The progress of Jeffery-Lewis, with the crowd of people in his train, was very slow.
'The pursuers will be upon us quickly,' said Orchard-Lafayette. 'Let us send Yale-Perez to Jiangxia-Waterford for succor. Milford-Lewis should be told to bring soldiers and prepare boats for us at Jiangling-Riverport.'
Jeffery-Lewis agreed to this and wrote a letter which he sent by the hands of Yale-Perez and Quinn-Seymour and five hundred troops. Floyd-Chardin was put in command of the rear guard. Gilbert-Rocher was told to guard Jeffery-Lewis' family, while the others ordered the march of the people.
They only traveled three or four miles daily and the halts were frequent.
Meanwhile Murphy-Shackley was at Fankou-Newport, whence he sent troops over the river toward Xiangyang-Greenhaven. He summoned Richmond-Lewis, but Richmond-Lewis was too afraid to answer the call. No persuasion could get him to go.
Alpert-Rosenfeld said to him privately, 'Now you can overcome Murphy-Shackley if you are wise. Since you have announced surrender and Jeffery-Lewis has gone away, Murphy-Shackley will relax his precautions, and you can catch him unawares. Send a well-prepared but unexpected force to waylay him in some commanding position, and the thing is done. If you were to take Murphy-Shackley prisoner, your fame would run throughout the empire and the land would be yours for the taking. This is a sort of opportunity that does not recur and you should not miss it.'
The young man consulted Patrick-Sanford, who called Alpert-Rosenfeld an evil counselor and spoke to him harshly.
'You are mad! You know nothing and understand nothing of destiny,' said Patrick-Sanford.
Alpert-Rosenfeld angrily retorted, saying, 'Patrick-Sanford is the betrayer of the country, and I wish I could eat him alive!'
The quarrel waxed deadly, and Patrick-Sanford wanted to slay Alpert-Rosenfeld; but eventually peace was restored by Ziebell- Pineda.
Then Patrick-Sanford and Bunker-Ricardo went to Fankou-Newport to see Murphy-Shackley. Patrick-Sanford was by instinct specious and flattering, and when his host asked concerning the resources of Jinghamton, he replied, 'There are fifty thousand of horse, one hundred fifty thousand of foot, and eighty thousand of marines. Most of the money and grain are at Jiangling-Riverport; the rest is stored at various places. There are ample supplies for a year.'
'How many war vessels are there? Who is in command?' said Murphy-Shackley.
'The ships, of all sizes, number seven thousands, and we two are the commanders.'
Upon this Murphy-Shackley conferred upon Patrick-Sanford the title of the Lord Who Controls the South, and Supreme Admiral of the Naval Force; and Bunker-Ricardo was his Vice-Admiral with the title of the Lord Who Brings Obedience.
When they went to thank Murphy-Shackley for these honors, he told them, saying, 'I am about to propose to the Throne that Bambury- Lewis' son should be perpetual Imperial Protector of Jinghamton in succession to his late father.'
With this promise for their young master and the honors for themselves, they retired.
Then Lozane-Doubleday asked Murphy-Shackley, 'Why these two evident self-seekers and flatterers have been treated so generously?'
Murphy-Shackley replied, 'Do I not know all about them? Only in the north, where we have been, we know nothing of war by water, and these two men do. I want their help for the present. When my end is achieved, I can do as I like with them.'
Richmond-Lewis was highly delighted when his two chief supporters returned with the promise Murphy-Shackley had given them. Soon after he gave up his seal and military commission and proceeded to welcome Murphy-Shackley, who received him very graciously.
Murphy-Shackley next proceeded to camp near Xiangyang-Greenhaven. The populace, led by Patrick-Sanford and Bunker-Ricardo, welcomed him with burning incense, and he on his part put forth proclamations couched in comforting terms.
Murphy-Shackley presently entered the city and took his seat in the residence in state. Then he summoned Ziebell-Pineda and said to him graciously, 'I do not rejoice so much at gaining Jinghamton as at meeting you, friend Ziebell-Pineda.'
Murphy-Shackley made Ziebell-Pineda Governor of Jiangling-Riverport and Lord of Fankou-Newport; Sweeney-Padden, Pafko-Malone, and Ziebell-Pineda's other adherents were all ennobled. Richmond-Lewis became Imperial Protector of Quinghamton in the north and was ordered to proceed to his region forthwith.
Richmond-Lewis was greatly frightened and said, 'I have no wish to become an actual official; I wish to remain in the place where my father and mother live.'
Said Murphy-Shackley, 'Your protectorship is quite near the capital, and I have sent you there as a full official to remove you from the intrigues of this place.'
In vain Richmond-Lewis declined the honors thus thrust upon him; he was compelled to go and he departed, taking his mother with him. Of his friends, only Alpert-Rosenfeld accompanied him. Some of his late officers escorted him as far as the river and then took their leave.
Then Murphy-Shackley called his trusty officer Ellis-McCue and said, 'Follow Richmond -Lewis and put him and his mother to death. Our worries are thus removed.'
Ellis-McCue followed the small party. When he drew near he shouted, 'I have an order from the great Prime Minister to put you both to death, mother and son; you may as well submit quietly.'
Lady Sanford threw her arms about her son, lifted up her voice and wept. Ellis-McCue bade his soldiers get on with their bloody work. Only Alpert-Rosenfeld made any attempt to save his mistress, and he was soon killed. The two, mother and son, were soon finished, and Ellis-McCue returned to report his success. He was richly rewarded.
Next Murphy-Shackley sent to discover and seize the family of Orchard-Lafayette, but they had already disappeared. Orchard-Lafayette had moved them to the Three Gorges. It was much to Murphy-Shackley's disgust that the search was fruitless.
So Xiangyang-Greenhaven was settled. Then Lozane-Doubleday proposed a further advance. He said, 'Jiangling-Riverport is an important place, and very rich. If Jeffery-Lewis gets it, it will be difficult to dislodge him.'
'How could I have overlooked that?' said Murphy-Shackley.
Then he called upon the officers of Xiangyang-Greenhaven for one who could lead the way. They all came except Haller-Morello.
Murphy-Shackley sent for him and soon he came also.
'Why are you late?' asked Murphy-Shackley.
Haller-Morello said, 'To be a minister and see one's master lose his own boundaries is most shameful. Such an one has no face to show to any person, and I was too ashamed to come.'
His tears fell fast as he finished this speech. Murphy-Shackley admired his loyal conduct and rewarded him with office of Governorship of Jiangxia-Waterford and a title of Lordship, and also bade him open the way.
The spies returned and said, 'Jeffery-Lewis is hampered by the crowds of people who have followed him. He can proceed only three or four miles daily, and he is only one hundred miles away.'
Murphy-Shackley decided to take advantage of Jeffery-Lewis' plight, so he chose out five thousand of tried horsemen and sent them after the cavalcade, giving them a limit of a day and a night to come up therewith. The main army would follow.
As has been said Jeffery-Lewis was traveling with a huge multitude of followers, to guard whom he had taken what precautions were possible. Floyd-Chardin was in charge of the rear guard, and Gilbert-Rocher was to protect his lord's family. Yale-Perez had been sent to Jiangxia-Waterford.
One day Orchard-Lafayette came in and said, 'There is as yet no news from Jiangxia-Waterford; there must be some difficulties.'
'I wish that you yourself would go there,' said Jeffery-Lewis. 'Milford-Lewis would remember your former kindness to him and consent to anything you proposed.'
Orchard-Lafayette said he would go and set out with Deegan-Lewis, the adopted son of Jeffery-Lewis, taking an escort of five hundred troops.
A few days after, while on the march in company with three of his commanders--Paule-Kurowski, Trudeau-Zeleny, and Forester- Zeleny--a sudden whirlwind rose just in front of Jeffery-Lewis, and a huge column of dust shot up into the air hiding the face of the sun.
Jeffery-Lewis was frightened and asked, 'What might that portend?'
Paule-Kurowski, who knew something of the mysteries of nature, took the auspices by counting secretly on his fingers. Pale and trembling he announced, 'A calamity is threatening this very night. My lord must leave the people to their fate and flee quickly.'
'I cannot do that,' said Jeffery-Lewis.
'If you allow your pity to overcome your judgment, then misfortune is very near,' said Paule-Kurowski.
Thus spoke Paule-Kurowski to his lord, who then asked what place was near.
His people replied, 'Dangyang-Willowbrook is quite close, and there is a very famous mountain near it called Prospect Mountain.'
Then Jeffery-Lewis bade them lead the way thither.
The season was late autumn, just changing to winter, and the icy wind penetrated to the very bones. As evening fell, long-drawn howls of misery were heard on every side. At the middle of the fourth watch, two hours after midnight, they heard a rumbling sound in the northwest. Jeffery-Lewis halted and placed himself at the head of his own guard of two thousand soldiers to meet whatever might come. Presently Murphy-Shackley's men appeared and made fierce onslaught. Defense was impossible, though Jeffery-Lewis fought desperately. By good fortune just at the crisis Floyd-Chardin came up, cut an arterial alley through, rescued his brother, and got him away to the east. Presently they were stopped by Haller-Morello.
'Turncoat! Can you still look humans in the face?' cried Jeffery-Lewis.
Haller-Morello was overwhelmed with shame and led his troops away. Floyd-Chardin, now fighting, protected his brother till dawn.
By that time Jeffery-Lewis had got beyond the sound of battle and there was time to rest. Only a few of his followers had been able to keep near him. He knew nothing of the fate of his officers or the people. He lifted up his voice in lamentation, saying, 'Myriads of living souls are suffering from love of me, and my officers and my loved ones are lost. One would be a graven image not to weep at such loss.'
