FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143  
144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   >>  
onth, making continual sallies at the head of his men, and doing every thing that the most resolute and reckless bravery could do to harass and beat off the besiegers. But all was in vain. In the end the walls of the citadel were so broken down by the engines brought to bear upon them, that one day the Monguls, by a determined and desperate assault made on all sides simultaneously, forced their way in, through the most dreadful scenes of carnage and destruction, and began killing without mercy every soldier that they could find. The soldiers defended themselves to the last. Some took refuge in narrow courts and lanes, and on the roofs of the houses--for the citadel was so large that it formed of itself quite a little town--and fought desperately till they were brought down by the arrows of the Monguls. The governor took his position, in company with two men who were with him, on a terrace of his palace, and refused to surrender, but fought on furiously, determined to kill any one who attempted to come near him. His wife was near, doing all in her power to encourage and sustain him. Genghis Khan had given orders to the princes not to kill the governor, but to take him alive. He wished to have the satisfaction of disposing of him himself. For this reason the soldiers who attempted to take him on the terrace were very careful not to shoot their arrows at him, but only at the men who were with him, and while they did so a great many of them were killed by the arrows which the governor and his two friends discharged at those who attempted to climb up to the place where they were standing. [Illustration: THE GOVERNOR ON THE TERRACE.] After a while the two men were killed, but the governor remained alive. Yet nobody could come near him. Those that attempted it were shot, and fell back again among their companions below. The governor's wife supplied him with arrows as fast as he could use them. At length all the arrows were spent, and then she brought him stones, which he hurled down upon his assailants when they tried to climb up to him. But at last so many ascended together that the governor could not beat them all back, and he was at length surrounded and secured, and immediately put in irons. The princes wrote word at once to their father that the town was taken, and that the governor was in their hands a prisoner. They received orders in return to bring him with them to Bokhara. While on the way, however, anoth
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143  
144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   >>  



Top keywords:
governor
 

arrows

 

attempted

 
brought
 

length

 

killed

 

soldiers

 

terrace

 

citadel

 

fought


determined

 
orders
 

Monguls

 
princes
 
standing
 

return

 

received

 

Illustration

 

friends

 

careful


reason

 

Bokhara

 

discharged

 

hurled

 

assailants

 
stones
 

ascended

 

immediately

 

secured

 

father


surrounded

 

remained

 
TERRACE
 

supplied

 

prisoner

 

companions

 

GOVERNOR

 

palace

 

simultaneously

 

forced


assault
 
desperate
 

dreadful

 

soldier

 

killing

 
scenes
 

carnage

 
destruction
 
engines
 

broken