You appeal to the memory of your father, who has perished a victim to
avenging justice; I appeal to that of mine. If there be a God, let Him
deliver you, and perhaps I will believe in Him. Farewell for ever!"
He closed the door, and, with the aid of his men, securely fastened it
on the outside, so that no strength from within could open it; he
descended to the hall.
"Warriors," he said, "the moment I predicted has come; I have received a
warning that the usurper Edgar already marches against us; tomorrow, at
the latest, he will be here; before he arrives we shall be halfway to
Wessex. Let every one secure his baggage and his plunder, and let the
horses be all got ready for a forced march. We have eaten the last feast
that shall ever be eaten in these halls."
A few moments of bustle and confusion followed, and before half-an-hour
had expired all was ready, and the men-at-arms from without announced
that every horse--their own and those of the thane, to carry their
booty, the plunder of the castle--awaited them without.
"Then," said he, "listen, my men, to the final orders. _Fire the castle,
every portion of it; fire the stables, the barns, the outbuildings._ We
will leave a pile of blackened embers for Edgar when he comes; the halls
where the princely Edwy has feasted shall never be his, or entertain him
as a guest."
A loud shout signified the alacrity with which his followers bent
themselves to the task; torches flashed in all directions, and in a few
moments the flames began to do their destroying work.
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