第 26 页

Ordering their bodies to be carried out into the courtyard, Wulf placed

four men on guard at the upper opening of the secret passage. They were to

be relieved every hour. He then went out and saw to the relief of the

sentries on the walls, and called down to Osgod that the attack had been

made and repulsed. He then went back and slept soundly till daybreak On

going to the walls he learned that there had been a great commotion down in

the valley. Fierce shouts, loud wailing cries, and a confused sound of

running and talking had been heard. At daybreak the Welsh were still there,

and their fires had been lighted: one party were seen to march away as soon

as it was light, but others arrived, and their numbers appeared about the

same as on the previous evening. There was no general movement, but it

could be seen that they gathered in clusters, and listened to men who

addressed them with animated gestures.

"They don't know what to do," Wulf said to Osgod, whom he had joined in the

turret. "They believe their chief to be dead; they know that his mother and

children are prisoners in our hands; they can have little hope of capturing

this place, which they believe to be impregnable to open attack. At present

they must be without a leader, and yet they must be so animated by a spirit

of hate and revenge, and by the desire to wipe out their humiliation by

retaking this place, that they will not stir from in front of it."

As he spoke a messenger came from Beorn, saying that the Welsh were pouring

arrows and javelins from the hill upon his sentries on the walls, and that

these were unable to show a head above the parapet. In one of the sheds a

large quantity of hides had been found, and taking a party laden with them

Wulf proceeded to the wall at the rear. Here he directed the ladders that

were still lying there to be cut up into lengths of eight feet. These were

fixed at intervals upon the parapet, and a cord fastened along the top, the

men engaged in the operations being protected by the shields of their

comrades from the rain of missiles from the trees. Hides were thrown over

the ropes, and these hid those on the wall from the view of the enemy,

while they themselves could peep out from time to time between the hides to

see that no preparations were being made for an attack.

The secret passage was next investigated; it was found that the opening was

about half-way down the rock, and that the assailants must have climbed up

by a path that a goat could scarce traverse. Wulf set a party to work to

carry down stones from the courtyard, and to block up the passage solidly

for ten feet from the opening, a sentry being posted on the wall above.

After the erection of the shelter of hides the Welsh only sent an

occasional javelin from the trees, but by the loud yells that were from

time to time raised, there was no doubt they were still there in force.

"It is evident that they are going to besiege us, Beorn," Wulf said when

they sat down to breakfast together. "The question is, are we to remain

here until rumour carries the report of our capture of the place to Gurth,

or shall we despatch messengers to him?"

"As you yourself said yesterday, the messengers could never get away, Wulf.

I would give a year's revenue if we could do so, for it may be a long time

before news comes to Gurth's ears. He may possibly hear of the annihilation

of Oswald's force, for any Welsh woman taken captive might mention that in

triumph, but they would certainly say nothing of such a grievous blow to

the Welsh cause as the capture of Porthwyn and the death of Llewellyn in an

attempt to recapture it. Gurth, therefore, naturally supposing that we had

been involved in Oswald's disaster, may abandon all idea of moving against

this place until the greater part of the country was reduced to obedience."

"I see, Beorn, that the difficulty of a messenger getting through would be

indeed enormous; the Welsh must know that we are but a small band, and that

our first aim would be to communicate with Gurth. You may be sure,

therefore, that they will keep a vigilant guard all round the place at

night to see that no messenger makes his way out. Our two interpreters do

not know anything like enough Welsh to pass as natives, none of our people

know a word of the language, it would be sending anyone to almost certain

death. I think we must be content to depend upon ourselves. Gurth is sure

to learn the news sooner or later, for it will make a great stir all

through the country. I have just seen Llewellyn, he is very sorely wounded.

I think it would be a good thing to let the Welsh know that he is in our

hands, it will render them more chary of attacking us. We might hang out a

flag of truce, and when they come up in reply tell them that he is alive

but sorely wounded, and that they may send up a leech, who would better

attend to his wounds than we can do."

This was accordingly done. Two Welshmen of rank came up to the broken

bridge and were informed that their prince was sorely wounded, and that a

leech would be allowed to enter to attend upon him. An hour later a man

with a boy carrying a large basket came up the hill and crossed the plank

into the turret. The basket, which contained various herbs and medicaments,

was taken from the boy, who was then sent back again, while the leech was

taken up to the room where Llewellyn was lying, in the care of his mother

and her maids.

Three days passed without any change. The force in the valley was seen to

be considerably diminished, no hostile demonstration had taken place; but

twenty men always remained in the courtyard in the rear, in readiness to

run up to the wall in case the sentries gave an alarm.

On the fourth morning, just as day was breaking, a man ran into the castle

with the news that the Welsh were attacking the wall. Beorn and Wulf sprung

to their feet, and with every man except those on duty as sentries ran off

to the scene of attack. That it was a serious assault was evident by the

wild yells and shouts that were heard.

Wulf ran up the stairs to the wall. A storm of missiles was striking

against the hides; many of them failed to penetrate, but others did so, and

several of the men were lying wounded under shelter of the parapet, while

the rest were hurling down javelins between the openings of the hides.

"What are they doing?" he asked the sub-officer in command of the party.

"They are preparing to scale the wall, my lord; they have numbers of

ladders."

Wulf was about to look out between the hides, but the officer exclaimed,

"Do not so risk your life, my lord; you can see down without danger;" and

he pushed out the lower side of one of the skins from the wall, so that

Wulf could look down without being seen by the Welsh archers. The fosse in

the rock and the narrow platform at the foot of the wall were alike crowded

with foes, who were planting a number of ladders side by side. These were

strongly constructed, and were each wide enough for two men to mount

abreast. Eight or ten of these ladders were already planted against the

wall, and the enemy were climbing up them. Wulf turned, and waving his

sword shouted to the men running into the courtyard from the walls and

castle to hasten up. Already a dozen had joined him, and scarce had these

placed themselves along the battlements when the heads of the Welshmen

appeared above it.

For a minute or two it seemed that these would overmaster the defence.

Several succeeded in crossing the parapet, but they were either cut down or

cast headlong into the courtyard. By this time the whole of the Saxons,

save the guard in the turret by the bridge, were on the wall, and were able

to form a close line along the parapet against which the ladders were

placed. The Welsh fought with an utter disregard of life; as fast as those

at the top were cut down or hurled backwards others took their place. So

closely did they swarm up the ladders that several of these broke with

their weight, killing many of those clustered below as well as those on the

rungs. But for an hour there was no pause. It was well for the defenders

that they had the protection of the line of hides, and were therefore

screened from the arrows of the bowmen on the hill; but these soon ceased

to shoot, as many of their comrades were hit by their missiles, while they

were unable to see whether the arrows had any effect whatever upon the

hidden defenders. At length the leaders of the assailants saw that the task

could not be achieved, and gave the signal by the blowing of cow-horns that

the attack should cease; but so furious were their followers that many

disregarded the summons, and continued their efforts to gain a footing upon

the wall, or at least to kill one of its defenders, for some time after the

main body had withdrawn. As soon as the last of these was killed the

garrison hurled the ladders backwards and then gave a shout of triumph,

which was answered by renewed yells of defiance by the Welsh.

"It has been a hard fight, Wulf," Beorn said, as he removed his helmet.

"It has indeed. It was a well-planned attack, and was nearly successful. We

ought to have had a stronger guard there; but I did not think that they

would venture to attack at daylight, nor that they could have so quickly

run forward and placed their ladders. Had we been but a minute later in

arriving here they would have gained this wall and the courtyard. They

would, indeed, have got no farther, but their success would have so excited

them that we should have had to fight night and day. What has been our

loss?"

Five of the men were killed; many of the others had received severe wounds

on the head and shoulders from the knives of their assailants, and had it

not been for the protection afforded by the leathern helmets and jerkins

the number of killed would have been very much larger.

"I would as lief fight with a troop of wild cats," exclaimed Osgod--who, as

soon as he saw that there was no movement down on the plain, had run up

with half his little garrison to join in the defence of the wall,--as he

tried to staunch a deep wound that extended from his ear to his chin. "Over

and over again I saw a shock head come up above the wall, and before I had

time to take a fair blow at it the man would hurl himself over upon me like

a wild animal. Three times was I knocked down, and I am no chicken either;

if it had not been for my comrades on each side it would have gone hard

with me. I was able to return the service several times, but had the Welsh

been imps they could not have been more active or more fierce. There must

be a hundred lying slain along here or in the courtyard. I do not wonder

that Oswald's men were all killed by them, though after our previous fights

I held them in but small respect."

"It is a different thing, Osgod," Beorn said. "In the field we have always

had the advantage from our order and our discipline; but here it was man

against man. We had the advantage of position and they of numbers; but

discipline went for nothing on either side, and I doubt if we should have

done as well as they did had we been the assailants."

"I am ready to own that," Osgod agreed. "I like to fight with my feet on

firm ground, and should make but a poor figure balanced on the top of a

ladder."

When the tumult in the wood had died away Wulf raised a white flag, and

ordered one of the men who spoke Welsh to shout to the enemy that they

might approach without molestation and remove their wounded and dead from

the foot of the wall, and also said that the Saxon leaders desired to speak

to an officer of rank.

Two of these came out from the trees. "Hitherto," the interpreter cried

with a loud voice, "my lords, the noble thanes, Beorn of Fareham and Wulf

of Steyning, have given the most honourable treatment to your chief,

Llewellyn ap Rhys, wounded and a prisoner in their hands, and to his

family. Nor have they altered that treatment while you were attacking our

walls; but they bid me warn you and all others in arms against the

authority of our sovereign lord the king, that henceforth they will hold

them as hostages, and that their lives will be forfeited if any fresh

attack be made upon the castle."

Three days passed without any further acts of hostility by the Welsh. At

the end of that time Llewellyn was sufficiently recovered to sit up

supported by pillows on his couch. He had already heard of the defeat, with

terrible slaughter, of the attempt of his countrymen to recapture the

castle, and of the warning that had been given the Welsh that if the attack

was renewed the lives of himself and his family would be forfeited. Beorn

and Wulf paid him a visit as soon as they heard that he was in a condition

to talk to them.

"Prince," Wulf said through his interpreter, "it is, you must see, hopeless

for your followers to attempt to recapture this castle. The bridge is

destroyed, the secret passage by which you entered blocked up, and we can

resist any attack upon the rear wall. We have shown you and yours a mercy

such as you would certainly not have extended to English men and women

under similar circumstances, and grieved as we should be to be obliged to

proceed to extremities with prisoners, yet were the castle again attacked,

and were we to see that there was a prospect of its being recaptured, we

should not hesitate to slay you, as it would be treachery to the king to

allow so formidable an enemy as yourself to regain his freedom.

"Your cause is hopeless. Harold, Tostig, and Gurth are carrying fire and

sword through your valleys, and your people will have to choose between

submission and death. Why should so hopeless a struggle continue? Gurth

will be here shortly, and then the fate that has befallen the districts

already subdued will light upon yours. Surely it will be better for

yourself and your people that this should be averted. This can only be done

by your sending orders to your followers to scatter to their homes and to