At that moment, while they were clustering thick as bees round the base
of the building, Leif gave a preconcerted signal. One of the men
applied a light to the pile of bark and fir-cones, and a bright flash of
flame shot upward as Leif said,--"Up, lads!" in deep stern tones.

Instantly a shower of heavy stones descended on the pates of the
savages, who rolled down the steep sides of the mound with shrieks and
cries and yells very different indeed from those which had characterised
their assault. From all directions the savages now concentrated on the
fortress. At the same time the fire suddenly shot up with such a glare
that the whole scene was made nearly as light as day, and from the
parapets and every loop-hole of the fortress a very hail of arrows
poured forth into the midst of them, while their own shafts either
quivered in the palisade or fell harmless from the shields and helmets
of the Norsemen.

Even in that hour of extreme danger, Leif's desire to spare life, with a
view to future proposals of peace, was exemplified in his ordering the
men to draw their bows slightly, so as to wound without killing, as much
as possible, and to aim as well as they could at the legs of the foe!
One result of this was, that the wounded men were soon very numerous,
and, as they fled away, filled the woods with such howls of agony that
their still unhurt comrades were more alarmed than they would probably
have been if the ground had been strewn with the dead.

At this point a vigorous sally from the fortress, and a deep-toned Norse
cheer, settled the question for the time being. The entire army of
dark-skinned warriors turned and fled into its native wilderness!

There was not, it may be well to remark here, so much danger in this
sally as we moderns might suppose, for, even though the savages had not
run, but had faced and surrounded their enemy, these Norsemen, with
their massive limbs, sweeping swords, large shields, and defensive
armour, could have cut their way back again to the fort through hundreds
of such half-naked foes.

Of course Leif had expected them to fly, and had no intention of
retiring immediately to the fort. He merely went the length of the
outer wall, and then, with half of his men, kept up a vigorous shouting
to expedite the flight of the foe, while the other half picked up as
many arrows as they could find. Leif was glad to learn, on returning to
the fort, that only two dead men had been discove