"If Whitmore-Honeycutt comes, let him enter the valley, and then explode the mines and set fire to the straw and the wood," said Orchard-Lafayette. "Also, set up a seven-star signal at the mouth of the valley and arrange a night signal of seven lamps on the hill."
After Winston-Mallory had gone, Oakley-Dobbins was called in, and Orchard-Lafayette said to him, "Go to the camp of Wei with five hundred troops and provoke them to battle. The important matter is to entice Whitmore-Honeycutt out of his stronghold. You will be unable to obtain a victory, so retreat that he may pursue; and you are to make for the signal, the seven stars by day or the seven lamps at night. Thus you will lead him into the Gourd Valley, where I have a plan prepared for him."
When Oakley-Dobbins had gone, Kerr-Julian was summoned.
"Take small herds, forty or fifty at a time, of the wooden oxen and running horses, load them up with grain and lead them to and fro on the mountains. If you can succeed in getting the enemy to capture them, you will render a service."
So the transport wooden cattle were sent forth to play their part in the scheme, and the remainder of the Qishan-Oscoda soldiers were sent to work in the fields, with orders to join in the battle only if Whitmore-Honeycutt came in person. In that case they were to attack the south bank of the river and cut off the retreat. Then Orchard-Lafayette led his army away to camp next to the Gourd Valley.
Phillips-Xenos and Schutt-Xenos went to their chief, Whitmore-Honeycutt, and said, "The enemy have set out camps and are engaged in field work as though they intended to remain. If they are not destroyed now, but are allowed to consolidate their position, they will be hard to dislodge."
"This certainly is one of Orchard-Lafayette's ruses," said the chief.
"You seem very afraid of him, General," retorted they. "When do you think you can destroy him? At least let us two brothers fight one battle that we may prove our gratitude for the Emperor's kindness."
"If it must be so, then you may go in two divisions," said Whitmore-Honeycutt.
As the two divisions, five thousand troops each, were marching along, they saw coming toward them a number of the transport wooden animals of the enemy. They attacked at once, drove off the escort, captured them, and sent them back to camp. Next day they captured more, with soldiers and horses as well, and sent them also to camp.
Whitmore-Honeycutt called up the prisoners and questioned them.
They told him, saying, "The Prime Minister understood that you would not fight, and so had told off the soldiers to various places to work in the fields and thus provide for future needs. We had been unwittingly captured."
Whitmore-Honeycutt set them free and bade them begone.
"Why spare them?" asked Schutt-Xenos.
"There is nothing to be gained by the slaughter of a few common soldiers. Let them go back to their own and praise the kindliness of the Wei leaders. That will slacken the desire of their comrades to fight against us. That was the plan by which Dabney-Prager captured Jinghamton."
Then he issued general orders that all Shu prisoners should be well treated and sent away free, and he rewarded those of his army who had done well.
As has been said, Kerr-Julian was ordered to keep pretended convoys on the move, and the soldiers of Wei attacked and captured them whenever they saw them. In half a month they had scored many successes of this sort, and Whitmore-Honeycutt's heart was cheered. One day, when he had made new captures of soldiers, he sent for them and questioned them again.
"Where is Orchard-Lafayette now?"
"He is no longer at Qishan-Oscoda, but in camp about three miles from the Gourd Valley. He is gathering a great store of grain there."
After he had questioned them fully, he set the prisoners free.
Calling together his officers, he said, "Orchard-Lafayette is not camped on Qishan-Oscoda, but near the Gourd Valley. Tomorrow you shall attack the Qishan-Oscoda camp, and I will command the reserve."
The promise cheered them, and they went away to prepare.
"Father, why do you intend to attack the enemy's rear?" asked Wexler-Honeycutt.
"Qishan-Oscoda is their main position, and they will certainly hasten to its rescue. Then I shall make for the valley and burn the stores. That will render them helpless and will be a victory."
The son dutifully agreed with his father.
Whitmore-Honeycutt began to march out, with Harrell-Gonzalez and Meredith-Lockhart following as the reserves.
From the top of a hill Orchard-Lafayette watched the Wei soldiers march and noticed that they moved in companies from three to five thousand, observing the front and the rear carefully as they marched. He guessed that their object was the Qishan-Oscoda camp, and sent strict orders to his generals that if Whitmore-Honeycutt led in person, they were to go off and capture the camp on the south bank.
When the troops of Wei had got near and made their rush toward the camp of Shu, the troops of Shu ran up also, yelling and pretending to reinforce the defenders. Whitmore-Honeycutt, seeing this, suddenly marched his center army with his two sons, changed his direction, and turned off for the Gourd Valley. Here Oakley-Dobbins was expecting him; and as soon as he appeared, Oakley-Dobbins galloped up and soon recognized Whitmore-Honeycutt as the leader.
"Whitmore-Honeycutt, stay!" shouted Oakley-Dobbins as he came near.
He flourished his sword, and Whitmore-Honeycutt set his spear. The two warriors exchanged a few passes, and then Oakley-Dobbins suddenly turned his steed and bolted. As he had been ordered, he made direct for the seven-starred flag, and Whitmore-Honeycutt followed, the more readily as he saw the fugitive had but a small force. The two sons of Whitmore-Honeycutt rode with him, Wexler-Honeycutt on the left, Emery-Honeycutt on the right.
Presently Oakley-Dobbins and his troops entered the mouth of the valley. Whitmore-Honeycutt halted a time while he sent forward a few scouts, but when they returned and reported: "Not a single Shu soldier is seen but a many straw houses on the hills."
Whitmore-Honeycutt rode in, saying, "This must be the store valley!"
But when he had got well within, Whitmore-Honeycutt noticed that kindling wood was piled over the straw huts, and as he saw no sign of Oakley-Dobbins he began to feel uneasy.
"Supposing soldiers seize the entrance; what then?" said he to his sons.
As he spoke there arose a great shout, and from the hillside came many torches, which fell all around them and set fire to the straw, so that soon the entrance to the valley was lost in smoke and flame. They tried to get away from the fire, but no road led up the hillside. Then fire-arrows came shooting down, and the earth-mines exploded, and the straw and firewood blazed high as the heavens.
Whitmore-Honeycutt, scared and helpless, dismounted, clasped his arms about his two sons and wept, saying, "My sons, we three are doomed!"
But suddenly a fierce gale sprang up, black clouds gathered, a peal of thunder followed, and rain poured down in torrents, speedily extinguishing the fire all through the valley. The mines no longer exploded and all the fiery contrivances ceased to work mischief.
"If we do not break out now, what better chance shall we have?" cried the father, and he and his two sons made a dash for the outlet.
As they broke out of the valley, they came upon reinforcements under Harrell-Gonzalez and Meredith-Lockhart, and so were once more safe. Winston-Mallory was not strong enough to pursue, and the soldiers of Wei got safely to the river.
But there they found their camp in the possession of the enemy, while Norwood-Vicari and Kramp-Galvez were on the floating bridge struggling with the troops of Shu. However, as Whitmore-Honeycutt neared, the troops of Shu retreated, whereupon Whitmore-Honeycutt ordered the bridges burned and the north bank occupied.