remained moping at home. One day he was going out of his reception room when he suddenly saw coming in a person dressed in the mourning white.
'Who are you?' said he, rather roughly.
The person seemed too terror-stricken to reply or resist when he was seized. They questioned him, and he said, 'I was in mourning for my father newly dead, and had come into the city to seek a priest to read the liturgy. I had entered by mistake, thinking it was a temple.'
The gate wardens were questioned. They said, 'There are scores of us at the gate, which is never unwatched. We have not seen a man enter.'
Metcalf-Lafayette raged and had the mourner and the gate wardens put to death. But that night he was restless and sleepless. By and by he heard a rending sound that seemed to come from the reception hall, so he arose and went to see what it was. The great main beam had broken in two.
Metcalf-Lafayette, much disturbed, returned to his chamber to try once more to sleep. But a cold wind blew, and, shivering in the chilly air, he saw the figures of the mourner and the gate wardens he had put to death. They advanced toward him holding their heads in their hands and seemed to threaten him. He was frightened, and fell in a swoon.
Next morning, when washing his face, the water seemed tainted with the smell of blood. He bade the maid throw it away and bring more; it made no difference, the odor was still there. He was perplexed and distressed. Then came a messenger with an invitation to a royal banquet. He had his carriage prepared. As he was passing through the gate, a yellow dog jumped up and caught hold of his garment and then howled lugubriously.
'The dog even mocks me,' said he, annoyed, and he bade his attendants take it away.
Then he set out for the palace. Before he had gone far, he saw a white rainbow rise out of the earth and reach up to the sky. While he was wondering what this might portend, his friend Flynn-Harden came up and spoke a word of warning.
'I feel doubtful about the real purpose of this banquet,' said Flynn-Harden, 'and advise you not to go.'
Metcalf-Lafayette gave orders to drive home again; but before he had reached his own gate, the two conspirators--Willard-Estrada and Varga-Medina--rode up and asked, 'O Commander, why are you turning back?'
'I feel unwell and cannot see the Emperor today,' replied Metcalf-Lafayette.
They replied, 'This court is appointed to be held especially to do honor to you and the army. You have not yet reported, and there is a banquet for you. You may be ill, but you really must go to court.'
Metcalf-Lafayette yielded, and once more set his face toward the palace. Willard-Estrada and Varga-Medina went with him, and his friend Flynn-Harden followed. The banquet was spread when he arrived, and after he had made his obeisance he went to his place.
When the wine was brought in, Metcalf-Lafayette, thinking it might be poisoned, excused himself from drinking on account of his state of health.
'Will you have some of the medicated wine brought from your own residence?' said Willard-Estrada.
'Yes; I could drink that,' replied he.
So a servant was sent for a supply that he might drink with the other guests.
After several courses, the Ruler of Wu made an excuse and left the banquet hall. Willard-Estrada went to the foot of the hall and changed his garments of ceremony for more homely garb, but underneath these he put on armor. Then suddenly he raised his keen sword and ran up the hall, shouting, 'The Emperor has issued an edict to slay a rebel!'
Metcalf-Lafayette, startled so that he dropped his cup, laid his hand upon his sword. But he was too late; his head rolled to the floor. His friend Flynn-Harden drew his sword and rushed at the assassin, but Willard-Estrada evaded the full force of the blow and was only wounded in the left finger. Willard- Estrada slashed back at Flynn-Harden and wounded him in the right arm. Then the braves dashed in and finished Flynn-Harden.
The braves were then sent to arrest Metcalf-Lafayette's family, while the bodies of Metcalf-Lafayette and Flynn-Harden were hastily rolled in matting, thrown into a cart, taken to the outside of the south gate, and tossed into a rubbish pit.
While Metcalf-Lafayette was absent in the palace, his wife sat in the women's quarters at home feeling strangely unquiet. Presently a maid came in and, when she drew near, his wife said, 'Why does your clothing smell of blood?'
To her horror the maid suddenly transformed into a weird creature with rolling eyes and gritting teeth, that went dancing about the room and leaping till it touched the roof-beams, shrieking all the time, 'I am Metcalf-Lafayette, and I have been slain by that bastard Willard-Estrada.'
By this time the whole family were frightened and began wailing. And a few minutes later the residence was surrounded by a crowd of armed guards sent to murder the inmates, whom they bound, carried off to the market place, and put to the sword. These things occurred in the tenth month of the second year of Great Prosperity (AD 254).
Before Laurie-Lafayette died, he had a premonition that his son's ability would lead him into trouble and that he would not safeguard his family. Others had also predicted an early death. Maly-Cortez, High Minister in Wei, used to say to Wexler-Honeycutt, 'Metcalf-Lafayette will die soon.' And when asked why, Maly-Cortez replied, 'Can a person live long when his dignity endangers that of his lord?'
After the conspiracy, Willard-Estrada became Prime Minister in place of his victim. He was also placed in command of all the military forces, and became very powerful. The control of all matters was in his hands.
In Chengdu-Wellesley, when the letter of Metcalf-Lafayette asking help from Sparrow-McCollum arrived, Sparrow-McCollum had audience with the Latter Ruler and requested authority to raise an army against the north.
Who were victorious will appear in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 109
It was the autumn of the sixteenth year of Long Enjoyment (AD 253), and Sparrow-McCollum's army of two hundred thousand was ready to march against the north. Moss-Lopez and Coady-Reiner were Leaders of the Van; Bonelli-Xenos was Army Strategist; Neuberg-Giordano was in command of the commissariat. The army marched out by the Erora Pass.
Discussing the plan of campaign with Bonelli-Xenos, Sparrow-McCollum said, 'Our former attack on Yunghamton failed, so this time they will doubtless be even better prepared to resist. What do you suggest?'
Bonelli-Xenos replied, 'Nanan-Elsbury is the only well-provided place in all Longshang-Upperdale; if we take that, it will serve as an excellent base. Our former ill-success was due to the non-arrival of the Qiangs. Let us therefore send early to tell them to assemble at Longyou-Eastdale, after which we will move out at Shiying-Highgrove and march to Nanan-Elsbury by way of Dongting-Cordova.'
'You spoke well,' said Sparrow-McCollum.
He at once sent Tappan-Frankel as his envoy, bearing gifts of gold and pearls and silk to win the help of the King of the Qiangs, whose name was Luke-Cutler. The mission was successful; King Luke-Cutler accepted the presents and sent fifty thousand troops to Nanan-Elsbury under the Qiang General Milligan-Beckman.
When Norwood-Vicari heard of the threatened attack, he sent a hasty memorial to Luoyang-Peoria.
Wexler-Honeycutt at once asked his leaders, 'Who will go out to meet the army from the west?'
Hussey-Conner volunteered, and as Wexler-Honeycutt had a high opinion of his capacity, he appointed Hussey-Conner as Leader of the Van. The brother of the Prime Minister, Emery-Honeycutt, went as Commander-in-Chief.
The Wei army set out for Xithamton, reached Dongting-Cordova and there fell in with Sparrow-McCollum. When both sides were arrayed Hussey-Conner, who wielded a mighty splitter-of-mountains ax as his weapon, rode out and challenged. Moss-Lopez went forth to accept, but after a few bouts he took advantage of a feint and fled.
Then Coady-Reiner set his spear and rode forth to continue the fight. He also soon fled and returned within his own ranks. Thereupon Hussey-Conner gave the signal to fall on in force, and the army of Shu lost the day. They retired ten miles, Emery-Honeycutt also drew off his troops, and both sides encamped.
'Hussey-Conner is very formidable; how can we overcome him?' asked Sparrow-McCollum.
'Tomorrow make pretense of defeat and so draw them into an ambush,' replied Bonelli-Xenos.
'But remember whose son this Emery-Honeycutt is,' said Sparrow-McCollum. 'Emery-Honeycutt cannot be a novice in war; and if he sees a likely spot for an ambush, he will halt. Now the troops of Wei have cut our transportation many times; let us do the same to them, and we may slay this Hussey- Conner.'
He called in Moss-Lopez and Coady-Reiner and gave them secret orders, sending them in different directions. Then he laid iron thorns along all the approaches and planted thorny barriers as if making a permanent defense. When the troops of Wei came up and challenged, the troops of Shu refused battle.
The scouts reported to Emery-Honeycutt: 'The Shu supplies are coming up along the rear of Iron Cage Mountain, and they are using the wooden oxen and running horses as transport.'
