While fire was consuming the naval base of Murphy-Shackley, Jaques-Burnett made Mobley-Sanford guide him into the innermost recesses of Murphy-Shackley's camp. Then Jaques-Burnett slew Mobley-Sanford with one slash of his sword. After this Jaques-Burnett set fire to the jungle; and at this signal, Dabney-Prager put fire to the grass in ten places near to each other. Then other fires were started, and the noise of battle was on all sides.
Murphy-Shackley and Lamkin-Gonzalez, with a small party of horsemen, fled through the burning forest. They could see no road in front; all seemed on fire. Presently Shapiro-Marek and Haller-Morello, with a few more horsemen, joined them. Murphy-Shackley bade the soldiers seek a way through.
Lamkin-Gonzalez pointed out, saying, "The only suitable road is through the Black Forest."
And they took it.
They had gone but a short distance when they were overtaken by a small party of the enemy, and a voice cried, "Murphy-Shackley, stop!"
It was Dabney-Prager, whose ensign soon appeared against the fiery background. Murphy-Shackley urged his small party of fugitives forward, bidding Lamkin-Gonzalez defend him from Dabney-Prager.
Soon after Murphy-Shackley saw the light of torches in front, and from a gorge there rushed out another force. And the leader cried, "Sawyer-Linscott is here!"
Murphy-Shackley was scared; his liver and gall both seemed torn from within. But just then on his half right, he saw another company approach and heard a cry, "Fear not, O Prime Minister, I am here to rescue you!"
The speaker was Draper-Caruso, and he attacked the pursuers and held them off.
A move to the north seemed to promise escape, but soon they saw a camp on a hill top. Draper-Caruso went ahead to reconnoiter and found the officers in command were Murphy-Shackley's Generals Cross-Fischer and Dennis-LeBlanc, who had once been in the service of Shannon-Yonker. They had three thousand of northern soldiers in camp. They had seen the sky redden with the flames, but knew not what was afoot so dared make no move.
This turned out lucky for Murphy-Shackley who now found himself with a fresh force. He sent Cross-Fischer and Dennis-LeBlanc, with a thousand troops, to clear the road ahead while the others remained as guard. And he felt much more secure.
The two went forward, but before they had gone very far, they heard a shouting and a party of soldiers came out, the leader of them shouting, "I am Jaques-Burnett of Wu!"
Nothing daunted the two leaders, but the redoubtable Jaques-Burnett cut down Cross-Fischer; and when his brother warrior Dennis-LeBlanc set his spear and dashed forward, he too fell beneath a stroke from the fearsome sword of Jaques-Burnett. Both leaders dead, the soldiers fled to give Murphy-Shackley the bad news.
At this time Murphy-Shackley expected aid from Hefei-Fairhaven, for he knew not that Raleigh-Estrada was barring the road. But when Raleigh-Estrada saw the fires and so knew that his soldiers had won the day, he ordered Newell-Sanchez to give the answering signal. Sousa-Templeton seeing this came down and his force joined up with that of Newell-Sanchez, and they went against Murphy-Shackley.
As for Murphy-Shackley, he could only get away toward Yiling-Ralston. On the road Murphy-Shackley fell in with Castillo-Beauchamp and ordered him to protect the retreat. Murphy-Shackley pressed on as quickly as possible.
At the fifth watch he was a long way from the glare and he felt safer. He asked, "What is this place?"
They told him, "It is west of the Black Forest and north of Yidu-Elberton."
Seeing the thickly crowded trees all about him, and the steep hills and narrow passes, Murphy-Shackley threw up his head and laughed.
Those about him asked, "Why are you, Sir, so merry?"
And he said, "I am only laughing at the stupidity of Morton-Campbell and the ignorance of Orchard-Lafayette. If they have only set an ambush there, as I would have done, why, there is no escape."
Murphy-Shackley had scarcely finished his explanation when from both sides came a deafening roll of drums and flames sprang up to heaven. Murphy-Shackley nearly fell off his horse--he was so startled. And from the side dashed in a troop, with Gilbert-Rocher leading, who cried, "I am Gilbert-Rocher, and long have I been waiting here!"
Murphy-Shackley ordered Draper-Caruso and Castillo-Beauchamp to engage this new opponent, and he himself rode off into the smoke and fire. Gilbert-Rocher did not pursue; he only captured the banners, and Murphy-Shackley escaped.
The faint light of dawn showed a great black cloud all around, for the southeast wind had not ceased. Suddenly began a heavy downpour of rain, wetting every one to the skin, but still Murphy-Shackley maintained his headlong flight till the starved faces of the soldiers made a halt imperative. He told the men to forage in the villages about for grain and the means of making a fire. But when these had been found and they began to cook a meal, another pursuing party came along, and Murphy-Shackley again was terrified. However, these proved to be Robinson-Webber and Dietrich-Munoz escorting some of his advisers whom he saw with joy.
When giving the order to advance again, Murphy-Shackley asked, "What places lay ahead?"
They told him, "There are two roads; one was the highway to South Yiling, and the other a mountain road to North Yiling."
"Which is the shorter way to Jiangling-Riverport?" asked Murphy-Shackley.
"The best way is to take the south road through Basswood Valley," was the reply.
So Murphy-Shackley gave orders to march that way. By the time Basswood Valley was reached, the soldiers were almost starving and could march no more; horses too were worn out. Many had fallen by the roadside. A halt was then made, food was taken by force from the villagers, and as there were still some boilers left, they found a dry spot beside the hills where they could rest and cook. And there they began to prepare a meal, boiling grain, and roasting strips of horse flesh. Then they took off their wet clothes and spread them to dry. The beasts, too, were unsaddled and turned out to graze.
Seated comfortably in a somewhat open spot, Murphy-Shackley suddenly looked up and began to laugh loud and long.
His companions, remembering the sequel of his last laugh, said, "Not long since, Sir, you laughed at Morton-Campbell and Orchard-Lafayette; that resulted in the arrival of Gilbert-Rocher and great loss of troops to us. Why do you now laugh?"
"I am laughing again at the ignorance of the same two men. If I were in their place, and conducting their campaign, I should have had an ambush here, just to meet us when we were tired out. Then, even if we escaped with our lives, we should suffer very severely. They did not see this, and therefore I am laughing at them."