we traveled in this fashion, sleeping in the daytime and pressing forward during the night, until the sixth day after our departure from the ship. by that time we were both considerably changed in health and appearance. our clothes were torn to rags, our feet and arms were torn and bleeding, and our vagabond air increased with every mile we covered. of our looks, however, we thought nothing; but we were perforce obliged to think a good deal of our unfortunate stomachs, which had not been either filled or reasonably satisfied since we set foot in those regions. hunger and privation, in short, were doing their work upon us, and we were doubtful if we should manage to hold out until we had crossed the country and made acapulco.
[pg 108]
towards evening of the sixth day of our travels, we were lying asleep in a little gully formed by the descent of a mountain stream into the plain which we were then quitting. we had arrived at this spot early that morning, and finding sweet and fresh water there had drunk heartily of it and lain down to sleep in a sheltered spot. we were both well-nigh exhausted that morning, and our hunger was exceeding fierce; but sharp-set as we were our limbs refused to carry us on any foraging expedition, and therefore we sank to sleep, and slept despite our hunger and danger. it was well towards evening when i suddenly awoke. i know not what it was that made me open my eyes so suddenly, but there flashed through my mind at that moment a notion that we were being watched. it was a strange feeling, and one that occasioned me considerable discomposure, not to say fright, and it seemed to enter my brain with the same ray of sunlight that [pg 109]lifted my eyelids. and so strong was this feeling, that i experienced no surprise or astonishment when i saw two eyes looking straight into mine from over the top of a rock which rose immediately in front.
nevertheless it was a hideous and fearful sight that i looked upon. the eyes shone, not out of a human face foul or fair, but out of the slits in a black cowl, drawn so tightly over its wearer’s head that nothing of him was to be seen from forehead to chin. there was this horrible black thing, a blot upon the bright sunlit sky behind, peeping at me from over the rock, and out of its eye-holes gleamed two eyes, as keen and bright as those of a wild animal. if i had not just then been parched with thirst i should have screamed in my terror. as it was, i gave a feeble cry, and the black head instantly vanished. i leapt to my feet and ran forward to the rock. below it the ground was broken and rocky, and at a few yards’ distance was a belt of wood [pg 110]which stretched down to the plain. i fancied i could see a black robe disappearing amongst the trees, but though i waited a few moments i saw no further signs of a human being.
i returned to pharaoh nanjulian and woke him up. he was sound asleep when i touched him, but started to his feet as soon as i laid my hand on his shoulder.
“what is it, master?” he asked, scanning my face narrowly, as if he saw some sign of disturbance there. “you look alarmed.”
“i have seen a man watching us.”
“what kind of a man? where has he gone?”
“nay, that i know not. when i opened my eyes just now they fell full upon him. he stood behind that rock, peering over it at me. i saw naught of him but his head, and that was hidden in a black cowl with eye-slits, through which his eyes gleamed like fire.”
pharaoh shook his head.
[pg 111]
“’tis a familiar,” said he. “one of those accursed fanatics, master, that dog and pry after honest men like sleuth-hounds, and leave them not until the flame licks their bodies. this is bad news, i’ faith. which way went he?”
i told him that i thought i had seen a black robe vanishing among the trees below, but could not be certain. at that he seized his staff and went down the slope himself, examining all the likely places in which a man might have concealed himself. but he found naught, and so came back to me, shaking his head.
“you are sure you were not dreaming?” he asked. “men dream of strange things when hunger is on them.”
“how could i dream of what i never saw in my life?” said i.
“you mean the black hood, master? alas! i have seen it, and so has many a good man, to his sorrow. those accursed [pg 112]fanatics! they creep about in god’s blessed sunlight like reptiles. you should see them walk the streets. close to the walls they go, their hands meekly folded, their cowled heads bent to the ground, and yet their eyes note everything. god is on their lips—yea, but the devil is in their hearts.”
“what shall we do, pharaoh?” i asked him.
“marry, all we can do is to leave this spot and push forward up the mountains. there are yet two hours of daylight, but we must chance that. if we can escape this fellow until darkness sets in, we may yet give him the slip altogether.”
so we set out once more, our bodies refreshed by our long sleep, but the hunger still fiercely gnawing within us. we were driven to plucking the prickly pears again, troublesome as was the peeling of them, for we could eat them as we walked, whereas if we had gone a-hunting for wild [pg 113]turkeys or rabbits we should have had to light a fire, and that would have attracted attention to our whereabouts. however, we were successful in knocking down one or two birds, and these we took along with us, intending to cook them as soon as we considered ourselves in safety.
as night fell we emerged from the wooded slope up which we had painfully traveled, and found ourselves on a good road, evidently much used for traffic.
“this must be the highway that leads from oaxaca to vera cruz,” said pharaoh, looking out upon it from a sheltering tree; “and lo! yonder is a post-house. we must bide awhile where we are or we shall be seen.”
so we sat down amongst the undergrowth, which was there thick and luxurious, as it was in every wood we had yet crossed, and served to conceal us very well from observation. more than once, as we stayed there, we heard the voices of people [pg 114]passing along the highroad above, and we judged from that, that if we ventured to show ourselves upon it before nightfall we should certainly be seen and stopped. therefore, apart from our usual hunger and discomfort, we were very well content to remain hidden until such time as the coast cleared.
now about dark, and just as we were making up our minds to a fresh start, and wondering how we should fare in the mountainous range which we had yet to cross, there arose not far away along the highroad a chorus of shouts and screams of such exceeding bitterness, that we felt sure murder was being done. we leapt to our feet and advanced to the edge of the highway, but feared to go further lest we should be seen.
“’tis some footpad affray,” said pharaoh, “and none of our business.”
but just then came still shriller cries of entreaty for help, and they were so pleading [pg 115]and full of agony, that we both leapt into the road with one accord.
“that is a woman’s voice,” said pharaoh. “we must needs go to her assistance, come what will. have your staff in readiness, master, and if there is need, strike hard.”
we ran swiftly down the road for some fifty yards, and then, turning a sharp corner, came suddenly upon the cause of the disturbance. in the middle of the highway stood a coach, drawn by two mules, and on either side of it were two tall fellows of ferocious aspect, striving to drag from it the occupants, who screamed for help without ceasing. there was no driver or servant visible; the rogues had doubtless escaped to the woods at the first sign of danger.
“take the two on the left,” said pharaoh, “and get in the first blow, master. look out for their daggers.”
now i had never been engaged in a fight since the days when jasper and i occasionally [pg 116]came to fisticuffs with the village boys at beechcot, but i felt my blood warm at the notion of combat, and so i sprang in between the two desperadoes who were busy at the left side of the coach, and laid my staff about their ears with hearty good-will. they were trying to drag an old man from the coach when we came up, and were threatening him with what i took to be the most horrible of curses. i hit one of them fair and square on the shoulder before he knew of my presence, and he immediately turned and fled, howling like a beaten dog. the other turned on me with a cruel-looking knife, but i knocked it out of his hand with a blow that must have broken his wrist, and he too fled into the woods with a fearful imprecation. meanwhile, pharaoh had beaten off his men on the other side; one was limping along the highway howling with pain, and the other lay on the ground senseless. we had carried the fight with sharp and startling effect.
[pg 117]
inside the coach sat an old gentleman and a young girl, and both were so frightened, that when we assisted them to alight they were nearly speechless, and could only sigh and moan. presently, however, the young lady found her tongue, and began to pour out an astonishingly rapid flow of words to me, none of which i understood, but which i took to be expressions of gratitude.
“say naught,” whispered pharaoh in my ear, “i will talk to them in their own lingo. do not let them see that we are english.”
“noble gentlemen,” said the old man, presently recovering his speech, “i know not how to thank you for this valuable assistance. caramba! if you had not appeared when you did we should certainly have had our throats cut. isabella mia, art thou safe? did those knaves lay finger on thee?”
“they did but seize me by the wrist, father,” answered the young lady. “but yourself—you are not hurt?”
[pg 118]
“nay, child, i called too loudly for that. but certainly another moment would have been our last. senor, is yonder villain dead?”
“nay,” said pharaoh in his best spanish, “he breathes, senor, and will come to presently.”
“i am beholden, deeply beholden to you both, gentlemen. dios! to think that i should be unable to travel on even so short a journey with safety! and my own servants—where are they, rascals and poltroons that they are. ho! pedro, chispa, antonio! i warrant me the knaves are hiding in these woods.”
this was exactly the truth, for at the old gentleman’s call three serving-men came forward from the trees and advanced tremblingly towards the coach. at sight of them their master flew into a terrible rage, and scolded them with a vigor which at any other time would have amused me highly.
[pg 119]
“cowards and knaves that ye are!” quoth he. “a pretty body-guard, indeed. what, ye pitiful rogues, did i not fit ye all out with pikes and pistols before quitting mexico in case we met with ventures of this sort? oh, ye poltroons, to fly me at the first glimpse of danger! and thou, pedro gomez, my coachman these ten years, fie upon thee!”
“most noble senor,” said the man, trembling and bowing, “i did but run to find assistance.”
“thou liest, knave. thou didst run to save thine own skin. but i will remember ye when we are safe in oaxaca. i will have a convoy of soldiers over these mountains, and trust not to pitiful cowards like ye three. tie me up this robber who lies there in the road, and fasten him behind the coach. we will see justice done on him at oaxaca.”
while the men were doing this the old gentleman once more talked to pharaoh, [pg 120]thanking us again, and asking how he could reward us. were we journeying to oaxaca? if so, let us go along with him, and he would reward us bounteously for our protection.
“we thank your honor,” said pharaoh, “but we are two poor shipwrecked mariners, bound across country to acapulco, where we hope to find ship. but if you would give us food and drink we would thank you, for in good sooth we are desperately hungered.”
now it luckily chanced that the coach was well supplied with both the commodities which we desired so earnestly, and, therefore, the old gentleman made haste to reward us according to pharaoh’s request, so that presently we found ourselves with our arms full of meat and bread and bottles of wine, our new-found friend pressing all upon us with great hospitality. also, he would have us to take a purse of money, assuring us that we should find it useful, [pg 121]and as we had not a penny-piece between us we accepted this offering with thankfulness.
“i am sorry that ye cannot accompany me to oaxaca,” said he. “i should have been glad of the company of two such stalwart champions. but know, caballeros, that i am devoutly thankful to you, and will aid you if ever ye have need of me, and it lies in my power.”
so we thanked him and said farewell for that time, and when the coach had gone on, taking the wounded prisoner with it, we continued our way up the mountains, first supping heartily of the food and wine, and blessing god for it.
“’tis always well to help them that need help,” said pharaoh. “verily we are rewarded for so doing. this meat and drink makes a new man of me, master.”
and so it did of me, and it was well, for previously we had been sorely put to it to keep any heart or soul within our starving bodies.
