s. These, however, did not pause to continue the
conflict at a distance, but uttering their battle-cry rushed forward.

Edmund and Egbert had but little fear of the attack on the other faces
of the fort proving successful; the chief assault was against the gate,
and it was here that the real danger existed.

The main body of the Danes covered themselves with their shields and
rushed forward with the greatest determination, pouring through the gap
in the outer bank in a solid mass, and then turned along the fosse
towards the inner gate. Closely packed together, with their shields
above their heads forming a sort of testudo or roof which protected
them against the Saxons' arrows, they pressed forward in spite of the
shower of missiles with which the Saxons on the walls assailed them.
Arrows, darts, and great stones were showered down upon them, the
latter breaking down the shields, and affording the archers an
opportunity of pouring in their arrows.

Numbers fell, but the column swept along until it gained the gate. Here
those in front began an attack upon the massive beams with their axes,
and when they had somewhat weakened it, battered it with heavy beams of
timber until it was completely splintered. While this was going on the
Saxons had continued to shoot without intermission, and the Danish dead
were heaped thickly around the gate. The Danish archers, assisted by
their comrades, had scrambled up on to the outer bank and kept up a
heavy fire on the defenders of the wall. The Saxons sheltered their
heads and shoulders which were above the parapet with their shields;
and between these, as through loopholes, their archers shot at the
Danes.

Edmund and Egbert had debated much on the previous days whether they
would pile stones behind the gate, but had finally agreed not to do so.
They argued that although for a time the stones would impede the
progress of the Danes, these would, if they shattered the door, sooner
or later pull down the stones or climb over them; and it was better to
have a smooth and level place for defence inside. They had, however,
raised a bank of earth ten feet high in a semicircle at a distance of
twenty yards within the gate.

When it was seen that the gates were yielding Edmund had called down
his own band from the walls and formed them in a half-circle ten yards
from the gate. They were four deep, as in their usual formation, with
the four lines of spears projecting towards the gate. The mo