Whitmore-Honeycutt replied, 'Orchard-Lafayette is always most careful and runs no risks. Those open gates undoubtedly mean an ambush; and if our force enter the city, they will fall victims to his guile. How can you know? No; our course is to retire.'
Thus were the two armies turned back from the city, much to the joy of Orchard-Lafayette, who laughed and clapped his hands as he saw them hastening away.
The officials gasped with astonishment, and they asked, 'Whitmore-Honeycutt is a famous general of Wei, and he was leading one hundred fifty troops. By what reason did he march off at the sight of you, O Minister?'
Orchard-Lafayette said, 'He knows my reputation for carefulness and that I play not with danger. Seeing things as they were made him suspect an ambush, and so he turned away. I do not run risks, but this time there was no help for it. Now he will meet with Stanley-Perez and Fritz-Chardin, whom I sent away into the hills to wait for him.'
They were still in the grip of fear, but they praised the depth of insight of their chief and his mysterious schemes and unfathomable plans.
'We should simply have run away,' said they.
'What could we have done with two thousand five hundred soldiers even if we had run? We should not have gone far before being caught,' said Orchard-Lafayette.
'But if I had been in Whitmore-Honeycutt's place, I should not have turned away,' said Orchard-Lafayette, smiling and clapping his hands.
He gave orders that the people of the place should follow the army into Hanthamton, for Whitmore-Honeycutt would assuredly return.
They abandoned Xicheng-Broxton and returned into Hanthamton. In due course the officials and soldiers and people out of the three counties also came in.
It has been said that Whitmore-Honeycutt turned aside from the city. He went to Tupelo Hills. Presently there came the sounds of a Shu army from behind the hills.
Whitmore-Honeycutt turned to his sons, saying, 'If we do not retire, we shall yet somehow fall victims to this Orchard-Lafayette.'
Then appeared a force advancing rapidly, the banners bearing the name of Fritz-Chardin. The soldiers of Wei were seized with sudden panic and ran, flinging off their armors and throwing away their weapons. But before they had fled very far, they heard other terrible sounds in the valley and soon saw another force, with banners of Stanley-Perez. The roar of armed troops echoing up and down the valley was terrifying; and as no one could tell how many men there were bearing down on them, the panic increased. The Wei army abandoned all the baggage and took to flight. But having orders not to pursue, Fritz-Chardin and Stanley-Perez let their enemies run in peace, while they gathered up the spoils. Then they returned.
Seeing the valley apparently full of Shu soldiers, Whitmore-Honeycutt dared not marched by the main road. He hurried back to Jieting- Montclair.
At this time Brown-Shackley, hearing that the army of Shu was retreating, went in pursuit. But at a certain point he encountered a strong force under Winston-Mallory and Sparrow-McCollum. Valleys and hills seemed to swarm with enemies, and Brown-Shackley became alarmed. Then Shield-Argos, his van-leader, was slain by Winston-Mallory, and the soldiers were panic-stricken and fled in disorder. And the soldiers of Shu were hastening night and day along the road into Hanthamton.
Gilbert-Rocher and Vogler-Mitchell, who had been lying in ambush in Spruce Valley, heard that their comrades were retreating.
Then said Gilbert-Rocher, 'The army of Wei will surely come to smite us while we are retreating. Wherefore let me first take up a position in their rear, and then you lead off your troops and part of mine, showing my ensigns. I will follow, keeping at the same distance behind you, and thus I shall be able to protect the retreat.'
Now Norwood-Vicari was leading his army through the Spruce Valley. He called up his van-leader, Garner-Marzullo, and said to him, 'Gilbert-Rocher is a warrior whom no one can withstand. You must keep a most careful guard lest you fall into some trap while they are retreating.'
Garner-Marzullo replied, smiling, 'If you will help me, O Commander, we shall be able to capture this Gilbert-Rocher.'
So Garner-Marzullo, with three thousand troops, hastened on ahead and entered the valley in the wake of the Shu army. He saw upon a slope in the distance a large red banner bearing the name of Gilbert-Rocher. This frightened him, and he retired.
But before he had gone far a great uproar arose about him, and a mighty warrior came bounding forth on a swift steed, crying, 'Do you recognize Gilbert-Rocher?'
Garner-Marzullo was terrified.
'Whence came you?' he cried. 'Is there another Gilbert-Rocher here?'
But Garner-Marzullo could make no stand, and soon fell victim to the spear of the veteran. His troops scattered, and Gilbert-Rocher marched on after the main body.
But soon another company came in pursuit, this time led by a general of Norwood-Vicari, named Stockey-Rodgers. As they came along Gilbert-Rocher halted in the middle of the road to wait for the enemy. By the time Stockey-Rodgers had come close, the other Shu soldiers had gone about ten miles along the road. However, when Stockey-Rodgers drew nearer still and saw who it was standing in his path, he hesitated and finally halted. Presently he turned back and retired altogether, confessing on his return that he had not dared to face the old warrior, who seemed as terrible as ever.
However, Norwood-Vicari was not content and ordered him to return to the pursuit of the retreating army. This time Stockey-Rodgers led a company of several hundred horsemen.
Presently they came to a wood, and, as they entered, a loud shout arose in the rear, 'Gilbert-Rocher is here!'
Terror seized upon the pursuers, and many fell from their horses. The others scattered among the hills. Stockey-Rodgers braced himself for the encounter and went on. Gilbert-Rocher shot an arrow which struck the plume on his helmet. Startled, Stockey-Rodgers tumbled into a water stream.
Then Gilbert-Rocher pointed his spear at him and said, 'Be off! I will not kill you. Go and tell Norwood-Vicari to come quickly, if he is coming.'
Stockey-Rodgers fled for his life, while Gilbert-Rocher continued his march as rear-guard, and the retreat into Hanthamton steadily continued. There were no other episodes by the way.
Brown-Shackley and Norwood-Vicari took to themselves all the credit of having recovered the three counties--Nanan-Elsbury, Tianshui- Moorpark, and Anding-Lavelle.
Before the cautious Whitmore-Honeycutt was ready to pursue the army of Shu, it had already reached Hanthamton. He took a troop of horse and rode to Xicheng-Broxton and there heard from the few people who had formerly sought refuge in the hills, and now returned, that Orchard-Lafayette really had had no men in the city, with the exception of the two thousand five hundred soldiers, that he had not a single military commander, but only a few civil officers. Whitmore- Honeycutt also heard that Stanley-Perez and Fritz-Chardin had had only a few troops whom they led about among the hills making as much noise as they could.
Whitmore-Honeycutt felt sad at having been tricked.
'Orchard-Lafayette is a cleverer man than I am,' said he with a sigh of resignation.
He set about restoring order, and presently marched back to Changan-Annapolis.
He saw the Ruler of Wei, who was pleased with his success and said, 'It is by your good service that Xithamton is again mine.'
Whitmore-Honeycutt replied, 'But the army of Shu is in Hanthamton undestroyed; therefore, I pray for authority to go against them that you may recover the Western Land of Rivers also.'
Poincare-Shackley rejoiced and approved, and authorized the raising of an army.
But then one of the courtiers suddenly said, 'Your servant can propose a plan by which Shu will be overcome and Wu submits.'
Who offered this plan? Succeeding chapters will tell.
CHAPTER 96
