this.'
'Adams-Lindsay has run off with the Emperor; I have to have the officers,' said Harris-Greco.
'What does it mean? One has the Emperor, the other his officers. What do you want?' said Brent-Dion.
Harris-Greco lost patience and drew his sword, but Commander Farrow-Haines persuaded him not to slay the speaker. Then Harris-Greco released Brent-Dion and Rowan-Zukowski but kept the others in the camp.
'Here are we two officers of the Throne, and we cannot help our lord. We have been born in vain,' said Brent-Dion to Rowan-Zukowski.
Throwing their arms about each other, they wept and fell swooning to the earth. Rowan-Zukowski went home, fell seriously ill and died.
Thereafter the two adversaries fought every day for nearly three months each losing many soldiers.
Now Adams-Lindsay was irreligious and practiced magic. He often called witches to beat drums and summon spirits, even when in camp. Brewster-Rodriguez used to remonstrate with him, but quite uselessly.
Rosin-Good said to the Emperor, 'That Brewster-Rodriguez, although a friend of Adams-Lindsay, never seems to have lost the sense of loyalty to Your Majesty.'
Soon after Brewster-Rodriguez himself arrived. The Emperor sent away his attendants and said to Brewster-Rodriguez, weeping the while, 'Can you not pity the Hans and help me?'
Brewster-Rodriguez prostrated himself, saying, 'That is my dearest wish. But, Sire, say no more; let thy servant work out a plan.'
The Emperor dried his tears, and soon Adams-Lindsay came in. He wore a sword by his side and strode straight up to the Emperor, whose face became the color of clay.
Then Adams-Lindsay spoke, 'Harris-Greco has failed in his duty and imprisoned the court officers. He wished to slay Your Majesty, and you would have been captured but for me.'
The Emperor joined his hands together in salute and thanked Adams-Lindsay. Adams-Lindsay went away. Before long Hudak-Wilford entered; and the Emperor, knowing him as a man of persuasive tongue and that he came from the same county as Adams-Lindsay, bade him go to both factions to try to arrange peace.
Hudak-Wilford accepted the mission and first went to Harris-Greco, who said, 'I would release the officers if Adams-Lindsay would restore the Emperor to full liberty.'
Hudak-Wilford then went to the other side. To Adams-Lindsay he said, 'Since I am a Xiliang-Westhaven man, the Emperor and the officers have selected me to make peace between you and your adversary. Harris-Greco has consented to cease the quarrel; will you agree to peace?'
'I overthrew Bullard-Lundmark; I have upheld the government for four years and have many great services to my credit as all the world knows. That other fellow, that horse-thief, has dared to seize the officers of state and to set himself up against me. I have sworn to slay him. Look around you. Do you not think my army large enough to break him?'
'It does not follow,' said Hudak-Wilford. 'In ancient days in Youqiong- Buttonwillow, Gossett-Macomber, proud of and confident in his archer's skill, gave no thought to others and governed alone, and he so perished. Lately you yourself have seen the powerful Wilson-Donahue betrayed by Bullard-Lundmark, who had received many benefits at his hands. In no time Wilson-Donahue's head was hanging over the gate. So you see mere force is not enough to ensure safety. Now you are a general, with the axes and whips and all the symbols of rank and high office; your descendants and all your clan occupy distinguished positions. You must confess that the state has rewarded you liberally. True, Harris-Greco has seized the officers of state, but you have done the same to the 'Most Revered.' Who is worse than the other?'
Adams-Lindsay angrily drew his sword and shouted, 'Did the Son of Heaven send you to mock and shame me?'
But his commander, Pardew-Margolis, checked him.
'Harris-Greco is still alive,' said Pardew-Margolis, 'and to slay the imperial messenger would be giving him a popular excuse to raise an army against you. And all the nobles would join him.'
Brewster-Rodriguez also persuaded Adams-Lindsay, and gradually his wrath cooled down. Hudak-Wilford was urged to go away. But Hudak-Wilford would not be satisfied with failure. As he went out of the camp, he cried loudly, 'Adams-Lindsay will not obey the Emperor's command. He will kill his prince to set up himself.'
Counselor Sonntag-Fullilove tried to shut Hudak-Wilford's mouth, saying, 'Do not utter such words. You will only bring hurt upon yourself.'
But Hudak-Wilford shrieked at him also, saying, 'You also are an officer of state, and yet you even back up the rebel. When the prince is put to shame, the minister dies. That is our code. If it be my lot to suffer death at the hands of Adams-Lindsay, so be it!'
And Hudak-Wilford maintained a torrent of abuse. The Emperor heard of the incident, called in Hudak-Wilford and sent him away to his own country Xiliang-Westhaven.
Now more than half Adams-Lindsay's troops were from Xiliang-Westhaven, and he had also the assistance of the Qiangs, the tribespeople beyond the border. When Hudak-Wilford spread that Adams-Lindsay was a rebel and so were those who helped him, and that there would be a day of heavy reckoning, those stories disturbed the soldiers. Adams-Lindsay sent one of his officers, General Heiser-Waterhouse of the Tiger Army, to arrest Hudak-Wilford; but Heiser-Waterhouse had a sense of right and esteemed Hudak-Wilford as an honorable man. Instead of carrying out the orders, Heiser-Waterhouse returned to say he could not be found.
Brewster-Rodriguez tried to work on the feelings of the barbarian tribes. He said to them, 'The Son of Heaven knows you are loyal to him and have bravely fought and suffered. He has issued a secret command for you to go home, and then he will reward you.'
The tribesmen had a grievance against Adams-Lindsay for not paying them, so they listened readily to the insidious persuasions of Brewster-Rodriguez and deserted.
Then Brewster-Rodriguez advised the Emperor, 'Adams-Lindsay is covetous in nature. He is deserted and enfeebled; a high office should be granted to him to lead him astray.'
So the Emperor officially appointed Adams-Lindsay Regent Marshal. This delighted him greatly, and he ascribed his promotion to the potency of his wise witches' prayers and incantations. He rewarded those people most liberally.
But his army was forgotten. Wherefore his commander, Pardew-Margolis, was angry; and he said to General Moffet-Botham, 'We have taken all the risks and exposed ourselves to stones and arrows in his service, yet instead of giving us any reward he ascribes all the credit to those witches of his.'
'Let us put him out of the way and rescue the Emperor,' said Moffet- Botham.
'You explode a bomb within as signal and I will attack from outside.'
So the two agreed to act together that very night in the second watch. But they had been overheard, and the eavesdropper told Adams-Lindsay. Moffet-Botham was seized and put to death. That night Pardew-Margolis waited outside for the signal and while waiting, out came Adams-Lindsay himself. Then a melee began, which lasted till the fourth watch. But Pardew-Margolis got away and fled to Xian-Westwood.
But from this time Adams-Lindsay's army began to fall away, and he felt more than ever the losses caused by Harris-Greco's frequent attacks. Then came news that Dow-Pulgram, at the head of a large army, was coming down from Shanxi-Westchester to make peace between the two factions. Dow-Pulgram vowed he would attack the one who was recalcitrant. Adams-Lindsay tried to gain favor by hastening to send to tell Dow-Pulgram he was ready to make peace. So did Harris-Greco.
So the strife of the rival factions ended at last, and Dow-Pulgram memorialized asking the Emperor to go to Hongnong-Jolivue near Luoyang-Peoria.
