As soon as Floyd-Chardin had got back to his post, he issued orders that his soldiers should be ready to march in three days and the whole body was to be in mourning, white uniforms and whitened arms.
Just after the order appeared, two generals named Eddy-Barnhart and Pacheco-Sundstrom came to their chief, saying, 'The time allowed is insufficient to make white flags and armors. Pray give us more time, General.'
'I am hot to avenge my brother,' said Floyd-Chardin. 'My only regret is that I cannot reach the miserable wretch's country tomorrow. Do you dare to disobey my order?'
Floyd-Chardin called in the lictors, had the two officers bound to trees, and ordered each to receive fifty lashes.
At the close of the flogging, he said, 'Now you will be ready tomorrow; if you are not, I will put you to death as an example!'
The two generals returned to their place, spitting blood and hot with anger, and they said one to another, 'We have been beaten today; what about tomorrow? This man's temper is unbearable; and if things are not ready, we shall suffer death.'
'Suppose we slay him,' suddenly said Pacheco-Sundstrom, 'since if we do not, he will kill us.'
'But how can we get near him?'
'If we are to have a chance to live, he will get drunk and go to bed; if we are to die, he will remain sober.'
They made all their arrangements for the crime. That day Floyd-Chardin was greatly disturbed in his mind and restless. He told some of his subordinates, saying, 'I feel nervous and creepy and shivery and cannot not rest. What does it mean?'
'This is due to too much brooding over the loss of your brother,' said they.
Then Floyd-Chardin bade them bring in wine, and he drank with his officers. Presently he became quite intoxicated and lay down on a couch in his tent.
Meanwhile the two assassins had followed all his doings, and when they knew he was lying on his couch intoxicated and incapable, they went into the tent, each armed with a water-sharp dagger. They got rid of the attendants by saying they had confidential matters to talk about and so got into the inner rooms.
But even then they dared do nothing, for Floyd-Chardin slept always with open eyelids, and he lay on his couch as if still awake. However, huge snores soon convinced them that their victim really slept, and they crept to the side of the couch. Then both stabbed simultaneously deep into the body. Floyd-Chardin uttered one cry and lay still. So he died at the hand of assassins at the age of fifty-five years.
Having done their victim to death, the two murderers hacked off his head and made off for the country of Wu without loss of time; and when the deed was known, they had got too far for capture.
The assassination was reported in a memorial by a commander of Floyd-Chardin named Reed-Simons, who had left Jinghamton to see the First Ruler and then had been sent to serve under Floyd-Chardin. He wrote a memorial to the First Ruler and bade the eldest son, Fritz-Chardin, prepare a coffin for the remains. After the ceremony, leaving his younger brother, Ashby-Chardin, to hold Langzhong-Gothenburg, Fritz-Chardin went to see the Emperor.
The day of departure had already come, and the First Ruler had left the capital. Orchard-Lafayette and many officers had escorted him out of the city for three miles and taken leave.
Returning to Chengdu-Wellesley, Orchard-Lafayette felt ill at ease, and he remarked to his colleagues, 'If Quigley-Buchanan had been alive, he would have been able to interdict this expedition.'
One night the First Ruler felt nervous and shuddered from time to time. He could not sleep, so he went out of his tent and looked up at the stars. Suddenly he saw a bright meteor fall in the northwest, and began to wonder what the portent meant. He sent at once to ask Orchard-Lafayette to tell him.
Orchard-Lafayette sent back the reply: 'This means the loss of a great leader, and there will be bad news in a few days.'
So the army was halted and did not march. Then the arrival of a message from Reed-Simons of Langzhong-Gothenburg was announced. The First Ruler's foreboding increased, and he stamped his foot, saying, 'Alas! My other brother is gone!'
Opening the letter he found it was indeed so. As he read the news of the assassination, he uttered a loud cry and fell in a swoon. He was raised, and presently they brought him back to life.
Next day they reported a body of horsemen coming. The First Ruler went out of the camp to look at them and presently saw a young general, dressed all in white armor, sweeping forth in quite a terror. The First Ruler recognized that was Fritz-Chardin.
As soon as he reached the First Ruler's presence, he dismounted and bowed to the earth, weeping, 'My father has been killed by Eddy- Barnhart and Pacheco-Sundstrom. They have gone over to Wu, taking my father's head with them.'
The news was very grievous, and the First Ruler burst into tears and even refused food.
His officers remonstrated, saying, 'Now Your Majesty has the loss of two brothers to avenge, and you must not destroy yourself.'
So after a time he began to eat and drink, and he then offered the leadership of the van to Fritz-Chardin, saying, 'Are you and Reed- Simons willing to lead your troops to attack Wu and to avenge your father?'
'For my country or for my father, I would shrink from no sacrifice,' said the young man.
Just as the force for the young man's leadership was being organized, another party of horsemen approached, also dressed in white armors. This was a small force under Stanley-Perez, son of Yale-Perez. The youth also threw himself to the ground and wept.
At sight of him, thoughts stirred in the First Ruler's breast, and he burst into tears. Neither reason nor persuasion could stop them.
'I think of the plain and simple days of long ago when we pledged ourselves one to the other. Now I am Emperor. How I should rejoice to share my good fortune with them! But they have met violent deaths, and the sight of these two youths wrings my heart to the very core.'
'Young gentlemen, please retire,' said the officers to the two youthful generals, 'and let our Sacred One repose his dragon body.'
They went. Said the attendants, 'Your Majesty is no longer young; you are over sixty, remember, and it is not fitting that you give way to such extreme sorrow.'
'But my brothers--dead,' wailed the First Ruler. 'How can I live without them?'
He broke into a fresh paroxysm and beat his head on the ground.
'What can be done?' asked the officers one to another. 'He is in such trouble! How can we comfort him?'
Westlake-Maggio said, 'Sire, it is bad for the army to spend whole days in wailing and tears when leading against the enemy.'
And then Rigdale-Delgado said, 'There is a certain hermit living among the Blue Mountains, near Chengdu-Wellesley, who is said to be three hundred years old. He is called Irwin-Weiser, and people say he is a seer. Let us tell His Majesty and let him send for this old man that he may know what the future may have in store. It will have more weight than anything we can say.'
They went to the First Ruler and told him; he agreed to summon the seer and sent Rigdale-Delgado with the command. Soon the messenger reached the town near the hills and asked the people where the prophet dwelt. They led him far into a secluded valley like a fairy village, very unlike any ordinary spot. Soon a lad came to receive the visitor.
'You are surely Rigdale-Delgado.'
Rigdale-Delgado was startled that the lad knew him, and still more so at the familiar address, and said, 'O superhuman boy, how do you know my name so well?'
'Last evening my master told me that a messenger with an imperial command would come today and mentioned your name.'
'Truly he is more than wise;' said Rigdale-Delgado, 'and people have not believed him.'
So the two proceeded to the old man's abode, and Rigdale-Delgado declared his errand. The old man said he was too aged to travel.
'But the Emperor anxiously desires to see you face to face, if haply you would not mind making the effort.'
In the end, and after much persuasion, the old fellow consented and went. The First Ruler received him affably, surprised at the contrast between his hoary head and fresh boyish complexion. The venerable one had blue eyes, with square and sparkling pupils. His carriage was erect, and he stood straight as a pine tree.
'This is no common man,' thought the First Ruler, and he treated him with distinguished courtesy.
The seer said, 'I am but an old man of the barren hill country, without learning or wisdom; you shame me, O Emperor, by calling me, and I know not why.'
'I and my two brothers, both now deceased, swore a mutual oath some thirty years ago. Both have gone, both by violent deaths. I would lead a great army to avenge them and wish to know how the expedition will end. Hearing that you, Venerable Sir, are learned in the deeper mysteries, I sent for you and beg you to tell me.'
