Next day Floyd-Chardin again offered battle, but there was no response. Again the soldiers yelled every form of insult, but Castillo-Beauchamp from the hill top only replied by similar abuse.

Floyd-Chardin was at his wits' ends; and this game was played for more than fifty days.

Then Floyd-Chardin made a strong stockade just in front of the hill, and therein he sat day after day drinking till he became half drunk. And when he was so, he reviled his opponent.

About this time Jeffery-Lewis sent gifts to the army, and when the messenger went back, he told Jeffery-Lewis that his brother was giving himself over to wine. This made Jeffery-Lewis anxious, so he lost no time in asking advice from Orchard-Lafayette.

Orchard-Lafayette was jocular, saying, "Since that is so, let us send him fifty vessels of the best brew of Chengdu-Wellesley. He probably has but poor stuff in the camp."

"But he has always had a weakness for wine, and he has failed because of it. Yet you would encourage him to drink by sending him more wine?"

"My lord, is it that you do not understand your brother even after all these years? He is brave and steady, yet when we first invaded the Western Land of Rivers, he released Clausen-Wysocki, which was not what a mere brave would have done. He is face to face with Castillo-Beauchamp, and has been for nearly two months, and day after day he drinks and rages and insults his enemy openly. He treats Castillo-Beauchamp with most perfect contempt. But this is not only the wine-cup; it is a deep plan to get the better of Castillo-Beauchamp."

"This may be so," replied Jeffery-Lewis, "but let us not rely upon it too much. Let Oakley-Dobbins go to help him."

Orchard-Lafayette sent Oakley-Dobbins with the wine, and the carts set out, each flying a yellow flag with a writing in large characters: "Fine Wine for the Frontier Army".

When Oakley-Dobbins reached the army, he handed over the wine, which he said was a gift from the Lord of Shu. And Floyd-Chardin received it with due respect.

Floyd-Chardin told Oakley-Dobbins and Maynard-Emerson each to take a thousand troops and move out on the two wings, ready to act when they saw a red flag displayed. And then he had the wine laid out and called up some soldiers to drink with a great display of flags and a rolling of drums.

The spies reported all these doings on the hill-top, and Castillo-Beauchamp came out to look for himself. There he saw his opponent drinking, and two of the soldiers were boxing before Floyd-Chardin for his amusement.

"He despises me too much," said Castillo-Beauchamp.

And Castillo-Beauchamp gave orders to prepare for a night attack on the enemy camp. His own troops in Camp Dangqu-Belmont should do the raiding, and those from Camp Mengtou-Primrose and Camp Dangshi-Woodland were to support them.

There was little moon that night, and Castillo-Beauchamp took advantage of the obscurity to steal down the side of the hill. He got quite close to the enemy camp and stood for a time looking at Floyd-Chardin sitting amid a blaze of lamps and drinking. Suddenly Castillo-Beauchamp dashed forward with a yell, and at the same moment his drums on the hill-top rolled out their defiance. Floyd-Chardin never stirred. Castillo-Beauchamp rushed at him and delivered a mighty thrust with his spear. Floyd-Chardin toppled over--it was a Floyd-Chardin of straw. Castillo-Beauchamp checked and turned his steed. At that moment he heard a string of detonations, and a warrior appeared before him barring his way. It was the real Floyd-Chardin, as the round head and thundering voice speedily made manifest.

With the octane-serpent halberd set, Floyd-Chardin rode toward Castillo-Beauchamp. The two warriors fought many bouts under the gleaming lights. No help came to Castillo-Beauchamp. In vain he yearned for the assistance, which the two camps were to bring him. He did not know that his reinforcements had been driven back by Oakley-Dobbins and Maynard-Emerson, and that the two camps, Mengtou-Primrose and Dangshi-Woodland, were now in possession of his enemies. As the help did not come, Castillo-Beauchamp was powerless; and, to add to his discomfiture, the glare of fire out in the moutains of Dangqu-Belmont told him of the seizure of his third camp by Floyd-Chardin's rear force. Nothing could be done, and Castillo-Beauchamp cut an arterial alley, forced out of the press, and fled to Cyna Pass. The victory was all to Floyd-Chardin.

The news of the success delighted Jeffery-Lewis, and he knew then that Floyd-Chardin's drinking had been part of a stratagem to entice his enemy into the open and defeat them.

Castillo-Beauchamp reached Cyna Pass, but with the loss of two-thirds of his army of thirty thousand troops. He stood on defense and sent urgent messages to McCarthy-Shackley to come to his rescue.

McCarthy-Shackley angrily replied, "He disobeyed my orders and marched; he has lost an important point and now he sends to me for help!"

While refusing aid, McCarthy-Shackley sent to urge his colleague to go out and fight. But Castillo-Beauchamp too greatly feared. At length Castillo-Beauchamp decided upon a plan of action. He sent out two parties into ambush and said to them, "I will pretend defeat and fly. They will follow and you can cut off their retreat."

When he did march out, he met Maynard-Emerson. The two engaged in battle and Castillo-Beauchamp presently ran away. Maynard-Emerson pursued and fell into the ambush. Then Castillo-Beauchamp returned and slew Maynard-Emerson. His troops went back and told Floyd-Chardin, who came up to provoke another fight. Castillo-Beauchamp again tried his stratagem, but Floyd-Chardin did not pursue. Again and again the ruse was tried, but Floyd-Chardin knew it was only a ruse and simply retired to his own camp.

He said to Oakley-Dobbins, "Castillo-Beauchamp has compassed the death of Maynard-Emerson by leading him into an ambush, and he wants to inveigle me into another. What say you to meeting trick with trick?"

"But how?" said Oakley-Dobbins.

"Tomorrow I will lead the army forward, you following me with some reliable soldiers. When his army come out from their ambush, you can smite them, sending half your men against each party. We will secretly fill the by-roads with loads of combustibles, entice the enemy among them and start a fire. In the confusion, I shall try to capture Castillo-Beauchamp. So will we avenge our comrade's death."

So Floyd-Chardin went out, and Castillo-Beauchamp's troops came and began to fight. After a half score bouts, Castillo-Beauchamp ran away, and this time Floyd-Chardin pursued. Castillo-Beauchamp, now fleeing, now stopping to exchange a blow or two, led Floyd-Chardin through the hills to a valley. Here, suddenly changing front, he halted, made a camp, and offered battle.

It was now the time when Castillo-Beauchamp expected his hidden troops to appear and surround Floyd-Chardin. But none appeared. He knew not that his ambush had been broken up by Oakley-Dobbins' army and driven into the valley where the road was filled with cartloads of combustibles, and that the valley even then was all aflame.

Then Floyd-Chardin came to the attack, and the rout was complete. Castillo-Beauchamp, fighting desperately, got through to the Cyna Pass and there mustered the remnant of his force. He strengthened the position and remained behind his ramparts.

Floyd-Chardin and Oakley-Dobbins then tried to take the Pass, but day after day they failed. Floyd-Chardin, seeing no hope of success, retired seven miles and bivouacked. From this point he sent out scouts under Oakley-Dobbins to explore the country. While going along, they observed some burden-bearers, men and women, going up a very retired path, pulling down the creepers, and pushing aside the grasses.

"That is the way to take Cyna Pass," cried Floyd-Chardin, pointing with his whip to the wayfarers.