he Dragon struck her a few feet from the stern,
cutting her in two.

The other galleys now closed in alongside. The Saxons hastily fastened
their oars as they had been rowing and then betook themselves to their
posts, those with spears and swords to the sides to prevent the enemy
from climbing up, the archers to the lofty castles at either end. The
Danes had the greatest difficulty in getting alongside, the oars
keeping the galleys at a distance. For some time the combat was
conducted entirely by the archers on both sides, the Danes suffering
much the most heavily, as the Saxons were protected by the bulwarks,
while from their lofty positions they were enabled to fire down into
the galleys.

At last one of the Danish vessels rowed straight at the broadside of
the Dragon, and breaking her way through the oars her bow reached the
side. Then the Danes strove to leap on board, but the Saxons pursued
the tactics which had succeeded so well on land, and forming in a close
mass where the Danish vessel touched the Dragon, opposed a thick hedge
of spears to those who strove to board her.

The Danes fought desperately. Several notable leaders, hearing that a
great Saxon ship had appeared on the Thames, had come down to capture
her, and leading their followers, strove desperately to cut their way
to the deck of the Dragon. Taking advantage of the strife, the other
galleys repeated the maneuver which had succeeded, and each in turn ran
their stem through the Saxon oars, and reached the side of the Dragon.
In this position, however, they had the immense disadvantage that only
a few men at once could strive to board, while the Saxons were able to
oppose all their strength at these four points.

For a time the Saxons repulsed every effort, but as the lashings of the
oars gave way under the pressure of the Danish ships, these drifted
alongside, and they were thus able to attack along the whole length of
the bulwarks between the castles. The Saxons were now hard put to it,
but their superior height still enabled them to keep the Danes in check.

All this time the five vessels had been drifting down the river
together. Presently, when the conflict was hottest, the chief of the
sailors made his way to Edmund.

"If we get up the sails we may be able to draw out from the galleys."

"Do so," Edmund said, "and at once, for we are hardly pressed; they are
four to one against us."

The sailors at once sprang to the halliards, and soon