United States or Croatia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Omer, with all his knights and men-at-arms, and Hereward with his sea-cocks, marched northwest up to Guisnes, with little Arnulf cantering alongside in high glee; for it was the first war that he had ever seen. And they came to the Castle of Guisnes, and summoned the Count, by trumpet and herald, to pay or fight.
Earl Osbiorn shrunk back, appalled and trembling. "Aha!" said Hereward without looking round. "I never thought there would be loose stones in the roof. Here! Up here, Vikings, Berserker, and sea-cocks all! Here, Jutlanders, Jomsburgers, Letts, Finns, witches' sons and devils' sons all! Here!" cried he, while Osbiorn profited by that moment to thrust an especially brilliant jewel into his boot.
He was one of us poor sea-cocks, and sailed the swan's path gallantly, till he became a mighty prince. Here is a man here who was with your noble uncle in Byzant." And he thrust forward the old master. The boy's delight knew no bounds. He should tell him all about that in St. Bertin. "Tell me about this ship. Let me go on board of her.
He had early learned that it was wise to get along well with sea-cooks, since sea-cocks were notoriously given to going suddenly lunatic and slicing and hacking up their shipmates with butcher knives and meat cleavers on the slightest remembered provocation. Besides, there was an equally good bunk all the way across the width of the steerage from the Chinaman's.
She turned on her beam-ends at 4.17 and sank with every man an board. At 6 o'clock, after a fight of extraordinary persistence, the Gneisenau opened her sea-cocks and went down. All her 8-inch ammunition had been expended, and 600 of her 850 men were disabled or killed. Some 200 were saved.
And that is precisely what we shall do; we shall force air into our air-chambers until the ship is on the point of sinking, and we shall then close the valves, stop the air-pump, and, opening the sea-cocks of the water-chambers, admit water enough into the ship to send her to the bottom like a stone." "Well! you astonish me, I freely admit," gasped the baronet.
"Closing the sea-cocks which were opened by Al Davis, the former bos'n, in revenge for a blow Luther Barr struck him when the ship went aground," was Frank's astonishing reply. "But how in thunder do you know about that?" "Davis told me while you were trying to get something out of those fellows who were all gabbling at once." "And when you have closed up the sea-cocks?"
"Now, you sea-cocks," said Winter, springing up, "we'll to the Bolldyke Gate, and all start fair." The Bolldyke Gate was on fire; and more, so were the suburbs. There was no time to save them, as Hereward would gladly have done, for the sake of the poor corrodiers. They must go, on to the Bolldyke Gate. Who cared to put out flames behind him, with all the treasures of Golden Borough before him?
Hoi! Swend's men! Hoi! Canute's men! Vikings' sons, sea-cocks' sons, Berserkers' sons all! Split up the war-arrow, and send it round, and the curse of Odin on every man that will not pass it on! A war-king to-morrow, and Hildur's game next day, that the old Surturbrand may fall like a freeholder, axe in hand, and not die like a cow, in the straw which the Frenchman has spared him."
Nevertheless, there were three men on the poop when the sea came in, who were not there when it went out. Wet and wild dawned that morning, showing naught but gray sea and gray air. Then sang Hereward, "Cheerly, my sea-cocks Crow for the day-dawn. Weary and wet are we, Water beladen. Wetter our comrades, Whelmed by the witch-whale.
Word Of The Day