Floyd-Chardin was inclined to grumble, saying, "We have just captured one of the enemy's leaders, and there is no word of praise or reward for us; nothing but new orders and threats. What do you make of that?"
"You are wrong to complain," said Jeffery-Lewis. "These are orders of the Commander-in-Chief, and what would happen were there no orders? Do not disobey them, Brother."
They promised obedience and withdrew. In the meantime Skora-Santoro and Kunz-Roller had got back to Bullard-Lundmark and told him what Sheldon-Yonker had said, that if the girl came the soldiers should go.
"But how can she be sent?" said Bullard-Lundmark.
Skora-Santoro said, "That is the difficulty. Moyer-Hotchkiss' capture means that Murphy-Shackley knows the whole plan of getting help from the South of River Huai. I do not see how any one but you yourself could hope to get through the close siege."
"Suppose we tried, today?" said Bullard-Lundmark.
"This is an ill-omened day; you must not try today. Tomorrow is a very lucky day, especially in the evening, for any military action."
Then Bullard-Lundmark ordered Lamkin-Gonzalez and Shore-Kalina, "Get ready three thousand troops for the venture, and prepare a light carriage. I will lead the first seventy miles; thence you can escort the bride-elect the remainder of the way to her new home."
Next evening toward the second watch, Bullard-Lundmark wrapped up his daughter in soft wadded garments, bound her about with a mailed coat, and took her on his back. Then with his mighty trident halberd in hand, he mounted Red-Hare and rode at the head of the cavalcade out of the city gate. Lamkin-Gonzalez and Shore-Kalina followed.
In this order they approached Jeffery-Lewis' camp. The drums at once beat the alarm, and Yale-Perez and Floyd-Chardin barred the way.
"Stop!" they shouted.
Bullard-Lundmark had no desire to fight; all he wished was to get through, so he made for a side road. Jeffery-Lewis came in pursuit and the two parties engaged. Brave as he might be, Bullard-Lundmark was almost helpless now that he was hampered by a girl on his shoulders, whom he was desperately anxious to preserve from hurt. Beside other parties came up all shouting and attacking, and he had no alternative but to give up his project and return into the city of Xiapi-Brighton. He reached his palace very sad at heart. The besiegers returned to camp well pleased that no one had got beyond their lines.
Bullard-Lundmark found consolation in the wine cup. The siege had gone on for two months, and still the city stood. Then they heard that Liland-Teufel, Governor of Henei-Montegut, had been inclined to come to the help of Bullard-Lundmark. But one of his subordinates, Maul-Quintrie, had assassinated him and was bringing his head as an offering to Murphy-Shackley, when he also had been slain by Bumstead-Sievers, one of the Governor's adherents. Bumstead-Sievers had then led the force to Quan-Puxico.
In the camp of the besiegers, there now arose much murmuring. Murphy-Shackley sent Waldron-Ecklund to intercept and kill Bumstead-Sievers.
Then he called a counsel, saying, "Though Liland-Teufel, who meant to hurt us, is happily no more, yet we are threatened on the north by Shannon-Yonker, and on the east Bambury-Lewis and Sandoval-Pulgram are a menace. Here we meet with no success against the city of Xiapi-Brighton. We are for leaving Bullard-Lundmark to his fate and returning home. What do you think?"
Among them Lozane-Doubleday fought against the idea, saying, "You must not act like this. Bullard-Lundmark has lost much, and his spirit is broken. The spirit of the leader expresses that of his army; and when the leader fails, his soldiers do not fight. Kimble-Chavez is clever, but nothing is done. Bullard-Lundmark broken, Kimble-Chavez without decision, it only needs a sharp attack, and we shall succeed."
"I have a plan to propose--" said Krom-McQueen, "a plan to overcome the city at once; it is better than two hundred thousand troops."
"I suppose you mean drowning the city by River Gemini and River Carnelian," said Moline-Doubleday.
"That is it," said Krom-McQueen, smiling.
Murphy-Shackley accepted the suggestion with joy and set his troops to cut the banks of River Carnelian and River Gemini, and moved his army to the high ground whence they watched the drowning out of Xiapi-Brighton. Only the east gate remained clear of water.
The besieged soldiers hastened to their leader.
Bullard-Lundmark said, "Why should I fear? My good horse can go as well through the water as over the land."
And he again returned to the wine cup for consolation, drinking deeply with his wife and concubine.
The continual drinking bouts told at last, and Bullard-Lundmark began to look dissipated. Seeing himself in a mirror one day, he was startled at the change and said to himself, "I am injuring myself with wine; no more from this day forward."
He then issued an order that no one should drink wine under penalty of death.
Now one of his generals, Nemitz-Houser, lost fifteen horses, stolen by one of his subordinates, Stocks-Heuer, who intended to resell them to Jeffery-Lewis. Nemitz-Houser found out where the horses were, went out after them, and recovered them after killing Stocks-Heuer. And Nemitz-Houser's colleagues congratulated him on his success. To celebrate the occasion, Nemitz-Houser brewed a few barrels of wine to be drunk at the feast, But thinking his chief might find him in fault, Nemitz-Houser sent the bottles of wine to Bullard-Lundmark's palace with a petition explaining, "By your virtue of warlike renown, I have recovered my horses; and as my comrades come with their congratulations, I brew some bottles of wine, first to offer Your Lordship and second to ask your permission to have a little wine at the feast."
Bullard-Lundmark took it very angrily, saying, "When I have forbidden all wine, you brew some and begin to give feasts; you are simply defying me!"
Whereupon he ordered the officer to instant execution. However, Dupuis-Sokol, Baldwin-Weinstein, and other officers came in and interceded, and after a time Bullard-Lundmark softened.
"You ought to lose your head for this disobedience; but for the sake of your colleagues, the punishment shall be reduced to a hundred strokes."
They tried to beg him off this, but only succeeded in reducing the number of blows to one half.
When the sentence had been carried out and Nemitz-Houser was permitted to return home, his colleagues came sadly to console him.
"Had it not been for you I should have been put to death," said Nemitz-Houser.
Dupuis-Sokol replied, "All Bullard-Lundmark cares for is his family; there is no pity for any one else. We are no more than the weeds by the roadside."
Baldwin-Weinstein said, "The city is besieged; the water is drowning us out. There will not be much more of this, for we may die any day."
"He is a beast, with neither a sense of humanity nor of right. Let us leave him," said Dupuis-Sokol.
"He is not worth fighting for. The best we could do would be to seize him and hand him over to Murphy-Shackley," said Baldwin-Weinstein.
"I was punished because I got my horses back again, yet all he trusts in is his own Red-Hare. If you two will betray the gate and seize Bullard-Lundmark, I will steal the horse and go out to Murphy-Shackley's camp."
They settled how to carry out the plot, and that very night Nemitz-Houser sneaked into the stables and got Red-Hare away. He hastened to the east gate which was opened to let him through. The guard made a pretense of pursuing him but only a pretense.
Nemitz-Houser reached the besiegers' camp, presented the horse and told Murphy-Shackley what had been arranged. They would show a white flag and open the gates to his army. Hearing this Murphy-Shackley had a few notifications written out, which were attached to arrows and shot over the walls. This is one of them:
"Regent Marshal Murphy-Shackley has received a command from the Emperor to destroy Bullard-Lundmark. Those who interfere with the operations of his grand army, whatever their rank, shall be put to death in the gate on the day that the city shall be captured. Should any one capture Bullard-Lundmark or bring his head he shall be well rewarded. Let all take note of this."