The Freebooters: A Story of the Texan WarAimard, Gustave
History
The Freebooters: A Story of the Texan War
Aimard, Gustave
Texas -- History -- Revolution, 1835-1836 -- Fiction; Western stories
The monk, perceiving that his stratagem was discovered, and excited by
the smell of the meat, having made up his mind, opened his eyes, and sat
up.
"Och!" the man who had before spoken said, "My father can eat; he must
be hungry, and has slept enough."
The monk attempted to smile, but only made a frightful grimace, so
alarmed did he feel. As however, he was really hungry as a wolf, he
followed the example offered him by the Indians, who had already
commenced their meal, and set to work eating the lump of venison which
they had the politeness to set before him. The meal did not take long;
still it lasted long enough to restore a little courage to the monk, and
make him regard his position from a less gloomy side than he had
hitherto done.
In truth, the behaviour of the Apaches toward him had nothing hostile
about it; on the contrary, they were most attentive in serving him with
what he needed, giving him more food so soon as they perceived that he
had nothing before him: they had even carried their politeness so far
as to give him a few mouthfuls of spirit, an extremely precious liquid,
of which they are most greedy, even for their own use, owing to the
difficulty they experience in obtaining it.
When he had ended his meal, the monk, who was almost fully reassured as
to the amicable temper of his new friends, on seeing them light their
pipes, took from his pocket tobacco and an Indian corn leaf, and after
rolling a _pajillo_ with the skill which the men of Spanish race
possess, he conscientiously enjoyed the bluish smoke of his excellent
Havana tobacco, _costa abajo_.
A considerable space of time elapsed thus, and not a syllable was
exchanged among them. By degrees the ranks of the Redskins thinned: one
after the other, at short intervals, rolled themselves in their
blankets, lay down with their feet to the fire, and went to sleep almost
immediately. Fray Antonio, crushed by the poignant emotions of the day,
and the enormous fatigue he had experienced, would gladly have imitated
the Indians, had he dared, for he felt his eyes close involuntarily, and
found immense difficulty in contending against the sleep that
overpowered him. At last the Indian who hitherto had alone spoken,
perceiving his state of somnolency, took pity on him. He rose, fetched a
horsecloth, and brought it to the monk.
"My father will wrap himself in this fressada,[2]" he said, employing
the bad Spanish in which he had hitherto spoken; "the nights are cold,
and my father needs sleep greatly, he will, therefore, feel warmed with
this. Tomorrow, a Chief will smoke the calumet with my father in
council. Blue-fox desires to have a serious conversation with the father
of prayer of the Palefaces."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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