.

The somewhat flippant remark, "Speak for yourself," might have been
appropriately made by some of her sisterhood, but they were all too
anxious about the impending danger to heed what she said.

When Leif rejoined Hengler on the walls, the shades of night had fallen
on the forest. He advised his lieutenant to lie down, but Hengler
begged and obtained permission to share his vigil.

There was no moon that night, and it became extremely dark--just such a
night as was suited to the purpose of the natives. Leif stood
motionless, like a statue, leaning on his spear. His man sat on the
rampart; both gazed and listened with painful intensity.

At last Leif pointed to what appeared to be a moving object on the space
of cleared ground that intervened between the slight wall of the hamlet
and the edge of the forest.

"Awake the men," he whispered, "and let not a sound of voice or clank of
sword be heard."

Hengler made no reply, but glided silently away. One by one the men
came up with the light tread of cats, and manned the walls, keeping well
under cover of the parapet--each taking his appointed station beside his
particular pile of stones and sheaf of arrows, which lay on the
platform, while below a man with a bow was stationed at every slit.

Suddenly there arose on the night air a yell so fierce, so prolonged,
and so peculiar, that it made even the stout hearts of the Norsemen
quail for a moment--it was so unearthly, and so unlike any war-cry they
had ever before heard. Again and again it was repeated, then a rushing
sound was heard, and hundreds of dark objects were indistinctly seen
leaping over the slight wall of felled trees that surrounded the hamlet.

With furious shouts the savages surrounded the houses, burst open the
doors, and rushed in; but they rushed out again almost immediately, and
their yells were exchanged for exclamations of surprise as they went
about searching in the dark for their concealed enemies. Of course they
came to the rock-fortress almost immediately after, and another war-cry
was uttered as they surrounded the place in hundreds, but as there was
still no sound or appearance of their expected foe, they became suddenly
silent, as if under the impression that there was something mysterious
in the affair which was not in accordance with their past experiences.

They nevertheless clambered to the top of the rock, and began to feel
round the bottom of the wooden palisades for a door.