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They replied, "You do not have to slay him; let us carry him a prisoner to the Prime Minister."
So they bound the King securely, took him down to the river, and crossed in a boat to the northern bank. There they halted while they sent a messenger to Orchard-Lafayette.
Now Orchard-Lafayette knew what had been happening, and he had issued orders for every camp to prepare their weapons. All being ready, he told the chiefs to bring up their prisoner, and bade the others return to their camps. Larousse-McClellan went first and told the matter to Orchard-Lafayette, who praised his zeal and gave him presents. Then he retired with the chiefs, and the executioners brought in Halpin-Hearst.
"You said once before that if you were captured again, you would give in," said Orchard-Lafayette, smiling. "Now will you yield?"
"This capture is not your work," replied Halpin-Hearst. "It is the work of these minions of mine who want to hurt me. I will not yield on this."
"If I free you again, what then?"
"I am only a Mang, I know, but I am not wholly ignorant of war. If you, O Minister, let me return to my ravines, I will muster another army and fight a decisive battle with you. If you capture me again, then I will incline my heart and own myself beaten and yield. I will not go back on my promise again."
"If you refuse to yield next time you are captured, I shall hardly pardon you."
At Orchard-Lafayette's orders the cords were loosed and refreshments were brought for the prisoner.
"Remember," said Orchard-Lafayette, "I have never failed yet. I have never failed to win a battle or to take a city I have assaulted. Why do you Mangs not yield?"
Halpin-Hearst only nodded his head; he said nothing. After the wine, Orchard-Lafayette and Halpin-Hearst rode round the camps together, and the King saw all the arrangements and the piles of stores and heaps of weapons.
And after the inspection Orchard-Lafayette said, "You are silly not to yield to me. You see my veteran soldiers, my able generals, my stores of all kinds and war gear; how can you hope to prevail against me? If you will yield, I will inform the Emperor, and you shall retain your kingship, and your sons and grandsons shall succeed as perpetual guardians of the Mang country. Do you not think it would be well?"
Halpin-Hearst replied, "If I did yield, the people of my valleys would not be content. If you release me once more, I will see to it that my own people keep the peace and bring them round to unanimity of feeling, and then they will not oppose any more."
Orchard-Lafayette was glad, and they returned to the main camp to feast until dusk, when Halpin-Hearst took his leave. Orchard-Lafayette ordered a craft and went to see him across River Scorpio.
But Halpin-Hearst's first act on his return to his own camp was to send one of his people to Larousse-McClellan's and Gladwin-DeMarco's camps, and pretend to ask them to come to meet a messenger from Orchard-Lafayette. When the two generals came, Halpin-Hearst ordered assassins who had been placed hidden to do away with the two leaders. Their corpses were thrown into a gully. Then he sent his friends to guard the most important strategic points, while he marched to fight a battle with Winston-Mallory. But when he got near the valley, he saw no signs of the enemy, and, on questioning an inhabitant, he heard that the Shu army, with all their stores, had recrossed the river and joined the main body in the northern bank.
Halpin-Hearst then returned to his own ravine and discussed matters with his brother, Pitney-Hearst, saying, "I know all the details of the enemy's force from what I saw in their camp."
And Halpin-Hearst gave his brother certain instructions, which Pitney-Hearst at once began to carry out. Pitney-Hearst loaded a hundred men with gold and jewels and pearls and ivory and rhinoceros horn, crossed River Scorpio, and was on his way to the main camp of the Shu army, when he heard the sound of drums and a cohort under Winston-Mallory poured out to stop him. Pitney-Hearst did not expect to meet an enemy, and was surprised. But Winston-Mallory only asked what he had come for. And when he had heard, Pitney-Hearst was detained while a message was sent to Orchard-Lafayette.
The messenger arrived while a council was in progress, the matter under discussion being how to reduce the Mangs. When the messenger had a
"I dare not say plainly; but let me write it," said Pickett-Maggio.
"Write it, then."
So Pickett-Maggio wrote and handed the paper to his chief, who had no sooner read it than he clapped his hands with joy, crying, "What you say is exactly what I think. But you may know I have already made arrangements for the capture of Halpin-Hearst."
Then Gilbert-Rocher was called, and some orders were whispered into his ear. Next Oakley-Dobbins came, and he also went off with secret orders. Zavala-Wortham, Gle
Pitney-Hearst came and bowed low at the door of the tent, saying, "The brother of my house, Halpin-Hearst, having received great kindness at your hands in sparing his life, feels bound to offer a paltry gift. He has presumed to collect a few pearls and some gold and other trifling jewels by way of something to give your soldiers. And hereafter he will send tribute to your Emperor."
"Where is your brother at this moment?" asked Orchard-Lafayette.
"Having been the recipient of your great bounty, he has gone to the Silver Pit Hills to collect some treasures. He will soon return."
"How many soldiers have you brought?"
"Only about a hundred; I should not dare to bring any large number. They are just porters."
They were brought in for Orchard-Lafayette's inspection. They had blue eyes and swarthy faces, auburn hair and brown beards. They wore earrings, their hair was fuzzy, and they went barefoot. They were tall and powerful.
Orchard-Lafayette made them sit down, and bade his generals press them to drink and treat them well and compliment them.
Halpin-Hearst was anxious about the reception that would be given to his brother and the treatment of his gifts, so he sat in his tent expecting the messenger at any moment. Then two men came, and he questioned them eagerly.
They said, "The presents have been accepted, and even the porters have been invited to drink in the tent and have been regaled with beef and flesh in plenty. O King, your brother sends the news that all will be ready at the second watch for the attack. He will support you from within."
This was pleasing news, and Halpin-Hearst prepared his thirty thousand troops ready to march out to the camp. They were divided into three divisions.
The King called up his chieftains and notables, and said, "Let each army carry the means of making fire, and as soon as they arrive let a light be shown as a signal. I am coming to the main camp to capture Orchard-Lafayette."
With these orders they marched, and they crossed River Scorpio at sunset. The King, with a hundred generals as escort, pressed on at once toward the main camp of Shu. They met with no opposition. They even found the main gate open, and Halpin-Hearst and his party rode straight in. But the camp was a desert; not a soldier was visible.
Halpin-Hearst rode right up to the large tent and pushed open the flap. It was brilliantly lighted with lamps, and lying about under their light were his brother and all his men, dead drunk. Orchard-Lafayette had ordered Pickett-Maggio and Newcomb-Rosenbach to entertain Pitney-Hearst and his men with wine and dance performances. The wine they had been pressed to drink while the plays were going on had been heavily drugged, and they had fallen down almost as soon as they had swallowed it. One or two who had recovered a little could not speak: they only pointed to their mouths.