wants to injure me. If I do not get in the first blow, I shall suffer some injury.'
So Harris-Greco began to prepare his guards for any sudden emergency. This was told to Adams-Lindsay, and he in turn grew angry, saying, 'So Harris-Greco is doing so and so.'
Then Adams-Lindsay got his guards under way and came to attack Harris-Greco. Both houses had ten thousand, and the quarrel became so serious that they fought a pitched battle under the city walls. When that was over both sides turned to plunder the people.
Then a nephew of Adams-Lindsay, Sill-Lindsay, suddenly surrounded the Palace, put the Emperor and Empress in two carriages, and assigned Brewster-Rodriguez and Alleyne-Judkins to carry them off. The palace attendants were made to follow on foot. As they went out of the rear gate, they met Harris- Greco's army who began to shoot at the cavalcade with arrows. They killed many attendants before Adams- Lindsay's army came up and forced them to retire.
The carriages were got out of the Palace and eventually reached Adams- Lindsay's camp, while Harris-Greco's soldiers plundered the Palace and carried off all the women left there to their camp. Then the Palace was set on fire.
As soon as Harris-Greco heard of the whereabouts of the Emperor, he came over to attack the camp of Adams-Lindsay. The Emperor between these two opposing factions was greatly alarmed. Indeed:
Harris-Greco's army arrived, and Adams-Lindsay went out to give battle. Harris- Greco's troops had no success and retired. Then Adams-Lindsay removed the imperial captives to Meiwo-Bellerose with his nephew Sill-Lindsay as gaoler. Supplies were reduced, and famine showed itself on the faces of the eunuchs. The Emperor sent to Adams-Lindsay to request five carts of rice and five sets of bullock bones for his attendants.
Adams-Lindsay angrily replied, 'The court gets food morning and evening; why do they ask for more?'
He sent putrid meat and rotten grain, and the Emperor was very vexed at the new insult. Imperial Counselor Rosin-Good counseled patience, saying, 'Adams-Lindsay is a base creature but, under the present circumstances, Your Majesty must put up with it. You may not provoke him.'
The Emperor bowed and was silent, but the tears fell on his garments. Suddenly some one came in with the tidings that a force of cavalry, their sabers glittering in the sun, was approaching to rescue them. Then they heard the gongs beat and the roll of the drums.
The Emperor sent to find out who it was. But it was Harris-Greco, and the sadness fell again. Presently arose a great din. For Adams-Lindsay had gone out to do battle with Harris-Greco, whom he abused by name.
'I treated you well and why did you try to kill me?' said Adams-Lindsay.
'You are a rebel, why should I not slay you?' cried Harris-Greco.
'You call me rebel when I am guarding the Emperor?'
'You have abducted him; do you call that guarding?'
'Why so many words? Let us forgo a battle and settle the matter in single combat, the winner to take the Emperor and go.'
The two generals fought in front of their armies, but neither could prevail over the other.
Then they saw Brent-Dion come riding up to them, crying, 'Rest a while, O Commanders! For I have invited a party of officers to arrange a peace.'
Wherefore the two leaders retired to their camps. Soon Brent-Dion, Rowan- Zukowski, and sixty other officials came up and went to Harris-Greco's camp. They were all thrown into confinement.
'We came with good intentions,' they moaned, 'and we are treated like