I would not bring trouble on him by being
seen. All the while I looked out over the sea, and then I saw something
else that I could not at first make out.

Somewhere on the sea, right off the mouth of the Watchet haven, and
seemingly close under me, there flashed brightly a light for a moment
and instantly, far out in the open water another such flash answered it
--seen and gone in an instant. Then came four more such flashes, each a
little nearer than the second, and from different places. Then I found
that the first and one other near it were not quite vanished, but that I
could see a spark of them still glowing.

Now while I wondered what this might mean, those two nearer lights began
to creep in towards the haven, closer and closer, and as they did so,
flashed up again, and answering flashes came from the other places.

The night was still, and I sat down to see more or this, knowing that
they who made these signals must be in ships or boats; but not knowing
why they were made, or why so many ships should be gathered off the
haven. Anyway there would be many people about to meet them if they came
in, and that would not suit me.

Then all of a sudden the light from the nearest ship flamed up, bright
and strong, and moved very fast towards the haven, and the others
followed, for first one light and then another came into sight like the
first two as they drew near. I knew not much about ships, but it seemed
to me as if lanterns were on deck, and hidden from the shore by the
bulwarks, perhaps, but that being so high above, I could look down on them.

"If they be honest vessels," thought I, all of a sudden, "why do they
hide their lights?" for often had I seen the trading busses pass up our
Parret river at night with bright torches burning on deck.

What was that?

Very faint and far away there came up to me in the still air, for what
breeze there was set from the sea to me, a chant sung by many rough
voices--a chant that set my blood spinning through me, and that
started me to my feet, running with all the speed I could make in the
darkness to warn Watchet town that the vikings were on them! For now I
knew. I had heard the "Heysaa", the war song of the Danes.

But before I could cover in the dark more than two miles I stopped, for
I was too late. There shot up a tongue of flame from Watchet town, and
then another and another, and the ringing of the church bell came to me
for a little, and then that stopped, and