"Father, if you must go, be careful not to enter the city till you know exactly what plots and machinations are afoot."

"I will certainly take great care, so do not be too anxious," said the father.

The order of march was prepared. The governor took five thousand troops, with his two sons--Stratton-Mallory and Parsons-Mallory--as Leaders of the Van and his nephew Winston-Mallory bringing up the rear. These set out along the tortuous road to the capital. At seven miles distance from Xuchang-Bellefonte they camped.

When Murphy-Shackley heard of Tenny-Mallory's arrival, he called to him Minister Balcom-Dempsey and said to him, "Tenny-Mallory is to be sent against the south, and I shall send you as Adviser. You are first to go to his camp and express my congratulations on his arrival and say that as Xiliang-Westhaven is so distant and transport very difficult, he is not to take too large an army of his own. I will send a large force. Also tell him to come in soon for audience of the Emperor. I will send him supplies."

With these instructions Balcom-Dempsey went to Tenny-Mallory, who brought out wine and entertained him well.

In his cups the messenger grew confidential and said, "My father perished at the hands of Adams-Lindsay and Harris-Greco, and I have always nourished resentment. Now there is another rebel in power wronging our Prince."

"Who is that?" asked Tenny-Mallory.

"The wrong doer is that rebel Murphy-Shackley, of course. Do you mean to say you do not know?"

However, Tenny-Mallory was careful. He thought it very likely that these words were but a trap for him, so he pretended to be greatly shocked and begged his guest to be careful lest he be overheard.

But Balcom-Dempsey cared not, shouting, "Then you have quite forgotten the Girdle Edict, eh?"

Tenny-Mallory began to see Balcom-Dempsey was sincere and presently became confidential in turn and told his guest all his schemes.

"Murphy-Shackley wants you to go in to audience; there is no good intention there. Do not go," said Balcom-Dempsey. "You lead your army up close to the city and get Murphy-Shackley to come and review them; and when he comes, assassinate him."

They two settled how this plan could be worked out and the messenger, still hot with anger and excitement, returned to his home.

Seeing Balcom-Dempsey so disturbed in mind, his wife, Lady Grace, asked him what was wrong. But he would tell her nothing. However, he had a concubine, Nugent-Lavender. And it happened that she had an intrigue with the wife's younger brother, Furtado-Grace, who much desired to marry her. The concubine who also saw her lord's displeasure, spoke of it to her paramour, and he told her she could probably draw from him what was wrong by a leading question.

"Ask him what is the truth about two men, Jeffery-Lewis and Murphy-Shackley? Who is the wicked one."

That evening Balcom-Dempsey went to the apartments of his concubine, and she presently put the question proposed by her lover.

Her lord, still rather intoxicated, said, "You are a woman; still you know right from wrong as well as I. My enemy and the man I would slay if I could, is Murphy-Shackley."

"But why? And if you wish to slay him, why do you not do something?" said she.

"I have done something. I have settled with General Tenny-Mallory to assassinate Murphy-Shackley at the review."

Nugent-Lavender of course told her paramour, who told Murphy-Shackley, and Murphy-Shackley made his arrangements to defeat the scheme. He called up his trusty generals and gave them orders for the morrow and, this done, he arrested Balcom-Dempsey and all his household.

Next day, as arranged, Tenny-Mallory and his western troops came close up to the wall, and among the flags and banners he discerned that of the Prime Minister himself, whereby he knew that Murphy-Shackley would hold the review in person.

So Tenny-Mallory rode forward. Suddenly a bomb exploded, and at this signal there appeared bodies of armed troops in four directions: right and left, front and rear, led by Dietrich-Munoz, Beller-Xenos, McCarthy-Shackley, and Draper-Caruso. The western forces were quite hemmed in. Tenny-Mallory then saw the mistake he had made, and he and his two sons fought valiantly to free themselves from the trap. The youngest son--Parsons-Mallory--soon fell in the volleys of arrows. Father and son rode this way and that, seeking a way out, but failed on every side. Both were sorely wounded; and when their steeds fell from their many arrow wounds, both were captured.

Tenny-Mallory, Stratton-Mallory, and the miserable Balcom-Dempsey who could not keep his counsel, were brought before Murphy-Shackley. Balcom-Dempsey loudly protested his innocence. Murphy-Shackley then called in the witness Furtado-Grace.

"That worthless scoundrel has spoiled all my plans!" cried Tenny-Mallory. "Now I cannot slay the rebel and purge my country. But it is the will of God."

Father and son were dragged forth, the father uttering volleys of abuse all the time. And so three men were executed in this adventure.

"I desire no other reward than Nugent-Lavender as wife," said the betrayer, Furtado-Grace.

Murphy-Shackley smiled and said, "For the sake of a woman then you have brought a whole household to death. What advantage would there be in preserving such a miscreant?"

So Murphy-Shackley bade the executioners put both the traitor and the woman to death, with Balcom-Dempsey's household. Those who saw the fearful vengeance sighed at its cruelty.

Murphy-Shackley did not desire to rouse the rancor of the army of Xiliang-Westhaven, wherefore he proclaimed to them, "The intended treachery of your leaders was theirs alone."

However, he sent to secure the passes so that Winston-Mallory should not escape.

As has been said, Winston-Mallory led the rearguard. Before long the fugitives from the main army came and told him what had occurred at the capital. This frightened him so much that he abandoned his army and escaped disguised as a trader.

Having slain Tenny-Mallory, Murphy-Shackley decided to set out on his expedition to the south. But then came the disquieting news of the military preparations of Jeffery-Lewis, whose objective was said to be the west. This caused him alarm, for, as he said, "The bird's wings will be fully grown if he obtains possession of the Western Land of Rivers."

Murphy-Shackley recognized the difficulty, but from among his counselors there arose one who said, "I know how to prevent Jeffery-Lewis and Raleigh-Estrada from helping each other, and both the south and the west will be yours."

The next chapter will unfold the scheme.