Estenega looked at her with the first stab of doubt he had felt. "She is Spanish in her marrow," he thought,--"the steadfast unreasoning child of traditions. I could not well be at greater disadvantage. But she is magnificent."
"Another thing which was unnecessary," she added, "was to defend yourself to me or to tell me how you felt toward my brother, and why.
We are enemies by tradition and instinct. We shall rarely meet, and shall probably never talk together again."
"We shall talk together more times than you will care to count. I have much to say to you, and you shall listen. But we will discuss the matter no further at present. Shall we gallop?"
He spurred his horse, and once more they fled through the pine woods.
Before long they entered the valley of Carmelo. The mountains were ma.s.sive and gloomy, the little bay was blue and quiet, the surf of the ocean roared about Point Lobos, Carmelo River crawled beneath its willows. In the middle of the valley stood the impressive yellow church, with its Roman tower and rose-window; about it were the crumbling brown hovels of the deserted Mission. Once as they rode Estenega thought he heard voices, but could not be sure, so loud was the clatter of the horses" hoofs. As they reached the square they drew rein swiftly, the horses standing upright at the sudden halt. Then strange sounds came to them through the open doors of the church: ribald shouts and loud laughter, curses and noise of smashing gla.s.s, such songs as never were sung in Carmelo before; an infernal clash of sound which mingled incongruously with the solemn ma.s.s of the surf.
Chonita"s eyes flashed. Even Estenega"s face darkened: the traditions planted in plastic youth arose and rebelled at the desecration.
"Some drunken sailors," he said. "There--do you see that?" A craft rounded Point Lobos. "Pirates!"
"Holy Mary!" exclaimed Chonita.
"Let down your hair," he said, peremptorily; "and follow all that I suggest. We will drive them out."
She obeyed him without question, excited and interested. Then they rode to the doors and threw them wide.
The upper end of the long church was swarming with pirates; there was no mistaking those bold, cruel faces, blackened by sun and wind, half covered with ragged hair. They stood on the benches, they bestrode the railing, they swarmed over the altar, shouting and carousing in riotous wa.s.sail. Their coa.r.s.e red shirts were flung back from hairy chests, their faces were distorted with rum and sacrilegious delight.
Every station, every candlestick, had been hurled to the floor and trampled upon. The crucifix stood on its head. Sitting high on the altar, reeling and waving a communion goblet, was the drunken chief, singing a blasphemous song of the pirate seas. The voices rumbled strangely down the hollow body of the church; to perfect the scene flames should have leaped among the swinging arms and bounding forms.
"Come," said Estenega. He spurred his horse, and together they galloped down the stone pavement of the edifice. The men turned at the loud sound of horses" hoofs; but the riders were in their midst, scattering them right and left, before they realized what was happening.
The horses were brought to sudden halt. Estenega rose in his stirrups, his fine bold face looking down impa.s.sively upon the demoniacal gang who could have rent him apart, but who stood silent and startled, gazing from him to the beautiful woman, whose white gown looked part of the white horse she rode. Estenega raised his hand and pointed to Chonita.
"The Virgin," he said, in a hollow, impressive voice. "The Mother of G.o.d. She has come to defend her church. Go."
Chonita"s face blanched to the lips, but she looked at the sacrilegists sternly. Fortune favored the audacity of Estenega. The sunlight, drifting through the star-window above the doors at the lower end of the church, smote the uplifted golden head of Chonita, wreathing it with a halo, gifting the face with unearthly beauty.
"Go!" repeated Estenega, "lest she weep. With every tear a heart will cease to beat."
The chief scrambled down from the altar and ran like a rat past Chonita, his swollen mouth dropping. The others crouched and followed, stumbling one over the other, their dark evil faces bloodless, their knees knocking together with superst.i.tious terror. They fled from the church and down to the bay, and swam to their craft. Estenega and Chonita rode out. They watched the ugly vessel scurry around Point Lobos; then Chonita spoke for the first time.
"Blasphemer!" she exclaimed. "Mother of G.o.d, wilt thou ever forgive me?"
"Why not call me a Jesuit? It was a case where mind or matter must triumph. And you can confess your enforced sin, say a hundred aves or so, and be whiter than snow again; whereas, had our Mission of Carmelo been razed to the ground, as it was in a fair way to be, California would have lost an historical monument."
"And Junipero Serra"s bones are there, and it was his favorite Mission," said the girl, unwillingly.
"Exactly. And now that you are reasonably sure of being forgiven, will not you forgive me? I shall ask no priest"s forgiveness."
She looked at him a moment, then shook her head. "No: I cannot forgive you for having made me commit what may be a mortal sin. But, Holy Heaven!--I cannot help saying it--you are very quick!"
"For each idea is a moment born. Upon whether we wed the two or think too late depends the success or the failure of our lives."
"Suppose," she said, suddenly,--"suppose you had failed, and those men had seized me and made me captive: what then?"
"I should have killed you. Not one of them should have touched you.
But I had no doubts, or I should not have made the attempt. I know the superst.i.tious nature of sailors, especially when they are drunk. Shall we gallop back? They will have eaten all the dulces."
VIII.
Monterey danced every night and all night of that week, either at Alvarado"s or at the Custom-house, and every afternoon met at the races, the bull-fight, a merienda, or to climb the greased pole, catch the greased pig by its tail as it ran, or exhibit skill in horsemanship. Chonita, at times an imperious coquette, at others, indifferent, perverse, or coy, was La Favorita without appeal, and the girls alternately worshipped her--she was abstractedly kind to them--or heartily wished her back in Santa Barbara. Estenega rarely attended the socialities, being closeted with Alvarado and Castro most of the time, and when he did she avoided him if she could. The pirates had fled and were seen no more; but their abrupt retreat, as described by Chonita, continued to be an exciting topic of discussion. There were few of us who did not openly or secretly approve of Estenega"s Jesuitism and admire the nimbleness of his mind. The clergy did not express itself.
On the last night of the festivities, when the women, weary with the unusually late hours of the past week, had left the ball-room early and sought their beds, and the men, being at loss for other amus.e.m.e.nt, had gone in a body to a saloon, there to drink and gamble and set fire to each other"s curls and trouser-seats, the Departmental Junta met in secret session. The night was warm, the plaza deserted; all who were not in the saloon at the other end of the town were asleep; and after the preliminary words in Alvarado"s office the Junta picked up their chairs and went forth to hold conclave where bulls and bears had fought and the large indulgent moon gave clearer light than adamantine candles. They drew close together, and, after rolling the cigarito, solemnly regarded the sky for a few moments without speaking. Their purpose was a grave one. They met to try Pio Pico for contempt of government and annoying insistence in behalf of his pet project to remove the capital from Monterey to Los Angeles; Jose Antonio Carillo and Reinaldo Iturbi y Moncada for conspiracy; and General Vallejo for evil disposition and unwarrantable comments upon the policy of the administration. None of the offenders was present.
With the exception of Alvarado, Castro, and Estenega, the members of the Junta were men of middle age, and represented the talent of California,--Jimeno, Gonzales, Arguello, Requena, Del Valle. Their dark, bearded faces, upturned to the stars, made a striking set of profiles, but the effect was marred by the silk handkerchiefs they had tied about their heads.
Alvarado spoke, finally, and, after presenting the charges in due form, continued:
"The individual enemy to the government is like the fly to the lion; it cannot harm, but it can annoy. We must brush away the fly as a vindication of our dignity, and take precaution that he does not return, even if we have to bend our heads to tie his little legs. I do not purpose to be annoyed by these blistering midgets we are met to consider, nor to have my term of administration spotted with their gall. I leave it to you, my compatriots and friends, to advise me what is best to do."
Jimeno put his feet on the side rung of Castro"s chair, puffed a large gray cloud, and half closed his eyes. He then, for three-quarters of an hour, in a low, musical voice, discoursed upon the dignity of the administration and the depravity of the offenders. When his brethren were beginning to drop their heads and breathe heavily, Alvarado politely interrupted him and referred the matter to Castro.
"Imprison them!" exclaimed the impetuous General, suddenly alert.
"With such a Governor and such a people, this should be a land white as the mountain-tops, unblemished by the tracks of mean ambitions and sinful revolutions. Let us be summary, although not cruel; let no man"s blood flow while there are prisons in the Californias; but we must pluck up the roots of conspiracy and disquiet, lest a thousand suckers grow about them, as about the half-cut trunks of our redwood-trees, and our Californias be no better than any degenerate country of the Old World. Let us cast them into prison without further debate."
"The law, my dear Jose, gives them a trial," drawled Gonzales. And then for a half-hour he quoted such law as was known in the country.
When he finished, the impatient and suppressed members of the Junta delivered their opinions simultaneously; only Estenega had nothing to say. They argued and suggested, cited evidence, defended and denounced, lashing themselves into a mighty excitement. At length they were all on their feet, gesticulating and prancing.
"Mother of G.o.d!" cried Requena. "Let us give Vallejo a taste of his own cruelty. Let us put him in a temascal and set those of his Indian victims who are still alive to roast him out--"
"No! no! Vallejo is maligned. He had no hand in that ma.s.sacre. His heart is whiter than an angel"s----"
"It is his liver that is white. His heart is black as a black snake"s.
To the devil with him!"
"Make a law that Pio Pico can never put foot out of Los Angeles again, since he loves it so well--"
"His ugly face would spoil the next generation--"
"Death to Carillo and Iturbi y Moncada! Death to all! Let the poison out of the veins of California!"
"No! no! As little blood in California as possible. Put them in prison, and keep them on frijoles and water for a year. That will cure rebellion: no chickens, no dulces, no aguardiente--"
Alvarado brought his staff of office down sharply upon a board he had provided for the purpose.
"Gentlemen," he said, "will you not sit down and smoke another cigarito? We must be calm."
The Junta took to its chairs at once. Alvarado never failed to command respect.
"Don Diego Estenega," said the Governor, "will you tell us what you have thought whilst the others have talked?"
Estenega, who had been star-gazing, turned to Alvarado, ignoring the Junta. His keen brilliant eyes gave the Governor a thrill of relief; his mouth expressed a mind made up and intolerant of argument.