will not open; we will defend ourselves to the last; our trust is in
God," replied Christian.

"And as to tearing out our hearts," cried Alric, feeling emboldened now
that the stout door stood between him and his foes, "if ye do not make
off as fast as ye came, we will punch out your eyes and roast your
livers."

The reply to this was a shower of blows on the door, so heavy that the
whole building shook beneath them, and Alric almost wished that his
boastful threat had been left unsaid. He recollected at that moment,
however, that there was a hole under the eaves of the roof just above
the door. It had been constructed for the purpose of preventing attacks
of this kind. The boy seized his bow and arrows and dashed up the
ladder that led to the loft above the hall. On it he found one of the
old retainers of the stede struggling up with a weighty iron pot, from
which issued clouds of steam.

"Let me pass, old Ivor; what hast thou there?"

"Boiling water to warm them," gasped Ivor, "I knew we should want it ere
long. Finn is gone to the loft above the south door with another pot."

Alric did not wait to hear the end of this answer, but pushing past the
old man, hastened to the trap-door under the eaves and opened it. He
found, however, that he could not use his bow in the constrained
position necessary to enable him to shoot through the hole. In
desperation he seized a barrel that chanced to be at hand, and
overturned its contents on the heads of the foe. It happened to contain
rye-flour, and the result was that two of the assailants were nearly
blinded, while two others who stood beside them burst into a loud laugh,
and, seizing the battle-axes which the others had been using, continued
their efforts to drive in the door. By this time old Ivor had joined
Alric. He set down the pot of boiling water by the side of the hole,
and at once emptied its contents on the heads of the vikings, who
uttered a terrific yell and leaped backward as the scalding water flowed
over their heads and shoulders. A similar cry from the other door of
the house told that the defence there had been equally successful.
Almost at the same moment Alric discovered a small slit in the roof
through which he could observe the enemy. He quickly sent through it an
arrow, which fixed itself in the left shoulder of one of the men. This
had the effect of inducing the attacking party to draw off for the
purpose of consultation.

The breathin