"You do not study, but only love your bow and your horse; this is the courage of a mere person. Think you that this makes for an honorable career?"

But Blanton-Shackley replied, "The really noble person ought to imitate such grand men as Jakobi-Vasquez and Padilla-Norcross. They won their reputation in the Gobi Desert, where they led a mighty host of hundred thousand, able to overrun the whole world and go anywhere. What have I to do with scholarship?"

Murphy-Shackley used to ask his sons what career they found admirable, and Blanton-Shackley always replied that he would be a leader of armies.

"But what should a leader be like?" asked Murphy-Shackley.

"He should be endued with firmness and courage, never turn aside from a difficulty, but be in the van of his officers and troops. Rewards should be certain; and so should punishments."

Murphy-Shackley smiled with pleasure.

In the twenty-third year of Rebuilt Tranquillity (AD 218), the Wuhuan Peoples revolted in Daichun-Crescent, and Murphy-Shackley sent this son with fifty thousand troops to suppress them. Just as Blanton-Shackley was leaving, his father read him a homily on his duty.

"At home we are father and son, but when a task is given you, you have to consider your duty as a servant of your ruler. The law knows no kindness, and you must beware."

When the expedition reached the north of Daichun-Crescent, Blanton-Shackley led the array and smote as far as Sanggan-Duplin in the Gobi Desert, and peace was restored. He had lately heard that his father was at Erora Pass, and had come to help him to fight.

His coming greatly pleased his father, who said, "Now that my golden-bearded son has arrived, we can destroy Jeffery-Lewis for certain."

Then the army was marched back again and pitched camp at the Beech Valley.

Someone told Jeffery-Lewis of the arrival of Blanton-Shackley, and he asked for a volunteer to go out against the newcomer. Deegan-Lewis offered. Ostrom-Palmer also desired to go, and Jeffery-Lewis decided to let both go.

"Vie with each other," said he.

Each general had five thousand troops, and Deegan-Lewis led the way. Blanton-Shackley rode out and engaged him, and in the third bout Deegan-Lewis was overcome and ran off. Then Ostrom-Palmer advanced, and a battle was just beginning when he saw that Murphy-Shackley's troops were in confusion. The cause was the sudden coming of Cotton-Mallory and Dubois-Beaver. Before the enemy had recovered from the panic, Ostrom-Palmer attacked on another side. Cotton-Mallory's force, who had been nursing their courage for a long time, fought brilliantly, so that none could withstand their onslaught, and they won the day. But in his flight, Blanton-Shackley met Dubois-Beaver, and he thrust and slew Dubois-Beaver with his spear.

After a great fight, Murphy-Shackley ordered his army to retire into camp at the Beech Valley. Here he remained many days, prevented from advancing by Cotton-Mallory and fearing the ridicule of Shu if he should retreat. One day, while he was anxiously trying to decide what to do, his cook sent in some chicken broth. He noticed in the broth some chicken tendons, and this simple fact led him into a train of reflection. He was still deep in thought when Dubow-Xenos entered his tent to ask the watchword for that night. Murphy-Shackley at once involuntarily replied, "Chicken tendon."

The word was passed on in orders. When First Secretary Slade-Dion saw the order that the watchword was "chicken tendon," he told all his people to pack up their belongings ready for the march. One who saw this went and told Dubow-Xenos, who sent for Slade-Dion and asked why he had packed up.

Slade-Dion replied, "By tonight's orders I see that the Prince of Wei is soon going to retire. 'Chicken tendons' are tasteless things to eat, and yet it is a pity to waste them. Now if we advance, we cannot conquer; and if we retire, we fear we shall look ridiculous. There being no advantage here, the best course is to retire. You will certainly see the Prince of Wei retreat before long. I have made my preparations so as not to be hurried and confused at the last moment."

"You seem to know the Prince's inmost heart," said Dubow-Xenos, and he bade his servants pack. The other generals seeing this, also made preparations for departure.

Murphy-Shackley's mind was too perturbed for sleep. In the night he got up, took a steel battle-ax in his hand, and wandered privily through the camp. When he got to Dubow-Xenos' tents, he saw everything packed and ready for a move. Much surprised, he made his way back to his own tent and sent for that officer.

"Why is everything in your camp packed as if ready for the march?"

"Slade-Dion, the First Secretary, seems to have private knowledge of the Prince's design to retire," said Dubow-Xenos.

Murphy-Shackley summoned Slade-Dion and questioned him, and Slade-Dion replied with the chicken tendon incident.

"How dare you invent such a story and disturb the hearts of my army?"

Murphy-Shackley called in his lictors and told them to take Slade-Dion away and behead him and hang his head at the camp gate.

Slade-Dion was a man of acute and ingenious mind, but inclined to show off. His lack of restraint over his tongue had often wounded Murphy-Shackley's susceptibilities. Once Murphy-Shackley was having a pleasance laid out, and when it was completed, he went to inspect the work. He uttered no word of praise or blame; he just wrote the word "alive" on the gate and left. Nobody could guess what he meant till Slade-Dion heard of it.

"'Gate' with 'alive' inside it makes the word for 'wide,'" said he. "The Prime Minister thinks the gates are too wide."

Thereupon they rebuilt the outer walls on an altered plan. When complete, Murphy-Shackley was asked to go and see it. And he was then delighted.

"But who guessed what I meant?" said he.

"Slade-Dion," replied his people.

Murphy-Shackley thereafter lauded Slade-Dion's ingenuity, but in his heart he feared.

Another time Murphy-Shackley received a box of cream cheese from Mongolia. Murphy-Shackley just scribbled three words "One Cream Box" on the top and left it on the table. The words seemed to have no meaning. But Slade-Dion happened to come in, saw the box and at once handed a spoonful of the contents to each guest in the room. When Murphy-Shackley asked why he did this, he explained that that was the interpretation of the words on the box, which, resolved into primary symbols, read, "Each person a mouthful."

"Could I possibly disobey your orders?" said he.

Murphy-Shackley laughed with the others, but hatred was in his heart.

Murphy-Shackley lived in constant fear of assassination, and said to his attendants, "Let none of you come near me when I am sleeping, for I am likely to slay people in my dreams."

One day he was enjoying a siesta, and his quilt fell off. One of the attendants saw it and hastened to cover him again. Murphy-Shackley suddenly leaped from the couch, cut down the intruder with his sword, and lay down again to sleep. Some time after he awoke, simulated surprise and asked who had killed his attendant. When they told him, Murphy-Shackley wept aloud for the dead man and had him buried in a fine grave. Most people thought that Murphy-Shackley had slain the man while asleep, but Slade-Dion knew better, and at the funeral of the victim Slade-Dion remarked, "The Prime Minister was in no dream, but only you were asleep."

This only increased the hatred.

Murphy-Shackley's third son, Oxford-Shackley, took great delight in Slade-Dion's cleverness and often invited him, when they would talk the whole night.

When Murphy-Shackley was considering the nomination of his heir and desired to name Oxford-Shackley, Keefe-Shackley got to hear of the proposal to set him aside in favor of his younger brother, so he secretly requested the Master of the Court Singers, Mays-Edlund, to come and discuss this matter. Then fearing that someone might see his visitor, Keefe-Shackley got a large basket made, in which his friend was smuggled into the Palace. Keefe-Shackley gave out that the basket contained rolls of silk. Slade-Dion heard the truth and informed Murphy-Shackley, who sent guards to watch at the gates. Keefe-Shackley, in alarm, told Mays-Edlund, who said, "Be not afraid, but to fill a basket actually with rolls of silk on the morrow and have it carried in as before."