The Bee Hunters

hatever certain badly informed authors may assert, but simply

rrounded by vast stretches of country, for the greater part uninhabited, are gene

ny, and, in addition to the barns and stables, contains also the out houses, the lodgings of the peones, and, above all

individuals of all trades, the lands belonging to a farm of this desc

nd cattle that graze at freedom in the prairies, watched ov

f mahogany, Peru trees and mesquites, forming a belt of evergreen foliage, the palish green of which contrasted agreeably with the dead

of Indian blood having been infused into the veins of his ancestors. So, although after the Declaration of Independence the ancient customs began to fall into disuse,

erity that nothing in time's course could trammel. Thus Don Pedro de Luna, the actual representative of this ancient house, was in the enjoyment of wealth, the amount of which it would certainly have puzzled him to state,-wealth which had been increased still more by the property of Don Antonio de Luna, his elder brother, who had disappeared more than twenty-five years

ico can figure to himself the riches buried in these almost unknown regions, where certain land owners, if they would only take the tro

oyed happiness, nevertheless the deep wrinkles channelled in the forehead of Don Pedro, the mournful severity of his face, and his gaze often turned to heaven with an expression of sombr

torms had troubled the course o

by the most frightful cataclysms. The Mexican, whose life is passed on a volcano, who feels the soil incessantly trembling under his feet, on

neighbours the redskins, constantly occupied in defending themselves from their attacks and depredation

ty nearly to his own breast; and as he never complained,-never made allusion to the earlier yea

g the anxious brow of the hacendero, and of br

a pencil, enhanced the beauty of a forehead not too high and of a creamy white. Her large eyes, blue and pensive, contrasted ha

the dance the greensward of Mexico; no more delicate hand ever ransacked the dahlias of a garden. Her walk, easy, lik

epeated lovingly the melodious modulations of her pellucid notes, the pure and fresh qualities of w

and boundless affection the immense power of which can only be

ere entirely strange to her. Accustomed to lead the free and untrammelled life of a bird, and to express her thoughts aloud, her frankness and innocent simp

ightful war whoop of the redskins, and to be present during horrible scenes of carnage,-she had accustomed herself from an early age to

her was incomprehensible: it was impossible to know her without l

nches, some wounded Indians had fallen into the hands of the Mexicans. Do?a Hermosa, far from suffering these wretches to

g rides in the wilderness, and often, carried away by the ardour of the chase, rambled off to a great distance from the hacienda; while the Indians who saw her pass not only abstained from injuring her, but laid no obstacles in

r "the White Butterfly," so light and fragile did she seem to them as she bounded like

n, a tall and handsome man of twenty-five or twenty-six with a proud eye and a warm heart, named Estevan Diaz. Na Manuela, as they called the old woman, and Estevan had an affection for the girl which knew no bounds. Manuela had nursed Hermosa when an infant, and the foster moth

he inhabitants of the hacienda. They knew the profound respect and loyal affection which bound Estevan to his mistress, whom he had dandled on his knees when a child, and whose first steps he had supported. Hermosa, who was as laughing, playful, and teasing as most girls of

and for the last two years had entrusted Estevan with the important post of major-domo-a post he share

at the hacienda, where they were treated with infinite respect, not only on account of the po

"eye of the master" which, according to the favourite saying in Southern America, makes the crops ripen and the cattle fatten. Don Pedro never failed to undertake these tours, on which he was an

law is eluded by the rich owners of the soil:-Every hacienda necessarily employs a great number of individuals as peones, vaqueros, tigreros, (herdsmen, hunters), &c. All these people are Indios mansos, or civilized Indians-t

as Indians are the most thriftless beings in creation, their petty wages never suffice to feed and clothe them; and every day they are liable to die of hunger, if they canno

ing, arms, household utensils, and so forth, which are open to the peones, who pawn their labour for

ould not possibly pay off in a lifetime. As the law is positive in these cases, the peones are compelled to remain in the service of their masters until, by their labour, this debt is liquidated. Unfortunately for them, their necessities are so imperious at all times, thei

heir families, generally accompanied her father in these annual progresses, and pl

ro de Luna, signalizing her visit to each rancho by relieving

f for Las Norias de San Antonio. When he had got within twenty leagues of the hacienda, he felt convinced that his escort was not needed so near his own proper

vilest kind, who, skulking among the thickets, would be upon the watch for an opportunity of attacking his little band; but, by a singular fatality, Don Pedro, convinced that he had nothing to

ting with his daughter, and laughing at the sinister presentiments

egularity of the march; no suspicious sign excited the fears of the travellers. The desert was at peace; as far as the eye could re

ts of an immense virgin forest, part of which they would have

edge of the covert, hoping to reach Las Norias early o

put together for Do?a Hermosa; fires were lit, and the horses

which everyone laid down to sleep

precaution to secure the repose of his companions. He placed a sentry, to whom he recommended the ut

aughing, and peremptorily ordered him to leave his horse to feed in peace, and to lay himself down by the fire, in order to be ready to resume the journ

ost on his own territory, from the rovers and marauders of the frontiers, who would think twice before they attacked a man of his importance, having the means in his power to make them pay dearly for any attempt upon h

uitted the circle of light formed by the watch fire, and advanced a few paces into the covert, than he was suddenly and rudely seized by invisible hands, t

d the capataz subjected him to no ill usage, contenting themselves with binding him firmly, so as to put t

orthy fellow as he fell, without

expecting every instant to hear cries of distress from Don Pedro and Do?a Hermosa. But not a cry was

h the intention of preventing any recognition of his assailants; he was lifted from the ground with

t a word, and glided over the ground with light and noiseless steps, as if they were spectres. The generality of Mexicans are fatalists. The capataz,

robably reached the intended spot, halted and laid the capataz on th

esperate effort to break his bonds. But here again a fresh surprise was reserved for him: the

im to reconnoitre, and to find out what had become of his companions, and uttered a cry of astonishment and fright on seeing Do?

s mistress and Don Pedro, after which he

at an immense height above their heads, the gigantic trees formed a green vault, almost impenetrable to the light of day. The horses and baggage of the travellers had vanished. Their positio

eakable tenderness and sorrow, accusing himself as the sole cause of the evil that had overwhelmed them. Do?a Hermosa was the only one who did not give way to despair in these critical cir

viving hope in their breasts, at all events she aroused in them sufficient spirit to encounter the necessary struggle before them. T

n, to whom all the secrets of the wilderness are known, will infallibly recover our trail. Our position, therefore, is far from desperate. Let us no

began th

ke, where there is no visible horizon, and where the only available knowledge is the instinct of the brute, not the reason of man. Thus the travellers wandered at random

been thus callously condemned to an agonising death; and who the enemy might be who had cruelly conceived a plan of such atrocious revenge. But the hacen

l toiling on, wandering mechanically without any fixed direction, now to the right, now to the left; struggling on more in the

th a firm step, encouraging her companions by voice and gesture, and still

should have apparently completed the travellers' despair, on the contrary, excited them to such a pitch,

poignant emotions during their wanderings, and convinced, besides, of the inutility of their efforts, w