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Gustave Aimard
The Trail-Hunter: A Tale of the Far West
Published by Good Press, 2019
EAN 4064066235604
Table of Contents
THE VIRGIN FOREST.
THE CONTEST.
DON MIGUEL ZARATE.
THE PECCARIES.
THE WOUND.
THE SQUATTER'S SHANTY.
THE RANGERS.
THE VALLEY OF THE BUFFALO.
THE ASSASSINATION.
THE SACHEM OF THE CORAS.
CONVERSATION.
EL MESON.
RED CEDAR.
THE TWO HUNTERS.
FRAY AMBROSIO.
TWO VARIETIES OF VILLAINS.
FATHER SERAPHIN.
UNICORN.
THE HUNT OF WILD HORSES.
THE SURPRISE.
THE MEETING.
THE ABDUCTION.
THE REVOLT.
PART II.—EL PRESIDIO DE SANTA FE.
EL RANCHO DEL COYOTE.
THE CUCHILLADA.
THE HUNTERS.
SUNBEAM.
THE ADOPTION.
THE MISSIONARY.
THE PRISON.
THE EMBASSY.
THE PRESENTATION.
PSYCHOLOGICAL.
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND.
THE MYSTERY.
THE AMBUSCADE.
A FRIENDLY DISCUSSION.
NATHAN.
THE WOUNDED MAN.
THE STRANGER.
GENERAL VENTURA.
THE COMANCHES.
NEGOTIATIONS.
FREE.
THE MEETING.
DOÑA CLARA.
EL VADO DEL TORO.
PREFACE.
The present volume of Aimard's Indian Tales is devoted to the earlier adventures of those hunters, whose acquaintance the reader has formed, I trust with pleasure, in the preceding series. It does not become me to say anything further in its favour, than that the sustained interest of the narrative, which has been regarded as the charm of stories referring to life in the desert and prairie, has not been departed from in this instance. The stories themselves supply an innate proof of the writer's correctness to Nature, and, in truth, many of the scenes are so startling that they must be the result of personal observation.
In conclusion, I may be permitted to thank the Press generally for the kindly aid they have afforded me in making the English translation of Aimard's volumes known to the British reading public, and the hearty way in which they have recognized the merits of the previous series. It would be an easy task to collect paragraphs, expressing a belief that Aimard is second to none of the writers who have hitherto described Indian life and scenery; but I prefer to rest my hopes of success on the inherent qualities of his stories.
LASCELLES WRAXALL.
CHAPTER I.
THE VIRGIN FOREST.
In Mexico the population is only divided into two classes, the upper and the lower. There is no intermediate rank to connect the two extremes, and this is the cause of the two hundred and thirty-nine revolutions which have overthrown this country since the declaration of its independence. Why this is so is simple enough. The intellectual power is in the hands of a small number, and all the revolutions are effected by this turbulent and ambitious minority; whence it results that the country is governed by the most complete military despotism, instead of being a free republic.
Still the inhabitants of the States of Sonora, Chihuahua, and Texas have retained, even to the present day, that stern, savage, and energetic physiognomy which may be sought in vain among the other States of the Confederation.
Beneath a sky colder than that of Mexico, the winter, which frequently covers the rivers of the region with a thick layer of ice, hardens the muscles of the inhabitants, cleanses their blood, purifies their hearts, and renders them picked men, who are distinguished for their courage, their intelligence, and their profound love of liberty.
The Apaches, who originally inhabited the greater portion of New Mexico, have gradually fallen back before the axe of the pioneers; and after retiring into the immense deserts that cover the triangle formed by the Rio Gila, the Del Norte, and the Colorado, they ravage almost with impunity the Mexican frontiers, plundering, firing, and devastating all they meet with on their passage.
The inhabitants of the countries we alluded to above, held in respect by these ever-shifting savages, are in a state of continual warfare with them, always ready to fight, fortifying their haciendas, and only travelling with weapons in their hands.
El Paso del Norte may be regarded as the outpost of the civilised portion of Mexico. Beyond that, to the north and north-west, extend the vast unfilled plains of Chihuahua, the bolsón of Mapimi, and the arid deserts of the Rio Gila. These immense deserts, known by the name of Apacheria, are still as little investigated as they were at the close of the eighteenth century. El Paso del Norte owes its name to its situation near a ford of the Rio Del Norte. It is the oldest of all the New Mexican settlements, and its establishment dates back to the close of the sixteenth century. The present settlement is scattered for a distance of about ten miles along the banks of the Del Norte, and contains four thousand inhabitants at the most. The plaza, or village of the Paso, is situated at the head of the valley: at the other extremity is the Presidio of San Elezario. All the interval is occupied by a continuous