Then Sir Benedict sounded his horn, and sword in hand leapt over the barricade, and behind him Beltane with Roger and Ulf and Walkyn and their serried pikemen, while Sir Brian and Sir Hacon limped in their rear.

“The breach!” cried Sir Benedict, “seize we now the breach!”

“The breach!  The breach!” roared a hundred voices.  And now within the gloom steel rasped steel, groping hands seized and griped with merciless fingers; figures, dim-seen, sank smitten, groaning beneath the press.  But on they fought, slipping and stumbling, hewing and thrusting, up and up over ruined masonry, over forms that groaned beneath cruel feet—­on and ever on until within the narrow breach Beltane’s long sword darted and thrust and Ulf’s axe whirled and fell, while hard by Walkyn’s hoarse shout went up in roaring triumph.

So within this narrow gap, where shapeless things stirred and whimpered in the dark, Beltane leaned breathless upon his sword and looked down upon the watch-fires of Duke Ivo’s great camp.  But, even as he gazed, these fires were blotted out where dark figures mounted fresh to the assault, and once again sword and axes fell to their dire work.

And ever as he fought Beltane bethought him of her whose pure lips voiced prayers for him, and his mighty arm grew mightier yet, and he smote and thrust untiring, while Walkyn raged upon his left, roaring amain for Red Pertolepe, and Ulf the strong saved his breath to ply his axe the faster.

Now presently as they fought thus, because the breach was grown very slippery, Beltane tripped and fell, but in that instant two lusty mailed legs bestrode him, and from the dimness above Roger’s voice hailed: 

“Get thee back, master—­I pray thee get back and take thy rest awhile, my arm is fresh and my steel scarce blooded, so get thee to thy rest—­ moreover thou art a notch, lord—­another accursed notch from my belt!”

Wherefore Beltane presently crept down from the breach and thus beheld many men who laboured amain beneath Sir Benedict’s watchful eye to build a defence work very high and strong where they might command the breach.  And as Beltane sat thus, finding himself very spent and weary, cometh Giles beside him.

“Lord,” said he, leaning him on his bow, “the attack doth languish, methinks, wherefore I do praise the good God, for had they won the town—­ah, when I do think on—­her—­she that is so pure and sweet—­and Ivo’s base soldiery—­O sweet Jesu!” and Giles shivered.

“Forsooth, thou didst see fair Belsaye sacked—­five years agone, Giles?”

“Aye, God forgive me master, for I—­I—­O, God forgive me!”

“Thou once did show me a goodly chain, I mind me, Giles.”

“Aye, but I lost it—­I lost it, master!” he cried eagerly, “O verily I did lose it, so did it avail me nothing.”

“Moreover, Giles, thou didst with knowing laugh, vaunt that the women of Belsaye town were marvellous fair—­and methinks didst speak truly, Giles!”