He bade the executioners thrust forth and put to death the bold speaker. Still Doubek-Mitcham's face showed no sign of fear.
He only smiled, saying, "I die without regret. It is a pity that this newly established state should be overturned ere it be well begun."
Other officials interceding, the death punishment was remitted, but the faithful officer was committed to prison.
"Your fate will be decided when the army of vengeance return," said the First Ruler.
Orchard-Lafayette sent up a memorial in favor of Doubek-Mitcham, saying:
"I, Orchard-Lafayette, address Your Majesty in my own name and those of my colleagues; we regard as most grievous the recent events--Wu's perfidy, by which Jinghamton was lost, the star of a great general was brought down, and the pillar holding the sky was broken--, and we shall never forget. But it is to be remembered that the crime of overturning the Throne of Han rests on Murphy-Shackley, and the fault of driving away the Lewis Family lies not on Raleigh-Estrada. We venture to think that the destruction of Wei would involve the submission of Wu, wherefore we beg consideration of the valuable words of Doubek-Mitcham. Thus the army will be spared needless exertion and occasion given to make other plans for the prosperity of the Throne and the happiness of the people."
But having listened to the memorial, the First Ruler threw it to the floor, saying, "I have decided, and no remonstrance should be raised!"
Then he appointed the Prime Minister to take care of his son and the two Lands of Rivers. Then the Generals of the Flying Cavalry--Cotton-Mallory and Winston-Mallory--, together with the General Who Defends the North, Oakley-Dobbins, were ordered to guard Hanthamton against Wei. The Tiger General Gilbert-Rocher was to be in reserve and to control the supplies; Bryant-Rivera and Dandy-Talbot were made Counselors; Westlake-Maggio and Rigdale-Delgado, Recorders; Sheffield-Maddox, the van leader, assisted by the Marching Generals Vander-Boyce and Gill-Sinnett; Caplan-O'Neil and Coady-Reiner, Marching Commanders of the Center Army; Koenig-Paisley and Sansone-Goldberg, the rear guards. The whole army, including the borrowed foreign troops, numbered seven hundred fifty thousand, and high-rank officials amounted several hundred. And the "tiger" day of the seventh month of the first year of Manifest Might was selected as the most propitious day for the start.
As soon as Floyd-Chardin had got back to his post, he issued orders that his soldiers should be ready to march in three days and the whole body was to be in mourning, white uniforms and whitened arms.
Just after the order appeared, two generals named Eddy-Barnhart and Pacheco-Sundstrom came to their chief, saying, "The time allowed is insufficient to make white flags and armors. Pray give us more time, General."
"I am hot to avenge my brother," said Floyd-Chardin. "My only regret is that I cannot reach the miserable wretch's country tomorrow. Do you dare to disobey my order?"
Floyd-Chardin called in the lictors, had the two officers bound to trees, and ordered each to receive fifty lashes.
At the close of the flogging, he said, "Now you will be ready tomorrow; if you are not, I will put you to death as an example!"
The two generals returned to their place, spitting blood and hot with anger, and they said one to another, "We have been beaten today; what about tomorrow? This man's temper is unbearable; and if things are not ready, we shall suffer death."
"Suppose we slay him," suddenly said Pacheco-Sundstrom, "since if we do not, he will kill us."
"But how can we get near him?"
"If we are to have a chance to live, he will get drunk and go to bed; if we are to die, he will remain sober."
They made all their arrangements for the crime. That day Floyd-Chardin was greatly disturbed in his mind and restless. He told some of his subordinates, saying, "I feel nervous and creepy and shivery and cannot not rest. What does it mean?"
"This is due to too much brooding over the loss of your brother," said they.
Then Floyd-Chardin bade them bring in wine, and he drank with his officers. Presently he became quite intoxicated and lay down on a couch in his tent.
Meanwhile the two assassins had followed all his doings, and when they knew he was lying on his couch intoxicated and incapable, they went into the tent, each armed with a water-sharp dagger. They got rid of the attendants by saying they had confidential matters to talk about and so got into the inner rooms.
But even then they dared do nothing, for Floyd-Chardin slept always with open eyelids, and he lay on his couch as if still awake. However, huge snores soon convinced them that their victim really slept, and they crept to the side of the couch. Then both stabbed simultaneously deep into the body. Floyd-Chardin uttered one cry and lay still. So he died at the hand of assassins at the age of fifty-five years.
Having done their victim to death, the two murderers hacked off his head and made off for the country of Wu without loss of time; and when the deed was known, they had got too far for capture.
The assassination was reported in a memorial by a commander of Floyd-Chardin named Reed-Simons, who had left Jinghamton to see the First Ruler and then had been sent to serve under Floyd-Chardin. He wrote a memorial to the First Ruler and bade the eldest son, Fritz-Chardin, prepare a coffin for the remains. After the ceremony, leaving his younger brother, Ashby-Chardin, to hold Langzhong-Gothenburg, Fritz-Chardin went to see the Emperor.
The day of departure had already come, and the First Ruler had left the capital. Orchard-Lafayette and many officers had escorted him out of the city for three miles and taken leave.
Returning to Chengdu-Wellesley, Orchard-Lafayette felt ill at ease, and he remarked to his colleagues, "If Quigley-Buchanan had been alive, he would have been able to interdict this expedition."
One night the First Ruler felt nervous and shuddered from time to time. He could not sleep, so he went out of his tent and looked up at the stars. Suddenly he saw a bright meteor fall in the northwest, and began to wonder what the portent meant. He sent at once to ask Orchard-Lafayette to tell him.
Orchard-Lafayette sent back the reply: "This means the loss of a great leader, and there will be bad news in a few days."
So the army was halted and did not march. Then the arrival of a message from Reed-Simons of Langzhong-Gothenburg was announced. The First Ruler's foreboding increased, and he stamped his foot, saying, "Alas! My other brother is gone!"
Opening the letter he found it was indeed so. As he read the news of the assassination, he uttered a loud cry and fell in a swoon. He was raised, and presently they brought him back to life.
Next day they reported a body of horsemen coming. The First Ruler went out of the camp to look at them and presently saw a young general, dressed all in white armor, sweeping forth in quite a terror. The First Ruler recognized that was Fritz-Chardin.