The Hollow Land | Page 3

possible, and open the gates to the
rest.
I set off accordingly, after that with low laughing we had put the albs
all over us, wrapping the ladders also in white. Then we crept very
warily and slowly up to the wall; the moat was frozen over, and on the
ice the snow lay quite thick; we all thought that the guards must be
careless enough, when they did not even take the trouble to break the
ice in the moat So we listened- there was no sound at all, the Christmas
midnight mass had long ago been over, it was nearly three o'clock, and
the moon began to clear, there was scarce any snow falling now, only a
flake or two from some low hurrying cloud or other: the wind sighed
gently about the round towers there, but it was bitter cold, for it had
begun to freeze again; we listened for some minutes, about a quarter of
an hour I think, then at a sign from me, they raised the ladders carefully,
muffled as they were at the top with swathings of wool. I mounted first,
old Squire Hugh followed last; noiselessly we ascended, and soon
stood altogether on the walls; then we carefully lowered the ladders
again with long ropes; we got our swords and axes from out of the folds
of our priests' raiments, and set forward, till we reached the first tower
along the wall; the door was open, in the chamber at the top there was a
fire slowly smouldering, nothing else; we passed through it, and began
to go down the spiral staircase, I first, with my axe shortened in my
hand.-"What if we were surprised there," I thought, and I longed to be
out in the air again;-"What if the door were fast at the bottom."
As we passed the second chamber, we heard some one within snoring
loudly: I looked in quietly, and saw a big man with long black hair, that
fell off his pillow and swept the ground, lying snoring, with his nose
turned up and his mouth open, but he seemed so sound asleep that we
did not stop to slay him. Praise be! The door was open, without even a
whispered word, without a pause, we went on along the streets, on the
side that the drift had been on, because our garments were white, for
the wind being very strong all that day, the houses on that side had
caught in their cornices and carvings, and on the rough stone and wood
of them, so much snow, that except here and there where the black
walls grinned out, they were quite white; no man saw us as we stole
along, noiselessly because of the snow, till we stood within 100 yards

of the gates and their house of guard. And we stood because we heard
the voice of some one singing:
"Queen Mary's crown was gold, King Joseph's crown was red, But
Jesus' crown was diamond That lit up all the bed Mariae Virginis"
So they had some guards after all; this was clearly the sentinel that sang
to keep the ghosts off;-Now for a fight.-We drew nearer, a few yards
nearer, then stopped to free ourselves from our monks' clothes.
"Ships sail through the Heaven With red banners dress'd, Carrying the
planets seven To see the white breast Mariae Virginis"
Thereat he must have seen the waving of some alb or other as it
shivered down to the ground, for his spear fell with a thud, and he
seemed to be standing open-mouthed, thinking something about ghosts;
then, plucking up heart of grace, he roared out like ten bull-calves, and
dashed into the guard-house.
We followed smartly, but without hurry, and came up to the door of it
just as some dozen half-armed men came tumbling out under our axes:
thereupon, while our men slew them, I blew a great blast upon my horn,
and Hugh with some others drew bolt and bar and swung the gates
wide open.
Then the men in the guard-house understood they were taken in a trap,
and began to stir with great confusion; so lest they should get quite
waked and armed, I left Hugh at the gates with ten men, and myself led
the rest into that house. There while we slew all those that yielded not,
came Arnald with the others, bringing our horses with them; then all
the enemy threw their arms down. And we counted our prisoners and
found them over fourscore; therefore, not knowing what to do with
them (for they were too many to guard, and it seemed unknightly to
slay them all), we sent up some bowmen to the walls, and turning our
prisoners out of gates, bid them run for their lives,