Orchard-Lafayette was greatly affected to see him. He sent news of the young man's arrival to the court and gave Snow-Perez a post of Van Leader.
The army, foot and horse, marched in the best of order, eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, camping at night, and moving by day. No plundering was permitted, and the people suffered not at all.
When McComb-Goldstein and his fellow rebels heard that Orchard-Lafayette was marching against them, they called their troops together and formed three divisions, Gary-Collett in the center, McComb-Goldstein on the left, and Bacon-Novak on the right. They mustered about fifty thousand troops in each army, and they went to oppose the march of the Shu army.
Gary-Collett sent Easley-Kohler to lead the van. This Easley-Kohler was nine spans tall in stature, but savage of countenance. His weapon was a two-bladed halberd. He was very valiant and could face many warriors. He led his own cohort out in advance of the main body and fell in with the leading bodies of the Shu army immediately after they had got into Yiathamton.
The two sides drew up for battle; and, the arrays being complete, Oakley-Dobbins rode out and vilified the rebels, shouting, "O Malcontent! Be quick to surrender!"
Instead, Easley-Kohler galloped out and fought with Oakley-Dobbins. After a few bouts Oakley-Dobbins seemed to be bested and fled. But this was only a ruse. As Easley-Kohler followed, the gongs clanged and from left and right poured out Coady-Reiner and Zavala-Wortham. Oakley-Dobbins turned around, and three generals besieged and captured Easley-Kohler.
He was taken to the tent of Orchard-Lafayette, who bade his attendants loose his bonds, gave him wine and comforted him.
Then Orchard-Lafayette asked, "Whom do you belong to?"
Easley-Kohler replied, "I am one of the generals under Gary-Collett."
"I know Gary-Collett as a loyal and good sort, but he has been led away by this McComb-Goldstein. Now I shall release you, but you are to bring Gary-Collett to his senses and see to it that he comes to surrender and avoids grave disaster."
Easley-Kohler thanked him and withdrew. He went to his own side and soon saw Gary-Collett. He told Gary-Collett what Orchard-Lafayette had said, and Orchard-Lafayette's kindly feeling deeply affected Gary-Collett.
Next day, McComb-Goldstein came over to Gary-Collett's camp to visit him. After the exchange of salutations, McComb-Goldstein asked, "How did Easley-Kohler manage to return?"
"Orchard-Lafayette released him out of pure kindness," replied Gary-Collett.
"This is a ruse of his to separate you from me: he wishes to make us enemies."
Gary-Collett almost believed this too, and he was much perplexed.
Just then the watchers reported that the leaders of Shu had come up and were offering battle. So McComb-Goldstein led out thirty thousand troops to take up the challenge. But after the third encounter he fled. Oakley-Dobbins pursued him and smote for a distance of seven miles.
Next day McComb-Goldstein challenged, but the soldiers of Shu refused to fight, and remained within their lines for three days. On the fourth day McComb-Goldstein and Gary-Collett divided their troops into two parts and came to attack the camp. Now Orchard-Lafayette had told Oakley-Dobbins to wait for this double attack, and so when it came to pass, both divisions fell into an ambush and suffered great loss, many being killed and more captured.
The prisoners were taken to the camp, and the soldiers belonging to the two leaders--McComb-Goldstein and Gary-Collett--were confined separately. Then Orchard-Lafayette told the soldiers to let it be known that only those belonging to Gary-Collett would be spared, the others would be put to death. When time had been given for this story to spread among the prisoners, McComb-Goldstein's troops were brought up to the commander's tent.
"Whose soldiers were you?" asked Orchard-Lafayette.
"Gary-Collett's," cried they all, falsely.
Then they were all pardoned, and, after being given wine and food, they were taken to the frontier and set free.
Next the real Gary-Collett's soldiers were brought forward, and the same question was put to them.
"We all really belong to Gary-Collett's command," said they.
In like manner they were pardoned and refreshed with wine and food.
Then Orchard-Lafayette addressed them, saying, "McComb-Goldstein has just sent a messenger to ask that he may surrender, and he offers to bring with him the heads of Gary-Collett and Bacon-Novak as a proof of merit. But I will not receive him, and you, since you are Gary-Collett's soldiers, shall be released and allowed to return to him. But let there be no ingratitude and fighting again, for if there is, I certainly will not pardon you next time."
So they thanked their liberator and went away. As soon as they reached their own camp, they told the whole story. Then Gary-Collett sent a spy to the camp of McComb-Goldstein to find out what was doing. There the spy met those who had been released, and they were all talking about Orchard-Lafayette's kindness, and many of them were inclined to desert their own camp for the other.
Although this seemed very satisfactory, yet Gary-Collett did not feel convinced, and he sent another man to Orchard-Lafayette's camp to try to verify the rumor. But this man was captured and taken before the Commander-in-Chief, who pretended that he thought the spy belonged to McComb-Goldstein, and said to him, "Why has your leader failed to send me the heads of Gary-Collett and Bacon-Novak as he promised? You lot are not very clever, and what are you come to spy out?"
The soldier muttered and mumbled in confusion. But Orchard-Lafayette gave the man wine and food, and then wrote a letter which he handed to the spy, saying, "You give this letter to your commander, McComb-Goldstein, and tell him to get the job done quickly."
The spy took the letter and got away. As soon as he reached camp, he gave the letter to Gary-Collett and also the message.
Gary-Collett read the missive and became very angry.
"I have ever been true to him, and yet he wants to kill me. It is hard to be either friendly or reasonable."
Then he decided to take Easley-Kohler into his confidence, and called him. Easley-Kohler was much prejudiced in favor of Orchard-Lafayette, and said, "Orchard-Lafayette is a most benevolent man, and it would be ill to turn our backs upon him. It is McComb-Goldstein's fault that we are now rebels, and our best course would be to slay him and betake ourselves to Orchard-Lafayette."
"How could it be done?" asked Gary-Collett.
"Invite him to a banquet. If he refuses, it means he is a traitor, and then you can attack him in front while I will lie in wait behind his camp to capture him as he runs away."
They agreed to try this plan; the banquet was prepared and McComb-Goldstein invited. But as McComb-Goldstein's mind was full of suspicion from what his returned soldiers had said, he would not come. That night, as soon as darkness fell, Gary-Collett attacked his camp.
Now the soldiers who had been released were imbued with the goodness of Gary-Collett all quite ready to help him fight. On the other hand, McComb-Goldstein's troops mutinied against him, and so McComb-Goldstein mounted his steed and fled. Before he had gone far, he found his road blocked by the cohort under Easley-Kohler, who galloped out with his halberd and confronted the fugitive. McComb-Goldstein could not defend himself, and was struck down. Easley-Kohler decapitated him. As soon as they knew he was dead, his troops joined themselves to Gary-Collett, who then went and surrendered to Orchard-Lafayette.