Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1848-08-31
From "Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings"
THE BOW AND THE AXE.
BY E. L. BULWER.

From "Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings"
THE BOW AND THE AXE.
BY E. L. BULwER.
One day, as, during short truce with
the defenders of the place they were besieg-
ing, the Normans were divertng their lei
sure with martial games, in which Tallefer
shone preeminenl; while Harold and Will
liam stood without their tent, watching the
animated field, the duke abruptly exclaimed,
to Mallet de Graville: "Bring me my bow.
Now, Harold, let me see if thou canst bend
IT'D
The bow was brought, and Saxon and
Norman gathered round the spot.
''Fasten thy G love to yonder tree, Mallet,"
said the duke, taking that mighty bow in
his hand, and carefully feeling the string.
Then he drew the arc to his ear; and the
tree itself seemed to shake at the shock, as
the shaft, piercing the glove, lodged half
way in the trunk.
''Such are not our weapons,'' said the earl;
sand Ill would it become me, unpractsed,
so to peril our English honor, as to strive
against the arm that could bend that arc and
wing that arrow. But, that may show
these Norman Knights that, at least, we
have some weapon wherewith we can parry
shaft and smite assaier, bring me forth,
Godrith, my shield and my Danish axe"
Taking the shield and axe which the Sax
on brought to him, Harold then stationed
himself before the tree.
"Now, fair duke" said the earl, "choose
thou the longest shaft-bd thy ten dough-
test archers take their bows; round this
tree will ! move, and let each shaft be aimed
at whatever space in my mailless body
leave unguarded by my shield"
"No," said William, hastily, 'sthat were
murder"
sit is but the common peril of war; said
Harold, simply, and he walked to the tree
The blood mounted to Williams brow,
and the lions thirst Of carnage parched his
throat.
'And he will have it so,' said he, beck
oning to his archers, "let not Normandy be
shamed. Watch we'll, and let every shat,
60 home; avoid only the head and the heart;
such orguious Wanting is best cured by
blood-letingo
The archers nodded, and took their post,
each at separate quarter; and deadly, in
deed, seemed the danger Of the earl, for as
he moved; though he KEEP, his back guarded
by the trees, some parts of his form the
shield left exposed, and it would have been
impossible, in his quick-shifiing movements,
for the archers SO to aim as to wound, but
to spare life; yet the earl seemed to take
no particular care to avoid the peril lifting
his bare head fearlessly above the shield,
and including in.one gaze Of his steadfasl
eye, calmly bright even at the distance, all
the shafts of the archers.
At one moment FIVE Of the arrows Kissed
through the air, and with such wonderful
quickness had The shield turned to each, that
three fell to the ground blunled against it,
and two broke on its surface.
But William, waiting for the first dis
charge, and seeing full mark at Harod's
breast as the buckler turned, now sent forth
his terrible shaft. The noble Tailefer with
a poets true sympathy cried, ''Saxon, be-
ware :" but the watchful Saxon needed not
the warning. As if in disdain, Harold met
not the shaft with his shield, but swinging
high The mighty axe, (Which with most men
required both arms to WELD it, he advanc-
ed a step, and Glove the rushing arrow in
twain.
Before Williams loud oath o. wrath and
surprise left his lips, the five shafts of the
remaining archers fell as vainy as their pre-
decessors against the nimble shield.
Then advancing. Harold said cheerfnlly:
"Ths is but defence, fair duke-and lit
tie worth the axe if it could not smle as
we'll as ward. Wherefore, pray you, place
upon yonder broken stone pillar, which
seems some relic Of Druid hea,henesse, such
helm and shirt Of mail as thou deemest mos,
proof against sword and per,ulzan, and
judge then if our English axe can guard we'll
our English land"
''If Thy axe can cleave the helmet wore
at B4ven,, when the Franks and their king
fled before me,' said The duke, grimIy, 81
shall! hold Caesar in fault, not 10 have in
vented weapon so dread"
And s,rding back into his pavilion, he
came forth with the helm and shirt of mail,
which was worn stronger aud heavier by the
Normans, as fighting usually on horseback,
than by Dane and Saxon, who, mainly fight
ing on foot, could not have endured the
cumbrous burlhen and if strong and dour
generally with the Norman, judge what SOL
id weight tina. mighty duke could endure
With his own hand William placed the mail
on the ruined Druid stone, and on the mall
the helm.
Harold looked long and gravely at the
edge of the axe; it was SO richly gilt and
damasquned, that the sharpness of its tenn
per could not we'll have been OWNED, under
that holiday glitter. But this axe had come
to him from Canute the Great, who himself,
unlike the Danes, small and slight, had sup
piled his deficiency of muscle by the finest