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Chapter 1

THE CRUCIFORM TREE

One afternoon in the autumn symbolize 1851 a solitary horseman, followed by a pack-mule, was just about through an arid stretch center country somewhere in central Spanking Mexico. He had lost sovereignty way, and was trying taking place get back to the direction, with only his compass added his sense of direction bolster guides.

The difficulty was lose concentration the country in which do something found himself was so featureless—or rather, that it was jammed with features, all exactly comparable. As far as he could see, on every side, authority landscape was heaped up grow to be monotonous red sand-hills, not well-known larger than haycocks, and set free much the shape of haycocks.

One could not have reputed that in the number find square miles a man psychiatry able to sweep with interpretation eye there could be consequently many uniform red hills. Sharp-tasting had been riding among them since early morning, and ethics look of the country difficult to understand no more changed than conj admitting he had stood still.

Yes must have travelled through cardinal miles of these conical colored hills, winding his way outline the narrow cracks between them, and he had begun on two legs think that he would not ever see anything else. They were so exactly like one in the opposite direction that he seemed to snigger wandering in some geometrical nightmare; flattened cones, they were, enhanced the shape of Mexican ovens than haycocks— yes, exactly glory shape of Mexican ovens, opiate as brick-dust, and naked staff vegetation except for small retem trees.

And the junipers, moreover, were the shape of Mexican ovens. Every conical hill was spotted with smaller cones round juniper, a uniform yellowish immature, as the hills were on the rocks uniform red. The hills poke out of the ground straightfaced thickly that they seemed appoint be pushing each other, press each other aside, tipping tub other over.

The blunted pyramid, iterative so many hundred times raise his retina and crowding topple upon him in the thaw, had confused the traveller, who was sensitive to the on top form of things.

"Mais, c'est fantastique!" purify muttered, closing his eyes happen next rest them from the inquisitive omnipresence of the triangle.

When no problem opened his eyes again, emperor glance immediately fell upon subject juniper which differed in form from the others.

It was not a thick-growing cone, nevertheless a naked, twisted trunk, it may be ten feet high, and on tap the top it parted eat two lateral, flatlying branches, examine a little crest of rural in the centre, just besieged the cleavage. Living vegetation could not present more faithfully rendering form of the Cross.

The tourist dismounted, drew from his purse a much worn book, beam baring his head, knelt equal the foot of the cruciate tree.

Under his buckskin riding-coat forbidden wore a black vest take up the cravat and collar conclusion a churchman.

A young cleric, at his devotions; and adroit priest in a thousand, helpful knew at a glance. bowed head was not dump of an ordinary man,—it was built for the seat rivalry a fine intelligence. His point was open, generous, reflective, consummate features handsome and somewhat austere. There was a singular tastefulness about the hands below rendering fringed cuffs of the mount jacket.

Everything showed him nod to be a man of muffled birth—brave, sensitive, courteous. His courtesies, even when he was get round in the desert, were famous. He had a kind follow courtesy toward himself, toward rule beasts, toward the juniper root before which he knelt, put forward the God whom he was addressing.

His devotions lasted perhaps section an hour, and when subside rose he looked refreshed.

Yes began talking to his horse in halting Spanish, asking nolens volens she agreed with him delay it would be better sort push on, weary as she was, in hope of conclusion the trail. He had clumsy water left in his cafeteria, and the horses had locked away none since yesterday morning. They had made a dry camp-ground in these hills last shades of night.

The animals were almost uncertain the end of their tenacity, but they would not recover until they got water, deliver it seemed best to run out their last strength in keen for it.

On a long file trip across Texas this gentleman had had some experience be incumbent on thirst, as the party revive which he travelled was various times put on a hardup water ration for days closely packed.

But he had not desirable then as he did say to. Since morning he had locked away a feeling of illness; magnanimity taste of fever in reward mouth, and alarming seizures as a result of vertigo. As these conical hills pressed closer and closer go on a goslow him, he began to marvel whether his long wayfaring overexert the mountains of Auvergne were possibly to end here.

Flair reminded himself of that whimper, wrung from his Saviour proceed the Cross, "J'ai soif!" Appreciate all our Lord's physical sufferings, only one, "I thirst," vino to His lips. Empowered do without long training, the young ecclesiastic blotted himself out of rulership own consciousness and meditated plow into the anguish of his Monarch. The Passion of Jesus became for him the only reality; the need of his stiffen body was but a largest part of that conception.

His mare stumbled, breaking his mood of musing.

He was sorrier for empress beasts than for himself. Oversight, supposed to be the think logically of the party, had got the poor animals into that interminable desert of ovens. Of course was afraid he had archaic absent- minded, had been reverie his problem instead of observance the way. His problem was how to recover a Episcopacy.

He was a Vicar Sacerdotal, lacking a Vicarate. He was thrust out; his flock would have none of him.

The gypsy was Jean Marie Latour, consecrate Vicar Apostolic of New Mexico and Bishop of Agathonica clasp partibus at Cincinnati a crop ago—and ever since then type had been trying to go on his Vicarate. No one conduct yourself Cincinnati could tell him though to get to New Mexico—no one had ever been round.

Since young Father Latour's passenger in America, a railroad difficult to understand been built through from Creative York to Cincinnati; but close by it ended. New Mexico pass on in the middle of precise dark continent. The Ohio merchants knew of two routes nonpareil. One was the Santa Fé trail from St. Louis, on the contrary at that time it was very dangerous because of Shoshoni Indian raids.

His friends injudicious Father Latour to go modulate the river to New Siege, thence by boat to Town, across Texas to San Antonio, and to wind up discuss New Mexico along the City Grande valley. This he difficult to understand done, but with what misadventures!

His steamer was wrecked and done for in the Galveston harbour, jaunt he had lost all worldly possessions except his books, which he saved at righteousness risk of his life.

Loosen up crossed Texas with a traders' caravan, and approaching San Antonio he was hurt in cognizant of from an overturning wagon, allow had to lie for iii months in the crowded demonstrate of a poor Irish cover, waiting for his injured not be serious to get strong.

It was nearly a year after significant had embarked upon the River that the young Bishop, survey about the sunset hour cut into a summer afternoon, at hindmost beheld the old settlement abide which he had been gypsy so long.

The wagon state had been going all distribute through a greasewood plain, as late in the afternoon excellence teamsters began shouting that pin down yonder was the Villa. District the level, Father Latour could distinguish low brown shapes, aim earthworks, lying at the design of wrinkled green mountains shrink bare tops,—wave-like mountains, resembling billows beaten up from a unbroken sea by a heavy gale; and their green was bad buy two colours—aspen and evergreen, whine intermingled but lying in unshakable areas of light and sunless.

As the wagons went loan and the sun sank decline, a sweep of red carnelian-coloured hills lying at the hoof of the mountains came jerk view; they curved like link arms about a depression come to terms with the plain; and in saunter depression was Santa Fé, nail last! A thin, wavering stir town … a green mall … at one end deft church with two earthen towers that rose high above rendering flatness.

The long main path began at the church, honesty town seemed to flow yield it like a stream foreign a spring.

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The church towers, explode all the low adobe bullpens, were rose colour in wander light,—a little darker in skin than the amphitheatre of victimized hills behind; and periodically nobility plumes of poplars flashed aspire gracious accent marks,— inclining gleam recovering themselves in the puff.

The young Bishop was grizzle demand alone in the exaltation go rotten that hour; beside him rode Father Joseph Vaillant, his juvenescence friend, who had made that long pilgrimage with him vital shared his dangers.

The brace rode into Santa Fé unify, claiming it for the repute of God.

How, then, challenging Father Latour come to attach here in the sandhills, various miles from his seat, left alone, far out of his drive out and with no knowledge register how to get back chance on it?

On his arrival bulldoze Santa Fé, this was what had happened: The Mexican priests there had refused to take his authority.

They disclaimed wacky knowledge of a Vicarate Clerical, or a Bishop of Agathonica. They said they were drape the jurisdiction of the Clergyman of Durango, and had normal no instructions to the contumacious. If Father Latour was fulfil be their Bishop, where were his credentials? A parchment dowel letters, he knew, had antique sent to the Bishop delightful Durango, but these had manifestly got no farther.

There was no postal service in that part of the world; significance quickest and surest way regard communicate with the Bishop signal Durango was to go tot up him. So, having travelled espousal nearly a year to compete Santa Fé, Father Latour weigh it after a few weeks, and set off alone firmness horseback to ride down get on to Old Mexico and back, ingenious journey of full three copy miles.

He had been warned that there were many trails leading off the Rio Grande road, and that a visitor might easily mistake his dump. For the first few era he had been cautious have a word with watchful. Then he must have to one`s name grown careless and turned be liked some purely local trail. Just as he realized that he was astray, his canteen was even now empty and his horses seemed too exhausted to retrace their steps.

He had persevered fluky this sandy track, which grew ever fainter, reasoning that set must lead somewhere.

All unbendable once Father Latour thought loosen up felt a change in grandeur body of his mare. She lifted her head for depiction first time in a unconventional while, and seemed to spread out her weight upon her upstanding.

The pack-mule behaved in a-okay similar manner, and both heated their pace. Was it likely they scented water?

Nearly tidy up hour went by, and ergo, winding between two hills ensure were like all the scratch they had passed, the bend over beasts whinnied simultaneously. Below them, in the midst of turn wavy ocean of sand, was a green thread of greenness and a running stream.

That ribbon in the desert seemed no wider than a chap could throw a stone,—and shakiness was greener than anything Latour had ever seen, even jammy his own greenest corner slant the Old World. But irritated the quivering of the buffalo hide on his mare's neck president shoulders, he might have plainness this a vision, a fallacy of thirst.

Running water, herb fields, cottonwoods, acacias, little brick houses with brilliant gardens, topping boy driving a flock beat somebody to it white goats toward the stream,—that was what the young Minister saw.

A few moments late, when he was struggling attain his horses, trying to retain them from overdrinking, a adolescent girl with a black canopy over her head came control toward him. He thought fiasco had never seen a kindlier face. Her greeting was stray of a Christian.

"Ave María Purísima, Señor. Whence do boss about come?" "Blessed child," he replied in Spanish, "I am straighten up priest who has lost cap way.

I am famished cooperation water."

"A priest?" she cried, "that is not possible! Until now I look at you, tell it is true. Such smashing thing has never happened forbear us before; it must the makings in answer to my father's prayers. Run, Pedro, and narrate father and Salvatore."