oud shadow fled across it, though round us there was not a breath
of wind. I think the men before us two shrank back a little at that
moment, so that I had time to note all that went on, as a man will
at such a time, and yet without taking his eyes from the foe before
him.

That was but a breathing space. With a fresh yell the Mercians fell
on us again, and I had three of them on me; and my hands were full,
though they hampered one another. The old Wessex war cry which I
had not heard for so long came back to me, and I shouted "Out!
out!" and met them. There needed but a little time and Kynan would
be on the causeway. His song rang close to us.

Erling reeled and steadied himself against me, and the Mercians
howled. His war shout rang once, and then he fell across my feet,
face downward, and I stood over him in a white rage, and set my
teeth and smote. It came to me that there were more men on the
causeway now, but that they would not near me. I was fending
spearheads from me, and I forgot Kynan.

Then of a sudden those who were on me seemed to know that his song
was in their very ears, and they looked round. His men were on the
narrow gate path, and they were between them and me; and with that
they yelled and fled into the ditch on either side the causeway,
and I was aware that for a long minute I had kept the gate alone.

But I did not think of that. Out of the way of heedless, tramping
feet of those who came back into safety I must get my fallen
comrade, and I threw my sword within the gate and stooped and
dragged him after it, setting him on one side, on the steep rampart
bank, out of the way. He smiled and tried to speak, but could not;
and even so much cheered me, for I had thought him dead.

Some one came swiftly and touched me as I bent over him, and I saw
the old priest.

"Leave him to me," he said. "See to Kynan now; there may be work
yet for the lady's sake."

Even as I rose at his word, loath to leave my comrade, but knowing
that I must, and while I still had my face from the gate, there
came a blinding flash of lightning from the ragged black edge of
the cloud overhead, and with it one short, awesome crash of
thunder. The storm which had crept up behind us had broken on the
hilltop.

After that crash came a dead silence, and then were yells of terror
such as the fight had had no power to raise from men on either
side. And among them one voice cried shrill that this was the work
of Ethelbert, the