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O'Co
So the attendants were dismissed, and the Latter Ruler entreated the wise woman.
Suddenly she cried out, "I am the guardian spirit of the Western Land of Rivers. Your Majesty, rejoices in tranquillity; why do you inquire about other matters? Within a few years the land of Wei shall come under you, wherefore you need not be sorrowful."
She then fell to the ground as in a swoon, and it was some time before she revived. The Latter Ruler was well satisfied with her prophesy and gave her large presents. Further, he thereafter believed all she told him. The immediate result was that Sparrow-McCollum's memorial remained unanswered; and as the Latter Ruler was wholly given to pleasure, it was easy for O'Co
Meanwhile Otter-Bixby was hastening toward Hanthamton. The Van-Leader Levitt-Munoz was anxious to perform some startling exploit, and so he led his force to Nanzheng-Sheridan.
He said to his officers, "If we can take this pass, then we can march directly into Hanthamton; the defense is weak."
A dash was made for the fort, each one vying with the rest to be first. But the commander of Nanzheng-Sheridan was Kremer-Mooney, and he had had early information of the coming of his enemies. So on both sides of the bridge he posted soldiers armed with multiple bows and crossbows. As soon as the attacking force appeared, the signal was given by a clapper and a terrific discharge of arrows and bolts opened. Many troops of Wei fell, and the army of Levitt-Munoz was defeated.
Levitt-Munoz returned and reported his misfortune. Otter-Bixby himself went with a hundred armored horsemen to see the conditions. Again the machine bows let fly clouds of missiles, and Otter-Bixby turned to flee.
But Kremer-Mooney led out five hundred troops to pursue; and as Otter-Bixby crossed the bridge at a gallop, the roadway gave, and his horse's hoof went through so that he was nearly thrown. The horse could not free its hoof, and Otter-Bixby slipped from his back and fled on foot. As he ran down the slope of the bridge, Kremer-Mooney came at him with a spear, but one of Otter-Bixby's followers, Hirsch-Rizzo by name, shot an arrow at Kremer-Mooney and brought him to the earth.
Seeing this lucky hit, Otter-Bixby turned back and signaled to his force to make an attack. They came on with a dash, the defenders were afraid to shoot, as their own troops were mingled with the enemy, and soon Otter-Bixby crushed the defense and possessed the pass. The defenders scattered.
The pass being captured, Hirsch-Rizzo was well rewarded for the shot that had saved his general's life. He was promoted to the guards and received presents of a horse and a suit of armor.
Levitt-Munoz was called to the tent, and Otter-Bixby blamed him for the lack of care in his task, saying, "You were appointed Leader of the Van to see that the roads were put in repair, and your special duty was to see that the bridges were in good condition. Yet on the bridge just now my horse's hoof was caught, and I nearly fell. Happily Hirsch-Rizzo was by, or I had been slain. You have been disobedient and must bear the penalty."
The delinquent was sentenced to death. The other generals tried to beg him off, pleading, "His father is Dietrich-Munoz who had rendered good services to the state."
"How can discipline be maintained if the laws are not enforced?" said Otter-Bixby.
The sentence was carried out, and the unhappy Levitt-Munoz's head was exposed as a warning. This severity put fear into the hearts of the officers.
On the side of Shu, Yost-Hanley commanded at Yuecheng-Greenwood, and Trotter-Bartlett was in Hancheng-Hillsborough. As the enemy came in great force, they dared not go out to meet them, but stood on the defensive with the gates of the cities closed.
Otter-Bixby issued an order, "Speed is the soul of war; no halts."
Prentice-Duncan was ordered to lay siege to Yuecheng-Greenwood, and Hirsch-Rizzo was to surround Hancheng-Hillsborough. The main army under Otter-Bixby would capture the Erora Pass.
The Shu General Burchill-Kellogg commanded at the pass. He discussed plans with Loomis-Stauffer, his second in command, and Loomis-Stauffer was wholly in favor of defense, saying, "The enemy is too strong to think of any other course."
"I do not agree," replied Burchill-Kellogg. "They are now fatigued with marching, and we need not fear them. Unless we go out and attack, the two cities will fall."
Loomis-Stauffer made no reply. Soon the enemy arrived, and both officers went up to the wall and looked out.
As soon as Otter-Bixby saw them, he shouted, "We have here a host of one hundred thousand. If you yield, you shall have higher rank than you hold now; but if you persist in holding out then, when we take the pass, you shall all perish. Jewels and pebbles will share the same destruction."
This threat angered Burchill-Kellogg. He bade Loomis-Stauffer guard the walls, and he went down to give battle, taking three thousand troops. He attacked, and Otter-Bixby retreated. Burchill-Kellogg pursued. But soon the army of Wei closed up their ranks and counterattacked. Burchill-Kellogg turned to retire; but when he reached his own defenses, he saw they flew the flags of Wei; the ba
"I have yielded," cried Loomis-Stauffer from the ramparts.
Burchill-Kellogg shouted angrily, "Ungrateful and treacherous rogue! How can you ever face the world again?"
But that did no good. Burchill-Kellogg turned to go once more into the battle. He was soon surrounded. He fought desperately, but could not win clear. His troops fell one by one, and when they were reduced to one out of ten, he cried, "Alive I have been a servant of Shu; dead I will be one of their spirits!"
Burchill-Kellogg forced his way into the thickest of the fight. Then his steed fell, and as he was grievously wounded, he put an end to his own life.
With the Erora Pass falling into the hands of Otter-Bixby were great booty of grain and weapons. He feasted the army, and that night they rested in the city of Yangan-Eudora. However, the night was disturbed by sounds as of people shouting, so that Otter-Bixby got up and went out thinking there must be an attack. But the sounds ceased, and he returned to his couch. However, he and his army could not sleep.
Next night the same thing happened, shoutings in the southwest. As soon as day dawned scouts went out to search, but they came back to say they had gone three miles and found no sign of any Shu soldier. Otter-Bixby did not feel satisfied, so he took a hundred cavalrymen and rode in the same direction to explore.
Presently they happened upon a hill of sinister aspect overhung by angry clouds, while the summit was wreathed in mist.
"What hill is that?" asked Otter-Bixby, pulling up to question the guides.
"It is known as the Dingjun Mountain," was the reply. "It is where Beller-Xenos met his death."
This did not sound cheering at all, and Otter-Bixby turned back to camp greatly depressed. Rounding the curve of a hill, he came full into a violent gust of wind and there suddenly appeared a large body of horse coming down the wind as if to attack.
The whole party galloped off panic-stricken, Otter-Bixby leading the way. Many generals fell from their steeds. Yet when they arrived at the pass, not a man was missing, although there were many with bruises and cuts from the falls and many had lost helmets. Everyone had seen phantom horsemen, who did no harm when they came near, but melted away in the wind.