The Dragon and the Raven; Or, The Days of King Alfred

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XIV: THE REPULSE OF THE NORSEMEN

  When within half a mile of the Danish camp Edmund and Egbert left theband and advanced alone. They were pretty confident that they shouldfind but few of the Danes near the bank of the river, for the arrowsfrom the walls of Paris carried some distance beyond it, and theNorthmen consequently encamped some hundred yards away. They had topick their way carefully, for the ships were moored along the bank,their ropes being fastened to great stakes driven into the ground.

  There were lights on board the vessels, many of the crews remaining onboard. They made their way along until they reached the spot they aimedat. Here lay the three sets of vessels, each six deep; their masts hadbeen removed, and the great towers rose high into the darkness abovethe platforms extending over their decks.

  The planks forming the gangways up which the towers had been moved hadbeen taken away, save one which gave access to each tier, and Edmunddoubted not that it was intended that they should the next morning moveacross the river in tow of the numerous row-boats. The two Saxons didnot attempt to go on board, as they had now found out all they wanted,and might mar all by disturbing some sleeper upon the platform. Theyaccordingly returned to the spot where the band were awaiting them.

  "I propose, Egbert," Edmund said, "that as we go along we cut themooring-ropes of all the vessels. We must do it quietly so as not toexcite any alarm, and they will know nothing of it until they findthemselves drifting down the river in a mass. Then there will be greatjostling and carrying away of bowsprits and bulwarks, and the confusionand shouting which will arise will tend to confuse the Danes and todistract their attention from us."

  Egbert agreed to the proposal, and as soon as they reached the firstships the Saxons began their work, sawing with their knives and daggersthrough the ropes. The vessels lay four or five deep and there weremany cables to cut, but the keen knives of the Saxons made short workof these. Before beginning their work they had spread along the bank,leaving only two men abreast of each ship, so that in the course of twoor three minutes the cables for the length of forty ships were severed,and these and their consorts beyond them began to drift out into thestream.

  The Saxons ran quickly on ahead and repeated the work until the wholeof the vessels below those forming the platform for the towers wereadrift in the stream; but by this time those in the ships at the lowerend of the tiers had taken the alarm, and shouts of wonder and angerrose on the air. The nine Saxons told off for the purpose leaped intothree small boats and rowed out into the stream, while the rest of theband, divided into three parties, dashed across the planks on to theplatforms. The Danes here had already been alarmed by the uproar fromthe vessels adrift, and although unable to see what was passing judgedthat something was wrong, and had called to their comrades sleeping inthe holds to come up.

  Some of these bearing torches came up on deck just as the Saxons,pouring across the planks which connected the ships with the shore,fell upon them. Taken utterly by surprise, the Danes could offer noeffective resistance. The Saxons, charging with levelled spears, drovethose above headlong into the water; then, having made themselvesmasters of the platforms, they dashed below and despatched the Danesthey found there. The torches were now applied to the contents of theholds. These were for the most part crammed with the booty which theNorsemen had gained at Havre, Rouen, and other places, and the flamesspeedily shot up. By this time the Danes in the camp, alarmed by theshouting from the drifting ships and the sounds of conflict from thetowers, came flocking down in haste. The planks had already been thrownoverboard. The Danes strove by pulling at the ropes to haul the vesselsnearer to land. Some ran towards their ships, others jumped into boats,and pushing out to the platforms strove to get on board them; but bythis time the flames were rising high through the hatchways. Accordingto previous agreement Edmund and the leaders of the other two parties,seeing that the flames had now firm hold, cut the ropes which fastenedthem to the bank, and as soon as the stream began to swing them outleaped into the boats and rowed for the opposite shore.

  The uproar was now tremendous; and shouts of rage rose from theNorthmen, who were amazed and puzzled by the appearance of the Saxons,whose attire differed but slightly from their own; and the generalbelief among them was that this sudden alarm was the result oftreachery among themselves. There was no time to waste in conjecture;the three groups of ships were now masses of flame, in the midst ofwhich the lofty towers rose high. The shouts of the sailors in thevessels crowded together in helpless confusion in the stream below rosehigher and higher as the blazing vessels drifted down and threatened toovertake them.

  Some tried to hoist their sails; others got out long oars and strove tosweep their vessels towards the shore, but they were huddled tooclosely in the stream; the yards and rigging of many having becomeinterlocked with each other. The Northmen leaped into the rowing boatsby the bank above where the tower-ships had been moored, and rowingdown endeavoured to tow them to the bank; but they were now in a blazefrom end to end, the heat was so great that it was difficult toapproach them, and all endeavours to fasten ropes to them werefrustrated, as these were instantly consumed. The Northmen, findingtheir efforts unavailing, then turned their attention to trying to towthe ships below to the banks.

  In some cases they were successful. A few of the vessels also at thelower end of the mass succeeded in getting up their sails and drawingout from their fellows, for the wind was blowing down stream. This,however, proved the destruction of the rest of the ships, for the greattowers rising amid the lofty pillars of flames acted as sails and borethe fire-ships down upon the helpless crowd of vessels.

  Soon they reached those nearest to them, and the flames, borne forwardby the wind, sprang from vessel to vessel. There was no longer any hopeof saving a single ship; and the crews, climbing hastily across fromone to the other till they reached those nearest to the shore, leapedoverboard. Although now more than half a mile below the city the flameslit up the walls with a bright glare, and the shouts of the exultingFranks rose loud and continuous.

  The sudden shouting which had broken out among the Danes had alarmedthe 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 whichthey had regarded with so much anxiety on the previous evening, and bythe light they could see the river below covered with a mass ofdrifting vessels. Then they saw the tower-ships float away from thebank, and the figures on their decks leap into three small boats, whichat 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 downto meet them. They were astonished when Edmund with his Saxons leapedto 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, determinedto destroy them. We have succeeded in doing so, and with them I trustfully half of the Danish fleet will perish."

  "You are the saviour of our town, my brave young Saxon," Count Eudescried, embracing him. "If Paris is saved it will be thanks to thevaliant deed that you have accomplished this night. But let us to thewalls again, where we may the better see whether the Danes can removetheir ships from those great furnaces which are bearing down upon them."

  The sight from the walls, when the fire-ships reached the fleet and theflames spread, was grand in the extreme, for in half an hour nigh threehundred vessels were in flames. For some time the three towers roselike pillars of fire above the burning mass; then one by one they fellwith a crash, which could be plainly heard, although they were now neara mile away.

  Paris was wild with joy at the destruction of the towers which hadmenaced it, and the conflagration of nigh half the Danish fleet, ladenwith the spoil of northern France. Edmund and his Saxons were conductedin triumph by a shouting crowd to the palace of the archbisho
p, whereGoslin, in the name of the city, returned them the heartiest thanks forthe services which they had rendered. The wealthy citizens vied witheach other in bestowing costly presents upon them, bonfires werelighted in the streets, and till morning the town gave itself up torevelry and rejoicing.

  A month elapsed before the Danes recovered from the blow which had beendealt them and resumed the assault. Part of this time had been spent inmanufacturing great shields of bull's hide. These were stronglyconstructed, and were each capable of covering six men. On the 29th ofJanuary their preparations were complete, and at daybreak the warderson the wall saw them pouring down into their ships and galleys. As thefleet crossed the river its aspect was singular. The decks were coveredby the black shields, above which appeared a forest of spears,sparkling in the morning sunlight. As they reached the shore theNorthmen sprang to land, while from the decks of the vessels a storm ofmissiles flew towards the walls. Vast numbers of catapults, which theyhad manufactured since their last attack, hurled masses of stone, heavyjavelins, and leaden bullets, while thousands of arrows darkened theair.

  The bells of the church sounded the alarm, which called every citizencapable of bearing arms to the walls. The archbishop took his place atthe spot most threatened by the enemy, with his nephew, the valiantabbe, by his side. The Counts Eudes, Robert, Ragenaire, Utton, andHerilang stood foremost among the defenders.

  The Saxons, as before, were held in reserve, but to Edmund and Egberthad been assigned, at their urgent request, the command of the defenceof the tower. It was against this point that the Danes again made theirmost desperate effort. Their main body advanced against it, and smallerparties attacked the city at other points, while the rowing galleys,divided into two bodies, strove to destroy the bridge, and so isolatethe defenders of the post.

  Around the tower the combat was desperate. The assailants werewell-nigh hidden under their great bucklers. Their shouts, and theconstant clashing of arms which they maintained, made a terrificuproar; a storm of missiles from the fleet poured upon the tower, whilefrom the crevices between the shields the bowmen shot incessantly atthe defenders. The very number of the Danes hindered their attack, forthe tower was so small that comparatively few could approach at once.

  It had been greatly strengthened since the last assault, and throughthe loopholes in the walls the archers did their best to answer thestorm of missiles poured into the fort. Edmund and Egbert went amongthem, begging them not to fire at random, but to choose moments whenthe movements of the assailants opened a space in the roof of shieldswhich covered them.

  Whenever this took place a dozen arrows fell true to the mark. Some ofthose bearing the shield would be struck, and these falling, a gapwould be caused through which the arrows of the defenders flew thickly,causing death and confusion until the shield could be raised in itsplace again. Boiling liquids were poured over those who approached thewalls, and huge stones crushed the shields and their bearers.

  Eudes and his men valiantly defended the wall, and the Danes in vainstrove to scale it. All day long the battle continued, but at nightfallthe tower still remained in the hands of the defenders, the deep ditchwhich they had dug round it having prevented the Danes from working atthe wall, as they had done in the previous assault.

  When darkness came on the Danes did not retire, but lay down in thepositions they occupied, under their shields. In the morning many shipswere seen crossing the river again, and the defenders saw to theirsurprise numbers of captives who had been collected from thesurrounding country, troops of oxen, ship-loads of branches of trees,trusses of hay and corn, and faggots of vines landed. Their surprisebecame horror when they saw the captives and the cattle alikeslaughtered as they landed. Their bodies were brought forward undercover of the shields and thrown into the moat, in which, too, were castthe hay, straw, faggots, and trees.

  At the sight of the massacre the archbishop prayed to the Virgin togive him strength, and drawing a bow to its full strength, let fly anarrow, which, great as was the distance, flew true to its mark andstruck the executioner full in the face. This apparent miracle of theVirgin in their favour re-animated the spirit of the defenders; and asolemn service was instantly held in the church in her honour, andprayers were offered to her to save Lutece, which was the original nameof 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 severalmangonels capable of casting huge blocks of stone. In the morning theDanes planted their battering-rams, one on each side of the tower, andrecommenced the assault. The new machines of the defenders did greathavoc in their ranks, their heavy stones crashing through the roof ofbucklers and crushing those who held them, and for a time the Norsemendesisted from the attack.

  They now filled three of their largest vessels with combustibles, andplacing them on the windward side of the bridge, set them alight. Thepeople of Paris beheld with afright these fire-ships bearing down uponthe bridge, and old and young burst into tears and cries at the view ofthe approaching destruction, and, led by the archbishop, all joined ina prayer to St. Germain, the patron saint of Paris, to protect thecity. The exulting Danes replied to the cries of those on the wallswith triumphant shouts. Thanks, as the Franks believed, to theinterposition of St. Germain, the fireships struck against the pile ofstones from which the beams supporting the bridge in the centre wereraised. Eudes and his companions leaped down from the bridge and withhatchets hewed holes in the sides of the ships at the water-line, andthey sank without having effected any damage to the bridge.

  It was now the turn of the Franks to raise triumphant shouts, while theDanes, disheartened, fell back from the attack, and at night recrossedthe river, leaving two of their battering-rams as tokens of the triumphof the besieged. Paris had now a respite while the Danes again spreadover the surrounding country, many of them ascending the river in theirships and wasting the country as far as Burgundy.

  The monastery of St. Germain and the church in which the body of thesaint was buried still remained untouched. The bands of Northmen whohad invaded England had never hesitated to plunder and destroy thechurches and shrines of the Christians, but hitherto some thought ofsuperstition had kept the followers of Siegfroi from assailing themonastery of St. Germain.

  One soldier, bolder than the rest, now approached the church and withhis spear broke some of the windows. The Abbe D'Abbon, an eye-witnessand minute historian of the siege of Paris, states that the impiousDane was at once struck dead. The same fate befell one of his comrades,who mounted to the platform at the top of the church and in descendingfell off and was killed. A third who entered the church and lookedround lost his sight for ever. A fourth entering it fell dead; and afifth, who, more bold than all, tried to break into the tomb of thesaint, was killed by a stone which fell upon him.

  One night after a continuance of heavy rain the Seine, being greatlyswollen, swept away the centre of the bridge connecting the tower withthe town. At daybreak the Northmen, seeing what had taken place,hastened across the river and attacked the tower. The garrison was buta small one, no more than twenty men having slept there. For a timethese repulsed every effort of the Danes, but gradually their numberswere lessened until at last fourteen only remained. Their names havecome down to us. Besides Edmund and Egbert there were Hermanfroi,Herivee, Herilard, Odoacre, Herric, Arnold, Sohie, Gerbert, Elvidon,Havderad, Ermard, and Gossuin. These resisted so valiantly that theDanes, after losing large numbers in the vain attempt to storm thewalls, brought up a wagonful of grain; this they rolled forward to thegate of the tower and set it on fire.

  The flames rapidly spread from the gates to the walls, which were allof wood, and soon the whole were a sheet of flames. The little band ofdefenders retreated on to the end of the bridge, and there, when theflames had sufficiently abated to allow them to pass, the Northmenattacked them. Edmund and Egbert were both good swimmers, but this wasan accomplishment which but few of the Franks possessed,
and none ofthe remnant of the garrison were able to swim. For a long time thelittle band repulsed all the efforts of the Danes, but were graduallydriven back foot by foot until they reached the edge of the chasm. Herethey made a last desperate stand, but were at length cut down or drivenover by sheer weight of numbers. Egbert and Edmund had disencumberedthemselves of all their defensive armour, and at the last moment,throwing off their helmets and relinquishing their spears, they plungedinto the stream, diving deeply to avoid the arrows of the Northmen.

  The fact of the river being in flood, which had caused the destructionof the tower, now proved the cause of their safety. Had the water beenclear, the Danes on the bridge above could have marked their progressand poured a storm of arrows upon them as they came to the surface; butits yellow and turbid waters concealed them from sight, and each timethey rose to the surface for air they were enabled to take a rapidbreath and dive again before their enemies could direct and launchtheir arrows at them.

  As they drifted far down the stream, they reached the land beyondbowshot of the Danes, and they soon entered the town amid the loudacclamations of the citizens. The Danes now for the most part drew offfrom the neighbourhood, and the Abbe Ebble led out a sortie, whichreached the Danish camp, and driving back those whom they found withinit, set it on fire and effected their retreat to Paris without loss, inspite of the efforts of the enemy, who rapidly assembled at the sightof the flames.

  The Danes had brought in from the surrounding country such vastquantities of cattle, sheep, and goats, that their camps would notsuffice to hold them, and they turned the church of St. Germain into astable and crowded it with these animals. The saint, as the AbbeD'Abbon relates, indignant at this desecration, sent a terrible plagueamong the cattle, and when the Danes in the morning entered the churchit contained nothing but carcasses in the last state of decomposition.

  The valiant defence of Paris had given time for the rest of France toarm, and the Danes scattered over the country now met with a stoutresistance. The Northmen were defeated in their efforts to capture LeMans, Chartres, and other towns, and were defeated in several battlesnear Chartres by Godefroi and Odon.

  In March Henri advanced with a strong force to the relief of Paris, andarriving at night attacked the camp of the Danes, slew great numbers,and captured a vast booty; and then, having supplied Paris with aconsiderable amount of provisions, retired with his band before theDanes had time to assemble in sufficient strength to oppose him.Shortly afterwards the Danes expressed the desire of Siegfroi to holdparley with the Count Eudes. Siegfroi and a number of his warriorslanded, and Eudes left the city and advanced to meet them. No soonerhad he reached them than he was attacked by the Northmen, but drawinghis sword he defended himself with immense bravery until the garrisonran down to his succour, and the Danes were driven back to their shipwith loss of nearly half of their party.

  The Danes now left the church of St. Germain L'Auxerrois and surroundedthe monastery of St. Germain des Pres, but the monks there paid himsixty pounds of pure silver to leave them in peace. Siegfroi now wishedto abandon the siege which had already cost him so dear, but theNorthmen, furious at their losses, determined upon another assault.

  "Very well," the king said; "have your way then. Attack Paris on allsides, hew down its towers, and make breaches in its walls; for once Iwill remain a spectator."

  The Danes crossed the river and landed on the island, but owing to theabsence of large numbers on other expeditions, and the heavy losseswhich they had suffered, their numbers were no longer so overwhelming,and Count Eudes led out his forces to oppose them outside the walls.This time Edmund headed his band of Saxons, who until now had onlytaken part as archers in the defence.

  The combat was a furious one. In spite of the valour of Eudes and Ebblethe Danes pressed hard upon the Franks, and were driving them backtowards the gates when Edmund led his Saxons, in the close phalanx inwhich they had so often met the Danes in the field, to the front. Withirresistible force the wedge burst its way through the ranks of theDanes, bearing all before it with its wedge of spears. Into the gapthus formed Eudes and Ebble with their bravest men threw themselves,and the Danes, severed in two, were driven back towards their ships.But for some hours the rain had been falling heavily and the river wasrapidly rising and had already overflowed a portion of the island. Thusthe Danes had great difficulty in getting on board their ships again,and great numbers were killed in doing so.

  There was no longer any resistance to Siegfroi's wishes. A parley washeld with the city, and a further sum being added to that contributedby the monks of St. Germain des Pres the Danes drew off from the town.

  At this time the long confinement of so many men within the walls hadcaused a pestilence to break out in Paris. The Archbishop Goslin, theBishop Everard of Sens, the Prince Hugues, and many others died. The16th of April was the day on which the Parisians were accustomed to goin solemn procession to the church of St. Germain. The Northmen,knowing this, in mockery filled a wagon with grain and organized a mockprocession. The bullocks who drew the chariot suddenly became lame;numbers of other bullocks were attached, but although goaded by spearstheir united efforts were unable to drag the wagon an inch, and theDanes were obliged at last to abandon their intention.

  The same day St. Germain is reported to have further shown his power.One of the Northmen, condemned for some offence to be executed, fled tothe church for refuge, and was there slain by his countrymen; but allwho took part in the deed at once fell dead. The Northmen, struck bythese miracles, placed a certain number as guard over the church toprevent any from touching aught that it contained. One of these men, aDane of great stature, spread his bed in the church and slept there;but to the astonishment of his comrades he was found in the morning tohave shrunk to the size of a new-born infant, at which stature heremained for the rest of his life.

  A miracle of an opposite kind was at the same time performed in thetown. A valiant warrior had from the effects of fever fallen into anextreme weakness, and was devoured with grief at the thought that heshould no longer be able to take share in the defence of the town. Tohim St. Germain appeared at night and told him that his prayers hadbeen heard, and that his strength should be restored to him. Onawakening in the morning he found that he was as vigorous and as robustas ever.

  Another day when the soldiers were carrying the banner of the saintround the walls of the town, followed by the citizens chanting hymns,one of the bearers of the holy relics, named Gozbert, was struck by astone from a catapult. The man who had fired it fell dead, whileGozbert continued his promenade in no way injured by the blow. The AbbeD'Abbon vouches for these miracles on the part of St. Germain indefence of his faithful city.