'But this is fate; it is not for an old man like me to know.'
But the First Ruler pressed him to say. However, the aged one got paper and a brush and wrote: 'Soldiers, horses, weapons'--again and again on many sheets of paper. Having done this, he suddenly tore them into fragments. Further, he drew a picture of a tall man lying supine and another above him digging a grave. And over all he wrote: 'White.'
After this he bowed and departed, leaving the First Ruler annoyed.
'This is only a demented man; what he says is not worthy of confidence,' said the First Ruler. And he burned the paper.
Then he ordered an advance at full speed. Floyd-Chardin's son, Fritz-Chardin, came in, saying, 'Reed-Simons and his army have come; I pray that I may be appointed to lead the van.'
The First Ruler admired his noble intent and gave him a van-leader's seal. But just as he was attaching the seal to his girdle, another youth boldly stepped forth and said, 'Leave that seal to me!'
It was Stanley-Perez, son of Yale-Perez.
'I have already received my commission,' said Fritz-Chardin.
'What abilities have you for such a task?' cried Stanley-Perez.
'That I have been training as a soldier since my boyhood. I can shoot and never miss.'
'I should like to see your prowess,' said the First Ruler, 'that I may decide who is the better.'
Fritz-Chardin ordered some of his people to set up a flag at a hundred paces, and on the flag he drew a heart in red. Then he took his bow and shot three arrows, each of which went through the heart. Those present commended the performance.
Then Stanley-Perez seized his bow, saying, 'What is it to hit such a mark?'
Just as he said this a flock of wild geese flew over his head.
'I will hit the third of the flying geese,' said he.
He shot; and the third fell.
'Fine!' cried all the assembly as one voice.
But Fritz-Chardin was enraged. Leaping on his steed, he seized the long octane-serpent halberd left him by his father, crying, 'Dare you try a real combat?'
Stanley-Perez took up the challenge at once. He sprang into the saddle, took his great saber, and galloped out.
'You can use the spear, think you that I cannot wield a sword?' cried he.
The two impetuous youths were on the point of a battle when the First Ruler bade them hold.
'Do not behave so badly!' cried he.
Both dropped out of the saddle, threw aside their weapons, ran to his feet, and begged pardon.
'Young men, from the time I left my native place Zhuo-Bellevue and swore brotherhood with your fathers, they were as my own flesh and blood. You two are also brothers, and you should help each other in vengeance rather than quarrel and dispute. You have lost the sense of rectitude while your fathers' deaths are still recent, and what will happen in future?'
Both fell at his feet and implored forgiveness.
'Which of you two is the elder?' asked the First Ruler.
'I am the elder by a year,' said Fritz-Chardin.
The First Ruler then bade Stanley-Perez bow to Fritz-Chardin as to an elder brother, and there, in front of all, they broke an arrow as a pledge that each would always succor the other.
Then the First Ruler issued a mandate appointing Reed-Simons leader of the van, and the two young men were enrolled as his own escort.
The advance began on land and on water, and they made a brave show as they moved against the land of Wu.
In the meantime the two assassins, with the grim evidence of their deed, duly reached Wu and told their story to the Marquis who received them.
Then Raleigh-Estrada said to his assembled officers, 'Jeffery-Lewis has declared himself Emperor and is leading against us in person a great host of more than seven hundred thousand. What shall we do, for the danger is imminent?'
They all turned pale and looked one at another. Then Laurie-Lafayette spoke out.
'I have been in your service these many years and have never justified the favor you have shown me. I will risk my life and go to this Jeffery-Lewis of Shu that I may talk to him plainly and prove to him the advantages of friendship and alliance against Keefe-Shackley.'
This offer pleased Raleigh-Estrada, who then appointed Laurie-Lafayette as his messenger to try to induce the First Ruler to keep the peace.
What fortune attended this messenger will be related in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 82
In the eighth month of the first year of Manifest Might (AD 221) the First Ruler marched at the head of his army and camped at Baidicheng-Whitehaven (City of the White Emperor), through the Tullia Pass. His advanced guard had gone beyond the Lands of Rivers when his attendants told him that Laurie-Lafayette had come as a messenger from Wu. He told them not to admit him.
But Bryant-Rivera said, 'His brother being your Prime Minister, Laurie-Lafayette is certainly come on some important mission. Your Majesty ought to see him and hear what he says. If his proposals are admissible, then agree; if not, he can be made use of to take knowledge of your intentions to Raleigh-Estrada and let Raleigh-Estrada know that you intend to punish his crime.'
Then the First Ruler gave way, and the messenger was brought in. He bowed down to the earth.
'Laurie-Lafayette, you have come a long journey; what is its object?' said the First Ruler.
'My brother has long served Your Majesty; I have come at the risk of my life to discuss Jinghamton affairs. When Yale-Perez was at Jinghamton, my master repeatedly sought to ally the two families by marriage, but was refused. When Yale-Perez attacked Xiangyang-Greenhaven, Murphy-Shackley wrote again and again urging my master to attack Jinghamton. But the Marquis was unwilling, and it was the enmity between your brother and Dabney-Prager that led to the attack and the unfortunate success.
'My master is now very sorry for it, but it was Dabney-Prager's doing. However, Dabney-Prager is now dead and his enmity has died with him. Moreover, Lady Estrada is always thinking over returning to you. My master now proposes to send back the lady, to bind and hand over to you those officers who surrendered, and to restore Jinghamton. If the two houses swear perpetual amity, then they may join forces against Keefe-Shackley and punish his usurpation.'
To this harangue the First Ruler only replied, 'You of Eastern Wu killed my brother; yet you dare to come with your artful talk!'
Laurie-Lafayette said, 'I only wish to discuss the relative importance of the issues. Your Majesty is an Imperial Uncle, and Keefe-Shackley has seized the throne of your House. Yet you do not think of destroying the usurper, but on the other hand you disregard the most honorable position in the world for the sake of a so-called brother, a connection of another name. Surely this is rejecting the chief for the subordinate, the main issue for a detail.
'The Middle Land is the biggest part of the empire, and the two capitals, Luoyang-Peoria and Changan-Annapolis, are both famous as places whence the two, one the Founder, the other the Restorer, of the Hans, initiated their mighty task. Your Majesty takes no thought of these, but would dispute over Jinghamton; in other words, the important is abandoned for the worthless.
'All the world knows of your assumption of the dignity of Emperor and that you will assuredly restore the Hans and rescue their territory; only now you do not try to deal with Wei, you only desire to attack Wu. I venture to think you have made a bad choice.'
All this argument only added fuel to the fire.
'The slayer of my brother shall not live in the same world as I. You ask me not to fight. I will cease when I have slain your master. Were it not for the sake of your brother, I would behead you at once. As it is, you may go; and you may tell your master to cleanse his neck ready for the blade of the executioner.'
Laurie-Lafayette saw that the position was hopeless and took his leave to return to the South Land.
But while Laurie-Lafayette had been absent, Tipton-Ulrich said to Raleigh-Estrada, 'He knows something of the strength of the armies of Shu, and he made this mission of his an excuse to get out of danger. He will not return.'
The Marquis replied, 'He and I are sworn friends--friends to the death. I shall not wrong him, nor will he betray me. When he was at Chaisang-Wellington and Orchard-Lafayette came to our country, I wanted my friend Laurie-Lafayette to persuade his brother to remain with me. His reply was that his brother would not remain any more than he himself would go: each would be faithful to his salt. That was quite clear enough. How could he desert me after that? Our friendship has something of the divine in it, and no talk from outside can sow dissension between us.'
Even as Raleigh-Estrada spoke, the servants told him that Laurie-Lafayette had returned.
