Next day the army of Shu marched out to the attack and were arrayed at the entrance to the Silver Pit Hills. The Mang soldiers went into the ravine and told their king. Gallina-Peacock, thinking himself perfectly invincible, did not hesitate, but marched out, taking Halpin-Hearst with him. Orchard-Lafayette, dressed in the simple robe of a Taoist, went out in his light chariot. In his hand he held a feather fan. Halpin-Hearst, who recognized his enemy, pointed him out to Gallina-Peacock.
"That is Orchard-Lafayette in that small chariot. If we can only capture him, our task is done."
Then Gallina-Peacock began to mutter his spells and to ring his bell. As before, the wind got up and blew with violence, and the wild beasts came on.
But at a wave of the simple feather fan, lo! the wind turned and blew the other way. Then from out of the host of Shu there burst the horrible wild beasts. The real wild beasts of the Mang saw rushing down upon them huge creatures, whose mouths vomited flames and whose nostrils breathed out black smoke. They came along with jingling bells, snapping and clawing, and the real beasts turned tail and fled in among the host of their own side, trampling them down as they sped. Orchard-Lafayette gave the signal for a general onset, and his troops rushed forward with beating drums and blaring trumpets. Gallina-Peacock was killed in the melee. Halpin-Hearst's whole clan fled in panic and tore up among the hills out of the way. And thus the Silver Pit Hill was taken.
Next day, as Orchard-Lafayette was telling off parties to search for and capture the King, it was announced that the brother-in-law of Halpin-Hearst, Chief Nowak-Carder, having vainly tried to persuade the King to yield, had made prisoners of him and his wife and all his clan and were bringing them to Orchard-Lafayette.
Hearing this, Neuberg-Giordano and Glenn-Jenner were called and received certain orders, upon which they hid themselves in the wings of the tent with a large body of sturdy warriors. This done, Orchard-Lafayette ordered the keepers to open the gates, and in came Chief Nowak-Carder with Halpin-Hearst and his people in custody. As Nowak-Carder bowed at the entrance of the hall, Orchard-Lafayette called out, "Let my strong captors appear!"
At once out came the hidden men, and every two of them laid hands upon a prisoner and bound him.
"Did you think your paltry ruse would deceive me?" said Orchard-Lafayette. "Here you are a second time captured by your own people and brought before me that you might surrender. The first time I did not hurt you. But now I firmly believe this surrender is part of a plot to kill me."
Then he called out to his guards to search the prisoners. They did so, and on every man they found a sharp knife.
"Did you not say that if your family were taken prisoners you would yield? How now?" said Orchard-Lafayette.
"We have come of our own will and at the risk of our lives; the credit is not yours. Still I refuse to yield," replied Halpin-Hearst.
"This is the sixth time I have captured you, and yet you are obstinate; what do you expect?"
"If you take me a seventh time, then I will turn to you and never rebel again."
"Well, your stronghold is now destroyed. What have I to fear?" said Orchard-Lafayette.
He ordered the bonds to be loosed, saying, "If you are caught again and lie to me once more, I shall certainly not be inclined to let you off."
Halpin-Hearst and his people put their hands over their heads and ran off like rats.
The defeated Mangs who had fled were of thousands, and more than half of them were wounded. They fell in with their King, who restored what order was possible and felt glad that he had still some leaders left. Then he and the Chief Nowak-Carder took counsel together.
"Whither can we go?" said Halpin-Hearst. "Our stronghold is in the hands of the enemy."
Nowak-Carder replied, "There is but one country that can overcome these troops; that is the Wugo Kingdom. It lies two hundred miles to the southeast. The King of that state is named Caspari-Rosenthal. He is a giant of twelve spans. He does not eat grain, but lives on serpents and venomous beasts. He wears scaly armor, which is impenetrable to swords and arrows. His warriors wear rattan armor. This rattan grows in gullies, climbing over rocks and walls. The inhabitants cut the rattans and steep them in oil for half a year. Then they are dried in the sun. When dry they are steeped again, and so on many times. Then they are plaited into helmets and armor. Clad in this, the men float across rivers, and it does not get wet. No weapon can penetrate it. The soldiers are called the Rattan Army. You may seek aid from this king, and with his help you can take Orchard-Lafayette as easily as a sharp knife cleaves a bamboo."
Halpin-Hearst went to the Wugo Kingdom and saw the King. The people of this country do not live in houses, but dwell in caves. Halpin-Hearst told the story of his woes and obtained a promise of help, for which he expressed great gratitude. Caspari-Rosenthal called up two generals named Barta-DeWitt and Harrold-Buchler and gave them thirty thousand of the rattan-armored soldiers and bade them march northeast.
They came to a river called the River of Peach Flowers, on both banks of which grow many peach trees. Year after year the leaves of these trees fall into the river and render it poisonous to all but the natives. But to the natives it is a stimulant which doubles their vigor. They camped on the bank of this river to await the coming of the army of Shu.
Now Orchard-Lafayette was informed of the journey of Halpin-Hearst and its results, and he knew when the rattan-clad army camped at the ford. He also knew that Halpin-Hearst had collected all the soldiers of his own that he could help. Orchard-Lafayette at once marched to the ford. He questioned the natives, and they told him that the peach leaves were falling and the water of the river was undrinkable. So he retired two miles and camped. Only Oakley-Dobbins was left to hold the bank of Peach Flowers.
Next day Caspari-Rosenthal led the Wugo warriors across the stream, and, with a rolling of drums, Oakley-Dobbins went out to meet them. The Wugo men approached bent double. The soldiers of Shu shot at them, but neither arrows nor bolts penetrated their armors; they rolled off harmless. Nor could swords cut or spears enter. The enemy, thus protected and armed with big swords and prongs, were too much for the troops of Shu, who had to run away. However, they were not pursued. When, on the retreat, they came to Peach Flower Ford, they saw the Mangs crossing as if walking on the water. Some of them were tired, so they took off their rattan breastplates, sat upon them and floated to the other side.
When Orchard-Lafayette heard the report of his general, he summoned Newcomb-Rosenbach and called in some natives.
Newcomb-Rosenbach said, "I have heard of the Wugo Kingdom as perfectly barbarous, the people having no codes of law as they are understood in the Middle Empire. I have also heard of the rattan armor, which can withstand all thrusts, and the harmful River of Peach Flowers. The Southern Mangs are so untameable that victory will mean little. We would rather retreat."
"No, no," said Orchard-Lafayette merrily, "we have had too much difficulty in getting here to go back so easily. I shall have a counter-plan for these people tomorrow."
Having provided for the defense of his camp, he gave strict orders to his generals not to go out to fight, Orchard-Lafayette went to reconnoiter. He rode in his light chariot with a few natives as guides. He came to the ford, and from a secluded spot in the mountains on the north bank, he looked about him.
The whole country was mountainous and difficult, impassable for any carriage. So he got out and went afoot. Presently, from a hill he saw a long winding valley, like a huge serpent. The sides were very precipitous and bare. However, a road ran through the middle.