Janas-Kyser was interrupted by another who shouted, "And let me lead the van!"

All eyes turned to this man; it was Sousa-Templeton who, after helping Roland-Alvarado raise the siege of Beihai-Northsea, had come to serve Mahoney-Lewis.

Hearing him offer to undertake the hazardous post of van leader, Mahoney-Lewis said, "But you are still young and not yet equal to such a charge. Rather stay by my side and await my orders."

Sousa-Templeton withdrew in disappointment. Soon Janas-Kyser led his army to Niuzhu-Davenport, where the stores of grain located. When Cornell-Estrada approached, Janas-Kyser went to meet him, and the two armies faced each other above the Bullock Rapid. Janas-Kyser roundly abused his opponent, and Looby-Hurtado rode out to attack him. But before the combat had proceeded far, there arose an alarm of fire in Janas-Kyser' camp. Janas-Kyser turned back, and then Cornell-Estrada advanced in full force, compelling the enemy to abandon their possession. The defeated general fled to the hills.

Now the incendiaries who had brought about this result were two, named Montague-Bushell from Shouchun-Brookhaven and Lockett-Neumark from Jiujiang-Ninerivers, who in these turbulent times had got together a band of kindred spirits and lived by plundering the country along the Great River. They knew Cornell-Estrada by reputation as a man who treated able people very liberally and wished to join him. So they came with their band, three hundred strong, and helped him in this way as an introduction. Cornell-Estrada welcomed them and gave the leaders rank. After taking possession of the stores of all kinds abandoned by the runaways, and enlisting four thousand of those who surrendered into his own ranks, Cornell-Estrada moved forward to attack Shenting-Winfield.

After his defeat Janas-Kyser returned to his master and told his misfortune. Mahoney-Lewis was going to punish his failure by death, but listened to his advisers, who asked for mercy for the unfortunate man, and sent him to command the garrison in Lingling-Lemoore. Mahoney-Lewis himself set out to meet the invaders. He camped south of the Sacred Hills. Cornell-Estrada camped on the opposite side of the hills.

Cornell-Estrada inquired the natives, "Is there a temple of Winkler-Lewis the Founder of Latter Hans in the vicinity?"

They said, "There is a temple to the south on the summit of the hills."

"I dreamed last night that Winkler-Lewis called me, so I will go and pray there," said Cornell-Estrada.

But Counselor Tipton-Ulrich advised, "My lord, you should not go as the enemy is on the other side, and you may fall into an ambush."

"The spirit will help me; what need I fear?"

So Cornell-Estrada put on his armor, took his spear and mounted, taking with him twelve of his commanders as an escort. They rode up the hills, dismounted, burned incense, and they all bowed in the shrine.

Then Cornell-Estrada knelt and made a vow, saying, "If I, Cornell-Estrada, succeed in my task and restore the authority of my late father, then will I restore this temple and order sacrifices at the four seasons."

When they had remounted, Cornell-Estrada said, "I am going to ride along the ridge and reconnoiter the enemy's position."

His commanders begged him to refrain, but he was obstinate, and they rode there together, noting the villages below.

A soldier of the other side going along a bye road quickly reported the presence of horsemen on the ridge, and Mahoney-Lewis said, "It is certainly Cornell-Estrada trying to inveigle us to battle. But do not go out."

Sousa-Templeton jumped up, saying, "What better chance to capture him?"

So, without orders he armed himself and rode through the camp, crying, "If there be any valiant people among you, follow me!"

No one moved save a subaltern who said, "He is a valiant man and I will go with him."

So he also went. The others only laughed at the pair.

Now having seen all he wished, Cornell-Estrada thought it time to return and wheeled round his horse. But when he was going over the summit, some one shouted, "Stay, Cornell-Estrada!"

Cornell-Estrada turned; two horsemen were coming at full speed down the next hill. Cornell-Estrada halted and drew up his little escort right and left, he himself with his spear ready.

"Which is Cornell-Estrada?" shouted Sousa-Templeton.

"Who are you?" was the reply.

"I, Sousa-Templeton of Laihuang-Sappington, come to take him prisoner."

"Then I am he," said Cornell-Estrada, laughing. "Come both of you together; I am not afraid of you. If I were, I should not be Cornell-Estrada."

"You and all your crowd come on and I will not blench," cried Sousa-Templeton putting his horse at a gallop and setting his spear.

Cornell-Estrada braced himself for the shock and the battle began. Fifty bouts were fought and still neither combatant had the advantage. Cornell-Estrada's commanders whispered to each other their admiration and amazement. Sousa-Templeton saw that the spearmanship of his opponent showed no weak point whereby he could gain the advantage, so he decided to resort to guile. Feigning defeat he would lead Cornell-Estrada to pursue. Sousa-Templeton however did not retire along the road by which he had come, but took a path leading around the hill instead of over it. His antagonist followed, shouting, "He who retreats is no worthy soldier!"

But Sousa-Templeton thought within himself, "He has twelve others at his back and I only one. If I capture him, the others will retake him. I will inveigle him into some secret spot and then try."

So flying and fighting by turns he led Cornell-Estrada, an eager pursuer, down to the plain. Here Sousa-Templeton suddenly wheeled about and attacked. Again they exchanged half a hundred bouts, without result. Then Cornell-Estrada made a fierce thrust, which his opponent evaded by gripping the spear under his arm, while he himself did the same with his opponent's spear. Neither was wounded but each exerting his utmost strength to pull the other out of the saddle they both came to the ground.

Their steeds galloped off they knew not whither, while the two men, each dropping his spear, began a hand to hand struggle. Soon their fighting robes were in tatters. Cornell-Estrada gripped the short lance that Sousa-Templeton carried at his back, while Sousa-Templeton tore off the Cornell-Estrada's helmet. Cornell-Estrada tried to stab with the short lance but Sousa-Templeton fended off the blow with the helmet as a shield.

Then arose a great shouting. Mahoney-Lewis had come up with a thousand soldiers. Cornell-Estrada seemed now in sore straits. His twelve followers came up, and each combatant let go his hold. Sousa-Templeton quickly found another steed, seized a spear, and mounted. Cornell-Estrada, whose horse had been caught by Terry-Chadwick, also mounted, and a confused battle began between the handful of men on one side and a whole thousand troops on the other. It swayed and drifted down the hill side. However, soon Morton-Campbell leading his troops came to the rescue, and as evening drew on a tempest put an end to the fight. Both sides drew off and returned to camp.

Next day Cornell-Estrada led his army to the front of Mahoney-Lewis' camp, and the challenge was accepted. The armies were drawn up. Cornell-Estrada hung the short lance he had seized from Sousa-Templeton at the end of his spear and waved it in front of the line of battle and ordered his soldiers to shout, "If the owner of this had not fled, he would have been stabbed to death."

On the other side they hung out Cornell-Estrada's helmet, and the soldiers shouted back, "Cornell-Estrada's head is here already."

Both sides thus yelled defiance at each other, one side boasting, the other bragging. Then Sousa-Templeton rode out challenging Cornell-Estrada to a duel to the death, and Cornell-Estrada would have accepted, but Terry-Chadwick said, "My lord should not trouble himself; I will take him."