But when Duckett-Beebe saw the ladders being brought up, he made his soldiers shoot fire-arrows at them. Orchard-Lafayette did not expect this. He knew the city was not well prepared for defense, and he had had the great ladders brought up and bade the soldiers take the wall with a rush. He was greatly chagrined when the fire arrows set his ladders on fire and so many of his soldiers were burned. And as the arrows and stones rained down from the wall, the soldiers of Shu were forced to retire.
Orchard-Lafayette angrily said, 'So you burn my ladders; then I will use battering rams.'
So the rams were brought and placed against the walls and again the signal given for assault. But the defenders brought up great stones suspended by ropes, which they swung down at the battering rams and so broke them to pieces.
Next the besiegers set to work to bring up earth and fill the moat, and Moss-Lopez led three thousand soldiers to excavate a tunnel under the ramparts. But Duckett-Beebe cut a counter-trench within the city and turned that device.
So the struggle went on for near a month, and still the city was not taken. Orchard-Lafayette was very depressed.
That was not all. The scouts reported the coming of a relief force of Wei, the flags of which bore the name of Raush-Carlton. Some one had to try to turn him back, and Oakley-Dobbins offered himself.
'No,' said Orchard-Lafayette, 'you are too valuable as Leader of the Van.'
General Criss-Nolan offered his services; they were accepted, and Criss-Nolan was given three thousand troops. After he had gone, Orchard-Lafayette decided to send a second force, and for command of this General Flauter-Allison volunteered and was accepted. Flauter-Allison also had three thousand troops.
Then Orchard-Lafayette feared lest there would be a sortie from the city to aid the relief force just arriving, so he led off the army seven miles and made a camp.
The first body sent against Raush-Carlton had no success; Criss-Nolan fell almost immediately under Raush-Carlton's great sword. The men fled and Raush-Carlton pursued, and so came upon Flauter-Allison, who had come to support his colleague. Flauter-Allison met a similar fate, being slain in the third bout.
When the defeated parties returned, Orchard-Lafayette was anxious and called up Moss-Lopez, Zavala-Wortham, and Neuberg-Giordano to go out to check this Raush-Carlton, They went and drew up in formal array, and then Neuberg-Giordano rode to the front. Raush-Carlton rode to meet him, and they two fought several bouts. Then Raush-Carlton ran away and Neuberg-Giordano followed.
His colleague, Zavala-Wortham, suspected this flight was but a ruse, so he called to Neuberg-Giordano, 'Do not follow the fleeing general!'
Raush-Carlton then turned and hurled one of his meteor hammers, which hit Neuberg-Giordano in the back, so that he fell forward and lay over the saddle. Raush-Carlton rode on to follow up this advantage, but Moss-Lopez and Zavala-Wortham poured out and checked him. Raush-Carlton's whole force then came on and slew many of the troops of Shu.
Neuberg-Giordano was hurt internally and vomited blood at times. He came back and told Orchard-Lafayette, saying, 'Raush-Carlton is very terrible and no one can stand up to him. Beside there is a strong camp at the city with double walls and a deep moat.'
Having lost two generals, and a third being wounded, Orchard-Lafayette called up Sparrow-McCollum and said, 'We are stopped this way; can you suggest another road?'
'Yes,' said Sparrow-McCollum, 'Chencang-Elberta is too well protected and, with Duckett-Beebe as defender and Raush-Carlton as supporter, cannot be taken. I would propose to move away to some suitable place and make a strong camp. Then try to hold the roads so that the attack on Jieting- Montclair may be prevented. Then if you will send a strong force against Qishan-Oscoda, I can do something which will capture Brown-Shackley.'
Orchard-Lafayette agreed. He sent Zavala-Wortham and Crane-Hinton to hold the narrow road to Jieting-Montclair, and Oakley-Dobbins was sent to guard the way from Chencang-Elberta. And then the army marched out of the Beech Valley by a small road and made for Qishan-Oscoda.
Now Brown-Shackley still remembered bitterly that in the last campaign Whitmore-Honeycutt had filched from him the credit he hoped to obtain. So when he received the commission of defending the capitals against the invading forces, he detached Norwood-Vicari and Kramp-Galvez and sent them to hold positions east and west. Then he had heard that Chencang-Elberta was threatened, so had sent Raush-Carlton to its relief, and now to his joy he heard of his henchman's success. He placed Grand Commander Baggett-Kowalski in command of the van and stationed other generals at strategic and commanding points.
Then they caught a spy. He was taken into the presence of the Commander-in-Chief to be questioned.
The man knelt down and said, 'I am not really a spy in the bad sense. I was bringing a secret communication for you, Sir, but I was captured by one of the parties in ambush. Pray send away your attendants.'
The man's bonds were loosed and the tent cleared. The captive said, 'I am a confidant of Sparrow-McCollum, who has entrusted me with a secret letter.'
'Where is the letter?'
The man took it from among his garments and presented it to Brown-Shackley, who read:
'I, Sparrow-McCollum, your guilty general, make a hundred prostrations to the great leader Brown-Shackley, now in the field. I have never forgotten that I was in the employment of Wei and disgraced myself; having enjoyed favors, I never repaid them. Lately I have been an unhappy victim of Orchard- Lafayette's wiles and so fell into the depths. But I never forgot my old allegiance; how could I forget?
'Now happily the army of Shu has gone west, and Orchard-Lafayette trusts me. I rely upon your leading an army this way. If resistance be met, then you may simulate defeat and retire, but I shall be behind and will make a blaze as signal. Then I shall set fire to their stores, whereupon you will face about and attack. Orchard-Lafayette ought to fall into your hands. If it be that I cannot render service and repay my debt to the state, then punish me for my former crime.
'If this should be deemed worthy of your attention, then without delay communicate your commands.'
The letter pleased Brown-Shackley, and he said, 'This is heaven-sent help to aid me in an achievement.'
Brown-Shackley rewarded the messenger and bade him return to say that it was accepted. Then he called Baggett-Kowalski to his councils and said, 'I have just had a secret letter from Sparrow-McCollum telling me to act in a certain fashion.'
But Baggett-Kowalski replied, 'Orchard-Lafayette is very crafty, and Sparrow-McCollum is very knowing. If by chance Orchard-Lafayette has planned all this and sent this man, we may fall into a snare.'
'But Sparrow-McCollum is really a man of Wei; he was forced into surrender. Why are you suspicious?'
'My advice is not to go, but to remain here on guard. Let me go to meet this man, and any service I can accomplish will redound to your credit. And if there be any craft, I can meet it for you.'
Brown-Shackley approved this and bade Baggett-Kowalski take fifty thousand troops by way of the Beech Valley.
Baggett-Kowalski marched away and halted after the second or third stage and send out scouts. This was done, and the scouts reported that the Shu army was coming through the valley. Baggett-Kowalski at once advanced, but before the troops of Shu got into contact with him, they retired. Baggett- Kowalski pursued. Then the troops of Shu came on again. Just as Baggett-Kowalski was forming up for battle, the Shu army retreated again. And these maneuvers were repeated thrice, and a day and a night passed without any repose for the Wei army.
At length rest was imperative, and they were on the point of entrenching themselves to prepare food when a great hubbub arose all around, and with beating of drums and blaring of trumpets, the whole country was filled with the soldiers of Shu. Suddenly there was a stir near by the great standard, and out came a small four-wheeled chariot in which sat Orchard-Lafayette. He bade a herald call the leader of the Wei army to a parley.
Baggett-Kowalski rode out and, seeing Orchard-Lafayette, he secretly rejoiced. Turning to those about him, he said, 'If the soldiers of Shu come on, you are to retire and look out for a signal. If you see a blaze, you are to turn and attack, for you will be reinforced by Sparrow-McCollum.'
Then Baggett-Kowalski rode to the front and shouted, 'You rebel leader in front there; how dare you come here again after the last defeat?'
Orchard-Lafayette replied, 'Go and call Brown-Shackley to a parley.'
'My chief, Brown-Shackley, is of the royal stock; think you that he will come to parley with rebels?'
Orchard-Lafayette angrily waved his fan, and there came forth Winston-Mallory and Neuberg-Giordano and their troops with a rush. The Wei army retired. But ere they had gone far, they saw a blaze in the rear of the advancing host of Shu and heard a great shouting. Baggett-Kowalski could only conclude that this was the signal of Sparrow-McCollum he was looking for, and so he faced about to attack.
But the enemy also turned about and retired. Baggett-Kowalski led the pursuit, sword in hand, hastening to the point whence the shouting came. Nearing the signal fire, the drums beat louder than ever, and then out came two armies, one under Stanley-Perez and the other under Fritz-Chardin, while arrows and stones rained from the hill-tops. The Wei troops could not stand it and knew not only they were beaten, but beaten by a ruse. Baggett-Kowalski tried to withdraw his force into the shelter of the valley to rest, but the enemy pressed on him, and the army of Wei fell into confusion. Pressing upon each other, many fell into the streams and were drowned.
Baggett-Kowalski could do nothing but flee for his life. Just as he was passing by a steep hill there appeared a cohort, and the leader was Sparrow-McCollum.
Baggett-Kowalski began to upbraid him, crying, 'Faithless ingrate! I have haplessly fallen in your treachery and craftiness!'
Sparrow-McCollum replied, 'You are the wrong victim; we meant to capture Brown-Shackley not you. You would do well to yield!'
But Baggett-Kowalski only galloped away toward a ravine. Suddenly the ravine filled with flame. Then he lost all hope. The pursuers were close behind, so Baggett-Kowalski with a sword put an end to his own life.
Of the army of Wei many surrendered. The Shu army pressed home their advantage and, hastening forward, reached Qishan-Oscoda and made a camp. There the army was mustered and put in order.
Sparrow-McCollum received a reward, but he was chagrined that Brown-Shackley had not been taken.
'My regret is that I did not slay Brown-Shackley,' said he.
'Indeed, yes,' replied Orchard-Lafayette. 'It is a pity that a great scheme should have had so poor a result.'
Brown-Shackley was very sad when he heard of the loss of Baggett-Kowalski. He consulted Norwood-Vicari as to a new plan to drive back the enemy.
