"I do." "Why do they circle about one place?" With the curiosity of childhood, the boys hurried through the wood, which in places was a dense jungle. On the air made fragrant by tropical flowers, there was borne an offensive odor which increased as they approached the spot beneath the vultures. Suddenly Christopher seized the arm of his companion. "Something is dead, Antonio," he said. Filled with that unutterable awe produced by near approach to death, they cautiously advanced until they came upon a terrible sight. A dead Indian slave lay unburied in the woods to be devoured by the vultures. The slave had belonged to Narvaez, and, owing to his master's cruelty, had fled to the wood to be chased, torn, and slain by the dogs. The boys gazed for a moment in silence on the awful spectacle, then turned away. "Is that the Narvaez plantation?" asked Christopher, pointing to some fields on a hill. "Yes." "See, he is already among his slaves." "He beats them." "How they scream! cruel." Antonio, he is very The boys now came to the Narvaez plantation, and saw him laying his whip about the naked shoulders of a young Indian woman. "Hold, lieutenant! in God's name, would you kill your slave?" cried Christopher, rushing at the Spaniard. Astounded at the fierce manner of the little fellow, Narvaez ceased to belabor the slave and stood for a moment gazing in astonishment at the lad. "Are you not Christopher Estevan ?" "I am." "You are too bold to interfere with my affairs. Are you not afraid I will lay my whip on your shoulders ?" You "No! I would kill you if you did," cried the defiant little fellow, glaring at the slave-beater. "I saw one of your slaves dead in the wood. can see the vultures soaring above the spot where he lies. If you continue to kill them you will soon have none, and then you must do the work yourself." "There are plenty more in the forest," answered Narvaez, releasing the shrinking girl, who crept away to her labor in the sugar-cane. Narvaez, guilty tyrant as he was, was awed by his daring little accuser, and unconsciously recoiled from him. "You say there are plenty in the forest," re The sumed the boy, "but they are dying by hundreds. The woods are whitened with their bones. Spaniard's cruelty reduces them so rapidly, that, ere many years, this great race of people will all be gone. God will surely avenge their wrongs. Narvaez, beware of God's vengeance," and the lad turned about and left the hidalgo overcome with amazement. Antonio, alarmed at the boldness of his young friend, when he saw him charge defiantly on Narvaez, turned about and fled to St. Jago, about three miles distant. of the voice. Christopher was not alarmed at having to traverse the distance alone. His road led through a dense forest. It was a lonely road, and, as he trotted along the well-beaten path, he was suddenly surprised at hearing a voice call to him from the thicket. Halting, he gazed in the direction There was a rustling and trembling of the branches, and then the oddest specimen of humanity he had ever seen stepped out in the path before him. It was an Indian woman, evidently of a great age, dressed in fantastic garb, half civilized and half barbaric. She wore a curious head-gear of feathers, and her feet and legs, to the knees, were naked. "You are a good lad!" said the old hag, in excellent Spanish. |