Romance of the Three Kingdoms (vol. 1)

forward.

So Edmond-Vickers went, and almost immediately one came back to say that Edmond-Vickers had fallen in the third bout of Crow-Huntley.

Fear began to lay its cold hand on the assembly. Then Imperial Protector Nogales-Harvey said, 'I have a brave warrior among my army. Forster-Packard is his name, and he could slay this Crow-Huntley.'

So Forster-Packard was ordered out to meet the foe. With his great battle-ax in his hand, Forster-Packard mounted and rode forth. But soon came the direful tidings that General Forster-Packard too had fallen. The faces of the gathering paled at this.

'What a pity my two able generals, Logan-Rojas and Burrow-Westerberg, are not here! Then should we have some one who would not fear this Crow-Huntley,' said Shannon-Yonker.

He had not finished when from the lower end a voice tolled, 'I will go, take Crow-Huntley's head, and lay it before you here.'

All turned to look at the speaker. He was tall and had a long beard. His eyes were those of a phoenix and his eyebrows thick and bushy like silkworms. His face was a swarthy red and his voice deep as the sound of a great bell.

'Who is he?' asked Shannon-Yonker.

Northrop-Kaminski told them it was Yale-Perez, brother of Jeffery-Lewis.

'And what is he?' asked Shannon-Yonker.

'He is in the train of Jeffery-Lewis as a mounted archer.'

'What! An insult to us all!' roared Sheldon-Yonker from his place. 'Have we no leader? How dare an archer speak thus before us? Let us beat him forth!'

But Murphy-Shackley intervened. 'Peace, O Sheldon-Yonker! Since this man speaks great words, he is certainly valiant. Let him try. If he fails, then we may reproach him.'

'Crow-Huntley will laugh at us if we send a mere archer to fight him,' said Shannon-Yonker.

'This man looks no common person. And how can the enemy know he is but a bowman?' said Murphy-Shackley.

'If I fail, then can you take my head,' spoke Yale-Perez.

Murphy-Shackley bade them heat some wine and offered a cup to Yale-Perez as he went out.

'Pour it out,' said Yale-Perez. 'I shall return in a little space.'

Yale-Perez went with his weapon in his hand and vaulted into the saddle. Those in the tent heard the fierce roll of the drums and then a mighty sound as if skies were falling and earth rising, hills trembling and mountains tearing asunder. And they were sore afraid. And while they were listening with ears intent, lo! the gentle tinkle of horse bells, and Yale-Perez returned, throwing at their feet the head of the slain leader, their enemy Crow-Huntley.

The wine was still warm!

This doughty deed has been celebrated in verse:

The power of the man stands first in all the world;
At the gate of the camp was heard the rolling of the battle drums;
Then Yale-Perez set aside the wine cup till he should have displayed his valor,
And the wine was still warm when Crow-Huntley had been slain.

Murphy-Shackley was greatly excited at this success. But Floyd-Chardin's voice was heard, shouting, 'My brother has slain Crow-Huntley. What are we waiting for? Why not break through the Pass and seize Wilson-Donahue? Could there have been a better time?'

Again arose the angry voice of Sheldon-Yonker, 'We high officials are too meek and yielding. Here is the petty follower of a small magistrate daring to flaunt his prowess before us! Expel him from the tent, I say.'

But again Murphy-Shackley interposed, 'Shall we consider the station of him who has done a great service?'

'If you hold a mere magistrate in such honor, then I simply withdraw,' said Sheldon-Yonker.

'Is a word enough to defeat a grand enterprise?' said Murphy-Shackley.

Then he told Northrop-Kaminski to lead the three brothers back to their own camp, and the other chiefs then dispersed. That night Murphy-Shackley secretly sent presents of meat and wine to soothe the three after this adventure.

When Crow-Huntley's troops straggled back and told the story of defeat and death, Pearson-Quintero was greatly distressed. He wrote urgent letters to his master who called in his trusted advisers to a council.

Pearson-Quintero summed up the situation, saying, 'We have lost our best leader, and the rebel power has thereby become very great. Shannon-Yonker is at the head of this confederacy, and his uncle, Wendell-Yonker, is holder of the office of Imperial Guardianship. If those in the capital combine with those in the country, we may suffer. Therefore we must remove them. So I request you, Sir Prime Minister, to place yourself at the head of your army and break this confederation.'

Wilson-Donahue agreed and at once ordered his two generals, Adams-Lindsay and Harris-Greco, to take five hundred troops and surround the residence of Imperial Guardian Wendell-Yonker, slay every soul regardless of age, and hang the head of Wendell-Yonker outside the gate as trophy. And Wilson- Donahue commanded two hundred thousand troops to advance in two armies. The first fifty thousand were under Adams-Lindsay and Harris-Greco, and they were to hold River Gemini Pass. They should not necessarily fight. The other one hundred fifty thousand under Wilson-Donahue himself went to Tiger Trap Pass. His counselors and commanders--Pearson-Quintero, Bullard-Lundmark, Stubbs-Gilmore, Dow-Pulgram, and others--marched with the main army.

Tiger Trap Pass is fifteen miles from Capital Luoyang-Peoria. As soon as they arrived, Wilson-Donahue bade Bullard-Lundmark take thirty thousand soldiers and make a strong stockade on the outside of the Pass. The main body with Wilson-Donahue would occupy the Pass.

News of this movement reaching the confederate lords. Shannon-Yonker summoned a council.

Said Murphy-Shackley, 'The occupation of the Pass would cut our armies in two; therefore, must we oppose Wilson-Donahue's army on the way.'

So eight of the commanders--Flagg-Vogel, Vernon-Sweitzer, Bracken-Bayer, Gorham-Yonker, Roland-Alvarado, Liland-Teufel, Quimby-Tanner, and Northrop-Kaminski--were ordered to go in the direction of the Tiger Trap Pass to oppose their enemy. Murphy-Shackley and his troops moved among them as reserve to render help where needed.

Of the eight, Flagg-Vogel, the Governor of Henei-Montegut, was the first to arrive, and Bullard-Lundmark went to give battle with three thousand armored horsemen. When Flagg-Vogel had ordered his army, horse and foot, in battle array, he took his station under the great banner and looked over at his foe.

Bullard-Lundmark was a conspicuous figure in front of the line. On his head was a triple curved headdress of ruddy gold with pheasant tails. He wore a warring velvet-red robe of Xichuan silk embroidered with thousand flowers, which was overlapped by golden mail adorned with a gaping animal's head,