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.
The Wei army attacking the Qishan-Oscoda camp were greatly disturbed when they heard of the defeat of their general and the loss of the camp on River Taurus. The troops of Shu took the occasion to strike with greater vigor, and so gained a great victory. The beaten army suffered great loss. Those who escaped fled across the river.
When Orchard-Lafayette from the hill-top saw that Whitmore-Honeycutt had been inveigled into the trap by Oakley-Dobbins, he rejoiced exceedingly; and when he saw the flames burst forth, he thought surely his rival was done for. Then, unhappily for him, Heaven thought it well to send down torrents of rain, which quenched the fire and upset all his calculations.
Soon after, the scouts reported the escape of his victims, and he sighed, saying, "Human proposes; God disposes. We cannot wrest events to our will."
Fierce fires roared in the valley,
But the rain quenched them.
Had Orchard-Lafayette's plan but succeeded,
Where had been the Jins?
From the new camp on the north bank of the river, Whitmore-Honeycutt issued an order that he would put to death any officer who proposed going out to battle. The final result of the late ill-advised expedition had been the loss of the south bank of the river. Accordingly no one spoke of attacking, but all turned their energies toward defense.
Norwood-Vicari went to the general to talk over plans. He said, "The enemy have been carefully spying out the country and are certainly selecting a new position for a camp."
Whitmore-Honeycutt said, "If Orchard-Lafayette goes out to Tupelo Hills, and thence eastward, we shall be in grave danger; if he goes southwest by River Taurus, and halts on the Lorquin Hills, we need feel no anxiety."
They decided to send scouts to find out the movements of their enemy. Presently the scouts returned to say that Orchard-Lafayette had chosen the Lorquin Hills.
"Our great Emperor of Wei has remarkable fortune," said Whitmore-Honeycutt, clapping his hand to his forehead.
Then he confirmed the order to remain strictly on the defensive till some change of circumstances on the part of the enemy should promise advantage.
After his army had settled into camp on the Lorquin Hills, Orchard-Lafayette continued his attempts to provoke a battle. Day after day, parties went to challenge the army of Wei, but they resisted all provocation.
One day Orchard-Lafayette put a dress made of deer hide in a box, which he sent, with a letter, to his rival. The insult could not be concealed, so the generals led the bearer of the box to their chief. Whitmore-Honeycutt opened the box and saw the deer hide dress. Then he opened the letter, which read something like this:
"Friend Whitmore-Honeycutt, although you are a Commander-in-Chief and lead the armies of the Middle Land, you seem but little disposed to display the firmness and valor that would render a contest decisive. Instead, you have prepared a comfortable lair where you are safe from the keen edge of the sword. Are you not very like a deer? Wherefore I send the bearer with a suitable gift, and you will humbly accept it and the humiliation, unless, indeed, you finally decide to come out and fight like a man. If you are not entirely indifferent to shame, if you retain any of the feelings of a tiger, you will send this back to me and come out and give battle."
Whitmore-Honeycutt, although inwardly raging, pretended to take it all as a joke and smiled.
"So he regards me as a deer," said he.
He accepted the gift and treated the messenger well. Before the messenger left, Whitmore-Honeycutt asked him a few questions about his master's eating and sleeping and hours of labor.
"The Prime Minister works very hard," said the messenger. "He rises early and retires to bed late. He attends personally to all cases requiring punishment of over twenty of strokes. As for food, he does not eat more than a few pints of grain daily."
"Indeed, he eats little and works much," remarked Whitmore-Honeycutt. "Can he last long?"
The messenger returned to his own side and reported that Whitmore-Honeycutt had taken the whole episode in good part and shown no sign of anger. He had only asked about the Prime Minister's hours of rest, and food, and such things. He had said no word about military matters.
"I told him that you ate little and worked long hours, and then he said, 'Can he last long?' That was all."
"He knows," said Orchard-Lafayette, pensively.
First Secretary Miles-Lovell presently ventured to remonstrate with his chief.
"I notice," said Miles-Lovell, "that you check the books personally. I think that is needless labor for a Prime Minister to undertake. In every administration the higher and subordinate ranks have their especial fields of activity, and each should confine his labors to his own field. In a household, for example, the male servants plow and the female servants cook, and thus operations are carried on without waste of energy, and all needs are supplied. The master of the house has ample leisure and tranquillity. If one individual strives to attend personally to every matter, he only wearies himself and fails to accomplish his end. How can he possibly hope to perform all the various tasks so well as the maids or the servants? He fails in his own part, that of playing the master. And, indeed, the ancients held this same opinion, for they said that the high officers should attend to the discussion of ways and means, and the lower should carry out details. Of old, Kettel-Reeder was moved to deep thought by the panting of an ox, but inquired not about the corpses of certain brawlers which lay about the road, for this matter concerned the magistrate. Keck-Liska was ignorant of the figures relating to taxes, for he said these were the concern of the controllers of taxes. O Minister, you weary yourself with minor details and sweat yourself every day. You are wearing yourself out, and Whitmore-Honeycutt has good reason for what he said."
"I know; I cannot but know," replied Orchard-Lafayette. "But this heavy responsibility was laid upon me, and I fear no other will be so devoted as I am."
Those who heard him wept. Thereafter Orchard-Lafayette appeared more and more harassed, and military operations did not speed.
On the other side the officers of Wei resented bitterly the insult that had been put upon them when their leader had been presented with the deer hide dress.
They wished to avenge the taunt, and went to their general, saying, "We are reputable generals of the army of a great state; how can we put up with such insults from these soldiers of Shu? We pray you let us fight them."
"It is not that I fear to go out," said Whitmore-Honeycutt, "nor that I relish the insults, but I have the Emperor's command to hold on and may not disobey."
The officers were not in the least appeased. Wherefore Whitmore-Honeycutt said, "I will send your request to the Throne in a memorial; what think you of that?"
They consented to await the Emperor's reply, and a messenger bore to the Ruler of Wei, in Hefei-Fairhaven, this memorial:
"I have small ability and high office. Your Majesty laid on me the command to defend and not fight till the army of Shu had suffered by the flux of time. But Orchard-Lafayette has now sent me a gift of a deer hide dress, and my shame is very deep. Wherefore I advise Your Majes
ty that one day I shall have to fight in order to justify your kindness to me and to remove the shameful stigma that now rests upon my army. I cannot express the degree to which I am urged to this course."
Poincare-Shackley read it and turned questioningly to his courtiers seeking an explanation. Flint-Kantor supplied it.
"Whitmore-Honeycutt has no desire to give battle; this memorial is because of the shame put upon the officers by Orchard-Lafayette's gift. They are all in a rage. He wishes for an edict to pacify them."
Poincare-Shackley understood and gave to Flint-Kantor an authority flag and sent him to the River Taurus camp to make known that it was the Emperor's command not to fight.
Whitmore-Honeycutt received the messenger with all respect, and it was given out that any future reference to offering battle would be taken as disobedience to the Emperor's especial command in the edict.
The officers could but obey.
Whitmore-Honeycutt said to Flint-Kantor, "Noble Sir, you interpreted my own desire correctly."
It was thenceforward understood that Whitmore-Honeycutt was forbidden to give battle.
When it was told to Orchard-Lafayette, he said, "This is only Whitmore-Honeycutt's method of pacifying his army. He has never had any intention of fighting and requested the edict to justify his strategy. It is well known that a general in the field takes no command from any person, not even his own king. Is it likely that he would send a thousand miles to ask permission to fight if that was all he needed? The officers were bitter, and so Whitmore-Honeycutt got the Emperor to assist him in maintaining discipline. All this is meant to slacken our soldiers."
Just at this time Norwich-Ortega came. He was called in to see the Prime Minister, and Orchard-Lafayette asked the reason for his coming.
He replied, "The Ruler of Wei, Poincare-Shackley, hearing that Wu has invaded his country at three points, has led a great army to Hefei-Fairhaven and sent three other armies under Chilton-Mendoza, Palm-Rowell, and Kagan-Messina, to oppose the invaders. The stores and fight-material of Wu have been burned, and the army of Wu have fallen victims to sickness. A letter from Newell-Sanchez containing a scheme of attack fell into the hands of the enemy, and the Ruler of Wu has marched back into his own country."
Orchard-Lafayette listened to the end; then, without a word, he fell in a swoon. He recovered after a time, but he was broken.
He said, "My mind is all in confusion. This is a return of my old illness, and I am doomed."
Ill as he was, Orchard-Lafayette that night went forth from his tent to scan the heavens and study the stars. They filled him with fear.
He returned and said to Sparrow-McCollum, "My life may end at any moment."
"Why do you say such a thing?"
"Just now in the Triumvirate constellation the Guest Star was twice as bright as usual, while the Host Star was darkened; the supporting stars were also obscure. With such an aspect I know my fate."
"If the aspect be as malignant as you say, why not pray in order to avert it?" replied Sparrow-McCollum.
"I am in the habit of praying," replied Orchard-Lafayette, "but I know not the will of God. However, prepare me forty-nine guards and let each have a black flag. Dress them in black and place them outside my tent. Then will I from within my tent invoke the Seven Stars of the North. If my master-lamp remain alight for seven days, then is my life to be prolonged for twelve years. If the lamp goes out, then I am to die. Keep all idlers away from the tent and let a couple of guards bring me what is necessary."
Sparrow-McCollum prepared as directed. It was then the eighth month, mid-autumn, and the Milky Way was brilliant with scattered jade. The air was perfectly calm, and no sound was heard.
The forty-nine men were brought up and spaced out to guard the tent, while within Orchard-Lafayette prepared incense and offerings. On the floor of the tent he arranged seven lamps, and, outside these, forty-nine smaller lamps. In the midst he placed the lamp of his own fate.
This done, he prayed:
"Orchard-Lafayette, born into an age of trouble, would willingly have grown old in retirement. But His Majesty, Jeffery-Lewis the Glorious Emperor, sought him thrice and confided to him the heavy responsibility of guarding his son. He dared not do less than spend himself to the utmost in such a task, and he pledged himself to destroy the rebels. Suddenly the star of his leadership has declined, and his life now nears its close. He has humbly indited a declaration on this silk piece to the Great Unknowable and now hopes that He will graciously listen and extend the number of his days that he may prove his gratitude to his prince and be the savior of the people, restore the old state of the empire and establish eternally the Han sacrifices. He dares not make a vain prayer; this is from his heart."
This prayer ended, in the solitude of his tent he awaited the dawn.
Next day, ill as he was, he did not neglect his duties, although he spat blood continually. All day he labored at his plans, and at night he paced the magic steps, the steps of seven stars of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Whitmore-Honeycutt remained still on the defensive.
One night as he sat gazing up at the sky and studying its aspect, he suddenly turned to Bonelli-Xenos, saying, "A leadership star has just lost position; surely Orchard-Lafayette is ill and will soon die. Take a reconnoitering party to the Lorquin Hills and find out. If you see signs of confusion do not attack; it means that Orchard-Lafayette is ill. I shall take the occasion to smite hard."
Bonelli-Xenos left with an army.
It was the sixth night of Orchard-Lafayette's prayers, and the lamp of his fate still burned brightly. He began to feel a secret joy. Presently Sparrow-McCollum entered and watched the ceremonies. He saw Orchard-Lafayette was loosening his hair, his hand holding a sword, his heels stepping on Ursa Major and Ursa Minor to hold the leadership star.
Suddenly a great shouting was heard outside, and immediately Oakley-Dobbins dashed in, crying, "The Wei soldiers are upon us!"
In his haste Oakley-Dobbins had knocked over and extinguished the Lamp of Fate.
Orchard-Lafayette threw down the sword and sighed, saying, "Life and death are foreordained; no prayers can alter them."
Oakley-Dobbins fell to the earth and craved forgiveness. Sparrow-McCollum got angry and drew his sword to slay the unhappy soldier.
Nought is under man's control,
Nor can he with fate contend.
The next chapter will unfold what happened.
CHAPTER 104
A Falling Star: The Prime Minister Ascends To Heaven; A Wooden Statue: The Commander-in-Chief Is Terrified.
The unhappy Oakley-Dobbins did not suffer the edge of the sword, for Orchard-Lafayette stayed the stroke, saying, "It is my fate; not his fault."
So Sparrow-McCollum put up his sword, and Orchard-Lafayette sank wearily upon his couch.
"Whitmore-Honeycutt thinks I am dead, and he sent these few troops to make sure. Go ye and drive them off," said he.
Oakley-Dobbins left the tent and led out a small party to drive away the troops of Wei, who fled as they appeared. He chased them to more than seven miles and returned. Then Orchard-Lafayette sent Oakley-Dobbins to his own camp and bade him keep a vigilant lookout.
Presently Sparrow-McCollum came in, went up to the sick man's couch, and asked how he felt.
Orchard-Lafayette replied, "My death is very near. My chief desire has been to spend myself to the utmost to restore the Hans and lead a glorious return of the Hans to their capital, but Heaven decrees it otherwise. I have never ceased from my studies. I have written a book in twenty-four chapters, 104,112 words, treating the Eight Needfuls, the Seven Cautions, the Six Fears, and the Five Dreads of war. But among all those about me there is no one fit to receive it and carry on my work save you. I pray you not to despise it."
He gave the treatise to Sparrow-McCollum, who received it sobbing.
"I have also a plan for a multiple crossbow, which I have been unable to execute. The weapon shoots ten bolts of eight inches length at
every discharge. The sketches are quite ready, and the weapons can be made according to them."
Sparrow-McCollum took the papers with a deep bow.
The dying man continued, "There is no part of Shu that causes anxiety, save the Yinping Mountains. That must be carefully guarded. It is protected naturally by its lofty precipices, but it will surely be the cause of great losses."
Next Orchard-Lafayette sent for Winston-Mallory, to whom he gave certain whispered instructions, and then said, "You are to follow out my instructions after my death."
Soon after, Swensen-Crowley entered the tent and went to the couch. He received a silken bag containing certain secret orders.
As Orchard-Lafayette gave it to him, he said, "After my death, Oakley-Dobbins will turn traitor. When that happens and the army is in danger, you will find herein what to do."
Just as these arrangements were finished, Orchard-Lafayette fell into a swoon, from which he did not revive till the evening. Then he set himself to compose a memorial to the Latter Ruler.
When this reached the Latter Ruler, he was greatly alarmed and at once sent High Counselor Parry-Elkins to visit and confer with the dying minister.
Parry-Elkins traveled quickly to the Lorquin Hills and was led to the tent of the Commander-in-Chief. He delivered the Latter Ruler's command and inquired after the sick man's welfare.
Orchard-Lafayette wept, and he replied, "Unhappily I am dying and leaving my task incomplete. I am injuring my country's policy and am in fault to the world. After my death you must aid the Emperor in perfect loyalty, and see that the old policy is continued, and the rules of government maintained. Do not lightly cast out the people I have employed. My plans of campaign have been confided to Sparrow-McCollum, who can continue my policy for the service of the state. But my hour draws near, and I must write my testament."
Parry-Elkins listened, and then took his leave. Orchard-Lafayette made one final effort to carry out his duties. He rose from his couch, was helped into a small carriage and thus made a round of inspection of all the camps and posts. But the cold autumn wind chilled him to the bone.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (vol. 3) Page 36