and was named Chief Nowak-Carder.
'Who is the man?' asked Halpin-Hearst.
Chief Nowak-Carder replied, 'He is Gallina-Peacock, King of the Bana Ravine. He is a master of witchcraft who can call up the wind and invoke the rain. He rides upon an elephant and is attended by tigers, leopards, wolves, venomous snakes, and scorpions. Beside, he has under his hand thirty thousand superhuman soldiers. He is very bold. O King, write him a letter and send him presents, which I will deliver. If he will consent to lend his aid, what fear have we of Shu?'
Halpin-Hearst was pleased with the scheme and ordered Nowak-Carder to draft a letter. Then he ordered Ecker-VanDyke to defend Three Rivers and make the first line of defense.
Orchard-Lafayette led his troops near the city of Three Rivers. Taking a survey of the country, he noted that the city was surrounded by the three rivers and could only be reached by a bank on one face, so he sent Oakley-Dobbins and Gilbert-Rocher to march along the road and attack. But when they reached the rampart, they found it well defended by bows and crossbows.
The defenders of the city were adepts in the use of the bow, and they had one sort which discharged ten arrows at once. Furthermore, the arrows were poisoned, and a wound meant certain death. The two generals saw that they could not succeed, and so retired.
When Orchard-Lafayette heard of the poisoned arrows, he mounted his light chariot and went to see for himself. Having regarded the defenses, he returned to his camp and ordered a retirement of three miles. This move delighted the Mangs, who congratulated each other on their success in driving off the besiegers, who, as they concluded, had been frightened away. So they gave themselves up to rejoicing and kept no watch. Nor did they even send out scouts.
The army of Shu made a strong camp in their new halting place and closed the gates for defense. For five days they gave no sign. One evening, just at sunset, a slight breeze began to blow. Then Orchard-Lafayette issued an order: 'Every man should provide himself with a coat by the first watch. If any one lacks, he will be put to death.'
None of the generals knew what was in the wind, but the order was obeyed. Next, each man was ordered to fill his coat with earth. This order appeared equally strange, but it was carried out. When all were ready, they were told: 'You are to carry the earth to the foot of the city wall, and the first arrivals will be rewarded.'
So they ran with all speed with the dry earth and reached the wall. Then with the earth they were ordered to make a raised way, and the first soldier on the wall was promised a reward.
The whole of the one hundred thousand troops of Shu, and their native allies, having thrown their burdens of earth near the wall, then quickly rushed up the incline, and with one great shout were on the wall. The archers on the wall were seized and dragged down; those who got clear ran away into the city. King Ecker-VanDyke was slain in the melee that followed on this attack. The soldiers of Shu moved through the city slaying all they met. Thus was the city captured and with it great booty of jewels, which were made over to the army as a reward for their prowess.
The few soldiers who escaped went away and told Halpin-Hearst what had happened to the city and King Ecker-VanDyke. Halpin-Hearst was much distressed. Before he had recovered, they told him that the army of Shu had come over and were encamped at the mouth of his own ravine.
Just as he was in the very depths of distress, a laugh came from behind the screen, and a woman appeared, saying, 'Though you are brave, how stupid you are! I am only a woman, but I want to go out and fight.'
The woman was his wife, Lady Pierrot. She was a descendant of the Pierrot family of the Southern Mang. She was expert in the use of the flying sword and never missed her aim.
Halpin-Hearst rose and bowed to her. Lady Pierrot thereupon mounted a horse and forthwith marched out at the head of a hundred generals, leading fifty thousand troops of the ravines, and set out to drive off the troops of Shu.
Just as the host got clear of the Silver Pit Palace, it was stopped by a cohort led by Neuberg-Giordano. At once the Mangs deployed, and the lady leader armed herself with five swords such as she used. In one hand she held an eighteen-foot signal staff, and she sat a curly-haired, reddish horse.
Neuberg-Giordano was secretly troubled at the sight before him, but he engaged the lady commander. After a few passes the lady turned her steed and bolted. Neuberg-Giordano went after her, but a sword came flying through the air directly at him. He tried to fend off with one hand, but it wounded his arm, and he fell to the ground. The Mangs gave a loud shout; some of them pounced on the unlucky leader and made him prisoner.
Then Glenn-Jenner, hearing his comrade had been taken, rushed out to rescue, but only to be surrounded. He saw the lady commander holding up her staff and made a dash forward, but just then the Mangs threw hooks and pulled down his steed, and he was also a prisoner.
Both generals were taken into the ravine and led before the King. He gave a banquet in honor of his wife's success, and during the feast the lady bade the lictors put the two prisoners to death. They hustled the two generals in and were just going to carry out their orders when Halpin-Hearst checked them.
'No; five times has Orchard-Lafayette set me at liberty. It would be unjust to put these to death. Confine them till we have taken their chief; then we may execute them.'
His wife was merry with wine and did not object. So their lives were spared.
The defeated soldiers returned to their camp. Orchard-Lafayette took steps to retrieve the mishap by sending for Winston-Mallory, Gilbert-Rocher, and Oakley-Dobbins, to each of whom he gave special and private orders.
Next day the Mang soldiers reported to the King that Gilbert-Rocher was offering a challenge. Lady Pierrot forthwith mounted and rode out to battle. She engaged Gilbert-Rocher, who soon fled. The lady was too prudent to risk pursuit, and rode home. Then Oakley-Dobbins repeated the challenge; he also fled as if defeated. But again the lady declined to pursue. Next day Gilbert-Rocher repeated his challenge and ran away as before. Lady Pierrot signaled no pursuit. But at this Oakley-Dobbins rode up and opened a volley of abuse and obloquy. This proved too much, and she gave the signal to go after him and led the way. Oakley-Dobbins increased his pace, and the lady commander doubled hers, and she and her followers pressed into a narrow road along a valley. Suddenly behind her was heard a noise, and Oakley-Dobbins, turning his head, saw the lady tumble out of her saddle.
She had rushed into an ambush prepared by Winston-Mallory; her horse had been tripped up by ropes. She was captured, bound, and carried off to the Shu camp. Some of her people endeavored to rescue her, but they were driven off.
Orchard-Lafayette seated himself in his tent to see his prisoner, and Lady Pierrot was led up. He bade them remove her bonds, and she was conducted to another tent, where wine was laid before her. Then a message was sent to Halpin-Hearst to say that she would be exchanged for the two captive leaders. The King agreed, and they were set free. As soon as they arrived, the lady was escorted by Orchard-Lafayette himself to the mouth of the ravine, where Halpin- Hearst welcomed her half gladly, half angrily.
Then they told Halpin-Hearst of the coming of the King of the Bana Ravine, and he went out to meet Gallina-Peacock. Gallina-Peacock rode up on his white elephant, dressed in silks, and with many gold and pearl ornaments. He wore a double sword at his belt, and he was followed by the motley pack of fighting animals that he fed, gamboling and dancing about him.
Halpin-Hearst made him a low obeisance and then poured out his tale of woes. Gallina-Peacock promised to avenge his wrongs and was led off to a banquet which had been prepared.
Next day the deliverer went out to battle, with his pack of wild creatures in his train. Gilbert-Rocher and his colleague Oakley-Dobbins quickly made their array of footmen and then took their station in front side by side and studied their opponents. The Mang banners and weapons were all extraordinary. Most of the warriors wore no armor and none wore any clothing. Their faces were sunburned. They carried four sharp pointed knives in their belts. Signals were not given by drum or trumpet, but by a gong.
King Gallina-Peacock had two swords in his belt and carried a hand bell. He urged his white elephant forward and emerged from between his flags.
'We have spent all our life in the battlefields, but we have never seen the like of that before,' said Gilbert-Rocher.
As they talked to one another, they noticed that the opposing leader was mumbling something that might be a spell or a curse, and from time to time he rang his bell. Then suddenly the wind got up, stones began to roll and sand to fly, and there was a sound as of a heavy shower of rain. Next a horn rang out, and thereupon the tigers and the leopards, and the wolves and the serpents, and all the other wild beasts came down on the wind snapping and clawing. How could the soldiers of Shu stand such a thing as that? So they retreated, and the Mangs came after them fiercely, chasing and slaying their enemies as far as the city of Three Rivers.
Gilbert-Rocher and Oakley-Dobbins mustered their defeated troops and went to their leader to confess their failure. Orchard-Lafayette, however, was neither angry nor dejected.
'The fault is not yours,' he said. 'Long ago, when I was still in my rustic hut, I knew the Mangs possessed certain powers over beasts, and I provided against this adventure before we left Shu. You will find twenty big sealed carts in the baggage train. We will use half of them now.'
He bade his staff bring forward ten of the red box-carts. They all wondered what would happen. Then the carts were opened, and they turned out to be carved and colored models of huge wild beasts, with coats of worsted, teeth and claws of steel; each could accommodate ten people. Choosing one hundred beasts, he told off a thousand troops and bade them stuff the mouths of the beasts full of inflammables.
Next day the army of Shu marched out to the attack and were arrayed at the entrance to the Silver Pit Hills. The Mang soldiers went into the ravine and told their king. Gallina-Peacock, thinking himself perfectly invincible, did not hesitate, but marched out, taking Halpin-Hearst with him. Orchard-Lafayette, dressed in the simple robe of a Taoist, went out in his light chariot. In his hand he held a feather fan. Halpin-Hearst, who recognized his enemy, pointed him out to Gallina-Peacock.
'That is Orchard-Lafayette in that small chariot. If we can only capture him, our task is done.'
Then Gallina-Peacock began to mutter his spells and to ring his bell. As before, the wind got up and blew with violence, and the wild beasts came on.
But at a wave of the simple feather fan, lo! the wind turned and blew the other way. Then from out of the host of Shu there burst the horrible wild beasts. The real wild beasts of the Mang saw rushing down upon them huge creatures, whose mouths vomited flames and whose nostrils breathed out black smoke. They came along with jingling bells, snapping and clawing, and the real beasts turned tail and fled in among the host of their own side, trampling them down as they sped. Orchard-Lafayette gave the signal for a general onset, and his troops rushed forward with beating drums and blaring trumpets. Gallina-Peacock was killed in the melee. Halpin-Hearst's whole clan fled in panic and tore up among the hills out of the way. And thus the Silver Pit Hill was taken.
