CHAPTER XIX
The Departure of the Strangers. The Birds and Flowers of the Pampas. The Indian Chase, and the Escape across the River. The Gardens and Fields. Building a Brick Oven. The Hollow Tree and its Inhabitants. Hay-making.

ONCE more the old waggon was mounted on the wheels, that Mrs. Douglas and her sister might make a day's journey in it. The parting from Esperanza was painful; but the young men set out to escort them for some miles. Jack acted as driver, the others rode with the gentlemen; and on a balmy spring morning they crossed the rushing river, and passed over the high hills till they reached the Pampas. Thence taking a northern direction, they proceeded easily with two good horses, but in a melancholy manners for about fifteen miles, when it was necessary to separate, that the settlers might return with the waggon. This was the most painful parting, for the wanderers literally knew not where to turn, nor what dangers they might blindly rush into. The ladies mounted their mules reluctantly, and Mr. Douglas proposed that they should still continue to traverse the Pampas to the north, till they fell in with some track that might tempt then to commence the ascent.

The homeward-bound party turned back dejected and silent it was not the least of their afflictions that they must for an indefinite time be parted from their faithful friend Almagro, the most experienced and useful member of the community. But the charm of passing over new ground in a new season at length amused and consoled them. A fresh | | 218 breeze wafted to them the reviving odor of the mint, scattered over the slopes, while beyond rose steep above steep; fragrant with the new budding foliage in the lower parts; and higher, rising to those mighty walls that seemed to shut out the world beyond them.

In the lower declivities, richly clothed with lofty trees bursting into leaf and knitted together with graceful llianes, were assembled multitudes of birds, of glorious plumage, sporting, chattering, and whistling, while the pretty, quiet-looking mocking-bird, was repeating like an echo all the various notes.

"I should like above all things to possess that curious creature," said Tom. "I suspect it is the Orpheus Patogonicus, the mocking-bird of the southern plains; I should be glad to observe it at leisure. Could we not capture, without destroying it?"

"No, no!" said Lewis, "We will not become slave-owners in this strange land. Let the pretty denizens of the woods sing in peace and safety. We have no more right to ensnare the mocking-bird for our amusement, than we have to kill one more creature than is necessary for our subsistence, or for our safety."

"At all events, Lewis," cried Charles, "Here is something that may be useful to us," pointing to a pair of ostriches on the plains. Away flew the two well-mounted hunters, but Tom and Jack, the charioteers, were compelled to remain with their charge; luckily, as they went slowly forward, they passed the nest of the ostrich, from which they took a dozen eggs, still leaving as many to hatch and were thus more fortunate than their friends, who returned, somewhat crest-fallen, after an unsuccessful chase. They next sent their bolas after the parrots, and procured as many as they wanted for provision and one noble green bird, which was caught with no other injury than a broken wing, was carried off by Jack to present to Maria, who ardently desired to have a parrot to teach. Tom, in the mean time, collected large bunches of gay geraniums, the pink-wood sorrel, and the æmptjeræ, to delight his sisters with the first spring-flowers of their new home.

As they crossed a little mountain streamlet, which, lower down, expanded itself into a miniature lake on the plain, they | | 219 saw with much pleasure, on the rushy banks, various broods of water-fowl. There were several species of wild ducks, and flocks of a long-legged plover, which Tom and Lewis recognised as the Hymantopus nigricollis; the cry of these birds resembled that of dogs in chase, and diverted the boys greatly. Another bird had the cry of the peewit, and some resemblance to it; but Lewis, who said the bird distinction the Vanellus cyanus, pointed out as a striking distinction that the wings were armed with sharp spurs. The bird affected lameness, and flew about to draw the intruders from its nest, but they discovered it, and took some of the eggs, which Lewis assured them were as good as those of the plover.

In the pursuit of the water-fowl they had deviated considerably into the plain; and Lewis, reminding them of the anxiety of those at home, urged them forward; and taking out his glass to ascertain how far they were from the morning track, sweeping also the plains to the east, he suddenly cried out, "A large body of Indians are advancing, release the horses, and mount them. We must abandon the waggon, and gallop forward; we may yet escape an encounter."

In a moment the horses were unhooked, the harness gathered up, the boys mounted, and galloping off; not without a pang at leaving their waggon, all the acquisitions of the day, and even the pretty parrot.

They fled with all the speed their wearied horses could use, seeking when they were able the shelter of the trees, and not even pausing to look behind them. They were within a mile of their own river, when the poor horses being totally overcome, they were compelled to rest under the protection of a clump of tall pine-trees; and took the opportunity of reconnoitering the country between the branches. The youths were sanguine that they had distanced the Indians, for no traces of them were to be seen; but Dr. Lewis was less satisfied. He was convinced that if the marauders reached the abandoned waggon, they would immediately track the fugitive owners, and he felt great anxiety to reach the river. Seeing the horses were in a condition to proceed, he called to Jack, who was looking through the branches. "I am watching a herd of noble wild horses on the plains behind us," said the boy, "Do wait, Lewis, till I get a fling at them, with my bolas."

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Lewis turned uneasily to look towards the spot; and immediately cried out, "Quick! quick! to horse! Our foes are upon us!"

They sprung upon their saddles, and started off at full speed.

"This is a ruse continually practised by the Indians," said Lewis as they proceeded. "They suspend themselves by one arm round the neck of their horses, and hang crouched beneath them. The animals then have the appearance of a troop of wild horses, but the regular pace and order revealed to me that we were pursued. Have your rifles ready, my boys, but let no one fire till I give the word; and then only one barrel. We must keep the second in reserve for the last extremity. God send that we may not need all our resources."

"I fear they are gaining on us," said Jack; "they are terrible opponents on those swift animals."

"They are, indeed, Jack," replied Lewis; "thus the horses which the cruel and mercenary Spaniards first introduced, now swarming over the Pampas in a wild state, form a powerful force against the very descendants of the men who introduced them; and the poor Guacho, in his lonely hut, suffers for the sins of his fathers."

"They had reached within a hundred yards of the river, which Lewis was not sorry to observe was greatly overflowed, when they saw the Indians, about twenty in number, armed with long spears, sitting upright on their horses, within fifty yards of them; and they now uttered the extraordinary shriek which proclaims their hostile intentions. Lewis called out to his friends to hasten on then suddenly wheeling round himself, he took deliberate aim, and shot the horse of the leader dead.

There was a momentary delay, for the Indians crowded round to see if their companion was hurt; and Lewis, profiting by the pause, fled after his friends, and before the robbers came up, the young men had plunged into the river, which at that spot, where the banks were nearly level, was now about two hundred feet broad, but not more than five feet deep in any part. The wearied horses seemed to revive when they entered the cool water, and plunging and swimming they soon reached in safety the opposite banks. The fugitives then rested a few moments, and looking back, they saw their | | 221 pursuers standing gazing on the river, and chattering loudly and angrily; but evidently having no intention to cross the water: an exploit which Lewis was aware these people have much fear of.

Jack declared that he recognised the white horse which Lewis had shot, as one of the animals which had been at the "siege of Esperanza." The light color had enabled them to distinguish its form and peculiarities, even in the dim light afforded by the torches.

"I believe, indeed," said Lewis, "that these men belong to the same tribe as our unpleasant visiters; and I fear they must have their tents not far off, in which case we may see them again. We must therefore only leave home together, and well armed; and we must caution the young ladies without alarming them."

"Do you think, Lewis," said Charles, "that it might be possible to form an amicable treaty with the Indians? It is a vexatious annoyance to us, and a continual anxiety to our dear girls, to be constantly dreading these terrible visits."

"I wish it could be done, Charles," replied Lewis; "but I see many difficulties. A deep feeling of revenge is implanted in their very nature against 'los Christianos,' as the Spaniards, and with them all Europeans, are called. The implacable feeling is perpetuated from father to son, as they repeat the traditions of the spoilers and usurpers of their lands, who, it is too well known, slaughtered them without mercy, and tyrannised over those whom they spared for slavery. This hereditary hatred it will require ages entirely to subdue; for even the pious and faithful missionaries, who have ventured fearlessly among them to teach the peaceful religion of Christ, have, in many instances, fallen martyrs in their sacred duties."

"We must just try to catch a young savage, and bring him up like Friday," said Jack; "and then we can send him back as the schoolmaster."

The youths laughed at Jack's plan as they rode up more leisurely to the inclosure. "A pretty figure we shall cut," said Jack, "slinking home, with the loss of our precious waggon and all its contents. Above all, to think of being | | 222 robbed of that beautiful parrot. Charles, you may go first for I am ashamed to show my face."

They made the best report they could of their adventure, treating it lightly; but still the dread it created, caused many an anxious hour, and many a sleepless night, notwithstanding their reliance on Wallace, who had been left with them, as his enormous appetite would have seriously drained the stores of the travellers. And even Wallace sometimes roused them to arms, when it was found out that the enemy was only a hungry puma, lurking about the fence near the corral.

A month passed away and Almagro did not return; but all continued quiet at the settlement. The wheat and maze were prodigious crops, and already in ear; the vegetables were excellent, and were daily brought to table; and the flower-garden was resplendent with the European favorites, and with the verbenas, the lovely yellow ænotheræ, and several graceful climbing plants which they had brought from the woods. The beds of scarlet strawberries were already ripening, and the groves of peach-trees were glorious with their purple blossoms.

"One might fancy oneself at Winston," said Nanny, as she placed on the table a couple of the wild ducks of the river, dressed with onions and a dish of green peas. "Only I never can get used to such topsy-turvy ways as peas and berries, and garden-stuff coming on, when we ought to be looking for Christmas."

It was impossible to give Nanny any notion of the cause which produced the inversion of seasons in the southern hemisphere, though Matilda labored to instruct her; but she had become reconciled to the spot, and since she obtained a churn, perfectly contented. And but for the apprehension of the Indians, and a little uneasiness about the long absence of Almagro, the family would all have been happy. No one was ever idle; they had now, with the addition of the books left by their friends, a respectable library. Mr. Carruthers had also given them a quantity of writing materials, and they were enabled to pursue their studies regularly and profitably. Maria evinced excellent abilities for learning and was the pupil of her sisters, as she called them. In the evening they played on the guitar, or danced to the music of the fiddle which John had left in charge of his pupil Jack.

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They had collected a large quantity of the cochineal insect from the leaves of the cactus, these were pressed into cakes, and used for dyeing the wool they spun; and in this delightful season, the sisters had their loom in the colonnade, and were weaving a carpet, in stripes of black and scarlet, for the sitting-room of the new house.

"I am thinking, Charles," said Tom, as they stood watching the busy weavers, "that we ought to begin some new work. What do you think of making bricks of the clay which the receding waters have left on the banks of the river? I mean, of course, the sun-dried adopes."

"You must really excuse me, Tom," answered Charles. "Doubtless the thing might be accomplished, but my education never gave me any notion of brickmaking, and I confess to having no taste for the noble art. Nor do I see the utility of the undertaking., unless you contemplate also the erection of a regular brick mansion."

"I don't think we could manage that, Charles," said Tom; "but I do believe, that if we could make the bricks, I could plan a proper oven, such as Almagro has described to us; but then, Jack and I could not do all the work ourselves."

"But we will all help you," said Maria; "Jack shall teach us, and we will spare no labor to have a real oven."

"I will willingly assist," added Matilda, "if Dr. Lewis thinks that bricks can be made here, and that our assistance would be proper and useful."

"Of course, Matilda, we can be useful," said Mary; "we can fill the little box with clay, smooth it with a flat bit of stone, and then turn the brick out to dry. I have seen even little children, in the brick-fields in England, busy at such work. Come, Master Charles, put on your gloves, and help the mechanics."

Charles soon agreed to join the laborers; Lewis pronounced the plan practicable so the young men went to the carpenter's shop, and made some neat boxes of the proper size for the moulds. This was no difficult task for them now, for the instruction of Mr. Douglas and much practice bad made them fair workmen. Early next morning they set seriously to work, and continued brick-making till they had spread out in the sun some thousands of bricks.

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Then the spot for the oven was marked out on a piece of vacant ground a few yards behind the kitchen of the new house, and a few days having rendered the bricks sufficiently hard for their purpose they began to build. They formed a solid square of bricks, cemented with the moist clay, of about three inches high and four feet square. On this was raised the oven, which was of a cupola form, and was so difficult to construct that many failures ensued; but the patient workmen persevered, and after much time was spent it was completed. An opening was left for the introduction of the bread to be baked, a smaller one at the side, for the removal of the ashes, and at the top was a sort of chimney. They suffered their erection to remain some days to dry in the sun before it was dried [sic] . Then Nanny made her cakes, though with much distrust and grumbling, while the young men heated the oven, by keeping up a fire on the floor of it, and closing the openings with bricks, which were removed when the oven was sufficiently hot; the ashes were then swept away, then the pies and cakes placed within it, and the openings again closed. In due time the viands were drawn out on a wooden shovel, made by Jack, and the baking was pronounced perfect. Nanny looked with pride on her young nurselings, and said, "None but Westmoreland lads could have done such a clever job. If I live another day, I'll try my loaf, and if that eats as it ought to eat, why then, we'll just bide where we are, mistress, and end our days at this bonny, quiet place."

But Matilda advised Nanny to defer the experiment of the loaf till the wheat was ready. She had not been accustomed to make loaves of maize besides, they were all quite satisfied with the thin biscuits made from the fine flour which was ground in Mrs. Douglas' hand-mill.

The beaming sun of summer, though tempered by the cool breezes from the mountains, was so oppressive that they did not venture to quit the shade of the woods in the middle of the day; but the four younger gentlemen usually set out in the morning early, well mounted and armed, to procure game for the provision of the household; and they seldom returned empty handed though the guanacoes were not plentiful, as they had sought the cool air, in the heights of the mountains; and they rarely ventured far enough on the pampas to meet | | 225 with the wild cattle. But hares, patridges, and pigeons were abundant, and Jack once more found a parrot for Maria; besides some ostrich eggs, which made excellent omelettes.

One day, all continued so still, that they determined on a longer expedition; they reached the spot where they had abandoned their waggon, and found the remains still lying on the plain. Every particle of iron about it, even the very nails, had been carried off, but the wheels still remained attached to the wooden axle-tree; and binding these firmly with thongs, the young men replaced the frame of the waggon, and placed the scattered pieces upon it. Then attaching two of their horses to the dilapidated vehicle, they succeeded in drawing it home, with the intention of putting it in such repair as their means would permit.

In the mean time the sisters ranged the wood beyond the inclosure without fear, relying on the protection of the river. They collected a quantity of strawberries, and brilliant flowers, quite unknown to them. And on this day the quick eyes of Maria marked the laden bees fly towards a particular tree, and she suggested to her sisters that there must be honey in the tree, of which they might take a part and still leave sufficient for the bees in winter. To take the honey was, however, an undertaking too formidable for the girls to attempt alone; but on communicating the discovery to their brothers, Jack valiantly volunteered his services for the enterprise, and the whole party set out to the woods to watch the bees.

"Now do, dear Jack," said Maria, "observe that bee which has plunged into the midst of the pretty yellow œnothera, it is quite buried in the flower; now it comes out slowly, covered with the yellow dust, and how wonderfully it brushes away all the dust from its body, till it forms a little mass, and now see the mass has entirely disappeared, the careful little bee has stowed it up in some unseen pocket."

"The mass is now hidden in the triangular cavities of the hind feet of the bee," said Tom; "and the brushes with which it cleans the farina from the body, and collects it are bushy substances which project from the fangs at the end of the four hind-feet."

"Then these fangs are actually the hands of the bee," observed Maria.

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"You may, if you please, use that unscientific name for the useful fangs," answered Tom, "for without them the bees would be unable to cling to the branches, and to each other. You must distinguish, however, between the honey-gathering bee, which sucks the nectar with its proboscis, and the bee we have just observed, which is employed only in collecting farina."

"See! see! Tom!" cried Jack, "how they are buzzing round this old hollow tree; they certainly have a colony here, and let them beware of me! I am the man to slay the bees, and carry off the spoil of the battle. En avant!" and he was rushing forward, regardless of the cries of his sisters, when the firm and commanding voice of Dr. Lewis arrested him.

"If the bees have honey to spare," said he, "we will gladly share their abundance; but I am astonished, Jack, that you, who have exclaimed so strongly against the tyranny of the Spaniards in a strange country, should conceive you have a right to slaughter the bees, and take possession of their hereditary domain."

"But, my dear Lewis, how can we get the honey unless we destroy the bees?" asked Jack. "If we summon them to a parley, will they attend?"

"I fear not," said Lewis, laughing; "I believe, after all, we shall he tempted to use the power that might so often exerts over right. We must compel them to pay tribute to our usurping rule; but we will have no massacre. It is a measure which humanity and policy alike forbid. Let its examine their dwelling."

The tree, which was of large dimension, was a perfect shell, and they saw that the bees entered by several apertures. At the lower part of the tree was a large opening, and it was through this entrance Dr. Lewis proposed to storm their fortress; but, as some preparation was needed, they agreed to return next day.

Early the ensuing morning the whole family, laden with the apparatus, went to the wood they carried a small saw, wooden shovels, and all the leathern buckets. Lewis had a long bamboo wand, to the end of which was attached a large piece of sponge, part of his toilet appendages. When they reached the tree, he wetted the sponge from a bottle, which | | 227 contained some very powerful volatile, for he warned the whole party to keep at a distance, lest they should inhale the dangerous effluvia. He quickly introduced the wand through the opening into the hollow, and passed it up the tree. The loud humming of the insects gradually subsided, and finally all was silent.

Lewis then withdrew the wand, and called all hands to work; an opening was easily made in the frail shell of the tree, about four feet from the ground, and the curious work of the laborious colony revealed. The interior of the trunk was literally a column of comb, which they removed with wooden shovels, filling all the buckets they had brought. A slight movement announcing that some of the bees were recovering, the signal for retreat was given, and the party marched off with all expedition, and succeeded in arriving in safe shelter, before the bereaved insects were sufficiently recovered to pursue and avenge themselves on the audacious robbers.

The spoil was deposited in the cool mountain cave, which, closed by a rocky barrier, defied the attempts of the despoiled to recover their property. A portion of the honeycomb, with hot maize cakes, formed a more luxurious repast than the family had indulged in since they left England.

"See, my children," said Mr. Merton, "how bountiful our God has been to us. He has led us safely through the wilderness, as he led the Israelites of old, to a land flowing literally with milk and honey. I rejoice exceedingly that I have been enabled to look on the work of these wonderful creatures, for the study of their habits has excited the attention of the sage from the early days of the patriarchs. Aristæis, worshipped as a god, delighted still in his bees; and Charles will not have forgotten the memorable description given of the recovery of his lost bees by the first of the Roman epic poets Virgil."

"Certainly not, sir," answered Charles, "and I also remember that knowing old Latin, disdaining the idea of female rule, gives the bees a king: 'Kings lead the swarm.' I spare the ladies the original Latin blunder."

Mr. Merton undertook an apology for his favorite poet; but Mary interrupted him to ask if he thought the Israelites had hives for their bees.

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"Assuredly not, my child," replied he; "the bees of the East, doubtless, then, as now, dwelt in clefts of the rocks. In the Psalms we have this allusion: 'With honey out of the stony rock should I have satisfied thee;' and in the song of Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy, we have the words, 'He made him to suck honey out of the rock.'"

The rich grass of the inclosed plots was now ready for cutting; but the difficulty of accomplishing this simple operation of husbandry was very great. They had neither scythe nor sickle; Almagro possessed a long knife, but he had carried it with him for defence, hoping to return before the harvest. All the agricultural implements belonging to Mr. Douglas had been left in the waggons abandoned on the Pampas, to the great regret of the generous Mrs. Douglas, who had promised, however, if she could meet with any useful implement before Almagro returned, to send it for her friends. But of Almagro's return they began to despair, he had now been so long absent.

"Well," said Jack, "we must cut our grass; and we have the choice of a carving-knife, a spade, a hatchet, a saw, or an Indian lance. Which will make the best scythe?"

It could not be helped; they set to work and hacked the grass-with large and small knives, or any implement that would cut. The young ladies even plucked the grass with their hands, so determined they were to have hay;.and a very neat, good-sized haystack was speedily made within the fortress; it was thatched with maize-leaves and thongs of hide and the young farmers believed it might defy the rains of winter.

The beans were likewise cut and stacked, to serve as food for the cattle, or, in ease of need, for themselves. The potatoes were excellent and plentiful, and the wheat was nearly ripe; but the prospect of reaping it in the same way they had done the grass was discouraging. They had gained the addition of a young llama and a calf to their stock, and they now turned the cows and llamas into the newly-cut grass-fields, which were securely fenced; and the animals fattened well on the fresh food. The dryness of the season was the single inconvenience they experienced; there had been no rain for some months, and though the dew fell, and partially refreshed the ground, they had to bring water from | | 229 the river to irrigate the garden. This was a great labor; but the well was so low they were obliged to he economical. They had even to contrive a plan for drawing up the water, which had sunk below their reach. They planted on each side of the well a short stout post, forked at the top; across these was laid a rounded pole projecting beyond the forks at one side, to serve as a windlass, to the end of which a rude handle was fixed. The rope was formed of twisted thongs, and a large leathern bucket was attached to it. The machinery answered very well, though the workmanship was rough; and they were able to draw up water, deliciously cool, when they wanted it. Occasionally they even indulged in the luxury of sherbet, made by mingling honey with the water, and flavoring it with the juice of the strawberry, or with that of the richer peaches, which were daily ripening. Of the latter delicious fruit, besides their usual consumption, they dried a vast quantity in the sun for winter provision. The family had, in fact, a profusion of the necessaries, and even the luxuries, of life. They had health, domestic happiness, and a peace only alloyed by the absence of their faithful friend, and an irrepressible dread of the Indian marauders.