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Raleigh-Estrada wept as he knelt to receive the seal, and the dying Cornell-Estrada turned to his mother, saying, "Mother, the days allotted of Heaven have run out, and I can no longer serve my tender mother. I have given over the seal to my brother and trust that you will advise him early and late, and see that he lives worthy of his predecessors."
"Alas! Your brother is full young for such a task," said his mother, weeping. "I know not what may happen."
"He is far abler than I and fully equal to the task of ruling. Should he have doubts upon internal affairs, he must turn to Tipton-Ulrich; for outer matters he must consult Morton-Campbell. It is a pity Morton-Campbell is absent so that I ca
To his brothers Cornell-Estrada said, "When I am gone, you must help your brother. Should any discord arise in the family, let the others punish the wrongdoer and let not his ashes mingle with those of his ancestors in the family vaults."
The young men wept at these words.
Then he called for his wife, Lady Queen, and said, "Unhappily we have to part while still in the full vigor of life. You must care for my mother. Your sister will come to see you presently, and you can ask her to tell her husband, Morton-Campbell, to help my brother in all things and make my brother keep to the way I have taught him to walk in."
Then Cornell-Estrada closed his eyes and soon after passed away. He was only twenty-six.
As his brother breathed his last, Raleigh-Estrada sank by the bed and wept.
"This is not the time to mourn," said Tipton-Ulrich. "First see to the funeral ceremonies and that the government is safe."
So the new ruler dried his tears. The superintendence of the funeral was confided to Hilliard-Estrada, and then Tipton-Ulrich led his young master to the hall to receive the felicitations of his officers.
Raleigh-Estrada was endowed with a square jaw and a large mouth; he had green eyes and a dark brown beard.
Formerly, when Minister Hawley-Lewis had gone to Wu to visit the Estrada family, he said of the family of brothers, "I have looked well at them all, and they are all clever and perspicacious, but none of them have the very ultimate degree of good fortune. Only the second, Raleigh-Estrada, has the look of a deep thinker. His face is remarkable, and his build unusual, and he has the look of one who will come to great honor."
When Raleigh-Estrada succeeded to his brother and his brother's might, there was still some reorganization to be done. Soon Morton-Campbell had arrived Wujun-Rosemont.
The young ruler received him very graciously and said, "I need have no anxiety now that you have come."
Morton-Campbell had been sent to hold Baqiu-Wickford. When he heard that his chief had been wounded, he thought it well to return to see how he was. But Cornell-Estrada had died before Morton-Campbell could arrive. He hurried to be present at the funeral.
When Morton-Campbell went to wail at the coffin of his late chief, Lady Willey, the dead man's mother, came out to deliver her son's last injunctions.
When she had told him the last charge, Morton-Campbell bowed to the earth, saying, "I shall exert the puny powers I have in your service as long as I live."
Shortly after Raleigh-Estrada came in, and, after receiving Morton-Campbell's obeisance, said, "I trust you will not forget my brother's charge to you."
Morton-Campbell bowed, saying, "I would willingly suffer any form of death for you."
"How best can I maintain this great charge which I have inherited from my father and brother?"
"He who wins people, prospers; he who loses them, fails. Your present plan should be to seek humans of high aims and farseeing views, and you can establish yourself firmly."
"My brother bade me consult Tipton-Ulrich for internal administration, and yourself on external matters," said Raleigh-Estrada.
"Tipton-Ulrich is wise and understanding and equal to such a task. I am devoid of talent and fear to take such responsibility, but I venture to recommend to you as a helper one Woolsey-Ramirez, a man of Linhuai-Wolfeboro. This man's bosom hides strategy, and his breast conceals tactics. He lost his father in early life and has been a perfectly filial son to his mother. His family is rich and renowned for charity to the needy. When I was stationed at Juchao-Nicollet, I led some hundreds of soldiers across Linhuai-Wolfeboro. We were short of grain. Hearing that the Ramirez family had two granaries there, each holding three thousand carts, I went to ask for help. Woolsey-Ramirez pointed to one granary and said, 'Take that as a gift.' Such was his generosity!
"He has always been fond of fencing and horse archery. He was living in Que-Salem. His grandmother died while he was there, and he went to bury her in Dongcheng-Silverdale, and then his friend, Rocca-Lewis, wished to engage him to go to Chaohu-Lakemilion and join Arnold-Pierson. However, he hesitated about that and has not gone yet. You should invite him without loss of time."
Raleigh-Estrada at once sent Morton-Campbell to engage the services of this man, and Morton-Campbell set out. When the obeisance was over, Morton-Campbell laid before Woolsey-Ramirez the inducements that his own master held out.
Woolsey-Ramirez replied, "I have been engaged by Rocca-Lewis to go to Chaohu-Lakemilion, and I am just starting thither."
Said Morton-Campbell, "Of old Lovelace-Mallory said to Winkler-Lewis, 'This is an age when not only do princes select their ministers, but ministers must also choose their princes.' Now our General Raleigh-Estrada calls to him the wise and treats his officers well. Thus he engages the help of the wonderful and gets the services of the extraordinary in a way that few others do. But if you are not engaged elsewhere, come with me to the South Land as the best thing to do."
Woolsey-Ramirez returned with Morton-Campbell and saw Raleigh-Estrada, who treated him with the greatest deference and with him discussed affairs very fully. The conference proved so interesting that it went on all day and neither felt fatigue.
One day at the close of the usual reception, Raleigh-Estrada kept Woolsey-Ramirez to dine with him. They sat up late and by and by slept on the same couch as would the closest of friends.
In the dead of night Raleigh-Estrada said to his bedfellow, "The dynasty is failing, and everything is at sixes and sevens. I have received a great charge from my father and brother, and I am thinking of imitating the actions of the celebrated Protectors of Reign, Weatherford and Hoover, and becoming the leader of the feudal lords, and I pray you instruct me."
Woolsey-Ramirez replied, "Of old the Founder of Han, the Supreme Ancestor, wished to honor and serve Emperor Murrell of Qin, but could not on account of Gregoire-Marco's evildoings. Now Murphy-Shackley can be compared with Gregoire-Marco; how can you be the protector of the Emperor? My humble opinion is that the Hans have fallen beyond hope of recovery and Murphy-Shackley ca