"My mother! my mother!" cried Rosario; "if you still live, where are you? Why do you not come to the help of your daughter?"
The little troop of cavalry, at the head of which Antinahuel and the Linda rode, advanced rapidly and silently along the road from San Miguel towards the valley in which, the day before, the renewal of the treaties had been accomplished. At sunrise they debouched into the plain. They had scarcely advanced fifty paces when they saw a horseman coming at full speed towards them. This horseman was Black Stag: Antinahuel halted his escort.
"What is the use of this halt?" Doña Maria observed.
"Is my sister a soldier?" Antinahuel asked.
Doña Maria, mortified at this rude speech, reined in her horse and remained a few paces in the rear, so that Antinahuel was left alone at the head of his troop. At the expiration of five minutes Black Stag pulled up his horse.
"Has my father returned among his children?" he said, bowing his head as a salutation to the chief.
"Yes!" Antinahuel replied. "What has my son done during my absence?"
"I have executed the orders of my father."
"Good! Has my son received any news of the palefaces?"
"A strong body of the Chiaplos is preparing to quit Valdivia to repair to Santiago."
"They are taking to Santiago the prisoner named General Bustamente."
Antinahuel turned towards the Linda, and exchanged a glance of intelligence with her.
"For what day have the Huincas fixed their departure?"
"They are to set out the day after tomorrow."
"This is what my son will do," he said. "In two hours he will strike his camp, and direct his course toward the Canyon del Rio Seco, where I will go and wait for him."
"I will obey!" said the Black Stag, bowing his head affirmatively.
"Good! My son is an experienced warrior; he will execute my orders with intelligence."
The man smiled with pleasure at receiving this praise from his chief; after bowing respectfully before him, he made his horse curvet gracefully, and set off with his followers.
Antinahuel took the road towards the mountains at a sharp trot. After riding silently for some time by the side of Doña Maria, he turned towards her graciously, and said--
"Does my sister understand the tenor of the order I have just given?"