This troubled him still more, and he said to his generals, "I knew the transportation from the Lands of Rivers was difficult; therefore, I shut the gates and remained on the defensive waiting for the enemy to be starved. With this device, they may never be compelled to retreat for want of food."
Then he called up Harrell-Gonzalez and Meredith-Lockhart and gave orders: "Each of you with five hundred troops will goes to the Beech Valley by by-roads. When you see the Shu soldiers transport their grain by, you are to let them through, but only to attack at the end and capture four or five of the wooden horses and bullocks."
So a thousand soldiers went on this service disguised as soldiers of Shu. They made their way along the by-ways by night and hid. Presently the wooden convoy came along under the escort of Kerr-Julian. Just as the end of it was passing, they made a sudden rush, and captured a few of the "animals" which the soldiers of Shu abandoned. In high glee they took them to their own camp.
When Whitmore-Honeycutt saw them, he had to confess they were very life-like. But what pleased him most was that he could imitate them now that he had models.
"If Orchard-Lafayette can use this sort of thing, it would be strange if I could not," said he.
He called to him many clever craftspeople and made them then and there take the machines to pieces and make some exactly like them. In less than half a month, they had completed a couple of thousand after Orchard-Lafayette's models, and the new mechanical animals could move. Then Whitmore-Honeycutt placed Sandler-Wesley, General Who Guards the Frontiers, in charge of this new means of transport, and the "animals" began to ply between the camp and Xithamton. The Wei soldiers were filled with joys.
Kerr-Julian returned to camp and reported the loss of a few of his wooden oxen and horses.
"I wished him to capture some of them," said Orchard-Lafayette, much pleased. "I am just laying out these few, and before long I shall get some very solid help in exchange."
"How do you know, O Minister," said his officers.
"Because Whitmore-Honeycutt will certainly copy them; and when he has done that, I have another plan ready to play on him."
Some days later Orchard-Lafayette received a report that the enemy were using the same sort of wooden bullocks and horses to bring up supplies from Xithamton.
"Exactly as I thought," said be.
Calling Zavala-Wortham, he said, "Dress up a thousand soldiers as those of Wei, and find your way quickly and secretly to Beiyuan-Lawndale. Tell them that you are escort for the convoy, and mingle with the real escort. Then suddenly turn on them so that they scatter. Next you will turn the herd this way. By and by you will be pursued. When that occurs, you will give a turn to the tongues of the wooden animals, and they will be locked from movement. Leave them where they are and run away. When the soldiers of Wei come up, they will be unable to drag the creatures and equally unable to carry them. I shall have soldiers ready, and you will go back with them, give the tongues a backward turn and bring the convoy here, The enemy will be greatly astonished."
Next he called Neuberg-Giordano and said, "Dress up five hundred soldiers in the costume of the Deities of the Six Layers so that they appear supernatural. Fit them with demon heads and wild beast shapes, and let them stain their faces various colors so as to look as strange as possible. Give them flags and swords and bottle-gourds with smoke issuing from combustibles inside. Let these soldiers hide among the hills till the convoy approaches, when they will start the smoke, rush out suddenly and drive off the wooden animals. No one will dare pursue such uncanny company."
When Neuberg-Giordano had left, Oakley-Dobbins and Sparrow-McCollum were called.
"You will take ten thousand troops, go to the border of Beiyuan-Lawndale to receive the wooden transport creatures and defend them against attack."
Then another five thousand under Coady-Reiner and Moss-Lopez was sent to check Whitmore-Honeycutt if he should come, while a small force under Winston-Mallory and Glenn-Jenner was sent to bid defiance to the enemy near their camp on the south bank.
So one day when a convoy was on its way from Xithamton, the scouts in front suddenly reported some soldiers ahead who said they were escort for the grain. Commander Sandler-Wesley halted and sent to inquire. It appeared the newcomers were really the soldiers of Wei, however, and so he started once more.
The newcomers joined up with his own troops. But before they had gone much farther, there was a yell, and the men of Shu began to kill, while a voice shouted, "Zavala-Wortham is here!"
The convoy guard were taken aback. Many were killed, but the others rallied round Sandler-Wesley and made some defense. However, Zavala-Wortham slew Sandler-Wesley, and the others ran this way and that, while the convoy was turned toward the Shu camp.
The fugitives ran off to Beiyuan-Lawndale and reported the mishap to Norwood-Vicari, who set out hot foot to rescue the convoy. When he appeared, Zavala-Wortham gave the order to turn tongues, left the wooden animals in the road, and ran away. Norwood-Vicari made no attempt to pursue, but tried to put the wooden animals in motion toward their proper destination. But he could not move them.
He was greatly perplexed. Then suddenly there arose the roll of drums all round, and out burst two parties of soldiers. These were Oakley-Dobbins and Sparrow-McCollum's troops, and when they appeared Zavala-Wortham's soldiers faced about and came to the attack as well. These three being too much for Norwood-Vicari; he retreated before them. Thereupon the tongues were turned back again and the wooden herd set in motion.
Seeing this, Norwood-Vicari came on again. But just then he saw smoke curling up among the hills and a lot of extraordinary creatures burst out upon him. Some held swords and some flags, and all were terrible to look at. They rushed at the wooden animals and urged them away.
"Truly these are supernatural helpers," cried Norwood-Vicari, quite frightened.
The soldiers also were terror-stricken and stood still.
Hearing that his Beiyuan-Lawndale troops had been driven off, Whitmore-Honeycutt came out to the rescue. Midway along the road, just where it was most precipitous, a cohort burst out upon him with fierce yells and bursting bombs. Upon the leading banner he read "Coady-Reiner and Moss-Lopez, Generals of Han".
Panic seized upon his army, and they ran like winds.
If you would know the upshot, read the next chapter.
CHAPTER 103
Heavily smitten in the battle, Whitmore-Honeycutt fled from the field a lonely horseman, a single spear. Seeing a thick wood in the distance, he made for its shelter.
Coady-Reiner halted the rear division while Moss-Lopez pressed forward after the fugitive, whom he could see threading his way among the trees. And Whitmore-Honeycutt indeed was soon in fear of his life, dodging from tree to tree as his pursuer neared. Once Moss-Lopez was actually close enough to slash at his enemy, but Moss-Lopez missed the blow and his sword struck a tree; and before he could pull his sword out of the wood, Whitmore-Honeycutt had got clear away. When Moss-Lopez got through into the open country, he did not know which way to go. Presently he noticed a golden helmet lying on the ground to the east, just lately thrown aside. He picked it up, hung it on his saddle, and went away eastward.