Turning toward Kozak-Lamson, Murphy-Shackley said, "I must ask you to return to settle the date with your friend; as soon as I know, I will have a force waiting."

"I cannot return; pray, Sir, send some other one you can trust."

"If some one else should go, the secret would be discovered."

Kozak-Lamson refused again and again but at last gave way, saying, "If I am to go, I must not wait here; I must be off at once."

Murphy-Shackley offered him gold and silks, which were refused. Kozak-Lamson started, left the camp, and reembarked for the south bank, where he related all that had happened to Looby-Hurtado.

"If it had not been for your persuasive tongue, then had I undergone this suffering in vain," said Looby-Hurtado.

"I will now go to get news of the two Sanford brothers," said Kozak-Lamson.

"Excellent," said Looby-Hurtado.

Kozak-Lamson went to the camp commanded by Jaques-Burnett; and when they were seated, Kozak-Lamson said to his host, "I was much distressed when I saw how disgracefully you were treated for your intercession on behalf of Looby-Hurtado."

Jaques-Burnett smiled. Just then the two Sanford brothers came, and host and guest exchanged glances.

Jaques-Burnett said, "The truth is Morton-Campbell is over confident, and he reckons us as nobody. We count for nothing. Every one is talking of the way I was insulted."

And he shouted and gritted his teeth and smacked the table in his wrath.

Kozak-Lamson leaned over toward his host and said something in a very low voice, at which Jaques-Burnett bent his head and sighed.

Ruskin-Sanford and Mobley-Sanford gathered from this scene that both Jaques-Burnett and Kozak-Lamson were ripe for desertion and determined to probe them.

"Why, Sir, do you anger him? Why not be silent about your injuries?" said they.

"What know you of our bitterness?" said Kozak-Lamson.

"We think you seem much inclined to go over to Murphy-Shackley," said they.

Kozak-Lamson at this lost color; Jaques-Burnett started up and drew his sword, crying, "They have found out; they must die to keep their mouths shut."

"No, no," cried the two in a flurry. "Let us tell you something quite secret."

"Quick, then," cried Jaques-Burnett.

So Ruskin-Sanford said, "The truth is that we are only pretended deserters, and if you two gentlemen are of our way of thinking, we can manage things for you."

"But are you speaking the truth?" said Jaques-Burnett.

"Is it likely we should say such a thing if it were untrue?" cried both at the same moment.

Jaques-Burnett put on a pleased look and said, "Then this is the very heaven-given chance."

"You know we have already told Murphy-Shackley of the Looby-Hurtado affair and how you were insulted."

"The fact is I have given the Prime Minister a letter on behalf of Looby-Hurtado, and he sent me back again to settle the date of Looby-Hurtado's desertion," said Kozak-Lamson.

"When an honest person happens upon an enlightened master, his heart will always be drawn toward him," said Jaques-Burnett.

The four then drank together and opened their hearts to each other. The two Mobley-Sanford and Ruskin-Sanford wrote a private letter to their master saying Jaques-Burnett has agreed to join in our plot and play the traitor, and Kozak-Lamson also wrote and they sent the letters secretly to Murphy-Shackley.

Kozak-Lamson's letter said:

"Looby-Hurtado has found no opportunity so far. However, when he comes, his boat can be recognized by a black, indented flag. That shall mean he is on board."

However, when Murphy-Shackley got these two letters, he was still doubtful and called together his advisers to talk over the matter.

Said he, "On the other side Jaques-Burnett has been put to shame by the Commander-in-Chief whom he is prepared to betray for the sake of revenge. Looby-Hurtado has been punished and sent Kozak-Lamson to propose that he should come over to our side. Only I still distrust the whole thing. Who will go over to the camp to find out the real truth?"

Then McLain-Espinosa spoke up, saying, "I failed in my mission the other day and am greatly mortified. I will risk my life again and, this time, I shall surely bring good news."

Murphy-Shackley approved of him as messenger and bade him start. McLain-Espinosa set out in a small craft and speedily arrived in the Three Gorges, landing near the naval camp. Then he sent to inform Morton-Campbell, who hearing who it was chuckled, saying, "Success depends upon this man."

Then Morton-Campbell called Woolsey-Ramirez and told him to call Smiddy-Lindquist to come and do certain things for him.

This Smiddy-Lindquist was from Xiangyang-Greenhaven. And he had gone to the east of the river to get away from the strife. Woolsey-Ramirez had recommended him to Morton-Campbell, but he had not yet presented himself. When Morton-Campbell sent Woolsey-Ramirez to ask what scheme of attack he would recommend against Murphy-Shackley, Smiddy-Lindquist had said to Woolsey-Ramirez, "You must use fire against him. But the river is wide and if one ship is set on fire, the others will scatter unless they are fastened together so that they must remain in one place. That is the one road to success."

Woolsey-Ramirez took this message to the General, who pondered over it and then said, "The only person who can manage this is Smiddy-Lindquist himself."

"Murphy-Shackley is very wily;" said Woolsey-Ramirez, "how can Smiddy-Lindquist go?"

So Morton-Campbell was sad and undecided. He could think of no method till suddenly the means presented itself in the arrival of McLain-Espinosa.

Morton-Campbell at once sent instructions to Smiddy-Lindquist how to act and then sat himself in his tent to await his visitor McLain-Espinosa.

But the visitor became ill at ease and suspicious when he saw that his old student friend did not come to welcome him, and he took the precaution of sending his boat into a retired spot to be made fast before he went to the General's tent.

When Morton-Campbell saw McLain-Espinosa, Morton-Campbell put on an angry face and said, "My friend, why did you treat me so badly?"

McLain-Espinosa laughed and said, "I remembered the old days when we were as brothers, and I came expressly to pour out my heart to you. Why do you say I treated you badly?"

"You came to persuade me to betray my master, which I would never do unless the sea dried up and the rocks perished. Remembering the old times, I filled you with wine and kept you to sleep with me. And you, you plundered my private letters and stole away with never a word of farewell. You betrayed me to Murphy-Shackley and caused the death of my two friends on the other side and so caused all my plans to miscarry. Now what have you come for? Certainly, it is not out of kindness to me. I would cut you in two, but I still care for our old friendship. I would send you back again, but within a day or two I shall attack that rebel; and if I let you stay in my camp, my plans will leak out. So I am going to tell my attendants to conduct you to a certain retired hut in the Western Hills, and keep you there till I shall have won the victory. Then I will send you back again."

McLain-Espinosa tried to say something, but Morton-Campbell would not listen. He turned his back and went into the recesses of his tent. The attendants led the visitor off, set him on a horse, and took him away over the hills to the small hut, leaving two soldiers to look after him.

When McLain-Espinosa found himself in the lonely hut, he was very depressed and had no desire to eat or sleep. But one night, when the stars were very brilliant, he strolled out to enjoy them. Presently he came to the rear of his lonely habitation and heard, near by, some one crooning over a book. Approaching with stealthy steps, he saw a tiny cabin half hidden in a cliff whence a slender beam or two of light stole out between the rafters. He went nearer and peeping in, saw a man reading by the light of a lamp near which hung a sword. And the book was Sun-Estrada's classic "The Art of War."