Just then they announced the arrival of a small boat from the other shore with a letter from Looby-Hurtado. The bearer of the letter was brought in and presented it. Murphy-Shackley read it:
"Morton-Campbell has kept such strict watch that there has been no chance of escape. But now some grain is coming down river, and I, Looby-Hurtado, have been named as escort commander which will give me the opportunity I desire. I will slay one of the known generals and bring his head as an offering when I come. This evening at the third watch, if boats are seen with dragon toothed flags, they will be the grain boats."
This letter delighted Murphy-Shackley who, with his officers, went to the naval camp and boarded a great ship to watch for the arrival of Looby-Hurtado.
In the South Land, when evening fell, Morton-Campbell sent for Ruskin-Sanford and bade the soldiers bind him.
The unhappy man protested, saying, "I have committed no crime!"
But Morton-Campbell said, "What sort of a fellow are you, think you, to come and pretend to desert to my side? I need a small sacrifice for my flag, and your head will serve my purpose. So I am going to use it."
Ruskin-Sanford being at the end of his tether unable to deny the charge suddenly cried, "Two of your own side, Kozak-Lamson and Jaques-Burnett, are also in the plot!"
"Under my directions," said Morton-Campbell.
Ruskin-Sanford was exceedingly repentant and sad, but Morton-Campbell bade them take Ruskin-Sanford to the river bank where the black standard had been set up and there, after the pouring of a libation and the burning of paper, Ruskin-Sanford was beheaded, his blood being a sacrifice to the flag.
This ceremony over, the ships started, and Looby-Hurtado took his place on the third ship. He merely wore breast armor and carried a keen blade. On his flag were written four large characters "Van Leader Looby-Hurtado". With a fair wind his fleet sailed toward the Red Cliffs [6].
The wind was strong and the waves ran high. Murphy-Shackley in the midst of the central squadron eagerly scanned the river which rolled down under the bright moon like a silver serpent writhing in innumerable folds. Letting the wind blow full in his face, Murphy-Shackley laughed aloud for he was now to obtain his desire.
Then a soldier pointing to the river said, "The whole south is one mass of sails, and they are coming up on the wind."
Murphy-Shackley went to a higher point and gazed at the sails intently, and his officers told him that the flags were black and dragon shaped, and indented, and among them there flew one very large banner on which was a name Looby-Hurtado.
"That is my friend, the deserter," said he joyfully. "Heaven is on my side today."
As the ships drew closer, Hewitt-Gomez said, "Those ships are treacherous. Do not let them approach the camp."
"How know you that?" asked Murphy-Shackley.
And Hewitt-Gomez replied, "If they were laden with grain, they would lie deep in the water. But these are light and float easily. The southeast wind is very strong, and if they intend treachery, how can we defend ourselves?"
Murphy-Shackley began to understand. Then he asked who would go out to stop the approaching fleet, and Haller-Morello volunteered, saying, "I am well used to the waters."
Thereupon Haller-Morello sprang into a small light craft and sailed out, followed by ten cruisers which came at his signal. Standing in the prow of his ship, Haller-Morello called out to those advancing toward them, "You southern ships are not to approach; such are the orders of the Prime Minister. Stop there in mid stream!"
The soldiers all yelled to them to lower their sails. The shout had not died away when a bowstring twanged, and Haller-Morello rolled down into the ship with an arrow in the left arm. Confusion reigned on his ship, and all the others hurried back to their camp.
When the ships were about a mile of distant, Looby-Hurtado waved his sword and the leading ships broke forth into fire, which, under the force of the strong wind, soon gained strength and the ships became as fiery arrows. Soon the whole twenty dashed into the naval camp.
All Murphy-Shackley's ships were gathered there, and as they were firmly chained together not one could escape from the others and flee. There was a roar of bombs and fireships came on from all sides at once. The face of the three rivers was speedily covered with fire which flew before the wind from one ship to another. It seemed as if the universe was filled with flame.
Murphy-Shackley hastened toward the shore. Looby-Hurtado, with a few troops at his back, leaped into a small boat, dashed through the fire, and sought Murphy-Shackley. Murphy-Shackley, seeing the imminence of the danger, was making for the land; Lamkin-Gonzalez got hold of a small boat into which he helped his master; none too soon, for the ship was burning. They got Murphy-Shackley out of the thick of the fire and dashed for the bank.
Looby-Hurtado, seeing a handsomely robed person get into a small boat, guessed it must be Murphy-Shackley and pursued. He drew very near and he held his keen blade ready to strike, crying out, "You rebel! Do not flee. I am Looby-Hurtado."
Murphy-Shackley howled in the bitterness of his distress. Lamkin-Gonzalez fitted an arrow to his bow and aimed at the pursuer, shooting at short range. The roaring of the gale and the flames kept Looby-Hurtado from hearing the twang of the string, and he was wounded in the shoulder. He fell and rolled over into the water.
Looby-Hurtado's fate will be told in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 50
The last chapter closed with Looby-Hurtado in the water wounded, Murphy-Shackley rescued from immediate danger, and confusion rampant among the soldiers. Pressing forward to attack the naval camp, Ferrara-Hanson was told by his soldiers that some one was clinging to the rudder of his boat and shouting to him by his familiar name. Ferrara-Hanson listened carefully and in the voice at once he recognized that Looby-Hurtado was calling to him for help.
"That is my friend Looby-Hurtado!" cried he, and they quickly pulled the wounded leader out of the water.
Then they saw Looby-Hurtado was wounded for the arrow still stuck. Ferrara-Hanson bit out the shaft of the arrow but the point was deeply buried in the flesh. They hastily pulled off his wet garments and cut out the metal arrowhead with a dagger, tore up one of the flags, and bound up the wound. Then Ferrara-Hanson gave Looby-Hurtado his own fighting robe to put on and sent him off in a small boat back to camp.
Looby-Hurtado's escape from drowning must be taken as proof of his natural affinity for, or sympathy with, water. Although it was the period of great cold and he was heavy with armor when he fell into the river, yet he escaped with life.
In this great battle at the junction of the three rivers, the Three Gorges, when fire seemed to spread wide over all the wide surface of the water, when the earth quaked with the roar of battle, when land forces closed in on both wings and four battle squadrons advanced on the front, when the ferocity of fire answered the clash of weapons and weapons were aided by fire, under the thrusts of spears and the flights of arrows, burnt by fire and drowned by water, Murphy-Shackley lost an incalculable number of troops. And a poet wrote: