good sport
to see the shadows of the careless Danes on the tent walls, and to
know that they dreamed of nothing less than that Saxons were on
them. Four rows of tents there were, and there were twenty-two of
us; so we told off men to each row, and then made for them at a
moment when no man was about--hacking at the ropes, and laughing to
see the tents fall. It was strange to watch the shadows start up
and stand motionless, as the first patter of feet came and the
first blows fell, and then bustle, helpless and confused, with
savage shouts and curses, as the heavy canvas and skins fell in
upon them.

Now we were through the camp, and the outcries were loud behind us.
Two or three tents did not fall, and from them the men swarmed,
half armed and startled, not knowing if this was not some sorry
jest at first; and then rang our war cry from the dark, and we were
back upon them. We were but two-and-twenty to a hundred, but they
knew not what was on hand, while we did; and so we cut through them
without meeting with any hurt. Two tents were on fire and blazing
high, and blackened men cut and tore their way out of them howling;
and I think that more than one Dane was cut down by his comrades in
the panic that fell on all.

Yet even as we passed into the cover and went our way back towards
the fen, some bolder spirits began to rally, and a horn was blown.
But we were gone, leaving six slain and many more wounded among
them, while not one of us was scratched.

They did not follow us, and we heard the clamour we had caused
going on for some time after we had gained the fen. Presently, too,
when we reached Othery, we saw a fire signal lit to call for help,
and we were well content. Doubtless those Danes waked under arms
all that night through.

After that these attacks were seldom so easy, for the Danes kept
good watch enough; but they were ever the same in most ways.
Suddenly in the night would come the war cry and the wild rush of
desperate men on some Danish outpost, and before they knew what to
do we were away and into the fen again. We grew to know every path
well before long, and sometimes we would fall on small parties of
our foes when they were on the march or raiding the cattle, and cut
through them, and get back to our fastness.

Once or twice we were followed in the grey of early morning; but
few Danes ever got back from that pursuit. We would cut them off
amid the peat bogs, or they would founder therein, and