"This, then, is indeed an unfortunate day, O my general," said Nicholas, with astonishment; adding, "Surely the cause must have been great for so much anger from so mild a prince."
"Let the noble youth open his ears, and he shall hear how this calamity fell out," said the general; adding, "When his majesty, after the death of his father, so happily escaped the hands of the great thief Li, he fled to the army of his servant, and desired that the whole of the Tartar-subduing army of Leao-tong should be immediately led to Pekin for the purpose of destroying the rebels. Alas! the grief of the prince had destroyed his reason; the plan was not possible, for in my absence the barbarians would have overrun the northern province. Well, for a time the prince submitted to his servant's advice, till one day an envoy arrived from the dog Li, who commanded me to proclaim him Emperor throughout the province, offering, as the price of my obedience, a kingdom; threatening, if I refused, to march against this city with a million of men."
"The illustrious general could make but one answer to so infamous a proposal," said Nicholas.
"And that was to offer a reward of ten thousand taels to the brave man who should lay the head of so black a dragon at my feet," said the general; adding, "Soon after came the news that Li was on his march, with a vast army, to chastise me for the insult, and I began to prepare to receive him; but, finding that the number of my troops was so small that the multitudinous army of the rebels would hew them to pieces in the first battle, rather than suffer such a disgrace, and permit so vile a criminal to remain unpunished, I dared to propose to make peace with the Tartar king conditionally, that he would help me to drive this rogue from the land. This proposition was indignantly resisted by the prince, when (may I be pardoned for so daring an act) I became but the more resolved, and immediately sent a special envoy to the Tartar, who, in return, sent by his brother, the great Amavan, a promise to add to my little army one hundred thousand of his bravest troops. Scarcely, however, had a day elapsed after the departure of my envoy to the Tartar, then the royal Yong-Li left the city in anger."
"Truly, general, the prince was wise, for although in war and council all men are mice by the side of the great Woo-san-Kwei, surely in this his wisdom must have failed him, for, O general, is it reasonable to bring in tigers to chase away dogs?" said Nicholas, warmly.
To which Woo-san-Kwei made no reply, but terminated the audience to keep down his anger.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
CRUEL DEATH OF THE AGED WOO.—A BATTLE.—BRAVERY OF THE BOYS.—CHOW TAKEN BY THE ENEMY.
With terrible anxiety, Nicholas awaited the return of the party sent in search of the princess, but when evening came and they brought not the slightest clue, his grief grew beyond all bounds, and he resolved to seek the general's permission to go himself in search, but, as on the following day, a deserter from the enemy brought news that the main body of the rebels was within a few miles of Lao-yang, he was compelled to remain with Woo-san-Kwei, at least till the enemy had been destroyed or beaten back from whence they came.