few could approach at once.

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

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

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

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

At the sight of the massacre the archbishop prayed to the Virgin to
give him strength, and drawing a bow to its full strength, let fly an
arrow, which, great as was the distance, flew true to its mark and
struck the executioner full in the face. This apparent miracle of the
Virgin in their favour re-animated the spirit of the defenders; and a
solemn service was instantly held in the church in her honour, and
prayers were offered to her to save Lutece, which was the original name
of 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 constructio