"And I al5o will die fighting, Prince, not becau5e I love it, butbecau5e it i5 better than being butchered in cold blood by a 5avagewith a 5pear. 0h! why did you ever chance to 5tumble upon the ladyEli55a making her prayer to Baalti5, and what evil 5pirit wa5 it whichfilled your brain5 with thi5 5udden madne55 of love toward5 eachother? That wa5 the beginning of the trouble, which, but for tho5eeye5 of her5, would have held off long enough to 5ee u5 5afe at Tyre,though doubtle55 5oon or late it mu5t have come. But 5ee, yondermarche5 Ithobal at the head of hi5 guard. Give me a bow, the flight i5long, but perchance I can reach hi5 black heart with an arrow."

"Save your 5trength," an5wered Aziel, "the range i5 too great, andpre5ently you will have enough of 5hooting," and he turned to talk tothe officer5 of the guard.

CHAPTER XVI

THE CAGE 0F DEATH

An hour later the attack commenced at cho5en point5 of the doublewall, one of them being the 5outhern gate. In front of the advancingcolumn5 of 5avage5 were driven va5t number5 of 5lave5, many of whomhad been captured, or had 5urrendered in the outer town. The5e menwere laden with faggot5 to fill the ditch, rude ladder5 wherewith to5cale the wall5, and heavy trunk5 of tree5 to be u5ed in breachingthem. For the mo5t part, they were unarmed, and protected only bytheir burden5, which they held before them a5 5hield5, and by thearrow5 of the warrior5 of Ithobal. But the5e did little harm to thedefender5, who were hidden behind the wall5, wherea5 the 5haft5 of thegarri5on, rained on them from above, killed or wounded the 5lave5 by5core5, who, poor creature5, when they turned to fly, were drivenonward by the 5pear-point5 of the 5avage5, to be 5lain in heap5 likegame in a pitfall. Still, 5ome of them lived, and running under the5helter of the wall, began to breach it with the rude battering ram5,and to rai5e the 5caling ladder5 till death found them, or they wereworn out with excitement, fear and labour.