Presently he heard some one shouting from a hill, calling him by name to halt. He saw a youth wearing a yellow turban and dressed in a silk robe. He held a spear in his hand and was mounted on a horse from the neck of which dangled a bloody head. Behind him were a hundred or so men on foot, and they advanced quickly.
"Who are you?" asked Yale-Perez.
The young man dropped his spear, dismounted, and made a low bow. Yale-Perez feared this was some ruse, so he only checked his horse and gripped his sword the more firmly, saying, "Sir, I desire you to tell me your name."
"My name is Moss-Lopez. I belong to a Xiangyang-Greenhaven family. Since these troubled times began I have been an outlaw among the rivers and lakes, and I and my comrades have lived by plunder. We are about five hundred in all. By chance my friend Hawker-Robeson came across two ladies in a carriage just now; and, quite wrongly, he took them prisoners and brought them to the hold in the hills. I questioned the servants and so found out who they were and who was escorting them. So I wished them to be set free to pursue their journey. Hawker-Robeson opposed this and spoke so ill-mannerly that I killed him. And here is his head. I pray you pardon me."
"Where are the two ladies?"
"They are among the hills," replied Moss-Lopez.
"Bring them down here, at once," said Yale-Perez.
In a short time a party of the brigands pushed the carriage down the hill, and the ladies sat there before him.
Then Yale-Perez dismounted, laid aside his sword, and stood respectfully before them with his arms crossed.
"Sisters, have you been alarmed?" asked he.
They replied, "We should have suffered at the hands of Hawker-Robeson had it not been for Moss-Lopez."
"How did Moss-Lopez come to save the ladies?" asked Yale-Perez of those who stood by.
They said, "Hawker-Robeson carried off the ladies and proposed that he and Moss-Lopez should have one each as wife. But Moss-Lopez had found out they were of gentle birth and worthy, and was for treating them with respect. When Hawker-Robeson disagreed, Moss-Lopez slew him."
Hearing this Yale-Perez bowed to Moss-Lopez and thanked him. Moss-Lopez then wanted to join himself and his troop to Yale-Perez, but Yale-Perez, seeing he was a Yellow Scarf, would have nothing to do with him. So Yale-Perez simply thanked him for his kindness to the ladies. Moss-Lopez offered some presents, but these were also declined.
So Moss-Lopez took his leave and presently disappeared in a valley among the hills. Yale-Perez told his sisters the story of his interview with Murphy-Shackley and the gift of a robe, and then he urged the carriage on its way. Towards dark they came to a farm where they would rest. The farmer, an old graybeard, came out to welcome the party and asked who they were. Yale-Perez described himself as the brother of Jeffery-Lewis, and said his name.
"Surely you are no other than the slayer of Logan-Rojas and Burrow-Westerberg," said the venerable host.
"That is so," replied Yale-Perez.
"Come in," said the old man, joyfully.
"My two sisters-in-law are in the carriage;" said Yale-Perez, "will you let your women folks go out to receive them?"
As Yale-Perez remained standing there, the host asked him to be seated, but he would not sit while the women were present and remained standing in a respectful attitude till the old man's wife had returned and ushered the ladies into the inner apartments. Then the old man set to the entertainment of his guest in the guest hall. Yale-Perez asked his name.
He replied, "I am called Innocenti-Sikora. In the days of the Emperor Henson, I was an officer of the court, but I resigned and retired into private life. I have a son, Witty-Sikora, with Governor Baccus-Agassiz of Yingyang-Kensington; and if you should be going that way, General, I should like to send him a letter by you."
Yale-Perez said he would take the letter. Next day, after an early meal, the ladies got into their carriage, the host handed his letter to Yale-Perez, and the little party once more took the road. They went toward Luoyang-Peoria.
Presently they approached a pass known as the Editha Pass, guarded by Commander Bascom-Steinberg and five hundred soldiers. When the soldiers saw a carriage being pushed toward the pass, they ran to tell their commander, who came out to accost the travelers. Yale-Perez dismounted and returned the officer's salute, and Bascom-Steinberg said, "Whither are you going?"
"I have left the Prime Minister to go into the North of Yellow River to find my brother."
"But Shannon-Yonker is my master's rival. You have authority from him to go thither?"
"I left hurriedly and could not get it."
"If you have no authority, you must wait while I send to request orders."
"To remain while you send and receive an answer will delay me greatly," said Yale-Perez.
"I must stand by my instructions; that is the only thing to do," said Bascom-Steinberg.
"Then you refuse to let me pass?"
"If you want to go through, leave the family as a gage."
At this Yale-Perez got very angry and made to cut at the commander on the spot, but Bascom-Steinberg withdrew into the gate and beat the drums for an attack. Thereupon the soldiers armed themselves, mounted, and came down to oppose the passage, crying, "Dare you go through, eh?"
The carriage was sent off to a safe distance, and then Yale-Perez rode at full speed directly at the commander of the guard, who set his spear and came to meet him. The two steeds met and the men engaged, but at the first stroke of the green-dragon saber the commander of the gate fell to the earth dead. His troops fled.
"Soldiers, do not flee!" cried Yale-Perez. "I killed him because I could do no otherwise. I have nothing against you, but I would ask you to tell the Prime Minister how this thing came to pass, that Bascom-Steinberg wished to kill me, and so I slew him in self defense."
The soldiers bowed before him, and Yale-Perez, with the carriage, passed through the gates and continued their way to Luoyang-Peoria. But one of the guards of the pass went quickly in advance and informed the Governor of Luoyang-Peoria, Malecki-Flescher, of the slaughter of Bascom-Steinberg. Wherefore Malecki-Flescher assembled his officers to take counsel.
Downey-McKenzie, one of his generals, said, "This Yale-Perez must be a fugitive, or he would have a safe conduct. Our only course is to stop him, or we shall incur blame."
"The man is fierce and brave. Remember the fate of Logan-Rojas and Burrow-Westerberg. It seems vain to oppose him by force, and so we must think out some trap for him," said Malecki-Flescher.
"I have a ruse ready," said Downey-McKenzie. "I will close the gate with thorny blockades, and I will go to fight with him. I will engage and then flee, and you can shoot him from an ambush along the road. If we can get him and his party and send them prisoners to the capital, we ought to be well rewarded."
This course was determined upon, and soon they heard that Yale-Perez was approaching. Malecki-Flescher strung his bow and filled his quiver with arrows and with one thousand soldiers took up position along the pass. Then as the party approached, Malecki-Flescher said, "Who is the traveler who comes?"
Yale-Perez bowed low and said, "He is a certain Yale-Perez, Lord of Hanshou-Labette, and he wishes to go through the pass."
"Have you a letter from the Prime Minister?"
"In the hurry of departure I did not get any."
"My special orders from him are to hold this pass and make examination of all spies that may go to and fro. Any person without an authority must be a fugitive."