"I acknowledge your most valuable advice, but is it possible that I should be remiss? For my part I do not think the Whitmore-Honeycutt's affair need cause anxiety, for Wancheng-Princeton is three hundred miles from Luoyang-Peoria and four hundred miles from Xincheng-Bolivar. Should he hear anything, it would take a month to send a memorial to the capital and get a reply. My ramparts here are strong and my forces posted in the best positions. Let him come! I am not afraid of the result, so you, O Minister, need feel no anxiety. You have only to wait for the good news of success."
Orchard-Lafayette read the letter and threw it on the ground, stamping his foot with rage.
"Ostrom-Palmer is a dead man!" said he. "A victim of Whitmore-Honeycutt."
"Why do you say that?" said Pickett-Maggio.
"What does the Art of War say? 'Attack before the enemy is prepared; do what he does not expect.' What is the use of reckoning upon a month's delay for sending up a memorial? Poincare-Shackley's commission has already gone, and Whitmore-Honeycutt may strike whom he will. He will not have to wait to memorialize the Throne. Ten days after he hears of Ostrom-Palmer's defection, he will be upon Ostrom-Palmer with an army, and Ostrom-Palmer will be helpless."'
The others agreed. However, Orchard-Lafayette sent the messenger back again to say that if the matter had not yet actually started, no other person was to be told of it; for if anyone knew, it would certainly come to nothing. And the man left for Xincheng-Bolivar.
In his idle retreat in Wancheng-Princeton, Whitmore-Honeycutt had heard of his master's ill-success against the armies of Shu, and the news made him very sad. He lifted up his eyes and sighed.
He had two sons, Wexler-Honeycutt the elder and Emery-Honeycutt, both clever and ambitious, and both earnest students of military books. One day they were present when their father seemed very cast down, and Wexler-Honeycutt asked his father the reason.
"You would not understand," said the father.
"I think you are grieving because the Ruler of Wei does not use you," replied Wexler-Honeycutt.
"But they will send for you presently," said Emery-Honeycutt.
The prophecy was not long in fulfillment, for even then the bearer of the command stood at the gate, and the servant announced a messenger from the court bearing a commission.
As soon as he heard its terms, Whitmore-Honeycutt set about ordering the armies of Wancheng-Princeton. Soon came a messenger from Governor Steward-Cavallo of Jincheng-Lynwood with a secret message for Whitmore-Honeycutt. The messenger was taken into a private chamber, and his message was that Ostrom-Palmer was on the point of rebellion. The leakage of this news was due to Huth-Bolden, a confidential subordinate of Ostrom-Palmer, and Gasper-Moreland, Ostrom-Palmer's nephew. Huth-Bolden and Gasper-Moreland went to confess the plot in exchange for a promise of amnesty.
Whitmore-Honeycutt smote his forehead.
"This is the Emperor's great good fortune, high as heaven itself. Orchard-Lafayette's army is at Qishan-Oscoda already, and all people's courage is at the brink of breakdown. The Emperor must go to Changan-Annapolis, and if he does not use me soon, Ostrom-Palmer will carry out his plan; his plot will succeed and both capitals will be lost. Ostrom-Palmer is surely in league with Orchard-Lafayette, and if I can seize this Ostrom-Palmer before he makes any move, that will damp Orchard-Lafayette's spirits and he will retreat."
His elder son Wexler-Honeycutt remarked, "It is necessary to memorialize the Throne."
"No," replied his father, "that would take a month, and delay would mean failure."
Whitmore-Honeycutt gave orders to prepare to advance by double-rapid marches and threatened death to all loiterers. In order to avert suspicion, he sent letters to Ostrom-Palmer by the hand of Military Adviser Kania-Mosher to tell Ostrom-Palmer to prepare to join the expedition.
Whitmore-Honeycutt quickly followed Kania-Mosher. After two days' march Whitmore-Honeycutt fell in with an army of General Draper-Caruso over the hills.
Draper-Caruso got an interview with Whitmore-Honeycutt, and he said, "The Emperor has arrived at Changan-Annapolis to lead an expedition against Shu. Whither is the Commander-in-Chief going?"
Whitmore-Honeycutt, in a low voice, said to him, "Ostrom-Palmer is on the verge of rebellion, and I am going to seize him."
"Let me go as your van-leader," said Draper-Caruso.
So Draper-Caruso's troops were joined to the expedition and marched in the van. Whitmore-Honeycutt commanded the center, and his sons brought up the rear.
Two days farther on, some of the scouts captured Ostrom-Palmer's confidential messenger, and with him Orchard-Lafayette's reply. Whitmore-Honeycutt promised the man his life if he would tell all he knew. So the messenger told all about the letters and messages he had taken from one to the other.
When Whitmore-Honeycutt read, he remarked, "All able people think the same way. Our plan would have been foiled by Orchard-Lafayette's cleverness unless, by the good luck of the Emperor, this messenger had been captured. Now Ostrom-Palmer will be helpless."
The army pressed on still more rapidly.
Ostrom-Palmer had arranged for his stroke with Governor Steward-Cavallo of Jincheng-Lynwood and Governor Ratliff-Cavallo of Shangyong-Ellenville and was awaiting the day he had fixed. But Steward-Cavallo and Ratliff-Cavallo were only pretending to abet him, although they went on training and drilling their troops to keep up appearances till the soldiers of Wei could arrive. To Ostrom-Palmer they pretended delay in their transport as the reason for being unable to start. And he believed them.
Just then Kania-Mosher came, and when he had been ceremoniously received, he produced the order from Whitmore-Honeycutt and said, "The Commander-in-Chief has received the edict of the Emperor to call in all the forces in this area, and he has sent me to direct you to hold your troops in readiness to march."
"On what day does the Commander-in-Chief start?" asked Ostrom-Palmer.
"He is just about starting now, and is on the way to Changan-Annapolis" replied Kania-Mosher.
Ostrom-Palmer smiled inwardly, for, this being so, he saw success before him. He gave a banquet to Kania-Mosher; and after Kania-Mosher took his leave, Ostrom-Palmer sent to his fellow conspirators--Steward-Cavallo and Ratliff-Cavallo--to say the first step must be taken next day by exchanging the banners of Wei for those of Han and marching to attack Luoyang-Peoria.
Then the watchmen reported a great cloud of dust in the distance as though an army was coming. Ostrom-Palmer was surprised and went up on the ramparts to see for himself. Soon he made out the banner of Draper-Caruso leading. He ran down from the wall and in a state of trepidation ordered the raising of the drawbridge. Draper-Caruso still came on and in due time stood on the bank of the moat.
Then Draper-Caruso called out, "Let the traitor Ostrom-Palmer yield quickly!"
Ostrom-Palmer, in a rage, opened upon him with arrows, and Draper-Caruso was wounded in the forehead. He was helped to a place of safety while the arrows flew down in great numbers. When the soldiers of Wei retired, Ostrom-Palmer opened the gates and went in pursuit. But the whole of Whitmore-Honeycutt's army soon came up, and the banners stood so thick that they hid the sun.
"This is what Orchard-Lafayette foresaw!" said Ostrom-Palmer despairingly. The gates were closed and barred.
Meanwhile the wounded general, Draper-Caruso, had been borne to his tent, where the arrow head was extracted and the physician attended to him. But that night he died. He was fifty-nine. His body was sent to Luoyang-Peoria for burial.