendoza!" now quite awake. "How did you manage to find this place on such a dark night?"

Mendoza pointed to Juan Antonio. "He followed your steps even in the darkness. To horse, at once, señora, and you too, my child. The storm abates, only to resume shortly. We must reach the main road before the rising water bars our way. Let us go. May God be thanked for your safety! How made you this fire?"

"Those who are gone built it, my father."

"When we numbered not thy carreta with the others sorrow darker than the night ruled my soul. Now is the blackness light. Hence, and quickly! To horse, all!"

In a moment the cave was alone with the fire and the shadows.