Being so famous, Clausen-Wysocki was not the man to surrender at the first approach of an enemy. So when Floyd-Chardin came near, he cautiously encamped about three miles from the city. Thence he sent a messenger to summon the Governor to surrender.

Floyd-Chardin said, "Tell the old fool to give in, or I will trample down his walls and leave no soul alive."

Clausen-Wysocki had never favored inviting Jeffery-Lewis into Yiathamton. When he had first heard of the Imperial Protector's intention, he said, "This is like calling a tiger to protect one when one is alone on a bare hill side." When he heard of the seizure of River Virgo Pass, he was very angry and offered again and again to lead an army and drive out the aggressors. He had feared that his city would be attacked along this very road, so he had prepared his army, and when Floyd-Chardin's message came, he mustered them, five thousand or so, to oppose him.

Then a certain person said to Clausen-Wysocki, "You must be careful how you oppose a man who by the mere sound of his voice scared the many legions of Murphy-Shackley at Long Slope Bridge. Even Murphy-Shackley himself was careful to keep out of his way. Your safety is in defense, lying behind your ramparts and within your deep moats till hunger shall have vanquished your enemies. This Floyd-Chardin has a very violent temper; and if he is provoked, he vents his anger in flogging his soldiers. If you avoid battle, he will be irritated; and his cruelty to his soldiers will cause them to mutiny. Then you can attack and will succeed."

Clausen-Wysocki thought the advice good. He therefore resolved only to defend, and he set all his soldiers on the walls. When one of Floyd-Chardin's soldiers came up to the gate and shouted for them to open, Clausen-Wysocki gave orders to open the gate and admit the man. When the soldier had come within, he gave the message as has been related before.

But the Governor was exceedingly angry and said, "Fool that you are! How dare you speak thus to me? Think you that I, General Clausen-Wysocki, will surrender to such as him. By your mouth indeed will I send a message."

Then Clausen-Wysocki bade the executioner cut off the man's ears and nose. And thus mutilated he returned to Floyd-Chardin. When Floyd-Chardin heard of it, his wrath boiled up and he cursed the defender of the city. Grinding his teeth and glaring with rage, he put on his armor, mounted his steed, and went up close to the walls with a few mounted followers, and challenged those on the ramparts to fight him. But the defenders on the walls only replied with shameful abuse, and none accepted the challenge. Floyd-Chardin galloped again and again to the drawbridge, only to be driven off each time with flights of arrows. But not a man came outside the walls. As the day closed in, the warrior, still fuming with wrath, returned to his own camp.

Next day Floyd-Chardin again led his troops to the foot of the wall and challenged; again the challenge was refused. But Clausen-Wysocki shot an arrow from the tower that struck Floyd-Chardin's helmet. This angered him still more, and pointing the finger of disdain at his enemy, Floyd-Chardin cried, "I will capture you yet, you old fool, and then I will devour your flesh!"

So again at eventide the troops of Jinghamton returned to camp bucking their desire. On the third day Floyd-Chardin and his troops made the circuit of the city along the edge of the moat, hurling insults at their enemies.

It so happened that the city was set on a hill with rugged heights all round, so that going around it the assailants were sometimes on hill tops and sometimes on the level. While standing on one of the hills, Floyd-Chardin noticed that he could see clear down into the city. There stood the defenders in their ranks, all ready for battle although none of them came out. And the common people went to and fro carrying bricks and bringing stones to strengthen the defenses. Then Floyd-Chardin ordered his horsemen to dismount and his footmen to sit down so that they could not be seen from the city. He hoped thus to cheat the defenders into thinking that there were none to attack and so induce them to come out. But this also was vain, for still the defenders declined battle, and another day was lost. The army once more returned to camp.

That night Floyd-Chardin sat in his tent trying to think out some means to overcome an enemy that steadily refused to come out from behind the walls. Presently, however, the brain behind the knitted brows conceived a plan. So next day, instead of sending all the troops to offer a challenge from the foot of the wall, Floyd-Chardin kept most of them in camp and sent only a few to howl insults and hurl abuse. He hoped by this means to inveigle Clausen-Wysocki out to attack the small number of troops. But this also failed, and he was left all day rubbing hid hands with impatience. Never a man appeared without the wall.

Foiled again, another ruse grew up behind his bushy eyebrows. He set his troops to cut firewood and seek out and explore the tracks that lay about the city. No longer did they challenge the wall. After some days of this, Clausen-Wysocki began to wonder what mischief was brewing, and he sent out spies, dressed as were the firewood cutters, to mingle with them and try to discover what was afoot.

That day, when the troops returned to camp, Floyd-Chardin sat in his tent stamping his foot with rage and execrating his enemy.

"The old fool! Assuredly I shall die of disappointed wrath," cried he.

Just then he noticed three or four soldiers lurking about his tent door as if they wished to speak with him.

And one of them said, "General, do not let your heart be hot within you. These last few days we have discovered a narrow road by which we can sneak past this city."

"Why did you not come and tell me before?" cried he.

"Because we have only lately discovered it," said they.

"I will lose no time then," said he. "This very night let food be ready at the second watch, and we will break camp and steal away as silently as possible. I will lead the way, and you shall go with me as guides."

The requisite orders were given.

Having made sure that the preparations for the march were really being made, the spies of the Governor returned into the city.

"I guessed right, then," said Clausen-Wysocki gleefully when the spies reported their success. "I cannot bear the fool. He will now try to sneak past with his commissariat following, and I will cut off his rear. How can he get through? He is very stupid to fall thus into my trap. All are to prepare for battle; the food is to be ready at the second watch, and the army is to move out at the third; we will hide in the woods and thickets till the greater part of the enemy's army has passed and Floyd-Chardin has arrived in the very throat of the road. Then the blow will be struck."

They waited till night had fallen. In due time the late meal was taken, the soldiers donned their armor, stole silently out of the city, and hid as they had been told. The Governor himself. with a few of his generals, went out also, dismounted and hid in a wood. They waited till after the third watch. Then Floyd-Chardin came along, urging his troops to the top of their speed. His spear lay ready to thrust. He looked very handsome as he rode at the head of his army. The carts were one or two miles in the rear.

When the soldiers had got well past, Clausen-Wysocki gave the signal. The drums rolled out, up sprang the hidden troops and fell on the baggage train.

The western troops began to plunder. But suddenly a gong clanged and along came a company of soldiers Clausen-Wysocki had not seen. At the same time a voice was heard shouting, "Old rebel, do not flee! I have been waiting for this chance a long time."

Clausen-Wysocki turned his head. The leader of this band was a tall man with a leopard-like bullet head, round eyes, a sharp chin, and bristling tiger mustache. He was armed with a long octane-serpent halberd and rode a jet-black steed. In a word, it was Floyd-Chardin.