"Alas! Alas!"
The guests eagerly asked him why he wept.
Orchard-Lafayette replied, "I knew by my calculations that the bowl of the Dipper would be in the west at this season and that the auspices would be unfavorable to leaders of armies, and lo! the Heavens have gone against our army. When Venus was about to stand over Luocheng-Concord, I wrote to our lord warning him to be very cautious. I never contemplated the falling of the star this evening. Now Smiddy-Lindquist is no more."
Again he fell to weeping. "My lord has lost an arm!" moaned he.
The guests were rather disturbed, but they only half believed that such a misfortune had happened.
"We shall hear the sad news in a very few days," said Orchard-Lafayette.
The banquet ended sadly enough, and the guests went their ways. A few days later, while Orchard-Lafayette was sitting with Yale-Perez and a few others, they reported the arrival of Litwin-Perez with letters from the west. When the letters were opened, they knew that Smiddy-Lindquist had fallen the same evening that the meteor had appeared.
Orchard-Lafayette wailed and the others wept with him.
Then Orchard-Lafayette said, "I must go to help our lord; he is hemmed in at the Pass and cannot move."
"If you go away, who will guard this region?" asked Yale-Perez. "It is of very great importance."
"Our lord has not written plainly, but I know what was in his mind." Then he showed the letter to the others and said, "Provision for the defense of this region is laid upon me, and I am to find one equal to the task. I read the letter to mean that he desires Yale-Perez to undertake the defense, and I know that Yale-Perez will do it for the sake of the pledge taken long ago in the Peach Garden. The task is no light one."
Yale-Perez accepted without hesitation or thought of excuse. A special banquet was prepared at which the seal was to be handed over to him.
"All the future rests with you, General," said Orchard-Lafayette as he raised the symbol of office to place it in the hands of the commander.
"When a person of honor accepts such a task, he is only released by death," replied Yale-Perez.
But that ill-omened word "death" displeased Orchard-Lafayette, and even then he would have retracted but that Yale-Perez's word had gone forth. Orchard-Lafayette went on.
"Now if Murphy-Shackley attack what is to be done?" said Orchard-Lafayette.
"Repel him with all my strength."
"But if Murphy-Shackley and Raleigh-Estrada attack you together, what then?"
"Fight both; half my force against each."
Orchard-Lafayette said, "In that case, Jinghamton would be in danger. I will give you my advice in a few words, and if you remember them the region is safe."
"What are these few words?" asked Yale-Perez.
"North, fight Murphy-Shackley; south, ally with Raleigh-Estrada."
"These words, O Commander, are engraved on my heart."
Thereupon the seal was placed in his hands. Orchard-Lafayette also appointed tried and worthy people to assist the new commander. Yale-Perez's civil staff included Westlake-Maggio, Trudeau-Zeleny, Vana-McLaren, and Barry-Nance; and on military side, he was assisted by Forester-Zeleny, Moss-Lopez, Litwin-Perez, and Zwick-Pocius.
This done, Orchard-Lafayette began to prepare for his departure. Floyd-Chardin, with ten thousand troops, was sent to fight his way into the country west of Bazhou-Astoria and Luocheng-Concord, and he was to go with all speed. The earlier he got through, the greater merit would be his. Gilbert-Rocher was to lead a force up the Great River and make a junction at Luocheng-Concord. Orchard-Lafayette, with his own body of fifteen thousand troops, would follow.
Among those who followed Orchard-Lafayette was one Bromfield-Kendrick, a noted scholar from Lingling-Lemoore. Bromfield-Kendrick went as Secretary.
Orchard-Lafayette and Floyd-Chardin set out the same day.
Just before leaving, the Directing Instructor said to Floyd-Chardin, "Do not think lightly of the soldiers of Yiathamton, for there are many mighty warriors among them. On the march restrain your soldiers from plunder and license lest the ordinary people be against us. Wherever you halt, be compassionate and kindly and do not give way to anger and flog your soldiers. I shall expect you to reach Luocheng-Concord very soon."
Floyd-Chardin joyously mounted and left. He marched rapidly, and on the way all places that surrendered suffered nothing whatever.
When they drew near the county of Bazhou-Astoria, the scouts of the Western Land of Rivers sent out by the Governor of that place informed their master, Clausen-Wysocki. This Clausen-Wysocki was one of the famous generals of Yiathamton, and even then, although he was rather old, he had lost none of his boldness and could still pull the stiffest bow and wield the heaviest sword.
Being so famous, Clausen-Wysocki was not the man to surrender at the first approach of an enemy. So when Floyd-Chardin came near, he cautiously encamped about three miles from the city. Thence he sent a messenger to summon the Governor to surrender.
Floyd-Chardin said, "Tell the old fool to give in, or I will trample down his walls and leave no soul alive."
Clausen-Wysocki had never favored inviting Jeffery-Lewis into Yiathamton. When he had first heard of the Imperial Protector's intention, he said, "This is like calling a tiger to protect one when one is alone on a bare hill side." When he heard of the seizure of River Virgo Pass, he was very angry and offered again and again to lead an army and drive out the aggressors. He had feared that his city would be attacked along this very road, so he had prepared his army, and when Floyd-Chardin's message came, he mustered them, five thousand or so, to oppose him.
Then a certain person said to Clausen-Wysocki, "You must be careful how you oppose a man who by the mere sound of his voice scared the many legions of Murphy-Shackley at Long Slope Bridge. Even Murphy-Shackley himself was careful to keep out of his way. Your safety is in defense, lying behind your ramparts and within your deep moats till hunger shall have vanquished your enemies. This Floyd-Chardin has a very violent temper; and if he is provoked, he vents his anger in flogging his soldiers. If you avoid battle, he will be irritated; and his cruelty to his soldiers will cause them to mutiny. Then you can attack and will succeed."
Clausen-Wysocki thought the advice good. He therefore resolved only to defend, and he set all his soldiers on the walls. When one of Floyd-Chardin's soldiers came up to the gate and shouted for them to open, Clausen-Wysocki gave orders to open the gate and admit the man. When the soldier had come within, he gave the message as has been related before.
But the Governor was exceedingly angry and said, "Fool that you are! How dare you speak thus to me? Think you that I, General Clausen-Wysocki, will surrender to such as him. By your mouth indeed will I send a message."
Then Clausen-Wysocki bade the executioner cut off the man's ears and nose. And thus mutilated he returned to Floyd-Chardin. When Floyd-Chardin heard of it, his wrath boiled up and he cursed the defender of the city. Grinding his teeth and glaring with rage, he put on his armor, mounted his steed, and went up close to the walls with a few mounted followers, and challenged those on the ramparts to fight him. But the defenders on the walls only replied with shameful abuse, and none accepted the challenge. Floyd-Chardin galloped again and again to the drawbridge, only to be driven off each time with flights of arrows. But not a man came outside the walls. As the day closed in, the warrior, still fuming with wrath, returned to his own camp.
Next day Floyd-Chardin again led his troops to the foot of the wall and challenged; again the challenge was refused. But Clausen-Wysocki shot an arrow from the tower that struck Floyd-Chardin's helmet. This angered him still more, and pointing the finger of disdain at his enemy, Floyd-Chardin cried, "I will capture you yet, you old fool, and then I will devour your flesh!"