The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3) by G. A. Henty (e book reading free TXT) 📕

Lofty Stature,  Spread Terror In The Hearts Of The Citizens.

"This Is Truly A Tremendous Host!" The Count Eudes Said

To Edmund,  Who Stood Beside Him On The Walls.

"It Is Indeed," Edmund Replied. "Numerous As Are The

Fleets Which Have Poured Down Upon The Shores Of England,

Methinks That None Approached This In Strength. It Is Clear

That The Northmen Have United Their Forces For A Great Effort

Against This City; But Having At Home Successfully Defended

Fortifications,  Which Were Not To Be Named In Comparison

With Those Of Paris,  Against Them,  I See No Reason To Doubt

That We Shall Be Able To Beat Them Off Here."

The Danes Landed On The Opposite Bank And Formed A

Vast Camp There,  And The Following Morning Three Of Their

Number In A Small Boat Rowed Across The River And Said That

Their King Siegfroi Desired To Speak With Goslin,  Archbishop

Of Paris,  Who Stood In The Position Of Civil Governor. They

Were Told That The Archbishop Would Receive The King In His

Palace.

An Hour Later A Stately Figure In Glittering Armour Was

Seen To Take His Place In A Long Galley,  Which,  Rowed By Twenty

Men,  Quickly Shot Across The Stream. Siegfroi Landed,  And,

Accompanied By Four Of His Leading Warriors,  Entered The

Gates,  Which Were Opened At His Approach. The Chief Of The

Northmen Was A Warrior Of Lofty Stature. On His Head He

Wore A Helmet Of Gold,  On Whose Crest Was A Raven With Extended

Wings Wrought In The Same Metal. His Hair Fell Loosely

On His Neck; His Face Was Clean Shaved In Danish Fashion,  Save

For A Long Moustache. He Wore A Breastplate Of Golden Scales,

And Carried A Shield Of The Toughest Bull's-Hide Studded With

Gold Nails.

He Was Unarmed,  Save A Long Dagger Which He Wore In

His Belt. He And His Followers,  Who Were All Men Of Immense

Stature,  Walked With A Proud And Assured Air Between The

Lines Of Citizens Who Clustered Thickly On Each Side Of The

Street,  And Who Gazed In Silence At These Dreaded Figures.

They Were Escorted By The Chamberlain Of The Archbishop,

And On Arriving At His Palace Were Conducted Into The Chamber

Where Goslin,  Count Eudes,  And Several Of The Leading

Persons Of Paris Awaited Them.

Siegfroi Bent His Head Before The Prelate.

"Goslin," He Said,  "I Beg You To Have Compassion Upon

Yourself And Your Flock If You Do Not Wish To Perish. We

Beseech You To Turn A Favourable Ear To Our Words. Grant

Only That We Shall March Through The City. We Will Touch

Nothing In The Town,  And We Undertake To Preserve All Your

Property,  Both Yours And That Of Eudes."

The Archbishop Replied At Once:

"This City Has Been Confided To Us By The Emperor

Charles,  Who Is,  After God,  The King And Master Of The Powers

Of The Earth. Holding Under His Rule Almost All The World,

He Confided It To Us,  With The Assurance That We Should Suffer

No Harm To Come To The Kingdom,  But Should Keep It For Him

Safe And Sure. If It Had Happened That The Defence Of These

Walls Had Been Committed To Your Hands,  As It Has Been

Committed To Mine,  What Would You Have Done Had Such A

Demand Been Made Upon You? Would You Have Granted The

Demand?"

"If I Had Granted It," Siegfroi Replied,  "May My Head Fall

Under The Axe And Serve As Food For Dogs. Nevertheless,  If

You Do Not Grant Our Demands,  By Day We Will Overwhelm

Your City With Our Darts,  And With Poisoned Arrows By Night.

You Shall Suffer All The Horrors Of Hunger,  And Year After Year

We Will Return And Make A Ruin Of Your City."

Without Another Word He Turned,  And Followed By His

Companions,  Strode Through The Streets Of Paris,  And Taking

His Place In The Boat Returned To His Camp.

At Daybreak The Next Morning The Norsemen Were Seen

Crowding Into Their Ships. The Trumpets Sounded Loudly,  And

The Citizens Seized Their Arms And Hastened To The Walls. The

Norsemen Crossed The River,  And Directed Their Attack Against

A Tower Which Stood At The Head Of The Bridge Connecting The

City And Island With The Farther Bank. Those Who Landed

Were Provided With Picks,  Crowbars,  And Other Implements

For Effecting A Breach,  And Their Approach Was Protected By A

Cloud Of Arrows And Javelins From The Fleet Which Covered

The Surface Of The River.

The French Leaders Soon Assembled At The Threatened

Point. Chief Among These Were Eudes,  His Brother Robert,

The Count Ragenaire,  And The Abbe Ebble,  A Nephew Of The

Archbishop. The Franks Bore Themselves Bravely,  And In Spite

Of The Rain Of Arrows Defended The Walls Against The Desperate

Attacks Of The Northmen.

The Fortifications In Those Days Were Very Far From Having

Attained The Strength And Solidity Which A Few Generations

Later Were Bestowed Upon Them. The Stones Of Which

They Were Constructed Were Comparatively Small,  And Fastened

Together By Mortar,  Consequently They Could Ill Resist Even An

Assault By Manual Weapons. Covered By Their Shields The

Northmen Worked Untiringly At The Foundations,  And Piece

By Piece The Walls Crumbled To The Ground. Every Effort,

However,  To Enter At The Breaches So Made Was Repulsed,  And

Siegfroi Kept Back His Warriors,  Determined To Delay The Grand

Assault Until The Next Day. By Nightfall The Tower Was In Ruins,

Scarce A Portion Of The Walls Remaining Erect. Many Of The

Besieged Had Been Killed. The Archbishop Was Wounded With

An Arrow. Frederic,  A Young Soldier Who Led The Troops Of The

Church Was Killed.

The Besiegers Had Suffered Much More Severely,  Great

Numbers Having Been Killed By The Stones And Missiles Hurled

Down By The Defenders While Engaged In The Demolition Of

The Walls. At Nightfall The Danes Carried Off Their Wounded

And Recrossed The River,  Confident That Next Day They Would

Succeed In Their Assault. As Soon As Darkness Had Set In Count

Eudes Collected The Citizens,  And These,  Bearing Beams And

Planks,  Crossed The Bridge To The Tower,  And Set To Work.

Outside The Circle Of Ruins Holes Were Dug And The Beams

Securely Fixed. Planks Were Nailed To These,  And Earth Heaped

Up Behind Them.

All Night The Work Continued,  And By Morning A Fortification

Much Higher Than The Original Tower Had Been Erected

All Round The Ruin. The Danes Again Crossed The River In

Their Ships,  And The Assault Was Renewed. Javelins And Great

Stones Were Hurled At The Fortification,  And Clouds Of Arrows

From The Shipping Fell Within Them. Covered With Portable

Roofs Constructed Of Planks The Danes Strove To Destroy The

Wall. The Besieged Poured Upon Them A Blazing Mixture Of

Oil,  Wax,  And Pitch. Numbers Of The Danes Were Burned To

Death,  While Others,  Maddened By The Pain,  Threw Themselves

Into The River.

Over And Over Again Siegfroi Led His Warriors To The Attack,

But The Defenders,  Headed By Eudes And The Brave Abbe Ebble,

Each Time Repelled Them. The Abbe Particularly Distinguished

Himself,  And He Is Reported To Have Slain Seven

Danes At Once With One Javelin,  A Blow Which May Be Considered

As Bordering On The Miraculous. But The Number Of The

Defenders Of The Tower Was Small Indeed To That Of The Enemy,

And The Loss Which They Inflicted Upon The Danes,  Great

As It Was,  Was As Nothing In So Vast A Host.

The Flames Of The Machines,  Lighted By The Pitch And

Oil,  Communicated To The Planks Of The Fortification,  And Soon

These Too Were On Fire. As They Burned,  The Earth Behind

Them Gave Way,  And A Breach Was Formed. Encouraged By

This Result The Danes Brought Up Faggots,  And In Several Places

Lighted Great Fires Against The Fortifications. The Defenders

Began To Lose All Hope,  When A Tremendous Storm Of Rain

Suddenly Burst Over Paris Quenching The Fire.

The Besieged Gained Heart,  Reinforcements Crossed From

The Town,  And The Danes Again Withdrew To Their Ships,  Having

Lost In The Day's Fighting Three Hundred Men. After This

Repulse The Northmen Desisted For A Time From Their Attack.

They Formed A Strong Fortified Camp Near The Church Of St.

Germain,  And Then Spread Over The Country Slaying And Burning,

Sparing None,  Man,  Woman,  Or Child. From The Walls Of

Paris The Smoke Could Be Seen Rising Over The Whole Country,

And Every Heart Was Moved With Rage And Sorrow.

Edmund And His Party Had Taken No Part In The Defence

Of The Tower. Its Loss Would Not Have Involved That Of The

Town,  And Eudes Requested Him To Keep His Band In Reserve

In Order That They Might Remain Intact Until The Danes Should

Make A Breach In The Walls Of The City Itself,  When The Sudden

Reinforcement Of A Party Of Such Well-Trained Warriors Might

Decide The Result.

While A Portion Of The Danish Host Were Engaged Upon

The Work Of Devastation,  A Large Number Were Employed Upon

The Construction Of Three Great Towers. These Were Built On

Wheels,  And Were Each Large Enough To Hold Sixty Men. They

Far Overtopped The Walls,  And The Citizens Viewed With Alarm

The Time When An Assault Should Be Delivered Under The Protection

Of These Formidable Machines. Eighteen Ships Of Equal

Size Were Moored By The Bank Six Deep. Great Planks Were

Laid Across Them,  And A Sloping Platform Having Been Formed,

The Towers Were By The Efforts Of Thousands Of Men Moved Up

And Placed On The Ships.

"If We Do Not Destroy Those Towers,  Egbert," Edmund

Said One Day As He Saw Them Slowly Moving Into Their Position

On Board The Ships,  "All Is Lost,  For From Their Summits

The Northmen With Their Bows And Javelins Will Be Able To

Clear The Walls,  While Those Below Effect A Breach At Their

Leisure."

"That Is True Enough,  Edmund,  But I Do Not See Any Way

To Destroy Them. Unfortunately We Have No Boats,  Or We Might

Fill Some Of Them With Combustibles,  And Tow Them Down

Until Near Enough For The Stream To Carry Them Upon Those

Vessels; But Even Then The Chance Were Small Indeed,  For The

Danes Would Swarm Out In Their Boats And Manage To Tow Or

Push Them So That They Would Not Touch The Ships."

"I Should Think,  Egbert,  That If We Could Get Some Skins

Or Planks We And Our Band Might,  When It Is Quite Dark,  Sally

Out And Take To The Water At The Lower End Of The Island And

Float Down Quietly For A Mile Or Two,  And Then Gain The Further

Bank; Then We Might March Along Quietly Until