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Design of Steel Structures
U.K. Edition
This book is the first in a series of joint SCI-ECCS publications, a series we believe
will be extremely helpful in guiding UK designers through the changes that the
Eurocodes represent. It is a derivative of the general ECCS book “Design of Steel
Structures”, and includes complementary UK-specific information relating to the
National Annexes and common practice. The level of detail provided means this
UK edition will help designers, whatever their previous experience, apply Eurocode
3 easily and correctly in the United Kingdom.
The book details the fundamental concepts of Eurocode 3, Part 1-1: General
rules and rules for buildings and considers their practical application. Following
a discussion of the Eurocode basis of design, including the principles of reliability
management and the limit state approach, the steel material standards and their
use alongside Eurocode 3 are covered. Structural analysis and modelling are
presented in a chapter that will assist the designer in the early stages of that
process. This is followed by a major chapter that presents the various design
criteria and approaches that should be used for different types of structural

U.K. Edition
Design of Steel Structures
member. The format of presentation is uniquely designed to ensure that rules for
practical application are a true reflection of the Eurocode theory. The following
chapters expand on the principles and application of elastic and plastic design
of steel structures. Throughout the book, many design examples are used to
facilitate the understanding of the reader and thereby enable a smooth transition
from earlier national standards to the Eurocodes.

Luís Simões da Silva is Professor of Steel Construction at the Civil Engineering Department
of the University of Coimbra, in Portugal, and Director of Institute for Sustainability and Design of Steel Structures
Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE). He is president of the Portuguese Steelwork
Association (CMM) and member of the Executive Board of the ECCS. He has authored over
500 scientific articles in this field. U.K. Edition
Rui A. D. Simões is Professor at the Civil Engineering Department of the University of
Coimbra, in Portugal, where he got his BSc in 1990, his MSc in 1995 and his PhD in 2000.
He is heavily involved in experimental research work and teaching of steel related courses Eurocode 3: Design of Steel Structures
in the BSc, MSc, PhD and continuous education programmes. He is member of the ECCS Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings
Technical Committee TC9 – Execution of Steel Structures and of the Portuguese Steelwork
Association (CMM).

Helena Gervásio is Assistant Professor at the Civil Engineering Department of the University
of Coimbra, in Portugal. She is the Director of the R&D department of CoolHaven S.A. an
engineering company specialized in steel construction. She is member of the ECCS Technical
Committee TC14 - Sustainability & Eco-Efficiency of Steel Construction.
Luís Simões da Silva
Rui Simões
Graham Couchman is the CEO of the Steel Construction Institute (SCI). SCI is the leading
independent provider of technical expertise to the steel construction sector in the UK. He
Helena Gervásio
received his MA from Cambridge University in 1985, and PhD from the Swiss Federal Institute Graham Couchman
Graham Couchman
Helena Gervásio
Rui Simões
Luís Simões da Silva

of Technology, Lausanne in 1994. He has authored numerous publications and papers, and
is Chairman of CEN/TC250/SC4 Composite Construction.

ECCS Eurocode Design Manuals

[email protected] ECCS Eurocode Design Manuals

www.steelconstruct.com
DESIGN OF STEEL
STRUCTURES
U.K. EDITION
ECCS EUROCODE DESIGN MANUALS
ECCS EDITORIAL BOARD
Luís Simões da Silva (ECCS)
António Lamas (Portugal)
Jean-Pierre Jaspart (Belgium)
Reidar Bjorhovde (USA)
Ulrike Kuhlmann (Germany)

DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES

Luís Simões da Silva, Rui Simões and Helena Gervásio
FIRE DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES
Jean-Marc Franssen and Paulo Vila Real
DESIGN OF PLATED STRUCTURES
Darko Beg, Ulrike Kuhlmann, Laurence Davaine and Benjamin Braun
FATIGUE DESIGN OD STEEL AND COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
Alain Nussbaumer, Luís Borges and Laurence Davaine
DESIGN OF COLD-FORMED STEEL STRUCTURES
Dan Dubina, Viorel Ungureanu and Raffaele Landolfo

ECCS – SCI EUROCODE DESIGN MANUALS

DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES, U. K. EDITION
Luís Simões da Silva, Rui Simões, Helena Gervásio and Graham Couchman

AVAILABLE SOON

DESIGN OF JOINTS IN STEEL AND COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

Jean-Pierre Jaspart, Klaus Weynand
DESIGN OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
Markus Feldman and Benno Hoffmeister
DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES FOR BUILDINGS IN SEISMIC AREAS
Raffaele Landolfo, Federico Mazzolani, Dan Dubina and Luís Simões da Silva

INFORMATION AND ORDERING DETAILS

For price, availability, and ordering visit our website www.steelconstruct.com.

For more information about books and journals visit http://www.steel-sci.org.
DESIGN OF STEEL
STRUCTURES
Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures
Part 1-1 – General rules and rules for buildings

U.K. Edition

Luís Simões da Silva

Rui Simões
Helena Gervásio
Graham Couchman
Design of Steel Structures

U.K. Edition
2014

Published by:
ECCS – European Convention for Constructional Steelwork
[email protected]
www.steelconstruct.com

Sales:
Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische Wissenschaften
GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin Sales:

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright
owner.

ECCS assumes no liability with respect to the use for any application of the material
and information contained in this publication.

Copyright © 2014 ECCS – European Convention for Constructional Steelwork

ISBN (ECCS): 978-92-9147-123-2

ISBN (Ernst & Sohn): 978-3-433-0313-53

Legal dep.: Printed in Multicomp Lda, Mem Martins, Portugal

Photo cover credits: Image courtesy of BCSA and Tata Steel
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD xiii
PREFACE xv
U.K. FOREWORD xvii

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION 1
1.1. General Observations 1
1.2. Codes of Practice and Normalization 3
1.2.1. Introduction 3
1.2.2. Eurocode 3 6
1.2.3. Other standards 7
1.3. Basis of Design 8
_____
1.3.1. Basic concepts 8
v
1.3.2. Reliability management 10
1.3.3. Basic variables 13
1.3.3.1. Introduction 13
1.3.3.2. Actions and environmental influences 14
1.3.3.3. Material properties 15
1.3.3.4. Geometrical data 15
1.3.4. Ultimate limit states 15
1.3.5. Serviceability limit states 16
1.3.6. Durability 19
1.3.7. Sustainability 20
1.4. Materials 21
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.4.1. Material specification 21
1.4.2. Mechanical properties 23
1.4.3. Toughness and through thickness properties 25
1.4.4. Fatigue properties 28
1.4.5. Corrosion resistance 28
1.5. Geometric Characteristics and Tolerances 28

Chapter 2
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 35
2.1. Introduction 35
2.2. Structural Modelling 36
2.2.1. Introduction 36
2.2.2. Choice of member axis 38
2.2.3. Influence of eccentricities and supports 40
2.2.4. Non-prismatic members and members with curved axis 41
2.2.5. Influence of joints 46
_____ 2.2.6. Combining beam elements together with two and
vi
three dimensional elements 53
2.2.7. Worked examples 54
2.3. Global Analysis of Steel Structures 77
2.3.1. Introduction 77
2.3.2. Structural stability of frames 79
2.3.2.1. Introduction 79
2.3.2.2. Elastic critical load 82
2.3.2.3. 2nd order analysis 88
2.3.3. Imperfections 89
2.3.4. Worked example 96
2.4. Classification of Cross Sections 110
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 3
DESIGN OF MEMBERS 117
3.1. Introduction 117
3.1.1. General 117
3.1.2. Resistance of cross sections 118
3.1.2.1. General criteria 118
3.1.2.2. Section properties 120
3.1.3. Buckling resistance of members 123
3.2. Tension 123
3.2.1. Behaviour in tension 123
3.2.2. Design for tensile force 125
3.2.3. Worked examples 128
3.3. Laterally Restrained Beams 136
3.3.1. Introduction 136
3.3.2. Design for bending 137
3.3.2.1. Elastic and plastic bending moment resistance 137 _____
vii
3.3.2.2. Uniaxial bending 138
3.3.2.3. Bi-axial bending 139
3.3.2.4. Net area in bending 140
3.3.3. Design for shear 140
3.3.4. Design for combined shear and bending 142
3.3.5. Worked examples 143
3.4. Torsion 154
3.4.1. Theoretical background 154
3.4.1.1. Introduction 154
3.4.1.2. Uniform torsion 156
3.4.1.3. Non-uniform torsion 158
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
3.4.1.4. Cross section resistance in torsion 162
3.4.2. Design for torsion 164
3.4.3. Worked examples 166
3.5. Compression 172
3.5.1. Theoretical background 172
3.5.1.1. Introduction 172
3.5.1.2. Elastic critical load 172
3.5.1.3. Effect of imperfections and plasticity 177
3.5.2. Design for compression 183
3.5.3. Worked examples 188
3.6. Laterally Unrestrained Beams 196
3.6.1. Introduction 196
3.6.2. Lateral-torsional buckling 197
3.6.2.1. Introduction 197
3.6.2.2. Elastic critical moment 197
3.6.2.3. Effect of imperfections and plasticity 209
_____ 3.6.3. Lateral-torsional buckling resistance 211
viii
3.6.4. Worked examples 215
3.7. Beam-Columns 224
3.7.1. Introduction 224
3.7.2. Cross section resistance 225
3.7.2.1. Theoretical background 225
3.7.2.2. Design resistance 227
3.7.3. Buckling resistance 231
3.7.3.1. Theoretical background 231
3.7.3.2. Design resistance 234
3.7.4. Worked examples 243
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 4
ELASTIC DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES 271
4.1. Introduction 271
4.2. Simplified Methods of Analysis 274
4.2.1. Introduction 274
4.2.2. Amplified sway-moment method 275
4.2.3. Sway-mode buckling length method 277
4.2.4. Worked example 278
4.3. Member Stability of Non-prismatic Members and Components 288
4.3.1. Introduction 288
4.3.2. Non-prismatic members 288
4.3.3. Members with intermediate restraints 293
4.3.4. General method 299
4.3.5. Worked example 302
4.4. Design Example 1: Elastic Design of Braced Steel-Framed
Building 316 _____
ix
4.4.1. Introduction 316
4.4.2. Description of the structure 317
4.4.3. General safety criteria, actions and combinations of actions 320
4.4.3.1. General safety criteria 320
4.4.3.2. Permanent actions 320
4.4.3.3. Imposed loads 320
4.4.3.4. Wind actions 321
4.4.3.5. Summary of basic actions 328
4.4.3.6. Frame imperfections 328
4.4.3.7. Load combinations 331
4.4.3.8. Load arrangement 333
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
4.4.4. Structural analysis 335
4.4.4.1. Structural model 335
4.4.4.2. Linear elastic analysis 336
4.4.4.3. Susceptibility to 2nd order effects: elastic critical
loads 336
4.4.4.4. 2nd order elastic analysis 338
4.4.5. Design checks 339
4.4.5.1. General considerations 339
4.4.5.2. Cross section resistance 341
4.4.5.3. Buckling resistance of beams 341
4.4.5.4. Buckling resistance of columns and beam-columns 342

Chapter 5
PLASTIC DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES 343
5.1. General Principles for Plastic Design 343
5.1.1. Introduction 343
_____ 5.1.2. Plastic limit analysis: method of mechanisms 344
x
5.1.3. Code requirements for plastic analysis 348
5.2. Methods of Analysis 352
5.2.1. Introduction 352
5.2.2. Approximate methods for pre-design 352
5.2.3. Computational analysis 364
5.2.4. 2nd order effects 369
5.2.4.1. Introduction 369
5.2.4.2. Elastic critical load 369
5.2.4.3. 2nd order computational analysis 372
5.2.4.4. Simplified methods for analysis 373
5.2.5. Worked example 375
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
5.3. Member Stability and Buckling Resistance 385
5.3.1. Introduction 385
5.3.2. General criteria for the verification of the stability of
members with plastic hinges 385
5.3.3. Bracings 386
5.3.4. Verification of the stability of members with plastic
hinges 389
5.3.4.1. Introduction 389
5.3.4.2. Prismatic members constituted by hot-rolled or
equivalent welded I sections 390
5.3.4.3. Haunched or tapered members made of rolled or
equivalent welded I sections 392
5.3.4.4. Modification factors for moment gradients in
members laterally restrained along the tension flange 395
5.3.5. Worked examples 397
5.4. Design Example 2: Plastic Design of Industrial Building 407
5.4.1. Introduction 407
5.4.2. General description 408 _____
xi
5.4.3. Quantification of actions, load combinations and
general safety criteria 409
5.4.3.1. General criteria 409
5.4.3.2. Permanent actions 409
5.4.3.3. Imposed loads 409
5.4.3.4. Snow loads 409
5.4.3.5. Wind loads 410
5.4.3.6. Summary of basic actions 415
5.4.3.7. Imperfections 415
5.4.3.8. Load combinations 416
5.4.4. Pre-design 418
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
5.4.5. Structural analysis 420
5.4.5.1. Linear elastic analysis 420
5.4.5.2. 2nd order effects 423
5.4.5.3. Elastic-plastic analysis 424
5.4.6. Code checks 425
5.4.6.1. General considerations 425
5.4.6.2. Cross section resistance 425
5.4.6.3. Buckling resistance of the rafters 426
5.4.6.4. Buckling resistance of the columns 429
5.4.7. Synthesis 429

REFERENCES 431

Annex A
ABACUS TO CALCULATE THE COEFFICIENTS C1, C2 AND C3 441

_____ A.1. Elastic critical moment in beams submitted to end moments

xii
simultaneously with transverse loads 441
A.2. Elastic critical moment of unbraced cantilevers 445
 FOREWORD

FOREWORD

The development program for the design manuals of the European

Convention for Constructional Steelwork (ECCS) represents a major effort
for the steel construction industry and the engineering profession in Europe.
Conceived by the ECCS Technical Activities Board under the leadership of
its chairman, Professor Luis Simões da Silva, the manuals are being prepared
in close agreement with the final stages of Eurocode 3 and its national
Annexes. The scope of the development effort is vast, and reflects a unique
undertaking in the world.

The publication of the first of the manuals, Design of Steel Structures, is a

signal achievement which heralds the successful completion of the Eurocode
3 work and brings it directly to the designers who will implement the actual
use of the code. As such, the book is more than a manual – it is a major
textbook that details the fundamental concepts of the code and their practical
application. It is a unique publication for a major construction market.

Following a discussion of the Eurocode 3 basis of design, including the

principles of reliability management and the limit state approach, the steel
_____
material standards and their use under Eurocode 3 are detailed. Structural xiii
analysis and modeling are presented in a chapter that will assist the design
engineer in the first stages of a design project. This is followed by a major
chapter that provides the design criteria and approaches for the various types
of structural members. The theories of behavior and strength are closely tied
to the Eurocode requirements, making for a unique presentation of theory
into practice. The following chapters expand on the principles and
applications of elastic and plastic design of steel structures.
The many design examples that are presented throughout the book represent
a significant part of the manual. These will be especially well received by
the design profession. Without a doubt, the examples will facilitate the
acceptance of the code and provide for a smooth transition from earlier
national codes to the Eurocode.

Reidar Bjorhovde
Member, ECCS Editorial Board
 PREFACE

PREFACE

This book is the first of a series of joint SCI-ECCS publications, a series that
will be extremely helpful to U.K. designers helping them through the change
that Eurocodes represent. This joint publication is the 1st Edition, revised
second impression of the ECCS Eurocode Design Manual to EN 1993-1-1,
supplemented by a U.K. Foreword. In this edition, the reader will find
information that is either of a general nature, or relevant to specific sections
of the publication, to facilitate its application in a U.K. context.
The General rules and rules for buildings of part 1-1 of Eurocode 3
constitute the core of the code procedures for the design of steel structures.
They contain the basic guidance for structural modeling and analysis of steel
frameworks and the rules for the evaluation of the resistance of structural
members and components subject to different loading conditions.
According to the objectives of the ECCS Eurocode Design Manuals, it is the
objective of this book to provide mix of “light” theoretical background,
explanation of the code prescriptions and detailed design examples.
Consequently, this book is more than a manual: it provides an all-in-one _____
source for an explanation of the theoretical concepts behind the code and xv
detailed design examples that try to reproduce real design situations instead
of the usually simplified examples that are found in most textbooks.
This book evolved from the experience of teaching Steel Structures
according to ENV 1993-1-1 since 1993. It further benefited from the
participation in Technical Committees TC8 and TC10 of ECCS where the
background and the applicability of the various clauses of EN 1993-1-1 was
continuously questioned. This book covers exclusively part 1-1 of Eurocode
3 because of the required level of detail. Forthcoming volumes discuss and
apply most of the additional parts of Eurocode 3 using a consistent format.
Chapter 1 introduces general aspects such as the basis of design, material
properties and geometric characteristics and tolerances, corresponding to
chapters 1 to 4 and chapter 7 of EN 1993-1-1. It highlights the important
topics that are required in the design of steel structures. Structural analysis is
 PREFACE
discussed in chapter 2, including structural modelling, global analysis and
classification of cross sections, covering chapter 5 of EN 1993-1-1. The
design of steel members subjected to various types of internal force (tension,
bending and shear, compression and torsion) and their combinations is
described in chapter 3, corresponding to chapter 6 of EN 1993-1-1. Chapter
4 presents the design of steel structures using 3D elastic analysis based on
the case study of a real building. Finally, chapter 5 discusses plastic design,
using a pitched-roof industrial building to exemplify all relevant aspects.
Furthermore, the design examples provided in this book are chosen from real
design cases. Two complete design examples are presented: i) a braced steel-
framed building; and ii) a pitched-roof industrial building. The chosen design
approach tries to reproduce, as much as possible, real design practice instead of
more academic approaches that often only deal with parts of the design process.
This means that the design examples start by quantifying the actions. They then
progress in a detailed step-by-step manner to global analysis and individual
member verifications. The design tools currently available and adopted in most
design offices are based on software for 3D analysis. Consequently, the design
example for multi-storey buildings is analysed as a 3D structure, all subsequent
checks being consistent with this approach. This is by no means a
straightforward implementation, since most global stability verifications were
developed and validated for 2D structures.
_____
The authors are indebted to Prof. Reidar Bjorhovde who carried out a detailed
xvi
technical review of the manuscript and provided many valuable comments and
suggestions. Warm thanks to Prof. David Anderson who carried out an
additional detailed revision of the book and also made sure that the English
language was properly used. Further thanks to Liliana Marques and José
Alexandre Henriques, PhD students at the University of Coimbra, for the help
with the design examples of chapter 4. Additional thanks to Prof. Tiago
Abecasis who spotted innumerous “bugs” in the text. Finally, thanks to Joana
Albuquerque and the staff of cmm and ECCS for all the editorial and typesetting
work, making it possible to bring to finalize this project.

Luís Simões da Silva

Rui Simões
Helena Gervásio
Graham Couchman
Coimbra, 2014
 U.K. FOREWORD

U.K. FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

SCI has a history going back over 25 years of producing design guides
aimed at structural engineers. These have typically been of a ‘how to do’
nature, aimed at designers with a certain level of experience and within the
context of a given design standard.
This publication represents a departure from that tradition. It is the first in an
envisaged series of joint ECCS-SCI publications, a series we hope will be
extremely helpful to U.K. designers given the step change that the move to
Eurocodes represents. We believe its format complements other SCI
guidance. This joint publication is the 1st Edition, revised second impression
of the ECCS Eurocode Design Manual to EN 1993-1-1, which was
published in 2013, supplemented by a U.K. Foreword.

The content includes much useful background to the code rules (pointers to
reasoning and research work that should help ensure correct application of
the rules), and a reminder of some engineering principles. Helpfully, this _____
information is presented in the context of Eurocode terminology and xvii
notation, and with reference to clause numbers etc, to aid the reader’s
familiarity with EN 1993-1-1. A significant number of SCI publications and
other work are cited in the references.
Within this so-called U.K. Foreword the reader will find information that is
either of a general nature, or relevant to specific sections of the publication.
In both cases this information is presented to facilitate application of the rest
of the publication in a U.K. context.
It is noted and should be accepted that there will inevitably be some
differences of interpretation between the recommendations of ECCS and
those previously published by SCI.
 U.K. FOREWORD

GENERAL COMMENTS

The Eurocodes contain so-called Nationally Determined Parameters (NDPs),

which permit specific parts of the codes to be subject to national variations.
The base ECCS publication uses either the default (recommended) Eurocode
values, or in some cases Portuguese values for these NDPs. For a given
design the NDPs must be in accordance with the rules for the country in
which the structure is to be constructed. Some uses of specific NDPs in the
U.K. are noted below.

The examples are described as being ‘realistic’, but it must be recognised

that practice varies between nations so they do not necessarily reflect typical
U.K. practice. Some specific exceptions are noted in this U.K. Foreword.
Similarly, some references to ‘common practice’ may not reflect common
U.K. practice, and these are highlighted.
Some units may be unfamiliar to U.K. designers, in particular
1 GPa = 1 N/mm2
The following comments are also included in the specific sections
throughout the book.

_____
SECTION SPECIFIC COMMENTS
xviii Section 1.2
Reference is made to the need for integration between standards, to ensure
that design rules are compatible with execution tolerances. When
complementary material is used, which it invariably will be because even a
set of standards as comprehensive as the Eurocodes cannot cover every need,
the designer should take care to ensure it is appropriate.

Section 1.3.2
At the time of writing (Autumn 2014) an amendment is about to be
published that moves the decision regarding Execution Class from EN 1090
to EN 1993-1-1.

Section 1.3.3.3
Reference is made to material partial safety factors (γm), which are NDPs.
Both recommended and U.K. values are based on extensive analysis of
 U.K. FOREWORD
European steel production. When steel from other sources is used these
values may not be appropriate.

Section 1.3.5
Reference is made to rules of thumb that may be used to assure satisfactory
dynamic performance. SCI has produced guidance on this subject (SCI, 2009a)
and suggests rules of thumb are only used with care, as they can be misleading.

Section 1.4.1
Its U.K. National Annex states that Table 3.1 of EN 1993-1-1 should not be
used, moreover that when a range of ultimate strengths is quoted in a product
standard the lowest value should be taken.

Section 1.5
The National Structural Steelwork Specification 5th edition (CE Marking
Version) was configured to complement EN 1090-2 (BCSA, 2010).

Section 2.2.2
The Eurocodes use a different convention for axis notation than has traditionally
been used in the U.K. Also, the Eurocodes are not entirely consistent within
themselves concerning axis definition. Care is therefore needed!

Section 2.2.3 _____

xix
Common U.K. practice is to determine forces and moments at centreline
intersections, not to use rigid links and to determine forces and moments at
(for example) the face of a column.

Section 2.2.5
Although non-linear springs may be used to model joint behaviour, it is very
difficult to model the complex behaviour of a joint (connection) – its stiffness,
strength, rotation capacity, and indeed different behaviour in loading and
unloading. This is mentioned in Section 5.2 of the guide. Traditional U.K.
practice is to predict joint behaviour on the basis of past experience.

Section 2.2.7 – Example 2.1

It should be noted that European sections are not commonly used in the U.K.
(although they are the subject of growing interest). S 235 steel is not used in
the U.K., where S 355 is the current (2014) common grade.
 U.K. FOREWORD
Normal U.K. practice is to assume joint classification (generally ‘rigid’ or
‘nominally pinned’) and subsequently to ensure that the joint details satisfy
the assumptions made.
Figures 2.29 and 2.30 show a joint with a stiffener that appears to prevent
fitting of bolts/nuts. A Morris Stiffener could be used to avoid this problem.

Section 2.3.2.1
Reference is made to amplifying internal forces and displacements to model
second order effects. In the U.K. an alternative approach is to reduce
resistance rather than increasing forces, by use of effective lengths. However
this can be laborious and for that reason is not recommended.
For certain frame geometries the U.K. National Annex to EN 1993-1-1
permits second order effects to be ignored at αcr > 5 for the so-called gravity
load combination.

Section 2.3.3
The definition of m as the ‘number of columns in a row’ is not strictly
correct. It should be defined as the ‘number of columns having an effect on
the stability system’. An amendment to EN 1993-1-1 is anticipated.

Section 2.4

_____
All UB sections are Class 1 in bending alone.
xx
Section 3.1.1
The U.K. National Annex to EN 1993-1-1 defines values of γM0 = 1.0,
γM1 = 1.0, and γM2 = 1.1. Note these values may vary between Eurocodes,
and indeed Eurocode Parts.

Section 3.2.2
Since EN 1993 does not cover what is, in the U.K. at least, a common
situation of more than one bolt in the width of an angle leg, it is common
practice to use complementary guidance from BS5950 when calculating
members resistances.

Section 3.3.5 – Example 3.5

The example assumes that the restraint provided by the composite floor is
sufficient. SCI has provided guidance on how a designer can ensure it is
sufficient (SCI, 2009b), as in practice it should never be simply assumed.
 U.K. FOREWORD
Section 3.6.2.2
The omission of rules on how to calculate Mcr is one of the gaps in EN 1993
that many U.K. designers are aware of. Some useful complementary
information is given here.

Section 3.7.2.2
Reference is made to the two alternative methods for beam-column design
given in EN 1993-1-1. It is anticipated that only one method will be given in
future editions of the code, although this publication highlights that economy
of design effort and economy of design result can sometimes vary depending
on the method chosen.

Section 4.1
It should not be assumed that most U.K. design offices use 3D analysis.
Reference is also made to the so-called wind moment method having been
popular in the past in the U.K. – with modern computing power and
knowledge it is not recommended, as its use beyond specific (empirical)
limits has no justification.
Reference is made to braced and unbraced frames, and it is worth noting that
this does not mean the same thing as non-sway sensitive and sway sensitive.
It is not uncommon for a frame that is braced to be sway sensitive – it
depends how stiff the bracing mechanism is. _____
xxi
Section 4.2.4 – Example 4.1
The example considers column bases that are fully restrained. These should
be avoided if possible – more because of the cost and practicalities of the
foundations than the steelwork – and in any case correctly modelled.

Section 4.4.3.4
It should be noted that the calculation of wind actions should follow the U.K.
National Annex, which differs significantly from the Eurocode.

Section 4.4.3.6
The definition of m as the ‘number of columns in a row’ should be changed
to the ‘number of columns having an effect on the stability system’. In U.K.
practice it would generally be assumed that the floor diaphragm constrains
all columns to have the same imperfection.
 U.K. FOREWORD
Section 4.4.3.7
For economy, U.K. designers are likely to favour the use of expressions
6.10a and 6.10b of EN 1990 to determine ultimate loads. The combination
factors should be taken from the U.K. National Annex to EN 1990.
At the Serviceability Limit State (SLS) the U.K. National Annex
recommends using the characteristic combination, and that permanent
actions should not be included.

Section 4.4.3.8
In a braced frame, typical U.K. practice would be to design all the floor
beams as simply supported. Columns would be designed considering only
nominal moments (from eccentric beam reactions), and floors would be
considered as fully loaded.

Section 5.2.4.1
An alternative approach to calculate αcr for a portal frame is considered in
SCI (2014).

Section 5.2.5 – Example 5.1 (and Section 5.4.6.3)

U.K. practice is that having allowed for second-order effects and frame
imperfections, the effects of in-plane member imperfections are small
_____
enough to be ignored. Thus, in addition to cross-section checks, only out-of-
xxii
plane member verifications are needed. This is considered in SCI (2014).

Section 5.4.2
The example is for a portal frame with height to rafters of 7 m, but many
modern portal frames in the U.K. are significantly taller, and therefore
potentially more flexible, than this.

REFERENCES TO NATIONAL FOREWORD

BCSA (2010). National Structural Steelwork Specification for Building

Construction (5th Edition CE Marking Version), Publication No. 52/10, The
British Constructional Steelwork Association.
SCI (2009a). Design of Floors for Vibration. A New Approach, P354,
Revised Edition, Steel Construction Institute, United Kingdom.
 U.K. FOREWORD
SCI (2009b). Composite Slabs and Beams using Steel Decking. Best Practice
for Design and Construction, P300, Revised Edition, Steel Construction
Institute, United Kingdom.

SCI (2014). Design of Steel Portal Frame Buildings to Eurocode 3, P399,

The Steel Construction Institute.

_____
xxiii
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
Don Ramón had likewise recognized the juez de letras, and had
unconsciously darted a glance at his son, which the latter could not
support.
Thanks to the intelligent care that was bestowed upon him by Doña
Jesuita and her women, he breathed a deep sigh, opened his
haggard eyes, which he rolled round upon the assembly, without at
first seeing anything, and by degrees recovered his senses.
All at once a deep flush covered his brow, which had been so pale a
minute before, and his eye sparkled. Directing a look towards Don
Rafaël which nailed him to the floor, a prey to invincible terror, he
rose painfully, and advancing towards the young man, who saw his
approach without daring to seek to avoid him, he placed his hand
roughly on his shoulder, and turning towards the peons, who were
terrified at this strange scene, of which they comprehended nothing,
he said solemnly,—
"I, Don Inigo Tormentes Albaceyte, juez de letras of the city of
Hermosillo, arrest this man, accused of assassination, in the king's
name!"
"Mercy!" cried Rafaël, falling on his knees, and clasping his hands
with despair.
"Woe! woe!" the poor mother exclaimed, as she sank back fainting
in her chair.

CHAPTER III.

THE SENTENCE.

On the morrow the sun rose splendidly on the horizon. The storm of
the night had completely cleared the sky, which was one of deep
blue; the birds warbled gaily, concealed beneath the leaves, and all
nature seemed to have resumed its accustomed festive air.
The bell sounded joyously at the Hacienda del Milagro; the peons
began to disperse in all directions, some leading horses to the
pasturage, others driving cattle to the artificial prairies, others again
wending their way to the fields, whilst the rest were employed in the
patio in milking the cows and repairing the damages done by the
hurricane.
The only traces left of the tempest of the preceding night were two
magnificent jaguars stretched dead before the gate of the hacienda,
not far from the carcass of a half-devoured horse.
Nô Eusebio, who was walking about in the patio, carefully
overlooking the occupations of all, ordered the rich trappings of the
horse to be taken off and cleaned, and the jaguars to be skinned; all
of which was done in the shortest time possible.
Nô Eusebio was, however, very uneasy; Don Ramón, generally the
first person stirring in the hacienda, had not yet appeared.
On the preceding evening, after the terrible accusation brought by
the juez de letras against the eldest son of the hacendero, the latter
had ordered his servants to retire, and after having himself, in spite
of the tears and prayers of his wife, firmly bound his son, he led Don
Inigo Albaceyte into a retired apartment of the farm, where they
both remained in private till a far advanced hour of the night.
What had passed in that conversation, in which the fate of Don
Rafaël was decided, nobody knew—Nô Eusebio no more than the
others.
Then, after having conducted Don Inigo to a chamber he had had
prepared for him, and having wished him good night, Don Ramón
proceeded to rejoin his son, with whom the poor mother was still
weeping: without pronouncing a word, he took the boy in his arms,
and carried him into his bedroom, where he laid him on the ground
near his bed; then the hacendero shut and locked the door, went to
bed, with two pistols under his pillow. The night passed away thus,
the father and son darting at each other through the darkness the
looks of wild beasts, and the poor mother on her knees on the sill of
that chamber, which she was forbidden to enter, weeping silently for
her first-born, who, as she had a terrible presentiment, was about to
be ravished from her for ever.
"Hum!" the mayoral murmured to himself, biting, without thinking of
doing so, the end of his extinguished cigarette, "what will be the end
of all this? Don Ramón is not a man to pardon, he will not
compromise his honour. Will he abandon his son to the hands of
justice! Oh no! but, in that case what will he do?"
The worthy mayoral had arrived at this point in his reflections, when
Don Inigo Albaceyte and Don Ramón appeared in the patio.
The countenances of the two men were stern; that of the
hacendero, in particular, was dark as night.
"Nô Eusebio," Don Ramón said in a sharp tone, "have a horse
saddled, and prepare an escort of four men to conduct this cavalier
to Hermosillo."
The mayoral bowed respectfully, and immediately gave the
necessary orders.
"I thank you a thousand times," continued Don Ramón, addressing
the judge; "you have saved the honour of my house."
"Do not be so grateful, señor," Don Inigo replied; "I swear to you
that when I left the city yesterday, I had no intention of making
myself agreeable to you."
The hacendero only replied by a gesture.
"Put yourself in my place; I am criminal judge above everything; a
man is murdered—a worthless fellow, I admit—but a man, although
of the worst kind; the assassin is known, he traverses the city at full
gallop, in open daylight, in the sight of everybody, with incredible
effrontery. What could I do?—set off in pursuit of him. I did not
hesitate."
"That is true," Don Ramón murmured, holding down his head.
"And evil have been the consequences to me. The scoundrels who
accompanied me abandoned me, like cowards, in the height of the
storm, and took shelter I know not where; and then, to crown my
troubles, two jaguars, magnificent animals, by the bye, rushed in
pursuit of me; they pressed me so hard that I came and fell at your
door like a mass. It is true I killed one of them, but the other was
very nearly snapping me up, when you came to my assistance.
Could I, after that, arrest the son of the man who had saved my life
at the peril of his own? That would have been acting with the
blackest ingratitude."
"Thanks, once more."
"No thanks; we are quits, that is all. I say nothing of some
thousands of piastres you have given me; they will serve to stop the
mouths of my lynxes. Only, let me beg of you, Don Ramón, keep a
sharp eye upon your son; if he should fall a second time into my
hands, I don't know how I could save him."
"Be at ease, in that respect, Don Inigo; my son will never fall into
your hands again."
"The hacendero pronounced these words in so solemn and
melancholy a tone, that the judge started at hearing them, and
turned round saying,—
"Take care what you are about to do!"
"Oh, fear nothing," replied Don Ramón; "only, as I am not willing
that my son should mount a scaffold, and drag my name in the mud,
I must endeavour to prevent him."
At that moment the horse was led out, and the juez de letras
mounted.
"Well, adieu, Don Ramón," he said in an indulgent voice; "be
prudent, this young man may still reform; he is hot blooded, that is
all."
"Adieu, Don Inigo Albaceyte," the hacendero replied, in so dry a
tone that it admitted of no reply.
The judge shook his head, and clapping spurs to his horse, he set
off at full trot, followed by his escort, after having made the farmer a
farewell gesture.
The latter looked after him, as long as he could see him, and then
re-entered the house with long and hasty strides.
"Nô Eusebio," he said to the mayoral, "ring the bell to call together
all the peons, as well as the other servants of the hacienda."
The mayoral, after having looked at his master with astonishment,
hastened to execute the order he had received.
"What does all this mean?" he said to himself.
At the sound of the bell, the men employed on the farm ran to
answer it in haste, not knowing to what cause they should attribute
this extraordinary summons.
They were soon all collected together in the great hall, which served
as a refectory. The completest silence reigned among them. A secret
pang pressed on their hearts,—they had the presentiment of a
terrible event.
After a few minutes of expectation, Doña Jesuita entered,
surrounded by her children, with the exception of Rafaël, and
proceeded to take her place upon a platform, prepared at one end of
the hall.
Her countenance was pale, and her eyes proclaimed that she had
been weeping.
Don Ramón appeared.
He was clothed in a complete suit of black velvet without lace; a
heavy gold chain hung round his neck, a broad leafed hat of black
felt, ornamented with an eagle's feather, covered his head, a long
sword, with a hilt of polished steel, hung by his side.
His brow was marked with wrinkles, his eyebrows were closely
knitted above his black eyes, which appeared to dart lightning.
A shudder of terror pervaded the ranks of the assembly—Don
Ramón Garillas had put on the robe of justice.
Justice was then about to be done?
But upon whom?
When Don Ramón had taken his place on the right hand of his wife,
he made a sign.
The mayoral went out, and returned a minute after, followed by
Rafaël.
The young man was bareheaded, and had his hands tied behind his
back.
With his eyes cast down, and a pale face, he placed himself before
his father, whom he saluted respectfully.
At the period at which our history passes, in those countries remote
from towns and exposed to the continual incursions of the Indians,
the heads of families preserved, in all its purity, that patriarchal
authority which the efforts of our depraved civilization have a
tendency to lessen, and, at length, to destroy. A father was
sovereign in his own house, his judgments were without appeal, and
executed without murmurs or resistance.
The people of the farm were acquainted with the firm character and
implacable will of their master; they knew that he never pardoned,
that his honour was dearer to him than life; it was then with a sense
of undefinable fear that they prepared to witness the terrible drama
which was about to be performed before them between the father
and the son.
Don Ramón arose, cast a dark glance round upon the assembly, and
threw his hat at his feet:
"Listen all to me," he said in a sharp but most distinct voice; "I am
of an old Christian race, whose ancestors have never done wrong;
honour has always in my house been considered as the first of
earthly goods; that honour which my ancestors transmitted to me
intact, and which I have endeavoured to preserve pure, my first-
born son, the inheritor of my name, has sullied by an indelible stain.
Yesterday, at Hermosillo, in consequence of a tavern quarrel, he set
fire to a house, at the risk of burning down the whole city, and when
a man endeavoured to prevent his escape, he killed him with a
poniard stroke. What can be thought of a boy who, at so tender an
age, is endowed with the instincts of a wild beast? Justice must be
done, and, by God's help, I will do it severely."
After these words, Don Ramón crossed his arms upon his breast,
and appeared to reflect.
No one durst hazard a word in favour of the accused; all heads were
bent down, all hearts were palpitating.
Rafaël was beloved by his father's servants on account of his
intrepidity, which yielded to no obstacles, for his skill in managing a
horse, and in the use of all arms, and more than all, for the
frankness and kindness which formed the most striking features of
his character. In this country particularly, where the life of a man is
reckoned of so little value, everyone was inwardly disposed to
excuse the youth, and to see nothing in the action he had committed
but the result of warmth of blood and hasty passion.
Doña Jesuita arose; without a murmur she had always bent to the
will of her husband, whom for many years she had been accustomed
to respect; the mere idea of resisting him terrified her, and sent a
cold shudder through her veins; but all the loving powers of her soul
were concentrated in her heart. She adored her children, Rafaël in
particular, whose indomitable character stood more in need than the
others, of the watchful cares of a mother.
"Sir," she said to her husband, in a voice choked with tears,
"remember that Rafaël is your first-born; that his fault, however
serious it might be, ought not to be inexcusable in your eyes, as you
are his father; and that I—I—" she continued, falling on her knees,
clasping her hands and sobbing, "I implore your pity! pardon, sir!
pardon for your son!"
"Don Ramón coldly raised his wife, whose face was inundated with
tears, and after obliging her to resume her place in her chair, he
said,—
"It is particularly as a father, that my heart ought to be without pity!
Rafaël is an assassin and an incendiary; he is no longer my son!"
"What do you mean to do?" Doña Jesuita cried, in accents of terror.
"What does that concern you, madam?" Don Ramón replied harshly;
"the care of my honour concerns me alone. Sufficient for you to
know that this fault is the last your son will commit."
"Oh!" she said with terror, "will you then become his executioner?"
"I am his judge," the implacable gentleman replied in a terrible
voice. "Nô Eusebio, get two horses ready."
"My God! my God!" the poor mother cried, rushing towards her son,
whom she folded closely in her arms, "will no one come to my
succour?"
All present were moved; Don Ramón himself could not restrain a
tear.
"Oh!" she cried with a wild joy, "he is saved! God has softened the
heart of this inflexible man!"
"You are mistaken, madam," Don Ramón interrupted, pushing her
roughly back, "your son is no longer mine, he belongs to my
justice!"
Then fixing on his son a look cold as a steel blade, he said in a voice
so stern that in spite of himself it made the young man start.
"Don Rafaël, from this instant you no longer form a part of this
society, which your crimes have horrified; it is with wild beasts that I
condemn you to live and die."
At this terrible sentence, Doña Jesuita took a few steps towards her
son, but, tottering, she fell prostrate—she had fainted.
Up to this moment Rafaël had, with a great effort, suppressed in his
heart the emotions which agitated him, but at this last accident he
could no longer restrain himself; he sprang towards his mother, burst
into tears, and uttered a piercing cry:
"My mother! my mother!"
"Come this way," said Don Ramón, laying his hand upon his
shoulder.
The boy stopped, staggering like a drunken man.
"Look, sir! pray look!" he cried, with a heartbroken sob; "my mother
is dying!"
"It is you who have killed her!" the hacendero replied coldly.
Rafaël turned round as if a serpent had stung him; he darted at his
father a look of strange expression, and, with clenched teeth and a
livid brow said to him,
"Kill me, sir; for I swear to you that in the same manner as you have
been pitiless to my mother and me, if I live I will be hereafter pitiless
to you!"
Don Ramón cast upon him a look of contempt.
"Come on!" he said.
"Come on, then!" the boy repeated in a firm tone.
Doña Jesuita, who was beginning to recover her senses, perceived
the departure of her son, as if in a dream.
"Rafaël! Rafaël!" she shrieked.
The young man hesitated for a second; then, with a bound, he
sprang towards her, kissed her with wild tenderness, and rejoining
his father, said—
"Now I can die! I have bidden adieu to my mother!"
And they went out.
The household, deeply moved by this scene, separated without
communicating their impressions to each other, but all penetrated
with sincere grief.
Under the caresses of her son, the poor mother had again lost all
consciousness.

CHAPTER IV.

THE MOTHER.

Two horses, held by the bridle by Nô Eusebio, were waiting at the

door of the hacienda.
"Shall I accompany you, señor?" asked the major-domo.
"No!" the hacendero replied drily.
He mounted and placed his son across the saddle before him.
"Take back the second horse," he said; "I do not want it."
And plunging his spurs into the sides of his horse, which snorted
with pain, he set off at full speed.
The major-domo returned to the house, shaking his head sadly.
As soon as the hacienda had disappeared behind a swell in the
ground, Don Ramón stopped, drew a silk handkerchief from his
breast, bandaged the eyes of his son without saying a word to him,
and then again resumed his course.
This ride in the desert lasted a long time; it had something dismal
about it that chilled the soul.
This horseman, clothed in black, gliding silently along through the
sands, bearing before him on his saddle a securely-bound boy,
whose nervous starts and writhings alone proclaimed his existence,
had a fatal and strange aspect, which would have impressed the
bravest man with terror.
Many hours had passed without a word being exchanged between
the son and the father; the sun began to sink in the horizon, a few
stars already appeared in the dark blue of the sky—but the horse
still went on.
The desert, every instant, assumed a more dismal and wild
appearance; every tree of vegetation had disappeared; only here
and there heaps of bones, whitened by time, marbled the sand with
livid spots; birds of prey hovered slowly over the horsemen, uttering
hoarse cries; and in the mysterious depths of the chaparrals, wild
beasts, at the approach of night, preluded their rude concerts with
dull roarings.
In these regions twilight does not exist; as soon as the sun has
disappeared, the darkness is complete.
Don Ramón continued to gallop on. His son had not addressed a
single prayer to him, or uttered a single complaint.
At length, towards eight o'clock, the horsemen stopped. This
feverish ride had lasted ten hours. The horse panted and throbbed,
and staggered at every step.
Don Ramón cast an anxious glance around him; a smile of
satisfaction curled his lip. On all sides the desert displayed its
immense plains of sand; on one alone the skirt of a virgin forest cut
the horizon with its strange profile, breaking in a sinister manner the
monotony of the prospect.
Don Ramón dismounted, placed his son upon the sand, took the
bridle from his horse, that it might eat the provender he gave it;
then, after having acquitted himself of all these duties, with the
greatest coolness he approached his son, and removed the bandage
from his eyes.
The boy remained silent, fixing upon his father a dull, cold look.
"Sir!" Don Ramón said, in a sharp, dry tone, "you are here more
than twenty leagues from my hacienda, in which you will never set
your foot again under pain of death; from this moment you are
alone, you have no longer either father, mother, or family; as you
have proved yourself almost a wild beast, I condemn you to live with
wild beasts; my resolution is irrevocable, your prayers could not
change it. Spare them then!"
"I shall not pray to you," the boy replied, "people do not intreat an
executioner!"
Don Ramón started; he walked about in feverish agitation; but soon
recovering himself, he continued,
"In this pouch are provisions for two days. I leave you this rifle,
which in my hands never missed its mark; I give you also these
pistols, this machete, and this knife, this hatchet, and powder and
balls in these buffalo horns. You will find with the provisions a steel
and everything necessary for kindling a fire. I add to these things a
Bible, belonging to your mother. You are dead to society, into which
you can never return; the desert is before you; it belongs to you; for
me, I have no longer a son, adieu! The Lord be merciful to you, all is
ended between us on earth; you are left alone, and without a family;
it depends upon yourself, then, to commence a second existence,
and to provide for your own wants. Providence never abandons
those who place their confidence in it; henceforward, it alone will
watch over you."
After having pronounced these words, Don Ramón, his countenance
still impassible, replaced the bridle on his horse, restored his son to
liberty by cutting the cords which bound him, and then getting into
his saddle, he set off at his horse best speed.
Rafaël rose upon his knees, bent his head forward, listened with
anxiety to the retreating gallop of the horse on the sand, followed
with his eyes, as long as he was able, the fatal profile which was
thrown in black relief by the moonbeams; and when the horseman
was at length confounded with the darkness, the boy placed his
hand upon his breast, and an expression of despair impossible to be
described convulsed his features.
"My mother! my mother!" he cried.
He fell lifeless upon the sand. He had fainted.
After a long gallop, Don Ramón, insensibly and as if in spite of
himself, slackened the speed of his horse, lending a keen ear to the
vague noises of the desert, listening with anxiety, without rendering
an account to himself why he did so, but expecting, perhaps, an
appeal from his unfortunate son to return to him. Twice even his
hand mechanically pulled the bridle as if he obeyed a secret voice
which commanded him to retrace his steps; but the fierce pride of
his race was still the stronger, and he continued his course
homewards.
The sun was rising at the moment Don Ramón arrived at the
hacienda.
Two persons were standing side by side at the gate, waiting his
return.
The one was Doña Jesuita, the other the major-domo.
At sight of his wife, pale, mute, and motionless before him, like the
statue of desolation, the hacendero felt an unutterable sadness
weigh upon his heart; he wished to pass, but Doña Jesuita, making
two steps towards him and seizing the bridle of his horse, said with
agonized emotion,—
"Don Ramón, what have you done with my son?"
The hacendero made no reply; on beholding the grief of his wife,
remorse shot a pang into his heart, and he asked himself mentally if
he had really the right to act as he had done.
Doña Jesuita waited in vain for an answer. Don Ramón looked
earnestly at his wife; he was terrified at perceiving the indelible
furrows which grief had imprinted upon that countenance, so calm,
so placid, but a few hours before.
The noble woman was livid; her contracted features had an
inexpressible rigidity; her eyes, burnt with fever, were red and dry,
two black and deep lines rendered them hollow and haggard; a large
stain marbled each of her cheeks, the trace of tears the source of
which was dried up; she could weep no more, her voice was hoarse
and broken, and her oppressed breast heaved painfully to allow the
escape of a panting respiration.
After having waited some minutes for a reply to her question, "Don
Ramón," she repeated, "what have you done with my son?"
The hacendero turned away his head with something like confusion.
"Oh! you have killed him!" she said, with a piercing shriek.
"No;" Don Ramón replied, terrified at her grief, and for the first time
in his life forced to acknowledge the power of the mother who
demands an account of her child.
"What have you done with him?" she screamed persistently.
"Presently, when you are more calm, you shall know all."
"I am calm," she replied, "why should you feign a pity you do not
feel? My son is dead, and it is you who have killed him!"
Don Ramón alighted from his horse.
"Jesuita," he said to his wife, taking her hands and looking at her
with tenderness, "I swear to you by all that is most sacred in the
world, that your son exists; I have not touched a hair of his head."
The poor mother remained pensive for a few seconds.
"I believe you," she said; then after a pause she added, "What is
become of him?"
"Well!" he replied, with some hesitation, "since you insist upon
knowing all, learn that I have abandoned your son in the desert, but
have left him the means to provide for his safety and his wants."
Doña Jesuita started, a nervous shudder crept through the whole of
her frame.
"You have been very clement," she said in a cutting tone, and with
bitter irony; "you have been very clement towards a boy of sixteen,
Don Ramón; you felt a repugnance to bathe your hands in his blood,
and you have preferred leaving that task to the wild beasts and
ferocious Indians who alone people those solitudes."
"He was guilty!" the hacendero replied, in a low but firm voice.
"A child is never guilty in the eyes of her who has borne him in her
bosom, and nourished him with her milk," she said with energy. "It
is well, Don Ramón, you have condemned your son, I—I will save
him!"
"What would you do?" the hacendero said, terrified at the resolution
he saw kindled in the eyes of his wife.
"What matters it to you? Don Ramón, I will accomplish my duty as
you believe you have accomplished yours! God will judge between
us! Tremble, lest He should one day demand of you an account of
the blood of your son!"
Don Ramón bent his head beneath this anathema; with a pale brow,
and a mind oppressed by heavy remorse, he went slowly into the
hacienda.
Doña Jesuita looked after him for an instant.
"Oh!" she cried, "may God grant that I may arrive in time!"
She then went out from the portico, followed by Nô Eusebio.
Two horses awaited them, concealed behind a clump of trees. They
mounted immediately.
"Where are we going, señora?" the major-domo asked.
"In search of my son!" she replied in a shrill voice.
She seemed transfigured by hope; a bright colour flushed her
cheeks; her black eyes darted lightning.
Nô Eusebio untied four magnificent bloodhounds, called rastreros in
the country, and which were kept to follow trails; he made them
smell a shirt belonging to Rafaël; the hounds rushed forward on the
scent, baying loudly. Nô Eusebio and Doña Jesuita galloped after
them, exchanging a look of sanguine hope.
The dogs had no trouble in following the scent, it was straight and
without obstruction, therefore they did not stop an instant.
When Doña Jesuita arrived at the spot where Rafaël had been
abandoned by his father, the place was void!—the boy had
disappeared!
The traces of his having sojourned there were visible; a fire was not
yet burnt out; everything indicated that Rafaël could not have
quitted that place more than an hour.
"What is to be done?" Nô Eusebio asked anxiously.
"Push forward!" Doña Jesuita replied resolutely, urging her horse
again into action, and the generous steed responding with
unflagging spirit.
Nô Eusebio followed her.
On the evening of that day the greatest consternation prevailed at
the Hacienda del Milagro, Doña Jesuita and Nô Eusebio had not
returned.
Don Ramón ordered all the household to mount on horseback.
Provided with torches, the peons and vaqueros commenced a battue
of an immense extent in search of their mistress and the major-
domo.
The whole night passed away without bringing the least satisfactory
result.
At daybreak, the horse of Doña Jesuita was found half devoured in
the desert. Its trappings were wanting.
The ground round the carcass of the horse appeared to have been
the scene of a desperate conflict of some kind.
Don Ramón, in despair, gave orders for return.
"Great Heaven!" he cried, as he re-entered the hacienda, "is it
possible that my chastisement has already commenced?"
Weeks, months, years passed away, without any circumstance, lifting
the corner of the mysterious veil which enveloped these sinister
events, and, notwithstanding the most active and persevering
researches, nothing could be learnt of the fate of Rafaël, his mother,
and Nô Eusebio.

THE END OF THE PROLOGUE.

PART I.

THE LOYAL HEART.

CHAPTER I.

THE PRAIRIE.

To the westward of the United States extends, many hundred miles

beyond the Mississippi, an immense territory, unknown up to this
day, composed of uncultivated lands, on which stands neither the
log house of the white man nor the hatto of the Indian.
This vast desert, intersected by dark forests, with mysterious paths
traced by the steps of wild beasts, and by verdant prairies with high
and tufted herbage that undulates with the slightest breeze, is
watered by powerful streams, of which the principal are the great
Canadian river, the Arkansas, and the Red River.
Over these plains, endowed with so rich a vegetation, wander
innumerable troops of wild horses, buffaloes, elks, bighorns, and
those thousands of animals which the civilization of the other parts
of America is every day driving back, and which regain their primitive
liberty in these regions.
On this account, the most powerful Indian tribes have established
their hunting grounds in this country.
The Delawares, the Creeks, and the Osages, prowl along the
frontiers of the desert up to the environs of the establishments of
the Americans, with whom some few bonds of civilization are
beginning to unite them, engaged in constant conflict with the
hordes of Pawnees, Blackfeet, Assiniboins, and Comanches,
indomitable races, nomads of the prairies, or inhabitants of the
mountains, who permeate in all directions this desert, the
proprietorship of which none of them venture to assert, but which
they appear to agree to devastate, uniting in vast numbers for
hunting parties, as if for the purpose of making war.
In fact, the enemies travellers are exposed to encounter in these
deserts are of all kinds; without mentioning in this place wild beasts,
there are hunters, trappers, and partisans, who are not less
formidable to the Indians than to their fellow countrymen.
The prairie, therefore, the sinister theatre of incessant and terrible
contests, is nothing in reality but a vast charnel house, in which
perish obscurely, every year, in a merciless war of ambuscades, tens
of thousands of intrepid men.
Nothing can be more grand or more majestic than the aspect of
these prairies, into which Providence has bounteously bestowed such
innumerable riches,—nothing, more seductive than these green
fields, these thick forests, these large rivers; the melancholy murmur
of the waters rippling over the stones of the shallow stream, the
songs of thousands of birds concealed under the foliage, the
bounding of animals sporting amidst the high grass: everything
enchants, everything attracts, and draws aside the fascinated
traveller, who soon, the victim of his enthusiasm, will fall into one of
those numberless snares laid under his feet among the flowers, and
will pay with his life for his imprudent credulity.
Towards the end of the year 1837, in the latter days of the month of
September, by the Indians called the moon of the falling leaves—a
man, still young, and who, from his complexion, notwithstanding his
costume was entirely like that of the Indians, it was easy to perceive
was a white man, was seated, about an hour before sunset, near a
fire, the want of which began to be felt at this period of the year, at
one of the most unfrequented spots of the prairie we have just
described.
This man was at most thirty-five to thirty-six years old, though a few
deeply marked wrinkles on his broad white forehead seemed to
indicate a more advanced age.
His features were handsome and noble, and impressed with that
pride and energy which a savage life imparts. His black eyes,
starting from his head, and crowned with thick eye-brows, had a
mild and melancholy expression, that tempered their brilliancy and
vivacity; the lower part of his face disappeared beneath a long, thick
beard, the bluish tint of which contrasted with the peculiar paleness
spread over his countenance.
He was tall, slender, and perfectly well proportioned; his nervous
limbs, upon which rose muscles of extreme rigidity, proved that he
was endowed with more than common strength. In short, the whole
of his person inspired that respectful sympathy which superior
natures attract more easily in these countries than in ours, where
physical strength is nearly always the attribute of the brute.
His remarkably simple attire was composed of a mitasse, or a kind of
close drawers falling down to his ankles, and fastened to his hips by
a leather belt, and of a cotton hunting shirt, embroidered with
ornaments in wool of different colours, which descended to his
midleg. This blouse, open in front, left exposed his embrowned
chest, upon which hung a scapulary of velvet, from a slight steel
chain. Short boots of untanned deerskin protected him from the
bites of reptiles, and rose to his knees. A cap made of the skin of a
beaver, whose tail hung down behind, covered his head, while long
and luxuriant curls of black hair, which were beginning to be
threaded with white, fell beneath it over his broad shoulder. This
man was a hunter.
A magnificent rifle laid within reach of his hand, the game bag which
was hung to his shoulder belt and the two buffalo horns, suspended
at his girdle, and filled with powder and balls, left no doubt in this
respect. Two long double pistols were carelessly thrown near his
rifle.
The hunter, armed with that long knife called a machete, or a short-
bladed straight sabre, which the inhabitants of the prairies never lay
aside, was occupied in conscientiously skinning a beaver, whilst
carefully watching the haunch of a deer which was roasting at the
fire, suspended by a string, and listening to the slightest noises that
arose in the prairies.
The spot where this man was seated was admirably chosen for a
halt of a few hours.
It was a clearing at the summit of a moderately elevated hill, which,
from its position, commanded the prairie for a great distance, and
prevented a surprise. A spring bubbled up at a few paces from the
place where the hunter had established his bivouac, and descended,
forming a capricious cascade; to the plain. The high and abundant
grass afforded an excellent pasto for two superb horses, with wild
and sparkling eyes, which, safely tethered, were enjoying their food
at a short distance from him. The fire, lighted with dry wood, and
sheltered on three sides by the rock, only allowed a thin column of
smoke to escape, scarcely perceptible at ten paces' distance, and a
screen of all trees concealed the encampment from the indiscreet
looks of those persons who were probably in ambuscade in the
neighbourhood.
In short, all precautions necessary for the safety of the hunter had
been taken with that prudence which announces a profound
knowledge of the life of a wood ranger.
The red fires of the setting sun tinged with beautiful reflections the
tops of the great trees, and the sun itself was on the point of
disappearing behind the mountains which bounded the horizon,
when the horses, suddenly ceasing their repast, raised their heads
and prickled their ears—signs of restlessness which did not escape
the hunter.
Although he heard no suspicious sound, and all appeared calm
around him, he hastened to place the skin of the beaver before the
fire, stretched upon two crossed sticks, and, without rising, he put
out his hand towards his rifle.
The cry of the jay was heard, and repeated thrice at regular
intervals.
The hunter laid his rifle by his side again with a smile, and resumed
his watchful attention to the supper. Almost immediately the grass
was violently opened, and two magnificent bloodhounds bounded up
and lay down by the hunter, who patted them for an instant, and not
without difficulty quieted their caresses.
The horses had carelessly resumed their interrupted repast.
The dogs only preceded by a few minutes a second hunter, who
made his appearance almost immediately in the clearing.
This new personage, much younger than the first,—for he did not
appear to be more than twenty-two years old,—was a tall, thin, agile
and powerfully-built man, with a slightly-rounded head, lighted by
two grey eyes, sparkling with intelligence, and endowed with a
physiognomy open and loyal, to which long light hair gave a
somewhat childish appearance.
He was clothed in the same costume as his companion, and on
arriving, threw down by the fire a string of birds which he was
carrying at his shoulder.
The two hunters then, without exchanging a word, set about
preparing one of those suppers which long exercise has always the
privilege of causing to be considered excellent.
The night had completely set in; the desert awoke by degrees; the
howlings of wild beasts already resounded in the prairie.
The hunters, after supping with a good appetite, lit their pipes, and
placing their backs to the fire, in order that the flame should not
prevent them from perceiving the approach of any suspicious visitor
whom darkness might bring them, smoked with the enjoyment of
people who, after a long and painful journey, taste an instant of
repose which they may not meet with again for some time.
"Well!" the first hunter said laconically between two puffs of tobacco.
"You were right," the other replied.
"Ah!"
"Yes, we have kept too much to the right, it was that which made us
lose the scent."
"I was sure of it," the first speaker replied; "you see, Belhumeur, you
trust too much to your Canadian habits: the Indians with whom we
have to do here in no way resemble the Iroquois, who visit the
hunting grounds of your country."
Belhumeur nodded his head in sign of acquiescence.
"After all," the other continued, "this is of very little importance at
this moment; what is urgent is to know who are our thieves."
"I know."
"Good!" the other said, withdrawing his pipe quickly from his mouth;
"and who are the Indians who have dared to steal the traps marked
with my cipher?"
"The Comanches."
"I suspected as much. By heavens, ten of our best traps stolen
during the night! I swear, Belhumeur, that they shall pay for them
dearly! And where are the Comanches at this moment?"
"Within three leagues of us at most. It is a party of plunderers
composed of a dozen men; according to the direction they are
following, they are turning to their mountains."
"They shall not all arrive there," said the hunter, casting a glance at
his rifle.
"Parbleu!" said Belhumeur with a loud laugh, "they will only get what
they deserve. I leave it to you, Loyal Heart, to punish them for their
insult; but you will be still more determined to avenge yourself upon
them when you know by whom they are commanded."
"Ah! ah! I know their chief then?"
Belhumeur said, slightly smiling, "it is Nehu Nutah."
"Eagle Head!" cried Loyal, almost bounding from his seat. "Oh, oh!
yes, I know him, and God grant that this time. I may settle the old
account there is between us. His moccasins have long enough
trodden the same path with me and barred my passage."
After pronouncing these word with an accent of hatred that made
Belhumeur shudder, the hunter, sorry at having allowed the anger
which mastered him to appear, resumed his pipe and continued to
smoke with a feigned carelessness that did not at all impose upon
his companion.
The conversation was interrupted.
The two hunters appeared to be absorbed in profound reflections,
and smoked silently by the side of each other.
At length Belhumeur turned towards his companion.
"Shall I watch?" he asked.
"No," Loyal Heart replied, in a low voice; "sleep, I will be sentinel for
you and myself too."
Belhumeur, without making the least observation, laid himself down
by the fire, and in a few minutes slept profoundly.
When the owl hooted its matin song, which seemed to salute the
speedy appearance of the sun, Loyal Heart, who during the night
had remained motionless as a marble statue, awakened his
companion.
"It is time," said he.
"Very good!" Belhumeur replied, rising immediately.
The hunters saddled their horses, descended the hill with
precaution, and galloped off upon the track of the Comanches.
At this moment the sun appeared radiant in the heavens, dissipating
the darkness and illuminating the prairie with its magnificent and
reviving radiance.

CHAPTER II.

THE HUNTERS.

A few words now about the personages we have just brought upon
the scene, and who are destined to play an important part in this
history.
Loyal Heart—this name was the only one by which the hunter was
known throughout the prairies of the West—enjoyed an immense
reputation for skill, loyalty, and courage among the Indian tribes,
with whom the chances of his adventurous existence had brought
him in relation. All respected him. The white hunters and trappers,
whether Spaniards, North Americans, or half-breeds, had a high
opinion of his experience of the woods, and often had recourse to
his counsels.
The pirates of the prairies themselves, thorough food for the
gallows, the refuse of civilization, who only lived by rapine and
exactions, did not dare to attack him, and avoided as much as
possible throwing themselves in his way.
Thus this man had succeeded by the sheer force of his intelligence
and his will, in creating for himself, and almost unknown to himself,
a power accepted and recognized by the ferocious inhabitants of
these vast deserts,—a power which he only employed in the
common interest, and to facilitate for all the means of following in
safety the occupations they had adopted.
No one knew who Loyal Heart was, or whence he came; the greatest
mystery covered his early years.
One day, about twenty years before, when he was very young, some
hunters had fallen in with him on the banks of the Arkansas in the
act of setting traps for beavers. The few questions put to him
concerning his preceding life remained unanswered; and the
hunters, people not very talkative by nature, fancying they
perceived, from the embarrassment and reticence of the young man,
that he had a secret which he desired to keep, made a scruple about
pressing him further—and nothing more was said on the subject.
At the same time, contrary to other hunters, or trappers of the
prairies, who have all one or two companions with whom they
associate, and whom they never leave, Loyal Heart lived alone,
having no fixed habitation; he traversed the desert in all directions
without pitching his tent anywhere.
Always reserved and melancholy, he avoided the society of his
equals, although always ready, when occasion offered, to render
them services, or even to expose his life for them. Then, when they
attempted to express their gratitude, he would clap spurs to his
horse, and go and set his traps at a distance, to give time to those
he had obliged to forget the service he had rendered.
Every year, at the same period, that is to say, about the month of
October, Loyal Heart disappeared for several entire weeks, without
anyone being able to suspect whither he was gone; and when he
returned it was observed that for several days his countenance was
more dark and sad than ever.
One day he came back from one of these mysterious expeditions,
accompanied by two magnificent young bloodhounds, which had
from that time remained with him, and of which he seemed very
fond.
Five years before the period at which we resume our narrative, when
returning one evening from laying his traps for the night, he
suddenly perceived the fire of an Indian camp through the trees.
A white youth, scarcely seventeen years of age, was fastened to a
stake, and served as mark for the knives of the redskins, who
amused themselves with torturing him before they sacrificed him to
their sanguinary rage.
Loyal Heart, listening to nothing but the pity which the victim
inspired, and without reflecting on the terrible danger to which he
exposed himself, rushed in among the Indians, and placed himself in
front of the prisoner, for whom he made a rampart of his body.
These Indians were Comanches. Astonished by this sudden irruption,
which they were far from expecting, they remained a few instants
motionless, confounded by so much audacity.
Without losing a moment, Loyal Heart cut the bonds of the prisoner,
and giving him a knife, which the other received with joy, they both
prepared to sell their lives dearly.
White men inspire Indians with an instinctive, an invincible terror;
the Comanches, however, on recovering from their surprise, showed
signs of rushing forward to attack the two men who seemed to defy
them.
But the light of the fire, which fell full upon the face of the hunter,
had permitted some of them to recognize him. The redskins drew
back with respect, murmuring among themselves,—
"Loyal Heart! the great paleface hunter!"
Eagle Head, for so was the chief of these Indians named, did not
know the hunter; it was the first time he had descended into the
plains of the Arkansas, and he could not comprehend the
exclamation of his warriors; besides, he cordially detested the
palefaces, against whom he had sworn to carry on a war of
extermination. Enraged at what he considered cowardice on the part
of those he commanded, he advanced alone against Loyal Heart, but
then an extraordinary occurrence took place.
The Comanches threw themselves upon their chief, and
notwithstanding the respect in which they held him, they disarmed
him to prevent his making any attack upon the hunter.
Loyal Heart, after thanking them, himself restored his arms to the
chief; who received them coldly, casting a sinister glance at his
generous adversary.
The hunter, perceiving this feeling, shrugged his shoulders
disdainfully, and departed with the prisoner.
Loyal Heart had, in less than ten minutes, made for himself an
implacable enemy and a devoted friend.
The history of the prisoner was simple.
Having left Canada with his father, for the purpose of hunting in the
prairies, they had fallen into the hands of the Comanches; after a
desperate resistance, his father had fallen covered with wounds. The
Indians, irritated at this death, which robbed them of a victim, had
bestowed the greatest care upon the young man, in order that he
might honourably figure at the stake of punishment, and this would
inevitably have happened had it not been for the providential
intervention of Loyal Heart.
After having obtained these particulars, the hunter asked the young
man what his intentions were, and whether the rough apprenticeship
he had gone through as a wood ranger had not disgusted him with a
life of adventures.
"By my faith, no!" the other replied; "on the contrary, I feel more
determined than ever to follow this career; and, besides," he added,
"I wish to avenge my father."
"That is just," the hunter observed.
The conversation broke off at this point.
Loyal Heart, having conducted the young man to one of his cachés
(a sort of magazines dug in the earth in which trappers collect their
wealth), produced the complete equipment of a trapper,—gun, knife,
pistols, game bags, and traps,—and then, after placing these things
before his protégé, he said simply,—
"Go! and God speed you!"
The other looked at him without replying; he evidently did not
understand him.
Loyal Heart smiled.
"You are free," he resumed; "here are all the objects necessary for
your new trade,—I give them to you, the desert is before you; I wish
you good luck!"
The young man shook his head.
"No," he said, "I will not leave you unless you drive me from you; I
am alone, without family or friends; you have saved my life, and I
belong to you."
"It is not my custom to receive payment for the services I render,"
said the hunter.
"You require to be paid for them too dearly," the other answered
warmly, "since you refuse to accept gratitude. Take back your gifts,
they are of no use to me; I am not a mendicant to whom alms can
be thrown; I prefer going back and delivering myself up again to the
Comanches—adieu!"
And the Canadian resolutely walked away in the direction of the
Indian camp.
Loyal Heart was affected. This young man had so frank, so honest
and spirited an air, that he felt something in his breast speak
strongly in his favour.
"Stop!" he said.
And the other stopped.
"I live alone," the hunter continued; "the existence which you will
pass with me will be a sad one: a great grief consumes me; why
should you attach yourself to me, who are unhappy?"
"To share your grief, if you think me worthy, and to console you, if
that be possible; when man is left alone, he runs the risk of falling
into despair; God has ordained that he should seek companions."
"That is true," the still undecided hunter murmured.
"Why do you pause?" the young man asked anxiously.
Loyal Heart gazed at him for a moment attentively; his eagle eye
seemed to seek to penetrate his most secret thoughts; then,
doubtless, satisfied with his examination, he asked,
"What is your name?"
"Belhumeur," the other replied; "or, if you prefer it, George Talbot;
but I am generally known by the first name."
The hunter smiled.
"That is a promising name," he said, holding out his hand.
"Belhumeur," he added, "from this time you are my brother;
henceforth there is a friendship for life and death between us."
He kissed him above the eyes, as is the custom in the prairies in
similar circumstances.
"For life and death," the Canadian replied, with a burst of
enthusiasm, warmly pressing the hand which was held out to him,
and kissing, in his turn, his new brother under the eyes.
And this was the way in which Loyal Heart and Belhumeur had
become known to each other. During five years, not the least cloud,
not the shadow of a cloud, had darkened the friendship which these
two superior natures had sworn to each other in the desert, in the
face of God. On the contrary, every day seemed to increase it; they
had but one heart between them. Completely relying on each other,
divining each other's most secret thoughts, these two men had seen
their strength augment tenfold, and such was their reciprocal
confidence, that they doubted nothing, and undertook and carried
out the most daring expeditions, in face of which ten resolute men
would have paused.
But everything succeeded with them, nothing appeared to be
impossible to them; it might be said that a charm protected them,
and rendered them invulnerable and invincible.
Their reputation was thus spread far and near, and those whom their
name did not strike with admiration repeated it with terror.
After a few months passed by Loyal Heart in studying his
companion, drawn away by that natural want which man feels of
confiding his troubles to a faithful friend, the hunter no longer had
any secrets from Belhumeur. This confidence, which the young man
expected impatiently, but which he had done nothing to bring about,
had bound still closer, if possible, the ties which united the two men,
by furnishing the Canadian with the means of giving his friend the
consolations which his bruised spirit required, and of avoiding
irritating wounds that were ever bleeding.
On the day we met them in the prairie, they had just been the
victims of an audacious robbery, committed by their ancient enemy,
Eagle Head, the Comanche chief, whose hatred and rancour, instead
of being weakened by time, had, on the contrary, only increased.
The Indian, with the characteristic deceit of his race, had
dissembled, and devoured in silence the affront he had undergone
from his people, and of which the two palefaced hunters were the
direct cause, and awaited patiently the hour of vengeance. He had
quietly dug a pit under the feet of his enemies, by prejudicing the
redskins by degrees against them, and adroitly spreading calumnies
about them. Thanks to this system, he had at length succeeded, or,
at least, he thought he had, in making all the individuals dispersed
over the prairies, even the white and half-breed hunters, consider
these two men as their enemies.
As soon as this result had been obtained, Eagle Head placed himself
at the head of thirty devoted warriors; and, anxious to bring about a
quarrel that might ruin the men whose death he had sworn to
accomplish, he had in one single night stolen all their traps, certain
that they would not leave such an insult unpunished, but would try
to avenge it.
The chief was not deceived in his calculations; all had fallen out just
as he had foreseen it would.
In this position he awaited his enemies.
Thinking that they would find no assistance among the Indians or
hunters, he flattered himself that with the thirty men he commanded
he could easily seize the two hunters, whom he proposed to put to
death with atrocious tortures.
But he had committed the fault of concealing the number of his
warriors, in order to inspire more confidence in the hunters.
The latter had only partially been the dupes of this stratagem.
Considering themselves sufficiently strong to contend even with
twenty Indians, they had claimed the assistance of no one to avenge
themselves upon enemies they despised, and had, as we have seen,
set out resolutely in pursuit of the Comanches.
Closing here this parenthesis, a rather long one, it is true, but
indispensable to understand of what is to follow, we will take up our
narrative at the point we broke off at, on terminating the preceding
chapter.
 CHAPTER III.

THE TRAIL.

Eagle Head, who wished to be discovered by his enemies, had not

taken any pains to conceal his trail.
It was perfectly visible in the high grass, and if now and then it
appeared to be effaced, the hunters had but slightly to turn to one
side or the other to regain the prints of it.
Never before had a foe been pursued on the prairies in such a
fashion. It must have appeared the more singular to Loyal Heart,
who, for a long time, had been acquainted with the cunning of the
Indians, and knew with what skill, when they judged it necessary,
they caused every indication of their passage to disappear.
This facility gave him reason to reflect. As the Comanches had taken
no more pains to conceal their track, they must either believe
themselves very strong, or else they had prepared an ambush into
which they hoped to make their too confident enemies fall.
The two hunters rode on, casting, from time to time, a look right
and left, in order to be sure they were not deceived; but the track
still continued in a straight line, without turnings or circuits. It was
impossible to meet with greater facilities in a pursuit. Belhumeur
himself began to think this very extraordinary, and to be made
seriously uneasy by it.
But if the Comanches had been unwilling to take the pains of
concealing their trail, the hunters did not follow their example; they
did not advance a step without effacing the trace of their passage.
They arrived thus on the banks of a tolerably broad rivulet, named
the Verdigris, which is a tributary of the great Canadian river.
Before crossing this little stream, on the other side of which the
hunters would no longer be very far from the Indians, Loyal Heart
stopped, making a sign to his companion to do so likewise.
Both dismounted, and leading their horses by the bridle, they sought
the shelter of a clump of trees, in order not to be perceived, if, by
chance, some Indian sentinel should be set to watch their approach.
When they were concealed in the thickness of the wood, Loyal Heart
placed a finger on his lip to recommend prudence to his companion,
and, approaching his lips to his ear, he said, in a voice low as a
breath,—
"Before we go any farther, let us consult, in order to ascertain what
we had better do."
Belhumeur bent his head in sign of acquiescence.
"I suspect some treachery," the hunter resumed; "Indians are too
experienced warriors, and too much accustomed to the life of the
prairies, to act in this way without an imperative reason."
"That is true," the Canadian replied, with a tone of conviction; "this
trail is too good and too plainly indicated not to conceal a snare."
"Yes, but they have wished to be too cunning; their craft has
overshot the mark; old hunters, like us, are not to be deceived thus.
We must redouble our prudence, and examine every leaf and blade
of grass with care, before we venture nearer the encampment of the
redskins."
"Let us do better," said Belhumeur, casting a glance around him; "let
us conceal our horses in a safe place, where we can find them again
at need, and then go and reconnoitre on foot the position and the
number of those whom we wish to surprise."
"You are right, Belhumeur," said Loyal Heart; "your counsel is
excellent, we will put it in practice."
"I think we had better make haste in that case."
"Why so? On the contrary, do not let us hurry; the Indians, not
seeing us appear, will relax in their watchfulness, and we will profit
by their negligence to attack them, if we should be forced to have
recourse to such extreme measures; besides, it would be better to
wait for the night before we commence our expedition."
"In the first place, let us put our horses in safety. Afterwards, we
shall see what is best to be done."
The hunters left their concealment with the greatest precaution.
Instead of crossing the river, they retraced their road, and for some
time followed the route they had already traversed, then they bent a
little to the left, and entered a ravine, in which they quickly
disappeared among the high grass.
"I leave you to be guide, Belhumeur," said Loyal Heart, "I really do
not know whither you are leading me!"
"Leave it to me, I have by chance discovered, within two gunshots of
the place where we now are, a sort of citadel, where our horses will
be as safe as possible, and in which, if so it should fall out, we
should be able to sustain a regular siege."
"Caramba!" the hunter exclaimed, who, by this oath, which was
habitual with him, betrayed his Spanish origin, "how did you make
this precious discovery?"
"Faith!" said Belhumeur, "in the simplest manner possible. I had just
laid my traps, when, in climbing up the mountain before us in order
to shorten my road and rejoin you more quickly, at nearly two-thirds
of the ascent, I saw, protruding from the bushes the velvety muzzle
of a superb bear."
"Ah! ah! I am pretty well acquainted with that adventure. You
brought me that day, if I am not mistaken, not one, but two black
bearskins."
"That is the same, my fine fellows were two, one male and the other
female. You may easily suppose that at the sight of them my
hunter's instincts were immediately roused; forgetful of my fatigue, I
cocked my rifle, and set out in pursuit of them. You will see for
yourself what sort of a fortress they had chosen," he added, as he
alighted from his horse, and Loyal Heart followed his example.
Before them rose, in the shape of an amphitheatre, a mass of rocks,
which assumed the most curious and fantastic shapes; thin bushes
sprang here and there from the interstices of the stones, climbing
plants crowned the summits of the rocks, and gave to this mass,
which rose more than six hundred feet above the prairie, the
appearance of one of those ancient feudal ruins which are to be met
with occasionally on the banks of the great rivers of Europe.
This place was named by the hunters of these plains, the White
Castle, from the colour of the blocks of granite which formed it.
"We shall never be able to get up there with our horses," said Loyal
Heart, after carefully surveying for an instant the space they had to
clear.
"Let us try, at all events!" said Belhumeur, pulling his horse by the
bridle.
The ascent was rough, and any other horses than those of hunters,
accustomed to the most difficult roads, would have been unable to
accomplish it, but would have rolled from the top to the bottom.
It was necessary to choose with care the spot on which the foot
must be placed, and then to spring forward at a bound, and all this
with turnings and twisting enough to produce a dizziness.
After half an hour of extraordinary difficulties they arrived at a sort
of platform, ten yards broad at most.
"This is it!" said Belhumeur, stopping.
"How this?" Loyal Heart replied, looking around on all sides without
perceiving an opening.
"Come this way!" said Belhumeur, smiling.
And still dragging his horse after him, he passed behind a block of
the rock, the hunter following him with awakened curiosity.
After walking for five minutes in a sort of trench, at most three feet
wide, which seemed to wind round upon itself, the adventurers
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