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

From The Drifting Ships And The Sounds Of Conflict From The

Towers,  Came Flocking Down In Haste. The Planks Had Already

Been Thrown Overboard. The Danes Strove By Pulling

At The Ropes To Haul The Vessels Nearer To Land. Some Ran

Towards Their Ships,  Others Jumped Into Boats,  And Pushing

Out To The Platforms Strove To Get On Board Them; But By This

Time The Flames Were Rising High Through The Hatchways.

According To Previous Agreement Edmund And The Leaders

Of The Other Two Parties,  Seeing That The Flames Had Now Firm

Hold,  Cut The Ropes Which Fastened Them To The Bank,  And As

Soon As The Stream Began To Swing Them Out Leaped Into The

Boats And Rowed For The Opposite Shore.

The Uproar Was Now Tremendous; And Shouts Of Rage

Rose From The Northmen,  Who Were Amazed And Puzzled By

The Appearance Of The Saxons,  Whose Attire Differed But

Slightly From Their Own; And The General Belief Among Them

Was That This Sudden Alarm Was The Result Of Treachery Among

Themselves. There Was No Time To Waste In Conjecture; The

Three Groups Of Ships Were Now Masses Of Flame,  In The Midst

Of Which The Lofty Towers Rose High. The Shouts Of The Sailors

In The Vessels Crowded Together In Helpless Confusion In The

Stream Below Rose Higher And Higher As The Blazing Vessels

Drifted Down And Threatened To Overtake Them.

Some Tried To Hoist Their Sails; Others Got Out Long Oars

And Strove To Sweep Their Vessels Towards The Shore,  But They

Were Huddled Too Closely In The Stream; The Yards And Rigging

Of Many Having Become Interlocked With Each Other. The

Northmen Leaped Into The Rowing Boats By The Bank Above

Where The Tower-Ships Had Been Moored,  And Rowing Down

Endeavoured To Tow Them To The Bank; But They Were Now In A

Blaze From End To End,  The Heat Was So Great That It Was Difficult

To Approach Them,  And All Endeavours To Fasten Ropes To

Them Were Frustrated,  As These Were Instantly Consumed. The

Northmen,  Finding Their Efforts Unavailing,  Then Turned Their

Attention To Trying To Tow The Ships Below To The Banks.

In Some Cases They Were Successful. A Few Of The Vessels

Also At The Lower End Of The Mass Succeeded In Getting Up

Their Sails And Drawing Out From Their Fellows,  For The Wind

Was Blowing Down Stream. This,  However,  Proved The Destruction

Of The Rest Of The Ships,  For The Great Towers Rising

Amid The Lofty Pillars Of Flames Acted As Sails And Bore The

Fire-Ships Down Upon The Helpless Crowd Of Vessels.

Soon They Reached Those Nearest To Them,  And The Flames,

Borne Forward By The Wind,  Sprang From Vessel To Vessel.

There Was No Longer Any Hope Of Saving A Single Ship; And

The Crews,  Climbing Hastily Across From One To The Other Till

They Reached Those Nearest To The Shore,  Leaped Overboard.

Although Now More Than Half A Mile Below The City The Flames

Lit Up The Walls With A Bright Glare,  And The Shouts Of The

Exulting Franks Rose Loud And Continuous.

The Sudden Shouting Which Had Broken Out Among The

Danes Had Alarmed The Watchmen,  Who,  Ignorant Of The Cause,

Called The Citizens To Arms,  And These On Reaching The Walls

Had Stood Astonished At The Spectacle. The Flames Were Already

Rising From The Three Groups Of Ships Which They Had

Regarded With So Much Anxiety On The Previous Evening,  And

By The Light They Could See The River Below Covered With A

Mass Of Drifting Vessels. Then They Saw The Tower-Ships Float

Away From The Bank,  And The Figures On Their Decks Leap Into

Three Small Boats,  Which At Once Rowed With All Speed Across

The River.

That They Were Friends Who Had Wrought This Destruction

Was Certain,  And Count Eudes Threw Open The Gate,  And

With The Abbe Ebble Ran Down To Meet Them. They Were

Astonished When Edmund With His Saxons Leaped To Land.

"What Miracle Is This?" The Count Exclaimed.

"A Simple Matter,  Sir Count," Edmund Answered. "My

Kinsman And I,  Seeing That The Townspeople Were Troubled By

Yonder Towers,  Determined To Destroy Them. We Have Succeeded

In Doing So,  And With Them I Trust Fully Half Of The

Danish Fleet Will Perish."

"You Are The Saviour Of Our Town,  My Brave Young Saxon,"

Count Eudes Cried,  Embracing Him. "If Paris Is Saved It Will

Be Thanks To The Valiant Deed That You Have Accomplished

This Night. But Let Us To The Walls Again,  Where We May The

Better See Whether The Danes Can Remove Their Ships From

Those Great Furnaces Which Are Bearing Down Upon Them."

The Sight From The Walls,  When The Fire-Ships Reached

The Fleet And The Flames Spread,  Was Grand In The Extreme,

For In Half An Hour Nigh Three Hundred Vessels Were In Flames.

For Some Time The Three Towers Rose Like Pillars Of Fire Above

The Burning Mass; Then One By One They Fell With A Crash,

Which Could Be Plainly Heard,  Although They Were Now Near A

Mile Away.

Paris Was Wild With Joy At The Destruction Of The Towers

Which Had Menaced It,  And The Conflagration Of Nigh Half

The Danish Fleet,  Laden With The Spoil Of Northern France.

Edmund And His Saxons Were Conducted In Triumph By A

Shouting Crowd To The Palace Of The Archbishop,  Where Goslin,

In The Name Of The City,  Returned Them The Heartiest Thanks

For The Services Which They Had Rendered. The Wealthy Citizens

Vied With Each Other In Bestowing Costly Presents Upon

Them,  Bonfires Were Lighted In The Streets,  And Till Morning

The Town Gave Itself Up To Revelry And Rejoicing.

A Month Elapsed Before The Danes Recovered From The

Blow Which Had Been Dealt Them And Resumed The Assault.

Part Of This Time Had Been Spent In Manufacturing Great

Shields Of Bull's Hide. These Were Strongly Constructed,  And

Were Each Capable Of Covering Six Men. On The 29th Of January

Their Preparations Were Complete,  And At Daybreak The

Warders On The Wall Saw Them Pouring Down Into Their Ships

And Galleys. As The Fleet Crossed The River Its Aspect Was

Singular. The Decks Were Covered By The Black Shields,  Above

Which Appeared A Forest Of Spears,  Sparkling In The Morning

Sunlight. As They Reached The Shore The Northmen Sprang To

Land,  While From The Decks Of The Vessels A Storm Of Missiles

Flew Towards The Walls. Vast Numbers Of Catapults,  Which

They Had Manufactured Since Their Last Attack,  Hurled Masses

Of Stone,  Heavy Javelins,  And Leaden Bullets,  While Thousands

Of Arrows Darkened The Air.

The Bells Of The Church Sounded The Alarm,  Which Called

Every Citizen Capable Of Bearing Arms To The Walls. The

Archbishop Took His Place At The Spot Most Threatened By The

Enemy,  With His Nephew,  The Valiant Abbe,  By His Side. The

Counts Eudes,  Robert,  Ragenaire,  Utton,  And Herilang Stood

Foremost Among The Defenders.

The Saxons,  As Before,  Were Held In Reserve,  But To

Edmund And Egbert Had Been Assigned,  At Their Urgent Request,

The Command Of The Defence Of The Tower. It Was Against

This Point That The Danes Again Made Their Most Desperate

Effort. Their Main Body Advanced Against It,  And Smaller

Parties Attacked The City At Other Points,  While The Rowing

Galleys,  Divided Into Two Bodies,  Strove To Destroy The Bridge,

And So Isolate The Defenders Of The Post.

Around The Tower The Combat Was Desperate. The Assailants

Were Well-Nigh Hidden Under Their Great Bucklers.

Their Shouts,  And The Constant Clashing Of Arms Which They

Maintained,  Made A Terrific Uproar; A Storm Of Missiles From

The Fleet Poured Upon The Tower,  While From The Crevices

Between The Shields The Bowmen Shot Incessantly At The Defenders.

The Very Number Of The Danes Hindered Their Attack,  For The

Tower Was So Small That Comparatively Few Could Approach At Once.

It Had Been Greatly Strengthened Since The Last Assault,

And Through The Loopholes In The Walls The Archers Did Their

Best To Answer The Storm Of Missiles Poured Into The Fort.

Edmund And Egbert Went Among Them,  Begging Them Not To

Fire At Random,  But To Choose Moments When The Movements

Of The Assailants Opened A Space In The Roof Of Shields Which

Covered Them.

Whenever This Took Place A Dozen Arrows Fell True To The

Mark. Some Of Those Bearing The Shield Would Be Struck,

And These Falling,  A Gap Would Be Caused Through Which The

Arrows Of The Defenders Flew Thickly,  Causing Death And Confusion

Until The Shield Could Be Raised In Its Place Again.

Boiling Liquids Were Poured Over Those Who Approached The

Walls,  And Huge Stones Crushed The Shields And Their Bearers.

Eudes And His Men Valiantly Defended The Wall,  And The

Danes In Vain Strove To Scale It. All Day Long The Battle

Continued,  But At Nightfall The Tower Still Remained In The Hands

Of The Defenders,  The Deep Ditch Which They Had Dug Round It

Having Prevented The Danes From Working At The Wall,  As They

Had Done In The Previous Assault.

When Darkness Came On The Danes Did Not Retire,  But

Lay Down In The Positions They Occupied,  Under Their Shields.

In The Morning Many Ships Were Seen Crossing The River Again,

And The Defenders Saw To Their Surprise Numbers Of Captives

Who Had Been Collected From The Surrounding Country,  Troops

Of Oxen,  Ship-Loads Of Branches Of Trees,  Trusses Of Hay And

Corn,  And Faggots Of Vines Landed. Their Surprise Became

Horror When They Saw The Captives And The Cattle Alike

Slaughtered As They Landed. Their Bodies Were Brought Forward

Under Cover Of The Shields And Thrown Into The Moat,  In Which,

Too,  Were Cast The Hay,  Straw,  Faggots,  And Trees.

At The Sight Of The Massacre The Archbishop Prayed To

The Virgin To Give Him Strength,  And Drawing A Bow To Its Full

Strength,  Let Fly An Arrow,  Which,  Great As Was The Distance,

Flew True To Its Mark And Struck The Executioner Full In The

Face. This Apparent Miracle Of The Virgin In Their Favour

Re-Animated The Spirit Of The Defenders; And A Solemn Service

Was Instantly Held In The Church In Her Honour,  And Prayers

Were Offered To Her To Save Lutece,  Which Was The Original

Name Of Paris,  And Was Still Cherished By Its Inhabitants.

The Danes Were Occupied All Day At Their Work Of Filling

Up The Moat. The Besieged Were Not Idle,  But Laboured At The

Construction Of Several Mangonels Capable Of Casting Huge

Blocks Of Stone. In The Morning The Danes Planted Their

Battering-Rams,  One On Each Side Of